[Week 1, Monday: Eichi]

[doublecrows]

[it's sometime in the evening that Akechi returns to his shared room with Eichi, the uncomfortable nagging feeling of paranoia and anxiety eating away at his gut like acid. he feels it lessen the closer he gets to said room, the closer he gets to Eichi, and he finds himself picking up the pace to get there all the faster]

[so anyway, Akechi is returning to the room tonight, but as soon as he opens the door, something. . . very off, very different about him becomes obvious]

[he has a series of bright pink scars running down the right side of his face now. hm. hm! oops]

Tenshouin? Are you here?

Comments

[doublecrows]

[but it's gone in a flash, replaced by something more pensive, more distant]

. . . of course. I'll keep that in mind, Tenshouin.

[finethanks]

[Even just catching the briefest look at that shift in expressions, Eichi knows he's been shut out. He'd be able to tell that alone from the latter one. That's not surprising— it's more surprising that it stings so much, actually.

Like Rei had said, any of the people he'd had a chance of being friends with... he already trampled over them thoroughly, didn't he? He shuts the drawer.]

If your face still hurts, perhaps some cold water might help.

[doublecrows]

[it's a mixture of both, really. Akechi, viscerally pulling back after a moment of relating to someone, a moment in which he experienced a genuine connection, because he doesn't quite know how to take it]

[but also a moment where Eichi finally sees something underneath his usual smiles]

It doesn't anymore, thankfully. [at least the mask is firmly back in place now!!] What do you wish to do with these glasses?

[finethanks]

[Maybe one day he'll piece that together instead of beating himself up, but for now, he's staring at the drawer he's shoved them into.]

I'd like to keep them here. They may be broken and useless, and a bad omen, but I like to think that Keito would scold me if I threw them out. I suppose this is meant to be my piece of him, here. I'm grateful it was nothing worse.

[doublecrows]

[THESE BOYS HAVE ISSUES]

As you wish. [a nod of approval and acceptance] I'm not one to judge sentiment.

Keito is a friend of yours?

[finethanks]

Yes... my dear childhood friend. The one who will take care of my funeral for me.

[...Yeah, those go hand in hand, it's normal.]

In the end, isn't it funny? By wishing more selfishly to drag someone else into this undesirable situation to keep me company, it may have turned out better than wishing for my own health.

[doublecrows]

[WOW, MORBID]

[but that. . . actually brings up a curious point, and it leaves Akechi blinking at Eichi in a bit of befuddlement]

Why didn't you wish for your health?

[finethanks]

What a lazy path that would be. I wish for it more than anything else, but there's no way it's possible, is there? No modern medicine has found a way to do more than delay symptoms, and family member after family member die young, for the most part.

I felt it was a challenge. Would I turn to the god who hates me, who cast me aside with this useless body and allowed me to be born to a family of so much money that I could certainly get anything I wanted, anything except this— would I pray and ask for help like that, with something as fake sounding as a "wish come true?"

Or would I move forward despite that, even in these conditions, and prove everyone wrong? Thinking on it that way, I couldn't bear to wish for my health. Then again, perhaps it's simply because it's only been a week of this suffering.

[doublecrows]

[. . .]

[. . .]

[. . .]

[wow. that's inspirational? in a certain kind of way. it leaves Akechi blinking slowly as he watches Eichi with a neutral expression]

. . . I suppose that's one way of looking at it.

[a pause. and then, he can't help but ask]

But what if, in the end, you don't prove everyone wrong? What if wishing via the well is the better, easier option?

[finethanks]

Then I'll perish.

[Bluntly.]

"What ifs" don't really matter, do they? At the very least, if I do end up dying in this place, you can rest assured that I'll refuse to do so quietly.

[doublecrows]

[. . . a smile]

I would hope that you wouldn't give in to death so easily, Tenshouin. Not after that inspirational speech.

[finethanks]

Oh, did you find it inspirational? ♪

[doublecrows]

Inspirational enough that I'm surprised you don't star in your very own superhero cartoon. Do you often give speeches with that much passion?

[finethanks]

I'd prefer not to be compared to something so fake, you know. A cartoon doesn't hold the reality of what a real life "hero" truly is: someone who mercilessly slaughters their enemies and gathers praises while they bathe in guts and gore.

I don't like to play pretend like children do, so of course I speak with all of my heart. That's all.

Unless... Akechi-kun is the one who watches cartoons like that?

[doublecrows]

[oh. oh]

[but his smile doesn't waver]

You could say that I am.

[there's elaboration to be had, here. but he doesn't elaborate at all]

[finethanks]

...Something like super sentai?

[He's thinking of Chiaki, immediately, of course.] You like something like that?

[doublecrows]

No, nothing like that. [SENTAI IS FUTABA'S THING] American comic books.

[superman!! batman!! just look at Robin Hood and you'll see the connection]

[finethanks]

Really? What odd taste you have. I know even less about those.

[Thanks Eichi.]

[doublecrows]

[THANKS EICHI]

I'd offer to show them to you, but the lack of a library makes that difficult. Not that I would expect a manor like this to have comic books in its library, anyway.

[finethanks]

That's unfortunate, isn't it? Perhaps you could just tell me what it is that you like about them.

[doublecrows]

It's difficult to explain. Truthfully, you'd have to experience them to really understand.

[finethanks]

I'm not sure that I'd be interested, if they're just as fake as the fairy tales children are fed to pretend they're not dark moral lessons.

[He shits on heroes and all this but he watches Jojo, apparently, and actually wants to be the main character/hero himself? He's unfair.]

But for Akechi-kun, I'd gladly take a look, if they appeared.

[doublecrows]

[EICHI PLEASE]

Then all we can do at this point is hope this manor obtains a collection of American comic books. Perhaps then you'll understand what I'm talking about.