The Light of Wisdom, Cure Diamond!

Ah, hello! My name is Rikka Hishikawa, I'm a student at Oogai First Middle School and the secretary of the student council! But, ah, you're probably here about the whole Pretty Cure thing, right? Well, it's true! I'm Cure Diamond too! -- Independant rp blog for Rikka Hishikawa and Raquel, set post-series with some liberties to the canon taken. This is a sideblog that follows off of michiruandmoop!

[irahishikawa]

Unfamiliar Face, Familiar Person (@thesparklingcurediamond)

[irahishikawa]

Probably the first thing that struck Ira was an overwhelming feeling of self-consciousness. Suddenly he felt all too transparent and out in the open, and the urge to cover his face hit him like a lightning bolt. It was enough to shut him up for a moment, his mouth hanging open at a loss for words, before he seemed to shake himself out of it.

"That’s right!" He said, a clear whine to his voice. “I was reading manga and then suddenly I ended up like this! Rikka, what do I do? I feel really weird!”

The second thing that struck him of course, was the fact that he suddenly realized he couldn’t see her Psyche at all anymore- and somehow that made his own heart twist in a knot.

[thesparklingcurediamond]

[She's still having difficulty processing what's happening - what finally makes her realize this is for real is when she peeks at Ira's ears and notes the distinct lack of bat wings. Ira's voice snaps her back to the present - and she realizes with increasing alarm that she doesn't know how to help him.]

"I - d-don't worry, okay?! I - I'll call Mama, I'm sure s-she'll know something!"

[And she bolts back into her room to grab her cellphone, hands shaking. What was going on?! Was Ira sick? Why was he...?]

[irahishikawa]

Cultural Festival Humiliation Tango (Open RP)

[irahishikawa]

H-how long was she going to keep staring at him? He already knew that he looked weird, but did she really have to just gawk at him? He didn’t appear to be quite aware of just how much it actually suited him- and it was probably best to leave it that way.

He did seem to relax a little when Rikka began to speak to him as if nothing was strange at at all. Lowering the tray from his face and peeking out at the blue haired girl, he gave a slow nod in answer to her question, before finally managing to find his voice again.

"Y-yes!" Ira almost squeaked out, turning redder at this. He had to get it together! Rikka didn’t seem all that bothered by his getup… so he shouldn’t make such a big deal out of it. At least she wasn’t harassing him about it like Raquel was.

"I’ll lead you there!" He said, his voice a little more steady, if his face wasn’t any less red. Taking another menu, he showed Rikka to the table Raquel was sitting at, before setting the menu down in front of her.

[thesparklingcurediamond]

[Rikka smiles kindly as Ira leads her over to the table and the girl pauses for a moment to smooth out her skirt before sitting down - her tea parties with Alice had instilled that into her - and she gives Raquel an equally kind smile, something that helps the younger boy's nerves a little. Granted, Rikka's pretty sure she knows exactly why Raquel is so red right now, but - they're both young boys, after all.

After all, it would be so much more fun to tease them later~

Giving the two boys time to cool down and regain their composure, Rikka pushes her glasses up the bridge of her nose, reading over the various options.]

"Ah! Is there still the kiwi tart?!"

[Rikka's eyes shone bright. Normally she wouldn't bother with kiwi - b-but the menu said it was frog themed! Had that been Ira's suggestion, maybe? She looks over at Ira hopefully, practically radiating happiness.]

[nobleheartofsnow]

Noble Ice (@thesparklingcurediamond)

[nobleheartofsnow]

On the contrary to Rikka’s worries, on the other end of the phone, Reika only found herself smiling. She found herself a bit surprised at just how flustered her fellow ice Cure seemed to be, granted- but at the same time it was awfully endearing, and it reminded her a good deal of Yayoi.

"I look forward to meeting with you soon then, Hishikawa-san. It will be my pleasure." Reika smiled- although she does blink a little when Rikka seems to hang up the phone by accident. “Well, it can’t be helped. I should pick us up something sweet to eat on the way there…”

After locating a nearby bakery, Reika carefully purchased a number of small cheesecake bites, and headed to the park. She had no trouble finding it thankfully, and picked a highly visible table to wait at, watching people go by.

[thesparklingcurediamond]

[Rikka comes hurrying in a few minutes later, sides aching and the blue haired girl out of breath. She doubles over as she reaches the park, struggling to catch her breath, grip tight on a small bakery to-go box - ironically, the same one Reika had purchased from.

Getting her wind back, Rikka stood back up, gaze sweeping the park and - a-ah, there she was! Swallowing her nerves, Rikka briskly made her way over, offering a wave of greeting.]

"Aoki-sempai! Sorry, I hope you weren't waiting long!"

[She gives the other blue haired girl a smile, taking a seat beside her.]

"S-sorry, I was thinking we should probably eat something sweet while we talked and - "

[ - and now she's realizing Reika bought something from the same place and abruptly Rikka turns as red as her glasses, looking between hers and Reika's before letting out a small sigh of defeat.]

"Aaaa, of course that would happen...!"

[nobleheartofsnow]

Noble Ice (@thesparklingcurediamond)

[nobleheartofsnow]

Reika couldn’t help but let out a small giggle at how flabbergasted Rikka sounded- but there wasn’t even a trace of maliciousness to it. To think that she would be so impressed by her, even though there was only one generation of difference between them- somehow, it made Reika happy.

"The park sounds wonderful. I should be able to find it with ease, everyone in this city is very helpful." Reika noted. “I’m looking forward to being able to chat with you more, Hishikawa-san. It was to my great regret that we weren’t able to talk properly back at the fairy school.”

[thesparklingcurediamond]

"M-m-me?!"

[Oh god, she's so glad Reika can't see how red she is right now.]

"I-I'm not r-really anything special though! Mana and A-Alice, even Makopi - t-they'd definitely be more i-interesting to talk with!"

[Rikka flinches, nearly facepalming.]

"N-not that I - I'm sorry, I just g-get nervous easily a-and - "

[It's becoming increasingly obvious to Rikka that she's never really made friends on her own before. Alice, Makoto, Aguri and Regina, even Ira and all the Precure they had met at the fairy school - none of that would have been possible if she had never become a Precure - and by extension, ever become friends with Mana.

Reika genuinely sounds like she wants to be friends though, which is nice but - without Mana around, would Rikka still be interesting? Fun to talk with? Ugh, now she's even more nervous...]

"I-I'll see you soon, A-Aoki-sempai! T-text me if you need directions!"

[And in her nervous panic, she hangs up - and immediately starts kicking herself. There was no way Reika was going to think she was cool now!]

[irahishikawa]

Cultural Festival Humiliation Tango (Open RP)

[irahishikawa]

This time Ira couldn’t resist a triumphant smirk appearing on his face- it went almost from ear to ear, in fact. He had completely beaten Raquel at his own game- ahhh, that was super satisfying! If only he had known about this weakness of the fairy’s sooner, he would have been in more of a hurry to exploit it!

With a twinkle in his eye that held the promise of never forgetting this, Ira smiled at Raquel again. “Certainly, master!”

Turning on his heel, Ira couldn’t help but snicker to himself as he headed back to the front again- but of course, his victory was rather short lived.

Because there she was, the last person in the world Ira wanted to show up here- and yet, somehow he really should have expected it. She was a member of the cultural festival preparation committee, he suddenly recalled.

"R-rikka!" He squeaked out, turning bright red, before attempting in vain to hide his face behind the serving tray that they were carrying around.

[thesparklingcurediamond]

[Rikka blinks for a moment at the sound of Ira's voice, instinctively looking for the source of it - and stares for a moment, not exactly expecting to see Ira dressed up in a frilly maid costume. Flabbergasted and speechless, she can only keep staring, a faint croak coming out of her mouth as she attempted to form words.

...a-ah, he really was sort of cute dressed like that...

The thought pops into her head unbidden and when she has to shake it away, it's what forces her to snap out of her speechlessness. In an instant, she's all polite smiles, like the moment of immense surprise had never happened.

Ira was still a growing boy, after all, and she's sure he's already embarrassed enough as it is. There was no reason to draw unnecessary attention to him, right?]

"Ah, Raquel is sitting over there. Is it all right if I sit with him?"

[Although one look at Raquel tells Rikka that he's probably just as embarrassed as Ira is right now. Hmm, how to fix this...]

[irahishikawa]

Unfamiliar Face, Familiar Person (@thesparklingcurediamond)

It took a few moments for the gears in Ira’s head to really start turning, as they seemed to have ground to a halt the moment he saw his face. If anything, it almost seemed to be that his brain was running around in loops, trying to either rationalize that this was a dream- or… something else, really.

Either way, he finally snapped out of his daze after a moment, glancing back and forth from the desk mirror to the door several times, before he stepped back again, looking down at his hands. Even his skin color had gotten darker, he half-noticed.

And for some reason, he felt extremely uncomfortable- he didn’t want this at all!

"What am I supposed to do with this..?" Ira asked himself, before glancing towards the door again, finally heading over towards it and opening it up. “Rikka!” He shouted, in something of a panic, before realizing that she was probably in her room. Hurrying over towards her door, he urgently knocked on it, shifting on his feet a little.

"Oi, Rikka!"

[thesparklingcurediamond]

[Rikka had been in the middle of an intense math assignment when she heard the frantic knocking at her doorstep - the blue haired girl frowned as her concentration was broken, ignoring the incessant knocking at her door out of pure spite for a moment - something that made her heart twist in her chest, though she only faintly realized it now. The act of selfishness was broken when Ira spoke though - he sounded halfway terrified.

Selfishness gave way to worry and compassion, and Rikka was quick to push out of her chair and hurry over to the door.]

"Ira? What's - "

[The words die in her throat as she sees the unfamiliar boy in front of her, the one speaking with Ira's voice - and funnily enough, still sharing his eyebrows.

She stares.

Takes her glasses off.

Puts them back on again.

And then gapes.]

"...I-Ira...?!"

[irahishikawa]

Cultural Festival Humiliation Tango (Open RP)

[irahishikawa]

There was no doubt that Ira was leering internally at Raquel, cracking up from the very moment that the hint of pink crept onto his cheeks. Well, he was only giving him what he had asked for right? It just didn’t seem Raquel was quite prepared for it, in a number of ways.

"Have you decided your order, master?" Ira asked again, in a perfectly pleasant tone, somehow avoiding falling to pieces in laughter right then and there. Well, that was what he got for laughing at him earlier! He was going to make that damn fairy eat his words.

Leaning down a little, Ira placed a hand on the blue haired boy’s menu, unleashing his own trump card- a smile. “I recommend the chocolate parfait.”

[thesparklingcurediamond]

[To say Ira's trump card hadn't worked flawlessly would be a massive understatement - almost immediately, the young boy turned a vivid shade of scarlet, hurriedly looking down and away again, practically wrenching the menu from Ira in the process.]

"I-I'm n-not quite r-ready yet, t-thank you! G-gohelpsomeoneelseplease!"

[As Raquel tried desperately to not melt into the floor, Rikka found herself standing at the door, list in hand. Mana had, of course, run off to go help another crisis, leaving Rikka to check off all the classrooms and make sure their classthemes matched up with their signup sheet. Ira and Regina's class was doing a maid cafe - ah, had that been why Ira had asked about that recently? Hm...

Of course, her stomach rumbled just as she stood there. Ah, cake and tea sounded so nice right now...]

"Excuse me, is there a free table...?"

[nobleheartofsnow]

Noble Ice (@thesparklingcurediamond)

[nobleheartofsnow]

"Would it be helpful if I said my introduction phrase?" Reika couldn’t help but say into the phone, lightly joking. “I am Aoki Reika. We met briefly before, Hishikawa-san, but not in our civilian forms. Cure Beauty is another acceptable way of calling me.”

"As it so happens, I happen to be in Oogai today. When we met before at the fairy school, I was interested in speaking with you more. It seems like we have more than a few things in common, after all." Reika said- and then paused. “Of course, if you’re not busy today. I do realize that I’m calling you quite at the last minute, after all. My apologies.”

[thesparklingcurediamond]

[Rikka immediately sits up straight at the mention of an introduction phrase, then nearly falls off the couch at the mention of Cure Beauty. Her face turns a bright red all at once.]

"Aoki-sempai!"

[It comes out instantly, only making Rikka blush all the more. How humiliating, not recognizing one of her Precure sempai right off the bat!]

"N-no no, i-it's fine! I'd love to meet up with you, sempai!"

[But where to meet up? Rikka briefly thinks of The Pig's Tail - but the thought of seeing Mana right now makes her heart wrench in her chest and for a moment, Rikka grits her teeth, placing her hand to her chest.]

"Um, maybe we could meet up at the park, if that's all right?"

[nobleheartofsnow]

Noble Ice (@thesparklingcurediamond)

Although she had heard about the Doki Doki Cures, and had met them once, Reika had not yet had the chance to visit Oogai. Deciding this must be corrected, she had set out that morning to visit the city. It was quite nice there, if a little larger than Nanairogaoka, and she found herself wandering around somewhat aimlessly before she knew it, taking in everything that there was to be seen.

There was one other thing she had wanted to do when she came here- and that was attempt to meet up with Cure Diamond. Like herself, the girl also possessed powers over ice- and honestly Reika was more curious about her than any of her other teammates.

She thought the two of them could become good friends.

Bringing out her cellphone, Reika brought up the number in her cell phone’s database- although they had exchanged them when they had met before, at the fairy school, she had never actually used it. Pressing the ‘call’ button, she lifted the cellphone to her ear.

"Hello?"

[thesparklingcurediamond]

[Rikka was exhausted and she couldn't even fathom why. She'd been going to bed at a reasonable hour now, ate well and stayed active, and yet there was a wave of lethargy that plagued her every movement.

Maybe it was because she was depressed. She had slipped into a funk after her conversation with Mana, in any case. And maybe - maybe she was just a bit lonely too. Ira often went off on his own the first chance he got, and Raquel was out running errands right now - which left Rikka all on her own, the girl staring up at the ceiling, at a loss for what to do today.

The blue haired girl jumped when her phone went off, scrambling for it and blinking at the caller ID. Aoki Reika...?]

"Ah, hello? This is Hishikawa Rikka, may I ask who's calling?"

[Something about that name seemed familiar though...]

[thesparklingcurediamond]

The Sparrow's Fate (@sweetheartedmana)

[sweetheartedmana]

Mana looked at Rikka. Since she knew the blue haired girl for the longest time - longer than any other friend of hers - you’d think she’d know every possible state of mind of hers. This, however, was whole new to her. Rikka wasn’t usually one to keep it quiet when she had something to say, especially not in front of Mana, whom she has always teased for helping everyone. But that’s sort of what Mana liked about her, that she didn’t play games, she said the whole truth at once.

But now… It seemed like she was trying to say something, but avoiding from doing so. That was rather unusual for Rikka, and Mana had the wierd feeling she’s seeing another version of her friend rather than the Rikka she had learned to love so much. Why was she taking so long, anyway? Was she scared, maybe? 

Mana was just about to tell her friend that it’s okay, that she shouldn’t be afraid of her, that they will always be friends no matter what, but all out of a sudden Rikka spoke, at long last. Her words made Mana even more confused, though. She tucked her hair, somewhat unsure what to make of that question. “Well, of course I did! I wanted to know what you’re naming me after, hehehe!”, Mana replied eventually, giggling, hoping to make the aura between them a bit less awkward. “Why are you asking?”.

[thesparklingcurediamond]

[There's an ugly feeling in Rikka's heart. There was no way Mana would be so happy about it if she really read it.]

"So you know the ending then?"

[The ugly feeling twists and turns, but she forces it back anyways, gives her pink haired best friend a weak smile.]

"You know that the sparrow freezes to death and the prince dies of a broken heart? Because that's not really a laughing matter, you know."

[The question hangs in the air for a moment, making the awkward air tense and heavy. There's a direction Rikka's heading for...]

"It's not like the happy prince is a completely pure character either. He takes advantage of the sparrow's kindness again and again. He's the reason the sparrow dies."

[The smile's faded now, replaced by a serious, but fearful look. Rikka's heart feels like it's twisting again.]

"Did you know? When we fought King Selfishness, I had to freeze myself to make sure nothing went after you guys. I'm sure I would have died if no one found me. I still don't know who saved me - but I know it wasn't anyone on the team. I woke up alone, only with Raquel. None of you would have left me there alone."

[It's hard to tell how she's feeling, she's looking down, not at Mana. There's hurt in her tone, but anger as well, brimming just under the surface.]

"And in the final battle, we all had to stand there and watch you fight alone, because - well, I'm still not sure why. We're a team, aren't we? What made you decide you had to fight alone, Mana?"

[And now the anger comes out in a hardened glare.]

"Were we just not good enough? Or do you just keep everyone else around so they can do what you need them to, just like you do with me?!"

[She'd regret her phrasing if she wasn't so angry about this, and the intensity of her angry gaze never leaves Mana.

Rikka wants answers.

Good ones.

Now.]

[irahishikawa]

Cultural Festival Humiliation Tango (Open RP)

[irahishikawa]

"You’re evil." The words slipped out of Ira’s mouth, apparently completely unaware of their irony. “I completely misguided you, Raquel.”

Ira’s face grew an even deeper shade of crimson when the smaller boy taunted him about addressing his customers properly. Maybe it wouldn’t have been a bad idea to go for that ten thousand year nap after all, if it meant that he wouldn’t have to be dealing with this right now.

"F-fine." He stammered after a moment though. If Raquel was just going to taunt him all this time, then two could play at that game- and it would appear a bit of a mischievous thought popped into Ira’s head, as he recalled a few things that had happened while he had amnesia.

If Raquel wanted to be addressed properly, then Ira would grant that wish and more.

A bright smile suddenly appearing on the young boy’s face, Ira’s demeanor seemed to shift, to something far more pleasant than the seemingly terminally angry child usually had. “Very well, master. Your seat is this way.” He told the transformed fairy, guiding him towards the free table.

"Here is the menu, master. Please feel free to take all the time you need to look it over."

[thesparklingcurediamond]

[...o-oh.

Oh.

This - th-this was - a-ah. Raquel wasn't quite sure what to do with himself for a moment, face turning a bright shade of pink as Ira shifted his demeanor completely seamlessly. Still blushing, the boy shuffled wordlessly over to the free table, snatching the menu offered with shaking fingers and resolutely refusing to look over at Ira.

Damn him damn him damn him he was too good at this!

He tried to focus on the various items, valiantly trying to ignore the thumping in his chest. Aaaaaa, no, this wasn't what was supposed to happen at all!]

[irahishikawa]

Cultural Festival Humiliation Tango (Open RP)

[irahishikawa]

Raquel’s laughter only served to make Ira’s face turn even redder- and angrier, for that matter. “Shut up, you runt!” He hissed, glowering down at the currently human fairy with as much fearsomeness as he could muster when he was dressed in a frilly maid outfit.

He cringed when Raquel finally gasped out his question, though, averting his eyes from him. “It was a group effort.” He mumbled, his gaze briefly flickering towards the other girls scurrying about the impromptu cafe.

"And don’t you dare!" Ira huffed, crossing his arms in front of the chest. “Aren’t you supposed to be one of the good guys? I don’t recall good guys taking embarrassing pictures of people when they don’t want them.”

After a moment, he sighed, dropping his arms. “Why don’t you just take a seat? I’ll give you an extra on the side if you just shut up about this.”

[thesparklingcurediamond]

[Raquel only smirked at the boy.]

"I recall a certain SOMEONE antagonizing us for a year, the least you could do is let me take some pictures of you, Iraaa~"

[At the mention of taking a seat, Raquel was about to agree - when he quietly noticed how the other waitresses were addressing their customers. The blue haired boy blinked - and then his grin grew wider.]

"Now now, Ira, aren't you forgetting something? This is a maid cafe, after all, you really ought to address your customers properly~"

[Ira would make him pay later, Raquel was sure, but for now, he was going to milk this for all it was worth.]

[irahishikawa]

Cultural Festival Humiliation Tango (Open RP)

[irahishikawa]

It hadn’t even been an hour, and Ira was already exhausted- not physically of course, physically he was just fine. Rather his exhaustion was all mental- there was only so much he could take over boys and girls alike cooing over him- which they had been doing one way or another all day.

Creating a Jikochuu to escape was starting to sound really appealing to him.

Just then, the person at the ticket taker shouted that they had one more coming in- and glumly, Ira was the only one free at the moment. This part, undoubtedly, was the worst part of the job- why were the girls even having so much fun with it?

He probably should have looked at who he was greeting, because he didn’t realize he knew that cowlick until he had finished greeting him with a surprisingly annoyed sounding (which for some reason, made him strangely popular, for reason he just couldn’t grasp)- “Welcome back, master!”.

And then he promptly turned bright red, almost as red as his clothes.

"R-raquel!? W-what are you doing here!?" Ira stammered, caught between embarrassment and anger at being seen. “D-don’t get the wrong idea, I’m not doing this because I want to!”

[thesparklingcurediamond]

[In the time it had taken for Ira to greet him unthinkingly, Raquel finally seemed to really process what was happening - and after Ira's protests that he wasn't doing this because he wanted to, Raquel paused for a moment, eyes still wide -

- and then he started cracking up. The young boy tried to stifle his laughter for several moments, covering his mouth to not disturb the other patrons, but it was just too funny. Soon enough, the young boy started laughing in earnest, hugging his sides as tears borne from laughter pricked at his eyes.]

"I-I can't believe it! Did Regina put you up to this?!"

[The thought of Regina forcing Ira into a maid outfit made him laugh all the harder and finally, when the boy stopped laughing and his sides ached, he looked at Ira with a mischievous grin.]

"Mmm, I think I need to take a picture of this~"

[thesparklingcurediamond]

The Sparrow's Fate (@sweetheartedmana)

[sweetheartedmana]

The last class of today’s schedule came to an end as the bell rang. Students around Mana got up from their seats, some of them sighing with relief while the others quickly started chatting with each other as they left the classroom, intending to go home.

Well, Mana’s day was still far from ending. As the president of the student council, she had to stay after the classes were over. Either they held their student council meetings, or she had paperwork to do - there was always something. With so much work, one could lose his mind, but luckily, Mana wasn’t alone in this - she had Rikka beside her! And Mana knew that despite it was she, as a president, who got all the credit, without Rikka’s silent, deligent assitance in the back, none of her actions would have been possible. 

Usually, Mana looked into her friend’s eyes, smiling, as if hinting they had an important mission to do, and they walked to the student council room together. They knew each other for such a long time, and so throughly, that many times, words weren’t needed for them to understand one another.

But now, something seemed different. Rikka was the one who approached her, and said she wanted to talk. “Of course! You know you can talk to me about anything, Rikka-chan!”, said Mana. Even though her tone was as cheerful as ever, she felt as if something was not right about Rikka. Perhaps it was her tone, that seemed rather unsure, or the blur in her eyes, or perhaps a mixture of it all - but Mana knew Rikka long enough to recognize when something was on. “I mean it, you know”, she added, as if to emphasise her intention.

[thesparklingcurediamond]

[Rikka gave her best friend an apologetic smile, a quiet apology for interrupting Mana's busy schedule. She had gone over what to say countless times in her head - but now that it was actually happening, the blue haired girl wasn't quite sure where to begin. She could, of course, jump straight to the point - and had it been anyone else, she probably would have, but...

...it was Mana...

For a second, Rikka faltered. There were so many uncertainties and bitter feelings inside of her - but the thought of hurting her best friend was terrifying. She had stuck with Mana through everything, even the jealousy, and Mana constantly favoring Makoto over her, all of those thankless hours she had put into the student council, all because Mana had asked her to - but the thought of her best friend walking away from her made her freeze up for a moment and the girl had to look away, taking a second to regain her courage. 

Ugh. Getting through to a brainwashed Regina and convincing the blonde girl she really did love Mana had been so much easier than this. Rikka paused in thought, searching for some way to start this off - and then her eyes lit up as she finally found something.]

"This probably sounds a little awkward, but - you know how I always call you the Happy Prince, right? It's a fairytale."

[The girl paused, then looked up at Mana, gaze slightly hesitant - but determined as well.]

"...did you ever actually read it...?"

[irahishikawa]

Cultural Festival Humiliation Tango (Open RP)

Ira had been vaguely aware that his class had been bustling around behind his back lately, in all of the rush to prepare for this ‘cultural festival’ thing. Apparently his class had concluded on running a maid cafe, but honestly, Ira didn’t much care about it- he had spent the period they selected jobs sleeping on the roof.

But since then, some of the girls had been looking at him weirdly.

He probably should have taken that as a warning.

"There’s no way I’m wearing this!" Ira protested, his face a brilliant shade of red. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a boy!”

"You say that, but you already put it on." One of his classmates said, a bright smile on her face, as she patted Ira’s shoulder. “Besides, you look cute in it! You’re probably cuter than most of the girls in our class! If we use you, our cafe can probably turn a big profit! We got a horrible spot, we need to use everything we can to get customers to us!”

It was true that Ira had already put on the damn thing- only did he vaguely realize he could have just said ‘no’ and left. If anything, that only added to his embarrassment- more than the frilly pink and red maid outfit ever could.

"No way!" Ira protested again, glowering at the girl, already plotting out routes of escape- should he just teleport away when nobody was looking? Make a Jikochuu and escape? That was tempting…

"If you don’t, I’ll tell Hishikawa-senpai about all the places you like to skip out that she doesn’t already know about~."

At that, Ira flinched- Rikka had already thought she had found all of his hiding spots, if she knew he had more, she would probably be furious. He didn’t even really question how his classmate knew- after all, he’d already decided that girls were scary.

"…fine. But I better get some of that money you’re talking about." Tugging on the headband with some mild irritation, he found himself more or less escorted into the classroom proper, where everything was already set up.

Well, hopefully nobody he knew would come by at least.

[thesparklingcurediamond]

[Rikka had seemed worried about the concert their class was doing, and with everything else going on, the young fairy decided Rikka really needed something worth smiling about. There had been carnival games outside and a few frog knick knacks Raquel knew Rikka would enjoy, but the fairy wanted to check out the classrooms set up indoors as well.

In his human disguise, the now 10 year old young boy surveyed the various classrooms, occasionally hassled by girls in the hallway squealing about how adorable he was. Raquel blushed, hurriedly ducking away, and looked to and fro - ah, Ira's classroom was nearby!

The blue haired young boy hurried in, happy to be away from gushy girls that wanted to pinch his cheeks - but when he looked up, he found himself staring at Ira.

An extremely frilly, adorable looking Ira.

Raquel gaped for a moment, not really processing this.]

"...I-Ira...?"

[irahishikawa]

Troublemaking Child (@thesparklingcurediamond)

[irahishikawa]

"See?" Ira boasted a little, unable to help himself as he shot a look towards the fairy. “And you call me an idiot all the time!”

Huffing a little, he startled a bit when he heard voices, quickly tucking his bat wings away again. When the voices didn’t even come down the hall, he sighed a little, turning back towards Raquel.

"Another Precure, huh…?" He tilted his head, crossing his arms in front of his chest in thought. “There sure are a lot of them, though. It’s kind of frightening when you think about it.”

"Mm, but I guess you’re right?" Ira frowned, seeming a little uncertain of himself, rubbing the back of his neck. He didn’t really understand things like that. “Lately it feels like she hasn’t been talking to them that much- I don’t think she even told them about me, judging from that stupid girl’s reaction.”

[thesparklingcurediamond]

[Raquel nods briefly at Ira's assumption Rikka hasn't been talking to the others.]

"She hasn't much, keru. She says it's because of all her studies but - I don't think she knows what to say, keru. Makoto seems more important to Mana than her, Aguri and Regina are adjusting to a new life, Alice hasn't said anything about that last battle - I think Rikka doesn't want to be a burden on anyone, keru."

[The fairy shook his head fiercely.]

"But I don't think she should take it all on herself, keru! It just makes her sad, keru..."

[irahishikawa]

Troublemaking Child (@thesparklingcurediamond)

[irahishikawa]

"I don’t know." Ira’s eyes narrowed, a unusually serious expression on his face. “It’s not a power I’ve felt before. It doesn’t seem to be coming from her heart itself, though…”

Crossing his arms in front of his chest, he leaned his head back against the door a bit. “There’s other Precure, right? So there’s probably other villains running around.” Scratching the back of his head, clearly starting to look a bit frustrated- he wasn’t really used to thinking about such things. “Maybe I should look into things…”

[thesparklingcurediamond]

[Raquel blinked, startled at the conclusion Ira had come to - th-that was definitely true! Even though he and the others had met all the Precure sempai before them, it was still hard to wrap around, that there had been countless enemies attacking earth far before King Selfishness and...well, Ira...had.]

"I think you're onto something, keru!"

[Ira checking things out certainly made him want to keep an eye on things too - but the blue fairy was hesitant to stray from Rikka, considering everything. If something really HAD been placed in Rikka's heart, Raquel definitely didn't want to leave her alone.]

"We met with another one of our Precure friends recently, keru. She said Rikka should talk about what's been bothering her with Mana and the others - I think that would help her, keru. It'll just keep getting worse if she doesn't - right, keru...?"