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@spiritodellaria
" Lucemon, that bastardo! How dare him show his ugly mug in the real world just to pester Kouichi?! We'll make him regret it!! "
Junpei cringed at every word and flinched from Izumi's every gesture. He had his arms protecting his head by the time the girl suddenly stopped, and a gleam entered her eyes. Junpei peeked up at her hopefully, before arranging himself into a more presentable, up-standing citizen.
"Er..."
"I wouldn't say the goggles are stupid in themselves...! It's more about... how you use them???"
Crap, he was digging himself into trouble.
"I mean, I still kinda wanted to try them on! Even if they're too small for my head, which I bet they are, considering they were probably small on Takky's head to begin with, and -"
He stopped mid-ramble, suddenly struck by lightning of his own realization.
"Wait. Izumi-chan... I bet YOU could be a good leader!!!"
She places both of her hands on top of her mouth, hiding it. It couldn't be, he admitted it so fast, right after she's thrown a fit?
But soon a smile starts to peek behind her hands, a smile which soon turns into a full blown laughter as she jumps around. All the jumping brings her to Junpei's direction, where she opens her arms and throws herself at him in a hug.
" COMMOZIONE!! ", Izumi giggles, her arms wrapped tightly around his shoulders. " Grazie, Junpei!! Ah, I mean, thank you! Thank you so much! "
After a while, she undoes the hug and takes a few steps away from him, facing him with her hands on her back. Once she's distant enough, she takes the goggles and places them on her head, adjusting them so they would be on top of the hem of her beanie.
" So " , she bends her torso ever so slightly, a big smile gracing her face. " Do they look good on me? "
"I dunno, Izumi! I was minding my business when suddenly I was thrown into the Digital World, with her asking me things about the human world. She was bored! Izumi, she was asking me for 'human entertainment'!!"
"So I told her that we got anime and manga. And now she's... messaging me about things like these!"
"She told me since I'm the protagonist, I should have a romantic interest! And so do other things. I'm sorry to worry ya, but she just... Messed with my brain. Sorry."
"Can I please have my goggles back now?"
" Takuya... Are you sure that wasn't Cherubimon? Because messing with your head and throwing you around sounds like something Cherubimon would do. "
" And no, I'm not giving the goggles back. I already told you, you don't take back something gave to another person. It's basic manners, you know? "
"Ya know, when someone has all the rights to get cool evolution, focus, power..."
"Don't blame me, blame Ophanimon for bugging me about those things. I think I shouldn't have explained what a manga is, now she's just... saying those things."
"Anyway, can I get the goggles back? I don't have many icons without goggles, ok?"
" Ophanimon? But why would she tell you that and not the rest of us? It can't be just because of you explaining manga to her or you having these 'protagonist rights'! "
" And no, you can't have the goggles back, for whatever reason you're saying there! They're not yours anymore! You can't just take back what you gave to other people. "
"You guys are making me want to give the protagonist rights to Tomoki."
" Takuya! You've already given up your leadership a long time ago, it's not up to you to decide-- "
" ...protagonist? What do you mean 'protagonist'?! "
"Wow rude, calling the goggles the symbol of 'stupidity'!?"
"DO YOU KNOW WHO STARTED THIS WHOLE TREND!?"
"RESPECT THE GENESIS OF THE GOGGLE TREND, OKAY!?"
As a runner-up for the next gogglehead of her group, Izumi wants to agree with this guy - but when she looks at his face, she sees what Junpei means by 'symbol of stupidity'.
Maybe goggles really are cursed.
" ...I'll do my best to turn the goggles into a symbol of sagacity, signore. "
"Oh! Yeah, no, right, okay, you're right!" Junpei pat the air as if to quell Izumi's outburst (he had no idea what she said, but since it was in Italian, Junpei knew he'd misstepped). "I did totally just say we should make decisions as a team and then deferred to Takuya, didn't I!? Hahahaha...!"
They were Takuya's goggles, after all.
"But you know, Izumi-chan... we don't call Takuya a 'goggle-head' for nothing, right?"
"It's the same thing as, like, saying he's being silly! So really, the goggles don't represent leadership, they represent... er... stupidity?"
"Maybe now that Taki's not wearing them, he'll realize."
Stupidity? Izumi's floored. The thing she’s been fighting for so fiercely has been called stupid - and by Junpei of all people.
Her blood boils through her veins. But she has to be kind to her friend, to herself. There’s no use to cast all of her rage onto him.
But oh the Reaction Queen inside her, she has to have her wrath quenched.
" Cazzo! ", she pulls the hand holding Junpei's away and starts walking around, gesticulating wildy. There's no need to understand her words to know what they're saying, " Porca miseria! Stupidità?! È vero?! Che due palle. Ho litigato por-- "
Realization hits Izumi. If Junpei thinks the goggles are stupid, then it automatically makes them hers. The next step would be convincing him she was the better choice for a leader - piece of cake, considering how cute she'll look with them. She stops and blinks slowly, steading her breath. She has regained her composure. But when her eyes turn up to Junpei, their intensity betrays the serenity of her voice.
“ Junpei. “, she once again shows him the goggles, now much more calmly, “ You think that the goggles are stupid, right? So you don't want them anymore, right? “
"Izumi-chan..."
"I know what can happen... We've been through so much together! But... I dunno - preparing for those kind of situations - I don't think it's worth dwelling over.
"We've got each other's backs. We're a good team 'cause we already built up trust, yeah? And being a team means we sometimes have to agree on things that we're not all one hundred percent down for."
"BUT I'M SURE TAKUYA WILL COME AROUND ONCE HE SEES HOW GOOD OF A LEADER I CAN REALLY BE~!!"
Izumi sighs, the hand holding the goggles no long behind her back. It isn't worth fighting anymore, Junpei is a good leader. Humbleness may have taken a look at him and ran off to a distant land, but wasn't overconfidence one of the traits of a leader anyway?
Takuya himself is bigheaded, impulsive, like giving up his goggles for such a stupid reason. If they had once accepted their fiery friend as the head of their group, there’s no reason to not accept the kind Junpei as well.
… But that talk about Takuya coming around? That's not something Izumi could accept.
“ JUNPEI!! Non fare lo sciocco! ", she shakes the goggles in front of his face, " You saw Takuya, he's in no condition to choose the next leader! He already gave us the goggles, it’s up to us to decide who'll be their next owner! ”
"YES!!! I'd be the best leader, Izumi-chan! I'd make all the wise choices and hard decisions and I've given up my D-Scanner and Spirits along with it before I can do it again just say the word and I'd --- I would..."
"Wait. What."
Junpei shakes his head and takes Izumi's hand from where she graced his arm, holding onto her seriously.
"Hey, hey, woah, woah, hey! I'm not about to let you or anyone else sacrifice their lives for anything!"
Her hand holding the goggles slowing slides to her back while Junpei holds the other. There's a weight to her eyes when she looks back at his.
" But you'll have to, Junpei. ", Izumi squeezes his hand, " Remember when you said you'd trust our decisions? What if we come into a situation where one of us has to stay behind so others might go way safely? What if we need to sacrifice our lives to weaken the enemy? Remember... "
Is she really going to bring up Kouichi? That was traumatic even for her.
Subtly implying it, though, was a whole another story.
" ...Remember that things like these can happen. That had happened... in the world. A leader has to be ready for that. "
"Yes, yes, yes!!!" Junpei is once again bouncing giddily. "You understand! You totally get me!"
Izumi's 'praise' is totally getting to his head.
"I'd be a great leader! I am the oldest, after all! That makes me the wisest, too, right~? I trust my team~! I'm so glad you agree!!!"
" Sì, you're very wise! ", she giggles and touches his arm.
Izumi then steadies her breath. It wasn't nice to manipulate her friends, but she has a goal, goddammit. And she has to be careful, precise.
Otherwise even the devoted and kind Junpei might notice and take the goggles from her hands, donning a hurtful look on his face.
" And you're ready to make sacrifices, aren't you? Like any good leader, to give up what most important to you in the name of your team. I mean, I know you are, Junpei. "
" I know you're ready to give up your D-Scanner with your Spirits, your goggles, your life... And you're wise enough to know that sometimes we'll have to sacrifice our lives too... "
For a moment, Izumi struggles. Does she brag to Takuya how they're undoubtedly a Magical Girl team now that he has a love interest?
No, that would just prove his point that the main character needs a love interest.
...and would put Takuya back into the main character - or leader - role.
Convincing Junpei to let her take the goggles is hard enough.
Izumi remains silent.
"Heehee! Good one, Izumi-chan! Yeah, of course! The leader should be graceful, levelheaded, strong, handsome," Junpei counted on his fingers.
"Just like... me~!"
For a brief moment, Izumi stares at Junpei, eyes widened. He couldn't be that dense, could he? Her grip on the goggles tightens.
But her resolve isn't so weak. Isn't she a warrior? Isn't she the one fit to be a leader? She's going to put those skills to use.
" Aren't you smart, Junpei~? If there's anyone who knows what's best for a team, that'd be you, isn't it? ", Izumi approaches him with a coy smile.
" You are the one who knows how to make difficult decisions and trust your teammates to take their own decisions, right? Because you know your teammates also want what's best for the team, like a good leader would. "
" ... Dio mio, are they really going to confess to each other?! "
Izumi jumps out of her armchair, dropping her popcorn.
" IT HAPPENED!! "
"Yeahhh, I saw him acting up..."
"Dunno how serious he was being. All that talk about love-interests and magical girl anime makes it sound like he's been reading a few too many manga recently."
"Kinda childish if you ask me~ Not like how a real leader should be~"
Ignoring the stash of comic books that Junpei likes to keep.
" Honestly, I think he was being very serious. He might have a heatstroke from using his Legendary Spirits too much. "
" But that just means he's not suited to be a leader. Can someone lead a group when they're so hot-headed they can't think straight? "
" So ", Izumi adjusted a lock of her hair behind her ear, " Don't you agree that the next gogglehead must be someone more graceful, levelheaded, who takes the leadership role in a breeze? "
" ... Dio mio, are they really going to confess to each other?! "
Junpei's eyes sparkle, his hands slowly reaching out for the pair of goggles, the boy practically bouncing with energy --
before he quickly assesses Izumi's tone of voice and promptly whisks his hands behind his back innocently.
"Y-yeah? Er, what's up, Izumi-chan?"
Izumi shoots a menacing glare at Junpei, her hands threatening to pull the goggles back.
But she relents. it was Takuya's wish that it'd go to their older friend and she can just deny it to him.
Not without a bit of sweet talk first.
" Junpei, you saw what's happening to Takuya, right? How he's acting all weird to the point of giving up his goggles... "
