#the burnable garbage day

[feralunar]

I played The Burnable Garbage Day a couple days ago and was pleasantly surprised by it!! So here's my attempt at fanart~

As stated in the credits, the background is a Paint 3D default model, with some brushes by Devin Elle Kurtz thrown in. The robots were sculpted by myself in Paint 3D:>

[miragetheshadow]

Obsessed with this idle doodle I did of Pandora.

THE BURNABLE GARBAGE DAY SPOILERS

[jibunbosh]

Imagine: You are the leader of a somewhat struggling Japanese rock band or pop group. You're not bad at it, but, despite having played at many shows and have amassed a certain level of popularity, you still struggle to break even in your day-to-day, and you're used to passed over for more established, recognizable music acts.

However, one day, you receive a proposal: a highly-anticipated TV anime adaptation of an extremely popular Shōnen Jump (or something) series is in the works, and you've been asked to write the first OP for it.

There's just one problem, though: you're an avid manga reader, and you know this series is absolute dogshit. It's the amalgamation of lots of writing tropes that make you want to throw the volume into the garbage with the rest of the burnables, and you know that if you take this song, you'll skyrocket into popularity and be at least somewhat associated with the anime for the rest of your career, even if you later go on to do other work with your newfound popularity.

[teecupangel]

So, we've had Desmond in the P5 universe. What if he landed earlier during the events of P3/FES/Reload? I think he would have a deep connection/bond to the protagonist considering both died to save the world. How would things play out in your headcanon?

The Persona 5 with Desmond idea for those curious.

I haven’t played P3R yet but I did play the OG P3, FES and Portable when it came out so we’ll be focusing on the og one for this.

Or maybe we’ll focus on the idea that P3R is a stealth ‘sequel’ and set it up first with Desmond waking up and talking a young boy with dark blue hair, asking him to sign in.

Desmond thought that he was in the afterlife and, sure, it looked like an average looking homey hotel but fine, he’d seen weirder shit in his life thanks to the Isus and the Animus so he just signed in.

He wakes up in a small apartment and a Japanese guy looking over him, telling him that he found Desmond where garbage bags were placed for the garbage truck to get them (Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Monday and Wednesday for burnable, Friday for not. He found Desmond on a Tuesday)

The man introduces himself as Edogawa and lets Desmond stay as he feels weak for some reason. By the time Desmond is strong enough to check his surrounding…

He finds out he’s in Japan, a city called Tatsumi Port Island.

And…

It’s the year 2009.

His phone isn’t working at all. No matter how much he tried to turn it on. When he borrowed Edogawa’s computer, there is no mention of Abstergo in the internet at all.

And the email he remembered his team had and the emergency email that Erudito gave him bounced back.

It took a few days before Desmond finally agreed that he wasn’t kicked into the past.

This was another world.

A world where the Assassins and the Templars didn’t exist.

Things turned weirder because the first time Desmond stays late at night, the city transforms and he is attacked by strange creatures…

He manages to take care of them thanks to his hidden blade and the knife he still had on his bag but their battle only ‘invited’ more creatures that tried to attack Desmond.

So he runs. He turns the corner…

And finds himself in a bar mostly painted in blue velvet.

And on the counter stands a woman who calls herself “Elizabeth”.

She welcomes him as a ‘unexpected guest’ and tells her about the Dark Hour and the Shadows.

She opens her book and shows him the page of the Fool Arcana, explaining to him that he signed the contract and is now able to serve as an ‘authorized representative’. Elizabeth will serve as the host of his Velvet Room.

She requests him to defeat the Shadows and challenge the Avatar of the Fall.

… and…

To change the ending.

Unorganized Notes:

I kinda like the idea of this being FeMC instead of the og MC of P3 but you decide XD

We are going to use a lot of FeMC’s alternate scenes (mainly because I want Shinjiro to live)

He becomes the bartender in Club Escapade and meets the MC during his first visit there. He keeps an eye on the MC because the MC likes to ‘pay’ the fortune teller there to check his fortune or something.

Desmond actually appears to the SEES members during the High Priestess boss fight. He can’t believe that kids are fighting the Shadows. He recognized the MC and also Junpei who has also visited the club before.

Desmond is more or less ‘recruited’ by the Kirijo group and Desmond agreed because they’re kids, he can’t just let them do this on their own. Desmond transfers to the dorm as a… ‘caretaker’

… which he actually does. He cooks them food (thank you, Ratonhnhaké:ton’s bleed) and cleans. He also walks Koromaru whenever he does grocery. By that point, he quits his job in the club.

SEES members think of him more like an older brother. He gets roped with Fuuka’s cooking and jogs with Akihiko at times. He helps out Junpei with his English assignments. He makes Ken coffee and is even roped by Ken to teach him how to make coffee the way he does. He also more than once slips inside the school because Yukari asked him to help her with her archery for some reason. His favorite is Mitsuru though because she tells him he can borrow her motorcycle any time he wants.

Aegis is wary of him which is fair and she’s always confused to why she always feels the need to have him in her sight. It becomes a running joke how Aegis has imprinted on both Desmond and the MC.

We never talked about Desmond’s Persona, right?

That’s because he doesn’t have one.

The first Persona he summons is a Pixie and the book that Elizabeth has is already filled completely. He can summon the Personas there as long as he pays the price and he can fuse them.

But he cannot overwrite the Personas in the book.

Desmond is the Avatar of the Fool.

… specifically… he is the Avatar of the original messiah that became a door to halt the end from happening.

The young boy who asked him to sign?

That wasn’t Pharos.

It was the male main character’s child form. To be more exact, how he looked when he lost his parents. He connected with Desmond so Desmond could become his avatar and changed the ending of this ‘repeat’ (aka Reload) that Elizabeth managed to create. He appears in Desmond’s dream as a glowing figure (and the red herring is making us think he’s the Reader but he’s not). The book Elizabeth is using to support Desmond is his compendium.

So yeah…

This is actually a fix it fic idea for Persona 3.

[justicerikai]

Charisma House - The Seven Charisma‘s “One Week Charisma“ lyrics translation (english)

Charismatic from the moment of birth

Lyrics translation of “One Week Charisma” ( カリスマ1週間 , karisuma isshuukan)!

TL notes:

“Fantasista“ means “A comedian or actor that is quick witted with their speech, and is skilled with improvisation.” or “A soccer player of outstanding skill, rich in creativity, and has a talent for showing off unexpected performances.” (definition roughly translated from kotobank)

善悪 (zenaku) means “good or evil”, while 正邪 (seija) means “right or wrong”. However, Charisma House officially translates 正邪  as “good or evil” which is why I decided to switch around the meaning for 善悪  and 正邪 in Fumiya’s lyrics.

Edit: Few corrections have been made due there being a more credible transcription of the lyrics available online.

Now let’s charimastically spend our week!

Amahiko: This week’s also ECSTASYYY~!

Terra: The weekend’s only for myself

Sarukawa: What I do is my choice!

Iori: Today too free service and aid!

Rikai: Today’s burnable garbage day

Ohse: The week is starting over again

Fumiya: These macarons are tasty

(Amahiko’s verse)

You’re Sooo Sexy Heaven being called forth on

MONDAY Early next week

The world sexy ambassador who is I

Shall hereby hold a “Direct Sexual Meeting” (An independently hosted event)

What, you’re saying you want to arrive together??

Certainly Everyone join my hand in writhing

And why don’t we go liberate sex~!

We’re charismatically charismatic~

(Rikai’s verse)

Everything I speak of is correct

The House’s Discipline Committee Member  Rikai-oniisan

Now then  Tuesday’s for throwing out trash  The day of flammable garbage

Who did it…!

You know properly seperating is the law of society!

Flammable Incombustibility Oversized

At any rate it’s a heap of trash….

Anything that throws order in disarray must be swept clean

By annihilation!

We’re charismatically charismatic~

(Iori’s verse)

Hey, hey  Treat me as your slave

Please work me as much as you’d like to

Give me an overwhelming amount of burden~

Wednesdays I’m on duty for meals  Cooking Time!

And tomorrow and the day after and next week and next month

On duty for cooking on every day of the year~

Aah… This is truly happiness

Thank you for this burden of finest quality

I’ll diligently work as your manservant

We’re charismatically charismatic~

Genuine fantasista’s

Charismatic from the moment we were born

Genuine fantasista’s

Charismatic from the moment we were born

C・ H・ A・ R・ I・ S・ M・ A

DNA no one could copy

Charismatic tomorrow too and the day after~

We are charisma~

Next week and the week after

Fall for us  More more more

Attention here! Gather here!

Revel in that charisma (charisma)

(Fumiya’s verse)

Eyy  taking things calmly  Ito Fumiya here

Thursday came back around this week

Well on the other hand it’s not as if anything changes

Guess I’ll go eat some of my favourite sweets again

Mm… doesn’t matter what day you spoil yourself, does it?

Today’s crepes, parfaits, macarons, a brief moment of supreme bliss

The judgement of right or wrong isn’t an issue  Charisma of Good and Evil

We’re charismatically charismatic~

(Terra’s verse)

Aah lovely~ How glorious~

Beautiful once again today~ My face is  

Ah right  today’s friday!

Tomorrow’s the weekend for getting dressed up to go out

Beauty salon… shopping… what to do

Terra-kun’s will become lovely as ever again~

My own self is already a trend

We’re charismatically charismatic~

Genuine fantasista’s

Charismatic from the moment of birth

Genuine fantasista’s

Charismatic from the moment of birth

C・ H・ A・ R・ I・ S・ M・ A

DNA no one could copy

Charismatic tomorrow too and the day after~

We are charisma~

Next week and the week after

Fall for us  More more more

Attention here! Gather here!

Revel in that charisma (charisma)

(Sarukawa’s verse)

I’m Sarukawa Kei  Working together? Who the hell cares

I only do what I want

I’ll crush those rules and manners!

Weekend, saturday? Going out with everyone?

Hah? I ain’t going  Don’t decide for me!

If you guys say YES  I’ll say NO

Ain’t gonna answer to your demands!

What to do is for me to decide

I’ll break it down  Today’s also destruction mode!

We’re charismatically charismatic~

(Ohse’s verse)

It’s here… sunday…

Tomorrow monday will come again

Such a sore loser somehow got through the entire week

I’m absolutely a nuisance to everyone…

To begin with spending time with such a guy everyday must be definitely detestable…

Yeah…

I’m a being not worthy of living  It’s out of the question

I hope no one will have to see it tommorrow

I’ll kill myself today…. I apologize… Uuuguh…

We’re charismatically charismatic~

Everyone do you see it now?

Our daily charisma charge!

Look, look!  Here come the charismatics!

C・ H・ A・ R・ I・ S・ M・ A

DNA no one could copy

Charismatic tomorrow too and the day after~

We are charisma~

Next week and the week after

Fall for us More more more

Attention here! Gather here!

Revel in that charisma (charisma)

[kisuka57]

Thank you.

Good morning. It is a clear and cold morning today.

Tuesday is the day for burnable garbage, and I was carrying the garbage while looking up at the blue sky.

The planet Earth, floating in space, has given us everything we need to live, hasn't it?

There is no supernatural mass death every three days.

We don't run out of air when we sleep.

The kinetic minerals that provide us with food do not run away from the earth.

And you allow us to reincarnate our souls…

If we don't have gratitude for Mother Nature, we will suffer from respiratory diseases.

Even on the earth within the universe, the providence of the universe is at work.

Please have a smiling day today, too.

おはようございます。 今日は、晴天の寒さが強い朝になりました。

火曜日は燃えるゴミの日、青空を見上げながらゴミを運んでいました。

宇宙に浮かぶ地球と言う星は、人間が生きるのに必要な物を全て与えてくれていますね。

超自然的に３日に一回、大量死がある訳でもなく。

寝ていても、空気が無くなる訳でもなく。

食物となる動植鉱物が、地球外に家出する訳でもなく。

その上で、魂の転生輪廻を許してくれていますね・・・

大自然に対する、感謝の思いが無いと、呼吸器系の病気になるようです。

宇宙の中の地球でも、宇宙としての摂理は働いています。

今日も笑顔の一日をお過ごしくださいね(^^)

[owl-deer]

43. HOUSING MARKET

2/6/23

I still remember One of these days Paint roller in my hands My last attempt at writing Defiantly staining the living room With Russian Red

I heave a sigh Rise my arms With practiced ease And up and down The white paint goes

Now, again another set of bare walls Stares into me, their standard white unsightly like exposed stretchmarks of a not-so-beach body

The guilt of an unfinished naked home Burrows into the old, Still tender cracks Of feebly Fragile femininity

After all, There’s nothing more shameful and unsafe for a woman than a house that is not a nest

This apartment just like the rest bears familiar bare walls that have been my background for ten long years, blindingly clear and glaring

In their eyes I am Powerless, Fighting against the windmills —

they will not even be mine to fight a year later

Never a decorator — a hoarder instead I collect gaudy reproductions of Pre-Raphaelite paintings that bleed color all over my nerdy knick-knacks I am a dragon of trinkets And my lord's home that has been lent to me as a lair is a landfill of treasures

The whiteness stares judgingly at my ever-growing pile of priceless nonsense while the urge to nest whines quietly in the back of my mind

Comfort is part of the monthly rent in the contract that I signed

Sometimes I let myself rest my cheek on the rough planes of cardboard boxes And whisper: “Here it is safe”

Oh, the good times Jolly good times before my birth Where have you gone?

When the big bad wolf blows the prices out and into new proportions Nothing of mine of me will be allowed to stay

My lord is selling this land at the end of July So the 1st of July will be burnable garbage day

[cubot]

I need to take my trash out tonight since I wasn’t home to do it last week and my kitchen is noticeably stinky. So I guess I’ll be going out in a storm. I feel like it always rains Sunday nights (garbage day for burnable trash).

[kazukogu]

Jizo

7 o'clock in the morning.

This is a Jizo shrine. We call them Jizo-sama.

They quietly watch over children going to school and busy adults on the road.

Oh yeah, Jizo also protects people who come to travel!

Someone arranges beautiful flowers every day.

Today is burnable garbage collection day. Because Jizo-sama is watching, the crow is also a good boy. The roads are always beautiful here.

[theradicalace]

literally i went into the burnable garbage day expecting "he he tap tap clean up trash" and instead i got EMOTIONS

[elkian]

Me: Haha I will play cute robot game! It will be fun :)

The game: These robots love and care for each other to the point of sacrifice.

Me:

[virtualcloudstrawberry]

[deus-ex-mona]

Daikirai na Hazu Datta: hero 3

This is Chapter 3 of the Daikirai na Hazu Datta novel!

Saltaro index for this part: ★★★☆☆

Previous part (hero 2)

Next part (hero 4)

It was a sunny Saturday afternoon near the end of October.

Kotaro was standing in the courtyard wearing his gym uniform. He had been weeding the flowerbeds like he always did, before picking up the garbage and heading to the garbage disposal behind the school building to dispose of it.

When he got there, there were large boxes containing burnable and non-burnable garbage that were placed beside the incinerator, which was not currently in use. He threw the trash bag full of weeds into the pile and turned to head back.

Suddenly, Kotaro saw someone crouching behind the boxes. He took a peek out of mild interest, only to find Takamizawa Arisa there.

“E-enomoto?!” she blurted out in shock and bewilderment.

“What’re you doing in a place like this?” Kotaro asked.

“Uh~,” Arisa frowned. “Nothing… much?”

She quickly stood up and brushed her skirt lightly, before returning to her usual expression. However, she kept glancing around restlessly, as if she was keeping an eye out for someone.

“Hmm. Well, it’s fine then…” Kotaro waved his hand as he made to leave the place. “See ya.”

“Wait, Enomoto!” Arisa pulled on Kotaro’s gym uniform, causing him to stumble a little.

“What is it?!”

“Don’t you have Soccer Club practice today?”

“The Baseball Club is using the field for a practice match today.”

“...Then, Hina’s also participating in the Gardening Club’s activities, right?” Arisa retracted her hand, moving it behind her back.

“Isn’t she helping out with the preparations for the Cultural Festival? She told me that she was going shopping with some other girls.”

“And you’re fine with that?”

“I’m not interested in shopping. Though, speaking of that… you’re on the Cultural Festival Executive Committee aren’t you, Takamizawa?”

Ever since they were in Middle school, Kotaro had never seen Arisa actively participate in class events. Even so, she had taken on the role of a member of the Cultural Festival Executive Committee that year, as if she had a mysterious change of heart.

“...I’d like it if you didn’t remind me about that,” Arisa frowned bitterly and looked away, as though something had happened to her.

“Is Shibaken chasing you again?” Kotaro laughed.

The Cultural Festival Executive Committee representative of Kotaro’s class was Ken. He had initially seemed uninterested in the Cultural Festival. However, once he had heard that Arisa was the committee representative of the next class, he had enthusiastically joined the committee as well.

There should have been a Cultural Festival Executive Committee discussion that day as well. Such had been announced over the school broadcast.

“Enough about me. Let’s get back to you, Enomoto! Have you thought of what you’re going to do at the Cultural Festival?”

“...Me? I dunno… Maybe walk around my juniors’ classes, or eat something at a temp shop?” he falteringly answered Arisa as she edged closer to him.

Arisa glared at him in disappointment. “Enomoto… Don’t you know what the purpose of the Cultural Festival is?”

“What, isn’t it for us to have fun?”

“It’s a chance! What would you do if you can’t ever shorten the distance between you and Hina?!”

“Huh?!” Kotaro’s face reddened. “What are you even talking about?!”

“Everyone’s going to do that. Aren’t you the only one who’s thinking about hanging about casually, Enomoto?” Arisa stared at Kotaro frostily.

“Ta...Takamizawa, isn’t it the same for you?”

“I’ll be busy as a member of the Executive Committee, so I won’t have free time like that,” Arisa furrowed her eyebrows as she answered strongly.

“I won’t have that kind of free time either. Anyway, Hina would probably be going around the festival with Koganei. It was like that last year.”

(Though, the distance between us is already small…)

“I think Koganei will be busy helping out at my class’s event, though?”

“Then she’ll just go with some other girls. Even if I were to invite her…” Kotaro mumbled.

“Isn’t it fine if you invite her? No, scratch that, you must invite her!”

Kotaro took a step back when Arisa quickly turned to face him. “Wh… Why are you so pushy about this, Takamizawa?”

“Because it’s frustrating to watch!!” Arisa straightened her posture back out with a sigh.

“Are you still thinking about... that thing with Yukki?” she dropped her voice in concern.

“It’s not like that,” Kotaro replied, gazing down.

“Oh right,” he muttered in recollection and looked at Arisa. “Takamizawa, do you know of any juniors who aren’t participating in any clubs?”

“I don’t know of any such person.”

Arisa was not a member of any clubs, so she was probably relatively uninvolved with her juniors. Though, she was not the type of person who would actively interact with people to begin with.

“Right… I guess I’ll really have to look around some more…”

“...Is this about the Gardening Club? You haven’t gotten any new members yet?”

“I’ve tried attracting new members though…” Kotaro smiled in resignation. He and Hina had tried to put up recruitment posters, though there had been no response. “Do you think someone would join if we advertised with a slogan like ‘All-You-Can-Eat Roasted Sweet Potatoes in the Fall!’?”

“I think that they’d just hang around for the sweet potatoes, though.”

“Guess you’re right…”

“Isn’t it fine… I mean. You don’t have to work so hard, Enomoto. You joined the club for Hina’s sake, didn’t you? Plus, Yukki has long since graduated now…”

“...I’m doing this for myself now. I don’t want to half-ass anything. I also want to… properly pass the baton on to the next batch of members.”

Before Kotaro knew it, the Gardening Club had become an important place for him. He had a strong attachment to it after working on it, and he wanted to see the next batch of Gardening Club members take over the club with care and importance. 

He was sure that Koyuki had felt the same way.

“I don’t care for Ayase at all, but… I do think he’s an amazing senior of the Gardening Club,” Kotaro said, looking in the direction of the school building. Arisa stood next to him in silence.

“...You’re taking this really seriously, aren’t you, Enomoto?”

“Isn’t it normal?”

“It almost seems like you’re trying to emulate someone else,” Arisa frowned.

“Drop it, okay? Though, it looks like someone’s looking for you over there.”

“Eh?!” Arisa’s face stiffened as she looked around frantically. Then, she hurriedly crouched behind a box to hide herself.

“Arisaaa. Oi… wait, huh? Didn’t her voice come from around here?” Ken walked out from the school building, his hands in the pockets of his pants. 

“Kotaro, did you see Arisa?” Ken approached Kotaro, looking at his face.

“Dunno…?” Kotaro nonchalantly averted his gaze.

“Hmm…” Ken looked towards the box of trash. “I was thinking of asking her if she wanted to go to the Cultural Festival Executive Committee discussion together, though.”

“Shibaken, do you… really love Takamizawa that much?” Kotaro asked casually.

“Hm?” Ken returned his gaze. “I love her?”

“Ugh,” Kotaro, who had been intending on making fun of Ken, was struck speechless by the simple tone in which he had said it.

“Then, if you see Arisa, tell her that I went on ahead,” Ken grinned, taking his hand out of his pocket to wave lightly as he returned to the school building.

“...You heard him, Takamizawa,” Kotaro said as though he was speaking to himself, glancing behind the box.

Arisa was seated down, hugging her knees tightly, her face dyed a bright red.

☆★☆★☆

The next day was a Sunday. 

It was noon when Kotaro finally awoke. 

It was a rare occasion for his house to be quiet, despite it being an off-day, a fact that could probably be attributed to his parents being out at the moment. Natsuki did not seem to be home either.

(I wonder if she went over next door…)

Kotaro was free for the entire day as he had made no plans and his club activities were off that day. 

He considered the thought of going to school to water the plants, but ultimately decided against it as it had rained heavily the previous night. Besides, there was a school information session for prospective students that was set to be conducted that day.

“Should I go for a run…?”

Kotaro, being unable to think of anything else to do, headed for the living room, scratching his shoulders. After eating a quick meal of bread and milk, he donned his running wear and put on his sneakers before leaving the house.

He frowned a little as bright beams of sunlight shone into his eyes. The rain from the previous day had completely stopped, however, puddles of water still dotted the road.

Kotaro looked over at the house next door and saw a car parked in front of the main entrance. Yu was washing the car carefully with a hose and a sponge in his hands.

When Yu noticed Kotaro, he smiled and called out to him. “What’s up?”

Yu had just gotten his license that Summer. His University break lasted till September, so he seemed to have attended a driving school over the break.

Yu was washing his parents’ car, though Kotaro came to the assumption that Yu was now using it as well.

“Where’s Natsuki? Isn’t she hanging out with you today?”

“Natsuki’s at her part-time job,” Yu squeezed the sponge tightly before throwing it into the bucket. The body of the freshly-washed car sparkled under the light.

“Hmm, then, are you washing the car because you’re free?” Kotaro asked. 

Yu turned around as he picked up the bucket. “Where are you going? I’m asking as a fellow guy with free time.”

“...Where’s Hina?”

“With her friends. Too bad for you,” Yu laughed as he headed into the house with the bucket in his hand. “I’m going to get rid of this for a bit.”

As he waited for Yu to come back out of the house, Kotaro got into the passenger seat of the car. Yu made his way to the driver’s seat and closed the door upon sitting down.

“Where do you want to go?” Yu asked Kotaro as he fastened his seatbelt.

“I don’t know…” Kotaro had intended on going for a run around the neighbourhood, so he was still in his running wear.

“Then, shall we go for a drive?” Yu smiled as he stepped on the accelerator lightly to start the car.

“...Yu, did you go around last year’s Cultural Festival with anyone?” Kotaro, who had been absently listening to the song that was playing, suddenly asked.

The car was passing through a residential area as it headed for the downtown area in front of the station.

“Cultural Festival?” Yu stopped at the traffic light and put his elbow onto the steering wheel in thought. “Hmm.”

“I don’t think I had that kind of free time. I was busy making ramen.”

“I know that much. Apart from that?”

“When I had free time, I was in the club room. We were still editing the graduation movie then,” Yu started the car when the traffic light changed. 

As it was a day off, there were many people and cars in the city. Among them was Yu, who was driving his car slowly without any rush.

“...Come to think of it, isn’t your Cultural Festival coming up soon?”

“Didn’t you… go around the festival together with Natsuki?” Kotaro chanced a side glance at Yu, who had a nostalgic expression on his face.

“If I’m not wrong, Natsuki went around with Hayasaka and Aida.”

(Then, isn’t it as good as having someone else invite her out…?)

“What did you do then?”

Yu turned back to the front in silence. 

“I thought that you’d have invited Natsuki out, though…”

“But since I didn’t invite her, she was taken away by someone else, huh,” Yu smiled happily as he answered.

(I guessed as much…)

Kotaro knew his older sister’s personality almost as well as Yu did.

“Are you thinking of inviting someone?”

Kotaro was a little surprised by the question. However, as he was talking to Yu, he did not feel the need to lie to him.

“That’s not it at all,” Kotaro heaved a sigh. “Because we’re childhood friends, she can’t see me in a better light… I think. I’ve known this ever since we were kids. Even now, she doesn’t think I’m cool at all… Yu, you have always been cool from the start, though.”

“...That’s not the least bit true.”

“But you’re cool. You’re good at soccer as well…”

“You’re the one who continued to play it, Kotaro. You’re much better than me.”

“Besides, you’re even good at studying…”

Yu was admired by girls all through Middle school and High school. Such did not seem to change even when he went to University. Natsuki would whine about it every day at home with complaints like “Yu was popular again!”. As they now went to different schools, Natsuki seemed to worry about it less than before.

“Yu… You know a lot about Natsuki’s bad points, right?”

“Hm… guess so,” Yu reached for the plastic bottle in the holder.

“So, then, how are you still able to like her?” Kotaro looked straight at Yu, who seemed to be on the verge of spitting out the water that he had just sipped. Yu coughed and quickly wiped his mouth with his hand.

Kotaro knew that Yu had been cherishing Natsuki ever since they were children. However, that probably did not have romantic connotations at the very beginning. He was sure that Yu had initially cared for Natsuki as a childhood friend.

Yu took a breath as he returned the plastic bottle to the holder.

“...Speaking of that, I don’t think it matters about one’s bad or good points. No matter how bad things get, isn’t keeping your feelings unchanged of utmost importance? I… can’t think of being with anyone other than Natsuki, and I think that anyone else simply wouldn’t do… Even though she does have her bad points, for me, Natsuki is the best.”

After saying that, Yu covered his reddened face with a hand in embarrassment. “Why did I say such a thing?”

(I too… can’t think of being with anyone other than Hina…)

Kotaro’s feelings remained unchanged, even when Hina fell for someone else. Though it had seemed hopeless, though it seemed as though he had no chance with her, he never thought about looking for someone else.

Kotaro propped his elbow up on the edge of the window and rested his cheek against his hand. As he looked out of the window, Yu tapped his head with a hand.

“Do your best. I’ll be supporting you,” Yu laughed.

☆★☆★☆

That night, after getting out of the bath, Kotaro dried his hair with a towel as he made his way towards the living room. When he opened the door, he found the room pitch-black.

(No one else is home yet?)

Thinking along those lines, Kotaro turned on the light switch, only to see Natsuki sitting on the sofa.

“Welcome back…”

“Whoaaaa!!” Kotaro staggered backwards in astonishment at the terribly hollow voice. “Wha… What… are you doing?”

Kotaro’s heart was pounding in his shock.

Natsuki slowly turned around, holding a souvenir box in her hands. “Special pork bun!” was written on the wrapping paper.

“What… is this? Why are pork buns, shu mai, and ramen in a place like this?” Natsuki narrowed her eyes as she pointed to the souvenir boxes piled up on the table. 

Kotaro clung to the wall and gulped. “W-why, you ask… It’s because I was with Yu?”

Natsuki quickly stood up, to the surprise of Kotaro. She made a beeline for him, a box of the “Special pork bun”s in her hand.

“When I wasn’t around… Did you go on a dri~ve with Yu?”

“Eh… N-no, a drive… huh…”

“The two of you… ate ramen, pork buns, shumai, gyoza, tapioca milk tea, and enjoyed eating and drinking a lot?! While I… was getting angry with the customers at my part-time job, the two of you were out having fun?!”

“I-I’m sorry. That’s why we bought you this souvenir!” Kotaro averted his gaze and continued in a small voice. “Well… Yu did… but…”

“I’ll be going over next door for a bit!!” Natsuki held a box of the “Special pork bun”s as she rushed out of the living room.

Kotaro instinctively shrugged at the sound of the door slamming shut.

(W-will Yu… be okay…?)

“W-well… It’s fine…”

It was Yu, after all. He would be able to calm her down. As he always did.

Kotaro put a hand behind his head as he headed for the refrigerator in the kitchen.

“Even though she does have her bad points, for me, Natsuki is the best.”

Kotaro recalled the words Yu had spoken in the car, and stifled a laugh.

(Yu really is amazing…)

[eroticcannibal]

Going through the app requests and the child wants to play the burnable garbage day and im SO EXCITED I LOVE THAT GAME

[morguenecrosis]

A game called 'burnable garbage day'

Made me fucking cry

I'm serious

I didn't wanna kill her!

Play it and you'll know

Oh I fanboyed when I

Had the option to save her

That's rough buddy

[theinternetisaweboflies]

A Regular Magical Girl Chapter 5 by girlinstory

Natsume returned home with Natori. The Ayakashi busied themselves patrolling the quiet apartment complex while Natsume called Touko. He fumbled, first his excuse, and then the actual phone. Natori took over. With only a little insinuation, and one cleared throat, Touko decided for herself that Natori had a fever and simply couldn't be left alone in his empty, ill-stocked apartment.

Natsume's hand itched to check Natori for a fever despite knowing it was a lie.

Natori was acting even more strangely than usual. He kept being charming, even though he usually turned it off after they were alone for a few minutes. He was talking about relevant and topical matters, such as the ritual of release he had performed on Hibaki and how he had modified it based on their experience with Takuma-san, but he wouldn't stop smiling, and he was ending every sentence with a question, not allowing Natsume to get in any of his own.

Natsume wasn't as talkative as Natori, but he had done the same thing sometimes, when he was sick of being asked, "What's wrong?" (the "with you" was usually only implied).

After dinner, Natori took out the burnable garbage while Natsume took a bath. He spent most of it trying to figure out what was wrong with Natori, so he didn't notice his wet hair dripping water down the hall until he slipped in it.

"We have to stop meeting like this," said Natori, a somewhat pained expression on his face. Natsume didn't think his elbow had connected that hard. "It makes it hard to resist a pickup line."

"Wasn't that a pickup line?" asked Natsume.

"Not that one." Natori plucked the towel from Natsume's shoulders and dropped it on his head. "Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?"

Natsume scowled. "That just makes you seem untrustworthy. Especially when you do it to everyone."

Natori's smile was no less charming than usual when he said, "That's the point," so it took a moment for the meaning of his words to sink in.

Natsume could remember a time when he believed being alone was better than any alternative he could achieve. It was a particularly difficult period in his childhood, when he was staying with a bachelor salaryman who left him alone all day in an empty apartment with an empty fridge and came home drunk from another nomikai.

"What's wrong?" he asked, before he could stop himself.

Natori's smile didn't falter. "What do you mean?"

"Something's wrong. Tell me what it is. You keep saying that you want to give me a place where I don't have to lie. I want to give you that too, Natori-san."

It turned rueful next. "You could have just told me the rumors were wrong about Mukuo. I wouldn't have threatened him with my paper dolls."

Natsume blinked. "That's not why I didn't tell you! I-" He lowered his head. "I'm sorry, Natori-san. I didn't tell you about Mukuo because it didn't feel like my secret to tell. I didn't want to betray his trust."

"Of course not," said Natori. It was a little sad now, but still a smile. "I just… You know?"

Natsume shook his head.

Gone altogether. "I'm pretty much only an adult by the broadest definition of the word. And that's only because I have a job, or two, I guess, even if one is to play pretend, and the other one makes people think I do. And I technically have my own place, which I've only set fire to twice."

"What did you say?"

Now Natori's expression was one of regret. "I know I'm not... trustworthy. But even if you can't trust me, you need to know that I know that I can trust you." The expression intensified. "I mean… you've established yourself as a regular Magical Girl fighting for truth and justice or whatever. So if you say someone's a good guy, I'll believe you."

"Natori-san?"

"Yeah?"

"You're a good guy."