I Put Things in Here

Satoshi adjusted his necktie and looked at his reflection in the mirror.

The light reflected off his glasses, but he could still see his own eyes behind them.

He looked tired.

As always, but even more so today.

His anemia hadn't gotten any better, and simply waking up in the morning had already ruined his mood.

He sighed and brushed his hair away from his face. He rarely did that at school—somehow, it always made the girls scream.

Picking up his school bag, Satoshi headed toward school.

Today was Saint White's Day, and the school was holding a special event. Satoshi—without anyone asking for his consent—had somehow been appointed as one of the committee members, which meant he had to wear a white tie to school.

He mainly handled the budget for the event, which meant most of the work was done alone. Occasionally, he had to speak with the leaders of each department regarding expenses, but the communication was minimal, so he didn't mind.

And since he was in charge of the budget, he didn't actually have much to do on the day itself.

He was fully prepared to spend the entire day reading his book.

There were no classes today, and Dark hadn't sent out a notice for tonight.

So, for once, he could enjoy a peaceful day.

Satoshi arrived at the already decorated school.

Everything looked festive, with white decorations adorning the gates and corridors.

As he walked through the entrance, he passed a group of girls who immediately flushed at the sight of him dressed in white.

Their usual uniforms had red accents, so this was probably the first time they had seen Satoshi dressed entirely in white.

He let out a short sigh and continued walking without sparing them a glance.

Satoshi knew what the Saint White event was all about.

Basically, it was Azumano City's version of Christmas Eve.

Instead of celebrating Christmas Eve, the merchants had simply created another marketing scheme in which men gave white ribbons to the person they liked.

Similar to Valentine's Day and White Day, it was just another excuse to make people buy unnecessary things and label them as a special occasion.

Well, at least for Saint White’s Day, it went from men to women.

Otherwise, he'd have to spend the whole day being chased around and rejecting girls from school.

Even if some of them came in different uniforms.

That was precisely why Satoshi dreaded Valentine's Day.

He made his way toward the committee meeting, slowly descending the stairs.

Suddenly, something white caught his eye.

A white ribbon lay abandoned on the floor.

Satoshi bent down and picked it up, glancing around the corridor.

There—

The younger Harada was running at full speed.

Which, admittedly, was still rather slow.

Her white fluffy dress swayed together with her hair as she disappeared down the hallway.

Did she drop it?

Just then, the sound of multiple girls running echoed through the corridor.

“Kyaa! I found Hiwatari-kun!”

And many footsteps followed.

Satoshi sighed.

Without much thought, he slipped the white ribbon into his trouser pocket.

It would be troublesome if they found him carrying a white ribbon.

His expression remained unchanged, but he quickly tried to break through the wall of girls.

He still had a committee meeting to attend.

---

The committee meeting itself was nothing special.

Basically, it consisted of a few words of encouragement from the Student Council President.

So, in other words…

Nothing.

Unfortunately, Satoshi got caught up in a sudden additional budget request from the decoration team.

He spent some time with them, confirming and documenting every detail as thoroughly as possible. After reporting the changes, he was finally dismissed.

Satoshi almost headed back to the classroom to read alone.

Then he remembered the white ribbon in his pocket.

It wasn't that he was annoyed.

He simply wanted to return it to the younger Harada as soon as possible so he wouldn't have to keep carrying it around.

He crossed the schoolyard, only to be stopped by groups of girls every few minutes.

Satoshi almost found it magical how they could locate him no matter where he went.

As he walked through the corridor, he spotted the familiar spiky red-haired Niwa.

“Hiwatari!...kun.” Suddenly, Niwa's body stiffened.

Satoshi knew their situation was complicated, so he hoped the boy would eventually get used to it. Especially at school.

“Have you seen Harada-san?” he asked.

“Which one?”

“The long-haired one.”

“Oh, Risa?”

Satoshi frowned. “Risa?” he repeated.

“Ah! W-Well, I haven't seen Harada-sa—”

With a swift motion, Satoshi grabbed Niwa by the wrist and pinned him against the wall.

“Oww!” the red-haired boy hissed.

Satoshi stared into the red-haired eyes.

They looked normal.

So then…

“How are you walking around school looking like this… Dark?”

He couldn't hide the disgust in his voice when addressing the artwork.

How could he take over the tamer without fully transforming?

“It hurts… Hiwatari-kun.”

The phantom thief was using Niwa's voice, but the words dripped like venom.

And Satoshi immediately realized what he meant.

He released the shorter boy at once.

Niwa ran away at full speed without even looking back.

Satoshi groaned. 

“Even in this situation, does the bet still apply?”

How irritating.

The artwork was clearly wreaking havoc.

Satoshi hadn't witnessed it himself, but he was certain.

He could capture Dark right here and now.

But since it was Dark's consciousness using Niwa's appearance, it didn't count.

Just like the bet.

Dammit.

Satoshi loosened his fist and looked in the direction Niwa had fled.

The boy was already long gone.

Not that he intended to chase after him.

He simply couldn't understand what the artwork was thinking.

Or what Niwa was thinking, allowing that artwork to take over his body so casually.

Calming himself, Satoshi resumed his search.

Ten minutes passed.

It would probably be easier to ask around for the younger Harada's whereabouts, but he didn't want to risk getting involved with the girls.

And the boys were always strangely cautious around him as well.

He sighed and made his way toward the schoolyard. He would search there one last time before giving up. He could always return the ribbon during class tomorrow.

His fingers brushed against the white ribbon inside his pocket.

Then another thought occurred to him.

Today was Saint White's Day.

Perhaps the ribbon had been given to her by someone else.

If so, then it might be something important.

And if that were the case, the younger Harada was probably looking for it.

Satoshi didn't look like the type, but he enjoyed observing people.

Especially Niwa.

Watching him pick locks and desperately attempt to lie was strangely entertaining.

Though he was terrible at lying.

As for the younger Harada, Satoshi knew she was popular. She was always surrounded by girls, and every now and then, he would notice boys looking at her with flushed faces.

He had never witnessed it himself, but considering how many confessions he received, he could imagine that the girl had experienced it once or twice.

He sighed.

Perhaps one more round wouldn't hurt.

Just then, he spotted the long-haired brunette running across the schoolyard toward the back of the school.

Again, the younger twin ran rather slowly.

Her short breaths formed white puffs in the cold air.

Satoshi started walking toward her. Then he froze.

“Dark-san!!”

Without thinking, he hid behind the wall and peeked around the corner.

There, Dark stood before the short girl.

He was definitely still wearing Niwa's clothes—

Minus the white necktie.

“Please!! Stay by my side! Don't go anywhere…”

The girl ran toward Dark and hugged him as tightly as she could.

Satoshi couldn't see her face, but he imagined that she was crying. Again.

Dark didn't return the hug, and Satoshi leaned back against the wall. He pulled the white ribbon out of his pocket and looked at it.

He really doesn't understand.

How could people like Dark so much? He was a phantom thief.

He wasn't even human.

He was merely one of the strongest—and one of the most beautiful—artworks his family had ever created.

And all it had ever brought to both families was misfortune.

Even Niwa had inherited the curse.

Seeing the younger Harada run toward Dark and hug him so desperately.

Seeing other people treat Dark as a human—someone worthy of loving—instead of what Satoshi actually knew him to be.

For some reason, it made him angry.

Satoshi closed his eyes for a moment and calmed himself down.

If he let his emotions run wild, that other troublesome artwork might awaken as well.

Now that Dark had shown himself, Satoshi could simply go and capture him.

But why was the younger Harada always standing between them?

And why did that leave an uncomfortable feeling inside him?

After a few moments, he heard Dark's voice, barely above a whisper.

“Sorry, Risa. I have to go.”

Satoshi peeked from the shadows and saw Dark gently holding the girl's shoulders, trying to push her away.

The girl—clearly crying now—sobbed. “No! Why…? Please, stay by my side…”

Dark seemed troubled, but it wasn't because of the girl. Something else appeared to be bothering him.

Then, suddenly, Dark pulled her closer and embraced her tightly.

Satoshi's eyes widened for a moment, but when he looked into those deep purple eyes, he understood.

There was nothing romantic about it.

Dark had always been a playboy. He was merely trying to calm the younger Harada down and create an opening to run away, just like always.

And, just as Satoshi expected, Dark did exactly that.

After Dark disappeared, the younger Harada lowered her head and sniffled again. Snow had begun to fall, and the air was growing colder.

Satoshi wondered why he was still here. It would have been better to follow Dark after he left.

Yet somehow, his feet refused to move.

He could leave. He could approach her. But neither felt right.

Maybe it was something inside him. He simply didn't feel comfortable leaving the girl alone. But it also didn't feel right to approach her and offer comfort.

So he remained hidden behind the building where she couldn't see him.

They stayed like that until the younger Harada finally calmed herself and began walking back toward the school. From the side, Satoshi could see how red her cheeks and eyes had become.

He followed her from a distance, and she soon ran into the girls' restroom.

Only then did Satoshi stop. He let out a quiet sigh and slipped the white ribbon back into his pocket.

Today probably wasn't the right time to return it.

So he kept the ribbon and quietly walked away.

𝘢/𝘯: 𝘏𝘪 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦! 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘚𝘶𝘨𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘬𝘪-𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘪 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘰, 𝘴𝘰 𝘐 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘦𝘯𝘫𝘰𝘺𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵 ❤️ 𝘈𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘣𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘋𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘶𝘬𝘦'𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘣𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘭. 𝘚𝘰 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘧 𝘚𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘴𝘩𝘪 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘙𝘪𝘴𝘢, 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘟𝘋 𝘕𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘶𝘱 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳-𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭 "𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦" 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘶𝘮 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘳! 𝘋𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘴, 𝘴𝘰 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘦𝘥~ 💙🤎

It turns out to be Undertaker. But this isn't Undertaker from the Weston arc or something. No, it's him from decades ago, probably soon after he had left the reaper organization. Either he got his scars from the fight at the reaper HQ, or perhaps it was during a battle against some demon? But a few things are clear to me now, particularly after a discussion here in my DM's.

If you look closely at the scar on his face... you might see that that's not even a scar; it's relatively fresh wounds that have been stitched. And there's a bandage going across his left eye, likely because the wound on his face does go across that left eye. Also note he's wearing a suit and tie... but that's not the Eldridge knot from Weston. Either this scene occurs not long after he'd finally escaped from the reaper HQ, or he got these injuries from an encounter with a demon.

Undertaker must have collected Modri's body decades earlier and just kept him in stasis or suspended animation in one of these special coffins until his techniques were finally "up to snuff" to make him a bizarre doll. Why he would keep a corpse like Modri's long before collecting real Ciel's body might simply lie in those cinematic records. It's probably rare that Undertaker finds a human being with cinematic records showing that he was an experienced demon hunter. Surely, he would come in handy. Modri's fickleness might have also sparked Undertaker's interest, since that might make him easier to manipulate.

Anyway, Modri finally awakens to find himself lying in a fluid-filled coffin and hooked up to equipment. He's greeted by modern era (more current timeline) Undertaker, once Undertaker has the necessary technology to make very advanced bizarre dolls. So, it's sometime after Undertaker collects real Ciel's body.

As part of Modri's recovery effort, he's treated as a patient, like walking around in a hospital gown and using an IV drip attached to a pole on wheels.

Even though Modri might use "Polaris" blood, he's still not necessarily Lord Polaris, since that blood type is very common, just like "Vega" blood. Besides, Lord Polaris doesn't seem to rely on an IV drip being attached all the time. Even real Ciel suggests that Polaris only needs to be recharged with blood transfusions every once in a while. I'm thinking this might be an explanation about why the glass blood bottles needed to be replaced with something less breakable. So, now we might be talking very recently awakened, perhaps as recently as when Undertaker got an update on the events at Heathfield's manor. EDIT: This can't be after the Heathfield manor report, since that's all happening at the same time as this situation in Brighton.

Idk why he's shown with blood on his hands and arms, once he's again shown wearing his "deacon" outfit.

However, soon he's sent on a mission to encounter Sebastian at Nectar Springs... having probably been told the demon he has been searching for is to be found there. Right then, it doesn't matter too much rather it's actually Sebastian or another demon his revenge should be against. Only now, with both Sebastian and John Brown (whatever he must be) in the same room and hearing this tale, I wonder which one's memories might be jogged by the situation.

But, here he is. Notice that the IV pole has changed from regular to cross.