"Set of skills?!" This guy keeps spouting nonsense, but he hasn't even had his first kiss yet! The nerve of him — but that's, unfortunately, what Sumire finds particularly charming about him.
"... No," she echoes. "I, um, haven't really thought about it before."
Until she'd met Tadashi-senpai and Akechi-senpai, but he does not need to know that.
"well that's good." a line of a movie he saw once flickers into his mind. then multiple lines. things to say or things to do when faced with a romantic opportunity like this.
he doesn't take it though, "not good, but good." one good is glad that she hasn't gotten him beat on that yet. that if they were to take the plunge it'd be at the same time.
he rests his cheek in his hand and leans so he can smile at sumire.
"I bet you'd be good at it though." that was not a line from a movie he's seen. that was right from the heart.
"Hehe. I do, too," Sumire admits sheepishly, scratching at her cheek with a finger. "... Does that mean that when we were at the Tokyo Skytree, you were also scared out of your mind ...?"
"I got over it — eventually. Can't scale castles if you're afraid of the fall. I'm surprised you had it too. didn't that interfere with the gymnastic career?"
Sumire examines Tadashi's face carefully as he talks, but ... she can't read him. She can't read him at all. Frustratingly, disappointingly so. He's her friend, isn't he ...? So why can't she —
"No, I ..." she inhales, exhales slowly. "You're important to me, you know that. But I won't push you to say anything you don't want to." A pause. "... You can tell me about it sometime later. Tomorrow, in a week, in a year." She offers him a little, encouraging smile. "'Cause I'll still be around. And you will too."
is it rude to goro? to reveal to sumire the animal that is in the cage? is it cruel to sumire? to reveal the sacrifice of his own life in the pursuit of JUSTICE.
at the the end of the day isn't that what it all ends up at? JUSTICE and the choices we make to find or uphold it.
(TADASHI MASARU. SUICIDE. CRIMINAL RECORD CONSISTS OF: LARCENY, BRIBERY, THEFT, GRAND THEFT, POLITICAL SABOTAGE AND ESPIONAGE, MURDER MURDER MURDER MUDER )
"It was around the events with Shido." saying his name has a sour taste. there is nothing but hate. "Akechi had his own goals...one that we stood in the way of. Whether we liked it or not."
The Phantom Thieves do not kill. If there are two people in a room and one is a murderer. if one kills the other, there is still a murderer in the room. is it naive? maybe, but the world won't change if they slaughter like butchers. akechi thinks differently. to akechi justice is revenge. So damn any bond they had, any closeness, any laughs. all of it is a ruse. a play.
"akechi set up a plan to take us out. take me out. it was good, but we were better. it's a whole affair honestly." it was triumph, it was glorious. it involved broken bones, drugs and the devils luck.
"thank you for that by the way, its good to hear that you'll still be here."
She thins her mouth out into a line — trying to frown and look disappointed, no doubt, but her red face is still very much evident.
What does it take to get a kiss from him, then? Not that it matters to me. "... So, you haven't had your first kiss yet ...?" That's almost a worse question to ask!!!
"parents? I don't think I've heard from them since coming to the city...so they're sort of different from yours."
"That so?"
Sumire scuffs her shoes at the side of the road, leaning against the brick wall of a cafe as she stares down at the little distance between her shoes and his. It must be hard, not being able to return home to your family at the end of every day.
"My parents would really like you, Tadashi-senpai." she says, mostly without thinking, then flusters, looking up at him with wide eyes. "I-I didn't mean anything ... particular, by that, just ... um. I-I know your parents aren't all too great, so ... if you're ever in the mood for a family sort of dinner, my door's open. Is what I was trying to say."
"huh?" that stunned him. and things usually never stun him. but with sumire or akechi...there's always something. he can't help but hide his own nervous expression, the way the top parts of his lip turn a sharp red.
"ah, well, I'd like that." sojiro and futaba's family dinners are different than the ones he had at home. there's noise, there's energy and life. at home its silence. it's nothing. he wonders what sumire's is like.
"though we probably should wait until after things are back to the way they should be."
"sumire-san, are you free? I'm going to Jinbocho to pick up some book orders." a grumble from a nearby feline. "okay, Morgana and I are going to Jinbocho, but he isn't reading a thing."
For you, anything, is what she wants to say, but instead she stammers out a "Sure, Tadashi-senpai! You caught me on my off day, actually, so ... I'll be free until evening, when I have to go home for dinner."
Tadashi had called her while she was in the middle of walking home, actually, so upon receiving his call she'd immediately stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. Realizing this suddenly, she scurries off to the side, suddenly self-conscious of the immense grin on her face. She tries to conjure it away to no avail, and she's sure her soft smile can be heard through the receiver. "... Don't worry, your secret's safe with me."
"thank goodness." not that he's embarrassed, nor is he ashamed. but it does get an odd look or two along with all the other odd looks he gets.
"I can meet you in Tokyo, then we can ride the train together. surprised to hear you have an off day though, you've been busy." then again, so has he. even with the world in maruki's perfect image there is still corrupt adults who need changing. people who need saving. And the saviour complex doesn't go away because you kill god. ( it gets stronger it could swallow you whole !)
sumire though. she's amazing. tackling Maruki's world while dealing with her own gymnastics career.
"I'll be sure to send you home before it gets late."
"Just a bit. I was helping Iwai-San with some work. He needed it, and I needed him to talk to someone so I can get some information about a target." he shifts then stretches, there's a knot in his back that he has to hope disappears before tonight.
"Just catching up on some sleep, before the trip to mementos tonight." it's why he missed the tickets for the movie, a worthy sacrifice when it comes to world reformation. the information was worth it anyways.
"Mementos, huh —" Sumire is certainly curious, but, as a not-Phantom-Thief, it's probably not her place to ask more. "Well, I suppose it's good then that you got some extra rest! Don't do anything too crazy in Mementos." she settles on saying. "Though, knowing you, you probably have some crazy plans, don't you, Masaru-senpai?"
Finger curls hair, just as always. A collected lean onto his back as he gives a confident laugh. "Crazy? I only do what I have to." if that means death defying leaps that set his heart on fire, running into a direct path of fire to juke and surprise the enemy, facing the evils of this world so people like him and people like sumire don't have to hurt anymore.
he'll do it all. the anger in his heart outweighs the hesitation now.
"the others will be there, Nijima-san in particular is very attentive of making sure I don't do anything too reckless. don't stress it's bad for you."
"Just a bit. I was helping Iwai-San with some work. He needed it, and I needed him to talk to someone so I can get some information about a target." he shifts then stretches, there's a knot in his back that he has to hope disappears before tonight.
"Just catching up on some sleep, before the trip to mementos tonight." it's why he missed the tickets for the movie, a worthy sacrifice when it comes to world reformation. the information was worth it anyways.
"Yoshizawa....was I a good friend. remember me...and leave tickets to the new Like a Tiger movie at my grave. " cue the sound of fake dying, followed by horrific stuffed screams.
"Ah —" Sumire patiently lets Tadashi get the rest of his performance out before saying, "Mona-senpai, you should drop an ice cube down his shirt."
had to get some food so thsi si late... i lterally gluedm yself to my chair to finish this LMAOAO
all of the not-dialogue is just straight up lines frm featherman seeker LMAOOO just rearranged
this takes place during 3rd semester (see: infiltration log on wall on 4th page, also their winter clothes strewn around akira's room) after drawing it i was rereading like oh u cld prob see this as like post-third semester but nah i intended it to be such BECAUSE
i rock w the canon that sumire has no clue abt akechi's past and black mask and the mental shutdowns and shido and the engine room she doesnt know hes supposed to be dead, that he sacrificed himself, etc. so ofc shes going thru the game like yayyy featherman yay and her sort of naivete Gets thru to goro. i imagine this is like idk a game he played in childhood bc he was a featherman fan but now revisiting it bc sumire wanted to try it, hes like. damn. this kinda. uh. well thats crazy how things line up. so i think it kinda grates at him but sumi's excitement and like. enjoyment! of it kinda helps him also enjoy it more
SO LIKE He knows he's going to die. He knows thats how grey pigeon's story ends. but he's happy here, and now, with the people he loves, so that makes it All right for now. it's a sad story but it's the good ending.
also i forgor how/where/when goro exactly Actualizes back into existence but can u imagine if he spawned right into the winter wonderland of shibuya square like (head in hands) smth so like. isolating abt it. in a crowd of ppl being excited over christmas and hes like what the hell im supposed to be Dead right now.
also "you are not alone" in the first panels very important..... right under hte panel w goro and sumi side by side :') yea
ryuji and ann holding akira back. YEA.
i really like the 3rd slide. the colors mmmm BUT YEAH so its goro/akira fighting/saving sumire, hanging out at jazz jin, last stand against adam kadmon, then goro holding sumi and akira's hands in the snow, then them smiling :') kinda like a procession of memories, or to-be memories or whatever
ANYWAY this is also like part of my whatever canon divergence where the royal trio section of 3rd sem is just longer for no reason . (aka: the thieves take longer to win over to their side, idk maruki gives u a longer time on the deal, etc etcetc.) just more royal trio time :3
sumibun akimeow and gorodog in 4th img... hidden.... also tennis rackets. ALSO THE LITTLE POLAROIDS Important. and all their clothes! i imagine they stay over at leblanc A Lot. akira prob convinces sojiro to Keep morgana at his house LOL and he handles the business and stuff just so they can have their safe haven while they struggle to try and win the thieves back and infiltrate the palace etc . (I kinda have a comic or something in the works for this)
more abt dialogue choices
"it's tough for a tutorial stage" - this means smth. i didnt think this thru 100% ASKJDHASDKJA but its to do w akechi's life and how everything was so fucking difficult for him as a kid when it shouldnt have been.
"is the second phase giving you trouble" - also smth to do w akechi. (As u can see these are all half baked metaphors) smth to do w his 'second life" aka: third semester being Difficult. because now he has sumire and akira and he doesn't want to leave them, so dying the 2nd time is gonna suck real bad.
had to get some food so thsi si late... i lterally gluedm yself to my chair to finish this LMAOAO
all of the not-dialogue is just straight up lines frm featherman seeker LMAOOO just rearranged
this takes place during 3rd semester (see: infiltration log on wall on 4th page, also their winter clothes strewn around akira's room) after drawing it i was rereading like oh u cld prob see this as like post-third semester but nah i intended it to be such BECAUSE
i rock w the canon that sumire has no clue abt akechi's past and black mask and the mental shutdowns and shido and the engine room she doesnt know hes supposed to be dead, that he sacrificed himself, etc. so ofc shes going thru the game like yayyy featherman yay and her sort of naivete Gets thru to goro. i imagine this is like idk a game he played in childhood bc he was a featherman fan but now revisiting it bc sumire wanted to try it, hes like. damn. this kinda. uh. well thats crazy how things line up. so i think it kinda grates at him but sumi's excitement and like. enjoyment! of it kinda helps him also enjoy it more
SO LIKE He knows he's going to die. He knows thats how grey pigeon's story ends. but he's happy here, and now, with the people he loves, so that makes it All right for now. it's a sad story but it's the good ending.
also i forgor how/where/when goro exactly Actualizes back into existence but can u imagine if he spawned right into the winter wonderland of shibuya square like (head in hands) smth so like. isolating abt it. in a crowd of ppl being excited over christmas and hes like what the hell im supposed to be Dead right now.
also "you are not alone" in the first panels very important..... right under hte panel w goro and sumi side by side :') yea
ryuji and ann holding akira back. YEA.
i really like the 3rd slide. the colors mmmm BUT YEAH so its goro/akira fighting/saving sumire, hanging out at jazz jin, last stand against adam kadmon, then goro holding sumi and akira's hands in the snow, then them smiling :') kinda like a procession of memories, or to-be memories or whatever
ANYWAY this is also like part of my whatever canon divergence where the royal trio section of 3rd sem is just longer for no reason . (aka: the thieves take longer to win over to their side, idk maruki gives u a longer time on the deal, etc etcetc.) just more royal trio time :3
sumibun akimeow and gorodog in 4th img... hidden.... also tennis rackets. ALSO THE LITTLE POLAROIDS Important. and all their clothes! i imagine they stay over at leblanc A Lot. akira prob convinces sojiro to Keep morgana at his house LOL and he handles the business and stuff just so they can have their safe haven while they struggle to try and win the thieves back and infiltrate the palace etc . (I kinda have a comic or something in the works for this)
more abt dialogue choices
"it's tough for a tutorial stage" - this means smth. i didnt think this thru 100% ASKJDHASDKJA but its to do w akechi's life and how everything was so fucking difficult for him as a kid when it shouldnt have been.
"is the second phase giving you trouble" - also smth to do w akechi. (As u can see these are all half baked metaphors) smth to do w his 'second life" aka: third semester being Difficult. because now he has sumire and akira and he doesn't want to leave them, so dying the 2nd time is gonna suck real bad.
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