𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓈𝑜𝓃𝑔.

“—oh my gosh! I love your bag.” A genuine Prada!

likes artificial watermelon . sleeps in what they are already wearing . eats their cereal with milk . listens to music with earbuds . hates the summer . can recite passed the first four digits of pi . eats frosting out of the jar . doodles on their notebooks . can bake cookies . has a garden farm . has had a snowball fight . eats pancakes without syrup . prefers shorts over pants . can name more than ten superheroes . has a plan for the zombie apocalypse . uses the same password for everything . can’t hold their breath for more than fifteen seconds . watches anime . can say ‘ i love you ‘ in more than one language . prefers mechanical pencils . thinks space is cool . takes personality tests more than once to make sure . can’t tie their shoelaces . has a purse . likes salads . likes cool colors better than warm colors . knows how to braid hair . reads biographies . can ice skate . reads astrology charts . prefers the star wars prequels to the original trilogy . plays video games . reads the newspaper . likes chocolate ice cream best . doesn’t cuss . memorizes song lyrics . collects coupons . has a preferred order at starbucks . likes movie theater popcorn . has seen a play . listens to music with headphones . owns a hoodie . would rather own cds than online copies . has written a poem . can shuffle cards . subscribes to a magazine . double dips when eating . drinks directly out of the milk container . keeps a journal .

The Now or Never Kiss

The Last Kiss? No, it's not the last, but the characters don't know that. Death appears imminent — the temperature is rising, the room is filling up with water, the plane is about to hit the ground, the rope they're dangling from is about to break and drop them off the cliff, the room is on fire and the door's locked, the world is coming to an end... The point is, this is no place for unresolved sexual tension. The Not-A-Couple don't want to go out without revealing how they really feel. It's now or never. They kiss. This can also be 'Now or Maybe Never' kiss; one or both are heading into danger, or likely-potential death.

Her quick winded explanation grates on his ears, forcing him into more coherency than he's prepared for. He remembered that Yukari had said she wanted to help him....but he hadn't expected her to go so far. Sure, belief was something that he needed, but it seemed like she got the wrong idea that any sort of belief would work....Ah. He could fix that later. Right now, he had to somewhat salvage this situation. And somehow get out of this without being touched.

Like a switch, there's a grin on his face and he looks far more lively than he just did a few moments earlier. It was like the exhaustion and tiredness didn't exist at all, and he shifted the blanket to look a little bit more like a coat than it had just a second earlier. After all, what would he be, if not good at a lie? he was a Kitsune, after all. "My my, what has my little mouse brought me?" His tone is even more chipper, and he puts a hand on his chin as he leans forward a bit. "This was not what I was expecting at all after getting back from my trip. Seems like someone was busy~" He gave a laugh, eyeing Yukari out of the corner of his eye. His attitude had become flamboyant, such a difference from what he'd been not moments before, it was hard to believe this was the same person. He leaned forward a little bit more, giving the girls a wink. "Just between you and me, ladies, I'm not too fond of being blindsided. I'll let it slide today, but you really ought to make appointments next time. I'm tooootally not prepared for this, you aren't even seeing me at my best!"

There's a collective holding of breath when he speaks - even Yukari grows unusually still at the onset of Koun's drastic shift in demeanor. She simply cannot fathom it, at first.

That sort of character was hidden within him all this time?

Yukari smushes the back of her hand against her mouth to keep from bursting into a fit of giggles. Then she realizes the effect he's had even on her and is mortified. Okay. He's good. Much better than she'd have expected.

Though, him calling her his little mouse in front of the others has gained more than a few envious glances and whispers.

How in the hell is she going to justify that later?!

Urgh!!

... at least they're buying his act. Of course they are. He could have donned the persona of a full-blown hikikomori and they'd still be captivated by him, simply for his face.

Ehh. Probably.

The girls have failed to form a perfectly orderly line (more of an unruly squiggle), but Yukari's evolving the plan in her head; they're expecting one-on-ones, but that can't happen. She saw how Koun was when she came over, and this is likely taking a lot out of him.

"No way! You're so cool!" Yelps one from the front at Koun's claim of 'not being at his best'; several more echoes of the same sort of compliment surge forth. Yukari rolls her eyes, dimly wondering how they can do that so shamelessly.

"Kami-sama, m-might we pose together?"

"Me too, Kami-sama!"

"And meee~! Onegaishimasu~!"

They beg, but are entirely reverent now, heads lowered, leaving Koun his space while awaiting the honor of his attention. Yukari does everything she can not to cringe (namely biting the inside of her cheek) and pulls a pink digital camera from her bag.

"He has another thing to get to soon, so you'll have to settle for one big group photo this time. Oh! And take care to not trample our lord!" What? She may as well play along; it has the effect of getting the others to doubly mind Koun’s personal space as they cloister around him, leaning in without touching, most making duck faces and all flashing peace signs.

A sluggish flick of an ear was the response she got from her sitting down beside him. True enough, he was definitely the warmest thing around.....but it wouldn't be for long. Not with how cold things had gotten. As such, her words don't exactly register for the first few moments. He's blinking owlishly at her, not really comprehending. How could he really understand what she meant? What she'd done? Then slowly they sank in, and his face twisted from bland tiredness to confusion. Followers? That was something he hadn't thought about recently.....tried not to think about. Hunched in an empty dead shrine made that hard, but he did try not too. Now she was bringing it up again and....Wait....

"What....?" Oh so eloquently the word tumbled out, his grip on the blanket around his shoulders slacking slightly as he tried to make sense of her words. "......wait....that.....what...what have you done?! What did you say?! I can't--" If he were any sort of electronic, there'd be a weird error dial up noise coming from him. As it stood, he was not....but there was a strange little squeak that came from him. Of course she had to drop this on him now. Now when he couldn't really form illusions and keep himself coherent and solid for very long.

Oh, this is bad. Bad, bad. Maybe the worst yet.

And it's all her fault. Yet, if she's understood anything he's told her… maybe there's some salvaging the situation?

She groans when he asks more questions than there's time to answer, but tries in a hurry:

"Just that you were a street fashion photographer and an avid part-time cosplayer who likes to actively roleplay that he's a fox god of fortune with adoring minions sustaining him with their undying love and faith??"

She gasps, slightly out of breath. But yeah, it became a bit convoluted. And weird. Like every damn thing in her life right now. Luckily nobody even cared what Yukari had to say anymore once she showed them the photo she'd snuck of Koun outside the shrine back in the summer.

"Now they're all obsessed with meeting you to see if you're even real! Nothing's more potent than the fervor of a young girl's heart!! But - well." She grimaces, ever the more breathless and desperate to make this right. Or at least for it to not go so wrong. "You said all you needed was belief, right...?"

A sense of gloom pervades as the presence grows nearer. Yukari refreshes her composure and thinks quickly; they could try and hide his ears. She has a scarf to spare, but that'd look weird. "J-just play along!" She whimpers, the final sincere thing said before they're surrounded by a swarm of curious, squealing girls in Gekkoukan High uniforms.

One girl: "Oh my goood, Yukari! He's way hotter in person! I thought that pic was photoshopped to hell or something, but damn..."

Yukari laughs nervously. Internally, she's begging her persona for strength. And air.

A second, pigtails: "Like, those clip-on ears are soo freaking cute!! Can I pet them?"

Uh oh, dangerous. Yukari bats that hand away before this attempt can reach the halfway point towards Koun’s head, glaring at her classmate. She'd warned them about not touching.

A third, wide-eyed and wielding a DoCoMo: "Can we take a photo together??"

Before this request can usher in further pandemonium, Yukari stands up, skirt fluttering with the motion. "Ladies, please! He just got back from a strenuous photo-op. Ahem. Line up. One at a time. Mind the no-touching rule and remember, in character! All of you. You'd better be believable, or no photos!"