A Bro's Life (AGG-ish Anime Bro Quest)

You rub the back of your neck as you mull over your answer. The thought of lying to her is the first one you dismiss. Even if you were the type to lie, you know that you're terrible at it. And given how perceptive she is, she'd likely see through you in a heartbeat. Trying to change the subject would just look suspicious. If anything, it would make her more curious as to why you're being coy when you're usually straightforward. You briefly entertain the idea of giving her a partial truth. Telling her that something was going on, but that you couldn't be open about it because of a lot of complex stuff going on in the background. Then you leave it to her to figure out the rest. See if she's truly willing to enter this strange world you've found yourself in.

Nah. Fuck that. Not your style.

Which leaves one option.

You smile to yourself. Yeah, telling the truth would be the best. Whatever happens next, you will handle it yourself. And you'll be sure to contact your bro and Estella after you tell Ritsuko. They won't mind...probably.

You look Ritsuko in the eyes and nod, "Alright. I'll tell ya. Everything. But first, let's go somewhere more private."

"P-P-Private?" Ritsuko's voice is filled with excitement and confusion. Her expression is a strange combination of worry and elation, "Wh-Why? Is it really that important?"

"Yeah. But I also wanted to show you something really cool. And I can't do it in front of so many people. They'd probably freak out, and we'd get in some real trouble," you say as you rub the back of your head. You can already imagine someone calling the police on you for wearing gauntlets in a public space.

Ritsuko's expression changes. Her eyes widen, her lips press into a tight line, and her cheeks turn as red as a tomato. You swear you see steam coming out of her ears when she says, "Wh-Wh-What are you planning to show me?"

You smile and then put a finger to your lips, "Can't say. It would ruin the surprise. But I promise you, it'll blow your mind. You won't be able to see the world the same way after we're finished. So, mind showing me way to that place near the docks you showed me before?"

Ritsuko looks down at the ground, shoves her hands into her pockets, then turns around and starts walking. She jerks her head to indicate that you should follow, and you do.

The entire time, you think about how you're going to do this....

---

...and then you reach the docks and decide to just wing it.

"We-We-We're here," Ritsuko stops in the middle of the docks. The water splashes against the nearby concrete as seagulls fly through the air. You look around to ensure that no one followed you and to get a clear view of your surroundings. It's essentially a huge rectangular area enclosed by three sizable warehouses. The park is located to the west of here, and the ocean is to the south.

You hum as you nod, "Yeah. This'll work. So, I'm gonna need you to look at me for this, Ritsuko. Otherwise, it won't work."

"A-About that. So, Nagai...I...uh," she turns halfway, looking at the ground while keeping her hands in her pockets, "I...I...I'm not sure if...if this is a good idea. We-we're...not even really...together...and I...I just think it's too sudden..."

You raise an eyebrow and ask, "Why? Did you figure out what I was gonna do?"

"I-I-I think so."

"Oh. Then I guess it'll be alright to just do it," you say as you hold out both of your arms and prepare yourself.

Ritsuko jumps around to fully face you, her expression a mixture of shock and anger, "D-D-Do it?!??! Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! I said I wasn't ready! If you try that, I swear I will—"

"Yato, come on out."

And, right in front of Ritsuko, your gloves transform. One moment, they're your ordinary, everyday fingerless black gloves. The next moment, they are a matching pair of metal gauntlets that cover your hands and wrists with a loud clank. They gleam in the faint sunlight, and you clang them together out of habit. The sound echoes through the area, causing some birds to take flight into the sky. You raise your hands and bid Yato to introduce himself. When he does, his bell-like voice can be heard by both you and Ritsuko, saying, "Salutations, Lady Ritsuko. I am Yato. The retainer of Lord Hayato. He has seen fit to introduce you to the world of the supernatural. I am sure this is a great honor for you."

Ritsuko doesn't respond. Which you expected. Even though you told her, you still expected her to be stunned into silence. Not every day that you hear a pair of possessed gauntlets talking to you. Her gaze is fixed solely on you, with one of her fingers weakly pointing at your chest. You decide to give her all the time she needs to come to terms with this. Then, she suddenly frowns and stands up straight. She walks over to the edge of the wharf, kneels down, and looks over the side.

"Uh, Ritsuko?" you say, walking over to her, "Is everything alright?"

She doesn't answer you at first. Instead, she leans over the side to look at the underside of the wharf. Though you're not sure what she's looking for. When she lifts her head back up, she glares daggers at you and says, "OK. Where it is?"

"Where's what?"

"The cameras. And the voice modulator, or walkie-talkie, or whatever you're using to throw your voice," she gets to her feet and starts to survey the surroundings.

You tilt your head to the side and say, "There are none. Why would you-"

"Cause there's no way that shit is true! Look, Nagai, I don't think you're the kind of guy to lie. But, come on! Are you honestly trying to say that something supernatural is going on here? What, did a fucking dragon bust in through the roof or some shit?" she sounds incredulous, making it very clear she doesn't believe you.

You hum and place a hand on your chin. You guess it'll take a bit more to get her to believe you. How could you-

"Lord Hayato. What about your new technique?"

"Oh, right!" you snap your fingers and nod, "Great idea, Yato!"

You turn to face the ocean, assuming the same stance you had back at Raijin. You hear Ritsuko sigh in frustration behind you. She appears on your left as you gather energy into your palms. She speaks in an annoyed tone, "Just stop it, alright? I'd rather you lied to my face instead of keeping up this act. If you're not gonna come clean, then that's fine. I'll just drop it and-"

"HHHAAAA!" you cry out, releasing a burst of air toward the water. The breeze cuts through the top of the still water, causing a large ripple that lasts for at least five seconds before the energy fades into the air. It leaves behind numerous ripples that disturb the surface of the water for about six seconds. You wait a few seconds more before relaxing your stance. Then you turn to look at Ritsuko to see her reaction. Your smile widens as she gazes at the water in awe. Then, when she turns to you, you sit down and pat the space next to you, "How about we talk while we skip some more rocks? I think I can beat my record now."

She blinks.

Then, she sits down and waits for you to speak.

So, you do. You give her the rundown of everything that's happened up to this point. How you met Yato, how your brother met Yameko, the real source of the attack on your school, Hiroko, the Oni, Estella, the Organization. All of it. You do try to be a bit coy about the actual location of Keishi and Kazama. Those guys seem to value their privacy, so you won't say anything about it. The whole time, Ritsuko just sits there and lets you talk. Though you chalk that up to the fact that she's stunned into silence the entire time. And even for a few minutes after you've finished explaining everything.

After skipping a total of ten rocks across the water, she finally breaks the silence, "So... magic is real?"

"Seems like it, yeah."

"And...monsters are real?"

"Yep."

"Like, yokai and stuff?"

"Uh huh. And maybe more. Might change depending on where you go."

"And people can actually have superpowers?"

"Yep."

"And you got yours through—"

"Bonding with Yato and doing a lot of training."

"So...the real reason the tournament was stopped...was because of an Oni? An actual, literal Oni that tried to cut you to pieces? And you beat it up thanks to the spirit possessing your gloves?"

"His name is Yato. And yeah, pretty much."

Ritsuko is silent for a few moments. She doesn't look at you, but you keep an eye on her face while waiting for her to say something. Her expression shifts from confusion to understanding, then to shock, and finally to confidence, before settling on something akin to introspection. You think, anyway. Eventually, she asks the all-important question, "Why?"

"Why, what?"

"Why tell me? Why tell me any of this? Not that I'm ungrateful, but you didn't have to tell me all this. You could have just said that...actually...nah, you could have...but you wouldn't have. Cause you're not the kind of guy to do that."

She chuckles and lightly punches you in the shoulder. You rub the spot where she hit you while chuckling, "You're taking this pretty well."

"Eh, not really. I think it's just that everything hasn't really sunk in for me yet. I'll probably have a proper freak out when I leave here," she says with a frown. Then she places a hand on her chin and looks at Yato, "Come to think of it, you had Yato when we first fought, didn't you?"

"Yeah. I usually have him with me. Never know when I might need him," you tap Yato's body with a finger.

"Do not worry, Lady Ritsuko. I am not always aware of what my Lord is doing at any given moment. I can enter a meditative state which allows me to remain inert and unaware of my surroundings until I am needed," Yato says aloud.

Ritsuko flinches, then puts a finger in her ear, "Ah. Right. Not sure if I'll get used to that sound. But couldn't you have used Yato when you fought-"

"No. I'm not that kind of guy," you say without hesitation. That seems to end that line of questioning because Ritsuko doesn't press you.

You throw another rock to break the ensuing silence. Though the sound of it skipping across the water only lasts for a few moments. Then Ritsuko speaks again, "Why me? I get why you told me in general, but... is there a specific reason you chose to tell me? And not that Hose guy, or someone else?"

"Well, that's easy. It's cause I trust you, Ritsuko."

"Nagai, you hardly—"

"I hardly know you," you finish for her. Then you reach out, gently take her hat off, and pat her on the head with your other hand. You smile as wide as you can and say, "But, honestly? I think you're a good person. So, I'm gonna trust you. OK?"

Her face turns tomato red once more. Swiftly, she retrieves her hat and firmly places it on her head to conceal her face. You pull away and chuckle before returning to your stone-skipping. Thinking the conversation was over, you decided to immerse yourself in trying to beat your record.

Which is probably why Ritsuko's next action caught you off guard.

That action being?

Her kissing you on the cheek.

You feel the warm and wet touch of her lips against your skin for just a moment. A single, solitary moment. You doubt it even lasted for a second.

Yet, it was still enough to make your heart skip a beat.

Before you could even comprehend what had happened, Ritsuko got up and rushed out of the docks. She shouted back, "I promise I won't tell anyone about this! Thank you for trusting me, Nagai! Go-Good luck with your meeting."

You barely processed what she just said.

In fact, you feel rooted to the spot as your brain tries to make sense of what just happened.

The only thing that breaks you from that stupor is when your brother calls to ask if you're okay.

And even then, you're not sure if you are.

Because you don't know what that could have meant.

Well...you do, actually.

If Ritsuko kissed you, that means she likes you.

In the romantic sense.

And that honestly terrifies you.

Because you have no idea how to handle that.

[Ritsuko SL Ranked Up! Now at 6/10! Current RP (4/10 Points!) SL Bonuses Increased!]

Just two dudes being bros. Might be used as the cover image.
Art by Fluffy Sunkist: https://www.fiverr.com/fluffysunkist?source=order_page_summary_seller_link