#why did aoi have to get with honoka when she knew him when he was 14

[intomybubble]

i love fuji ㅠㅠ he’s the cutest shoujo heroine

his relationship with sengoku is really sweet. i really like the build up between these two

[koreaweeb]

Red Strings - Tenth String

@underc0vercryptid-reads @laraplisetski @omegahighendpro @thooo0t @t3sselated @youngestdelacour

TW: SWEARING, VIOLENCE, ABUSE, MENTION OF SUICIDE, MENTION OF SELF-HARM, SEXUAL CONTENT

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The day was finally coming to an end, and Kurenai shut her laptop off, stretching her arms up in the air. She was no stranger to working in front of the computer all day long, though it had been a while since she had to. Every now and then, she had to type up a proposal or two for Aoi but those never took longer than an hour or two in one sitting. 

She looked at the time on her phone. Almost dinner. 

Taking her laptop with her, Kurenai walked out into the hallway searching for a certain blonde. While she did not see him, she did see Honoka by the nurse station. As she approached Honoka, Kurenai thought she could have a little fun with her.

“Honoka-chan, have you seen Shuntarou?”

Instantly, she was met with a scowl. 

In all honesty, Honoka’s hostility was just entertainment for Kurenai. She had no intentions to fight Honoka for Chishiya, because there was no competition there. If Kurenai was to give her all, she would not stand a chance to even talk to him. It was pitiful, almost, how Honoka saw Kurenai as a rival when she never stood a chance even without her existence. 

“No, I have not.”

“Did I do something wrong, Honoka-chan?” Kurenai asked, sounding as innocent as she could. “I feel like I may have offended you somehow. If so, please tell me. I’ll do my best to make it right.”

A little caught off guard, Honoka was dumbfounded. 

She had not been subtle with her hostility, Honoka knew. But up until this point, Kurenai did not seem to care. Or more like, Honoka was not worth her time to bother with. Now that she was called out, however, she was at a loss. Kurenai was still their benefactor, and she would be working here for a period of time. It would be wiser to get on her good side.

“I...guess not.”

“Hm, alright then,” Kurenai smiled. “Because I’d hate to find out later that you have something against me. I sure hope we can be friends.”

Somehow, her words were chilling. The way she was smiling too. 

It was as if Kurenai was warning her. Or threatening her. 

“Shuntarou!”

Spotting Chishiya down the hallway, Kurenai left Honoka thinking over what she just said. The fun was watching as Honoka struggled to understand, and the internal conflict that her words would bring her. 

“You’re awfully cheerful for someone who just did a full day of work,” Chishiya said. Even though he said so, her smile was incredibly infectious. He could not help but smile back. “How can I help you, Miss Chuya?”

“I told you to call me Kurenai.” She showed him her phone, specifically pointing to the time. “It’s dinner time. When is your shift ending? Shall we eat together?”

“Shouldn’t you be eating with your...boyfriend?”

“First of all, he’s not my boyfriend,” Kurenai stated, her tone of voice suddenly serious though she was quick to bounce back to her usual cheeky self. “And why would I eat with him when I could eat with you? Hm...or maybe, I can eat you?”

“Unfortunately, I am unavailable for both options. I’m on the night shift. I can head out for dinner, but not too far away from the hospital.”

“That’s alright, I know a fantastic place.”

--

Sitting in a fast food restaurant just two streets away from the hospital, Chishiya was more surprised at the fact that Kurenai would come to a place like this, than the fact that she called this a ‘fantastic place’ to bring him to dinner. 

He knew it was stereotypical to think that someone with her status in society would never step foot in a fast food restaurant, let alone eat there. Though, the type of aura Kurenai gave practically screamed stereotype. After all, she wore yet another expensive dress with a pair of expensive shoes that one would only see on a celebrity at their premiere to a typical work day. 

“Isn’t it so fascinating how they could make food so quickly here?” Kurenai grinned. She was like a child discovering cartoons on the TV for the first time. “You order, and minutes later, you get your order!”

“Yes, that is the whole point of a fast food restaurant. Hence...fast food restaurant.”

Kurenai stuck her tongue out at his teasing, picking up her burger. Ever since Kuina brought her here last time, she had been craving the food. She asked Ayako to make her a burger after, and although it was delicious, it just did not taste the same.

Was it ambiance? Could it be as simple as...because it was simple?

“May I ask you a question?” Chishiya asked, unwrapping his own burger. Kurenai nodded, indicating for him to continue. “Why do you put up with that man? Morita, was it? You obviously do not like him.”

“I could ask you the same thing about cute little Honoka-chan.”

Of course Chishiya knew about Honoka’s feelings for him; she was rather obvious from the beginning. He chose not to acknowledge it because he did not want her to think that she had a chance. He was not interested in her at all. He could reject her straight out, and that would be something he would do two years ago. But they had to work together and see each other every day, why should he make things awkward?

Honestly, he thought by now she would have gotten the clue. 

“Sometimes, there are things in life we have to do even if we don’t like it.” Staring at her burger, Kurenai sighed. “Morita Corporations is a long time partner of our company. They have a son, and I’m the only daughter. Go figure. Doesn’t matter that I don’t like it, because it’s more important to preserve the relationship between the two companies.”

“I thought arranged marriage was just an overused plot in the dramas.”

“It’s more common than you think. My parents had an arranged marriage.”

“I suppose I understand. My parents got married because of mutual benefits, and they ended up having me because...well, I guess because it just makes them seem like a normal family.”

“We’re pretty similar then,” Kurenai smiled. 

Reaching across the table with one hand, Chishiya wiped sauce from the corner of her lips with his thumb. A small gesture, but it was enough to bring a little colour to Kurenai’s cheeks. This was a first for her.

“Let me ask you another question. Do you think there’s a place after death?”

“You mean like heaven?”

“More like a limbo.”

As she chewed, Kurenai was deep in thoughts. She was never a religious person, nor was she philosophical. Whenever debates like whether or not heaven existed came up, she had no interest in participating. Ever since the meteorite, however, she thought a little differently.

When she was in a coma, she felt as if she was in another place. A place just like Tokyo, except it was empty. Sometimes, something would trigger a memory in her but Kurenai would be confused because it was not a memory she remembered having. Almost like she was confusing her dreams with her memories. 

Scientifically, some would say that after a trauma like that, the brain would make up a place like heaven to protect the person. It would induce a dream-like state so they were not focused on the trauma. 

“You know...when I was in a coma after the meteorite disaster, I felt like I was in a different place,” she said. “And I had to fight to survive.”

“Same. I survived that too, and I also felt as if I was in another place. Almost like...another dimension.”

“Maybe we were in the same place,” Kurenai smiled. “Comforting to think that maybe we met in that place.”

[dreadnought-despair]

[CHAPTER 1 - Cafeteria - 004]

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I could smell something delicious in the air, even before I opened the door to Sector 1-- apparently Jurou had been hard at work! Something with chicken in it, it smelled like… I hadn't even thought about being hungry till just now, but my stomach was definitely growling.

On entering the cafeteria, I found several other students that had been drawn out by the scent. My presence did not go unnoticed for long...

“Hi Tim!!” Nikola piped up almost immediately, prompting the rest of the table to turn and look at me. I generally tried to avoid drawing attention to myself... I must have looked like a deer caught in headlights.

“A-ah, um, hi!” I waved nervously and shuffled over to the edge of the table.

“Hehe. Did you find, uh... whatever it was you were looking for earlier?”

“Oh! Yes I did! And Ishi’s doing better now, she’s just gotta stay resting in her room, aha. I’m here to get her some supper.”

“That’s great, I--I’m glad she’s, um, that it’s not too bad...” Vasundhara let out a small sigh of relief as she twiddled her thumbs.

"Man, speaking of… when's the food gonna get done already?"

"Be patient!” Honoka barked, thwapping him on the shoulder with her ever-present cane. “It’s extremely nice of Jurou to cook for all of us tonight, so don’t rush him!”

“Geez, I was just asking...” Michi rubbed his shoulder gingerly.

“JUST A FEW MORE MINUTES, AMIGOS!” Gugalanna bellowed as she waddled out of the kitchen, as if on cue. I guess she’d been helping Jurou cook? Or just offering him very, very loud encouragement.

“Must you always be yelling, Fräulein?” Siegfried grumbled as she shoved past him. Looks like he did decide to change clothes after all-- he now wore a decidedly less extravagant blue sweater.

“I’M NOT YELLING!!” she yelled up at him. None of us were really sure what to say to that. “...WHAT?”

“I-I’m just glad someone here knows how to cook!” I interrupted. “The most I can do is like... grilled cheese.” And even that I've burnt every once in a while, but I wasn’t going to admit the full extent of my culinary failures to the entire group.

“Hmm... Who else here can cook?” Honoka raised her own hand, and looked around at the others expectantly.

A few others raised their hands-- Kapono, Nikola, Gugalanna, Yusra... Siegfried, too, after a little hesitation.

“Seven! That works out nicely! One for each day of the week!” She clapped her hands together decisively. “I can cook supper tomorrow, and I’ll go find some paper for a sign-up sheet for the rest of the days~” She left the room with a bounce in her step before anyone could object to the decision, her tap shoes click-clacking against the metal floor.

The unwitting volunteers glanced around at each other, a little confused.

“Was? I did not sign up for anything...”

“She probably should’ve asked properly first, but... Jurou shouldn’t have to cook every day, though!” Yusra smiled thoughtfully. “And it’ll give us something to do while we’re stuck up here, besides moping around.”

“A-and the rest of us can help too! Just gotta tell us what to do, aha.”

It didn’t take long to decide on a cooking order-- Jurou, Honoka, Nikola, Gugalanna, Kapono, Yusra, Siegfried. We’d all be on our own for breakfast and lunch, but then each volunteer would make supper on their designated day.

Siegfried might’ve been a little wary, but the others were pretty excited about the idea!

“This’ll be fun!! I’ve never cooked for such a big crowd before I wonder what kinds of stuff there’ll be to work with in the pantry I’ll have to hop in there once Jurou’s done!”

“...I hope there’s, um... a grill!”

“HELL YEAH THERE IS! YA BETTER BELIEVE I’LL BE MAKIN’ SOME TLAYUDAS! WAHAHAHAHA!!”

“I...d-don’t know what that is, but um, I’m sure it’s great!”

“Tlayudas! They’re kinda like pizzas, right? I think I had ‘em at a festival once...”

“We are all from pretty different parts of the world, huh? I wonder what everyone’s gonna make! I’ve never had Swedish food... Or German!”

“Then you are in for a TREAT! Nothing like a gen-u-ine Swedish cinnamon bun!”

“...It is, um... not German food. Es tut mir lied.”

“Huh? But I thought... Where are you from, then?”

“I am German-born, but, um... meine Mutter, she is Indonesian. From, ah, Jakarta. That is the cooking I know.”

“Really? That’s awesome! Indonesian food sounds good too!” He glanced at me with a brief smile before turning away again. Why was he so embarrassed to admit he knew how to cook? Maybe it was a personal thing... Ah well, I wouldn’t bug him about it right now.

Everyone began to list off the recipes they knew-- some familiar, some I’d never heard of, Mexican, Swedish, Emirati, Indonesian, Hawaiian... I was just about to ask them to stop because it was making me even hungrier, when Jurou popped his head through the doorway.

“It’s ready! Sorry for the wait, y’all! Guga can ya help me carry this pot?”

Gugalanna darted inside and emerged with a massive steel kettle, filled to the brim with some sort of ...soup? It wasn’t quite what I would’ve expected from Jurou, but it was definitely the source of that wonderful smell! She sat it down on the buffet bar as if it weighed less than a feather.

“Now I ain’t had time to go through and proper lookit all the stuff in the pantry, so’s just a quick soup wid some chicken an’ noodles an’ whate’er veggies was on the counter, hahaw. Hope it tastes alright!”

The others began to show up as we gathered around to try Jurou’s culinary invention.

“What’s everybody looking at? Human food?~”

“I don’t know but oh my god it smells AMAZING!”

“Mm. I suppose the hick is good for something after all...”

--THWAP! Honoka’s cane barely reached her shoulder, but it landed solidly enough for Riko to whirl around in disbelief.

“He has a name you know! Go thank him properly or make your own supper if you’re gonna be like that about it!” Honoka stood her ground against the girl despite her towering height and aura of icy imperiousness.

Any semblance of Riko’s good mood evaporated instantly. “I don’t have to do a thing you tell me--”

“Yo izzalright Honoka, there ain’t nuthin’ wrong with bein’ a hick, yeah?" Jurou grinned up at Riko as he poured her a bowl of the soup. “But y’ain’t gonna wanna bite the hand that feeds ya or yer gonna wind up wid a few extra tablespoons o’ cayenne in that there bowl!”

“There’s cayenne in th--? That’s like, some weapons-grade shit!”

"Dude it’s not that spicy, you’re just white.”

“I mean... yeah? Sorry I don’t stuff napalm in my mouth on a regular basis.”

Tiffani accepted the food regardless, and sniffed a spoonful of it warily-- which made me realize I’d gotten distracted people-watching and hadn’t tried any of my own bowl. And wow, did it taste every bit as good as it smelled! The pepper did sting, though...

“A-ah, it is a little spicy! But I guess I am half white, ehe. B-but still, it’s--”

The reviews quickly started pouring in, overlapping mine.

“Jurou, this is wonderful!”

“...!” Kapono nodded brightly.

“Ja, it is... sehr gut.” He still seemed a bit out of things...

“It’s not just good, it’s absolutely DELIGHTFUL! Delicious! De-lec-table!”

“I don’t know what kinda crack you put in this stuff but I am in l-o-v-e~” Salvatore evidently was more of a food enthusiast than I’d thought-- he fawned over this soup like it was a Chippendale dancers calendar.

“And you said you just made up the recipe on the spot?? If I didn’t know I’d say you were the SHSL Chef! You people and your talents...”

“Well gawsh, I’m glad y’all like it, hahaw!” Jurou seemed pretty flustered by the compliments, but he tried to brush them off. “There’s plenty fer seconds so help yerselves!”

“Ishi’s going to love this! Is there some tupperware or something in the kitchen so I can--”

“Oh yeah! Already made some! Uh... One mo’!” He ran back into the kitchen for a moment and returned with two plastic tubs that he practically tossed at me-- it was a miracle I didn’t drop them. “Now y’tell Ishi, u-um, that I says howdy, and I hope she gets t’ feelin’ better soon... yeah? An’ here’s one fer Aoi, too.”

“Yeah, sure, I’ll tell her. Thanks so much!” Hmmmm, did my eyes deceive me or did somebody have a little crush? Poor guy, he’s much too nice for Ishi’s awful taste in men.

Armed with two bowls of the best chicken noodle soup I’d ever had in my life, I waved goodbye to Jurou and the others and decided to call it a night.

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