[X] "They got lost in the woods, got seriously roughed up."
[X] Write-in: "It's... not ok, but... understandable. You hadn't fought in a long time and lost track of what you were doing. A mistake like that is... really expected. Besides, even if... that had happened it'd be just as much my fault, r-right? You told me this was a bad idea but I pushed for it anyway."
[X] Technique (100)
[X] Emotional Strength (100)
[X] Write-in: "It's... not ok, but... understandable. You hadn't fought in a long time and lost track of what you were doing. A mistake like that is... really expected. Besides, even if... that had happened it'd be just as much my fault, r-right? You told me this was a bad idea but I pushed for it anyway."
[X] "Arisugawa-sama, Black Rose-sama. You may be rough around the edges, you may have nearly made a serious mistake, but you're still a Hanazakari! And not just in title!"
[X] Technique (100)
[X] Emotional Strength (100)
[X] "They got lost in the woods, got seriously roughed up."
[X] Write-in: "It's... not ok, but... understandable. You hadn't fought in a long time and lost track of what you were doing. A mistake like that is... really expected. Besides, even if... that had happened it'd be just as much my fault, r-right? You told me this was a bad idea but I pushed for it anyway."
[Koyomi's Technique has reached the Rank of Lady]
After as long a night as that, Miyako only now started to stir. Once everything with Kai had settled, she recalled crashing to sleep instantly in the spare room Asahi had provided for her. Watching several of her new friends, which she of course thought of as 'friends' despite the short time she'd known them, almost kill or get killed last night had taken a lot out of her.
When her eyes opened, she was met with a boy in a kyudo outfit standing over her bed. He was quick to step back, bow, and say, "Forgive me, I was just sent to check in on you by my mother. We'd been told you were an early riser, so started to get concerned with how late night you were sleeping in."
"Hey, no need to be sorry, I really don't mind," Miyako said, smiling back at this boy and restraining herself from going, won't say no to having more pretty boys around me. "Wait, your mother? Oh, you'd be Higashi Hayato then?"
"Yes, quite insightful of you," Hayato smiled back, though Miyako would still hardly call that 'insightful'. "It's not much, but we've prepared breakfast for you and placed it by your bed."
Miyako turned her head and saw a plate of steamed rice, salmon, miso soup, tofu, eggs, and green tea. "Really, it looks great! Thank you," she said, especially compared to the slop Arisugawa-sama gave me, she kept quiet on.
Again she was quick to wolf it all down. While Hayato said nothing about her eating habits, he couldn't help but wince a little at Miyako's lack of restraint.
Face still half-full, Miyako looked around the spare room and noticed it wasn't as bare as she thought. She could see calligraphy scrolls, incense pots, and flower arrangements, at which she casually asked, "Hey, are these yours?"
"Actually yes," Hayato said, but had to add, "Really, they're all older projects of mine placed here in storage, I'm just a dabbler you could say."
A sharp frown came over Miyako's face. "Do have to keep putting yourself down like that?" she asked, eyes narrowed at him.
Hayato paused a second, but then said, "I don't mean to put myself down, it's more that I wouldn't want to impose, especially as we've just met. Ah, I suppose you like my work then?"
"Yeah, of course I do!" Miyako beamed, forgetting she still had food in her mouth as she did. "I mean, I only know about most of this vintage stuff from cultural trips, it's great it's something you're doing for real."
"Thank you, it's uplifting to hear," Hayato smiled more smoothly back at her. But his smile faded as he asked, or rather asked to ask, another thing, "Nozawa, I had a question about Kai-kun, but wasn't sure if it was my place to ask."
"Long as it's not too personal, it's cool with me. Fire away," Miyako said.
"I'm not the best place to gauge what's 'personal' or not, but okay," Hayato breathed out, only then did he ask, "How do you think you'd feel, not having the capacity for emotions? Or ah, not feel in that case. I guess in some ways it'd make life easier, being free of sadness and hate, but again that is 'in some ways'."
Miyako was about to say 'of course it's bad, that's why I wanted to thaw Kazuya' but she stopped just before. She recalled Kazuya had been violated by his teachers, something that could've emotionally destroyed him had the leech not sucked all that away. Then again, weren't those lack of emotions what enabled the teachers to violate him? Though it's not like having emotions alone saved anyone from being sexually assaulted.
Thinking of a subject that heavy this early on left Miyako clutching her head, so she went with, "I guess I could see the appeal, but really, having emotions is for the best. Like we're told Frost Fair didn't have any, and look at all the horrors they unleashed," though she had to also note, "Though Kazuya never did anything that bad," that I know of.
"Ah, I can see. Guess I just had to reflect, both my parents told me how they briefly lost their hearts to leeches. Now hearing that Kai-kun has gone most of his life without emotions got me thinking about that all over again. You have my thanks for humouring my navel-gazing," Hayato said, then admitted, "It's all speculation now anyway, with the Frost Fair gone nobody's at risk of having their emotions stolen, nobody further at least."
Unless another Heart Leech leaps onto someone else when they try to remove it, Miyako thought, but it probably wasn't a good idea to bring that up around Hayato. Even without him, that thought scared her too. "Yeah, big questions like that can really psyche me out too," she settled on saying.
"Well, I should get going. I said we were worried about how you were doing since last night, but please, don't feel any pressure to get up too quickly," Hayato said, bidding farewell and turning to leave.
Of course, now that Miyako was awake she sprung out of bed nigh instantly. Her first instinct was to reach for her phone and tell everyone online that she'd seen a real Hanazakari in action… until she remembered she'd lied online about there not being a Hanazakari in Hinodeharu, for Koyomi's sake. And that Koyomi had lost control, whether from the fear the leech projected, her hatred of the Frost Fair, both or more, and had almost killed Kazuya. But I'm responsible for Kazuya's near-death too, his and Reiji's, she thought, I was the one who kept pushing for his purification.
She sighed. She'd finally seen the one thing she'd wanted to all her life, and now telling anyone that would be the worst thing to do.
On the bright side, this place was pretty nice for a spare room, Hayato's old artistry certainly helping. But that bright side was fast eclipsed when Miyako realised she still wasn't out to Asahi as trans. She'd let it slip to Koyomi quick, hoping a Hanazakari would still accept her, and of course her parents knew and that was the problem. No, Higashi-sama and Hayato-kun wouldn't mind, would they? Arisugawa-sama wouldn't have led me to them if she thought they'd hate me, though her thought was interrupted when she remembered that Koyomi initially wanted to leave before Asahi spotted her.
Miyako ran a finger along her chin, relieved there was no stubble sprouting. At least I'm Japanese, so I don't have to worry about getting spotted shaving in ages, right? And there's cis women who still shave too, so shaving won't immediately give me away… right?
Article:
She took several deep breaths, then with butterflies in more than just her stomach, she decided:
[ ] She'd tell Asahi as soon as she could.
[ ] She'd tell Asahi in a week, once she'd qualified as a miko.
-[ ] Keep your eyes open for wanted posters while in stores while doing and stuff groceries, just in case you need to find another job quickly. [WallFlower Write-in]
[ ] She… didn't decide, she just wouldn't tell Asahi, for the time being anyway.
[ ] She'd ask Koyomi to break the news for her.
[ ] Write-in
That was just Asahi though, what would Kazuya and Reiji think? She'd considered telling Kazuya she was trans earlier, figuring without emotions he wouldn't mind, but would he now they were back? Come on, how could they ever hold being trans against me? I helped get Kazuya-kun's emotions back, er, and got also nearly got him and Reiji-kun killed…
Of course, she'd need to go see them in the hospital first. Or should see Koyomi, she went through a lot too? Or keep up her shrine maiden work? Or get college stuff sorted? Again she clutched her head.
Article:
The day was long, but it wouldn't hurt to prioritise:
[ ] Go see Kazuya and Reiji in hospital first.
[ ] Go see how Koyomi's handling herself first.
[ ] Get stuck in with shrine maiden duties, maybe get to meet with Hayato again.
[ ] Write-in
To rephrase that slightly: "How do you think it would feel to be incapable of feeling?"
Onto the question of if/how to come out to Asahi and Kazuya.
...
On one hand, Miyako strikes me as trusting; would she have confided so much in a random Hanazakari with a bad reputation if she wasn't? On the other hand, she also strikes me as anxious. Does she feel safe telling more people that she's trans, when she was rejected by the people who she should be able to trust the most?
[X] She'd tell Asahi in a week, once she'd qualified as a miko.
[X] Go see how Koyomi's handling herself first.
I'm not the best at reading characters, but I feel like these two options would be best. Feel free to correct me.
[X] She'd tell Asahi in a week, once she'd qualified as a miko.
[X] Go see how Koyomi's handling herself first.
My vote's actually pretty tight between Koyoki and visiting the hospital boys, but given the state of mind Koyomi was in the last time we saw her, letting her stew on her own is probably worse than not checking up on the others.
[X] She'd tell Asahi in a week, once she'd qualified as a miko.
-[X] Write-in Keep your eyes open for wanted posters while in stores while doing and stuff groceries, just in case you need to find another job quickly.
[X] Get stuck in with shrine maiden duties, maybe get to meet with Hayato again.
On one hand, Miyako strikes me as trusting; would she have confided so much in a random Hanazakari with a bad reputation if she wasn't? On the other hand, she also strikes me as anxious. Does she feel safe telling more people that she's trans, when she was rejected by the people who she should be able to trust the most?
If the shrine was only a shitty part time job then I would say skip it, but Miyako will be staying at the shrine and they are probably going to be important contacts.
Miyako has the choice to let it potentially fester until it comes out when she absolutely can least afford it and be paranoid about it the entire time or try to rock the boat now that the coast is still in sight to see if the ship is seaworthy.
If the shrine was only a shitty part time job then I would say skip it, but Miyako will be staying at the shrine and they are probably going to be important contacts.
[X] She'd tell Asahi in a week, once she'd qualified as a miko.
-[X] Write-in Keep your eyes open for wanted posters while in stores while doing and stuff groceries, just in case you need to find another job quickly.
[X] Get stuck in with shrine maiden duties, maybe get to meet with Hayato again.
Had some concerns on how I'd written The Long Winter Thaws 2.7, specifically if dropping 'Heart Leeches have a dominant emotion' (what they're target was most feeling at the time) was a bit too out of nowhere? On top of that I also said Miyako and Asahi already knew this meaning I really should've brought it up earlier. It's possible I might tweak an earlier update a little to mention that sooner.
By the way, anyone have any thoughts on Darkness being Koyomi's power (or 'cultivar' as it's known among Hanazakari), in general outside of that one fight?
By the way, anyone have any thoughts on Darkness being Koyomi's power (or 'cultivar' as it's known among Hanazakari), in general outside of that one fight?
By the way, anyone have any thoughts on Darkness being Koyomi's power (or 'cultivar' as it's known among Hanazakari), in general outside of that one fight?
THe dominant emotion seems on brand with everything we've seen so far, so I think that's good. As for the darkness stuff, I'm of two minds. From a tactical standpoint, this probably means she's more of a support debuffer than a frontline fighter, which goes great with her name and allows us more creative plans. From my paranoid side, I feel that if magic has any deeper connection to a person's personality we might be in for some trouble later on down the line.
Had some concerns on how I'd written The Long Winter Thaws 2.7, specifically if dropping 'Heart Leeches have a dominant emotion' (what they're target was most feeling at the time) was a bit too out of nowhere? On top of that I also said Miyako and Asahi already knew this meaning I really should've brought it up earlier.
Characters don't need to share things they know as soon as they learn about them, not even if they're first-person narrators. Koyomi referencing how heart leeches work during combat with the first one is as good a time to introduce as any. (It would be weird if there was a pre-fight meeting and the question didn't come up then, but there wasn't, so a bit of talk-no-jutsu is sensible.) And the fact nobody needs to ask Koyomi to clarify what she means suggests that they all have some idea what she's talking about, so you're good there.
[X] She'd tell Asahi in a week, once she'd qualified as a miko.
-[X] Write-in Keep your eyes open for wanted posters while in stores while doing and stuff groceries, just in case you need to find another job quickly.
[X] She'd tell Asahi in a week, once she'd qualified as a miko.
[X] Go see how Koyomi's handling herself first.
I should really see Koyomi first, Miyako thought, she'd be in a real bad place right now. At least Kazuya and Reiji will have people in the hospital to watch over them, well, hoping this town's got a pretty decent hospital anyway. But with Higashi-sama busy here, Arisugawa-sama doesn't have anyone with her. Though my new boss wouldn't mind me being late to work if it's to make sure her old friend's okay, wouldn't she?
She found Asahi out in the courtyard, who greeted her with, "Ah Nozawa-chan, good to see you awake. I take it you've met Hayato-kun, I hope he didn't startle you."
"Oh no, he was fine," Miyako said, and cute and talented! Er, and a little concerning.
"Glad to hear it. Now, I have lighter workload in mind for you today, you've earned it given the, well, 'events' of last night," Asahi said.
"Thanks, but I could definitely still handle the full workload, overtime even!" Miyako said on impulse, rolling up her sleeves for emphasis. But she then remembered, "But could I do something first? It might make me a little late is all."
"But of course," Asahi said, with her then adding more sternly, "Remember, an exhausted worker is not a productive worker, despite what many other bosses will tell you, ahem."
"Yeah, got that," Miyako said, leaving little time for those words to sink in. "I wanted to go visit Arisugawa-sama, make sure everything's okay with her after what happened last night."
Asahi had to think that over, but then said, "As long as careful, Nozawa-chan, given what state Koyomi would be in right now," in a tone that didn't quite sound like she was talking about her old friend.
"I know, but trust me, I'll be okay," Miyako said, not adding You're not the first person who's talked about Arisugawa-sama like that. She still had one question though, "Arisugawa-sama told me she wanted to write manga back in school, before switching to novels 'cause no art made them easier. Ah, relatively easier of course," she caught herself. "So, was wondering if you remembered any of her old ideas?"
Asahi shrugged, "Not really, I must admit. Not just because it was decades ago, but because Koyomi actually had so many ideas back then that they all condensed together for me, I only remember their quantity really. I do remember her art though, it… wasn't the best, to put it mildly," she said and coughed, "We all kept telling her to work hard to get better at it, but I'm afraid that just made her quit it out of spite."
"Oof. Guess you can see why I asked you, Arisugawa-sama sure sounded embarrassed when I brought it up with her," Miyako said.
"Wait, if you are going to go see her," Asahi said as she turned to call her son, "Maybe you'd like to bring Hayato with you? The extra company might help."
Hayato stepped out and said, "I haven't met my mother's old friend before, so I'd certainly wouldn't mind coming with you."
"Ooh, I'd like that, but…" Miyako said then sighed, "I shouldn't. Guess it's for the best that I talk to Arisugawa-sama on my own, don't wanna crowd her or anything."
"Yes, that's understandable. And I can always meet her another time, so no bother," Hayato said before his mother interjected.
"Well, how about if Hayato just walks with you to her house, then? No harm in that," Asahi kept asking Miyako.
"Sure, I'm cool with that," Miyako said, thought twitched a little at Asahi's sudden insistence. She then grabbed Hayato's arm and went, "C'mon, Higashi-kun! I know a shortc- ah, no I don't. Oh, but I do know some cafes we could stop at!"
"…But you just ate," Hayato said in vain.
"Back soon, Higashi-sama!" Miyako said right over him.
Heading through Hinodeharu, Miyako spent the whole time telling Hayato everything about Hanazakari and then some. It was when she got to the more famous Hanazakari, like Cherry Blossom or Chrysanthemum or overseas ones like Padma, that Hayato stopped to speak up.
"So Black Rose Arisugawa-sama isn't that well-known among Hanazakari?" he asked.
"Ah, don't think so. I actually hadn't heard of her till someone said there was a Hanazakari in this town, but I guess since she has darkness powers, she would've been all behind the scenes and stuff," Miyako said.
"Huh, I see. Guess I imagined something more, from all the sorts of things my parents used to say about her," Hayato said, being quick to add, "Not meaning to diminish her efforts of course, she is part of the reason I'm alive after all. It's just I'm told she was at Shin Sekigahara; you think that would've gotten her more attention."
Miyako froze, her eyes almost popping out. "Arisugawa-sama… was at Shin Sekigahara? As in, 'final battle Japan fought against the Frost Fair' Shin Sekigahara?!"
"Well, so my parents told me," Hayato said.
Now Miyako knew more than anything what she wanted to ask Koyomi… and knew more than anything what she couldn't. It'd be the biggest battle she ever fought, I can't bring that up on top of everything she's going through now, she thought.
At least it wasn't long before they reached Koyomi's ramshackle cottage, it being to the northeast of town as the shrine was straight east. "I'm fine waiting outside, I rarely come up to his part of the forest. But please, call if you need me," Hayato said and bowed.
"Can do," Miyako smiled back before she knocked on the door. Really, I'll be fine, she still thought.
Then she knocked again. And again. Only then Koyomi's voice rasped out, "…Who is it?"
"It's me, Miyako Nozawa," she said, but that also getting no reply, she added, "I just wanted to make sure you were okay, that's all."
"Fine. Come in," Koyomi said.
Miyako then entered and saw Koyomi was at her desk, actually typing something up despite her saying before that she wanted a break from writing. It was a while before she looked at Miyako, at which she said to her, "Why you did come? You're at Asahi's place now, aren't you? You'd be better off asking her whatever it is."
"I just wanted to ask if you were okay," Miyako said, her prior vibrancy now gone.
"Do I look okay?" Koyomi sighed, slumping in her chair.
"Arisugawa-sama, please. I said this last night, but I know you never meant to nearly kill anyone. You knew the risks and just lost track, that's all," Miyako said, tears starting to well up, "And we all would've been drained or killed without you, so I'd be just as guilty."
"Nozawa, 'just losing track' is an understatement," Koyomi told her as she stood up, "All I could feel, seeing anything to do with the Frost Fair, was sheer hate. Fear too maybe, thanks to that leech, and you know what fear leads to."
Miyako felt she had no idea what to say to that, yet she still said, "But Kazuya didn't die, that's the important part. And we can learn from this, know what to do better next time!"
"Next time?!" Koyomi almost spat out. Only then did she calm herself and say, "I know, I know, you're just trying to make me feel better, but why bother? If it's just because I'm a Hanazakari, you know I'm hardly the only one, even among us Witches."
"Please, don't say that" Miyako said, then took Koyomi by the arms, "I'd like to meet another Hanazakari, yeah, but if I did, you'd still be the first Hanazakari who gave me the time of day, tried to help me out. And even if you weren't the first, or not a Hanazakari at all, well, I still wouldn't need a reason to help you."
"Oh, don't act so unconditional. Everyone has a reason, whether it's convenient for them to admit it," Koyomi began, but softened and said, "…But thank you, Nozawa.
Listen though, you may say I 'never meant' to kill, but you should know people have died because of me," her voice darkened as she went on, "I've killed Frostfarers, of course. It was in self-defence of course, humanity-defence you could say, and they'd all lived longer than any human ever has. But you can't so simply rationalise that where you're just a kid, hell, I was ten when I was anointed a Hanazakari."
"And…" Miyako struggled to ask this, "other Hanazakari?"
"I'll say they have died because of me, yes," Koyomi said, it being no easier for her to answer, "There was a girl I knew, Hirasaka Namie. She was the first Hanazakari I ever saw die. Maybe if I did things differently I could've saved her, maybe I had no chance, but what question is that to even ask a girl who was barely in middle school then?!" She crashed her fists into her desk.
Once again, Miyako knew she needed to change the subject quick. "Arisugawa-sama, are you writing again?"
Koyomi quickly caught onto what Miyako was doing, but said anyway, "Thought getting back into it might help get my mind off things, off a lot of things. I'm trying what's called 'automatic writing', y'know, like Yeats, Doyle and those old monks used. It's not working by the way, just been getting a load of gibberish so far. Goes to show just because space plants can give you magic, doesn't mean just any old paranormal thing actually exists."
Article:
Talking about writing reminded Miyako of something. She had this old Hanazakari fanfic she planned to give to Reiji, see if it could be performed and help get the theatre going again. And now she could have a real novelist look over it!
[ ] "Hey, I've written something of my own. Just for fun, not a journalism thing, but you might be interested."
[ ] "I wrote something in my spare time, but nah, you probably wouldn't care for it." She figured reverse psychology might work better on Koyomi.
[ ] Or maybe I should give Reiji the first look over, since it's his theatre? Er, if he's in any condition to?
[ ] Instead, she asked, "Hey, Higashi-sama's son has been curious to meet you, would you like to say hi?"
[ ] Instead, she said, "I gotta get going now, got miko stuff I should be doing. No, café first, then miko stuff." [] Might as well just ask about Shin Sekigahara at this point. [Miyako does not have enough Emotional Strength to ask this.]
[ ] Resisting the urge to drag Arisugawa-sama through her past any further for today, she asked "If you're looking for a less serious way to write then maybe we could write something together?" (Tetra Write-in)
[ ] Write-in
I can't help but worry that the Hanazakari fic Miyako wrote before she ever met one might bristle Arisugawa even more. At the same time, trying to pull her into tolerating someone else write now doesn't seem great, nor does leaving her be.
Miyako showing Koyomi her old fanfiction sounds like it could be a fun premise for non-canon omake. Maybe not such a good idea for the actual Quest, though.
[X] Or maybe I should give Reiji the first look over, since it's his theatre? Er, if he's in any condition to?
From a tactical standpoint, this probably means she's more of a support debuffer than a frontline fighter, which goes great with her name and allows us more creative plans.
Miyako showing Koyomi her old fanfiction sounds like it could be a fun premise for non-canon omake. Maybe not such a good idea for the actual Quest, though.
[X] Or maybe I should give Reiji the first look over, since it's his theatre? Er, if he's in any condition to?
This make sense, but it seems to imply that our immediate action will be to hunt down Reiji (since it doesn't continue the conversation in any way), which seems like a mark against.
[X] Or maybe I should give Reiji the first look over, since it's his theatre? Er, if he's in any condition to?
-[X] Instead, she asked, "Hey, Higashi-sama's son has been curious to meet you, would you like to say hi?"
These two options do feel like they go together. But yeah, taking a gamble with the fan fic sounds like a risky move. So, we might as well try the other person? I can't say I expect them to instantly hit it off well enough to start drawing a manga together, but it beats ditching her for sure. Hopefully he's going to lean more on the "I'm alive because of her" side of things rather than "I kinda expected more."
In other news, I've updated the cast of characters and just got done picking out the kanji for all the characters so far (and one hiragana in Miyako's case). Wouldn't quite call all of these finalised though, and would call myself decent but not exceptional at Japanese (I used Jisho for most of these):
Arisugawa Koyomi - 在栖川朔
Nozawa Miyako - 野沢尚宮こ
Yuuki Reiji - 夕樹伶史
Kai Kazuya - 改冬夜
Higashi Asahi - 東旭
Higashi Hayato - 東隼
Hoshizora Yumemi (Hanazakari briefly mentioned by Koyomi) - 星空夢実
