BERRY TRAPPER ♪

[devilishidol]

angryspacegirl:

“I remember,” Serori said, squeezing gently at Yohane’s hand. They’d met in this city, after all, albeit under uncommon circumstances with her hopping off her train in Numazu in absence of any other interesting destination. “I wouldn’t mind seeing it at night again, though, with you.” That sounded nice. Even if she was a rough city girl at heart, there was something undeniably serene about the smaller towns at night, where the lights didn’t wash out the stars, and the sounds of wind and waves could be heard instead of trains and thousands of voices chattering away.

With her free hand, she tucked her hair behind her ear, looking upwards towards the mostly-clear sky. “Isn’t it special for being the home of the Fallen Angel, Yohane? That’s quite the honor, isn’t it?” Looking back over to Yohane, she flashed a winning smile. “That’s what I think about it, at least.” It was easy to compliment her girlfriend in ways that she thought she’d like, but maybe that was a testament to how comfortable the new relationship already felt.

The nerves of the morning had settled for her, at least, and the little angel wore her heart so openly on her sleeve that, if Serori wasn’t overly-consumed with her own feelings, it was pretty easy to guess at what was on Yohane’s mind. She seemed a little anxious, but in a way that suggested excitement, rather than dread. The kind thing to do would be try to calm her, but the earnest, genuine way in which the younger girl looked to her with soft, pleading eyes was too disarmingly cute to want to fix.

Even in the small town, there were still over people around, and the day being what it was, there were likely more than usual. Someone passed by, walking in the opposite direction upon the narrow streets, and Serori instinctively drew Yohane inwards towards her, out of the way. Yet, even when the other person had passed, she kept her girlfriend at the same closer distance, not seeing any reason to have her further away than necessarily. There was a warmth to the younger girl’s presence, and a comfort, and why would she ever want to lack for those things?

Head up, scanning over top of other couples wandering the markets and side-streets, Serori’s mind was focused on more than just the walk. “Hey, Yohane? I’ve got a bit of a weird question.” She didn’t wait to be acknowledged before continuing onward. “If I wanted to stay the night here, have more time with you, would that be alright?” Again, bringing her free hand to her face, she scratched at her cheek, understanding the importance of her questions but still not quite knowing the best ways to phrase them. “As in, would your mom mind? And, are you planning on telling her anything?”

“Honor? Well, that’s…” Yoshiko couldn’t help but smile back at Serori, in a way that was almost embarrassingly genuine. “That’s right! I suppose I was destined to fall here, and make sure this otherwise dull city becomes filled with my dark charm, and awaken it to my every whim and need…” Her lips pursed for a moment as her gaze drifted away. “And, I met you here. That must have been destiny too.” Even simple flirting hindered her a little… She wondered when she would become used to it, and if that would be soon.

Even so, when Serori pulled her out of the way and closer to her, it felt much more natural than before. She’d never felt this safe, comfortable, and warm around anyone else before, and it was her instinct to lean closer into her. Though, she was sure she would be able to notice how fast her heart was beating.

Yoshiko looked up once more at her girlfriend as she spoke, and she didn’t find her question weird at all. Rather, it was something she hardly had to think about. “Ah… You’re welcome to spend the night. It wouldn’t be that safe if you were to take the trip home tired, would it?” She did tell Serori they were going to stay up, and they should take every opportunity to spend more time with together when they lived as far from each other as they did.

“My mom usually comes home kinda late. We might not even see her until morning, and she lets me do whatever I want, mostly.” It was obviously better that Yoshiko and Serori were both girls, even if they were dating. She knew her mother would say having a boy sleep over is out of the question, regardless of their relationship. They were lucky in that aspect.

As for letting her mother actually know about Yoshiko and Serori’s relationship, though… Her mother always seemed to support Yoshiko, even through all her odd hobbies and interests. She didn’t think her romantic choices would be any different from that.

“And… I know she wants me to be happy, no matter what. I mean, I guess it might be a little weird that she hasn’t even met you as my friend.” They definitely didn’t know each other for years or anything, and she was pretty sure this was only Serori’s second time in Numazu, so it would be understandable if her mother was surprised at all. “Still, I’d like to be honest with my mom about everything, but… I won’t say anything if you don’t want me to.” Surely, it wouldn’t be hard to hide if they needed to do so, but Yoshiko wasn’t sure how comfortable she felt with the idea of doing that.

[devilishidol]

captainwatanabae:

“Nn… few minutes more…” Groggy and still half-asleep, she only leaned further as Yoshiko turned to speak with her. Her head fell into the lap of the younger girl, at it was at that moment that You awoke fully and realized her situation. At the embarrassed discovery of a bit of drool at her lips, the diver bolted upwards. She brought her hand to her face, rubbing both to clean whatever might be on it, as well as try to jog herself completely into the waking world.

“Huh? Go home?” Ah, they were still on the bus, of course. The day felt so long already that You had mistaken believed she’d fallen asleep at home, or over at Yoshiko-chan’s apartment or something. She supposed that made sense, though she wasn’t looking forward to having another few hours left in what hadn’t shaped up to be the day she’d hoped for.

“Right, okay.” It wasn’t like her to be disappointed by much, as she’d developed a bubbly optimism that she took with her everywhere, but You seemed a bit brought down by the news. “I’ll talk to you later then, Yoshiko-chan. Thanks for coming to see me dive.” Her preference would be staying to spend time with someone. Her dad was still off at sea, and her mother was busy for sure. Maybe Tsuki would be willing to come hang out with her?

Almost forgetting that the bus was stopped, and someone was still looking at her, Yoshiko straightened up and forced a smile onto her face. “I mean it a lot. Thanks, Yoshiko-chan.”

Yoshiko didn’t see herself as being all that useless at reading people. Well, that, and she caught the apparent disappointment in You’s expression and voice.

Her words may have indicated that she didn’t mind, but, did she not want Yoshiko to leave? Or did she just not want to be alone? Even if she’d just take anybody… maybe staying with her for a couple more hours wouldn’t hurt. She was, honestly, pretty weak for her, and Yoshiko could feel a pain in her heart whenever You seemed sad. She just couldn’t ignore it.

“Er, well…” Yoshiko’s face suddenly held a bit more firmness to it, as if she wasn’t going to change her mind now. “Actually, it’s not like I have any plans for the next few hours. I’ll just be bored at home, and I’m not really tired, so you wouldn’t mind if I came over to your place for a bit,” She gave a small smile. ”Right?”

That worked as an excuse, she hoped. Either way, the bus had already started moving again, so that didn’t matter. It was only getting later, and if she remembered correctly, this was the last bus of the day. But, even if she had to take her time walking home later, she felt anything was worth it to keep helping her friend cheer up.

[angryspacegirl]

Cruel Feeling

[devilishidol]

angryspacegirl:

“Good thing I don’t beg.” As Serori lashed her chains against Dia, she wondered if all Angels were really this weak. Serori herself was nearly spent, having exhausted her magic and energy through her bad habits and lack of rest. If she had to fight a powerful demon like this, she’d be on the ropes, if not torn apart immediately, so to see a so-called mighty Angel struggle against her like this was pathetic. It made sense that they needed Magical Girls to fight in their stead, if this was all the resistance they could muster.

Even so, fighting Dia was a good way to gauge the capabilities of the Angels. “I’m taking my time because I’m sizing you up, dipshit.” She’d already known from seeing Yoshiko, but they relied too much on their wings for mobility. Disabled, they seemingly lacked the speed to keep up with the enhanced Magical Girl form, and they had no immunity to her weapons. “The longer you last, the more information about how Angels fight I can pick up. Isn’t that nice? You’re helping make sure I can kill the rest of your miserable lot!” Anatomy was human-like, though she knew from experience that was only true of the younger, lesser Angels. If nothing else, then separating Dia’s head from her body would probably kill her, but this wasn’t going to be any help for dealing with the ancient ones.

Despite her attitude, she wasn’t reckless, most of the time. Actually, Serori was pretty calculated, taking stock of her opponent’s strengths and weaknesses to obtain her victory. Her combat concentration was second to none, as hard work and punishing circumstances had pushed her to a level far beyond even the most naturally talented Magical Girls.

There were few things that could break that concentration, but Dia was correct in assuming bringing up her lost teammates was one of them. She was even right in her judgment that doing so would lead to irrationality on the part of the veteran Magical Girl. Where she was wrong, however, was thinking a reckless, irrational Serori would be any easier to deal with.

In an instant, the chains ceased their assault, instead wrapping around Serori’s fists in a ghoulish, deadly imitation of knuckle-wrapped street weapons. Lunging forward with terrifying speed, she skewered her stomach on Dia’s sword, bursting the blade out the other side. Though obviously allowing the Angel a clean attack, the close range of the two, as well as the flames, meant that Dia could neither withdraw her weapon, nor drag it up anywhere else.

Rather than attempt any kind of killing blow, Serori instead simply tried to tackle Dia and wrestle her to the ground with a horrible scream that sounded far more like a demon’s roar than anything human. Inside her mouth, her teeth had sharpened into jagged, unruly fangs, a surefire sign that the infernal corruption stained to her soul was powering her assault as much as the gemstone bracer strapped to her shoulder.

“You fucked with the wrong bitch, Angel!” Even her voice was unholy, with dark, booming undertones directed from Hell itself. Her fists, wrapped in the twisted, sharp metal of her chains, rained down hammer blows designed to injure and wound more than kill. She wanted to sap Dia’s fight, not her life. Not yet. “I was just going to burn your worthless body up, but you’ve given me a better idea!”

At the grotesque sound of her sword piercing fully through Serori’s stomach, Dia flinched. A wound not inflicted by Dia herself, yet with her own weapon… it was without purpose, to her, and she didn’t like it. Not in this case, at least, in which it clearly would do very little to deter Serori at all.

She was taken very off-guard in general, and she supposed her plan to upset Serori did work, just not in the way she wanted. She wasn’t even able to come to her senses quick enough to resist as she was tackled roughly to the ground. Was she still surprised? But by what? Serori’s actions, or her own constant mistakes? Nobody, and definitely not a magical girl, was ever able to put her in a state like this.

The harsh, constant blows that were beginning to seriously weaken her though, woke her up. She needed to face reality now, or regret it later. With all of the strength she could muster to match up to the angry girl on top of her who still wasn’t backing down, she tried to roll them over, doing the best she could to endure even while being beaten. With one hand at the magical girl’s shoulder and the other grasping at the grip of her sword, she tried to pull it back towards her as much as she could, her objectives being both to get her weapon back and distract Serori with the pain.

Even managing to succeed, her stamina was lowering more and more, and the injuries she’d gotten weren’t light. At least, they didn’t feel like it, and her body was pulsing with nothing but pain all over. She did look pathetic. Still, if she could help it, she wasn’t planning on giving up so soon… not to Serori.

Now her sword was not only fiery but also extremely bloodied. That was usually a good sign, but… now, it was pointless. “Maybe you’re right… taking my time isn’t such a bad thing.” She was starting to get upset now, the mix of everything that happened slowly starting to get to her. Her voice was shaky and she spoke in heavy breaths. She couldn’t think clearly, either, slowly losing grasp on what’s sensible and what’s not.

“So, what do you think I should do first? Cut off a hand or maybe both? Or perhaps make sure you’ll never walk again? Oh, but that wouldn’t matter if I’m going to kill you anyway… At least then, you wouldn’t be able to hurt me anymore than you already have.”

[devilishidol]

"Yocchan..." Riko felt her face flush as she held out a light pink box with a big, bright ribbon. She wasn't the best at chocolate but she got some help. So handing this box to Yoshiko made her a bit nervous. It was a bit hard to tell why it was under the guise of friendship chocolate, maybe anyway... "Happy Valentine's Day. I hope you like it. I made it."

“A-ah, Lily…” A bit taken aback, Yoshiko stared down at the box as she accepted it, then back up at Riko. Her cheeks had turned a darker pink, and she struggled to keep herself completely cool and composed. “This fits you, doesn’t it…?” The question slipped out under her breath, alluding to Riko’s hard work, her nervousness, her kindness, and even the box itself. She shook her head, managing to straighten up a little.“What a loyal little demon you are, to work so hard to bestow such a gift upon Yohane! I’ll… definitely treasure this. Thank you, Lily.”

[devilishidol]

Welcome back!!!! I hope you dont mind a Riko in your inbox to give Yohane some chocolate for Valentine's!!!

of course not!! give her all the chocolate~

[devilishidol]

angryspacegirl:

“You just want to talk?” Both as someone accustomed to fast-paced city life, and as someone who liked to keep her secrets… well, secret, that was necessarily the most appealing suggestion to the older girl, but she tried to keep her expression neutral. “Well, that’s alright, I guess, as long as we can go out later…”

It only lasted a moment, before she blanched again. “E-everything? That’s a lot, you know.” Rubbing her neck as she looked away, Serori bit her lip and scrunched up her face in thought. Really, there were a lot of things that she’d rather not talk about, things that Yohane didn’t really need to know. Maybe it wasn’t the best thing to do, as a girlfriend, to want to keep some things from her, but it definitely would be better this way.

“Well,” she started, hesitant as she tried to think of things to say. “I’m originally from Osaka, like you know, and I captain the girls’ rugby team at my high school.” What else could she offer up that would placate the clearly-interested girl? “I like to ride my bike, and my best subject in school is English… Er, and I used to cosplay a little in middle school, but I guess you’d already heard of that…” Thanks to two distinguished assholes who couldn’t keep their mouths shut, of course.

Scratching at her hair, Serori gave a small shrug. “And that’s really it, I think. Other than that, I’m pretty much your average Tokyo schoolgirl.” That was obviously untrue to anyone who had even the smallest inkling of what the “average Tokyo schoolgirl” was like, but luckily for her, Yohane was a country girl, so maybe she could sneak it past her. “Unless there’s anything else you want to know, but… I can’t really think of anything.”

Standing up, she gave a quick stretch, waking her limbs up before extending a hand to her fallen angel girlfriend. “And if there is anything else, we can talk about it on the walk, right? Let’s go.”

Yoshiko was eager to listen and learn about what Serori had to say about herself, and wasn’t disappointed with what she got. She couldn’t say she knew much about rugby, but being a team captain sounded pretty cool, even if a lot of resonsibility came with it. Bike riding and cosplaying were good in their own ways, and it was nice to come to know different sides of Serori. English… Well, there weren’t a lot of subjects Yoshiko could say she was good at herself.

“A-Ah, yeah… Let’s go.” Yoshiko reached up and took her girlfriend’s hand, lifting herself up. As if she didn’t just confess and share a couple kisses with Serori, she started feeling different. She knew she had been a little touchy with the other girl in the past, but… perhaps that was more on the playful, friendly side. Now she would do those things romantically, and that thought brought her an odd mix of embarrassment and happiness.

The breeze of late winter welcomed them as they walked outside, and Yoshiko was almost unsure what to do… She didn’t think there were nearly as many things to do or look at in Numazu as there were in Tokyo. It was probably because she lived there for so long that she ended up becoming bored. But… it also wasn’t like she lived on the pretty, scenic side of it, either.

Well, this was going to be a simple date and that was fine. Walking further, the streets were lined with different markets and shops. People were scattered around, though it seemed there were more couples than usual today. Yoshiko should’ve expected that, since it was White Day…

“Hmph, this place is nothing special or anything, but it’s enough to fill this fallen angel’s needs… Plus, it’s actually kinda pretty at night time.” Yes, Tokyo was much better for meeting Yoshiko’s eccentric tastes, but Yoshiko had developed her own habits linked to this city. Whether she was meeting friends, running errands for her mother, shopping for basics, or finding a small beach to relax at, nothing was ever too hard. The city had its own charm, and Yoshiko hoped Serori didn’t dislike it. She held her girlfriend’s hand a little tighter.

[devilishidol]

captainwatanabae:

You felt like nodding off. It had been an early morning, getting up in time to get to the event with time to spare, practice runs, a brief orientation, organization, then the trials themselves… It was enough to drive a girl to exhaustion on its own, and that was without even adding in all the emotional turmoil she’d been through in the past few days. 

“Huh?” Looking over at her friend next to her, You was slow to answer. How was she feeling? In the flurry of talking to everyone on the train back to the city, it was easy to forget sorrow, or negativity, or anything except the casual cheerfulness of spending time with friends. But… That didn’t necessarily mean that those emotions had gone away altogether.

“I’m… better,” she answered. That much was true, at least. What was the expression that everyone used? Like tearing off a bandage? It was like that. The pain was still deep, still fresh, still painful, but… Having resolved to bury her feelings and not interfere with Chika and Riko’s burgeoning relationship, while not necessarily fixing her hurt, at least took a weight off her shoulders. What she wanted couldn’t happen, not without ruining everything first. All that was left was for her to cheer her friends on.

Right, that was the best thing to do. “Mmhmm, I’m better,” she repeated, although her voice wasn’t as convincing as she would have liked it to sound. “Thanks for putting up with me, Yoshiko-chan.” Had she said that earlier? It was a little hard to remember, with so many things having happened. Oh well, there was probably no harm in saying it again if she had. She yawned, closing her eyes. “I’ll be okay.”

Slumping to the side, her cheek rested on the younger girl’s shoulder, as it became clear that You had fallen asleep.

“Ah…” Yoshiko answered quietly. Her friend’s respond was slow, and somehow, a little bit hard to believe. She wasn’t sure if it was just the other girl’s tone or the atmosphere between them, but even so… Yoshiko knew she should try to believe her. It was for the better, and maybe she was being honest.

“Don’t mention it. I’m glad to help, and it’s reassuring to know you’ll be alright in the end…” Regardless of the way she felt for You, it’s important to be supportive and help as much as she can. It might’ve been sad at first, but she was glad she walked into the locker room when she did. She was glad she was able to stop You’s tears somewhat, and make her day a little better. Or, she hoped that was the case.

Yoshiko squeaked lightly, feeling the other girl’s cheek softly fall against her shoulder. She swallowed as she looked down at her, cheeks flushing. Maybe it was a little weird to think of it, but her gentle sleeping face was cute. Really cute. But more than that, she could understand how tired You must be. With the competition, and all the emotions… it had been a really long day. Perhaps it didn’t go just as Yoshiko expected it to, but she didn’t think it ended on too bad a note.

After all, she got to have this moment. It was so peaceful, and for a few minutes, it seemed like she and You were in their own little world. Of course, though, it had to come to an end when the bus seemed to stop all too quickly, and Yoshiko had to get off. She didn’t want to disturb the sleeping girl, but it also didn’t feel right to just leave her like this.

“…You-chan,” Yoshiko lightly shook the other girl, “I’m going to have to go home now, okay?”

[devilishidol]

uwu hi

[devilishidol]

angryspacegirl:

Yoshiko’s awkward, stuttering display reminded Serori that, for all her own surprise with how quick things were moving, she needed to be the cool, collected party. “Good and child, huh?” she repeated to herself in a quiet whisper. “Mm, maybe your name really goes fit you.” She brushed her friend’s (girlfriend’s, now, she supposed) hair out of her face and tucked a longer strand behind her ear.

“It’s alright that you’ve never done this kind of thing before.” It was obvious, so it was actually kind of cute that the other girl felt the need to explain it, as if every single little action wasn’t broadcasting it publicly. “We don’t have to go too quickly… It’s okay to follow your pace.” That was definitely important to her… There was a rush when one was in love, but if Yoshiko had never experienced that before, then Serori needed to keep her grounded and comfortable.

“And you don’t need to worry about me going anywhere, you know.” Now that Yoshiko had nuzzled into her and wrapped her arms tightly around her back, Serori hugged her back, trying to reassure her little fallen angel that everything was going to be fine. “I’m not the kind of person to change my mind easily. I’m pretty stubborn that way, haven’t you noticed?” Doing her best to play her part as the cool older girlfriend with all her shit together, she pulled away to give Yoshiko a nice smile.

Another kiss might threaten to overheat Yoshiko (and Serori herself wasn’t completely safe from that, either), so instead she pressed face to the top of her girlfriend’s head and softly breathed in. “I promise.” After a few silent moments enjoying Yoshiko’s presence, and doing what she could to comfort her, Serori sat back. “We can go slow,” she said again. “So…” Reaching out, she clasped Yoshiko’s hands between her own. “Now that that’s all finished, what do you want to do today?”

Going slow… That was calming to hear, though there was a clear element of excitement that came with entering a relationship, especially for the first time. She was looking forward to trying new things with Serori, but it was good to do things at a steady pace. Both generally, and in Yoshiko’s case.

So, then, what could they do today? Yoshiko hadn’t really thought much further than confessing, if she was being honest. Hmm… There were many options, and even more as a couple now, and it wasn’t like they had to stay in the apartment all day, either. Ahh, but wouldn’t it also be nice to stay in, eat snacks, and play games, maybe watch movies? This was hard!

At the same time, though… it wasn’t so hard. She was happy as long as she was with Serori and enjoying her company, so for now, that was okay. Yoshiko moved a bit closer to her, something in mind.

“I just… kind of wanted to talk to you.” Yoshiko realized very quickly that she had quite the mysterious girlfriend. She didn’t feel like she knew as much about her as she should, just a lot of basics, and the things Serori’s friends told her. Yoshiko was willing to tell her just about anything about herself if she asked, but she wasn’t sure if Serori was any similar.

“And that is… can you me more about yourself? Everything you can think of! If Serori-san is my girlfriend now, it’s important to me that I learn whatever I can! And, uh, it’s a request from the fallen angel to her little demon, so… something like that must be honored!” She came on a little more strongly than usual, but her expression resembled that of a begging pout. Naturally, it was also because she loved her that she cared so much.

“Afterwards, we can go out and I’ll show you around Numazu for a while, then we’ll come back here for the night and use our combined dark power to stay up as long as we can! Sound okay?”

[angryspacegirl]

Cruel Feeling

[devilishidol]

angryspacegirl:

“You’re slow,” Serori murmured, razor-sharp teeth pricking against one another as she made no effort to dodge the incoming sword strike. “You’re all so lazy! It makes you sof-” Her voice gurgled to a halt as the blade pierced through her chest, right where her heart would be, and ran through her back. As Dia drew her sword back to her side, the exit wound was equally as gruesome, leaving a jagged, ugly tear in the Magical Girl’s flesh, and soaking the floor with blood.

Immediately, Serori slumped to the floor, head lowered. Maybe she’d been a little too cocky, a little too eager for a fight with a nearly full-strength Angel, to properly gauge her own condition. Had her own power been at its maximum capacity, healing herself, or deflecting the blow altogether, would have been child’s play, but that wasn’t the situation she found herself in. And what a blow it had been, surgical in its precision and relentless in its strength. These Angels didn’t show any mercy at all.

But, that hardly meant that Serori counted herself out. Her hand, shaking, pressed against her wound, until blood splattered through her fingers. As she pushed her hair out of her eyes, she smeared the red liquid all across her face, and then wearily pushed herself back up to her feet. The circle of fire that surrounded the two of them, that had dimmed and weakened as Serori had gone down, suddenly shot back up in an angry blaze as the Magical Girl regarded the Angel with a twisted sneer, flicking blood at her with one hand.

“Thanks for waking me up,” she coughed. “But you should know that’s nowhere near close to bringing me down.” With a single outstretched finger, she motioned to the red gem set into the bracer at her shoulder. “You gotta break this, remember?” Clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth, she shrugged. “Not that you’re going to get your chance to, now. You took your shot… And you missed.”

Serori knelt down to pick up the chain whip at her feet, neatly snapping it in two with little effort. Whirling both ends like some kind of hell-wrought dervish, she took a few steps towards Dia, lashing each side in a rehearsed, alternating fashion. Rather than try to strike her down, they were intended merely as glancing blows, attempting to open up small cuts and leave painful welts. Even when focused, it wouldn’t be any fun to end it quickly.

Yoshiko flinched, hardly able to keep looking as the ring of fire dimmed, and she could easily see the blow Dia dealt to Serori. Her heart, for a moment, sank, but now that the fight seemed to be over already, she needed to start making distance between her and Dia before she turned her attention back to her. Or… that thought lasted until Serori, though bloodied and injured, stood up once more.

Dia watched silently as the Magical Girl bounced back. Mostly, her expression remained flat and unimpressed, other than the gleam of slight frustration in her eyes. She’d made a foolish mistake indeed, and she was usually much smarter than this… But it wasn’t like it could be corrected now. The only thing she could do was forget about it, and move forward with the fight.

“…Correct. I’ve missed, but next time, I won’t even give you a moment to beg for your life.” Instinctively, as she spoke and her focus shifted, she backed away as Serori stepped closer. Another bad move, as she very soon found herself trapped with the heat of the fire behind her, Serori in front of her, and the chain whips moving at her sides. Her skin was tearing, and blood was dripping down her arms at this point, but her grip only tightened on her own weapon. She had little space to move at all…

“Or, rather… if you’re serious about this fight, and about defeating me, then why don’t you act like it? This is just annoying.” She remarked, staring the other girl down. At the very least, cuts like these were easily healed, but she hated having her time wasted like this. She wasn’t trying to have fun with this, nor have a fair fight. While she didn’t mind killing Serori, Yoshiko was her main target, and she should’ve just killed the fallen angel on the spot and left…

And not that she’d say it, but she had little choice now. Unable to move, she could only somehow get Serori to do so, even if only a little. Hm… judging from what she’d seen up until now, it looked as if this girl got easily riled up. This was a bit daring, and could lead to another mistake… or, hopefully, distract Serori from the point and cause her to act irrationally, potentially saving Dia’s life.

“It’s just as annoying as all of you magical girls; not to mention gullible and weak. It’s no wonder we cycle through them so quickly, using them like the pawns they are then letting them die in our place…” She smirked, “That explains why you have the fallen angel as a companion. You have no one else left, do you? Everyone you loved… I wonder what happened to them.”

[devilishidol]

tsxndxre:

“Ah… you probably didn’t notice when I brought you home. I live right next to a Ryoukan Inn. The family that runs it has a daughter my age and she happens to be in my class.” Not that it was entirely coincidental they were in the same class since UraJo only had two second year classes. The biggest thing was the fact they were literally neighbors with their bedrooms facing each other. That was a thing she found out after her first week of school. 

“Friends?” The question from the angel caught her off guard. The innkeeper girl who kept bothering her in class cause she was from Tokyo. Orange hair and sparkling eyes that grabbed her hands and pulled her around school before she had a moment to actually protest. Her face flushed as she played with the end of her longer bang. “I-I don’t know if I could call her my friend. We are classmates and she’s my neighbor. But she’s been pulling me around all over the place since I transferred.”

Riko cleared her throat as she rummaged through her bag for her cell phone. At the very least she can give Chika a call if she was going to come over. But not wanting to create any burden, she quickly decided against it and looked up the convenience store near by. They were open for another couple of hours… She had to check since this area was nothing like where she lived with 24/7 stores. “Alright. I’m sure there’ll be something you wanna try at the convenience store since you said you never had a lot of food from here recently. It’s just till I go do a little more grocery shopping. I didn’t get much time in the end to grab us some extra things for cooking today.”

After the stop to the store and short walk back to the house, she laid the food out in front of the two of them. “Let’s eat. Yoshiko-chan, I hope you’ll be okay with that really spicy one you picked out… I’ve heard people say it’s too spicy… It smells like that too…” 

A small smile came on her face as she watched Yoshiko happily eat. She was cute… like a child. Even though they looked to be about the same age. It was still hard to believe only days ago they had met, gotten so close… and now seem to live together while her parents were away. “Yoshiko-chan…” 

Riko quickly changed her mind on her thought and decided and just smile at her new friend. “I hope we can continue to get along. And don’t worry about my parents.. they’ll love you as much as I do, okay? I won’t let anything bad happen.”

Yoshiko, a girl who had no problems stomaching most foods, found even the spiciest things rather easy to eat. Furthermore, she enjoyed it to the point where she barely paid any attention to her friend, only looking up when she said her name.

“Mm?” She swallowed, blinking in the other girl’s direction. She almost felt like she had something else to say… but Yoshiko wouldn’t pry. “I trust you, Lily. You’re my friend.” She replied, beaming at her. There wasn’t a reason not to trust her; even if she wasn’t very familiar with humans, Riko had been kind to her and never tried to hurt her. No matter how strong Yoshiko was, it was easy to get scared when suddenly introduced to a whole new world, but she hoped Riko was right and her parents would treat Yoshiko the same, no matter when they would show up.

But… it almost made Yoshiko sad to think that she never really had parents, and that she’d left so many friends behind in heaven. As depressing as something like that could potentially be, she also found herself thinking that she was so lucky to be in a situation like this as a fallen angel. She had someone that genuinely seemed to care for her, and happily provided her with the necessities to continue surviving.

Just as she finished eating, Yoshiko yawned, and it seemed like all of this thinking was starting to have an effect on her. Or, maybe it was just the fact that it was getting late and she had a long day? Either way, she was tired, and felt as if she was finally ready for bed. She stood, taking Riko’s hand in hers.

“Because you’re my friend… would you mind helping me sleep tonight? Or… will you watch over me for a bit while I sleep?” Maybe it sounded a bit weird, but she felt so much more comfortable when Riko was around, or rather, when she knew she was.

[devilishidol]

angryspacegirl:

“I love you,” Serori echoed. It was embarrassing to say it at all, let alone twice, but it seemed like her friend needed the comfort and reassurance that confirmation would bring. Her hands rubbed lightly along her upper back, further trying to keep the other girl calm and comfortable. This was new for her, and even if it wasn’t new for Serori herself, she was still out-of-practice.

“Your human name…” Well, obviously her name wasn’t really Yohane. Serori had known that more or less since the moment they met. Yoshiko, though, probably with the characters for ‘good’ and ‘child’… It both seemed to fit Yohane, and not fit her at all. Serori couldn’t hide the small smile on her face as she mumbled it quietly, more to herself than to anyone else. “Yoshiko… It’s a pretty name, you know.”

With a small shrug, she pulled away from the girl so she could get a clearer look at her face. “But, if you want me to keep calling you ‘Yohane’, I will.” She was used to it, after all, and didn’t see a problem with continuing if it was what she wanted. “Or at least, I’ll save your human name for when we’re alone, so no one else has to hear it.” That came out a little more suggestive than Serori had intended, and she flinched as a light pink blush tinted her cheeks.

“Er, but aside from that… This special bond and contract you were talking about…” Naturally, it made sense to her that they were talking about something more substantial, a deepening of their relationship that came with natural expectations. At the same time, it brought questions. Was Serori supposed to say they were girlfriends now? And were school idols supposed to be held to the same standards as professional ones? They usually weren’t supposed to date, but no one could really expect high school students to abide by those rules… could they?

Ugh, all the worrying and confusion about it was starting to piss her off. As if to damn society and rules altogether, Serori abruptly dragged Yoshiko forward again for another kiss, this one a bit firmer and more intense that the previous, softer meeting of lips. When she pulled away, she was breathing a bit heavily, and gave a determined nod.

“I want us to be together,” she said in clear, unambiguous terms. She was Serori Rikimaru, biker, delinquent, trainee threat to polite society, and all-around badass. Even if her feelings were overpowering, even if she was unquestionably in love, she needed to cut the blushing fragility and be strong. “You’re so important to me, Yohane, and I do love you. I want to hold your hand and kiss you whenever. I want to go on dates together, and play games together, and spend important days together. I want us to be g-girlfriends.” Dammit, the word slipped on her tongue, but hopefully that didn’t undercut her message.

“That’s the kind of contract you meant, right?”

Her heart skipped a beat when she heard Serori say her name. Just as expected, it did sound better when she said it, but… she’d probably prefer to continue to be called Yohane. To her, Yoshiko never really seemed like a pretty or fitting name. What felt the most fitting to her was an alias that supported her identity as a strange, unlucky fallen angel. But… that didn’t mean she wouldn’t allow it in moderation; from only one person (though others annoyingly seemed to insist, all the time) and only every so often.

“Y-Yohane… I want you to keep calling me Yohane.” Yoshiko was glad. Nobody else really seemed to respect that, or give her some sort of choice. Serori always seemed to tolerate this part of her, and it meant a lot to her. It was just another reason why she loved her. “Alone, though… it’s fine. I want to hear it from Serori-san every once in a while, like I said.” She didn’t seem to catch any kind of underlying meaning to Serori’s words, at least not right away.

The next kiss was much more unexpected than the last, but there was an assuredness to it that Yoshiko liked. It didn’t feel as shy, and seemed like a clear exchange of feelings and love. Still, it was almost like her outward appearance was telling a completely different story from her actual thoughts. Her face was flushed and her hands were shaking, neither of which really changed after they pulled away.

“G-g-girlfriends?” Well… if this was a real contract, and if Yoshiko was actually a fallen angel, and Serori a little demon, maybe a word like “girlfriends” was a bit casual. Maybe… “lovers”? Ah, but right now, this was reality, and either way, she felt flustered. It didn’t matter much, she supposed, because she wanted to be together too.

Holding hands, kissing, dates, gaming, spending time with one another… everything Serori described were things Yoshiko wanted to do with her as well. The thought of it all made her happy, and she knew what she truly wanted. A relationship with the girl she loved… What more could she ask for?

Yoshiko cleared her throat, “I-Indeed, that’s the kind of contract I meant.” But… it wouldn’t really be a lie if she said this was slightly overwhelming. With her inexperience, and her overflowing feelings… “I’ve never completed this kind of contract before… or… h-had a girlfriend…” Or a boyfriend… or anything even close to that kind of thing.

She wrapped her arms around the other girl once more, tight and secure as she buried her face in her warmth, her scent, and her comfort. “E-even so… S-Serori-san, I don’t want anyone else but you to be my first!” She exclaimed, “I want to do all kinds of new, fun things with you, and if you would please become this fallen angel’s loyal companion— g-girlfriend… it would make me really happy.” Yoshiko was getting emotional again, but it was more than worth it. “So… let’s be together. A-and… promise me you’ll always stay by my side?” Of course, even when that had to be just in spirit at times, it would mean just as much to Yoshiko.

[angryspacegirl]

Cruel Feeling

[devilishidol]

angryspacegirl:

An Angel. Not one of the great abominations, covered in wings and eyes and accompanied by discordant trumpets and horns, but an Angel nonetheless. It was so rare to get one of them down here, given how slothful and reluctant to do their jobs most of them seemed. It was rarer still to get them alone, cut-off from their reinforcements and implicit connection to Heaven’s hierarchy.

Perfect.

If she was going for any kind of stealth attack or trickery, it would have been best to keep her intentions secret. Then again, such deception had never been Serori’s strong suit, and she couldn’t keep the malice-filled grin from her lips. No more finishing off an Angel who had nearly been picked clean by demons. No more looking over her shoulder to make sure there wasn’t someone to report what she’d done. Single combat (albeit with a useless, bloodied bystander) to the death. Exactly as she wanted it.

She was nearly depleted of magic, so most of her energy attacks and shields were out of the question. Fine. She didn’t want anything getting in the way of the personal nature of her execution anyway. She wanted to feel the Angel’s bones crack beneath her fingers, wanted to savor the way her chest rose as the beginning of a scream traveled up her throat, only to be cruelly cut short when Serori snapped her head clean off her body.

Even if she could manage a full transformation into her flame form, it would be a waste. Whatever cursed modifications had been made to her body, to transform it from human into something else, these fists were still her fists, and this blood was still her blood. Why spoil that by breaking herself down into living fire? No, the fire was just a tool, one that would serve her and the last vestige of her magic faithfully, as she erupted a blazing ring around herself, Yoshiko, and the new Angel.

Both of her guns found her hands immediately, as she unleashed a volley of magic bullets, aimed not to kill, but rather to pierce the wings of the Angel and keep her grounded. It wouldn’t do to have her trying to escape, especially with Serori so light on magic. It was better to corner her, surrounded by flames and unable to run, and let the two of them slug it out until someone was dead.

“I don’t know what should offend me more,” Serori murmured, her usual cold voice warped into something almost resembling joy. “That you don’t seem to know who I am, or that you really think you could kill me.” Holstering her guns, she brandished her chain instead. “Believe me, I don’t really care if you end the life of that worthless slug… But if you so much as take a look in her direction, if you tear your attention from me for even the smallest iota of a second…” 

She probably looked crazy, grinning like a psychopath against the backdrop of fire. Well maybe she was, and if that was the case, then it was the Angels’ problem, not her own. After all, they did this to her. It was there fault she’d ended up so broken. “You should know that the opening you’ll leave will let me tear you into so many pieces that not even God himself could put you back together.”

“Tch.” The Angel seemed to quickly understand the situation she’d found herself in as the ring of flames completely surrounded the three of them, and even further as her wings, formerly something she had been proud of, were deemed physically useless for now. The pain was already bad, and now she had to start a fight with a disadvantage. Great.

“How annoying… You should know that I have little time to bother with the likes of you, and have more important matters to attend to.” She let go of Yoshiko and stood straight. “But… very well. If you have a death wish, then so be it. Clearly, I got myself into this, and I’ll get myself out— by ending your life quickly.” She was even more frustrated that she had been tricked, then trapped. But, obviously, badly behaved magical girls were not needed, so maybe this wasn’t so bad. Now she could cleanse the world of two worthless girls instead of one.

Yoshiko, on the other hand, had been pretty badly bruised up. Her entire body was aching because of the sheer force Dia used on her, and it was even more painful just trying to sit up. But now that Dia was focusing her attention elsewhere, she needed to escape before she got caught up in the crossfire. At least, her wings were, though weak, functional. She was luckily able to fly out of the ring, and flew a few yards away before falling to the ground once more. She needed to catch her breath, and recover as much as she could in preparation for… whatever would happen after the fight was over.

The Angel ignored Yoshiko for the moment, instead focused on taking a few moments to calculate her next move. This should be an easy enough fight… Most magical girls seemed weak, easy to crack, but this one looked to use a similar fighting style to her own. In that case, if Serori wanted to play with fire and her little toys, then so would she.

A large sword appeared in her hands. Its blade was covered in layers of blazing fire as an added danger, and it would have almost looked like something that should be wielded by a demon rather than an Angel…  if not for the pure white color of celestial, holy flames, anyway.

She also needed to be wary of Serori’s chain whip, though, since something like that was so easily and quickly movable. But she was also quick, hopefully so much so that Serori didn’t notice as she dashed right behind her, making the movement in less than a second, in which her form looked like no more than a blur.

“Tell me, after this, do you still hold that same confidence and grin of yours?” She asked, raising her sword and slashing.

[devilishidol]

captainwatanabae:

If it was the right thing to do… What else was there? It would be selfish of You to meddle in Chika and Riko’s relationship, and that was without even considering the ripple effect it could have on the rest of Aqours. It couldn’t be helped, even if she was less than reassured by the notion of things happening for a reason. That seemed too flighty and insubstantial. What kind of reason could there be for something like this? If destiny had something in store for her, then why would it push her towards Chika, only to pull the orange-haired girl out of her path right as she got close?

“…Right,” You murmured, picking herself back and smoothing her still-wet hair out of her eyes. She was holding everyone up, and wallowing in her own misery probably made her seem ungrateful to the friends that did come to support her. Certainly, it would hurt everyone’s feelings if they knew that one particular absence meant more to her than six others coming to cheer her on. And given that she’d won, she really needed to seem grateful for her luck and accomplishments. “Right,” she repeated.

A few minutes later, she stepped out of the locker room, still a little damp, but affecting a wide, slightly apologetic smile. The gold medal was looped around her neck, hanging down over her shirt, and a small back containing her gear was slung over her shoulder casually. Giving a wave to her friends, she stepped closer, an embarrassed giggle bouncing from her lips.

“Ehehe… Sorry for making everyone wait so long,” You started, before holding up the medal. “I took this off to take my shower, but I must have set it down somewhere strange, ‘cause afterwards, I couldn’t find it!” Sticking out her tongue, she tapped at the side of her head with her fist. It was a lie, but given her reputation, it was probably believable. “Sorry I’m so dumb and forgetful, hehe.”

It had been a long wait for the girls, other than Yoshiko, to see their friend after her victory. None of them were, luckily, really impatient, but that didn’t subdue their relief when they saw You walking towards them. “Well, I’m glad you didn’t lose it. You earned it, after all.” Kanan started, grinning in her direction.

“B-but, you’re not dumb, You-chan!” Ruby exclaimed, seemingly a little pumped up. “Ruby-chan’s right! And even if you’re a little forgetful… That’s okay!” Hanamaru chimed in, bound close together with Ruby like usual. “Now, girls, I think we know TALENT and FIRST PLACE are what’s most important today~ Don’t underestimate our You-chan! Naturally, we have to celebrate on the way home!” Mari added, linking arms with You.

Dia, watching with a slight smile, crossed her arms. “Let’s allow her some rest instead, okay? I’m sure she’s tired. Furthermore… we can’t miss our train back home, right? We should go before it starts getting late.”

Nevertheless, the train ride back to Numazu was… pretty lively and eventful, even without every member of Aqours present. Of course, it was still hard to shake the feeling that two energies were missing amongst all the fun, and Yoshiko herself felt worn out by the day.

It honestly felt pretty relaxing to be able to separate from most of the group once arriving in Numazu, but being on the bus, alone with You again was making her confused. What should she say? Or should she not talk at all? Would it be stupid of her to try to bring up Chika again, or what they discussed in the locker room, or anything serious? It might not be good to come off as too casual either. Or… she was just starting to stress too much over this…

“H-how… how are you feeling? Compared to earlier, I mean…”

[devilishidol]

“Today is the day of my birth, on which Yohane had descended upon this planet Earth many years ago! I wonder what kinds of surprises my little demons have planned for me today~”

[devilishidol]

captainwatanabae:

It wasn’t that You herself was all that experienced in matters of the heart, but maybe it was the case that Yoshiko didn’t know anything when it came to love. That probably would make sense, wouldn’t it? After all, being a fallen angel probably didn’t leave a lot of time for romance. You had been in Yoshiko’s stream countless times when some fan jokingly (or not so jokingly) confessed to her, and it rarely seemed to rattle her. Maybe she just hadn’t thought very much about that kind of thing.

Which was probably why she was having such a hard time understanding You’s perspective. “I think…” Her voice, already a little hoarse and weak from crying, faded out before she could finish her thought. Perhaps that was for the best, since what even did she think? How could she explain the complicated set of emotions tripping and falling over each other in her heart, in a way that would make her friend understand her?

“I think,” she started again. “When you care about someone that much… You just want them to be happy, right?” She sighed, rubbing at her eyes further until the tears were all gone, replaced instead by puffy red abrasions. “And even if… It’s not like Chika-chan and Riko-chan are cold-hearted people… If they knew about the way I feel, both of them would feel bad, wouldn’t they?”

Well, maybe her jealous nature wouldn’t mind if Riko felt bad… And knowing that only made her feel worse. Chika, though… She wouldn’t like it to know that she had, in any way, caused her orange-haired childhood friend to feel a single ounce of heartache. “It’s not like a confession would change anything at this point, right? It would just make everything feel awkward. So… So that’s why it’s better if I just keep these feelings to myself.” She’d survived this long keeping them locked away. Maybe this would finally be what she needed to kill them off for good.

Yoshiko, at least, understood just wanting the person you love to be happy. She understood well, to the point where she was doing something similar to You. Trying to support her while suppressing her own feelings, because it would be no use to tell her how she felt. If anything, You would just get upset and Yoshiko never wanted that. It was so stupid to hope for anything more.

“You’re a good person.” It was definitely better to just move on with the day and try not to think about this anymore. Yoshiko could feel a pain in her heart, and it was getting to her. “To care so much about how they feel… You really are.” As much as she didn’t want to say it, it would probably be better for everyone if You just… stopped feeling anything for Chika. But she didn’t feel as if it was her place to say something like that, and maybe that was better said than done.

“And… if you feel like this is the right thing to do, I’m not going to stop you.” She didn’t want to try to convince her of something else, only to have things end badly. That seemed like the most probable result here, and at this point, it wasn’t like she wanted to try at all. You was right. “You should trust your own feelings and your own instincts. And as humans say… everything happens for a reason. You’re a good girl, and destiny has good things coming your way. Don’t let this get you down too much, okay?” Yoshiko said, scratching lightly at her cheek. Surely, life had better plans for You than it did for a cursed girl like Yoshiko. She could just tell.

Yoshiko stood, crossing her arms. “Everyone’s still waiting outside, so I’ll let you get dressed. Let’s talk more on the way home.” She started walking towards the door, only to stop after a few steps. “A-Anything is fine. Even if you just want to get your mind off all of this… I’ll help you. I don’t really mind.” With that, she walked quickly out of the locker room, heading outside.

[devilishidol]

angryspacegirl:

By the time Yoshiko had fallen backwards, Serori was already around to the other side of the small table to check on her. “H-hey Yohane? Jeez, are you okay?” Had she hit her head? What a weird little twerp, taking her performance to such an extreme like that. This kind of thing was all fake anyway, so she really didn’t need to push herself to lend it more impact. They were just playing a game, really, so it was better to just-

And then it wasn’t a game anymore, was it? Regardless of whatever the crystal ball was for, whether it had just been a tool to psych her up or whatever… This was a real, true, honest confession. This was what she’d been hoping for, but the abruptness with which it came was enough to knock Serori off her guard. Certainly she’d thought she had a bit more time than this, and now the little angel was crying into her hands, her tears slipping between her fingers and dripping upon the floor.

Seror herself hated crying. If she could help it, she’d never cry again. Seeing Yohane upset stirred the impulse, and she could feel her face growing warm and her heart beginning to beat faster, but she beat the tears back before they had chance to form. This was really about the other girl, wasn’t it? This was probably new to her, and Serori thought it was an unwritten rule that whoever did the confessing got the right to be a little selfish about it.

Slowly and carefully, she pulled Yohane’s tear-stained hands away from her face. Surprisingly delicate, she brought them closer, laying a small kiss upon the fingertips of one hand, then the other, before drawing her friend’s entire body closer and into a comforting hug.

“You really aren’t good at this, are you?” Not that Serori was much better, probably. There was a reason that she’d avoided using her words, and had instead saw fit to use gifts and favors as her language. Well, maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing. Surely Yohane had understood her feelings well enough before this, right? But still, whether she understood or not, she was shaking in Serori’s arms, and still leaking tears.

“But I guess that’s alright,” she added, her voice becoming softer as she tried to reassure the other girl. “I’ll forgive that. I’ll… I’ll forgive anything, you know, because… I love you too, and I do want that kind of future.” She wasn’t sure if her words were having any effect. When it came to hurting other people, her words were as vicious a weapon as her fists, but when it came to explaining her feelings, it felt like they didn’t measure up. So… Maybe she needed to take another approach.

Making sure that Yohane was still supported in her lap, Serori tilted her chin up, and then ran her fingers through her raven hair. Closing her eyes, she leaned forward, lips against lips, trying to convey her feelings adequately in the best way she knew how.

Yoshiko’s entire form trembled helplessly, and even as Serori drew her hands from her face, she wanted to continue to hide. She didn’t think she’d ever had to do anything more scary and nervewracking in her life, and the fact that she wasn’t getting an immediate reply from her friend wasn’t making her feel much better. She barely even felt her lips press against her fingertips since the act was so gentle, but she saw it through her blurry, teary eyes. She felt a moment of reassurance as her heart skipped a beat before she was pulled into Serori’s arms, which somehow made her even more emotional.

Yoshiko clung tightly onto the other girl, her arms firmly around her body and her hands grabbing fistfuls of clothing. Everything about her warmth and touch was comforting, and she felt like she wanted to stay close to her forever. Well, that is, if Serori even wanted something like that.

For a moment, she feared she was about to get rejected, and that Serori was only comforting her in preparation for it. Sure, prior to this, Yoshiko had many suspicions that supported the idea that Serori might return her feelings, but all that reasoning seemed to escape her mind in the heat of the moment, leaving her with anxiety. But… the feeling of pure relief that coursed through her body when she heard her friend say that she loved her too was indescribable.

Yoshiko’s heart felt like it was going to jump right out of her chest, and her cheeks were bright red. In that moment, happiness seemed possible again, even if tears continued to fall just because of the influx of emotion she was feeling. “S-Serori…” She mumbled softly, finally looking back up at the girl, only to find that her hand was already under her chin, and that she had begun to lean in closer and closer, until there was no more distance between them.

In love, there was also a physical aspect, and Yoshiko was so concerned about everything else that she’d forgotten all about it. Her eyes were wide open for the first few moments of the kiss, but she quickly tried to ease into it, letting them flutter shut. This was her first kiss, and it was odd that though her heart was beating so quickly, she also felt so… comfortable at the same time. Her body felt warm and light, and she moved a hand from Serori’s waist up to her cheek, moving in a bit deeper.

When Yoshiko pulled away, it seemed like it was far too soon to do so, but it was still pretty good for a first kiss. Or, at least Yoshiko thought so, being inexperienced. Hopefully, though, she’d get lots more kisses anyway.

She didn’t make any kind of attempt to move from Serori’s lap, and instead rested her head against her shoulder. “I love you,” She said softly as if to remind her. Right now, all of her crying and worrying seemed so stupid, and even a little embarrassing. “And… I-I’m sorry I had to go through all that just to say it… I…I’ve never done this before and it was scary… e-even for me.” She mumbled, trying her best to be truthful.

”But I guess, you know… since a such a rare, special bond between the fallen angel Yohane and a little demon has actually come into existence, a kiss was needed to properly seal the contract.” Not that she’d even initiated the kiss anyway, but as she calmed down, she was returning to her usual self. Speaking of Yohane, though, that reminded her… maybe there was something else that she needed to be honest about.

Yoshiko looked up at Serori again, and as much as she felt like she didn’t want to do this, it was definitely necessary now. “M-Maybe… that also means that I’ll allow you, and only you, to call me something else from time to time. Y-Yoshiko…” She didn’t like her name, and it almost hurt to say, but maybe it would sound better if Serori said it. “My, ah… human name.”