#touched nazunas chest

[nazurabbit]

i think this is the most important part of ra*bits lore

[enstprsk]

On Mafuyu and Nazuna

Mafuyu likely knew of Valkyrie's work online before meeting Nazuna.

Mafuyu is... Not very fond of Nazuna at first. Not that he rubs her the wrong way or anything of the sort, but looking at him gives her a weird, pooling, sickening sense in her stomach.

A silent "why is he like that?" That she has trouble realizing is because the real question is "When will I get to that point?"

It's nothing ever voiced, but Nazuna picks up on it, at least to a degree.

Being the type of person he is, he does his best to offer a place of solace for her. She doesn't necessarily reject it, but she can't help but feel ashamed, considering the way her chest pools with dread in his presence.

Since she doesn't seem to particularly enjoy talking with him all too much, he's perfectly content with spending time together in silence.

Sometimes they're even able to get a bit of progress, with the help of a very cute and slightly scheming Koppe.

She had a fondness for the rabbit storybook, and she's been compared to them before. However, getting to be in the presence of a real rabbit feels different, doesn't it?

It starts with simple questions on how to treat him properly. Where she can and can't touch. What she can feed him, and how much. It makes for a gateway to holding further conversations about related topics.

It'll take a lot of work to get to a point where they can properly call each other friends, maybe, but things always starts somewhere.

[nightlightbrothel]

Nazuna watched him stand up, noting how his eyes were glued to her chest. Her tail wagged cutely as she began getting into character. "Mmm... Well, does Big Brother want to touch them? Go ahead... I don't mind~"

Logan licked his lips and swallowed as her breasts were pushed up. "Alright...what did you have in mind...sis~?" The fox moves to the edge of the bed. Standing in front of Nazuna. Being the dominant was one thing, but he was more than willing to let her take the lead.

[runanadwiddles]

HELLO 23 + RITSU ?!?!?#,÷(××*×)+×*×+

HELLO???? QUIT CHEATING ON NAZUNA TWINSIE !!!!!! HE MISSES YOU !!!

wordy county: 1.049k

23. "Why does love have to be so illogical…"

This thumping feeling kept racing and racing in his chest. Yet, he didn’t know why at all, not one bit. Confusion swirled his thoughts as he tried to deduce why he felt this absurd emotion. However, there were no leads as to why he felt like this, but he knew that it had to do something with you. 

Your earnest expressions, gentle touch, everything about you made his heart race. The boy continued to ponder as he hid under the kotatsu in the studio. The winter winds blew against the windows of the school. How could people stand this freezing temperature? 

The door to the studio swings open as Tsukasa and Arashi enter the studio, discussing their objective for the day. It was pretty relaxing, being that they didn’t have Izumi and Leo to deal with, but it was quiet without the maniacal laughter and constant nagging. As the voices grew louder, the blanket of the kotatsu was lifted, allowing the chilly air to flow into the once warm table. 

“Oh my, Ritsu, you’re here early,” Arashi chuckled as she looked down at her vampiric unit mate. “I heard the Kotatsu was here, but I wasn’t able to sleep yet,” Ritsu yawns as he stretches out his limbs from the confined area. Just before their conversation would be interrupted, a knock was heard from the door. Who could it be at this time? 

Tsukasa opened the door to see your figure, “Um… Is everyone here?” Your voice was clearly nervous; unfortunately, you were given Knights for their next shoot, which didn’t go by easily by the peace party or other producers. You’ve produced the group a few times; every time was successful and went smoothly, but you were worried about what would happen once you finished the job. 

The group didn’t mind you producing for them; your assistance was much better than most other than Anzu. “Ah, Y/n, we’re all here. We just got here, actually,” Tsukasa opened the door wider to invite you into the studio. As you stepped in, you noticed Ritsu crawling out of the kotatsu, his head perking up once he noticed your presence. 

“Oh~ Y/n, you’re here already?” Ritsu chimes as he stretches once more before returning to his usual posture. “Mhm, I just got here; you ready for the shoot today?” Your voice finally became more relaxed after conversing with the members for a little bit. Ritsu shook his head; the boy wasn’t ready at all. He’s been thinking too much about you to even focus properly in class. What would put him in the right mind to think he’s ready for a photoshoot? 

You nodded as you looked at the camera box, “Why don’t we do some warm-up shots then? We’re all here a bit early; what do you guys think?” Tsukasa and Arashi gave their signals of approval while Ritsu sighed before complying. Although his problem isn’t because of the upcoming shoot, it was you. 

The clicking of the shutter from the camera, the quick, bright flash, and the unique poses each idol gave to the camera. Everyone finished their warm-up shots perfectly fine, although Ritsu still felt that heavy feeling in his chest. He wanted to know why, but there was no reason why for him to feel like this. Something so illogical messed with his head so much that it was driving him insane. 

“Alright, we just have to clean up, and we can head to the photoshoot. You guys can go ahead of me. I’ll clean up here since there isn’t much anyway,” you held the camera in your hands, dismissing the group before hurrying to clean up whatever was out of place. “Alright, Y/n, we’ll be waiting outside the school for you then,” Arashi chirps as she and Tsukasa take off together. 

You simply nodded and placed the camera back into the box; however, when you turned around, you only saw Ritsu left. “Ritsu? What’s wrong?” Your voice filled with concern, confused about why he didn’t leave with his unit mates. Just like that, he finally realized why he’s been feeling that sugary feeling in his chest. The most illogical feeling in the world, love. 

Ritsu sighed as he rubbed his eyes; he was clearly worried about this now-discovered feeling, “Why does this have to be so illogical?” Your brows furrowed in confusion, “What’s so illogical?” It was too early for a confession, but how could he explain this feeling to you without confessing? 

“Love,” was all Ritsu could say; there was no other way to beat around the bush with this feeling. Your thoughts were filled with even more confusion; why would the raven-head be worried about love? He hasn’t interacted with a lot of people besides a few people. Perhaps he’s been thinking about the future or maybe trying to get a significant other. 

Those possible outcomes didn’t make you feel better one bit, not at all. Your heart felt cloudy and murky, dark colors swirling out and about. “What about love? Is there someone you like?” You felt your hands grow icy cold as you moved the small equipment used for the shoot. Ritsu felt his breath hitch; he did, in fact, have someone he liked, but he knew himself; it was too early to tell you. 

“Yeah,” his voice was like a whisper, but it was loud enough for you to hear. You felt your heart drop at the news; who could it be that he loved so dearly? “Is that so? Good luck!” You cheered, trying not to think about the news. However, your eyes tell a different story. 

“I don’t need luck when I have you. You’re all I need,” was all Ritsu said before leaving the room. Silence filled the room as you tried to process what he said. You felt those once frozen hands become hot like summer; was this real? If this is reality, he practically confessed to you indirectly! 

You chased the boy, leaving the studio in a flash. “Ritsu! Are you serious?” You called out to the lad, your face flushed with the cutest of pink. Ritsu charmingly smiled at you, his voice warm to your heart, “What makes you think I’m not serious?”

[poppyseedfics]

i have been having thoughts

nazuna and his s/o going on an ice cream date when its like 100 degrees f outside

ice cream sweet and refreshing like him...

i'll stop before i start adopting my irl best friend's absurd jokes /pos

Idk how I managed to make Nazuna a side character, but this is Y/ns world, he’s just living in it.

Anyway topical cause it was warm today I got ice-cream. It slapped, it was like chocolate brownie.

OKAY ENJOY~

On an Ice-Cream Date

Nazuna Nito

In your defense, it was not summer. So, realistically, it was not your fault that you weren't prepared for the hottest day you think you've ever felt. 8am in the morning and it was already warm beyond belief. You'd kicked of your sheets during the night, the first thing you did when you got up was change into short and a tank top, you'd blasted the AC for a few hours now- closing the doors around the house so it only had to work to keep one room cool- but even that wasn't working quite well enough.

You'd taken to just sprawling out on the floor. Limbs spread out like a starfish and every few minutes you'd shuffle around a bit in attempt to feel the fresh, crisp coolness of an untouched floor space. You always made sure a leg or arm was touching one of Nazuna's though. He had joined you on the floor. Suffering in solidarity.

At first the two of you had tried to keep up a conversation, but it quickly dwindled into just loafing with some music on in the background.

"Nazunaaaaa, could you get us some ice water? I've already drunk mine…" You trailed off, staring at the large glass that had once contained your salvation. Nazuna only hummed for a moment. He didn't stir for a moment and you began to wonder if he'd heard you- soon after though, he heaved a sigh and began to peel himself off the floorboards. Meandering over toward the kitchen, he paused before opening the door that connected the rooms- dreading the sweltering air that was sure to greet him on the other side.

"I will face the heat for the both of us." He puffed out his chest and swung the door open, vanishing inside.

You could hear the sound of the fridge, a couple of glasses too, before you were blessed with a perfect idea.

You chirped his name and he appeared back in the doorway. He smiled as he watched your head appear from behind the couch as you craned your neck off the floor.

"Could you grab us some ice cream?"

"Sounds perfect to me!"

He vanished again and you laid your head back on the floor, eyes lazily trained on the ceiling.

It wasn’t long before Nazuna returned. He placed the new glasses of water on the coffee table before seating himself beside you and pouting.

"We're out of ice cream."

The words struck your heart; sharp as a knife, cutting through the layered defense of your emotions and leaving you utterly dejected.

Nazuna had to stifle a laugh as you dramatically deflated on the spot.

"Would you like to go get some ice-cream?"

You sprang upward immediately, rejuvenated with life. "Can we?" You asked, clasping your hands together with such excitement in your eyes it looked as though you'd just won the lottery. He laughed, nodding his head as he helped you to your feet. "It does mean we'll have to go outside in the heat…"

"A worthy sacrifice!"

 

Outside wasn't actually as bad as you'd first assumed it would be. There was a breeze, at least, and Nazuna had opted to grab an umbrella to keep the direct sun off you during your little walk. You had bottled water to satiate you on the way there too. The scenery was also quite pleasant; beautiful lush trees, arrays of colorful flowers, flittering birds and the quiet hum of the outer city. A good mood had befallen the both of you, you'd even taken to swinging your intertwined hands as you walked.

 Soon enough, however, you had reached your destination. As soon as the ice-cream truck had come into view you'd bounded off toward it, Nazuna not far behind. Only a few people were in line, more milled about but it seemed most had decided the heat wasn’t worth bearing for a treat- or perhaps they'd had the forethought to stock up…

Nazuna turned to you, asking what flavour you'd like. You hummed for a bit, reading over the menu multiple times before just deciding to go with your favourite. Nazuna ordered for you and paid. You couldn’t keep the grin off your face as you watched the man scoop your ice-cream and set it in a cone. As soon as they'd placed it on the holder you'd reached up with a cheerful 'Thank you!' and taken your reward.

After Nazuna had gotten his, the two of you found a tree nearby and taken a seat under it.

"What flavour did you get?" You asked between licks. Nazuna hummed for a moment.

"I thought I'd try the Mango one- It's quite good!"

He smiled for a moment- just a moment, before he realized the trap he'd fallen into. You bat your eyes at him. He sighed, holding out his ice-cream toward you. With a cheer you leant over and took a sample of his sorbet. You did have to agree that it was quite nice. It was refreshing- it reminded you of summer… of which was not the current season, but to be honest, this left you almost missing it.

"Here, try some of mine! It's only fair." You held out your ice-cream as Nazuna had done and he smiled, leaning forward to try some. As he did so, you leant forward too and planted a kiss on his cheek.

Nazuna flushed red. His eyes went wide and all he could do was blink owlishly at you. You burst into laughter. He gingerly raised his hand to touch where you had kissed him and once he finally processed, he offered only an adorable pout.

"Careful! Your ice-cream is melting!" At this Nazuna let out a little yelp and quickly went to inspecting his ice-cream, switching hands and trying to lick the melted mess off his fingers. You dug into your pocket and produced some napkins you had stashed away and offered them to him. He accepted them quickly and cleaned up, cheeks still tinted pink.

 You spent the rest of the afternoon lounging under that tree, laughing and chatting- you even dozed off for awhile, content with the peace of the day and comfort of your beloved.

Facing the heat really hadn't been so bad.

[humancomedy]

Human Comedy: Tragedy - 5

Mika: ......

Location: Handicrafts Clubroom

Time: A couple of days later

Content Warning!

Mentions of familicide, child abuse/neglect, and suicide within.

Mika: ......

Shu: ...What's the matter, Kagehira? You're looking thoroughly dejected today.

Your incessant enthusiasm is the only redeeming quality you have. Why squander the sole virtue that God, having looked upon you with such pity, deigned to bless you with?

Share whatever worries you have with me. I might even feel inclined to give you some advice.

Mika: ......

Shu: Ka-ge-hi-raaa...? You've got some nerve to be ignoring me!

Mika: Ngah?! Knock it off! Y'don't gotta be pullin' on my ears, Oshi-san! You're gonna tear 'em right off!

Shu: I'd stitch them back on if so... Honestly, what's wrong with you? All that idle sighing you've been doing is irritating.

Could it be that you've still not come to terms with my going abroad after graduation? You threw such a tantrum, after all, with all that "I wanna go too!" nonsense.

Though I'd be just as infuriated if you saw me off nonchalantly with a simple "Gotcha. Bon voyage~♪" or what have you.

Mika: Ah, nah, I get it now... That going to a university overseas don't exactly mean you'll be settlin' down over there for good.

Means there's no need to rush right now. All's I gotta do is chase after ya once I graduate too.

Shu: Hmph. You wouldn't be accepted into the university I'm headed to with that intellect of yours. You'd need to devote yourself to your studies in order to do so.

Mika: Yep, I'll keep workin' at it. It ain't like either of us are dyin' or anything. Most days folks can connect to each other through the internet, too.

Sure it'll be lonely, but at least we'll still be closer than before I even entered Yumenosaki Academy.

Shu: Hmph. Well, I'll return to Japan whenever I get any major work, as I plan on persisting with my idol activities.

For the time being, I plan to prioritize study and practice in order to broaden my horizons.

To spend one's life trapped within the confines of a miniature garden would be foolish... The expanses of this world and the dreams within it should remain infinitely vast.

It would be a serious loss for this world if I were to be forgotten within this small hole, without having touched upon the broadest and most profound wonders of the universe, would it not?

Plus, Tenshouin's influence has yet to grow overseas.

I can create freely without being bound to complicated things like units, the DreamFes system, and other such nonsense.

That's what pleases me, Kagehira. I'll start by doing everything I possibly can... I'm not entirely sure how far I'll make it worldwide, though.

But I would like to try until it feels like there's nothing more I can do.

I have...ceased holding my knees to my chest, frightened every night by my nightmares of the past.

And it's all thanks to you, Kagehira. Let me shower you with some rare praise. Your dedication is what helped me recover.

So, I wouldn't mind if you lived your own life, like Nito.

Mika: ...My life belongs t'you, Oshi-san. Bein' one of your creations is my right joy and happiness.

Dancin' and singin' as one of your doll's what I wanna do.

I've told ya this over 'n over 'n over... But you don't seem to get it no matter how smart ya are, Oshi-san.

Or are ya just pretendin' not to get or hear what I say?

Shu: Kagehira...?

Mika: You, and Nazuna-nii, and literally everyone ever're always preachin' common sense to me like yer all doin' me a favor.

"Do what you want." "Live your own life, like a human would."

Humans're usually the greatest and most valuable creation in fiction.

It'd be weird t'see a human die as a worthless piece of trash, like in a horror movie, right?

But that's the reality of it, so I don't really think bein' human's enough of an amazin' thing to be my ultimate goal.

There're parents that beat their kids only to toss 'em away. On the other hand, there're kids who kill their parents for the most trivial reasons. There ain't a single untainted person out there, 'cause that's all we ever do.

Bein' a doll's way better than that.

You're always usin' such pretty, fancy words, Oshi-san, but... You were just gonna toss me aside in the end, weren't ya?

Shu: ...I'm not picking you up or throwing you away, Kagehira. And despite that being the obvious, with you being human yourself, I was always reliant on your convenience.

That's why... I thought it would be haughty, tasteless, and even off for me to be the one to wish for you to have happiness, much like a human would.

I believe I can understand how Nito felt when he left Valkyrie now.

No matter how many times you repeat yourself, you can't change or override another person's values. Ultimately, you'll never be able to understand them.

At that point, all you can do is move on, and that's what Nito did. That's the realistic outcome. He couldn't keep playing house with us forever.

But I think I'd like to understand you... Because you're important to me. Because I owe my very existence to you, my salvation.

So will you at least let me think about you?

Mika: ...I'm gonna hop outside for some air.

Sorry. I must still be feelin' lonely about ya graduatin' 'n all, so it's hard for me to be straight with ya.

I keep sayin' all this stuff I don't get.

Eheh, I don't like this... Might as well put myself outta my misery, so I vanish without a trace.

Ahh... Graduation season's real depressing.

← prev ❖ all ❖ next →

[nikikyuuun]

can I get 20 with nazuna from the kiss prompt? :>

🅱️unny 🅱️oy!!!!!!

prompt list here!

❧ nazuna + prompt 20: kissing in a stairwell, giving them an artificial height difference

content warnings: none

the second your phone's ringtone starts blaring, nazuna can't help the way he jolts a little, holding onto the stairway railing just a little tighter, his surprise a perfect mirror of your own. he watches you fumble around in your pockets until you pull out your phone, mouthing a little, "sorry" to him as you accept the call.

he smiles, waving it off, tapping his fingers against the rails to the tune of a song he heard on the radio with you while he waits—and, when he hears you let out a heavy sigh, he asks: "ah... did something happen?"

"my meeting got pushed up," you explain. "sorry... we can have lunch together another time?"

nazuna smiles, waves it off again. "not a problem!" he says, though he can't deny the twinge of disappointment in his chest. "you should get going, then. you don't want to be late."

you nod, finally putting your phone back in your pocket and taking a step towards him, stopping him from moving a step down to meet you on the landing. gently, you cup his cheeks and bend him just a little bit downwards, meeting his lips halfway in a farewell kiss.

and, just like that, you've run off, promising i'll make it up to you tomorrow! while nazuna raises a hand up to his lips, still tingling from the memory of your touch.

[distortedwhite]

familiarity

twitter version

Kuro blinks once, blinks twice, before he registers the familiar ceiling of his dorm room. It’s dark, and he takes a moment to let his eyes adjust. The familiar scent of bamboo and sunflowers hit his senses, making him relax against his pillow.

Sunflowers?

Only then does he notice the weight on his arm and chest, and the strands of yellow at the corner of his eyes.

Nazuna. His boyfriend.

He must have snuck into Kuro’s dorm room while he was sleeping… Slowly, carefully, he lifts his arm to caress Nazuna’s face. His knuckles brush against Nazuna’s cheek, feeling the familiar softness against his skin. It’s soft, too soft; Kuro just can’t get enough of it. Cupping Nazuna’s cheek, he strokes it using his thumb.

A soft sigh leaves Nazuna’s lips as he unconsciously leans against Kuro’s touch, a gorgeous smile on his face.

Nazuna is the cutest. The best boyfriend Kuro could ever wish for.

Kuro presses a kiss against Nazuna’s forehead, and relishes in the feeling of his lover against him. His arm wraps around Nazuna’s waist to pull him closer.

Usually he would go get some early morning practice, but having a lazy morning once in a while doesn’t sound that bad.

[solar-bean]

Shirou's Secret :

Shirou Ogami x Human Reader

( reader might be slightly oc )

For as long as you can remember you've been fascinated by beastmen. This was most likely due to your love of animals and curious nature. It became a habit of you annoying adults with all of your questions.

" Teacher, why don't we learn about beastmen?"

" Mr. Zookeeper, do elephants and elephant beastmen eat the same kind of food?"

" Ms. Librarian, why are all the books about beastmen so mean?"

You were normally met with a prejudice and ignorance that you didn't understand. Your mother was the only one who ever bothered to give you an unbiased answer. But even she didn't know everything.

Then you met Izumi. A snow leopard beastmen. You were both only eight at the time when you found her hiding under a playground set. Izumi was understandably afraid of you while you were the exact opposite. Soon you two became the best of friends.

Until the incident happened.

The same event that was playing over and over again in your mind as Shirou's body covered yours. His fur stained with blood from the multiple bullet wounds in his chest.

" S-shioru..." you whispered.

" Izumi!! "

" ..s-shirou..." your trembling hands clutched his shoulders, too afraid to nudge him off of you.

" Izumi!!!!! "

It all came back to you at once. The screams. The smell of blood. The pain. You couldn't feel anything but the pain in your head and the fabric of Shirou's coat.

" ..I...."

You heard a familiar deep voice, snapping you back to the present.

" I'm ok Y/n. "

Your vision focused on Shirou and your eyes widened. He was....he was healed! How?!

Before you could question it any further Michiru appeared to check on you both. That's right. Now you remembered. You were helping Shirou with a case when you were ambushed. It was suppose to be safe. At least safe enough to bring you along but apparently it wasn't.

" Y/n?" asked Koichi from the front seat of the mayor's car.

You came out of your daze once again. It seemed like it had been mere seconds since the mayor arrived with the police, questioned Shirou and Michiru then offered to escort you all home. The only thing you didn't vaguely recall was Shirou telling her " They know. " Except you weren't exactly sure what you knew or what happened at all.

" Yes Mr. Ishizaki?"

" I asked if you wanted us to take you home."

You were in front of Shirou and Michiru's place. They were already out of the car, watching you.

" No I'm not far from here. I can walk. "

As the car drove off you turned to Shirou and Michiru. You were all silent. They looked like they wanted to tell you something but you couldn't bare it. You had to get home now before your emotions fully took over. So you waved goodbye and started in the direction to your apartment.

" Y/n."

You stopped.

" Please we need to talk."

You stuffed your hands in your pockets so that they wouldn't see your shaking fists.

" If it's about what I saw don't worry. I'll forget it ever happened."

You began to leave again but Shirou grabbed your wrist.

" Y/n just let me explain."

" You don't have to explain anything! Just-" Your stopped before your voice cracked, tears threatening to fall. " Just please let me go home. We can talk about this tomorrow if it's so important."

He sighed as if to calm himself down. His hand slid from your wrist into your palm.

" It is important," his voice was low, almost a whisper. " That's why I have to tell you now."

You still didn't face him. You did your best to focus on anything to distract you from crying. His warm hand gently squeezing yours almost did the trick. Then you felt another hand on your shoulder. It was Michiru.

" Hey everything's gonna be alright. If you come inside I'll make you some tea. Would you like that?"

You wiped a few strands of tears.

" Y-yeah...yeah I'd like that."

-----

Before long you were sitting on the edge of Shirou's bed. Tea half drunk and now room temperature but still soothing all the same. Shirou sat on a chair that he moved in front of you. He made sure to still keep enough space between you so that you could breathe.

He wasn't always this considerate of your feelings. Your relationship started off rocky because of his hatred for humans, even though it had been lessened thanks to Michiru. But over time he saw how genuine you were about helping beastmen as an avid activist for beastmen rights.

Not only that but you were overjoyed by every new thing you saw, heard, ate, learned and even smelled in Anima City. You somehow made friends with just about every new beastmen you came across. You had this talent of lifting their spirits and making them feel comfortable around you as a human. Sure there were those who tried to harm or kill you but you held up a pretty good fight against them without his or Michiru's help.

A moment that nearly brought him to tears was when you reunited with your old friend Izumi, who was now a man. He could only imagine his hardships as a beastmen and as a transgender man. But he was happily engaged and utterly ecstatic to see you again after all this time.

So he let a few barriers down around you. You hung out a lot more without Michiru or Nazuna. It got to the point where some moments seemed much more than platonic. But he couldn't go that far with you. Not without telling you the truth. And now might be his best chance.

" Ok I'm ready. You can talk now." you set the teacup aside and faced him with a determined look.

He pondered on where to start. In the middle of his thinking his hand traveled to yours. Your knuckles were bandaged from the previous fight.

" Is your hand feeling better? Lizard beastmen have very tough skin."

" I'm fine Shirou," you placed your hand over his. " Just please explain to me what I saw. How .....how did you heal so fast?"

" I guess there's no avoiding now," he sighed then locked onto your gaze. " For starters I'm the Silver Wolf..."

He told his story to you as best as he could. When he was done he took a minute to analyze your reaction. Except it wasn't what he was expecting.

" You don't seem surprised."

" Oh I am. I just....uh..wow your not what I imagined at all. Not that it's a bad thing. And you're that old?!"

" Yes."

" You must've seen a lot of shit."

" Trust me. I've seen more than anyone needs to."

You laughed at his dry humor. He smiled from seeing you happy for the first time that night since the attack. But he knew it wouldn't last long with his next question.

" Why did you react that way when I got hurt?"

Your face instantly faltered.

" What do you mean?"

" You looked terrified."

" Of course I was! You were covered in blood and bullets."

" Y/n," he took your hand again. " I know trauma when I see it. Please...talk to me."

You didn't speak for awhile. When you did your voice was low.

" You know my friend Izumi?"

" Yes."

" Do you remember what I told you about him?"

" You were childhood friends, correct? Then he had to move away."

" Yeah but I never told you why he left," you took a deep breath. " We would always meet up at the park before sundown. No one was there that late so we could play without getting stared at but then-" your body shook. " I was late one day and some kid told their dad that Izumi scratched them a-and-" your voice hitched. " they were hitting him and kicking him and one of the guys pulled out a bat so I tried to help but I got hit in the head and blacked out-" your gasped in a breath and continued to ramble on. " then I woke up in the hospital. My mom was arguing with the doctor because he refused to help Izumi. Eventually they did but Izumi's family saw how in danger they were around humans so once he got better they left town for good."

You took a moment to catch your breath again and wipe the tears you didn't know had fallen.

" I know it was years ago but everytime I see a beastmen get attacked or hear about one getting killed at a protest or something I just-" you sniffed. " My mind goes back to that night. And I can hear screaming for his family again. And smell the blood. And I.....he was just a kid Shirou. He was just a kid! He'd never hurt anyone. Hell! Snow leopards don't even attack humans in the wild! It wasn't fair!-"

Before you could continue Shirou pulled you into his chest.

" It's alright Y/n. He's ok now. You did your best. In fact you probably saved his life."

" I could've done better. If I wasn't late none of that would've happened." you sobbed.

" You can't know that for sure. Izumi is ok now. Even better he's happy. All thanks to you and your kindness."

That was your final breaking point. You cried into Shirou's chest for what felt like hours. When you calmed down he let go of you and stood up. As you wiped your nose on your sleeve you noticed him moving some of the furniture around then closing his window's curtains.

" What are you doing?"

Instead of answering you he knelt down in front of you and morphed.

" Could you take off my collar?"

" Uhh..." ok this was getting weird really fast. " Sure?" you gently reached through his fur and undid the collar.

You were quick to notice the large scar underneath. Without thinking you reached out to touch it but stopped before you could. Shirou however took your hand and guided your fingers to it. You were about to ask how he got it when a bright blue light poured out of it. Within seconds he was a large wolf beast with glowing fur and blades on his shoulders.

He had to kneel down so he wouldn't hit the ceiling, which positioned his head over your lap. He looked up at you with shining eyes that left you speechless.

" So," he spoke although his voice was slightly echoey. " Is this what you pictured the Silver Wolf would be like?"

An old memory played in your head. You went to visit Izumi at the hospital. It was actually the last day you saw him.

" You know I bet it was the Silver Wolf that saved us." he said while laying the hospital bed with his face still bandaged.

" Who's the Silver Wolf?"

" They're this really cool god that protects all beastmen."

" Wow! That's so cool. Are they fluffy?"

" Yep! They're the fluffiest biggest wolf that ever existed!"

" I hope we get to meet them someday. I wanna thank them for saving us."

Another tear slid down your face. This time out of joy. You hugged Shirou's face and petted his flowing fur.

" Thank you Shirou. And no. You're even more beautiful than I imagined."

[hanasaku-shijin]

Path

Series: BNA (Brand New Animal)

Characters: Michiru & Nazuna

Words: 1,267

A/N: Listen, I binged the first 6 episodes and I’m emotional about them. Don’t touch me. There’s no category for BNA on FFnet or AO3 yet so this a tumblr exclusive for the time being! Please reblog to share if you can!

My Ko-fi in case anyone is interested!

-------

Path

For Michiru, it was never a question of if she'd ever get to see Nazuna again. It had always been a question of when.

And she certainly hadn't expected it to happen in the slums of Animacity while trying to prevent one of her baseball teammates from being burnt at the stake. But considering everything that's happened to her within the past few weeks, she couldn't say that was the most unexpected occurrence.

It was hardly a difficult decision on her part to leave the Association and that grouch Shirou behind after he'd refused Nazuna for no good reason. Joining the cult may not have been the wisest decision either, but she's nothing if not tunnel-visioned and determined, especially when she senses something is off about this whole Silver Wolf Order or whatever it is.

So that night, while all the other members are asleep, she makes good use of her beastlike qualities and does some sneaking around until she's found Nazuna's tent. She's definitely a raccoon - no tanuki could ever be that stealthy.

But what's even stealthier and sneakier is, of course, a fox.

Nazuna is lying there casually on her side with a knowing smirk on her lips, and she nearly startles Michiru out of her skin.

After quieting herself down from the jolt, Michiru crawls up to join her on the bed. The pink glow of the cult crystals and lavender candles all around gives off an eerie, unnatural kind of light, dyeing Nazuna's skin a sickly pale color.

And as she looks up into her old friend's eyes, Michiru can't help but feel a rush of nostalgia and sadness. They'd had such big dreams together, and after that accident, whatever disease this was had ripped it all away from them. They've missed out on so much, lost so much.

But somehow, they haven't lost each other.

"Let's run away together."

The request falls from her lips before she can even give it a second thought. She doesn't need to think it over, though. It's what she truly wants in her heart of hearts. They can search for answers together without Shirou or that gross Boris guy. Even if no one else will help them, Michiru believes it would be better to just have each other again. Just like old times.

Nazuna's ears flick a tiny bit when Michiru takes her hands and squeezes them. It's small, but it doesn't slip past Michiru's expert nocturnal eyesight. Nazuna's missed her too. She knows she has.

But she should've known better than to mention that Boris guy again. Nazuna only defends him more, and it sends a prickly feeling up Michiru's spine. It's untrustworthy and defensive. She doesn't want Nazuna anywhere near him anymore if she can help it.

She just wants her to be safe, more than anything. She wants to be the light that leads Nazuna back to where she wants to be, to help her become a real idol with all the adoring fans she deserves, not some creepy old guy and a bunch of shady cult members.

Michiru wants to help show her the way, to guide her back, to be her path to a better future. It's in her name, after all. It's the least she can do for her one and only friend...

And for Nazuna, it was never supposed to be a matter of using Michiru to get what she wanted-

And yet somehow, that's exactly the type of beast she'd become.

After all, she was a fox. Deceit was in her genes, wasn't it? It was in her birth. Her name can be read the same way upside-down. She feels pretty upside-down too, and she has ever since she'd turned into a fox. Of all the animals to become, this one had been it. It just proved who she really was deep down. Her name could trick people just like her flip-flopped personality.

So what better way to use her skills of cunning than to exploit an innocent, helpful little tanuki who'd been wrapped around her finger from the start? Boris had taught her how to fool the citizens of both the cult and Animacity by taking on a wolf's form, so why not continue down her path of trickery? Why stop now? Even if it is Michiru…

It's all too easy to follow her nature, slowly planting the seed of her plan into Michiru's head.

"Animacity isn't willing to welcome a cult," she says. "It's possible we just might have to leave."

She'd seen the photo in Michiru's room, the one with the Mayor. She'd been plotting this ever since then. After all, Michiru is a dumb little tanuki who would do anything to help her without even thinking it through properly. All Nazuna has to do is say sad things like "we'll never have a place here" and "that guy said I couldn't stay, right?" It gives Michiru a sense of responsibility, makes her feel like she needs to do something to help.

And so she falls right into Nazuna's trap.

"The Mayor?" Michiru says hopefully. "You want to meet her? Leave it to me. I know she's always at a particular store in the morning."

And there it is, that determined little spark in her black-rimmed eyes that Nazuna remembers so well, that foolish heroism that can so easily be manipulated into doing anyone's bidding if they were smart enough to know how to use it against her.

But she feigns shock, as if this idea is Michiru's instead of her own, as if she's truly surprised and this had never crossed her mind.

Michiru more or less makes the decision herself as she burrows under the blankets and bundles herself up. She beams, grinning up at her with that same childish naivety she's always had. Ears perked and features lax, she closes her eyes happily, just like an unsuspecting animal lured into the hunter's cozy trap.

"I'm sure it'll be okay. This way, I can be with you…"

Nazuna gazes down at her hollowly, ignoring the sudden pang that shoots through her chest. She'd steeled herself long ago to live this kind of lifestyle. But leave it to Michiru to sway her hardened heart, just a little bit.

Slowly, Nazuna lies herself down beside her, and Michiru lifts up the blankets to let her underneath. She giggles and cuddles up to her chest, looping her arms around Nazuna and nestling into the crook of her neck. She sighs, her tail swishes once, and then she's snoring softly.

And for some reason, Nazuna doesn't pry her off, even after she's fallen asleep. She supposes this is the smallest mercy she can afford to show her.

Resting her chin on top of Michiru's head, Nazuna swipes her tail over her hip and drapes it across the both of them. With nowhere else to put her arms, she lays them over the tanuki. Exhaling slowly, she closes her eyes, and again ignores that painful throbbing in her chest.

She won't ask for forgiveness.

But at least for now, she just sleeps with Michiru huddled up against her chest, trying not to think about what she's going to do tomorrow.

[Fin]

----------

A/N: Listen, I just wanna keep believing that Nazuna still has all the good in her somewhere buried deep down. I need them to reconcile and be friends again or else I’m gonna implode.

I had a lot of fun analyzing and playing around with their names. “Michi” means path and I want her to be Nazuna’s, and the fact that Nazuna’s name can be read the same upside-down was a nice touch to show how her character would change for the worse. I just hope things get better between them soon.

[graglithans-library]

Welcome to Paris Fur-ance Ch 12: Bakeries, Baddies, and Beatdowns

Michiru leads Nazuna on their merry hunt, and Shirou does Shirou things, a.k.a. beating the crap out of bad guys unworthy of his claws.

Also, BOTH HALVES HAVE MUSIC IN THEM! I chose to use a You-Tube link for them, so if you phone users are having issues, I apologize.

On top of that, THIS CHAPTER HAS SOME TRIGGERS! If you’re not comfortable with Gun Violence, Kidnapping, or Murder, Please be warned that the three all happen in this chapter.

Michiru sniffed the air, for what was probably the hundredth time, before humming. “I think he’s... this way.”

Nazuna just rolled her eyes as they walked down yet another random street. “Michiru, just admit you’re lost.”

His had been going on for the past few hours. Michiru would sniff the air, trying to use her sense of smell to track Shirou. The only problem was, she wasn’t allowed to use her beastman form. She would have, but Nazuna kept reminding her that they would cause a panic if she did.

It almost made Michiru want another weirdo to show up and start making the city explode. At least then, she could feel comfortable in her fur.

“We’re not lost; We’re wandering aimlessly.” Michiru dictated as she continued her march. “In fact, his smell has led me to,” Suddenly turning and pointing in a random direction, Michiru posed dramatically, “there!”

Nazuna kept staring at the bakery Michiru had managed to lead them to. It was fairly sized, being the literal end of the string of buildings, and was painted a pretty shade of white. It had many stories to it, but only the bottom floor was built for business.

Looking behind them, Nazuna also saw the school that Michiru had first arrived at and facepalmed. “Of course...” She’d been following her own scent this entire time. It wasn’t surprising, considering Michiru was trying to do everything while still human, but that did little to change Nazuna’s annoyance.

Michiru wasted no time as she started to walk inside and waved a hand lazily behind her. “Well, let’s find out if Shirou’s here!”

“Michiru! Wait-!” Groaning as she dragged a hand down her face, Nazuna ran in after her friend.

The two found themselves looking up at a frankly giant man. His overall size was reminding the two of them of Giuliano Flip. However, when he looked at them, his smile could be seen peeking out from under his bushy mustache. “Bienvenue! Comment puis-je vous aider?”

Michiru blinked a few times before rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. “Um... Sorry for bothering you?”

The man blinked a few times before chuckling himself and looking over his shoulder. “Sabine, vous devrez peut-être prendre celui-ci.”

“Qu'est-ce que c'est Tom?” A much smaller Chinese woman came from the back, looking confused until she saw Michiru and Nazuna standing at the front. “Oh! Quelle langue?”

“Japonaise.” Before giving the small woman a kiss on the cheek and heading to the back, the large man said before leaving them with her. Michiru could see him start kneading a large loaf of dough and was impressed at how easily he worked.

The woman, however, cleared her throat and got her attention. “Welcome. How can I help you?”

The two blinked in surprise before Michiru started to lean over the counter. “You speak Japanese!?”

“Michiru!” Nazuna tugged her friend back and glowered, even as the woman behind the counter laughed.

The woman waved a hand gently and gave an amused smile. “Some. It has been a long time.” She put a hand to her chest and smiled warmly. “Cheng Sabine.”

Michiru hummed a bit. That last name sounded... familiar. She continued to sit there and ponder the name while Nazuna rolled her eyes and walked up. “Hiwatashi Nazuna. And this is Kagemori Michiru.” The two shook hands before Sabine gestured to the counter. Nazuna’s eyes went wide as she waved her hands frantically. “Oh, no. We don’t have any money to pay for anything. We were just-”

Sabine waved a hand and kept smiling. “It is alright.”

Nazuna sighed one more time. “Actually, we’re looking for someone.” Sabine raised an eyebrow, and Nazuna raised a hand while also getting on her tip-toes. “He’s about this tall, white hair, grumpy face, and probably wearing a trenchcoat?”

Blushing a bit, Sabine put a hand to her lips, and her smile turned apologetic. “I’m sorry, but I have not seen anyone like that.” She reached under the counter and pulled out a box, grabbing a pair of tongs, and started filling it.

Nazuna jumped a bit and waved her hands again. “But we don’t-”

Sabine silenced her by placing the box in front of her with a smile. “These are on the house.” Stunned, Nazuna took the box, and Sabine gave the two a wave. “Good luck finding him.”

Dumbly holding the box, Nazuna opened it. Sitting inside neatly placed were a dozen chocolate and strawberry macarons. “T-Thanks?”

Michiru, who’d been lost in thought through the entire exchange, suddenly went wide-eyed. If anyone could have read minds, there would have been an audible click just before she slammed a fist into her open palm. “Marinette!” The declaration was so sudden, Nazuna almost lost the box of pastries, if not for Sabine’s quick hand catching them. Missing that as well, Michiru excitedly turned to Sabine, who was raising an eyebrow at her. “Do you happen to know Marinette Dupain-Cheng?”

Sabine looked startled as she started to walk around the counter. “How do you know my-?”

The door to the bakery opened and a groan came from the person entering. “Ugh ... Si j'ai plus de devoirs, je vais les perdre...”

Michiru turned around and smiled, giving a wave to Marinette the moment she saw her. Unfortunately for her, the girl was tiredly rubbing her face too much to notice.

Still looking skeptically at Nazuna and Michiru, Sabine walked up to “Marinette, tu connais ces deux-là?”

Marinette looked up and only then noticed the two beastmen. Her eyes widened in surprise as Michiru kept smiling at her. “Michiru!?”

“Hey!” Michiru shouted, only to get dragged back down to earth by Nazuna pulling on her ear. “OW! Nazuna, what was that for!?”

“You could show some basic manners if you don’t want me doing that again,” Nazuna grumbled. The two were cut from their brief argument by the sound of giggling, which brought them back to Marinette, who was trying and failing to hide her smile behind a hand.

Sabine raised an eyebrow at her daughter and crossed her arms. “Vous savez que c'est impoli de rire, Marinette. Maintenant, comment connaissez-vous ces deux?”

Marinette blushed a bit and looked slightly ashamed as she looked down at her shoes. “Désolé maman.” Looking back up, Marinette pointed at Michiru. “En fait, je ne connais que Michiru. Nous avons couru dans l'autre lors de la dernière attaque Akuma. Je ne sais pas qui est son amie.”

Sabine turned to the two and raised an eyebrow. “She says she met you during an Akuma attack?”

Marinette’s jaw dropped as she stared at her mother. “Vous connaissez le japonais?”

Her mother just winked at her, “Je sais beaucoup de choses. J'avais une amie qui était du Japon quand j'étais plus jeune, et elle a proposé de m'enseigner.” Sabine paused for a moment, frowning as she noticed Marinette was alone. “Où est Alya? Elle n'est pas venue avec vous?”

Marinette sighed and shook her head. “Non, elle devait rester et aider Mme Bustier.”

“Je vois.” Sabine let out a long-suffering sigh before turning back to Michiru. “Now, my question?”

"Oh! Right.” Michiru blushed a bit and rubbed the back of her head. “Yeah, it was kinda the first one I’d ever seen, and I was busy running away when I ran smack into Marinette.” She paused for a moment before perking up. “Wait a sec! She hasn’t met you yet, Nazuna!”

Nazuna looked between Michiru and Marinette before deadpanning. “I think we just did, Michiru.”

“But she doesn’t know who you are yet!” Michiru grabbed Nazuna by the arms and spun her around, making the poor girl stand stiff as she blinked in surprise. Michiru zipped up beside her and gestured at her friend while looking Marinette in the eye. “Hiwatashi Nazuna!”

Marinette laughed again at the two before giving a wave. “Bonjour, Hiwatashi Nazuna.” She looked up at her mother and pointed at the food under the counter. “Pensez-vous que nous pourrions les inviter à déjeuner?”

Sabine sighed a bit but kept her smile. “She wants to know if you’re free for lunch.”

Michiru’s stomach answered for them.

_______________________________________________________________

Shirou followed the scent trail of the two men to an elevator. It would take too long to wait for it to come back from wherever it had gone, so he pulled the doors open and looked inside. He was a little surprised to see just how far down the shaft went and could see the elevator resting four stories below.

It barely phased him when he jumped down and grabbed onto the cable to slide to a stop. Pulling up the emergency escape panel, he looked inside and saw nobody, but he could hear two men outside the door. He hopped down, landing with a small thud before cracking his neck. The sound of the two goons jumping in surprise and guns being armed made him smile, just a touch.

Jumping to the side the moment the doors opened, Shirou swung himself out using the edge of the door. His swing let him kick one of the goons in the face, breaking his nose and sending him flying into a concrete pillar. For the other guy, he let out a fearful gasp before readying his rifle, only to have it ripped from his hands and the butt slammed into his jaw, knocking him into the elevator. Shirou grabbed the first one, pulling him from the now cracked cement, and threw him into the lift on top of the second before letting the doors close.

He took another deep breath to steady himself and find where the scent had gone off to. He could smell a few more henchmen than before had all gone down a hall towards his left. Running, he followed his nose down the path, stopping at a room a few doors down.

Peeking inside, he could see a group of at least eight men surrounding something.

(TW)

“Well, this certainly is interesting.” The suit from earlier was raising an eyebrow before he stepped closer and smirked. “Liking the new look, Bourgeois. It certainly is something else.” He reached down, and there was a tearing noise as he ripped something away, making someone let out a pained cry.

That something was likely duct tape, as Shirou finally heard what Chloé Bourgeois sounded like. “You’ll pay for that! My daddy is probably tearing Paris upside down to-”

The suit backhanded her. “Shut up.” He stepped back and adjusted his glove before sneering. “As for your ‘Daddy,’ he knows full well where you are.”

“W-What?”

Shrugging a bit, he looked down at her with a smirk. “So does your lovely mommy, to be honest.” The men around her laughed as he knelt down in front of her. “When she heard about this, well, she should be here soon to tell you herself what she thinks.”

“Y-You’re lying.” Chloé spat back, struggling. Shirou was about to go in when he heard a door on the other side open. The clacking of heels on concrete echoed as a woman entered the room and looked down at Chloé with a raised eyebrow.

Chloé’s voice was barely a whisper. “Mommy?”

Audrey Bourgeois scoffed from behind her oversized sunglasses as she looked away and pointed at the suit. “What exactly did you imbeciles do to cause this?”

The suit suddenly looked nervous. “N-Not us, boss. Promise!”

One of the other guys shakily nodded. “Yeah! S-She started to bang into the door when-”

“Useless, utterly useless.” Audrey rolled her eyes before pulling out a pistol and shooting the man in the head. “I didn’t ask you to speak,” she said while looking down at the grey matter that was splattered across the floor. Chloé screamed at the sight of his body, landing on the ground at her feet. “Quiet, you stupid girl.” Placing the pistol in the suit’s hands and having him clean the blood off of both it and her hand, Audrey's glare mercilessly bore down on Chloé. “Did you really think that the stunt you pulled would go unpunished? Do you have any idea what you’ve cost us?” From the sounds of gagging, Shirou guessed Chloé was ready to vomit and was at a loss for words. Audrey slapped her across the face again, and once her hand was clean, she inspected her nails. “Millions of Euros is what.” The woman snarled as she slapped Chloé again. “We had such a lucrative operation going on, and you just had to ruin it like you do everything else!”

“What are you talking about?” Chloé asked with a tremble in her voice.

“Gambling.” Her mother answered with barely a care. “All bets placed solely on who would be Akumatized next, and who would cause it. The profits were more than enough to help that bumbling politician you call Daddy bribe who he needed to.” Audrey reached down and grabbed Chloé’s face, pulling her up slightly. “You were our most profitable source of income, even if you didn’t know it. All you needed to do was continue to be the spoiled brat you are.”

“You...” Chloé’s voice fell as she was tossed back, and the goons pulled more duct tape out.

“It doesn’t matter now, though. With you willingly helping that psycho, all the gamblers are going to think the odds are rigged and our turnout will be ruined, utterly ruined. On top of that, André’s chances of reelection are non-existent, so there’s no point staying here in Paris anymore.” She waved a hand at one of the men and started to saunter off. “Someone go make sure that worthless butler is disposed of along with that pile of waste on the floor. We don’t need anyone letting what happened under here go public.” Turning on her heel, she started for the door. “And get her ready for transport. The sooner we arrive in New York, the sooner I can have her skinned.”

“WHAT!?” Chloé let out one last scream before the tape was back over her mouth.

Her mother just stopped at the door and sighed.  She looked over her shoulder, eyebrow raised. “Did you think you were worth anything else? Look at yourself, you little freak. Your skin’s the only part of you that has any value anymore.” Leaving the room, her mother didn’t spare another glance behind herself. “Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous.” The click of the bolt sent a wave of finality through the room.

The goons all chuckled a bit, reaching down and grabbing her. “Well, you heard her. I wonder what the boss will make out of her? Maybe a nice tote bag.”

Shirou narrowed his eyes as the goons started to pull Chloé away, getting ready to charge in.

That’s when he saw a grey tail amongst their legs.

Shirou’s snarl as he shifted into his wolf form sent a shiver down everyone’s spines.

The men all looked around in surprise, drawing various guns. “Who’s there!?” A shadowy blur moved overhead. The lights were smashed one by one until only a single lamp illuminated the room. “Show yourself, you son of a bitch!”

“Humans.” Shirou blurred through the room, picking one of the goons out of the pack and slamming him into the far wall hard enough to crack the cement. “No, less than human.” A second goon was picked out of the bunch, making them gasp in fear as he disappeared into the darkness. “You, who would profit off of the torture of innocents.” Only three goons were left after another was pulled away, the sounds of his pained screams, making them all flinch.

“Where is he?” One of the three holding a shotgun looked around frantically, firing a few shots at random and hoping for the best. “Where the fuck is he!?”

The gun was grabbed out of his hands and slammed into his face, knocking the man onto his back. The last two froze in fear as Shrou’s snarling visage was brought to light. “You bastards are not even worth using my claws on.” Holding one hand up in the air, his fangs bared into a twisted smile as he clenched his grip. “My fists will be more than enough!”

The suit who led Shirou down here unwittingly aimed his pistol. “Y-You son of a b-” A fist collided with his gut, making him fly back and land on the ground with a thud. The second readied his rifle at Shirou, only to have it knocked down as he fired, peppering the cement floor. Shirou’s fist connected with his jaw, knocking a few teeth loose and sending him into the air.

The one who’d been knocked onto his back scrambled to his feet and pulled a knife. He rushed over to where Chloé was and put the knife to her throat. The room was too dark to make out much detail, but her whimpering was enough. “Back off unless you want the bitch to die!”

Shirou’s hackles rose as he moved. The goon only saw a blur before Shirou’s hands were around his head, and his knife was clattering to the ground. “If a beastman couldn’t get away with that...” Throwing the goon into the air, Shirou pulled back his fist. “...What makes you think a human could?” His fist slammed into the goon, sending him into the ground hard enough to bounce back up into the air. On the rebound, Shirou’s leg kicked out and sent the man soaring into the far wall.

With all the goons unconscious, Shirou took a moment to let out a long breath before turning to the young girl behind him. Her seat was still slightly in the shadows, so he had to step closer.

That was when Shirou finally got a good look at the girl, and his eyes widened momentarily.

The most about her that still resembled the photo he retrieved from her school was her blonde hair, though her usual hairstyle had long been ruined. Her pale skin had been replaced with a coat of grey fur, and she had sharp claws on her hands. Small rounded ears poked through her hair. What angered him the most was the blood coming from a gash under her eye and possibly her lip from under the duct tape. Her wrists and ankles were handcuffed to a metal chair.

Carefully, he knelt down and reached towards her. When she flinched, he paused his advance. “I’m going to take that off of you. It will probably hurt, but bear with me.” With just enough care, Shirou removed the tape from her mouth, grimacing at the sight of some fur being taken with it. Looking down at her wrists, he grabbed the cuffs and frowned.

She was still looking at him, a mixture of fear, awe, and hope in her eyes. “Who are you?”

“Shirou Oogami.” He pulled on the metal around her wrist, and she flinched as it snapped under his grip. As he moved to the other ones, she held as still as she could.

As the final cuff was broken, she made no move to stand up and continued to stare at Shirou. “Why are you helping me?”

“I swore I would protect all beastmen. That's all the reason I need." He had his usual scowl on his face again as he pulled out the photo, just to double-check. "Are you Chloé Bourgeois?” When she hesitantly nodded, he hummed. “Then once we're out of this place, I need to talk to you in regards to several things.” Glancing over his shoulder when he heard one of the goons start to groan. He started to walk away before looking over and noticing she hadn’t started to follow. “Well?”

“Wait!” She hastily stood up and stopped just shy of running into him. “What about Jean?”

Shirou raised an eyebrow. “Jean?”

Chloé nodded. “He.. he was a butler that worked at the hotel. Daddy made him wait on me, hand and foot. He had followed them when they...” She looked down and started to hug herself, losing the words.

Even unspoken, Shirou understood what she had meant. “I see.” A commotion could be heard from the far side of the room, making both of them turn to look for a moment. Grabbing Chloé’s arm, Shirou ran for the door he came from and growled under his breath.

“He’s got the girl!” A gunshot rang out as it impacted the wall, making Chloé scream and duck as they ran. “We’ve got a situation. Someone’s in here, and they have the brat!”

Damn it. Now they know I’m here. Shirou mentally cursed as he found a stairwell. Kicking open the door, he turned to Chloé and grabbed her by the waist. “Hey! What do you think you’re-!” He hefted her over his shoulder and started leaping up the stairs. On the ground floor, he tried to open the door, only to find it locked. A swift kick to the handle made the door smash open, and several people gasp in surprise and fear.

Shirou didn’t care as he rushed over to a closet and put Chloé inside. “Stay here.”

“What!? This place is filthy! Why should I-!” Shirou shut the door on Chloé’s rant and pressed his head against the wood.

"Because it's safer in there than anywhere else right now," Shirou said before he ran back down the stairs. Closing his eyes, he followed the scents to see if he could find where they were keeping the butler.

It didn’t take him long before he found a room with two men that looked a bit tougher than the others. Inside, they were busy beating someone who was chained to a bed frame. “Who is he!?”

“Who... is who?”

Another fist flew into the beaten man’s face. “The guy who followed you! The one who just demolished a third of our guys!” He pulled the poor man up as far as the chain would allow and snarled into his face. “Either you tell me, or I’ll-”

Shirou entered and swept the other torturer’s legs out from under him, flipping him upside down. Once he was airborne, Shirou stomped his jaw, embedding his head into the floor. The one who had the beaten man by the shirt spun around, only to get a fist to the face that knocked him out cold.

The beaten man, who Shirou noted, was in a butler’s outfit, and he looked up at him in surprise. He stood, as best he could with the chains hindering him and frowned. “Is Mlle. Bourgeois, alright?”

Shirou was impressed that his first concern was Chloé but didn’t let it show. Instead, he just nodded slightly. “She’s upstairs for now.” He grabbed the chains keeping Jean tied to the bed and ripped them apart. “Let’s get you out of here.”

“Thank you, Monsieur.” Jean tried to bow but stumbled and almost fell. Shirou caught him, and he nodded.

Shirou was lucky that he managed to get back to the stairwell without being spotted. However, when they opened the door, a group of men came around a corner down the hall and started to open fire. He shoved Jean in and ducked in after him, slamming the door shut. “That won’t hold for long.”

The two made their way to the ground floor, where Shirou was alerted to the sounds of sirens. Someone called the police, good.

Exiting the stairwell, Shirou saw several police officers trying to open the door to the closet Chloé was locked in. “Officers.” When they turned to see Shirou, a lot of them flinched back in surprise. He walked over to them, and Jean was pulled away by the emergency responders. “He’ll need medical attention. As will the men you’ll find downstairs.”

While some officers started calling for an ambulance, one officer looked at him suspiciously and narrowed his eyes. “Have I seen you before?”

Shirou shifted back into human form but held his scowl. “I did help with one of those... Akumas, was it?”

The officer’s eyes lit with recognition, and he hummed. “So, you did.” Shirou nodded and walked over to the supply closet. “Hey! What do you think you are-!?”

Knocking on the door, Shirou leaned close. “I’m here. You can open the door now.”

The officers were surprised to hear something clatter to the floor before the door swung open. Chloé was eyeing the police officers with distrust before locking onto Shirou. The moment she saw him, she hid behind him like a frightened child.

Shirou couldn’t blame her.

The officer looked at her in surprise, taking in her new appearance but not recognizing her. “What in the world?”

“I would explain, but we don’t have the time.” Shirou gestured to the stairs again, where some officers were starting to head downstairs. “I’ll tell you everything I know about what happened down there, but first, we need to ensure that Mlle. Bourgeois is somewhere safe.”

“Did you say-!?” He looked down at Chloé again, recognition dawning on his face, before he scowled. “You’re right. This conversation can wait. I can take us to the station, and we can talk there.”

Shirou started to follow the officer but stopped when he felt Chloé holding onto his coat. He glanced back at her, raising an eyebrow before she shook her head. “Not him. He was supposed to be my parole officer.” Shirou stiffened for a moment before nodding. For this to be completely unnoticed as long as it had been, something had to be up.

Shirou started for the door. Chloé walked close behind him before taking her to an ambulance instead of the police cruiser. She was confused as he helped her get inside before looking at the driver. “Can I borrow a phone?” The dumbfounded man blinked a few times before handing over a smartphone, which Shirou passed to Chloé. “If you can remember their number, call someone you trust completely.”

Chloé looked at him in shock before looking down at the phone. “Someone I can trust? There’s not a single person in Paris that even trusts me.” She stared down at her hands again and scowled. “And what the hell am I? Some kind of weasel?”

Shirou sighed a bit through his nose. “Then, call someone you know it’s safe to stay with.” Looking over her appearance, he also raised an eyebrow. “Also, you're a Mink.”

Looking at the phone numbly, Chloé grimaced before letting out an insufferable sigh. “Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous.” She started typing in a number and scowled. “I can’t believe I’m calling her.”

The phone rang for a moment before on the third ring, someone picked up.

[jinjojess]

DR Kirigiri Vol. 5 Summary Part X

Okay budding detectives, let’s finish up Chapter 1 of DRK5!

As an apology for the lateness of this, I translated easily 80% or more of this chapter straight up.

< LAST PART | NEXT PART >

Chapter 1 The Mania of Existence: Libra Girls’ Academy - Samidare Yui

As you may or may not remember from last time, Samidare had figured out the trick behind the Libra Girls’ Academy case, and is currently being held at nail gun point by Mizuiyama, who had also not only solved Yaki’s case for him, but had also brained him in the head with a lead pipe like some kind of Japanese-themed Clue character.

This part picks up where part VIII left off, with Samidare being on point as ever.

“You’re the culprit, Mizuiyama-san?”

“That I am.” She nodded, the nail gun still pressed to my chest. “I had thought that I’d win by separating you from Kirigiri Kyouko and forcing you to solve the case on your own, but you defied my expectations by figuring out the secret of Libra Girls’ Academy. Unfortunately, that has made you quite the pain in my side.”

“So you ending up the suspect during the Takeda Haunted House case was all part of the plan too?”

“Perhaps it was.”

“What do you mean, ‘perhaps’?”

“This is all being guided by Mr. Ryuuzouji, no?”

So basically, she was saying that despite all of the seemingly random things that had happened, we were still all playing right into Ryuuzouji Gekka’s hand.

“Why did you kill Takezaki-san?”

“We had a bit of an altercation two years ago when I was working as a school counselor, but I won’t get into the details. It’s a long story that you won’t be interested in anyway, and my arm is getting tired.”

((Well jeez, Mizuiyama. I wanted to know. Just like I wanted to know why the Despair Twins have different last names.))

“Mizuiyama-san, if you’re the culprit, then that means you’re well-versed in Duel Noir. You’ve lost. Even if you killed me, that wouldn’t change anything.”

“I suppose you’re right. I have lost this game. But what about the others still remaining?”

“Huh...?”

“You must solve all twelve cases in order to defeat Mr. Ryuuzouji, isn’t that right?”

I had no idea what she was getting at, so I just nodded.

“You really don’t pick up on much, do you? You need me to explain? I don’t want Mr. Ryuuzouji to step down. Not as a detective, and not as a member of the Committee for the Salvation of the Victims of Crime.”

Ah, so that was it. She was one of Ryuuzouji Gekka’s devotees, huh.

Even compared to other great detectives, Ryuuzouji was on an entirely different level. Lots of people looked up to him and wanted to be just like him. I had to admit that I’d had quite the respect for him too, so much so that even now I couldn’t shake it entirely.

“I too have considered becoming someone who could save people. Despite that, there’s just some kind of deficiency in me that prevents that...conviction, in other words. Conviction is easy to talk about, but much harder to follow through on. There are so many things that can prey on it... Giving up because of a lack of skill, making concessions to the opinions of those around you, allowing your authority to be undermined... There are so many ways for it to break under the slightest pressure. Yet, what I see in Mr. Ryuuzouji’s expression is pure, beautiful conviction. If you follow the laws of this world, beauty is stability. Like transmuting something on a molecular level to create gold--don’t you think conviction could be said to be the emotional form of that?” Mizuiyama said, excited.

I didn’t really understand what she was talking about, but it was clear that she was devoted to Ryuuzouji. 

((I mean, who wouldn’t be? Dude is badass. Even Junko Lico respects him.))

“I mean, if you kill me here, it’s true I wouldn’t be able to solve all twelve cases, but...do you really think Ryuuzouji-san would want to live that way? Considering how much he talks about fair play, I can’t imagine he’d be satisfied with our battle of wits ending this way.”

“You sure are speaking as if you know anything about anything,” Mizuiyama said, angrily pressing the nail gun into me. “You misunderstand. I have no intention of killing you here. Just as originally intended, I plan to keep you held prisoner until the time limit is up.”

“You can try, but someone will come to rescue me. I have full faith in that.”

“For instance, Kirigiri Kyouko? You have a point...she is the most dangerous adversary I have right now. But I wonder if she’d even bother to come here? Remember, I have your phone. I can have you tell her yourself that you’re doing just fine.”

“And if I tell her I’m in danger?”

“Well then, if you were that dedicated to throwing everything away, I suppose you’d force my hand, and I’d have to take a more forceful approach to ending the game. In other words, I’d kill you.”

“It doesn’t matter, she’d still come here of her own accord anyway. After solving all of the other cases, she’d come here no doubt. Probably faster than you’d think, even!”

((Samidare doesn’t even flinch at this, she’s so secure. What a good. I love this ship.))

“Don’t worry, I’ve already planned a countermeasure for that.”

“How?”

“Yesterday, after I split off from all of you, I went to the Museum of Medieval Western European Torture Devices as promised and poked around. Right after that, I headed to Bar GOODBYE to investigate there. By the way, I’ve already devised the culprit and the trick for both cases.”

((To be fair, the culprit for the Bar GOODBYE case wasn’t exactly difficult.))

“Wha?”

“Do you understand what that means?”

“...I don’t.”

“I already know the question and the answer for both cases. I’ve cracked both of them before any of you, and whether or not I hand over that information is entirely up to my discretion.”

“Who cares? We can just investigate ourselves!”

“Looks like you still don’t get it. You’re all lagging behind. While you’re all playing catch up, I could have mixed lies in with the evidence. Of course, I can’t do anything to change the answer, but what about the question? I could plant false evidence, fake testimony, involve unrelated people as red herrings...”

((A few years later, Kirigiri just shakes her head during the second trial of Junko’s game, thinking about how Togami is amateur hour.))

“Huh?!”

How did she even come up with something like that?

“So next I’m going to start handing out fake information like candy. You lack the ability to tell if any of the clues you find are real or fake. You’d run out of time trying to puzzle it out.”

“You aren’t our only source of information, you know! Putting the museum aside, Yaki-san is handling the case at the bar.”

“He’s dead.”

“If we just ask him for informa... What did you just say?”

“He’s dead.”

“He died?”

“Yes. I killed him. Oh dear, it seems I’ve added an unnecessary crime to my plate. I may have lost my chance at changing my name and starting a new life since I lost the game, but if I can help Mr. Ryuuzouji win, then I don’t mind staking my life on this.”

“Why are you so into Ryuuzouji-san...?”

“Haven’t you ever wondered who comes to the aid of the hero who has saved so many?” Mizuiyama said in a harsh tone. “No one thinks of the worries he carries on his shoulders. He has the right to salvation.”

“Can you really call what you’re doing salvation though? You’re just getting in the way of our showdown!”

“Shut up! What are you calling a showdown?!”

The usually reserved Mizuiyama exploded in fury.

Looks like I had touched a nerve.

“How dare you... A showdown, ha! ...Why were you chosen...?”

Mizuiyama’s hand trembled, but I knew she couldn’t lay a finger on me.

Of that I was sure. This was still Ryuuzouji’s game, and she’d never dream of breaking its rules.

“Don’t move.” Mizuiyama wiped her eyes with her free hand. “The second you think I won’t shoot, you seal your fate and prove what an idiot you are. I’ll do what I want. If you don’t want to end up like that man over there...”

It’s at this point that they realize that Yadorigi’s body is gone, a conspicuous blood trail leading out of the chapel and into the hallway. 

They both realize that Tsukiyo and Naz haven’t been sitting idly while all of this villain monologuing has been going on.

Mizuiyama keeps Samidare at nail gun point and has her walk backwards across the chapter and open the door to the hallway. There, they see Nazuna and Tsukiyo dragging Yadorigi toward the room at the end of the hall, and thanks to the ridiculousness of Samidare having to walk backwards toward them, they don’t get there in time to stop them from hiding out in the scale room. 

They go in, the scale goes down, and they’re no longer accessible.

Mizuiyama isn’t too upset by this, saying they aren’t her focus anyway. She moves the nail gun to aim at Samidare’s head instead.

“On your knees, hands behind your back.”

“Um...”

“I don’t care, just do it!” she yelled.

It seemed like she was getting close to her breaking point. It would be better not to push her right now.

I followed her orders.

I was really in it now.

What would Kirigiri Kyouko do at a time like this?

...That wouldn’t work. There was a huge gulf between our basic level of ability. I didn’t know any self-defense techniques, and it’s not like my quick wit was going to tip the scales.

“As we agreed, you are going to sit here obediently and wait for time to run out.”

Mizuiyama pulled a set of handcuffs from somewhere and slapped them on my wrists.

How many times had I been handcuffed now in recent memory...?

Just accept the kink, Samidare. It will be easier this way.

Mizuiyama goes on to say that she’ll feed Samidare and let her use the bathroom and bathe as she deems fit, though if she tries anything funny, those privileges will be revoked.

It’s at this point that they hear someone’s voice from the chapel.

“Hey, Detectiiiiive! Where’d you go? We thought we were trapped, but then all of a sudden we could get out!”

It was a boy’s voice. He sounded like an idiot.

Who the heck was that?

“Oh, someone’s here.”

They entered into the hallway from the still open door.

“Detectiiiiiiive... Huh, who’re you?”

A short young man in a trench coat was ambling our way. Behind him I could see a robust, punk-looking boy and a girl wearing a qipao for some reason.

What was with this weird group?

Something I couldn’t quite accept was going on.

Mizuiyama appeared to be the same boat.

Thrown off, she turned to face them, nail gun drawn and aimed in their direction.

“D-Don’t come any closer!”

“Yo, Columbo, this is lookin’ pretty damn rough, y’know?”

It seemed the punk boy had finally realized something was amiss.

“RUN!” I yelled at them, as loud as I could.

“What should we do, Senpai? They’re telling us to run...?”

“Telling us to run? No, no, that’s them asking for help! Let’s go, Kousuke, Ellery!”

The boy in the trench coat began to run toward us.

“Feckin’ hell!”

The punk and the girl in qipao followed after.

What the heck were they thinking?!

In a panic, Mizuiyama aimed the gun and pulled the trigger with a trembling finger.

A fat nail fired from the gun with a thun sound.

“Ellery!”

The girl opened the umbrella she had in her right hand. The nail ripped into it, but stopped, its head still visible on this side.

“Kousuke! Jump!”

“Alright!”

The punk boy sprang from behind the umbrella, like a giant bullet, drop-kicking Mizuiyama.

((I fucking love these side novels, man.))

Surprisingly even for a small woman, Mizuiyama flew backwards into the door so hard the air around me shuddered. She collapsed to the floor, looking like a doll whose soul had just left it.

“Y-Yo, she ain’t dead, right? I don’t want to be a fuckin’ murderer!”

“It’s okay... She’s alive...” said the qipao-clad girl, taking Mizuiyama’s pulse.

“That sure was a close one, eh young miss?” the trench coat wearing boy said, coming closer. “We are the escheemed members of the Ouu Daitouitsu University Myschtery Research Club, at your schervice.”

“What’s the fuckin’ lisp, man? Ah, that’s our club prez.”

“President, that was...not very cool...”

“I uh...thank you?” I still had no idea what was going on, but I bowed my head for the time being. “Could you get these handcuffs off me?”

“Aw yeah, it’s time!”

The boy pulled something that looked like a hairpin from his trench coat pocket and stuck it into the keyhole of my handcuffs. After about five minutes, during which he kept muttering “huh? weird” to himself, in the end the cuffs came off.

I used them to restrain Mizuiyama instead.

Letting out a sigh of relief now that the danger had passed, I sank to the floor.

Samidare learns that the Mystery Research Club was involved in the Kareobana Academy case, and tagged along with Yadorigi to join him here. Originally, only Yadorigi was going to get off the helicopter, but the club members (minus Tooru, obviously) wanted to help out and so disembarked as well. 

While investigating and ripping the boards sealing the entrance, they ended up entering into the room on the opposite end of the scales as Samidare & co., which was why they were able to get out. (Samidare notes that they must have been slightly heavier to set off that reaction, considering that they were roughly the same number of people, plus a body on one side and a Virgin Mary statue on the other. She chalks this up to Kousuke being a big boy.)

Samidare considers how Mizuiyama’s plan was likely to escape once she and the girls were trapped, planning to just seal the doors back up from the outside. But then she got to the entryway, found it already busted open, and in her panic jumped out to attack Yadorigi.

After cuffing Mizuiyama, we began to carry items in to try and offset the scales and move the left tower. We used large rocks lying around outside, boards that had been used to seal up the door...then shut the door to see if the scales moved. When they didn’t, we tried adding more. Following several failed attempts, we finally got the scales to move again.

We rushed to the right tower.

When we opened the door, Tsukiyo and Nazuna looked in our direction, terrified. Once they saw it was me, though, they threw themselves forward to hug me and sobbed.

“He! He’s still alive! We need to hurry and get him to a hospital!” Tsukiyo said, pointing toward Yadorigi. Her and Nazuna’s sailor uniforms were smeared with blood. I wondered if they’d held onto Yadorigi this entire time.

“He’s the one who suggested we hide in this room. Thanks to him, we were saved,” Nazuna said.

Thanks to them putting their combined weight on the scale, they were able to force the room down and not let anyone else in. That was what had let the Mystery Club members out, and thanks to that, I’d been saved from my desperate situation.

It was just after seven a.m. on January 12th, that the case of Libra Girls’ Academy was closed.

So yeah, that’s it for Chapter 1 of DRK5!

The next chapter is pretty hefty compared to these mini-chapters, so it will take me a little bit to get it all down. 

That said though, I’m back in the swing of things and will start working on it right away!

< LAST PART | NEXT PART >

[runanadwiddles]

OMG CONGRATS ON 100 ASOFJSIFOFHE can i get 45 with nazuna? thank u <3

OSIDJFOASJ THANK YOU QIAN <333 and ofc you can get your lovely dose of Nazuna <3

Event Link

45. “You look like you need a hug, come here”

It was a rough day for you; waking up late, your work piled on to you for the day increased by tenfold, and now the crystal tears poured from the sky. You sighed for who knows how many times today now, but all you knew was it’s still a long way from home. Eyes lifeless almost, you carried on walking towards homes under the crying sky. Soon enough you made it home, drenched, cold, and exhausted.

You fiddled your hand into your pocket to pull out a small quaint key to unlock the door to your apartment. Inserting the small metal piece into the slot, gently yet quickly twisting the key. You trudged through the silent hallways, slipping off your shoes as you made your way to the kitchen, getting a cup of water to soothe yourself. However, that didn’t help at all.

All you wanted to do was lay down and sleep. You were so exhausted that you felt like you could pass out at any given moment. You didn’t care about how drenched you were; you just wanted to sleep. However, a particular blonde rabbit came out of a room without you knowing. “Huh, s/o? Wait, why are you drenched?! Come here!” Nazuna quickly rushed to get a towel as you practically waddled your way to him. Nazuna draped the towel over your hair, drying it first and then draping it around your shoulders. “Why don’t you go change first, okay?” You simply nodded and headed off to your warm to get a set of dry and warm clothes.

After you changed, you made your way back to the comforting aura Nazuna emitted, the living room. You sat next to him, leaning your head onto his shoulder, closing your eyes for a little bit, but to be interrupted by Nazuna. “Hey, s/o, what’s wrong? You seem way out of it; let’s talk about it,” Nazuna gently took your hands into his and endearingly stroked his slightly bigger hands over your small ones. You gave in as you felt so vulnerable, “It’s just been a tough day, Nazuna…”

Nazuna listened to all of your problems the whole time, not saying a word. He wanted to let you finish your vent before saying anything else. You wanted an answer from him, but you didn’t expect the answer he gave you was completely different than you expected. “You look like you need a hug, come here,” Nazuna turned his body, opening his arms for you to snuggle into. You gave a teary-eyed face as you slowly accepted his hug, sniffling and tears finally falling.

Nazuna gave a surprised face but nonetheless gave a warm face, “There there, Nazuna’s here, why don’t you tell me what happened.” He wrapped an arm around your waist and stroked the top of your head in a comforting manner. “Calm down, deep breaths, deep breaths, I’m right here,” Nazuna whispered gently, still stroking your hair as you silently sniffle and sob into his chest.

“Works been really rough... It’s just been increasing more and more, and I can’t handle it anymore,” Your voice so tiny that it’s hard for Nazuna to hear. “So that’s what’s going on…” Nazuna nodded his head as he brought you closer to him than you already were. The two of you guys sat in a comfortable silence, no other words being exchanged between one and another. Nazuna gently cradled you, his touch warm and comforting.

Soon enough, you were fast asleep in his arms, tears no more, but your face a bit pink from all that crying. Nazuna let out the quietest of a chuckle and weaved his hands through the silky strands of your hair. He’d listen to the soft snores from you as he placed a gentle kiss on top of your head and gently whispered, “I’m always here for you.” Not long after, the two of you were both asleep, sound asleep in the warm embrace of each other.

[momorabu]

Ensemble Stars! Event Story - Sincerely! Bitter Chocolate Festival / Chocolate Fes

Apologies for yet another hiatus in between the weeks as I’ve fallen sick a couple of weeks ago and I’m still in the midst in recovering *cough cough* I went to reread this event story during Valentine’s to get a feel of Valentine’s day~

It was actually quite short (8 chapters) compared to the event stories that I’ve been reading nowadays (16 chapters) so I managed to finish reading in between my resting break, and thus here is it! Happy Belated Valentine’s! <3

Anyway as always, the summary of the story can be found below. Translation may not be 100% accurate due to my poor Japanese skills~

Prologue - Chapter 1

One cold morning, Subaru was feeling sleepy on his way to school, as he thought about how he can understand how Ritsu must be feeling about wanting to fall asleep anywhere. But then he knew that if he ever falls asleep in class, Hokuto will get angry at him, and wondered if it’s better if he just took a nap at the sickbay if he begged Sagami Sensei to let him rest there.

Just then he saw “me” and Hokuto walking along the route to school, and wonder whether did Hokuto and “my” relationship has changed from “sending me back home” relationship to “going to school together” relationship. However, he could not think of a good reason why the two of us are going to school together and thus decided to just come and ask us. Turns out the reason is just a very and normal reason, we just met halfway along the route and decided to walk together since it’ll be very awkward to walk separately after saying “good morning” ^^;

Hokuto was amazed that Subaru was up early today though, and asked whether he was coming to school early in preparation for the “Choco Festival”. However, Subaru gave a blank face as he could not remember what is “Choco Festival”. (And so Hokuto gave him a very cold stare… How could he not know of this festival being an idol in the school? XD)

Since “I” wasn’t here at this time of the year last year, “I” had no idea what “Choco Festival” is. Subaru suddenly remembered what is it about and wanted to explain to me about it but the chance got taken away by Hokuto as he volunteered to give an explanation instead XD (It’s cute how Subaru started whining that Hokuto is sneaky and always taking the most “delicious” part - as in able always having the chance to always guide “me” / “send me home” etc? XD) Hokuto retaliated that he can’t trust Subaru is giving a good explanation, seeing how he can completely forget about the whole festival.

Chocolate Festival is a very large event where idol groups all over the country can participate, and in the school, idol groups will sing, perform and give out chocolate on that day to keep the visitors happy.

Even though “I’m” a producer, “I” won’t need to organise and set up the event for this event, as they’ll be handled by the school and student council instead. However, there’s still a very large possibility that “I’ll” be very busy with creating the outfits, goods and most importantly, helping the idols in creating the chocolate.

However, Hokuto is very confident in “my” skills in cooking, as he praised that the honey lemon slices that “I’ve” made last time for Trickstar were very delicious, and were even as good as his grandma’s. Subaru remarked that Hokuto talked about his grandmother all the time, similar to how he himself always bringing up Daikichi - his dog ^^; (Haha these two never shuts up about their grandma and dog XDD)

Anway, it seems that I’ll be supporting the idols in chocolate making. Subaru is looking forward to my help as he’s always more interested in eating it than making it XD Hokuto warned him not to rely on me too much since the most important is the feeling of the idols who are making the chocolate themselves, even if the outside of the chocolate may not look good. He also shared a story of how he tried to make rice based on the teachings of his grandma, and how his grandma said that it’s delicious even when he didn’t do a good job and the rice came out looking abit… not that nice ^^;

After listening to Hokuto’s story, Mao and Makoto suddenly appeared behind them, saying that actually they were there a while ago but could not find a good time to interrupt, seeing that Hokuto is so engrossed in his story about his grandma. Makoto showed up teary faced as he was very touched by Hokuto’s story TWT TWT

(It’s funny but yet so cute that the way that Subaru chooses to comfort Makoto is… a banana? Yes, he literally pushed a banana next to Makoto’s cheek XD What on earth is this boy thinking? XDD)

Talking about the Choco Festival, Makoto is curious about who am I planning on giving my chocolate to. (Hehe~ Why are you so interested, Makoto~? XD) He realised he may be asking too much of a private question though and was so sorry that he immediately kneel down in apology O.O Mao complimented that he kneel very well which Makoto will rather Mao praised his singing or dancing skills instead of his… kneeling skills XD

Thank goodness “I” seems to be neutral to guys who kneel randomly, saying that it really depends on the situation. (If not I would have dislike Makoto already, being a guy who kneel too easily in a situation like that ^^;)

(Look at Mao all hinting Makoto’s feelings towards “me” XD Saying that he’s actually behaving quite close to “me”, seeing that “I” managed to open his heart when he was bad at talking to girls ^////^)

Back onto the chocolate making topic, Hokuto said that Trickstar can’t rely on “me” too much as “I’m” everyone’s producer, and it’ll be better if they can find someone else from other units that are willing to guide them on how to make chocolate. (Since if I ended up supporting all the units on how to make chocolate, I’ll get overwhelmed by all the units =w=“….)

They went through several names (all from Knights though… seems like most of Knights all know to make sweet treats ^^): Sena, who made chocolate for Makoto last year, it tasted great but having Sena saying “ahhh” and trying to force feed him gave Makoto a bad aftertaste… Ritsu, whose candies are delicious, but the designs of them are badly needed to go through a revamp by Sena in order to go on sale since it’s practically required to close one’s eyes to eat it to avoid looking at it =w=“….

In the end, they decided on Arashi, who has “girl power” and thus able to cook and make sweet treats just like a girl ^^; (I’m a girl but I can’t really do these things… guess I don’t have much of a “girl power” when compared to Arashi… Orz)

Chapter 2 - 4

And so Arashi became the lecturer and tutor for the chocolate making class that happened later on, thanks to Mao for contacting him and asking for his help. (Since they’re classmates and gets along fine like that ^^)

Mao felt weird that Arashi said that “as a big sister, I’ll be on the side of the girls in love”, since well… they’re guys, and wonder if they had become “girls in love” the moment they start doing chocolate XD Arashi amended and said he did add an “I’ll also be on the side of the boys in love” after that so it won’t sound so weird? ^^;

Arashi can’t help but to overhear what Mao and Makoto were happily talking about as they were preparing the ingredients and seeing how enthusiastic Makoto is, Arashi wonders if there’s a particular “her” that he wanted to give his chocolate to. That flustered Makoto as he confessed that he just wanted to thank “me” and it’s nothing like “I’m” the particular “her” that Arashi is talking about. (Denying to the full extent but it’s so cute how Makoto got all flustered ^^;)

Mao in the end has to swipe in to rescue Makoto by explaining that Makoto only doesn’t get nervous around “me” as “I’m” a producer, but once he sees “me” as a girl, he gets all nervous again ^^;

Mao was all excited and asking Arashi what chocolate they were making that day, but Arashi asked me to just wait awhile longer as the Ra*bits kids haven’t arrived yet. It’s a lesson for both Trickstar and Ra*bits members that day as the other units aren’t free, and with both of them having a performance live at the first part of the day, it’s been decided that the class will teach them first since the other units can still have a chance to practice at the later part of the day later on.

They went onto talking about how Knights and UNDEAD will be having the same class later on, and Ritsu will be grumbling how terrible it is to be in the same class as his brother, Rei XD

Just then the Ra*bits members all rushed into the kitchen, with Nazuna breathing heavily as he struggled to catch up to Mitsuru’s speed.

(Aww~ Look at how Mitsuru dives into Arashi’s chest when he saw him there. These two really have a cute relationship as Arashi is so happy to have such an adorable junior <3)

Finally, the chocolate making class can finally start! This time, Arashi decided to teach everyone how to make truffle, as he said it’s one of the easier chocolate treats to be made. Makoto was very excited when he realised that the recipe was written by me XD

The class commerce and Subaru was having difficulty getting his truffle in a nice round sphere, where compare to Hokuto who was doing it easily as his hands are cold and thus easy to mould the chocolate with them. Subaru ended up disturbing Hokuto again by touching him with chocolate covered hands (ewww~~ Subaru~~) Hokuto, of course, scolded him and said he’s going to end up dirtying clothes like that ^^;

Seeing Hokuto is so serious, Subaru went off to play with Makoto, by touching his cheek with his (chocolate covered) hands =w=“ That gave Makoto a shock as he asked to knock it off (imagine someone touching your face with chocolate hands suddenly =w=“) Subaru, disappointed that even Makoto is getting serious this time, said that he thought that the two of them are going to debut as Aho-Combi, and thus won’t allow him to drop out this way ^^; (And Makoto got all confused since as much he likes Aho-Combi, really debuting as one is abit… =w=“)

In the end, Mao has to ask all of them to stop fooling around and to learn from the Ra*bits boys, which are doing a really good job. Hajime came and shared with them some of the truffles that he made, which had very sparkling toppings that made Subaru wanted to add some onto his truffles. (But… ultimately got stopped by me since they’re far more advanced bakers~) (I’m terribly afraid that Subaru might end up destroying all the truffles if he did something funny with them ><”)

Even though the Ra*bits’ truffles are coming along smoothly, there’s one guy who is facing trouble with the chocolate he is making - Mitsuru. He ended up burning the chocolate that he was melting and got really frustrated. Tomoya wanted to lend a hand to him but Mitsuru said it’s okay and he can handle it on his own. Tomoya insisted further on and Mitsuru got really defensive and shut him out, making Tomoya shocked as this seems to be the first time he ever sees Mitsuru being so stubborn. Turns out that Mitsuru even rejects Hajime’s help when he approached him earlier on too. Seeing that “I” had seen this scenario, Tomoya requested me to help out Mitsuru as he really seems to need help and will probably open up to me instead, as Mitsuru admires me as much as Nazuna.

“I” went to Mitsuru and asked him about what he’s doing, he got sad knowing that he has made “me”, Tomoya and others worried for him. Mitsuru decided to reveal what he’s making to “me”, on the condition that I keep it a secret from Adonis and Arashi. Mitsuru’s plan was to make chocolate to give to Arashi and Adonis to thank them for all the care they’ve given him for the past year. “I” decided to chip in and help Mitsuru with making the chocolate, and the two of us decided to meet up after class on a day to make them.

However, instead of truffles, we’re going to make nama chocolate, since it’s even easier than truffles so that Mitsuru can even make it as ease~ ^^ “I” showed Mitsuru how to do it once and after that he learnt it and decided to continue doing it, as “I” watched him by the side.

(Mitsuru is so cute when he finished the first step successfully and ask for a praise XD)

The next step was melting of the chocolate, which Mitsuru felt really unsure of as he burnt it the last time. But this time however, he felt more at ease knowing that “I’ll” be next to him looking over him ^^ Mitsuru completed the melting process successfully and we pour the chocolate into the moulds and all that’s left to do is wait for 2 hours for the chocolate to set~ While waiting for the chocolate to set, we decided to have lessons and practices together to pass the time.

Mitsuru bumped into a “wall” in the kitchen and realised that it was Makoto. He explained that he was initially having lunch on the terrace when he saw the two of us heading towards the kitchen. Curiosity got the better of him so he decided to tail behind and see what we are up to. (Makoto…. that’s quite a stalker move actually =w=“ I guess the good thing is that at least he knows that he’s guilty of it? ^^;)

Mitsuru sneakily asked Makoto a question on who is he going to give his chocolate to, making Makoto flustered once again as he gave alot of answers: people who supported them (Trickstar), people who watched their lives etc. Mitsuru just sees it as him being firm and not giving the real answer XD (Kind of amazed that he can be quite observant here XD)

He went onto explain the reason that he’s making chocolate with “me” to Makoto, saying that he’s giving chocolates to Adonis and Arashi. (Look at him “confessing” once again that how much he likes them XD Mitsuru is seriously so adorable here~ *pinches cheek*)

Mitsuru ended up inviting Makoto to come help and do some chocolate tasting when they are set after 2 hours. The two of them exchanged numbers before they departed and Mitsuru and “I” went off to have lessons. Contacting Makoto after two hours, all three of us returned to the kitchen and tasted the completed chocolate. It’s a success as the chocolate was very delicious~! ^^ Now all Mitsuru had to do was to wrap them up and give them to Arashi and Adonis on the day itself.

Chapter 5 - Chapter 6

On Trickstar’s side, Hokuto requested both Makoto and Subaru to come and help them with the wrapping of the chocolates during the practice break, as there’s too many of them that with just him and Mao, it’s impossible to finish wrapping them all before the event the next day.

(Hokuto is cute as he admitted that he’s been relying on his grandma and “me” alot nowadays~ It’s nice to know that he felt safe by my side and thus gradually relied on me.)

Even though Hokuto asked Makoto and Subaru to help out, towards “me” he’s asking “me” to rest instead ^^ He even requested Mao to send “me” home at night later on, as it’s his turn that night. Mao smiled and said that he’s been always sending “me” home frequently to the point that he has become close and friendly with “my” family members already, and even stayed to have dinner with them XD (Future son-in-law? +W+) It’s a good thing for Mao as he gets to have some home cooked food as his parents are usually not at home and let the kids do whatever they want.

Makoto ended up glaring at Mao once he heard about it, as he envies Mao for getting the chance to even have dinner with “me” since he never gets an invitation. (Jealousy?) He wondered what he should do in order to get an invitation: having more of an appeal by showing a face that he wants to eat?, or by bearing himself from eating snacks so that his stomach will growl when he went to my home XD

Then he realised it’s hard for him to even get to know “my” family members as he doesn’t even dare to look at “my” mum in the eye… Makoto vowed to pluck up his courage to start a conversation with “my” family next time~ (Good luck Makoto!)

Chocofes had finally arrived in the day, and it was a busy period for “me” as I had to make the outfits, teaching on how to make chocolates to the units, as well as making goods for the event. On that day it was a really crowded day to the point that they need alot of staff to even control the crowd, seeing that there’s alot of units performing and they’re giving chocolates out.

(Interesting that there’s a system whereby the guests can choose which unit they’ll want to receive their chocolate +W+)

Mao is all fired up as he said that Trickstar will perform to the point that they’ll capture everyone’s hearts so that they’ll feel at ease even if other units perform after them. Subaru just wants to give out all the chocolates which they’ve prepared for the guest's XD (So cute!)

As Trickstar is performing, Tomoya came and watched their performance, and was awed by Trickstar’s charm. Hokuto was performing on stage and realised Tomoya has come to show support, by waving his light stick like a little fan XD Hokuto wished that they’re able to give out all their chocolates, as the worst outcome will be having to either eat the remaining chocolates themselves or having to burn them all. (I felt so sad reading it, burning and destroying all those chocolates? TWT TWT I won’t mind eating one per day for a whole year just to get rid of them seriously +W+)

Mao also noticed Tomoya supporting them, and he thought to himself that as a senior, he should work harder so he won’t show a bad side of him to them. He also noticed “me” watching them, waving a light stick in “my hand”, as “I’ve” finished what “I” was busy with of selling the merchandise.

(This part was heartwarming: Seeing that “I” was always being relied on by others, he wished that “I” would rely on him sometimes, since he would also rely on “me” sometimes too.)

Chapter 6 - Epilogue

Tomoya felt all pumped up after watching Trickstar’s performance and talked to Mitsuru that Ra*bits will need to work hard too to perform like them. But Mitsuru doesn’t seem to be listening and even runs off in the end, leaving a very confused Tomoya.

Mitsuru knew that he shouldn’t run around on the corridor, but today’s a special day as he wanted to find Arashi and Adonis soon before his own live starts. As he was running towards the practice room (since he believed that they might be there performing before the lives), Mitsuru accidentally bumped into Adonis and… ended up stepping on his own chocolate when the paper bag flew out of his hand.

Tomoya came looking for him soon after and he pulled Mitsuru away to prepare for their live show later on, and thus Mitsuru missed his chance to give his chocolate…

After the live shows had ended, Mitsuru was still feeling really down that Tomoya tried to cheer him up but still failed, as he doesn’t know why Mitsuru was having trouble about. Tomoya wished that Mitsuru would rely on him more since they’re friends and not keep his trouble to himself.

Noticing “me” looking worriedly at him, Tomoya knew that he can’t hide anything from “me” and thus revealed what that had happened, and that Mitsuru went all down after the live even though he was all happy and cheerful on stage.

“I” went over to Mitsuru when he was murmuring to himself that he can’t face “me” anymore, and ended scaring him when he realised “I’m” behind him ^^; He revealed to me that his box of chocolates was crushed and thought that it’s impossible to give out his gift now that the box was all crumpled up… He even thought of throwing the chocolate away in the trash bin as he believed that nobody will be happy getting a box of crushed chocolates TWT TWT (So cute yet so sad that Mitsuru is crying at this scene TWT TWT)

Just then Adonis and Arashi came rushing over, as they’ve noticed Mitsuru seems to be having some trouble and came to wish that Mitsuru will discuss any trouble with them.

Mitsuru decided to give his (though now abit crumpled) box of chocolate to Arashi and Adonis. Saying that even though it’s made with “my” help and also even though the box was crushed, Mitsuru shyly asked them to receive his chocolate.

Of course, both of them are happy to receive Mitsuru’s chocolate and even started eating them right away. Arashi even said it’s so delicious to the point they can make his cheeks drop XD (Too exaggerated XD) Mitsuru thanked them once again and confessed once again XD He also sort of “confessed” to “me”, saying that he’s thankful for all the help “I” gave him and also that he likes me just as much as the others as well.

And that wraps up this heartwarming event story~! I remember liking Mitsuru alot after reading this, who knows he can be so cute and adorable~ <3 I also enjoyed reading Mao’s, Makoto’s and Hokuto’s part as well~ Didn’t know Makoto can be jealous and even abit stalkish…. =w=“ Mao definitely sounds like a super good boyfriend material XDD

Most importantly for me when going through this event was enjoying Makoto’s little event scenes, he seems interested in what type of guys “I” would like ^////^

And he was also curious on who “I” was giving “my” chocolate to. Funny that he mentioned that he envies the person who would be receiving it, and turns out he’s the one XD

Mao’s scenes are pretty cute too, he actually ended up gifting “me” a chocolate he made I believe~

Last but not least, it was a super happy time for me to be able to make it to the event points to get Makoto’s 4* card~ I think it was the first time for me to be able to reach it after I’ve luckily get Hajime’s from a live drop on the Christmas carol event~

I really enjoyed Valentine’s outfit this time and ended up putting Tomoya and Makoto on my home screen for a long time~ (Still had Makoto on my home screen currently yet again in celebration of Valentine’s~)

Next up will be the current Valentine’s event story~ I’m looking forward to reading that so will be reading and translating that first~ <3

[primtenps]

heartthrummed​:

oh? perhaps he shouldn’t be so surprised by a brattish act from nazuna. at the very least, he certainly won’t complain. he quite likes when nazuna gets feisty, even if he insists on protecting said man from having to fully unleash whatever fury might drive it. but in this kind of situation? oh, kuro would love to see more of it, actually. it draws a smirk from him, a little hum, as his fingers brush over that cheek he’d just kissed, until his palm gently rests over it.

❝well, if you’re trying to steal mine, maybe you’ve already succeeded. either way, i think i ought to try and retaliate, no? maybe even steal yours right back~❞ 

two can play at this game, nito. 

his chest felt heavy at the touch on his cheek, he found himself leaning into it. he couldn’t help it, maybe it was just out of need of watching someone to touch him like that. he didn’t want to move, but should he allow himself to be familiar with this? he shouldn’t like this should he? nazuna’s hands grip at kuro’s shirt.

did he just? nito pulled back and huffed. “’ea-yeah? ‘nd how do ‘ou plan on doin’ that then?” nito wanted to push aside what kuro said about MAYBE he’s already done that. but he couldn’t not dwell on it, “good i-..hmm” how could he be bold if couldn’t speak? “..i better have..one sided things ain’t fun y’know.”

[graglithans-library]

Welcome to Paris, Fur-ance Ch 7: Parents, Residency, and Plotting

This is further proof that I am horrible at keeping track of time, as I slept until 8 before realizing it was Wednesday my dudes. And I don’t mean 8 am. I mean 8 PM... Screw it here’s the chapter. Know there’s some minor bashing in here so... I don’t know, enjoy making fun of certain characters? You’ll know who the salt’s directed at when it happens. It’s not even that huge.

It thankfully did not take very long for Ladybug to find a safe place to transform. Stepping out of the alleyway, Marinette glanced both ways before rushing down the road back towards her school. She was about a block away when she could see her parents headed back to the bakery, looking distraught and worried. Oh, I am so grounded. Marinette’s run started to slow down as she got closer to her parents. When she slowed to the point she was walking, Sabine and Tom both noticed her and froze. Barely a heartbeat passed before her parents rushed over to her, and Marinette was pulled into a bone-crushing hug.

“Oh, Marinette, we were so worried!” Tom released Marinette enough that her feet were on the ground again, and moved his hands to her shoulders. “We closed the shop the moment we heard you were missing.”

“I understand you get scared by the Akumas, but you can’t just vanish like that, Marinette.” Her mother chided, even as she kept hugging her. “If you ever feel the need to hide like this again, please just come home.”

Marinette sniffled as she wrapped her arms around her mother. “I’m sorry I made you worry.”

Sabine sighed as she ran a hand through Marinette’s hair. “I know. You would never do something like this on purpose. All I ask is that you remember that there are people who worry for you.” Stepping out of the hug, she held Marinette’s hands and smiled. “Now, let’s go home. I’ll inform the police and school that we found you, and you can rest up in your room.”

“Huh?” Marinette blinked in surprise, before looking at the school. “But it’s not that late... Is it?”

Tom started guiding the two back towards the bakery and shook his head. “Marinette, the principal understood if you needed time away after what happened. You were excused for the rest of the day.”

Mr. Damocles... showing a shred of competency? Marinette looked up at the sky with a raised eyebrow. I don’t see any flying pigs, but they could be elsewhere. Maybe he was bribed? Hmmm... A glance at her dad’s slightly tensed arms answered her unasked question.

“Girl, there you are!” The family stopped and looked over, seeing a disheveled Alya staring at the two with wide eyes. Alya soon rushed over and practically tackled Marinette into a hug. “Do you have any idea how worried I was?”

You didn’t look too worried when recording the Akuma. Marinette sighed and gave her friend a hug in return. “I’m so sorry, Alya. I promise I’ll at least tell you where I’m-”

A finger was pressed to her lips as Alya stepped back from the hug. “Nevermind that.” Pulling out her phone, Alya started to beam as she searched through her files. “You won’t believe what happened today! This is almost as big as when Ladybug herself arrived!”

Marinette heard panting and looked around Alya to see a tired Nino stumbling up to them, before resting his hands on his knees. “Alya, calm down!” He took a few more wheezing breaths before straightening up and making sure his hat was on straight. “I’m as happy as you are that we found her, but let Mari have some breathing room.”

Alya’s laugh was slightly worrying, in Marinette’s opinion, and she held up her phone. “Not a chance, Nino! Three new heroes were helping Ladybug. THREE! And I know what they look like as civilians!”

Marinette felt like her head was going to explode, but at the same time, her heart was swelling as well. I don’t think I realized how long it’s been since I’ve seen Alya this excited. Maybe things are finally going to start going back to normal.

“Hey, guys!” Marinette’s peaceful thought was unintentionally shattered as Adrien came up to the group and looked between them. His happy smile fell into a concerned tilt of his head as he got all of their attention. “Did I miss something?”

Sighing to herself, Marinette felt a bittersweet bite in her chest. Well, almost normal.

Nino walked over to him and threw his arms into the air. “Dude, where were you? There were like, two akumas today.”

Adrien blinked in surprise, before looking baffled. “Two?”

Alya raised a hand and was grinning at the two. “One, actually, but that’s not important. There were new heroes involved with the fight! Turns out the first ‘akuma’ that showed up at the school was actually a new hero that made everyone panic on accident.”

Raising an eyebrow, Adrien walked over to see for himself. “Really?”

Alya’s phone was shoved in his face, where there was a slightly blurry picture of a certain tanuki. “That’s right! She couldn’t explain herself cause it turns out she and the other new heroes are from Japan! The only reason I know that was because I was lucky enough to have Kagami translate for me.” Alya flipped through the pictures as she kept going, showing all three of them in multiple photos. “They don’t even need a Miraculous to transform! They just grew animal ears and tails and were covered head to toe in fur! Even their facial features were completely changed! One straight up had a wolf head!”

“Wait, so you’re getting really excited over animal people?” Adrien asked with a raised eyebrow, making Alya pause and blush a bit as she stammered. Unfortunately, Adrien had one more question for her.

“Alya.... are you a furry?”

The silence that rang from that question lasted all of three seconds before Alya was grabbing Adrien by the head and pulling him to look him in the eye. “Who taught Sunshine Child what a furry is? Was it Nathaniel? Was it Nino? ”

Nino raised both his hands defensively as he backed up a step. “Don’t look at me! I’ve been doing as you asked and keeping him from the dark side of the web!”

Marinette helped Adrien free his head from Alya’s grasp, and the model rubbed the back of his neck with an awkward grin. “Actually, I kinda found out on my own when I was at home.”

Alya’s face drained of color as she gasped. “WHY, ADRIEN!? Why would you corrupt yourself in such a manner!? You were Sunshine. SUNSHINE!” Nino rolled his eyes as his girlfriend dramatically fell to her knees. “My OTP is tainted.”

Adrien just looked at her with confusion. “It wasn’t that bad.” A smile started to cross his face as he thought back. “I really liked watching that old Robin Hood movie!”

Marinette raised an eyebrow at him and put her hands on her hips. “You mean the Disney one?”

With a smile that rivaled the sun, Adrien grinned back at her. “Yeah! I thought Robin was pretty cool, stealing from the rich to save the poor and all that. Kinda makes me wish he’d go after my dad. Oh, The Cat Returns was another good one I found!”

Before Adrien’s rant could go farther, Nino cleared his throat. “So Adrien.” He clapped his hands together in front of his lips, before pointing them at Adrien. “What do you think a furry is?”

Adrien raised an eyebrow and shared a glance with Marinette before shrugging. “Someone who’s a fan of anthropomorphic animals in cartoons? I mean, it’s not that bad... is it?”

Marinette looked completely resigned with her deadpan stare. How can Someone be as academically smart as he is, and not know so much? I mean, I’m glad he finally learned some, but... still!

Alya got back up and pulled Nino into a hug. “Oh, sweet merciful heavens, he’s still pure.”

Nino just patted her head, accepting his fate. At Adrien’s confused face, he just shook his head for a moment. “Just... don’t dig too deep into it, Dude. It’s not worth it.”

Shrugging again, Adrien adjusted his bag and rubbed the back of his head. “If you say so, Nino.”

Tom and Sabine’s laughter brought them back to reality, and Tom proceeded to continue ushering Marinette down the road. “Okay, kids, you three need to head to class. Marinette may be excused, but you’re still expected to attend.”

Waving to her friends, Marinette walked just between her parents before heading to her room once they were home. Rather than do any homework or design, she pondered the situation with the three newcomers. If anything, I can at least use this time to think of some questions to ask.

________________________________________________________________

As they walked down the streets of Paris, Michiru glanced up at Shirou. “So.. what now?” He and Nazuna both looked at her for a moment before she shrugged. “Well, we’re kinda stuck here in Paris, we don’t exactly have any money or a place to stay. So...where do we go from here?”

“Actually,” Kagami smiled a bit as she came up behind them, “I may be able to convince my mother to allow you to stay at our home for a time.” Her smile fell into a thoughtful frown as she put a hand to her chin. “Though, she may ask for some form of compensation in return.”

Shirou looked at both Nazuna and Michiru, before grumbling to himself. He would have been fine just finding a bench to sleep on. It wouldn’t have been the first time, and would likely be far from the last, but unlike himself, neither of them were immune to dying. More importantly, the man who wrecked the medical center wanted these two for something, and he hadn’t caught that man yet. “What’s your name?”

“Tsurugi Kagami,” she bowed towards Shirou. “You have my gratitude for ensuring our safety earlier.”

Shirou nodded a bit and put his hands in his pockets. “Lead the way then, Ms. Tsurugi.”

Michiru felt her jaw drop a touch and looked up at Shirou in surprise. “Wait, that’s it? No grumpy half-hearted dismissal?” His gaze moved down to her, and he raised an eyebrow.

“We’re in a foreign country through means that bypassed all forms of immigration and border patrol. If something happened that got us under scrutiny, we’d be deported. With the perp who brought us here still at large, being stuck in transit between France and Japan would be detrimental, as it would allow him to wander free and terrorize more people.” Shirou’s eyes moved back to where he was going, and he frowned. “And I’m also interested in what these ‘superheroes’ have to say. They may have a way to send us back to Anima City that would help keep us under the radar and avoid any unnecessary trouble.”

Michiru stared at him for a moment before blinking. “Wow... that’s the most I’ve heard you say at once.” Nazuna’s facepalm echoed behind her, but Michiru missed it entirely.

Shirou deadpanned at her comment before sighing. “That’s because before now, you never listened.”

‘Wha- HEY!” Michiru blushed and pouted as her tail bushed behind her. “I listen... Sometimes...”

Nazuna smiled a bit as she skipped ahead a bit and turned around to walk backward in front of Michiru. “To be fair, there are some moments I remember where I’m glad you didn’t listen.”

Michiru paused for a moment before returning the smile and nodding. “Yep.”

Kagami looked over at the two and raised an eyebrow. “I take it that when we arrive back at my home, you two have some stories to tell?”

The two looked at each other before Michiru started grinning mischievously. “Well... I guess we could tell some stories of what it’s like living in Anima City.”

Nazuna paled a bit before glaring at Michiru. “You are not telling her any of the embarrassing stories!”

“What? You’d expect me to do that?” Michiru feigned innocence before putting on a stone-like face. “I just want to tell her of the blessings of the Church of the Sil-” She choked as a blazing-red faced Nazuna grabbed her into a headlock, glaring daggers into her friend’s skull the whole time.

Kagami could tell this would be an impressive conversion to be sure.

_____________________________________________________________

The clicking of a keyboard echoed through the lab as several images flashed across the screens—the man at the controls humming a little ditty as he swayed back and forth. In a glass vial next to him, a bloody tissue sat in a solution, blood slowly being pulled from the fabric. “Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down~!” Taking the vial, he removed the tissue and placed the solution into a bulky machine. Turning back to the computer, he hit enter and watched as a program started.

Leaving the computer, he spun his chair around and rolled to a window on the opposing side of the room. “Medicine, go down~. Me-di-cine go down!”

Behind the glass, a second machine was busy at work, mixing various chemical compounds together. The final product of the mixes was injected into a square canister before being carted away down a conveyor. “Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down~!”

He picked up the canister and held it up, examining the glowing pink liquid with a feral grin.

“In the most delightful way~!”