継続は力なり *ᵃᵖ

@thereadiedwarrior

Hamuko had just returned to the dorm from after school club activities, stretching out her arms and wondered what to do to pass time before the Dark Hour tonight, a rare day when she hasn’t received any homework to complete. Of course she’s gotten used to fighting out there and the eerie location, but when she considered what could be up at the very top…

Well, Pharos seemed to find those thoughts of hers amusing when he actually visited.

But, that was neither here nor there. Most of the students didn’t seem to be in the dorm, probably still back at school or doing their own errands before nightfall. Upon further inspection of the lobby, she was surprised to see Kouichi here, laying down on the couch with a book concealing his face. Did he… fall asleep?

She walked towards the furniture, hands gripping the fabric as she angled her body to inspect him further, curious eyes glancing at the book of his choice and hearing his steady breathing. Yep, definitely sleeping.

Hamuko contemplated allowing him to sleep more, but she knew if Mitsuru saw him she’d give the poor man a lecture.

“Sakurai-senpai.” She whispered, face unconsciously edging closer to his own concealed by the book. Maybe if she slowly coaxed him, he’ll awake naturally on his own?

Things really have gotten relaxed lately, despite the always fantastic idea of working their way to the top of Tartarus. Well, at least for Kouichi, they have, whether or not that’s really a good thing is a mystery. Not taking things too seriously now is a virtue… and well, a curse, when it comes to Mitsuru’s lectures. Hey, he-ey, at least his grades haven’t tanked!

But clearly, the third-year has eaten that all up, and it gave him just a bit of… way too chill disposition, since he had passed out on the couch. It wasn’t even that late! One would suppose there’s nothing really like resting up before a night of fighting,

“…”

Not even a word in his sleep.

Man, if every day could be as relaxed as this, if he could exist like this, without really taking anybody’s expectations too high... yeah, this is the life... he dreams of a world, a happily ever after, just like one of the tales in the abridged fairy tale book he had been reading. We-ell, as ‘pro’ as Kou is, he’d probably be able to figure something out. As long as he shuffles through society, and does what he must... it’s okay to dream a little. Or something like that, he’ll figure it out, probably. 

Regardless, he does answer Hamuko’s whisper, but it’s nothing more than a mutter, “Hamu-san... watch out... ‘bout to prove... Imma pirate... king...”

He sticks his arm out, which in turn finds itself hitting her, the movement knocking the book over annnnnd bingo! He’s... he’s..! Sort of awake, if you count the graceful account of sleep talking awake, that cheerful demeanor and breach of what.... is not reality really has come, but who’s to judge, when this group is really, a team of misfits.

She practically throws herself in front of the mirror, double checking her appearance. Her tail, fluffy. Her ears, twitching, but there’s not a strand of fur that’s sticking out of place. Not that she can see, anyway. Eyes, bright, everything perfect! She can almost hear Cassia’s voice in background, “El, you’re glowing you know. Why, you should jump up on stage right now!”

Does she have everything she wants to bring? Yeah, it’s all set to go in her trusty pack! It’s just extra, small baking equipment she’s not sure if he has... She’s been bouncing with excitement ever since they agreed to bake something together, just something simple. Of course, she’s no stranger to baking; this little rabbit is a pro! But there’s something real special about making a… could you call it a house call? Bakers don’t really do all that… but this is just friends helping friends, right? Absolutely!

Really, Eloise is glad to have gotten to know the town’s librarian better. Since she frequents the library, she’s wanted to be familiar with him at least, but to actually be friends, and to help him out, that’s a lot better. It’s not as though ruckuses in the library haven’t been caused around her… even if it’s often not her fault, but the case of others around her, she still wants to make it up to Cecil.

She’ll do her best to make sure this pie turns out to be really good!

Quickly, she leaves her house and hops right over to Cecil’s. The town isn’t big, so she’s there in no time! Is she there early? Probably, but she absolutely didn’t want to be late for this very, very important… day! Time to knock, knock, knock..! She doesn’t do it with too much force, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t moving fast, light on her feat, humming as she awaits Cecil. She hears lots of movement, and then a pause, before the doorknob finally moves. There..!

“Hello, I—”

--am here, Mister Cecil..!

Had been what she planned on saying, but her words are cut off as the door closes again. She blinks. Is everything okay? Is he okay? That had been him, right? What happened? Is she here too early? Had she been the wrong person? No… Cecil seems like the person that wouldn’t mix schedules, huh? Then... Wait, did he change his mind about wanting her here? He.. wouldn’t do that either, would he? Hmm... she tilts her head. Should she knock again?

“...”

Certainly she’s confused! But… oh! The door is opening again, thank goodness!

“That’s okay! I am a little early!” She laughs, honestly glad everything is okay. “So… Yes, let’s get started! Thank you for having me over!” And carefully, Eloise enters Cecil’s residence. It’s very nice! Very suiting to him, she thinks. It’s very homey.

She follows him to the kitchen, eyes darting around the area after she sets down her supplies, examining the space they’re working with, when his question hits her. Check the pack for the… the… apron..! How could she, a baker, forget her trusty apron? That’s right… in her hurry to get outside, she left the one she meant to bring, neatly, on her rack. She meant to put in her pack with the rest of her things, but she ended up scurrying too fast to recall it.

Whoops!

“I… left it at home. Seems I bounced over here in such a rush… But I really didn’t want to late at all! You really never know what sort of foot traffic awaits a bunny…” There really is a lot of that… Considering all the recent events and all. But..! He’s offering one of his! Should she take it..? She…

I’d love to borrow one! It’s much better than suddenly jumping home to get mine… That’d be rude!

“I’ll borrow one, if you really don’t mind, Mister Cecil! Thank you very much!” She moves to the rack, looking over all the ones hanging, before she grabs one and puts it on over her clothes. Now she’s ready for business, for sure! She whirls back around, looking directly at Cecil, and… oh, she notices that the aprons are rather similar, which makes sense, considering they both belong to him… Fitting, if they’re going to be baking together, in the same place, then it’s kind of like a uniform, right? Actually, it’s more… wouldn’t that be a couple thing? Her parents did that sort of thing too, now that she thinks about it…

Which is precisely why she’s going to stuff those thoughts back down in the hole! She has to have a clear head to bake right! Well… There’s always all that “Love’s a secret ingredient that makes everything taste better!” But! But! But!! She has to bake! Alongside Cecil! She’s got this! For sure!

She shakes her head and smacks her cheeks, stretches out her arms and does a small hop for her legs. Cecil’s ready, so she is too!

“Well I would think most would do this first thing in the morning,” she gave a deep chuckle, wiping the cloth along her skin one more time. A few more moment of studying she had to give a small snort when she realized who it was. Heck he was even praising her for her form and that had her grinning some. “Well thank you.”

“Though can’t blame you if you were looking to get away from the city for a bit,” she added while fiddling with her hair tie to keep it up. Wouldn’t do to have her hair fall loose in front of him just as of yet and have him realize just who she was. If had been questioning her before this would only make matters worse, least that was how she saw the situation. Though he also seemed a bit troubled? She stared at him a while longer to study him for a moment and questioned her wisdom in her offer.

“Well no one else here, you can try your hand at some practice… maybe a small match?” She suggested, it was how she cleared her head or worked herself to not have to think about things, least not right away.

“A-Ah... yes, I suppose most would,” Naoki says, giving a small nod. Clearly, he’s focused, ready, and able-bodied in terms of conversation, because he’s doing so well. Well, at least he’s trying his best, even if there’s a lot on his mind, even if he’s certainly… awkward… But, hey, he’s still young, has a lot to work on, and will probably figure it out soon, won’t he? “Nowadays... resolve is...” 

Ah, well, no need to finish that, he decides, trailing off just a moment. 

Unfortunately, he’s probably decent in many of the observational categories, except for recognizing certain faces. That or he still has his head in the clouds. Regardless, he certainly doesn’t realize who she is, aside from a vague sense of familiarity. When it hits him, it’ll come through strong. 

“A clear head is a rather useful thing... and it is not as easy to come by, but getting away from the city helps.” 

There’s a certain skill in being vague; that... and this art is not well practiced, so he really doesn’t have such a skill. 

“Huh? ...Now?” He could use the practice, any sort of improvement... He doesn’t enjoy using the sword, but he knows his duty involves it. And this person before him offered... considering the situation, it’d be rude to refuse, considering how he interrupted... “Sure, I do not mind.” Steady he goes, hands, prepare... it’s practice, so there’s no need to get too worked up. 

@littleredsniperhood

Abnormal. That’s the feeling Mochida is getting from the absence of calls from a certain someone. The elderly women still made her daily dial, but...

There’s a bit more than just that. He’s come to know that person rather well... over these past months, because he called almost everyday without fail. The people around him, the neighborhood, Mochida came to be aware of who he had in his life.

Now, he’s worried for them.

It wouldn’t hurt to check on citizens, especially ones that happen to be caretakers and overseers of the youth of their society; that is, he wants to make sure that Scarlet is doing okay. Plenty has been hitting him face first lately. The disappearance, X-Day’s effects on the schooling system.

At least, there are patrols for this too, so it won’t be just a solo stop by. Of course, these runs aren’t unusual; a few of the others have done them as well, when there are emotions all about. Something... internally, an instinct?

Ah well, regardless, he should set out now, if he’s going to do this timely enough. Making sure civilians are closer to ease while they still have this whole thing going down. X-Day still looms. This is the least someone like him can do.

A drive to the area he is all too familiar with. Because of everything, it feels... different. It’s unfortunate, saddening, but he hopes... he truly hopes everything will be alright. There are some things about this, some aspects that, perhaps, Hoshino would be better at, but she’s quite busy with her own work.

If there’s anything he can do, then... That’s right, he’s been worried, working secretly on research outside of his usual post on the side. It’s what it takes. He takes a breath, should he phone the main person in question, or just give him a ring at his door?

Kei, admittedly, was caught off-guard by the Mochida’s… reaction; however, he was trained enough not to show any traces of surprise. This man… he was so pure that even Kei — ‘heartless, evil, the devil’ (mineo’s words, not his) felt bad for joking with him.

Slightly. He was still Kei at the end of the day, after all.

Instead, he decided to go with the flow with this… unexpected predicament, but it wasn’t entirely unwelcomed; on the contrary, any chance to try homemade cooking that wasn’t prepared by himself (since it’d either be completely burnt of covered with his own blood) was not something he’d reject.

Kei smiles in response, filled with slight warmth from how infectious Mochida’s personality was. He was… completely the opposite of Kei, and Kei found himself glad that Ichika had such a good-hearted supervisor to watch her at work,

“I’m in your care~ I’ll have Ichika-chan tag along… I wouldn’t want to intrude on my own, after all~~” He replies, letting out a pleased chuckle. Well, he still needs to actually ask her, but he knew pressure aside she wouldn’t pass the opportunity to get to know her boss better. So, Kei decided to play nice.

“Thank you, Dadd—” He caught himself before finishing that statement, eyes trailing to the side just briefly; as if considering his words, perhaps he was better off solely calling Yanagi ’Daddy’, especially since he didn’t want Ichika to be mad at him if she finds out later, “… Dad,” He finishes, somewhat lacklustery for someone like Kei, but from Mochida’s bright smile he had a feeling that the man wouldn’t have noticed such a reaction.

There is no denying that Mochida’s general air is that of an encouraging man, one that can be fit to supervise where they stand. There are certain scenarios he’s no good in, where officers like Hoshino prosper better, but, at the very least, he can look out for his team, and anyone closely related to them.

Still, there’s no denying that a nice family dinner like what was now coming up would be good for the whole morale of things. He’s sure an SP like Okazaki has been working a lot as well… plus, it’s just not often that the situation could call for it.

So, now that there’s a chance for him to bring a little relief to these young’uns, he may as well.

“Ah-! You wouldn’t have to worry about that, but… I think it’d be good to have Hoshino come along as well, if she doesn’t mind!” Mochida smiles, “She’s been looking more stressed lately… It’d be good for her.”

He really does appreciate how much Hoshino has been working, but he can’t help but worry with the constant force of work that’s been hanging around her shoulders. Really, is he like a concerned older brother… or father, in this case, it seems… to her and the others within the branch? Perhaps, but ah well, tonight is one of his favorite meals.

Well, actually, spoiler, but any of the meals his wife cooks are his favorite.

Certainly, due to innate, exciting nature of sharing his fondness of his dearest to the world, light-hearted for the time it may be, Mochida is unaware of any lack of thrill in reaction – somehow, the notion of being called ‘Dad’ in this case is something warm.

He isn’t sure how warmly his wife would react, but he’ll certainly find out!

Theyare seated, relaxing, that usual care and comfort that’s representative of a major level of trust. Usually they’d practice, sort out things for the band, or just “let lose” (the way mock-up rebellious teens in a dangerous situation could). Of course, there are still words that are unsaid, that heave weight but, any of this is immediately dispelled once the CD is pulled out.

“That’s a popular song in the west, right?”

Akito asks, looking the CD over. There’s something… oddly specific about the way this CD feels though. Would Ichika have allowed Kazuki to get a song with stronger language and non-kid friendly themes? Somehow… Somehow, Akito thinks that it’s not quite this way.

Onee-san does care about Kazuki, so I think… even if she doesn’t know much about music, one listen might’ve been too much for her. 

However, Akito has never actually heard this particular song, so he can’t be too sure.

“Is now alright? Since you’re offering, I may as well take a listen now.”

He opens up the CD slot on his laptop and places the CD within it, quickly loading it up when the driver recognized it. Such hip beats are quite popular, resonating with a young crowd and someone sticking with the adults that don’t immediately want to toss it in the garbage. As a hobbyist composer, it’s interesting to hear what’s actually sitting well.

Then it starts playing and somehow… things make a little more sense. Even with their English skills still in progress (Akito’s are likely better than Kazuki’s) he can tell that this is a modified, censored version. Of course Ichika would better approve of it. She probably thinks it cute or endearing or something “fun.”

“Too hot! (Hot yeah!) Called a police and a fireman!”

Plus… these are children’s voices, and something is certain, it’s probably not originally sang by them.

Regardless of the current vocal artist, however, Akito cant deny how lit this song is. That’s right, the catchy tune warrants the popularity and distracts any big thought process. It’s like they’re normal teens again, simply living and rocking and progressing toward dreams with no barriers before them.

Needless to say, he’s humming along, at the very least. You bet they're going to dab (on them “haterz”)... in theory, at least (I’m very sorry, Ichika-oneesan...). It’s time to get their cups and put some water in them and enjoy the rest of their time hanging out as they always do.

He agrees, it is pretty good.

Well... If Ichika does some how approve of these “tame” versions of cool and in songs, that could be a better foot for remedy, right? Or they could get yelled at for blasting the music, but there’s always his house for it.

will u b a better daddy than daddyanagi-san

Wha--

What a strange statement, a... better ‘father’ than this ‘daddyanagi-san’ is what this man... this SP Officer is asking? Is he alright?

“I.. I suppose it’d be no trouble to have a family meal with you, sir!” Mochida answers. Quite honestly he’s overwhelmed (and extremely flattered) that a man of such pretentious ranking is speaking to him so casually, even if the idea itself is still quite confusing. Does Hoshino know about this? Does she have an explanation? Does she want to have a proper family meal as well?

Is there trouble, or is it a mere ‘prank’ set up..? No, no, this timing is too precise to be simple jests, but this man before him seems to have an unfaltering, determinate mask.

Still, Mochida can’t pass up the chance for good, genuinely affectionate care for the small and humble home life he has.

“If that’s what you want, you’re welcome to it! I’m sure my wife will be fine with it as well, you see...

“My wife has the best cooking in the world and she’d love to share it with a lively table sometime! You’ll enjoy it, son!”