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heavenzfiend · 5 years

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Fanfic: Falling Slowly (Fukushima Masanori x OC)- SLBP

Read on AO3

Word count: ~5080

Warning: LEMON, Arranged Marriage

Summary: Toyotomi Hideyoshi is set on his westward expansion, shaking MC’s quiet life with talks of proposals and arranged marriage to his trusted retainer, Masanori.

Author’s Note: I randomly wanted to write a Masanori story and it ‘happened’ to become a smut fic, which mine tend to do. This story does not occur in the same timeline/universe as my ‘Helping Hands’ story! I hope you enjoy!

Every day was painfully mundane for the youngest daughter of the esteemed Tsuda family. How she wished for something exciting to happen while gazing out at the same old garden of her family estate. The most exciting thing that happened in her corner of the house was when the squirrels shimmied down with their mouths full of acorns on a tune of their own or when she had the honor of listening to a delightful acapella of cheerful birds.

However, she could not escape the chaos of the world as a samurai’s daughter. There was no way she could delude herself into thinking she would be unaffected when even the farmers were being pulled in all directions to serve a lord under their jurisdiction. She knew the day would come but she did not expect it to be that day, that day when her boring yet peaceful life turned upside down. How can one be prepared for such a thing?

Even she, who had no interest in politics whatsoever, has heard bits and pieces of the news that a powerful Lord Toyotomi Hideyoshi was seeking westward expansion and would soon eye Japan’s southwestern lands, thus affecting her family’s governance of the Kyushu region. A big shock came when the lord himself came to their corner of the country, with no prior notice, to pressure their allegiance to his sovereignty. Although that alone would not have affected the naïve MC all that much necessarily, what her father then promised the warlord was beyond her line of reasoning.

To show their absolute loyalty to the ever-growing Toyotomi clan, MC’s father offered not only his lands and soldiers, but also his daughter’s hand in marriage to one of Toyotomi’s trusted retainers. She knew that she most likely wouldn’t be marrying Lord Hideyoshi himself since her family was not the most prominent samurai clan out there but she also knew he wouldn’t outright refuse their offer since he would basically have nothing to lose.

Weeks had gone by since the proposal, in which time MC could forget that whole incident occurred, pretending the whole ordeal was happening to someone else. Unfortunately, that was not the case and harsh reality slapped her in the face as her father rushed for her when the Lord of Nagahama had replied back in a pleasantly penned letter with the name of her future husband and some very basic information about him.

Fukushima Masanori.

He had familial connections to Lord Hideyoshi himself, a distant cousin perhaps, and was also one of his closest friends as well. Her father was thrilled at the news and even hired a matchmaker and supposedly, according to the characters of their names and the alignment of the stars at the time of their birth or whatever nonsense, they were a match made in heaven. Not that MC believed in any of that, of course, since the matchmaker probably said that to any paying person of importance. No one wanted their head disconnected from their shoulders at simply delivering a bad omen. It was so much easier to simply lie or embellish and sugarcoat the truth until it might as well be a lie.

How could her father be so thrilled at his daughter marrying someone he, nor she, had ever met before?

The carriage carrying her constantly swayed back and forth, mirroring the state of unease in her heart. Her entourage of close handmaidens, some soldiers for protection, various gifts of silk and gold and, the greatest gift of them all, herself, made for a cumbersome set as they wobbled through the bumpy roads on the slow journey.

Being so far from Nagahama, no one in her hometown had any idea who Fukushima Masanori really was. Desperate for any news about her would-be-husband, she asked various passersby in towns when they rested for the night. The fact that it took weeks to reach their destination, she had gained quite a bit of information along the way—mostly gossip on how big and strong he looks, how his looks alone instill fear upon enemies, how he was involved with a bad group of thugs in his early years and how he was always involved in shameless brawls in broad daylight—all baseless, possibly, yet terrifying nonetheless.

She really had no other choice but to follow her father’s plans though; the life of a woman born to a samurai’s house was not all lavish kimono and never-ending happiness. She was to be used as a tool for the greater good of the clan. That was her fate and she had to accept that before her very birth.

The auspicious day picked out for the wedding ceremony had arrived and MC could not stop trembling the entire evening. The porcelain bridal makeup was hiding the fact that her face was of equal coloring to the makeup itself—a ghastly white. She tried to take deep breaths but it mostly came out in short puffs and although her mother drilled into her the importance of keeping a smile upon her face, the tight line of her lips betrayed her brain’s will and would not upturn no matter how much she wanted it to.

They announced the start of the ceremony as her husband approached and she was able to see him for the first time. MC lifted her head up to sneak a glance through the veil and her eyes grew wide in shock. He was nothing like what she had imagined he’d look like from the descriptions of others. Although he was tall and muscular, almost hovering over Hideyoshi, his face was surprisingly boyish and handsome. He had an expression that he’d rather be anywhere else than sitting next to her right now though, a frown etched on his face. She wondered if he was disappointed in her. Despite circumstances, MC tried to bring her thoughts to more optimistic, understanding line of thoughts. It must’ve been a shock to him as well to suddenly get thrust into a marriage.

Wait… What if he already has a lover? With her seemingly selfless act, what if she was actually forcing him to sacrifice his love to another? Her heart twisted painfully in her chest but she had to take a deep breath and try not to overthink it any further.

MC had never had a lover before, let alone a friend of the opposite sex. Being such a timid girl, she never ventured too far from her house. Even going out to town was for the servants, not befitting a lady of her status. She was fine with the company of her female relatives but even her male cousins intimidated her. Men were creatures she simply did not have a firm grasp on, their very air seemed so different.

The ceremony proceeded flawlessly and finally, they exchanged sake from the same cup, as per protocol.

All seemed to be well during the gift showering, with gifts from retainers and family ranging from luxurious to downright lewd.

“Don’t embarrass her. Show some respect, Kiyomasa, and keep your dirty toys to yourself before I kick your ass,” Masanori growled next to her. Was he protecting her? Maybe he wasn’t so bad after all.

However, that thought was short-lived as Masanori suddenly shot out of his seat next to her and started running around the room, crashing all over the place with his face flaming and throat yelling incoherent noises. MC blinked owlishly as she sat helplessly in her seats as Hideyoshi and Kiyomasa dragged him far away from the main festivities.

What was that?

He must be absolutely insane. There was no other explanation as to what she had just witnessed. MC would have to live the rest of her life with a violent husband. What had she done wrong in her past life to deserve such a fate? She could feel tears forming in the back of her eyes but rapidly blinked to keep them at bay.

Hideyoshi came back after some time to placate her. “I’m so sorry about that, Lady MC. Masanori is uncontrollable if he drinks alcohol but we couldn’t manage to swap the sake out without the priest knowing. It’s really my fault and I apologize for that. That must’ve startled you, no doubt.” He looked just as apologetic as his words as he said this.

Oh, so that’s what happened. Still, today was just the beginning of her married life and it didn’t look to be smooth sailing in her future. What if in his fit of rage he hits her? She shuddered at the thought.

“T-That’s alright, Lord Hideyoshi…” she managed to stammer out.

“Please retire to your chambers for tonight. If Masanori regains consciousness, I’ll send him your way.”

“…Yes, thank you.”

After coming to her wedding chambers, MC’s hands were restless, smoothing out the silken sheets over and over again, rearranging the pillows and patting the sheets here and there. Just to keep her hands busy and her mind occupied so she didn’t have to think about what was to come when he did arrive. Ears straining to hear the sound of his footsteps approaching, she could barely breathe properly.

Not knowing when he would possibly show up, she waited and waited. And waited some more.

When she opened her eyes and jolted upright, she realized that morning light was streaming in through the windows with her husband nowhere in sight. Her neck and back felt terribly uncomfortable but she was glad she avoided those terrifying wifely duties, at least for one night.

The morning after, MC was met with an onslaught of curious, probing looks from some of the giggling young maids whom MC figured had a more-or-less crush on her now-husband. With a sigh she tried to avoid eye contact with everyone despite not doing anything worthy of awkwardness.

Days turned to weeks and weeks turned to months.

MC eventually found out that her husband would never physically hurt her. Hurt her? She had to laugh at herself at that absurd thought. He didn’t touch her at all.

As they lived together at the castle, she discovered more things about the man she had married.

Despite being a man of few words, he always said ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ to even the lowest of the servants and never falters before admitting fault followed by an apology if someone deserves it.

Also, one day when she had the rare opportunity to take a stroll with Masanori, on his offer no less, she discovered the purpose of all those dried pieces of squid she had randomly found in almost all of his pants pockets when they ran into a stray dog.

There were numerous stray dogs and cats in various corners of the city and Masanori made sure to pet each encountered animal behind the ears or under the chin, as well as offer snacks, making sure none were being greedy but also that none were left behind.

To think that her burly husband had a penchant for animals! How delightful it was that they share a common interest. She couldn’t help but smile at the endearing scene—her tall husband crouched down, as low as he could go to not frighten them, and tearing off niblets of squid for the small creatures’ easy consumption.

She realized over time that she got lucky in marrying a man of such integrity. Finding out little by little about someone was like opening the lid of a treasure chest just a fraction and one had to stick her fingers in to fish out one interesting piece at a time.

“You must be hungry. How about we stop to eat before returning?” Masanori surprised her even more that day. They had stopped by a restaurant together when the sky darkened. It was rare for her to eat with him all alone, with most of their meals being served in the grand hall with fellow Toyotomi retainers. She was now able to observe his perfect mealtime mannerisms in ease, without having to strain her neck to sneak glances at him from across the hall—which, unbeknown to him, she did on the daily.

“Masanori, welcome!” He must be a regular customer if the worker knew him by name. His short reply was met with, “I’ve never seen you with a woman before!” Before MC had the chance to panic in not knowing if she should introduce herself or wait to see how he will introduce her, her husband’s nonchalant tone was heard.

“She is my wife,” Masanori stated without a single moment’s hesitation. So he wasn’t ashamed to be seen in public with her nor embarrassed to tell others about her!

Pleasant conversation followed when they were waiting for their food and she felt considerably lucky to have given this invaluable time to themselves. Did her husband plan this date for her?

MC almost choked on her tea when, out of the blue, Masanori said, “You’re such a strong woman, Lady MC. You travelled halfway across Japan to marry me. Know that I feel bad that we can’t spend more time together. It must be so hard for you to be far from your home, far from everyone you’ve ever known. I… I hope I can meet your expectations even a little as your husband.” His words truly touched her.

“Don’t worry milord. You already have.” There was not a hint of lie in her words.

They both mostly ate in silence after that but MC felt considerably closer to her husband and she couldn’t fight off the tickling of the corner of her lips as she looked down to hide her goofy expression from her unexpectedly blunt companion. Little did she know that across from her, her partner also looked down and focused on eating to hide his blush.

A season passed and MC was waiting by the gates of Nagahama Castle for the return of Toyotomi’s troops on a long expedition.

Leading the welcoming group was Hideyoshi’s wife, whom MC had gotten close to during her stay at the castle. Despite being the wife of the lord of the castle, she could still be seen in the kitchen cooking all sorts of delicacies for everyone, perhaps due to her coming from a humble background of a restaurant owner. MC suddenly wished she had the skills to offer her returning husband a meal she herself cooked up instead of relying on others, but she had no experience in the kitchen and apparently Masanori was an excellent cook so he most likely would not want to consume anything her hands could manage to come up with.

The huge crowd of men and horses came within sight and Hideyoshi’s wife, abandoning all conventions, sprinted all the way up to her husband, who then leapt off his horse to fiercely embrace her in front of everyone. MC stared in awe at the brave Lady Toyotomi.

She looked behind the adorable couple and saw a peek of red hair. There was Masanori! Her knees started bouncing to the rhythm of the hooves, unable to stand still but not bold enough to do much else. She couldn’t help but stare longingly at his handsome features that his battle armor and side-parted hair amplified. The rays of sun were perfectly shining off the armor that she had meticulously polished, despite looking worn out from the long battle.

Her heart was beating out of her chest as he rode closer and closer to where she was standing. Their eyes seemed to lock for the briefest moment and a smile was forming on his face but before she could even let out a greeting, a soldier amongst the ranks started a conversation with him.

Had he actually seen her or was she just imagining him looking at her? Did he know that she was out here waiting for him, not out of marital obligations but out of actual desire to do so?

Seeing that Masanori was conversing with others, MC’s attention shifted back to Hideyoshi and his lady as they retired inside, hand-in-hand. MC squeezed her own hands together in front of her when suddenly she heard a familiar voice to her right.

“MC, I’m back.” Masanori’s voice was slightly muffled by his dark mask covering half of his face.

“Lord Masanori, welcome back. You must be tired.” They sound just like how a normal married couple ought to, each keeping a respectful distance from one another yet not uncomfortable in any way.

“I’m alright. How have you been?”

“Things have been thankfully calm here while you guys have been away.” ‘I’m so happy to see you,’she thought, but couldn’t voice it. But she gathered all the courage she could muster up to ask, “Can I help you out of your battle gear?” Shock flashed across his face by her forwardness but his crimson eyes softened considerably. No longer does the color of his eyes frighten her like they once did.

“Please, if you could. I would be most grateful.” He walked ahead with her trailing behind him but when they reached the door to his room, he gently slid it open and gestured for her to enter first with his hand.

“Then, if you’ll excuse me…” MC stepped into his room, noting how this was her first time in this meticulously clean room while the owner was present as well.

Before she lost all courage by fidgeting around, MC dived in to the task at hand. The first thing MC took off was the mask that hid his beautiful face. That couldn’t be comfortable. She undid the ties at the back and the ropes fell around his ears, making him shiver slightly when her cold fingers slid along the tips of his ears.

Then she kneeled down to remove his shin guards, carefully placing them off to the side before standing back up. Goodness, her husband was so tall and those gigantic shoulder pads were not helping his intimidating factor. She was grateful they protected his dependable shoulders but they had to be the next to go.

Never having done this before, MC fumbled around for the clasp when his large hands overlapped hers and brought them to where they need to be. Perhaps noticing how cold hers were, his warm hands squeezed them, simply holding them for a while before slowly going back to helping her undress the rest.

She could barely look at his face as only the black robes and undergarments remained and she wasn’t sure if he expected her to undress all of him. Technically, his armor was off… should she continue?

He let go of her hands and in her clumsiness she whacked a part of him as she quickly moved to retreat her hands, making him gasp and grimace.

“I’m so sorry milord! Did I hurt you? Where did I hit you?” She looked down at where her hands could have been and… no way…

“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it,” he ground out through his teeth, looking like anything but fine. However, as he loosened the clench of his abdomen and stood straight again, MC noticed a growing bulge that was not there before.

For a good while, both parties were standing stock still, cheeks inflamed and not even daring to breathe until Masanori finally broke the silence.

“Thank you for the help, MC. I can finish the rest if you’d like to head to the banquet first?” MC mumbled out a quick reply, grateful for an excuse to be alone in order to collect her thoughts.

Before she could take a step out the door, his soft voice halted her.

“Tonight… do you… want to meet me back in my room?” He quickly added, “Only if you want to, that is.”

“Yes, of course. I will be here,” MC’s mouth automatically replied. Her mind was reeling but this was progress and progress was good. Very good.

He had finally invited her to his room that night. She almost couldn’t believe it. Was today finally the day they would…?! She choked on air, coughing into her fist, unable to stop her brain from going crazy. It repeated his words over and over again, dissecting the hidden meaning behind that simple question. She could tell he took extra precautions to not let a single drop of alcohol touch his mouth during the great welcoming feast.

When it was socially acceptable for her to leave, she discreetly exited the main hall and made for his room. She hadn’t seen Masanori for a good while as well so she didn’t want to keep him waiting.

Standing in front of the door, she raised a hand, poised to knock but hesitation boggling her mind. Does he expect her to knock or should she verbally announce herself and go in? She was his wife after all and he was the one who had invited her in the first place. Maybe he wasn’t even in there?

“Please come in, MC.” Ack, he know she was here? She made sure to keep her feet extra light as she walked here too! Did he see also see her standing here raising her hand up and down as she contemplated like a fool through the paper door?

She slipped through the door and paused by the threshold, not because she didn’t want to be here or didn’t want his company. Quite opposite, really. Masanori was sitting on his bedding of single futon, dressed simply in his white nightclothes. Seeing her in this state, he quickly reassured her.

“We don’t have to do anything… I just wanted to be with you. Won’t you come sit with me?”

MC moved to sit in front of him and tucked her legs beneath her.

“I want to do it though…” she trailed off, unable to say the actual words yet hoping he’d understand through her vagueness. She heard him take a deep breath before proceeding.

“Only if you’re sure MC. Tell me to stop at any time and I will. Even if you’re slightly hesitant, please let me know.” She nodded quickly at that, trying to urge him on.

“I will.”

“Then… May I?” He asked her while gently cupping her cheek in his hand. Ah, that warmth again. It felt so nice to be touched.

“Y-Yes…” Whatever it was he was asking permission for, there was only one right answer befitting of her desires.

MC closed her eyes as her husband brought his lips to hers. It started off with the gentlest meeting of two lips, soft lips tickling each other this way and that. It took no time at all though for things to get heated. When she opened her mouth in shock at the feeling of his hand on her obi tie, their breathing mingling together to the point where she couldn’t tell if she was breathing his air or if he was breathing hers. Gasping for breath, MC tightened her hold on his collar which prompted him to give her a brief respite.

“I don’t really know how any of this works. I hope I won’t be a big disappointment…” she admitted. Surprisingly, he didn’t look annoyed at all by her disclosure.

“You will never be a disappointment, MC. But allow me to apologize in advance. I don’t… I’ve never… actually done it before either…” MC was shocked by this revelation. She had assumed all men were insatiable, horny creatures who stick it into whoever’s offering and her husband was quite the looker so she was sure there were a ton of willing girls who offered.

“I’m actually happy to hear that but if we both don’t know what to do then…”

“Well, you forget the kind of people I’m forced to hang out with.” He gave a sheepish smile. “I have a fairly good idea of what to do. Now, lie back for me.” MC did as he requested and peered at him from the vulnerable position.

Masanori traced his hands down her body through the clothes, anticipation building for the feelings that were slowly surging in her body at his mere touch.

When he slipped the robe off of her shoulders and peeled it off of her body to fully expose her, she was sure there was not an ounce of her that was not a stunning shade of red.

He buried his face in her neck and inhaled her scent as his hands massaged her breasts. MC couldn’t stop the moans escaping her lips.

“Aaaah… mmmh!” He took a mound in his mouth, alternating between sucking it and teasing the nipple with his tongue. She was seeing shooting stars behind her eyelids now. Wow, what was she missing all this time?

Realizing he was overdressed, Masanori threw off all of his clothes in few jerky movements.

“Wow, you have so many scars…” MC couldn’t help but gasp, her hands naturally reaching out to trace the large ones across his chest.

“I think it’s safe to say most samurai have them. These are nothing compared to what some others have.”

“I don’t doubt that milord, but the only ones I’m concerned about are yours, not anyone else’s.” She can see a swirl of admiration and lust building in his eyes. Feeling shy at the intensity of his gaze, she lowered her eyes but was met with another shocking sight instead. She had never seen a naked adult man before but that was certainly not what she had expected to see.

“Why… is it supposed to be so big?” she squeaked.

“It’s not like this all the time.” His blush was so strong she wasn’t sure if she had offended him with her artlessness but she had hoped not because they had unfinished business! “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. We really could stop now and I won’t be mad.”

“No way. I really do want to continue…” Gods, please don’t make him stop.

He had kissed her again while bringing his hand down south to a place not even she had ever dared to touch. She rubbed her thighs and everything felt so slippery down there, almost as if her monthly menses started. Surely, it did not?! Wide-eyed, she looked down and nothing appeared to be red. She gave a big sigh of relief when his hand fumbled around her opening, inciting wet sounds.

When his fingers slid over a certain bump, her bottom jumped off the futon a bit.

“Did you like that?” It didn’t sound like he was teasing her, merely curious. She couldn’t form words and merely nodded. He touched her over and over again in that delightful spot, making her legs completely weak.

“Ahhhhh, that feels so… so… ahhhh!” A jolt of pleasure flowed from the tips of her toe all the way up to her head as a strange sensation robbed her of coherent speech.

As her sensitive parts still throbbed inside, he grabbed her knees and situated himself in between them. MC couldn’t believe how wide her legs had to be spread. Thank goodness this was being done during the cover of darkness. She doesn’t think she would ever be able to face her husband again if they had done it during daylight. Surely no one does that…

“I’m sorry if it hurts…”

A splitting pain followed his push inside. It certainly hurt and felt like something foreign was inside of her but he didn’t move at all after the first push so she was able to control her breathing relatively soon. When she felt like she could get adjusted to the size, he pulled back and pushed in again, going in a bit further every time. He slipped out a few times by accident but quickly put it back in, continuing on as if those mishaps didn’t happen.

They were bound together in a way that was special. No one else would be her first. No one else would be his first.

“L-Lord-”

“Just… call me Masanori,” he said in between thrusts and pants. He didn’t want to take too long for her first time, worried that he was the only one actually enjoying it and she was pretending just for his sake. But it didn’t seem to be an issue since it was his first time being inside of someone and it felt too good to last much longer.

“Masanori!”

“Ah, MC!”

Soon, as she was making another round of cries, his pleasure exploded, releasing everything of his deep inside of his wife. He groaned and rolled on his back next to her while holding her hands.

MC sits on the veranda while nibbling on carefully peeled chestnuts. Discovering that Masanori loved chestnuts, she had personally gone out to pick some from the trees in the wooded area behind the castle but her husband had rushed out to stop her and proceeded to not only pick them for her but also steamed, peeled, and offered them to her on a plate.

She looks up and her eyes find her husband in the courtyard, surrounded by young men wanting to spar with him. Sensing eyes on him, he looks up and sends her a small smile from across the yard, followed by a thumbs up and a tilt of his head. MC responds with a quick thumbs up and rubs a hand across her protruding belly, to reassure her husband that everything is alright with her and their little one, lest he bounces over to her in unnecessary worry.

‘No, dear husband, nothing is wrong. I was simply admiring you,’ she will have to admit if she is honest. But he doesn’t ask, nor does he have to. He probably knows and he isn’t one for teasing—every word and action of his extremely genuine.

It won’t be long now until they finally get to meet their treasure—their son or daughter who was conceived with love from two people who were semi-forced together but grew to like each other. She hopes that he or she has more qualities of him than her as she gazes at him once again. As her vision fills with the serene gardens in this city near Lake Biwa, she also hopes that their children and all the children of Japan can experience a peaceful rule under Lord Hideyoshi in the near future.

Their marriage is of a quiet companionship and mutual respect. As they spend more time together, love can blossom slowly but surely… perhaps it already has?

A/N: I miss this red-haired giant! I hope we get an event story with him one day! This does not have much basis in actual history, except for the fact that Masanori’s wife was from Tsuda family but everything else I made up. This ended up mostly being fairly a self-indulgent piece. Thank you for reading! Please let me know what you think. :)

Tagging: @kitsune-mana, @all-my-cuffs-have-buttons @lilster360 @rubyleeray @julias1993 @theweatheredwarrior @mayorasadist @pseudofaux @kawa-akarin @dani677 @otonymous

#my writing #slbp #samurai love ballad party #fanfiction #fanfic #slbp fanfic #fukushima masanori #masanori #slbp masanori #toyotomi hideyoshi #slbp hideyoshi #lemon

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thunderboltage · 1 year

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#i wont caption this but i will confess that im a lil jelly of masanori right now #never mind kiyomasa pleading internally for masanori to get tf off of him near the end tho okie??#samurai warriors #sengoku musou #kiyomasa kato #masanori fukushima #toshiie maeda #i my me mine #koei

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newsintheshell · 5 years

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VVVVID, tutte le novità del palinsesto anime autunnale

In arrivo nuove serie, film e anime doppiati!

Svelate senza preavviso tutte le nuove aggiunte al catalogo di VVVVID che andranno a comporre il palinsesto autunnale della piattaforma di streaming gratuito, offerto in collaborazione con Dynit.

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SHINCHOU YUUSHA

Serie di 12 episodi tratta dalla light novel fantasy di Light Tuchihi dal titolo “Kono Yuusha ga Ore TUEEE Kuse ni Shinchou Sugiru” (ShinchoYusha o The Hero is Overpowered but Overly Cautious).

La storia ha inizio quando la dea Ristarte decide di evocare un eroe che la aiuti a proseguire nel proprio mondo, che sembra un videogioco impostato su difficoltà hard. L’eroe, Seiya, è incredibilmente forte sotto ogni aspetto, ma è anche eccessivamente prudente. Fa sempre cose come comprare tre armature (una da indossare, una di riserva, e una riserva della riserva) e caricare al massimo della potenza dei semplici ed innocui slime (non si sa mai…).

L’anime è diretto da Masayuki Sakoi (Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online) presso lo studio White Fox (Steins;Gate 0, Goblin Slayer). La sceneggiatura è curata da Kenta Ihara (Saga of Tanya the Evil), mentre il character design è adattato da Mai Toda (Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou).

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AFRICA NO SALARYMAN

Adattamento animato del manga “Africa no Salaryman” (African Office Worker o Businessman in Africa) di Gamu.

Il manga segue le vicende di un leone, un tucano e un rettile che lavorano come impiegati d’ufficio in una società capitalista in Giappone, mentre tratta anche della loro singolare situazione di animali che vivono fuori dalla savana e dalla catena alimentare.

La serie prodotta presso HOTZIPANG è diretta da Tetsuya Tatamitani, che ne sta curando quasi ogni aspetto fra design, colorazioni, animazioni e sfondi. La sceneggiatura è invece ad opera di Yuuichirou Momose.

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LATECAST

HENSUKI: ARE YOU WILLING TO FALL IN LOVE WITH A PERVERT, AS LONG AS SHE'S A CUTIE?

Commedia romantica tratta dalla light novel “Kawaikereba Hentai demo Suki ni Natte Kuremasu ka?” (Would You Like Perverts if They Are Cute? o HenSuki) di Tomo Hanama.

La serie è stata diretta da Itsuki Imazaki (Magical Somera-chan) presso lo studio GEEKTOYS (RErideD: Derrida, who leaps through time), il design dei personaggi è ad opera di Yousuke Itou (Holmes of Kyoto), mentre la sceneggiatura è stata curata da Kenichi Yamashita (In realtà io sono…).

Keiki Kiryuu è un tipo regolare e come tanti studenti della sua età non ha ancora la ragazza. Finchè un giorno non trova una lettera d’amore – con tanto di mutandine abbinate. La lettera non è firmata: starà a Keiki trovare la misteriosa “Cenerentola” in questione. Una ricerca che lo metterà in contatto con ragazze di ogni tipo, ma con un forte tratto in comune: sono una più pervertita dell’altra.

Tutti i 12 episodi della serie sono già disponibili sottotitolati in italiano.

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BUSINESS FISH

Serie di 6 episodi realizzata in computer grafica, ispirata al salaryman con testa da pesce utilizzato in tutto il mondo come sticker sui social.

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INEDITI

REDLINE

Spettacolare film d’animazione realizzato presso Madhouse (Death Parade, ACCA: L’ispettorato delle 13 province) e uscito nel 2009 dopo un intero anno di produzione. A dirigere le quasi due ore del lungometraggio ideato dal character designer Katsuhito Ishii è stato Takeshi Koike (Lupin the IIIrd: Mine Fujiko no Uso), mentre la sceneggiatura è stata curata da Youji Enokido (The Dragon Dentist, Bungo Stray Dogs).

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EUREKA SEVEN HI-EVOLUTION 2 - ANEMONE

Il film costituisce il secondo capitolo della trilogia remake di “Eureka Seven”, la serie sci-fi prodotta fra il 2005 e il 2006 dallo studio Bones, distribuita in Italia da Dynit.

Il progetto unisce sezioni originali a nuove scene e a del materiale completamente rifatto da zero, incluso un nuovo doppiaggio. La storia parte da 10 anni prima degli eventi della serie originale, trattando il fenomeno solo citato della prima Summer of Love, per poi continuare con la storia di base che conosciamo e concludersi con un finale però inedito.

Renton Thurston è un ragazzino di 14 anni che vive una vita noiosa in una città noiosa. L’unica cosa che ama è il reffing, uno sport simile al surf, dove al posto delle onde si cavalcano le trapar , particelle presenti nell’aria che consentono evoluzioni aeree strepitose. Il suo sogno è entrare a far parte del gruppo di rinnegati Gekkostate, capitanati dal suo idolo Holland, un leggendario reffer. L’opportunità di realizzare questo sogno si presenta quando un robot, il Nirvash type zero, pilotato da una misteriosa ragazza chiamata Eureka, distrugge per errore la camera di Renton. Entrato così a far parte del gruppo, Renton si rende conto ben presto che la vita dei Gekkostate non è così affascinante come quella raccontata dalle riviste patinate, e insieme ad Eureka si imbarca in un’avventura che cambierà il loro futuro e quello del mondo.

Il primo film, intitolato “Eureka Seven Hi-Evolution 1″ è già disponibile sottotitolato in italiano su VVVVID.

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DOPPIATI

THE PROMISED NEVERLAND

Prima stagione dell’anime tratto dal popolare manga di Kaiu Shirai e Posuka Demizu, edito nel nostro paese da J-POP, diretta da Mamoru Kanbe (The Perfect Insider, So Ra No Wo To) presso lo studio CloverWorks (Seishun Buta Yarou wa Bunny Girl Senpai no Yume wo Minai, Persona 5 the Animation) e sceneggiata da Toshiya Ono (Gatchaman Crowds, Tsuritama).

È notte all’orfanotrofio di Grace Field e due ombre corrono verso i cancelli. Emma e Norman, amici per la pelle, vogliono consegnare un animale di pezza a una bimba appena adottata. Per dirle addio e lasciarle un ricordo indelebile: quello dei bambini con cui ha condiviso 12 anni di studio e giochi all’aria aperta, sotto lo sguardo amorevole della tutrice. Orfani che a loro volta se ne sarebbero andati. È notte, Emma e Norman non lo sanno, ma il buio del mondo al di fuori dei cancelli di Grace Field è pronto a inghiottirli.

I primi 2 dei 12 episodi della serie sono già disponibili doppiati in italiano.

L’ATTACCO DEI GIGANTI - Stagione 3 (Parte2)

Seconda parte, costituita da 10 episodi, della terza stagione de “L’Attacco dei Giganti” (Shingeki no Kyojin), la celebre serie ispirata al popolare manga di Hajime Isayama, edito nel nostro paese da Planet Manga.

L’anime è diretto da Tetsurou Araki (Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress, Guilty Crown) e Masashi Koizuka, presso Wit Studio (Vinland Saga, The Ancient Magus’ Bride).

In precedenza gli uomini temevano il mondo esterno. Vivevano circondati da mura invalicabili, innalzate allo scopo di proteggere l’umanità dai Giganti: creature a immagine dell’uomo, ma snaturate nel comportamento e negli appetiti. Inchiodati a catene invisibili, gli uomini oggi hanno imparato che neppure dentro le mura la sicurezza è garantita. Dopo la brutale minaccia del Gigante Bestia e la fuga dei traditori, Eren e compagni vedono scossi nelle fondamenta i valori con cui sono cresciuti. Minacciati nella sopravvivenza continueranno a cercare un fuoco di verità che illumini il loro cammino.

Gli episodi 13 e 14 sui 22 totali sono già disponibili doppiati in italiano.

SWORD ART ONLINE: ALICIZATION

Prima parte di “Sword Art Online: Alicization”, la terza stagione dell’anime tratto dal popolare romanzo di Reiki Kawahara, edito nel nostro paese da J-POP. La serie prende il nome dalla saga di Alicization che viene raccontata dal 9° al 18° volume dell’opera.

Kirito spalanca gli occhi e la domanda che gli sale alle labbra è piuttosto familiare: “Dove mi trovo?” Come altre volte, Kirito è entrato in un mondo parallelo ma stavolta ha perso i ricordi che precedono il tanto familiare “LINK START”. Muovendosi in questo nuovo mondo arriva all’ombra di un maestoso albero dove incontra un ragazzino, Eugeo. Stranamente, Eugeo dimostra più emozioni e sensibilità di un comune NPC scatenando in Kirito ulteriori domande e ricordi sopiti…

I 24 episodi saranno distribuiti doppiati prossimamente.

Autore: SilenziO))) (@s1lenzi0)

[FONTE]

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zenonaa · 5 years

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Read here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18720781/chapters/44402326

Comments: birthday fic for a fictional character

***

...

I recall that I was in my Tokyo office because I remember a dark auburn bookcase unit with a unique design stood to my left, the one with the circular frame at the centre. Within the circle, several shelves had been fixed to form the shape of four staircases, and right in the middle of that was a compartment where one could sit a photograph, but I had not.

Someone buzzed my intercom. When I raised my head, I could see the bookcase unit at the edge of my vision. An associate of mine, a renowned interior designer, gifted it to me years ago.

“You have a visitor,” said my receptionist through a speaker.

“Let them in,” I instructed.

A few moments later - I didn’t count the number of seconds - the door ahead of me opened and Osamu Sugawara came in. He always looked like he just raked his fingers through recently washed hair.

I had no time for pleasantries. “What is it?”

Osamu grinned and swaggered over to my desk, holding a stack of papers. Once he had crossed the room, he set them down.

“These are the results for the first task,” Osamu said.

The first task had been assigned to all one hundred and eight competitors. Simply, they were given a certain amount of money and with it, they were to try to make as much of a profit as possible within the timeframe, which was six months. He watched my face as he pushed the papers toward me. I cast my eyes toward the list of names.

At the top was one that I didn’t recognise right away.

“Byakuya Polanski?” I read aloud.

Basic facts were listed by his name, such as his date of birth and how much money he made. Reading them answered some of my queries but raised other questions.

I met Osamu’s gaze. “This one’s eleven?”

That would make him...

“... the youngest of them all,” said Osamu. He pointed to Byakuya’s name like I was some kind of idiot who hadn’t read it, but between us two, he was the idiot.

Of course, he was a successful businessman but when compared to me and many of my near equals, Osamu was a total idiot, though he was smarter than the common filth that most of the population consisted of.

“Between him and the next competitor, there’s a wide margin, and this Masanori person in second place is in his forties,” I said. While Osamu was all smile, my face was as stiff as stone. “Is all this information correct?”

“You think they were mistyped, or mixed up?” asked Osamu, raising his eyebrows, and he almost looked serious. “No, no. It’s correct. I’ve met the boy several times. He’s really a remarkable child. Very stern though, just like his mother. Doesn’t trust anyone except his butler, and he doesn’t do friends either.”

I steepled my fingers and stared at Byakuya’s name, in thought. Osamu carried on talking. When I glanced up, he was waving a hand around animatedly.

“Plays the violin beautifully and can speak multiple languages,” he said, like a commoner father boasting about their son. “His mother must push him hard.”

He nattered on. I grimaced and lowered my gaze, keeping my face tight.

“Describe his mother to me,” I said without looking up.

“Eh?” Osamu paused. He settled down. “She’s called Anastazja. Her mother is Polish and her father is French and the managing director of Polanski Business Limited.”

This Anastazja woman must have been pushing Byakuya because while every woman chosen for me was born from the elite, overall, she was rather near the bottom of the barrel. There was also the fact that this Byakuya child was the youngest person competing. A female child was a year older than him and she was significantly lower down the list. I squared my shoulders.

“Kijou?” said Osamu, more curious than cautious, but still both.

“Everyone below the fifty-fourth ranking... they’re to be removed from the competition,” I announced. “I will arrange that. Don’t bother yourself with it.”

Osamu nodded, but I doubted he planned to bother himself. He was a carefree man. No, I would be in charge of authorising their removals, as per tradition.

“Is there anything else you require me for?” I asked.

“Not on the business side of things,” he replied.

“Then that is everything,” I said. “You may leave.”

I returned my focus to the stack of papers and heard Osamu’s footsteps recede. The door then shut.

Despite this Byakuya child’s early success, it is too early to determine a winner. That is why there are to be other tasks, each one whittling away more competitors until finally only one person remains. As far as I am aware, the youngest never won. It was always someone older.

Anyone could be trained to play stocks. The next tasks will leave only genuine candidates.

***

...

For this next task, I directed that the competitors should earn money using an industry that the conglomerate doesn’t already focus on. I excluded them from various enterprises such as mining, nonferrous metals, petrochemicals, aerospace and using the stock market, to give a few examples. The conglomerate comprises of many more than those, for it branches into most sectors, but I permitted competitors to involve themselves in industries the conglomerate doesn’t concentrate on.

Of course, I couldn’t allow the task to be too simple. Everyone began with the same amount of funding. I would be judging them not just on their profits, but also their business image, connections and potential... among other things. Again, those are just a handful of examples.

On this day, I was in an office in America. Everyone had been ordered not to bother me while I worked. It didn’t matter how important they deemed something to be - I would not be available for any meetings or queries.

I started before dawn the day after the last task’s deadline. The sky was a gradient between pale blue and faded orange as I booted up my computer. Sitting in a silent room, I sifted through my emails, stuffed with attachments, and spreadsheets soon dominated all my monitors.

Some names stood out to me from previous tasks. Only the ones who ranked highly, of course. Anyone who performed below my expectations were already dead to me. Ultimately, I came across a certain name. Byakuya Polanski. I rearranged the windows on my monitors so that his efforts filled every screen.

He opted for the pharmaceutical industry, which included medical devices. A quick glance informed me that Polanski Pharma Co Limited had made massive profits. Not as much as certain other competitors, but so far, enough to put him in the top ten.

Even so, I wasn’t judging them solely on their profits, though that would certainly have a significant influence on how I ranked them overall.

The logo consisted of a ten point star with ‘Polanski’ written next to it, sleek and professional. According to his head butler, who had been authorised to write up in detail about Byakuya’s venture, employees exhibited high satisfaction in all areas, which other than limiting turnover and ensuring greater work performance meant nothing to me. If a worker did excellent work and they were miserable, that wasn’t of my concern. His report incorporated graphs and questionnaire responses with contact details should I wish for them to confirm the information shown to me.

I cupped my chin as I perused. As stated in the butler’s report, Byakuya played a large role in designing and developing the technology, which included robotic limbs and implants, and he also heavily involved himself in the medicine side of things. The technological aspect was more groundbreaking, using scientific knowledge that an ordinary person could only imagine, yet this was a child on the verge of becoming a teenager.

This went beyond being a businessman. This was being an inventor. A genius. I noted that the technology wasn’t ridiculously expensive to produce, even quite cheap compared to the rest of the industry without having a detrimental effect on the quality. After I read the tests done on his products and the results of said tests, I delved into the breakdowns of his costs and found a startling beginner’s error.

He undersold his products. Other companies offering the equivalent sold them at a far greater price, and theirs were inferior to what he had available. Had he increased his prices, he would have made a far greater profit. Yes, he had many customers right now, and the female child in a photo was smiling at the camera as she showed off her new arm, but Byakuya could have easily increased the prices by a vast amount and still had customers.

Did he intend to appeal to a lower class of people, even though they had less money?

That loss of profit could have cost him the competition. I had half a mind to score him poorly so he would be eliminated, but he performed adequately regardless. I decided to rank him nineth, and by evening, he had dropped to twelfth.

By night time, I finished my initial readover, and I pressed a button.

“Luwak coffee now,” I said.

My personal assistant brought some through within the next ten minutes. She bowed then left, only speaking to address me once, and I remained deep in thought.

This will take some time.

***

...

I decided on my final rankings for the previous task. Thirty people remained in the competition at that stage, including Byakuya Polanski.

Only when a victor emerged did that person receive the coveted Togami name. The same happened to me - I had always been Kijou, but I wasn’t Kijou Togami until I proved myself in the final round. My superior genetics and elite upbringing ensured my victory. There, I showed that only I was worthy and no one who battled against me deserved to be a Togami. Not while I existed.

The next round had a much tighter budget. I relocated them all to different countries and tasked them all with creating a home business, forbidding them from partnering up with any companies already affiliated with the conglomerate and I made them use aliases.

They could only work with local businesses and six months after I set this task, I had thick folders physically in my office, one for each remaining competitor.

Halfway through my evaluations, I came across Byakuya’s folder. He started an automobile business, repairing, taking in used cars and reselling them or reusing the parts. In addition to that, he trained not just employees but customers too, as well as gave out advice.

“He’s a bright one, isn’t he?” said Osamu, slouched forward and resting an arm on a corner of my desk. Other than the occasional comment, he had mostly been quiet for once. “Did you know that he can pilot a helicopter?”

I elevated my gaze.

“You know him well, Sugawara?” I said.

Osamu tilted his head a little.

“I’ve been keeping tabs on several of your bastard children,” said Osamu, which didn’t surprise me. He smirked. “He’s the cutest of the bunch.”

A lot of my senior employees did the same. I could remember some visiting me in my teenage years and for some time after. Activity picked up as the competition drew closer. For me, the competition officially began when I was in my late twenties. Soon after I became the sole heir, I supplied sperm to private clinics as had been tradition.

Anyway, the reason these visits took place was so business associates could try to suck up to someone likely to become the future head... but the youngest never won. No teenager had ever won. The oldest competitor in this competition had been a male called Masanori, who had fared poorly in the second challenge and was struck off then. He had been in his forties during this competition, and those like him stood a better chance of winning than a child.

So I didn’t understand why Osamu acquainted himself with someone who had no hope of winning.

I didn’t like not understanding things. Osamu’s lips still curved.

“Sugawara, what made you seek him out? There were more than one hundred competitors older than him,” I told him.

“Just a hunch,” said Osamu. He shifted a bit, still with that slit of a smile on his face.

My interest extended no further. Osamu was a valuable colleague, so I didn’t wish to start unnecessary strife or bother him with more questions. That would be inconvenient for me. I continued to sift through Byakuya’s folder. His young age would have put him at a disadvantage as few people would take a twelve year old boy seriously, especially as he didn’t have his family names to fall back on, but apparently he had been accompanied by his head butler.

Clients must have assumed that the old man with him was the one they were dealing with, not the child, and I said as such. Osamu shrugged a shoulder.

“Probably. But by having a handsome young boy with him, they probably thought Pennyworth was his grandfather or something. A combination like that will appeal to many customers,” Osamu explained.

I read on, and then I quietly considered what I had read. Osamu didn’t rush me for an answer, watching the process on my face.

“Overall, he has done adequately,” I announced. “Byakuya made some interesting decisions. He offers free consultations, giving advice on reasonable prices so that customers can see if they’re being overcharged at other places. This will make customers go to him, as his prices seem cheaper and fairer, but by doing that, he is limiting his profits. Something similar happened in the previous trial. He’s offering free healthcare and childcare to the employees... an unnecessary undertaking.”

Osamu didn’t say anything. I read some more, regardless of the onset of a headache, and then glanced up. For some reason, or more likely, for no reason, Osamu was still there. In my personal space. And he had been for the past several hours, all the while contributing very little. My lips pursed.

“You don’t have to be here,” I said, restraining a sneer, and Osamu straightened up casually.

The reason I fought my annoyance down wasn’t so I didn’t offend him. I simply didn’t want to betray any emotion. If I showed a sign of weakness, then anyone could chisel away at the chink in my defences that it made.

“Until next time, my dear friend,” Osamu said, and he strode away, raising a hand briefly as he headed to the door.

But he didn’t leave when he got there. He paused, then looked at me over his shoulder.

“I heard about what happened to Masanori-kun. A plane crash... I suppose there was no getting around the pilot’s death,” he remarked in a light tone.

I didn’t reply. Osamu finally left, and I finally had some peace.

Now I could concentrate fully, and I finished going through the rest of the folders. Afterwards, I massaged my temples and heaved a sigh.

It will be a few days before I came to a final decision, I expect.

***

...

While I was seated at a desk in one of my many offices, going over my list of the fifteen competitors set to participate in the final task, I was disturbed by the sound of my phone ringing. I picked it up off my desk and checked the caller ID. Unknown. Only a few people knew my personal number, but the caller may have retrieved it by other means, such as by finding it in someone else’s phone directory or by misdialing it.

As I had important business to attend to, and because I had no desire to know who it was, I hung up. Even if it was someone I knew like my doctor, I would have declined the call. After much solitary deliberation, I had painstakingly narrowed down thirty competitors to fifteen based on their performances in previous tasks and information provided by a large number of trusted and verified sources. The reason why I had needed two weeks to go over the data again and again and so on was because one of these fifteen would take over for me once I retired. A single mistake could doom everything.

I read over the names, even though I could recite them off by heart at this point. One of them was Byakuya Polanski. If I’m honest, I didn’t expect him to win but he had done well in every task, despite his age and the mediocrity of the maternal side of his family. Though I had my doubts, if he wasn’t suited to being the new head of the conglomerate then he would lose and the individual who was the most qualified would become it. His presence wouldn’t matter.

Every challenge helped sculpt my views on each person, bit by bit, and I feel confident in every choice.

Still... I eyed Byakuya’s name.

My phone rang again.

The same number as before.

Not only that, but I had been sent text message saying, ‘I would pick up if I was you.’

I could have blocked the number, or rejected the call again. However, I was curious though mostly annoyed, so I clicked to accept the call.

“Who is this? How did you get my number?” I demanded in a professional tone, so curt and sharp.

Laughter, lazy and young, crackled disrespectfully. My face grew hot.

“As your heir apparent, I of course have your direct number,” said the person.

“What is your name?” I asked, gritting my teeth.

“Ah, I don’t have a name. I’m Nameless. See, when I was very young, a murderer came to my town and slaughtered everyone except me because he missed my hiding place, and he burnt everything to the ground. Therefore I am Nameless now.”

Any retort that I had prepared disintegrated in my mouth, and my mind didn’t prepare any others. I was silent and I could barely breathe.

The person was not put off by my silence. They carried on talking in a bright voice.

“You’re silent. You must remember. This town... was a mining town. It had access to very valuable minerals. The conglomerate wished to acquire some, but no matter how much money you offered them, they declined. The less people who knew, the better, so you hired a hitman and he killed everyone. Almost everyone. Suzuhiko... do you remember him?”

Of course. He was in the final fifteen.

“Suzuhiko did it, and you covered it up. It has been a cold case ever since. Did you know my father delivered the post and my mother would always get real mad if we trekked in mud? She would spank me when I did, and I would keep doing it just to elicit a response from her. His sister found me, and she convinced him to let me live and they adopted me. Now... what do I want? It’s simple. As I’m Nameless, I wasn’t entered in this little game, so I think it’s only fair I’m entered now.”

“You’re not a Togami.”

“But what am I if not that? I’m nobody now, because of you.”

They couldn’t see my hands tremble.

“I’ve already chosen fifteen,” I said. “It has to be fifteen competitors. That’s tradition.”

“I can be whoever you want me to be. If you won’t listen to me, I’m sure the press will. I’d like to see you quash that, Father.”

My whole body stiffened and I dragged my gaze to the list of names. All of these had very important and influential families. To take off almost any one of them would draw too much attention, raise too many questions. Most of them knew each other. Most.

Therefore, I said...

“... you are now Byakuya Polanski.”

“Awesome! Don’t worry, I bet my sister or my brother are still in the competition, so they will give me a lift. We’ll chat real soon. Bye.”

The person hung up.

I put down my phone.

I thought long and hard, for a long time.

I decided I will have to make some adjustments for the final round.

***

...

The final round didn’t go as planned, I must admit.

Suzuhiko was supposed to kill this invader. It didn’t matter, as I have since found out, that the traitor was a male child around the same age as Byakuya. If he posed a threat to the integrity of the Togami Conglomerate, he had to be eliminated even if he was a child.

For this final task, I had every remaining competitor kidnapped and taken to an island. The only people that I did not kidnap were Suzuhiko and his two siblings, and I let that be known. This created some tension and animosity, as desired.

Then they were all given a simple task. On the island, I had set up a scavenger hunt filled with challenges. A few of them referred to it as a game. Whoever completed it first would prove themselves to be the rightful heir. They were allowed to work together but only the individual who keyed in a password revealed when the tasks were all completed would become the heir, so it would be unwise to trust or depend on anyone else. It wasn’t a password that one could guess - it was a string of numbers and letters that had no connection to any of the others.

But one competitor had a secret, second objective. Suzuhiko was to murder the invader. The parasite.

Everything went as I anticipated for the first few weeks. Sometimes several of them grouped together to solve certain puzzles while others remained lone wolves. They slept little, smoked during intervals and nosed around the premises. Nothing out of the ordinary.

I expected Suzuhiko to murder the invader but I didn’t, however, expect everyone to start killing each other before Suzuhiko had the chance to complete his mission.

The invader died. Suzuhiko died. By the end, there were fourteen corpses and a body that was young and almost dead. They stabbed, bludgeoned, crushed and set each other on fire. Other than the female, there was a detective and his assistant who both appeared as the killings commenced. I arrived at the end, having seen it all play out on whatever cameras they didn’t break during the bloodshed, but I had someone explain it to me in detail over a game of chess.

We sat in my private plane, opposite each other with a chessboard resting on a table between us. By ‘we’, I mean me and Byakuya. He is tall, but he has a young face so I can see how he succeeded in disguising himself as the female assistant of a detective. His alias was Polaris Polanski. The surname was his own, while the forename was the name of a star but also based on ‘Pola’, the name of his mother’s mother. This disguise fooled everyone not colluding with him, and the long hair he had before he cut it off had helped.

Byakuya must take after his mother, because his hair is blond and his eyes are blue, unlike mine. I will meet her when we register our marriage.

After all, her son had won.

“My butler only killed one of them. Shinobu wasn’t in a state to tell me his name, but with some digging around, I found out he was her adopted brother, Kazuo,” said Byakuya. He moved his bishop to H6.

I used one of my bishops to take the bishop he relocated.

“It’s no more than a corpse now,” I stated, referring to the invader.

Byakuya examined the board with a furrowed brow, then he dragged his queen diagonally across most of it to take my bishop. His queen couldn’t be immediately displaced, and I stared at the board as I weighed my options.

Earlier, Byakuya had told me how he, his butler and the detective got here. He hired the detective, found out where one of the competitors lived and stalked them. Then, when the competitor was being kidnapped, Byakuya’s butler made a distraction nearby so Byakuya and the detective could plant a tracker discreetly onto the transporter.

We used more than one transporter for each individual and Byakuya’s group had to follow with a delay, so they missed the private plane that took the competitor to the island. They reached the island weeks after the task properly began. While this may seem late, only a couple of people knew about the location. To find out about it at all required more than a detective with a high ranking.

Not only that, but Byakuya solved the island’s puzzles within days.

And that is why I chose Byakuya to be my successor. I moved my rook forward and leaned back in my chair.

“You’re the youngest that has ever won, but don’t take it as a compliment. Just because you are a child, that doesn’t mean I will show you any leniency or kindness,” I warned him.

Byakuya moved his rook to an adjacent square, but while mine had stepped toward him, his shifted once to the side, claiming none of my pieces. He looked up, stony-faced.

“I wouldn’t want you to,” he said, and I hitched my other rook across the board.

The game continued in silence for a while. It progressed slowly but neither of us were bored or distracted. We took our time contemplating our moves and studying our opponent. When Byakuya snuck to the island, he thought to bring a change of clothes, so he no longer wore a pinafore dress but a crisp suit. As he pondered his next move, I regarded him coolly, and when his eyes met mine, though his pair differed in colour to mine, I found them not so different otherwise.

“What will happen to Shinobu?” he asked, reminding me that he was a child.

“She will be expelled like the others,” I said with my arms folded over my chest. “That one is unfit to have the Togami name.”

He didn’t answer right away. In the meantime, I moved my queen forward. Some thought absorbed him, and as his eyes drilled into space, I could tell that he was not as focused on the game of chess as he should have been.

“The others seem to be falling into unfortunate accidents,” said Byakuya, and his gaze flitted to my face. He tipped his head slightly to one side. Though his features were smooth and blank, it was not due to a lack of thought. They were deliberately so.

I didn’t correct him. For them, it was a curse. A curse that came as a result of falling from greatness to the worst possible fate - becoming part of the 99%. But for me, it was a burden, though a necessary one.

Byakuya blinked. After he did, a shadow seemed to fall over his face.

“I will have her be my secretary,” said Byakuya, and I scoffed.

“Are you soft in the head? Or worse... the heart?” I asked him, and I jerked a hand through the air. “She would steal your place in a heartbeat. You would have to sleep with your eyes open from now on if you did that.”

He didn’t falter.

“I can’t be killed,” said Byakuya simply, and he finally moved one of his pieces. “Don’t mistake it for me being emotional. I have no interest in making friends with her, or anyone. I only trust my butler, as he is employed to be trusted. I won because I am intelligent and unaffected by feelings and bonds and other nonsense. If I couldn’t survive by myself, or cracked under pressure, I wouldn’t be here.”

Byakuya sat back.

“You have not seen my full potential yet, Father,” he added. “I will show you I am worth more than a talking cow.”

That was what I told him. I told him that I had been bribed, and that was why the invader usurped Byakuya’s place.

“You are to address me as Togami-sama,” I said, and I took his silence as acknowledgement.

We continued in near silence, gradually losing more and more pieces. Soon I had a king, queen and pawn left, and he had his king, queen and three pawns left. As I waited for him to make his next move, a thought gnawed at me until I could barely tolerate it and I curled my lips.

“I’ve been wondering about something for some time,” I said, peering at him. “Tell me... I noticed that in your tasks, you undercharged your customers and had unnecessary expenses. Why?”

Byakuya nudged up his glasses.

“You mean the free healthcare? I was making a profit, and I am already very rich. I can easily afford it,” he said.

“But why?” I pressed.

“Why not? It’s barely a dent in my pocket and yet for some people, it’s life-changing. If they’re doing business with me or providing labour, then why not? I’m not a person who takes pleasure in the misfortune of others, and they can’t help it if they’re not as brilliant as I am. Besides, I don’t need the world’s wealth to know that I’m a genius and better than everyone else, Togami-sama.”

He was a strange child. While he didn’t trust others and severed all emotional ties with everyone else, he seemed to have no qualms about providing support for them... to an extent. We would have to work on that, but for now, we continued to play.

The game seemed to be approaching a stalemate.

But then,

“Checkmate,” said Byakuya, thirteen years old, and I knew that for better or for worse, he would take the conglomerate where it had never gone before.

***

“Father.”

On hearing that voice, Byakuya looks up and swivels his chair around. In the doorway of his home office stands his son, around eleven years old, with pale grey eyes and purple hair, but he has his father’s nose and his father’s frown.

“Yes?” says Byakuya.

His son, Aloysius, raises the book in his hands.

“I was wondering if there are more diary entries other than these?” he says.

Byakuya’s eyes flicker, and his lips pinch together.

“Those were the only parts I could salvage. The place was almost entirely destroyed,” says Byakuya.

He still remembers the ruins and how the pages were singed as he cradled the book in his hands. His father’s former mansion still smelled like death when he entered, and Makoto voice’s calling to him had sounded like the wind outside.

‘Shut up. I’m busy. Go bother Kirigiri for another ten minutes.’

‘Togami-kun...’

‘I said leave me alone. You’re more annoying than usual.’

‘All right, Togami-kun. We’ll be waiting for you outside. Come out when you’re ready.’

“Then can you tell me what happens next?” asks Aloysius, breaking through the walls that had started to set around Byakuya.

Memories from so many years ago partially resurface, and they run down imaginary walls like crayon melting on a radiator. The scene crumbles away as he returns to the present. Byakuya fixes his eyes on Aloysius. He’s the same age that Byakuya had been when the competition started.

Those don’t exist anymore. In fact, the conglomerate doesn’t even exist, but Byakuya has something more valuable. A family that loves him and a family he loves back, as hard as it is to voice at times.

Byakuya stands up. His chair creaks.

“Let’s go to the living room,” he says. “And get your mother... she’s in the bedroom.”

Aloysius’s face lights up and he darts out of the room. Byakuya stares out of his window at a blue sky. His parents married for formalities, but him... he married a person full of love, someone brilliant and loyal, and importantly, someone he chose for himself and who chose him, even when the Togami name didn’t mean anything to the rest of the world anymore.

He turns away and leaves the room, shutting the door behind himself.

In the living room, Aloysius tugs his mother’s arm, and as Touko sits down on the couch, looking around in confusion, Byakuya recalls his father’s last entry and decides this is definitely for the better.

#byakuya togami #danganronpa #fanfiction #one shot #kijou togami #touko fukawa #but she's right at the end #togafuka

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