No KNACK this time, sorry! Gotta keep the scene focused.)
(I got the idea from @sonicasura 's post.)
It was just a day after his fight with Kaiju Number 8. Hoshina remembered that he managed to get a good lick of the kaiju's arm at least, and no doubt the limb was still lying around somewhere. Not enough to trouble the cleanup crew, really, but leaving it out would be unsightly, not to mention provide opportunities for pests to proliferate.
No, it would be easiest to go find it and dispose of it himself.
Only, as he neared the alleyway he remembered fighting in, he heard a rustling coming from the alley just before it. Curiously, he decided to investigate that one, first. Probably just a cat or something, but you never know anymore.
Well - It was certainly a something.
Trash had been strewn about: bottles, boxes, wrappers, scraps of clothing and food residue. And in the middle of a huge pile, stuck out a wagging limb with scales of an all-too-familiar coloration.
Good thing Hoshina happened to be in uniform~
He drew his blades immediately and prepared to lunge. "We meet again, huh? You're getting into more trouble than you were last time."
Number 8 stopped rummaging, and after a moment, sat upright, which clued Hoshina in to the fact that this wasn't the same kaiju at all. They were way smaller, first of all, under half the size of the original. Under half the size of Hoshina, too. They had a short tail and small scale-plates, and seemed plump in all the proper places to give the appearance of being a child. It was uncanny.
But, all the same, they were the spitting image of Number 8. Right down to the bony face plates and the look of recognition that crossed their features when they spotted him.
Though somehow, this one looked far more pleased to see him. And their horns were just little nubbins!
Several thoughts crossed Hoshina's mind.
The Yoju is approaching me now, crawling on its belly. It just - looks like some weird, scaly kid with a creepy-ass face! These things are picking up new tricks every day. Psychological warfare? Something's all wrong.
If I let it live, we'll have another 8 on our hands. Though at least 8 hasn't killed anyone yet, we can never be too sure. 8 seemed far too human, too, but that's gotta be some kind of trick.
-eee!
The Yoju had wrapped their arms around Hoshina's leg and stretched their neck out to rest their chin against his knee, facing straight up, their eyes looking into his.
Hoshina tightened his grip on his katanas, but didn't move. His eyes were wide and tense, inadvertently glaring down into the Yoju's, which somehow seemed big and soft by comparison.
The Yoju heaved a sigh, vocal tract rumbling against Hoshina's shin. It seemed to be a pleased sound. It was the only thing that sorta made sense.
Hoshina slowly lowered his weapons, and Okonogi's voice crackled anxiously over comms.
"Uh, vice-captain? Is everything alright? The Yoju's got you!"
Standing up and sheathing his katanas, Hoshina replied, "Hmm? Oh, yeah!"
He looked down at the kaiju still gripping his leg. They were rubbing their face against his leg and purring. Stooping, he reached under their arms and lifted them up with ease, setting them on his hip. They grabbed his arm for support.
"Let's take this one home and see what we can learn about its mummah~"
Okonogi said, "Um, okay!"
Though his next words were cruel, his tone was jovial. "Today's your lucky day, Brat! You get to live! For now."
Trying to imagine Skully in Hoshina's battle with Number 10. Not sure what stage.
Hoshina wouldn't want them on the battlefield at all and might shout at them to get out of here.
I get the feeling they'd be just as reckless as their mama, hanging around too close as they lob their acid spit at 10. It does weaken 10's exoskeleton some.
But their proximity allows 10 to fling them away, launching them out of the base entirely, as he mutters about them being an annoying whelp.
Hoshina screams Skully's name as they vanish, but doesn't realize he did that.
Giving orders over comms, he says something like, "I need a small squad to track down and retrieve Sk-ahem-Number Eight Alpha alive. Alive no exceptions, medical aid as required."
Meanwhile he also has to keep fighting and dodging.
"Oh, and have the Yoju disciplined for insubordination. At least a five-minute wall-sit or equivalent."
(I'm giving Skully the designation of Eight-Alpha because if there are ever any more Eightlings, there are plenty of letters to go around)
Designating Skully as 'Eight Alpha' is honestly on point with the Defense Force since they need a new classification here. I call them No. 8.5 since its practically a personal nickname for any single inhuman character Kafka adopts or in this case has. (Examples being Knack, Kirby, Skully.)
Skully pretty much jumps in when No.10 transforms into his giant form. They immediately knew something was wrong and dashed out of the monitoring room to help Hoshina. Skully definitely blasts 10 in the face with sludge before he can launch an attack so they could latch onto their papa.
Hoshina was confused(concerned) until the little kaiju's horns sharpen, backspines elongated, and eyes glow radioactive green but also the approaching overheat wane for pure power instead. Skully's fortitude didn't just only almost tripled to 7.5. They had somehow empowered Hoshina's suit all the way to 108%.
Skully had earn themselves a new classification than just 5 minutes in timeout: Amplifier.
For @sonicasura 's ghost!Kafka AU. Also, to clarify, Kafka's character-color is currently green, not yet cyan - that's why his thought paragraph is green.
Also also, I don't know what the floor plan of the mansion looks like so I'm just making things up as I go along.
I have one two more posts in me. Not about this particular storyline, but the ghost AU more generally.
Kafka completely forgot himself.
For a while that day, he had been stalking around for Kaiju souls to consume - awful quiet on that front for now - and beating back some delinquent desire to decorate the outside of the mansion like a haunted house. Again. He noted Kikoru's arrival and her sprint for the door, but didn't think much of it. Until he soon realized: he was bored. Then he figured he might see what Kikoru was up to before mischief sounded too enticing.
Simply phasing through the wall, he heard it: the kind of scream that had him frightened! He merged with the shadows and slithered fast. Kafka sweeping closer, the scream had evolved into a sob before he reached the kitchen.
His urge was kind in nature. Which was a great thing, as he was overwhelmed by it and had lost his usual sense of discretion.
Overwhelmed so much so, that when he spotted the distressed pre-teen Kikoru - red in the face, tears flowing, and gripping her chest as if she was about to go into cardiac arrest - he completely spaced on the fact he resembled some screwed-up worm-on-a-string made of darkness, with human-like hands and a face that glowed green like a Jack-O-Lantern.
Lunging, he shouted, "Kikoru!" And grabbed her shoulders. Partly in an attempt to physically stabilize her in the case of a medical emergency, and partly because he was all wound-up. Kikoru drew in a deep gasp, opening her eyes at the same time, as Kafka shouted, "are you okay?"
No, she was not. Her eyes widened at him, horror striking her face. Kafka realized his mistake too late, as Kikoru's eyes rolled upward and closed. She went limp in his hands.
Kafka exclaimed, trying to be gentle as he shook her slightly, "Oops! Oops! Oops! Not good!"
He paused. Keep it cool, Kafka. I'll just check her pulse and make sure she's breathing. Her soul is still in there, so that's a good sign.
But before he had the chance, he heard rapid footsteps approaching.
"Kikoru-Sama?" It was the butler! Sebasu. The gentleman entered only to see an empty kitchen. He called for her again, looking around, and fidgeted with his collar when he heard no response.
Kafka was hiding in a corner of the ceiling, of course, having wrapped Kikoru and himself in shadow. He watched Sebasu continue marching. But before leaving the room completely, Sebasu looked in the direction Kafka was hiding. Looked right at him! A shadow too large and too dark for the atmosphere. But it wasn't enough to make Sebasu pause - he slowed down but did not stop - and he disappeared through a door.
Kafka waited, listening. He could tell by this point that Kikoru was fine, her breathing steady as she slept. Now, what to do with her?
Sebasu called for her again, his voice anxious.
Kafka considered taking her to her room as soon as the butler was far enough away.
But the gentleman paced through the kitchen again, muttering, "Perhaps the mistress ran to her room!"
Of course he would think that!
Kafka had to be fast. No, not just fast, but nimble and quiet. Slinking away from the wall with Kikoru in bridal-carry, he followed the quick butler through the house. Kafka knew where Kikoru's room was, but needed an opportunity to get there first.
The stairs were a literal turning point. If he was too slow, Sebasu would turn at the landing and easily spot either a floating Shinomiya or a dark spirit carrying her. Luckily, Kafka had no need for stairs to ascend, so he flew himself up in a back-flip - coiling to minimize his presence and keep Kikoru secure - over the banister at the second floor.
Once at the top, he spared no pause and glided straight to her room, opening and closing the door with a wave of his ghostly tail, and gently set her down on her bed.
Just in time, too, because before Kafka could really stop and think, Sebasu knocked on the door. "Kikoru-Sama?"
A moment was long enough for Kafka to hide under the bed.
Sebas opened the door a crack, half-entering. He whispered, "Ah, you're asleep. Not wearing your blanket?" He hummed thoughtfully. He tiptoed to her bedside and remained there for some small amount of time. Then he turned in no particular direction. Perhaps he was looking around for something. He walked back to the door and paused, humming again. Finally, he left.
Kafka finally had time to reflect. In the kitchen, Kikoru had screamed. And this brought the attention of Kafka, Sebasu, and Hikari - who saw most of the situation unfold and now materialized at the head of Kikoru's bed, glittering with an almost divine aura. Kafka knew this because he could sense her presence and now saw her foot.
The one person who didn't show up to check on Kikoru at all? Mr. Shinomiya.
Chaos boiled inside of Kafka, and he considered pouring every ounce of his venom into Web That Makes You Go Insane 100%. His fingers itched as he imagined storming the man's office and spraying him right now.
Hikari stage-whispered, "Kafka!" Startling him from his thoughts. "You are like a cat who hides and throws up. I sympathize with you, I do." And she huffed a sigh, growling a little. "Heaven knows I do - but you're making a bit of a mess here, bud!"
Kafka looked down and saw, mortified, that he had been leaking Web That Makes You Sufficiently Paranoid 35%. In this room, of all places! How irresponsible.
Exclaiming, he rapidly wiped it away, muttering something about restraint or clumsiness. He phased upward through the bed, still embarrassed, "my bad..." He also clipped through Kikoru's leg, and she pulled away and curled up on herself a little more. No harm done, though.
Hikari was stroking Kikoru's hair, deep in thought.
That's right. Putting Isao in the psyche ward would leave Kikoru alone, and leave no one to pay the butler (who was a real-one for providing his service keeping Kikoru safe and happy). Plus, it would piss off Hikari to no end. If Kafka had no quarrel with her, but she had plenty with him, the ensuing fight would be at least a little one-sided. And even if he survived, the loss of their friendship would devastate him.
Not sure what to do with himself, Kafka sat at the foot of the bed, coiling his tail under him.
Hikari spoke, frustrated and gloomy. "How did things wind up like this?"
Kafka's mouth quirked, his sharp green smile a touch ironic. "You can say that again."
Hikari threw sarcasm, "Ha, ha. Common complaint!"
Kafka interpreted this as anger and he shrank, hands in surrender. "No no! I meant...!"
"Just messing with ya." Hikari stuck her tongue out. Then she bent down to kiss Kikoru's head, and the girl smiled in her sleep. "A lot of us do have similar feelings. It's natural."
Kafka had watched her display of affection, and now hummed in the affirmative.
-
"Kiiiikoruuu... Kiiiiiikoru-chaaAAAaan- oh! I'm saying it like that again..."
Kikoru stirred, groaning and lazily opening her eyes. She sniffed. "Smells... candy?" She licked her lips and hummed, suspicious. No trace of the treat she had earlier. What was that scent?
A man's voice greeted her from the foot of the bed.
Kikoru lifted her head, wide-eyed, and scooted herself backwards. It was the shadow monster from earlier! But she didn't shout, and after some moments, she relaxed against her pillow. She simply watched him, slowly slipping on her best attempt at a poker face.
The ghost explained that he had woken her up in case she needed to do homework today, but he'd let her sleep if she felt she needed it more.
Kikoru wanted to go back to sleep; she had a wonderful dream. But thinking about it too much now would make her cry, and this thing in front of her looked nefarious. Kikoru had displayed enough weakness already and wanted to deal with this monster sooner rather than later. She didn't understand the situation, but supposed that if the ghost did have evil intent, he probably had to follow some set of rules, or else he would have enacted his plans while she slept. "What do you want from me?"
"Eh?"
"You can’t have my soul. I need it." She didn't tell him why beyond the obvious. If, for example, she told him she needed it to save the country, he would probably try to barter her soul for something that would accomplish a similar goal. This is how she thought of the situation: From her perspective, she was an unlikely folk hero up against a mysterious being in a deadly game of wits. Then she realized she might already have enticed him, if he were the more mischievous type that wants to take something personally important from his victims. But she tried not to let her mistake show on her face.
Kafka barked a laugh, which came off a little sinister given his looks. "I'm not hungry. -Uhh! Bad joke, not funny..." he waved his hands as if shooing away even the mere suggestion. "I don't eat people~."
He almost sounded tired by the end. But even so, that was exactly what a ghost who ate people would say. Kikoru held her suspicion. This ghost might be able to lie.
Kafka made a casual gesture like he was thinking. "Maybe you could think of me as, an undead body guard!" He held up a clawed thumb, nodding to himself once and making a hmph noise, like he got it perfect. "I'm here to make sure you're safe."
"Why?" Kikoru narrowed her eyes.
"'Why?'"
Though she acted brave, Kikoru hugged her knees. "You're not my mommy."
Kafka's smile widened and he squinted, seeming shy. His voice was warm. "Nah. I wish I could be as cool as her."
Kikoru kept scrutinizing. "You're no angel, either."
His smile became more like a grimace. "...no..."
"Uh huh. You scared me really bad, Obake-san*. You're lying about protecting me."
*Obake-san means Mr Ghost, basically.
"Nuh uh!" Kafka protested. It hurt, but ultimately didn't matter if she believed him or not. Sighing, he began to uncoil. "Whatever. I'm doing a favor for a friend by watching over you. Expressing my gratitude. That's why. I'm off now, so," the ghost set his posture, ready to fly off. "You don't have to worry about me anymore."
Kikoru couldn't come up with a response. It seemed like she won for now, but didn't resolve the situation. He would come back, she was certain.
Kafka stopped at the wall. "One more thing. Actually, two." He turned around. "Call me what you like; I don't mind. But know my real name: Hibino Kafka."
Kikoru returned to scrutinizing him intensely. "Shinomiya Kikoru." The ghost used her name before already, so she wasn't giving more information away, but this seemed to be some more formal introduction.
Kafka raised a finger. "And, I heard you got a 'B' on your test." His smile returned. "The first failure is always the hardest. Try not to let it discourage you."
Kikoru watched him phase through the wall, growing frustrated. What kind of preachy nonsense was that?
Hello all, this is DiscoKnack sending a submission from my main account to a group sideblog (of which I am currently the only admin/member). To note: you can only send submissions with your main, but you can receive them on sides and main. That's how tumblr do.
The goal here is to see how notifications from replies and reblogs are delivered to involved parties, as well as how they can be moderated.
The ultimate goal is to find a vehicle that shy persons can use to share fan stuff without backlash [D:)
Also feel free to tell me if something I do makes you uncomfortable.
(girl help I'm getting distracted from KNACK. Maybe I should make another sideblog??? I don't imagine I'll write any more, but who knows.)
(Also Skully is @sonicasura's idea and I'm referencing this post. I'm anime-only for now and have only seen up to episode 10, so please pardon my wrong assumptions)
(heads up! Body fluids from a crying kaiju may be gross)
Hoshina entered the surveillance room in a haste, but then relaxed. "Yare yare! For a minute there, I was worried you'd broken out the hot irons! Sorry I'm late; I was preoccupied with a little someone's Mama." He pinched his chin in thought, "Or, Papa?" then began to scratch, saying, "They called me Papa, first."
Skully's whimpering quieted and they mumbled, "Mama...?"
Okonogi held the stopwatch and gave a salute with her other hand. "Eight-Alpha completed three minutes and 47 seconds, Vice-Captain!" She frowned sympathetically at the Yoju. "But they keep collapsing and crying out. It's just a baby after all..."
"All the more reason to impress on them obedience." Hoshina was stern. He addressed the Yoju, "Kaiju Number Eight Alpha, you disobeyed a direct order to leave the battlefield at once. As punishment, you have to do a wall-sit for five minutes." He held up a hand, describing the numbers. "If my math is correct, you have one minute and 13 seconds left. Do continue."
Skully instead began to wail, shaking their head and mumbling.
Elsewhere, poor Kafka found himself struggling to keep his cool under restraints. He wasn't sure what was happening at first, but his protective instincts gnawed at him to break free and investigate on behalf of the possibly-endangered welfare of the whelp. His whelp! He could hear it crying, somehow. But doing Kaiju-ly things wouldn't help his position. Patience, patience, he'd kept his distance so far, he'd just have to wait a little longer. This was a test. It was probably fine. If the defense force wanted it dead, it would be.. Tears sprung to his eyes anyway.
Hoshina reached out for Okonogi to give him the stopwatch. "I'll take it from here. Why don't you take a break?"
Okonogi nodded, giving him the stopwatch. But glanced at the Yoju again. "Yo..." (roger)
She turned and left.
"Skully," Hoshina called for their attention in an ambiguous tone.
The sobbing Yoju looked up at him, wiping at their face. "Papa?"
Hoshina crouched down, putting his hands on his hips and smiling. "You went from fortitude 2.8 to a seven point five. On a logarithmic scale - not that I expect you to know what that is - that's pretty damn impressive. Pardon my language." He reached out and put a palm on Skully's head, between the horn nubs. "You're already over halfway done. I know you can do this."
After a moment, Skully took a long sniff, slurping up some snot. Hoshina pulled his hand away, vocalizing his disgust. As gross as it was, though, Skully's gesture was remarkably human, and reminded Hoshina of Kafka.
Skully exhaled, at the same time repeatedly balling their hands into fists and releasing. They were ready to try again, and it showed on their face. "Yo!"
In your Skyscraper Softie AU, What *does* Kafka do with his core when he splits up?
I had made the assumption that he just stuffs it into one of his bodies if he's trying to discreetly move all of him around. But he can only compress it to a certain extent, hence the very swollen and possibly-glowing Alpha clone (though I think he'd more likely stuff it into a larger Beta). As an anime-only, I had also assumed that the core is the center of his being and not *usually* replaceable, which is why ensnaring the carrier - effectively him - while the bits of biomass that are the rest of him are still roaming around, would be much scarier than if an empty clone was trapped. Naturally, he'd have plenty of ways to avoid the situation in the first place, though.
All clones know where their core is. Kafka came up with a few ways to get any Captured Core Clone free. This includes a high frequency shriek that can shatter glass or calling other clones over in seconds. Sometimes he'll shuffle his core between copies by having them merge and then separate.
Kikoru is also 10-11 or so. Kafka's been haunting for several months, but he isn't always at the manor and can't see into every room at once.
I wanted to get this all down in one go but brain is a fickle creature. TBH most of this just feels like context for part 2.
The smallest mistake could set her off. A missed question here and there, even if she had an A overall, would have her fuming. She was polite to her teachers, but it was very clear how mad she'd be when one of their mistakes had to temporarily reflect on her scores. She had to know every detail and perform to utmost perfection. And every slip-up was the worst.
So, after she powered through her cold symptoms - including a splitting headache - to take a test that the teachers pumped up as pretty important, she saw the letter grade as it was handed back to her a few days later, and her breath caught in her throat...
There was no blaming the teachers this time.
She was able to set it aside for now. Except for the part where her friends, especially Risa, begged her to show her score.
Risa said, "No way! The amazing Kikoru finally flunked something? It's not like you to hide your score. Show us! Show us!"
"I didn't flunk anything!" Kikoru barked. Then she looked at her paper again, trying not to let the shame set in yet. "It's just. Well..." and she let the page droop as she pouted.
"Just a 'B'?" Risa was surprised. "Kikoru-chan~" she drew out the name, amused. She almost laughed, but reconsidered when she saw Kikoru's face. Instead, she said, "C'mere!"
Kikoru had to hold her paper with just one hand because Risa threw her arms around her neck.
"You're too hard on yourself," Risa asserted to Kikoru's ear. Then she pecked her on the cheek. "Muah! I wish I was as cool as you!"
Kikoru returned the hug, mainly out of habit. But her face flushed with embarrassment and flattery. "Risaa," she sounded mildly annoyed, "you're too old to be so huggy-kissy!"
Risa apologized, pulling away.
But Kikoru could smile a little, grabbing her own elbow with her other hand in a self-soothing gesture. "I am pretty cool, even still. Thank you."
-
Her situation was a little different when Sebasu picked her up from school. The fancy car, boxy and black, always smelled nice. But as comfortable as it was, it couldn't sooth her raw heart. How was she possibly going to tell Papa about her score?
Sebasu noticed her expression and inquired, "Kikoru-Sama, is everything alright at school?"
Sweating, she pulled her skirt taut and squeezed the hem of it. Staring down at her hands, she also squeezed the words out of her mouth in any way she could. "I... I got a 'B' on..."
Kikoru couldn't say more, gritting her teeth and furrowing her brow. She stretched the hem of her skirt over her knees.
Sebasu replied in a light, but not happy, tone, "I see."
The ride was quiet; Kikoru just morosely stared at her hands and the hem of her skirt.
But at one point, she blinked - startled, at a hand entering her field of vision (!) - and sat back. The car rested at a stoplight, and Sebasu had leaned over and twisted, reaching toward her (face? Shoulder?). He flinched at her flinch and pulled away, deciding that touching her might be a bad idea.
"Forgive me, forgive me. I... forgive me." Sebasu had straightened himself and rolled his shoulders, rubbing his neck and seeming old.
Kikoru saw his eyes in the central mirror, behind his spectacles: sad eyes in a sympathetic expression. His mustache barely disguised the solemn purse of his lips. Then the light turned green and he looked away.
He emitted some halting, half-started words that gave an impression of stilted gibberish. Like he wanted to say something, but couldn't. In the end, he said, "Some snacks have been prepared for you in the kitchen."
Kikoru nodded, grunting an affirmative.
-
The suspense was killing her, and the shame was beginning to really gnaw. She'd have to be fast, or else she wouldn't be able to tell Papa at all. Just keep holding on.
When they finally reached their destination, and Sebasu opened the door of the car, she jumped out and made a mad dash for the manor. She had to get it over with already. She opened the door and kept sprinting, ignoring Sebasu or anyone calling after her. She knew, for the most part, what would happen anyway. She spotted Papa walking between rooms and deliberately got in his way, standing widely with her fists at her sides. She had to do it fast and be done with it.
Papa raised an eyebrow and already become annoyed by the interruption and the fact that she had been running inside. "What has gotten into you?"
Just rip off the scab and bleed!
"I got a 'B'!" Kikoru shouted at him, color in her cheeks.
Papa was completely taken aback by the shout, the muscle in his jaw flexing as though she was challenging him.
Kikoru lost her vigor, beginning to shrink and close up her stance. "On... my test..." She folded her hands in front of her skirt and looked down at them.
Several moments passed, with Papa just blinking at her with that confused and angry look, like he was frustrated with her existence. Eventually, he said, "So it seems. You've disappointed me."
He brushed past her, and that was that.
-
Kikoru found herself in the kitchen, feeling lightheaded. What was it she scarfed down? She licked her lips. Something fruity...
Lightning struck the top of her head and shot all through her limbs. Her lungs burned for air, so she gasped and panted, face hot. How could she have screwed up so badly? She disappointed her Papa, her country, her Mama, everyone. Tears spilled from her eyes and sobs squeezed out of her chest. She failed.
She sobbed so hard, she couldn't breathe. Her headache came back and she felt like throwing up the sweet treat that was too good for her anyway. How could she dare to have even been born?
She heard her name called- something seized her shoulders and she finally gasped for air, shocked to her senses. Except her vision was obscured by tears and darkness- an enormous shadowy presence with neon green eyes that held her in a vice grip.
Whatever it was, it roared in her face, overwhelming her further. Already worked up and now fearing for her life, some funny things happened to her blood pressure. She maybe vaguely realized, too late as the ordinary darkness of unconsciousness consumed her, that the roaring was actually words.
Thinking about Kafka and Skully in the Hoshina-dad universe just gets sadder and sadder. Kafka would never willingly be a deadbeat dad. Skully appearing less than a week after Hoshina lopped off one of his arms? The timing is too suspicious; he knows the Yoju came from him.
And every time Skully comes waddling around, Kafka has to pretend he doesn't know anything. Possibly up to feigning fright, if the other officers seem nervous. Skully may or may not interpret that as rejection.
Salt in the wound if Hoshina ever remarks something like "Oh? It seems to like you!"
Kafka might also not know how well Skully is treated by the Defense Force and vice-captain, since I have them publicly referred to as Eight Alpha and Skully is a private personal name. The Yoju seems happy enough to cling to the vice-captain's back, but Hoshina keeps the affection on the down-low.
And Kafka seems to *like* being a mentor/father-figure, as we know how he treats his younger comrades.
So he not only has to fight off his Kaiju-Mama impulses, but his Human-Papa impulses, too 🥺
And if his cover is blown, he might never get to see Skully again 😢
Kafka does get to spend time with Skully but not as much as he wants sadly. His whelp often slips away to go see him for awhile before he tells them to go back to Hoshina. The vice captain also lets him look after Skully if he's busy since he thinks the whelp just really likes Kafka from how motherly he acts to everyone. (Blinded by personal feelings just like in canon.)
You can say our himbo's whelp is another reason why he's trying to work up the courage to tell Hoshina the truth. It's clear the vice captain is taking good care of Skully so there's hope that a confession will turn out well. Sadly canon pretty much says Too Slow even with the extra two months I provided.
