[ID: Panels from chapter 101 of the Natsume's Book of Friends manga. Natsume thanks Natori and Matoba for coming to rescue him and Nyanko-sensei. Natori's serious but unsurprised expression remains unchanged over three panels. Matoba's lips are slightly parted, and in the second panel he says, "Huh…?" /end ID]
the contrast in reactions between natori and matoba...matoba and his little taken aback "what the hell am i supposed to do with this bid for human connection" face that i hold so dear. idk what's going on with natori exactly but my guess is he's just. really scared for natsume. he must have been, to have gone to get matoba. natsume doesn't get natori's affectionately indulgent look until after the danger has passed. natori's gotta get his game face on.
Rowland Emett (1906-1990)
Elevated train makes its way through Manhattan :: [Jill Carnes]
* * * *
“My starting point is the fundamental initial fact that each one of us is perforce linked by all the material organic and psychic strands of his being to all that surrounds him.”
— Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
premise: a bit like princess and the pauper - you’re pretending to be the princess, and jihoon is the merciless chancellor scrutinising your every move. exists in the same universe as coronation.
pairing: reader x jihoon, slight reader x seokmin
wordcount: 2976
genre: fluff, royalty au
i don't get paid enough for this, you think, balancing both a cookbook on your head and the scrutinising glare of the chancellor.
"shoulders!" he barks, and you jolt.
the book falls to the ground, a guilty wham that makes you jump again.
"pick it up," he says blandly, and your mouth twists in an ugly sneer to mime his words. "don't do that; you're hideous enough."
you roll your eyes, bending down and grabbing the book off the pristine floors you had just scrubbed.
"put it down," he says.
you straighten up, confused. "what?"
when he folds his arms, you realise your error. with an exaggerated curtsy, you smile too widely and apologise.
"excuse me, sir," you say, voice so sweet you think you might just will all your teeth to fall out.
he nods, and inclines his head towards the ground. "put it down, and do it again."
he's got to be fucking with me.
but you do so, never tearing your 'insolent' gaze from him. it should take mere seconds, but with the rising itch in your chest, you drag it out for as long as you can. the chancellor doesn't back off, doesn't seem bothered by you taking your time.
so when you really, accidentally drop the book, let it slip past your slippery grasp, it comes as no surprise:
"again."
"he's a monster," you cry, pummelling your fists ineffectually against your pillow.
"jihoon can be strict," soonyoung hums reassuringly, but even you can tell he's amused at the way you're sulking.
you reach out to your left, feeling for one of those expensive silk pillows the princess has, and fling it at him.
soonyoung yelps, "[y/n]!"
"you're finding it funny!" you exclaim, huffing.
he just smiles and says, "isn't it?"
you groan, falling back onto luxurious silk sheets. soonyoung takes the time to pat the pillow down, and rearrange it beside you.
"how long is this gonna go on for," you moan. "he's such a prick."
"you can't say that about the chancellor," soonyoung tuts, finger wagging in your face.
you pretend to bite it, laughing when he hastily retreats away from you. a mock-wounded soonyoung is always better than a traitorous soonyoung any day.
"so what," you say, "i'm the princess now."
he gives you a look. "not really."
"yeah, well, i look so much like her," you mumble, turning your head and burying yourself into silk.
there's a bit of hesitation, before the bed shifts under the addition of another weight. you peek up at him.
"it's just until the princess is rescued," he says.
you stop yourself from blurting out any incriminating words. instead, you begin to pick at the sheets, frowning when they pool weakly around your fingers. luxury really is wasted on you.
"hey, soonyoung," you mumble.
"yeah?"
"save me a drink from the tavern later," you say.
he tuts again, going into a long, unserious drawl about the effects of alcohol and mimicking the chancellor's stiff posture. you grin, propping yourself on an elbow and joining in the game.
there's a quick succession of knocks on your door before it swings open. soonyoung barely manages to get off your bed before jihoon's frown deepens. soonyoung manages to bow deeply, hiding his smile.
"don't you knock before you enter?" you say quickly, sitting up in a 'proper manner'.
"i did," jihoon deadpans.
you take a deep breath - a little part of your soul dies inside. "you know what i mean."
"you have your next lesson with me in five minutes," he says.
you groan. "okay, then give me five."
"two," he says, and sweeps out of the room, leaving the doors open.
the sight of open hallways irritates you to no end. as you get up to shut the doors, you realise exactly what he's accomplished. soonyoung bursts into pearls of laughter.
there will be a time where you learn to keep your emotions hidden beneath layers of satin and chiffon. today is not that day; your bewilderment runs amok on your face, stretching your eyes wide and bleeding the colour from your cheeks.
"w-wh-what the fuck?" you say.
jihoon doesn't look impressed by your outburst. "language, your highness."
"it's just the two of us," you say. "but what the fuck do you mean the prince of rondwell is coming over?"
jihoon raises an eyebrow. "the prince of rondwell is successor to the throne. it is most likely-"
"he's here to propose," you cut in. "is he?"
"-it is most likely that he is here to strengthen their alliance with springwood," he smoothly finishes.
"so he is," you say, slumping back in your chair. "but- what about the princess?"
jihoon is silent for a moment while you panic.
"we can't let him know about me," you say, wringing your hands, "if he knows then the kingdom is going to know too."
"it would be disastrous certainly," he agrees.
you run a hand through your hair, thinking.
"which is why," he says, "you'll have to keep it up until he leaves."
"until he-" you choke. "what?"
"you'll repel him, naturally," jihoon says, "but without offending his good senses - rondwell is a powerful ally, and when the princess returns-"
"wait," you say, holding a hand up. "can't i just reject him?"
jihoon taps his fingers on the table, the first sign of impatience. "no - princess mina will be marrying him next fall."
you pause. "so they're engaged?"
he gives you a look. "it's strategy."
"does the princess know about this?"
for the first time, jihoon looks pained. but the look flits away and you're left with the stony, calculated expression he wears all day. when he speaks, you realise he's choosing his words with care - because you are ultimately an outsider, and of lowly status.
"the princess knows of her duty to the kingdom."
you grit your teeth. "so she doesn't."
"it will be easier for your disguise," he shrugs.
the same itch burns up your chest. you press down hard on your arm, and barely manage to subdue the indignation in your voice.
"i thought we'd abolished arranged marriages back in the-"
"[y/n]," he says lowly. you shiver. "do you understand what you need to do?"
"yes," you bow your head, feeling as though you're complicit in a crime. "keep the act up until the prince leaves."
he nods. you turn your attention to the table cloth, watching its ivory lace dance restlessly in the stilted air.
"is there any update on the princess-?" you ask, just as
he says, "don't get attached."
the prince of rondwell is nicer than you'd thought. he's all smiles and cheer, nodding to the servants and thanking them for every single bit of aid. you notice the palace bustling and puffing its chest out to impress this courtly gentleman.
and when he smiles at you, you think you don't mind the pink flush that blooms on your cheeks.
"call me seokmin," he says, leaning in and grinning.
you resist the instinct to giggle - jihoon's gaze is upon you. "mina. princess mina."
the name sticks to your tongue like sticky taffy, foreign and uneasy. but seokmin take it in stride, bowing to you.
"that's a pretty name," he says.
and it's not even mine, you think wryly. to him, you smile. "thank you."
"shall we go to the stables? i heard you like to ride," seokmin says, posturing his arms to resemble a horse.
a laugh bubbles in your throat this time, caught unaware by his antics. "of course-"
"i beg your pardon," jihoon cuts in swiftly, giving you a warning look. "but the princess recently sprained her ankle."
are you kidding me.
when seokmin turns from jihoon to you for confirmation, you can only pretend to wince, shifting your weight to the other leg. you bite your lip, flushing under seokmin's apologetic smile.
"perhaps we should take a walk around the gardens," you suggest quickly, ignoring jihoon. "there are benches where we can rest, and i would hate to compromise your trip here."
jihoon isn't pleased, for some reason, but in this court you are acting princess, so your word is final. seokmin offers you his arm. you take it, looping your own around his, feeling his warmth through the robe.
seokmin strolls slowly, taking into consideration your supposed injury. you allow him to pamper you; soaking in the attention of a gentle suitor is a privilege you've never been privy to.
"ah, daisies," seokmin says, brushing his fingers against a delicate petal.
as he plucks one from its bush, you think you hear jihoon's condescending scoff from behind you. seokmin turns to you and tucks it in your hair.
"a beautiful flower for a beautiful lady," seokmin says.
it's cheesy as heck, but who cares? you smile up at seokmin, who returns that with a sun-soaked grin. the afternoon light carves his features in a dazzling manner, and his eyes are sparkling as he speaks.
"what's your favourite flower?"
his hand, intertwined with yours, guides you through the garden. with small, deliberate steps, you let your eyes roam around. so many flowers, locked in and sheltered from the world, privy only to the rich and royal.
"i, uh," you say, "there are so many of them..."
"peonies," jihoon pipes up finally.
he's got his usual poker face on, but something about his frown doesn't quite sit right with you. seokmin glances back at you, slightly confused.
"the princess always loved peonies," jihoon says.
something in your chest shrinks to a narrow second of indecision.
"no," you say. "i like periwinkles."
jihoon's eyes widen - an accomplishment - before he tears his gaze away. your eyes, however, don't manage the same restraint.
"there aren't any here," seokmin notes.
"periwinkles don't grow here," the cracking of your voice goes unnoticed. "they thrive in less fertile soils."
maybe it's a challenge, maybe it's a warning. though jihoon's averting his gaze and remains in his position behind the two of you during the walk, it doesn't feel like a victory. rather, the sour taste of your remark lingers too sharply.
seokmin only grows more correct as time passes. he's polite, adorable, encouraging, and not afraid to break a few rules.
there's a banquet held in his honour, three days late, and you've spent the last two hours patronising the ministers from rondwell. seokmin's politely entertaining questions from ministers of your own court too, charming their metaphorical pants off.
jihoon, meanwhile, is lurking in the corner, talking in harsh, low tones to a few knights. there hasn't been any news, or at least, none so big that even jihoon couldn't keep under wraps. you sigh.
"hey," seokmin whispers in your ear.
you jump, "hey."
"wanna get out of here for a bit?" seokmin tempts, "it's a nice night out, and i may have found a secret route to a field of periwinkles."
your heart stammers, lured by the earnest, easy smile he has.
"you remembered," is all you manage.
"you look... trapped," seokmin says. "sad."
how long has it been since you've donned this persona? even now, your head is still held high, stiff and in anticipation of a sudden cookbook trial. you imagine
out of the corner of your eye, jihoon is still muttering agitatedly, fretting ever so slightly.
fuck it.
it is hard to be discreet. returning with flowers in your hair and an intoxicated, giddy smile, you find a scowling jihoon in front of the chambers. the stifled laugh that rumbles in seokmin's throat is swallowed as he sees the shorter chancellor.
"sire," seokmin begins to say.
"welcome back," jihoon says. "princess, i believe we have some matters to discuss."
you don't, but take his cue anyway.
jihoon's eyes narrow as you let seokmin kiss your hand. when the prince is gone, however, jihoon snaps - reaching forward and dragging you into the room.
"running away in the middle of the banquet - how idiotic - what if people noticed - the princess would never - irresponsible -" the words rise and falter, fragments of phrases gushing out in anger.
you snatch your arm away. "i'm not your princess."
jihoon glares you down. "what were you supposed to do."
"i was with seokmin," you throw your hands up. "i'm doing what-"
"what were you supposed to do."
a tense exhale. pinching your nose, you shut your eyes. "i'm supposed to keep this up until he leaves."
jihoon's voice is dangerously soft. "and by flirting with him, do you think he'll leave any time soon."
he's right. he is, but fuck if you'll admit it.
"she's going to marry him anyway," you say.
"that's right," there's a fire in jihoon's eyes. "she is. not you."
a loud smack echoes in the west wing. when the fog of rage dissipates, jihoon's arms are stuck firmly to his sides. his left cheek is left swelling and red.
the only reason you're not already tied to the stakes, readying yourself for the afterlife is because jihoon still needs a back-up princess for this puppet show. but he hadn't said anything since walking out of your chambers and shutting the doors gently.
now, even as you work through tea with seokmin (and a silent jihoon standing guard behind you), the tension in the air is palpable. seokmin's compromised grins don't do much to assuage it.
"so i was thinking of westbay," seokmin says. "and how fun it would be to travel there..."
"westbay is in the central world," you say lamely.
"on the edge of its boundaries," seokmin says. "like springwood. but the thing is, it's an island, and there aren't any reports of the place."
you frown. "it doesn't exist, then?"
"it does," seokmin insists. "there were fisherboats that caught sight of the island. it's well guarded, but open to individual travellers."
"you're the prince of rondwell," you say. "how can you just leave?"
"your princess did," seokmin says cheerfully.
at that, the porcelain cup falls from your grasp. jihoon's by your side in a moment.
"what-" you say, but jihoon silences you.
"i'm afraid, prince seokmin," jihoon says, voice forged with an iron calm, "that i have to ask you to refrain from making groundless accusations."
seokmin is quiet, thoughtful. "i thought... i'm sorry, your grace."
you cough. "i, um, when are you leaving? for westbay."
"next fall."
the answer is too familiar. jihoon doesn't look surprised. if anything, he presses his lips together even more tightly.
he doesn't intend to marry the princess.
the three of you sit in uncomfortable silence. the seconds crawl along, swirling in the apparent calm of your teacup. before you can say something to diffuse the tension, however, there's a knock on the door.
a knight peers in, and bows deeply. jihoon follows him out quickly. through the thin slit of the door you can see jihoon's face light up, eyes glassy.
"she's safe," you whisper.
"i'm glad," seokmin says lightly, "sorry, i thought she'd left on her own."
"the princess wouldn't do that," you say.
seokmin smiles. "would you?"
"what?"
"would you leave with me for westbay?"
seokmin's carriage leaves in an hour. you pace around your room - your actual, ratty compartment - and sigh uneasily. something's missing. something's out of place.
the unease swells into a near-tangible bubble around you, stretching into a choking fit. exhaling gently, you manage to sit on your bare mattress.
soonyoung peers around your ajar door. "hey."
you smile back. "hey."
"you're leaving, huh."
"yeah," you say, tying your hair into a braid. "now that i've gotten used to luxury i can't stop, yknow."
he swats you playfully.
"westbay, huh," soonyoung says. "if you're leaving, i might as well leave too."
you straighten up. "where are you going?"
"somewhere in the central world," soonyoung says. "i was always made for more."
you don't disagree. soonyoung's one of your best friends, and even though he's not of noble birth, he's gifted with a heart so wide and strong, open arms. springwood is too small, too timid for his dreams.
"summervale sounds nice," you say.
soonyoung nods. "yeah, that's where-"
there's a knock on the door. you wait for the visitor to show themselves, but there's nothing.
"um, who's there?"
"lee jihoon."
you pause. "come in."
he does.
soonyoung glances from you to jihoon, and then prowls out of the room with exaggerated steps. you roll your eyes, but turn back to jihoon.
he looks out of place in the room - a regal shade of violet amid all that grey and tear. standing up, you bow deeply for the last time. jihoon doesn't say anything.
"i'm sorry," you say. "for acting out of hand and crossing the line."
jihoon doesn't quite respond the way you thought he would. "westbay, huh."
you look up. he's unsettled.
"yes," you say, and then, "thank-"
just as jihoon says, "here-"
the two of you immediately clamp up. you follow the length of his arm to see an embroidered silk charm-bag in his hand. it's small and intricate.
"safe travels," jihoon finally mutters.
you accept the gift. there's a nondescript, flowery scent from the bag. as you pull the ribbon open, you see a few iridescent blue petals and a pearl bead within.
smiling, you say, "thank you."
jihoon nods curtly.
you retie the bag, placing it in your pocket. jihoon's eyes follow your every move. you wonder if he's yearning for the same freedom you've just been granted.
"the central world," you say, catching his attention, "isn't far from here."
you're not sure what it is that you're suggesting, but it sounds like a promise. jihoon averts his gaze, and then looks at you properly.
"neither is springwood from there, then," jihoon says.
a small smile stretches across your lips - "halfway at summervale?"
if i had to guess why they switched the order of abandoned station and two wheels within the episode, it would be for the juxtaposition of what matoba says his motivation is for coming to the station alone with what matoba does at hakozaki's mansion that completely contradicts it. abandoned station actually bookends two wheels, with the part that's to be directly compared saved for the end of the episode only after we've seen the entirety of two wheels.
like in the episode it goes 1) matoba, alone, gets one youkai (big rainy day guy) to eat another youkai (hitokubi) at the station, 2) on a later occasion, matoba nonchalantly gets one youkai (eye-eater) to eat another youkai (the shadow doll) at hakozaki's mansion in front of several members of his clan, 3) natsume says in voiceover how uneasy it makes him to see the matoba clan use the eye-eater for their own ends, 4) natsume flashes back to the end of the abandoned station encounter, which we are seeing for the first time, in which he asked matoba if he came alone to avoid putting his clan in danger, and matoba responded that he just didn't want them to see him taking the easy way out.
only a few seconds elapse for the viewer in between 3 and 4. we're meant to see that matoba was clearly lying about only coming alone so his clan wouldn't see him take the easy way out; we (and natsume) now know, thanks to two wheels, that he has no compunctions about doing the exact same thing in front of them.
my alternate worldbuilding opinion for cherry magic is not only did urabe have the magic but he actually still has it during the time of the show and is just having fun with it
love it. he’s probably tired of overhearing kurosawa’s thirst thoughts and orchestrated those late nights at the office for adachi so that the two of them could be alone, lol.
the main worldbuilding mystery of the show for me is why there aren’t more people with the magic. statistically speaking, at some point adachi should read someone’s thoughts and react to them internally and then hear that person react to his reaction. why doesn’t this ever happen? possibilities:
1) he does actually encounter other people with the magic besides tsuge, but they’re more experienced and better at controlling their thoughts. they might even be using the magic to give adachi little nudges. this could be the case with urabe at various points and/or with fujisaki at the bakery and during her “so this is love” moment in the elevator.
2) there aren’t as many other people with the magic as you would expect, because the criteria for acquiring it are much more stringent than just “30 or older” and “virgin.” my favorite of these possibilities is that the magic is a self-fulfilling prophecy: if you are told about it and have reason to believe you meet the criteria as they are explained to you, you will get the magic. presumably there are 30-year-old virgins who have not heard of the magic, so they never get it. i also prefer to think that it’s not virginity but insecurity that triggers the magic. this makes more sense to me as a magic system; being able to read other people’s thoughts when you touch them could help with insecurity but seems pretty counterproductive to getting laid, lol.
3) urabe just made it up and has the power to make it happen because he’s some kind of supernatural being. either he also gives it to tsuge somehow so adachi won’t suspect anything, or it’s transferrable and tsuge gets it because adachi told him about it. this one is a bit weaker because it seems like adachi had already heard of the magic and urabe just reminded him of it, but maybe urabe was playing the long game and planted that urban legend years ago in preparation?
i know probably the real reason is that adachi is just unobservant - this is a major aspect of his character, that he doesn’t really think about the inner lives of other people, which is why getting this specific kind of magic leads to all this character growth for him in particular. adachi himself spends almost no time thinking about the mechanics of the magic or its implications for others. it takes him until episode 10 to have the thought “probably people don’t like it when you read their thoughts without their knowledge.” oh yeah, ya think?? it doesn’t occur to him that tsuge will get the magic even though he knows tsuge is a virgin who just turned 30. he’s lost in his own little world, and it takes being inundated with the proof of other people’s inner complexities for him to break out of it. BUT there’s no reason that one of the above broader explanations couldn’t also be true! we can have a little wizard!urabe, anon. as a treat.
