#well i guess the demon would be chika huh

[littleplantfreak]

blood and takiishi and sex- ignore me i am crazy

no ignoring! Are we talking about he’s coming home fresh from a fight covered in blood and is just absolutely wild and adrenaline filled or is it your blood? did he bite? Is it knife play? period sex? tell me what ails you nonnie

[yohanes-magic-circle]

A Piece Of Cake

(As always, this fic is on AO3 if you’d prefer to read it there. Here’s some silly YohaMaru-centric fluff with added Mari fun. Enjoy!)

Countertops covered in flour. Eggshells carelessly strewn about the place, some covered in flecks of icing. To the uninitiated, this might look like an explosion in a bakery, but it was actually the kitchen of the Tsushima household. Yoshiko’s mother could still just about make it out, underneath the ongoing culinary experimentation. Her brow furrowed, and she called out to her daughter and her friend. “Do you girls need any help?”

“Do not interrupt this arcane ritual!” came the fraught reply from Yoshiko, who was somewhat overselling the concept of making a Secret Santa gift.

“Yoshiko, don’t you think we should have accepted? Things aren’t going great,” said Mari, as she desperately searched for a whisk. “Besides, how are you this bad at cooking? I had your Tears Of A Fallen Angel, they were great.”

“Yeah, but I’ve never made a cake before. That’s why I asked for your help in the first place.”

“I don’t understand,” came Mari’s reply in English.

“I see. It’s nice to know I was your first choice.”

Yoshiko was about to launch into a self-defence, before she caught Mari’s wink. “Actually, I really liked your Stewshine,” she admitted.

Mari didn’t expect that the first year might actually think she had any culinary skills. The truth was that she rarely cooked for herself – she was lucky to be living in a hotel, because between her studies and running the school, she barely had time to fix herself a proper meal. “You know that Stewshine is only good because of the ingredients, right? None of that means I have any cooking skills.”

“Yeah, but… I like hanging out with you too. You’re fun.”

“So sweet! Can you pass me the bowl?”

Yoshiko grabbed the bowl and handed it to Mari, who had finally found the whisk. The two girls had gone about things in rather the wrong order – Mari was overly keen to make the icing, so that was handled well before the cake was even in the oven. Now they were racing to get things in a better shape, but outside of their bizarre speciality dishes they rather lacked kitchen skills.

“Round, round, round it goes,” Mari sang softly as she mixed the ingredients together, holding the bowl in one arm as she whisked with the other hand. “This cake is going to be great! Hey Yoshiko, did you preheat the oven?”

“Oh crap!”

Mari turned to reassure Yoshiko, who was now charging forward to correct her mistake, but knocked the milk off the counter with her elbow as she did. Once again, Yohane was falling from grace – this time courtesy of a hazardous dairy spillage. She tumbled into Mari and with an almighty thud, wound up covered in attempted cake.

“Oww! Why does God detest me so?”

“Come on,” said Mari, offering a hand. “There’s no use crying over spilled milk!”

Yoshiko just rolled her eyes, too absorbed in her own misfortune to find the pun amusing. She looked back at the kitchen and, somewhat reluctantly, made a decision.

“Hey, mum…”

As Yoshiko poked her cake-covered head around the living room door, Yoshiko’s mother couldn’t help but let out a laugh, despite her attempts to stifle it.

“How long’s left?”

“About an hour,” Mari replied. “It’s a good job you bought too many ingredients, really. Are you feeling okay now?”

“Yeah, I just needed a shower,” said Yoshiko, as she took a seat at her computer desk. “I took a look at the cake on the way past, it’s looking good. I’m glad I asked for your help!” Mari didn’t have the heart to mention that she’d quietly accepted the help of Ms Tsushima while Yoshiko was cleaning herself up.

“Hey,” said Mari, “what’s the deal with you and Hanamaru, anyway?”

“We’re old friends from kindergarten. C’mon, you know that.”

“Yeah, but… How do you feel about her?”

“Hmm… She’s always shutting me down when I get on a roll, and making fun of Yohane. And she’s so backwards! We can’t go near anything that uses electricity without her being all like ‘mirai, zura!’ Zuramaru’s a nightmare.”

“So why did you decide to make a cake for her?”

“Well, she loves food but she doesn’t like the spicy stuff I’d make for myself.”

“Okay, but why not just buy a cake?”

“It wouldn’t mean as much if I bought it from a shop,” Yoshiko confessed. “I chose that recipe because I knew she liked the flavour. And I wanted to decorate it myself.”

“I see,” said Mari, shifting forward on the bed. “That’s a lot of effort to go to for a nightmare.”

“Ahem… even when they go astray, my little demons are precious to me. Zuramaru was one of my first, so she’s extra important.”

“Haha, I get it.” Mari backed off a bit – it was clear that Yoshiko still had some things to figure out. “It’s funny, the idea of a friend being a nightmare.”

“Oh, really? I’m sure Dia has probably thought of you like that before,” Yoshiko poked. “I know you’d have said the same of Kanan not too long ago.”

“Huh… I suppose so. But we wouldn’t feel so strongly if we didn’t care a lot about each other. It’s the same for you and Hanamaru, right?”

“Yeah, that makes sense.”

Mari thought for a moment, and smiled. “You know, I don’t think your luck is as bad as you think it is, Yohane.”

Yoshiko’s face scrunched up as she tried to figure that out.

“Think about it,” Mari continued. “I know everyone in Aqours means a lot to each other, but it’s a bit deeper with you two, right?”

“I guess so, yeah.”

“You only had a small chance of getting Hanamaru for this Secret Santa, but you did! And now you’ve got this opportunity to show her how much she means to you. That sounds pretty lucky to me.”

“Well, sure,” said Yoshiko. “But it’s Secret Santa, you’re not supposed to know who gave you your gift. I’ll go to a lot of effort and for all she knows it could be Ruby, Chika or anyone else.”

“I think she’ll know who it was,” Mari said with utmost confidence.

Yoshiko excitedly tore open her gift – it felt like manga, and it was… Ah, she thought, glancing in Riko’s direction. You comment on a cute girl one time – one time! – and you end up getting yuri.

“Zura!”

Before she knew it, Yoshiko was enveloped in a hug from her oldest friend. “Yoshiko, this cake is amazin’! Where’d you get it?”

“Oh, I made it. Well, Mari helped too. Actually, I just picked the recipe and decorated it. I tried to help making it but it went wrong, and I sort of… ended up covered in it.” Hanamaru giggled a bit, picturing the scene in her head. “But anyway, by what sorcery did you discover that it was from me?”

“Don’t be silly. Who else would be callin’ me Zuramaru on the icing?” Yoshiko’s face was a picture – after all that effort making the gift, she’d failed to keep her secret. “Did you get to try any of it?”

“No, we didn’t have any spare ingredients after I ended up wearing the first cake.”

“Oh no! Here, have some!” Hanamaru lifted the fork to Yoshiko’s mouth and fed her a piece.

Oh wow, thought Yoshiko. I’ll have to have this again. “Such a divine taste! I’m at risk of being purified.”

“Right? I’m really strugglin’ not to keep it all to myself. Thanks so much!”

Hanamaru leapt forward for another hug – and if that hadn’t turned Yoshiko red, the knowing wink from Mari certainly did. For some reason, Yoshiko suddenly had the urge to read her gift.

“So anyway, ain’t you gonna tell me what your gift was?”

“Ah… ahaha…”

“Yoshiko, are you okay? You look like you’re burning up. Yoshiko…?”

[athyrabunlord]

LLSHP AU (S) - Yule Ball

Main Story: [LLSHP AU - Yoshiko Tsushima and the Fallen Angel]

[Brief note about School Term] [other LLSHP AU stuff] [YohaMaRuby concept arts] [ChikaYouRiko concept arts] [KanaDiaMari concept arts] [Hogwarts Staff]

[FFN link] [Pixiv Link] [Translated to Chinese by plin2290]

Sequel blips: TriWizard Tournament series- [First Task] [Yule Ball]

A/N: Look I’m so very creative with my titles lol. Like the previous blip, this one is just a segment of the whole TriWizard Tournament saga. Hopefully I’ve succeeded in portraying the overall tone of this Ruby-centric sequel series. A lot of elements are related to the Main Story so it’s definitely recommended that you read the Main Story before the sequel. Anyway, enjoy! XD

“This is a flash grenade.”

Ruby gulps nervously, not because she understands what that Muggle terminology means but because of You and Chika’s serious expressions. Chika is seated in one of the couches with her arms folded and her characteristic ahoge drooped, while You is carefully inspecting the object before placing it back into the wooden box.

“Even in the Muggle world, this isn’t something accessible to civilians,” You says thoughtfully, her gaze trained on the item as if she could unravel the mystery. “Chika-chan and I have seen enough movies to recognize it. Even if it’s not a flash grenade, it’s… still a grenade, a bomb.”

“Why would they give me something like this though?” Somewhat frustrated, Ruby begins to pace around the her Prefect dorm, a habit she’s picked up from Kanan since her First Year. “I wonder what Osaka-san and Kazuno-san have in their boxes?”

After the end of the First Task, it was announced that the Second Task would be held after New Year’s. The official only stated that the item in the wooden box is vital to the nature of the Second Task, and that the champion should get to know their respective item before then. Each champion is also allowed to bring one more item with them in this Task, and the only hint was that the two items should balance each other.

Furthermore, there is one special condition that will be announced on the day of the Second Task, and Ruby had an iffy feeling about it so she’d like to prepare for the worst.

But, what is she supposed to do?

“Hmm, no other hint at all huh?” Chika slowly chews on her mikan pastry, her eyes not shimmering as usual whenever she enjoys her snacks, but rather filled with concern for her friend.

“No. I heard the Durmstrang principal was rather upset about the secrecy but that’s it.”

“I guess this is fair. Unnerving, but fair.” You pats Ruby’s head, prompting the latter to smile. “We’ll research more on the grenades, you can count on us! How about the other item?”

“Onee-chan suggested I bring the Kurosawa sabre. Since there’s so much we don’t know about the Second Task, the sabre can at least protect me.”

Truthfully, Ruby isn’t as keen on the idea. She would much rather bring a bottle of Dittany in case she gets injured but in the end, she agrees with her sister that prevention is much better than treatment.

“That’s a great idea, as expected of Dia-san! I bet she’ll be surprised when she sees you in action~” Chika also bounces up from her chair and wraps her arm around Ruby’s shoulder. “Hehe, she doesn’t know what you’ve been working on, right?”

At this, Ruby grins playfully and does a Rubesty pose. No matter how much she practices, she acknowledges that she will never be skillful in swordsmanship. Therefore, at her request, Chika had been more than happy to teach her the complex Charm that makes her Beater bats hover around her like sentient guards. Except, in this case, Ruby has utilized it on the Kurosawa sabre. The last time they dueled in the Room of Requirement, the sword was quite the force to be reckoned with.

“That’s our girl! Uuuaaaah, You-chan, I can’t believe our Ruby-chan’s all so grown up now.” Dramatically, the Head Girl flops against her girlfriend and pretends to wipe away her tears with the latter’s scarf.

“A true champion of Hogwarts! We’ve raised her well~” You picks up Chika and spins her around while pretending to sniffle.

Ruby chuckles at the duo’s familiar antics. The couple never excludes her from their theatrics and she always enjoys watching them interact anyway. Being around them makes her feel happy and at ease, all the troubles churning in her mind evaporating away. You and Chika truly are magical in their own special way.

Not to mention, they’re both very perceptive.

“Something’s bothering you, right? And it’s nothing to do with the Tournament.”

Ruby doesn’t see a point in hiding it. “I’m worried about Yoshiko-chan and Hanamaru-chan.”

The duo exchanges a knowing look. “Right, we’ve been trying to grab hold of them too but they’ve gotten pretty good at evading.” You chuckles quietly at the last bit. Years of running away from the You Watanabe Fanclub must have trained Yoshiko well.

“I’ve talked with Hanamaru-chan, but it wasn’t enough - that’s the bad thing about having my own Prefect dorm, I miss being roommates with her. Outside of my Prefect duties, I try to look for her but she must’ve learned from Kanan-san where the best hiding spots are around the school. There just aren’t any… right opportunities.” Exasperated, Ruby resumes pacing around the room. “The most I’d gotten out of her is that, she kept saying it’s her fault but Yoshiko-chan won’t accept her apology and insisted she’s the one at fault instead.”

This isn’t a fight where she could just make the two talk and compromise. There’s no side to coax into admitting fault and apologize, not when both parties believe they’re the guilty ones. Both are very reluctant to talk about the subject further. Hanamaru had requested her to drop the subject and she couldn’t bring herself to push it. After all, Hanamaru had never asked her for anything, so how could she refuse?

“You just focus on the Second Task. Leave Hanamaru-chan to You-chan and I!” Chika pumps up her fist. “No one can evade our MVP Seeker for long! And I’m sure Riko-chan can grab hold of Yoshiko-chan and talk some sense into her.”

Ruby trusts the duo and her future sister-in-law, she really does, but it’s gnawing away at her conscience that she hasn’t been helpful towards her best friends. This useless feeling, it’s all too familiar, like how things were years ago back in the Estate.

“Aww, don’t make that face, Ruby-chan! You have a lot on your plate and you’ve already tried your best, cheer up!” Chika’s smiles then shifts to a mischievous one. “Don’t you have something else urgent that’s coming up very soon?”

You catches the drift and snickers. “Oh yes, the fun stuff~ I heard you have gained quite a bit of following after your awesome performance at the First Task~”

Ruby twitches uncomfortably. A tradition that’s existed for centuries, one that each champion must participate. A mandatory ‘task’ that she really doesn’t want to be under the spotlight for.

“So, who’re you taking to the Yule Ball?”

A strangled whimper is all she could reply to that.

==================

“There! How’s Yohane-sama’s amazing skills!?”

“Thanks for styling my hair! You really are good, Yoshiko-chan!”

“It’s Yoha-... whatever, hmnff, as long as you recognize my awesomeness, little demon no.4!”

Even though Yoshiko quickly hides it, Ruby notices that fleeting hesitation and that confirms her doubts. Still, she decides to put that on hold for now so they can finish dressing up. She glances around at all the makeup and accessories as well as the various clothes they no longer need, and acknowledges that this is the messiest that her Dorm has become in a while.

She couldn’t help but smile as Yoshiko poses in front of the mirror, relieved at this arrangement. It definitely is more relaxing to be in her best friend’s company instead of a fan’s. She thought You was joking but there had been several ambushes in the preceding weeks, including the time she almost drank a glass of juice that has Love Potion in it! It was downright scary!

Is it really such a big deal, to be featured on the front page of the Daily Prophet as a champion’s partner?

After much consideration, Ruby had originally asked Riko to accompany her for many reasons. Even though You and Chika had volunteered, Ruby did not want to split the couple especially since this is their last year at Hogwarts. Riko was in charge of performing with the piano so Ruby would only have to open the dance floor as Hogwarts’ champion and she is done. It would also be nice to spend time with her future sister-in-law, showing their closeness under public scrutiny. Neither Dia nor Riko has expressed concerns for the public’s opinion of their engagement but Ruby still wants to show her support whenever there’s an opportunity.

But then, Yoshiko had demanded to accompany Ruby. In spite of her best friends’ situation, Ruby had hoped that Hanamaru and Yoshiko would go to the Ball together. What surprised her more though, is the fact that Leah asked Hanamaru and the latter agreed. It didn’t seem like Leah got along with any of her schoolmates, at least the ones within Durmstrang’s entourage, but she did not expect Leah to ask Hanamaru of all the people.

Sighing, Ruby half-heartedly fixes her cloak and tries to ignore the weird feeling in her chest. Ever since this strange turn of events, she’s been feeling restless and confused. She doesn’t get annoyed often, which is why she has no idea how to deal with this tension in her body. True to their words, You and Chika had hunted down Hanamaru, and Riko had a long chat with Yoshiko as well, but Ruby has yet to see any improvement in their situation. Why else would Yoshiko go with her and Hanamaru still going with Leah? And Yoshiko hadn’t complained that her girlfriend was going with someone else. Just what’s going on? This doesn’t make any sense!

“Why the serious expression, Ruby? The fallen angel-”

“Yoshiko-chan. Tell me what’s going on between you and Hanamaru-chan. Please.”

It’s now or never. Ruby feels awful for ruining the merry atmosphere but she can’t bear it any longer. As expected, Yoshiko’s grin drops but she continues to stare at her reflection in the mirror. Ruby patiently remains silent as her friend fiddles with the ribbons and puts on her earrings. The raven-haired girl then reaches up for the quill affixed in her bun but stops at the last moment and leaves it be.

“... I guess it’s been long enough. Lily’s urged me to talk to you about it but…”

Ruby panics at the sight of shimmering tears in her friend’s eyes but Yoshiko irritably wipes them away with her gloved hand.

“Goddamit. It’s just hard to talk about, especially… to you.”

“Me?” Ruby hasn’t expected that, and is more than startled when Yoshiko whirls around and enters her personal space in one swift stride.

“Who am I, Ruby Kurosawa?”

The husky tone and the proximity cause her to cringe and instinctively clutch at her chest. Her heart quickens in fear in spite of her mind inwardly screaming otherwise.

“... I’m sorry. I just wanted to see your reaction.” Yoshiko murmurs sadly and backs away, returning to her spot in front of the mirror.

“Y-Yoshiko-chan, that’s not… I didn’t mean-” Ashamed, Ruby tries to ignore the prickling ache from the scars of sectumsempra and boldly places a comforting hand on her friend’s shoulder. Yoshiko smiles slightly at that, but the sight just makes her feel worse.

“It’s okay. I thought I’ve gotten over it. I thought we’ve all gotten over it, but it’s not that easy is it?” Yoshiko gingerly touches the mirror’s surface, her fingers trailing the shape of the quill before clenching into a fist. “I am Yoshiko. But I am also Yohane. I’ve accepted that. Or I thought I did.”

“Yoshiko-chan-”

“Things were going so well, y’know, between Hanamaru and I. Both of us, we thought we’ve moved on. But then, this one time, when we were kissing and things were getting heated between us, she… started crying. She was horrified and kept apologizing for thinking of...”

Ruby feels cold. No wonder this has been so difficult for her two friends to talk about. Back in their Second Year, Hanamaru had confided in her that she would involuntarily recall the first kiss she shared with the Yoshiko she fell in love with, and how guilty and conflicted she felt about being so intimate with the Yoshiko now. Ruby had tried her best to reassure her friend and always made sure to give the two privacy to sort things out, so things had never escalated to this point.

It was already painful to put herself in Hanamaru’s shoes, let alone Yoshiko’s.

“I told her it’s not her fault but, well, I’m just… I don’t know what to do anymore,” Yoshiko chuckles dryly and turns away from the mirror at last. “I love her, Ruby, but maybe she loves the Yoshiko I used to be more.” Yoshiko closes her eyes and shakes her head. “No, I shouldn’t doubt, I shouldn’t… I-I’m sorry to just dump this on you-”

Not knowing what else to do, Ruby hugs her friend tightly. “I’m the one who made you talk, Yoshiko-chan. I’m sorry I’m not helpful at all. It’ll be very hard, I understand that, but things cannot go on like this. I’ll be there if you two need an extra voice, anything, but please promise me you’ll talk to her. I w-will too. You’re both too important to me, I refuse to let the past get in the way of my best friends becoming h-happy.”

“Hey now, why’re you the one crying? You’re messing up my masterpiece!” Yoshiko laughs, sniffling hastily and hands over a handkerchief to Ruby. “Thank you though. I… I really appreciate it. I needed that. I really, really am grateful.”

Ruby smiles weakly, forcing away that horrible memory of Yohane almost killing her to the back of her mind. She needs to be strong, especially now.

“Heh, I remember you used to be a lot shorter than me.” Grinning, Yoshiko mischievously pats her head before tugging on her side ponytail. “Not anymore though. You’ve grown into your princely outfit for sure.”

“I’d r-rather wear a dress like you do. I look weird! Even the outfit I wore to the Banquet in our First Year is better than this…”

“What, you’re doubting Yohane-sama’s fashion sense? Trust me, you look great. Those two Gryffs will be all over you, not to mention your little fanclub-”

“Yoshiko-chan!”

“Fine fine. Why don’t you escort the great fallen angel to this Yule Ball and show the rest of the mortals what dancing truly is?”

Ruby stands straighter and chivalrously takes her partner’s hand, finding herself relaxing now that Yoshiko is smiling again. The expression still looks a bit stiff and her eyes are clouded with doubts, but overall she appears more relaxed at least.

The Christmas Banquet in their First Year was when her two best friends finally faced their feelings and confessed. Ruby fervently hopes that the magic of such dance would bring them back together once more.

====================

“They seem to be having fun.”

Ruby couldn’t help but mumble as she and Yoshiko sway along the waltz. It probably looks comical for any onlookers, that their attention is not on each other but on another pair. Indeed, after the first dance that each champion is obligated to start off the night, Leah and Hanamaru have remained on the dance floor and are seemingly absorbed in each other.

At first, the Durmstrang champion looks just as placid as she always does. She seems to despise the spotlight being on her just as much as she dislikes dancing for the formality of the Tournament. However, she is now chuckling at something Hanamaru said. That’s a positive expression, one that Ruby has never seen before. When did they get so close?

“That’s just the way Zuramaru is. She’s good at making us loners open up.”

Ruby frowns at Yoshiko, tugging so that the latter is close enough to hear her whispered words. “Even with the situation between you two, I don’t see Hanamaru-chan just agreeing to being Kazuno-san’s partner. It’s not like her.”

“Well, I agree this isn’t like her, but maybe she just wants to get her mind off of things. Maybe that Durmstrang champion has something I don’t?”

Ruby deliberately steps on Yoshiko’s foot, earning an angry yelp. “None of that, Yoshiko-chan. I was going to wait until after they finish dancing to get you two to talk, but I think enough time has passed.”

“W-Wait, now? But, what should I say?”

Yoshiko’s uncertain expression softens Ruby’s heart, but she recalls their earlier conversation and steels her resolve. “What you said to me. Knowing Hanamaru-chan, she would understand. If she continues to apologize, you just need to hug her and express your feelings until she can’t possibly think of anything else.”

“... where did you-? I’m gonna tell Dia-san that Kanan and Mari have been teaching you unnecessary things. Or was it those dunderheads?”

Ruby blinks. “What’s wrong with hugging? You-san and Chika-san hug all the time, they would cheer each other up that way.”

Yoshiko still looks dubious for some reason but sighs and nods. “Alright. Let’s go for it.”

After giving her friend’s hand one last encouraging squeeze, Ruby leads her around the crowd and towards the dancing pair. Leah’s expression darkens as soon as she notices her, which inexplicably irks her.

“What do you want?”

The Durmstrang champion is clad in a formal outfit fancier than her school uniform. The furred cloak is styled over one shoulder, with the school’s double-headed eagle embroidered proudly over the velvet scarlet. Her shoulder length hair is pulled to a sleek low ponytail, giving her a refreshing and regal demeanor in contrast to her usual slightly unruly appearance. If it weren’t for her vicious scowl and biting tone, she would have passed as a foreign royalty.

Hanamaru, dressed in a pretty but simple dress of white and dark crimson, drops her gaze nervously at their approach. If it weren’t for Leah’s tight grip on her wrist, she might have bolted from the dance floor. Ruby wistfully reminisces how she used to be the one fleeing from confrontations and Hanamaru being the one to give her courage.

Taking a deep breath, she firmly steps forward and reaches for Hanamaru’s hand.

“Kurosawa, what’re you-”

“Couples should spend the rest of the night together.”

“Ruby-chan, I-”

Ruby simply gives her dear friend a soft smile before nudging her towards Yoshiko, who’s been standing awkwardly to the side. Just as Leah is about to reclaim her partner, Ruby loops one arm around hers and drags her away. Soon, other dancing pairs obscure her view of her best friends but she trusts them to at least try to make it through one song together.

If glares could murder, Ruby is certain Leah has killed her a dozen times already. “You’ll pay for this!”

“I do apologize for interrupting your night with Hanamaru-chan, but-”

“Ha! I don’t really care, Kurosawa, but your friend’s stories are entertaining at least. Between a dreadful night with an eyesore, like you, she’s the better alternative.”

Frowning, Ruby tries to ignore the insult. “Stories?”

“Yup. She won’t stop talking about you and that girl… her girlfriend, I assume?” Leah rolls her eyes. “Like I said, rather than useless chatters, I do find her stories interesting.”

“I see… that’s why you asked her to the dance?”

“That’s right. She did Disarm me that time in the hallway. More impressive than you anyway.” Leah trails off, glancing between their connected hands and the fact that they’re swaying to the ballad. “... are we dancing?”

“Oh. I suppose we are-?” Truthfully, Ruby hasn’t realized that she’s taken the lead position with one arm loosely wrapped around Leah’s waist. She was too focused on getting the Durmstrang champion as far away from Yoshiko and Hanamaru as she could that the Pureblood etiquette ingrained in her soul must have automatically kicked in.

“This is ridiculous! Two champions dancing together?” Leah tries to back away but Ruby tightens her hold, worried that the former might storm back to her friends. “Hey, let me go! Do you have any idea how stupid we must look?!”

“I-I think we look okay, Kazuno-san. Um, in fact, I think you look quite nice.”

“What-? That’s not the point! We’re both donning the formal capes! No other pairs are like us!”

“That’s not true. Osaka-san is dancing with her senpai from Beauxbaton, and they’re both wearing dresses. Oh, Yoshiko-chan and Hanamaru-chan are in dresses too-”

“Have you even seen suits from Beauxbaton? And your friends are weird so they don’t count! Look at the rest of the room, everyone else is in suit-dress pair! Why is my logic not getting through your dumb brain?!”

Ruby dares to sneak a peek around, all the while making sure Leah doesn’t break free. Kanan and Mari had gone to Australia shortly after the First Task but managed to return here in time to attend the Ball. The married couple is putting on quite the performance at one corner of the Great Hall, along with a couple of alumni that Ruby recognized to have participated in the past dance competitions. Unlike two years ago though, Kanan is wearing a satin tux that shimmers in dark violet, while Mari is wearing a lovely turquoise cocktail dress.

Among the onlookers are Chika and You, who look ready to join the impromptu show judging by their excited grins. The Head Girl’s glossy suit must be handmade by her girlfriend, whose complementary mermaid dress gives her a mystic quality. Another quick glance to the unoccupied piano tells Ruby that Dia must have escorted Riko somewhere quiet, perhaps at the various food benches, but she isn’t given the chance to search further.

“Tch, you’re stronger than you looked-!”

The abrupt tug almost causes them to lose balance, but Ruby manages to use the momentum to twirl and dip Leah before returning to their previous position. Quiet applause indicates that there are people watching them and, judging by Leah’s frown, she definitely did not like that.

“I’m very close to giving the proverbial middle finger to the Yule Ball’s decorum and just leave this accursed dance floor.”

Ruby has no doubt Leah would go through with her threat, and a part of her is tired of having to put up with the hostile Durmstrang champion. However, the atmosphere around her is just so nostalgic that she doesn’t want anything to ruin this pleasant moment. Many things have changed since the Christmas Banquet two years ago, but Ruby is confident to say that they’re all mostly for the better.

Her friends are all here and, at the end of the day, they’re happy with their lives. Even Yoshiko and Hanamaru, Ruby believes with all her heart that they can sort through their issue together.

How about herself? She doesn’t know. She’s certainly come very far since the friendless scaredy-critter living a lonely life in the Kurosawa Estate. She’s content with the way things are already. There’s no need for more, just a bit of peace is more than enough for her.

“Let’s just have fun dancing, Kazuno-san. It’s the holidays, so we’re meant to relax. How about a truce, please?”

Maybe her calm tone is finally getting through to Leah, since she only sighs instead of struggling again. “... why do you have to stick to me anyway? Don’t you have a horde of merry friends to dance with?”

“They’re with their respective partners, and I really want Hanamaru-chan and Yoshiko-chan to make up. Things haven’t been going well with them-” Ruby stops herself, wondering if she’s revealing too much to someone who, technically, isn’t even her friend.

“Really? With the way Kunikida kept talking about her, I never would’ve imagined they had any problem at all,” Leah huffs, scrunching her nose in disgust. “And make up? More like make out.”

Ruby looks over her shoulder to see that her friends are indeed kissing. Although, unlike Leah’s exaggeration, Yoshiko and Hanamaru are simply sharing a chaste kiss. The exchange appears hesitant, but at least they’re both smiling at each other and that’s all that matters.

A warm sensation fills Ruby’s heart at that wonderful sight. Her steps become lighter and she really feels immersed in the calming movements of the music now. She has to blink rapidly to keep the tears at bay though, and she isn’t surprised to find Leah deadpanning at her.

“Seriously, are you crying? Hnff, you’re so weird.”

Perhaps the joy has emboldened her, for she blurts out an ongoing question before she could stop herself. “Why do you dislike me so much, Kazuno-san?”

Leah raises an eyebrow, as if not expecting her to be so direct. “I have my reasons, Kurosawa,” she says coolly, “Are we done yet? I’ve already put up with you long enough, not to mention I was unknowingly involved in your little circle’s drama.”

This is probably the longest and sort of civil interaction she’s ever had with the Durmstrang champion, so she doesn’t want to waste this chance. “The music is getting good! Besides, I’m enjoying dancing with you. You’re a good dancer.”

“Duh? Much better than you are. While we’re on this, why are you leading anyway? I’ll show you how it’s done.”

True to her words, Leah switches their position and smoothly demonstrates the movements, each and every step precise yet graceful. Their cloaks flutter slightly at each turn, adding to their dance as if they’re part of the routine.

“See that? Come on, match my steps, don’t be so clumsy.”

Sure, Leah is chuckling at her expense but it doesn’t feel as mocking as it was before. As the melody continues to play in the background, their discussion becomes more light-hearted the more they focus on various aspects of dancing and eventually about wandworks.

At one point, Leah even laughs at a joke she made.

Ruby decides that the Yule Ball and, by extension, the Tournament, aren’t so bad after all.

[ryqoshay]

Happy Life: My Angel

Primary Pairing: YohaRiko Words: ~2k Rating: Probably closer to T than the last one AU: Angelic? Time Frame: Early college; likely Yohane’s 1st and Riko’s 2nd year Story Arc: “Revelations” Revelations My Angel

List of all HL scenes

Author’s Note: The morning after Revelations.

Riko opened her eyes slowly. A smile came to her lips as her gaze fell on the girl sleeping beside her. What a wonderful sight to see when first waking up.

Granted, living with Yoshiko had given Riko no shortage of opportunities to witness her sleeping as the younger girl seemed capable of falling asleep just about anywhere. Riko still wasn’t quite sure how laying upside down on the couch, feet dangling over the back and head hanging over the front was comfortable for sleeping or playing video games, but it seemed a favored position for Yoshiko.

But seeing Yoshiko like this was different. First and foremost, she was in Riko’s bed. That fact alone warmed Riko’s heart. But she just looked so peaceful as she lay on her side, facing Riko, covered only in a blanket, Riko’s blanket, under which she lay as well. She also had one arm out so her hand could hold Riko’s to maintain a point of contact. Riko felt she could watch this scene for hours.

Her smile grew as memories of the previous night washed over her. It had been perfect… or at least as perfect as it could be as the two frantically fumbled through figuring things out while riding a rush of recently unrepressed emotions. So, in that light, it had been perfect enough. Riko chuckled a little at the thought.

“Nnn…” A soft sound emanated from the blue-haired girl as she suddenly stirred.

“Good morning, my angel.” The redhead murmured, reaching over to brush a stray strand of blue out of the other girl’s face.

“Fallen angel.” Yoshiko corrected, reaching up slowly to rub at her eyes before yawning.

“But an angel nonetheless.” Riko smiled.

A faint blush dusted Yoshiko’s cheeks as she returned a sleepy smile.

Cute. Yoshiko typically hid her embarrassment behind a wall of bravado and Riko always felt a little privileged when she was able to witness a more demure side of the younger girl.

“Sleep well?” Riko asked.

“Mmm… Yohane always sleeps well when Riri is near her…”

“Oh?” Riko racked her mind. “When did we…”

“Many times…” Yoshiko yawned again. “Like when we all stayed at Chika’s place… or Zuramaru’s… or Mari’s…”

“Even then?” That had been good enough for her?

“Mmm… And living here, knowing Riri was near made me very happy. But…” Her blush deepened as she glanced down to where they were still holding hands. “Yohane likes it here best…” She squeezed the other girl’s hand.

Riko’s chest tightened. So cute.

“Say, Riri…”

“Mmm?”

“Uhm… Are you sure…” Yoshiko’s shoulders scrunched up as she started to pull into herself.

“About?”

“Us… are you…”

“Yes.” Riko stated definitively.

“It’s just that you’re so beautiful and talented and…” She cut off as the older girl tapped her forehead.

Riko furrowed her brow. “Don’t you be selling yourself short, Yocchan. You’re beautiful and talented as well.”

A hint of a smile tugged at the edges of Yoshiko’s lips.

“Anyway, I said I was sure last night, and that hasn’t changed. Nor will it.”

Yoshiko looked up, her eyes filled with hope. “Really?”

“Yocchan. Living with you has been one of the best times in my life. And for a while, I honestly thought I could not be happier. Then I realized there were steps I could take that would make me even happier. And we took one of those steps just now… several actually… I, uhm…” Riko suddenly found herself fumbling for words. “I… didn’t actually… expect things to go that far last night…”

“But you were the one who…”

“I know. I know.” Riko could feel heat spreading across her cheeks. “I couldn’t help myself. I mean you kabedoned me, then kissed me, then confessed. And then we kissed again. And it was just so amazing that I wanted more and so I… well, uhm… yeah… I mean I’d been fantasizing about all of that for so long and suddenly it was actually happening and…”

Yoshiko blinked. “You fantasized about me?”

Oh… Riko realized she hadn’t actually meant to admit that. “Uhm… yeah… I did…”

Apparently, some of the younger girl’s confidence was returning because she suddenly smirked. “What kind of things did Riri fantasize about when she thought of Yohane?”

“Normal stuff!” Riko insisted, a little louder than she intended. “Just… stuff… like, uhm… kissing and… sometimes… stuff like what we did last night… sometimes…”

Yoshiko donned a hurt expression that Riko was fairly certain was fake. “Riri never imagined doing things with Yohane like in her manga?”

Yes… Many times… But gods help her if she could bring herself to admit it.

“Because Yohane would be willing to try some of those things with her favorite little… hrm…” The blue-haired girl’s expression turned thoughtful.

“Yocchan?”

“I’m sorry, Riri, but I don’t think I can call you my favorite little demon anymore.”

“What? Why?” What the heck kind of mood shift was that?

“Because my other little demons might get jealous.”

“Huh?” What did that have to do with…?

“Well, it’s one thing to claim you as my favorite, but this is a whole different level of favoritism.” Yoshiko continued to think out loud. “And besides, Riri really isn’t a demon anyway.”

“I’m not?” She wasn’t one of Yohane’s little demons? Why did that make Riko feel a little sad?

“Never was.” Yoshiko shook her head before displaying a toothy grin. “Riri is an angel.”

Oh… Oh!

“An angel ascended who came down to the mortal realm willingly to be with Yohane.” She closed her eyes and squeezed Riko’s hand again. “My angel. Surely, Yohane is not worthy of such divine favor.”

Riko was pretty sure her blush had spread to her ears and probably down her neck as well. Wait… My angel… “Hey, Yocchan, you’re just copying me from before.”

“So?” Yoshiko stuck out her tongue. “Doesn’t make Riri any less angelic.”

“I… I…”

“Now, c’mere.” Yoshiko reached forward to place a hand on Riko’s cheek. “Yohane demands a morning kiss from her angelic Riri.”

Riko complied by shifting herself toward the other girl. She then slid her arm around Yoshiko’s waist to pull her closer. For her part, Yoshiko slid her hand off Riko’s cheek to thread her fingers through her hair. As they both continued to deepen the kiss, something turned inside Riko. Acting on impulse, she reached up to Yoshiko’s shoulder and pushed.

“Riri?” Yoshiko questioned as she rolled onto her back.

Riko quickly moved to a position above the other girl. She stared down at her, believing her desires to be clear.

“Riri, Yohane demanded a morning kiss, not morning…”

“You don’t want to?”

Yoshiko blinked as though confused by the question. She then glanced down slowly, obviously taking in the view for a moment.

Riko shoved her embarrassment aside. It was to be expected, right? Yoshiko wanted to see Riko just like Riko wanted to see Yoshiko. And after everything they’d already done, she really shouldn’t be embarrassed, right?

Yoshiko’s gaze met Riko’s again. “Yes.” She nodded. “Yes, I wan…”

Riko didn’t let her finish as she leaned down for another kiss.

Riko sighed as Yoshiko slid off her. Immediately, she rolled onto her side and snuggled into the other girl. “That was amazing, Yocchan.” She marveled. “Even better than last night. How did you…”

“Yohane pays attention to what her angel wants.” Yoshiko’s smugness probably would have been more convincing if she wasn’t still trying to catch her breath.

Riko giggled. Then her gaze fell on the clock on the nightstand. “Oops…” She uttered.

“Mmm?”

“I think we’re a little late for class…”

Yoshiko glanced over as well. “Riri… that’s more than a little late…”

“Yeah, I know.” Riko laughed. “Oh well. It’s fine, I guess.”

The younger girl raised an eyebrow. “Are you feeling alright, Riri?”

“Of course. I feel wonderful!”

“I guess I figured you’d be more upset about missing class.”

“Today it’s fine.” The older girl assured. “Just for today. Today is a day of celebration.”

Yoshiko smiled.

“Today we celebrate our long overdue confessions.”

Yoshiko furrowed her brow. “You know, technically, you haven’t actually confessed to me yet, Riri.”

Riko blinked. “I haven’t?”

“Uh-uh.” The blue-haired girl shook her head. “I confessed and you just said that you felt the same. That’s not the same as actually saying it.”

“Oh… uhm…” The redhead chuckled nervously. “I’m sorry, Yocchan. I do feel the same way. Of course I lo…” Her voice faded. What the heck…

Yoshiko giggled. Riko pouted.

“Not so easy, is it?” Yoshiko smirked.

“But it should be!” Riko insisted. “I mean what’s the point of practicing saying it if I can’t say it when it matters?”

“You practiced?”

“Well… yeah… I mean, it’s important to tell someone that you love them, right? And I do love you, Yocchan. I’ve loved you for a while. And I’ve wanted to tell you for so long. And now here we are, having already done… all that, and I can’t even say it.”

Yoshiko laughed.

Riko closed her eyes as her own words registered in her mind. “You’re going to tease me about that, aren’t you.” She said as a statement more than a question.

“Probably.” Yoshiko craned her neck so she could plant a kiss on the other girl’s forehead. “I love you, Riri.”

“I love you too, Yocchan.” Riko nuzzled into the other girl’s shoulder before sighing. “I suppose things are going to change around here now, aren’t they?”

“You mean I won’t have to wait until you’re done with your bath before I get ready for bed?”

“Well, yeah, but… hey, my baths don’t take that long, do they?”

Yoshiko laughed. “I’m just kidding, Riri.”

“Anyway, what I meant was, something like, since we’re together, maybe we could have an actual guest bedroom.”

“Hrm…” Yoshiko pondered for a moment. “But I kind of like the way I have my room set up now. It works well for my streams. And no offense, Riri, but if you were to start moving in your stuff, all the pink would disrupt the ambiance.”

“Hmm… Alright, so still separate rooms, I guess. But what about beds?”

“What about them?”

“You… uhm… want to share one, right?”

“Oh yes, definitely. Yes.” Yoshiko nodded vigorously. “Yohane sleeps best when Riri is near.”

Riko smiled at the reaffirmation. “So…”

“Well, Riri’s bed is nice, but Yohane still likes her own as well… Maybe we can share mine tonight and see which one we like better?”

“Alright. That sounds good.”

“So what else is going to change?”

“Well, we have to decide if we’re going out now.”

“You mean we aren’t?”

Riko pursed her lips. “Technically, we’ve just slept together and done some… stuff… I mean that’s pretty much what friends with benefits do.”

“What are those?”

“Never mind.” Riko shook her head. “What I mean is that neither of us has actually asked the other out.”

“So, do you want to go out?”

Riko blinked. “That was… surprisingly blunt, Yocchan.”

The younger girl shrugged.

“I mean I guess I kind of expected you to be all dramatic and everything as a fallen angel.”

“Yohane can do that if that is what Riri wants.” Yoshiko moved her hand up to make her signature gesture by her eye.

The older girl laughed lightly. “It’s fine, I guess. And yes, I want to go out with you.”

Yoshiko smiled. “So, does this mean Riri is Yohane’s girlfriend now?”

“Yes, yes it does.”

“Riri is Yohane’s girlfriend.” The smile grew. “Riri is my girlfriend. My girlfriend…” She paused for a moment. “You know, I really like the sound of that.”

“And Yocchan is my girlfriend.”

“I like the sound of that too.”

“My Yocchan. My angel.” Riko reached up to caress the other girl’s cheek.

“Fallen angel.” The blue-haired girl corrected again, placing her hand on top of Riko’s.

“But an angel nonetheless.” The redhead was more than happy to repeat.

“And Riri is my angel ascended.” Yoshiko turned herself onto her side.

“I love you, Yocchan.” Riko said, moving her hand toward herself.

“I love you too, Riri.” Yoshiko replied, allowing herself to be guided toward her girlfriend until their lips met.

Author’s Note Continued: Truth be told, I was inspired to start writing this scene shortly after starting Revelations and ended up almost finishing it before getting even half way through the first scene of the arc. I ended up joking with another fic author that I was tempted to actually post this scene first and see how my readers reacted. Not that posting things out of chronological order is anything out of the ordinary for me, but I do kinda like to at keep the arcs orderly; slapping a side story in the middle of another chapter notwithstanding.

I was also tempted to post both scenes together as one big chapter, but I think I like them better separate as they both focus on a different girl’s perspective. Again, not that I am against shifting perspectives, deities know I’ve done it several times, and will likely do it again in future scenes, but these two still felt like two different chapters.

Finally, yes, Yoshiko’s emotional/confidence roller-coaster is intentional as I believe it to be in-character for the situation. I do see her as being a little bit more open - at least now that they are together - about her insecurities concerning her feelings of unworthiness for a relationship with someone like Riko. Honestly, I headcanon all four of the main girls in my fics as essentially being in awe of the fact that their partner is with them and/or look up to them and/or feel unworthy of them and/or the like. And they all have their own ways of displaying this feeling. It is one of my goals to properly convey these emotions to my readers.

[furinjuru]

Going Home

A Valentine’s Day fic in March? It’s more likely than you think.

I almost forgot to post this, but it’s here. Sequel to my Secret Admirer fic, but you definitely don’t have to read that one before. Shoutout to @animeender and @polarishyn for helping me proofread this.

Pairings: Mainly YouHane, minor RubyMaru, mentioned ChikaRiko

Yoshiko watches as her two best friends, Hanamaru and Ruby, return to class with their arms linked. They separate only for Ruby to take a box of chocolates from her bag and give it to Hanamaru, who accepts the gift gratefully. Looks like it’s official now; those two are finally dating. It’s a bit surprising, to be honest. Not the fact that they’re with each other, because anyone can see that those two are a perfect match. It’s just that Yoshiko didn’t expect them to be able to confess to each other. She’s happy for them, though.

“I see my two faithful little demons have returned.” She says, smirking at them. “Your darkened hearts have begun to resonate with each other. With the blessings of the Fallen Angel Yohane, you have chosen to further train your bond. I congratulate you for such a feat.”

Ruby tilts her head, confused, but Hanamaru instead smiles. “Thanks, zura. Good luck for you, too.” She pauses, then continues in a teasing tone. “Would Yohane like a divine blessing for good luck?”

Yoshiko scoffs loudly. “Yohane has no need for such things. She can give herself a blessing, but I will require no such things to pursue my goal.”

“Oh, that’s too bad, zura.” Hanamaru shrugs, pretending to look a little disappointed. “Even though I brought a few love charms with me today. Looks like you won’t need any....”

“Wait, are you serious?” Yoshiko asks. “I-I changed my mind! I want them, give it to me.”

“Nope, sorry. I don’t actually have them.” Hanamaru giggles as Yoshiko frowns. “You’ll be fine!”

“Hmph, whatever. Yohane has no need for such blessings.”

“But you just-”

“Silence!” Yoshiko exclaims, much Hanamaru’s amusement. “I have no need for that. No mortal, not even the great Watanabe You is immune to Yohane’s charms. And lastly, I have this!” She pulls out the box of chocolate from her bag, holding it in the air like some kind of prize. “This item, filled with Yohane’s blood, sweat, and tears-”

“That’s really gross, zura.” Yoshiko glares at her, finally getting her to quiet down.

“...filled with Yohane’s dark magic, even more powerful than a concentrated potion of love, will be all I need to recruit her as Yohane’s Number One Little Demon!”

“That’s all well and good, zura, but you should clean it up before you give it to her. It’s kinda dirty.”

“Huh?” Yoshiko blinks at the shorter girl. “Dirty? What do you mean dirty?” She had immediately put the box into her bag last morning and never took it out, so there’s no way there’s any dirt on it.

Hanamaru points at something brown leaking out of the box, dripping onto the floor. Yoshiko tentatively gathers some on her finger before putting it in her mouth, her eyes going wide when she realizes what it is. “Oh shit.”

“Huh? What is it?” Ruby asks, panicking; if Yoshiko cursed, that must mean it’s something really, really bad, right? Yoshiko ignores her, frantically undoing the ribbon she had tied around the box while praying to Satan as well as every god she knows of (just to be safe). As she opens the lid, her worst fears come to life.

“They melted.” She mumbles out.

“....”

The chocolates she made for You melted.

Somehow, despite it being Winter right now, they melted.

“Oh.” Hanamaru says as she looks into the box. “That’s a whole new level of bad luck, zura.”

“....”

“See? The gods got angry at you for rejecting their blessing, and this is your punishment.” She glances at Yoshiko, who has tears running down her eyes. “H-hold on, I didn’t mean it, I’m sorry Yoshiko-chan! It’s just a joke, zura!”

“W-what I do?” She asks, her voice cracking as she stares at her ruined gift. “I can’t give this to her now!”

“Don’t worry, don’t worry,” Ruby says, although even she’s starting to sound frantic. “It’ll be okay. Just think of something to say and she’ll definitely forgive you. Just remember that we’re supporting you.”

Yoshiko sighs. “Thanks....” As she puts the box back in her bag, she’s able to see that the melted chocolate had gotten everywhere. Some are starting to soak into the pages of her textbooks.

Fuck. Her. Life. 

The final bell rings and Yoshiko only gives her friends a brief wave before running out of class. She keeps running, eventually arriving at the designated meeting spot. She had asked You earlier to meet up with her here after school is over, before she knew everything would become a mess. But things would only get worse if she suddenly canceled, so she decides to get it over with quickly.

“Yoshiko-chan!” There she is. Yoshiko takes a deep breath before turning around as You runs towards her. She seems cheerful, but stops when she sees Yoshiko, her mood dropping as fast as it has risen. “Are you okay?”

“Of course I am,” She says, then adds. “It’s Yohane!” There. That’s much better. You smiles again, moving until she’s standing beside her, only a few centimeters apart.

“So, how was your mission?” She asks curiously.

“It was a success, of course. Although I didn’t really do much. We were having a conversation and Hanamaru started thanking me, then she went off and when she came back with Ruby, they were already dating.” She shrugs. “What about you?”

“Well...both of them were super scared of confessing, but I think everything’s going to work out.” She laughs. “They’re both kinda dense in their own ways, but they really love each other a lot.”

“I see....” Yoshiko hums. “Must be nice.”

“Yeah.” The two stand in awkward silence until the bus comes and they sit down. Then, You continues. “So how are you?”

“Okay, I guess,” Yoshiko mutters, opening her bag to make sure all of her stuff is in there. “You?”

“Same as you.” Away from Yoshiko’s line of sight, You opens her own bag, rummaging around for something. “Doesn’t it bother you? You’re trying to get Hanamaru and Ruby together, even giving them advice, but you’re not dating yourself?”

“Nope. It’s the same as you with Chika and Riko.”

“Not really,” You says, causing Yoshiko to direct her attention towards her. “It bothers me. Not a lot, but enough. I thought about what it’d be like to have a girlfriend, and I thought it’d be nice.”

“I see,” Yoshiko says, trying desperately to ignore the painful lump in her throat. “I never thought about it,” she lies. “But I guess it would be nice.”

“Yeah, I agree. Which is why...” She pulls out her gift from her bag, causing Yoshiko’s heart to beat loudly. “Yoshiko-chan, this honmei chocolate is for you.”

Yoshiko opens her mouth, but no sound comes out. Her throat feels dry, and it’s almost like a dream. She checks You’s expression to see if she’s joking, but nothing that would indicate such is visible. Her eyes are closed, her head lowered, and her cheeks tinged red. If Yoshiko was to be optimistic, she would describe her as looking like a maiden in love.

Slowly, she takes the chocolates from You, but doesn’t open it yet. This is honmei chocolate, something she thought she’d never receive in her life. But here she is, receiving a genuine confession from You, one of the most popular girls in school.

“T-thank you.” She says, taking out her own chocolates. More of it has spilled out onto her bag, and as she takes it some drip onto her clothes, but she offers it to You nonetheless. “I made this for you, but it kinda....” You slowly takes the box, being careful not to touch any of the melted chocolate.

“What happened?”

“Well...it’s truly unfortunate,” Yoshiko says, reverting to Yohane. “The gods have realized that I’m too powerful. They realized that the only way they can defeat me is by defying the laws of logic they themselves had created long ago. As such, my offering to you has reverted to their original state, as if they had been placed in the fiery pits of Hell.”

“They melted,” You says, a nod from Yoshiko confirming her suspicion. “...that sucks. You put a lot of effort into it.” She then smiles. “Can I ask you a question?”

“O-of course. What would you like to inquire?”

“These chocolates. What kind are they?”

“Black chocolate. Yohane does not like chocolate mixed wi-”

“That’s not what I meant, silly.” You chuckles. “I meant are they honmei?”

Oh. Yoshiko’s cheeks begin to burn, but she pushes through the embarrassment, and stares directly into the other girl’s eyes. “Yes.” You’s eyes light up with joy.

“So that means we gave each other honmei, right? So I was wondering.” She leans closer, whispering into Yoshiko’s ear. “Do you...want to go out with me?”

“Yes!” Yoshiko exclaims, her voice attracting the gaze of other passengers. You laughs at her misfortune, only talking again once no one is staring at them.

“I’m glad. I was honestly worried, but now I’m happy that you feel the same way.”

“You were nervous? Pretty much everyone in class was talking about the chocolates they’re going to give you. I think I got a few heart attacks throughout the day.” You laughs again at the joke.

“So, are we dating now?” You asks.

“In case my earlier answer wasn’t loud enough, then yes. If you’re willing to.”

“Don’t get cheeky with me.” You grins, poking at Yoshiko’s cheeks. “I know that you’re happy. Trust me, I am too. There’s no way today can get any better.”

“I mean, I am happy, but....” She regretfully stares at her gift. You follows her gaze, realizing what seems to be bothering her.

“Why don’t you come over to my house?” Yoshiko blinks; did she hear that right? “You got time, right?”

“I do, but why?”

“We can make chocolates together!” You says cheerfully. “I got all the stuff we need back home. Let’s make some together, just the two of us.” Yoshiko blushes at the thought.

“J-just us? Your parents aren’t home?” Yoshiko’s embarrassment rises when You’s smile turns even wider.

“Now why would you ask that? Get your mind out of the gutter, Yoshiko-chan. Don’t tell me you’re thinking abou-”

“Stop, stop!” She doesn’t want to think about that. “But...I won’t be a bother.”

“We’re dating now.” You tries to make it sound casual, but it still embarrasses her to think of Yoshiko as her girlfriend, rather than just a friend. “Of course not.”

“Really?” You nods. “I have really bad luck.”

“Doesn’t matter.”

“What if bad luck keeps affecting me and we keep ruining our chocolates?”

“That’s fine. That means we get to hang out for longer. You can even stay over tonight.” Yoshiko nods, trying to keep her emotions under control as excitement and anticipation starts to bubble inside her. You opens the box and dips her finger in some of the chocolate, then puts it in her mouth. “This is really good. I think you have a talent for making chocolate.”

“Really?” Yoshiko asks. “Can I have some? I haven’t tried it.” 

You’s eyes glint with mischief, as if she had been waiting for Yoshiko to ask that. Without warning, she tugs on Yoshiko’s ribbon, pulling her into a kiss. She briefly tastes the chocolate from You’s lips before the other girl pulls away, grinning.

“That’s enough for now. Don’t wanna ruin the main course, after all.” You winks, and if Yoshiko’s face could get any redder, it would. As it stands, all she can do is stutter out incomprehensible words.

She leans back against the comfortable cushioning of the seat, thinking to herself. I don’t know if You is an angel or a devil. She looks at the girl, who catches Yoshiko staring at her and smiles back. She does know one thing.

For the first time in her life, Yoshiko is a lucky girl.

[yousorotakami]

welcome back

Summary:  Yō returns home after being away for three months and gets some much needed cuddles, and kisses

Ao3: (x) FFnet: (x)

A/N: Guess who’s back, back again, max is back, tell a friend.... and spread the chikayou fluff that everyone deserves

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The house was quiet.

Which is to be expected since it was nearing four in the morning on a Tuesday.  A majority of people would be asleep in their beds, resting peacefully until they had to wake up for work or school in the morning, unfortunately Yō wasn’t one of those lucky people as she closed the door behind her, trying to remain as quiet as possible.

Taking a moment to breathe and just enjoy the feeling of being home Yō inhales deeply and lets a tired smile onto her face.

She begins to navigate through the dark living room using the mental image in her head as a guide.  Everything was going smoothly until she felt something brush against her foot which caused her to let out a loud yelp of surprise and jump back.

Covering her mouth Yō stood frozen in place for a few seconds, eyes wide, and breath halted as she strained her ears trying to hear any movement coming from upstairs.

Another few tense seconds passed before she finally moved her hands and let out a relieved sigh. Bending down she finds the object that almost gave her a heart attack in the dark and picks it up.  Squinting at the object Yō tries to decipher what it was but eventually gives up knowing her night vision is terrible especially when she didn’t have her contacts in.  So instead she takes it with her on her trek towards the kitchen.

Once she feels cool tile under her feet she knows she arrived at her destination and reaches out for the nearest wall and hits the switch there. Yō blinks rapidly as the area is quickly filled with light trying to adjust her vision.  Once she felt less blinded she turns her attention to the object in her hand and tilts her head in confusion.

It was a pair of black wings.

Yō stares blankly at the accessory for a moment before deciding she was too tired to think about why something like this was on her living room floor.  So she places the wings on the counter and heads to the fridge. Glancing inside she feels her stomach rumble at the sight of food but honestly all she wanted to do was get some rest so instead she grabbed a water bottle and decided she’d eat when she was more awake.

Opening the water she chugs half the bottle immediately before exiting the kitchen and turning the lights off as she walked by.  With her bedroom the new goal in mind Yō heads for the stairs. By the time she makes it to the top she decides to make a slight detour on the way to her room and stops by the other bedroom next to hers.

Peeking inside she looks at the two beds that were illuminated by the soft glow of a nightlight.  The sight of her peacefully resting daughters made Yō smile tenderly.  Part of her wanted to wake them up now and give them giant hugs, but she resisted that urge.  Instead she silently walked into the room and approached the sleeping girls.  Once she was close enough Yō took her time brushing each girl’s hair away from their face and placing a kiss on each of their foreheads.

Giving each girl one last smile Yō retreats from the room and closes the door slightly.  Turning around she finally makes it to her bedroom.

Casually opening the door Yō strolls inside and immediately begins to peel strip, peeling her shirt over her head first and then tossing it into the nearby laundry hamper.  She continues to walk toward her dresser while simultaneously shimmying out of her pants.  She almost trips over herself when her foot got caught in the pant leg but Yō catches herself before anything embarrassing could transpire.

Yō pats herself on the back for managing to not be a complete klutz, and as she was just about to put her pants in the hamper too she pauses when she hears a shuffling noise come from the bed. Yō just smiles and drops the pants into the hamper ad quickly goes to the dresser and opens up the third drawer from the top and carelessly pulls out a t-shirt and shrugs it on and takes her glasses off leaving them on the dresser. Then without any other preamble she head towards her bed and ungraciously flops onto it.

She lays there looking at the ceiling for a while, letting the silence of the bedroom wash over her, the only sounds breaking it being the breathing of the ‘sleeping’ figure next to her.  Yō lets this continue for a while before she turns on her side facing the other girl who resting on the other half f the bed.

“Chika-chan, how long are you going to keep pretending to be asleep?”

Yō’s question is just met with more silence.

Jutting her lower lip out into an exaggerated pout Yō turn over onto her back again and begins too playfully whine.

“I can’t believe it, I finally return home after months of being away for work and my own wife would act like she’s asleep instead of greeting me properly.  How could she be so cruel?”

Again nothing but silence answers Yō.

Turning on to her side once again Yō’s pout becomes more genuine as she reaches a hand out and gently shakes Chika’s shoulder.

“Chika-chan… c’mon you’re not going to keep ignoring me are you?”

This time a snore from the orange haired girl is the response, and Yō rolls her eyes but can’t help the fond look in her eye.  Honestly Chika was such a dork sometimes.

“Well I guess since my wife is so deep asleep she won’t mind if I steal some kisses then~”

Yō eyes the girl next to her, checking for a response but when she get none Yō just scoots closer to Chika, wrapping an arm around her waist and bringing their faces close together.

Slowly leaning in Yō first presses a light kiss against Chika’s forehead, letting her lips linger for a moment and just reveling in the familiar scent of her wife’s hair, and letting it relax her.  Next she presses her lips against Chika’s eyelid and then moves her mouth to the sleeping girl’s cheek.  Yō pauses there and scatter a bunch of small butterfly kiss across Chika’s whole cheek.

After she had her fill of that Yō led a trail of languid kisses toward Chika’s ear.  When she reaches her destination the brunette lowers her voice into a warm whisper.

“I wonder if it is okay for me to indulge myself like this while my beautiful wife is asleep and doesn’t know what I’m doing?”

Yō smirks when she feels Chika squirm slightly.

Kissing her way back to her wife’s cheek Yō shifts herself one more time so her lips were right in front of Chika’s.  She stayed there for a moment with their lips barely brushing against each other and waited.

It didn’t take long for her to get the reaction she desired as Chika closed the minuscule gap between them and initiated a proper kiss.  Yō tightened her hold on Chika’s waist unconsciously bringing their bodies even closer.  The warmth of Chika’s lips and the faint tastes of toothpaste made Yō smile into the kiss, she felt her body relax as she melted into the kiss even more and let everything else slip away.  Yō’s body felt light and her heart slowly pounded away in her chest.  Even after all this time together Chika still made her heart feel like it was going to explode when they kissed.

Slowly Yō pulled away from the kiss, but couldn’t help but lean back in and give Chika a series of small pecks, too enamored with the girl in front of her to stop.  Unfortunately her kisses come to a halt when Chika begins to giggle against her lips.  Yō pulls back far enough to be able to see Chika’s face and notices that her eyes were now open and she had a toothy smile on her face. Matching the other girls smile Yō’s can’t help but feel like leaning back in and stealing another kiss.

“Ah, my sleeping beauty has finally awoken from her slumber.  I was worried for a while there.”

“Yeah, well I was left by my lonesome for so long I guess I just need some extra kisses to wake me.”

“Hmm, I thought it was me who was indulging, but maybe it was actually you Chika-chan.”

Chika just winked at Yō and leaned in to quickly press a kiss to Yō’s lips.

“I couldn’t help it Yō-chan, it’s just I love you so much and you were gone for a long time.  Besides is it so wrong to want lots of kisses from my wife?”

“No, it’s not…”

They both stare at each other for a while, smiling and just enjoying being in each other’s presence.

“Welcome back Yō-chan.” Chika cuddled up to Yō, resting her head on the brunette’s chest, “I missed you.”

Yō adjusts her grip on Chika and rests her head on top of the other girls’, “I missed you too Chika-chan… I’m glad to be home.”

Silence engulfs them as they both just lay there cuddling.  Yō feels at peace holding Chika in her arms, after not being able to be near her for so long it felt like a breath of fresh air being able to lay here and enjoy the simple pleasure of being near the girl you love.

A sleepy atmosphere surrounded them and Yō felt ready to drift off into dreamland, but before her mind could full shut off she had to ask something.

“Hey Chika-chan…”

The other girl just hummed in response.

“When I came in there were a pair of wings on the floor of the living room? I’ve never seen them before; did you get them for one of the girls?”

Chika shifts before responding.

“Oh that probably belongs to Chiyō –chan.  I didn’t realize she left them down there.”

“But why did she want wings, Halloween is still pretty far away?”

Chika just chuckles at Yō’s confusion.

“Actually they were a gift. Yoshiko-chan had come over the other day with Ruby-chan and brought a pair for both of the girls saying something like, the most important part of any fallen angel is her beautiful wings that are as black as her soul.”

“Huh?”

“Yeah, she said they were fallen angels in training because they were too powerful to just be little demon. It was lots of fun.  Though I think Nayo-chan had the most fun out. She didn’t even want to take her wings off for the rest of the day.”

Yō’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“So Yoshiko tried to make our daughter descend with her?”

“Hmm, yeah but it was all just for fun.”

For some reason Yō had a hard time believing that.  I mean they were talking about Yoshiko after all.  But she let it go, knowing she was probably worrying too much.

“Well I’m glad you guys had fun today.”

“It’s never a dull moment when Yoshiko-chan comes to visit.”

Feeling her exhaustion creep back up on her Yō replies with a yeah that gets mixed up with a yawn.  Closing her eyes once again Yō lets sleep overtake her.

She drifts off with her wife in her arms and a content smile on her lips.

.

.

.

Omake:

Morning arrived and with it the smell of pancakes that drifted through the house and caused Chiyō to rouse from her sleep.  Opening her eyes slightly she thinks about turning back over and going to sleep, but the pleasant smell and the rumbling of her tummy caused her to get up.

Chiyō yawns and stretches her little arms out as she slowly wakes up.  She slowly walks toward her sisters’ bed while rubbing her eyes, reaching a hand out Chiyō beings to shake her sisters’ shoulder.

“Nayo it’s time to wake up.”

No response.

“C’mon if you don’t get up soon Mom will come in and wake you up.  And you remember what happened last time.”

Nayo beings to stir and starts mumbling to herself, “No mom, not the water gun, I’m up, I’m up I swear.” Sitting up suddenly Nayo tries to get out of bed with her eyes still closed which ends up exactly as you thought it would.

As she watches as her sister falls out the bed while being tangled in her covers Chiyō can’t help but giggle to herself.

Finally getting her limbs back under control Nayo open her eyes and escapes the covers.  Popping her head out the covers and with her orange hair all over the place now, Nayo looks up at her sister and gives her a giant smile.

“Morning Chiyō!”

Still giggling to herself the brunette does her best to respond, “Morning Nayo.”

Tilting her head a little Nayo adopts a contemplative look for a moment before lighting up.

“I smell pancakes!”  Getting up from off the floor Nayo grabs Chiyō’s hand and beings to head for the door.  Chiyō happily follows behind her sister but is caught off guard when she suddenly stops.

“Almost forgot something!” Nayo turns back around and walks towards her bed and begins searching for something.

“What are you looking for?”

Instead of answering Nayo just keeps searching for a few moments before letting out an “Aha! Found them.”

Chiyō looks at her sister with confusion.

“The wings Aunt Yoshiko gave us? Why do you need those?”

Nayo chuckles

“Silly Chiyō, don’t you remember what Aunt Yoshiko said? A fallen angels wings is one of the most important things to her!  Now come on let’s go eat.”

Grabbing Chiyō’s hand again the two eight year olds exit their room and head downstairs.  When they make it to the kitchen they’re surprised to not see their mama Chika there like they thought they would.

Both girls stop and stare for a moment making sure their eyes weren’t deceiving them before bright smile break out on their faces.

“Mommy!” They both cry out at the same time.

Before Yō could even fully turn around Nayo and Chiyō quickly run to her and wrap their arms around her waist.

“You’re home!”

“When did you come back?”

“Why didn’t you wake us up?”

“We missed you did you miss us?”

Yō gets bombarded with lots of questions and overlapping voices that she could barely keep up with.  But even so she just smiled and tried to listen to her very animated daughters and answered them whenever they would leave an opening for her to.

From the doorway of the kitchen Chika looked on at the scene with a soft smile.  There was never a dull moment in this house whenever Yō was home, and honestly she wouldn’t have it any other way.

[we-say-nosoro]

Run

Day 5 is some YohaRiko! I don’t really know what was going on here…

—

Guilty Kiss practice. How fun. Riko usually spends her time trying to get the others to actually do something productive, but it proves to be in vain as they end up using her for some sort of wild ritual. “It’s for research purposes,” Mari tells her.

So why is she now sitting in the middle of a pentagram, fearing for her life as everything is pitch black with the exception of a few dim candles around her?

The door creaks open, and Yoshiko steps in, clad in a black dress with a cloak.

“Yocchan, get me out,” Riko pleads, standing up.

“You volunteered to do this in the first place.”

“But you didn’t tell me what it was going to be for! And anyway, you said that you would use Ruby if I hadn’t offered to do it instead!”

Yoshiko chuckles, attempting to sound dark and mysterious, but it just comes off as awkward. She walks forward, stopping just outside of the pentagram.

“Are you willing to subject yourself to me, little demon?”

Fidgeting with her fingers, Riko gulps. She looks down at her uniform, knowing full well that Dia would metaphorically kill her if she chickened out, therefore forcing Ruby to do it instead.

“I guess,” she replies in a low whisper.

“That’s good, because…” Yoshiko leans in, kissing Riko on the lips, “WE NEED TO RUN!”

“Wait, what?”

But Yoshiko grabs Riko’s hand, dragging her away. She sprints out and down the stairs, which Hanamaru is heading down. She looks to them in surprise.

“What are you doing?” she asks, curious.

“No time for that! We need to GO!”

Yoshiko suddenly stops, and she swiftly lifts Riko up into her arms, almost toppling over with the sudden weight.

“YOCCHAN, PUT ME DOWN!”

“NO, I CAN’T LEAVE YOU BEHIND!”

And now it’s turning into a scene straight from a tragedy movie. Just great. Riko sighs, but she doesn’t protest.

As they’re running, Riko shouts, “WHO ARE WE RUNNING FROM, EXACTLY?”

“Dia.”

“Huh?”

Yoshiko sets Riko down on her feet. She puts her hands on her knees, panting.

“This morning, I kinda… stole some of her idol magazines because Mari wanted us to play a joke on her. I got caught, but then the bell rang for class, and now she’s out for me.”

Riko opens her mouth to reply, but suddenly loud footsteps sound against the flooring.

“Shit.”

They dive under the table in the hallway, and Dia appears, her emerald eyes glowing with rage. She turns her head once, twice, and proceeds to walk away. Yoshiko lets out the deep breath that she had no idea she was holding, but then Dia turns around, walking straight towards them.

“What do we do?” Riko hisses. Yoshiko shakes her head.

“I found you, Yoshiko-san. You’d better be prepared for the consequences.”

Letting out a squeak that surely doesn’t sound like a fallen angel, Yoshiko gets out from under the table, Riko following her. They’re both trembling with fear of the student council president.

However, before Dia can dish out her punishment, You and Kanan step out of the shadows (what shadows?), linking arms with her.

“Let’s go! Let’s go! Chika-chan’s doing something again!” You says in a sing-song voice. They’re easily able to steer Dia away from the other two with their strength.

You tosses a wink to Yoshiko and Riko, mouthing, “We saved you.”

They disappear down the corridor. Once they’re safely out of sight, Yoshiko almost cheers, but Riko holds a finger to her lips to silence her.

“I can’t believe you dragged me into this,” she scolds. She isn’t that angry, just amused. Without a second thought, she kisses Yoshiko, just barely missing her lips.

“Count that as your punishment.”

Mari appears just in time to witness Yoshiko’s face burn as bright as a tomato. She smirks.

“Now, back to our ritual, my ladies. How about the two of you go in the pentagram together, this time? I’m sure it’ll be steaming hot!”

[belphegor-xin]

Riko is a good kid.

Chapter 2 of Yandere Yohariko 

spoilers/notes for this chapter in tags

chapter 1

~ 1000 words 

as always if any grammar mistakes tell me 030

thoughts are in brackets and italicized 

[Ah it started raining.] Riko takes out a pastel pink umbrella. [It was cloudy today to begin with so maybe this means that the rainy season is about to begin. Maybe it’s because of her. It always seems to rain around her.] Riko contemplated. Riko never minded the rain it was always a minor inconvenience at worst. but ever since meeting her seeing rain, even if it’s a little bit, made her happy.

A flash of orange glides past her; it was obviously Chika. Chika always smiled with a sun like brilliance that Riko couldn’t describe. Chika-chan was clingy which if Riko was being honest bothered her quite a bit. Riko instinctively reached out for her but Chika just ran past. Riko didn’t let it bother her maybe she remembered something to do at home.

Riko looked back into the building towards her classroom. There she was Yoshiko standing there. She was holding something that Riko couldn’t quite make out. Riko focused in on her junior face.

She smiled that warm smile she always had on. Yoshiko ran inside in a hurry. Knowing full well her junior has probably forgotten her umbrella yet again or somehow it was broken, Riko walked toward the building.

In a few minutes as Yoshiko walked out. “Yoshiko-chan, do you have an umbrella today?”

“I…” Yoshiko started with but trailed off. “O-o-of course the fallen angel Yohane is ready for any disaster.” Yoshiko takes out her pitch black umbrella and poses “with the tool that blocks out the holy water that descends upon us. I ,Yohane, the fallen angel will block it out!!!” Yoshiko presses the button on the umbrella. The umbrella surprisingly opened correctly but for some reason there was holes in the umbrella. “huh?”

“Yoshiko-chan did you maybe take the wrong umbrella”

“huh no I made sure the umbrella was Ok today.”

“hmmm, this is weird”

“nnnn guess im gonna get wet again today.”

“What, no Yoshiko-chan I’ll take you to the buss station. You should be able to make it to your house without getting too wet that way.”

“As expected by my little demon you’re so considerate of your master.” Riko could see Yoshiko’s face becoming slightly pink. She smiles.

The walk to the bus station was nothing of the note. The slight nudges of the shoulders and each other’s scent slightly dulled by the rain was enough to keep the walk to the bus station fairly interesting.

They waited at the bus station for short amount of time. Just as Yoshiko was about to get on the bus. “Yoshiko-chan…” Riko pulled her in covering themselves from the site of the bus driver with her umbrella.

Closing her eyes, their lips touched.

[huh?] Yoshiko, eyes wide,not understand what was happening. With each passing moment, her face getting redder and redder. After a couple of seconds, to avoid getting the bus driver suspicious, Riko pulls away.

“I-i-i uhh-eh-um-huh?” Yoshiko stammered. Trying to understand what’s going on.

Riko pushes the handle of the umbrella towards Yoshiko and she brings her to a tight embrace “Yocchan, take this use it on your way home alright.” Riko release yoshiko and then runs away. Yoshiko still stunned as the doors on the bus closes.

[I’m being quite impulsive today… It’s because Yocchan is so cute.] Riko slows her run. She comes to a walking pace and takes out another umbrella, this time it’s a pastel grey color. 

As soon as Riko had gotten home she collapse onto her bed. She touches her lips, recalling what she did at the bus station. [Yochhan is cute when she blushes. Her eyes get all small, and her face was so warm…and…] Riko takes the collar of her uniform and brings it towards her face [… as expected I can’t smell anymore Yochhan’s scent… but…] she starts to rolls around […I was able to touch her today… we always seem to miss each other…well of course its because of…] she stops rolling and gets up to look out of her window.

Chika’s window was closed it was raining and it was the sensible thing to do, but during the day she almost never has the curtains closed. Riko found this odd. [Did Yocchan do something…] Riko recalls the faces Yoshiko made throughout the day. [Yochhan is cute when she’s jealous] Riko falls back on her bed. […But Yochhan wouldn’t hurt anyone… the most she’ll do is threaten her, Yocchan is a good girl after all… while I’m…] Riko gets up once again to goes towards her bag.

She ran through her bag of study materials and music notes. She stops at her handkerchief that was neatly wrapped around something. [I’ll need to go sneak back to school to clean up] she unfolds the handkerchief. Inside it was a neatly sheathed box cutter. It was laying on top of some roughly cut brown hair. [ I had to quickly finish things up …] Riko glances at the clock next to her bed. [she should still be in the storage.] Riko gets up. [It’s all your fault you know… for being clingy to my Yocchan like that.] She unsheathes the box cutter. The blade itself was fine, but there was slight hints of a smudged red liquid.

“I should clean this up before I go back to school.” She examines the blade twisting it to see both sides. “After all this was the reason I got to walk home with Yocchan and…” She brings her free hand to touch her lips. Riko recalls Yoshiko’s face once again, “Yocchan…”

[Yocchan is a good girl and I’m…] Riko walks to her bedroom door opens it and walks a step out. She looks back at her room. At an angle that was difficult for her neighbor to see from her window, was dozens of pictures of a certain navy haired freshman. They weren’t expertly taken in fact most of them was made in a hurry from angles that would have been hidden from the targets sight. […the bad one.] She smiles her calm smile and closes the door.  

[aantobiotic]

So I wrote a six part series of kaguya Sama fanfic surrounding Ishigami X Iino (best ship)(opinions may vary) and I'll put the first chapter up here. Have fun and give me a read on AO3 or fanfiction.net!

# A kissing demon!

- J.Aanto

It was a quiet evening in the student council room. Shirogane just entered he room when Shinomiya was making tea. She gave him a warm smile, and as Miyuki settled in his seat, she poured him a cup of tea.

A few minutes later Chika entered the room and started talking about the new game made by the tabletop gaming club. This time though, they flatly refused to play it. One marriage with Chika was enough for both of them to realize marrying Chika leads to nothing but suffering. Plus, they were dating now, and god forbid Miyuki get married to Chika again. *They'll never find Chika's body.*

When all this was going on, Ishigami entered the student council room, looking thoroughly exhausted. He didn't have his Switch in his hand, which was weird. He was practically attached to it. He also had this cautious look, like he was prey being hunted. Concerned, the trio asked him what the issue was.

"What? What issue? There's no issue. Seriously. None. None at all!" said Ishigami, looking bewildered.

*Okay, so there was something.*

Since Ishigami wasn't willing to give the details, Kaguya decide to take a guess, and she asked, "Is it Iino?"

Ishigami froze in his seat. Kaguya had hit the mark. This was a serious issue. He just started to go out with Iino, and he already is afraid of her? He probably did something to annoy her again, Kaguya thought to herself.

"Look Ishigami, you are dating Iino now. You can't go around pissing her off every single second like you used to, okay? You have to compromise, or she might fall out of love with you. Do you want that?" said Kaguya, and her tone sounded somewhat like she was speaking not only to Ishigami, but to herself as well. After all, she still was overly conscious about how she treats her friends, especially Shirogane.

"It seems like you're misunderstanding something here, Shinomiya senpai, I didn't piss her off or anything. The reason is totally different." said Ishigami, still looking at the door intensely.

Making sure Iino isn't there, he continued, "Ever since we started dating, Iino has been kissing me nonstop."

The temperature in the room went up a few degrees. Shinomiya couldn't even believe what she was hearing, so she asked again for confirmation. The only people unfazed by this were Chika, who was well aware that Iino was a closet pervert and Ishigami, who was also aware of this even before they started dating.

"But that's not a bad thing right?" asked Shirogane, who was bright red in the face but still curious, "You're her first boyfriend so of course she's going to be a little over the top."

"It's okay when I'm alone, president, but she's kissing me at every corner of the school!"

*Okay, a little out of control here,* Shirogane thought to himself. "You could tell her to control herself can't you?"

"Like hell I can. I tried and it only led to more kissing!"

"How did that happen?" asked Kaguya, now paying complete attention. This could provide useful info for her plans to kiss the president, volume 12.

"Whenever I say no, she just makes this puppy face and I just give up. How can you say no to- wait shinomiya senpai, what are you doing?" Ishigami looked at the notes in her hand. "Keep going!" gestured Kaguya, hoping to get even more methods.

At that time, the door creaked. The council snapped back to reality and started doing whatever they were supposed to do. Iino entered the room, her face practically glowing, and took her seat next to Ishigami.

"Hello everyone!" She gave them a warm greeting and started working on her disciplinary committee report.

Everyone else didn't do anything. They just stared at these two, hoping to see something happen. Iino took notice of this and asked, "What are you guys doing?"

Startled, they rapidly made up excuses, all of them except Chika, who was still staring at them with increasing curiosity. "Fujiwara senpai,what are you doing?" Iino asked again.

"Oh nothing! Just wanted to see if Ishigami was speaking the truth that's all!" Chika replied promptly. "He said you guys were kissing all over the school!"

"Wha-?! Ishigami?!" Iino stared at him with disbelief. "You went and bragged about it! It was supposed to be a secret!"

"Secret, my ass! You kissed me in the class this morning! And I didn't brag about it!" Ishigami argued back.

"Iino, you can't go and kiss someone in the class, you're a member of the discipline committee aren't you? You're supposed to set an example." said Shirogane, but he himself realized the irony. After all, the student council room was practically his haven for love affairs, and it couldn't get lower than that.

"No one saw us! So it's fine!" said Iino, much to everyone's shock. "You've corrupted her, Ishigami." said Chika, "you've corrupted her morals."

"Oh hell no, she corrupted me! Now I feel like a normie more and more each day! I have a girlfriend, I'm a member of the cheer squad, and I even thought of cutting my hair!" Ishigami replied, with a face of pure horror at the realization of what he was about to do.

"Of you're gonna cut your hair, get a crew cut." Iino butted in. "No way, but nice try, Iino. I'm not getting a crew cut within this century." replied Ishigami.

"Hmph. Anyways, don't go around telling people that. I don't want anyone to know just yet."

"I'm fairly sure the whole school knows." everyone said in unison. "And you know it's the case, Iino. Why hide now?"

"B-but, I'm a member of the discipline committee! I can't be seen commiting indecent acts in the school now, can I?"

"Then don't commit them." said Ishigami, "Don't try to hide it Iino, it's not like you."

"Fine then," replied Iino, "No more indecent acts inside the school, got it?"

"Not even when I want it?"

"You're telling me you didn't want it back then?" Iino asked him angrily.

"No, because I don't know which 'back then' you're talking about, because we kissed about a million times this morning."

*Jeez, he really doesn't get it, Kaguya thought to herself. She's just gonna get mad at him again.*

Finally, Iino said, "Ishigami, don't talk to me for the rest of the day. I don't wanna hear anything you have to say." And turned her head towards the report, with a heavy pout.

Kaguya and Miyuki looked shocked, seeing a lover's quarrel live for the first time. Chika looked ecstatic, as if she was watching a TV show and was waiting for the twist on the plot. Ishigami looked like he was hit by a truck. He tried to talk to her, but she didn't listen. Finally, the day came to an end and the council disbanded for the day.

While everyone left, Ishigami was still in the room, sitting next to Iino, who was writing finishing up her report. He gestured for the others to leave, and they left.

Well, they hid behind the door but still, they left the room.

"You're not going?" asked Iino, still looking down at the paper work.

"Not until you talk to me, nope." replied Ishigami.

"Well, I just did, so leave." said Iino. Oh boy, she was angry.

"Not good enough for me."

"I said I'm not gonna talk to you." Iino still didn't give in.

"Look Iino, I just said I don't like you kissing me out of the blue, you know? I mean, when it's occasional I guess it's cool, bug not cool when you do it every other second. Just tell me when you want to." Ishigami tried hard, but she wasn't listening.

*Okay then, plan B*

Ishigami got up from his seat, went to the door, and shouted, "Hey Iino! Look! It's the principal!"

Sure enough, she looked behind suddenly, and saw not the principal, but Ishigami, who was really close for some reason. But her mind was too late in figuring it out. He kissed her, and she didn't pull away. I fact, she pulled him in.

"All bark and no bite, huh?" Ishigami pulled away to reply, a sly grin on his face.

"Oh shut up, you're the same. No surprise kisses you say, and yet you kissed me out of the blue." replied Iino, looking slightly bashful. But don't be fooled. She isn't mad because he kissed her. She's mad because he pulled away too soon.

"I was just doing a demo for you. See? You didn't like it, cause it was too sudden."

Iino facepalmed at how dense this guy is. "You idiot, do you think I'm mad because of that? No wonder you suck at studies, with that logic, your 150th position is well deserved."

"Hey now, don't cross the line. And it's like I said. I will beat you in the next exam."

"Oh really now?" Iino asked playfully, " Let's see if you can do it."

"If I do it, will you go on a date with me?"

Iino froze for a second, the replied, "You don't need a competition to do that.... You know what, I have an idea. We go on a date anyways, but the winner chooses the place to go to."

"Fine with me." replied Ishigami with a smile in his face.

"But hey, were you really mad at me for kissing you too frequently?" Iino asked, with the faintest hint of sadness and pain, something Ishigami hasn't seen on her face in a while.

"No, I was just annoyed. Not because it was bad or anything but because it was too frequent. I felt like it lost its meaning you know?" replied Ishigami.

"You're a little too romantic, aren't you?" Iino replied smugly. "Well, if that's how you feel, them why don't we take turns?"

"Huh?"

"Like, I'm the only one even trying, you know? It won't hurt to be a little bit more proactive, would it? And guess what? It'll feel romantic all the same." Iino replied with a serious face, like she was delivering a lecture. But Ishigami realised something in this little talk. She needed some emotional support from her boyfriend. She wasn't exactly the most liked person, so it's obvious she needs a shoulder to cry on when it gets tough for her. She needed validation for her efforts like everyone else, and he's the only person she can expect it from without sounding selfish.

*God I love this girl, thought Ishigami.(Let us not question his taste, for it is good)*

And while she was talking, Ishigami reached for her hand and held it tightly. This startled Iino, and she stopped mid sentence. He didn't waste a second, and went in for a kiss. And this time, he didn't pull away so soon. In fact it was Iino who did so, because she needed to breathe.

Gasping for air, she asked him, "A little too quick on the update, huh? I thought it'll take a year atleast to settle in."

"Iino," said Ishigami, "I like your plan. Let's kiss each other whenever we want to, okay? I won't stop you, but same goes for you."

"Like I'll ever stop you, you dummy." Iino smiled. But now she had a totally different look in her eyes, and she kissed Ishigami immediately.

It was all fun and games until she stuck her tongue in his mouth. She didn't stop there, and he followed suit. She pushed him down on the sofa, with her intense kissing, their tongues lashing away at each other, the tension was real high.

Ishigami took a breather, and said, "Iino, this is going a bit too far I think-" he was interrupted by her lips. "Stop talking, you're killing the mood."

"I agree." said Ishigami, who lost all sense in the heat of the moment just like his girlfriend here.

But right when it was getting good, Chika kicked the door open, and screamed at the top of her lungs at the duo.

"INDECENT BEHAVIOUR IN SCHOOL!! I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS!! I MEAN ISHIGAMI IS TOTALLY THE TYPE OF GUY TO DO THIS, BUT EVEN YOU IINO? YOU'RE A MEMBER OF THE DISCIPLINE COMMITTEE HOW CAN YOU DO THIS!!"

Unfortunately no one was paying any attention to her. Iino and Ishigami were still embarrassed after realising what had happened and were bright red in the face, but didn't let go of each other's hands. Chika was looking at the president and shinomiya for some support, but they were too busy congratulating their kouhais for successfully taking care of their first relationship problem. This caused them to get scolded too, but it's Chika having fun with all the moral authority so they didn't care for it.

It was going to be happy relationship, and they were glad. Both the couple in question, and the couple who caused this.

Fanfiction.net link:

Story: A fluffy love

AO3 link:

[athyrabunlord]

34 with yohariko 👀

“It’s not like I missed you or anything.” [Prompt List]

A/N: I had a different idea for this prompt but then after ep5. I’m going with this~ Ψ( ◣ ∀ ◢ )Ψ**spoilers for S2ep5 if you haven’t already watched it** Words: 1,200 (supposed to be just bliplet length but I got carried away lmao)

Riko giggles to herself as Shiitake flops on its side with a soft croon. Chika and You are right all along, that Shiitake is really just a big furry teddy bear-dog. Her previous fear for dogs had prevented her from seeing what an endearing companion Shiitake is. Its thick tail wags lazily as it nudges against her hand.

“Hai hai, you want some belly rubs don’t you?”

A happy bark answers her. Normally such a sound would have sent her scurrying for the nearest post to hide behind, but now it just fills her with mirth. As she caresses Shiitake’s soft fur, she couldn’t help but recall Nocturne and how it gave her a friendly lick against her palm.

She never got to pet the little Sheltie, did she?

She shakes her head, reluctant to fall into that quagmire of depression again. In spite of knowing the puppy for just a short time, she is certain of their connection. Nocturne… no, Anko has added a splash of vivid color to her already radiant life here at Uchiura, and helped her overcome her fear of dogs.

Although, really, it is thanks to Yoshiko that she is able to accomplish that.

The younger girl has opened up to her, revealing the introspective side usually hidden beneath the fallen angel mask. Riko only had glimpses of that side in the past, so this incident with Anko enables her to bond with and understand Yoshiko more. Through their mutual affection for Anko, she is able grow closer to Yoshiko and confidently call her a close friend.

We had fun together the past few days, hadn’t we?

Making up her mind, Riko gives Shiitake a goodbye pat and hurries for the bus stop. If she remembers correctly, she would still be able to make it. Her heart soars in anticipation as she gets on the bus, the excitement growing by the minute. The familiar change in scenery indicates that she is getting closer and closer to Numazu, and she couldn’t help but smile like a giddy child.

By the time she reaches the vending machine near Anko’s home, her head has cooled down enough for her to think rationally again. What was she thinking, coming all the way here to Numazu without a plan in mind? She should have at least texted Yoshiko so they could visit Anko together. Now, alone in front of the house, it feels daunting to even press the doorbell, let alone greet the Sheltie’s owners.

Pursing her lips, she paces back and forth a few times before deciding to head back to the vending machine. She shall wait there to see if the little girl would take Anko out for a walk, and then she could casually walk up to them so it would seem like she just happens to run into them.

“Lily? What are you doing here?”

“Yohane-chan-?”

Yoshiko looks just as taken aback, dressed in the same hoodie as last time with her hands in the pockets. “It’s Yoshi-” She coughs hastily and drops her voice to a husky tone. “Hmnff, as expected of my elite little demon, to be present at exactly where the great Yohane wishes. I have high hopes for you, Lily.”

Chuckling in exasperated fondness, Riko approaches the younger girl. “I just happened to be near- wait, why have you been calling me… erm, Lily, is it?”

Yoshiko raises an eyebrow. “You’ve been ordained as my elite little demon now, so of course I have bestowed a fitting name upon you. Rejoice!”

Riko blinks at Yoshiko’s confident smile and theatrical pose, and suddenly finds herself giggling.

“W-What? Why are you laughing, you disrespectful little demon!”

She doesn’t understand how Yoshiko’s thought process works and probably never will, but she also acknowledges that she doesn’t have to. They get along each other well, and it’s fun and even relaxing to be around the younger girl. A fallen angel she may be, she is also one of the most observant and caring person Riko knows, and that is enough for her.

“It’s nothing, Yocchan,” Riko’s smile curves wider in mischief at Yoshiko’s surprised expression. “I just thought about Anko and how much fun we had, the three of us, and before I knew it, here I am. How about you?”

“I guess we have the same idea then,” Yoshiko shrugs and stuffs her hands back in her pockets, “I miss Laelaps so I came here and… well, I was hoping to run into you here too.”

“Eh? I mean, I did come here out of impulse but, I do live all the way in Uchiura so it’s really coincidental that-”

“Nope, nothing is coincidence, Lily!” Grinning, Yoshiko turns away and tilts her head a little so she could peer at the taller girl through her bangs. “This is destiny, I say! I have summoned you here through my amazing power! You said it yourself, Lily, that everyone has invisible power. Surely, you’ve received my call and answered it by instinct.”

Riko recalls how her thoughts had trailed from Shiitake to Nocturne and ultimately to Yoshiko. Perhaps the fallen angel has a point. Some sort of invisible power is at works and has led them to each other here.

“Right. So what is your plan this time, O Great Yohane-sama? Shall we wait like last time?”

At this, Yoshiko seems to falter as she averts her gaze. “Actually, just before I got here, I saw the kid taking Laelops out for a walk. I was just sorta waiting around to see if they would come back.”

“Oh, I see…”

“So! In the meantime, let me give you a proper orientation!”

“Huh?” Riko didn’t catch Yoshiko’s words, for her mind is focused on how the latter suddenly reached out for her hand.

“A tour! A tour I say! You’ve been to Numazu several times but I bet you don’t know all the good spots!” Yoshiko tugs at their connected hands, sounding impatient and just a little embarrassed?

“Really? You’d do that?” It’s true that her visits to Numazu have been limited. Compared to Uchiura, the city is much larger and should have more places to be explored. “Why, all of a sudden-?”

“Duh? You’re my elite little demon after all. It’s not like I missed you or anything,” Yoshiko huffs, her cheeks reddening. “Unless, you have other plans-?”

Warmth fills Riko’s heart with a few butterflies fluttering inside. She shakes her head and squeezes Yoshiko’s hand. “Nope, I’m free… though only until the last bus back to Uchiura.”

Yoshiko lets out a quiet sigh of relief and smiles brightly. “Great! Then let’s not waste anytime! Try to keep up with me, Lily!”

A burst of playfulness takes over, compelling Riko to run and pull the younger girl along. “No, can you keep up with me, Yocchan?”

“Hey, I’m suppose to be the one taking you to places!”

The two girls banter back and forth, laughing and thoroughly enjoying each other’s company. Perhaps, this would be their best day in Numazu yet!

[furinjuru]

Our Sea Of Today - Chapter 16 - Improvement

It’s only been a week since she actually met You, but Yoshiko thinks she’s got a pretty good idea of her personality. Although it would be a gross oversimplification of their characters, she feels like it wouldn’t be amiss to compare her to Chika. They’re energetic and passionate about the things they enjoy. They like helping people, but also somewhat self-sacrificing. If they were in an anime, You would fit a lot of different characters. The childhood friend, the girl-next-door, the energetic sports-loving girl, and the popular girl just to name a few.

There are, obviously, a few things about You that Yoshiko doesn’t think she’ll ever know the answers to. Like whether or not she actually has a senpai-complex. Still, she feels like she understands You enough to at least make an accurate guess (yes).

However, the You she saw on Monday morning seemed...off. She still smiled and did that salute she did often when they saw each other, but other than a brief greeting they barely talked to each other. And it’s not like Yoshiko wasn’t trying. They had a lot to talk about! They could talk about boring things like the weather and schoolwork, or something more exciting like the new popularity of Aqours, or what they can do to revive the Supernatural Club. Every time she tried to start a conversation, You would follow along for a few minutes before getting distracted again. It’s more than a little frustrating.

Her mood didn’t improve when she got off the bus, either. They just walked together in awkward silence before parting ways, Yoshiko heading to her class where Chika and Dia were waiting. Today, it seemed like they were the center of the conversation, something Yoshiko couldn’t be happier for. Riko had come over to them to congratulate them personally and seemed at least receptive to the idea of helping them write more songs. Other than You, no one else had signed up yet, but that’s fine. If they continued to impress, more people will come. Chika and Dia know this very well, already tossing ideas back and forth for their next live.

All things considered, today is a fantastic day. She just hopes You will be back to normal sooner than later.

  By lunch break, You still isn’t back to normal. In fact, Yoshiko might think that she’s gotten worse. Her, Chika, and Dia were waiting in the schoolyard when You arrived. Apparently, she forgot her lunch at home. After refusing their offers to share their lunch, she runs towards the cafeteria while promising she’ll return soon. As soon as she’s gone, Dia glares at Yoshiko. She’s not the only one who realizes that You isn’t her usual self

“Yoshiko, did you do something to her?” She asks, suspecting the worst.

“Why would you think that?” Yoshiko did nothing wrong, of course. She’s innocent, and she tries to get that fact across to Dia, who is still glaring. “Look at me! I couldn’t hurt her if I tried!” It’s humiliating to admit that a first-year probably could kick her ass in a fight, but she’s worried that Dia would actually kick her ass.

“You’re the one who takes the bus with her every day, so I thought you had something to do with it.”

“Well, I don’t. She’s been like that all morning. Even I don’t know why.” The two turn to face the third person in the group, who’s biting down on two slices of mikan simultaneously. She realizes that all of the attention is on her and nervously gulps down the fruit before asking.

“What?”

“Chika, do you know the reason You is acting like this?” Dia asks, hopefully. “It can’t be that she’s sick of us already, right?” Chika pauses, seeming to ponder the possibility of such a scenario before shaking her head.

“Nah. I think it’s just because her dad left.” Yoshiko’s jaw drops, as well as Dia’s.

“What?!” She exclaims far too loudly. “Her dad left?” Chika nods, and the other two feel a heavy weight settling in their chest. This feels like something personal, far too personal to be casually mentioned in a conversation in public. But both of them are curious, and Yoshiko takes the risk by asking the question. “D-did something happen between him and You’s mom?”

Chika gives Yoshiko a flat stare, before bursting out into laughter, startling Yoshiko and Dia. Wiping a tear from her cheek, she grins at them. “That’s not what I meant, silly!” She says, close to another bout of laughter. “Her dad is a boat captain, so he’s back to work. Didn’t I tell you two about this before?”

“I think I remember you telling us that in the past,” Dia says calmly, as if she hadn’t been panicking as well. “I see. That’s understandable.”

“Yep,” Chika says while chewing on another mikan slice. “Her dad usually isn’t even around at the start of the school year. But since she’s starting high school, he decided to take an entire week off to see her. Usually he only comes back in summer and winter.”

Unfortunately, they’re unable to continue their conversation as You returns soon after with a few sandwiches. The way she’s acting makes more sense now that they know the reason behind it. Yoshiko’s surprised that she didn’t notice it before, but You looks more lonely rather than sad. It’s an expression she knows very well; the same expression she sometimes sees on her own face.

She knows exactly what You needs right now.

  On the bus ride home, Yoshiko confronts You about it.

“I heard from Chika,” she says, finally getting You to look at her. “You dad’s heading out to sea, right? That’s why you’re a lot...quieter today.”

“Yeah.” You smiles wistfully. “Sorry. I guess it isn’t really much fun sitting with me when I don’t really answer to anything.”

“Don’t worry.” You nods, and the two fall back into silence. You stares out of the window, while Yoshiko stares at You, concerned. “...would you mind if I talk?” She asks. “You can just listen. You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to.” You doesn’t object, so Yoshiko continues.

“I kinda get what you’re feeling. I don’t see my dad a whole lot either, and my mom always works late. We’d probably have dinner together and then go to bed.” You turns around, facing her as if asking her to continue. “In fact, I can even remember a few times when she missed Christmas and New Years.”

“That sucks,” You says, surprising Yoshiko. She thought You would stay quiet for the entire ride. She continues.

“My mom isn’t happy about it either. But there’s not really anything she can do about it. I’m sure your dad feels the same.”

She coughs, wracking her brain for the best way to articulate her thoughts. “What I’m trying to say is, if something is bothering you, you can definitely tell me about it. You keep listening to me talk about my problems, and it feels unfair that it’s only one-way. Besides, I’m supposed to be your upperclassman, and I want you to rely on me sometimes.”

You doesn’t respond, and Yoshiko assumes the worst scenario. “B-but, you don’t have to,” she says dismissively. “I’m just saying that it’s bad to let those kinds of feelings pile up, and it wouldn’t be good if my loyal little demon was distracted by those kinds of things. So you should-” You giggles, and Yoshiko stops talking.

“Thanks, Yohane,” You smiles genuinely for the first time today. “I’m glad to hear it. Really.” Her words cause a smile to appear on Yoshiko’s features as well. The conversation dies out, but this time the silence is warm and comfortable, two friends simply enjoying each other’s comfort. In a shocking move, You breaks it. “So, I guess it gets pretty lonely at your place, huh?”

“Unfortunately,” Yoshiko replies curtly.

“Well, even though you don’t need my help with sewing or anything right now...do you want to come over to my house? I got chocolate.”

Yoshiko’s eyes widen, but she agrees without hesitation.

Maybe You wasn’t the only one who needed some company. Maybe they’re both helping each other out.

 The students of Uranohoshi live peaceful lives. After a stressful first week at school for juniors and Club Day preparation for sophomores, they're eager to relax. Seniors are enjoying their last months of freedom before starting cram school and focusing on exams. Even with the possibility of their school shutting down looming over them, few know how dire the situation actually is.

Within the halls of Uranohoshi, there's one room that has become forgotten over time. Its lack of general use and absence of people entering and exiting has caused students to ignore it. But today, the room has two people occupying it. "The constant developments in Numazu are unpredictable and ever-changing, so to assume that Uranohoshi would become irrelevant within the time span of a few years is completely idiotic." Kanan sits on one of the many comfortable chairs in the room, watching as Mari performs an oration. The normally carefree expression on her face has been replaced by a steely, yet fiery gaze as she speaks loudly and passionately.

As she finishes her speech, Kanan claps her hand. “So, was it good?” Mari asks, smiling.

“A lot better than last time.”

Mari frowns. “But still not good enough, right?” Both knew the answer already, but Kanan nods nonetheless. She lets out a tired sigh, collapsing onto her plush seat. “...I need more practice.”

“What you need is a break,” Kanan interjects, standing up and walking over to Mari. “You’ve been practicing this speech for four hours now.”

“The speech has to be perfect, Kanan,” Mari mutters. “The fate of the school rests on it. I have to take this seriously.”

“When is the presentation, by the way?” Kanan asks as she goes to the water dispenser, filling a cup with water; Mari must be thirsty after reciting the speech so many times.

“This week. I’ll be meeting up with all of the board members and see if I can get them to cancel the merging.” She sighs again, closing her eyes. “It’s stressful. They don’t take me seriously because I’m just a high school student. They say I ‘don’t get it’ even though I love this school more than they do. It’s so frustrating.”

“So that’s why you want the speech to be perfect?” Kanan sounds impressed as she places the cup on the table. Mari thanks her, taking slow sips as she lets the cold water wet her parched throat. “Because you want them to take you seriously?”

“Yes. It’s alright since it’s for Uranohoshi.”

“Then...” Kanan points to herself. “Why did you ask me to help?”

“Two reasons.” Mari smiles. “You’re the former student council president. You have experience when it comes to making speeches.”

“I’m not that good.” She answers bashfully. “And the second reason?”

“Because you’re my friend.” She stares at Mari, asking her to continue. “Dia is...serious, but she thinks of us as her older sisters. I’m worried she won’t be honest when judging me. Also...” Mari looks out of the window, staring at nothing in particular. “...I don’t want her to worry too much.”

Kanan pauses, realizing that Mari has changed more than she originally thought. She’s not the same girl she remembers from childhood. Hell, Kanan might argue that she’s not the same girl who left Uchiura over a year ago.

Still, she thinks, some things never change. She goes around the table, standing behind Mari before patting her on the shoulder. That seems to do the trick, as Mari’s pulled out of her thoughts, her eyes looking at Kanan questioningly. “You’ve always cared about her a lot. You’re like her mom.”

“Ehhh?! No way!” Mari laughs. “I’m nowhere near old enough. Besides, ever since we were kids, you’re more like her mom.”

“Aren’t I younger than you?” Kanan laughs as well, smiling as Mari’s normally cheerful expression returns. She ’s still the same happy-go-lucky girl, but she’s learned when to be serious now.

“So, do you want to start practicing again?” Mari nods, turning towards a piece of paper on her desk. There are scribbles and words all over it as Mari made corrections through the course of a few hours. Kanan leans over Mari’s shoulder to look at it, not noticing the blonde tensing up and her cheeks becoming flushed. “So, I think you should change this part here.”

“Oh?” Mari asks, her voice an octave higher than normal. “W-why is that?”

“Since you want to be taken seriously, it would be better to use polite words. When we’re not sure, better safe than sorry.” She then points towards the last part. “Also here. They won’t appreciate you calling their decision ‘completely idiotic’. I think a word like ‘asinine’ would be better.”

“You do know they mean the same thing, right?”

“That’s exactly why we should change it,” Kanan says. “Since they mean the same thing, the point of your sentence doesn’t change. But I think one sounds more polite.”

“I see....”

As Kanan helps Mari practice her speech, she can’t help but feel warmth spreading inside of her. It’s almost like their childhood days, although they’re missing Dia. But for now, this is okay. Even after two years of separation, their friendship hasn’t changed.

That’s what she thinks.

She doesn’t remember feeling so much happiness just being with Mari. She doesn’t remember the way Mari’s quirky voice gives her goosebumps. She doesn’t remember feeling happy that Dia isn’t with them.

She doesn’t remember her heart beating oddly when Mari is around.

...she’s probably just nervous. Yeah, she’s nervous for Mari’s presentation, because it could decide what happens to Uranohoshi.

Nervous. That’s what she’s experiencing. She’s just nervous.

She takes a deep breath, her eyes locked onto Mari.

She feels even warmer now.

[furinjuru]

Our Sea Of Today - Chapter 15 - Impact

Weekly updates! Vague relationships! Thinly veiled angst! And more! On this week’s chapter.

Dia whistles softly as the three members of Aqours step out into the field, sunlight warming her body. They had decided to get some fresh air before doing final preparations, something that in Dia’s opinion was a waste of time. Now that she’s out here, however, it does feel nice. She wishes they’ll be able to hold a performance out here soon.

“It’s a nice day, isn’t it?” Yoshiko asks while staring directly at the sun, no clouds obstructing her view. As always, Dia quickly takes action.

 “Don’t do that, you’ll ruin your eyesight.”

 “Okay, mom.” Dia scowls. “I’m just happy...that my bad luck isn’t so bad today.”

 “Bad luck?” Chika asks. “What do you mean by that?” Yoshiko visibly flinches at the question.

 “Nothing. What do you mortals call it again...a Freudian slip, that’s what it was.” Chika continues staring at her until she relents with a sigh. “Just...something that happens occasionally.” More like every time. “Usually it would rain whenever I want to do something outdoors.”

 “Oh.” Chika nods, putting on a thoughtful expression. “I see. So...in other words.” Chika poses the way Yoshiko would whenever she’s in fallen angel mode. “A god has cursed you since birth, sending holy water from the heavens in order to keep your power in check.” She says with a knowing smile gracing her features. “Did I get that right?”

 “Huh?” Yoshiko blushes at Chika’s fallen angel act. Somehow, it makes her seem a lot cooler than usual. “T-that’s the gist of it, yes.”

 “Then don’t worry!” Chika giggles. “You can borrow some of my good luck!”

 “What?” The idea is absolutely insane, even by Yoshiko’s standards. Chika is unfazed by Yoshiko’s blatant confusion.

 “And I’m sure Dia wouldn’t mind sharing some of her luck too!” Said dark-haired girl tenses up at her name, then begins to scratch at the mole on her face.

 “I don’t have that much luck either.” She shrugs. “Buuuut, I suppose I can help relieve you of your misfortune.”

 “Wait a second, you two can’t do that,” Yoshiko says indignantly. “It would be unfitting for a fallen angel of my caliber to burden you with such a powerful curse.”

 “Oh?” Chika smirks mischievously. “Are you sure? Aren’t we your little demons? Wasn’t it our job to help you in any way we can?”

 “U-uhm,” Yoshiko stutters, “I changed my mind! Yohane can handle this herself.” She hears Dia sighing.

 “Give up, Chika’s too fired up to quit now.” She smiles as well. “Just accept our gift.”

 “That’s right! So please borrow our power, Yohane-sama!” Chika beams at her, and Yoshiko remembers why she likes Chika so much as her heart threatens to burst out of her chest. She’s so nice! And when Dia is her smiling, more laid-back self, she gives off a similar feeling.

 “...you two are weird. That’s so dumb,” she says, confidence filling her tone. “Fine. If you want it so badly, then Yohane will accept your gift.”

 “Great! And in return,” Chika grabs Yoshiko’s arm and begins dragging her towards the auditorium. “Yohane can help us with preparations. Isn’t that right, Dia?”

 Dia nods, looking as smug as ever. It takes a while for the gears in Yoshiko’s head to begin turning, but when they do she tries to break free of Chika’s grasp. “Y-you tricked me! You can have your stupid luck back.”

 “Sorry, no refunds,” Dia answers seriously. “You’ll just have to suck it up.”

 Yoshiko sighs as Chika continues to lead her by the arm, trying not to focus on the physical contact. “I don’t feel very lucky right now.”

 “I do~,” Chika says in a sing-song tone. “I know something good’s gonna happen! I can just feel it. No bad luck here.”

 Even though that sounds like the opposite of Yoshiko’s experiences throughout her life, she can’t help but smile at her friend’s optimism. “We’ll see.”

 ---------------

 “There you are!”

 The three first-years had been walking aimlessly when someone approaches You from behind, putting their hands on her shoulder. As the three turn to face the newcomer, You smiles brightly while the other two stare at her in awe.

 “Kanan-chan!” You greets the blue-haired girl, shocking Hanamaru with how informally she addressed her.

 “You-chan.” She returns the smile before turning her gaze towards Ruby, the redhead letting out a squeak as she locks eyes with Kanan. “Ruby-chan, good to see you. It’s been a while since we talked normally, hasn’t it?”

 “Y-yes!” She stutters. “Uhh, it’s been a while, Kanan-san.” Kanan chuckles, causing Ruby to turn bright red.

 “You don’t have to be so formal, Ruby-chan. Dia isn’t here right now.” Ruby nods, and Kanan finally turns towards the last person. She remains silent, putting on a contemplative expression while Hanamaru sweats under the attention. Then, Kanan snaps her fingers. “Then you must be Kunikida-san, am I right?”

 “Yes, I’m Kunikida Hanamaru. Pleased to meet you, zura.” The words hang in the air as Hanamaru processes what she had said. “Wait, I meant-”

 “Don’t worry, it’s your verbal tic, right? I know about it.” Kanan walks towards her, offering her hand, which Hanamaru takes. “Matsuura Kanan, although I guess you already knew that. I’ve heard a lot of things about you.”

 “Really, zura?” Hanamaru looks happy, but You notices that Ruby is sweating profusely.

 “Yep!” Kanan says, grinning. “Ruby talked about you a lot whenever I came over. A lot.” She emphasizes.

 “Kanan-chan, please don’t....” Ruby moans, covering her reddening face with her hand. Hanamaru looks equally embarrassed. The reactions only fuel Kanan to continue.

 “Did you know that the reason Ruby wanted to be moved up a year was so she can be in the same year as you?” Kanan asks, the teasing smile still etched on her face. Now even more embarrassed, Ruby launches herself at Kanan, trying to cover her mouth using her hands.

 “Don’t listen to her, Hanamaru-chan! Kanan-chan, you’re just a big liar. I never said anything like that!” She shouts, eliciting loud laughter from Kanan. “Stop laughing, this isn’t funny.”

 “It’s kind of funny,” Kanan replies, out of breath from laughing so much. “You’re a lot more forward nowadays, aren’t cha?”

 “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Ruby pouts, crossing her arms.

 Kanan hums, ruffling Ruby’s hair as the redhead tries to maintain a neutral expression. “Yeah, you’re kinda like your sister in that way. I just hope you don’t become as much of a workaholic as she is.”

 “I’ll keep that in mind,” Ruby says genuinely. “Thanks, Kanan-chan!”

 “Of course, Ruby-chan. Anything for my favorite underclassman.”

 “Wait a minute, favorite?” You interrupts, seeming to have taken offense to Kanan’s statement. “What about me?”

 “I don’t even like you most of the time,” Kanan replies jokingly. “Same with Chika. Both of you are too much of a sh- too much to handle most of the time.” She corrects herself after realizing that cursing in front of Ruby is a big no-no.

 “What about Sis?” Ruby asks curiously.

 “Second favorite,” Kanan assures, Ruby giving her a wide smile at the answer. “And Kunikida-san, even though I only met you today, I already like you a lot, so you’re number three.” She then adds, “Especially since Ruby-chan is so fond of you.”

 Ruby hurriedly changes the subject, “By the way, why are you here Kanan-chan? I thought you’d be in the student council room.”

 “Well, You-chan here,” She clasps the girl’s shoulder, “told me she wanted to sign up for the swimming team, but for some reason kept forgetting to take the form from the student council room.”

 “Oh....” Now that You thinks about it, she remembers having a talk like that with Kanan. But the following days were so hectic that she completely forgot about that. “Right. I forgot about that.”

 “And this is why you’re not my favorite underclassman,” Kanan says, laughing at You’s displeasure. “So, you’re still interested, right? I can help you sign up right now.”

 You sighs. “Sure, I guess.” Gleefully, Kanan leads the three first-years towards a nearby booth. After a brief conversation with the girls managing it, they hand You a form and a pen, which she quickly fills out. The process is quick, and when she’s done she can feel an encouraging pat on her back.

 “See, wasn’t that easy?” Kanan asks. “Doesn’t take more than a few minutes. You must’ve been really busy if you can’t even spare that much time to come to the student council room and fill it out.”

 “I wasn’t busy, I just forgot about it,” You says, although both are just as bad.

 “Either way, thanks for joining! And just so you know, I was lying about before. You and Chika are my 35th favorite underclassman.”

 “Thanks, I guess.” Kanan gives her one last pat on the back before walking away.

 “Woah,” Hanamaru whispers. “Matsuura-san is really cool, zura.”

 “You think so?” You shrugs as the three begin to wander around again. “I guess I’m used to hanging out with her, so she isn’t really that cool to me.”

 Still, You remembers when she was younger and saw Kanan as an older role model, unlike Chika who was also older, but not exactly respectable. And at that time, she probably thought Kanan was indeed cool. So Hanamaru does have a point.

 “Did you do something to make her mad? She kept joking about not liking you. I-it was a joke, right zura?”

 “Yeah, it was just a joke.” You waves off the concern. “Plus, it’s not that bad. At least I’m number 35 in her books.”

“Do you know how many first and second-years there are?” You gives her an inquiring look. “36. So the two of you are tied for last.”

 Dammit. She didn’t notice that. Ruby looks like she hadn’t known about it either. “That’s not a lot of people, huh?”

 “No,” Hanamaru says, almost solemnly. “I wonder how many people are gonna apply next year? I hope it’s more than this year.”

 Ruby nods, but seems different, somehow. Like there’s something she’s hiding. Since Dia is her sister, maybe she knows something they don’t?

 “Well, we can only hope for the best, right?” You offers. “It’s a nice place. I’m sure more people will come if they know about it.”

 “Yeah,” Ruby smiles. “You’re right. We shouldn’t be worried; let’s stop talking about this.” “Oh, let’s see the other clubs, zura!” The three of them find themselves agreeing with Hanamaru’s idea, and they continue to walk around, checking out all of the stands and going to the cafeteria when they finally get bored.

 ------------

 Hours pass until Kanan’s voice blares through the school’s sound system, announcing that the club performances are about to begin. Ruby was practically shaking in her seat in anticipation of it, something You found both funny and endearing. They quickly made their way to the auditorium, wanting to get a nice spot to watch from. Luckily, they’re able to stand right in front of the makeshift stage, waiting for the performances to officially start.

 While Ruby excitedly talks with Hanamaru about school idols, You sees a flash of crimson in the corner of her vision. A second-year stands to her left, her red ribbon causing her to stand out in a sea of first-years. You recalls seeing her before, although she struggles to remember her name. “Sakurauchi-san?”

 The crimson-haired girl freezes up, slowly turning her head to the source of the voice. When her eyes meet You’s, she furrows her brow as if attempting to remember her as well. “Watanabe-san?”

 “That’s me!” You grins, trying to lighten up the mood. Riko seems relieved that she got her name right, her shoulders relaxing. “Didn’t expect to see you here. Usually the second-years are the ones running the show.”

 “Well it’s not like I’m a member of a club, so I’m in the same position you are.”

 “Oh, right.” You blushes, sheepishly rubbing her neck. “You’re a new transfer, right? How’s Uranohoshi?”

 Riko shrugs, her gaze wandering back to the stage. “I’ve only been here for a week, so I don’t think I can form a solid opinion on it just yet.”

 “But what’s your first impression?” You asks, hoping that she’s not being too much of a nuisance, especially since they’re pretty much strangers.

 “It’s...different,” Riko mumbles out. “Compared to Tokyo. That’s where I come from. It’s a lot quieter, so I prefer it here.”

 “Oh, so you’re more of a quiet person?” She nods, and You feels even guiltier now. She probably isn’t even interested in talking. But she hopes that Riko will forgive her, because You would rather die than stand awkwardly fiddling her thumbs or third-wheel Hanamaru and Ruby. “I guess you’re pretty close with Kurosawa-san?”

 Riko seems to put some thought before answering. “Somewhat. She’s the one who asked me to watch their performance, but I don’t think she’d consider us as friends. I believe it’s just her showing her appreciation for letting her borrow my piano.”

 “I remember Dia saying that yesterday.” Riko’s eyes snap open, staring at You with a mixture of shock and awe.

 “You’re on a first-name basis with her?”

 You shrugs. “I guess so, but it’s mostly because of Chika.” At that, Riko looks understanding.

 “Well, she’s a nice person, even if she’s a bit too forward.” You nods in agreement. “Her and Yoshiko-san. They’ve both been very kind to me in my first week. Even though I’ve rarely interacted with people other than those three, they seem to be nice.”

 Before You can respond, the sound of a microphone turning on from somewhere fills the room. In the middle of talking, more first-years have entered the room, but there’s still a lot of empty space. Once everyone is quiet, the blonde headmistress from before steps up on stage. Her smile wavers slightly when she sees the number of people in front of her, but it quickly returns twice as strong. “Everyone! Good morning! I hope you’ve all had a shiny day.”

 Murmurs of confusion spread through the small crowd, which are quickly silenced when the headmistress continues. “As you can see, we have a few very beautiful performances from the clubs of Uranohoshi. First, let’s give a round of applause for the Choir Club!” She exits the stage as another group steps up. Hanamaru’s paying extra attention to them, as she’s considering whether or not it’s worth it to join.

 Club after club finishes up their demonstrations, all of them eliciting a positive response. Hanamaru says that she’ll join the choir, but might join other clubs that pique her interest. Ruby is still restless, while Riko looks...bored?

 But finally, it’s time for the performance they’ve been waiting for. The curtains part and three girls step forward. Chika stands in the middle, Dia to her right, and Yoshiko to her left. She hears Ruby letting out a shocked gasp when they walk out in their outfits, and You admits that she’s also surprised by how good it looks. It seems like all the effort she and Yoshiko put into it didn’t go to waste. Riko, however, seems concerned more than anything else. “Aren’t those skirts way too short?”

 “I think they’re wearing shorts underneath.” You says, although warmth spreads to her cheeks as she imagines what a disaster that could be.

 Chika steps forward, drawing the stares of everyone in the crowd as she does so. “We’re school idols. The three of us are...” She pauses, and when she continues all three of them speak at the same time. “Aqours! We’re pleased to make your acquaintance.”

 “Today, we’re going to be performing a song for everyone. Please listen.” She nods towards the person managing the sound, and the three of them get into position. She holds her breath, waiting in anticipation until the first notes ring out.

 “Sparkle! I noticed the new thrill in my heart. Because of you, standing there in front of me.”

 --------

 “As long as I’ve got love, I’ll be okay!”

 The music fades out as the three idols pose one last time, panting quietly. Ruby is the first to clap, then You and Hanamaru. Riko stares on in amazement before she remembers to clap as well, and finally, the applause spreads through the room. Chika turns around to face the other two, and from You’s position she can barely hear what she says.

 “See?” She exclaims. “What did I tell you? No bad luck here!” You smiles at that, watching the three girls on stage grinning ear-to-ear. They face the crowd and bow before leaving the stage.

 “Hey Ruby?” The redhead stares at You. “I’m gonna go for a bit, can you watch my spot?” She nods, You saying a quick thanks before running off backstage.

 “Good luck!” She hears Chika shout to the next club. Her eyes light up with joy when she sees You. “You, come here!”

 She doesn’t have to, though; Chika runs over to her, pulling her into a big hug. “Ew, gross, you’re all sweaty.” Chika frowns, but continues to hug You. Dia and Yoshiko approach her as well, clearly satisfied with their performance.

 “So, did you see us?” Chika asks. “Did we wow you? Did you immediately think ‘I want to join this club right now’?”

 You giggles, nodding to all of Chika’s questions. “Alright, I get it. I’m gonna join the club.”

 “Thank you so much!” Chika hugs her even tighter, and Yoshiko decides to join in on the hug. After some prodding, Dia joins in as well. “Let’s commemorate the occasion. Let’s take a picture together! Hey, Mutsu!” A brown-haired girl turns around to face them. “Can you take a picture of us?”

 “Sure!” She smiles, walking over to them. “Uhm, whose phone should I use?”

 “Here, use mine.” You hands over her phone as they get into position, Chika in the very middle. They take a few pictures before Mutsu returns You’s phone. “Thanks a lot!”

 “No problem. That was a great show, you three. Keep it up!” She congratulates the three school idols before walking away, helping her friends manage the other performances.

 “I’ll send you three the pictures later, okay?” You says.

 “Perfect! I’ll add you to the group chat, and....” She trails off, realization slowly dawning on her face. “I left the sign-up form on the stand...I’ll give it to you tomorrow?”

“Sure, I’ll be heading back out now.” She runs back, returning to where the rest of her friends are. She thanks Ruby for guarding her spot before turning her attention to the stage. The Drama Club had already started their act, performing a short play that helped soothe everyone’s nerves after the energetic live.

 But as the performances wind down, You notices something odd. It started off as a small suspicion that grew as more clubs took their turn. By the time all of the performances are finished and Mari goes back on stage to end off the day on a high note, she knows that something is wrong.

 Yoshiko has a lot of explaining to do.

 ------------

 “And then, did you see how high we jumped? I’m so glad we decided to wear shorts.”

 After saying their goodbyes to the others, Yoshiko and You walk towards the bus stop together, although for Yoshiko it seemed more like a march. The earlier success has kept her mood high, and even after the tiring performance she seems energetic, like she’s ready to do it again.

 The same couldn’t be said about You. The energetic girl is deep in thought, too calm compared to her usual personality. Eventually, Yoshiko couldn’t take it. “Okay, what gives?”

 “Huh?” The pair stops walking as they reach the bus stop. Yoshiko looks at You expectantly. “Sorry, I guess I’m a bit out of it.”

 “What’s wrong?” She asks, and You can’t tell whether Yoshiko is irate, concerned, or something entirely different. “Aren’t you happy? We did it, You. Our hard work didn’t go to waste. Everyone was talking about us. So what gives?”

 You stays silent at first, but eventually reveals the question on her mind. “Are you actually happy, Yoshiko-chan?”

 “What?” Yoshiko stares at You as if she was crazy. “Of course I am! What would make you think that I’m unhappy?”

 “You’re a member of the Supernatural Activity Club, aren’t you? That’s what you told me.” Yoshiko grimaces. “I noticed that the club didn’t have a stand or a performance. It’s like you’re giving up on it.”

 “Well, you’re not that far off,” Yoshiko answers with a sigh. The bus arrives, and they quickly get on. It’s a bit more crowded than usual as people return home from work, but luckily, their usual seats are empty. “Don’t think too much about it. The club’s gonna get disbanded, even if I did do something. It wasn’t exactly popular.”

 You continues to ask questions. “Why? I thought you liked being in that club.”

 “I-I do, but...I just didn’t have time to get anything ready. I barely finished the outfits for the performance on time, do you really think I had time to set up something?”

 “You could’ve asked for my help.”

 “Well, I didn’t want your help.” You flinches. “Sorry, that came out wrong. I mean, it doesn’t involve you, so I didn’t want you to work overtime just to help with the club.”

 “I wouldn’t have minded,” You argues. “I had a lot of free time.”

 “And I know that,” Yoshiko replies, her tone exasperated. “You’re really nice, You. And it kinda felt like I’d be using you. You’re already a big help with Aqours, I couldn’t bother you with something so selfish like my own club.”

 “Because it doesn’t involve me?” Yoshiko nods. “So would it be fine if it did involve me?”

 Yoshiko faces You, her expression unreadable. “What do you mean by that?”

 “Weeellll.” You smiles. “I’d be splitting my time between swimming, Aqours, and this, but I want to help you with the Supernatural Club, too. It seems like fun.”

 Yoshiko goes silent, then looks away from You. “...are you sure?”

 “Yep!” You places her hand on Yoshiko’s shoulder, causing her to return her gaze to You.

 “I feel like I don’t deserve to be this selfish.”

 “Now you’re just spouting nonsense.” You shakes her head. “You’re the exact opposite of selfish. I mean, look at everything you did for Aqours! You deserve to be selfish every once in a while.”

 You pulls back. “Besides, I like spending time with you. It’ll be fun, okay? For now, it’ll just be the two of us. I’ll make you an angel outfit that you can use for the club, or something.”

 Yoshiko snorts at the weird nickname You’s given her. “I’m a fallen angel, get it right.” Yoshiko opens her bag and pulls out a sheet of paper, handing it to you. “The club form. Just write down your name there,” She says, also handing You a pen. “...thanks You.”

 You signs her name on the paper, increasing the number of members from one to two.

 “That’s what friends are for, right?”

A single drop of a smile

Diffuses into happiness