#summon day

All for my favorite character.

It's Kengos summon day and the Summoners have been planning a party, but Kengo bails at the last minute. You have an idea where he's gone and go meet him to see why the sudden outburst.

%%%

After venturing down the less frequented streets in Shinjuku you found yourself stopping at Kengo’s old family home. As you approach the door you recall the events that have led you to the current moment in time. It was a bit of a different day than usual as you and your friends found out it was Kengo’s birthday, and you came up with the idea to celebrate. Everyone was more than pleased to wish him well, but he didn’t really acknowledge any of it. If anything, you noticed he was being rather dismissive and downplayed the whole thing. When Ryota suggested a party he didn’t seem particularly keen on it.

Later in the day Kengo had left earlier than usual, around the time he would be training with Moritaka. Shiro had begun grumbling about how he was taking off for the M-place, but that didn’t feel quite right since he usually leaves on those trips with a training buddy. If he ran off somewhere on his own then it’s gotta be closer. You had a feeling where that might be and offered to go alone so as to maybe get Kengo to open up a bit. Reluctantly, your advisor agreed too and told you to meet at the guildhouse for the party.

Hand on the door, you give it a gentle push and realize it’s actually unlocked. You hoped the landlord wasn’t the one inside or this would be a very awkward mess to explain… Thankfully, Kengo’s sandals were left right at the door. Out of politeness you did so as well and made sure to properly shut the door behind you. You headed for the inbuilt dojo and saw Kengo, bare chest and all, worked up in a sweat as he breathed heavily. It looked like he was shadowboxing with himself and hadn’t noticed you come in.

While it was in your best interest to call out to him right away, you couldn’t help but satiate your base instinct and watch his body work in awe. The way each sinew of muscle contorted to form Kengo’s flowing movements, to the droplets of sweat that cascaded his skin and clung his body hair to it. Your partner’s muscles were already bursting with strength before, but when pumped and slicked up during a workout was one of the many marvels you’ve come to appreciate and it never failed to send your heart aflutter. He must’ve been really going at it for a while with little breaks given the musty air of the room was being replaced with his own natural odor, giving the dojo more of a locker room smell than anything. Kengo never really did fail to send your heart racing, did he?

As much as you loved soaking in the atmosphere and watching him train, you were on a bit of a time crunch here and decided to interrupt his training by announcing your presence. He looked at you with surprise. “Partner, when’d you get here?” You admitted to him that you had gotten there a short while ago, but you couldn’t help but enjoy the performance he was putting on. He laughed a bit goofily and scratched the back of his head, raising his arm a bit to show off a bit more of his muscles than he normally would. “Did you really like it that much?” You agreed, and while normally you’d be all over peppering him with praise and lavishing him with worship you explained that you didn’t really have much time. “The party, right?” His more flirtatious attitude shifted to a more dreary one. You noticed the shift and called him out on it. He sighed and went for a towel he packed to dry up the accumulated sweat across his brow. 

“I didn’t ask for a party. You guys just decided to throw one cuz you’re all bored.” He scoffed while drying himself off. You acknowledged that you didn’t necessarily hear him out, but that didn’t mean you did it just on a whim. You care about Kengo and wanted him to know. “...I know, partner.” Kengo looked out the window of the dojo while resting his towel over his shoulders. You walked over to him and asked if there was something that was bothering him. He took a moment of silence to gather his thoughts and said “Just… this time of year reminds me of my old man.” You remembered that he passed away not too long ago, and how that affected Kengo. “Knowing he’s gone still doesn’t feel real. Just really… weird it’s already my birthday.” You apologized and showed him some empathy towards the situation. “You didn’t do anything.” Your partner said with a bit more of a confident and toothy grin. 

“Guess I got a bit worried about what to do with myself.” You asked what he meant. “When we graduate Shiro’s probably gonna go to some high end school, Toji’s already got a spot at the police academy, Ryota and Moritaka can probably land a nice school. And you… well, what can’t you do at this point?” You tried to laugh off that he was just exaggerating. “Maybe. But then I get worried about where that leaves me. Compared to you guys, I’m just…” 

You took a second to realize what he was getting at, so when you pieced it together you told him flat out that he should know by now that he isn’t smart like Shiro. Kengo winced and recoiled a bit, but you continued. He didn’t need to be smart to matter or to get far. You know Kengo as someone who’s very stubborn and sticks to always improving himself. So you’re not worried at all with what he’ll do about his future. This caught Kengo by surprise and his face flushed.

“I dunno what I was so worried about. I got you by my side now. So… y’know…” You pointed out he was starting to blush a bit. “W-Was not!” He stuttered bashfully. “But, I know you can pick up my slack now. And you’ll be with me for a long time to come.” He pulled you into a tight hug. “I love ya, partner.” You reciprocated the feeling. After sharing a quick kiss of assurance you then took his hand and started guiding him to the door. You eagerly told him that he should at least try to enjoy the now and celebrate at his own party. You also teased that Ryota may or may not have convinced Choji to bake a chocolate cake for the occasion.

(Told from Volos 1st person perspective)

Today’s been good so far. I had a good breakfast and lunch, and I just did some work in the lab! Now it’s time for a bit of fieldwork; I think I’ll change into my overalls for this instead of wearing my normal clothes.

It’s already October, so I’ve had to start working on fruits and vegetables for Halloween. Squash, some sweet potato, and, most importantly, pumpkins. I’m being careful with my wishes this time around, and I’m trying not to make them as sweet; people may not like them as much, but it’s a better alternative than the chaos I caused a few years back.

First things first, I should check the progress of everything to see how they’ve grown and what they need at the moment. All the crops should be sprouting soon.

Everything seems normal with the squash and sweet potatoes, now to check the pumpkins. Everything looks normal there too. Wait, is that pumpkin fully grown?! It should only barely be sprouting! This is really interesting; maybe I should take it back to the lab for a closer look.

I try to pick it up, but it’s way too heavy for a regular pumpkin. I can lift it anyway, but I wasn’t expecting this. When I get close to the lab, something even more unexpected happens.

“Don’t experiment on me! Please, Volos, please!”

I scream and accidentally throw the pumpkin in the air behind me. And, as usual, I slip and fall on my butt. When I turn around, I expect to see the pumpkin smashed, but instead, it’s as if I never dropped it. Not only that, but it’s sitting upright. And if things couldn’t get any weirder, when I stand up and see things from a different angle, there are footprints right next to the pumpkin!

Trying to think about it more, I believe I know what’s going on. The pumpkin doesn’t match the others, talks, and made footprints. I go to pick up the pumpkin again.

“Sorry about throwing you. I won’t be experimenting on you, Goemon.”

In a puff of smoke, Goemon appears in place of the pumpkin; I was right.

“Hey, Volos. I’m a little sad you figured it out, but I’m happier that I wasn’t a guinea pig. I wanted to surprise you.”

“Well, I’m definitely surprised but, why?”

I put Goemon down, waiting for a response. But then.

“Voloooooooss!”

I hear someone screaming my name from behind me. I turn around to see, and before I can see who it is, I got pinned down on my back. When I actually see their face.

“Cu Sith??!”

“Happy Summon Day, Volos!”

“Yeah, I was trying to surprise you like that, but I guess he beat me to the punch. Happy Summon Day.”

“Thanks, you two. Now, could you get off of me, Cu Sith?”

“Oh, sorry, Volos! I just got excited.”

Cu Sith rolls over, and the two both stand up and dust themselves.

“Well, I’d love to join you two for anything you had planned, but I need to finish tending to my fields first.”

“Anything we can do to help?”

“There’s not much left to do. Besides, neither of you really have any experience, so it’d be faster If I just did it instead of trying to explain everything first.”

“Alright. Well, Cu Sith and I will be over there trying to make one combined plan.”

“Take your time, Volos!”

Congrats, Volos!

Happy Summon Day, Moritaka!!

HAPPY GARMR DAY! 3/20