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[loveedition]

@OdenLove

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[loveedition]

Sure. I'll be there soon!

[spacialeyes]

Okay!

[Cooking doesn’t take Yuuto long, due to his power abuse. He waits for Ryoko at the gate, holding two bags with separate meals packed.

His belt sways anxiously while he waits. When he sees Ryoko, Yuuto’s expression brightens.]

Asakura-chaaaaan!!!

[loveedition]

[ --He actually went through with making a second meal for her?!

Ugh, Yuuto. How the hell can anyone actually be mad at you?? ]

Wow, you're so quick. Should I be getting my cooking lessons from you?

[spacialeyes]

Me? Not really… My power lets me cook things pretty quickly. I hope that everything tastes okay.

[He holds up a purple bag for Inaba and then a blue bag meant for Ryoko.]

This is Inaba’s and this is yours. I hope you’ll both enjoy it.

[loveedition]

Ohhh. So you're cheating again!

[ Immediately. ] Joking.

[ Anyway. ]

I'm sure she will. I'll report back once we've had a chat, alright?

[spacialeyes]

Ahahaha… It is a little bit of cheating. It’s part of my practice.

[He smiles awkwardly as he passes the two cloth bags off to Ryoko.]

Um. Asakura-chan… Sorry, but before you go… There’s something that I need to say. Um. Please don’t yell at me until I finish? [That’s a good sign.]

[loveedition]

......

[ She already wants to yell. That really isn't a good start. ]

Okay? What is it?

[spacialeyes]

It’s just that… I tried to think about what you said. About Inaba and fighting and trust… But I couldn’t I unhear that you hate yourself sometimes. That made me kind of angry, but then I realized that we don’t know each other well, um…

Whatever reason you have to hate yourself… I want to get to know you better and understand it. So I can tell you that you’re wrong and have proof. Uh. So. What I'm saying is something like:

Will you come hang out… later…?

[And he’s watching for her reaction. He’s not sure how to invite friends over! This is very hard for him!]

[loveedition]

[ ...Momentarily, she's frozen. She wrote a lot, and it didn't even dawn on her how honest she had been. She did write that she hated herself sometimes, didn't she? There was a lot she felt she still needed to answer for, but she'd never get a chance to-- but, she didn't want to dwell on it.

With a wistful smile, she laughs. ]

I was prepared to get mad and throw your food back at you. What the heck, Yuuto-kun?

[ Can he prove that she's wrong? Honestly, she doesn't even know what that means... but, she doesn't hate the sound of it. ]

Of course I will. I don't mean to make you angry, especially considering everything going on right now.

If I can get to know you better, maybe-- [ She pauses. Is it alright to even say that? ] --Well, we can make a miracle happen after all.

[spacialeyes]

N, Not the food, please!

[Though now that he’s aware, Yuuto is ready to use his power in order to ‘catch’ the food if she does throw it. When she doesn’t, he gradually begins to relax. Even smiling shyly, despite the sad topic.]

Yes. Let’s make a miracle, Asakura-chan. If that’s what it takes, then let’s do it.

1/2

[loveedition]

Of course! I'll be back soon!

[ And she's off with a big smile on her face! ]

LATER...

[loveedition]

[ Aaaand mission successful, she thinks. Maybe.

Okay, it wasn't nearly as successful as she hoped and she feels kind of bad, but she's putting that away for now! Instead, she does return to the shrine gate later that night, and after a moment... ]

Yuu~ to~ kun~! Come out and play~!

[spacialeyes]

[Yuuto has mostly been good about not teleporting the shrine as much. He’s used to being grounded to this small location and being told not to show off his power to strangers.

But when he hears Ryoko, that excitably goes out the window. He appears in front of her with a big grin.]

Asakura-chan! You’re back! Did you have fun with Inaba??

[loveedition]

More or less.

[ She wouldn't call it fun, which is weird considering how... she's... still got a big smile on her face. ]

So! Yumeno Yuuto-kun.

When were you going to tell me you were grounded?

[spacialeyes]

UH.

[Why is her smile scaring him all of a sudden..? Wait- Did Inaba… tell on him??

He laughs nervously.]

Uhhh right now! Hey hey, g-guess what? I’m grounded, ehehehe… oops.

[loveedition]

So let me see if I understand this. You were grounded, you decided to sneak out to see Inaba-san, and you aren't sure why she didn't want to see you. Does that make sense?

Are you turning into a delinquent?

[spacialeyes]

B-But she seemed really sad? I don’t mind being punished if it helps her..?

[Confused as Yuuto may be, something tells him that he isn’t going to win this one.]

[loveedition]

Yuuto-kun.

If you're grounded, you can't leave. If you leave, chances are you'll be grounded for longer. If you're grounded for longer, that's less time you get to spend with Inaba-san later.

Do you see where I'm going with this.

[spacialeyes]

[He hasn’t figured it out yet, no. Because he pouts under his breath:]

It’s not like she wants to see me anyway.

[loveedition]

[ ...oops, she was going to ask permission to do this. She got distracted by her own feelings. Oh well, it's probably fine.

Which is, her reaching over to straight up smoosh Yuuto's cheeks. ]

She doesn't hate you, and she's not mad at you. When Satou-san says you're free to leave, go see her.

Honestly, between the both of you, I'm exhausted. I thought couples were supposed to be stubborn before they got together.

[spacialeyes]

Mmauu?? [Yuuto is unused to this treatment, but he stays still and consciously keeps himself from teleporting away.]

Buuut- Inaba is more important and- a week without her?

[He pouts.]

I’m not stubborn! I can be a pushover if you want!

[loveedition]

A week can turn into two weeks. Which can turn into a month. Why is this the only thing you can't be a pushover about?

[ ...actually, she gets it. ]

Listen, she's okay. As okay as I think she can be, anyway. I asked her to reach out if she's sad or lonely, so if that comes up again in a week, she may or may not let me know.

[ She's not expecting it honestly, but maybe that'll help? ]

[spacialeyes]

I control time so- [He won’t actually abuse his power to get around being grounded.

Hearing that Ryoko tried does help… but he has a feeling that she won’t ask. Thinking about Inaba saps his energy and he closes his eyes. He’s trying not to worry, but he so badly wants to reach out to Inaba again.]

… I’m glad she’s okay enough to see you. Surely she’ll talk to you. You’re smart.

[loveedition]

Don't you dare. I'm telling you this on behalf of your mother.

[ Who she hasn't spoken to since before, but that's beside the point. She knows Inaba won't speak to her about this, she's already dealt with a couple people too stubborn to accept help... so. ]

All we can do is trust her and give her space for now. In the meantime--

[ Wait. He's grounded, so he shouldn't be able to leave here... so... ]

Actually. Do you need help around the shrine? I don't have much going on starting tomorrow.

[spacialeyes]

I know… [But he’ll still worry until she has someone to talk to. Yuuto can’t imagine how lonely she is.

Ryoko’s offer shakes him out of of his thoughts.]

… Um. Maybe? The usual volunteers can’t be here when I’m around a lot. My shrine could break in two and I think everyone would celebrate though.