April 1st, DDLC and Katawa Shoujo had a small crossover! Needless to say, the Protags had a little bonding time.

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@whirlwindhappa
April 1st, DDLC and Katawa Shoujo had a small crossover! Needless to say, the Protags had a little bonding time.
“Hey, no need to thank me for anything.” Miki said with a shrug. “Just hanging out, is all.” It was a way to downplay the situation, easy to read it in her manners. She crouched down, squatting to pick the spilled candies off the ground. “I doubt anyone is ignoring you…just…well, no one really knows how to interact here, sometimes. If you walked past someone doing what you just did…you know?” “A flashback? Like…what happens in movies? All sepia-tone and such?” Miki blinked at the sudden question.
Raine giggled slightly at Miki’s somewhat glorified description of flashbacks. “No, they’re nowhere near that… um… glamorous… eh, nevermind.” Bending down to help her pick up the dropped chocolates, he continued to speak, trying to move the topic towards something more encouraging.
“I suppose everyone has their own things they have to cope with. Judging by the general aura of here, though, people do pretty well at surviving and thriving.” Glancing towards Miki, he thought for a moment about what she would have to do to adapt, and how different it was to what he did to survive.
Seeing him giggle brought a small puff of relief to her lips, tension dissolving slightly between them. Whatever she’d done wrong, whatever she triggered...it was passing. “I wouldn’t mind them, if they were that glamourous...I’ll try and imagine myself in some slinky red dress.” Miki absently commented, trying to keep the mood on an elevating path. She caught his glance as they reached for the same piece of chocolate, and blinked slowly, something a little different in her eyes when they reopened. “Yeah. Most people do. We aren’t really given another option, you know? Survive. Everyone has an outlet to do it. Friends, for example. Being surrounded by people who like you, helps keep your mind from reflecting back.” It was an open statement, but the tone and slightly distant look in her eyes, it was clear who she was referring to with that outlet.
Her gaze drifted around his face, catching glimpses but never looking him directly in the eye. Miki shifted her weight from one foot to the other, back and forth on a four or five second delay. “You have nothing to be sorry about, guy. I…triggered it, right? Let’s just call the apologies even…heh.” She forced a grin, putting on her usual smile to try and pick the mood up. “Maybe we should get you to your room. Laying down might help out…”
Taking another deep breath, he fought to keep himself going. “I’ll be alright,” he repeated, his voice becoming less shaky by the second. “I just need a few moments.” Raine glanced over towards Miki, who was wearing her trademark smile, though her voice didn’t seem to match up.
“Thank you for being here, though. It makes it so much easier to cope if there’s someone else there. And so far…” He grimaced a little, remembering a few classroom incidents. “…you’ve been the only person who hasn’t just ignored me, so even just staying here really means a lot.” Taking a moment to think, he began talking again.
“Have… have you ever…” He paused for a moment, wondering whether this was the right thing to do. As much as he wanted the conversation to be focused on someone other than him for a moment, he was unsure as to where this question would lead. “Have you ever had a flashback?”
“Hey, no need to thank me for anything.” Miki said with a shrug. “Just hanging out, is all.” It was a way to downplay the situation, easy to read it in her manners. She crouched down, squatting to pick the spilled candies off the ground. “I doubt anyone is ignoring you...just...well, no one really knows how to interact here, sometimes. If you walked past someone doing what you just did...you know?” “A flashback? Like...what happens in movies? All sepia-tone and such?” Miki blinked at the sudden question.
The tanned girl dropped her hand back to her side, taking a small step back to give Raine a bit of breathing room, worry and concern clouding her default happy go lucky expression. The boy hugged himself tightly, flinching, whimpering down into himself. It was painful to watch, and Miki half averted her gaze to keep from staring directly at him, in case that would help. “It was the punch, huh? Hey…would you feel better if you hit me? Or something? C’mon, whatever you are remembering…let’s stop that train of thought! Get your mind off it!”
As quickly as the flashbacks started, they stopped, and Raine was hit with a wave of tiredness. He removed his arms from around his shoulders, instead holding them against his chest, still shivering all over. Everything was quiet again. He jumped slightly at Miki’s shout of “Get your mind off it!”. As he cleared his head, the anxiety was replaced by another emotion, guilt. There had been a significant misunderstanding, and he felt that the responsibility lay with him. He raised his head, trying to meet Miki’s gaze.
“I-I’ll be alright. Th-the f-flashbacks usually d-don’t last that l-long.“ He took a deep breath, trying to regain enough energy to keep talking. "B-but please, d-don’t ever ask me to… p-punch you… I-I’m s-sorry you had to… s-see me l-like this.”
Her gaze drifted around his face, catching glimpses but never looking him directly in the eye. Miki shifted her weight from one foot to the other, back and forth on a four or five second delay. “You have nothing to be sorry about, guy. I...triggered it, right? Let’s just call the apologies even...heh.” She forced a grin, putting on her usual smile to try and pick the mood up. “Maybe we should get you to your room. Laying down might help out...”
A dreadful sense of guilt grabbed Miki by the heart, watching the boy who was cheerful a moment ago now wilt into himself, stuttering and shaking. She raised her hand as if to touch his shoulder, but left it hovering in the space between them, not sure how to proceed. Miki had let her emotions recklessly guide her, and it was only making things worse and worse for Raine. “…D-don’t be sorry, don’t..! I’m the one at fault here! I didn’t…mean to hit you so hard, I just…!” This was completely out of her element, a sudden flash to her first interaction scaring Hanako off. Scaring Molly. “It’s no one’s mistake…I just…”
“I-it’s okay…” He said again, “I-I’ll be a-alright, I-I’m just…” Raine struggled to find a way to describe what was going through his mind. He glanced at Miki out of the corner of his eye, with her hand held out towards his shoulder, a flustered expression on her face. If there was a story behind her left hand, then maybe, just maybe, she might understand.
“I-I’m just… r-remembering things I-I’d… r-rather not r-remember…” He wrapped his arms around himself, still shivering, his gaze focused on the ground beneath them. “Weak.” His internal voice growled. “Pathetic.” He heard, in the voice of his father. “Man up,” his therapist joining his father in berating him. These words crashed through his thoughts like a runaway train. He flinched slightly, letting out a small whimper.
The tanned girl dropped her hand back to her side, taking a small step back to give Raine a bit of breathing room, worry and concern clouding her default happy go lucky expression. The boy hugged himself tightly, flinching, whimpering down into himself. It was painful to watch, and Miki half averted her gaze to keep from staring directly at him, in case that would help. “It was the punch, huh? Hey...would you feel better if you hit me? Or something? C’mon, whatever you are remembering...let’s stop that train of thought! Get your mind off it!”
White Day!
Happy white day, guys! Remember to give that girl in your life some cookies or marshmallows! I found a nice place in town that makes White chocolate macadamia nut cookies...Here’s hoping Suzu and Hanako like them! Uh...if I stop eating them all myself...
Despite not being that forceful, the punch to Raine’s shoulder sent him reeling back slightly. It wasn’t painful, but it was enough to cause memories from his earlier life to start flooding back. Miki’s anger in addition to that made it seem like a heavy weight was pressing down on him.
“I-it’s okay.” His voice shook as he tried to fight off the impending anxiety. “I-I’m used to voices now, s-so they’re n-not that uncomfortable. I-it’s just sharp noises…” He struggled to continue, as the world was closing up around him. “I-I s-should have s-said b-before… I-it was m-my m-mistake…” He held his arms up against his chest as he shivered. “I-I’m s-sorry…”
A dreadful sense of guilt grabbed Miki by the heart, watching the boy who was cheerful a moment ago now wilt into himself, stuttering and shaking. She raised her hand as if to touch his shoulder, but left it hovering in the space between them, not sure how to proceed. Miki had let her emotions recklessly guide her, and it was only making things worse and worse for Raine. “...D-don’t be sorry, don’t..! I’m the one at fault here! I didn’t...mean to hit you so hard, I just...!” This was completely out of her element, a sudden flash to her first interaction scaring Hanako off. Scaring Molly. “It’s no one’s mistake...I just...”
Miki’s eyes caught his glance, the expression on his face stopping her for a moment. He was easy to read…no poker face or anything. Raine fell silent after her comments, and all his thoughts seemed to develop over his expressions like the shadow of a rain cloud. “Oh…hey, guy, I’m really sorry…I didn’t mean to…” Miki paused for a moment, offering the grocery bag back. “You wanted the white chocolate that bad, huh? I think there is one or two more, maybe…”
“No, it’s not that.” Raine held up a hand to decline Miki’s offered bag. “It’s…” He took a deep breath. “Have I told you why I’m here at this school?” He didn’t wait for a response, fearing that if he stopped talking, he wouldn’t start again.
“Officially, I’m here because of my hearing. I have hy-per-acu-sis…” He stumbled over the word, causing it to stand out in his otherwise consistent speech. “…which means that I hear things much louder than the average person, to the point where some everyday sounds are painfully loud.” Pausing a moment to take another deep breath, he continued.
“Unofficially, however, the reason I’m here is because…” As his nerves began to take over, his stutter creeped into his speech. “…b-because this is the s-safest place for me to live.”
“Hy-per-acu-sis....” Miki repeated the word out loud, nodding slightly as Raine explained. She planned to respond with a caring, thoughtful gesture, watching him fluster the more he spoke. But even with his explanation, the hints at something a little deeper, Miki’s wide expression slowly narrowed into a scowl. Anger made her heart feel weak, and without really thinking, she gave him a weak punch to his shoulder, scattering the bag of chocolates. “Why didn’t you say this before!” Miki hissed through clenched teeth, her voice a steady whisper. “I know we haven’t become besties or anything yet, but! Look, I’ve been yelling across campus at you and laughing loudly, shouting, and...I’ve been causing you pain this entire time!”
Despite the movement being so sudden, it was the sound of the bag rustling from Miki’s hand that startled Raine the most, causing him to immediately let go when she grabbed it. It was her bag, anyway, and he didn’t think about contesting it afterwards. He watched her rummage through the bag, a slight smile on his face after finally being able to share a small moment with someone.
But then, Miki’s final comment made him think. He never saw himself being in a relationship with anyone in the future, due to his various sensitivities, along with his state of mind. But what would happen if someone did give him chocolate with that… implication? How would he react? His head swirled with thoughts, many of them unpleasant, but all of them intrusive. He glanced over at Miki, with her bag of chocolate. He didn’t blame her for his change of mood; she had no way of knowing these details.
Miki’s eyes caught his glance, the expression on his face stopping her for a moment. He was easy to read...no poker face or anything. Raine fell silent after her comments, and all his thoughts seemed to develop over his expressions like the shadow of a rain cloud. “Oh...hey, guy, I’m really sorry...I didn’t mean to...” Miki paused for a moment, offering the grocery bag back. “You wanted the white chocolate that bad, huh? I think there is one or two more, maybe...”
“Thath a thmart idea…” Miki mumbled, using her one hand and teeth to open the small chocolate wrapper. The bite sized candy was quickly popped into her mouth with a satisfied crunch. “Mm, yeah, I should do that, too. Use those days as an excuse to load up on the good stuff! Maybe I’ll do that for White Day, and fill up Suzu’s room…” She crumbled the empty wrapper, tucking it in a pocket to toss away later. “Man, the pretzel ones are the best! Salty and sweet. I shoulda just gotten a ton of those to hand out.”
Raine chuckled in response to Miki’s comment, rummaging around in the bag for a peanut-infused chocolate. “From what I heard around my dorm room, there’s already enough chocolate to go around the whole school today.”
His search proved successful, and a small chocolate bar was procured. He tore open the wrapper with ease, though he paused before devouring the treat. “Or maybe my dorm room is just surrounded by all the ladies’ men’s rooms.”
“Yeah...a lot of little hush-hush meetings after classes all day today. It’s pretty sweet, isn’t it? Not too out in the open, but there is a lot of love in this school. A lot of kids tryin’ to find something nice and move on with their lives.” Miki spoke straight forward, a slight shrug on her shoulders coupled to her response to Raine’s musings. What should have been a bit of a profound moment with Miki shattered instantly, as she suddenly snatched the bag from Raine, tucking it into the crook of her elbow to fish through the contents. “Oooh, white chocolate~” She grinned, tearing into that package as well. “Mmmph, So, don’t worry. Maybe the hall’s influence will rub off on you! Nom...Next year, all the lil blushing girls will be giving you foil wrapped sweets, too!”
I’m a terrible person. Sorry Hanako...Also wow, this entire choice is heart breaking! They are all 5 feet apart staring at you...!
Re-reading Summer’s Clover, the Miki PoV Hisao/Suzu route by one of the KS writers. Always interesting seeing how one character can be fleshed out in a completely different way~
“The custom?” Raine rummaged around in the bag, attempting to find the specified chocolate. “I guess so. I don’t know about anyone else, but I just use Valentine’s day and White day as an excuse to buy chocolate on sale.”
He tossed a small chocolate bar towards Miki’s outstretched hand, chuckling slightly. “That’s if I remember what days they are.”
“Thath a thmart idea...” Miki mumbled, using her one hand and teeth to open the small chocolate wrapper. The bite sized candy was quickly popped into her mouth with a satisfied crunch. “Mm, yeah, I should do that, too. Use those days as an excuse to load up on the good stuff! Maybe I’ll do that for White Day, and fill up Suzu’s room...” She crumbled the empty wrapper, tucking it in a pocket to toss away later. “Man, the pretzel ones are the best! Salty and sweet. I shoulda just gotten a ton of those to hand out.”
Everywhere I go, all I can hear is the rustling of foil and packets. Does everyone in the school suddenly have chocolate or something? … Oh. It’s Valentine’s day. I had completely forgotten about it.
“Hey, newbie. Catch.” A small paper convenience store bag, tossed in his direction. Crumbled and wadded up, but inside was a small assortment of chocolate squares. “You can have the dark chocolate ones. And the weird ones with peanuts in them. I call dibs on the rest.”
“…Catch.” A flash of white appeared in the corner of his eye. His reaction was instant, moving a hand to catch the bag. Upon a quick peek inside, his eyebrows raised for a moment. Chocolate? He wasn’t complaining, even if it was only the dark chocolate ones, and the “weird ones with peanuts in them”. “Um, okay, thanks.”
Miki frowned a bit at the response, moving to stand beside him. “Don’t sound so confused! That’s the custom, right? Girls give friends chocolates...I do girly things too, you know?” She explained with a wide smile, making a cupping gesture with her hand. “I mean...I’m not going to try making them or something, but chocolate is chocolate! Dig me out one with pretzel bits in it!”
Everywhere I go, all I can hear is the rustling of foil and packets. Does everyone in the school suddenly have chocolate or something? … Oh. It’s Valentine’s day. I had completely forgotten about it.
“Hey, newbie. Catch.” A small paper convenience store bag, tossed in his direction. Crumbled and wadded up, but inside was a small assortment of chocolate squares. “You can have the dark chocolate ones. And the weird ones with peanuts in them. I call dibs on the rest.”
Not my artwork, just a couple recolours I did to better learn the program~
Mostly a doodle out of boredom~ One Punch Miki!