Toya Card Drop!

Toya card drop!

The title of this card is, “The Calm Admist the Storm”, where it features Akito cameo! This card will come with an outfit, but here’s the talent:

100% score boost for 10 seconds

Chapter 4 of Sour Droplets!

[Chapter 4 - Mirror-Image]

As An listened to the song, it seemed to grip her very heart. 

The gentle piano was accompanied by a sweet music box, and the guitar that Kanade added seemed to play a sentiment that shook her very soul. There was no lyrics added yet, but it was already a touching song, even if An didn’t really listen to this type of music. It was so impactful that of felt like she was right next to Kanade, listening to the song right there.

Soon though, Kanade clicked on her mouse again, pausing the song. She turned to look at An, her eyes full of concern.

“Are you alright An?”

With that question An snapped out of her trance and realized that, without paying attention, tears pricked at the corner of her eyes. And every time she blinked to get rid of them, two more teardrops would appear in their place. Was she… crying? Why?

An knew that if she said anything, there was no doubt she’d break down in tears. So she did one thing.

“Aunt Nagi…!” She wailed, not entirely sure why. She began sobbing, using what meager energy she had left to squeeze tears out of her eyes. 

Kanade’s eyes widen in surprise but she didn’t say anything. Instead, she walked over and silently put her hand on An’s back. She wasn’t trying to get An to shush, or interrupt her crying. It was her way of showing An that she was here, even though she was crying in front of someone she had just met today.

It took a while for the sorrow that eclipsed An’s body to leave, but when it did she allowed herself to slump onto the bed, her eyes red. Kanade just stayed silent until she smiled softly, the corners or her lips perking upwards.

“I think I know what to add to my song now.” Kanade said, breaking the silence and snapping An out of her trance that her misery put her in. Yet the sentence only served to confuse her, causing her eyebrows to furrow.

“You.. you do?” An asked, the emotional thorn in her mind reminding her of Nagi seemingly a little duller now. “But I.. I.. I didn’t even help you.”

 Kanade just continued to smile with a tinge of sadness in her eyes, and An’s heart broke. For her to act so mature like this… like she knew what to do… she must’ve been through this kind of pain a lot.

Kanade shook her head, clearly disagreeing. “You actually helped me a lot An. It was through you that I was able to feel your pain, and reach deep in the depths to make my melody.”

Feel my pain? An silently repeated to herself, pondering the meaning. But meanwhile, Kanade continued.

“I can tell you’ve got a lot of pain on your shoulders, and if I can ever ease the ache you’re free to come over.” Kanade promised, her words bearing a silent weight to them. “But right now you should rest. With the state your fragile body is in you could be vulnerable to getting a cold. We can talk more when you wake up.”

As if flipping a switch that sentence made An realize how tired she was. She had cried and talked until her eyelids felt unimaginabley heavy. 

So as a yawn battled its way up her throat she just nodded to Kanade, who smiled in response and sat in her chair by the computer. It was clear Kanade was going to compose more music as An slept, and she wondered if she’d ever hear a song such as emotion-stirring as that one again. 

Speaking of “that one”, did that song even have a name…?

An wanted to ask, but the murky fog that held her brain captive was making her unbelievably sleepy. So she made a mental note to ask, before laying down and closing her eyes as her head rested on the pillow. And it wasn’t long before sleep took her, painting her vision an abyss-black.

The contending deal

Hu-Tao had recently sailed overseas to the thunderous land of Inazuma due to the recent abnormality of spirits. Since the borders of Inazuma had just recently opened up the borders, there was a lot of lengthy paperwork and their plan was a bit rough around the edges but still workable. When Hu-Taos's passport showed that she was an owner of a business, the processing team dug a bit deeper, finding out about Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. When they found out about her business, they didn’t tell everyone, but after a while that changed. The people who checked Hu Taos’s passport went back to their house as their wife asked them about his day and he told her about the business over some nice steamy dinner while he lounged back in a chair like in a therapist's office while a child or pet might be running around. Then the wife might send some mail to her friends about it, then books were made, then songs were made… you get the point.

But the whole time news was spreading about Hu-Tao, she met Yomiya outside her fireworks shop and became friends. Yomiya took her on a tour, and Hu-Tao helped Yomiya from time to time whether it was getting a material for fireworks or coming up with combinations or designs and basically whatever she could help with. But much like the news about Hu-tao Hu-tao wanted to explore different islands. She thought the Sagnomiya Shrine would be an interesting place to visit, so she went there. Yet the news had already reached all the islands and everyone knew about her. Yet that wasn’t bad, for now at least. When Hu-Tao got there Kokomi wanted to personally greet her so they can talk about spirits together, which might help Kokomi approve/adjust her plans. Kokomi took her on a tour around the island, showing her the barracks, the shrine, etc, just like Yomiya.

Though due to the tour and time of Hu-Taos's arrival, it got dark quickly, and instead of Hu-Tao heading back on a boat, Kokomi offered her refuge in a spare house they had. Just like during the Shogun War. Hu-Tao accepted the offer with a trademark smile and thanks. She headed in after she was given some provisions, bed sheets and blankets, and stuff for her bathroom too. Of course not without a chat with Kokomi. As the moon lightly glazed Hu-Taos’ face through the curtain she smiled. Everyone had been so kind and welcoming plus for dinner, she had Kokomi's favorite meal, bird egg sushi, which warmed her stomach. Hu-Tao knew about the Vision Decree and everything about that but she couldn't see why anyone could complain about Inazuma. Everyone always peacefully got along and any disputes were easily settled by the guards walking the streets. Of course, she knew there have been some Fatui incidents here and there, but otherwise, Hu-Tao found this place pretty peaceful. For now.

Over the next few days, while Hu-Tao stayed at Watasumi island, she helped Kokomi just like how she helped Yomiya. Since Kokomi thought Hu-Tao was on vacation, she kept telling Hu-Tao it was fine and to just relax and enjoy her time there. Yet Hu-Tao insisted on helping her, as thanks for everything she did and since they were friends now. So like she helped Yomiya, Hu-Tao helped Kokomi the same way, just doing different tasks such as: Sweeping and polishing the shrine, sharpening the soldier's weapons, etc. Over time as she spent more time with Kokomi, their friendship grew and they became closer and closer. Even though she was around Kokomi a lot, she never saw her get mad. This is why she was more concerned when she saw Kokomi with her arms crossed and an angry stare on her porch in the morning after she had opened the door.

“Kokomi? Are you ok?” Hu-Tao asked groggily while she rubbed one of her eyes. She started to yawn but stopped when Kokomi let out an angry remark.

“Do you think I'm ok?!?! You just vandalized the entire shrine!” Kokomi said surprising Hu-Tao as she had never gotten angry before. The shrine must mean a lot to her which was weird. Sorry, the shrine being important to her isn't weird, the fact she said Hu-tao did it is. As the willingness to yawn barreled around in Hu-Taos's throat she let out a confused question, “I did what now?” One of Hu-Taos's eyebrows shifted up in confusion, “I was in my room the whole night, why would I suddenly do something very unlike me and suddenly vandalize the shrine?” Hu-Tao had never sleepwalked before, so it was hard to believe she randomly got up out of bed and her unconscious brain had enough cells in it to vandalize a shrine. “Don’t play dumb with me!” Kokomi's soft voice tore through the peaceful air, “One of the soldiers saw you do it last night!” Did one of the soldiers lie about her? Hu-Tao thought to herself, her brain working a bit faster now that she just got yelled at. No, nobody displayed any signs of hatred or grudges against me so maybe… “OH COME ON!” Kokomi yelled interrupting Hu-Tao’s thoughts which made her jump a bit, “If you're having such a hard time remembering what you did ill just show you! Maybe that will jog your memory!” Kokomo grabe Hu-Tao’s hand leading her in a direction toward the shrine. As Hu-Tao was running she was too lost in her head to take in her surroundings. She felt hurt that her new best friend was mad at her. And it wasn't even her fault! Maybe if she could just convince Kokomi she didn't do it then they could be friends. But how could she convince her? Could she-

“Here!” Kokomi yelled, throwing her in front of her with the force in her hand. Hu-Tao stumbled forward on the stone ground, trying not to fall. As she slowly regained her balance she stood still and looked around the shrine, and man the sight that greeted her was anything but pleasant. The shrine walls were graffitied so badly she couldn't make out the words, and the water was tainted with oil, yet strangely there were no traces of anything affected by fire, which was the element in her vision. The pearls in the archway were missing and the roof was torn up. As Hu-Tao examined some of the graffiti by touching it with her hand, she found out that some of the colors were not what they seemed to be. Hu-Tao rubbed her fingers together to check the texture of the essence, which confirmed her thoughts. It was something she had dealt with before, ghost remains. She walked back to Kokomi already planning a sentence in her head to try to convince Kokomi it was a ghost, though it was much harder to do that when you were in Inazuma and not Liyue. “Ah! So it's finally struck you, what you did,” Kokomi said as Hu-Tao started walking towards her, “Have you come to tell me your confession?!?!” Hu-Tao hesitated a bit, this was one of the rare times that she thought that the ghost came at the wrong time. She hadn't experienced any paranormal activities and now she did, which was making her friend mad at her! A bit of anger against all ghosts bubbled up inside of her, but she pushed it down. For if she didn't it might be shown in her voice that she was angry, making the situation much, much worse.

“Kokomi it's not my fault I didn't do this there are traces of ghosts here-” Hu-Tao tried to choke out feeling intimidated by Kokomi's angry gaze. “Oh, so now you’re trying to make fun of my knowledge of ghosts since I have less than you?” Kokomi interrupted Hu-Tao, clearly not believing her. After all, it just seemed like her best friend betrayed her, “Do you think this is funny???” Even though Hu-Tao didn't sound angry, Kokomis's racing brain had found another excuse. Hu-Tao felt defeated and knew that somehow she would have to make the ghost show itself to Kokomi to prove it to her. Whatever Kokomi angrily talked about next, Hu-Tao didn’t hear, as she was lost in her head. Whatever ghost that did this, was likely some type of hooligan or prankster ghost. It was hard to believe that anyone had done this on accident, which means they were probably watching their vandalism unfold on an innocent soul somewhere. As much as she knew it would make Kokomi angry, Hu-Tao took a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying to detect any ethereal presence. She painted a picture of her surroundings around her in her head with her eyes closed. Soon slowly things came alive in her closed eyelids. The clams stretching out behind the buildings, some archway-shaped stones pouring water into some pools, the priests walking around the shrine, and of course, all of the graffiti and vandalism. But one thing was different in the landscape, not counting what the ghost did. She could sense a presence and a faint, blurry, human-shaped, see-through, blue, outline of energy. The clothes on their body were also tainted with a color blue, masking the original color it was. Hu-Tao could sense Kokomi getting angrier at her, making a smirk slowly draw itself across the ghost's face. Hu-Tao focused on Kokomi’s anger so she wouldn’t smile too. The ghost didn’t know she knew about him, so she opened her eyes, finding herself getting violently shaken by Kokomi.

“HU-TAO HELLOOOOOO ARE YOU IGNORING ME?!?!” Kokomi yelled while still shaking Hu-Tao, making her dizzy. “HELLLOOOOOOOO EARTH TO HU-TAO?!?!?!” It felt like Kokomi was trying to shake her unbelievable ideas out of her head as Hu grasped tightly onto the idea in her head, trying not to lose it. “K-o-o-k-o-miiii-i I’m here.” Hu-Tao said between Kokomi’s shakes. Kokomi stopped shaking Hu-Tao shortly after she opened her eyes and spoke. Kokomi had lost her top, so Hu-Tao held up her hand in front of Kokomi before she could let out anything, which was likely another angry remark. She got close and whispered into Kokomi's ear so the ghost wouldn’t hear them and said, “We’re not alone, I’ll show you.” While Hu-Tao started fishing around for something in her pocket with her hand. “Just be patience with me for a second.” As soon as Hu-Tao removed her hand from her pocket she revealed four, shiny, round, and smooth sango pearls she had collected from exploring the island. She then walked over to the archway-shaped stones in the pool of water and slotted them in the holes where the previous pearls have been, being careful to not scratch them. Hu-Tao yawned, still tired even though the sun was a little higher than when Kokomi woke her up bright and early in the morning. Barely anybody was up, so luckily there the ghost wouldn’t flee while mid-vandalizing. Hu-Tao stretched her arms up and let out a yawn to try to make it more convincing, “I feel pretty tired, I think I’m going to head back and sleep a little longer than try to fix this vandalism problem,” Hu-Tao said secretly motioning Kokomi to follow her, “My brain needs to get more gears going before it confronts a problem as big as this.” Hu-Tao turned around and headed down the winding path back to her house with Kokomi behind her.

They walked for a while until Hu-Tao decided they were out of sight and quickly pulled Kokomi behind a house. Then as sneakily and as silently as they could, they walked back up but instead of using the path they sneaked around the houses like spy’s on a secret mission. When they got back up they hid a bit behind a porch, but so they could still see the shrine from where they were at. After a second another Hu-Tao popped up seemingly out of nowhere and drew her spear. The clone got to the original pearls that Hu-Tao placed and lifted her spear so the tip was pointed in the pearl's direction. Then, the clone inserted force into the spear, pushing forward and stabbing a pearl, breaking it. It did that with the rest of the pearls then seemingly vanished into thin air. After the ghost disappeared, Kokomi and Hu-Tao came out from hiding, and Kokomi instantly hugged her. “I'm so sorry! You were my best friend and I suspected you of doing this and got so angry at you-” Kokomi’s voice was in a pleading tone as she tried to get out all of her apology words at once. “It's ok,” Hu-Tao said, cutting her off as she continued to apologize continuously, “This shrine meant a lot to you, I don't blame you for being so defensive. Though I think you might want to put some items that I call “barricaders” to preserve the shrine from ghosts. I have some in my bag that I brought to Inazuma, so I'll give some to you.” Hu-Tao winked and Kokomi instantly stepped back and started waving her hands in front of her face, her eyes wide. “Oh no no no! If anything I should owe you, how I was to you-” Hu-Tao placed a hand on Kokomi’s shoulder for comfort, causing her to pause in the middle of the sentence. “Kokomi like I said, it's ok! If you want to owe me anything you have to send me postcards, ok? That's what you owe me,” Hu-Tao playfully and lightly bumped Kokomi with her elbow, “Now come on! The shrine won't clean itself!” Hu-Tao laughed. Kokomi hugged Hu-Tao again, but this time not as worried. “I can't thank you enough!” Kokomo said while she smiled, her eyes closed, “You’re the best Hu-Tao!” Hu-Tao gently smiled and hugged her back as the sun had finally risen from its sleepy resting point under the sea. It bathed Hu-tao and Kokomi in golden light, illuminating their surroundings and glinting off the fragments of the sango pearls. As both of them quietly watched the sunrise for a second while still in a hug, the moment was photogenic, yet no one had a kamera. It was alright though, for their heart had captured the picture. Framed with many words and decorated with feelings as it was gently tucked away into a safe place. Somewhere that neither of them would forget.

Kokomi and Hu-Tao fixed the shrine, this time with it being a little different though, as Hu-Taos barricaders were placed around the shrine. As much as Hu-Tao wanted to stay though, seeing as this was near the end of her trip, she knew she had business to return to in Liyue. As she got in the boat that Kokomi had prepared for her on the beach and crest of the island, Kokomi ran up and hugged her. There were a lot of fast-paced conversations knowing that she had to go soon which made some people wonder if they were speaking a different language. Though soon Kokomi gave her a gigantic tight hug and wave goodbye sadly as Hu-Taos's boat pushed off the shore and into the lapis lazuli of the ocean. Hu-Tao waved bye too, waving her arm while trying to steady her balance, making sure she wouldn’t crash on any fish party. Though after a while, Watasumi island became a little speck in the distance, as she near Ritou. She turned around from facing Watasumi to the front of the boat and saw another hand waving to her. Even though she hadn’t told Yomiya about her departure she was still there, waving and smiling. Hu-Tao smiled and waved back wondering if Yomiya had a sixth sense when it came to friends. A bit behind Yomiya though, was her fireworks shop where her pa was also waving goodbye. It touched her heart knowing how Yomiya must’ve screamed in her pa’s ear to wave goodbye when she did, knowing how he was quite hard of hearing. But soon the hands and the bustle of Ritou became just like Watasumi. A speck in the distance, leaving Hu-Tao to her thoughts as clouds dotted the vast blue sky above her. She laid on her back trying to get as comfortable as she could, and put her hands behind her head, looking up at the sky and reflecting on everything she had done in Inazuma.

She was so in her head when thinking about this that, when her boat bobbed back and forth from hitting land, she didn’t notice. Though once after it bounced against the piece of land Hu-Tao arrived at, it off-centered the boat's balance, causing Hu-Tao to fall into the water below her. Boy was she awake now. She quickly went to her house and changed out of her sopping wet clothes, taking a shower. Then she pulled her long-sleeved shirt over her head, sliding her white socks to her knee and topping her outfit off by lightly putting her hat on her lightly wet brown hair. She then slipped her leg bands on her socks then she put her shoes on, heading out her door to continue her everyday life. And she did just that but with a few minor adjustments. Yomiya and Kokomi sent her postcards, along with a gift or two. They’d talk about how they miss her or ask her questions about Liyue. You know, basic friends sending cards stuff. Hu-Tao made sure to visit though, and the more she visited the more friends she made, while she said hi to the ones before. Luckily no more shrine issues happened, so Kokomi tried to give her money for her service but she refused. Her friendship was enough. The friendship that sparked in her heart like lightning, at the thunderous land of Inazuma.

Chapter 7 of Sour Droplets!

[Chapter 7 - Uniting Consequences]

An waved bye to Kanade who was standing by the door of her house. The birds continued to chirp over head, flying under the clouds that dotted the sky as the sun shined down on An. It was a beautiful day despite it being August 28, marking her official fourth, and last day away from home.

Kanade and An exchanged phone numbers, a testimony to the bond they had made over the meager three days they had. Instead of giving Kanade An’s original phone number, she gave her her dad’s, since her phone was broken and she also needed a way to get ahold of her father to tell her she was ok.

So after An was done listing off the numbers of her dads phone number, Kanade sent him a message to which he instantly responded, glad that he knew where An was. They explained everything that happened (except the emotional parts) and An’s dad offered to come get her, but after An tried to stand and found that she could, she knew she wanted to make the journey home herself.

So after she headed into the kitchen and refused Kanade’s offer for breakfast, they said their goodbyes and An headed out the door. However Kanade still waved goodbye with her trademark gentle smile on her face, making An’s heart swell with warmth. They both had connected on a deeper level despite the awkward way they had met, and An knew that Kanade now held a spot close to her heart. 

So as An walked home, she wondered how she could show her appreciation to her new friend. Should she buy her a gift? No… Kanade likely wouldn’t accept it, and feel bad that An spent money on her. Should she pick some flowers for her? No.. it didn’t seem like Kanade would have time to take care of them. 

And so An’s back and forth in her brain continued, her feet taking her home as her brain continued to debate on ideas. Before she knew it though, she was in front of her dads cafe, and pushing the door open. The bell attached to the door rang as she stepped into the air conditioned atmosphere of the building. The place was empty except for the four people at the counter and of course, her dad, behind the counter.

However it was easy to tell who everyone was at that counter. For the girl near the door had a shade of sandy blonde hair that An had practically memorized, and it was easy to tell who the other were from their short orange hair and the split light and dark blue hair. Kohane, Akito, and Toya were all here, waiting for her.

Despite how worried they all must be, An couldn’t help but smile, their concern touching her heart. She couldn’t even begin to imagine how her disappearance had impacted all of them, especially since she had stayed out of touch with them for four days. Yet they still came to her dads cafe and waited for her return, clearly anxious in the silence that echoed around the room. 

An felt like she had to apologize, but before the word could come out of her mouth Kohane was the first to turn her head, her light brown eyes looking at An wide with concern.

“An-Chan!” She yelled, causing everyone else to look her way.

Akito’s face clearly possessed several wrinkles that had imprinted on his skin from all the worrying he had done, but Toya just smiled gently, his gray eyes shining under the fluorescent lights.

“Welcome back Shirashi.” He greeted, his sharp eyes conveying a sense of warmth.

“Oi oi Shirashi where were you? You made us worry.” Akito said, his tsundere demeanor showing through. Though An had to hold in a laugh when she saw Toya elbow him, causing Akito’s face to melt into a smile. “-Urk! But we’re glad you’re here An.”

An’s lips turned upwards into a grin. Just as quickly as the silence had settled, her partners had broke it, which was quite characteristic for them. They never were ones to be quiet, but the relief on their faces said enough for them.

“An…! I’m so glad you’re safe.” Looking upwards, An could see her dad frozen in place and staring at her while he held a glass and cloth in hand.

Instantly a smile of relief and despair broke out across An’s face. She may not have Nagi anymore, but she had her dad. And god had she missed him.

Instantly An put one foot in front of the other, rushing forward. One of the things she loved about her dad was the warmth he provided, the bond they shared. And she had certainly missed that.

But as she ran behind the counter and wrapped her arms around him I’m a tight hug, she let out a contented sigh. As her dad wrapped her arms around she let herself smile, the corners of her lips curling upwards as she let herself be embraced by that familiar warmth again. For now she was home, in the place closest to her heart.

Yandere Eugeo Headcannons!

Yan!Eugeo who, when he sees you emerge from the forest with Kirito, is absolutely blown away. From how your (h/c) hair shines in the wind to how the grass brushes against your skin from every step you take, everything about you was just… perfect.

Yan!Eugeo Instantly knew that he had to have you as his face lightly tinted with blush under the hot sun, and the breeze blew against your back whilst Eugeo stood across from you. As you stood by Kirito (who paled in comparison to you) Eugeo couldn’t help but let his thoughts run. Why had the breeze seemed to push you toward him? Was that a message that you were destined to be his? A message from Stacia herself? Soon Eugeos ice blue eyes seemed to melt a bit as the warm emotion of love took over, enveloping every part of his body.

Yan!Eugeo Who, at this point was fighting with himself to not jump forward and wrap his arms around you. His hands were twitching as images of him burying yourself in his chest flooded his mind, with the appeal of the aspect of having you all to himself taunted him. Eugeo had long-term difficulty with relationships due to losing Alice at a young age, which caused him usually to be clingy and needy. However, it never was as bad as this. He wanted to be pressed against you, to feel every inch of his skin against yours. He wanted you to hold and soothe him as he cried all of his pent up depressed feelings while you promised him everything would be alright as you run his fingers through his hair.

Yan!Eugeo who annoys insists that you be placed in a room near him to sister Selka. He wanted to witness your beauty continually when you walk by his room, even if he had to deal with the other… vermin people in the hallway who would block his view of you. Selka had never seen Eugeo so attached to anyone since the arrest of Alice, so she complied, thinking it would be a healthy outlet for him to use to move on. Big mistake. Now Eugeo spends all of his time chopping at the Gigas Cedar thinking of you. Of course, no far-away room placement could stop him with that. He just would find another way to look at your beauty somehow…

Yan!Eugeo is beyond frustrated when he sees you acting so buddy-buddy with Kirito. He’s infuriated. That should be him with you! Of course Eugeo was too nervous to walk up and talk to you, who wouldn’t be when they’re in the presence of such an angel?!? You were a lost child of Vetca and had emerged from the depths of nature along with Kirito side by side, so of course you had something in common. But Eugeo felt closer to you than Kirito did, yet all he could do is grit his teeth and tighten his muscles in frustration as he walked past you and Kirito talking as if you were best friends.

Yan!Eugeo who can barely hold his temper when you look at Kirito with wonder after he cuts down the Gigas Cedar with the Blue Rose sword. He wanted you to look at him that way! That gaze should be his, not Kiritos! His his his his his his his! It wasn’t fair! Why did he always have to get the short end of the stick? Of course he was the one to almost die in the cave within the end mountains, of course he had to be the one without the Aincrad style, and of course he had to be the one who had to sit back while his future wife got taken from him! As Kirito and an impressed you were celebrating, Eugeo walked away to get treats from the bakery as every inch of him pulsed with rage. Sure, stale loaves of bread bought a second time that day wasn’t much of a treat, but Eugeo couldn’t bear another second of watching you smile and compliment Kirito. It was tearing him up inside, and he could feel tears coming to his eyes. After that day, Eugeo became very clingy to you. He always offered gifts whether it be freshly picked flowers or something he made himself, which made you keep your distance away from him due to the awkward circumstances. You ended up spending a lot of time at the church, where Selka taught you Sacred Arts whilst Kirito and Eugeo went around helping the other villagers during the few days leading up to the festival.

Yan!Eugeo insists that when he and Kirito head to the Sword Mastery Accademy they need to bring you along. After all, you’ve learned the Sacred Arts! You were definitely going to be a great asset to there journey! Kirito isn’t sure he wants to bring you into the journey of becoming an integrity knight since it wasn’t something he wanted to trouble you with, but after Eugeo pestering him about it incessantly, Kirito finally relented. After the feast and onto your formidable days of travel, Eugeo always kept a close eye on you. He was super paranoid always asking you if they needed to stop and take a break, or if you were feeling ok. You chalked his unusual behavior to him just being nervous about this next huge step in his life, but it only got worse when you arrived in 5th district of Centoria. Of course after being in the full dive of the Underwold for 2 in game years, your brain had pretty much adjusted to the rules and customs. So when you entered the fortified circular city, you were instantly amazed, wowing at anything and everything you saw in the shop windows. Secretly though, Eugeo made a mental note of what you seemed to like, and planned to get it for you later. What about saving money for Alice and there goals later down the road? Well, who cared about Alice when he had you right here in front of him? At this point, saving Alice was more of Kiritos goal, and he was just along the ride to make sure you weren’t stolen out from under him.

Yan!Eugeo who is so excited when you place in the top 12 with him! That means you also get to have your own private shared dorm, training room, and cafeteria! Of course it was frustrating that Kirito also happened to be place in the top 12 too. He wanted to share a dorm with you and not him! Yet Eugeo could only add to his growing grudge he had against Kirito, and move on being glad that you even placed in the top 12 at all. And of course you find gifts showing up in your dorm frequently, suspiciously the gifts that amazed you when you entered, but the disgust you had against Raios and Humbert you had everyday normally distracted you, so you had enough on your mind to be able to ignore them often. Honestly you were a bit mad at Eugeo for insisting that you come with, since you had already passed school in the real life, and didn’t want to go through it again. However the sweet treats Eugeo brought you every day from the jumping deer made your life a bit better, until one fateful day in the training room…

“Hey (y/n) could you come to the training hall and review my forms please?” Eugeo had asked you with a puff out of his bottom lip as he gave you his best puppy-dog eyes. Knowing you couldn’t get anywhere with him, you just sighed and agreed much to Eugeos delight, and the two of you walked over to the training hall through the empty hallway.

Now you were here, in this 9 by 10 mile room where you could smell the fresh scent of wood every time you inhaled. Sadly though, that smell wasn’t the only one that lurked in this gigantic room of the academy. Occupying a small corner of the room was Raios and Humbert, with a sweet perfume oozing from their bodies. When you saw them, you gritted your teeth and silently glared at them in disgust, but Eugeo on the other hand didn’t seem to care. He seemed so happy that he could break into a joyful skip at any moment, but you were sure he was just ignoring the two.

The training hall was also there indoor gymnasium of sorts, and logs were put out for students to practice on when the room wasn’t being used for academic courses. So after following Eugeo over to a group of three wood logs near the right wall, he unsheathed his wooden sword and began swinging. You studied him closely but a part of you nagged that your efforts would be futile. You didn’t really know anything about the Aincrad style, so how could you give him any pointers on simple things like improving his form? However he seemed oblivious to the fact as he kept chopping away at the wood, just like Humbert and Raios did in the corner. The sound of wood against wood was the only sound that rang out in the hall, however Raios and Humbert, or the pair you had nicknamed the “Terrible Two”, began to talk to each other in a loud voice, but you knew that it was only for them to insult the two of you without saying it to your face, which only made your blood boil.

“I do say that Eugeos methods of training are quite… confusing.” Raios began, his sword chopping against the wooden log in perfect rhythm. “He comes in everyday and just hits a block of wood without practicing his forms! I don’t see how he’ll ever improve at redundant actions like that!”

“Indeed Raios, but you must remember he came from a common village where he doesn’t even have a last name! Surely a few brain cells must be missing as well.” Humbert responded, his harsh words slicing through the air as his tongue rolled against his teeth. “And that girl over there-.”

All of a sudden in a flash Eugeo was behind Humbert and his wooden sword was covered in blood. That was one of the signature Aincrad moves, Sonic leap. Humbert’s eyes widened for a split second then all of a sudden blood spurted out from his neck, and his head disconnected, detaching from his head and rolling onto the floor.

In response Raios’s eyes widened, clearly not expecting Eugeo to do that.He let out a blood curdling scream and began to sprint away, but he didn’t make it very far before Eugeo got into the form for Meteor Break and cut off his head too. As the bodies lay against the floor blood pooled out from them, staining the wooden floor.

“No one talks to my girl like that.” Eugeo spat, sheathing his stained sword away.

A small purple gate opened up in the air as a man’s face appeared.

“Violation of Taboo index 7894.” His voice rang out in the room, but all you could do was stand in place, frozen with fear. “Id 2748 coordinates 91N 83S 46E 87W…” As he continued to speak Eugeo walked over to you who was trembling in place.

He kneeled down to your height with a soft smile as he brought up his hand to wipe your cheek, his bloody thumb leaving a red smear across your cheek. You stared into his sympathetic blue eyes as your heart beat so hard you swore it would beat out of your chest.

“It’s ok (y/n) don’t worry.” He consoled you to no avail. “We’ll stay on the run from the Cathedral, just you and I. We can start a small life together and nothing. Nobody. Will ever separate you and I again.”

Hey guys! Sorry that it’s been a while, but my other iPad at school ended up having to be turned in with the rest of them, so I’ll mostly be posting on here for a while now! I thought I could finish this the night before we turned our iPads in, but I took too many breaks and what not so here I am. 😅 Anyway, you’ll have to check on this channel for a while if you want updates, but I promise I’ll have the other blog running back in no time!

Chapter 5 of Sour Droplets!

[Chapter 5 - Unamed Melody X]

An wasn’t sure if she could classify her dream as a “dream”, or an unpleasant nightmare. She was awake enough to remember part of it, and even though it wasn’t Kanade’s song, her was still as emotion-stirring as the heart-gripping melody that made her cry. For An had dreamt of being hugged by Nagi in her sleep, something she really missed her doing.

And when An woke up she felt more rested than before, but her heart was throbbing with pain that seemed to be vying for her attention. However she ignored it, instead pulling out her phone to text her dad that she was alright, while the faint clicking of a mouse could be heard in the background. 

Yet as she glanced at the screen in her hand, she could see that it was riddled with cracks, making her inwardly curse at herself. It had probably gotten damaged when she fell, meaning that not only could she not text anyone, but that her dad would have to buy her a new phone. She felt her frustration boil inside of her. Why did she have to continue causing trouble for other people? 

An exhaled a deep breath out of her nose, her anger feeling like it was gripping her heart. 

However, this attracted Kanade’s attention, which was evident when she turned her head to look at An.

“Oh you’re awake again? How do you feel?” Kanade asked, the ends of her hair resting in the seat of her chair.

“Mmgh.. how long have I slept?” An asked, putting her phone away and rubbing her eyes.

“Well its August 27 2024…” Kanade started, her hands in her lap now.

“…!” An sucked in a breath. 

She had visited Aunt Nagis grave on the 25th before passing out, which likely means when she woke up again that it was the 26th. Then, she fell asleep again and woke up on the 27th, which meant she had been away from home for three days!

An opened her mouth, about to apologize and head home when her stomach spoke for her, letting out a growl that demanded sustenance. 

“I apologize An. I was so concerned about how you felt I didn’t get an opportunity to grab something for you to eat.” Kanade apologized, her gaze softening. “I don’t have much, but would you like to eat some minute ramen? I apologize I don’t have something else to offer you, but that’s all I have.”

An didn’t have ramen a lot, but the idea of eating something warm was too tempting to resist, even though she’d been sleeping on a warm bed for all this time.

“Yes please…” Was all An could manage and Kanade just grabbed one of her many unopened cups of ramen around the room and left, closing the door behind her as she went to heat up the ramen.

As bad as An felt for making Kanade do all of this, her heart warmed at the girls kindness. She knew that after this, she was definitely indebted to Kanade now, especially since An had cried infront of her. She new she had been a bother it Kanade, but she couldn’t help but find a part of her wanting to be friends with the introverted girl. She didn’t just want to leave someone who had done this much for her behind and forget about her, she wanted to keep in touch and somehow repay Kanade with the same generosity she showed her.

It didn’t take long for Kanade to come back in with the ramen, containing a shiny silver fork. She handed it to An who accepted it with a grateful smile before she sat down at her desk chair again, continuing to work on her song.

An was surprised that Kanade hadn’t asked about her mental breakdown, or why she seemed so mopey. But at the same time she was glad that Kanade hadn’t pushed it, as that would likely only have made things worse. Still, a part of An felt compelled to tell her. Even though she was basically a complete stranger An met barely three days ago. 

An wrapped her hands around the cup and stared into the murky water as it warmed her hands. Finally, after a moment, she had gained enough courage and broke the silence.

“Hey Kanade… can I tell you something?”

“Hm?”

And that was all it took for An to start confessing. She was surprised that a part of her had stirred her onwards to this moment. After all she had Kohane and everyone to support her right? So why did she feel so… so… so hopeless and alone?

But Kanade listened to her story quietly, managing eye contact with An the whole time to show that she was listening. 

“I think I understand the pain you’re going through.” Kanade said after An finished, surprising her.