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#<- (he thinks akechi needs a hobby)

luffyvace · 3 months

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Hello first of all- Omg my new fav author I LOVE UR WRITING SM LIKE ???? APBDISBRQKOZ

I found your blog form the author!Reader the anon who ask haz a creative mind I loved the 2 post sm I already got addicted to it I hope u Dont mind me requesting sm form it

Imagine Kusuo getting a notification (he seems like the one has his phone on dnd but has his notification open for his s/o in all media) of her post sm in one of there public social platform saying "I'm turning into my emo phase if this writer block doesn't move on form me " and when checking her private acc (the it's only access for him and her older friend) she is all memes about her writer block and her saying "if I stop writing I give all my books and series to you my friend" just her and overreacting to her block writer

Hiii!! THANK YOU CUTIE!! It always makes me so happy to hear I can share my hobbies with others <3 ahhh I see! Of course I don’t mind dear :)

ohh so if I’m getting this right it’s Saiki finding readers second blog (in which she mostly posts unserious stuff about her writers block) I believe I get what ya mean :}

*･..°•*:.｡:3･.｡.:*･..*°.･

Lol if feel like almost every writer has they’re side blogs or blog where they not a writer they just read other’s stuff

and to me this blog seems like a kinda funny vent blog where reader can just complain about her writers block whenever she has it

LOL imagine going inactive on that acc for weeks and saiki’s wondering if you forgot about it or forgot the password but you just simply have had a lot of motivation lately

then all the sudden you come back and your rebloging all types of relatable author memes and making posts about how ‘your going emo because you have writers block’

honestly it’s kinda ironic to him

he likes your posts on both accounts to support even when your do have writers block

cuz who’s likes a guy who ups and leaves when you don’t have motivation?

the first time you threatened to give your books away he knew you were joking but at the same time he was like ‘wait don’t give all your books away they can’t write it as well as you can 😀’

’kusuo I’m joking’

🧍

‘me too I knew that’

(“Thank goodness..her books were the only thing keeping me sane from those nuisances..”)

- In Saiki’s head

he doesn’t get all the writer memes bc he’s not an author, obviously he’s not stupid so he does find some funny

i feel he doesn’t post on social media but if a post of yours does particularly good he’ll repost it

i think I touched up on him being supportive before but yeah I’m gonna say it it again bc it truly is an honorable mention

‘(Name/pen name) has posted!’

- notification

👆💥📲

- Saiki

the emoji combo was terrible but basically that’s him about to break his screen from how hard he clicked

he’s always the first one on your posts and interacts every way possible

except comments..

which sucks cuz it boosts it a lot but he just doesn’t interact online 😭

if it’s a social media where you can see who liked, aiura and torisuka always tease Saiki for being the first like every time

“Dang your a real simp huh? Your the first like on her every post!”

- Aiura

”MAN! You don’t miss a beat do ya Saiki? I can never beat you to it 😭”

- Toritsuka

“wow..you beat me once again. The second the notification pops up you’ve already liked, reblogged and shared before I can even click on it. That’s impressive I must say, but it’s also quite annoying because I would like to be the first one to support (name) one day. In fact you do everything first! You get the books before they publish! You like all her posts first! Satire or not too!- yadda yadda yadda..”

- Akechi

“you don’t even respond to me that fast! Sometimes you leave me on read or delivered for 2 days before you answer me”

- Kaido

Saiki also sees that your friend likes your second acc too

which he would figure since you two are close

ehehe..a bit short dearest but I hope it brings you joy regardless~ 😅💞

I have much to get out..need to be more active..

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aiura-stan · 1 month

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1-2, I am here for you!

Another whopping post, the very next day, you say?? How far ahead exactly did you write these?!? Well, you see. The smoke alarm in my house went off at four am on Sunday.

And so it begins! Kurumi is so sweet, making Saiki some kindergartner bento.

Ah, Kusuo. If only you knew how things would change… alas. That’s Aiura’s power. Hehe.

I like how Kusuo is like, yeah, I was totally the self indulgent guy I described in the beginning. In kindergarten though.

Also, Kuniharu has a blog?? What does he post about on there… maybe his model building hobby?

I find it interesting that people kicked up a fuss about it and Kusuo’s very mature kindergartener response was NOT to simply brainwash the world into accepting psychic powers as normal. I guess his mom told him not to or something.

Nendou is the only person who can sneak up on Saiki… and the explanation of this is changed from “his thoughts are at the same speed as his speech” to “he doesn’t have any thoughts at all” which is… interesting. I personally like the speed of speech explanation better; it makes more sense to me. But that would also mean that Saiki would in fact be able to hear his thoughts from afar. (Like Akechi, who also thinks at the same rate as he speaks and says practically everything he is thinking.) He’s a little different in that sometimes, like in the chapter where he plays against Kusuo. He doesn’t say what is on his mind immediately if he’s otherwise engaged. Whereas Nendou just says whatever whenever. He’s the kind of guy who would be really loud in a movie theater.

XD always been one of my favorite gags. Nendou wouldn’t know what CPR is, of course.

Love that Saiki’s response to Takahashi complaining that people will spread rumors about him that he’s gay is essentially ‘You aren’t hot enough for that’

Here Saiki just uses body language to suggest that they check his temperature. I also notice he doesn’t directly talk to people very often. It makes me wonder if he can, in fact, telepathically talk to people, or if it’s just a function of his hypnosis, allowing people to interpret his thoughts based on the general gist of the idea + what they expect him to be saying. I always assumed it was a mix of these three things: body language first and foremost, low level hypnosis second, and direct telepathy third, for when he really needs someone to know exactly what he’s saying… but based on the amount of misunderstandings, couldn’t it be just the first two? We shall see as I continue to read the series. It’s just one of the things that I am always wondering about in the Saikiverse. I know I say this a lot... maybe by the end of this reread I'll have a more solid theory.

I do wonder how his time at the hospital went. He avoids hospitals normally, since his biometric readouts wouldn’t be normal I guess? And Kuusuke ends up being his stand-in doctor. But I’m guessing that he would simply teleport away before the ambulance arrived. How he tricked the paramedic, who knows. Maybe he used the nana-shaped object to erase his memory.

Alright, the end of 1-2💫

#read-saiki #read-saiki 1-2

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blueskittlesart · 1 year

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How’re you feeling about the persona characters so far

there are so many characters. i will give my thoughts on the ones i can remember

joker/ren/akira/whatever: WHAT IS GOING ON WITH HIM. theres something under the surface i can FEEL IT something is up with him. i need to know what. he also carries my entire team in battle because i have one of those free personas from the velvet room that i think come with the dlc (??) thats like fuckin level 76 so he does like 500 damage per turn

morgana: thought he was female for the entirety of the first 2 palaces. anyway. personality wise he's nowhere near the most annoying character which is an achievement for a weird animal sidekick. would love to know what the hell is going on with him. becoming more and more convinced he is not in fact human and is actually just like a cat that accidentally gained sentience or something

ryuji: best character in the game thus far and i mean that completely unironically. i love him hes such a good kid... like hes so earnest and genuine and i really believe the whole righteous anger thing coming from him yknow? it's not quite as strong with some of the other characters but his motivation for joining the theives was really clear and well-done

ann: i want to like her so bad. genuinely i do. but she is annoying. it's not her fault tho she could be good i know she could be. she is just unfortunately in a japanese visual novel and therefore she needs to be annoying and have her tits out at all times. like if they would give her a fucking PERSONALITY she would be an infinitely better character but her only hobby is literally Being A Model

yusukue: benched the instant i was allowed to do so. in general i dislike both the edgy-guy archetype and the honor student archetype (on men lol this doesnt apply to you makoto my love <3) and he is just. the worst of the 2 combined plus he says weird shit about ann every 3 minutes. every time he opens his mouth i want to kill him

makoto: QUEEN. her heals save my ass in battle constantly. again she has one of the better-written origin stories of the thieves which puts her pretty high on my list but i also find her connection to sae so interesting!! ive yet to see where it goes but i REALLY hope they follow through with that

akechi: 90% sure he can enter the metaverse, my evidence for this being one singular scene in which it was vaguely implied that he could understand morgana. aside from that im obsessed with him for the same reasons im obsessed with every other detective character ive ever come across in my life. detectives just scratch a special little itch in my brain man idk. hes everything to me and i sincerely hope the game ends with either him dramatically, emotionally killing joker or vice versa a la death note

kasumi: somehow is both the painfully generic love interest character and has more personality than ann. i hope her gymnastics tryouts go ok and my condolences for the crush on a gay man

takemi: i do not understand why someone liked her enough to put her on their car. very nice of her to illegally sell me meth or whatever tho

i know im missing a bunch of characters but these are the only ones i have strong enough thoughts abt to remember rn LMAO

#also. i had to switch ann's outfit to a dlc one because i cannot STAND the tits-out catsuit but it STILL USES THE CATSUIT MODEL IN CUTSCENES #asks #if any of this is inaccurate or like. TOO accurate dont tell me i need to keep playing this game blind its incredible

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justdalek · 3 months

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Part one of the Phantom Thieves for the Crusaders au

More info + Gor(e)o Akechi below cut

Ren (Amamiya) Kitagawa

Husband of Ryuji and Yusuke, father of Hikari

Arcana: The World

Persona (Main): Arsene

Still the Wildcard

Has the ability to physically curse anyone in and outside the Metaverse when it opens up again

Works as a Child Service agent to help properly rehome children who were put up for adoption

Became a vigilante hero to save kids from abusive situations after the Metaverse shut down (prior to its second opening)

He is happy to be a model for Yusuke or a consultant for Ryuji

Hikari is closest to him due to his calm demeanor

The only time he lost his temper in front of his daughter was when she was rushed to the hospital after a bad battle in Mementos and Morgana did not inform Ren what actually happened until a few days later (he thought Hikari went missing)

He is still very much a troll when he wants to be

Ryuji (Sakamoto) Kitagawa

Husband of Ren and Yusuke, father of Hikari

Arcana: Chariot

Persona: Captain Kidd

Fully lost his right leg after a bad car accident shattered his femur bone (Ren nearly sued the other driver out of sheer anger that Ryuji couldn’t get his leg back once and for all)

Became a Paralympic for Japan’s track team

He has won 2 gold and 3 silver medals before retiring to become a track coach for one of the high schools

He loves racing Ren in the evenings and being Yusuke’s model in the early morning

Was surprised that Hikari took an interest in skating, but was fully behind her (he fell many times on the ice)

Nearly became a helicopter parent because he was worried that he’d end up like his father, but Ren and Yusuke made sure to remind him that he is not a repeat and that Hikari needs her own space

After the Metaverse opens again, he has the ability to generate electricity by himself, causing several accidental power outages

Yusuke Kitagawa

Husband of Ren and Ryuji, father of Hikari

Arcana: Emperor

Persona: Goemon

Uses his art to inspire people to be their best self

Cried happy tears when Ren and Ryuji asked to take on his last name

Created a self portrait of the current Kitagawa family after Hikari’s arrival (with much encouragement from Ren and Ryuji)

Had a rather hard time bonding with Hikari at first due to remembering how rough his own life got with Madarame, as well as wondering if he is living up to his mother’s expectations

That changed when Hikari (and later Ryuji) had an honest conversation with him about how he’s doing fine and that he shouldn’t be thinking too hard about it

Hikari gets much closer with him after that, and especially after she takes an interest (later hobby) in pottery

Very much makes sure that his family has all Japanese traditional outfits for the proper occasions (especially Ryuji)

Yusuke gains the ability to generate ice after the Metaverse opens a second time. He has to be mindful about his body temperature as he could accidentally freeze an entire floor or person he comes in contact with

Goro Akechi

Arcana: Justice

Persona: Robin Loki

The last remnant of his soul that somehow existed after Dr. Maruki’s reality/Palace was destroyed

He has only one goal: Destroy the Metaverse permanently

His personas are a mutated fusion since Akechi hasn’t fully passed on

Joins the Phantom Crusaders under the guise that he is a mentor for them

Surprisingly becomes a sort of uncle figure to Hikari and Fuyuki

Loves to get under Ren’s skin

Yes, he’s still petty

#d art #persona 5 #persona 5 royal #ren amamiya #akira kurusu #ryuji sakamoto #yusuke kitagawa #goro akechi #pegoryukita #tw gore #rip Akechi but he’s still princess petty #imma dub him spookechi in this au lol #also sheep ren bc I find it super funny #his beard is a pillow according to Yusuke and too fluffy for his own good according to Ryuji #Yusuke on the other hand cannot grow facial hair to save his life

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midnightsprings · 1 year

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I have been massively dropping the ball on posting ANYTHING to tumblr about game dev progress - or any social media publicly, tbh - I am currently "rebranding" the IG dedicated to the game for when I have the energy to maintain it, which is unfortunately not right now. Lol.

So...since all of this has been revealed to backers already months ago, I feel comfortable sharing here. These are some sprites that have been FULLY finished* in the past year, along with a short blurb about the character shown. ^^ Apologies in advance that some of these images aren't formatted or watermarked in the same way as others.

Takuto Hirashima is a possible love interest for Mikuru, one of the twin protagonists. They both share an interest in the occult and horror movies. Takuto frequently goes on excited tangents about his interests, and has a photographic memory, so he tends to have a lot of information to spill. He has pretty severe carpal tunnel from being an active gamer.

Noah Reid is a potential love interest for Mikuru, as well. He is a Canadian model based out of Tokyo at the moment, the reason he is in Hokkaido at the time of the game is unclear. He likes to think he's very good at keeping himself shrouded in mystery. He was surviving on his own for several weeks after the outbreak.

Hanako Akechi is a possible love interest for Toshiro, the other twin protagonist. She has a pretty reserved personality, but when she finally reaches her boiling point, you'll wish she hadn't. She doesn't seem to have many hobbies and really keeps to herself. While she used to be a childhood friend of the twins, things soured, and they mostly lost contact. In hopes of patching things up, she managed to follow them to their attended university. It was not well-received.

Kiriko Yukimura is a possible love interest for both Mikuru and Toshiro (not at the same time...), depending on routes chosen. She is Arisa's closest friend, if not her only friend, and they've been bonded since childhood. Kiriko discovered gyaru style growing up, and decided it was a perfect aesthetic for her to build on to. She loves pastels and all things "girly," and at first it made her feel better to have a darker skintone when wearing a fashion known for intense tans in a country intolerant of mixed-race kids. Eventually, she felt really comfortable in her skin, and that shines through in her warm personality.

Kyoko Koyama is Arisa's older sister by 8 years. She is recently widowed. It's incredibly hard to read her real feelings through her expression, as she's very good at masking her real emotions, a skill learned from having to raise Arisa mostly alone. She loves Kiriko like family, and is desperate to mend the strained relationship she now has with Arisa as they both became adults.

A part-2 kickstarter to raise more funds for programming, the remaining art balance, and potentially even help with writing (I have a lot of health issues going on, have to do more conventions now than ever in order to afford rent, and I need hip surgery that I can't yet afford or make time for), and more...will launch early 2024. Please keep an eye on this page for updates!

*the sprites done first in order to be included in the demo are not actually finished, they're about halfway done. Each main character has 2 normal poses + 1 "fight" pose, multiple outfits, etc. In order for them to be done in time for demo publication, they just have 1-2 poses and 1 outfit each. Sprite artist is Sasamekuh!

#Apocalyptic Dream #ApoYume #Game dev #Indie game dev #Horror game #Otome game #Zombie horror #zombie apocalypse #Zombie apocalypse au #Video game art #Dating sim #Amare game #Sprite art #Midnight springs

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siodium · 2 years

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𝘕𝘌𝘕𝘋𝘖 𝘊𝘓𝘖𝘛𝘏𝘌𝘚 𝘏𝘈𝘜𝘓 ft. 𝙎𝘼𝙉𝘿𝘼𝙇𝙋𝙃𝙊𝙉

welcome to part one of my nendo clothes haul where i’ll be featuring some clothing sets~ i bought a lot of individual clothing pieces as well but am i ready to style them?? no

i’m hesitant to shoot the second part of the haul bc it look me literally the wHOLE DAY to do the shoot and edit the photos aND I DIDN’T EVEN HAVE TO DO ANY STYLING it’s gonna take forever if i had to mix and match pieces ugh ;_;

so for context i bought nendo doll bodies from amiami like over two years ago?? but i only recently started to invest in the hobby and by that i mean i’ve already spent over $200 on clothes and stuff

is this how it feels to be an adult with an income

ok but in my defence it’s A LOT of clothes i’m not even kidding

i even bought duplicate items by accident bc my dumb ass didn’t check the cart properly ughhh

anyways yes my nendos have more drip than me

let’s get into the haul~

for reference i’m using the nendoroid boy body in almond milk

you should have already seen the first outfit from my previous post but i thought i’d show it off with the hat that it came with as well

this cafe/bakery outfit is definitely one of my favs!! it came with so many individual pieces (hat, apron, top, shorts, a hip pouch thing) which means i can style the pieces with other items to create a brand new look~

i bought the brown shoes separately and they were a little pricey but no regrets they match perfectly with the outfit and they’re so well made?? the little details wow O:

i rly like the maid/gothic lolita outfit as well!! the set came with a bonnet too but i have no idea how to put it on sandy’s head :// might wanna try it on someone with less spiky hair

one taobao seller gave me a free gift that came with blu-tack so now i don’t have to struggle to make sandy hold his teapot and teacup heheh

i meant to show off the shoes ok i’m not trying to be sus 👀

this is how the dress looks without the apron

the next outfit is bringing back the poopio maydays feels

the shark outfit was something i’d been looking forward since i ordered it from a carouseller in feb i think?? apparently taobao shipping kept screwing up the orders so it only came like a few weeks ago yikess

also i got this shopping cart too bc i thought it’d make a good photo prop but now i’m not so sure hmmm it’s still rly cute tho

aaaa he looks so soft in this outfit

too bad the hood doesn’t fit over sandy’s hair but it does fit properly on akechi so i guess only smooth and unpoofy hair works with it

there’s a human sized version of the shark slippers that he is wearing and i’m tempted to get a pair for myself lmao

finally we have the mafia-zaddy-from-wattpad outfit

i got this set bc i thought the inner shirt with tie and the black pants kinda look like akechi’s summer uniform except the tie isn’t stripy and i don’t think i can remove it

well doesn’t rly matter it looks great i love suits

also these are the only pants i got that have velcro at the back and they’re so much easier to put on compared to the ones with elastic waistbands (those get stuck on the joints a lot...) 👍 velcro supremacy

that’s all for part one of the haul now i need to rest zzzz sooo tired

is this how it feels like to film/shoot a lookbook......

#i kinda dig the new editing style for the photoset #i was going for a magazine feature type of style but idk it turned out like this #log #nendoroid #ねんどろいど

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tricksheart · 1 year

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@ervaurem said: at what point does akira loses his patience with someone? if someone loses his trust, is it impossible to gain his trust back? what would be the biggest red flags that'd make him stray away from someone in general?

Akira tends to keep to himself so if someone had been pestering him all day and night and didn’t let up at all in the upcoming weeks, he would be really cross with them and probably tell them to take a hike or some other more harsh words. Also if Akira is being forced to do work for anyone that he didn’t initiate, there are going to be problems and he’s not going to do anything requested of him that well. He’s diligent for sure but on his terms, not on anyone else. And those who are overtly positive since that reminds him of his mom and how she tends to sweep other emotions under the rug so to speak and fails to talk about them.

Akira’s hard to trust others so once you lose that trust, it’s near impossible to get it back. Takes Goro Akechi and Takuto Maruki for example. Akira thought that he indeed had a friendly rivalry with Goro and the same goes for the detective since they did have an active confidant and hung out together but ever since Akira had that suspicion about the pancake comment, his trust began to ebb away slowly until the group had evidence of him being a traitor / the traitor and working as a hitman / behind the mental shutdowns and other things that ties along with that. He has to work with Goro in the third semester but it’s only because Akira has no other option than to go along with it because Maruki needs to be stopped. Speaking of Takuto, I think this one hurt Akira the most because the guy was basically using him to further his own goals while pretending to be Akira’s only ally in the school besides the phantom thieves ( sumire is a whole other can of worms since she really isn’t considered part of the team until the third semester ). Akira’s trust shatters the moment Maruki reveals his secret in the tenth confidant and his mannerisms afterwards besides the handshake are at best hostile and wondering if the counselor would rat him and his team out. And of course the whole third semester is rather cause for Akira to lose his trust in Maruki completely but still thinks to save him from falling to his death because he can’t let this guy get away by dying. Maruki had to repent in what he had done just like the other places before his own.

Red flags would be probably those who have plans to kill him. Or just use him to further research. Or force him to be in different reality or pit him against someone for the fate of the world. Pretend to be his ally and then finding out that wasn’t the case. Also someone who is too bright and cheery or is just too oversharing in general. People who force him to do anything is also something that he hates a lot or making him do sports since he’s not that into athletics besides billiards, darts, swimming and baseball. Besides Ryuji, he’s not a fan of extroverts so he tends to not really interact with them all that often. Also, Akira’s not a fan of those who belittles him for being a picky eater or not liking chocolate. Or his hobbies in general. And for the last thing, someone close to him as in his family member being the one who arrested him in the first place on that night.

#death: tw #long post: tw #ervaurem #[ we call them TRICKSTERS. HEADCANON ]#sorry this got long and took like a few weeks to answer but thanks for sending :3;;

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artekai · 2 years

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wait i'm curious now tell me more abt kaito 👀👀👀👀👀

You JUST missed the long-form Kaito essay I wrote king adsfdghjgh but here's the post if you wanna check it out <3 ^^ I went very into detail about Kai’s personality, his motivations, and his relationship with Takuto there, haha <3

THAT SAID... I DO realize I went on for FAR too long, so here's the tl;dr:

Kaito Maruki is the P5R version of my Horizon OC, Artekai. He's Takuto's fifteen year old son, he's a first year at Shujin, and he's a childhood friend of Sumi's. He's also an athlete, he's very into archery, hiking, and general gym stuff (idk don't ask me lmao), but some of his other hobbies include photography and music, specifically playing the drums. Personality-wise, he's very cheerful, energetic, and curious, but he can also come across as pushy, loud, and annoying. He's also very oblivious and trusting to a fault, so a lot of times he can't take the hint when other people are tired of him, which only adds to other people's perception of him as "weird" and "clingy."

I sound like I'm filling out a character sheet lol

Kai is very desperate for attention and companionship, and he has a bit of a fear of abandonment that can be traced back to the Rumi incident. In fact, he only got truly serious about working out after the break-in, because he wanted to be strong to be able to protect those around him... He's also insecure because he feels like he's constantly being overshadowed by his dad (Shujin's reaction to Takuto didn't help), and other people won't stop comparing the two of them (especially since they look so similar... rip), but, most of the time, he manages to hide his frustration behind a smile very well.

His relationship with Takuto is very complicated in general, partly because Kai resents the way that Takuto handled the aftermath of the Rumi incident, and partly because their philosophy in life is fundamentally different, since Kai sees difficulties in life as challenges to be overcome, and he thinks that the constant journey of self-improvement is what gives life meaning. Kai is also jealous, not only because Takuto seems to pay more attention to his research than to him, but because he keeps hearing about how much Takuto has helped everyone at Shujin, so it feels like he cares more about everyone else than about his own son... And he feels like he has been replaced by Akiren.

Kai is very lonely :(

Ultimately, though, he and Takuto still care a lot about each other. Even if Kai finally snaps in the third semester and says some cruel things about Takuto he doesn't mean, he very much wants his dad to be alive and well by the end of the whole ordeal. So that's why he needs to keep Akechi under vigilance, hehe.

Kai also crashes at Akechi's place during the third semester because he can't bear the sight of Takuto at the moment. He feels betrayed, like this is somehow confirmation of all of his worst fears, and he needs time away from home to process it... He and Takuto have quite a lot to work through as father and son </3

But it all turns out fine, I promise! ^^ Kai and Takuto finally have the honest heart-to-heart they’ve been needing for years, the Phantom Thieves successfully steal his heart, and the two of them get a chance to start over as a family! :D

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ruki--mukami · 2 years

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Just wanted to say that I love you writing style. Not only how you depict Ruki and how you build interactions around him but literally the writing style: the choice of words, the flow of text, how you play with words...

I wish I could create something similar...

🧩 Awwww, Anon, that is so sweet of you. Thank you so much for the kind words from the bottom of my heart. It's messages like these that really help my motivation.

WARNING ⚠ LONG RAMBLINGS AHEAD:

Honestly, I just write Ruki from how I imagine him to be in my head. It's very fun to write for him because he's one of the more "proper" DL boys, not only in his mannerisms but also his way of speech from time to time. He has his moments where he is formal, but then he also has his moments where he loses his temper and drops the proper speech, which I find very fascinating. Interacting with so many intricate OC's who arguably have more development than Ruki himself has also stretched my way of thinking quite a bit. It's thanks to them that I have to imagine him in scenarios I never would've dreamed of, but being the Ruki fanatic that I am, I absolutely love love love seeing him thrown in new situations.

Might I add, it also helps that I'm a native English speaker and I've pretty much been exposed to all kinds of writing styles from birth, so there's that too. I only feel the need to add this since I notice much of the DL community is from all over the world, and most people who do happen to write phenomenal English, despite it not being their mother tongue, have to go out of their way to interact with English material most of the time. Not trying to use this as a bragging point or anything, but I thought it'd be good to disclose that I know the language like the back of my own hand at this point, so it definitely takes me less effort to apply what I learn since it's the only language I know fluently. I also really like to show certain idioms, large vocabulary words, and figures of speech through Ruki as well. He's a smart man, so he's the perfect character for me to practice new words I learn which I am very thankful for.

Another element I find interesting about roleplaying as Ruki is that it allows me much room for artistic liberties with his character. The only content we have for his "English" speech would be translations from the original Japanese script. Other than this, the only official English localization I can think of for DL would be the English dub of the anime, but we don't talk about that fiasco on this blog. In the anime Ruki has a very cold, yet proper demeanor (e.g., "There will be consequences," or "I am mystified by you"—they're kind of "big" ways of talking, if that makes sense?) but here I try to take it a step further.

Aside from DL itself, if I'm being transparent there are also a handful of other characters from other franchises who I take lots of inspiration from when writing for Ruki. Some notable ones who really inspire me are Goro Akechi from Persona 5, and many Fire Emblem characters such as Leo, Berkut, and Hubert. Even King Arthur from Merlin (BBC) has inspired me with his way of speech, haha. As you can see, Ruki really acts like royalty sometimes...

Okay, sorry for the long rambling. I want to wrap this response up by saying: Of course you can create something similar, Anon! Writing is not only something we are forced to learn in school to interact with the real world, but also a creative outlet and hobby for us to express ourselves. Whether it's with Ruki, DL, or even another franchise, I'm sure you can improve your own writing style and create something fantastic. Practice, practice, practice. Don’t forget to take breaks from writing and read a lot too. That's a secondary reason why I run this blog. To practice my own writing and stay in touch with articulating my own thoughts creatively. Since I'm not in school anymore, the only other writing I do outside of this blog is my work emails and direct messages with friends. That's it. Not much room for creativity and thinking outside the box because with those, I am forced to write either professionally or casually. However, thanks to Ruki, I can write things I would never say in real life, hahaha. 🧩

#ruki mukami #mukami ruki #the admin speaks #long post #ask #memento

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deus-ex-mona · 3 years

Text

The Case of Yamamoto Kodai

Happy Birthday Kodai!

This is one of the stories from the Koiiro ni Sake novel, namely Kodai’s one moment of fame!

pdf version

Yamamoto Kodai was unable to forget that incident, which had happened in Middle School.

“Yamamoto-kun, lend me your glasses!”

Before he could respond, fingers much thinner than his reached out and grabbed his glasses. Despite Kodai’s confusion, the girl put on his glasses.

“Whoa! Everything’s so blurry…”

“I would think so. The lenses have a degree.”

“Hmm, I guess I really shouldn’t mess around with glasses,” the girl had said, quickly returning the glasses to Kodai. He wondered why she had even decided to try on his glasses.

“Truth is…” the girl continued, as if she had noticed Kodai tilting his head in confusion. “I was just curious about how the world looks like to you, Yamamoto-kun! Just kidding.”

“...I think it’s rather normal, though.”

“That’s not true. You’re a bookworm, and you always pay attention to the people around you, Yamamoto-kun! That’s why I wanna figure out how to reach the heart of a casual bystander like you.”

Kodai had been stunned into silence. The “Yamamoto Kodai” that the girl had spoken of did not seem to resemble him in the slightest. Reading certainly was a hobby of his, though he did not think it gave him any useful skills thus far. And while paying attention to others around him did sound like a good thing, he really just liked to observe people. A “casual bystander” was just a term that she had used for the fun of it.

(And you can just say words to reach another person’s heart, anyway…)

But, if the girl had said so, it must have been so. After all, her words had the power to bring smiles to the people around her, so Kodai was inclined to believe in those words of hers.

“The world I see is always changing around me.”

“Eh, really? Why? And how?”

The person who had changed Kodai’s world was completely oblivious to it.

Kodai just laughed ambiguously in response to the girl’s questions.

“It wouldn’t hurt to tell me,” she had puffed her cheeks, before laughing as well.

She had a dazzling smile, just like the midsummer Sun.

~✿~

After school, a fragrant scent filled the Japanese Language department room, the source of which seeming to be a silver mass atop the stove.

Kodai snorted, and Akechi-sensei, who was checking a draft, looked up at him. “Yamamoto, do you like roasted sweet potatoes?”

“I don’t hate them, but…”

“But?”

“I’m wondering why roasted sweet potatoes are being cooked in the department room.”

“It’s fine, I’m keeping the room well-ventilated.”

No, that was not the problem at hand.

Kodai wondered if he should respond with a punchline, before eventually nodding hesitantly with a sigh. “Haah.”

(Akechi-sensei really is a free-spirited person as always, huh?)

Even though he taught Classical Literature, he wore a lab coat for some reason. He was able to gain the support of his students, regardless of their genders, because he did not act like the other teachers, as seen from his casual words and mannerisms.

When Kodai thought about it, Akechi-sensei’s trivia-based lessons had a reputation for being easy to understand and not boring to sit through.

Kodai wondered if the phrase “hard to comprehend” was the best way to describe Akechi-sensei as a person. In that regard, Akechi-sensei was similar to Shibasaki Ken, also known as “Shibaken”, who was Kodai’s acquaintance from Middle School.

(Well, in Shibaken’s case, it’s easy to understand him if I hang around him for a bit.)

“By the way, about this article,” Akechi-sensei put the draft on the desk, seemingly having finished checking it over. He had written some comments on it with a red pen, though there did not seem to be any major corrections to be made.

“Thank you for your hard work.” Akechi-sensei’s facial expression had relaxed. “Only a few details need to be fine-tuned after this, so I’ll take it from here.”

“I’ll leave it to you. Thank you,” Kodai had responded formally, though he was secretly relieved in his heart.

The draft Akechi-sensei had been checking was the draft of the school newspaper, which was scheduled to be published the next week. It would not be published without the approval of the club advisor, so the publication must be revised repeatedly to prevent blank spaces throughout the issue. Worst case scenario, the blank spaces would be filled in with photographs and drawings.

Though, to be honest, there were cases when they had no other choice due to time constraints, but Kodai had no such excuse this time. It was due to the fact that the people that Kodai had interviewed were First Year students of different clubs, including Kotaro and the others.

(If that article gets published, I’m sure that the seniors will…)

“Ah! It’s Nacchan-senpai and friends!”

“Senpai, please drop by the club later.”

Kodai suddenly heard cheers from outside the room. Although they would not normally be audible, the windows of the room were opened slightly for ventilation, as Akechi-sensei had said earlier.

“Are Enomoto and her group still there?” Akechi-sensei, who had stood up from his chair without Kodai realising it, looked out of the window.

To put it simply, Third Year students were supposed to have returned home after their morning classes had ended. The only times when they would stay back after school would be to take elective lessons, or to attend either club activities or committee meetings.

“Oi, you Third Years over there!” Akechi-sensei opened the window before leaning out of it.

As a cold breeze blew in, Kodai escaped to the front of the stove in the centre of the room. Meanwhile, Akechi-sensei was conversing with the students outside.

“If you have some free time, why not stop by?”

“Huh? Why should we?”

(Ah. That voice sounded like Serizawa-senpai.)

The names Kodai had heard earlier were “Nacchan-senpai” and “Enomoto”, so he had assumed that Enomoto-senpai was with her close friends, Aida-senpai and Hayasaka-senpai.

However, if Serizawa-senpai was there, all of the members of their group were probably there as well.

There were many ways to refer to them, such as “The Year of Success”, or the “Golden Generation”. But in any case, the six of them were definitely a group of stars in Sakuragaoka High School.

Simply put, in terms of name recognition and general fame, no one could compete with Narumi Sena, who actively modelled for magazines, as well as appeared in television commercials. However, Enomoto-senpai, who was an “ordinary person” also had something that attracted others to her.

All six members of the group had such characteristics as well.

The first one that would come to mind was probably Serizawa Haruki-senpai. It was said that if he filmed a movie, he would definitely win an award for it. He was also called a “competition troll” by some groups. In addition, he was good at taking care of others, having the temperament of a big brother. He was also known to be popular amongst his juniors, especially the boys.

Hayasaka Akari-senpai, the Club President of the Art Club, as well as Aida Miou-senpai, the Vice-President, were both regular participants in art contests. They seemed to be commended at every school-wide assembly, and their works were often displayed on the walls in front of the art room and the reception office throughout the year.

Enomoto Natsuki-senpai, who was in the Art Club as well, had received fewer awards than the two of them. However, she was a mood maker, no matter where she went, and she had many fans amongst her juniors, regardless of their gender. She was also the older sister of Kotaro, Kodai’s friend since Middle School.

There was also the person who was rumoured to be dating Enomoto-senpai, Setoguchi Yu-senpai. Setoguchi-senpai excelled in both sports and studies, and was tall in height, so he was known to be a prince-like character amongst the girls. He was also selected as Mr. Sakuragaoka High School that year, as well as the year before that. Just like Enomoto-senpai, Kodai knew him to be the older brother of Hina, whom he called “Setoguchi-san”.

And the sixth member of the group was Mochizuki Sota-senpai. He had started the Movie Research Club with Serizawa-senpai and Setoguchi-senpai, and was the Vice-President of it. Along with Enomoto-senpai, the four of them were childhood friends, and Mochizuki-senpai was called “Mochita” by them. He was also known to be an easy person to talk to.

(But the truth is, Mochizuki-senpai is the one who maintains the balance of the group.)

At least, that was how it looked to Kodai. Mochizuki-senpai and his group of four childhood friends had attended the same Middle School as Kodai. He was two grades apart from them, so he had only attended school together with them for one year. Even so, they had left a strong impression on him.

“So anyway, please keep the roasted sweet potatoes a secret,” Akechi-sensei looked back, closing the window in order to leave just a small gap open. Since Kodai was in the same room as him, he had probably thought that Kodai was listening in on the conversation.

However, as Kodai had shut out external information when he was lost in his thoughts, he had no idea as to what Akechi-sensei had been talking about earlier. He briefly wondered how he should reply to Akechi-sensei, before ultimately deciding to just be honest with him.

“I’m sorry, I spaced out.”

“Ah, you didn’t hear me earlier? The Third Years are on their way over now, but I’m wondering when I should start to divide the roasted sweet potatoes into eight equal parts.”

What he had missed was more ridiculous than he had expected… Well, it seemed to have been a pointless conversation to begin with.

“Haah,” Kodai replied with a sigh, before beginning to point out the facts. “But, even if I’m silent, I think you’ll be able to tell based on the smell.”

“...Right, that’s how it is, right? Whoa, what should I do?!”

Whether he was being serious or if he was joking, Akechi-sensei raised his hands and flailed them around, as though he was performing a strange dance. As Kodai watched him blankly, he heard the sound of footsteps along the corridor.

“Oi Saku-nii, we’re here.”

“Pardon my intrusion! Ah, it smells good.”

“There are roasted sweet potatoes? Right?”

“What’s the fuss about roasted sweet potatoes these days?”

The moment the door opened, the seniors began talking all at once. In order of speaking were Serizawa-senpai, Enomoto-senpai, Mochizuki-senpai, and Setoguchi-senpai, namely the group of four childhood friends. Hayasaka-senpai and Aida-senpai were watching the fast-paced conversation with smiles on their faces.

(The seniors look like they’re on good terms as always…)

Such a scene, which he usually saw from a distance, was now happening right in front of him. Kodai felt a little strange about it.

“Ahem! Unfortunately for you guys, these roasted sweet potatoes belong to the Newspaper Club,” Akechi-sensei cleared his throat as he stood between the seniors and the stove. He wore work gloves on his hands as he removed the roasted sweet potatoes, which were wrapped in aluminum foil.

(I see, so that was the matter with his hands.)

Although he had his strange moments, Akechi-sensei was an adult after all.

“Eh!” Enomoto-senpai shouted, unable to come up with a good rebuttal.

“Then, sensei, what is the ‘good thing’ you were talking about?”

“Wait, Saku-nii, you said that these belong to the Newspaper Club. So why are you holding on to it?”

(Hm? Did Serizawa-senpai just say “Saku-nii”...?)

Kodai thought that he had misheard the first time, but he was now certain that Serizawa-senpai had called Akechi-sensei “Saku-nii”.

“Hey, didn’t I tell you to call me “sensei” when we’re at school?” Akechi-sensei smiled in exasperation at Serizawa-senpai’s sassy remark.

Kodai wondered what the kind of relationship that the two of them had with each other was. As he pondered over it, his shoulder was grabbed by a hand that had extended out from the side.

“The only people of the Newspaper Club that are here right now are Yamamoto, a member, and me, the advisor. Got it?”

“Saku-nii is the advisor?! Is this for real, Kodai?”

“Yes. The teacher who was in charge of the club till last year was transferred out.”

“See, I told you so. Wait, the two of you get along with each other?” Akechi-sensei had a rather smug expression on his face for a bit, before his eyes began to sparkle in curiosity the next moment. Unlike Kodai, he seemed to be well-versed in managing his facial expressions.

“It’s cuz Kodai’s friends with Natsuki’s younger brother, Kotaro.”

“Natsuki and Yu are next-door neighbours, so we occasionally meet face-to-face,” Mochizuki-senpai added as a supplement to Serizawa-senpai’s words.

“I see,” the corners of Akechi-sensei’s mouth lifted as he listened to their explanation. “So is it similar to what it’s like between Haruki and me?”

“When you put it that way, the relations between me and Kotaro, as well as Hina, would be something like that, huh.”

(So that means that Serizawa-senpai’s sibling was friends with Akechi-sensei.)

Kodai was surprised, but he found that they had a pretty nice relationship. As he thought about that, he suddenly found Serizawa-senpai glancing at him.

“I don’t see Kodai that often, but he’s kinda like a nephew to me, right?”

“Huh, well.”

When Serizawa-senpai gave a lively reply to Akechi-sensei, Mochizuki-senpai huffed from his spot next to him. “A nephew…! Wouldn’t it be better to say that he’s like a younger brother?”

“Right? I’d rather be a big sister to him than my actual little brother,” Enomoto-senpai nodded enthusiastically, the bun atop her head shaking along with her movements.

“Speaking of that, shouldn’t you be more disciplined, like an older sister should be?”

“Hey, Yu, don’t say things like that even if you do think that way!” Enomoto-senpai whacked the shoulder of Setoguchi-senpai, who had poked fun at her with a serious expression on his face. That was a familiar sight to see as well.

“By the way, Akechi-sensei, what’s the ‘good thing’ you had mentioned?” Mochizuki-senpai asked, suppressing his laughter.

“Ah, right. Actually, the draft for the next issue of the school newspaper is ready.”

“Eh,” Kodai involuntarily blurted out. He was surprised to hear that the draft he had written was the ‘good thing’ Akechi-sensei had mentioned.

“This next issue will have lots of literary masterpieces. I have high standards as an advisor, you know?”

Ignoring the stunned students, Akechi-sensei hummed as he arranged the draft on his desk. When he placed a printed out photo next to the draft, Hayasaka-senpai gasped. “Wow!”

“Nacchan, your brother’s featured in this! Look, here.”

“Where, where? Ah, it’s true! And the photo’s really big too?”

“He’s the rising star, he’s amazing, isn’t he?”

“Right, right?” Enomoto-senpai nodded enthusiastically at Aida-senpai’s words.

(I’m glad. Enomoto-senpai looks so happy…)

“Yamamoto was the one who was in charge of this special feature.”

“Hey, Akechi-sensei…”

The eyes of the seniors all suddenly honed in on him.

“Amazing! So you’re the one who wrote this, Yamamoto-kun.”

“...It’s only because it’s my turn to do so this time around,” Kodai immediately looked down to the floor, blinded by Enomoto-senpai’s dazzling face.

Around the same time, he heard a mystified voice from Serizawa-senpai. “But it’s pretty unusual. Aren’t Third Year students usually featured in the school newspaper at this time of year every year?”

“Ah, that’s… Something like a parting gift, of sorts…”

“Parting gift? Wait, then what’s up with this special feature?” he had asked in confusion, though he received no response.

When Kodai looked up, he saw Enomoto-senpai and the other seniors looking at each other in wonder.

“Aah!” Mochizuki-senpai’s voice rang out, echoing through Kodai’s blank mind. “The special feature’s our juniors’ way of reassuring us that they’ve learned from us properly.”

“I see, that makes sense,” Serizawa-senpai agreed, him and the other seniors having been convinced by Mochizuki-senpai’s words, judging from the expressions on their faces.

When Kodai finally felt relieved that the awkward air had cleared, Setoguchi-senpai suddenly opened his mouth.

“Hmm, that’s pretty good! Ah, but this is also a secret from the Third Years in the Newspaper Club, right?” Setoguchi-senpai asked, speaking with confidence.

(They’re amazing, how did they find out?)

Kodai bowed his head to his seniors, as he tried to seek a favour from them. “Y-yes. So I’d appreciate it if you kept it a secret until it’s published…”

“Don’t worry. I’ll keep an eye on someone over here to ensure that she doesn’t accidentally let the information slip.”

“...Yu, why’re you looking at me? It’s rude!” Enomoto-senpai raised both of her hands in protest.

Without taking a step towards her, Setoguchi-senpai smiled as he spoke. “The day before yesterday, I wanted to surprise Hina and her friends, so I remember asking you to keep it a secret that I bought pudding from the Haniwa Store. Though, who was the one who blabbed about it to Kotaro?”

“People tend to let stuff slip when they panic. You have to be careful too!”

(I haven’t seen the seniors interact like this before.)

Speaking of which, Kodai was unable to feel the sweet atmosphere that tended to surround lovers from the two of them, who were bickering away like that. He wondered if it was because they were childhood friends, who had already known each other for a long time.

“Natsuki and Yu, that’s enough from you both.”

“If you want to continue to go at it, do it when you’re alone with each other.”

Serizawa-senpai and Mochizuki-senpai seemed to be mocking the two of them. However, even though Kodai noted that they “seemed to be” mocking them, as far as their facial expressions were concerned, they were only half-teasing them.

Though, at the next moment, Setoguchi-senpai and Enomoto-senpai started talking at the same time again. Heaving a sigh at the sight, Serizawa-senpai and Mochizuki-senpai began to snicker. Aida-senpai and Hayasaka-senpai also joined in, their bright laughter echoing around the room.

(...I wonder if I should get going soon.)

Kodai shifted his gaze around as he searched for the person he was looking for. Akechi-sensei had already moved from where he had been standing next to Kodai, having returned to sitting at his desk.

“Sensei,” Kodai called out softly, amidst the excited chatter of the seniors, who had already moved on to a different conversational topic.

Akechi-sensei looked up with a mildly surprised expression, though it quickly turned into his usual smile. “What’s wrong? Wait, is this about the roasted sweet potatoes?! Give me a sec, okay?”

“Ah, no…” Kodai paused as a roasted sweet potato was cleanly cut in half before his eyes. He accepted the roasted sweet potato, unable to correct Akechi-sensei in time, before returning to the main subject again. “I need to report to my seniors that my draft has your approval, so I’m done here.”

“I see. Ah, be sure to ask Takai-kun if he has edited the postscript.”

“Got it.”

Bowing a little, Kodai quietly left the Japanese Language department room. As soon as he closed the door, he heard a burst of laughter from within.

(Th-that surprised me…)

He pressed a hand to his shirt, where he could feel his rapidly beating heart beneath his palm, as he walked down the corridor. The lively area from earlier seemed like a lie, considering how quiet it now was.

(Ah. I wasn’t able to ask Mochizuki-senpai about his screenplay.)

~✿~

“By the way, guess what I heard from the class next door.”

The next day, as the three of them headed towards the school cafeteria, Shibaken spoke up as though he remembered something. Kodai wondered just what he was talking about. When he glanced at Kotaro, he was looking at Shibaken with a similarly suspicious expression.

“You heard something. So what?”

“There’s a queue to confess. You know, to that Third Year girl Hayasaka Akari-senpai.”

“A-a queue to confess? What the hell is that?” Kotaro’s eyes widened.

“Huh, you really don’t know about it?” Shibaken replied with a question.

“This is the first I’m hearing of it too. People who want to at least confess to Hayasaka-senpai before she graduates are lining up to do so… or something like that, right?”

“Kodai-kun, full marks to you!”

“So there’s such a thing. Hayasaka-senpai is crazy popular, huh,” Kotaro sighed.

Kodai nodded. “Well, it would be more troublesome if they ran up to her to confess.”

Unlike Enomoto-senpai, Kodai had not talked much with Hayasaka-senpai and Aida-senpai. He happened to meet them several times face to face, just like they had the previous day, though the only times when he made conversation with them had been when he was interviewing them for the school newspaper. But even so, those interactions were enough for him to know that the two of them were nice people.

He figured that having to turn down confessions would be a considerable burden on her.

“I wish Hayasaka-senpai would just accept someone’s confession already.”

“She’s not like you, Shibaken,” Kodai reflexively responded, before frowning in remorse.

Up till then, Shibaken had never refused being asked out by someone else, but he had become rather inactive in the dating scene as of late. Kodai did not know what had caused the change in him, but he knew that he should not have said that to Shibaken, who was known to be a playboy.

“Um, sor…”

“H-hey,” Kotaro opened his mouth, his words drowning out Kodai’s apology.

“What’s up?”

Turning around, Kodai saw that Kotaro had seemed to have stopped walking a while ago, as he was standing a distance behind them. His face was pale, as if he had suddenly fallen ill.

“Oi, Kotaro? Can you hear me?” Shibaken stopped walking as well, waving a hand at Kotaro.

However, Kotaro did not react to him, pointing towards the end of the corridor with a trembling finger instead. “Th-there’s something over there…?!”

“Where? Do you get him, Kodai?”

“Hmm, I don’t see anything…”

“There is, behind the pillar by the boys’ bathroom!”

“Ah! Whoa!” Kodai and Shibaken instinctively blurted out in unison.

The tip of Kotaro’s finger was pointed at Mochizuki-senpai, who was leaning against a pillar. He seemed to be muttering and mumbling to himself, as though his soul had left his body. His strength seemed to have been sapped out of him, and the thick brown envelope he held in his hand looked as though it was about to drop to the floor.

(Mochizuki-senpai never changes.)

It was the second time that Kodai had seen Mochizuki-senpai in such a state.

The first time that Kodai had seen it was before Golden Week, when he had been interviewing the Art Club for the school newspaper. As he left the art room after the interview, he had casually looked around, feeling a gaze from somewhere. Then he saw Mochizuki-senpai peeking from around a pillar in the corridor, much like he was doing at that present moment.

(It definitely has something to do with Hayasaka-senpai.)

“Sorry. I just remembered that I have something to do, so the two of you can go on ahead first,” Kodai said, immediately rushing over towards the pillar.

As he got closer, he could hear the words that Mochizuki-senpai was muttering.

“Confessions to Akarin? What’s more, they’re queuing up to do it…?”

“Did you not realise it? Aren’t the two of you classmates?”

Despite talking to him out of the blue, Mochizuki-senpai did not have any particular reaction. On the contrary, he had replied naturally, as though nothing had happened at all.

“I didn’t think much of it when she would leave the classroom for a short while when it was break time, but…”

“No, that’s not the point. You’re looking really suspicious now, you know,” Kodai rebutted mercilessly, as though he had been dealing with Kotaro or Shibaken instead. However, Mochizuki-senpai did not get angry with him, beginning to growl while clutching his own head instead.

(This happens as soon as Hayasaka-senpai gets involved.)

However, the moment Mochizuki-senpai picked up a pen, he would write stories that would amaze his readers. Kodai had realised this during an interview for the school newspaper.

The first issue of the school newspaper in September, following the Summer vacation, had a section that introduced each club activity in a relay format, including the Movie Research Club.

Basic information, such as the number of members and the schedule of the club activities, was written by Setoguchi-senpai, the Club President.

Other in-depth questions, such as “When did you first start to make movies?” and “Why did you decide to make movies?” were addressed to Serizawa-senpai.

(However, Serizawa-senpai’s answers were rather abstract and all over the place…)

The intentions behind Serizawa-senpai’s answers were conveyed, though it had been difficult to string them together into a coherent newspaper article. Even so, when Kodai managed to write it all down and went over to ask for a check, an “incident” occurred.

“Is it okay for me to make a few changes to this?”

“Ah, yes, it’d help.”

In truth, Kodai had been grateful for Mochizuki-senpai’s offer. He thought that, as an outsider, he would not be able to pick up on the detailed nuances in the answers given in the questionnaire, and that by having Mochizuki-senpai fix them, the number of checks required after that would be reduced.

Mochizuki-senpai rushed through the draft with a red ballpoint pen, and was done with the changes in less than ten minutes. Kodai had thanked him and received the modified draft, before starting to read it on the spot.

However, before he had even read it to the end, Kodai raised his face in amazement. The modifications to the draft were clearly written at a completely different standard from the original.

Mochizuki-senpai had seemed to be worried about Kodai’s reaction.

“I-I’m sorry! Was it really that strange? Should I undo my edits?”

“...No, I want to use this version.”

“Really? I’m rather concerned because I’m your senior…”

“You’re worried about such a thing?! Ah, there’s definitely nothing wrong with it, though,” Kodai had instinctively yelled, before mumbling his following words. Even so, his words seemed to have reached Mochizuki-senpai properly, which he was relieved about.

Ever since that day, Kodai had kept the red pen-modified draft with him in his bag. Whenever he lost his motivation to keep writing an article, or whenever it was difficult to get the approval from either the Club President or Akechi-sensei, he would reread the “model” of Mochizuki-senpai’s work. Of course, his own sentences would not improve suddenly, but his mood would change.

Kodai learned that Mochizuki-senpai, who had written such a “model” work, had been studying screenplays when they had met in the library by coincidence.

Kodai, who had run out of books to read on his way home, had dropped by the library after his club activities had ended. There had been few people in the library, as it had been a short while before the last of the students were supposed to leave the school.

Amidst the relative silence of the library, a chair suddenly fell down with a loud noise. Then, a mysterious loud voice suddenly rang out. “I’ve got it!”

When Kodai instinctively turned around, he saw Mochizuki-senpai standing there with a bright red face.

“Um, I’m sorry, I’ll be quiet now…” Mochizuki-senpai had apologised softly, sitting down in a chair and visibly wilting. However, at the next moment, he was writing with a mechanical pencil with a tremendous amount of enthusiasm.

Kodai was unable to keep up with the series of events. The stunned gazes of the surrounding people continued to look at Mochizuki-senpai, but he did not seem to care at all. Kodai was impressed by how focused he was.

However, a piece of paper fell off the desk when Mochizuki-senpai’s elbow hit it. He seemed to have been oblivious to it, and, in the worst case scenario, it may have been left as-is.

After a beat of hesitation, Kodai quietly walked over. He picked up the piece of paper from the floor and slipped it onto the edge of the desk.

“Ah, there’s a typo.”

“Eh? Where, where? Wait, whoaaaa!” Mochizuki-senpai shouted in surprise.

As it was the second time Mochizuki-senpai had yelled, the surrounding gazes, as well as the eyes of the librarian, hardened, and Kodai found himself being forced out of the library with him.

“I’m sorry, it’s because I suddenly called out to you.”

“It’s not your fault at all, Yamamoto-kun! If only I’d looked around more… Ah, right, thank you for picking it up. I didn’t notice it at all. It was a great help.”

“Not really… I only took a glance at it earlier, but are you writing a novel or something?”

“So you really saw it after all? This is actually a screenplay. It’s still just a draft, though.”

In truth, Kodai knew that it would have been better if he had pretended that he had not seen it. It may have been a topic that Mochizuki-senpai did not want to talk about, and he was not as close to the seniors as Kotaro was.

However, Kodai lost out to his curiosity, and he found himself bowing down before he knew it. “Please let me read it!”

As he had expected, the screenplay that Mochizuki-senpai had written was interesting. As it was romance-themed, Kodai had had his doubts before he had started reading it, but he could not stop turning the pages, as though he was reading his favourite mystery novel.

However, the screenplay was unfortunately incomplete. Therefore, Kodai had asked if he could be the first one to read it once it was completed, and he had been waiting ever since.

Judging from its thickness, the brown envelope that Mochizuki-senpai was holding probably contained a bunch of screenplays.

Kodai wanted to read it soon. He wanted to continue to read it.

Kodai gently called out, all while suppressing his urge to scream. “Um, Mochizuki-senpai.”

“Akarin really is cute, regardless of who’s the one looking at her, right?”

“Right? Aah, of course.”

“Y-you agreeeeed! Yamamoto-kun, I didn’t know that the feelings you felt for Akarin were l-lo-lo---”

“No, I just have respect for her. By the way, Mochizuki-senpai, have you completed the screenplay?”

“Eh? Huh, Yamamoto-kun…” Mochizuki-senpai blinked. He was probably thinking “Just when did you get here?”. It seemed that his amazing concentration was at play, even on an occasion like this.

“Kotaro spotted you, that’s about it,” Kodai said without further explanation, but it seemed to have satisfied Mochizuki-senpai.

“A-aah, so that’s how it is. I needed to find you anyway, Yamamoto-kun…”

“Is the script inside that brown envelope?”

“Yup, yup. I finally finished it last night, so I printed it out and brought it along. I’m sorry that it’s so bulky, but I’d be happy if you could read it when you have the time.”

“Thank you, very much…”

The envelope Kodai received from Mochizuki-senpai was heavier than it had looked. Its heavy weight spread across the palm of his hand, and his heart pounded in anticipation.

“I’ll be sure to read this immediately after.”

“I’m happy about it, but don’t you have to eat lunch first?”

“Then, I’ll read it as soon as I’m done with eating.”

“Ah, be sure to pay attention to your lessons as well.”

“...The moment school ends, I’ll read it all at once.”

“Ahaha! Yeah, please do.”

“I’ll be seeing you, then!” Mochizuki-senpai laughed shyly and began to walk, waving his hand. He was heading for the school cafeteria on the same floor.

(...I wonder if he’s looking for Hayasaka-senpai.)

To Kodai, the human heart, much less the feelings of love, was an unanalysable black box. He had always thought as such, which was why he tried not to show unnecessary interest in it. However, for some reason, he found himself concerned about such a thing at that time.

~✿~

On that day, Kodai hurried to the library the moment the bell that announced the end of the school day had rang. He secured the seat by the window, which was as close to the back of the library as possible, and opened the brown envelope to take out the screenplay.

“The Answer to Jealousy”

That was the only thing that had been printed onto the first sheet of paper.

They were the first words that he saw.

It seemed that the title was decided upon after the screenplay had been written to completion.

With bated breath, Kodai turned the page.

~✿~

When Kodai finished reading the last line, the fluorescent lights above were beaming down on him. Looking out of the window while rubbing his stiff neck, he saw that the evening Sun had already set, and the moon was drifting about the deep blue sky.

“I’m so happy that you’re already reading it.”

The moment Kodai took a breath, he heard a voice from his immediate vicinity. Still basking in the afterglow of the story he had just read, he turned around after a beat.

“...Mochizuki-senpai?! Ah, ow.”

Kodai’s neck cracked loudly, and pain began to spread along the area, though that was not the issue at hand.

“I’m sorry, I called out to you without warning…”

“No, it’s fine. Anyway, how long have you been there?”

Kodai wondered if Mochizuki-senpai had seen him reading the screenplay. He was struck by a strong, uncomfortable feeling of awkwardness, though fortunately, Mochizuki-senpai laughed it off.

“Just a while ago. I remembered that the deadline for returning my reference books was today, so I rushed over.”

“Is that so?” Kodai nodded. As if that was a signal, the conversation was cut off then. Mochizuki-senpai, who was sitting on a chair with a vacant chair between them, was staring at his hands with his head lowered miserably.

(One of the characters in the screenplay also had such a habit…)

Kodai slowly opened his mouth, feeling a little closer to solving the mystery. “I’ve already read the screenplay to the end.”

“Ah, yeah, thank you.”

“Senpai… Why did you write such a story?”

That question was the first thing that had come to Kodai’s mind once he had finished reading the screenplay. The screenplay that Mochizuki-senpai had written was a romance story set in a modern High School. On the other hand, it could also be read as a coming-of-age story of six boys and girls passing by each other, colliding with each other, all while coming to terms with their own feelings.

If Kodai had to give an overview for it, he’d describe it as a “common story”. However, he felt as though the screenplay had its own unique brilliance. All of the characters were realistic, and it felt as though they lived in the same world that he did. He really felt as though the characters physically existed close to him.

“The reason why I wrote this story, huh…” Mochizuki-senpai looked around as he groaned in thought. “Hmm.”

Before long, Mochizuki-senpai seemed to find his answer, and he spoke while scratching his cheek with his finger. “I think I was trying to project what I was feeling at the moment into the text. To be honest, I didn’t want to show it to anyone at first.”

“Eh…!”

It was the first time that Kodai had heard of this. As he was stunned speechless, Mochizuki-senpai continued.

“Haruki’s the movie director and Yu’s kind of the producer. They both have their own specialties, but I’ve always just been the odd-job guy! I didn’t have anything to call my own,” Mochizuki-senpai said, taking a clear file out from his bag. There were a few memos inside the file. The words on the printouts had been written over and over again with red, blue, and green ballpoint pens.

“But when I wrote my feelings into the script in front of me, I found it to be a lot of fun. That’s why I wanted to write even more…” Mochizuki-senpai muttered softly, tracing the words he had written with his ballpoint pens.

Having nothing to say in response, Kodai just nodded in silence.

“I wrote it however I liked for a while, but you told me that you wanted to read it, right, Yamamoto-kun? I was so happy about it. From then on, I became more aware of the readers, and changed the outcome and the plot of the story.”

(Aah, so that’s how it was…)

Kodai felt as though it was a work that could be read like an I-novel, but he was convinced by the spoken words all the same. It was as though Mochizuki-senpai had written himself into a character in the screenplay.

That was why Kodai dared to ask a follow-up question. “Senpai, would you confess to the person that you love?”

“Yeah. I’ve done it.”

“...Is that so?”

“But things like this are on a case-by-case basis,” Mochizuki-senpai huffed a laugh and extended his fingers out, as though he was counting something off. “Like practising confessing with the person one loves, and because they know that they have no hope, they do not confess for real so as to not burden the other person…”

Kodai had no idea as to who Mochizuki-senpai was thinking of. However, from the gentle expression on Mochizuki-senpai’s face, Kodai could tell that that person was important to him.

“It’s different for each and every person, and I think that they’re all handling it in the right way,” Mochizuki-senpai said in a clear voice. It sounded as though he was reassuring himself of such as well. “...Yamamoto-kun, somehow I feel as though you’re kind of like me.”

“Huh,” Kodai nodded semi-reflexively at the sudden change in topic.

“You like observing people, and you have the tendency to be a bystander as a result of that, right?”

“!”

“Huh, did that hit the mark?” Mochizuki-senpai grinned.

Kodai smiled awkwardly.

He had always been just a bystander. Reading was his hobby, he liked observing people, and he always spoke his mind. He also had a person who helped him to realise that he was also a person of value in this world. There was no other way to describe him other than a “complete bystander”, though there were people who joked that he was the main character in his own life.

Kodai wondered what he would be like two years from then.

He wondered what kind of person he wanted to become.

Kodai clenched his fists tightly.

~✿~

On the day of the graduation ceremony of the seniors, a pleasant blue sky extended across the horizon.

When Kodai was packing up the chairs in the gymnasium after the ceremony had ended, his phone vibrated in the pocket of his blazer. He had received a call from Mochizuki-senpai.

“Yamamoto-kun, bring your camera and meet us on the roof!”

Having said that, he hung up the phone.

Kodai wondered if they wanted him to take a group photo for them, though he then wondered why they had chosen him to take it out of all the people who could have done so. His curiosity getting the better of him, Kodai hurried to his club room to retrieve the camera he used for interviews.

When he got to the roof, Kodai found the usual six people there. Enomoto-senpai and Hayasaka-senpai had reddened eyes, but they immediately smiled when their gazes landed on the camera.

“Pardon me, but what kind of poses are you planning on making?”

“I want to link arms with Nacchan…”

“Geez, you’re so cute, Akari! Sure, sure, we’ll link arms as much as you want.”

As the girls loudly fussed over each other, Mochizuki-senpai had a depressed expression on his face. Without needing to ask him, Kodai could tell that he was envying Enomoto-senpai.

Setoguchi-senpai smiled awkwardly as he watched the different interactions before him.

“You have it easy, Yu. You have some leeway there. You can hold hands with Natsuki all you want.”

“No, that’s not…”

“What? Mochita, are you envious?” Enomoto-senpai laughed with a smirk.

Hayasaka-senpai clapped her hands as though she had just thought of something. “Why don’t Mochizuki-kun and Setoguchi-kun hold hands, then?”

The next moment, silence fell.

Enomoto-senpai clutched her stomach as she laughed, and Mochizuki-senpai looked up at the sky without uttering a word.

“W-why?” Setoguchi-senpai asked Hayasaka-senpai with a forced smile on his face.

“I think it’ll be difficult for all six of us to line up in a row due to the camera frame. I think we’ll bend down a little in the front, while you and the others stand behind us, Setoguchi-kun.”

(I-I see. So she had a reason for it after all…)

Kodai secretly smiled to himself as he adjusted the lens of his camera.

When he was searching for a subject to match the exposure, he saw Serizawa-senpai and Aida-senpai, who were standing at a small distance away, reflected in the frame, though they were standing too far away for their voices to be audible. However, Kodai could see gentle expressions on their faces, and he naturally began to smile as well.

“Okay, let’s gather, everyone! It’s time to take the picture!” Enomoto-senpai called out, marking the start of the photography session.

Enomoto-senpai, Hayasaka-senpai, and Aida-senpai were lined up in the front row with their arms linked and their hands held. Setoguchi-senpai, Mochizuki-senpai, and Serizawa-senpai stood in the back row.

One picture, two pictures, three pictures…

The last picture was taken with Mochizuki-senpai’s phone, which thus concluded the photography session.

The seniors still seemed to be a little reluctant as they looked down at the schoolyard, and at the pictures they had taken.

Kodai had intended to pack up and leave without saying anything, but he noticed “something” that was left in the inner pockets of his bag and paused.

“Enomoto-senpai, may I have a moment? Please take this, if you’d like.”

“Wow, thanks! Is this an album?”

“Yes. It’s the one that was taken by the Newspaper Club.”

“Amazing, there’s so many…” Enomoto-senpai’s eyes sparkled as she looked through the album. Eventually, her hands stopped turning the pages. “Is this…”

“It’s you, Enomoto-senpai, and Setoguchi-senpai,” Kodai described the picture in front of him.

Enomoto-senpai huffed a laugh. “Pfft. Yamamoto-kun, that can’t be it~.”

“Yes. This is what I see. This is how you two always are when you’re together.”

“...I didn’t know that Yu and I looked like this.”

Kodai had brought a smile to her face with the picture he had taken, as well as with the words he had spoken. He thought that that was enough for him to be happy.

But, the truth was…

There were a lot of other things he wanted to say. Things that he had yet to tell her.

Kodai spoke in a loud voice, afraid of voicing his own thoughts. “Senpai, congratulations on your graduation.”

#honeyworks #yamamoto koudai #enomoto natsuki #akechi saku #mochizuki souta #setoguchi yuu #hayasaka akari #serizawa haruki #enomoto kotarou #shibasaki ken #koiiro ni sake novel #instant ramen instructions comprehensions

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dawn-the-rithmatist · 3 years

Text

The Phantom Thieves and their weapons

One thing that’s really bugged me lately is the fact that the phantom thieves just,, have weapons. In real life. And they buy them irl so they don’t just disappear when they leave the Metaverse. So here are some headcanons about how the heck they deal with that.

Akira

Akira is lucky because he just has knives. Those are pretty easy to hide in his bag, so he usually goes with that.

He’s gotten a lot more careful over the course of the year. A kid seeing a random dagger in his bag within the first week of being at Shujin lead to some rumors about him being a psycho knife wielding killer, and ever since that knife stays very buried until they’re in the metaverse.

Ryuji

Ryuji starts out with excuses. A baseball bat? Yeah he’s been trying to get better at the batting cages ever since the track team ended. A crowbar? His mom needed help with something that got stuck.

Unfortunately, as his weapons get stronger they also get harder to explain. Everyone already thinks he’s a delinquent though, so a lot of the time they just kind of shake their heads.

“At least he’s not hurting anyone?” “He’s just kind of a weird guy.” “Don’t mess with Sakamoto I guess”

Ann

Ann. Poor Ann. Because when high school boys see a pretty girl with a whip, their minds go to exactly one place, and honestly the rumors about her were already pretty bad.

She’s pretty mortified, honestly. The first time someone asks about the whip and alludes to some. *cough*. Interesting hobbies, she turns bright red and snaps at them. This, of course, leads to some more comments along the same lines

By the end of the year, people are pretty much convinced she’s a dominatrix, and at some point she stops trying to shut down the rumors. It never worked with Kamoshida, and now people are just a little intimidated by her. Let them think what they want.

Yusuke

Absolutely no one questions that Yusuke has an ever-growing katana collection. Anyone who sees him carrying around his weapon just kinda shrugs and goes “yeah that checks out, he’s weird”

Makoto

At first, Makoto has an easy time hiding her weapons, and explaining them when she can’t. After all, she takes self defense classes. It’s her version of pepper spray, she explains. A little extreme, but everyone accepts it and talks about how badass the student council prez is.

Then the brass knuckles get spikier, and then they turn into gauntlets and thats, uh,, harder to explain.

She starts pretending that she’s a cosplayer, and those are different armor and weapon styles she’s trying out. Of course, this prompts people at ask questions about it, and she gets Futaba to teach her about cosplay so she can lie a little easier

Sae would like to know where this hobby came from. Is she really not home so much that she missed this new hobby entirely?

Haru

Hiding an axe is a massive problem in the beginning. How is she going to explain that to her dad when they’re literally in the process of changing his heart?

She ends up leaving it at school whenever she can, because at least it’s a little less weird for the gardening club to have an axe. Not by much, but a little bit.

Makoto is the one who has the idea to put it in an instrument case. It takes a while to find a case that’s big enough, but eventually the sight of Haru walking around with a case for an upright base is a common sight.

Unfortunately, the band kids want to know how long she’s been playing, and then they want her to join the school band, and there’s really no explanation for why she can’t… so Haru ends up learning how to play the upright bass as a cover.

Bonus: Akechi

This boy uses a literal lightsaber, so I have to imagine it just looks like a lightsaber hilt in the real world. Easy enough to stash in a bag or even a coat pocket.

He’s secretly a big nerd so anyone close enough to notice a collection of lightsabers just assumes it’s a featherman thing and doesn’t ask about it. He’s touchy about people calling him out on his nerdiness.

#persona 5 #p5 #persona 5 royal #p5r #phantom thieves #no sumi because I haven’t gotten to her in royal yet. no spoilers pls

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no-psi-nan · 2 years

Text

Extra Love Stories of Psychics Volume 2

Experimental Censored Edition

Chapter 3: Kuriko Time

Months after Akechi first made the suggestion, Saiki decides to find out whether being a girl for a day might give him better control over his ESP for a while and serve as a break.

Akechi is excited to test his theory and meet the Kuriko-chan he's only ever heard about. Surely having Saiki as his girlfriend instead of boyfriend won't be much different... Right?

Full chapter on AO3. T-rated version below the cut. More info about the Experimental Censored Version here.

Censored content: A couple of off-color jokes and toned down some of the descriptions of kissing.

"Saturday mornings are so lovely, don't you think so, Kusuo-kun~? Perhaps I am still riding high on the excitement of our date last weekend, but today feels full of promise somehow! And on that thought, I'd like to thank you again for indulging my mystery-solving hobby~! Even though I cannot share the conclusive psychometric evidence that we gathered, for obvious reasons, it is still just incredibly satisfying to know with certainty that the theory I proposed in my last podcast episode was almost entirely correct! For an island to disappear in such a mysterious fashion without being used as a geopolitical display of military strength, there must have been some natural cause behind it. Without tectonic activity or any calamitous storms within range during the alleged timeframe of the disappearance, the only other reasonable explanation could be the impact of a meteorite or other such large and/or very dense chunk of space debris. And there are no official space agency records of the event due to the concurrent solar flare setting the monitoring equipment on the fritz! However, to discover that my theorized space debris was actually my beloved Kusuo-kun returning to Earth after a day trip to the moon…! What a fantastical surprise!!"

[Sorry about that.]

[Sometimes you just need to reach terminal velocity and headbutt a small island out of existence to cope.]

[Good grief, I didn't think anyone would care since the island was uninhabited…]

"Ah yes, I'm sure you weren't aware of Ψoogle Maps at the time. There are so many satellites canvassing the Earth's surface today that it is almost difficult to recall a time when it would be lunacy to ask for and receive high quality aerial images of almost every location on the planet as a civilian! With such easy availability of extensive geographical data, there are many hobbyists who peruse historical maps to seek out interesting changes over time. And occasionally, some discrepancies are remarkable enough to merit reporting as a mystery, thereby catching the eye of amateur investigators such as myself. Therefore, I would highly recommend greater caution when choosing to obliterate natural features."

[What a pain, I know… ]

[I was thirteen at the time. Not exactly thinking of all the consequences. You know how it is.]

"I do! Such a turbulent age… I certainly lacked the capacity to alter the face of the earth at the time, but I did quite enjoy perpetuating my own brand of chaos. I distinctly recall classical conditioning several of my schoolmates to perform amusing disruptions under certain conditions, which I then used to great effect during the middle school graduation ceremony… I'll simply say that the planned distribution of graduation videos after the ceremony was called off."

[Seriously?? You're not going to give any more detail?]

"Correct. I do believe that was the origin of the rumor that I could exert mind control, even though classical conditioning is simply a practical application of psychology, no powers necessary. It was a fairly harmless prank, overall, though I do believe I may have unintentionally chained one behavior too many and accidentally gave one student an unusual obsession involving pencils and tap dance."

[I'm pretty sure that's worse than what I did.]

"Hahaha! Luckily for them, the standard No.2 pencil is vanishingly rare these days, and so I expect that this should pose even less of a problem as time goes on. However, if you do find yourself faced with the urge to smash into another notable geographical feature, I'd suggest crashing into a volcanic surface vent, such as a geyser or deep sea thermal vent, or perhaps into an existing fissure. Then the expansion of the opening is easily explained by existing natural phenomena, via hydrothermal expansion or tectonic activity."

[That's a good idea.]

[I haven't needed to do anything like that lately, though.]

"I'm so very happy to hear that, Kusuo-kun~! This sort of behavior is often born of long-term frustration and anger, simmering resentment building up to an explosive release. While you must still withstand the ongoing pressures of hiding your ESP from society at large, most of the other stressors have been greatly reduced for you since moving here, haven't they? I've noted much improvement in your overall mood and well-being, which in turn has made me feel more upbeat as well~!"

[Yes. I'm glad… ]

[Though that does remind me of something you suggested earlier. That could be good for my health.]

"Kusuo-kun…? Surely you don't mean–"

[In fact, it seems like today might be a good day to try being Kuriko.]

"R-really?? Oh– oh wow!! To be able to experience your powers of transformation again…! And this time I'll be able to witness the process since I won't be setting up a game simultaneously!"

[Nope.]

[No one is allowed to watch me transform. It's a pain to do.]

"What…? Are you very much certain, Kusuo-kun? Only I had been looking forward to learning more about your transformational ability and you know I've never been of delicate constitution and so would be much less susceptible to the body horror that is likely involved. Additionally, I have many theories about how your transformation ability functions and I would absolutely love an opportunity to confirm, deny, or refine them!"

[I know, Touma-kun.]

[But you're still not allowed to watch me transform, good grief.]

"Would you feel more comfortable if you were to videographically record the transformation and show me afterwards?"

[Absolutely not. Nice try though.]

"Damnit."

[Go work on your podcast, love. It sounds like you seriously have lots of ideas for it knocking around.]

[I'll be back as Kuriko before you know it.]

"Ughhh… I suppose I might as well. You're correct in that the hyperfocus is likely to hit once I begin the task. Still, I am feeling quite disappointed. Dejected, even. In fact, I do suspect that this broiling cloud of dark emotion can only be banished by a sufficiently large number of sweet kisses from a beloved…"

[Is that so?]

[Well, I certainly can't just leave you here pouting like that.]

[Guess I'll have to give you your kisses before you break out the puppy eyes.]

"That's entirely correct and I demand my ransom~! Ahaha– hehehe, mmmmm~! Ohhh, your lips always feel absolutely lovely on my face~! And– oh…! Mmm, neck kisses~! Particularly lovely, I think these are shaping up to be my favorite kind of kiss, Kusuo-kun~! Hehehehehe, alright, alright! I've been mollified, and you may proceed with your secretive transformation. I simply cannot wait to meet Kuriko! I must admit that I have imagined what she might look like and am eager to see this iteration of you!"

[Hey. What sorts of unrealistic expectations have you been coming up with??]

"Perhaps I'll show you a few of my sketch concepts afterwards…"

[ … ]

[You know, if I heard anyone else was thinking up girlsonas for me, I'd be disturbed. Good grief… ]

[But it's about par for the course with you.]

"And you still love me, right~?"

[And I still love you.]

[Give me a kiss before I go?]

"I'll give you several… Mmmm~! And one on the lips for good luck! I do hope a stint in your Kuriko form proves as regenerative as I've theorized."

[Mmmm~!]

[I do too.]

—————

"…And that, my fellow mystery aficionados, is why it is always prudent to carry along a roll of packaging tape when conducting investigations! Next up, I would like to address the topic of urban exploration, which, as thoughtfully brought up by self-proclaimed avid listener milehighmom43, is often required for independent investigative searches. Naturally, such an activity does carry its own risks along with rich rewards and a certain delicious thrill, so I will henceforth discuss some key considerations to– ah, it seems like my eyes have been covered by some mysterious intruder who managed to escape my notice until just now. Perhaps some teleportation was involved, hmm~? I'll stop recording here and edit out this bit because I would very much like to confront this cryptic personage and perhaps receive a few smooches from them…"

[Hehehe…]

"AHHHHH, THAT'S NOT KUSUO-KUN'S VOICE, WHO IS– Oh! O-oh… Oh wow, umm…"

[Touma-kun??]

"Ahh… hehehe… h-hello K-Kuriko-chan…!"

[Hey. Are you seriously speechless right now?]

"W-well, uhh…! It's just that– umm, ahahaha… It's just that you're– you're really cute hehe!"

[Oh.]

[Th-thank you… ]

"And, haha– ummm, your… your hair is– pink! Uhh, hehehe, it's always– it's always pink, but now it's, ahh… pink. Um… pink-er…? Haha, uh… actually– actually less pink…?"

[Heh. Yes, my hair is a lighter shade of pink now.]

"E-exactly! Ahaha! C-cute!! And, ummm, hehehe, you're–! You're really, haha, really s-small? Ahh, uhhh– shorter, shorter than me, a-at least!"

[Another astute observation.]

[It doesn't help that you've been getting taller lately, good grief.]

"But, umm… ahh, hehe, why are you– why are you, um, wearing a school uniform…?"

[Couldn't think of anything else to wear. I haven't been Kuriko in ages… ]

[I guess I should've looked in Aiura's closet before transforming, what a pain… ]

"Ummm, that, uh… Th-that can't be… uhh… comfortable? Right? Ahaha…"

[It's fine.]

[It's not like any of my normal clothes will fit right now.]

"W-well, ummm… hahaha it's just– it's just that, uh. I was– I was hoping we could… ehehehe! Um…"

[Heh. Take your time.]

"Ahaha! Ummm, I– I was hoping that, that we could c-cuddle, maybe…! And, and– ah… I, uh, think that… umm… it might be… hehe, more comfortable, if you– ahhh… if you, hehe, umm maybe w-wore some of– some of my… hehe! Some of my… pajamas…! Haha, they should– ummm… they should fit– fit better than your… than your usual ones…!"

[Amazing. You seriously can't even string a proper sentence together right now?]

"Y-you're… you're, ummm… really cute…"

[Incredible.]

[Well, I would like to cuddle… ]

[I'll borrow your pajamas as you suggested.]

[ … ]

[Are you seriously covering your face and giggling right now?]

"Hehehehehe…! Y-your voice is so different!! In my head!! C-cute!!! And– and, ummm, I think if I– if I saw you un-undressing, I might, ah– I might just faint. Hehe…"

[Heh. Fair enough.]

[ … ]

[Here. You can uncover your eyes now, Touma-kun.]

”Oh, thank you Kuriko-ch– …oh wow!!!!! Ummmm hahahahaha, K-Kuriko-chan…! You– you, ummm… hehehe… you look so… you look so cute in my pajamas… hehe, ummm… they're– they're still a little… ahaha, a little big on you. And that's–! Ahhhhh, that's so c-cute…!"

[ … ]

[What a pain. Do you think you'll survive it if I gave you a hug right now?]

"!!!!!! Ahahaha, hehehe, ummm…!! It's– it's alright if I don't…!!"

[ … ]

[You are being very silly right now. For the record.]

[But I do want to hug you… ]

"P-please?"

[ …Well, alright.]

"O-oh wow…! Hehehehehe, mmmmm~! L-lovely…!! Mmm~! M-my… my g-girlfriend Kuriko-chan~! So, mmmm~ s-so soft~! Hahaha~!"

[ … ]

[Your heart is beating so fast… Calm down, love.]

[Here, close your eyes, okay? Relax, Touma-kun… ]

"Mmmmm… Kuriko-chan… th-thank you…! Mm… you– you smell lovely… ahhh…"

[Hmm, that was almost a normal sentence.]

"K-Kuriko-chan, I can't– I can't feel you… in my head? Y-your psychic broadcast?”

[Huh, seriously?]

[Hmmm… Let me see something… ]

[[ ( Telepathy ) ]]

[ … ]

[Ah. My telepathic range is a lot smaller now. Only about 20m each way, I believe.]

[Good grief, you were right about being able to control my powers more easily in this form, Touma-kun… ]

[That must be why I don't have any psychic overflow right now.]

[I guess I could try to project some of my feelings on purpose, hmm… ]

[[ ( Psychic Broadcast ) ]]

"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

[Oh shit, are you okay?!]

"Oh woooooow… wowowowowow!"

[Touma-kun??]

"Feel love and feel loved and feel love and feel loved and feel love and feel loved and oh woooooow…! That's my Kuriko-chan and Kusuo-kun and Kusuo-kun and Kuriko-chan and…! Love love love love love love– won't you marry me? I could be Saiki Touma… Oh wowowowow–"

[[ ( 24 Hour Restoration ) ]]

"Whew!! Okay, I feel v-very much better now, thank you, K-Kuriko-chan!"

[What the hell happened??]

"C-covering my eyes so I can think!"

[What a pain, I'm so sorry…]

"…Not to worry, darling, I'm fully recuperated now! I do believe you overestimated the strength of your usual psychic broadcast, love. It's a very subtle feeling, typically, and this was the emotional equivalent of a vehicular collision! Well, it likely wouldn't have caused any permanent damage even if you hadn't restored me, just a temporary fit, like being momentarily blinded when a strong light is flashed in your eyes. Oh wow, but it was worth it to feel the depth of your love for a moment… Ehehehehe…! But perhaps it was a little bit out of line to immediately propose marriage haha… I simply couldn't resist while under the influence of so much love…!"

[Good grief… ]

"Don't worry! I'm just feeling very affectionate. See? I'm doing just– ohhhh, I almost f-forgot you're Kuriko-chan right now! I'm– I'm going to need a little t-time to get all of my wits back together…"

[Seriously??]

[How are you so much more flustered when I'm like this?]

"K-Kuriko-chan, you're new to me…! I'm used to Kusuo-kun. I've studied his body language for years! I know how he's going to move as soon as he decides to do it, and often I even have time to fantasize what it'll feel like before he even touches me. You have much the same body language now, to be sure, but your body is different. I can't read you as easily now because I keep getting distracted by some new detail I hadn't noticed! Your eyelashes are longer like this, your fingers slimmer, your heart beats a little faster, your body hair is barely there and your skin is a little cooler to the touch… I had followed you for months before we became friends, and we've developed more familiarity and intimacy slowly since then. There's never been so much new information for me to process all at once! Please be patient with me, Kuriko-chan…!"

[Good grief… ]

[Take as much time as you need, Touma-kun.]

[You're cute like this too.]

"R-really??"

[Yes.]

[I'd like to kiss you. Would you mind?]

"N-n-no, p-please do!"

[Heh. Such a sweet blush.]

"Mmm... A-ah…! Even y-your lips are softer, Kuriko-chan…!"

[Do you like it?]

"I– I like everything about you s-so far…!"

[Hey. That's too cute!]

"H-hehehe… Mmmmm… K-Kuriko-chan…"

[Oh, is that sound your stomach?]

[You did promise to make us lunch today, right?]

"I did, but… I don't want to let go of you now! Perhaps we should order in…"

[Absolutely not. I heard you thinking about crêpes just now.]

"Damn."

[Heh.]

[Well, what if I hug you from behind while you make the crêpes?]

[I can bring over anything you need with my telekinesis.]

"Yes!! That is a very reasonable compromise! To cook while being held by my beloved Kuriko-chan…! Oh wow!!"

[Stop being so cute, good grief. I'm going to have to kiss you again.]

"P-please do…!"

—————

[These crêpes are absolutely fantastic, Touma-kun!! Seriously, they're so so good~!]

[Mmmmm~!]

[Maybe I should have agreed to marry you after all…]

"K-Kuriko-chan!! P-please don't tease me like that!! Just listen to my poor heartrate accelerating!"

[Okay, I'll listen.]

"Kuriko-chan… I do very much enjoy cuddling while we eat, but actually putting your ear up to my chest like that can only exacerbate my arrhythmia…!!"

[Hehehe… ]

"I must admit that I am feeling quite victimized by your teasing, Kuriko-chan! Especially after working so hard to cook you a delicious meal while you distracted me with the warm press of your body against mine! Such grievous and traitorous mischief against your poor, defenseless boyfriend…"

[Angling for more kisses?]

"W-well… i-if you think that might be reasonable compensation, then umm… well, I c-certainly wouldn't be opposed…!"

[You're really blushing, huh? So cute… ]

"Mmmmm~! Ehehehehe…! Kuriko-chan~! M-maybe we can j-just keep kissing like this~?"

[Hmm…? Did you have some other plan for us today?]

"W-well, I had thought we could do a battery of tests to see if your powers are truly easier to control like this. B-but I'd r-really rather c-cuddle and kiss right now, please?"

[Where's your scientific integrity, Touma-kun~?]

"The only science I care to study right now is your t-topography…"

[Touma-kun!! That's scandalous!]

[ …But I would like some kisses from you.]

[With my telepathy radius tighter, I don't have to use my germanium ring while we cuddle.]

[So I can hear your thoughts while we kiss~ ]

[That's the only thing I don't like about kissing so far.]

[I don't get to hear you talk when you kiss me with my ring on, what a pain… ]

"Do– do you really like to hear my voice that much??"

[ …Yes? Obviously?]

[Your voice is only a pain when you're hyperfocused. Because your thoughts get too loud and fast.]

[But the rest of the time, I like listening to you talk.]

[Your voice is… soothing. Familiar. I feel safe when I hear you.]

[Your thoughts are so dense that they're almost white noise for my telepathy. You block out all of the voices that are farther away, and that makes it easier on me.]

[And I seriously learn a lot from listening to you.]

"Oh wow… snf… Are you certain you don't want to marry me right now…?"

[Touma-kun… We're in our pajamas, love.]

[Wouldn't this ruin whatever grand plan you probably have for your real proposal?]

"While I won't deny that I've dreamt up a great many proposal plans over the years, I've recently come to realize that the only sort of proposal that is worth anything is the one that receives a 'yes'."

[Ahh, so you're trying to catch me unawares, huh?]

"No, of course not! Please don't misunderstand me, Kuriko-chan! There is no attempt at subterfuge when I ask you to marry me– it's simply that I shouldn't like to waste any time in marrying you once you decide you're ready. It takes a minimum of several months to plan even a reasonably small wedding, of course, and it's quite likely that we'll need to include Miko-chan in our arrangements, which I imagine will extend that timeline even further…"

[You're… you're seriously thinking about that…?!]

[Touma-kun, I need you to know that I love you so much right now, good grief!!]

[Please kiss me!]

"M-my pleasure!! Mmmm~! Ummm, p-please give me a minute…!"

[ ? ]

Oh, mmmm, your cheek is much softer and rounder, Kuriko-chan! I feel like I can keep kissing your lovely cheek for half a lifetime, reserving the other half, naturally, for your other cheek~

[T-Touma-kun…!]

I'm glad you can hear how much I'm enjoying you, love! I'm so intrigued by the spectacularly warm and solid bulk of you in my arms, just as strong as I'm used to but padded in a different way that makes you feel softer against my body. I'd very much like to squeeze you tight if you don't mind, Kuriko-chan!

[Please do…!]

Hehehe, my darling Kuriko-chan~ I'll try to squeeze you with every scrap of strength in my arms, knowing that it won't hurt you and you may not even feel it! But I hope you do, I hope you can feel at least a fraction of the delight that fills me when I get to hug you close~

[I do feel a little pressure when you hug me like this… mmm… it's very nice… ]

I'm so happy to hear that, love! Oh, but I do miss your little psychic broadcast, as I'm sure you would have such a lovely purr for me right now~ But you're humming for me quite nicely in the back of your throat to show me your enjoyment, and that pleases me so! Hehe, I simply must cover your lovely neck with kisses~!

[Mmmmm…! Touma-kun…!]

[Good grief, when did you get so smooth??]

[You could barely put a sentence together earlier!]

Darling, you know my thoughts are typically quite fast and often concurrent, making them uniquely difficult for you to parse. For you to understand me properly, I have to reduce the volume of my own thoughts. And to do so, I must at least partially enter a certain state of meditative flow. It's a trick I've been practicing lately to communicate more effectively with you via telepathy~ An additional benefit of this semi-meditative state is the sense of calmness borne of focusing on my own breathing and such, which is limiting the amount of new information I'm perceiving at once from you.

[Clever… That's my Touma-kun!]

[Hehehe… I wonder if I can still fluster you like this~?]

I consider myself to be fairly disciplined, but you are certainly welcome to try, Kuriko-chan~! There is simply no downside that I can see: should I remain focused, that will be a tremendous boost to my ego, and should I fail, I'll get to enjoy the sweet affections of my beloved~! Mmmmm, those are truly some lovely kisses, your lips are so soft and gentle on my skin… Hehe, I'll happily tilt my face so you can kiss anywhere you like~! Oh, your mouth feels so good against my mouth… Ahh, you're moving down my jawline and I'm feeling quite excelle– ohhh, love, your lips on my throat are absolutely intoxicating…! Ahhh, mmm–! Ahahaha, wow wow wow!!

[Mmm…~ You taste wonderful, Touma-kun~!]

[Like victory, hehehe… ]

"Y-you've won this round, K-Kuriko-chan! P-please let me sit down, my knees are feeling quite wobbly at all this attention!!"

[Heh. I'll carry you this time~ ]

"O-oh wow!! Kuriko-chan, I'm swooning~! Oh, what a treat to be carried so carefully by my lady love~!"

[It's only natural that I carry you like this~ ]

[You're my prize, after all.]

"K-Kuriko-chan!!! Ehehehehe~ When did– ummm, when did you b-become such a f-flirt?!"

[When you started tripping all over your words.]

[It's easier to say embarrassing stuff like this when you're being even sillier, heh.]

"W-well, uhhh, hehehe that makes me– that makes me happy, haha!"

[Heh.]

[If I set you down on the couch, can you kiss me some more?]

"Ahhh, abs– abso… hehehe! A-absolu… ummmm… yes!"

[Pffft! Hahaha!]

[Maybe I'll kiss you first. Since you're being so cute.]

"Ehehehe, ummm, p-please do!! …! O-oh, hahaha, uhhh, y-you're really climbing onto my– my lap, huh? Ehehehe…! W-warmmmm… C-can I please– can I please hold you? …Ahahaha, mmmmm, I'm, I'm uhhhh, haha I'm going to take that as a y-yes! Mmmmm~! M-my Kuriko-chan~!"

[Seriously so cute…!]

"Ahhh, mmmmm, hehehe! P-please, a little more– ummm, a little more to the right…! Ahaha, mmm, yes!! That's v-very, ummm, very nice, K-Kuriko-chan, hehe~! …Y-your turn!!"

[Yes yes yes!]

Ohhhh how can I relax enough to be coherent with my darling Kuriko-chan's strong arms wrapped carefully around my neck and her soft body pressed close like this?? No, I will focus solely on covering her with the sweet kisses she heartily deserves! Hehehe, look at you turning up your face for me expectantly~! Yes, I would like to kiss your pretty cheek! Mmm, so marvelously soft and I can feel the shift of a wide smile under my lips~ Your eyes are so gorgeous up close, love, I wish we didn't require the barrier of your glasses between us… Oh, but I can still trail kisses across the bridge of your nose, cutely scrunched with surprised delight, and treat your other cheek to the same affections~ Will you tilt your head up for me, Kuriko-chan? I'd love to kiss your neck! Ahh yes, just like that my darling, now I can trace along your jaw and down your lovely throat again…! I must admit I am so utterly entranced by the little sounds you're making for me right now, the most charming little coos and hums I've ever had the pleasure of hearing~! Ahh, I'd like to kiss the top of your head if you don't mind! …Oh, you really liked that, didn't you darling? Well, I'm happy to indulge you with many many kisses on your soft pretty fluffy hair, mmmm~! Ehehe, you're giggling so sweetly for me~! I'm taking note, love– I'll make sure to treat you to kisses like this every day~!

[Hehehe~ Mmm… ]

[Please do~!]

"Would you– would you mind if I, ummm, if I pet you, hahaha? J-Just a bit, please? To try to– to try to get used to your b-body?"

[You don't need an excuse, Touma-kun.]

[Seriously, you can pet me as much as you like.]

[My body may be different, but I always enjoy your touches… ]

"O-oh! I'm– I'm happy to hear that, Kuriko-chan…! Th-thank you! Ahhh, th-the curve of your spine is much as I remember, though each jut of your vertebrae is obscured somewhat, and your pose on my lap is necessarily altered due to your change in height… Your shoulders aren't as broad, but I can feel that your trapezius is just as sinewy and powerful as I recall~ Oh, to slip my hand up the back of your neck is lovely, and I simply must dedicate a little time to combing through your hair and caressing your scalp, as we both so enjoy~! Such indulgence, what a treat, dearest! Ah, here are your limiter entry points! Yes, the hardware feels identical, as expected. And, hehehe, your appreciation of my touch here is unchanged as well~ Let me see your face, Kuriko-chan? I want to hold your darling cheeks in my hands and caress along your lovely features with my thumbs~ Yes, just like that, and your smile is irresistible, I simply must kiss your lovely mouth…! Mmmmm~ Such luxury~ Captivated by your gorgeous eyes again… Truly I am so fortunate to have the privilege of knowing you this deeply and sharing such intimate trust, Kuriko-chan!"

[ …Me too.]

[I seriously love you, Touma-kun… ]

"Oh darling, I love you too!"

[Mmm…~ ]

[Hehehe…]

[ … ]

[Hmmm… ]

[Do you like this body more, Touma-kun?]

[Since it's softer?]

"While the soft give of your body in this form is certainly charming and lovely, I do also very much enjoy the comforting solidity of your usual form, Kusuo-kun! It's a treat to be able to stroke and caress any of your forms, but let me point out that your typical body is… hmm, how shall I put it? Let's say 'more texturally interesting'. Your muscles, your hair, your veins, they're all rather occulted this way, smoothed over in a fashion that is perfectly pleasant but not quite as stimulating, due to the lack of detail."

[ … ]

"Yes, that was simply a complicated way for me to say that I love and enjoy both of your forms in equal and different ways, hehe! Though I do also delight in your feline form… In fact, I suspect that I'll find any form you take to be marvelous in its own fashion~ Though this fact takes a very distant second place to the reality that the part of your body I enjoy the very most are the parts that remain the same no matter what shape you're currently residing in: your mind and your heart. You're the Kusuo-kun I've always loved, and the Kusuo-kun I've had the pleasure of knowing better and better over time, no matter what you currently look like or the name or gender or even species you're sporting at the moment."

[T-Touma-kun… ]

"And that you're revealing different aspects of your thoughts and personality as Kuriko is a lovely treat, I must say! It seems like you are less burdened with shame over expressing your emotions and making specific requests this way, perhaps because of the slight role-playing aspect of inhabiting a different form. I very much approve, and I believe being more expressive as Kuriko may function as a sort of learning experience for you as well– perhaps you'll be more bold about communicating your feelings and desires in your everyday form if you see that doing so as Kuriko does not cause the negative consequences you instinctively fear."

[ … ]

[Good grief… perhaps you're right… ]

[I do feel a little more confident… ]

[Thank you for… ]

[ … ]

[ …For letting me try this. Without making fun of me.]

[Not that I think you would. But… ]

[Well. Thank you for making me feel safe enough to experiment like this. Good grief.]

"Awwww, that's absolutely my pleasure, Kuriko-chan~! Thank you for trusting me with this new and delicate side of yourself, love. I know it's not easy for you! …Oh darling, shall we change the subject? It's only that you're getting a little sniffly and I know you prefer to work through emotions more privately…"

[Yes… ]

[Thank you, Touma-kun… ]

"Mmmm… What would you like to do next, love? We watch a movie, or read, or play games perhaps, or perhaps test out the new limits of your abilities in this form?"

[Hmmm… ]

[ …What a pain. I don't want to stop cuddling with you… ]

"To be quite frank, neither do I!"

[ …How about we play on the Wintendo Swatch? I can still sit in your lap if we use the Toycons.]

"That does sound like a stupendous idea, Kuriko-chan~!"

[You can pick the game, Touma-kun.]

"Hmm… How about Splendid Sibling Smasher Supreme? I do believe that I've almost figured out your Nario strategy on some of the gimmick stages!"

[Deal.]

[ …Should we make a bet?]

"Oh? Would you like to~? You're well aware of my proclivity for accepting challenges, after all! What's your proposed ante~?"

[More kisses.]

"Hehehe, that was a rapid response indeed~ I accept those terms, love~! And I'll look forward to enjoying many of your kisses~!"

[Tch. So cocky… ]

[One more kiss, and then I'm going to kick your ass at Sibling Smasher.]

[And no items. They're such a pain.]

"Ehehehe, mmmmmmm~! …Perhaps I should accuse you of nefariously distracting me in order to gain the upper hand and demand a few extra kisses in compensation…"

[Now who's being underhanded?? Good grief… ]

—————

"By the way, how are your energy levels currently, Kuriko-chan?"

[Terrible. I've barely gotten any kisses… ]

[Aren't you supposed to let your girlfriend win more often?]

"Didn't I?"

[ … ]

[Hey. Don't disrespect me!]

"Hahaha, I jest, I jest! …But in all seriousness, do you feel as though remaining in this form for a few hours has had a perceivable effect on your energy consumption, or are you experiencing a typical level of fatigue for this time of day, taking into account the very low-impact activities we've performed so far?"

[Hmmm… ]

[I do feel a lot less tired than I usually do.]

[It seriously helps that my telepathy range has shrunk so much!]

[Like this, I can only hear Kaido when he's in his room, but not when he crosses over to Kuboyasu's.]

[I'll be able to hear Aiura and Toritsuka when they're in here as well.]

[And I should be able to hear into Nendo's room. But I've never been able to hear his thoughts anyways.]

[It's… incredible to be able to count the voices in my head on one hand…!]

[And I like it better than the total silence of the germanium ring… ]

[It's good for sleep, but feels a little lonely when I'm awake… ]

"Oh, that is absolutely spectacular news, Kuriko-chan! I'm so incredibly elated to hear that you can reach a comfortable telepathy range this way without totally cancelling the power! How is your vision, currently? Has your x-ray vision's rate of depth change been altered at all by your daytrip in this form?"

[That… is a good question.]

[Luckily I have the perfect test subject here~ ]

"Ehehe! Kuriko-chaaan~!"

[Heh! Let me see… ]

[[ ( X-ray Vision: Hold ) ]]

[ … ]

[Touma-kun… Good grief, it's so nice to be able to see you for more than a few seconds at a time… ]

[ … ]

[Your eyes are such a lovely dark violet… almost black.]

[But when I sweep up your bangs up like this, and light shines into your eyes, there are so many shades of purple… ]

[Seriously beautiful… ]

[And your dark eyelashes make your eyes pop so much… Did you know that people think you wear mascara…?]

[Your nose has this cute little upturn… I always want to kiss it when I see it. Mm~ ]

[And I like the warm, honey-blond of your hair… I missed it when I had my green glasses before, what a pain… ]

[Hehehe, your cheeks are very pink right now~]

[Even I know that's unusual for you. I might just have to kiss them~ Mmmm~ ]

[And look at this. I'm barely sweating at all! It really does take a lot less effort this way~ ]

[ … ]

[You're really really cute.]

[Hehehe, you can't even look me in the eyes right now because you're so flustered.]

[I'm glad. That's how I feel with you sometimes too, good grief… ]

[A little turnabout is fair play~ ]

[Mmmmm~!]

"Ahahaha, m-my K-Kuriko-chan…! Hehe, ummm… ahh, so– so lovely~! Ehehe…! Mmm~!"

[Silly… ]

[Thank you for this idea, love.]

[I've seriously had a lot of fun so far…!]

[And I still feel like I have a lot of energy left!]

[This could be a nice treat… every once in a while… ]

[Like a little vacation… ]

"I'm– I'm always happy when, umm… hehe, when I can help in– in some way!"

[Cute… ]

"W-would you also like to experiment to see if your psychometry has been affected? I'll admit that while psychometry is a highly effective power for solving mysteries and provides a fascinating look into the past, I do wish you were able to control it more easily. I would like very much to be able to hold your hands without the barrier of your gloves, and without forcing you into sensory overload, my poor dear…"

[What a pain… I'd like that too… ]

[I seriously want to be able to hold your hand… ]

[ … ]

[But being Kuriko has helped with my other powers. Maybe I'll be able to avoid using immersive psychometry like this.]

[Let's see… I'll take off my glove and just–]

[[ ( Oh no ) ]]

The cheek in her hand the hand on her cheek was warm warm warm soft body on her under her against her supporting her and being supported and her eyes were closed but they were open and Akechi's smile as he leaned into her hand as she held his face was blissful and stretched her cheeks and stretched her cheeks and they flushed with heated pleasure as the thump thump thump of their heartbeats accelerated and their thoughts were love love love love love and their lips brushed and their lips brushed and she was putting her hands on her waist there were hands on her waist and hands on her cheek that she held and it was so much too much TOO MUCH–

[Ahh!!]

"Oh darling… I'm presupposing that the effects of your psychometry abilities remain unchanged in this form based on your reaction…"

[Yes… dammit… ]

[Good grief… I was really hoping it would be better… ]

"Well, it was worth the experiment to me… I did truly enjoy your touch for that small moment…!"

[Oh Touma-kun… ]

[You… deserve so much more than that! Seriously!!]

"Oh Kuriko-chan… I very much appreciate the sentiment, but you indulge me in so many other ways that there should be no doubt in your mind of my ecstatic joy at being with you!"

[ … ]

[I guess you do always seem happy when we're together.]

[I just wish I could do more… what a pain… ]

"Kuriko-chan, that is simply the most natural feeling in the world when you love someone! That desire to do more, to help more, to be more… Is there any truer expression of love?"

[Heh. …I guess you're right again.]

"The real trick is discerning when you can and should do more. Self-destruction via overexertion does more harm than good, and sometimes people don't want help. I certainly learned this lesson the hard way with my parents! No amount of alleviating external factors or logical thinking could resolve the petty squabbles of my parents, because they were borne of a fundamental incompatibility, and that is something I am certain not even ESP could correct."

[ … ]

[I'm sorry Touma-kun. That must have been such a pain… ]

"Don't you worry, Kuriko-chan! You really brightened my day when we were kids! After you fixed my bullying troubles, school even became a marvelous escape for me from my home. Difficult to believe, perhaps, but certifiably true! The rumors of ESP that followed me after that granted me a sort of carte blanche – I was able to refocus my energy and redefine who I was and who I wanted to be. And it's all thanks to you Kuriko-chan! So it is my most fervent hope that our little home here can be your safe space now, where you can let go of your troubles for a while and rest and heal, my poor beleaguered darling."

[ … ]

[Well… you've been successful.]

[I do always feel safe here. With you. But also with all of our friends.]

[It's been wonderful… I seriously never thought I could be this happy… ]

[Heh. You're giving me emotions all over again. What a pain… ]

"Haha, that is rather inconsiderate of me, isn't it, love? Not to worry, we can certainly change the subject again! For example, what shall I make for our dinner today, darling?"

[Let's go out.]

"…Really? Have you tired of being Kuriko-chan?"

[No. I'm going as a girl.]

[ …And maybe you can, too.]

[If you wear one of your new skirts, we can see how many people we can fool into thinking we're lesbians.]

"Ahaha, ummm… w-won't we be– won't we, uhhh g-get 'galpalled', ehehehe?"

[Not the way I'm going to be acting. I seriously want to show you off.]

"K-Kuriko-chan??"

[You're really really cute!]

[And nobody in this town knows who Kuriko-chan is. So a little PDA is fine.]

[Er. If that's okay with you…?]

"Absolutely. Yes. Veritably. I am– I am ridiculously excited at the thought of being openly wined and dined by my beloved!! Please excuse me in advance if I end up stuttering and tripping over my words! Having a girlfriend is new to me, and wearing a skirt is new to me, and doing both in public is… Ohhhh, you can clearly gauge my opinion by the saturation of my blush and the pitter patter of my heartbeat!!"

[Hehehe! What a pain, you are seriously too cute… ]

[I may have to kiss you a little more before we go get ready~]

"W-wonderful, ahahaha…!"

————————————————————

If you enjoyed this, please let me know in my inbox, in the tags, or in the replies~! It’s a lot of extra work to make the censored editions, after all!

#elsopv2 #nopsi fic

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wallstoothin · 3 years

Text

Revolution (P5/PJO)

A warm up fic that I'm too nervous to put on A03. Unedited.

At age sixteen, Akira never expected to be part of a war. But then again, life as a demigod is anything but normal to begin with. He’s not even...he’s not even anything in the eyes of the gods but for some reason he was the child of the prophecy, whatever that meant. Akira always considered it a death sentence in waiting. Aren’t prophecies once in a lifetime opportunities?

Since the age of eleven, Akira has been forced to go on all sorts of different quests ranging from petty things such as being an over glorified uber eats for a god or something like preventing a war between two different monsters. Now it was a war.

A war that could be easily prevented if the gods or even some of the camp managers and leaders just opened their eyes and look. Akira would know. He was the son of a minor goddess after all, a mother who never bothered to claim him and a camp that force him into a cramped cabin of a god who is “so kind and merciful to let someone like him inside.”

Children of minor gods are usually one that can live in the outside world without major trouble. Apparently their scent is thinner and are less appealing than children of major goddesses such as his bunkmate Ryuji, child of Hermes and sweet Ann from Aprohidites. They are his best friend and he does not envy them at all. Both Ryuji and Ann has been through s much trouble because of their parent lineage. Left alone to single parents and their own human trouble combined with their demigods' trouble. He would do anything for them. Still, it would be nice to have someone to call as family. The only reason Akira even found out about his parentage is because of Goro.

Goro.

Goro had high expectation placed under him. As the son of Zeus it was expected. But he was never chosen to be in any important quest and spend most of his time training or in his cabin. Goro was one of the first people Akira met when he first came to camp. According to gossip, Goro has been in camp since the age of seven after his mother killed himself, overpressed by the idea of raising a child of god and especially after how lord Zeus practically left the two on their own. Goro was a loner on the outside and very bitter on the inside. When Akira got his first quest a month later, Goro practically ignored him. It was heartbreaking for the eleven year old for his new friend or at least someone he consider his friend to suddenly hate him.

He really wanted to go to the outside world with him but instead went with Ryuji and Ann. When he came back, bruised and bloodied, filled with new fears and deep hatred for salt water. He hoped his time away would have let his friend cool down enough for them to talk again but as soon as Akira laid eyes on the other the boy ran straight for his cabin. It wasn’t long until Akira got his first fetch quest. This time with Yusuke, son of Apollo and Futaba the quirky daughter of Hephaestus. It was a strange team, filled with dumb fights and hiding in the bathroom but it was successful.

Goro still won’t talk to him. Instead he ended up with two Ares girls on his twelfth birthday.

It was after this quest when he was finally given a small break. At this point he was desperate. He was tired,scared and most of all he wanted his friend back. So once he was left alone after dinner, he dragged Goro by the arm from the archery ring and into the Zeus cabin.

“We need to talk.”

They talked and talked and talked way past curfew, maybe they could have reconnect months ago. If only Akira was given a chance to settle down. But now he did.

It was Goro that figured out who his parent was, Goro always did say that whenever he was around Akira he always felt safe, at home. Other people told him that too. Even Akira felt the sense of family whenever he’s with his friends.

They hit the book soon after and came up with an answer.

Epione, the goddess of soothing pain.

Akira’s power seems to work with mental pain and after going on a quest with Goro and Hifumi, he can soothe small physical pain. Anything bigger than a small knife wound would leave him passed out on the ground. But it was better than any ambrosia or nectar, it was a rewarded feeling and an especially tiring one.

It made the quest after a lot easier.

Everything breaks down around the age of fifteen, it was quiet and sudden. Akira knew of camp deserters, they all did. It is often talked about in late night horror stories. Akira may have made one or two up on his own as well. But there has been an increase in unrest between the minor god and goddess children.

“The gods are using you as their playthings aren’t they?” Ten year old Nozoki told him one day. “How long can you keep winding yourself until you break?”

He still hasn't told anyone of his talk with the gods, yet.

It was after that day that people started leaving the camp in groups.

Yukki

Nozoki

And Goro.

The older boy didn’t even say goodbye.

Was it something Akira has done?

Their last talk was another late night one. This time hanging out on the roof of Goro’s cabin. They were talking about school. Akechi was close to finishing high school and Akira was on his way to his last year. When Akechi asked of his future plans, Akira hesitated. Was there a future for him? Akira never thought he would make it this long, even then, he did not have the time to develop any hobbies or focus on school work compared to his peers. Who cared about school when the world was ending.

Maybe it was his defeated tone, he hated it at first he really did. But now Akira just accepts it as another part of life. Demigods don’t get to live long, everyone knows that, that’s why the camp was created in the first place to provide children a safe place to live and to teach them to survive. Akira who's been in and out of the camp in almost all of his teen years has a higher chance of an early death compared to his friends.

“What if everything change.” Goro talked in a low and deep voice. A tone Akira rarely hear outside of anger and battle. He must be serious. “What if we had a chance to go out into the world without any fear of getting killed or being forced by the gods to do whatever they want.”

“That’s a dangerous thought you have there.” He replied.

“Humor me Akira.”

“Well,” What kind of answers would satisfy Goro. He honestly never really bothered to even spend time daydreaming about this. What are somethings the seasonal campers talk about during dinner time?

“I think I want to go somewhere populated.”

“Somewhere populated, Kurusu-kun?”

He nodded. “Yeah like the scramble or Kyoto, maybe even destinyland.”

“Those are tourist traps Kurusu-kun.” Goro replied wirily.

“So? What I want my wallet to get tricked by the many faces of capitalism. Aren’t they places of memories. I don't mind spending my whole day in these places. It seems like fun.”

“You know, I expected someone like you to want something more dramatic. For someone who always lives in the danger zone.”

He shrugged. “Normal is Ok, I think I would like to be that mysterious man behind the bar.”

Goro actually snorted at that. “Are you even able to stay in one place for that long?”

Ok, so maybe Goro has a point. There no why he can stay in one place for so long. But if he gets to meet new people everyday it sure to be just as fun.

“-beside, I can’t see you handling alcohol.”

“Geez Goro, way to crush my dreams. I was thinking of running some kind of underground coffee bar. “

“An underground coffee bar. That sounds like you. I think I might have isted everyday.”

“Oh? A loyal customer ? Thank you for your patronage, good sir.”

“You’re very welcomed overworked barista.”

They sighed.

“Goro is everything OK?| He finally asked. “What you have been saying lately has me worried. You know the people upstairs can hear everything here right?”

“Of course, please do not worry about me Akira-kun, I’m sure you already have lots on your plate right now.”

“But I always have space in my heart for you. Please ‘kechi, I won’t tell anyone no matter what you tell me. On my life.”

“You really shouldn’t be putting your life on the line so easily.” Goro mumbled, mostly to himself but Akira heard it all anyway.

“It’s all part of the job.” He chirp back.

The next day he was gone.

A traitor everyone called him, someone who abandoned the gods to join the wrong side historically and morally. It did not take long for the rumors to start around camp.

“I’ve always knew he was evil.”

“He was always acting so creepy around Akira I wonder if he was ever planning on killing him.”

“It’s good that he left, who knows what he would’ve done if he stayed. “

It was getting harder and harder to face each day with a smile without Goro. His other friends at least one that has yet to publicly disowned Goro stayed by his side comforting him telling him that everything is alright.

But war, war is coming and Akira is expected to be in the front line as a leader. He can’t. He does not want to do this any more. Oh godly parent please give him a sign.

But nothing came.

Nothing but ruin for Tokyo.

They were

Winning

Losing

Dying

...fighting.

They were fighting for their life, each of his friends split up into different groups to try and take back different parts of the city.

Akira was tasked to find the leader of the resistance and to put an end to it once and for all, a fitting task for the hero.

It did not take long to find him, he was exactly where Akira expected him to be and exactly where Goro wanted him to be at.

“Goro,” He mumbled, approaching his enemy with his dagger clutched in his hand tightly. “I came to stop you.”

Goro turned around to face him. Instead of the camp t-shirt and ripped jeans that Akira normally sees him in. He was instead wearing a leather jacket and a collared shirt underneath his regular jeans. It was a strange combination but Akira can’t help but to think it suits Goro well.

“I’m happy you came.”

“This is our meeting place after all.”

Enough with the banter, Akira can’t afford to stall now, not when everyone is fighting for their lives.

“Goro, surrender now. I can get the gods to put you on probation or something bu-”

“You know that’s not true. Do you really think that will pay attention to a mortal even someone like you, since when have they done anything for you.”

“I-”

“Think Akira.” Goro shouted, holding on to his shoulder for dear life. “You’ve been used over and over again. We were just kids. You don’t even have a childhood doesn’t that upset you?”

It did, it still does but Goro knows that he does not like to think about that.

“I used to be so scared.” Goro’s volume went down all the way to a whisper as if talking about this of all things would finally get him stuck down by lightning. “Everytime you come home your eyes would grow darker and darker. I used to have nightmares that the darkness would eat you alive. The trauma you endured. As a son of one of the big three it should have been me.”

Akira shook his head vigorously, he could even feel some of the hair strand stabbing his eyes. It burns a bit, but that’s not important.

“No Goro! I would never wish this life on anyone. The quest, the glory. It’s not worth it! I wanted you to be safe and happy but you ignored me.”

“I know.” Goro’s hand slowly trailed down until they came right above his waist putting the two in some sort of half hug position. “I’m sorry Akira.”

Akira swallowed back a sob threatening to come out. His dagger was right there and Goro was so close and vulnerable. He could end this, he can stop this war once and for all.

“Goro please, end this war. That way everything will go back to normal.”

“You know that’s not what’s going to happen. The gods will use you again and again until you one day burn out and they choose the next unlucky kid to be the hero.” Goro paused. “Akira...why don’t you join me.”

“Hu-”

“Lots of our men need healing. With your powers you can save them! Your mother may not recognize you but we do. We can stop this cycle and give everyone a better future. We would no longer live in fear or worried over someone’s temper tantrum. Akira, I know I haven’t been a good friend to you but I can make it all up now so please.”

Goro reached out his hand and dropped his weapon.

“Join me.”

Akira dropped his dagger as well.

He knows this isn’t the right choice, if they were to fail both Akira and Goro would face harsh unimaginable punishment. But Goro along with everything he ever wanted was right there.

Akira reached out his own hands and-

#persona 5 #goro akechi #akira kurusu #PJO AU #accomplice au #Not much PJO just using the rules

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1eos · 3 years

Note

on that one post u were like "i have to rewrite narratives to make them better" and im the same way, so i wanted to ask since youre playing p5 rn, what would you change about p5 to make it better? i love all the characters sm... but some of them r just handled so poorly cough cough ann... so im interested in hearing ur thoughts!!

oh im so glad u asked. after 300 hrs in persona 5 i have THOUGHTS. so i think p much every character in p5 has a p good introduction nd base but the nuance of their motivations nd growth go out of the window ESPECIALLY for ann nd ryuji. under the cut ofc bc im a long winded bitch 😔

i would rewrite everything abt ann post kamoshida tbh bc the whole thing abt the first arc was abt women nd kids being treated like objects just to treat her like an object the whole time? hell no. for one her pt outfit would NOT be that. i love a catsuit but the boob window was evil. nd ALSO i would have the male character NOT remark on her body as they get closer actually i would rewrite ryuji to not be flirty towards ann at all bc there's a moment where u find out they went to the same junior high nd knew each other nd i would rather have a kinda reunited sibling vibe bc ann’s whole thing is abt not feeling safe so for her friends to look down her shirt as a joke is.............no.

also her confidant would have to be kinda rewritten. again i think its weird for ann to lament abt her looks making her a target then her goal is to be a model....? nd she has no real drive for it? atlus basically just like to make lovers arcana girls famous PERSONALLY i would make ann’s route abt finding out what she actually wants to do bc she has no passion the way shiho had for volleyball nd finding out who she is beyond her looks nd beyond being shiho’s friend. like ann has no hobbies mentioned in game other than eating sweets nd not doing her homework but it always circle back to her weight 😐

nd bc of the above i would tweak yusukes introduction to be him either wanting to draw the protag bc atlus was so close to like........a good narrative on how artists should love the human body regardless of gender nd spare ann being treated as a walking pair of tits or just him wanting to draw her with her clothes ON nd it being a moment abt capturing inner nd outer beauty rather than tits

who else.........oh ryuji. im tired of atlus turning characters w unexplored trauma into comic relief. they do it to kanji too to the point where its homophobia nd its like.........why? nd there are so many moments where ryuji lashes out then APOLOGIZES bc he recognizes the behavior is bad nd its prime time to explore his relationship w his father. or even explore the relationship w the staff? like every teacher believed lies abt him AND the protag so eye think it wouldve been beneficial to get moments where the public opinion of both u nd ryuji changes for the better once kamoshida is exposed.

nd honestly that dumbass part of the game where morgana leaves the party couldve been ryuji. i think it wouldve been justified to have him blowing up after the nth time he was treated as a joke or throwaway despite having as much emotional baggage as the rest of them. like ryuji is the first one to stand up to men who bother the girls nd they rag on him for nooooooo reason i think calling everyone out on being so callous nd treating him like comic relief wouldve been better nd it still couldve segued into getting haru bc after he stormed out he couldve seen haru w her shit stain of a fiance nd then jumped in to save her from him..........like i see the vision

akechi............................................................my biggest gripe w the game. akechi is such a weak villain until the very end nd ik atlus wanted to recreate the iconic narrative foil between the p4 protag nd adachi but it doesnt work 😭😭😭 for one akechi is bland nd has no real personality besides being sneaky but WE AS THE AUDIENCE DON’T EVEN GET THAT. actually no first of all making akechi a detective was so fucking stupid like again....they just wanted to recreate naoto from persona 4 but worse.

i would double down on making akechi joker’s other half. have him be another normal student that stumbled upon powers nd double down on him being fake!!!!!! have him help the party one minute just to actively put them in harms way there was no real rivalry btwn u nd akechi which is why facing him in the end fell flat other than the great voice acting nd twist of him having multiple personas but like......we need more hints! imagine akechi hinting that he sees the velvet room?

also his route being automatic 🤮 ik p5 was bogged down w links but in my p5 akechi is a night slink thats kinda offputting? like u don’t get closer to him per se but u do see more sides of him nd he can even give u a fake request nd when u go into the metaverse he’s there nd its even weirder. wasted potential with that one

that’s p much all of my big changes other than no kawakami or ohya romance fakfajfkafjakkjf thank u for reading all of this im sorry i talk so much

#all im saying is atlus should hire me #also futabas reintroduction to society was rushed #the hawaii trip was unnecessary #demonicslut

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semi-imaginary-place · 3 years

Text

here’s a real dastardly au, the akechi you meet in 3rd semester was joker’s actualization and in destroying maruki’s reality so too is he destroyed.

2/2: wait. i was joking about this.

how did maruki find out what happened in shido’s palace

maruki wants people to take the easy path in life and avoid suffering. but discomfort in life in inevitable and inescapable. that said there’s a difference in pain between say trying a new hobby and feeling a little uncomfortable at the newness of it and being coerced into sex by your teacher to save your friend from the same.

sumire and akechi’s third tier persona evolutions felt a little forced. sumire’s i’ll give a pass on but akechi didn’t reach any sort of new resolution, he’s the same as he was as the start of the year. also robbed! we were robbed of seeing akechi’s room!! given this is a new form of robin hood, it would have been more appropriate if he had reconciled with some part of the lie of the detective prince. i think im also a little sad because loki is one of my favorite persona designs in this game and hereward cant compare. my other favorites are arsene, cendrillion, and ella. vanadis and hecate are really good too. sumire just got all the good persona designs.

the actualizations weren’t necessarily what might have been best, but instead the thing each of the cast was hung up on. an aspect of the past that continued to weight down their present. and we see that in the maruki’s reality ending. the interesting part is joker and akechi who we don’t get as explicitly told what they want and then bam end card with the spending as afternoon together playing chess and drinking coffee.

schodingers akechi. jk... unlesss? lol. but as much as the devs say each ending is equally valid, the game itself doesn’t treat them as such. in the maruki ending there’s multiple points where the game prompts you to doubt your decision. the argument by the game to choose maruki’s reality is half hearted, the game is clearly judging you if you choose it. that maruki’s reality is less real that the original one is not questioned by the game at all. and that true to an extent as i said in a previous post. maruki’s reality is fragile and easily shattered if the person thinks just a little too hard. And given the game’s strong assertion that maruki’s constructed reality isn’t real, how it handles akechi is very interesting to me. so let’s go back to schrodinger’s akechi. if akechi did die in shido’s palace than the akechi we see post red sky is no more real than wakaba, or makoto’s dad, or okumura. yet unlike every other part of maruki’s reality, the game intends for us to see this akechi as real. or it could be that akechi did miraculously survive and all maruki did was yoink him into the right place at the right time. that timing with sae was too convenient not to be planned. i thought it was akechi’s planing but i was wrong, it was maruki’s planning. still doesn’t explain how maruki knew what happened in the palace, he didn’t fully awaken his persona until after shadow shido was defeated.

so i wonder how much was 4rd semester akechi a recreation of joker’s cognition of him. on one hand by that point akechi no more need to play nice so he really can cut loose, on the other hand feral and unhinged arent the only aspects of his personality but they were what joker saw last he saw akechi. also unlike adashi, akechi’s confidant/social link wasn’t fake. there’s something there of note, that joker and akechi reached max confidant despite a double way deception, assassination plot, and other lies.

#p5 #persona #p5r

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