#etherealxshadows

[etherealxlights]

"???" Yes, that's an actual real life expression he just said out loud, let's move on even further from this-- "Tetsu, I sometimes wonder what goes inside that head of yours."

[goldenmiracle]

"Kasamatsu-senpai... I don't think this stranger means ill to any of us."

'I will take your word for it, Kise. You are responsible for keeping an eye on him.'

---

Kise could initially sense the doubt at first; their village has always been at peace, far away from all civilization, as well as being in a very top-secret location that no one should be able to find. Which is why his senior happened to be reluctant to receive this stranger and take him in as a refugee; they could not take any risks, or else, all of the townsfolk could be in danger.

The Honkai beasts are not the only ones they should be wary of, after all...

So here he was, on guard duty, while thinking about how to approach this stranger. Even so, the blond could really not detect any hostile intention-- In fact, he could not detect anything at all. Maybe that's why he had taken quite an interest in him, a healthy curiosity. Naiveness is what Kasamatsu calls it, but Kise didn't take it to heart.

A ruffled sound was heard from the bed. Ah, that was a good sign; he was starting to think this blue-haired fellow was going to be in a deep coma. "Oh, you are awake now." Arms were crossed, he was initially leaning against a wall, and now he approached closer-- Probably way too close for the stranger's liking because, apparently, the concept of personal space did not exist in Kise's dictionary. "How are you feeling? You should not move too much, though. Those wounds looked very nasty, and our healers did the best they could." // @etherealxshadows

[misanthroverflow]

@etherealxshadows

Now that his miserable time on Rakuzan's basketball team has come to an abrupt and merciful end, Mayuzumi Chihiro can do whatever he wants. That includes going to Tokyo whenever he feels like it to do some shopping and go to fan events and pop-up shops, ignoring the endless string of texts in the Rakuzan basketball club group chat from his kouhais who still constantly try to get his attention despite the way they treated him.

More than anything, he enjoys browsing through secondhand bookstores in Tokyo that may have different offerings than the options in Kyoto. One such place is his destination today, a bookstore tucked into the top floor of a giant mall.

Not wishing to climb eight flights of stairs, Mayuzumi steps into the elevator and leans against the back wall, idly scrolling through his phone (and still ignoring the group chat). The elevator rises several floors before stopping, and Mayuzumi doesn't even glance up, assuming that someone has gotten on the elevator. However, a few moments later a voice through a speaker apologizes for a technical difficulty, and Mayuzumi sighs, resigned to his fate of being stuck here while they fix the line. He has a couple books in his bag, so he can sit down and read since he's in here alone...

...or so he thought. His gaze flicks towards the opposite wall, and Mayuzumi has to hold back a confused noise when he sees that he is very much not alone, but instead in the presence of one very quiet Kuroko Tetsuya.

Had he gotten on the elevator alongside Kuroko and just not noticed? There's no point asking him how long he's been there, since he knows what the answer will be (I've been here the whole time). Mayuzumi scowls, wondering how the hell he had managed to run into Kuroko in the entire massive city of Tokyo. It's like the gods are up there somewhere mocking him. My luck is terrible.

"I'm going to read, so don't bother me." There's no reason to say hello or spout fake pleasantries, and certainly no reason to lie and say it's nice to see you. The existence of this insufferable first year is the reason the last year of his life in the basketball club has been hellish, and he's not about to acknowledge him as though they are friends. Perhaps it is their fate to cross paths, but it certainly isn't required that he engage with this fate. "Do me a favor and make yourself invisible... oh wait. You already are."

On that note, he takes out his book from his bag and faces away from Kuroko deliberately.

[furihuahua]

@etherealxshadows from here:

Nothing he can do?! But that's — ah. Well. That's still an unfair thing to say to someone who can't relax! Also, Kuroko teasing him is doing terrible things to his already fragile heart. "A-Are you sure? He seems so... good at everything?" He gestures helplessly. "Wouldn't it be better if I was good at... something?"

Furihata swallows. "Likes me? Um? I don't know why that would be...?" Kuroko probably means as a friend, but even that is incredibly mystifying. "Did I do something to make him... like me? You know both of us, so you must know how weird that is, right? Are you sure he's not... I don't know... mistaken? N-Not that I don't want him to like me, but I think, um, I just can't imagine."

[midoshootaro]

@etherealxshadows: Kuroko: Princess

"I thought you would be more prudent as to not call me that, Kuroko." He would normally say 'die', but that was his signature comeback whenever Kise came up with a new way to annoy him.

[akaigami]

@etherealxshadows

Kagami rubs his face, not sure how to approach this situation with Kuroko... or at all. "...Why," he settles on. "Just... why." He's not mad, just disappointed. Or something. "I mean, uhh, you can do whatever with whoever you want, I'm not your mom or anything." Weird thing to say, but whatever! "But, uh. Hmm. You know what, I'm not good with this stuff anyway, never mind. Uh. Congrats." And now he's going to try to leave this conversation that he stupidly started.

[shuutakao]

@etherealxshadows from here

Takao stares enraptured at Kuroko, his eyes sparkling at the prospect of a story. A story about Midorima! Something embarrassing! And it's long, too! He can always count on Kuroko for entertainment — even if Kuroko has not signed up for this job. There's something about his deadpan affect that gives Takao great joy, though.

"It's okay, I won't tell him you told me!" A pause. "Nah, if it's a public story, I'll probably tell him immediately. May as well be honest." Midorima's already annoyed enough with Kuroko (and the rest of the Miracles), so what's one more annoyance going to cause, really?

He clasps his hands together gleefully. "Okay, lay it on me! Embarrassing Midorima story! I've got nowhere to be all day. All week, even!"

[goldenmiracle]

"Kurokocchi... Kurokocchiiii" Kise tried to catch the latter's attention, even going as far as pouting about said friend, who was either ignoring him completely or not paying attention and was more interested in the book. He wasn't that stingy about being ignored, rather he was bored.

"You didn't need to accept this outing in the first place, if you had better stauff" and because if Kuroko accepted said outing out of pity he WILL cry, dramatically of course. // @ethereal11th