forever the fool

Yu nodded in approval, proud that Nanako had thought of something to do while he strung up the lights. He did his best to make sure they were evenly hung on the tree, hoping that it would better the end result. As Yu finished with the loghts, he looked down at Nanako’s work so far.

“That looks really good, Nanako.” He complimented. “Should I hang the rest of the snowman higher up so that they look even?” If Nanako was worried about not being able to help, she was already being a huge aid already. “What should we do with the rest of the objects?” If they were going to hang the rest on the tree, they might as well decide what and in which order.

She had almost finished putting up the snowmen when her Big Bro offered to put the rest up on the top half of the tree. “Oh, um… there are only two left. I don’t think it’ll look even at this point.” This was a problem. How were they supposed to make it look perfect now? Still, Big Bro’s compliment made her feel better. They were still going to win, even with this minor imperfection!

At this point, Nanako dumped the rest of the items onto the ground. They still had 12 candy canes, some gold ribbon, lots of tape, 7 empty soda cans, and popcorn string. “Let’s see… we should put on the gold ribbon, then the popcorn string. Then we can both work on putting up the candy canes and the soda cans! We can use the soda cans as normal ornaments, right? But, what should we do with the tape? We have to put it on somehow.”

“Hmm, I guess you’re right Nanako,” conceded Yu, giving her a proud smile. Rummaging through the box, he carefully looked at each of the objects inside. In what order should they go on the tree? Spotting the stringed white lights, he smiled. The lights usually went on the tree first, right?

“What do you think, Nanako?” Asked Yu, holding the white lights out towards her. “Do you think we should put these on the tree first?” Yu had brought a step ladder so that he could reach the top of the tree and put the lights and their star (which would be a pig) on it. Maybe Nanako could pick out the ornaments while he strung up the lights.

Nanako put her hands on her hips, and gave her Big Bro an approving nod. “That’s perfect! Exactly what should go on the tree first!” Even though Big Bro was already so tall, he had to use a ladder to put up the lights. So, the ten year old had to help out with something else within her reach, while Big Bro worked on that! After all, they only had 54 minutes left, and not a moment could be wasted.

“I know! While you put up the lights, I’ll put the snowmen on! See, they even have small strings so that they can be hung.” She took all of the toy snowmen out, and she realized there were more than expected. From what she could see, there were at least five. So, the girl worked on the opposite side of the tree that her Big Bro was on, and started decorating as high as she could reach.

Yu’s smile grew wider as he watched Nanako excitedly open the box. He had felt a little wary at first about signing up for the contest, but Nanako’s enthusiasm had already made it worth it. Looking at the the opened treasure trove of items, Yu smirked. They were definitely going to win with this.

Yu chuckled at the green pig that Nanako showed him. “He looks cute.” He said with a smile. Taking the pig gently from Nanako, he gave it a light squeeze. An oink emanated from the pig. Where the pig should go on the tree was glaringly obvious to him. “How about we put him at the top of the tree and make him the star?” He asked Nanako.

The piggy made such a funny sound when Big Bro squeezed it. OINK, it went. “Oink, oink!” Nanako imitated, so happy that it was one of the items in the box.

“I love that idea Big Bro! This piggy definitely deserves to be on the top of the tree. That way, everyone can see it and appreciate it!” From what she could tell of the remaining items in the box, they hadn’t been given a star, so the pig was the next best thing. “But, we should leave it until the very end! It’s bad luck to put the topper on right away!”

@4everthefool​

“I’m so excited to see what we got! We’re going to have the best tree out there!” Nanako had no doubt in her mind that she and Big Bro were going to win by a large margin. They had only one hour to complete the tree, and it was going to be awesome.

She impatiently opened the box, wanting to start as fast as possible. The girl took out the first item that caught her eye. “Look Big Bro! It’s a green piggy! Isn’t it so silly?”

Yu greatly appreciated the fact that he had checked the weather forecast before he had headed out the door this morning. Seeing the high probability of rain had made him grab his umbrella before heading out the door. It seemed like it had started to rain while he was in class. As he left the university, it was only a small drizzle, but as he began to approach home, it began to pour.

Sadly, it seemed like this was the type of weather they would be getting for the next few days. Yu had noticed that there seemed to be this strange trend of raining for a few days, followed by heavy fog. It seemed like the weather forecast for the week reflected that. Whether it was some sort of strange weather phenomenon, Yu couldn’t say.

When he walked into the house, he immediately heard Nanako’s greetings. He beamed as he took off his wet jacket and lay down his wet umbrella carefully as to not get the ground wet. It seemed like his uncle still hadn’t arrived, which meant that he was probably stuck on another case.

As he looked over at the television, Yu quickly read the question. The answer immediately came to mind. “Kyoto.” He replied. Yu looked away from the television. Thinking about the city where he was born and raised was hard due to all the mixed feelings he had about it.

“…The answer is, Kyoto!” The quiz show lady announced the answer, which was the same one that Big Bro had given her.

“Wow, Big Bro! You’re so smart,” she giggled, impressed with her older cousin. He was a university student, so of course he knew these things! Nanako aspired to be just as smart as Big Bro one day, and possibly even smarter. She wanted him to be as proud of her as she was of him.

A quick glance at his face showed that he didn’t look like he was paying much attention anymore. The smile that was on his face when he entered the house was gone, replaced with a more expressionless face. It worried Nanako, and annoyed her a bit. She had been alone all day, as she usually was, and Big Bro couldn’t even pay her attention for more than five minutes. Still, she wasn’t going to complain. All that came out was the faintest of sighs, which she could barely hear herself.

But the answer must have made him remember something. After all, Big Bro had come all the way from Kyoto to live with her and her dad in Bellevue, and they’d been a family together for about four years now. Nanako had been shy at first, but she was really glad that she had another family member to talk to. Thinking about it a bit, she couldn’t remember much about Big Bro telling her about his life before Bellevue. Nanako’s worry only increased, and she completely forgot about her annoyance.

His childhood hadn't been horrible. There were certainly others who had experienced a worse one. But something about it haunts Yu in a way that was strange. The memories of lonely nights where he did nothing but study, the more exciting nights when he played video games. The immense feeling of solitude in a house full of people. His parents' voices were always there, in the back of his mind, critiquing every move he made.

Shaking his head, Yu sighed. Nanako had him and his uncle to rely on and converse with. It may not be the best thing - she would definitely benefit from more friends her own age - but it was at lewast better than what he had. He gave Nanako a fond smile. At the very least, she would have a better childhood than him.

@4everthefool

“Welcome home, Big Bro!”

It was pouring heavily outside. According to the weather channel, the rain wouldn’t let up for the next couple of days, probably resulting in a fog afterwards. It was the weekend so Nanako didn’t have to go to school. Instead, she had sat in front of the TV all day, and did the laundry in the meantime.

It was now evening, and she heard her Big Bro enter the front door. Hopefully he had taken an umbrella so that he wouldn’t get the main hallway all wet.

Her dad wasn’t home, as he was busy at work. But he was always busy at work, so she was used to being home alone. Maybe she could push away the feelings of loneliness now that Big Bro was home.

There was a quiz show playing on the TV. Surprisingly Nanako knew most of the answers, as her brain was filled with a bunch of facts. Yet some of the questions, like the one currently being displayed on the screen, were harder to guess.

Sadly, it seemed like this was the type of weather they would be getting for the next few days. Yu had noticed that there seemed to be this strange trend of raining for a few days, followed by heavy fog. It seemed like the weather forecast for the week reflected that. Whether it was some sort of strange weather phenomenon, Yu couldn't say.

When he walked into the house, he immediately heard Nanako's greetings. He beamed as he took off his wet jacket and lay down his wet umbrella carefully as to not get the ground wet. It seemed like his uncle still hadn't arrived, which meant that he was probably stuck on another case.

Oakville university had several buildings and lecture halls, many of them dedicated to a single field. The chemistry building having lectures halls for chemistry, the physics building for physics and so on. There were however some subjects, classified as filler subjects in the eyes of many, which shared buildings and were held in whichever lecture room was available at the time.

Kajika had a couple of those ‘filler’ subjects and after one such class, as she was searching for a comfortable spot to wait out her free period, suddenly came to the realisation that she had left her tea thermos by her seat. She would have to go back for it.

As luck would have it, there was another lecture underway but the young heiress refused to let that fact deter her from her mission. Spotting an empty seat near the door, she surreptitiously snuck in from the back into the seat as soon as the lecturer’s back was turned. Thankfully, he didn’t seem to notice anything was amiss and once he had turned back to the board again she dived downward under the table. As the tables in the venue were tiered and her seat had been somewhere in the middle, she had a downward path to crawl between people’s legs and bags.

Needless to say, Kajika received lots of questioning stares, bemused glances and the occasional horrified gasp but finally she reached her destination and reclaimed her thermos with a triumphant grin. Fortunately, her previous seat was still vacant and she was able to pull herself into it but she soon realised that it would be very difficult to escape.

Seems I’ll have to sit through the class…

As the lecture started, Yu's eyes wandered around the hall. Many people took psychology for 'fun' but he was quite intrigued by it. As students began to frantically take notes, Yu relaxed, listening intently to what the lecturer was saying. He was lucky. As a quick learner, he only ever had to pay attention in class to understand the material. Of course, he still studied when exams came around - to guarantee an excellent mark. But even that was just to consolidate what he already learnt.

Yu's train of thought was derailed by a sudden gasp from another student further down the room. Everyone in the area seemed to be looking at something underneath the table. The lecturer was still facing the board, so he had clearly not noticed the commotion. Yu's eyes followed the line of whispering students until it reached the students in front of him. Looking beside him, he noticed a thermos being swiped off the table, followed by a girl who pulled herself into the seat with a big grin.

Original meme entirely credit to this user. Send in one (or more) and my character (or I, if you specify mun) will answer!

1. Any scars?

2. Self harmed?

3. Crush?

4. Kissed anyone?

5. Coke or Pepsi?

6. Someone you hate?

7. Best Friends?

8. Have you drank alcohol or had drugs?

9. What’s your dream job?

10. Ever been in love?

11. Last time you cried?

12. Favorite color?

13. Height?

14. Birthday?

15. Eye color?

16. Hair color?

17. What do you love?

18. Obsession?

19. If you had one wish, what would it be?

20. Do you love someone?

21. Kiss or hug?

22. Nicknames people call you?

23. Favorite song?

24. Favorite band?

25. Worst thing that has ever happened to you?

26. Best thing that has ever happened to you?

27. Something you would change about yourself?

28. Ever dated someone?

29. Worst mistake?

30. Watch the movie or read the book?

31. Ever had a heartbreak?

32. Favorite show?

33. Best day of your life?

34. Any talents?

35. Do you wish you could ever start over?

36. Any bad habits?

37. Ever had a near death experience?

38. Someone I can tell anything to?

39. Ever lost a loved one?

40. Do you believe in love?

41. Someone you hate/Dislike?

42. Are you okay?

43. Relationship status?

@smashingfaceshaha

Idol were all the rage in Japan, as they had been for quite a long time. His parents had never approved of the idol industry, or as they called it: a fad. The legions of screaming boys and girls that waved their Kingblades in their idol’s colour, executing a complex cheer to show their support for their idol. Yu thought it was sweet. His parents thought it was a waste of time.

During his time at Bellevue, Yu had begun his search on enjoying that which he had always been denied. That was how he stumbled across a rhythm game called School Idol Festival. Despite the lack of intriguing plot, he found the characters more than interesting enough to make up for it. The songs were catchy despite their simplicity and he felt attached to each of the nine idols in a different way.

That was why he found himself sitting on a park bench in the garden staring at his phone in the evening. Soon enough, the English version would finish its maintenance and then it would finally have caught up to the glory of the Japanese version. As he watched his chibi idols dance on the loading screen, he became aware of a real voice drifting on the wind. Turning around, he sported a girl around his age belting out a catchy tune.

Seo hated to admit it, but the music as really catchy. It wasn’t her preferred style of music, with most of the songs being really up-beat. The brunette could barely tolerate pop music, wanting to listen to rock instead.

“Tanoshisa wa kokoro no mochikata shidai kamo ne Iya na koto wa kusha kusha ni marumechae Sou da sou sa Go!!”

Maybe it reminded her a bit of home. Ever since coming to Bellevue, Seo’s been listening to songs in English, the ones played on the alternative radio station. All of the songs by these school idols were in Japanese, the language Seo had almost forgotten since moving. It just wasn’t needed here.

“Sora o miagete namida ga kawaita mitai Susumou susumou susumou anji o kakete mita!”

Maybe Seo would have been a school idol if they had been as popular when she was in high school. After all, she was part of the glee club, something which she continued in college. Heck, she even had her own YouTube channel and was called ‘Lorelei’! It was true that she would have hated to be in those costumes that they always wore, but the girl had been forced into fancy clothes before.

“Ima koko de mitsu- wait, what?”

Listening to the girl's carefully enunciated words, Yu realized that she sang with a natural fluidity. It seemed likely that she was a native Japanese speaker, like him. It had been a while since he last met someone from Japan in Bellevue, and many preferred to embrace their new culture instead of keeping their old. School idols had been gaining popularity in Japan, but there wasn't anything of the sort over here.

There was however, quite a few YouTubers who did covers and original songs. The girl's voice reminded him of one of those YouTubers. After having burnt himself out on Idol music and Kpop (although not for long), he had followed Lorelei. Her voice was soothing and deserving of his quick subscription.