Beanie Man

Sou Hiyori from Kimi Ga Shine/ Your Turn To Die

the popular trickster character type, that is here to cause problems on purpose. (Well, at least when he feels like his life is in danger)

underneath all the nasty, is a lot of kindness and a huge heart, but he hates that part of himself, so have fun digging for it!

is a NERD, he’s the type to pick the cute idol girl in fighting games and beats all the bulky characters with her. Is basically a shut in that would do anything from home out, if he could

adding to that, he’s the tech guy everyone goes to when they have issues with their computers, he’s really smart and uh, a hacker, but that’s a secret.

speaking of secrets, is that really his real name? Stay tuned. (Yes, he lies a lot... but not really for the fun of it, he’s more really self conscious due to his past)

can be awkward with others, because he didn’t really have nice experiences with friendships and socializing in his life so far

gets easily cold and is just a very very weak man, no muscles, just brain. (Also gets very jealous when other men are stronger than him and have more muscles than him.)

梨花 Well, that’s a kid for you. If he’d made that comment aloud, Rika very likely would have applauded her own acting skills as always. It was just easier to play the part of the kid she was. Was it a little disingenuous? Maybe, but it was probably better than scaring people who wonder about her background after hearing her talk like an adult. 

“I think I should be okay! I just need you here in case it slips out of my hand or something!” Rika pumped her fist into the air after taking the leash. She expressed confidence, but she very well could get dragged in a worst case situation.

At the question about her parenting, she went a little quiet. “Mii… I’m used to it! My parents passed away even before I came here, so I’m used to being by myself. I just lived with a friend my age even back in my world.” She smiled to show she wasn’t worried about it, but honestly? Her friends from Hinamizawa weren’t here, so it was sort of a tossup.

He wasn’t the best choice to be a ‘safety net’ in case of something pulling her away, since he was physically very weak himself. But perhaps... he could overpower a small fragile girl like her, so having him accompany her most likely would still benefit her at least a little. 

“Alright, just... be careful. And make sure not to startle it, I really don’t feel like running after that thing, besides it’s weird appearance, it’s a rather fast one...”

While he kept listening to what the girl had to say, he couldn’t help but feel bad for her. Some people really had an even worse fate than him, huh? Standing on her own feet, in that age? Was that even possible? Wouldn’t she belong into an orphanage or something like that? Well, not like it was any of his business:

 “Ah, I’m... sorry, I had no idea. I’m sure it’s rough on your own out there though. Your friend isn’t here either, right?” He should not get involved. This didn’t concern him! Yet, even though he kept thinking that, his stupid big heart got into the way once again!

Just be natural, they say, but ‘natural’ meant standing stock-still, expression slack.  To which Altair blinks in return but does not protest and eases into said position, despite the strange request.  But the other seems to have remedied the suggestion with something much more agreeable, so he lightly nods and does as told.

With a modest smile, the homunculus looks at the raised phone in time when the photo is taken. 

“My name is Altair,”   he says as he accepts the device, surveys the photo, and is satisfied with the result.  They are both centered within the rectangular frame and expressing a degree of friendliness;  what more could be asked for?   “This is pleasant as is, Sou.  I do not think we need to change it.”

 He returns the phone.   “I hope Mariela enjoys it, too━  will you share this with me?”

“Alright, if you’re satisfied with it, I can send it to you right away, Altair!” The sudden mood shift from suspecting to amused, was mostly because he could imagine how angry Mariela would be, once she’d look at what Altair called ‘pleasant’ here.

But there was also another rather relieved thought. It’s been a while since he took a picture of himself, and this time, he wasn’t the sole object on it. Unlike his rather... uncomfortable experiences with photographs, it almost felt like quite a success, after avoiding any kind of camera this long...

Not that he think he’d get used to it in the future, but at least for this one time, it didn’t make him feel bad.

“Hey, what if you’ll take a picture of your friend’s face, right after you showed her this? Pretty sure that also would be one heck of a moment to ‘look back to’! But in the end, it’s up to you, of course!” A pure sounding suggestion that wasn’t so innocent. Not that Altair could know... 

healing magic?  heine frowns, confused by the declaration.  magic assumes some kind of power supplied through an external or internal force, and this is no fantasy.  the regeneration is only the result of homegrown genetics, and some fucked up biology.  but, he lets the topic lie as sou moves onward with a more concerning one.

“i thought we were done with that crap.  there’s no crime to hide ‘cept these stains,”   heine says dryly, giving his eyes a roll.  the concerns are dismissed with a scoff as he follows the instructions, filling the awkward silence with the hush of water until it reaches the middle of the basin.

the faucets squeak closed, and the bloodied clothes are pressed into the depths of the sink.  from that moment, heine pauses, unsure how to respond to the offer.  forget the fact that he hardly feels the need to eat;  this is starting to feel like an impromptu hang out.

“ … aren’t you being too friendly?”   but for the sake of not seeming any more stranger, he ought to agree.  he sighs and flicks the water away from his hands.   “though i guess i could eat in the meantime … what’re you getting?  i’m not picky.”

“Isn’t it sort of suspicious that you get casually hurt like that? But hey, each of us have their little secrets, right? I won’t pry any further. I’m more likely better off the less I know anyways.”

Sou had to admit to himself, that this guy was less scary than first anticipated. However, he still was a too suspicious individual for him to believe he was just a normal well behaved citizen. Maybe his old self would have thought that, but he knew better these days. 

“Don’t misunderstand me...” Ughs, being called ‘friendly’ and ‘kind’ wasn’t anything he was fond of. Yet, he couldn’t help but continue with his offer anyway: “I’m not starting a charity here, I simply thought it would be the best way to kill some time. Ah, let’s see... I do have some cup noodles in my kitchen, I think!” He looked away, realizing that it’s a really poor treat for a visitor. But anyway, not like he planned getting guests anytime soon here! 

She couldn’t claim that Sou’s pictures had made for a pleasant sight, but Setsuna had also seen worse ━ in person rather than as a mere artistic reproduction. Besides, Sou’s experience itself would’ve been much more terrible, anyway. No doubt he wouldn’t want to dwell on the content of those paintings, so Setsuna merely nodded.

“It wasn’t an attack…” she corrected, though, when the pictures showing her demise became the topic instead. There was little point in dwelling on those, either. “I asked him to do it, but… Nevermind.”

“I don’t think we’re mere prisoners then…” Her gaze rested on a series of excessively gruesome paintings. “This is more than confinement. They wouldn’t create a gallery like this for no reason. From all the scenes of a person’s life they could’ve chosen, they’ve picked the last… Or any other one that seems particularly painful… Those are provocations, aren’t they? They must want to elicit a reaction or perhaps to observe it. Like… researchers…”

In a way, it was easier to think of these ‘stars’ as at least somewhat benevolent beings because the alternative was too terrible to fathom. They could bring back the dead, but if it wasn’t to grant them a new chance at life, but to torment them, then they were merely keeping these souls from resting in peace.

“But… Sou, would you rather be dead…?” It wasn’t a challenge but an honest question.

Sou tilted his head to the side, after Setsuna started to talk more about the background of her paintings that he did see before. Though, she abruptly stopped in the middle, and he wouldn’t force her to tell him the rest of it. Still, he was smart enough to understand, that it seemed like she was well prepared for what happened to her. For whatever reason... he could somewhat relate to that, unfortunately.

However, her later question did take him somewhat off guard. Not like he wanted to make that too obvious though, so he tried his best to smile. But some signs of regret and pain still clearly visible in his features:

“Now, now... what a a thing  to ask, miss Setsuna...” A pause, he wasn’t really the one to share too much about himself. But since that girl already did see a good chunk of what happened to him, and so did he for her, he came to the conclusion that talking about his true feelings about it, could maybe lead him to some kind of release at least.

“Does anyone on the right mind want to die? It’s a natural instinct for us humans to fight for survival after all, isn’t it? So of course, I also didn’t want to die, and I wouldn’t rather be dead instead of being here either, it’s just...” 

Oh well, there was no use in thinking of where he’d rather be right now... 

“Never mind, beggars can’t be choosers, huh? As shabby as it sounds, you and me shouldn’t feel or be saying anything anymore right now, under normal circumstances that is. That’s why I understand your view on it. Besides, if me staying in this weird afterlife-place keeps the one thing safe I died for in the first place, then perhaps... it’s not such a bad deal after all...”

Enough about him though, time to turn the tables around.

梨花 “Eeyah!” With the bunny secured, Rika ran up and clipped a leash and collar around its neck in the boy’s arms. She’d grabbed it from the retrieval station nearby, which honestly was a little suspect since that seemed to imply animals had a habit of escaping. “Mii! I think that should be okay! Hopefully it isn’t strong enough to pull me along though…” Or else he’d be chasing an eleven year old being pulled along by a bunny next.

“Thank you! I don’t know what I would have done if Bunny-kun got away. I’m pretty sure I would have gotten in trouble. Hehe…” They might have questioned why a girl that was so young was wandering around by herself too, which would have caused other problems. “Could you help me bring Bunny-kun back? I won’t ask you for anything else after, promise!”

Bunny-kun...? Well, that’s a kid for you. Sou nodded as a gesture that it was no problem, after she showed her gratitude. And just like that, he wanted to go his way again, until he was asked for another favor by that little girl.

Something was off... Why was a young looking kid like her walking around by herself in the first place? Maybe it was the responsible thing to do to accompany to her next destination... Even though, he didn’t really want to get involved.

... It still was hard to reject. 

“Don’t worry about it, it’s no big deal. Let’s bring your little friend back then... Will you be okay with holding the leash? That thing has a lot of strength in it’s feet after all...” He knew best, since the thing did jump towards him before...

“Ah, then…” He paused to lean over the counter slighlty to squint at the name on the other’s chest. Come to think of it, it was rather curious that everything in this region was something he could easily read. Was this perhaps another power of this world? For everything to be uniform… how powerful. He cleared his throat. “Mr… Hiyori then, is it?” Was it perhaps a name from Inazuma? At the same time, none of these clothes were of the other country. It might be unwise to apply the logic of his reality to the one here – the traveler had been from another world even as they were in Teyvat, it shouldn’t be inconceivable to think he could also end up elsewhere. 

“Cans? Ah, is that what these containers are called?” An alloy of metal definitely, though much lighter and of thinner material than other metal containers that he was familiar with. Indeed, this way of keeping beverages seemed much more effective and easy to carry – he had nearly dropped one of the cans when taking it out of the cool unit in the back simply because he wasn’t used to how smooth and slippery the material was. What impressive craftsmanship - though perhaps some machinery was involved in the production? Hopefully Sou wasn’t continuing to be weirded by the fact that this man who had stared at the sliding door and stared at the fridge was now staring at the cans in his hands. 

“No, I’m afraid coffee isn’t anything I am familiar with. By assumption of relation, it is similar to tea? I have however also noticed various other beverages that do not appear to have any denotation of what is inside aside from what I assume is mere name.” That, of course, was referring to other common sodas - which he also so kindly had brought up to the front. 

“If I were wish to purchase one of these so called cans of coffee though, is there a tool to open them? The container appears to be rather watertight.” 

Mr. Hiyori... It was weird being called that. Since ever he took that fake alias, he was just called by his first name ‘Sou’. Hiyori... just sounded so much more like him, that man that he only ever called by his last name... It made him almost uncomfortable to be called that. But, he did that to himself with choosing that alias. And he surely won’t let it show that it felt a little strange to him!

“Th-that works, but I’m also just some convenience store cashier, you can call me Sou, if that’s easier to remember... No need for the formality, as I said before.” Most customers that bothered to read his name tag, did call him that, after all...

It was weird how closely this customer inspected this can. First the sliding door, then this... maybe he came from an era where those things didn’t exist? Even if so, it still just seemed weird... it wasn’t that fascinating, was it?

“Coffee contains caffeine like tea does, so, I guess you aren’t too far off...” Man, how do you explain coffee to someone. It was such a common thing known by most, that some adult wouldn’t know what it is seemed somewhat off. 

“It’s bitter, but also energizes you. Or at least it’s supposed to do that. doesn’t work for everyone, ahaha...” It was amusing to hear how that guy’s confusion only continued with all the branded soda drinks as well. But he had to stay strong, he shouldn’t laugh here. Though, a little snort did escape him. 

“Yeah, most drinks have a brand name only, but you’ll get used to that. If you’re really that curious about the ingredients inside though, there’s always the backside that you could read. But a little insider tip from me, most of those are just liquid with tons of sugar anyhow.”

Wait, did he really have to explain now how to open a can? Somehow he was glad that no one else was standing in line right now...

“Every can is easy to open by hand...” He started to explain, after he swallowed again all of his judging thoughts. That guy was a customer, so making fun of him or asking him rude questions would probably lead to some trouble, that he’d rather avoid! “You see this thing? You just pull it up from the correct side, and you’ll get a hole you can sip of from.”

Ah yes, attempting to negotiate with a witch — that always made for a brilliant idea. And Sou-Sou wasn’t even doing it well. He’d already made so many concessions he might as well hand over the details to his Dust account to her at this rate.

“Awww, why not? I could use another servant.” For what? Not even Magilou knew, but practical uses would reveal themselves in time. “On that note, I guess your offer is acceptable enough…” Still more than generous, actually, but whatever. “With one teeny-tiny amendment.”

“As the grand-mistress of the menagerie, you can’t possibly expect me to do all that grunt-work myself. After all, I’m a very busy witch with plenty of witcheries to do.” Which, of course, was why she was here, right now, staring at questionable art pieces and yawning.

“So, you’ll have to teach all of that stuff to Bienfu instead. He’s already learned some accounting stuff, so making online accounts shouldn’t be too hard for him. And you reaaaally want that laptop, don’t you?” Could any laptop possibly be worth dealing with Bienfu? No. But Magilou had a feeling Soup-boy would go for this questionable arrangement anyway. “So…deal?”

“Bienfu? Wait, isn’t that the weird talking dog that usually follows you around?” Was she serious about this? She wanted him to teach some weird looking pet with paws how to manage her social media? Was that even possible? 

Though... if it wasn’t, that wouldn’t be his problem, correct? It is Magilou’s decision! So, whatever result will come out of this, it was none of his business. He’d just do what he promised to do in order to get what he wants out from this.

“Very well then. You know what? I even think it’ll be more pleasant to teach your pet, rather than you...” He wasn’t really sure about this yet, because what he has seen from her tiny servant, seemed a tad annoying, but could anyone be more exhausting than her? Well, if he’d like it or not, he will find out very soon it seemed.

The interruption of Kyrie’s latest pose — flashing a cheeky smile and a victory sign at their phone — initially only drew their eyes to him. “Social media?” they repeated, eyebrow raised. They were clearly considering it. “That’s not a bad idea.” They had been thinking small in keeping the pictures as proof they’d managed to do something like this at all. 

Even without getting their feathers ruffled (so far), they’d picked up a hint of disdain from him. It was only fair to see if they could win their own reaction.

“I don’t think I have much reason to be afraid.” They slowly reached out to one of the antlers in question, considerate enough to try to avoid startling the animal. Instead of going for a touch, Kyrie’s hand went transparent and passed right through, giving the man a see-through thumbs up on the other side.

Sou stayed on his spot, keeping a clear safety distance between them and the suspicious animal that was close to them. Ah... did he give them now the idea to put those pictures on social media too? Great, not what he wanted at all, but also, not like he cared too much about that.

However, once they made a clear point why they weren’t afraid of the potential threat, he couldn’t help but gasp for a second, before trying to regain his cool.

“Okay... this is new...” How could this be explained? They touched through it like they would be some sort of ghost?? Was this magic, or do they literally not own a physical body made out of flesh?

Now that is a shock.  The sting is shared at their fingertips, reflexively drawing Add’s hand back to his side.  And, though he despises static━  something so frequently handled in his field and still hated━  Add laces his expression with amusement.  He even goes as far as to laugh at his ‘friend’s’ plight.

“That’s right.  I get all of my static from Dynamo,”   he says, now picking away at the laptop’s back cover and exposing the internal circuitry.   Sou should be thankful that the small Nasod was singular rather than its usual set of six.  Those can be really painful.   “Unless you’d want your cheap laptop to end up being fried, I needed to discharge.  So think of it as another favor.”   

However, annoyance quickly flares through Add, taking his graces along with it.  His work is dismal, limited to two pieces of hardware that snap into place in only a matter of minutes.  Potential lies bare and untapped before him in a sea of circuits;  he can practically visualize the upgrades.  Yet nothing else can be done from here, and it’s so bothersome.  

“Kh, I need more …”   He mutters to himself, abruptly rising back to his feet.  Add cuts a violet gaze towards Sou, expectant.   “This isn’t enough!  I hate repeating myself, but I need better gear.  More … We’re heading for Fibonacci;  it’ll be the perfect place.”

“A-ahaha... no, not really. As cheap as this laptop is, it’s still better than no laptop at all... So please don’t try to fry it in future too.” He still didn’t know how to feel about being treated as a test dummy to unload Add’s static, but for now he was willing to let it go, since Add was about to do his best to help him improve his machine after all.

Though, his somewhat friend, didn’t really come far... As he figured, they would need more than just one part to save this garbage. That sucked!

“Fibonacci? Lucky for us, we don’t have to walk far then, since we’re already here. But... hmm, do you mean that one big store filled with all kind of electronics? I checked it out before, there’s some really good stuff there!”

Sou didn’t really feel like going out again, they just came home not too long ago... But it was for a good cause, it better had to be done sooner than later. So, with a tired sigh, he forced himself to get up as well. 

“Wait, it’s pretty late already though, don’t you think they’re already closed? Although... that could play in our favor, if we want the more... pricey stuff!”

He closed the laptop Add was working on earlier and did lift it up. Unfortunately, since it was a rather old and cheap one, it was quite heavy.

“Huargh, man, I miss my old light weighted power machine from back home... A-anyways, I think we need this to break into the security, just in case...” A hesitant pause... 

Little did he consider another Mariela in a vast city and whether or not this man spoke of the same alchemist.  But at the sound of his friend’s name, Altair perks back up, his seafoam eye alight with simple wonder.   “… You also know Mariela?” 

By the tone of the young man’s voice, no doubt they must be on friendly terms, too.  Enough to even change his mind about the photo.  Who knew that connections, outside of official ones, can promote this kind of shift?  Regardless, Altair welcomes it with an extra smile. 

“So this ‘selfie’ will include the both of us then?”   He asks and follows the invitation, inching closer to stand shoulder to shoulder with the other.  If so, then that is a genial idea than, more so a single photograph.  Altair can also show that they’ve met and possibly even have befriended someone Mariela knows, too.  However, the edges of his smile falter when the camera comes into view.

He stiffens at their side, poised yet unsure of what else to do.   “… Um, should I do anything for this selfie?”

“Ah, yes. I wouldn’t call us acquaintances, but I was a customer in her shop before!” Well... was he really a customer though, when he didn’t end up buying a thing? It didn’t matter, for now this explanation would do!

Once the other inched closer, Sou could feel some kind of uneasy feeling coming up. Ah, he already expected this... It wasn’t about the innocent sounding stranger though, it just has been... a long while since he allowed himself to be on any picture again. But pettiness really brought him this far, huh? Amazing...

“Just be natural, and look towards my phone, alright?” Just after saying that, he reached his phone upwards, so the camera could easily catch the both into the picture. 

“Don’t worry too much, just smile or... do whatever feels the most natural to you. If you won’t like the result, we can also retake it, you know!”

So he allowed himself to take the picture. Then with a content smile, he proceeded to check the photo just taken. Ah yes, his grin definitely brought the feeling across he wanted Mariela to see. This would make her mad, good. 

Once he made sure of that, he handed his phone to his so called new ‘friend’ he still didn’t know the name of. 

“Um…” How could she describe magic to someone who didn’t know anything about it?

“Yes, it’s somewhat complicated, I suppose…” She reached into a pocket on the inside of her cape and pulled out a stone that might’ve looked ordinary enough if it weren’t for the arcane inscriptions covering much of its surface.

“In my world, some people ━ like me ━ are born with magical energies. Some have only a little, while others have more. And this…” She lifted the stone in her hands. “…is what we call Spritnite. Many different kinds of them exist. A magic user can draw out energies from within themselves and channel them into a stone like this. Depending on the type of Spritnite, they can then use a unique technique… Some people around here would call it a spell instead.”

“And yes… It can be exhausting. One’s magical energy will naturally replenish with long rests and sleep, but using many techniques in a short time can feel quite draining…” That should cover his questions, right? “Ah. Um, the prayer is just something I do… It’s not really required…” Hopefully, he hadn’t heard the actual words of it, though.

“So, um… I hope that answers your question ━Ah! I forgot… I’m Setsuna. And you are…?”

“I... I see...” It was still hard to fully grasp yet, but he tried his best to get adjusted to the fact, that everyone here came from different worlds, and some of those worlds were somewhat magical. At least Setsuna was familiar with people that had no magic at all, like him, since she did mention she was one of the few born with the potential to use it.

“Guess I should thank you then for using one of those spell on me, since I could see how that could be exhausting. So, yeah...” He wasn’t good at that kind of stuff. Or at least, wasn’t good at it anymore. Being faced with kindness with no malicious intent behind it, was always suspicious to him. But she seemed to be one of those truly innocent people after all. 

“Ah, my bad. You can call me Sou, it’s nice to meet you, Setsuna...” 

Somehow it felt weird to just leave it at that, which was why he decided to continue the small talk: “Did you come here to buy something other than suspicious wares like those from before?”

“You’re quite slow on the uptake in general, aren’t you?” It was an observation rather than a question. Bienfu had already skedaddled out of sight, so Sou-Sou got all worked up over nothing.

“That ‘chihuahua’ happens to be one of the vilest, most terrible creatures you’ll ever behold!” Magilou’s voice sounded as if she were advertising an old-school horror movie, and she added some dramatic wiggles to amplify the effect. “Ooooh, you cannot possibly fathom the Wickedness! The Depravity! The sheer Deviltry of Bienfu the Terrible!!!”

And then she dropped the act, all at once, and returned to a shockingly cheerful demeanour instead.

“Fortunately for you, though, he is bound to my will and whims. — Aaand you’re not his type. Sorry to disappoint you!” Who’d be disappointed by that? No one.

“Anyway, a café should do just fine. Why don’t you lead the way, my fainthearted, new a-Sou-ciate?” Despite saying that, Magilou was already on her way towards the library’s exit. Standing around here would provide her with neither a drink nor a snack, so it was better not to waste any more time.

Not his type? Was she saying that weird talking mascot pet had a type? Whatever... even if that disturbing thought would be true, it was nothing he wanted to concern himself with. 

As irritating that girl could be, Sou decided to not entertain her any longer, and tried his very best to not react to her provoking remarks too much. At least until they reached the mentioned café.

Once they were lead to their seats and got the menu cards handed to them, Sou couldn’t help but let out a troubled sigh. Man, what expensive desserts... Maybe he should have checked the place out more, before inviting anyone here. Anyways, not that he could go back now, time to go straight to business.

Useless Headcanon Meme

Ahh maybe they won't be that useless bc I'm bad at this lol

📂 I'm PRETTY sure that Sou is adopted, and I find it quite alarming how he could befriend Midori (obvious rly bad influence), and spend so much of his time at his sketchy place, learning even sketchier illegal skills (hacking, doing work for Asunaro without even being aware of it and so on..). Like, he even had merch he owned and both of his computer over his place??? Therefore, I do think despite him saying lying about being spoiled by his parents in chapter 1, that he's actually neglected. Not rly in an abusive overly tragic way, but since he's adopted there's probably a distance between him and them? (I mean how poor he is and barely eats doesn't seem spoiled to me either)

📂 I do think Midori somehow influenced his high school life too, because it's kind of hard to believe he couldn't even make one other friend besides the fake student psychopath-guy, you know? (since especially pregame Shin was such a kind guy?? Idk) And knowing how Midori is... yeahh... pretty sure he ruined this guy's life even before the real shit started LOL.

Useless Headcanon Meme