EDEN'S GARDEN

"Oh, gotcha, gotcha!! Alright, let's see.... I guess I'm not totally picky about the kind of guys I like, but what I look for is a guy who won't, like, try to make me change anything about myself, y'know? Someone I can have a fun time with no matter where we go...stuff like that! Oh, and bonus points if he's a total hottie, hehe. ....But....most of all..."

Her expression grows more serious. "... Someone who isn't going to jump ship when they learn how severe my luck is, good or bad. Like... I get they don't want to be wrapped up in my misfortune, but...it still hurts when they cut me off like that, y'know?"

Some people...had some unsavory thoughts about Lillie and how often she has a different boyfriend, but she really did love each one she had, until they leave her.... All she wants, is just a guy who will not be scared away by her 'curse.'

❝ you needn't worry, there is someone out there for everyone, i assure you. and i take great pride in my ability to find that someone, no matter the cost! ❞

after all, if she couldn't find anyone and everyone their destined partner, she'd have no business calling herself a matchmaker at all, let alone the ultimate matchmaker!

toshiko listens carefully to the girl's criteria, nodding along as she makes mental notes. most of it was rather surface level, the kinds of things most people would expect from their partners... but the part about her misfortune... that was certainly an interesting tidbit.

Lillie's luck with love was just as good as her 'bad luck days': that is to say... very bad. In fact, it was because of those bad luck days that she can't keep a boyfriend in the first place! The severity of her misfortune can unintentionally drag people into it. They couldn't handle it, so they break up with her. In fact, she just got over her most recent heartbreak: as always, the boy said he can't take her bad luck anymore and was done with her. Much as she was used to it by now...it still hurts each time! Will she ever be able to meet a guy that will stay with her, through the good and bad luck days? Well... that's what she seeked out the Ultimate Matchmaker for: to find out that answer for herself!!

"!!!" After searching around for her, she locks in on the younger girl who seems to fit the description of what the Matchmaker looks like. "Helloooo!" She yells out to her to catch her attention, before running over to her. "Oh my gosh. Are you the Ultimate Matchmaker girl? I've been looking for you: is it true you'd be able to help me, like , find the one true love for me?"

...or maybe they were just young and unlucky, and needed some friendly advice.

whatever the case may be, there was no one more qualified for the job than she, and she would be sure to help this poor girl find the partner of her dreams, bad luck be damned!

❝ how fortunate for you, you've come to exactly the right person for this task! on my honor as an ultimate, i shall ensure you find only the most perfect partner to love and cherish for the rest of your days!

she spoke with confidence, but her confidence was never misplaced! not when it came to matters of the heart! after all, she was the ultimate matchmaker. she would be able to find lillie her soulmate, no matter what it took!

She laughs, playing along as if she really was presenting her meal to a bigshot food critic. She watches Cassidy try it and seeing how much she loves it, makes her beam in further delight!

"Oh, thank you so much!! I'm so happy you love it! I had found a recipe where you put a little bit of egg salad on the bottom of the patty, so I wanted to see how well that'd go together. It looks like it must, if you enjoy it that much, hehe! You can have the other half if you'd like!"

❝ all i'm sayin' is, don't be surprised if i start coming in here for lunch every day. you got me hooked on that akamatsu-style cookin'! nothing else compares! ❞

she eats the rest of the half in her hands... and then immediately picks up the other half, since kaede said she could have it and all. as she begins to chow down once again, she keeps that smile on her face all the while.

❝ yo yo, i smell somethin' good cookin' in here! ❞

and so enters cassidy into the kitchen, drawn by the delicious smell of what kaede was making. she hungered, and the key to defeating the beast growling in her stomach now laid before her!

❝ you holdin' out on me, chef? too bad! can't put one past me! c'mon, let's see what you got! consider me yo official taste testah, baby! ❞

"!" Kaede as in the middle of finishing up some shrimp katsu sandwiches she was making, she turns her attention towards Cassidy. Hearing that it smelled good to her, already put a smile on her face! "Hey there! Hehe, thank you, thank you!"

If there was anything Kaede loves just as much as cooking, it's being able to feed anyone who strolls in that's curious as to what she's making! So of course she'll feed Cassidy some food!

"Ohh, I wouldn't do that! Yeah, c'mere: I'm making shrimp katsu sandwiches!" She beckons the other to come closer. Right now, she was putting the finishing touches on one of the sandwiches; a bit of egg salad on the bottom bread, then the patty, lettuce, and then the top bread slice. Then, she uses her knife to cut it in half diagonally.

"My official taste tester, huh? Then please, try it for me and tell me what you think~!"

❝ sandwiches, hmm? why yes, i have been known to partake in such delicacies from time to time. let us see how yours compares, my dear. ❞

talking like some bigshot food critic, cassidy haughtily laughs as she grabs the half kaede has offered to her, taking a big ol' bite out of it. though she planned to keep up her "food critic" joke, the taste of the food quickly knocks her back into reality.

❝ whoa, damn! now that's a sandwich if ever i tasted one! sheesh, you sure earned that ultimate chef title! ❞

Is it him, or do people like biting him an awful lot around here...!! "Gggck?!" When Cassidy bit down on his arm like that, he lets out a yelp!!

"O-Owww, why are you biting me, what did I dooo?!" He is now rapidly shaking his arm to make her try to let go! "C-Come on, let go, that hurts...!"

❝ mr. saihara, is it? it's nice to meet you as well. what a fascinating talent you have. nice to know that i've already met a kindred spirit. ❞

after commenting on shuichi's title, the man reaches into the pocket of his blazer and pulls out a small business card, which he hands off to shuichi.

❝ my name is wolfgang akire, and i am the ultimate lawyer. here's my card, if you'd like to take a look at it. ❞

the card was a simple white business card, with "wolfgang akire" written at the top in bold purple letters, and "ultimate lawyer" written right below it in a smaller font.

❝ i'd certainly be interested in talking with you more during our tour. i've worked with many detectives in my career, and i'd love to hear what kind of perspective the ultimate detective could give on things. ❞

“Don't be such a spoilsport! Are you not even a little cuirous?” Fingers crossed behind his back, Ouma pokes his head up from the hedge with a smarmy little smile. Disregarding the fact that he may have planted whatever this mysterious thing was, right out in the middle of nowhere too, he excitedly jitters in place for any unsuspecting victim to take the bait.

“It's too big to carry by myself. I mean, look at me!” Stomping his foot like a petulant child, he frowns. “I'm being generous here by sharing my discovery to you! I thought selling this'll make big bucks. Guess I'll keep the money all to myself...”

❝ you clearly aren't getting the picture yet, so i'll be crystal bloody clear. go fuck yourself, soybean. i'm not looking at whatever bullshit you got lined up back there. probably just some fucking rocks you're just waitin' to throw at someone. ❞

for as stubborn as this boy was about getting her to go see whatever he had lined up for her, grace was just as stubborn about not doing that. and so, they were at an impasse.

“Where are you going?” 

“What are you doing?” 

“Where is __?”

“And where, do you think, are you are going?”

“Who do you think you are?!”

“Who are you?” 

“Who is that?”

“Who did this?”

“Where are my __?” 

“How on earth did you manage to hurt yourself?” 

“How did this happen?” 

“How could you?!”

“What the fuck?”

“There’s nothing between us, is there?”

“How can I fix this?” 

“Do you need a hug?” 

“Is sorry not enough?” 

“Is there anything I can do to help?” 

“It’s over, isn’t it?” 

“How can someone of your size bleed this much?” 

“It hurts, doesn’t it?” 

“Is it supposed to hurt?” 

“How can you go off without me like this?”

“You’re not happy, are you?” 

“Why won’t you listen to me?” 

“How can we stop this?” 

“Can you just shut up?!” 

“Why are you bleeding?!”

“Do you think you can help me?” 

“Can you smile for me?” 

“Why are you so sad?” 

“Are you okay?!’

“What are you?” 

“So would you like to explain… this?”

“The thing… yes this thing. The thing of which I’m not stalling about.”

“What is that?”

“Uhhh hi, how are you? In this current point and time?”

“Doing alright, you know… meh and all that.”

“If you don’t want to talk about it, fine, but something should be done about it.”

“I heard something…”

“Alright well that was ominous and disconcerting.”

“Do you ever feel like we’re just existing?”

“Could you get off?”

“Hmmm… no I don’t want to do that.”

“We starting today with a game of twenty questions?”

“That’s a face you’re making. I don’t know what it’s called but you’re making it.”

“Saw that. Can’t hide that from me.”

“That could mean literally anything. Can I buy an adjective or something?”

“I don’t have the words to describe what this is but you’ll know when you see it.”

“All you got was unpleasant and was most likely the obvious problem in the room?

“Well that’s it, we’re lost.”

“Are you so tired that you ran out of a vocabulary?”

“Just… shh it’s a thing with… another thing on it… it’s yellow… I think.”

“I know someone. A ‘guy’ so to speak.”

“Huh, I didn’t know there was cute to be found.”

“Aren’t you… a person. An interesting person.”

“You’ll probably have to make me.”