#I just like the idea of yuu getting help from all the upperclassmen she knows

[thelazyhermits]

Got more Fortune (Yuu) in Twisted Wonderland under the cut cause the Twst brainrot is real lol 😂

Right now, I’m thinking about those final exams that everyone takes in book 3 and what Yuu did to prepare for them. 

In a previous post, I mentioned that Yuu did well since she has always been the type to do well academically. However, in this scenario, she wouldn’t have done well just through sheer book smarts.

That’s because she’s dealing with so many new subjects that she has zero experience with. Being magicless puts her at a real disadvantage compared to everyone else.

As a result, Yuu has to work her butt off to do well at NRC. She’s always very attentive in class and takes good notes, always does her homework, and studies like crazy for tests.

Thanks to her hardworker mindset and all the time she’s willing to put into her studies, Yuu does pretty well for someone who’s a total newb in comparison to everyone else, so she never really has to worry about failing anything.

She also does rather well with Vargas’s flight class, even though she obviously can fly without magic, since she can handle running laps thanks to her great stamina. While she’s not an expert at all forms of exercise (she sucks at pull-ups and sit-ups thanks to her zero upper body strength lol), she’s able to get by overall and earn Vargas’s approval. 

Vargas likes that she has some muscles on her, but he thinks she could use some more so he’s all about encouraging her to get more buff which she’s not really opposed to since being more muscular would be to her advantage in an environment where all she can rely on to protect herself are her two fists and her Quirk.

(All of the staff members end up taking a strong liking to Yuu since she’s a good, hardworking student that never gives them any trouble. No one was too fond of the idea of a magicless girl being stuck in an all boys’ school, but since there really wasn’t anything else that could be done with her, they just do their best to look out for her when they can.)

Going back to Yuu’s studies, she does well enough that she doesn’t have to worry about failing, but she isn’t satisfied with just passing. She wants to do the best she can because being under Tokumei’s tutelage and always trying and failing to impress him with her great grades led to her becoming an overachiever. 

Plus, since she’s a two-in-one student with Grim, Yuu is worried about how the grading will be done for them. While they both have to take the exams separately, it’s possible the grades will be all rolled into one, and since Grim does so poorly with his studies, Yuu feels it’s her responsibility to make the best possible grades to keep the two of them afloat.

That’s why Yuu works extra hard when she’s studying for final exams. She also tries to get Grim/Ace/Deuce to do the same but isn’t very successful. (cause the idiots went and made a contract with Azul lol)

After countless failed attempts to get the idiot trio to study, Yuu gives up and assumes that she’ll be stuck helping them with last minute cramming, so she should just focus on herself so that she’ll be ready when they finally start asking for help.

This doesn’t mean that Yuu ends up doing all her studying alone, however. That’s because Yuu is a very smart girl who knows how to use her resources wisely.

Whenever Yuu has any trouble with a subject, Yuu goes to an upperclassmen she knows and asks them for help. Obviously, because this is NRC, these guys aren’t all going to just help out of the goodness of their heart, which Yuu totally expects, which is why she is ready and willing to bribe them if necessary lol

In the case of Riddle, Trey, & Cater, Yuu doesn’t really need to bribe them. Riddle helps her because he approves of anyone willingly trying to improve themselves, and he basically sees her as his responsibility cause of her help with his Overblot and all the other things she has done for his dorm.

That’s why Trey helps her out as well and cause he just feels pity for everything she goes through cause of Ace & Deuce lol However, I could see him having her help him around the kitchen as a form of payment, even though he doesn’t really make her do a lot.

Cater helps Yuu out in exchange for allowing him to keep the picture he unconsciously took of her when she was unintentionally using the puppy dog eyes on the three upperclassmen while she was asking them to help her with her studies lol 😂

The use of bribes really comes into play with Savanaclaw cause Ruggie doesn’t do anything for free. Thankfully, he’s easy enough to convince. Give him food, and he’ll give whatever study tips he has available lol

Leona is tougher to deal with, but eventually, Yuu manages to wear him down with promises of steak, chess, and anything else she can think of along with lots of compliments about his intellect lol He mostly gives in to get her to leave him alone but also cause he’s got a little soft spot for her, not that he’d ever admit it haha

Kalim & Jamil end up helping Yuu when Kalim spots her in the library and approaches her. Kalim is all too eager to help when she asks for pointers, but in the end, it’s mostly Jamil that does the helping, which he does since he knows Kalim won’t let the two of them leave without helping her.

During one of her nighttime teatime chats with Malleus, Yuu gets the idea of asking for his advice since he seems very smart. He’s very surprised since he’s not used to anyone asking for his help like this and might even say as much, which surprises her since he’s so nice and easy to talk to.

Malleus ends up being a big help during their little impromptu study session and even goes a step further by later preparing some notes for Yuu which he asks Lilia to pass along to Yuu the next day.

(I just really love the thought of Malleus being really happy about being depended on by Yuu like this and her thinking he’s easy to talk to. He’d probably soak up all the positive attention she gives him during their study time like a sponge. I love these two positive attention-starved cuties so much 😭)

Malleus’s desire to further help Yuu leads to Lilia and Silver lending her a hand with her studies since they both came to deliver the notes on behalf of “Tsunotarou”. 

Lilia wants to help her out as thanks for making Malleus so happy, and he brings Silver, who also wants to help once he hears the whole story, along for the ride.

They’re both helpful with giving out pointers/advice, although Silver ends up falling asleep at one point. Thankfully, Yuu has some mint-flavored gum which she shares with him to help keep him awake.

At this point, Yuu has gotten a lot of help, more than she expected, so she intends to stop actively seeking study help since she’s already gotten so much good help and she doesn’t wanna bother the upperclassmen she’s already studied with further. 

Her plans of not seeking more help end up changing when Floyd happens upon her one day and snatches her up, demanding that she do something fun with him. 

Initially, she’s very reluctant since there’s no telling what Floyd will have her do and just how long he’ll make her his current source of entertainment. 

Of course, she also doesn’t want to put Floyd in a bad mood. While she can handle his usual squeezes, she doesn’t wanna find out just how strong they can become lol

This leads to Yuu making a deal with Floyd. In exchange for entertaining him, she wants him to provide some study advice/pointers since she has heard about him being a genius, even if it all depends on his mood. She’s hoping that by putting him in a good mood that he’ll be very helpful with studying.

Floyd’s amused since she’s sounding like Azul by wanting to make a deal with him. He’s also confused by why she doesn’t just make a deal with Azul to get his special study notes.

Yuu explains that she wants to get good grades by her own efforts. Yes, she’s willing to seek out others for help, but she has no intention to make anyone do the work for her. She doesn’t want Azul’s notes that she knows will guarantee her a good grade.

In the end, Floyd accepts the deal since he wants to play with her, and that’s what they do for the next several hours, much to Yuu’s internal distress lol

Even with her good stamina, Yuu is exhausted by the time Floyd has had his fill of entertainment, which ranged from basketball to every other activity under the sun that he could think of.

However, she’s not so exhausted that she forgets about having him uphold his end of the deal, and since he’s in a good mood by this point, he doesn’t mind helping her out.

Of course, this doesn’t stop Floyd from wanting more entertainment, so to keep himself from getting bored, he picks Yuu up and plops her into his lap so he can squeeze and poke her the whole time he’s going over the study materials lol

At this point, Yuu’s too tired to really care. Plus, him bracing her keeps her tired body from falling over, and his actions actually keep her from getting distracted since they keep her alert when she’d normally be pretty lethargic after everything he put her through.

All in all, it’s a somewhat productive study session. Yuu still thinks Floyd got the better end of the deal, but it’s not like nothing good came out of it so she won’t complain, especially when Floyd’s wearing quite the big grin when they finally part ways.

The encounter with Floyd leads Yuu to wondering if she should try to approach Jade for advice too since he seems like the type who does well with his studies.

Obviously, like his brother, Jade wouldn’t just do this for free, so Yuu would need to have something to give him in exchange.

Which leads to Yuu coming up with the idea of harvesting some wild mushrooms since she knows how much Jade likes them. Having heard from Jade about his exploits in the Mountain Lovers Club, Yuu knows about the mountain near NRC, which is where he goes to collect mushrooms, which is where she decides to head.

Since there could be wild animals there, Yuu decides to ask Jack to accompany her for protection purposes. Plus, she thought she could make this into a training exercise for herself since it involves hiking, and she figured Jack might be interested. 

In the end, Jack agrees since, while he won’t outright admit it, he doesn’t want her going up the mountain on her own, which is what would happen since Grim/Ace/Deuce have no interest in accompanying her even after she offered to share her study notes with them.

Much to her surprise, Jack invited Epel to join the two of them since he figured Epel would enjoy this kind of activity. Plus, since Yuu is willing to share her notes with whoever helps her, Jack thought Epel would jump on that opportunity.

(Jack was right on all counts, but what he didn’t expect was Epel to show up at the meeting spot excited at the prospect of fighting off wild animals lol 😂)

This is Yuu’s first time really interacting with Epel since they’re not in the same class. She doesn’t mind him being there, though, since the more help with mushroom picking she gets, the better.

One of her first thoughts upon seeing him is how pretty he is, but she quickly gets distracted from that train of thought by Epel’s enthusiasm about fighting off wild animals which he for some reason thought was one of the main goals of this excursion lol

Thanks to that, Yuu realizes he is a good example of don’t judge a book by its cover. While it’s not obvious just from looking at him, Epel has a rowdy side to him and is more manly than he looks.

Since Yuu is familiar with dealing with those kinds of guys, she doesn’t have much difficulty interacting with Epel, and they end up hitting it off pretty well since Epel likes that she treats him like a regular guy and doesn’t bring any attention to his pretty looks.

Thanks to Epel & Jack, the mushroom hunting trip is successful, even though there were some bumps along the way. Because they were so helpful, Yuu promises to share all her notes with them, not just whatever she gets out of Jade, which is what they were initially expecting, so they end up making plans to hold study groups together, which ends up happening throughout the remainder of the time leading up to final exams.

When it comes time to approach Jade, Yuu goes to the Mostro Lounge and presents what she refers to as an offering, much to his amusement. His amusement turns into delight when he sees the large of array of mushrooms she, Epel, & Jack managed to find.

Since he’s clearly pleased with the offering, Yuu asks Jade for study help, and he agrees, both because of the offering and because he heard from Floyd how much fun he had with her the other day which piqued his interest.

While he has her take a seat in the lounge, Jade goes to put away the mushrooms and prepare some tea for them. Not long after Jade leaves, she hears a yell of dismay coming from the kitchen which signals that Floyd has seen the present she brought for Jade, which leads to her internally apologizing to Floyd lol 😂

At this point, the Mostro Lounge isn’t officially open yet. Yuu got in since she works part-time there, so as a result, Jade is able to dedicate some time to her since he doesn’t have any other work matters he needs to attend to at the moment.

Floyd ends up joining them cause he wants to complain about the mushrooms and mess with Yuu in retribution lol

Eventually, Azul shows up on the scene, which leads to him finding out what Yuu has been up to. As expected, he’s quick to bring up his amazing study guide, but Yuu politely declines and gives him the same explanation she gave Floyd.

Azul accepts her reasoning but looks noticeably displeased, which, to her, makes sense considering he’s all about making deals. 

What she doesn’t realize is that he’s quietly sulking over the fact that he’s now the only one she hasn’t asked for help which bothers him more than he’d like to admit lol

Jade & Floyd realize this immediately and have no issue with exposing him. Azul adamantly denies their claims, but Yuu gets the feeling he’s not being completely honest, considering how flustered he now is. 

Plus, she can understand why he would feel left out if he was the only one she didn’t ask for help, so she apologizes for that since it wasn’t her intention to be mean/rude. She just doesn’t want to ask for help if it means signing a contract/giving up money/having someone else do all the work for her.

At that moment, Yuu takes notice of how tired Azul looks and gets the idea of offering to let him using her magic lap pillow in exchange for his help with her studies.

(Like in TABF, Yuu’s lap pillow has the power to put just about anyone to sleep within seconds once they lay their head down. Floyd was the first person to discover this secret ability of hers, and it was entirely by accident. He had just plopped into her lap and almost immediately dozed off. He quickly pulled away from her once he realized what was happening, thinking sleeping magic was somehow being used, but once he realized that wasn’t the case and having reconfirmed that Yuu can’t use magic, Floyd ended up plopping back down cause her lap’s comfy and fell asleep lol

While Jade found the whole situation very amusing, Azul was less than thrilled with this turn of events since this could basically be considered sexual harassment which would not look good for business. He tried to get Yuu to sign a NDA to ensure that she wouldn’t make any reports about this to Crowley, and she almost agreed, since she really didn’t see this as sexual harassment, before realizing she should try to get something in exchange.

In the end, in exchange for promising to not make any sexual harassment reports against the Mostro Lounge, Yuu asked for Azul’s written agreement that she would be protected from sexual harassment and physical harm at the hands of the students of his dorm since a girl in her situation needs all the protection she can get. Plus, thanks to this, she felt more comfortable about asking for a part-time job at the lounge, which really caught Azul off guard lol)

After hearing Yuu’s offer, Azul splutters and turns bright red much to Jade and Floyd’s delight. They are enjoying every minute of his embarrassment.

Since Azul vehemently refuses her lap pillow as a form of payment, Yuu asks what else she could offer in exchange for his advice that wouldn’t involve paying him/signing a contract.

In the end, Azul probably has her help clean up the lounge or some other task that would benefit him but not greatly inconvenience her. He does this, claiming he’s feeling generous and inspired by his underclassman’s thirst for knowledge, but the twins know that he just doesn’t want to be the only one whom Yuu didn’t rely on since it’s a stab at his pride lol

(By this point in time, Yuu hasn’t really interacted with Ortho and the upperclassmen in Pomefiore and Ignihyde, so she wouldn’t have gotten any help from them. That’s why I won’t include them in this scenario.)

Thanks to all the help she received, Yuu ends up doing very well with her exams. She might have even gotten into the top fifty, considering all the expert advice she received, but if she did, she would’ve been near the very bottom of the ranking.

All in all, it’s a very productive exam period. Unfortunately, Yuu doesn’t get to bask in her great accomplishment for long thanks to a certain idiot trio who gets themselves into trouble that she has to bail them out of lol

#TABF AU #fortune in twisted wonderland #I just like the idea of yuu getting help from all the upperclassmen she knows #one way or another #cause she knows how to make the most of what she's got #and if she knows a lot of smart people #it only makes sense to go to them for help #thankfully the ones that require bribing are easy to bribe #the only difficult one was leona lol #I also really love the idea of azul sulking #cause he's the only one she didn't willingly approach #it's gotta hurt his pride lol #I feel like he'd be more willing to accept other forms of compensation #if she's just asking for study advice/pointers #rather than special notes like what he provided the idiot trio

[tiyoin]

Taking a step back from twisted singer reader (I'll be back). I really want to expand/give origins ideas to the group chat(s?). Like how reader got the phone, how they got added and other things. Btw love who added that

With that said I'm starting a new agenda: ✨Grandfather Mozus Trein :D✨ Everyone knows that Crowley is *cough* neglectful & irresponsible *cough* always there for his students and never once put himself first 🤠. I feel like reader low-key reminds Trein of Anastasia (red hair) ya know? Maybe it's how reader plays with their hair when they start getting bored or the doodles on the written exams. All these little habits they share. Just an old man missing his family.

Someone has to be a responsible adult for reader and who else is better then a father with so much wisdom. He knows Yuu has a way of communicating and protecting himself so he isn't as concerned ,but poor reader can't do that to save their life :(

So I can see Trein giving them(mostly reader) a phone (B4 book 4). It's nothing new or special; it has an old blue case with a fading pattern and skuffs. The best part about it is Trein paying the bill. The wallpaper is changed to Grimm napping tho

It's kinda an unspoken rule that reader keeps it for the most part. With Yuu and all the things he tends to get into it would last a week if he was lucky.

More then likely the only numbers in the phone are Aduce/ maybe the other first years and Trein ,but I don't really see any of them be texters tbh. So not much coming in. Maybe a few homework questions??

As for apps a see maybe 2-ish games 👁️👄➖

Over all, it's just a classic antisocial person's phone. Until Cater finds out. Next time Yuu has the phone Carter tells him what should be added and how to #sign up for them. And Yuu being the person he is asks "Cater how do I help my introvert make friends?" Cater being the #helpful upperclassmen is he downloads the app and sends the invite.

The app they use is probably the twst discord. I think that's the only social idia has/honestly uses Some of them has like a cover for the icon. Like no one can know they use that app for whatever reason.

Everyone besides reader kinda knows what account belongs to which person. To add a bit of anonymous(ness?). Cuz no way would reader give her honest opinion about Rook or someone else if she knew that they themselves/close friends are in the chat.

Imagine if one of the guys that reader doesn't get along with ends up being one of reader's close/safe online friend. Like idk if you know who Aphmau is but she has a Minecraft roleplay PDH (don't judge me plss) where Aph and Aaron don't like each other irl but are really close online friends.

I'm sorry if my asks tend to be all over the place. I get sided tracked a lot and end up spacing out every 10 works. This was written between 3-5ish am. Also 👉👈 I think the reason we're on the same brain wave is cuz we're air signs.

Also thank you for liking/replying to my ask/yapping ☺️ it's means a lot to me

I've been waiting to get a Mac charger just to answer this ask🤭

GRANDFATHER TREIN IS SOMETHING I DID NOT KNOW I NEEDED BUT GLAD I GOT

because we always see crewel v crowley for custody over yuu.

but I defiantly agree with you that trein would see one of his daughters; especially anastasia in reader. whether it's by a few habits they both share, or how they're sometimes second fiddle to their more out going companion. but trein can see reader's life falling into shambles the more they're in twisted wonderland, the more they're isolated, and it kills him as both a father and educator.

and believe it or not, he cares about his students. they may not think so and curse him in the hallways, but they'll be thanking him in years to come, they always do (he prides himself in that, and the line of students he has at reunions telling him they're the best teacher they ever had.)

so maybe he pulls reader aside after class, ofc he can tell how tense they are, how nervous they are... especially by how intense their eye contact is, a little creepy but trein understands. he tells them to sit down in a chair he magically spawned as he flicks his head at lucien. who is all too glad to use you as a chair. he can see reader visibly relax as they're testing the water's with the temperamental feline, but trein starts talking.

he wants to help them, as he wouldn't be doing his job as an educator if he just stood by and watched you struggle. how he would have failed the pledge he made to crowley and himself if he let one os his students fall under the radar in favor for his smarter ones.

yes that should sting but it's the truth, and to no fault of your own. you obviously had... less than stupor teaching before this, and you have to catch up on a decades worth of stuff due to your... situation. and he is willing to help you during both lunch hours and free period. he also recommends student tutors for this and is willing to work out some kind of deal between you and the tutors. he wants to see you succeed. not just to prove he can turn a pumpkin into a carriage, but because you deserve it.

maybe you're not so much like his biological daughter, but like his step daughter. the one with a soul of diamond but a heart of glass. and if reader ever needs someone trustworthy (and he emphasizes this) that isn't actively split-dying their hair in their thirties or prances around with a bird mask then he is always open.

no matter how burdenous they feel relying on him, or if they think the matters are silly. he will tell it to them straight. he also suggests talking to cater diamond of heartslabyul, that if anyone can help you make friends, its that chatterbox.

dont even try to refute it cause trein AND lucien will be sporting you an unimpressed look.

but I swear to everything cater has a fucking NOSE- a sniffer if you would for introverts. or he has mastered chenya's invisibility spell and over heard your conversation because- I AGREE WITH YOU- yuu would 100% ask cater to help his little ol' introvert make friends.

so he seeks them out, grabs their phone while chatting away, and downloads 'magi cord' dw yuu is there too. cater even goes a step further and adds his contact to their phone because 'tehe he has the elusive reader's number and no body else does! #1inamillion #hewon! #he'sgonnaextrovertsohardit'llmakeyourheadspin 😼

but later that night you're fighting to go on the app when cater sends you a link, the second message he sends you (with 'hey hey! it's your fav upper classmen cay-cay here!' with an obnoxious amount of emojis, being the first)

it's a link to a magi cord group chat called; raven of secrets. (or smthn idk, I pulled that out of my ass) and he explains that the whole point of that group chat is to remain anonymous. there's a handful of members from different dorms and that's all you're supposed to know.

they talk about gossip, homework, assignments etc. the more he talks about it the more it sounds like a secret society. but nonetheless, you join.

and all hell breaks loose 🤭

personally I think that only a few people know who is who in the chat group. like the organizer because they gotta make sure everyone who has the link is an nrc student. and obviously there's a few friends who gave other people the link or joined together. but there's also active polls where people debate who is who.

just so it gives them the extra comfort of anonymity.

IMAGINE SOME ADMITS TO STALKING POOR READER AND IT TURNS INTO A THRILLER AHHHH (everyone knows who rook is. not because of his French, but because of his detailed posts)

--

NO CAUSE I WAS ALSO AN APHMAU FAN HAHAHAH I used to eat her role plays up. but watching them now... they're super cringe and I can barely watch an episode of phoenix drop high 😭

and dont even worry about it 'being all over the place because I am literally like that and it's so fun being able to bounce all over the place hehe

AND YAY ANOTHER AIR SIGN😽

#mel <3 #twisted anxiety 🌀 #tiyoin 🔎 #twst x reader #twisted wonderland x reader #tiyoin’s cuties 。 ඞ 。 #twisted wonderland #twst

[faeflowerz]

Misao Kuromori - The Blue Fairy

TWST OC MASTERPOST

Gender: Female (She/Her)

Age: 17

Birthday: February 16

Sign: Aquarius

Height: 175cm

Eye Color: Emerald Green

Hair Color: Brown + Red

Homeland: Vale of the Briars

Family: Shinko Kuromori, mother

Dormitory: Heartslabyul

Year: 2nd

Class: 2-A

Club: Light Music Club

Best Subject: Arts/Music

Dominant Hand: Ambidextrous 

Favorite Food: Kimchi

Least Favorite Food: Tarts

Dislikes: Lightning Storms

Hobby: Violin

Talent: Singing

Nicknames: Narwhal/Ikaku, Mademoiselle Amaryllis 

Unique Magic: No Strings Attached. Misao can briefly control someone’s movements. Only works once per person.

Personality: Based on the Blue Fairy (Sapphire Fairy), Misao is a young woman that appreciates her human heritage a lot more than most fae would. Being born and raised in a mostly human town just on the outskirts of the Draconia domain, Misao does not rely on magic to complete tasks. When she was a child, she did grant wishes for the townspeople for a while, but stopped for unknown reasons.

Her fierce determination for self reliance and hands off approach to learning has made her the right fit for Heartslabyul. She admires Riddle for his power, but also feels that he is too sheltered to understand the world. Despite this, they have mutual respect and share ideas on how to properly lead people.

Classroom Chats

Chat 1 Bring Me to Life

"Not gonna lie, the talking paintings kind of freak me out. Their eyes follow you around and then they randomly strike up convos with you."

"Cater-senpai says they're great to talk to, but I'm not so sure…" 

"How boring it must be to have to hang on a wall all day! Still, the magic behind it is cool. They say that the Sapphire Fairy was able to do the same thing to a puppet!"

"It could walk,talk, and even wanted to go to school like a real boy!"

"Imagine just being born and wanting to go to school of all places!"

Fin

Chat 2 A Whale of a Time

"You know, the Mostro lounge got its name from this HUGE whale. It was, like, the terror of the sea for a loong time."

"He'd eat anything, even whole ships! Once, a father and son were swallowed up by him too."

"By some miracle and quick thinking, they managed to survive and escape. Talk about your near misses!"

Fin

Chat 3 The Problem Solvers

"Hmm…"

"Oh, Yuu, whassup? I was just thinking about how often we rely on magic. I heard in the Valley of Thorns they use magic for everything! Fairies used to grant wishes, bless babies, and even make children."

"Oh? Shinko and I are fairies, but we grew up around humans who don't use magic. Sometimes we used to grant their wishes but...man, it got to be too much after a while."

"Magic can't solve everyone's problems, yanno? That's what my mama taught us!"

Fin

Chat 4 Misao and Ace: The Lie Detector

♥ Misao! Hey, didn't you say you needed help with moving your gear to the music club room?

"Oh, yeah! I appreciate your help, man!"

♥ Heh, anything to help upperclassmen!~ You guys are always there for me when I need you!

"Hmm…"

♥ What? What's wrong?

"Ace, what are you REALLY helpin me for?"

♥ *sigh* You got me. Riddle is mad and I need you to talk him down from it.

"Bro, lying will only get you into more trouble than you want."

Fin

Chat 5 Misao and Deuce: School of Tools

♠ A place where boys learn to get on the straight and narrow sounds pretty awesome, actually. I wonder if it had any success in helping them?

"Considering how many of the guys here are scoundrels, maybe a class trip is in order?"

♠ Waah?! You think so?! Who would you suggest has to go??

"Ehehe, Well, a few names come to mind, but they would probably put up a fight if I said who."

♠ ...I really need to become an honor student asap!

Fin

Chat 6 Misao and Cater: An Actor's Life for Me

♦ Mimi! I'm sooo booored. Wanna skip class? There's going to be an audition for one of Vil's movies!

"Sounds fun, but I really don't think you should skip class. You never know what could happen in just one day!"

♦ Aww, come on, don't be so fussy. It's just one little break. We could end up being major starlets!

"Tell you what, I'll cheer you on when you make it big."

♦ Awwwe! You really think I have what it takes?

"Ehehe yeah. You've got superstar potential, Cay!"

Fin

Chat 7 Misao and Trey: Conscience Science 

♣ Ah, some of our underclassmen are up to trouble again...I'd better take care of it before Riddle finds out.

"You would think these boys would have a conscience to guide them. What ever happened to being a good guy?"

♣ It's easier said than done, to be honest. NRC isn't known for producing gentlemen. 

"Mmm. That's quite obvious..."

♣ Hey, why are you looking at me like that?

Fin

Chat 8 Misao and Riddle: Of Rules and Regulations 

"Do you think the Sapphire Fairy and the Queen would get along?"

🌹 Perhaps. They both had very strict moral codes. The Sapphire Fairy insisted that children should be raised to always tell the truth and follow their parent's guidance.

"She was merciful but not too hands-on either. You can't always rely on others to teach you a valuable lesson. We all have to take the training wheels off one day."

🌹 So you would prefer someone who is self-reliant? I see…

Fin

Relationships

Riddle: Misao adores Riddle and looks up to him. Riddle is hesitant to fall for her because he feels that they may be too different. She likes loud music, raving and dancing. She even has a tattoo! His mother would never approve of someone like Misao, but he's still drawn to her. She's honest with him, and she tries to reason with his leadership methods rather than becoming rebellious. Even though it appears that she takes the lead, Riddle does know how to fluster her and assert his authority as a prefect (she's more than happy to let him do it).

Trey: Misao doesn't quite like him. She has to be civil because of their mutual friendship with Riddle, but Misao thinks he's phony. He hides his worst traits and Misao would prefer him to be an honest shitty person than a restrained nice guy. Trey ignores this either for Riddle's sake or his own. Trey sometimes tries to appease her, but it usually backfires or she doesn't think he means it. They don’t really get into it, but that's because neither really have any reason to become enemies. They tolerate each other for short periods of time, which works for them.

Cater: They share a club together so they are pretty friendly. Although Cater is annoyed by his sisters, Misao actually acts like a big sister rather than a little one. Of all the seniors she could interact with, Misao likes to be around Cater the most. Maybe it's because of their star sign, but it's also because of their extroverted nature. Sometimes she feels like his mask is too tight, but there are moments where Cater accidentally opens up to her.

Ace: These two end up arguing a lot. One would think it's because of how much trouble he gets into and causes for everyone, but…it's really because he hits on her a lot. It's embarrassing. Ace doesn't care that Misao rejects him because he thinks it's fun to piss her off with his flirting. He also tries to bully her, but she has threatened to punch him if he crosses a line. He also sucks at hiding his pranks and brown nosing around her. She always catches onto him.

Deuce: Misao is pretty fond of Deuce. She finds his innocence endearing and warns him to protect himself. Deuce doesn't understand what she means yet. He secretly wants her praise because he's an only child. Sometimes he slips and calls her nee-chan. She doesn't mind since he's cute. Misao also has trouble with math so they bond over being terrible at it. She also encourages him to not be so hard on himself when he makes a mistake. 

Kalim: His sunshine personality is so cute that it's almost offensive to her. Much like Deuce, she insists that he be more careful with his generous personality. Misao also scolds Jamil for still hovering over Kalim despite 'not being friends.' She's the one who encourages him to do things on his own and teaches him how to keep track of his school supplies. She tried to gift him a notebook and planner, but he forgets to carry that too.

Lilia: Since they're both fairies, they have a kinship. Misao doesn't know much about her heritage so she often turns to Lilia for lore. He's happy to tell her stories, but ultimately she has to end up going to the library. Since they met, Lilia will sometimes give her trinkets from the Valley. He's also impressed with how well she grew up despite being one of the only fairies in her hometown. They also get into it over music tastes, and the music club has to endure their debates.

#twist OC #twisted wonderland #writing #faes ocs

[shhhlikeme]

I HAVE A REQUEST!! i saw you were a new writer and decided to help start you off sort of🥺i’ve never requested anything before so please bear with me. maybe kageyama (literally love him) with a genius setter gf just like him👀 i literally have no plot but if you need one i can try and come up with one 😭😭

Kageyama x His Ultimate Setter Dream Girl ✨

———————————

A/N: Thank you sooo much for requesting and helping me start off!! I definitely do not need a plot it’s optional on your part so what you sent is perf! Kageyama is lowkey bae so I hope you like it!! This is your meeting and depending on if you like it I may do a part 2 of how they are when they actually date!

———————————

It all started when, during Nationals, Hinata convinced Kageyama to accompany him to the other side of the complex to watch the girls play

Hinata had a few friends that he promised to go and watch from back in middle school when they allowed him to practice with them. Plus he owed them a thank you

“Shōyōōōōō!!!!! Ouuuuuu are you guys going to watch the girls?! NICE! Can we come?!” Nishinoya pleaded standing up from where they were sitting in the bleachers. Tanaka was right beside him pleading too as always.

Before Hinata could agree Daichi who was sitting behind them—glowered at Yuu and Ryu and pulled them back down by their shirts.

“Absolutely not.” The captain said sternly. “These two knuckle-heads already got banned from the girls side of the complex.” He glared at the two second years who cowered immediately.

Kageyama shook his head at his upperclassmen. “I don’t even want to know......” he mutters under his breath before following a skipping Hinata.

Kageyama went despite the fact that he was a little bored by volleyball if he wasn’t watching future opponents

he could use the break and they had time to kill anyway so no harm no foul

SIKE. Prepare for a lot of harm and a smidge of foul. He didn’t expect to see you there

Kageyama and Hinata found a great spot on the above bleachers and Hinata pointed to the team you played on since he knew you.

“There! Number 14! That’s Y/N — she’s in our year can you believe—“

Kags’ jaw dropped

He definitely didn’t hear Hinata anymore once his eyes stopped on your numbered jersey

Listen... I know in most teenage boys minds they think something similar to ‘omg there’s a hot girl!! look at her hair look at her legs look at her rack’ but when Kags saw you he didn’t see any of that

Well, not immediately.....

Instead, he was completely captivated by your playing style.

Tobio couldn’t help but think that if Karasuno were crows then you must be a freaking unicorn. Your technique was outrageously unique that incorporated back sets so beautiful that made you seem unreal......much like a unicorn.

The way you played is like you are pulling off miracle sets time and time again... except you made them look easy

Your wrist motion was captivating

Your spiral-stops were perfectly executed

The setter plays you called were impeccable

“She’s better than me....” Kageyama whispered to no one in particular. He doesn’t even realize he said it. Hinata just gaps at him before nodding and adding a “Duh.”

Hinata honey don’t write your death wish this isn’t death note

Good thing Kags was too distracted by your playing

He was a goner okay. Watching you play was slightly short of erotic

The way you adjusted to each one of your spikers was unprecedented

The blocks you made were clearly highly calculated

Your setter dumps were even enough to make him whimper under his breath. Kageyama had to punch Hinata so he would stop asking why he just made that sound.

Kags’ mind was—as Hinata would say: KA-BLOOM 💥— or way out of his depth here

And to make matters worse.....when you finally stopped playing and joined your team to celebrate your victory, Kageyama’s “I’M A MALE” instincts finally kicked back in as he realized just how breathtakingly beautiful you are.

He was able to suppress it because he was captivated by your playing style but now that you weren’t playing--a tidal wave hit him with the ‘omg there’s a hot girl!! look at her hair look at her legs look at her rack’ thoughts......

To make matters EVEN worse x2 his eyes bugged out when he realized you were the co-captain.

“A-first year???? Captain????” His eyebrows met in the middle in disbelief.

Hinata beamed. “Yup! Y/N is rated the #1 setter in the country for high school girls. She taught me how to set. She’s awesome and such a people person they would be stupid not to make her captai—hey!”

Kageyama was up and out of his seat in an instant. He pulls Hinata out of the stands by his arm.

“You will introduce me. Now.” His mind: Goddess.

Hinata whined like a toddler until Kageyama let him go. Shōyō rubbed his arm while pouting, saying that all Kageyama had to do was ask nicely since he was going to say hi to you anyway.

Kageyama waits on the court for your team to collect their things. He couldn’t take his eyes off of you and he felt his heart start pounding

You were quite possibly the best setter he’s ever seen at a tournament. Oikawa would quake in his boots

Kageyama suddenly felt rage at the idea of ladies-man Oikawa taking any interest in you. Whoa, that was weird. He hasn’t even met you and he’s already feeling some type of way

Anyway, you tell your team to take their lunch as you walk off the court. You look around hoping to find your friend Hinata that you haven’t seen since middle school!

Out of the corner of your eye you spot a familiar orange ball jumping up in the air and waving his hands. He was yelling your name and people were shooting him dirty looks. Smiling, you held your bag closer to your shoulder and jogged over to your old friend “Hi Shōyō!”

You hugged him and listened to him go on a rant about how good you were and how much he thanks you for teaching him how to play until someone clears their throat rather loudly.

You look over and see a taller boy in the same uniform as Hinata looking pointedly annoyed with Hinata’s blabbing. He had dark hair, dark eyes, and frankly his entire demeanor was dark

But was he ever HOT AS HELL DAMN (you would opt for never seeing light again if that meant you could bask in his darkness)

You stared at him for a little until Hinata spoke

“Oh right. Y/N, this is my scary setter Kageyama. He really wanted to meet you—“

Kags turned red at Shōyō’s last words which took you back. This mean-looking totally attractive guy just blushed?! And he wanted to meet you? Why???

“Hi, I’m Y/N.” You put your hand out for Kageyama to take and he did, staring at you intently.

You would be lying if you didn’t feel butterflies. Neither of you said anything you just got lost in each others gaze.

“So! Kageyama here is in our year too. He’s the one I told you about that I played and he was so rude... otherwise known as the king of the—hey!”

Bumping him into next week with his hip, Kageyama pushed Hinata out of the way roughly.

So you know how every time Kags meets a great setter he creepily bombards them with a string of setter questions in order to get better ? It’s like automatic for him

Ya well there are no exceptions to that rule

He doesn’t care that you’re a girl— he doesn’t care that you’re the sexiest girl he’s ever met— the boy is a robot when it comes to the setter position and so he lets it loose just like he did when he spoke to Kenma for the first time after the first crow vs. cat game : speaking so fast that he sounded like he was speaking in tongues:

“HowLongHaveYouBeenASetter?WhoTaughtYouHowToBeASetter?WhatWouldYouCallYourStyle?HowDidYouSetter-DumpLikeYouDidInTheFirstSetLikeThatEvenThoughThose2BlockersWereInFrontOfYou?YouCanPass,SetAndSpikeSoWhyDidYouChooseSetting?HowAreYouNotTheTallestButYourJumpSetIsSoPrecise?WhatTypeOfTrainingRegimenDoYouDo?HowLongDidItTakeYouToBeTheBest?WhatDoINeedToDoToBecomeLikeYou? Will you please let me take you out on a date next weekend?!”

shocked, half because Kageyama is still shaking your hand while he speaks like he doesn’t know what sentence pauses are, the other half shocked because you think he just asked you out?!

“Umm......” Your mind tries to catch up with your body that just increased to an incredibly high degree.

Kageyama gives you a look of determination that makes you gulp. You recognize that look. You know that look. All setters know that look. It’s the look of determination when we tell ourselves that we will not lose this game. A shiver ran through you when you realized it was you that he was so determined to win. 

A game, huh?

Meanwhile, in Kageyama’s mind... though he realized that he asked every setter question under the sun like he always does — the asking you out part was so automatic that it hadn’t registered yet because he’s never had to worry about that before. That’s the only reason this cutie isn’t combusting damn

I know y’all were wondering

Kags is in setter mode and love mode he doesn’t know how to act

Finally, you release your hand from his just as your teammates call you over for food. As Captain, duty called.

Looking up at this sexy setter in front of you, you nod. “Uh, sure, Kageyama. I’ll tell you what - I’d love to go out with you. But just as a little pay back for being so mean to my friend Shōyō over there— back in middle school and now.... then I’ll only agree if you win your next game. Then and only then can you get my number from Hinata, okay? I gotta jet.” You give him a warm smile and a wink before jogging out of the gym to meet your team.

Kags, finally registering what you said........ he combusts. He can’t get over how hot you looked when you just winked at him and that he actually asked you out without meaning to.

You said you’d LOVE to go out with him!!!!!!

Well.....if he wins the next game. All because of her thinking you need to treat that stupid bug Hinata better.

Hinata sticks his tongue out at Kags as he rubs his side.

“That really hurt Kageyama. And what happened to you being a dumby or an asshole when it came to cute girls? Now you know how to ask them out??? Man I wish Y/N was smart enough to make the condition that you had to be nice to everyone for her to agree to go out with you because you don’t deserve a girlfriend as pretty as her— and I want to win too.” He starts walking back to the boys’ side of the gym.

“That was my first time ever asking a girl out for your information. And watch the way you talk about my future wife, boke. Just hit my sets and win this next game.”

smirking, Kageyama’s thoughts filled with mental images of you setting, you winking at him sexily and the way your smaller hand fit in his large one perfectly. He thought about how he would make your date next week one for the books.

He really wanted you.

Let’s just say how badly he wanted you was very apparent to Hinata due to the fact that in Karasuno’s next game in Nationals: Kags was the honorary ace. And they won.

———————————————————

I’m a new writer so please give me feedback! Thank you for suggesting 💜

#kageyama x reader #tobio kageyama #haikyuu stories #haikyuu sfw #haikyuu fluff #haikyuu requests #haikyuu scenarios

[emiken-070907]

A Different Kind Of Story - Dance and Grace

It was time for some music and refinement. After some business talk with a scammy octopus lady, Yuko decided to show a small feast she once was invited to, arranged by her friends from Scarabia, and some day-to-day life at the ever so gorgeous Pomefiore.

A Different Kind of Story: Chapter 4

Yuko hasn't even been a solid 5 minutes in the Scarabia dorm, but they already were melting. The afternoon sun was brutal on her skin. Grim wasn't doing any better.

"Are you ok, Yuko? Should I get you something to drink?" Yuko turned her head two face two worried, red eyes.

"Is that a yes or a no? You know what? It doesn't matter. I'll get you one," Kalim said as she patted Yuko on the shoulder before getting up. The brunette tried to stop her, but Kalim didn't listen and quickly came back with some drinks.

"You really shouldn't have to..." Yuko said but took the drinks regardless. "You don't have to be so polite! You two are our guests! A drink or two should be the least!" Yuko could have sworn she needed sunglasses with how bright Kalim was. It gave her a warm feeling of familiarity.

All of a sudden, a sweet and flavourful smell filled the lively lounge of Scarabia. A brunette with long hair and a hood came into the room. She carried multiple plates with different foods, which vary from perfectly sweet to super spicey.

"Wow! These smell amazing, Jamil-senpai," The Prefect of Ramshackle praised, clapping their hands together with sparkles in their eyes. Jamil didn't pay her or her compliment any mind and just placed the dishes on the table.

"You can compliment me if it tastes as good as it smells.", the second-year commented blankly.

"Fnyaaa, why can't you take the compliment! She's at least trying to be nice to you, even after what you did, you snake!" Yuko looked down at Grim and smiled fondly while giving Grim some head pats. Jamil just turned around with an angry huff and leaving the room to get more food.

"Seriously, why are you trying to be so friendly with her? It's obvious she doesn't give a damn about everyone but herself."

"That sounds like everyone at this school, to be honest. People deserve a second chance, and I think I'm not the only one who knows this." The first-year turned to Kalim, who looked kind of sad. Yuko knew that Kalim still concerned herself with many things. Yuko didn't know why or what those things were, but they also felt like it wasn't their place to ask questions.

Yuko's train of thought was interrupted by the other members of the dorm, who all decided to dig in and enjoy the sweet and spicy dishes their vice leader made.

-

The feast came along significantly.

Cheerful chattering filled the room. It had accompanied by entertaining music, played by some students who had already finished their meal.

The two guests from Ramshackle were having a small conversation with the ever so joyful host of the party. Mostly Grim was talking with her. Yuko just sat there, enjoying her meal while her furry companion on her lap was having a good time.

The young Crowley roamed the filled room with attentive eyes. She saw students eating and praising the food, telling stories (some real, some not), or were merely telling jokes and were having a good time. Among those students, there was a brunette standing on the sides, watching them. An idea then popped into the first-year's head.

Yuko excused herself politely from the second-year who so kindly invited them. They then proceeded to walk to the vice to start a little chat for herself.

"Hello Jamil-senpai," Yuko greeted. "The dishes were astounding. The sweets felt like they were melting in my mouth! There also was a hint of apple in there, or am I incorrect? Either way, would you mind if I asked for the recipe itself?" Startled, Jamil turned around to face her junior.

"Uhm, of course? I did not know you'd enjoy it that much that you would ask for the recipe. It's a common sweet in my family" Jamil seemed taking back by Yuko's sudden request. Yet only an innocent smile painted their face while listening to their senior reciting the recipe.

-

"You seem to be enjoying yourself there, Yuko," Ace mocked with a sly smile.

"What could you possibly mean, Ace?"

"Don't act this innocent. If you are an alternate version of our buddy Yuu here, then you are just trying to annoy her, aren't you? Also, you and Kalim there are disgustingly sweet, I have to say." The ace of Heartslabyul said. Yuko gasped in offence and put one of her gloved hands on her chest gem.

"Oh, how could be so mean! I just tried to have a nice conversation with my upperclassmen", the girl wailed. "And, ohh, I am sorry that I am just having some fun with Kalim. I didn't know being nice to others is actually 'disgusting'" Ace smirk swiftly was erased from his face. Some of the first years even snickered a bit about the answer to the boy's comment.

"It is just," the girl in the mirror continued. "I like talking to her since she gives up a sense of comfort. She is like the older sister I never had," Yuko said fondly.

Kalim was also beaming with joy and pride. It seemed knowing that someone, who isn't related to him, thought of him as an older sibling figure made him happy. Even though not directly meant.

"A-ah! Let's not get distracted, shall we? Next is Pomefiore," the girl in the mirror announced.

"Of course not. Although, before we start, let me say that it is very nice to hear that you think that way, young one." Lilia was heart warmed. Father instincts, Yuko silently assumed before fading from the other sight.

-

After Yuko got the recipe for the dish Jamila made, they said their goodbyes to her friends and made her way to Pomefiore.

The old castle was as beautiful and graceful as ever. The afternoon wind made it seem even more like it was from a fairytale.

As soon as Yuko entered the big walls of Pomefiore, she got greeted by a petit-looking first-year. The student's long lavender hair swayed behind them as they approached Yuko as if a breeze was flowing through the dormitory.

"Yuko! Perfect timing! Please save me from Vil! She's trying to put me in one of those disgusting, frilly dresses!" the smaller girl whined. She clutched against Yuko's arm as if it would have helped convince Yuko of her need for help. "Epel, please, I can't hide you every time. I also am starting to think that Vil might know our hideouts by now" Yuko kindly smiled as Epel continued to beg for her help. Yet to no avail.

Moreover, Vil appeared. Her long gowns were perfectly put on, with no faults whatsoever. They flowed behind her while she walked down the hall towards the first years.

It was like looking at a goddess.

But alas, this beauty was angry.

Behind her followed NRC's huntress, Rook. Her heavy boots' steps and Vil's high heels clicking echoed through the empty and silent hall, Epel's begging long died out.

"Epel! How dare you try to run away again! You'll never learn how to use those natural looks correctly. Don't get me started on how to treat them right!" Vil pinched Epel's cheek, ignoring the junior's complaints.

"Oh my, oh my! The Trickster has arrived! How splended~ Your little companion is at your side, as well."

Yuko smiled politely and started holding Grim a little tighter in her arms, in case Grim would try to flee from the huntress.

"I am also very delighted to make your acquaintance again, Rook-senpai. How is it currently going?" The senior started beaming at the question with a bright smile. Her hands flew up to her head. "Oh Trickster, how happy I am that you asked! Reine de Poison was only trying to show our little apple how to put on more voluminous dresses, but the little one didn't seem to like the idea, which is a loss, to be honest. Just imagine Mademoiselle Cherry Apple in one! She'd look like an innocent angel~."

Yuko couldn't hide their chuckle at the thought of Epel wearing something like that. Now they sure knew why Epel was so desperate for help.

-

They all made their way to the lounge for some tea, the argument between Vil and Epel never-ending during the short walk.

At this point, the Ramshackle Prefect was holding Grim's mouth shut, knowing that Grim would spit some non-polite comment. Either at Rook or Vil. Which both wouldn't end well for them.

Vil, Epel, Yuko and Grim seated themselves on the beautiful couches of Pomefiore. Rook made her way into the kitchen to prepare the tea. For Yuko's and Grim's ears pleasure, Vil's and Epel's bickering had stopped.

"So tell me, little potato," Vil started, "have you finally renovated your old dorm by now? I am confident that this hideous place could look better," Harsh as ever, Yuko thought.

Nonetheless, the dorm leader was right. It was old and rotten, and it already was hard work to get it into the condition it is now.

"The renovations are coming along, Vil-senpai, yet I highly doubt I will get it finished any time soon. Nonetheless, I am happy to say that I acquired some donations from Azul. For furniture for the interior, as well for the outer parts. Maybe I'll even have to ask someone to help me with the gardens soon if this all keeps going at this pace. But first, the rooms and all should be looking presentable, of course." Yuko explained. Her senior hummed understanding.

Rook re-enters the lounge with a trey, which has some tea and snacks on it. "Oh la la, what did I miss? Where are you talking about the Ramshackle dormitory?" Room asked as she put the trey downs on the table. How did she know that? Until now, she was in another room!

"Yes, we were discussing the Ramshackle dormitory, Rook. The renovations, to be exact," Vil said as she sipped her tea.

"Epel, you were awfully quiet until now. Does the topic of your friend's home not interest you?"

As if being ripped out of a daydream, Epel quickly looked up. "N-no, this isn't the reason! I didn't want to interrupt yall- I mean you all."

Vil inspected her as if trying to figure out if she was lying or not. After 20 seconds of starring, Vil accepted the explanation as genuine and let out a small sigh.

"Epel, at least sit straight and look me in the eyes while talking. The cup goes up to your head, not your head to the cup!" Vil pinched Epel's cheek once again, ignoring Epel's whines. It all ended in another argument.

-

Leona put one of his hands on his temple in annoyance. He just witnessed two arguments, one in full length and the other one's just started. "Is this also like this here?"

"Yep, totally," said all the first-years in unison, except for Epel, who had a feeling of betrayal in his eyes.

"How could you all fall into my back like that?!"

"Epel, you know that they are sadly telling the truth. We, rather often, have different opinions on things," Vil kindly reminded the student he took under his wing. Like a father

"Nevertheless, Leona, you should know how hard it can be to look after your first years. Oh wait, on second thought, you probably don't, since you push all your responsibilities onto Ruggie,"

Leona only growled, knowing that starting a fight with the fellow third-year would be pointless.

Everyone in the room went quiet. Even Rook didn't say anything. After a minute of awkward silence and Vil and Leona starring at each other, Yuko cleared her throat, getting all of the male's attention.

"How about we move on to our last two dorms. Then we'll call it for today? It's been a long day with a lot of new things to process," Yuko clapped their hands together while talking. They were just happy that there weren't any nasty comments on any of her friends.

{to be continued}

First

Previous

Next

[A/n: Sorry for any grammatical or spelling errors, English is not my first language!]

#twisted wonderland #twst yuu #twst mc #Yuko Crowley #nrc #night raven college #kalim al asim #jamil viper #vil schoenheit #rook hunt #epel felmier #ace trappola

[apparently-artless]

The Other Way Around - 3rd Chapter

A Daiya no Ace Fanfic

Warning: Not Beta Read, English Grammar Nazi be warned! ( `ε´ )

Summary:

Toujou have 'girl problems'. Kanemaru couldn't care less. Sawamura will come to the rescue.

Note: Different settings and timelines for each character. Check out source below for AO3 version.

Characters: Sawamura Eijun, Toujou Hideaki, Kanemaru Shinji, Furuya Satoru, Kominato Haruichi, Miyuki Kazuya, Kuramochi Youichi, Takigawa Chris Yuu, Yuuki Tetsuya, Isashiki Jun, Kominato Ryousuke

Chapter 3: Toujou Hideaki

Seidou baseball players were busy having their dinner. Some of the first years were gathered together in one table together with some first-string members. Sawamura, as he ate his food with gusto, couldn’t help but noticed that it’s Toujou’s third time letting out a deep sigh as he slowly ate his meal.

“Oi, Toujou. You keep on sighing. That’s not good, you know? Are you not feeling well? Is the food not to your liking?” Sawamura asked with curiosity and concern.

“Tch. Just let him be. He’s sulking because apparently, three girls from our batch kept on pestering him to be his girlfriend,” Kanemaru responded on his best friend’s behalf.

“Hmm? Is it just me or I can feel like you’re just envious of Toujou-kun’s situation? Kanemaru-kun, you’re not popular with girls, are you?” Ryousuke interjected upon hearing the freshmen’s seemingly interesting conversation.

“Wha – “

Haruichi blurted out “Aniki!” as he tried to stop his older brother from publicly shaming Kanemaru any further. He panicked even more as he heard the rest of the first-string members laughing at Ryousuke’s comment while he glanced from the red-faced Kanemaru to the sniggering members eating at their table.

“I see. That must have been tiring. If that’s the case, why don’t you just reject them?” Sawamura went on not giving a care to the other portion of the conversation – which was Kanemaru’s lack of popularity with girls.

“I already told them I have no time for a relationship right now due to club activities. But they just kept on bothering me,” Toujou answered with another deep sigh.

“You said it right! You’re not even part of first-string yet, do you think this is the time to get a girlfriend, huh??” bellowed Isashiki as he sat beside Toujou and placed his arm on the boy’s shoulder threateningly.

“Oya. Here’s another guy who’s unpopular with girls. Is that advice as a senpai, or is it your pathetic self, screaming jealousy? That’s not good, Jun,” Ryousuke commented.

“Shut up, Ryou! These first years should know better not to get ahead of their upperclassmen in getting a girlfriend! They're ten years early for that! Go bat a thousand swings every day first!” Isashiki added.

Toujou just smiled awkwardly at Isashiki and went on with his dinner.

“How about you, Sawamura? Aren’t you quite close with girls in your class? Is there someone in your class who asked you out?” Toujou decided to continue with the conversation. “Nope. I’m pretty sure all of my girl classmates just see me as a friend,” Sawamura answered nonchalantly.

“Besides, no one would want this obnoxious idiot to be their boyfriend. They’ll be deaf by the time they broke up,” Miyuki interrupted.

“Miyuki Kazuya! Who are you calling an idiot? And why are you even here dining with us?? Go away!”

“Then, how about you, Miyuki-senpai? Aren’t you popular with girls too?” Toujou asked without hesitation, not even caring about the bickering that started between the two.

And then, Sawamura and Miyuki paused as they looked at Toujou with wide eyes. The rest of the team was looking at Miyuki with menacing eyes.

Careful what you say, pretty boy catcher.

But before Miyuki could reply, Sawamura laughed as if what Toujou said was the best joke of the night.

“This?” Sawamura started while breathing heavily due to his unending laughter as he pointed rudely at the catcher. “This guy? This super evil and mean guy?? Popular with girls?? I bet they don’t know his true personality then! Oh my, those poor girls!”

Sawamura continued with his laughing and the menacing look that the other members were giving Miyuki transitioned to giggles. The boy with the glasses decided to break his silence.

To start, Miyuki let out a tiny cough. “Toujou-kun, leaving this idiot’s comments aside, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Eh? But I’ve heard Kuramochi-senpai complaining more than once that you received confessions from girls,” Toujou replied hesitantly.

“Huh? Kuramochi said that? When?” Miyuki reacted as he glared in Kuramochi’s direction.

“I can’t remember exactly when but he mentioned it during practice, I think.”

“During practice??”

“Yes, around three different times.”

“Three times??”

This time, it was Isashiki who reacted instead of Miyuki. Kuramochi just guffawed at the background, uncaring, like he’s not involved at all with the conversation.

“Miyuki!!! You jerk!!! You traitor!!!” Isashiki shouted as Toujou and Kanemaru tried to stop him from hitting the poor catcher.

“I’m sorry, Toujou. But I cannot give you any advice. I just tell them I don’t have time for relationships and they back off. You’ll have to deal with it another way,” Miyuki replied hoping this conversation will end with his body parts complete and unharmed.

“Ja!” Sawamura let out a loud voice as if to attract all the team members to listen to him. “Why don’t you ask a girl from your class to pretend to be your girlfriend instead? Look for someone who can agree with your situation so those girls you’ve mentioned will stop troubling you. It’s a brilliant idea if I say so myself. It’s like straight out from a shoujo manga! And then, the two of you will actually get together! And your true love story will begin! Hahahaha!”

The team turned silent, not sure what to make of what Sawamura had just blurted out.

“Hmm. A stupid suggestion from a stupid person. You’re getting there, Sawamura,” Ryousuke commented.

“Hyahaha! Ryou-san, that’s so mean!”

“Onii-san?? But that’s a good idea, no?”

“Well, if it’s got to the point that it’s affecting your grades and your performance during club activities, you can rely on us, Toujou,” Yuuki added with a smile. “We can even try to come up with a plan while playing Shogi.”

“T-Thank you, Yuuki-senpai,” Toujou replied at the captain awkwardly.

The next day was no different. The girls decided to ambush Toujou as soon as he went out of the men’s restroom. His initial plan was this – he’ll have lunch together with Kanemaru, Sawamura, Haruichi, and Furuya and make it look like they're having a club meeting during the break so they won’t get in the way. Unluckily, the girls got to Toujou first before he could meet up with the rest of the group.

Toujou’s head was starting to throb at listening at the girls’ bickering. No matter what he said, it seemed none of them would back down. He wanted to get out of this stupid situation. Some of the students are even looking suspiciously in their way.

He was trying his best to come up with another way to dismiss the girls and get them to back down but nothing came to mind. The best he could do was remember what Sawamura suggested, but there’s a flaw in that. He’s yet to find a girl who would agree with his condition. It has to be a girl who doesn’t have a boyfriend and someone who wouldn’t mind pretending to be in a relationship with him. For now, Toujou thought of telling the girls that he already had someone he likes and that he planned to ask her out. The name – well, it has to be anonymous for now.

“Uhm,” Toujou started as he scratched the back of his neck. “I’m so sorry to say this but, there’s already someone I like and I’m planning to ask that person out. As such, I can’t go out with any of you.”

The three girls stopped their fighting as they looked intently at Toujou, trying to determine if what the boy had said was a lie.

“Who’s the girl then?”

“What’s her name?”

“What class is she in?” “Eh? Uhm. You see…” Toujou replied while moving backward, unable to come up with answers to the girls’ questions.

“The name…”

“The name?” said the three girls in unison. “The name is…” Toujou replied once more as he moved another step backward, his back almost touching the window.

Then suddenly, his savior had arrived.

“Toujou! There you are! I’ve been looking for you! Where have you been anyway?”

“Sawamura?” Toujou whispered upon recognizing the boy looking for him.

“Sawamura??” the girls said in unison as they looked in the direction Toujou was looking at.

Then the idea struck Toujou like lightning. They just need to know that he’s in a relationship. It doesn’t have to be a girl!

Toujou went past the three girls and walked towards Sawamura.

Sawamura, I know you’re not good at reading the atmosphere. But please! Just this once! Remember what you said last night! I don’t have anyone else but you!

Sawamura stopped as soon as Toujou stood just a foot away from him. He then smiled at his friend.

“What’s stopping you? Lunch will be over in no time, Let’s go,” Sawamura said as he grabbed Toujou’s left wrist.

But Toujou did not move from where he’s standing. Instead, he just gazed at Sawamura with a serious look.

“What? You need to go to the restroom first?” the southpaw pitcher asked.

“Sawamura, there’s something important I need to tell you first.”

“O-Okay. I’ll listen to what you have to say,” Sawamura replied with a serious tone, his usual loud voice gone and the three girls right in front of him didn’t seem to matter. He then released Toujou’s hand.

“Sawamura, I like you. I’ve liked you for a long time. Can you please go out with me?” Toujou asked with determination, his internal self, screaming at the back of his head.

Sawamura was taken aback by Toujou’s sudden confession. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He closed his mouth and then pondered some more.

Sawamura, please get a grip of what I’m trying to do here!!

And then suddenly, a miraculous thing happened! Sawamura remembered what he told Toujou last night.

“O-Oh. I see,” Sawamura replied, astounded.

So, it has come to this, Toujou.

Sawamura!! Finally!!

Are you sure you’re fine with me? I’m a guy, you know??

I know, but I don’t seem to have a choice right now, do I??

Got it, Toujou, my friend! Leave everything to me!!

Their internal dialogue went on in less than fifteen seconds when Sawamura spoke once again.

“I like you too, Toujou. For a very long time now,” Sawamura smiled at him like the sun. “I’ll go out with you.”

Toujou, was of course, slightly taken aback by Sawamura’s words. He didn’t take the guy to be a good actor after all. A sudden warmth crept up Toujou’s face as he blushed unconsciously towards the boy. And when the girls noticed Toujou’s reaction, they were surprised but were convinced that the two boys who confessed to each other really liked each other.

Noticing the girls right in front of them for the first time, Sawamura looked at them with a smile too.

“I’m sorry. I was too focused on Toujou that I did not notice you there for a second,” Sawamura spoke, his jolly old self had returned as he scratched the back of his head.

He paused for a second, dropped his right hand, went for Toujou’s left hand, and pulled him closer towards him. Toujou, unprepared for Sawamura’s sudden action, slightly lost his balance as his body partially collided at Sawamura’s, his head perfectly placed in between the southpaw’s jaw and his chest.

“I’m sorry girls, but this guy here is mine. I would appreciate it if you could just back off,” Sawamura said in a deep voice, his warmth emanating and prickling Toujou’s skin.

Toujou, upon hearing Sawamura’s voice filled with sincerity, not the usual voice he’s used to hearing when they’re playing at the field, made him blush some more. The three girls were as surprised as well, their cheeks as pink as peach as they silently nod towards Sawamura.

“Thank you. Now, if you don’t mind, Toujou and I will be taking our lunch.”

Toujou automatically parted with Sawamura once he heard his final words. The boy placed his right arm on his left shoulder as they walked their way to the rooftop. Upon noticing that none of the girls followed, Sawamura decided to remove his hands from Toujou.

“You were so cool back there,” Toujou commented while scratching his cheek, a faint flush remained.

“Aren’t I?? It’s like straight out of a shoujo manga! Man! I’ve always wanted to say one of those cool lines being said by the male protagonists! I nailed it!” Sawamura beamed in response as he laughed, feeling proud of himself.

Toujou laughed at him as well. Little did they know, the three girls were still looking in their direction. But since they were unable to hear their conversation, they only appeared as two boyfriends having a happy conversation in their eyes.

“Should we still join them?” Haruichi asked Kanemaru.

Apparently, Haruichi, Kanemaru, and Furuya had witnessed Toujou and Sawamura’s ‘confession’ as well as they were also looking for Toujou at that time.

“Nope. Let’s not do that. I got the feeling we’ll ruin Toujou’s plan,” Kanemaru replied with a sigh as they observed the two disappeared in the corridor.

Furuya, who seemed uninterested in what happened, said nothing as he was more focused on the polar bear-shaped onigiri for his lunch.

“But is that okay with you?” Toujou asked as soon as they reached the rooftop. “What if those girls spread rumors that the two of us are going out?”

“What are you talking about, Toujou? Wasn’t it the plan to begin with??” Sawamura asked Toujou with dismay.

“Well, you see. I’m a guy. So I thought maybe, you wouldn’t want to be rumored to be going out with someone of the same sex.”

“Don’t mind the small things, Toujou!” Sawamura spoke in his usual tone as he tapped the other boy’s shoulder. “If you keep on thinking even about the small things, you’ll have grey hair at a very young age! Besides, my grandpa told me that you must help out a friend who is in need!”

"Thank you, you really saved me back there," Toujou added.

"But of course!"

Sawamura just laughed while Toujou smiled at him. He suddenly realized that that’s a very Sawamura-like thing to say.

“Eh? Where’s Harucchi and the others?”

“Oh, I just got a message from Kanemaru saying we can eat all by ourselves. They got impatient and ate without us.”

“Those guys! Geez!”

Two days after the incident, a practice game ensued between the first-string and second-string members. It was a peaceful game except for Sawamura’s usual obnoxious comments and a bit of complaint as he was selected by the coach to be the starting pitcher for the second-string members.

It was peaceful indeed. And yet, there is something, more like, some people whom the players can’t help but notice at the corners of their eyes. Eventually, the game reached its conclusion with the first-string team as the winner. Some of the players removed themselves from the field and went on with their stretching. Most of the first-string members, however, gathered at the bullpen.

“Okay! Okay! I’ll bite! Since none of you have the balls to say something! I’ll be the one to say something first!” Isashiki bellowed, slightly irritated at the fact that all the members were miraculously avoiding the elephant near the field. “Can somebody tell me why fangirls are cheering for Toujou and that idiot?? I mean, Toujou, I can sort of understand! But Sawamura?? Is the world ending??”

Some members laughed slightly and some members decided to keep quiet. Kanemaru and Haruichi, who happened to know the reason, were looking at each other, not quite sure what to do with the situation. Because apparently, Toujou decided to mingle with the quiet members as if it’s not his problem. And Sawamura – well, Sawamura is more concerned about the fact that he played as part of second-string instead of first-string for this practice game.

Finally, the silence was broken by no other than Chris.

“That group of girls is Sawamura and Toujou’s supporter. Apparently, Toujou asked Sawamura out and that Sawamura agreed,” Chris replied as he looked at his mini notebook.

The other members, especially the second-string members, couldn’t help but wonder just what kind of information Chris’ notebook contained.

“They’re here to support their relationship…” Chris added. “…is what I’ve heard.”

“Eh???” some of the members shouted in response.

Toujou, together with Kanemaru and Haruichi, was surprised that the catcher knows that kind of information.

“W-We’re really not going out,” Toujou interjected. “We’re just fake-dating. You know that last time we talked about it at the cafeteria. Sawamura just happened to be there when those girls were pestering me and then he kinda went on with the flow?”

The other members keenly listened to the boy’s explanation. Sawamura, who was busy stretching, noticed the other member’s sudden shouts so he decided to join in on the conversation.

“What’s happening here? Aren’t we supposed to do our stretching right after the game?” Sawamura asked upon noticing the surprise on the members’ faces.

“Sawamura! I can’t believe you’ve done it! You’re a true friend! A true man among men! My impression of you improved a little bit!” Isashiki commented as he slapped the back of the southpaw with his every statement. “Spitz-senpai! That’s rude! And stop slapping my back, it hurts!”

Miyuki and Kuramochi were, of course, sniggering in the background.

The baseball idiots, too busy congratulating their ‘new couple’ did not notice that the three girls were trying to go near Sawamura and Toujou who were pushed together so they can laugh at them some more as they noticed how Toujou’s face turned bright red.

“Are you here to speak to Sawamura and Toujou?” Yuuki, another oblivious idiot, asked the girls without hesitation.

The three girls just nod, but with great anticipation. Toujou, who was asked by another member to assist with stretching, was unable to indulge their request. As such, Sawamura was the only one who decided to talk with the girls.

“Oh, hi there!” Sawamura greeted the girls happily.

“Uhm, hi. It’s a bit frustrating that your team did not win but you and Toujou did great during the game!” one of the girls spoke.

“Ah, haha. Thanks. I’ll make sure to lead the team to victory next time!”

“W-we have a question for you if you don’t mind,” the second girl asked.

“Sure, fire away!”

“W-w-w-which one of you is the bottom???” the girl asked, sort of shouted in a high-pitched note.

There was a silent pause. The boys seem to get the meaning behind the girl’s question, except for one oblivious, Sawamura Eijun. Truthfully, almost all of them had seen that coming. Nothing surprising, really. Wait, scratch almost, all of them knows Sawamura had no idea whatsoever of what the girl was talking about.

“Bottom? Oh! Yes, I’m at the bottom and Toujou is at the top!”

The other members, who were pretending like they're busy with their stretching, but were actually listening to the conversation, snorted at Sawamura’s reply. Sawamura, the world’s most adorable oblivious Seidou southpaw pitcher, had misunderstood the girl’s sensitive inquiry. He thought the girl was referring to their batting order during the game where Toujou had played the 3rd batter whereas he played the 9th batter.

“Ohh! So you’re the catcher, then!”

“Eh? Ah, no, actually, I’m a pitcher. Well, Toujou’s a pitcher too but – “

“So you’re flexible??” the third girl blurted out before Sawamura could finish what he has to say.

“Why, yes, of course! I am in fact a very flexible player!” Sawamura replied with pride as he pointed his thumb towards himself.

“Kyaa!” the girls shouted upon hearing the pitcher’s response.

The members at the back were now laughing so hard, some of them were struggling at the ground. Chris, Kanemaru, and Haruichi were blushing out of second-hand embarrassment as they listened to Sawamura’s answers.

“Oh! My sides, it hurts! Sawamura, you really are the best!” Miyuki commented as he laughed together with Kuramochi who was snickering at his roommate.

Toujou’s brain short-circuited for a moment as he heard the conversation. Unwilling to have his dignity stained any further, Toujou walked towards Sawamura and the girls who were still busy squealing at Sawamura’s statement. Who would’ve thought that the girls who were initially asking him to be their boyfriend became fujoshi in just a day right after they had witnessed Toujou and Sawamura’s fake confession? Sawamura had done his part oh-so-well that it actually backfired.

“Sawamura,” Toujou called his name as he placed his left hand at Sawamura’s mouth.

“Hmpff – “

“Stop talking. You need to cool down. Like literally.”

Sawamura was about to say something but he was dragged by Toujou to prevent any further damage, to both their dignities. The girls bade their goodbye at the ‘couple’. Sawamura just waved his hand while Toujou just smiled awkwardly at them as he continued dragging Sawamura away from them.

When Toujou and Sawamura reached their other members who were still busy laughing, Toujou decided to remove his hand from Sawamura’s mouth.

“Eh? What’re you guys laughing about?”

“Kominato,” Kanemaru called Haruichi who was standing right beside him while looking at the southpaw pitcher. “I’ve made up my mind.”

“Huh? About what?” Haruichi asked, still worried at the chaos ensuing.

“I’ll make sure to protect Sawamura’s innocence within three years of high school,” Kanemaru responded, his face filled with determination.

Haruichi just smiled.

You keep on complaining, but in the end, you still look out for Eijun-kun like a mother hen.

“What’s this all about?? Stop laughing and just explain to me why you’re laughing at me?” Sawamura bellowed as he heard some words on the people surrounding him between laughs.

He’s not sure exactly why they are laughing but he can sort of understand that they are laughing at him. Miyuki, who had gained back his composure, wrapped his arm around Sawamura’s shoulder as he smirked at the southpaw pitcher.

“Sawamura,” Miyuki called in a sympathizing tone, a tone he seldom used towards the pitcher.

“What??” Sawamura shouted in response, already irritated at the laughs penetrating his ears.

“As your senpai” Miyuki started, emphasizing the last word. “I’ll be kind enough to explain what happened back there.”

Sawamura hesitated for a second but seeing no one was currently in their right minds to talk to him, he said ‘Okay’ in a soft voice. Kuramochi, who was listening to their conversation finally got what Miyuki intended to do.

“Miyuki, you bastard – “

“When the girl asked you who is the bottom, what she actually meant by that is…”

But before Miyuki could continue his explanation, a large warm hand landed at his left shoulder.

“Miyuki,” a deep but warm voice emanated across the bullpen.

The whole team became quiet when they noticed that Chris had already intervened between Miyuki and Sawamura’s conversation before Kuramochi could.

“Just what do you think you’re trying to explain to Sawamura?”

Chris was by no means angry, but his voice sounds so threatening it sends a chill on everyone’s spine.

“Chris-senpai?” Miyuki asked, bewildered at the other catcher’s reaction.

“Kuramochi,” Chris called.

“Aye, sir!” Kuramochi responded swiftly as if he understood Chris’ intentions.

The shortstop pulled Sawamura away from Miyuki which surprised the battery but did not make any movements and just went with the actions of the other members. Kuramochi stayed behind Sawamura as he placed both his hands on Sawamura’s ears to block any poisonous words that could taint their ever innocent southpaw pitcher.

“I’m so sorry, Miyuki-senpai,” Kanemaru and Haruichi apologized in advance as they grabbed Miyuki.

Kanemaru, like what Toujou did to Sawamura a while ago, placed one of his hands at Miyuki’s mouth as if to warn the catcher not to say anything. The pair then proceeded with dragging Miyuki outside the bullpen. Once they're done, they left the catcher without saying any words then went back to the bullpen.

“There, there. The evil catcher is now gone, you’re safe now, Eijun-kun,” Haruichi spoke in a soft voice as he ruffled Sawamura’s hair. By that time, Kuramochi had removed his hands on the pitcher’s ears upon noticing that Miyuki had indeed been removed from the vicinity.

“Phew, that was close,” Kanemaru said as he wiped the sweat forming across his forehead.

“Eh? What was close? What just happened? Where’s Miyuki?” Sawamura asked, still confused with his surroundings.

“Sawamura, for the meantime, come with me,” Chris let out a small sigh as he offered his hand towards the boy.

And as if it was enough to ease the boy’s frustrations towards his other teammates, Sawamura took Chris’ hand while he shouted ‘Shishou! I knew you cared for me!’.

Chris was emanating an invisible aura as they exited the bullpen. The others stayed silent before they were gone.

“Okay, Chris’ father instinct was triggered. Do not talk to Sawamura about this incident if you don’t want to incur Chris’ wrath. Do you understand?” Isashiki shouted so everyone at the bullpen can hear.

The rest of the members just nod and exited the bullpen as well.

“Aniki,” Haruichi called his brother as soon as the members started going back to their dorms. “Can’t you do something about Eijun-kun’s situation? If this continues, who knows how this might affect him.”

Ryousuke let out a small sigh. “Since when did you start caring too much about that idiot, hmm?”

“I know you’ll do something about it. After all, he’s our idiot.”

Ryousuke just smiled resigning himself at his younger brother’s request.

“Okay. I’ll see what I can do about it.”

Meanwhile, Miyuki, who was still surprised by what happened realized that he was now standing a few feet away from the bullpen.

“Wait, did I, the main catcher of this team, just get pulled out from the bullpen?”

“Oh yes, you did! Hyahaha!” Kuramochi bellowed in response as he dragged the catcher back to their dorms. “And don’t you dare touch Sawamura for now, Chris-senpai was really angry when you tried to pull that stunt on him at the bullpen.”

Miyuki laughed once more as soon as he realized that Chris-senpai did not want Sawamura’s innocence to be tainted.

“What’s that all about? I didn’t know Chris-senpai dotes too much about that idiot!” he laughed once again after he commented.

“I know, right? I was kinda surprised too.” Kuramochi replied.

“Says the guy who swiftly covered Sawamura’s ears when I’m about to explain to him what’s happening back there,” Miyuki smirked at Kuramochi.

“Shut up!” Kuramochi snapped as he tried to hide his pink-flushed face.

“Admit it, the boy’s growing on you,” Miyuki shouted when he noticed Kuramochi speeding up and leaving him behind.

“Miyuki, shut the hell up!!” Kuramochi shouted back in response to which Miyuki just laughed.

THE AFTERMATH

In their next practice, the three girls were no longer bothering Sawamura and Toujou.

Miraculously, the rumors about Toujou and Sawamura dating were only contained within the Seidou baseball members. Of course, this miracle was only possible with Ryousuke and some other third years doing a few things in the background. No one dared to ask how they did it but Toujou was very happy that the issue was now resolved.

Sawamura Eijun Protection Squad (aka SEPS) was formed with Chris as the president. This organization was in fact approved by Coach Kataoka and Rei-san after hearing Chris’ explanation.

Miyuki, up to the challenge, kept on trying to drop some hints at Sawamura regarding baseball innuendos that the girls previously asked him. He even left a BL manga on Sawamura’s desk which he managed to steal, ahem, borrowed from one of the confiscated paraphernalia he happened to find when they were tasked to clean the abandoned room. Fortunately, Kuramochi saw Sawamura and snatched it right before he could see the manga.

Since then, Isashiki made sure to check all the mangas being lent to Sawamura before he could actually read it.

#dna fanfic #daiya no ace fanfic #anime fanfic #daiya no ace #diamond no ace #fluff and humor #sawamura eijun #toujou hideaki #kanemaru shinji #furuya satoru #kominato haruichi #miyuki kazuya #kuramochi youichi #takigawa chris yuu #yuuki tetsuya #isashiki jun #kominato ryousuke

[justselfloathingthings-blog]

Character Analysis- Bloom into You, Sayaka Saeki.

WARNING: This is super long and I had a really overlong paragraph noting this before deciding, like, it was a downer and totally unnecessary. So yeah, this is long and uses a mixture of text and images.

Cut go!

To really understand Sayaka, we have to go back in time a bit. To Sayaka’s time at Tomosumi Girl’s middle school. While there, one of Sayaka’s upperclassmen asked her out. She didn’t necessarily have a positive reaction at first, but she grew to love the other girl. 

When high school came, Sayaka’s was tortured when the girl that she loved seemed to not want to interact with her at all. As a result, Sayaka decided that she needed to take matters into her own hands. She assumed her senpai was suffering just as much as she was. 

Her upperclassmen didn’t share her feelings at all. If anything, she merely saw it as a sort of game that was was playing with Sayaka, not anything that she should take remotely seriously. It wasn’t a true relationship. She doesn’t ask Sayaka’s feelings about this, of course. She doesn’t even try to consider them. In her eyes, what she was saying was axiomatically true and that Sayaka would naturally agree. That she would still have the skepticism that plagued her at the beginning of her relationship before Sayaka realized how she felt.

Again, this is something that Sayaka thought at the beginning of their relationship, that it was something that was “weird”. Socially it’s not something that is done.

Sayaka felt like her feelings were real. She thought that her senpai was leading her somewhere beautiful and different and full of genuine, if seemingly unusual, love. The pain that she felt as a result was quite real. It must have hurt so much. 

So she tries to convince herself, as a coping mechanism, that her senpai is totally right. That was just a meaningless phase, and that girls simply didn’t love other girls. Everything that she felt was fake; if it was fake, then why was the girl she “loved” so blithely turn her down, after opening her to this possibility to begin with. The whole struggle did quite a bit of damage to her, to the point that she was so distracted that she got second place in the entrance exams. She is determined to be better than her, and surpass her in no time. 

And as she continued to convince herself, #1 herself walked by.

And in that one, shining moment, Sayaka’s feelings returned full force. And she decided that the feelings for Tokou... felt real enough, that she wasn’t going to necessarily let her broken heart deny that she seems to have them.

Time passes, as time often does, and Touko and Sayaka get closer. Due to the relationship that the two have, one that is rather close, the two become known as something of a power duo. 

Sayaka is seen as knowing Touko better than anyone else. In fact Sayaka says that herself, basically word for word, to Yuu. However, it is partially because she knows Touko better than most people that she keeps the other girl, emotionally, at arm’s length, and would never consider telling her friend about her feelings.

She’s somebody that knows that Touko, emotionally speaking, wants Sayaka to keep herself at arm’s length romantically, and thus on some level she does so emotionally as well, which I’ll get to in a bit. But instead, she decides to attempt to do what she can to protect her.

If she can’t be Touko’s love, she can at least do everything she can to make her safe and happy. She really is rather ambivalent about the stage show, but she gets that, for whatever reason, it’s something that Touko wants to do. And thus she considers it her responsibility to help, and pick up the pieces together if something goes wrong.

I think that’s enough context. Let’s jump into the show proper.

In the first episode, Sayaka is honestly pretty chill. She welcomes Yuu with, more or less, open arms, and is decently playful with Touko, the two having a relatively decent rapport. You get a slight hint of how well Sayaka really knows Touko with her certain declaration that Touko will turn everyone down, but by itself that doesn’t mean that much.

Then, in the rest of episode 1, the relationship between Yuu and Touko rapidly accelerates. Sayaka can kind of tell this, and it’s rather clear that she is not particularly happy about it. 

In this case, Touko manages to talk Sayaka down a little and get her to concede that it’s Touko’s choice at the end of the day, but you can see very clearly that Sayaka isn’t particularly happy about it, and feels just a tad jealous. 

Jealousy is something that Touko doesn’t have in short supply of in regards to Yuu, as Sayaka demonstrates again in Episode 7. The fact is that, I think on some level, Sayaka is a little scared. She’s already had to deal with one person moving on without her, deciding that their relationship isn’t truly worth much, and she feels like the same could easily happen with Touko too, especially when she’s too scared to confess, both for Touko’s sake and her own. 

]Her animosity to Yuu feels far more nuanced than petty jealousy. She doesn’t want anybody else getting close to Touko, she’s Touko’s protector and nobody else is allowed to be, because Touko is what she has, who she loves, and she can’t let what happened happen again. In my opinion, the jealousy in large part stems from fear.

Sayaka isn’t particularly important again until Episode 7, but this is where her character starts to shine, and she becomes much more relevant to the story. So let’s dig into this. 

The episode begins with Touko beating Sayaka on a pop quiz. Someone teases Sayaka because she continually can’t beat Touko (just like when they first met, she’s always #2), and this is her response. 

I actually see this as really important, but I think my point will be clearer if I save it for later. Just... keep it in your headspace. 

Later on in the episode, the Student Council is briefing their new recruit, Yuu’s friend Koyomi, about the stage show and, as a writer, what she could contribute, with Koyomi making it clear that for her, this is little more than writing practice.

As they talk however, their school supervisor Riko comes in, and between what Sayaka sees as slight moments of intimacy and Riko’s rather terrible attempts at damage control, she starts to suspect that the two are actually together. 

By itself, this doesn’t seem to mean that much to her. But later that night, she’s plagued by the thought of Yuu and Touko getting together, to the point that she’s actually shaking. Her fears consume her and she needs to go to the cafe and ask. Riko is doing other things but Miya is there, and so, after a bit of fumbling, Sayaka manages to ask what is on her mind, and Miya gives her a direct, clear affirmative, much to Sayaka’s shock. 

I think the shock could stem from a few things. I’m not sure it’s really gotten into Sayaka’s head that being gay is more than a teenage thing. Her first crush explicitly broke her heart by saying that it isn’t, and the only other relationship she really knew about was the Sayaka-Yuu-Touko mess, and all three of them were teenagers. In some ways, I think this was a good moment for her, to really understand that it is something that transcends age. 

The other reason for her surprise, one she actually tells Miya, is how direct she was. And Miya’s response is rather equally direct, and something that I think also really does impact Sayaka quite a bit. 

It’s worth noting that Sayaka operates in secrets. Her relationship with her senpai was a secret, she tries to keep her jealousy toward Yuu a secret, she tries to keep her feelings for Touko a secret. She’s somebody that simply isn’t very open about her feelings. That isn’t to say that she doesn’t often have very good reasons for that, but it is simply the world she knows, and she could easily think that it is really the only world when she has feelings like her’s. And part of the issue is that she actually takes it rather far. 

She is so desperate to conceal her feelings that she closes herself off. Not just to random admirers, not just to Yuu, but to herself and even to Touko. She isn’t somebody that allows herself to be herself, because she’s scared. She’s scared that it will scare Touko away, at the end of the day. And being told that not only is that something that is rather childish, but something that she simply doesn’t need to do, is something that I think really would mean something to her, even if she doesn’t say so or even realize it. 

The conversation then drifts to being about Sayaka, and Sayaka admits that she has a crush on Touko. And thus Miya asks a rather logical question- why does Sayaka like her in the first place? And, seemingly a little caught off guard at being asked, her first answer is rather superficial. It’s one that I’m sure is true (she was captivated by Touko the minute that she looked at her) but superficial all the same. But then, calming down a little, she expands. 

At the time, this in part seems to establish that Sayaka loves Touko for who she is as a “person”. Though the effort to achieve her goals is all Touko at the end of the day. It is her desire to strive for more and achieve her goals that Sayaka loves, and not whatever those goals specifically are. But as we learn, so is the first thing that she mentions. No matter who she was trying to be, that is a complete failure to be Mio and is, simply, a different person entirely. Sayaka fell in love with Touko Nanami, and nobody less. 

The more I think about this bit, the more I think there’s a lot going on here. Immediate is that she genuinely is concerned about Touko; Sayaka shows quite a bit of knowledge into what Touko is like, but the idea that she has the full picture is ludicrously unlikely. She just knows that Touko doesn’t want to get close to people, and she knows that for whatever reason Touko is consumed (and tormented) by something. So she doesn’t want to make that worse, which is very admirable. 

I think there’s a bit of fear for herself here too. Touko is somebody that Sayaka isn’t quite sure is gay; she thinks she might be, but doesn’t know for sure. And her previous relationship was her getting burned because the person she loved turned out to not be into girls after all, and I don’t think that’s something that she’s necessarily forgotten, and something that has been a big deal for her (even if it’s something she is getting ready to overcome). I think she also deeply is scared about being alone; it’s part of all her anxiety and jealousy over Yuu’s relationship; to her, the romantic relationship is essentially what she has, and if she loses that, she has nothing.

But I think she kind of realizes something during this conversation. That it isn’t all she has. Touko is someone that she admires, someone she wants to support. She loves her, yes, but she wants to be a good supportive friend too. She wants to be someone Touko can depend on, can count on, and can bolster her strengths instead of weakening them. In a way, a path starts to open for her that she didn’t even really consider before. 

She struggles with the idea that maybe she’s been selfish by hiding everything from Touko like she has, but she gets politely assured that if anything it’s the opposite, and she’s being kind protecting her the way that she has. 

Cut to the next day. Sayaka gets second on another quiz. This time. The scene goes. Like this. 

The contrast to that little bit I suggested you remember from the beginning of the episode is ridiculously stark. Sayaka actually seems to have gained a competitive edge that she was completely lacking. And that’s in large part because she’s not just kind of hedging anymore, and has decided that though she loves Touko, and this absolutely is something she will tell her eventually, right now what is important is being a good friend to Touko. Do what she can to help her be happy, succeed, and excel. And Touko responds to this.

I’m trying to imagine how much this must mean to Sayaka. She is trying to get stronger, learn to work with Touko as just a friend and set any baggage to the side, and Touko suddenly talks about how that is what she loves about Sayaka. That she’s a supportive friend, somebody that is always willing to have her back and help her do her best. She outright says that Sayaka helps her reach her ideal, something that Sayaka loves about her; that she continually strives to be the best she can be, and try to reach her goals. And Touko just outright said that she, Sayaka, was a huge part of why she tried to do that. And not as a girlfriend, but as a friend she cared about. 

Sayaka ends the episode with a parallelism of a sentiment from earlier, that some distance is okay for now. But they are fundamentally different sentiments. In that scene, Sayaka was talking about distance from Touko at all; just pining for her from afar, and clearly just not doing the best that she could to be a friend, not because she meant to, but because of baggage that she likely didn’t even realize she had. But now she is, to an extent, free from that. She can be better. She can be stronger, and she can grow, as somebody happy to consider herself (for now) Touko’s best friend.

Oh, did you think I was done? Nope! We’re only at Episode 8, baby. Let’s rock!

So Sayaka is waiting for Touko to arrive via train, and bumps into an old “friend.”

And she has things to say. Let’s walk through them.

Like, it’s worth remembering that Sayaka is the one that was tormented by this relationship for quite some time, to an extent probably still was well after she met Touko. It was in some respects a key formative moment for her, and something that she will in some regards probably always remember. 

And now the person that shot her down is basically taking all agency away from Sayaka entirely; it’s not that she agonized for months because of her own will and her own feelings, it’s not like the pain that she felt for so long after getting completely shot down and her feelings invalidated by somebody that she cared enough about to desperately try to convince herself that not only was this understandable but she was completely right to do so, until faced with a situation that simply made that sort of rationalization impossible, like, none of that was because of Sayaka. 

But it was all because she was tricked into a relationship and made to feel that way, by somebody who was able to treat it as nothing and blithely dismiss it when Sayaka desperately came to her for reassurance. Like in essence, not only is Sayaka being told that her feelings mean nothing because she didn’t truly feel them, not really, she’s being told that they mean nothing since they originate from someone who, as far as Sayaka can see, never cared that much for them in the first place.

I mean, strictly speaking the anime (and manga, I’d assume, since there’s a whole spinoff LN about it) doesn’t tell us that much about her mentality in middle school, but of Sayaka’s many, many insecurities, given that she constantly drives to be the academic and athletic equal to a self-made wunderkind, I’m not sure being “ordinary” is something Sayaka is particularly interested in being; if anything, given how her drive to succeed is one of the things Sayaka loves about Touko, it’s probably quite the opposite; that she especially likes people that she feels are extraordinary or try to excel. 

But setting that little bit of silliness aside, in many ways Sayaka is very, very different from the kid initially deeply hesitant in her own feelings. And in many ways is far better off for it; she’s certainly somebody with a drive and a purpose in her life, somebody that has found somebody she cares about and is willing to protect who does care about her in turn (if in a different way than she might like), she’s somebody that strives to do her best in everything she sets her mind to do, and often manages to accomplish that. She has her issues, plenty of issues, but many of them aren’t things the girl in front of her seems to understand at all, and if anything Sayaka would feel is responsible for. And they’re issue that she is often, slowly, trying to get better at, step by step. 

  But now the person that, in many ways, challenged and could have obliterated her very sense of self, is basically saying that that Sayaka is the one that matters, and the Sayaka that Sayaka has worked so hard to be, has put all her life into being, is “wrong” somehow, and that’s not something Sayaka would be particularly inclined to let go. 

Like, in many senses Sayaka is like Touko in that she is tied and fixated to a perception of herself in the past. But whereas Touko is somebody that can’t escape that self and refuses to even try, Sayaka would prefer, at this point, to simply make a clean break of it. 

And so Sayaka does, as grandly and personally as a person probably could do. And I think that honestly, Sayaka probably genuinely didn’t feel that way until Senpai had been done talking; at the very least, it was something that was solidified in her at that moment. After the person she loves more than anyone else talks specifically about how she appreciates her for who she is, flawed as that person might be, and how Sayaka actually manages to make Touko stronger as a result of all her concentrated effort, well, that isn’t much of a comparison to somebody that would tell her to her face that none of that was, in essence, her choice to begin with and she would rather that person not exist. 

Like for a moment when Sayaka says this Senpai is rather happy, even if it’s because she has the totally wrong impression of what Sayaka is trying to communicate. And I think that in many ways that’s the right reaction; at the end of the day, regardless of whatever feelings the two have, had, or may have had for each other, Sayaka just ending everything now and saying, in no uncertain words, that she simply wanted Senpai out of her life, is probably what is best for the both of them, Sayaka especially, given how cathartic it would be to finally, actually, be able to say that, to be able to actually get the last word to somebody that managed to render her speechless and break her heart. 

So! Let us move on from the past and discuss the present. Now that there is less discord in the group over the nature of the performance, the primary issue is the oncoming track meet. And Yuu and Sayaka in particular seem to be having some problems working together. Yuu is the one that takes the initiative in trying to maybe mend some fences, but Sayaka freely chooses to reciprocate, with little animosity. 

The two then chat about their first impressions of each other, and then Sayaka just kind of quietly (and quickly) says 

Like, you get the impression that having gotten to know Yuu, she doesn’t dislike her. Not really. She may dislike that Touko likes her, she may dislike how she thinks Yuu feels for Touko, but now that she has sightly tempered her jealousy, her feelings toward Yuu as a person come across as decently amicable, and that’s not really something that changes in the rest of the show. 

In a way, more than anything, what seems to be operating as a barrier is the thing that neither of them particularly seemed interested in confronting up to this point; their respective feelings for Touko. Yuu raises the issue first, with Sayaka simply dismissing it, and Yuu does the same. And thus Sayaka ends up concluding...

That that’s where they are. Two rivals in love, even if neither is willing to strictly admit to the other, Touko, or, in Sayaka’s eyes, maybe themselves. And this conversation really does seem to help them; they don’t converse much until the next episode, but they unreservedly agree on the day of the Athletic Meet, and then during the meet itself

They actually manage to do what had been a struggle for them in the first place; get in sync enough to properly pass the baton. At heart, Sayaka’s problem, from watching the anime, isn’t animosity, it’s simply the two not seeming to understand each other, and not really being able to be themselves, and regardless of what they admit or don’t strictly admit, it’s clear to both of them, it seems, that that’s simply not a thing that is any longer true. 

And then there’s the bit at the camp before everything goes to hell.

This is actually a neat scene but it might be worth talking about a main reason it’s probably here. Outside her final bit and the scene in 7 before she goes to talk to Miyako, this is, as far as I can tell, the only time Sayaka wears glasses in the entire show. It’s just not something that she does either at school proper or at the student council, or in any sort of casual capacity. She is of course, happy to do it in her own home, and evidently occassionally in front of Touko. It shows, to an extent, a weakness or flaw of her’s- nobody would judge her at all for being near-sighted, most probably, but it’s something that she feels holds her back, and she doesn’t want other people to see it, unless they’re people that on some level, she has some degree of comfort with. 

And Yuu is in the room too. She’s okay with Yuu also being in this moment, of seeing something that she lets very few people see, because she simply feels that Yuu isn’t somebody that she needs to hide her insecurities or weaknesses from, because on one level or another, they’re two people that understand each other. 

Things take a darker turn at the end of the night, with Sayaka thinking about how she wishes she could do something, but in the end she’s glad Yuu’s there, because as much as she loves Touko, she also loves what they have right now, that there is a time and place for those happy moments, and gets that potentially ruining everything simply isn’t what she wants. 

Of course, then everything goes to hell, as it does. 

After Touko breaks, Sayaka is not only able to quickly figure out that something’s wrong, but very quickly what happened, and even why it bothered Touko so much. And that’s simply because she’s somebody that does, on some level, get who Touko is, and many of Touko’s problems. She knew, after all, to look for the student council book of her sister in the first place even before Touko thought to hide ti. On some level Sayaka isn’t just attentive, but she’s somebody that gets Touko enough that trying to hide things from her... doesn’t really work.

And so, she decides on a plan, and a way to deal with Yuu.

And it’s pretty placid, as it goes. Unlike the last time she feels the need to make such a missive, she feels no need to make things personal and is simply calm and frank: Touko doesn’t want Yuu worrying about her, she’ll take care of this. And on some level it may be (okay is) a jealousy thing, in part this is simply a duty Sayaka has assigned herself and has always had for herself. If she can’t do it now, when she alone understands the problem, when she alone has the knowledge necessary to solve it, what purpose does she have, really? 

And, well, it doesn’t quite work out that well. And I think there’s a couple reasons for that. Number 1.

I think Sayaka gets quite a bit of what is going on with Touko at this point, and I think the point Sayaka is trying to make is one that Touko does really need to hear. But the larger issue is one that she’s simply missing partially because she doesn’t know about this part of Touko’s life, she only knows about Touko after she began her years-long performance and given that they both were continually trying to keep the other as emotionally distant as possible. That’s a distance Sayaka is trying to close right now, both as a friend and as somebody that loves Touko. But Touko is simply too closed off with that information at heart, and she simply doesn’t know enough about Touok’s life, the “real” Touko’s life, to really get at the core of the problem.

But I think there’s another fundamental one. It goes back to what is occurring with Touko being “better” for her in the long run”. Like, I’m entirely unconvinced that Sayaka really gets how completely self-destructive Touko is. She has rarely tried to really get close to Touko before, especially on these sorts of terms. It took Touko basically outright saying it to Yuu, someone who knows Touko on this level simply a lot better, to really figure out what the core issue is. Like, for somebody who sees Touko as somebody that always strives to do better at what she achieves, and excels, the two things she says she loves about Touko the most, the possibility that all this stems from Touko simply despising herself as a person is something that would be rather difficult for her to grasp, and rather understandably so. So her attempts just... don’t work, and it comes down to Yuu figuring out a way to improvise things, because she’s really the only one that can.

The rest of the final episode is pretty much all Touko and Yuu, but we do get one final shot of Sayaka at the end, reading something and then smiling. 

It’s kind of hard to say what that is exactly, it can’t be an edited script because we just saw Koyomi slaving away on it in a previous shot, but regardless it does seem like, for one reason or another, Sayaka has regained a bit of optimism about things, and a degree of determination which is all for the good.

Okay that was far too long (4.6k words really now) but thank you for coming to my Sayaka-chan Ted Talk. 

Hope your day goes well. Cheers. 

#sayaka appreciation society overload #too many words #why #sayaka saeki #character analysis #bloom into you