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beneaththetangles · 2 years

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Reader’s Corner: The Art of Sushi, The Angel Next Door, and Cowboy Bebop: A Syndicate Story

How’s your Christmas shopping list looking? Still got a few people to buy for? Any otaku on your list? If so, let me submit for your consideration some of these manga and light novels below! We’ve got a slew of series we’re covering this week, from published webtoons to backstories to Netflix live-action adaptations that have…gotten canceled. Enjoy the reviews, maybe pick one or two up for the holidays, and let us know your thoughts on these and any other recent manga or light novels you’ve picked up!

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Solo Leveling, Vol. 3 (Manga)

While Jin Woo continues to quickly grow into an OP hunter, a true measure of what class he’s now in has been hard to attain. In volume three of the Solo Leveling “manga” (which in truth is just a binding together of webtoon chapters for the series), however, he will be challenged both by having to hide his newly found abilities as he re-teams with old friends and foes from the series’ opening raid and matches up against as a rank B hunter whose secret mission is far more dastardly than simply killing goblins. While this story, and the other in this volume that follows—which once again has Jin Woo growing in surprising ways—are fun to flip through, I was left to wonder exactly why the webtoon version of the series has exploded so much in popularity. These stories are far more engaging in light novel form, which slows the tale down and better explains the action, while also giving Jin Woo far more depth as a character. The only thing missing from that version but present here are the full color illustrations of this manga, which are admittedly captivating. Still, volume three feels a bit like watching a recap episode of an anime rather than the full previous 10-12 episodes, one where you watch the beautiful highlights and generally comprehend what’s going on, but can’t quite enjoy it since it’s superficial. Which leads me to conclude that, without being at all facetious, a huge draw for webtoon readers is Jin Woo’s character design, as he’s draw like a K-pop star. If that and the beautiful illustrations in general are the main reasons that you’re reading the webtoon, by all means, pick up this manga volume. But if you want to experience a series that subtly asks questions about morality while set against an interesting gamer backdrop, try the light novels instead. You’ll find them to be far superior.~ Twwk

Solo Leveling is published by Yen Press.*

Sweet Rein (Series)

As part of the 25 Days of Manga, I’ve decided to read…whatever comes my way, including pieceI may not have considered before. Well, after watching a video from our own Laura A. Grace, I dove into reading Sweet Rein, a shoujo series about a Santa. Yes, a Santa. In this world setting, Santas are localized and are paired through magic with a human-reindeer. The reindeer will follow the Santa’s command and the two have a generally lifelong bond. In this specific instance, Sweet Rein brings a teenage girl named Kurumi who ends up the Santa together with teenage boy, Kaito. And, well, romantic overtones ensue, but really the series isn’t about romance. What the series is at its core is about love of your fellow man and the power of positive symbols, as the mere concept of Santa is enough to help improve people’s lives and bring them happiness when there was none. Kurumi loves this and uses her Santa abilities outside of the Christmas season, but it’s done in such a way as to help others. Sometimes it’s for a child who is suffering from illness, or a one with unresolved issues, or maybe it is just for an adult in need. Whatever the case, Santas in this world tend to bring positivity; I liked that. Also, the idea of localized Santas doing work instead of a single person doing it across a single night makes WAY more sense. Just saying. ~ MDMRN

Sweet Rein is published by Viz Media.

The Eminence in Shadow, Vol. 1 (manga)

Cid, as he’s known to the world he’s been spirited to after meeting his demise on earth, has one desire: to be the “eminence in shadow,” a great shadow broker, or one who controls power behind the scenes. To do so, he needs to blend in as he cultivates his strength. Thankfully, Cid has an incredible imagination and no real moral compass, so he can make his dream come true. Actually, that last bit makes this sound like another series with a revenge-focused protagonist, when actually it’s a comedy. Yes, an isekai comedy, and not in the way of charming, cute narratives, but rather with self-awareness and plenty of winks to the genre’s tropes as Cid moves his way along the path of an anti-hero, assisted by beautiful elves who become master storytellers themselves. Cid does he run into an obstacle in the form of a princess, however, who also isn’t quite what she seems, and, what’s this, conspiracies that may actually be true? Yes, the story appears headed in the obvious direction of life imitating art, with Cid’s stories of a demon resurrection cult actually becoming reality, but that’s perfectly fine by me, as the humor and characters are so consistently funny and captivating that I feel assured that future volumes will continue to meet the tone and expectations set by this one, even if the manga takes a more traditional isekai route. Much like many of you, I’m sure, I’m suffering from isekai fatigue, which makes The Eminence in Shadow all the more rewarding, fitting right into that genre but with a clever, joyful, and silly tone that refreshes my interest in isekai and lets me get away from it a bit, too—all in engaging tale. ~ Twwk

The Eminence in Shadow is published by Yen Press.*

Cowboy Bebop: A Syndicate Story: Red Planet Requiem

A Syndicate Story: Red Planet Requiem, which gives a fuller recount of Spike and Vicious’ pasts, including origin stories for each and for their friendship, is a whole lot like the (now-canceled) series it accompanies, a mixed bag which is at times enthralling but ultimately a mediocre work which often borders on amateurism. That last bit is what’s most upsetting about Red Planet Requiem, which mainly focuses on Spike and especially Vicious as they are given a job that could raise them from “janitors” to a higher rank inside the Syndicate, with proofreading errors take the reader out of what is often an exciting story, punctuated particularly by the sometimes vulgar, sometimes pithy exchanges between the two leads. Even more disappointing, though, is that most of the final third of the novel, in which a tale that had been flying straight goes entirely off course. The breakneck speed of the book hits the gas even harder in this section as what earlier was intoned with dark humor and a dramatic, even sensitive coming-of-age feel, turns into a sitcom, as contrivances and coincidences pile up and strange paths open up, like a meaningless sex-filled rendezvous during a six-year-old’s birthday party. This rough sections reminds readers that the book was written by a screenwriter for the series, and while descriptions here and there set an atmosphere that tease us into thinking that this could be a good piece of science fiction writing, that tangent and both the lack of detail and what I felt was a tenuous connection between the Vicious of this book and the absolute lethal killing machines he becomes a few years later, point toward the purpose of this piece—strictly as a companion to a likewise frustrating series. The cover points to that, too, as it is a particularly deceitful choice, showing characters on the cover associated with the Netflix series (as if this book is a novelization of that), but which aren’t in the story in any form or fashion, while the one who is arguably the novel’s most important isn’t on the cover at all. Just another example, unfortunately, of bad decisions for the rebooted franchise. ~ Twwk

Cowboy Bebop: A Syndicate Story: Red Planet Requiem is published by Titan Books.

Private Tutor to the Duke’s Daughter, Vol. 1

An academically exceptional commoner, Allen has high technical proficiency in magic but relatively little magical power, and has just failed the exam to become a government wizard. His former professor hooks him up with a simple job: teach Duke Howard’s daughter Tina magic over the next three months so she can pass the entrance exams for the Royal Academy. Of course, Tina has never once managed to use magic in her life. And Duke Howard doesn’t actually want his daughter to attend the academy. Plus, both Tina and the maid Ellie are crushing hard on Allen. Okay, forget what I said about a simple job. The story introduces a surprising number of mysteries. Also, Allen himself may not be an entirely reliable narrator. In addition to the mysteries and secrets, I loved the setting, which is like 1901 but with magic. The world has a richness, a sense of depth, thanks to frequent passing references to people, events, and places that don’t appear “on screen.” Allen’s noble friend Lydia is an absolutely hilarious example of such characters. My main complaint about this novel is the unfunny dumb romcom situations that pop up periodically. I *was* going to grumble about how Allen is obnoxiously oblivious to romantic interest from girls in his life…but in light of his apparent willingness to obfuscate, I suspect he’s less clueless than he wants readers to believe. This story passed the most important test a light novel can face: “Do I want to read the next volume?” My answer: Yes. I wouldn’t give this volume an A+, but it did earn a solid B. ~ jeskaiangel

Private Tutor to the Duke’s Daughter is published by J-Novel Club.

The Splendid Work of a Monster Maid, Vol. 1

Sumire is a nekomata, a kind of yokai that was once a cat before becoming a human. Having wandered into a magic land, she is taken in by an ice witch and is learning to serve as her maid, before two other servants—an android and a zombie—also enter their lives. I admit that even though there were shades of foreshadowing in this first chapter involving Sumire and her master, I was surprised by what the story ultimately reveals itself to be about, a sort of episodic take on yokai / demon hunting stories, but one I’m not used to, where beautiful gothic tones take priority over fanservice, cuteness takes center stage (although juxtaposed with more sophisticated tones), and the four main characters are all given plenty of personality right from these opening chapters. Think a more down-to-earth Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun in a fablelike setting. In fact, the opening chapters of this series are more engaging than that beloved series. And indeed, and especially with a cliffhanger ending, I’m eager to see what happens next in this surprisingly warm and beautifully illustrated manga series. ~ Twwk

The Splendid Work of a Monster Maid is published by Yen Press.*

The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten, Vol. 3

To the analogy of the simmering Crockpot, I add another: that of Zeno’s paradox. If we let the target be a confession of love and Amane and Mahiru be the arrow, it’s like each volume splits the distance between the target and the arrow in half, yet without ever reaching it. This volume was no exception. With Amane and Mahiru in the same class this time around, the dividing wall separating their time at home and their time at school begins to collapse. And with Mahiru making moves on Amane in a variety of different ways, the illusion of “we’re just really, really close friends” is beginning to shatter. But it’s not called Zeno’s paradox for nothing. As tantalizingly close as Amane and Mahiru get to a real confession, they nonetheless hover inches away from the target, and it’s really beginning to seem like they’re never actually going to hit it. There is some progress, though—most of it has to do with Amane wrestling with some issues from his past, a tension which felt forced, like an artificial sweetener in an already sweet drink. That slightly bitter note doesn’t ruin the flavor of the whole drink, though. This volume made for an endearing and pleasant read, not to mention the teaser at the end of raised stakes in the next volume. I’ll be looking forward to that. But here’s hoping that the Zeno’s paradox analogy doesn’t hold water for long. ~ sleepminusminus

The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten is published by Yen Press.

The Art of Sushi

Promoted as French comic artist Franckie Alarcon’s latest deep dive into food, The Art of Sushi isn’t at all what I expected—it reads less like a comic and more like a Netflix or Food Channel documentary on sushi in graphic novel form. At first, the style was so unexpected (and so text heavy), and the flow of the translation just ever so slightly askew, that I found the work hard to penetrate. However, by the time Alarcon illustrates the visit with his first subject, Hachiro Mizutani, I was at rapt attention, and before long, was fully engulfed not only in how much I was learning about sushi, but in how the personalities and conversation, so important in engaging food documentaries, came across with such life in this French graphic novel. This was indeed like watching a gripping, two-hour work on sushi—but not just sushi. Besides spending time with chefs, the work takes frequent detours to explain other items associated with the food as Alarcon and company visit professionals in Japan, like a maker of ceramic dishes, rice farmer, sake brewer, and soy sauce manufacturer. The banter between Alarco and his fellow visitors was also quite fun (I enjoyed the references they made to Miyazaki, Tommy Lee Jones, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade), though I’m not enough of a Francophile to care much for the frequent references to the sushi scene back in their homeland. However, that was barely a deterrent; what may be for some, though, is the extensive writing. The comic feels half a graphic novel and half an educational work. I would suggest, dear reader, that you take it slow, enjoy the wonderful black and white sketches with occasional and lovely (sometimes even shocking) use of color, and allow yourself to be buried in the world of sushi, preferably as you take several days to read through, and then as you reference it time and time again in the future. ~ Twwk

The Art of Sushi is published by NBM Publishing.*

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Reader’s Corner is our way of embracing the wonderful world of manga, light novels, and visual novels, creative works intimately related to anime but with a magic all their own. Each week, our writers provide their thoughts on the works their reading—both those recently released as we keep you informed of newly published works and older titles that you might find as magical (or in some cases, reprehensible) as we do.

*Thank you to Yen Press and NBM Publishing for providing review copies.

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floweryfandomnerd · 6 years

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@thelazyfanartist Hey I finally got this done and I’m very happy with it despite it being a procrastination method from revision man am I gonna fail my exams at this rate.

Anyway here is the fourth drabble in the schoolboy!arslan au that you requested. I say drabble it’s 4k+ long... I hope you enjoy

Chapter Four

The room that Elam stands in the doorway to is a mess with old toys strewn about the wooden floor in almost a circle from the centre, he sighs at the thought of cleaning it up.

“Hey Elam, did you bring your old toys to go through for the beneficence day?” Arslan asks him, springing up from what could be described as the eye of the storm, if the storm were one of dolls and stuffed animals.

He lifts up the canvas bag in his right hand to show him, Arslan eyes the graphic print on it for a moment then holds out his hand expectantly. Elam loops the handles around Arslan’s wrist, he tugs the bag open and peers inside, wide grin forming on his face as he pulls out a spiderman action figure, “Cool! You have my favourite hero!”

Elam steps closer to him, digging around in the bag himself, he produces a Hawkeye figure and holds it up to eye level, “Yeah, but Hawkeye’s my favourite because he's skilled with a bow and that's pretty awesome. Even more awesome is that in the original comics he's deaf, that's pretty inspiring for disabled kids, y’know?” Elam tells him.

And even though his voice lacks the same obvious excitement as his, Arslan has long since learnt to read him by the way the corners of his eyes crinkle as he talks about it, by the way that he stands just a little bit straighter and holds the figure to his chest. Arslan smiles softly, he's more than fond of seeing his friend so happy.

“Yeah! It's great because it shows that even with a disability you can be anything - even a superhero!” Arslan agrees, enthusiastically nodding his head, “Hawkeye is Daryun’s third favourite, besides Thor and Captain America.”

‘Yeah, they're kinda cool too.” Elam glances back down at the figure sadly, he doesn't really want to give it away.

“He says Spiderman is lame though, says it's because he reminds him of a teenage Narsus, except Narsus didn't have a six pack and liked art too.” Arslan gently takes the figure out of Elam’s hand as he laughs, (he takes pride in drawing that laugh out of his friend, he's glad that he doesn't always feel the need to be so serious around him anymore.) Arslan sets the two action figures down carefully on his bed, kept apart from all of the unsorted toys, “Anyway, we can't get rid of these.”

“Wow. Was Narsus that much of a nerd?” Elam asks, still in stitches and clutching his arms around his sides.

“What do you mean was? He still is!” Arslan jokes, mumbling an afterthought, “Though he's more of an art nerd than a science nerd now, I guess.”

Elam carefully steps around the toys to sit in the middle of them, he drags Arslan with him by the sleeve. Picking up the nearest stuffed animal in front of him, Elam inspects it for any rips in the stitching or missing eyes. When he finds nothing wrong with it he holds it up to Arslan. Silently answering the question, Arslan nods his head to say that it can be donated; Elam sets the toy aside in a basket labelled “donations.”

They get into a rhythm of deciding whether the toys can stay or go, picking them up, checking them over for injury and then questioning whether they can be kept or not. Most of the toys wind up in the basket, too many for them to be of any emotional value. Occasionally though, Arslan shakes his head and tenderly takes the toy from Elam’s hand, placing them on the bed. It builds up an eclectic collection of old, tattered toys that he stares at fondly.

They’re special to him, each and every one, he doesn't want to get rid of them. Knowing they're safe, he quietly returns to helping Elam sort the rest of the toys, neither of them break the silence, though Elam wants to ask what makes each one so important. After all, every toy has a story to it when it means something.

Breaking the silence between them by means of a creaking door, Alfarid strides in, calling out, “Guys, I’m here!”

Taking another step into the room, Alfarid stands on one of the still unsorted toys, slipping and crashing into the basket. A few toys go flying out, one of them hitting Elam on the head; Alfarid sits slightly dazed in the basket, limbs splayed everywhere and giggles sheepishly, “So um, what were you guys doing?”

Elam scowls at her, rubbing the impact spot, “We were enjoying ourselves but I guess that’s over now.”

Long used to his sass, Alfarid simply sticks her tongue out at him. Despite Elam’s sourness towards her, Arslan laughs at her. She laughs along too, guessing herself just how ridiculous she must look. The three blink at an unexpected flash and the sound of a camera shutter, Etoile stands in the doorway, polaroid camera in hand and held up in front of her face. Lowering it, she tugs the photograph printing in the bottom out and fans it around. The photograph develops, ink drying and the image forming in blotches.

She looks at it and grins, chuckling just slightly, then she holds it out for the others to see. They smile and Alfarid takes the photo in her own hand.

“This one’s a keeper!” she beams. “It’s definitely going in my memory box.”

Etoile points to the window where opened light blue and white curtains let the sunlight filter in through the glass, “Yeah, the lighting in here made sure it came out great. But that should be going in my memory box, I took the picture.”

Pouting, she holds it out for the other girl, but Elam quickly snatches it away and squints at it. He cracks a smile and shoves it into Arslan's face.

“It’s cute, we look cute in this photo don't we Denka?” he pauses, considering thoughtfully for a moment, then adds, “Alfarid doesn't.”

She gasps in outrage, insulted and ready to fire expletives back at him, Etoile speaks over the top of her, vexed, “Wait, why did you call him ‘Denka’?”

Alfarid resorts to crossing her eyes and arms and sticking her tongue out at Elam in a huff, he pays her no mind and gestures towards the bed in the corner of the room, “Because he has a king sized bed, in like every room, but we're still kids, so Denka.”

She glances to Arslan, ‘Denka’, questioningly but to her surprise he doesn't seem to mind the nickname. She turns her head away rapidly when she realises that she's caught his eye with her own. He jumps up, excitedly putting a hand on her shoulder.

“You should take another one,” he tells her, voice as warm as a sunny day, “but this time you should get in too!”

She nods, still a little surprised, then finds her voice to reply, “Of course, it wouldn't be the perfect photo if I weren't in it.”

He laughs happily and bounces off to the pile of toys on the bed.

“Before you take it,” he says, waving Alfarid over to his side, “we need to organise the toys on here for the background.”

They align them against the wall, organising them by size with the largest teddy bears at the back and action figures sitting in the front. Arslan grabs Elam’s arm and drags him over to sit in front of the bed with him and Alfarid. Etoile sets a fifteen second timer and places the camera on the bed side table, seating herself next to Arslan. Seconds later the camera flashes and she fights the urge to blink. She’d set it to go off three times, one photo for each of them.

The polaroid deposits the photographs in front of it, she idly goes through them, pausing and deciding which she likes best, Alfarid making the peace sign whilst Elam glares at her, Arslan and herself making silly faces; maybe the one when all four of them are smiling and Elam and Alfarid have given up their bickering. She decides on the one where, for some strange reason, Arslan's smile is directed at her instead of the camera. She pockets that one carefully and leaves the other three open to the others’ choice.

Turning to Elam, she picks up a stuffed horse off of the wooden floor, dangling it in the air by the tail. She scrutinises the toy, swinging it from side to side, “So Elam, why all the toys? We helping a tragic case of hoarding or? I mean, if so I guess it's a productive use of a Thursday afternoon… ”

Elam laughs, “No, our school is having a beneficence day so we're going through all of Arslan's old stuff to sell some and raise money.”

“You can donate that horse by the way,” Arslan chimes in.

Etoile nods, dumping it amongst the other sacrificed toys. “What about this ratty old bear? Are you sure you want to keep it?” she asks just a little brashly. Its fur is worn and discoloured, one of the eyes is missing and some of the stitching is coming away, letting the stuffing spill out in small patches. They couldn't even donate it if they had wanted to.

Still, Arslan nods almost shyly, softly replying, “Yes… I want to keep it.”

She carefully passes it to him, gazing thoughtfully in his direction, head cocked slightly to the side, “That’s important to you, isn’t it?” she says slowly.

“Yes, it’s the only thing I have left of my birth parents. They gave it to me when I was five.”

Alfarid’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise, “Your birth parents?”

Smiling almost sadly at her, Arslan sighs quietly, ‘Yeah, they died in a car accident when I was eight.” He brightens up then - Etoile can't help but think the expression reads as fake - adding, “I'm okay with donating almost anything, just not this, okay?”

Elam silently pats his arm, glancing at him out of the corner of his eye, Arslan briefly taps Elam's hand with his own in acknowledgement.

Clapping a hand gently on his shoulder, Etoile reassures him, “Well that's fine, isn't it? You don't have to give up everything of yourself to make a difference to others.” She grins broadly at him then, firmly stating, “Giving to charity is a good thing Arslan, you just need to make sure you keep something for yourself too.”

When he beams at her in response, agreeing resolutely, she thinks she might just have to change her opinion of him as a spoiled rich boy. “Why don't I take that and fix it for you?” she asks, pointing at the stuffing spilling out like Winnie the Pooh’s, “I know how to sew.”

This time it's Elam's turn to be surprised, “Really?” he enquires almost incredulously.

“Yup.”

“Do you think you could teach me then? I'm no good at it past stitching up holes.” Elam points to the dark brown fabric patches on the elbows of his deep green jumper as if they were evidence of his lack of skills.

Etoile laughs then, quickly obliging herself, “Yeah, I think that would be fun. I could even teach you how to make clothes, if you want me to,” she says, closely scrutinising his work and mumbling, “though I think you're plenty good already.”

She doesn't notice the camera go off again, snapping a shot of her intensely staring at Elam's elbow whilst he looks to be concentrating equally as hard. Giggles escape Alfarid, betraying her mischief as she shows off the picture to Arslan who giggles along with her.

Cutting off the giggling, she turns to Arslan again, “Well do you?” she almost demands the answer of him, “I promise no harm will come to it whilst in my care. Just good old stuffing surgery.”

Easily agreeing, he hands the toy over to her, “Yes, I trust you'll do a great job.”

Daryun interrupts them, knocking loudly and pushing open the door to the room. “Dinner's ready kids. Come down and eat.”

“You didn't cook it now, did you?” Elam worries at him, Daryun isn't someone he would trust to make food. Responsible, usually, but he's just as much of a disaster in the kitchen as Narsus is, if his attempt at a cake is anything to go by.

Daryun's expression morphs into one of offense, arms crossed, eyes narrowed, and his mouth set in an annoyed line, “Yes I did, I don't really think there's anywhere to go wrong with spaghetti bolognaise, Elam.”

Holding his glare a moment, Elam eventually relents, accepting that Daryun perhaps might not be as useless a cook as he is a baker. Though he does question why Daryun decided to make it himself, if he remembers correctly, Elam believes that Arslan's household employed a cook already, and that it certainly wasn't Daryun.

Daryun smiles in response, “Okay then, I'll drop you lot off at home after you've finished dinner then.”.

Etoile takes the bear home with her.

After her Tuesday afternoon shift in the shop, Etoile wanders around the town centre a little bit, gazing in shop windows without entering, pressing her hands against the glass when she takes interest in something and peering in curiously only to pull herself away a moment later. Eventually she arrives in front of the store she actually intends to enter and pushes open the door. It's a small shop with little room and fewer regular customers, but the products are good quality and inexpensive, so it's her chosen place to shop.

They have pretty fabrics hung on spools all across the far wall, Etoile likes looking at them, running her fingers across each one as she tries to decide which one she needs to buy. Pausing, she takes the bear from the plain brown satchel at her hip and studies it, tapping a finger against her lips in thought. A patchwork job would probably last longer, she thinks, than just sewing up the bear. As long as she finds the right fabric and colour.

This one, she thinks, feeling a soft and velvet-like deep brown fabric. She buys half a meter, some brown thread and a button that matches the eye of the bear. She pays for the items and is almost out of the door before she remembers that some stuffing might be useful. Purchasing the stuffing, she leaves and makes her way home.

Her apartment is empty when she arrives, Barcacion - the great uncle that she lives with and is rather fond of - isn't home, leaving Etoile to quietly sit in the arm chair by the window as she repairs the bear. It doesn't take long to fix, but as her needle dips in and out of the fabric, sewing the toy's wound shut, Etoile considers why Arslan, with all his money, didn't just pay for the bear to be sewn back up. At first she can't think of any real reason, eventually however, she thinks that maybe it was because he was scared it would be changed beyond recognition and he wouldn't have anything left of the people who formed his early life. After that, she's careful to make sure the bear remains recognisable.

Her chance to return the bear doesn't come until the Beneficence Day three days later. She wanders through the gate idly, taking her time to enjoy the afternoon sun that spills over the buildings around her, casting shadows and golden rays alike. The school grounds are unusually busy, but that's hardly surprising given the day's event, still, the crowd is so thick that she struggles to see where she can find Arslan, Elam or Alfarid. What gives it away is the circle of young children and their parents circling around one particular covered table, she figures that nothing other than a ridiculous amount of toys would draw that kind of attention and starts weaving her way through the throng of people to get there.

When Arslan catches sight of her amongst the crowd he beams at her brightly and waves to her to catch her attention, she smiles gently and holds up the bear, moving one of its arms from side to side to wave back at him. He laughs cutely, clutching his sides with one arm, Etoile quite likes the look of his laughing face. Quietly, and to herself, Etoile giggles along with him, holding one hand up to her mouth to hide it. Upon arrival in Arslan's little covered stall she deposits the bear in the front pocket of his apron, situating it with its arms hanging out over the top as Arslan's face begins to flame whenever her hands accidentally brush at his chest. She steps back, peers at him critically and smiles, satisfied with how it looks.

“Now you look like a toy maker, one who likes giving gifts to little children.” She tells him, patting his shoulder momentarily.

“That doesn't sound like such a bad job, actually.” He says thoughtfully, turning from her and serving a bright eyed little girl who eagerly buys the cutest stuffed rabbit Etoile has ever seen. Arslan holds a finger to his lips and leans down to whisper conspiratorially to her, “I'll tell you a secret about that rabbit, but you have to promise to take good care of her.”

The little girl nods her head, wearing a serious expression and crossing her heart, “I promise!” She says gravely in a hushed whisper.

Arslan looks pensively at her for a moment, “Okay,” he tells the girl, “That rabbit is the princess of the rabbit kingdom, but no one can know or the foxes will find her and plunge the kingdom into turmoil.”

She gasps and glances astonished down at the bunny in her arms.

“So you need to protect her, you see, brave lady knight, I wish you good luck.”

“Thank you, I'll look after her well.” The little girl declares, leaving and going back to her mother.

Etoile watches fondly and just slightly awed, she never realised just how good Arslan was with children, she doesn't quite know what to say, it reminds her of a game she used to play as a child. “That was adorable,” slips past her lips as he turns back to face her.

“I used to play a similar game when I was a kid, my bear used to be the prince of a fallen kingdom,” Arslan tells her wistfully, “Sometimes - as often as I could, actually - I used to get Daryun to play it with me, he was always this brave warrior, see.”

Etoile’s own memories are somewhat the same, it’s a rather nostalgic feeling, “Ah, me too, I was a valiant knight, fighting for my kingdom in the name of God, well, a made up one that I called Yaldaboath. It was fun.”

He smiles softly at her, probably imagining when she was ten years old, running around and swinging a foam sword. At least she can imagine him playing with teddy bears straight back.

“Arslan, you can switch out with me now. Go enjoy the rest of the event,” Elam says from behind her, appearing out of nowhere and startling Etoile just slightly.

Arslan nods, gently grabbing Etoile's hand and tugging her along with him, a mischievous sparkle shining in his eyes. He doesn't say much, concentrating on navigating through the crowd of people, stopping at a table with a crudely set up game of ring toss that offers prizes in the form of toys, money and cupcakes.

“Do you want to play?” Arslan asks her, pulling his hand away and reaching in his pocket for change to pay with.

Ignoring the emptiness of her hand, Etoile agrees, reaching for the rings, “Sure, but pay for two games I want to know who's better at this game.” She says, challenging him to test his aim.

He has fairly good aim, actually, which shouldn't surprise Etoile given his school has beaten hers at mixed baseball before. His first two throws go well, the rings hang on the necks of the bottles but he overshoots the last one just slightly and misses. He shrugs somewhat disappointedly, staring longingly at a giant chocolate cupcake offered as a prize. “Guess I'm not getting that cake then,” he says and Etoile swears she can hear genuine sadness in his voice.

Grabbing the second set of three rings, Etoile aims carefully, flinging them with just the right amount of force that they land on the bottlenecks, spinning noisily around them like a hula hoop. She doesn't even have to say what prize she wants, the bored student hands over the chocolate cupcake immediately. Etoile shoves it towards Arslan, offering it to him.

“You look hungry, so take it.” She half commands him.

Instead of eating it all himself, Arslan splits it in half and gives the bigger piece back to her, “Thanks,” he tells her with an impish grin.

There's not really much else to do at the beneficence day, having come so late and working on the teddy bear stall, they've missed all the events like races and talent shows. Etoile quickly finds herself growing bored despite her company and the different little games they play - actually, the one with the water guns is fun since she gets to soak him and he gapes at her in open shock - though she holds it in and doesn't say anything, at least she has time to think for once.

The crowd has thinned by the time he turns to her, still damp from her earlier attacks, “There’s not really anything left to do here, is there?”

Etoile shakes her head, “Not really, I think we missed all the good stuff, unfortunately.”

Arslan hums in agreement, making a little noise and obviously thinking about something else , what exactly, Etoile isn’t sure. He holds his hand out expectantly, waiting for her to take it again, “Let’s go then, I know somewhere nice.”

Hesitantly, Etoile takes his hand, following him through the grounds and avoiding the last few stragglers there, her cheeks feel decidedly warm.

“Where are we going?” She asks as they leave the gates, heading away from the school and in the opposite direction from his house, moving farther from the town centre with every step.

“You'll see,” he tells her cryptically, staring up at the top of a grassy hill from the base of it.

A small playpark sits on the summit of the hill, surrounded by a bright coloured fence and trees dotted around behind it with swings and slides and a giant climbing frame among the things to do there. Arslan tugs her hand and starts climbing it, bringing Etoile to realise that he wanted to take her to the park. Sometimes, she thinks, he’s a little bit of a kid and a little cliché but she doesn’t mind it so much. Silently challenging Arslan to a race, Etoile removes her hand from his, sprinting up the hill ahead of him. She sees him break into a run as she glances behind her, the corners of his lips curved up into a wide smile.

Etoile wins the race, sitting in the grass and panting at the top of the hill as she waits for him to struggle his way up.

“You’re many times fitter than I am, Etoile, I don’t know how you managed to run the whole way up,” He tells her, bent over with his hands on his thighs and wheezing to catch his breath.

Etoile shrugs casually, “I cycle to school.”

Pushing herself up from the grass, Etoile waits for him to stop wheezing and takes herself to the swings; she’s always been fond of swings, something about them is relaxing and they always seem to have the amazing power of clearing her mind. Arslan sits on the one next to her, swinging quietly aside from the creaking of the chains that attach the seat to the bar and the scuffing sound of his feet when he kicks off the ground. It’s peaceful.

“You know, I always used to come to this park as a kid, you know, before I was taken to Castle Andragoras.” He says softly, breaking their comfortable silence with a mournful tone of regret, “I don’t really remember it.”

“Was it fun?” Etoile asks in an almost-whisper.

“Yes.” Arslan abruptly stops swinging, getting up and holding out his hand for her again.

She lets the swing stop naturally before she stands, though she doesn’t take his hand this time, there’s no way for her to get lost in the little play park. After a confused moment, he lets his hand drop and begins climbing the giant climbing frame that she noticed earlier.

“Come up here, Etoile, this is what I wanted to show you.” He calls down to her, already a short distance from the ground.

She obeys, scaling her way up through the organised mess of cold metal bars until she reaches just below the top, where Arslan sits on one of the bars, distractedly swinging his legs as he gazes over the city. As she sits beside him, watching the same view as him, Etoile thinks she knows why he brought her there. The sunset is beautiful, pinks, purples, oranges and reds taking over from the sunny blue bathe every tree and building in their hues. If she remembers correctly, it’s the start of magic hour, or twilight.

“It’s so pretty, I’m glad you brought me to see it,” she voices with some awe.

“Yeah, I’ve always thought so,” he whispers on an exhaled breath, glancing at her from the corner of his eye with a fond smile.

Etoile sways slightly and Arslan places his hand on hers to help her keep her balance.

“Do you remember this?” She asks quietly.

“Yes.”

If you enjoyed this please think about a reblog so that more people can read it!

@inokinako You would probably like to read, no?

#arslan senki #the heroic legend of arslan #arstoile #arslan #elam #alfarid #etoile #schoolboy!arslan au #flings this into the abyss and hides #Man I feel like I'm slow burning arslan and etoile but am I?#Pretty sure I've read much more slowburn fic than this drabble series tbh #enjoy though

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