- Location
- Spain
We're Basque so we do have those. We also keep the water cold enough that you need a pickaxe to bathe and then shower with sandpaper afterwards.
Making changes when I get off work. Thanks, man.
-
Going forward, links to content from Twitter (now X) will no longer be embedded. Pre-existing links should not be affected.
Legacy of the Forgotten (Fantasy NGE AU)
- Thread starter Gryphon
- Start date
We're Basque so we do have those. We also keep the water cold enough that you need a pickaxe to bathe and then shower with sandpaper afterwards.
Making changes when I get off work. Thanks, man.
- Location
- National Capital Region, USA
These two will be great influences on Rei!
- Location
- Spain
These two will be great influences on Rei!
Well... I'll just say that Shinji will go grey haired really young for no readily apparent reason. At all.
On the bright side, the children love spending time with auntie Rei, so there's that!
Turing Decidable
𝕘𝕒𝕣𝕗
- Location
- Belgium
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Forever shall the Ikari family consider cursed the name of Makinami.
- Location
- National Capital Region, USA
The image of a tired, grey haired Shinji.... surrounded and buried by his many kids, while Asuka looks on with a maternal smile is terribly heartwarming.Well... I'll just say that Shinji will go grey haired really young for no readily apparent reason. At all.
On the bright side, the children love spending time with auntie Rei, so there's that!
For about 2 seconds, and then one of them will remember that Shinji was literally walking away and giving up for good when Mari convinced Asuka to try one more time. Without Mari's intervention, they both could be alone, angry, and wishing they hadn't screwed up their chance. Then they'll sigh and forgive her again.
Turing Decidable
𝕘𝕒𝕣𝕗
- Location
- Belgium
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Ehehe, plain forgot about that. :^}
- Location
- Spain
The image of a tired, grey haired Shinji.... surrounded and buried by his many kids, while Asuka looks on with a maternal smile is terribly heartwarming.
"Hey, Asuka," I whisper, loud enough for my wife to hear me but quietly enough not to wake the slumbering infants clinging all over my body. "You look picture perfect and all like that, but do you mind helping me out here? My everything's seriously starting to go numb!"
Asuka just looks at me with mirth dancing all over her face and grabs her ponytail with a hand, brushing the end of it against her nose as if she were painting and making a big show out of debating a hard decision.
"I could..." my wife smiles impishly, and I feel my stomach sink. "But, you know what? I think I'm going to grab my phone and send a picture to your parents, instead. How long do you think it'll take them to race all the way here? Just to see this in the flesh?"
Not waiting for my response, Asuka blows me a kiss and a wink and ducks around the corner, no doubt fully intending to carry out her nefarious plan before any timely interruptions happen to appear.
"NO! NOT THEM!" I whisper/shout, hoping against hope that Asuka will show mercy for once in her life. "ASUKA! ASUKA!!"
My efforts, of course, fail, and I'm left powerlessly awaiting the arrival of a very long Ikari household afternoon visit. Which will include my dad (who always manages to make the kids cry, somehow), my mum (who will gleefully take to the task of comforting them, against hell and high water) and Rei (who just... well, Rei).
...
...Sigh. Fate really hates my guts.
Turing Decidable
𝕘𝕒𝕣𝕗
- Location
- Belgium
- Pronouns
- He/Him
You're the best, Gryphon.
- Location
- National Capital Region, USA
Dirtnap
Kanmusu Affecionado
(Sequel-Sequel One-Shot) The 3rd - Part 2
- Location
- Spain
Okay, so I've decided to break my usual one-shot MO and post the scene updates as I go, rather than a link at the finished product. I do this with the intention of trying to make the end of this series as good as it can possibly get, so do mercilessly rip into it with criticism and ideas, if you may.
The title is very much placeholder, until I manage to come up with something on the same level as the ther two. Ideas welcome, by the way.
The 3rd, Part 2
After my predictably ill-fated attempts at chivalry, I grudgingly allow my little sister to join in on Asuka and Makinami-san's water games, and I do so for a bigger reason than avoiding exposure to her infamously dangerous puppy-dog eyes (or even worse, her sharp tongue). I'm hoping that sending Rei to hang out with the two of them will remind them of the fact that we are not alone in this place, and that they should probably be just a little bit mindful of the people around us.
Hopefully, that will be enough to keep us from being kicked out by the people in charge. At least for a few hours.
Meanwhile, I start heading in the direction I saw Ken and Kaworu-kun disappear in nearly fifteen minutes ago, and quickly manage to catch up to them. They've found a nice spot for our towels and bags at the edge of the pool grounds, right under a fairly large tree that provides a good amount of shade.
...And I must have my current worries written all over my face, because the very first thing the two of them do when they notice my approach is to share a knowing look and throw a cold soda my way.
"Sohryu and Makinami?" Kensuke asks, smiling knowingly.
"And my sister," I put the surface of the ice-cold soda firmly against my forehead, sighing as it manages to push aside the heat for a blessed second or two. I quickly apply this aluminium panacea to several different parts of my exposed body. "Don't you forget about her."
"Rei-san?" Kaworu-kun asks curiously. "But she seemed so well-behaved before."
"That's because she doesn't feel comfortable around you yet, Nagisa. I'm betting that you'll be thinking differently before today's over, though." Ken chuckles, watching the silver-haired boy with an amused smirk. "Watch yourself, by the way, or that kid will have you under her thumb before long. Especially since you don't really know how to say 'No', like Shinji here."
I want to argue against Kensuke's words, but quickly give up on even attempting to do so. My history with any of the girls blissfully swimming in the pool should be testament enough to the truth in his statement, after all.
Kaworu-kun, for his part, looks at the both of us with a raised eyebrow, before standing up with a shrug.
"...I will keep that in mind."
It's clear that he still thinks we're exaggerating, though. A very dangerous opinion to have about anything Rei-related, and one that I would normally caution against buuut...
I think I'll let cold, hard, reality prove our words to Kaworu-kun today. Like Ken said, it shouldn't take too long a time, and it will keep Rei off my back for a while.
And it will be funnier that way, too; sorry, Kaworu-kun.
...
Man, Asuka is rubbing off on me too, it seems, and that's one scary thought in and of itself. I don't think I would've willingly sacrificed a friend to the machinations of my sister just because it sounded hilarious, half a year ago.
Oh well, not the end of the world. Nothing wrong with a bit of good fun, and it's not like Rei's antics will leave any lasting traumas on Kaworu-kun's psyche.
Not deep ones, anyway. And I've survived almost eight years with her, so I'm sort of an expert on everything Rei-related.
A quick, unspoken check with Ken tells me that he's thinking along the same lines I am, so we decide to drop the topic and finally get on with heading towards the water at the behest of our boiling bodies. I'm still worried about the other half of our group, too, and about our chances of being able to stay in the pool for as long as we want.
...
And with good reason, too, as I soon get to witness while entering the water: those two have taken to catapulting Rei high into the air, much to the little tyrant's delight. They're at least making sure that no other kids are around before sending the runt soaring, but who knows for how long they're going to remember those preventive measures?
Oh yeah, I do. And the correct answer is 'very little time'. Better get going before I need to mediate between Asuka, Makinami-san and an angry mother. That's not the way I want to spend a Sunday, thank you very much.
With that thought in mind, I kick off the edge of the pool and get to swimming. I go with basic breast-stroke and, while my form isn't going to win me any elegance awards, it's good enough to get the job done.
It's also good enough to surprise one of my friends, apparently.
"The hell, Shinji? You traitor!" I hear Ken shout from somewhere behind me. "When did you get that much better than me at swimming?! We used to be pool edge buddies back in the day!"
I turn towards my friend's voice and find him struggling to keep up with me. Kaworu-kun, for his part, is swimming by Ken's side, being far more graceful and efficient in his movements than I could ever hope to be. He's really a fish in the water, that one.
I use the short moment it takes my friends to reach me to look at the spot where we entered the water and take good notice of what it is that Kensuke's so surprised about: I've covered about fifteen metres of distance in the water with just a kick from the wall and a few strokes, something that would have been unthinkable for me to pull off not that long ago.
And, like so many things in my life nowadays, something that's very easily explained with just one simple sentence.
"Asuka made me learn," I intone, deadpan. "Said that no boyfriend of hers was going to be scared of a little water."
"Sohryu-san taught you? I suppose her usual drive for excellence would make her a good teacher, indeed. That certainly explains your quick progress, Shinji-kun."
Kaworu-kun's kind words are accompanied by his trademark earnest smile. Something that, on most occasions, would go a long way towards lifting my spirits or generally making me feel good about whatever it was that he's praising.
But when linked to that specific day, Kaworu-kun's words actually make me shiver hard enough that anyone watching me could be forgiven for thinking the ambient temperature had suddenly and drastically dropped.
...
A 'good teacher', he says. Ignorance truly is bliss.
"...Shinji-kun? Are you all right?"
"...Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine, Kaworu-kun," I reassure him, fighting back another shudder. "Just recalling some bad memories, is all."
The silver-haired boy looks at me curiously for a second, not really understanding how... recklessly efficient Asuka's so-called coaching can be. It barely takes an instant for Kensuke to catch onto what I mean, though.
"...That bad?"
I sigh deeply with a slow nod, trying my hardest to banish the experience of those days to the deepest recesses of my mind, right next to Rei's sixth birthday party.
"Let's just say that Asuka's a big advocate of the literal sink-or-swim method."
The moment the words leave my mouth is also the moment I notice that Kaworu-kun isn't looking at me anymore but, rather, at a spot somewhere above my left shoulder. He's also looking thoroughly amused and, in stark contrast to the affectionate pet name that Asuka's always gracing me with, it takes me but a moment to put two and two together on the why.
My connection proves to come a second too late, though, and the next thing I know, a pair of smooth hands that I know very well have grabbed hold of my head and playfully sunk it under the water. They keep it down there for two or three seconds before allowing me to come back up for air.
Which I obviously do, turning around to come face to face with a gorgeous redhead. One that's smirking dangerously, mind you, but still beautiful.
"And I'll say that you are such a baby, Shinji! You're making it sound way worse than it actually was!"
"A-Asuka!" I exclaim, in between coughs. "Where did you come from?!"
"Behind you, duh. Glasses is right when she says that you lot have to work on your awareness, you know? I wasn't even trying." Asuka replies, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes in mock-anger. "I just followed the tingling of my bullshit sense, and what do I find? My boyfriend exaggerating as usual and making me sound like a terrible, terrible person. I'm hurt, Shinji."
"Exaggerating, Asuka?" my face is as deadpan as I can possibly pull off. "I'm pretty sure that my body's still filtering all of the pool water I swallowed that day."
"And I'm not surprised. I had to pretty much force your head underwater after all, Baka mine, and keep you from messing up your own spine with your terrible form." Asuka replies without missing a beat, punctuating her words with her usual habit of poking a finger against my chest. "If you carry half the municipal pool in your stomach, it's your own fault for proving to be such a difficult pupil. Things would have been far smoother if you'd been a little... actually, a lot more cooperative."
And I'd have been a lot more cooperative if you hadn't thought of whacking my head with the end of a stick every time I did something wrong. Not putting real power behind the strikes doesn't make the idea behind them any better, Asuka.
I mean, can you imagine Misato-sensei doing the same thing to you every time you don't present your History homework? You'd have no space left to affix your hairclips on, that's for sure!
Still, my grumpy ranting aside, I have to give this girl credit where credit's due. Not that long ago, Asuka would have thrown a major fit at me for daring to be sarcastic like that, but she's since learned (or better said, re-learned) to take it all in stride or snark back at me, rather than allowing her temper to dictate her actions.
It honestly makes me feel really proud of her, even if I kinda wish that she would cut back on the forehead-flicking and general light-hearted violence a bit more going forward. The overall pleasantness that such a change would bring aside, I don't want Rei (or anyone else for that matter) getting any more ideas than they already have.
"Besides," Asuka continues, signalling at the distance I swam a moment ago with a pleased smile on her face. "It's not like the results weren't worth a bad day or two, now, were they?"
"...I can't really argue with that."
Asuka's drill sergeant methods are as effective as they are traumatic, after all.
I only hope that she won't take it upon herself to try and teach me how to improve on all those other physical activities I'm not exactly amazing at, like basketball, or football. The costs would very much out-weigh the benefits, because I don't think my body or mind could survive any long-term exposure to her training regime.
What's more, things get even worse when you take into account that, being team games, Asuka could have grounds for bringing Makinami-san along to 'help'. How's that for terrifying?
Very much so, is the answer. And it must be showing on my face, because Asuka's look quickly shifts from mock-anger to pouting.
"Oh, come on, Shinji! Turn that frown upside down, it wasn't that bad!" Another seamless shift, and my girlfriend's sending a flirty smile my way, closing the distance between us just the tiniest little bit. "Or what? Do you want me to go ahead and kiss the boo-boos better?"
"Uh... Yeah?"
My hopeful answer is paired up with a surprised blink of my eyes. It's not like Asuka to be so openly affectionate with people around, after all.
Maybe the sudden change from blistering heat to cool water turned off a few of her usual inhibitions?
"Good answer. But that's for later!" Asuka declares, before turning around and beckoning us to follow her. "Now come on, you three! That's enough yapping! Let's head back with the rest so that we can start!"
"...Start?" Ken asks nervously, wading to my side. "Start what?"
"The games, of course!" She responds, turning back around just enough to remind me us that she hasn't forgotten how to pull off her deadly smirk. "I've got a lot of stuff in mind and very little time to get it all going, after all!"
Her piece said, Asuka dives forward and swims away with enviable speed, just fast enough to miss Ken's troubled groan at the news. What he's so surprised about, though, I really can't tell. I mean, this is Asuka we're talking about and Makinami-san is within fifty metres of her, you just know that exhausting physical activity is going to be somewhere on the menu when those two bundles of inexhaustible energy start orbiting one another.
Kaworu-kun, for his part, looks unfazed enough for me to think that he saw this one coming as well. Or maybe he's just that much better than Kensuke at hiding his reactions, I honestly can't tell with him, sometimes.
In any case, the three of us quickly decide that risking a penalty of any sort from having Asuka wait for too long is probably not in our best interests, so we quickly (or as quickly as we can) group up with the rest of the girls. Both she and Rei still chide us for taking too long, but things stay at that with Asuka then taking to creating the teams as quickly and efficiently as she usually does.
...The split doesn't go exactly as I thought it would, however.
"That's an odd way of organizing the teams, though," Ken gives voice to my thoughts before me, looking curiously at Makinami-san and Kaworu-kun. "I was kinda expecting another boys versus girls scenario, like last winter."
"The Princess insisted. Something about not wanting Puppy-kun and Sparkles to be in the same team." Makinami explains, before leaning over with her hand over her mouth and whispering in a not-so-secret manner. "She's being a bit too overzealous about her territory if you ask me, Shinji-kun."
'Sparkles'? Is that meant to be Kaworu-kun? I... don't really understand what's up with that nickname.
Then again, my not being able to follow Makinami-san's thought processes isn't really anything new. You need a very specific kind of mindset to be able to follow that girl, after all.
Or a clear no-nonsense attitude and a hand that's far too quick, in Asuka's case.
...I'm more worried about the direction in which Makinami-san's gossiping, though.
"Good thing that nobody is asking, then." Asuka interrupts drily, before making mention of the obvious detail everyone is seeing. "And Shinji is to my left, Glasses. The one you're so openly whispering to is Nagisa."
"Eh? Really?" At Asuka's correction, Makinami-san narrows her eyes, currently lacking in her usual omnipresent glasses, and begins looking Kaworu-kun up and down. She does so for several passes, before launching her hand high in the air and patting the poor man's head a few times, much to Kaworu-kun's obvious discomfort. "Wow, you're right! Hair so fluffy can only belong to Sparkles! Sorry, Sparkles!"
Kaworu-kun bears Makinami-san's face-splitting smile stoically, gently removing the invading appendage from his hair with a heavy sigh.
"We've been over this before, but could you please call me by name, Makinami-san?"
"Umm... Maybe?"
"Right," Ken butts in, chuckling at the girl's evasive answer. "That's a 'no', in case you're wondering, Nagisa. Welcome to the club."
"Shush, Ota-kun! No leaking of important mission data allowed!"
"What 'important mission data' are you even talking about? It's not like most people here can't tell that you plan on ignoring his plea, anyway."
"That's beside the point!" Makinami-san suddenly exclaims out of nowhere, narrowing her eyes at my shocked friend and advancing towards his position, finger poking against his chest in a very familiar way. "Soldiers should listen to their orders, or it's court martial time! And then," Mari sinks her arms into the water behind her and the muscles all over her upper body visibly tense up. I feel my eyes widen, knowing full well what's coming next. "Execution!"
...
For I'm currently standing much too close to Kensuke Aida.
His path of retreat brought him here, you see, his instincts maybe thinking that I of all people could help him somehow in the face of mortal peril. Which is completely absurd and a clear sign that Ken should have his instincts looked at, by the way.
And now I'm drenched, even if I was standing almost a metre away from Kensuke when the Makinami tsunami struck him.
Man, that girl sure has some muscles.
"Oh," Makinami-san blinks in my direction, having no doubt heard my startled yelp. "Sorry, Puppy-kun."
And she also has a bit of a conscience too, apparently, hidden below layers upon layers of craziness and hyperactivity.
"It's fine. It's just water." I sigh, dripping liquid all over and trying my hardest to tune out my girlfriend's roaring laughter. It's not that hard, considering that I'm actually a bit more worried about the sheer lack of Kensuke beside me, to be honest. What hit him looked like enough water to drown an elephant, after all.
Thankfully for all of us, Kensuke resurfaces quite a few steps away, hacking, gagging, and more than a bit confused as to how he got over there.
The women in our group are one scary bunch, that's for sure.
"But more importantly," I decide to distract this crazy girl before she can consider renewing her assault, hoping to provide Ken with the assistance I couldn't offer before. "Are you really going to be all right playing without your glasses, Makinami-san?"
"It'll be fine, it'll be fine, Puppy-kun! I've got very good hearing, you know?" the excitable girl quickly reassures me, her ever-present grin back on her face. "I'll just do like submarines do and find you guys with sound! Like this!"
In time with her words, Makinami-san closes her eyes and starts blurting out very audible 'boops', holding her arms forward and turning her whole body around after each and every single one. Needless to say, this is more than a bit out there, even by Makinami-san's standards. It's starting to garner us a lot of weird looks, too.
The crazy girl keeps on doing her thing for some more time, until she more or less sets course for our group once more. Whether she found us by the use of actual echolocation or by cheating somehow I can't tell, but I'm sensible enough to be more biased towards the latter.
I mean, I know that I said once that Makinami-san is blind as a bat without her glasses, but this is definitely taking that comparison a step too far.
In any case, Makinami-san achieves her objective soon after. Which is to say, she walks her face straight into Asuka's open palm.
"Not one step closer you hugging maniac, you're way too predictable." Asuka mutters a stony warning, Makinami-san trying and failing to get a solid hold on her. "And sonar doesn't work like that, by the way."
"Ouchie, Princess," our wannabe batgirl moans as she disengages, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Why so mean?"
"Because someone has to keep you on a leash while Hikari isn't around," the classroom tyrant's second in command proudly declares, putting her arms on her hips as she usually does at those times. "I just happen to be the one best suited for the job."
By the way, that's a pretty nice excuse there, Asuka. Too bad that we all know you don't exactly wait for Horaki-san's permission to clip Makinami-san's wings at every opportunity, too.
Not that I'm going to be the one to call her out on that, of course. I'd rather not end up like Ken.
"And that's enough fooling around for now, birdbrain." Asuka continues, bringing her arm up into the air. "Gather 'round, people. We're warming up with a game of tag, before moving on to the serious team stuff!"
Tag, huh? Simple enough. I'd go so far as to call it boring if we weren't at the pool, too.
"And I declare..." Asuka's voice takes on a dramatic tone for a few moments, before her finger drops down in my direction. "That Shinji is it!"
...
And that surprised exactly no one.
Oh well, better get to it. I bet I can catch Ken before he fully recovers.
The title is very much placeholder, until I manage to come up with something on the same level as the ther two. Ideas welcome, by the way.
The 3rd, Part 2
After my predictably ill-fated attempts at chivalry, I grudgingly allow my little sister to join in on Asuka and Makinami-san's water games, and I do so for a bigger reason than avoiding exposure to her infamously dangerous puppy-dog eyes (or even worse, her sharp tongue). I'm hoping that sending Rei to hang out with the two of them will remind them of the fact that we are not alone in this place, and that they should probably be just a little bit mindful of the people around us.
Hopefully, that will be enough to keep us from being kicked out by the people in charge. At least for a few hours.
Meanwhile, I start heading in the direction I saw Ken and Kaworu-kun disappear in nearly fifteen minutes ago, and quickly manage to catch up to them. They've found a nice spot for our towels and bags at the edge of the pool grounds, right under a fairly large tree that provides a good amount of shade.
...And I must have my current worries written all over my face, because the very first thing the two of them do when they notice my approach is to share a knowing look and throw a cold soda my way.
"Sohryu and Makinami?" Kensuke asks, smiling knowingly.
"And my sister," I put the surface of the ice-cold soda firmly against my forehead, sighing as it manages to push aside the heat for a blessed second or two. I quickly apply this aluminium panacea to several different parts of my exposed body. "Don't you forget about her."
"Rei-san?" Kaworu-kun asks curiously. "But she seemed so well-behaved before."
"That's because she doesn't feel comfortable around you yet, Nagisa. I'm betting that you'll be thinking differently before today's over, though." Ken chuckles, watching the silver-haired boy with an amused smirk. "Watch yourself, by the way, or that kid will have you under her thumb before long. Especially since you don't really know how to say 'No', like Shinji here."
I want to argue against Kensuke's words, but quickly give up on even attempting to do so. My history with any of the girls blissfully swimming in the pool should be testament enough to the truth in his statement, after all.
Kaworu-kun, for his part, looks at the both of us with a raised eyebrow, before standing up with a shrug.
"...I will keep that in mind."
It's clear that he still thinks we're exaggerating, though. A very dangerous opinion to have about anything Rei-related, and one that I would normally caution against buuut...
I think I'll let cold, hard, reality prove our words to Kaworu-kun today. Like Ken said, it shouldn't take too long a time, and it will keep Rei off my back for a while.
And it will be funnier that way, too; sorry, Kaworu-kun.
...
Man, Asuka is rubbing off on me too, it seems, and that's one scary thought in and of itself. I don't think I would've willingly sacrificed a friend to the machinations of my sister just because it sounded hilarious, half a year ago.
Oh well, not the end of the world. Nothing wrong with a bit of good fun, and it's not like Rei's antics will leave any lasting traumas on Kaworu-kun's psyche.
Not deep ones, anyway. And I've survived almost eight years with her, so I'm sort of an expert on everything Rei-related.
A quick, unspoken check with Ken tells me that he's thinking along the same lines I am, so we decide to drop the topic and finally get on with heading towards the water at the behest of our boiling bodies. I'm still worried about the other half of our group, too, and about our chances of being able to stay in the pool for as long as we want.
...
And with good reason, too, as I soon get to witness while entering the water: those two have taken to catapulting Rei high into the air, much to the little tyrant's delight. They're at least making sure that no other kids are around before sending the runt soaring, but who knows for how long they're going to remember those preventive measures?
Oh yeah, I do. And the correct answer is 'very little time'. Better get going before I need to mediate between Asuka, Makinami-san and an angry mother. That's not the way I want to spend a Sunday, thank you very much.
With that thought in mind, I kick off the edge of the pool and get to swimming. I go with basic breast-stroke and, while my form isn't going to win me any elegance awards, it's good enough to get the job done.
It's also good enough to surprise one of my friends, apparently.
"The hell, Shinji? You traitor!" I hear Ken shout from somewhere behind me. "When did you get that much better than me at swimming?! We used to be pool edge buddies back in the day!"
I turn towards my friend's voice and find him struggling to keep up with me. Kaworu-kun, for his part, is swimming by Ken's side, being far more graceful and efficient in his movements than I could ever hope to be. He's really a fish in the water, that one.
I use the short moment it takes my friends to reach me to look at the spot where we entered the water and take good notice of what it is that Kensuke's so surprised about: I've covered about fifteen metres of distance in the water with just a kick from the wall and a few strokes, something that would have been unthinkable for me to pull off not that long ago.
And, like so many things in my life nowadays, something that's very easily explained with just one simple sentence.
"Asuka made me learn," I intone, deadpan. "Said that no boyfriend of hers was going to be scared of a little water."
"Sohryu-san taught you? I suppose her usual drive for excellence would make her a good teacher, indeed. That certainly explains your quick progress, Shinji-kun."
Kaworu-kun's kind words are accompanied by his trademark earnest smile. Something that, on most occasions, would go a long way towards lifting my spirits or generally making me feel good about whatever it was that he's praising.
But when linked to that specific day, Kaworu-kun's words actually make me shiver hard enough that anyone watching me could be forgiven for thinking the ambient temperature had suddenly and drastically dropped.
...
A 'good teacher', he says. Ignorance truly is bliss.
"...Shinji-kun? Are you all right?"
"...Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine, Kaworu-kun," I reassure him, fighting back another shudder. "Just recalling some bad memories, is all."
The silver-haired boy looks at me curiously for a second, not really understanding how... recklessly efficient Asuka's so-called coaching can be. It barely takes an instant for Kensuke to catch onto what I mean, though.
"...That bad?"
I sigh deeply with a slow nod, trying my hardest to banish the experience of those days to the deepest recesses of my mind, right next to Rei's sixth birthday party.
"Let's just say that Asuka's a big advocate of the literal sink-or-swim method."
The moment the words leave my mouth is also the moment I notice that Kaworu-kun isn't looking at me anymore but, rather, at a spot somewhere above my left shoulder. He's also looking thoroughly amused and, in stark contrast to the affectionate pet name that Asuka's always gracing me with, it takes me but a moment to put two and two together on the why.
My connection proves to come a second too late, though, and the next thing I know, a pair of smooth hands that I know very well have grabbed hold of my head and playfully sunk it under the water. They keep it down there for two or three seconds before allowing me to come back up for air.
Which I obviously do, turning around to come face to face with a gorgeous redhead. One that's smirking dangerously, mind you, but still beautiful.
"And I'll say that you are such a baby, Shinji! You're making it sound way worse than it actually was!"
"A-Asuka!" I exclaim, in between coughs. "Where did you come from?!"
"Behind you, duh. Glasses is right when she says that you lot have to work on your awareness, you know? I wasn't even trying." Asuka replies, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes in mock-anger. "I just followed the tingling of my bullshit sense, and what do I find? My boyfriend exaggerating as usual and making me sound like a terrible, terrible person. I'm hurt, Shinji."
"Exaggerating, Asuka?" my face is as deadpan as I can possibly pull off. "I'm pretty sure that my body's still filtering all of the pool water I swallowed that day."
"And I'm not surprised. I had to pretty much force your head underwater after all, Baka mine, and keep you from messing up your own spine with your terrible form." Asuka replies without missing a beat, punctuating her words with her usual habit of poking a finger against my chest. "If you carry half the municipal pool in your stomach, it's your own fault for proving to be such a difficult pupil. Things would have been far smoother if you'd been a little... actually, a lot more cooperative."
And I'd have been a lot more cooperative if you hadn't thought of whacking my head with the end of a stick every time I did something wrong. Not putting real power behind the strikes doesn't make the idea behind them any better, Asuka.
I mean, can you imagine Misato-sensei doing the same thing to you every time you don't present your History homework? You'd have no space left to affix your hairclips on, that's for sure!
Still, my grumpy ranting aside, I have to give this girl credit where credit's due. Not that long ago, Asuka would have thrown a major fit at me for daring to be sarcastic like that, but she's since learned (or better said, re-learned) to take it all in stride or snark back at me, rather than allowing her temper to dictate her actions.
It honestly makes me feel really proud of her, even if I kinda wish that she would cut back on the forehead-flicking and general light-hearted violence a bit more going forward. The overall pleasantness that such a change would bring aside, I don't want Rei (or anyone else for that matter) getting any more ideas than they already have.
"Besides," Asuka continues, signalling at the distance I swam a moment ago with a pleased smile on her face. "It's not like the results weren't worth a bad day or two, now, were they?"
"...I can't really argue with that."
Asuka's drill sergeant methods are as effective as they are traumatic, after all.
I only hope that she won't take it upon herself to try and teach me how to improve on all those other physical activities I'm not exactly amazing at, like basketball, or football. The costs would very much out-weigh the benefits, because I don't think my body or mind could survive any long-term exposure to her training regime.
What's more, things get even worse when you take into account that, being team games, Asuka could have grounds for bringing Makinami-san along to 'help'. How's that for terrifying?
Very much so, is the answer. And it must be showing on my face, because Asuka's look quickly shifts from mock-anger to pouting.
"Oh, come on, Shinji! Turn that frown upside down, it wasn't that bad!" Another seamless shift, and my girlfriend's sending a flirty smile my way, closing the distance between us just the tiniest little bit. "Or what? Do you want me to go ahead and kiss the boo-boos better?"
"Uh... Yeah?"
My hopeful answer is paired up with a surprised blink of my eyes. It's not like Asuka to be so openly affectionate with people around, after all.
Maybe the sudden change from blistering heat to cool water turned off a few of her usual inhibitions?
"Good answer. But that's for later!" Asuka declares, before turning around and beckoning us to follow her. "Now come on, you three! That's enough yapping! Let's head back with the rest so that we can start!"
"...Start?" Ken asks nervously, wading to my side. "Start what?"
"The games, of course!" She responds, turning back around just enough to remind me us that she hasn't forgotten how to pull off her deadly smirk. "I've got a lot of stuff in mind and very little time to get it all going, after all!"
Her piece said, Asuka dives forward and swims away with enviable speed, just fast enough to miss Ken's troubled groan at the news. What he's so surprised about, though, I really can't tell. I mean, this is Asuka we're talking about and Makinami-san is within fifty metres of her, you just know that exhausting physical activity is going to be somewhere on the menu when those two bundles of inexhaustible energy start orbiting one another.
Kaworu-kun, for his part, looks unfazed enough for me to think that he saw this one coming as well. Or maybe he's just that much better than Kensuke at hiding his reactions, I honestly can't tell with him, sometimes.
In any case, the three of us quickly decide that risking a penalty of any sort from having Asuka wait for too long is probably not in our best interests, so we quickly (or as quickly as we can) group up with the rest of the girls. Both she and Rei still chide us for taking too long, but things stay at that with Asuka then taking to creating the teams as quickly and efficiently as she usually does.
...The split doesn't go exactly as I thought it would, however.
"That's an odd way of organizing the teams, though," Ken gives voice to my thoughts before me, looking curiously at Makinami-san and Kaworu-kun. "I was kinda expecting another boys versus girls scenario, like last winter."
"The Princess insisted. Something about not wanting Puppy-kun and Sparkles to be in the same team." Makinami explains, before leaning over with her hand over her mouth and whispering in a not-so-secret manner. "She's being a bit too overzealous about her territory if you ask me, Shinji-kun."
'Sparkles'? Is that meant to be Kaworu-kun? I... don't really understand what's up with that nickname.
Then again, my not being able to follow Makinami-san's thought processes isn't really anything new. You need a very specific kind of mindset to be able to follow that girl, after all.
Or a clear no-nonsense attitude and a hand that's far too quick, in Asuka's case.
...I'm more worried about the direction in which Makinami-san's gossiping, though.
"Good thing that nobody is asking, then." Asuka interrupts drily, before making mention of the obvious detail everyone is seeing. "And Shinji is to my left, Glasses. The one you're so openly whispering to is Nagisa."
"Eh? Really?" At Asuka's correction, Makinami-san narrows her eyes, currently lacking in her usual omnipresent glasses, and begins looking Kaworu-kun up and down. She does so for several passes, before launching her hand high in the air and patting the poor man's head a few times, much to Kaworu-kun's obvious discomfort. "Wow, you're right! Hair so fluffy can only belong to Sparkles! Sorry, Sparkles!"
Kaworu-kun bears Makinami-san's face-splitting smile stoically, gently removing the invading appendage from his hair with a heavy sigh.
"We've been over this before, but could you please call me by name, Makinami-san?"
"Umm... Maybe?"
"Right," Ken butts in, chuckling at the girl's evasive answer. "That's a 'no', in case you're wondering, Nagisa. Welcome to the club."
"Shush, Ota-kun! No leaking of important mission data allowed!"
"What 'important mission data' are you even talking about? It's not like most people here can't tell that you plan on ignoring his plea, anyway."
"That's beside the point!" Makinami-san suddenly exclaims out of nowhere, narrowing her eyes at my shocked friend and advancing towards his position, finger poking against his chest in a very familiar way. "Soldiers should listen to their orders, or it's court martial time! And then," Mari sinks her arms into the water behind her and the muscles all over her upper body visibly tense up. I feel my eyes widen, knowing full well what's coming next. "Execution!"
...
For I'm currently standing much too close to Kensuke Aida.
His path of retreat brought him here, you see, his instincts maybe thinking that I of all people could help him somehow in the face of mortal peril. Which is completely absurd and a clear sign that Ken should have his instincts looked at, by the way.
And now I'm drenched, even if I was standing almost a metre away from Kensuke when the Makinami tsunami struck him.
Man, that girl sure has some muscles.
"Oh," Makinami-san blinks in my direction, having no doubt heard my startled yelp. "Sorry, Puppy-kun."
And she also has a bit of a conscience too, apparently, hidden below layers upon layers of craziness and hyperactivity.
"It's fine. It's just water." I sigh, dripping liquid all over and trying my hardest to tune out my girlfriend's roaring laughter. It's not that hard, considering that I'm actually a bit more worried about the sheer lack of Kensuke beside me, to be honest. What hit him looked like enough water to drown an elephant, after all.
Thankfully for all of us, Kensuke resurfaces quite a few steps away, hacking, gagging, and more than a bit confused as to how he got over there.
The women in our group are one scary bunch, that's for sure.
"But more importantly," I decide to distract this crazy girl before she can consider renewing her assault, hoping to provide Ken with the assistance I couldn't offer before. "Are you really going to be all right playing without your glasses, Makinami-san?"
"It'll be fine, it'll be fine, Puppy-kun! I've got very good hearing, you know?" the excitable girl quickly reassures me, her ever-present grin back on her face. "I'll just do like submarines do and find you guys with sound! Like this!"
In time with her words, Makinami-san closes her eyes and starts blurting out very audible 'boops', holding her arms forward and turning her whole body around after each and every single one. Needless to say, this is more than a bit out there, even by Makinami-san's standards. It's starting to garner us a lot of weird looks, too.
The crazy girl keeps on doing her thing for some more time, until she more or less sets course for our group once more. Whether she found us by the use of actual echolocation or by cheating somehow I can't tell, but I'm sensible enough to be more biased towards the latter.
I mean, I know that I said once that Makinami-san is blind as a bat without her glasses, but this is definitely taking that comparison a step too far.
In any case, Makinami-san achieves her objective soon after. Which is to say, she walks her face straight into Asuka's open palm.
"Not one step closer you hugging maniac, you're way too predictable." Asuka mutters a stony warning, Makinami-san trying and failing to get a solid hold on her. "And sonar doesn't work like that, by the way."
"Ouchie, Princess," our wannabe batgirl moans as she disengages, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Why so mean?"
"Because someone has to keep you on a leash while Hikari isn't around," the classroom tyrant's second in command proudly declares, putting her arms on her hips as she usually does at those times. "I just happen to be the one best suited for the job."
By the way, that's a pretty nice excuse there, Asuka. Too bad that we all know you don't exactly wait for Horaki-san's permission to clip Makinami-san's wings at every opportunity, too.
Not that I'm going to be the one to call her out on that, of course. I'd rather not end up like Ken.
"And that's enough fooling around for now, birdbrain." Asuka continues, bringing her arm up into the air. "Gather 'round, people. We're warming up with a game of tag, before moving on to the serious team stuff!"
Tag, huh? Simple enough. I'd go so far as to call it boring if we weren't at the pool, too.
"And I declare..." Asuka's voice takes on a dramatic tone for a few moments, before her finger drops down in my direction. "That Shinji is it!"
...
And that surprised exactly no one.
Oh well, better get to it. I bet I can catch Ken before he fully recovers.
- Location
- National Capital Region, USA
Asuka: "I am the best influence!"
- Location
- Spain
Asuka: "I am the best influence!"
Rei: "She totally is! I wouldn't have gotten as far as I did without her guidance, you know?"
Shinji/Ken/Kaworu: "...And the world would have been grateful for that."
- Location
- National Capital Region, USA
Shinji and Asuka are heartwarmingly hilarious together? They've both tempered and bettered each other's more negative traits, but in a mutually loving and positive way. Shinji's 'fear' of Asuka influencing Rei is understandable, yet also hugely heartwarming, since it indicates both Shinji and Asuka are at least subtly acknowledging they expect their relationship to be a very long-term one, the only kind that would make worrying about such a concern.
Everyone is still confused by Mari, as is proper. Mari is still utterly bonkers, which is also proper. I hope Kensuke has the spine to step up and match her. She'd liven his life up, and he'd ground her a bit.
Did I miss the explanation for why Hikari isn't there? I can't remember.
Everyone is still confused by Mari, as is proper. Mari is still utterly bonkers, which is also proper. I hope Kensuke has the spine to step up and match her. She'd liven his life up, and he'd ground her a bit.
Did I miss the explanation for why Hikari isn't there? I can't remember.
- Location
- Spain
Next scene gets a line talking about that. Nothing major, though, Toji and her are just both elsewhere.
But, while I certainly appreciate the effort, it's not you I was kindly asking to speak up, Stryp. I mean, you can tell me all this stuff over at the workshop at any time.
(Well, not any, since you're busy, but you get the idea.)
Ranma-sensei
Sorcerer
- Location
- Citrix Receiver
- Pronouns
- Weatherdependent
Frankly, to me her routine seems a little rehearsed, as if her hyperenergetic demeanor was a coping mechanism, like overly intelligent people sometimes develop.
Turing Decidable
𝕘𝕒𝕣𝕗
- Location
- Belgium
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Last edited:
(Sequel-Sequel One-Shot) The 3rd - Part 3
- Location
- Spain
I was going to post this tomorrow afternoon but, since quite a few of the Betas are pretty busy these days, I figured that I would post this today and lighten their workload by increasing the amount of eyes that are looking for mistakes and improvements, instead. I don't intend to this often but, for this one time, any assistance in this endeavour would be more than appreciated.
The 3rd, Part 3
Our games go on for the better part of an hour and a half, as we burn through regular tag, Marco Polo (with Makinami-san trying her batgirl tricks again to lacking results), and team games such as water polo and...
Shudder.
Kibasen.
You know, that game where teams riding on each others' shoulders try to steal a bandana (or cap, in our case) from their opponent's head. I thought I'd been freed from having to carry Asuka on my shoulders in a harsh competitive setting during Sports Day last month, but clearly Fate had other plans.
And due to said plans, now both my shoulders and scalp hurt something fierce. Yay.
At least I can take some small comfort in the knowledge that I'm not the only one suffering from various bodily pains. I mean, Kensuke was carrying Makinami-san, who gets into this kind of thing as much as Asuka does (with similar results), and Kaworu-kun...
Kaworu-kun got stuck with carrying Rei. Need I say more, other than that the guy has the patience of a saint and some real need for therapy by this point?
No, I didn't think so.
I have to admit that, the promise of a morrow with aching muscles aside, it was a fun experience, though. And Rei had an absolute blast, which felt kinda nice to see. She also managed to show Asuka and Makinami-san that the Ikari family is boss, so that alone makes the entire experience worth it, in my opinion.
In any case, the games reach an end when most of the players involved grow too tired to continue, and we go back to our spot under the blessed shade to rest, dry up, and maybe catch some sunrays later, when the threat of being roasted by our star isn't quite as likely. Asuka decides to use my stomach as a pillow, resting her head against it and falling into a catnap soon after. I personally don't think it should be that comfortable, but it's obvious that she doesn't seem to mind.
And neither do I.
Unlike Asuka, though, I don't think I can get myself to fall asleep for just a short while. I've never been a fan of naps myself, as I always wake up too groggy for them to be worth it, so I occupy my time taking a look at my surroundings, instead.
I turn my attention towards Kaworu-kun first, who is having an... interesting sort of conversation with Rei. Interesting because he's being talked at, rather than talked to.
Do you remember how I mentioned before that 'most' of us were tired?
Yeah. Rei, infinite little well of devious energy that she is, is still completely fine, and she's showing it by showering the only guy that was able to keep up with her in the water with questions. The look on Kaworu-kun's face, even if still mostly placid to an outsider, is all kinds of desperate to the expert viewer.
But I'm sorry Kaworu-kun, no matter how obvious your plea for help, Asuka would bite me if I dared to move right now. Besides, even if I could move, I'm too tired to try and separate Rei from her new playmate. But we did warn you, you know?
Ken and Makinami-san are conversing an arm's length away, speaking about swimsuits of all things. It's not the only thing they're talking about of course, because conversations with Makinami-san tend to shift topics as often as she opens her mouth, but it's the one that catches my attention for a second.
I mean, I didn't think Kensuke knew enough about girls' fashion to counsel Makinami-san on clothing colours, but I guess you learn something new every day.
"Wow...!" the amazed voice of my sister knocks me out of my musings. "Sparkly stars!"
Rei's open-mouthed wonder brings my attention back to her, with the speed befitting of someone used to look after the pint-sized ball of energy. She's looking at Kaworu-kun with a face-splitting grin and eyes full of adoration, an expression that clashes heavily with how nervous and plain confused my silver-haired friend looks.
He must have done some kind of trick that Rei really liked. I pity the poor soul.
"Do it again! Do it again!"
Because that will follow. And when she gets like that, Rei won't ever let up until she gets what she wants.
"Oh, shit! Makinami!" Kensuke suddenly jumps up and hisses at the girl beside him, looking at the scene with wide eyes. "Nagisa did the thing again! The thing!"
"...The thing?" Makinami-san asks, clearly as confused as I am at the moment. But, unlike me, she quickly appears to understand what Ken is talking about, downplaying his words with a wave of her hand. "Oh! It's fine. Rei-chan is too young for it to affect her and, even if she wasn't soundly sleeping right now, the Princess looks to be the only woman in Japan immune to the lightshow. It must be because of her sheer amount of concentrated Tsun-Tsun, or something." I can feel Asuka twitch in her sleep at Makinami-san's words, before the crazy girl points at her naked eyes with a knowing smile. "I can't really see Sparkles, in case you're worried."
Kensuke appears to weigh Makinami-san's words, before accepting them as plausible and visibly calming down.
I, for my part, still don't know what they're talking about at all, but I figure it must be some sort of running gag between them or something like that, so I don't go out of my way to question them.
"Worried for you?" Ken whispers, sighing at the same time. "Nah, it's Nagisa that I'd worry about if that were the case."
"Boo," Makinami-san pouts cutely, putting on doe eyes to amplify the effect. "How rude, Ota-kun."
But Ken merely shrugs, countering the girl's cunning manoeuvre by not looking at her directly.
"You reap what you sow, Makinami, your reputation precedes you. But more importantly: now that we've established that Rei won't be affected," Kensuke points in the direction we were looking at a moment ago. "Will Nagisa be all right, Shinji?"
I follow Ken's thumb and find, to my horror, that there's no one in the direction it's pointing at. No silver-haired aspiring artist and most certainly no hyperactive imp from Hell. I think I can make out Kaworu-kun's pleading voice in the distance, but that's about it.
...Shit. A lapse in my vigil and Kaworu-kun has been quickly and efficiently dragged into the Abyss; I should have seen Rei's crafty ways coming. I'm a failure as an older brother.
"Rei won't kill him, at least. Not too much." I wince, managing to stop my imagination from going wild on the fun possibilities that await my friend. "Kaworu-kun could probably still use a prayer or two, though."
"He'll be fine, he'll be fine! You underestimate Sparkles' resilience and ability to deal with females, Puppy-kun!" Makinami-san tries to encourage me, although I think she's being a tad too optimistic. Her expression then becomes theatrically sad. "I'm more bummed out about Ball-kun and Hikari-chan not being able to make it to today, honestly."
"Eh, that's just how it is," Ken replies, quickly latching onto the opportunity of not thinking about Kaworu-kun's personal hell. "Toji already missed the regional championship last year, so hopefully he's making up for that this weekend. There'll be plenty more days like this for them to join us during summer vacation."
"Yeah, I guess. I can't wait to see Piggy-chan in her swimsuit~!" Makinami-san swoons(?), picturing our Class Rep. in her mind's eye. And then she smoothly transitions back into her 'normal' self with zero warning whatsoever. "Buuuut, that's for another day. I guess it's about time that we got going for now, Ota-kun."
Both Ken and I turn towards Makinami-san, my friend taking a quick look at his watch shortly after.
"...Already?"
"Yup! There's a small detour I want to take before we get to work. You brought 'it', right?"
"Yeah, I did," whatever it is they're talking about, Ken looks to have put two and two together in his head, judging by his sudden weary look. "Guess I should've seen this one coming..."
"Yay!" a weary look that changes to shock when the girl suddenly grabs Ken's neck and shoulders in one of her patented Makinami-hugs. "You're the best, Ota-kun!"
Makinami-san joyfully continues with her smothering show of affection even in the face of Kensuke's strangled protests, which is par for the course for her, honestly. There's only one way out of the situation when the Makinami family parasite has taken hold of a host, and that is by the parasite itself losing interest in her prey, which normally doesn't happen before the poor victim has gone purple in the face.
I hope that this situation and the knowledge that the Makinami parasite has a weakness towards Germano-Japanese redheads will serve to illustrate why Asuka doesn't allow Makinami-san within arm's reach of her person, most of the time.
But this crazy girl's commonplace antics aside, there's something else that's... odd about this: I mean, was Ken always one of Makinami-san's usual hug victims? I know I am (much to my and Asuka's chagrin), but I feel like the scene before me is something I've never seen before.
...Hmm...
Eh, it must have been like this before and I just didn't give it much importance, Asuka's right in saying that those sort of details tend to go by me without my noticing, after all. It's really not that important anyway.
"Ken, Makinami-san?" I ask the both of them, trying not to wake Asuka up. "Are you two really leaving so soon?"
"Yeah, sorry Puppy-kun." Makinami-san releases her crushing hold on my friend (allowing glorious oxygen to re-enter his system, once more) and smiles my way. "I've got some out of season gear to pack up and some current season stuff to collect today, and Ota-kun so very graciously offered to help me get things done quicker."
"That's..." Kensuke wheezes out, before coughing a few times and trying again. His snarky words sound much more healthy this time, even if his face is still visibly crimson. "That's a funny way of saying that you cashed in on one of your favours, you know?"
"Did I mention that this guy here is such a gentleman that he offered to carry the biggest and heavier loads all by himself, too?" Makinami-san continues in a suddenly dangerous tone, her smile never leaving her face. "Just so that I don't risk hurting myself in any way, shape or form?"
"...Okay, okay, I get it. I'll stay quiet."
Makinami-san acknowledges Ken's intelligent words with a pat on the head, much to his slight chagrin. Seeing that, I decide to thrown him a bone and help out a bit.
"So, you two are fetching some, uh... 'clothes'?"
Mention of her hobby has the effect I expected, and Makinami-san forgets about Ken for the moment to pump her arm (not sure on expression) and throw me one of her beaming smiles.
"You betcha, I've got to make the most out of these coming weeks! The hit counter goes wild with the summer wardrobe, you know?" Her well-meaning smile then turns suggestive, and I feel a drop of cold sweat run down my back. "And speaking of business, you're welcome to hit the circle's website anytime you want as well, Puppy-kun! There's very good value-for-money on offer, even for someone without much cash to spend!"
"I'll... think about it."
Which, coupled with a non-committing smile on my part, is a polite way of me saying 'Hell no'. I can appreciate Makinami-san's love for her hobby as much as the next guy (and there's plenty to appreciate, trust me), but I'd rather not find out what Asuka thinks about any cosplay pictures when she, knowing my luck, inevitably found out.
The amount of teasing I'd suffer would be worthy of going on the history books, that's for sure.
"I'll hold you to that~!" Makinami-san sing-songs, not at all forebodingly. She then winks knowingly at me and the slumbering redhead on top of me. "Oh! And make sure to make the most out of your one-on-one time with the Princess while Sparkles keeps Rei-chan out of your hair, you hear~?"
"Go away... Stupid Glasses..."
Asuka's slumbering words bring an even wider smile to Makinami-san's face, and I find myself chuckling a bit, as well. The relationship between those two really is something special.
"Well, her Highness has spoken! I'll see you two tomorrow, Shinji-kun~!"
And with those words and a wave, two of my friends leave the group for the day. Makinami-san's words implied that they're going to be busy, so I wonder where it is that they're going?
Oh well, I'll hear about it if I'm supposed to. In the meantime, I've got a plenty of matters to handle in my own plate.
Hopefully, Asuka will rise from her catnap before Rei returns and those matters will be of the positive sort.
The 3rd, Part 3
Our games go on for the better part of an hour and a half, as we burn through regular tag, Marco Polo (with Makinami-san trying her batgirl tricks again to lacking results), and team games such as water polo and...
Shudder.
Kibasen.
You know, that game where teams riding on each others' shoulders try to steal a bandana (or cap, in our case) from their opponent's head. I thought I'd been freed from having to carry Asuka on my shoulders in a harsh competitive setting during Sports Day last month, but clearly Fate had other plans.
And due to said plans, now both my shoulders and scalp hurt something fierce. Yay.
At least I can take some small comfort in the knowledge that I'm not the only one suffering from various bodily pains. I mean, Kensuke was carrying Makinami-san, who gets into this kind of thing as much as Asuka does (with similar results), and Kaworu-kun...
Kaworu-kun got stuck with carrying Rei. Need I say more, other than that the guy has the patience of a saint and some real need for therapy by this point?
No, I didn't think so.
I have to admit that, the promise of a morrow with aching muscles aside, it was a fun experience, though. And Rei had an absolute blast, which felt kinda nice to see. She also managed to show Asuka and Makinami-san that the Ikari family is boss, so that alone makes the entire experience worth it, in my opinion.
In any case, the games reach an end when most of the players involved grow too tired to continue, and we go back to our spot under the blessed shade to rest, dry up, and maybe catch some sunrays later, when the threat of being roasted by our star isn't quite as likely. Asuka decides to use my stomach as a pillow, resting her head against it and falling into a catnap soon after. I personally don't think it should be that comfortable, but it's obvious that she doesn't seem to mind.
And neither do I.
Unlike Asuka, though, I don't think I can get myself to fall asleep for just a short while. I've never been a fan of naps myself, as I always wake up too groggy for them to be worth it, so I occupy my time taking a look at my surroundings, instead.
I turn my attention towards Kaworu-kun first, who is having an... interesting sort of conversation with Rei. Interesting because he's being talked at, rather than talked to.
Do you remember how I mentioned before that 'most' of us were tired?
Yeah. Rei, infinite little well of devious energy that she is, is still completely fine, and she's showing it by showering the only guy that was able to keep up with her in the water with questions. The look on Kaworu-kun's face, even if still mostly placid to an outsider, is all kinds of desperate to the expert viewer.
But I'm sorry Kaworu-kun, no matter how obvious your plea for help, Asuka would bite me if I dared to move right now. Besides, even if I could move, I'm too tired to try and separate Rei from her new playmate. But we did warn you, you know?
Ken and Makinami-san are conversing an arm's length away, speaking about swimsuits of all things. It's not the only thing they're talking about of course, because conversations with Makinami-san tend to shift topics as often as she opens her mouth, but it's the one that catches my attention for a second.
I mean, I didn't think Kensuke knew enough about girls' fashion to counsel Makinami-san on clothing colours, but I guess you learn something new every day.
"Wow...!" the amazed voice of my sister knocks me out of my musings. "Sparkly stars!"
Rei's open-mouthed wonder brings my attention back to her, with the speed befitting of someone used to look after the pint-sized ball of energy. She's looking at Kaworu-kun with a face-splitting grin and eyes full of adoration, an expression that clashes heavily with how nervous and plain confused my silver-haired friend looks.
He must have done some kind of trick that Rei really liked. I pity the poor soul.
"Do it again! Do it again!"
Because that will follow. And when she gets like that, Rei won't ever let up until she gets what she wants.
"Oh, shit! Makinami!" Kensuke suddenly jumps up and hisses at the girl beside him, looking at the scene with wide eyes. "Nagisa did the thing again! The thing!"
"...The thing?" Makinami-san asks, clearly as confused as I am at the moment. But, unlike me, she quickly appears to understand what Ken is talking about, downplaying his words with a wave of her hand. "Oh! It's fine. Rei-chan is too young for it to affect her and, even if she wasn't soundly sleeping right now, the Princess looks to be the only woman in Japan immune to the lightshow. It must be because of her sheer amount of concentrated Tsun-Tsun, or something." I can feel Asuka twitch in her sleep at Makinami-san's words, before the crazy girl points at her naked eyes with a knowing smile. "I can't really see Sparkles, in case you're worried."
Kensuke appears to weigh Makinami-san's words, before accepting them as plausible and visibly calming down.
I, for my part, still don't know what they're talking about at all, but I figure it must be some sort of running gag between them or something like that, so I don't go out of my way to question them.
"Worried for you?" Ken whispers, sighing at the same time. "Nah, it's Nagisa that I'd worry about if that were the case."
"Boo," Makinami-san pouts cutely, putting on doe eyes to amplify the effect. "How rude, Ota-kun."
But Ken merely shrugs, countering the girl's cunning manoeuvre by not looking at her directly.
"You reap what you sow, Makinami, your reputation precedes you. But more importantly: now that we've established that Rei won't be affected," Kensuke points in the direction we were looking at a moment ago. "Will Nagisa be all right, Shinji?"
I follow Ken's thumb and find, to my horror, that there's no one in the direction it's pointing at. No silver-haired aspiring artist and most certainly no hyperactive imp from Hell. I think I can make out Kaworu-kun's pleading voice in the distance, but that's about it.
...Shit. A lapse in my vigil and Kaworu-kun has been quickly and efficiently dragged into the Abyss; I should have seen Rei's crafty ways coming. I'm a failure as an older brother.
"Rei won't kill him, at least. Not too much." I wince, managing to stop my imagination from going wild on the fun possibilities that await my friend. "Kaworu-kun could probably still use a prayer or two, though."
"He'll be fine, he'll be fine! You underestimate Sparkles' resilience and ability to deal with females, Puppy-kun!" Makinami-san tries to encourage me, although I think she's being a tad too optimistic. Her expression then becomes theatrically sad. "I'm more bummed out about Ball-kun and Hikari-chan not being able to make it to today, honestly."
"Eh, that's just how it is," Ken replies, quickly latching onto the opportunity of not thinking about Kaworu-kun's personal hell. "Toji already missed the regional championship last year, so hopefully he's making up for that this weekend. There'll be plenty more days like this for them to join us during summer vacation."
"Yeah, I guess. I can't wait to see Piggy-chan in her swimsuit~!" Makinami-san swoons(?), picturing our Class Rep. in her mind's eye. And then she smoothly transitions back into her 'normal' self with zero warning whatsoever. "Buuuut, that's for another day. I guess it's about time that we got going for now, Ota-kun."
Both Ken and I turn towards Makinami-san, my friend taking a quick look at his watch shortly after.
"...Already?"
"Yup! There's a small detour I want to take before we get to work. You brought 'it', right?"
"Yeah, I did," whatever it is they're talking about, Ken looks to have put two and two together in his head, judging by his sudden weary look. "Guess I should've seen this one coming..."
"Yay!" a weary look that changes to shock when the girl suddenly grabs Ken's neck and shoulders in one of her patented Makinami-hugs. "You're the best, Ota-kun!"
Makinami-san joyfully continues with her smothering show of affection even in the face of Kensuke's strangled protests, which is par for the course for her, honestly. There's only one way out of the situation when the Makinami family parasite has taken hold of a host, and that is by the parasite itself losing interest in her prey, which normally doesn't happen before the poor victim has gone purple in the face.
I hope that this situation and the knowledge that the Makinami parasite has a weakness towards Germano-Japanese redheads will serve to illustrate why Asuka doesn't allow Makinami-san within arm's reach of her person, most of the time.
But this crazy girl's commonplace antics aside, there's something else that's... odd about this: I mean, was Ken always one of Makinami-san's usual hug victims? I know I am (much to my and Asuka's chagrin), but I feel like the scene before me is something I've never seen before.
...Hmm...
Eh, it must have been like this before and I just didn't give it much importance, Asuka's right in saying that those sort of details tend to go by me without my noticing, after all. It's really not that important anyway.
"Ken, Makinami-san?" I ask the both of them, trying not to wake Asuka up. "Are you two really leaving so soon?"
"Yeah, sorry Puppy-kun." Makinami-san releases her crushing hold on my friend (allowing glorious oxygen to re-enter his system, once more) and smiles my way. "I've got some out of season gear to pack up and some current season stuff to collect today, and Ota-kun so very graciously offered to help me get things done quicker."
"That's..." Kensuke wheezes out, before coughing a few times and trying again. His snarky words sound much more healthy this time, even if his face is still visibly crimson. "That's a funny way of saying that you cashed in on one of your favours, you know?"
"Did I mention that this guy here is such a gentleman that he offered to carry the biggest and heavier loads all by himself, too?" Makinami-san continues in a suddenly dangerous tone, her smile never leaving her face. "Just so that I don't risk hurting myself in any way, shape or form?"
"...Okay, okay, I get it. I'll stay quiet."
Makinami-san acknowledges Ken's intelligent words with a pat on the head, much to his slight chagrin. Seeing that, I decide to thrown him a bone and help out a bit.
"So, you two are fetching some, uh... 'clothes'?"
Mention of her hobby has the effect I expected, and Makinami-san forgets about Ken for the moment to pump her arm (not sure on expression) and throw me one of her beaming smiles.
"You betcha, I've got to make the most out of these coming weeks! The hit counter goes wild with the summer wardrobe, you know?" Her well-meaning smile then turns suggestive, and I feel a drop of cold sweat run down my back. "And speaking of business, you're welcome to hit the circle's website anytime you want as well, Puppy-kun! There's very good value-for-money on offer, even for someone without much cash to spend!"
"I'll... think about it."
Which, coupled with a non-committing smile on my part, is a polite way of me saying 'Hell no'. I can appreciate Makinami-san's love for her hobby as much as the next guy (and there's plenty to appreciate, trust me), but I'd rather not find out what Asuka thinks about any cosplay pictures when she, knowing my luck, inevitably found out.
The amount of teasing I'd suffer would be worthy of going on the history books, that's for sure.
"I'll hold you to that~!" Makinami-san sing-songs, not at all forebodingly. She then winks knowingly at me and the slumbering redhead on top of me. "Oh! And make sure to make the most out of your one-on-one time with the Princess while Sparkles keeps Rei-chan out of your hair, you hear~?"
"Go away... Stupid Glasses..."
Asuka's slumbering words bring an even wider smile to Makinami-san's face, and I find myself chuckling a bit, as well. The relationship between those two really is something special.
"Well, her Highness has spoken! I'll see you two tomorrow, Shinji-kun~!"
And with those words and a wave, two of my friends leave the group for the day. Makinami-san's words implied that they're going to be busy, so I wonder where it is that they're going?
Oh well, I'll hear about it if I'm supposed to. In the meantime, I've got a plenty of matters to handle in my own plate.
Hopefully, Asuka will rise from her catnap before Rei returns and those matters will be of the positive sort.
Turing Decidable
𝕘𝕒𝕣𝕗
- Location
- Belgium
- Pronouns
- He/Him
In that case...
Oh dear. Mari has plans.
Color code:
- Red: replacement for stuff which definitely feels wrong to me
- Blue: suggested replacement
- Pink: words I feel are missing
- Green: suggested addition
Make that comma either a semicolon or an em dash.
'pump her fist' probably works.
Oh dear. Mari has plans.
- Location
- National Capital Region, USA
Squeeeeeee~
Shinji has learned fast as well in the Art of Cuddling.
Hahahaha, you're doomed, Kaworu. And you bishie sparkled at her? Hahahahah....
Oh gods, they're already talking like each other.
Or because Asuka's been rather in love with someone else for a long while, and can just ignore Sparkles because he's not the one her heart is stuck on.
Shinji, you managed to be completely oblivious to Asuka's feelings for you for years. I'm amazed you're even this aware of stuff going on right in front of you.
Asuka is so used to telling Mari to knock it off, she can even do it in her sleep?
Hahahahah