#Daisuke phew what a man you are

[dialovers-translations]

DIABOLIK LOVERS Mukami Family 5th Eternal Blood Vol.3 & Vol.4 Animate Tokuten Drama CD “A Certain Day at the Mukami Household

Original title: ある日の無神家 [コウ・アズサ編]

Source: Diabolik Lovers Mukami Family 5th Eternal Blood Vol. 3 & Vol. 4 Animate Tokuten Drama CD

Audio: Here

Seiyuu: Kimura Ryouhei & Kishio Daisuke

Translator’s note: This CD was very...random lol. I did not expect a power tower to be inside Kou’s package AT ALL. Honestly, the most tricky thing about this CD  was to make sense out of all the background noises and get an accurate mental image of what is going on. This is definitely the kind of CD where I wished there was some kind of visuals to help me with that.

*Ding・dong*

…

*Ding・dong*

Kou: …Hey! The doorbell’s ringing! I’m kind of too busy to open the door right now!

…Nobody’s around? Geezー Guess I have no other choice. 

 Kou gets up. 

*Ding・dong*

Kou: Yeah, yeah…Who is it? 

He opens the door. 

Kou: …Oh. A delivery. You need my signature, right? …Wait! It’s huge! Whose package is this…? Let me see…’Mukami Kou’...For me!?

The delivery man asks for his signature. 

Kou: Ah, my signature, right? 

*Scribble* 

Kou: This’ll do, right? …Just leave it there for now. I’ll figure out what to do with it. 

*Thud*

Kou: Thanks!

The deliveryman leaves.

Kou: I’ll get in trouble if I leave it out here in the hallway, huh? That being said, there’s no way I can carry such a large package all by myself…

Azusa: …What’s wrong? 

Kou: Uwah! …Azusa-kun!? You’ve been standing there!? Don’t give me a scare!

Azusa: Oh…My bad. 

Kou: Perfect timing though~!

Azusa: Eh? 

Kou: I actually just had this huge package delivered to me. I can’t carry it on my own so help me out, will you?

Azusa: With package you mean…this? …Mmh, sure. 

Kou: Well then, let’s carry it to the living room right now! You hold that side, okay? Ready? …Three, two, one…!

They lift the box. 

*Rustle* 

Azusa: Uu…It’s even heavier…than I expected…I wonder what would happen…if I were to rest it on the floor…I’m sure my hands would get crushed underneath…hurting them…Fufufu…

*Rustle rustle* 

Kou: Ah, hey! Don’t tilt it! You can think about that sorta stuff once we’re in the living room, okay!? 

Azusa: Okay, gotcha…

*Rustle* 

Azusa: I’ll carry it to the living room, okay? 

They start moving towards the living room. 

*TIMESKIP*

Kou: Ah…I’ll pu it down here, okay? Ready…Go! There!

*Thud*

Azusa: There…

*Thud* 

Azusa: Phew…

Kou: Ah~ That was so heavy. I’m glad we managed to get it here but what now?

Azusa: What’s inside this package? 

Kou: No idea. It’s a package for me so I guess I’ll open it.

Azusa: Mmh.

Kou opens the package.

*Rustle rustle* 

*Cling*

Kou: I knew it…I mean, I kind of had a feeling it’d be this.

Azusa: …? 

You walk up to them.

Azusa: Ah…

Kou: Oh, M-neko-chan, you were at home? You should have answered the door earlier then. 

You apologize. 

Kou: Answer the door next time if you’re just going to say sorry now…Wait, are you listening?

You ask about the huge package.

Azusa: Kou got this, apparently. 

You ask who it’s from.

Kou: Or rather, it’s the prize I won at a variety show the other day. I gave them permission to deliver it to my private address because there’s not enough room at the agency but I had no idea it’d be this large of a package. 

You ask what it is.

Kou: You’ve never seen one of these, M-neko-chan? This is a power tower. They’re running a little behind on the trends though.

Azusa: How come you know about this, Kou? 

Kou: Who cares. Anyway, this doesn’t fit the aesthetic of my room and Ruki will definitely get upset if I leave it here in the living room. Guess I’ll throw it out before anyone else finds out. 

Azusa: Mmh. I believe that’s for the best.

You protest. 

Kou: Eh? Why would it be a waste when I know I won’t use it?

You explain. 

Kou: I don’t care if it was a prize or not. It’d just use up space and get in the way, right?

Azusa: We won’t get anything out of it by placing it here.

Kou: Yup, exactly! Besides, can you imagine Ruki using this thing to stretch every morning?

You shake your head. 

Kou: Right? 

Azusa: I…can’t imagine it either. 

You frown.

Kou: If you’re that persistent about it, why don’t you give it a try? Then tell me what you thought of it! If you’re very positive about it, I might just change my mind. 

You hesitate. 

Kou: I mean, if you don’t want me to throw it out, you better try and change my mind quickly. So come on, give it a try. You can’t help her, Azusa-kun. Just stand there and watch. 

Azusa: Mmh…I understand. 

*Rustle rustle* 

Kou: …What’s that~? Having trouble reaching it, perhaps? I mean, the bar’s up pretty high after all. Maybe you should try jumping into the air to grasp onto it? 

*Thud* 

Kou: Come on, M-neko-chan! Jump a little higher! That should be easy for a kitty like you, right?

*Thud thud* 

*Cling* 

Kou: Wow! Great job~! …So, how does it feel, hanging down from it? 

You explain. 

Kou: Heeh…Now that you mention it, your back does seem perfectly straightened. Seems like someone has taken a liking to it, huh? 

You nod. 

Kou: I see. Then why not stay like that a bit longer? While we’re at it, I’ll turn it into an even better experience for you~ One sec, okay?

Kou steps away for a few seconds. 

Kou: Sorry for the wait. You’re still hanging onto the bar, right? 

*Thud*

Kou: It’s impossible to read without a stepping stool after all. …Now if I do thisーー 

*Rustle rustle* 

You ask what he’s doing.

Kou: Huh? I’m using this rope to tie you to the bar. This way you can keep hanging on it even if you let go, see? …All ready!

*Rustle* 

Kou: Ahahaha! Now you can truly get the full experience! This device, you see…

*Rustle* 

Kou: I wonder if it’s meant to improve these back muscles? 

*Rustle rustle* 

Kou: Aah, I see~ I guess you train them by wriggling around like that~ Then do you think it’d improve these muscles as well? 

*Rustle* 

Kou: Fufu, what’s wrong, M-neko-chan? You’re twisting your body from left to right~

You protest. 

Kou: Heeh…It doesn’t work to improve the neck muscles, you say? Then maybe you should make even bigger movements! …Like this!

*Rustle rustle* 

Kou: Fufufu…Does that tickle~? …Right, right! If you move your whole body like that, it might really work wonders! I’ll tickle you some more, okay? 

*Rustle rustle*

Kou: Fufufu…Ahahaha! Ah, right! I just had a glorious idea! I need to get something from my room so hang on! …Azusa-kun, she’s hanging down like that to fix her bad posture so let’s both try our hardest for her sake, okay?

Azusa: I see…Gotcha. 

Kou runs off. 

Azusa: …I wonder what has gotten into Kou all of a sudden? He seemed to be having a blast. 

You reach out to Azusa.

Azusa: …Yes? You want to ask me something? 

You ask Azusa to help you out. 

Azusa: Why do you want me to let you down? It’s for your own good, isn’t it? 

You explain. 

Azusa: It hurts? Then…I’ll let you down right away, okay? 

He walks over and starts untying the rope. 

*Rustle rustle* 

Azusa: …Hm…Huh? It’s been tied with a really complex knot…

*Rustle rustle* 

Azusa: Oh…You want me to put you down on the floor? …Mmh. Sure. 

*Rustle*

Azusa: Oh…I wonder if I could use this lever to change the height of the bars? 

*Cling cling* 

Azusa: Is this good? Can you reach the floor with your feet now? 

You nod. 

Azusa: Mmh. …Hey. How badly do your wrists hurt? 

You explain. 

Azusa: A numbing pain? In that case…I should really try and remove the rope. 

*Rustle rustle* 

Azusa: I’ll start with this side, okay? …Ugh…

*Rustle rustle* 

Azusa: Eve, are you alright? Your arms must hurt, huh? I promise I’ll untie you at once. 

*Rustle* 

Azusa: Ugh…Uu…

*Rustle rustle* 

Azusa: Hm…

Azusa continues to struggle with the rope. 

Azusa: Oh…!

The power tower nearly tips over.

*Cling* 

Azusa: …Ugh…That was close…My bad, Eve…Ugh…

Azusa tries to fix it back in place. 

*Cling* 

Azusa: Phew…

Kou: Ah! Hey! Azusa-kun, what are you doing!? I told you not to touch it but you’ve lowered the bar!

Azusa: S-Sorry…I just couldn’t watch her in pain. …Ah, by the way, Kou. What did you bring with you? 

Kou: My phone! I figured it’d be fun to snap a couple of pictures of her! I was even going to show them to Ruki-kun and Yuma-kun afterwards but that plan’s been kind of ruined now.

You beg Kou to untie you. 

Kou: Yeah, I know. I’ll remove the ropes right away. Ah-aah~ Boringー 

Azusa: I’ll help untie you as well…

*Rustle rustle*

Kou: Huh? That’s strange…It’s not coming loose at all…Ugh…

Azusa: What will we do…if we can’t untie the knot…? 

Kou: I’m sure we’ll find a way somehow! Come on, tug onto this rope together with me!

Azusa: Mmh…Okay. 

Kou: Ready, go!

They both tug onto the rope. 

*Rustle* 

Kou: …Phew, it’s loose!

Azusa: Haah…We did it. 

*Cling cling cling* 

You lose your balance as the power tower nearly falls on top of you.

Kou: Ah…Uwah! watch out!

Kou stops it just in time. 

*Thud*

Kou: …Phew, made it on time…

Azusa: Eve, are you alright…? 

You nod. 

Azusa: …Ah. …Hm?

*Rustle* 

Kou: …Ah. Don’t tell me…the thing we’re stepping on right now is…Ruki-kun’s precious book, isn’t it…? 

Azusa: Yeah. …The pages are all creased…

*Rustle* 

Kou: Oh no! We’ll be in serious trouble if he finds out! We have to get rid of all evidence before he gets home!

Azusa: E-Eh…? But…How do we do that…? 

Kou: We untied you, so you should fix this for us, M-neko-chan!

You tell them there’s nothing you can do. 

Kou: Gosh, you’re so useless! Ruki-kun could be home literally any second now!

They can hear the front door opening in the background. 

Azusa: Ah…Aah…W-What do we do…? Seems like he’s home…

Kou: Uwah…We have no other choice but to run then! Come on, you two! Hurry up!

Kou starts running away.

Azusa: Run…? But where do we go then? 

Kou: That doesn’t matter! Anywhere Ruki-kun can’t find us!

You ask him what to do with the power tower. 

Kou: I don’t care about that thing right now! If I had known this would happen, I would have thrown it out as soon as I had the chance!

Azusa: If Eve no longer needs it, let’s get rid of it. 

Kou: Oh come on! Let’s just run before Ruki-kun gets here!

Azusa: Ah, wait…!

All three of you make a run for it. 

ーー THE END ーー

#diabolik lovers #dialovers #kou mukami #azusa mukami #diabolik lovers translation #diabolik lovers drama cd #drama cd

[tomorrows2top]

02TB NEWS FROM DIGIFES 2023.

NEW KEY ART, TRAILER AND THE UPDATES IN THE WEBSITE!!

STORY SINOPSIS:

The secret behind the birth of "the DigiDestined" is now uncovered. It is 2012, ten years after the adventures between Odaiba and the Digital World took place. While they have embarked on their own paths, Daisuke and the other "DigiDestined" and their partner Digimon are still bound together by the same bond. Then one day, a giant Digitama suddenly appears in the sky above Tokyo Tower, sending a message to the world.

"May everyone in the world have friends. May they each have a Digimon."

As the world watches, a young man named Lui Ohwada appears before Daisuke and his friends with a cracked DIGIVICE. Behind the birth of "the DigiDestined" is Lui's single, hidden wish…

When the past and present connect, the biggest crisis in Digimon history is unleashed. What path will Daisuke and the "02" team choose? Once again, the DigiDestined mobilize, this time as adults!

(src- 02TB website)

NEW KEY ART:

(src- Digimon Partners twitter)

NEW TRAILER:

(src- Toei Animation YouTube channel)

※ If you would like to watch this PV with subs, Onkei subbed it on her twt acc -- But please watch it before it gets taken down by Toei.)

NEW DiM SET WITH 02 AND THE MOVIE CHARACTERS!!

Besides that, for Toy line, there's the movie & OG 02 themed DiMs: D-3 White and Yellow and D-3 White and Red -- Which will be released on Oct 28. This set includes Ukkomon, Besides of the six main digimon protagonists of the series & movie, with their Armor, Standard and Jogress evolutions. On the Adventure side, some old faces from 02 series and movies, besides Ukkomon!

※ There's a hidden digimon on the Hawkmon DiM too, might be related to the new movie 👀

(src- Digimon Web twitter)

<phew> that's all for now!! ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

#digi02tb news report #digimon adventure 02 #digimon adventure 02 the beginning #digimon #Youtube

[cherry-sodaaaa]

(Before it starts Ren is the name of the NB traveler, I did tht so that it’s a little more- personal? Idk just name of NB traveler. Fem is Akai and MaN is Daisuke.

With that, enjoooy~)

(Jealous)VENTI X READER Sweet Cherry Wine 🍷

“Ehe~ Reeeen~" you stroll into Angels Share tavern and hear the familiar voice. “Oh, Venti if I may ask, where is Kaeya? I need help with commissions-“ you pause, until you saw his face. He looked..mad? “Venti..what’s wrong?” you ask him. He pouts and says, “Well you could have asked me..” he trailed off, as if he didn’t know what to say next, this was strange since- he really always knew what to say. “Awwe~ Venti are you jealous?” You ask him in a teasing voice while poking his cheeks. His face turns red, which makes you start laughing even harder than before. “Well, maybe you can come with me Mr. Tone Deaf Bard~” You day standing up from the table, and he jumps up from the table to follow.

~After The Commissions~ “Phew, Ren that was hard wanna go back to the tavern?” “Sure Venti! But your paying!”you poke at his side jokingly.

~At Angels Share~

“Heeey Diluc!” Venti bursts into the tavern and sees the man with the Cherry color hair. But he also saw his flirty brother. “Kaeya." Venti was throwing daggers at Kaeya with his eyes, but the drunkard didn’t notice. “Hey Mr.Diluc!” you chirped “I’ll take Cherry Wine!” “The usual.” Venti states coldly, still glaring at Kaeya. As you guys were drinking your drinks, Kaeya grabs your waist and whispers in your ear “Hey Ren~ Aha why don’t I take you back to my place?” Venti couldn’t take anymore of Kaeya’s antics, and got in his face and muttered “Get.Your.Dirty.Hands.Off.Them.” Kaeya glared back at Venti, annoyed that he thought he could tell him what to do. ”And who are YOU to tell me what to do?” Kaeya sneered back. “Well, THEY are mine so back up.” Kaeya being pissed off, but not wanting to start a fight in front of diluc, walked outside and dragged Venti with him. When Venti walked back in, he looked happy. As if he won a fight with Cyrus,the strongest man in Mondstadt. One thing that shocked you the most, or at the very most flustered you was that Venti called you “his”.

TIMESKIP After a few drinks you guys leave the tavern, and decide to go to the big tree in Windrise. Unfortunately, it started to rain, so you two had to stay there for quite some time. To pass the time though..Venti jokingly got on top of you and sat on your lap. “V- Venti?!” You stuttered out to shocked to even process what was going on. But- then something..shocking happened. He kissed you. Not one of those short and sweet ones either. It was deep and passionate. You kissed him back, since you had recovered slightly from your state of shock. Before long, he was tugging at the hem of your shirt and you were tugging at his. This…this was…your first time. You didn’t know how, or what to do. But it seemed like Venti did. I mean he’s been around for more than 2000+ years. So he had to..right?

As he reached down to your most precious place, you stopped him. “Ve-Venti? A-are you sure?” “Ehee~ yes I am windblume~”

Just before you could speak he kissed you again…starting to play with you.

Your little moans between tearing the kiss away for air reverberated through Venti’s ears.

What you did next, made him jump. You reach down and started stroking his rather large cock.

You broke away from him only for a minute to turn the situation around, Venti on the bottom you on top. “Heh~Venti..I would never dream of doing this with Master Kaeya.” You kiss his neck, moving down to his collarbone, moving lower to to the main event.

His erect dick was already spurting erotic juices, making you more excited. You begin kissing it making his voice spike in pitch in a shocked moan.

“Hee hee~ Venti your moans are adorable~” you moan in his ear, shoving him inside of you. This shocked him, but…you were so warm and tight. As you started grinding yourself on to him you could feel his legs starting to twitch. “Oh, Venti are you about to cum?~”

Before you could tease him more he released inside of you. Coincidentally, it was in sync with the thunder.

Before long you both were a sweaty mess and the rain had let up a little bit, but you just wanted to stay right where you were…only for a bit longer.

#venti smut #genshin impact #sus af

[lordkambe]

Thank you for doing my other request! Can I please request some nsfw relationship headcanons for Daisuke x female reader this time? Thank you!

💸   title, type: daisuke nsfw headcanons , request.

💸   character, fandom, type of reader: daisuke kambe, balance unlimited: millionaire detective, woman reader.

💸   genre, rating: nsfw, 18+ only.

💸   themes, triggers: dom/sub, daddy / babygirl used as pet names, explicit dirty talk

💸   author’s note:  hey again ! i really enjoyed writing up your first request so i’m happy you sent in another. especially when it’s nsfw headcanons cause, phew. this man? he can blow my back out any day. 

+  daisuke kambe surely doesn't disappoint in his romantic relationships and of course this extends to sex. it's always the quiet, reserved ones with a high libido and daisuke isn't any different. he's always willing to do the deed, anytime -- anywhere.

+  he is generous but believes that you exist to please him. for that reason he can have dominant tendencies. it's a mix between kinky and romantic but the thing is you never know what you're going to get.

+  sometimes he'll treat you to a long, fulfilling night. he pays attention to the spots that bring you so much pleasure. he thrusts into and kisses you generously. he doesn't stop until you reach euphoria. but then...

+  there's times where he'll tease you. he'll only attempt to satisfy you with the tips of his fingers. he'll run his index finger across your slit but never push it into you. he'll dance his tongue around your abdomen and inner thighs but he'll never lick where you need it most. he doesn't keep it a secret either, "baby girl... could it be that you're so desperate for my touch? what do you want my fingers? or should i be generous enough to give you my cock?"

+  even though he's a dominant he enjoys it when you're on top of him. he places you right on top and holds your thighs. "ride my cock." it's a demand. he lays there and watches you pleasure yourself on him. he's smoking a cigar while doing so.

+  he doesn't use handcuffs but he does use his tie or even silk ribbons. he ties each of your wrists to the bed post. he'll tease you with a vibrator for hours and leave you there until he decides to finally fuck you.

+  he'll sit on the edge of the bed and make you get on your knees. you're at the other side of the room and you crawl towards him. "that's right baby girl, come here. come to daddy."

+  he loves watching you when you give him a good suck. he runs his fingers through your hair. or when you decide to tie it up he holds on to it and pulls it. he thrusts into your mouth slowly, he enjoys the warmth of your mouth and wants to savor it.

+  but sometimes he looses control and just face fucks you. he praises you the most during this. "such a good girl, taking my cock so well."

+  when he's on top of you he takes one of your legs and puts it over his shoulder. he runs his length across your slit before pushing into you slowly. all while doing so his eyes never leave yours.

+  he loves lingerie and buys you numerous pairs often. he likes fucking you while you're still wearing them. so you've thrown away quite a few pairs because they get ripped and damaged.

+  dim the lights, turn on some sexy music. dance for him. he probably loves it when you give him a lap dance. just pressing your ass against his clothed dick drives him insane.

+  ngl he's probably into dry humping and this could happen anywhere. like you could be in the kitchen and he'll just come up behind you. he'll kiss your shoulder and you feel his hard cock press against your thigh. you nudge your ass back to feel it entirely.

+  loves it when you send him suggestive pictures and texts. you have fun with it too. you'll send him a series of videos of you doing an innocent task before it cuts to you masturbating and moaning loudly. he makes a quick excuse to get home to you. "you're driving me insane, you know that?"

+  when you're sitting on his dick ( cowgirl position ) you grind and swivel your hips. he sits up and hugs you. you moan loudly and it excites him. so he ends up picking you up and fucks you while your standing.

+ speaking of standing sex. he'll press you against a wall and hold both your legs up. this way he's able to thrust his length so deep inside of you. he asks "who does this pussy belong to?" to which you reply, "you daddy. you."

+  he calls you babygirl, you call him daddy. but it's only ever in sexual situations. so if you're in the mood you just whisper "daddy" in his ear and it's like a switch inside him clicks. if you're at a party or a dinner, you whisper it in his ear and he makes up quick excuses. the two of you just end up in the bathroom or in his car.

+  car sex is frequent with daisuke. he'll have you give him a blowjob while he drives. one hand is on the car wheel and the other is on your head as you bop up and down. sweet praises mixed with teasing. "such a good girl. but such a whore, what if someone catches you like this?"

+  spanking. that's it. spanks you. especially when he's behind you ( doggystyle ) he presses his hand firmly on your ass. he grabs it before slapping it.

+  ngl he likes getting head but he also likes titty fucking you. probably because his second favorite place to cum is on your tits. his first favorite place is inside you.

+  when he's on the verge of cumming, he holds your head. and presses your foreheads together. "you're so fucking sexy." you moan in response and he releases.

+  he's vocal, especially when you perform oral. but the sound of your moans are music to his ears.

+  after care ! oh he just turns so sweet during after care. “are you okay? was that too much?” he asks you while showering you with kisses. he gives you time to heal and relax. draws you a warm bath and sits to watch you. he reminds you of how gorgeous you are and how important you are to him. 

#daisuke x reader #daisuke kambe x reader #fkbu x reader #balance unlimited #the millionare detective balance: unlimited #millionaire detective x reader #fkbu. #dk. #nsfw. #hcs. #tm.

[digitalworldbound]

Takari Week, Day Two: First Kiss

Hello, again! This was the first fanfiction I ever wrote in middle school, around the age of thirteen (eight years ago!). I found it the other day, and thought it would be cute to post. It’s not the best, but has a cute sentiment . @takariweek 💖

Title: First Kiss

Characters: Takeru x Hikari

We arrived at Daisuke’s house when the party was in full swing. From the overflow of cars in the driveway, it appeared that everybody from the soccer team, dance squad, and student council were there.

“Hey, Takaishi-san!” Daisuke sauntered over and did that guy hand-slap/chest-bump combination that he must have picked up from my brother. “Welcome, welcome, all!” He looked me up and down, and I gave him the stare that made it clear I wasn’t the least bit interested in anything he was looking for. Not all men mature after middle school.

“Hey, man.” Saeki, my boyfriend, said. He side stepped me, putting his body between Daisuke and myself. “Thanks for the invite.” Daisuke grinned wider, sizing Saeki up. Both boys had a competitive streak, something that I wished they left on the soccer field.

“Oh, right, you two are together. See, I keep forgetting that since she’s always with him.” He pointed a grimy finger to a clearly annoyed Takeru.

“Daisuke-san, I don’t believe that you’ve met Nagai-san yet.” Takeru gestured in his girlfriend’s direction. Her glittery eyes popped underneath her smoky eyeshadow, and I absentmindedly wished I had taken the time to apply some.

Our whole lives, people always assumed that Takeru and I were an item. In their defense, most of our time was spent together, and we even had this weird twin-telepathy thing that let us know how the other one was feeling. It wasn’t until high school arrived that our close bond was placed underneath scrutiny.

For whatever reason, Daisuke laughed. “Okay, I get it, I get it.” He reached into a cooler and pulled out some cans of soda.  “I’d say go long, Takaishi-san, but I don’t think my mom would appreciate getting soda on the carpet.” He laughed. I quirked an eyebrow at his jab. “Wow, Daisuke-san, that’s fresh coming from the kid that wore a pair of hand-me-down goggles for over half of his life.”

Saeki stifled a laugh at my outburst, but Takeru remained stoic. The four of us each took a can and made our way over to the corner of the kitchen.

“Don’t let him get to you.” I said to Takeru.

“But he’s right. I can’t seem to catch anything… except grief.” He shook his head. With the basketball season starting up, Takeru hadn’t had as much time to practice as he did in years previous. He game had gotten weaker; a detail that hadn’t slipped even Daisuke’s notice.

I turned my back to Nagai and Saeki. I knew how embarrassed Takeru could get about his skills. He always valued the opinions of others more than his own. “You’re getting much better. The other day, Nii-chan was telling me you catch a ball nearly half-way down the court.”

“I guess.” His voice was faint. “But it is so humiliating sitting on the bench every game.”

“I thought you only wanted to play basketball to make friends and to fit in. Remember? You said that you were more focused on becoming a writer.”

He shrugged. “But it doesn’t mean I don’t want to play.”

“I know but look around. You’re at a party and Daisuke-san of all people invited you.”

“He invited everybody.” Takeru’s huff of annoyance ruffled his golden locks, and I pretended that the movement didn’t distract me.

“But at least you’re here. And he’s making fun of you. Isn’t that ‘the bro’ way of being friendly?”

“’The bro way.’” He laughed.

“You know, how guys show affection. Or mark their turf. Kind of like how my cat Miko pees on something to let you know it’s hers.”

“Do you have any idea what you’re talking about?” A grin teased its way onto his face, and I silently rejoiced at the small victory.

“Of course not,” I admitted. “But does it at least make you feel a little bit better?”

“Yeah, just a little.”

I elbowed him playfully. “Well, that will not do. Clearly my job here is not done. Let me count the ways you are a stud.”

“Wait, wait.” Takeru laughed and pulled out his phone. “I need to record this. I may even make it my new ringtone.” His eyebrows wiggled suggestively.

I grabbed his phone and spoke directly into the mic. “I, Yagami Hikari, do hereby swear the Takaishi Takeru is a total manly man, the ultimate bro. Reason number one, he can quote the entire My Neighbor Totoro movie at the drop of a hat. Reason number two, he knows to always compliment a lady’s photography skills. Um, reason number three. Um…”

“Nice,” he grabbed his phone back. “You can’t even come up with three reasons?”

“See, there are just too many reasons, my poor brain is on overload.”

“Good save.”

“Phew!” I wiped my brow dramatically.

“Hey!” Miyako approached us. “I didn’t see you guys come in. But then I saw your dates outside and figured you were doing that thing you do.” I almost didn’t recognize her with her long hair pulled all the way back. Her face looked more angular, more grown-up.

The best part about Miyako, however, was that she could read the nonverbal exchange Takeru and I shared. “Let me guess. You didn’t realize your dates left.”

I grimaced.

She shook her head, shiny purple hair flowing behind her. “You guys are too much.”

“Clearly,” Takeru and I said in unison.

“Well, may I suggest that you take your party outside and keep your dates company?”

“Thank you so much!” I gave Miyako a quick hug before she returned to her student council friends.

Takeru and I went to the glass patio door and saw Nagai and Saeki leaning against the deck railing. Saeki, all cheekbones and full lips, was telling some story that made Nagai giggle like a little schoolgirl. Her cheeks were rosy against her white camisole, short cropped hair caught on a breeze. ‘Takeru-kun looks at that every day.’ I shut down that train of thought as soon as it arrived. Now was not the time to be jealous.

“Well, at least they’re having a good time.” Takeru remarked. “In fact, it looks like they’re having a better time now than they have all night.”

“Takeru-kun,” I stopped his hand from opening up the door. “I think that maybe it’s not the best idea for us to go on double dates.”

He nodded, letting his palm linger a second too long. “I know. It’s just hard to throw anybody into our mix. I really don’t want to mess things up with Nagai-san.”

“You and I will still hang out; you’re bound to me by the laws of friendship. I’m only saying that maybe date night should just be date night. No forcing our dates to put up with the two of us.”

Takeru’s gaze was fixed straight ahead. His jaw was tightly clenched, blue eyes narrowed to fine points.

“Takeru-kun?” When he didn’t respond, I followed his stare. Saeki moved closer to Nagai and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She blushed further but leaned into him. He put his arm around her, pulling her closer. His jacket dangled from her shoulders as Nagai tucked herself into the warmth.

“Are they flirting?” I gasped out. There was no way this was happening.

Takeru and I remained frozen in place as we watched Saeki and Nagai lean in closer and closer. He said something else that made her laugh. Her giggles bounded off the glass door and shot straight into my heart. She twirled a piece of auburn hair around her finger, the action enticing Saeki lean even further into her. Her smile dropped. They were studying each other. Intensely.

I recognized the look on Saeki’s face. He tilted his head and put his index finger up to her chin. This was not happening.

“I can’t…” The pain etched in Takeru’s voice snapped me into action.

“How could you?” I found myself in front of Nagai. I know I should have been more upset with Saeki, but at that moment I was furious with the green-eyed beauty. Takeru had been on a few dates with her, he’d even asked her to come hang out with his friends and go to a party he was invited to, and this is how she repaid him?

Nagai shrank away from me, but Saeki stepped closer. “Are you being serious right now?” I’d never seen him so mad before. His hands, clenched into fists at his side, were trembling.

“Are you being serious right now?” I threw back.

He looked at me with disgust. “Do you realize how messed up this is? You’re mad at Nagai-san? Do you even care about me? You know what – you don’t even need to answer that. It’s clear that your only concern is Takaishi-san, not your boyfriend. No, wait, your former boyfriend.”

“Let me make sure I’m getting this straight.”  My mind was trying to keep pup with every that had happened in the past few minutes. “You were flirting with another girl. If I hadn’t stepped in, you were probably going to kiss another girl. You were going to cheat on me. Yet you’re mad at me? And you’re breaking up with me?”

“Do you have any idea how much this hurts me?” Saeki’s voice cracked, and I could tell it was completely genuine. I felt awful; maybe I had hurt him. But I certainly knew I didn’t do anything that justified cheating.

“How are you putting this on me?” Confusion swirled around in my head. Saeki and I had never fought; not once. We were talking about traveling to Kyoto for our one-year anniversary. And now he was breaking up with me? “Have you been drinking?”

“You know I don’t drink.” He snapped at me. “Maybe I did this on purpose, for you to see what it’s like to have your boyfriend give another girl all your attention. I really like you, Hikari-chan, but I can’t sit here and play second best to Takaishi-san anymore.”

“You wouldn’t think any of this if he were a girl.” Tears trailed down my cheeks, but I let them fall. I wanted him to see the pain he was causing me.

“But he’s not, and that’s the problem. Why don’t you two just go out already?”

That is what it always came down to. The perception that there was no way Takeru and I could be legitimately best friends and only friends. Nobody seemed to understand it. Mostly because those people never had a best friend of the opposite sex.

Or maybe it was more appropriate to say that none of them have had Takeru as a best friend.

“If you’ve had such a problem with it, why are you only saying something now?”

He groaned. “Because I figured the closer you and I got, the less I would have to deal with him?”

“Deal with him?”

“You know what I mean.”

“No, I don’t.”

I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard Takeru’s voice say, “I’m so sorry.” I had forgotten that he and Nagai were there. In fact, a whole crowd had started gathering around the door.

Nagai was hunched over in the corner in an attempt to disappear. “I should go,” she said quietly.

“I’ll drive you home.” Saeki walked into the group of observers while Nagai following close behind him.

I heard some clapping. “Dudes,” Daisuke called out, emerging from the crowd. “I know I can always count on you two to bring the entertainment. If only I had some popcorn! That was insane.”

“Really, Motimiya-san?” I asked. Something in my voice must have stopped him.

“Oh, man, I’m sorry, Hikari-chan.”

I stood there waiting for him to make a sarcastic follow up comment, but he had a look of actual sympathy on his face. It made me feel even worse. If Daisuke felt bad for you, you knew your life must be pathetic.

“Let’s get out of here.” I grabbed Takeru by the arm and led us out of the crowded house.

“Um, our ride left,” Takeru said with quiet resignation.

“We’ll figure something out.” I opened the front door and started walking. “I think the fresh air might do us some good.”

Takeru stayed uncharacteristically silent for several minutes. I left him alone with is thoughts, as I had a plethora of my own to muddle through.  Mostly, what had just happened? Maybe I was missing some signals. I racked my brain for signs that Saeki had been unhappy. He’d made lots of jabs at how much time I spent with Takeru and usually pretended to gag whenever I would talk about him. But he was a guy. I’d thought he was teasing me.

Regardless of what I’d done, it didn’t give him any excuse to flirt the second my back was turned. But what made me the most upset was that it had been Takeru’s girlfriend. I would have thought Saeki, of all people, would’ve wanted Takeru to have a girlfriend.

“Is any of this making sense to you?” I asked Takeru. The night air caressed his cheeks, coloring them the shade of rose petals. He shook his head and kept walking. This was bad.

We found ourselves walking to the same place. We didn’t discuss our destination; we just lead each other to the shores of Odaiba Beach. Silently, we strolled towards the abandoned swing set. Carefully, I sat in the middle swing while Takeru occupied the swing to my left. This is how we always sat on the way home in middle school, back when growing up wasn’t so messy.

I started rocking my swing back and forth.

“So, I’ve been thinking,” Takeru announced, remaining motionless in his swing. “I think you’re right. We shouldn’t go on anymore double dates.”

I looked over and saw a slight smile pulling at the edges of his lips. “Are you making a joke?”

“Well, it’s either that, or accept the fact that I’ve been cheated on twice.” He was referring to his girlfriend from middle school. At the girl’s New Year’s Eve party, she snuck away to make out with Daisuke while Takeru was visiting his family in France. I was the one that found them in a tangle of limbs on a butterfly comforter. I was also the one that had to break the news to my best friend when he got off the plane six days later.

“Well, if it helps, Nagai-san didn’t technically cheat.”

He clicked his tongue. “Yeah, only because you stopped it.”

“We don’t know what was going to happen.” Truthfully, I didn’t believe the words as they came out of my mouth. I tried to lighten the mood. “I guess I really need to stop going to parties where your girlfriends are. And where there are doors.”

“Tell me about it.” He got up and went behind to push me. I closed my eyes and let the swing take me higher and higher. His hands pressed lightly on my back, and I relished in the comfort while it lasted.

We stayed like that for nearly an hour before I glanced down at my watch. “We either need to start walking home or call one of our parents.”

We decided that it was best to call Takeru’s mom for a ride.  My father and Onii-chan were very protective of me, so I didn’t think they would take it lightly that I’d been essentially abandoned at a party. Although I was with Takeru, which would have made them both feel a bit better. They both really liked Saeki, so I knew they’d be disappointed to hear that it was over.

Over. It was so strange to think about it.

Takeru and I sat on the curb while we waited on his mother to pick us up. He averted his eyes, picking at the toe of his sneaker.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“Not really.” He wrapped his arms around his legs. “I don’t know, I’m wondering if there is something wrong with me.” A cheek was pressed against his knee, facing in my direction.

“There’s nothing wrong with you,” I assured him. His eyes, a stormy gray, refused to meet mine.

“But why do girls keep cheating on me?”

“You’ve had one girl cheat on you, and another to make a bad decision.”

He sighed, his breath shakily blowing his hair out of his eyes. “Maybe I’m a bad kisser.”

“I’m sure it’s not that.”

“How would you know?” He got me there. “Let’s think about it. My first girlfriend was away from me for ten days and sucking face with a guy who was supposed to be my friend the second she was alone with him. Tonight, my girlfriend was away from me for like two seconds before she about to make out with a guy that was already taken. The problem is clearly me.”

“You’re being silly.” I insisted. It hurt me to think that my best friend thought so lowly of himself. He was loyal, kind, and everything a girl could ever need.

“I don’t think I am.” That was all it took for Takeru to become opposite of silent. He spent the next five minutes battling the crickets for his voice to be heard. He went on and on about how it must be that he was a terrible kisser and that he would never be able to keep a girlfriend because of how lousy of a person he was. How he was never going to date another girl because he wouldn’t be able to trust them. How pathetic he must be that every girl jumped at the chance to be with someone the second his back was turned.

It was grinding on my last nerve.

Takeru was usually pretty laid back about most things, so I wasn’t accustomed to him being so hard on himself about some girl.

I kept trying to tell him that it wasn’t about him. It was about how the first girlfriend likes to flirt and couldn’t be “girlfriend material” with how she preferred to play the field. And who knew about Nagai? She was younger than we were. She had made a mistake.

But that wasn’t enough. I was getting so frustrated with Takeru. Part of me wanted to smack him, but I knew he would only keep complaining.

“Nope, that’s it. I’m a horrible kisser. And it’s going to spread around the school and no girl will ever give me a chance.”

“For the love of the gods, Takeru-kun!”

And before I really could register what I was doing, I grabbed his cheeks and pulled his lips to mine. The chilly air had chapped them, and but his face was warm underneath my hands. He was tense, probably from shock, but I forced my eyes shut so that I wouldn’t see any looks of disgust he could give me.  I tried to ingrain the scent of the sea and sandalwood and something uniquely him. Then, his shoulders loosened. His arms wrapped around my middle as he eased his body into mine. My fingers twitched, threatening to caress his hair.

I pulled away and Takeru struggled for breath. “Wh-wh-what …” He stammered, ears pink from excitement.

Ignoring my own rapid heartrate, I discretely tried to catch my breath. “You’re fine. You are not a bad kisser. It has been verified. Moving on.”

His eyes were shiny and wide, mouth agape and speechless. For the first, I cursed myself for leaving my camera at home.

I loved that he was so flustered. The fact that I could have that effect on him was exhilarating.

From across the street, we could see his mom’s headlights approaching. I stood up while he remained seated on the curb. I reached out my hand to help him up, but it took him a second to process it. He got up on his feet, completely stunned.

“So, that’s one thing that I have on all of your basketball friends and your other ‘bros’” I said to him, flashing him the smile I reserved for quiet moments like these. He returned a blank stare.

I laughed and playfully punched him in the shoulder. “I don’t think any of them would’ve had the nerve to prove to you that you’re not a bad kisser. You’re welcome, by the way.”

He stayed mostly silent on the ride back to my house. Every so often, his finger would reach up to brush across his lips, and I had to stop myself from doing the same. ‘Remember, you’re better off as friends.’

I laughed silently to myself while my thigh was pressed against his in the backseat. All it really takes to fluster a guy is a simple kiss.

#takari week #takari #takeru takaishi #hikari yagami

[yukihime03]

The A3! Song Tag Game

Thanks for tagging me, @athela-3​! I’d actually been wanting to write a post about A3! songs but never got to it because I had a hard time choosing! 😅

With you tagging me, I guess I might as well do this now. Man... I spent hours formulating a response to these questions. I’m doing this all at once, so this post is going to be a long one...

Main:

What is your first A3! song?

MANKAI☆Kaika Sengen! I mean, it’s the song that greets you the moment you open the game. Moreover, I was already familiar with Masayoshi Oishi, thanks to him writing Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun’s OP Kimi Ja Nakya Dame Mitai (which is also a bop!). The moment I heard Kaika Sengen, I instantly knew it’s written by Masayoshi-san and took to it immediately. However, the song that led to the whole discography was Susume! Pirates, because I was blown away by Misumi’s voice there and it made me curious about his other songs... and so, here I am, playing A3! playlist almost every day.

What A3! song gives you musical chills (frisson)?

Ugh, so many, I have a hard time choosing, but I think I’ll choose the one that started it all: Susume! Pirates. Misumi’s and Muku’s voices there always give me good chills, making me wanna sail away and go treasure hunting right away! Special mention: The Contract. The full version is not out yet, but damn, Tsumugi’s “Contract”... *chef’s kiss*

What A3! song makes you want to dance?

Honestly all A3ders songs and Summer Troupe songs make my body move instantly, but I think the one song that makes me wanna do proper dance is Summer Time Love. I mean, have you seen Renren (Kazu’s VA) dancing that song??? I totally understand why Daisuke-kun (Misumi’s VA) learned the dance routine and wanted to dance it with Renren.

What A3! song you would sing in a karaoke?

If it’s a solo song, I want to sing Kiteretsu Poemer, because I can go all out and be hella dramatic. 😂

Ahahahaha I have kept you all in waiting, honored ladies and esteemed gentlemen My time to take the stage is nigh! Ahahahaha

If it’s a duet song... I actually already make an agreement with a friend who also likes A3! that we’ll sing BUZAMA in karaoke. I’ll sing Sakyo’s part and my friend will sing Juza’s part. I have even memorized the dialogues. 😅

What A3! song gets you hyped up?

Natsu tte ☆ Pari Pari! It’s an easy choice because this song just screams “HYPE HYPE HYPE”. 

KA・ZU・NA・RI! Guu yabaa! 

What A3! song is the most relatable for you?

Nowadays, I can totally relate to Gamer’s High for obvious reasons lol. Even my new motto comes from this song:

Kakin wa uragiranai (My in-game purchases will never betray me)

But my teenage self can also relate to MINORITY. This leads to me to the realization that both Itaru and Yuki struggle with their real selves, but they take different approaches. My approach was closer to Yuki though.

It was right for me to have refused to lie to myself, right? The truth is, I’ve always been searching for a place that will accept me for who I am

Thankfully, just as Yuki has found Mankai Company, I have also found a place that accepts me for who I am. 😊

What A3! song makes you feel sadness?

Omoide no Nejimaki. Gosh, the moment the music starts, I just wanna cry everytime. Hearing the song always reminds me of the play... 😭😭😭

It was left in the hand The key to memories   

Excuse me while I go sobbing for a second.

What A3! song make you feel happiness?

MagiClap. The two purest beings I have ever known singing to me about the magic of a smile?? How can I not be smiling happily??

Let’s clap your hands together! I’ll cast a spell of happiness     

If you look at my face when I’m listening to this song, my expression will be like this ☺️☺️☺️ the whole time. Whoever decides to make these two sing together deserves an award, IMO.

A3! song that could be a good anime op?

If we strictly talk about anime OP, I think Mikansei na Sora de fits a fashion anime. But I think quite a number of A3! songs can be good anime songs. Sorachika will be good as soccer anime ED, I think. Susume! Pirates also sounds similar to Fairy Tail BGMs...

Favourites:

What is your favourite A3! song?

The hardest question to answer ever, but I end up choosing Scarlet Game as the winner. It has the mystery air that I so love and I adore the concept of a duet between archenemies. The lyrics are the reason why this song wins over es no Yuutsu as my most favorite A3! song.

My dearest neighbor To be quite honest, Is but a smiling monster 

I always love smiling villains. 🙂

What is your favourite Character song?

SICK SICK SICK. I’m not even a Masumi fan, but damn, this song is just so sick. I want to grab a standing mic and sing this song the way Shirai (Masumi’s VA) sang it in the live concert.

What is your favourite Troupe theme song?

Natsu tte ☆ Pari Pari! because as I said: HYPE HYPE HYPE. My second favorite is SECOND SHOT. I also love the rock vibes of Autumn Troupe songs.

What is your favourite Play theme song?

I mentioned it above, so you can guess it’s es no Yuutsu. Being a mystery genre lover, I will of course choose this song as a top favorite. Toshi’s (Homare VA) voice also sounds so... delicious. My second favorite is Hajimari wa Karutetto because I like classical music (which is the play’s theme) and the soft violin sound. It is the song I listen to when I want to relax.

What is your favourite Mix Troupe theme song?

Scarlet Game for reasons already mentioned above. I have a lot of favorites from Mixed Plays though: Mikansei no Sora de, Sorachika, Yoi no Mikazuki, and MagiClap. I can’t quite decide the order.

What is your favourite A3der! song?

Haru Natsu Aki Fuyu☆Blooming! I just love it when they yell out “MANKAI!” I think the new Circle of Seasons may usurp the top position, but it’s not quite there yet...

Phew~ It’s quite tiring writing all this, but I feel very accomplished at the same time. 😝 I’m not tagging anyone in particular. If you want to do this too, then go ahead! Spread your love for A3! songs~

#a3! #a3! act! addict! actors! #a3! songs #tag game

[jokertrap-ran]

[Stand My Heroes] 聖夜を奏でる♪ Symphonic numbers (Performing the Holy Night ♪ Symphonic numbers) Event Story: Part ② Translations

*Sutamai Master-list *MC name is retained default Izumi Rei *Scenario Writer: @eno_bara (榎戸乃ばら) *Kurisu Masuo Charisma Suoh…I see what you did there coly ww

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Special Stages

⋆⋅☆ Kujo Mansion: Living Room ☆⋅⋆

Kaname: And Koya-kun says that he watched your Shampoo CM.

Kirishima: Tell him that he was really dashin’! And help me ask him how he made his eyes sparkle like that.

Kaname: —Yeah, see you.

Kirishima: Ah, he hung up?

Kaname: Kyosuke-kun and Hikaru-kun are going to the Concert on the 24th. Tell him yourself then.

Kirishima: For real?

Shindo: What an unusual crowd is going to be gathering.

Kaname: Seems like they’re going because Tsuduki-san got the green light to gather references there.

Kujo: I see. So he contacted you because he knew that we were the one of their backers?

Kaname: Yup.

Miyase: Oh! I’ve just thought of something good.

Kirishima: What is it?

Miyase: How about we invite them to the party since we’re all going to be there?

Kujo: Brilliant.

Miyase: Do you agree to it too?

Kaname: …I don’t mind; not particularly, anyway.

Miyase: I’ll do my best to whip up all the food then.

Shindo: Looks like this we’re having another unnecessarily lively Christmas again this year.

─────────────────────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

⋆⋅☆ Streets ☆⋅⋆

MC: (Phew…we ended up getting off late again.)

When I speed-walked to the Station——

???: Oooooi, Rei! Get on in!

Rei: (Hm?)

I turned around upon being called, noticing a familiar face waving from behind an open window of a car, stopped by the roadside.

──���──────────────────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

⋆⋅☆ Inside the Car ☆⋅⋆

Kirishima: Is it cold in here?

Rei: Nope, it’s warm.

Kirishima: I see.

Rei: Thank you so much.

Rei: It’ll be a great help if you could send me all the way back, but are you sure about this?

Kirishima: I was just on my way back from running an errand for Kujo-san, and I was just in the mood to go for a drive.

Rei: Sorry about this…I’m really beat to be honest, so thank you.

Kirishima: That’s good then. I’ve got something I wanna talk to you about too, so nice timing!

Rei: What about…?

Kirishima: We’ll be holding a Christmas Banquet on the 25th so Kujo-san wanted to extend an invitation to you too!

Rei: A Christmas Banquet…

Kirishima: Could it be that you’ve already made plans?

Rei: Rather than plans, I suppose it can be called work…in a sense, but that’s how it is.

Rei: I’m really glad to be invited, but…

Kirishima: I see…So you’re busy.

Rei: (Ahhh, my heart hurts when I see him so disappointed like a kicked puppy…!)

Rei: I apologise. Can I put my invitation tentative or will that be an inconvenience?

Kirishima: You can just take as long as you need. Even if you barely make it on the day itself.

Kirishima: Miyase’s all hyped up making tons of food.

Rei: I want to eat his cooking!

Kirishima: Don’t push yourself too hard at work, okay? I hope you come to the party.

Rei: Yes! Thank you so much!

Rei: You too, Kirishima-san! Be sure not to catch a cold or anything like that!

Kirishima: ‘Course! I’d only make Kujo-san worry if I’m not healthy during Christmas!

Rei: (Seems like everything and everyone are already in Christmas-mood except us down in the NCD.)

─────────────────────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

⋆⋅☆ Investigation Planning Headquarters ☆⋅⋆

It was only on the next day, that the Investigation took a big step forward.

Imaoji: Seki-san, has that information been checked over?

Seki: Yes.

Seki: Kurisu bought drugs from the dealer in Club R and used it before continuing with his night life.

Seki: That’s why we’ll call him out on his way back and intercept him then.

Seki: That’s the plan we’ve come up with after all the prior investigations we’ve carried out.

But the new information from his Ace was that, “Kurisu didn’t do drugs at all when he was out enjoying his night life”. Therefore——

Yui: Then, why was he buying all those on a schedule…?

Seki: That’s because…

─────────────────────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

——A few days ago.

⋆⋅☆ Concert Hall ☆⋅⋆

Makoto: ——I see. So, there’s a difference in practicing in a Hall and in a Studio.

Kurisu: Yes! I’d get even more into it whenever I practice in a hall!

Kurisu: The sound’s different, you see. For example, the violin. Are you aware of this, perhaps?

Kurisu: It’s sound like mm~♪in a studio, but nnnn~~♪in a Hall.

Makoto: ——I apologize. Amateurs like me can’t tell between such subtle differences.

Kurisu: Ahaha! It’s all OK, all’s good♪Because I’ll show you how different they are now!

Makoto: (He’s someone who’s always full of energy, but he seems to be way more excited than usual today.)

Makoto: (…Actually, his eyes seem to be sparkling strangely…)

Kurisu: Now, my lovely Orchestra! Are all of you ready!?

Kurisu: Let us descend into the lovely world of music!

Seki: ——Pardon me.

Kurisu: !?

Makoto: You guys…

The Orchestra members all looked uneasy as a buzz filled the air at sudden entrance of the Outsiders. Kurisu’s face paled as a sheet as Seki questioned him.

Seki: Kurisu-san, you’re under suspicion of possession and usage of Illegal Drugs.

Seki: ——According to our Information, you use dangerous drugs whenever you do music, more often than not.

Makoto: ——!

Seki: Could I ask of you to cooperate with our Investigation?

Kurisu: …I see~ Alright. I’ll cooperate with you.

Rei: Then, may I check your personal belongings?

Kurisu: What you’re looking for is over here.

It looked as if a lightbulb had clicked in Kurisu’s head as he opened something that resembled a Conducting Baton’s Case——

Aoyama & Yui: ——!

A bucket’s worth of white powder fell from within.

——And now, back to reality.

Makoto: I’m with the NCD right now. I’ve also gotten arrested.

Kyosuke: “ARRESTED——!?”

─────────────────────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

⋆⋅☆ Investigation Planning Department ☆⋅⋆

Makoto: I’ll contact you again once I’ve been released.

Aoyama: Released…?

Makoto only calmly sipped at his coffee after he ended his call.

Rei: Makoto-san…please don’t say things like that; It’ll only invite more misunderstandings.

Rei: We only wanted to ask you some questions.

Makoto: I just wanted to try using the word “release” in relevance to my current situation.

Makoto: I just thought that I’d never have another chance to do so in the future if I didn’t take the opportunity now, when it presented itself.

Man: Ahaha…

Seiya, the Concert Master who seated beside him, only laughed bitterly at that.

Apparently, it looks like the Concert Master was responsible for “Rounding everything up” when it came to anything concerning the Orchestra. You could say that he’s a Conductor-player, if anything.

Seiya: Uhm…So, how long do we have to stay cooped up in here, exactly?

Aoyama: We’ve already heard whatever you have to say, so you’re free to leave.

Seki: Thank you so much for cooperating with us.

Rei: Thank you so much!

Seiya: Ahh, is that so. That’s great to hear…Everyone in the Orchestra’s really worried.

Rei: (Oh, that’s right. Their Conductor was suddenly arrested and taken away in the middle of their practice, so they must have been pretty shaken up about it.)

Makoto: It doesn’t look like I can gather the material I need in this situation.

Seiya: You must have it rough too, Sensei. I’ve got to think of something else, now that I’ve lost my Conductor…

Seki: You have my deepest condolences.

Seiya: Thank you…Actually, I’ve been thinking about this for quite a long time now, but…

All Three: ?

Seiya: All the guys down in the NCD look astonishingly dashing.

Aoyama & Seki: Wha——

Rei: (That’s what caught his attention!?)

Seiya: Man, I thought that I’d have gotten used to being around such good men after having spent every day seeing Kurisu-san around recently.

Seiya: But Seki-san and Aoyama-san both have a manliness about them that would make even top Kurisu-san’s own.

Seiya: I’m really, REALLY, in the mood to play a Violin now! I feel like this will make for a really nice tune!

Seki: R-Right…

Rei: (I wonder if all musicians are all that emotionally sensitive…)

Yui: ——Seki-san. About Kurisu, Imaoji-kun’s Investigation seems to be going smoothly in that field.

Seki: I see, that’s good——

Seiya: PINK HAIR!? AND NOT TO MENTION, ANOTHER DASHING ONE!?

Yui: Huh…?

Seiya: HA!? I apologize for being so loud.

Rei: (Seiya-san…)

Makoto: (How interestingly curious…)

Seiya: No— Really, all the beauties are being gathered here, in one place.

Seiya: So good, that I’m almost tempted to ask you to take Kurisu’s place as the Conductor to draw in the same crowd that his good looks would have inevitably drawn.

Rei: (Just for that reason…?)

Yui: What in the world is he talking about…?

Makoto: ——I see.

Rei: Huh?

Makoto: The NCD suddenly turning into Orchestra Conductors? Now… that’s interesting.

─────────────────────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

⋆⋅☆ Investigation Planning Department ☆⋅⋆

Makoto: ————

Aoyama: (……? I don’t know why, but I feel like…he’s staring an awful lot at me…?)

Makoto: (The Narc’s Ace, Aoyama Itsuki.)

Makoto: (——If he were to be the Replacement Conductor…)

─────────────────────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

Aoyama: ——Stop. I’ve already repeated myself countless of times, but this isn’t getting any better. Is it that difficult?

Aoyama: I’ll play the Violin so listen well to how I do it.

Aoyama: ——♪——♪♪♪——♪♪——

Player: ……! He’s way better than me! I’ve just lost all my confidence!!

Aoyama: Huh…?

Player: Rather, normal people like us cannot just manage to do everything like you high-spec people do on the drop of the hat!

Aoyama: Yes, I do understand that I’m on a different level from the average joe. Therefore, it was in my intention to do this properly and stand as everyone’s equal here.

Aoyama: How about you first tell me what you’re able to do? …Wait, what can you do?

Player: There it is; that’s what I was talking about.

Aoyama: ……?

─────────────────────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

Makoto: (…That didn’t turn out very interesting.)

Makoto: (Since he’s an Ace, he might be much more suited to be the Concert Master than a mere Conductor.)

Aoyama: (Why is he staring so intently at me with such a poker face?)

Rei: (Makoto-san…?)

Makoto: (Next will be him…)

Seki: ……?

Makoto: (The reliable Section Chief of the NCD, Seki Daisuke——…)

─────────────────────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

Seki: ——Yes, everyone’s doing brilliant.

Seki: Especially the Violins, it was a pleasantly beautiful sound.

CRAAASH!!

Seki: !?

Percussionist: WHOA!? ALL THE VIOLINNISTS HAVE FALLEN PREY TO THE CONDUCTOR’S SUGAR-SWEET WORDS!

Seki: Eh…?

Woodwind Player: Hey…you’ve…got to be…kidding…Even the guys are down for the count!?

Brass Player: THE CONDUCTOR’S WAY TOO HANDSOME, I CAN’T CONCENTRATE AT ALL!!!!

─────────────────────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

Makoto: (…Maybe it’s because I read the original work of the Love-comedy movie that Kyosuke’s going to be appearing in; my imagination seems to be oddly geared in that direction of things, for some reason…)

Seki: Uhm…?

Makoto: (He’s up next, I guess.)

Yui: ……?

Makoto: (The NCD’s most Inquisitive and talented brain when it comes to Research, Yui Kotaro——…)

─────────────────────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

Yui: No, all wrong, that’s not it! Violins! You’re causing Arteriosclerosis with that!

Yui: More——! We need more, if we’re going to make for a nightfilled with bloodshed!

Yui: Cymbals! More violent actions! Treat is as if you’re having Sympathetic Nerve Reactions!!

Player: W-What is he talking about!?

Player: He’s super, duper, hard to understand…!!

─────────────────────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

Makoto: ——Pft!

Yui: ! What’s with him?

Rei: Um, Makoto-san? Is everything alright there?

Makoto: I had thought that it’d be interesting to see all of you NCD people as Replacement Conductors, but——

Makoto: I think that’s impossible, after all.

─────────────────────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

⋆⋅☆ Investigation Planning Department ☆⋅⋆

Seiya: Of course, it was just a little joke of mine.

Seiya: To an Orchestra, a Conductor is akin to their heart, or a Piero, at times.

Seiya: It’s precisely because we’re not high-leveled individuals that we can’t just simply pass the reigns over any Conductor just on the drop of a hat like that.

Yui: I won’t do it even if you asked.

Seki: Yui.

Yui: …Sorry.

Seiya: Haha. Looks like I’m the only one with a long history running, as things are looking out to be.

Seiya: I was also introduced to other people, so don’t worry about it.

Makoto: Does that mean that I can still continue gathering the data I require?

Seiya: Of course, if that is what you wish.

Makoto: That’ll be a great help. I’ll be in your care again.

Seiya: I suppose this must also be some sort of fate. Please come by to watch us on the 24th, if you’re free.

Yui: A Orchestra Concert on Christmas Eve?

Aoyama: That doesn’t sound bad at all.

Rei: Now that things have come down to this, I’m kind of interested in seeing how the performance turns out.

Seki: We’d gladly attend once the case with Kurisu-san calms down. We’ll be supporting you.

─────────────────────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

⋆⋅☆ Streets ☆⋅⋆

Rei: (I’m finally walking the streets at the usual time I get off from work. That feels kind of new, now.)

Kaname: ——Big sister?

Rei: Oh, Kaname-kun? Hello.

Kaname: Are you on the way home now?

Rei: Yup. You too?

Kaname: I’m on my way back from the Bookstore. I checked where this particular book was stocked and that was the only Bookstore that had it.

Rei: I see. What a coincidence.

Kaname: ————

Rei: ? What’s wrong?

Kaname: …Do you have some time next weekend, big sister? It doesn’t matter even if you’re only free in the night.

Rei: Next weekend——?

─────────────────────────⋅…⋆⋅☆

⋆⋅☆ In a certain Room ☆⋅⋆

TV: “Uh— Now, continuing on! This will be the follow-up report on the Dashing Conductor, Kurisu Matsuo!”

???: SHUT UP!!!!

???: Shut up, shut up, shut up! I’ll never forgive you…! How dare you arrest my Mats!?

???: I’ll never acknowledge a replacement! A Concert without Mats? I’ll destroy it…!

───⋅𝕿𝖎𝖑𝖑 𝖓𝖊𝖝𝖙 𝖙𝖎𝖒𝖊…⋆⋅☆

#Stand My Heroes #スタンドマイヒーローズ #スタマイ #Sutamai #Translations #Otome #Performing the Holy Night ♪ Symphonic numbers #聖夜を奏でる♪ Symphonic numbers #聖夜を奏でるSymphonic numbers #Symphonic numbers #Shindo Kiyoshi #Kujo Soma #Miyase Go #Yamazaki Kaname #Imaoji Shun #Seki Daisuke #Natsume Haru #Tsuduki Kyosuke #Tsuduki Makoto

[patchwork-panda]

If A Moment Is All We Are (16/?)

AO3 link: HERE

“Ranpo-san! Can you hear me?! Ranpo-san—!”

I clapped my hand over my mouth and doubled over, coughing so violently I thought I might puke. I’d inhaled a mouthful of ash and dust when I’d called Edogawa’s name and the taste was even worse than the smell. My hair and clothes were blanketed in the stuff and as I stumbled forward, hacking out my lungs, I thought I heard Hatta shouting into a walkie-talkie and calling for a medic.

Why?!

“Ranpo-san, why did you go in?” I coughed, dropping to my knees when I’d reached the pile of smoldering debris. “I thought you solved the case already!”

Edogawa knew as well as I did that if he went into the room, he would be crushed when the roof collapsed over his head. Perhaps he thought he would be safe if he avoided checking the body, the way he had in the vision. After all, I’d seen the ceiling caving in just above the corpse, not in the corner where the jars were kept.

I shoved my hands into the pile of debris and began digging, praying to some unknown god that Edogawa would be alright.

The location may have been different, but everything else had happened exactly as it had in my vision. Was a person’s future fixed after all? And if so, was there any point in struggling to fight the inevitable?

Clouds of dust and soot rose into the air as I continued clearing away the debris, Hatta joining me in my efforts to get to Edogawa. Seconds, each more agonizing than the last, slowly passed and I felt the panic rising in my throat when our efforts barely seemed to make a difference in the size of the pile...

Slamming my hands down on the broken floorboards, I let out a desperate scream.

“Say something!!”

“There’s no need to yell,” a muffled voice called back, “I can hear you just fine!”

I stopped digging immediately.

“Ranpo-san?!”

At once, the pile beneath my hands began to shift. Without warning, a grimy, soot-covered Edogawa popped out of the ground in a shower of dirt. I let out a surprised shriek and fell over backwards onto my butt.

“Phew, that was a close one,” Edogawa muttered, dusting off his poncho as his entire torso emerged from a strange, circular hole in the ground.

“Wh-where did you come from?!” I stammered. “How did you—?!”

“Really Kusunoki-kun, did you think a member of the Armed Detective Agency could be done in by a mere accident?” Edogawa sighed. “Minus one point.”

He threw aside something that looked like a dirty frisbee and put his hands on the ground, pushing himself up. It was then that I noticed he wasn’t climbing out of some random hole in the ground, but an enormous clay pickle pot that had been buried in the dirt; the frisbee he’d just tossed aside was actually its weighted lid. As I watched, Edogawa lifted one foot out of the pot, planted it on the circular rim and immediately slipped on its grimy surface. He fell back into the pot with a soft yelp.

“Don’t just stand there! Help me up!”

At once, I stumbled forward and reached out to grab onto his hand. However, the moment Edogawa’s bare fingers closed around my wrist, I realized (too late) that neither of us were wearing gloves. I squeezed my eyes shut, readying myself to push the incoming vision away, the way I had when I’d caught the kidnapper Kunikida and I were chasing.

Please don’t let my eyes start bleeding again! If Hatta sees, my secret might be exposed...!

But nothing happened.

There was no tug of gravity and no blacking out. No headache either. I could still definitely feel the warmth of Edogawa’s hand but it was as if I weren’t hanging onto Edogawa at all.

No. The only other time I had felt something like this was when I was holding onto Dazai with his Ability canceling powers...

I opened my eyes, half expecting to see the bandaged detective himself in front of me but what I saw instead was a very cross-looking Edogawa.

“Some assistant you are,” he snapped, suddenly tugging at my arm so hard so that he almost yanked me into the pot with him. “See if I take you on another case again!”

Mumbling an apology under my breath, I grabbed onto him with both hands and with Hatta’s help, pulled him free of the enormous pot at last. Once he had both feet on solid ground again, Edogawa dusted off his hat, turned to me and shook his head.

“And here I thought you’d directed me to this particular corner because you’d seen the pickle jar buried in the ground and thought it would be a good place to hide in case the roof really did collapse.”

He clicked his tongue.

“But judging by your reaction, you definitely didn’t. Maybe we should get you a pair of glasses too.”

“Edogawa-san! Are you alright?” Hatta asked, just as a group of medics appeared on the staircase.

“I’m more than alright,” Edogawa said, grinning. “I’ve just solved this entire case! Here.”

He stuck out his hand and opened his palm. Perched on its surface, looking rather grimy but otherwise perfectly intact, was a lumpy green key chain. He rubbed it between his fingers to clean it off and as a set of tiny features finally emerged, I could clearly see it for what it was.

“That’s the Statue of Liberty,” I said, my eyes widening. “The one in New York City!”

“Correct!” Edogawa declared, “Plus one point! But I’m also subtracting one point for your failure to pull me out of that giant pickle jar when I first called out to you for help, so you’re at negative one for now...”

“Ehh?!”

“I’ll total up your final score when we get back to the Agency. Kunikida-kun’s good with math, I’ll have him help.”

I blanched.

“No! Please don’t tell Kunikida-san—!”

“Anyway,” Edogawa continued, twirling the key chain around on his index finger, “This belonged to your victim. My assistant here was right to suspect he was looking for something in the pickle jars but this was surprisingly hard to find...”

He tossed the key chain at Hatta, who caught it between two hands.

“What’s so special about this key chain?” he asked, voicing the question I wanted to ask.

“This isn’t something you can just order online,” Edogawa explained. “Take a look at the bottom. There’s a sticker with the price tag in American dollars still attached. Our victim here was never able to get it off. Which means he, or someone close to him, bought this in New York City.”

He pointed to the body.

“Check his clothes thoroughly. You’re going to find a key that corresponds to the lock outside. This man was given access to the basement in the past but it’s clear that he shouldn’t have been here last night.”

This time he pointed to the corner where the body lay.

“When he heard the owners of the house coming, he ran for this corner so he could hide, but he tripped when he came down the steps. He landed right over there, where the force of his fall loosened several bricks from that pile, which knocked him out. I believe Daisuke Ito, the elderly husband, had very poor hearing so he didn’t hear the bricks falling down. Not only that, his memory was starting to go so when he came upon the lock and found it open, he’d just assumed he or his wife had forgotten to lock it and promptly locked it himself, not knowing the victim was inside. Then the fire started in the kitchen and you know the rest.”

“But the victim,” I protested, “Who is he?”

Edogawa stared at me. Then he jabbed a finger at me.

“Minus another point.”

“Eh?!”

“You didn’t see the backpack lying outside in the yard?” he asked, looking annoyed, “It’s right there! It’s burned pretty badly but anyone could see it was a backpack!”

Bewildered, I turned to Hatta, as if he might come to my defense but Hatta just gave me an apologetic shrug and pulled out his walkie-talking. He instructed one of the officers standing outside to search the garbage pile near the doors. From down below, we heard the sounds of the officer ruffling through the burned trash and then a very loud gasp.

“We found a U.S. passport!” the officer called out, down the stairs.

My eyes widened.

“This guy’s a foreigner?!”

Edogawa grinned.

“Close. He’s a double citizen.”

My jaw dropped.

“No way...”

“Your victim is either the child of a family friend or a not-so-distant relative,” Edogawa said, tucking his hands into his pockets and proceeding towards the stairs. “He used to help out with the pickle-making business and was close enough with the Ito’s that he was personally given a key to the basement. One day, while our victim was working, he dropped the key chain into that pot by accident. Shortly after, he had a falling out with the family and stopped working here. However, Ito’s either forgot about the key they’d handed out or decided not to ask for it back, in case their relationship improved again and the victim could resume working with them. It seems it didn’t happen in time, so this man was forced to sneak back in just last night so he could retrieve his key chain. It’s a pretty cheap object, meaning this was clearly a sentimental item he got when he’d last visited the States. I think he was planning to take it with him for his final trip back to the U.S.”

He yelled up the stairs at the officer.

“Read me the name on that passport!”

There was a pause.

“It’s in English! Hang on...”

And then another gasp.

“It’s Ito Haru! Holy shit!!”

Hatta’s jaw dropped. He turned to Edogawa, looking stunned.

“Ito Haru is their great nephew. He was reported missing four months ago! What was he doing here?!”

“He must’ve been on the run,” Edogawa concluded. “Probably had debts of some sort. Anyway, you’re the police, you can look into that on your own.”

He made a face.

“I’m going home to take a shower.”

He wiped his hands down on his clothes (it made no difference—both his hands and his garments were filthy with brownish goop and dirt) and proceeded toward the exit.

“Kusunoki-kun!”

I snapped to attention.

“Yes!”

“Hurry up! I need to go home.”

“Be right there!”

I couldn’t believe it. Just like that, the case was over. Edogawa had solved it in a matter of minutes. Not only that, he’d escaped being injured by the collapsing ceiling even though I’d seen it happen in one of my visions.

For the first time in forever, I had been wrong.

Beautifully and mercifully wrong.

I grabbed my bag from where I’d dropped it and followed Edogawa up the stairs. Hatta and the medics he’d summoned earlier bowed deeply as we passed them. Edogawa merely tipped his hat in farewell as he left but I bowed to each one as I went, determined to maintain as much professionalism as I could (Kunikida was right, we still had the Agency’s reputation to think about). When we finally reached the top of the stairs and stepped blinking into the bright midday sun, Edogawa reached inside his pocket and pulled out a single wrapped piece of gummy candy.

“Well I’d say that went pretty well, wouldn’t you?”

He tore open the package and popped the bite-sized treat into his mouth, as I stared incredulously at him.

“What?” he asked, chewing noisily. “You don’t think so?”

“Ranpo-san,” I said, “The roof collapsed on you earlier. You could’ve died.”

“No, I couldn’t have,” he said, already pulling a second piece of gummy candy from his pocket.

“Yes, you could!”

“No,” Edogawa repeated, staring me down. “I couldn’t.”

It was like talking to a child. I slapped my hand over my eyes and groaned.

“Look,” Edogawa said, swallowing his piece of candy at long last, “Kusunoki-kun, you’re good. But you’re not that good. After everything I’ve seen today, I can say two things with absolute certainty: one, your Ability does not work on the same person twice in one day. I saw your face when you tried to pull me out of that jar earlier. That was the shocked look of an Ability User who suddenly found they couldn’t use their powers. I’ve seen it enough times to know what I’m talking about. Two...”

Grinning, he pointed at me.

“Your visions aren’t absolute. How do I know this?”

He folded his arms over his chest.

“I’m not dead,” he said simply. “And I get the feeling this isn’t the first time you were wrong.”

But I shook my head.

“Every vision I’ve seen so far has come true,” I argued. “Every single one. Even if I’m not there to see it happen in person, I’ll hear about it and it’s always horrible. Ranpo-san, I don’t know how you managed to survive because I can’t think of a single other person who—”

The words died in my throat.

Edogawa raised an eyebrow and watched as comprehension slowly dawned on my face and I whispered a single name.

“Yamazaki-san.”

“Who’s that?”

“My neighbor,” I answered, turning to him in astonishment. “She lived across the hall from me before I moved into the Agency apartment. I... I told Kunikida-san and Dazai-san about her, that she was going to be murdered and they sent her away to Nagano, to live with her nephew. She... She’s still alive.”

I felt my knees give way and I collapsed in an unsteady heap on the scorched grass. My head was spinning.

“I don’t understand...”

Edogawa watched me quietly for a moment, then reached into his pocket for yet another piece of candy.

“How often do you tell people about your visions, Kusunoki-kun?” he asked thoughtfully, turning the candy over in his hand.

“Never. This is only the second time. The first time was when I met Kunikida-san and Dazai-san.”

I looked away.

“I never even told my own relatives. I didn’t want them to think I was crazy.”

Or worse, cursed, the way many Ability Users were.

“I see...”

Edogawa looked at the piece of candy in his hand, staring through it as if it held the answers he were looking for inside its brightly colored wrapper.

“So this is the second time you’ve told someone what you saw and the second time that the act of merely telling someone has changed the vision. Hmm...”

He looked up at me.

“You ever heard of the ‘Observer Effect?’”

“Sort of... I think it was mentioned during one of my physics classes way back when. That’s what it’s called when the act of simply observing an event changes the event itself, right?”

“Correct. Plus one point,” Edogawa said, tossing the piece of candy to me. “It seems to me that your Ability works in a way that’s similar to the Observer Effect. In other words, the very act of telling someone about the contents of your visions will alter the outcome. Why is this? It’s because upon hearing their future, a person will become consumed with thoughts of how to change it if they don’t like the outcome and thoughts of how to make it come true no matter what if they do like the outcome. It’s like those old Greek myths.”

“But if I’m the one seeing the vision,” I protested, “Wouldn’t that make me an ‘observer?’ Why does my observing the vision not change the outcome?”

“But it has,” Edogawa explained. “You said so yourself. When you told Kunikida-kun and Dazai-san about your vision, they protected your elderly neighbor and prevented her murder. The only reason nothing had ever changed before was because you never had much of an incentive to change another person’s future and so never told a soul. Surely they couldn’t have all been life-or-death situations?”

He was right. They weren’t. I could tell by the smug look on his face that he knew it as well as I did.

“Ranpo-san,” I said, slowly getting to my feet. “You’re amazing...! You really are.”

At that, Edogawa beamed.

“I am, right?”

“But I do have one more question... How did you avoid getting crushed the way I saw in my vision?” I asked. “I saw it from Hatta-san’s perspective. Usually that means whoever the vision is actually about dies—”

“Oh come on, Kusunoki-kun,” Edogawa sighed. “I thought it was obvious?”

When I shook my head, he let out another sigh, heavier this time.

“I’ll put it simply then: I believe in the power of possibility.”

He took out his glasses and spun them around his finger. The light caught on the thick glass of the lenses and they flashed in the sun.

“When you told me what you saw in my future, I refused to believe it. I didn’t want to. Me, the Great Detective, Edogawa Ranpo, meet his end, not at the hands of a brilliant rival, but in some rickety burned house, crushed to death like a tiny insignificant bug?”

He shook his head.

“No. That’s not how it’s going to be. ‘I won’t let it,’ I thought. And so I thought... and I thought... and I thought...”

I watched his glasses spin faster and faster around on his finger, picking up speed as he spoke.

“And then I realized something.”

He caught the glasses in his hand.

“This was just another puzzle. If I operate under the assumption that your visions are not absolute, that they show the most likely possibility rather than an unchangeable fact, then I could try to think of a way out. And if I succeeded, then I could change the future.”

Placing the glasses back on his face, he grinned, an overpowering aura of confidence radiating from his sharp, green eyes.

“And who better to change the future than the Great Detective?”

I was floored.

Holy crap, he really was a genius.

“Besides,” he said, taking the glasses off and frowning at a speck of dirt on them. “I told you before that these glasses are important to me, didn’t I?”

He grabbed a corner of my jacket and, ignoring my protests, started polishing the glass with the clean lining.

“There is no possible future in which I would let anything happen to these. None.”

He tucked them back into his pocket and marched off.

“Now come on! There’s a shower I need to take and snacks yet to be eaten. As payment for your lesson today, I will charge you the low, low price of two boxes of Kit-Kats.”

“Two?!”

“One for the lesson and two for almost letting me die. Now stop dawdling. I haven’t had lunch yet and I’m starving!”

Once again, I hurried after him. A small group of police staff rushed past us in the direction of the basement, barely acknowledging our presence as we walked away from the house and towards the street, where I could see the subway entrance several blocks away. As I pocketed the gummy candy Edogawa had given me, he stopped walking and spoke up one final time.

“You know, normally I’d complain about my assistant being constantly on the phone in the middle of a case but in this situation, I think I’ll let it go.”

He turned to me just as the crosswalk light behind him turned red. His grin looked just a touch unsteady.

“If Dazai-san hadn’t been texting you all this time... Who knows what could have happened?”

***

“Ah, Kusunoki-kun.”

For a brief moment, Kunikida seemed just as surprised to see me coming into the first floor lobby as I was to see him already standing there.

“Good timing,” he said, sounding relieved. “Could you please get the elevator for me? I’d do it myself but...”

He shifted the heavy stack of papers piled high in his arms to indicate his current predicament but all I saw was the way his shirt sleeves stretched over his biceps when he moved. The coat I was wearing suddenly felt too thick and warm.

“G-good afternoon, Kunikida-san.”

I could already feel the awkward smile tugging at my cheeks when I spoke and I struggled to keep my voice even as I hurried over.

“Of course! Just a second.”

“Thanks. That really helps,” he sighed, shifting in place as I pushed the button for him and stepped back to stand beside him.

“What are all those papers for?” I asked, eyeing the thick stack in his arms. “Do you want me to take some of them up for you?”

Shaking his head slightly, Kunikida observed me from behind the stack. His glasses slipped just a fraction down his nose and I found myself wanting to push them back up for him.

“That won’t be necessary. I just need to take these to the clerk room so Haruno-san and the others can type them up. By the way...”

He squinted at me.

“Why is your hair wet?”

I twitched.

“Oh, that,” I laughed nervously, tucking a damp strand of hair behind my ear. “I had to go home to take a shower. I was out on a case this morning and things got a little... messy... I didn’t want to come back to the Agency covered in dirt.”

After dropping Edogawa off at his apartment (“You’re my assistant so I expect you to write the report for me,” he’d said, “I’m going snack shopping. Have Kunikida-kun call me if something comes up.”), I’d immediately rushed home and jumped into the shower with my clothes still on. Edogawa and I had been covered in so much foul-smelling grime that all the other subway passengers had gone out of their way to avoid us. Even the cleaning staff had shot us dirty looks as we’d left. I’d spent so much time trying to clean myself off that I barely got the chance to eat.

“So you used your lunch break to go home and clean up?” Kunikida asked.

“Yeah. Sorry I didn’t have time to dry my hair,” I mumbled. “I was hoping to get back early and there wasn’t enough time...”

“Don’t worry about it,” Kunikida said as the elevator arrived with a soft chime. “I can’t tell you how nice it is to finally have an employee who thinks about the Agency’s reputation.”

He inclined his head towards the elevator and made an apologetic face.

“Sorry but could you get that, please?”

I nodded and went in ahead to hold the door for him. But when he settled in next to me and the doors came to a close, I suddenly realized that I was alone in a somewhat small space with Kunikida Doppo—the very tall, very handsome blonde detective I was definitely crushing on. If my coat felt too warm before, I was burning up now.

As the silence slowly settled in, the air around us seemed to thicken.

I wanted to think of something to say, something that would make this whole situation less awkward. But for some reason, all I could think about was the fact that this was my first time interacting with Kunikida again after the incident with Dazai and the notebook the day before. I realized I should probably take this time to explain what had happened but my tongue felt like it was stuck to the roof of my mouth.

Thankfully, Kunikida broke the silence first.

“Kusunoki-kun.”

I nearly jumped in surprise.

“Y-yes?”

“Before we get to the Agency, I have something I need to tell you.”

My heart was pounding in my chest and I clutched at the strap of my bag.

“W-what is it?”

“About yesterday...”

I swallowed nervously.

“Yes?”

He cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Don’t let what happened bother you,” he said quietly, looking straight ahead at the doors. “Dazai likes to mess with people and this wouldn’t be the first time he’s dragged a kohai into his antics. He still tries to pawn off his desk work on Atsushi-kun from time to time.”

I grimaced.

Somehow I wasn’t surprised...

“So I just want to let you know that if Dazai ever goes too far,” Kunikida said, turning to me with just a hint of a frown on his face, “You can always come talk to me.”

There was a soft chime and the elevator doors slid open with a soft whoosh. Once again, I held the door and then followed Kunikida out into the hallway.

“So what happened on your case this morning?” he asked, looking at me curiously as we walked towards the office.

“Oh, I was with Ranpo-san.”

“Ranpo-san, huh? I’m guessing things went pretty well if you’re on a first-name basis with him now?”

“Sort of?”

I gave him a short summary about the case as we walked down the hall together, Kunikida nodding at the appropriate intervals and his eyes widening significantly when I told him what Edogawa had worked out about my Ability. I didn’t want to spoil the mood (or give him any reason to worry about me), so I purposefully left out the part about my eyes bleeding. Kunikida was the last person I wanted to lie to but this didn’t seem like the right time to tell him. I had just stepped through the door and was holding it open for Kunikida when a tall figure wearing a sand-colored trench coat suddenly barreled through, smacking into Kunikida—and forcing him to drop everything he was holding.

Bewildered, I poked my head out into the hallway to see a storm of papers flying everywhere and a familiar figure in a trench coat lying on top of Kunikida, their limbs tangled together a mess of body parts.

I watched Kunikida’s face grow redder and redder as the rage began to build and I hopped back into the foyer and covered my ears as Kunikida’s furious roar shook the building.

“DAZAIIIII!!”

#bungou stray dogs #bsd #dazai #kunikida #edogawa ranpo