Extra BS:

OG sketch, Flat & Ludwig Alt.

You don't unnerstan'. This was a meme sketch. WHY DID I GO ALL OUT ON A MEME SKETCH.

If we're being real, Iggy would be Luke in this scenario- the laugh and 'erm acktually' vibe fit him wayyy too well. As for Ludwig? Well. I dig the idea of him having Edgeworth's snarky attitude and being a pissy lil prosecutor---but consider.

Ludwig von Karma

In his short existence, Yokarun had felt frustration before. Whenever his normal self would fumble or hesitate while talking to Momo-chan, trying to tell her how he really felt, but then just chickened out. And he couldn't do it for him. Wouldn't be fair to himself and her. It was maddening.

But this? Seeing other versions of himself that had actually managed to get their feelings across and were together with their Momo? It was absolutely not fair!

One of the Feudal era versions of him had said that they were 'a bonded pair'. Yokarun had a good idea what that meant. Heck, even the version of them that apparently had killed each other multiple times (something he still couldn't wrap his head around, why would any version of him want to kill Momo and how were they still alive?) said that they confessed to each other.

It was hard to tell if it was a comfort or not that there were more Okaruns that hadn't confessed to their Momo as there were that actually had the guts to do it. The other Feudal era version of him had a pass. His Momo was still a child. A very adorable one at that. He kinda wished he could have coddled her a bit more, but her guardian spirit, as he titled himself, had not been very happy about it.

Understandable.

He would have reacted the same way if someone would come close to his Momo-chan like that.

Still a bummer.

Yokarun let his eyes wander around the big room that was apparently in some kind of pocket dimension. They were in no danger, but had no idea how to get out of there. Little groups of Momos and Okaruns had formed and they were discussing this and that. His trio wasn't the only one and they had been in their own corner, his other self talking with the other Okarun about their split situations. For them, it was something about losing hearts and being a nobody. Apparently more literal than what they had thought of themselves in the past.

There were various furniture and appliances in this weird room. Some seemed normal enough, a few chairs and couches and even a kitchen unit. But then there were the odd items. Such as an old-school looking karaoke machine. Wanting to distract himself and being curious too, he flipped through the catalog of songs. He hadn't been much into music before hearing the Hayashi band and had been dabbling into different music genres since then. That first experience must have influenced his taste, as he did find Rock and Heavy Metal to be very enjoyable and motivating during workouts.

A particular song and band name made him stop. It was something American by the looks of it.

I Was Made for Lovin’ You by the band KISS.

Intrigued, he read through the lyrics of the song. A mischievous grin crept over his face.

Well, wasn't this perfect?

He gave the song a listen through provided headphones and his grin widened. Direct enough that everyone would get the message, but not enough that anybody could accuse him of spilling the beans. After all, he just wanted to sing a nice song for Momo-chan. And maybe all the other Momos too. If it helped the other hims to get their act to together, even better.

Humming a cheery tone, Yokarun set up the machine to play the song out loud and grabbed the microphone. His other self and Momo-chan had already noticed that he was up to something and exchanged glances. The Heart trio, as he had dubbed them in his head, looked also confused as the first tunes were playing. Turning up the volume, it got the attention of all the other pairs too. The Feudal era pairs looked especially confused, looking around for the source of the sound. Music boxes were probably not invented in their time yet.

Throwing the mic up into the air and catching it a few times, Yokarun walked towards Momo-chan with a smug grin, the girl crossing her arms and looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

And then it was time for the first verse. Yokarun sung with more confidence than one would expect from someone who had never sung anything but anime openings.

Tonight, I wanna give it all to you

In the darkness

There's so much I wanna do

He circled around her, completely ignoring the sputtered panic of his other self, rather focusing on the beautiful red color that was gracing Momo-chan's cheeks and how her wide eyes glimmered with surprise.

And tonight, I wanna lay it at your feet

'Cause, girl, I was made for you

And, girl, you were made for me

Even over the loud music he was able to hear the stifled squeak Momo-chan let out, followed by an angry-flustered shout of his name. But he had no time to revel in her blushed state, as he had to jump aside to avoid being tackled down by his other self.

"Too slow~" he singsonged, which only agitated his other self.

"What are you doing?" he hissed at him, but Yokarun only shrugged one shoulder innocently. "Just singing a little song. Nothing wrong with that."

Before his other self could utter any further words of protest, Yokarun jumped away, landing between Momo-chan and the Heart trio, who still looked confused at this display. He pointed at Momo-chan, who was probably mouthing at him to stop. But he didn't. He was just warming up.

I was made for lovin' you, baby

You were made for lovin' me

Suddenly he turned around and now pointed at Heart Momo, giving her a cheeky wink. She blushed just as sweetly as his Momo-chan.

And I can't get enough of you, baby

Can you get enough of me?

While the Yokarun of the group was cackling at this, the Okarun was just as unhappy as his other self. Speaking of which, he was about to tackle again, just as the other Okarun did. So Yokarun just jumped out of their reach and letting them smack their heads against each other.

"Sorry guys," he apologized and actually meant it. Wasn't part of his plan to hurt anybody, but if they were so adamant to stop him, they'd have to catch him first. At least it didn't look like they were hurt badly, as they were already up again and glaring at him.

All these antics drew the other pairs closer to their corner of the pocket dimension, standing as a group together and watching them. Yokarun didn't hesitate for a moment and landed in front of them.

The next verse started.

The Secret Agent Momo was standing closest to him. She looked so good in that teal colored shirt and black vest jacket. He leaned forward towards her.

Tonight, I wanna see it in your eyes

Feel the magic

As much as she tried to look unimpressed by him, he could still see her blushing. It was a shame he couldn't try to rile her up more, as he had to perform an elegant sidestep to get out of the way of her Okarun, transformed and charging at him.

He was now shoulder on shoulder with the Space Merc Momo, who gave him a flirty grin, that he answered with a toothy one of his own, leaning closer into her.

There's something that drives me wild

And tonight, we're gonna make it all come true

There had been a second where he thought this Momo wanted to give him a kiss with the way she also leaned towards him. But he never found out as he had to, yet again, evade an attack. Her Okarun could turn into a beast of his Yokai form, resembling more a dark, angry cloud. And it had sharp claws that he was just able to avoid by ducking and rolling away.

When he stopped, he was only got on his knees before he felt cold steel under his chin that forced him to look up. It was the Space Captain Momo who had her blade close to his throat, raising her eyebrows in challenge. One he accepted.

'Cause, girl, you were made for me

And, girl, I was made for you

The only reason that her Okarun was not attacking him was that he couldn't transform. He needed that Turbo Granny worm thing attached to work with him, but it seemed way more amused and enthralled by the music. Didn't mean he was in the clear. He was able to catch a hint of an approving smile from the Space Captain, before he had to perform a back-flip as the two previous Okaruns charged at him again.

This was getting harder and harder, the more of his reflections wanted to stop him in his performance. But he still had to get his point across and give the morons who kept their feelings bottled up a good hint. To have an easier time and better position, he jumped on top of some pillars that stood around, more decoration than anything.

"Keep it going little bro!"

Surprised to hear any cheering from one of his selves, Yokarun looked down to the group. The Yokai version of him with the fox mask gave him a lazy thumbs up, while ignoring the slap to his arm from his Momo. They were one of the few couples here.

Feeling encouraged by his support, he got ready to sing the chorus again, full of fervor this time, addressing all the Momos who were watching him.

I was made for lovin' you, baby

You were made for lovin' me

And I can't get enough of you, baby

Can you get enough of me?

I was made for lovin' you, baby

You were made for lovin' me

And I can give it all to you, baby

Can you give it all to me?

He didn't even stop when those Okaruns who could transform attacked the pillar and went after him. The tactic was just to jump from one pillar to the next or any other higher surface he could land on. This went well the whole chorus, but as soon as he finished that, his luck ran out.

He was in the middle of another jump, when something tackled him mid-air and went crashing down to the ground with him. His back took the full blunt of the fall and the impact caused a small crater around them. Groaning in pain, he looked up who had been able to catch him like this.

A version of himself that had black, spiky wings pinned him to the ground with his foot, looking down at him nonchalantly. The Reaper one.

"Not...cool dude...," Yokarun coughed, trying to get away from under his foot, but the Reaper just put more pressure on him. "You got too annoying," he said in a monotonous voice.

The music suddenly stopped. Even from his position, Yokarun only had to turn his head to see his other self holding the plug of the karaoke machine, looking very disappointed in his direction.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, he let his head fall back to the ground. "You're all such spoilsports."

As on cue, the heads of several Okaruns, both human and Yokai, popped into his field of vision. None of them looked pleased at all. Without any means of escape, the Reaper still had his foot on his chest, Yokarun started to fear for his well-being.

"Uhmm...hi guys," he tried to ease the tension. But the glares he received only pierced through his soul even sharper.

His other self managed to squeeze himself through the crowd with a huff and crossed his arms, the disapproving expression still on his face.

"Care to explain what that was about? Why did you sing to Ayase-san like that?" he asked in that high-pitched voice when he got hysterical. "All of them nonetheless! You made a total fool of yourself!" The others nodded and grunted in agreement. Yokarun just scoffed and rolled his eyes. "You guys are just overreacting. Didn't sing to all of them." He looked at each one of the reflections for a second before continuing. "Did it only to the ones who probably still wait for their Okarun to finally get their act together. Why is it so hard for you to just tell her how you feel?"

Most of the Okaruns winced at this harsh question. It was obvious that none of them could give him an answer. Aside from one.

"Have you ever thought about the possibility that some of us maybe just can't?" It was the Reaper Okarun, his previous emotionless voice now filled with an angry hiss. "Not everyone has such an easy situation like you."

"Easy?" Yokarun's voice dropped an octave lower and the ghostly flames around his collar started to flare up. "We almost lost our Momo-chan merely a week ago. Don't accuse me of making assumptions and then do that very thing."

Piercing red eyes stared at the other set of piercing red for several seconds. Then Yokarun looked around again, "One of us lied and betrayed his Momo. Another got killed and killed her in return. And both of those Kens were able to express their feelings and got together with their Momo." His focus went back to the Reaper. "So I'm sure whatever problem you have going on, you can figure something out. Before it's too late."

That seemed to hit a nerve with the Reaper, as he now let out a growl, but he didn't continue the argument. He actually seemed to lower the pressure on his chest.

Suddenly a few of the Okaruns, mostly those who were transformed, let out a surprised yelp and got yanked away. Yokarun was sure he saw teal limbs around them.

"Would you finally get off of him!?"

Before either him or the other Okaruns could turn their heads to the Momo that had shouted, a pair of spiritual hands shoved the Reaper away, giving Yokarun the chance to sit up. He saw the other him laying several feet away on the floor groaning in pain.

Served him right!

A quick glance around and he could see that the other Okaruns, that hadn't been pulled back by their Momos, scurried away before Momo-chan would unleash her powers on them like she did on the Reaper.

"And you!"

One of the teal hands grabbed him by the back of his collar and lifted him into the air with no chance of escape. Moving him around, he was now facing a very angry looking Momo-chan. His other self was positioning himself safely behind her, crossing his arms. Yokarun doubted he would get any backup from him.

"I know you can be very impulsive and don't think before you act," Momo-chan started her scolding, bringing him down enough so that she could poke his chest. "But that was stupid even by your standards. What if one of the other guys got you and tore you to shreds?"

Part of him was touched that she was more concerned about his condition than being embarrassed by his whole stunt. Another part just wanted to disappear for making her angry and yell at him.

"'m sure none of them would have actually done something," he mumbled.

At this rather meek answer from him, she let out a scoff. "Maybe. Was still stupid." Her anger faded away and she started to play with one of her strand of hair, looking everywhere but at either of the two boys. "Would've been fine if you had just sang to me. Not the other Momos too."

Her words were just above a mutter, but he clearly heard them, just as his other self did. They both gawked at Momo-chan, because they recognized the playing with her bangs as one of her flustered ticks and due to her words. Did she...like it that he sang to her like that?

Yokarun had to admit that he had not thought about the fact that their Momo-chan could maybe get jealous if he sang such a provoking song to the others, too, especially with how flirtatious the Space Merc Momo had reacted. While they were different versions of Momo, they were not their Momo-chan. It had not been his intention to flirt with anyone but her!

"Momo-chan, I'm sorry!" Yokarun sputtered, struggling to get free of her teal hand. He wanted to hug her and reassure her that she was the only true Momo for them. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"Yeah, I'm sure he just wanted to mess around with the others, that's all," Okarun chimed in and put a reassuring hand on Momo's shoulder. Yokarun was glad that his other self could shove down his embarrassment for a moment to comfort Momo-chan.

She looked between the two boys, who both gave her their best apologetic face. Letting out a long sigh, she put Yokarun down on the ground. "Messing around with others is usually not your thing. But whatevs. This whole situation is weird anyway."

Yokarun didn't waste a second and immediately hugged Momo-chan from the side, squishing his cheek against the top of her head. "Please forgive me babe. I promise I'll never sing to anyone else but you."

"Maybe never sing again period...," his other self muttered, having this mix of annoyance and jealousy on his face whenever Yokarun was so close to Momo.

"You dork," she giggled and managed to pry herself out of Yokarun's arms, much to his disappointment. "I'm not mad at you. So don't worry." Both him and his other self let out a relieved sigh at that. "But I want you to make good on that promise." One of her arms wrapped around Yokarun's. "Sing another song, just for me. Maybe even you two together?" Her other arm wrapped around Okarun's and she smiled from one boy to the other.

Yokarun was absolutely delighted at this idea, while Okarun just looked in horror at Momo.

"A-Ayase-san, m-maybe we should...lay low? Yokarun already drew enough attention. They might still be...unhappy with him," he tried to weasel his way out of this, but Yokarun would have none of that.

"Nah, I'm sure when we just sing to our Momo-chan it will be fine. Besides-" His grin widened and had a mischievous glint to it. "Singing always helps with getting feelings across, yo. Just have a song for us in mind that I'm sure she would love to hear."

"Oho, now I'm curious. Let's hear it boys!" she cheered.

Okarun was only able to utter a high-pitched noise, before Momo started to drag them to the karaoke machine. He was no idiot, he knew what Yokarun's plan had been from the beginning. Why did he always have to put him in situations like this?

Did he want to tell Momo how he really felt?

Obviously yes. Yokarun was his own emotions after all.

But he could do without being under pressure like this. It really was no surprise that their reflections had not been pleased with Yokarun putting them on the spotlight with his little song earlier.

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That attack had really gotten him by surprise. But that was Momo for you. Even when it was a different version of her.

With a groan, Reaper Okarun opened his eyes. He was still lying on the spot he had landed after the spiritual hands had shoved him off the troublemaker.

The first thing that came into his line of sight, was an upside down Momo leaning over him. Given the fact that she was wearing very obvious Joli bécot and Gatto Nero clothes, it had to be his Momo. Well, the Momo from his universe. Not his Momo. As if he had the right to even think about her like that.

"You okay down there?" she asked, trying to sound nonchalant. But he noticed the hint of worry in her eyes. His response was just a grunt, which made her chuckle. "Good. You're usually not so easily riled up, you know?"

"He was just bothering everyone. Got annoying," he repeated his reasoning for attacking the singing fool. And it was his only reason, nothing else.

Her hum made it clear that she didn't believe him at all, but didn't pry any further. When Okarun tried to get up, she hurried to his side and offered him her hand. And he would have loved to take it. Just for support of course. But he could manage on his own.

Wordlessly he got to his feet, turning his back to Momo and patted some dirt from his clothes. He missed the sad look she was giving him.

"We're not in the Underground right now. Nobody sees what we are doing," she said in such a soft voice that made something in him ache. Her tone and words were so tempting, he almost turned around to embrace her. But he didn't move and went even more rigid when he felt how her hand was touching his arm.

"We need to find a way out of here," he deflected her words and touch, walking away from her. "You still have a game to win."

It was a good thing that he just kept walking without turning around. The hurt in her face would have crumbled any resolve he had left in him.

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"Wooooah, down boy!"

Okarun wasn't even fighting the spiritual restrains that Momo liked to put on him when he acted out. She just got a kick out of appearing like she was taming the wild Yokai-Alien beast all on her own. He let her drag him towards her, before he concentrated and his monstrous cloud appearance changed to his human self. The restrains vanished in an instance and Momo was grinning widely at him.

"Didn't take you for the jealous type, Okarun~" she sing-songed, referring to him attacking that other self who had sung earlier to the Momos.

"I am not jealous," he lied, as his whole neck was burning from being flustered. He adjusted his glasses and frowned at the mercenary. "I was just concerned what he would do with the way you encouraged him in his antics." He had noticed how she had eyed up that younger reflection of his. Many times had he been at the receiving end of such looks, before he would come up with something to excuse himself.

But she just waved his accusation away. "Don't be silly, it was just some harmless flirting. The boy was sweet and it was nice to receive some attention like that."

Okarun huffed, now both hands on his glasses. Of course she would enjoy getting attention like that. And she absolutely deserved it. She could get it from any guy she wanted and yet, she had outright rejected every single one since he had agreed to work together with her.

She bumped her shoulder playfully against his, almost making him stumble.

"You could learn something from him."

There was no teasing in her voice. It was just a suggestion. And when he dared a glance in her direction, she had that brilliant smile on her face that always stole his breath away.

It had taken him a long time and a few people pointing out the apparently obvious, to realize: She was waiting for him to give her the desired attention. He just couldn't fathom why him, but Momo had always been a person to defy logic, according to her grandmother.

The only answer he could muster was an acknowledging hum and him leaning against her.

Why is it so hard for you to just tell her how you feel?

Those words of his other self kept replaying in his head. He couldn't find an answer to that.

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"I'm really disappointed in you Okarun."

After he had been dragged back by the scruff of his neck, Ayase-san had immediately started to scold him. He was kneeling in front of her, still transformed and waiting for it to be over.

It really wasn't becoming of him as an agent to act out just because a teenage version of him sang a rather provoking song to Ayase-san. Jealousy was just such an aggravating feeling. Not even jealousy of the boy getting so close to her, but rather jealousy that he could express himself so easily.

"And I thought you always skipped our karaoke Fridays because you didn't want to embarrass yourself."

"Huh?"

The surprise of the completely different reason for her scolding made him loose his transformation with a poof and he stared at her in bewilderment.

"W-what do you mean Ayase-san?"

"You know, the team-building-after-work-activity?" She raised an eyebrow, clearly frustrated with him. "You always excuse yourself and I assumed it's because you can't sing."

It took him several seconds to follow her line of thought and it almost made him laugh. Of course she wouldn't care that he acted like a jealous teenager and rather get mad at him for avoiding social interactions that included other people aside from her.

"W-well, it's not wrong. I doubt I would be any good at singing," he tried to explain, adjusting his glasses nervously.

"Oh cut the act!" She know shouted, which made him almost jump. She pointed aggressively at the version of him that had sung earlier and was doing it again, now together with the split half of him. "They can sing just fine. And since they are versions of you, you should too!"

"J-just because they are versions of me, doesn't mean we have the same skill sets!" he tried to argue. "It all comes down to personal experience, what was taught to us at a young age and-"

"Okarun."

Ayase-san had crouched down to his level and put a finger on his lips to silence his nervous rambling. He was so in shock by the contact, that he held his breath until she removed her finger from him. His lips still tingled from the warm touch.

"Even if you can't sing at all, you really should come along." It was not an order. She rarely gave him any outside of combat, even when she was his superior. There was always a choice for him and he appreciated it greatly. As bad as it made him feel to decline the invitation every Friday again and again, it was easier than to put himself through the misery of trying to interact with people.

"Hanging out with the other guys would be good for you. And...I do miss you during those outings."

It was so rare for him to see Ayase-san anything close to shy like this. Eyes averted, cheeks slightly tinted and her fingers playing with her hair. His heart made a leap at how cute she looked.

And she said she...missed him? His pathetic self? She really wanted to have him tag along when they all were supposed to have fun?

"I-if you think so...," he finally muttered after a minute, his own gaze now cast downwards. "I...can try. See how it goes?"

He heard Ayase-san letting out a relieved breath and then a chuckle.

"That is all I ask from you. Thank you Okarun."

Maybe it wouldn't be that bad. Having Ayase-san...Momo there and potentially making her happy with his appearance? Okarun was willing to go out of his comfort zone for that.

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Despite the adventures and battles he had been thrown into, Okarun always thought of himself as a peaceful fellow. But the urge to first throttle the younger version of him for acting so frivolous towards Captain Ayase and then Little G for ignoring his command to transform him had been very strong.

At least he hadn't been the only one with this problem. The version of him that also had a small being attached to him, albeit it looked more like the Yokai appearance he could transform into, had been stuck in his human form and continued arguing with his appendage until now.

His own little Yokai worm was already distracted again by the new music that was playing, swinging forth and back in an attempt of dancing. It looked cute, he had to admit with a snort.

"I see Little G is as obedient as always," Captain Ayase chuckled and walked towards him. He turned to her with a sheepish smile and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Seems like she is more interested in listening to the music than to me."

Then he straightened his back as much as a could, before he bowed so deeply to her that he almost fell over. "I apologize on behalf of that other me for his unruly behavior. It was disrespectful and I will take any punishment you see fit."

With him bowing like this, he did not see the way she was looking at him with a soft, but also sad smile.

"At ease Okarun," she commanded, still having amusement in her voice. He followed her order, slowly relaxing back into a comfortable stance and daring to raise his eyes. The tension immediately slammed back into his frame, but this time not out of misplaced fear. It was just his normal reaction when the Captain would grace him with such a bright smile that could rival a supernova. Her chuckle at his nervous state was the sweetest melody he had ever heard and he couldn't help himself but also smile.

"I appreciate that you want to defend my honor. But this is a peculiar situation and we should not expect these other versions of us to follow our protocols."

That did made sense. They were all from different worlds and apparently time periods. Their normal would all be very different and how they interact with another.

Okarun was startled out of his thought with a small yelp, when the Captain suddenly punched his shoulder. Her brilliant smile had changed into a scowl that made him want to shrink into himself.

"And I can't believe you expect me to punish you for something so silly. I only ever punish you when you are an idiot. Like right now."

Another punch, this time to the other shoulder. Another yelp from him.

"Oh, and this is not silly? Why are you punching me for apologizing?" he countered with a bit more snark to his words than before.

Just as she could switch from acting all dignified to being brash, he could switch from obedient to bratty. It was a dance they had done a few times now and he wasn't so afraid of any kind of possible retaliation anymore. Especially because she always started it!

"Because, there is nothing to apologize for!"

This time she aimed a punch to his chest, but he was quick enough to raise his hands to block her childish attack. To his surprise, she stopped her attempts to punch him immediately and instead grabbed his hands to hold them gently in hers. The tonal shift in her behavior caused a mental whiplash in him.

"You know, you could actually take a leaf from that boy's book. Being more relaxed and carefree." Her gloved thumbs drew small circles over the back of his hands and she looked at him with something that absolutely could not be a blushing pout, that would be too damn cute on her! Okarun was so occupied with just staring at her, that he almost missed her next words: "Especially around me."

His heart threatened to burst through his rib-cage.

She was the captain of a whole ship and he was nothing more than a stowaway with somewhat useful skills and the only one who could operate the map they were following. He was nothing special and she was everything. But she always pushed herself into his space and interacted more with him than anybody else of their crew.

Okarun allowed himself to look around for a moment. All these other versions of him, either just as much in denial as he was or being happily together with their Momo Ayase.

Maybe...Maybe he was allowed to have this.

His hands gently squeezed hers, causing her worried expression to change to a smile.

"Well, if that is an order...I might be able to follow it," he mumbled, giving her his own smile.

The snort she let out was the most adorable sound he had ever heard. She just shock her head with a sigh. "You are such a dork."

Little G had stopped in her rhythmic wiggling and watched the two humans interact. At first the sound it made could be described as a quiet cackle, until it turned into a quiet coo.

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Offside of all the hustle and bustle sitting in their own corner, the two Feudal era pairs had watched the whole spiel with great fascination. They had figured out that the sound that had suddenly appeared came from the colorful metal box and was supposed to be music.

By the end of the performance, the older of the two Momo had realized what that young Yokarun had been doing and she had to chuckle, while gently poking the side of her Yokarun with a smirk.

"Seems like courting with music and song is an universal thing for you my dear."

His answer was just a groan and a hand that covered his eyes. "Don't remind me. If I had actually planned on courting you like that, I would have been more prepared."

"Awww, but I liked how spontaneous and honest it was," she cooed and hugged his arm, causing his cheeks to flush, but his eyes crinkled into a smile.

"Wait, you courted her...by singing?" the other Yokarun from the same era asked with a raised eyebrow. On of his hands hovered behind his very young Momo, who was attempting to dance again to the new song that was currently playing.

Before her Yokarun could answer, the older Momo chimed in: "Not just courting, it's how he outright confessed without realizing it himself."

The other looked from her to Yokarun, the puzzled question how? clear as day in his eyes. He just shrugged with a slightly embarrassed glance to the side. "Was just singing what came to my mind. Which was obviously all about her." The last words were spoken very softly and he nuzzled his maw against his Momo's cheek, causing her to giggle and getting a kiss from her.

Watching, the other Yokarun felt happiness for them, but also a slight pang of...jealousy? No, he shouldn't feel like this. The relationship he had with his little Momo was different, for obvious reasons, but it was just as special and he cherished it immensely.

"Yokarun, look!"

Speaking of which, his little friend demanded his attention. He turned his head and looked at her expectantly. "What is it Momo-chan?"

"Look at my dance! I practiced," she declared proudly and started to hobble and twirl around. It actually matched the rhythm of this strange music quite well. Proud and happy that she was enjoying herself, he clapped for her.

"Very good, you have such talent my little peach blossom."

The little girl squealed in delight and grabbed one of his hands to dance together with him. He indulged her gladly and swayed together with her to the music.

From the corner of his eyes he could see how the older Momo was whispering something into her Yokarun's ears. He wondered what it was, given his absolutely flustered reaction.

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It had taken some convincing for his other self to join him in singing a song for Momo-chan, but it had worked out in the end. Just as predicted, she had been very delighted by their performance, despite his other self's fumbling at first.

Right now, Momo-chan was hugging the other one and praising him for being so brave and how good he was at singing. Yokarun could see literal smoke coming out of his ears from embarrassment as let himself flop down into one of the bean bags that laid around.

Looking around, he could see that many of the other pairs stayed among themselves for now and visibly closer than before. Just not the Reaper Okarun and his Momo. They sat rather far apart, with her looking at him in a sad, longing way, while he had his back to her and just stared into nothing. He really wondered what the deal was with them.

Still, he smirked to himself. It was not 100% the result he had hoped to get, but this was better than nothing. As long as it helped the other ones to get their act together.

Suddenly, a pair of grey hands clamped down on his shoulders, making him jump a little.

"Nice job, little bro. Seems like you got through some of the thick skulls around here."

When he craned his neck up, Yokarun looked at an upside-down face that looked similar to his, just partial covered by a fox mask and a bit older. The reflection of him that had cheered him on earlier. He grinned at him.

"Wouldn't have been able to do it without your support. Thanks for that dude."

Yokarun raised his first towards the other him, who looked a bit stunned for a second, but then bumped his fist with his own while chuckling.

"Nah, you were rocking that number easily, yo. Just wanted to let you know I enjoyed the show."

"And you were probably the only one."

The Fox Okarun's Momo suddenly appeared in his field of vision by his side. She didn't look angry, just a bit displeased.

"Awww, c'mon Momo-chan. Don't tell me you didn't like little me's singing?" he cooed at her and hunched down enough to place his chin on her shoulder. It stung a tiny bit that he called him little, but he let it slide.

Momo rolled her eyes and just patted his masked snout. "Didn't say that. Was just worried that the others might get mad at you too." She then looked at Yokarun with a grin. "You do sing good. Those are some strong pipes you have kid."

Literally preened at the genuine praise from this Momo, Yokarun was about to reply to that, when her Okarun suddenly swept her off her feet and held her in a bridal carry.

"If you want I can show you how strong my pipes are babe," he purred at her in a very seductive way.

"Okarun!" his Momo gasped in shock, but started to laugh the next second and just slapped his chest playfully.

Yokarun couldn't help himself but outright gawk at the two. Even for him, who knew how most Okaruns must feel deep down inside and wanted to act, this was a surprise. Never had he imagined that any version of him could be so... bold!

And they absolutely had forgotten he was there, as they continued to coo and flirt with each other.

"You're the worst, you know that?" she sighed and poked the fox nose on his mask. He only let out an amused rumble. "And you love it."

When they walked away, he was still able to hear them whispering things to each other, that caused his ears to turn red. Turning around and kneeling on the bean bag, he watched them for a moment longer, seeing how Fox Okarun was licking over his Momo's cheeks to make her giggle even more.

Without realizing it, he had started to chew on the tip of the bean bag and literally clawing into it. He could only dream of his other self becoming half as confident as the Fox Okarun.