I bring you all a double length chapter! Enjoy if you can
Yuuta idly watched the landscape slowly pan across his view outside the window. Rikka did the same in the seat in front of him. They were currently on a train headed to a coastal province - the place where Rikka's grandparents lived. The trip was apparently a family tradition. Touka had invited Yuuta to join - him and any others friends of Rikka's. Thus, on the train that morning were the Members of the Far East Magic Napping Society. And Makoto Isshiki for some reason.
"We're going on a trip. I want you to come. You are... needed..."
Yuuta frowned upon remembering the night Touka made her request. She had been so vague about it. Why was he needed? What was he needed for? Why couldn't she have just been straightforward and tell him? It wasn't like he'd decline if he knew why. Hell, it'd probably make him more likely to accept. Why the need to be so aloof and mysterious?
The memory left a sour taste in his mouth and the person sitting next to him took notice of this. Shinka leaned in to whisper, "Is there something you're not telling us? You and Takanashi have been kinda out of it all morning."
Yuuta made a mental sigh. Shinka's perceptiveness reared its head at him yet again. He replied in a low voice, "I just have a bad feeling, okay? I was never told why but it's apparently important that I joined Rikka on this trip. I don't think we'd've been invited otherwise."
"Well, that explains you. What about her?" Shinka eyed Rikka curiously. "Do you think maybe Takanashi has someone waiting for her there - like a boyfriend?"
Yuuta raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"Don't 'what' me," Shinka snapped. "You know what I mean. A boyfriend. Someone she was dating before she moved away. Maybe she made a promise with him that they'd still be together even though she wasn't around anymore."
Yuuta slowly nodded. "I think you're grasping at straws," he said honestly.
Shinka glared at him.
"I just don't see Rikka having a boyfriend is all," he explained with a shrug. "It just sounds a little too far-fetched."
"I don't see you coming up with any theories. What's stopping her from having one?"
Yuuta then suddenly imagined the scene: Rikka smiling affectionately at a would-be-boyfriend, whispering to him about how their lovers' contract was unbreakable. Assuming the would-be-boyfriend also had chuunibyou, it didn't somehow seem all that far-fetched anymore. Quite eerily, it seemed so similar to the situation Yuuta was in that he could picture himself being Rikka's boyfriend.
He suppressed a shudder. "Yeah... Actually, now that I think about it..."
"Yuuta, I like that you're coming around to agreeing with me but what pré-tell what were you imagining?" Shinka said threateningly in an almost-growl.
"N-nothing," Yuuta said quickly.
"I can hear you both," Rikka said flatly from her seat across from them. She was still looking outside the window, completely motionless aside from her subtly moving lips. "I implore you: stop theorycrafting about my supposed would-be-lover. I have no need for such mundane notions."
Yuuta's raised both eyebrows with interest. She was explicitly telling them to stop being a bother? How uncharacteristically hostile of Rikka. And also uncharacteristically direct. She did always had a sort of blunt manner of speaking but it was always under the guise of some convoluted dark fantasy. What she just said was still technically through the same fantasy lense but it was far less convoluted. A small step towards maturity perhaps?
Yuuta then felt pang of guilt upon realizing that - oh, shoot - they were whispering about her right in front of her. That had to be a little insulting, now, didn't it? Very insulting, even.
He looked away, muttering an apology. Having realized the same thing, probably, Shinka apologized as well. Rikka didn't reply and kept looking outside the window.
"Lower your voice a bit more next time," Shinka scoldingly whispered to him, nudging him with her elbow.
"How was I supposed to know she could hear us? I can barely hear us."
Shinka rolled her eyes and poked him in the cheek, obviously annoyed. She did not voice a reply however. Yuuta pouted slightly and poked Shinka back. She grunted and withdrew her hand, Yuuta doing the same shortly after. She then pulled out her phone and began aggressively typing a message. Yuuta watched her fingers repeatedly jab the keypad for a moment before turning back towards the window. That became the end of their conversation.
A few minutes later, Sanae had to be escorted to the ladies room due to motion sickness. Shinka begrudgingly volunteered to be the escort. It was rather amusing, if puzzling, how she managed to make the act seem like the most tedious thing in the world after deciding that she herself would be the one to do it. Shinka always seemed to have that sort of irony in everything she did. Yuuta rather enjoyed it.
That lasted for several minutes.
"They're taking a long time," Yuuta muttered to no one in particular. He had hoped Rikka would respond but she simply kept staring out the window. Her face was serene, yet he could tell that there was turbulence under the surface. It was the same face she wore not even two weeks ago in front of the train tracks. He never did find out what that was all about. He meant to ask about it but it must have slipped his mind. Remembering it now gave him no comfort.
"Rikka, is something wrong?" he asked with concern. Rikka's gaze remained towards the horizon. Yuuta frowned, leaned forward, and tapped her on the knee. "Rikka. Rikka, are you okay?"
"Nothing is wrong, Dark Flame Master," Rikka finally said, still not bothering to look in his direction. "What was fated to happen is simply now happening..."
Yuuta blinked, completely baffled by her answer. He didn't voice his confusion, however. She was being cryptic for a reason. Asking what she meant by that completely vague statement might've just make her mood even worse. He let the statement hang indefinitely and conversation once again died down.
CHAPTER 4
Part 1: A Soulless Sun
Yuuta watched with genuine awe how Shinka had slightly altered her facade of perfect class rep to present herself as the responsible mom-friend to Rikka's grandparents. It was weird - almost unsettling - to see how polite she was being. Even to teachers at school, she was never that polite. After being exposed to her snark and vitriol for close to three months now, an uncanny whiplash was in full effect.
The effect was not as strong to the other members of the club, however. Unlike Yuuta, they hadn't yet experienced the multiple personas doned by Shinka Nibutani. Of course, that wasn't to say that they didn't feel the whiplash. They most certainly did. Yuuta could still smile with mild amusement at how the others were similarly speechless while Shinka spoke with Rikka's grandparents. He stood by the door to the living room, quietly enjoying their discomfort.
He then felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned and was met with Touka, her expression as serious as it always was. She jerked her thumb pointedly at the stairs behind her.
Yuuta looked curiously at her for a moment before he shrugged and made for the second floor. It must have been his time to get to work so get to work he did.
"Rikka, it's me," he said, knocking on Rikka's door. Despite being new to the house, he did not need Touka to point him towards the door to Rikka's room. The chest-high poster of a pentagram was enough of a giveaway.
"What's the password?" Rikka asked, voice muffled through the door.
"The Eye of the Wicked Lord is the strongest," Yuuta said with confidence. He didn't really know what the password was but was pretty sure that his guess was correct.
After a moment, the door opened slightly. Yuuta took it as confirmation and entered the room, closing the door behind him.
The inside of Rikka's room was barren - a far cry from the claustrophobic chaos of her room in her apartment. It only held a tidy bed with sheets that looked newly washed, a small number of potted plants on the windowsill, and an analogue radio on the table - the kind normally used by military units in historical war dramas. The radio was perhaps the weirdest thing in the room but was hardly the weirdest thing Rikka owned.
Said girl was currently sitting at the table, headphones pressed against her ear while turning the radio frequency dial. Even from a distance, Yuuta could hear that only static was coming out of those headphones.
"This place... this place is the headquarters of The Bureau," Rikka said quietly. "They have erected a barrier that suppresses my mind and spirit. Even my Eye of the Wicked Lord is not powerful enough to overcome it. I cannot summon my weapons or use my magic here. I cannot see the Ethereal Horizon here. I cannot even sense my own power here. This place renders me effectively useless..."
Yuuta nodded slowly as he watched Rikka continue fiddling with the radio. Her expression was still as delicately - almost fragilely - serene as it was on the train. She looked like the slightest breeze could cause her to crumble into dust.
He recalled the look Rikka's grandfather gave her when he saw the eyepatch. The pure disapproval in his eyes was enough to make Yuuta flinch. After spending four months with Rikka, he had learned to ignore all of her delusional ramblings about The Bureau and the Ethereal Horizon. He didn't particularly like hearing about them but he knew it was par for the course when dealing with Rikka. One look at Rikka's grandfather had told Yuuta that he was not the kind of person who would simply ignore them. Yuuta could only imagine what the old man would do in place of ignoring her. None of the things he imagined were pleasant.
"Worry not, Yuuta. I have spent many summers here," Rikka said, snapping Yuuta out of his melancholic daze. "The disempowering effect of this place is something I can recover from. As soon as I have sufficiently distanced myself, things shall return to how they once were."
Yuuta frowned, unsure of her words. He did not voice his skepticism, however.
She was right in front of him but felt so distant. He almost wanted to reach out and hold her close, if only to be reassured that she was still all there. Where was the energy and enthusiasm? Where was that overconfident smile she always seemed to wear? She was like an empty husk - nothing more than a ghost of the person he thought he knew. What caused this? How could being here change her as much as it did? Surely it couldn't just be her grandfather's distaste for her hobbies. Right...? There had to be something more...
There was a knock on the door, causing both Yuuta and Rikka to turn towards it. "Rikka," Touka said through the door. Yuuta could note a slight strain in her voice. "You're going this year, aren't you?"
Yuuta gave Rikka a quizzical look. Rikka's face remained the same stoic mask as before. She gave Touka no answer. Eventually, they heard Touka's muffled footsteps fade into the distance as she walked away from the door.
Rikka had responded with dead silence - as she always did when confronting her sister... only this time... the silence was more stifling than Yuuta ever remembered...
Before dinner, Yuuta took a moment to sit on the back porch in silent contemplation.
That day was supposed to have been a fun day at the beach. Surf, sand, and girls in swimsuits - it should have been great. And it would have been great had Rikka not insist he come search for the Ethereal Horizon with her. Before the search even got started, Touka put a stop to it in the most sobering ways he could have ever imagined.
That afternoon, he was given a grim reminder of the transient nature of human life.
He had learned of Rikka's father, his death, and what had occured in the aftermath. He learned of all the grief and conflict her father's death had caused. And from that knowledge, Yuuta now understood why Rikka acted the way she did...
Or... at least he felt like he understood...
Rikka's chuunibyou was the only way she knew how to cope with the trauma. Granted, he wouldn't say it was a healthy way of coping, dissociating from reality into a made-up fantasy land where her father was vaguely still alive in some obscure corner of the horizon. But what else could she do? Rikka's chuunibyou was probably the only thing that kept her functioning. Sure, there were probably better ways to cope but telling her to just suck it up and accept it wasn't going to cut it. She couldn't handle the truth. She wouldn't have dove so deep into her delusions if it were otherwise.
And for some reason, Touka wanted him to do something about it. Unfortunately, he had the distinct feeling that he couldn't do anything about it. Like, how could he do anything about it? Rikka's chuunibyou was rooted in some deep seated desire to see her father again. He wasn't a miracle worker. He couldn't bring people back from the dead. No one could bring people back from the dead. Her desire was impossible to grant. How was he supposed to resolve trauma like that?
And why was he expected to resolve it anyway? He wasn't even part of their family. Yes, he was Rikka's friend and, yes, he wanted what was best for her. But this was the sort of thing that needed a doctor or something to fix - an adult who knew what they were doing. He was neither of those things. He was just a teenage boy.
There was absolutely no reason for him to help in the ways Touka wanted him to help. It was madness - complete and utter madness - to even try...
And yet he wanted to try anyway...
Even with all the rationalization he'd been doing in the hours since he found out, he still wanted to try. He didn't know if it were simple stupidity and stubbornness... or if he were actually mad... but dammit, he still wanted to try...
Yuuta blinked as familiar sounding footsteps snapped him back to reality. He knew who was approaching and was not surprised to hear her speak.
"Yuuta, dinner's almost ready. You should come in," Shinka said.
Yuuta slowly turned to her and flashed her a tired smile. "I'll be there in a bit..."
"You've been sitting there for a while. Should I be worried?" Shinka asked not-quite-dryly enough to mask her concern.
Yuuta shook his head. "I just... need to get my head in order. It's, uh... it's been a long day..."
Shinka raised an eyebrow but nodded. "If you're in over your head, don't try to take it all on your own. Fake girlfriend or not, we're still friends. I still wanna help." She left with those words still hanging in the air.
Yuuta could only shake his head once more. He was starting to get a headache from all the thinking he's been doing. He wished that things were more simple...
Yuuta sat in the back of Touka's van, eyes glazed over as Rikka sobbed quietly next to him. Just minutes prior she had been reduced to tears on the land where their house used to be. She'd been crying ever since.
Their old house was supposedly Rikka's one safe haven in the land run by The Bureau - the one spot where the Ethereal Horizon was still within her grasp. Little did she know that things had changed since she was last around. And the changes were a little more drastic than a different coat of paint...
It was still fresh on his mind, the look of hopelessness Rikka wore when she saw nothing but grass in an empty lot. And as if to quicken Rikka's spiralling descent, Touka arrived and said just the right things to drive home a cruel point even further. Rikka's father was gone and none of him was left - not even the place where her memories of him were the strongest. No amount of fantasizing and delusional insistence would bring him back. All of Rikka's efforts to find her so-called Ethereal Horizon were completely pointless.
This was the truth that Rikka had been ignoring. This was the truth she had to face. Every biting word Touka spoke served the sole purpose of conveying that fact.
Everything just went crashing down after that point.
And what did Yuuta do? He stood there and watched. He just stood there and watched as the fire inside Rikka was smothered mercilessly by the uncaring world she had tried to reject. He wanted to run out to her and hold her close. He wanted to tell her it was okay. He wanted to so badly.
He regretted not doing anything. His indecision that night would haunt him. He just knew it...
The drive back to the grandparents' home was short and no conversation was made between the three - not even when they pulled into the driveway. The only thing that broke the silence was Touka announcing that they had arrived. No one replied to her announcement.
As Rikka wordlessly got out of the van, Yuuta allowed his gaze to drift upward. His eyes met with Touka's through the rear-view mirror. He could see the tears in her eyes she was desoerately beating back. He did not comment on it and followed Rikka out.
Yuuta made his way to the room he and Makoto shared, stopping to worriedly eye the door to Rikka's room. He struggled to keep his face composed as he stared. It was so recent - literally minutes ago. He could still remember everything so vividly.
"What's up with you?" Yuuta nearly jumped and turned to Shinka, standing by the door to the room she shared with Sanae and Kumin. She seemed to have a slight tan from her time on the beach. "You look terrible," she said.
Yuuta smiled wryly. "Well, I feel terrible."
Shinka's tone remained dry but concern was plain on her face. "What happened?"
Yuuta averted his gaze. "I, uh... Stuff... Stuff happened... Stuff I... don't think I have the right to tell you..."
Shinka made a slight sound of annoyance but nodded, as if understanding. "You and Takanashi weren't at the beach this afternoon," she said, stepping out into the hall and closing the door behind her. "And after that, you two missed dinner." She scowled. "You're making me worry. What is she doing to you?"
Yuuta suppressed a wince. "She's not really doing anything," he muttered. "Things just sorta... happen. It's not really her fault... And even if it was, I don't think it'd make things any easier..."
Shinka regarded him for a moment before grabbing his hand and starting down the stairs. "I think I might already know what's going on," she said, pulling him along. "But before I tell you about that, you need to come with me. You still need to eat dinner."
Yuuta looked at his feet as he followed her down the steps. "I don't have much of an appetite..."
"That's not an excuse."
Yuuta found it in him to genuinely smile. His earlier description of Shinka as the mom-friend was perhaps more accurate than he first presumed. He squeezed her hand affectionately. "Thank you, Shinka."
Shinka squeezed back more tightly. "This is not something I should be thanked for," she snapped. "I shouldn't even need to do this in the first place."
Yuuta ignored the pain in his hand and made no further comment.
In the kitchen, pale moonlight entered from the window, bathing the dark room with slight bluish tinge. Yuuta sat at the table eating leftovers. Shinka sat next to him, resting her chin on her palms.
It didn't take much effort from Shinka to make Yuuta start eating. After a few bites, he just started wolfing down the food. As she expected, he was hungrier than he said he was. At the same time, she suspected he was merely eating to distract himself from whatever terrible feelings he might be holding in.
"I saw the shrine they keep here," Shinka muttered to Yuuta as he ate. "Second floor, next to Takanashi's grandparents' room. They had a picture of him..."
Yuuta did not immediately reply but the pace he ate slowed to a crawl. He gingerly plopped a clump of rice in his mouth and chewed slowly before swallowing. It was only then that he spoke. "Well... I guess it's better that you already know," he said with a pained smile. "I don't think I could've explained it to you even if I tried."
Shinka chuckled briefly. "It's not really all that complicated." Her laugh felt hollow. "Though I guess your problem isn't that it's complicated..."
Yuuta prodded a piece of meat with his chopsticks, his pained smile still on his face. "Both times we left, she tried to bring me to where her old house used to be... back when her dad was still alive... The second time, we actually made it there... It... It wasn't the same place she remembered..."
As Yuuta explained what happened, Shinka kept her gaze firmly rooted to her two hands which she laid neatly atop the table. The way he described Rikka's predicament suggested that he was deeply disturbed by what was going on. And, frankly, Shinka was a little bit disturbed as well for much of the same reasons as Yuuta. Just seeing how affected Yuuta seemed to be was reason enough for her. Everything else added on top of that only made it worse.
By the end of his story, Yuuta was the verge of tears, fists clenched atop the table so tightly that his hands were trembling. "I can't take it, Shinka. What do I do?"
"You're asking me?" Shinka muttered, almost sarcastically. She put a hand over Yuuta's, feeling the way he shook under her palm. "You need to stop beating yourself up for this. It's not your fault if you can't help her. And the fact that you want to help her does not make you crazy."
His breath hitched and brought his other hand to cover his face. "I know, just... I know..."
Yuuta kept shaking, suppressing his own sobs. Shinka could only sigh at this. She stood from her seat. "Honestly, Yuuta." She stood behind him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "If you wanna cry then just cry. I don't get why you feel like you need to hold it in..."
"I'm sorry-"
"Shush," Shinka snapped, cutting him off. "I don't need your guilt over this." She tightened her embrace. "Just let it out and let it go."
Yuuta let it out as Shinka told him to and Shinka kept her arms wrapped tightly around him. Quietly, she lamented how the food Yuuta was eating had grown cold...
CHAPTER 4
Part 2: A Moonlit Warmth
Shinka had escorted Yuuta to the room he shared with Makoto. He'd have plenty of silence to sleep since Makoto and the others had gone back to the beach to play with some fireworks. He'd need the rest. Shinka could tell he was emotionally exhausted.
"Where do you think you're going?" Shinka asked, glancing to the girl trying to sneak past behind her. Rikka froze mid-stride, her travel bag in her hands. She looked at Shinka a pained stare.
"After everything you put Yuuta through today, you're just gonna leave?" Shinka asked, still facing the door to Yuuta's room.
Rikka looked away guiltily. "The Dark Flame Master would understand."
Shinka turned to Rikka with a scowl, somehow deeply insulted by that statement. "That's not an excuse. Do you know how terrible he'd feel if he found out you just left?"
"Then what would you have me do, Nibutani?" Rikka snapped. "This place gives me nothing but sorrow. Would you rather I stay? Wouldn't that just make everyone feel worse?"
Shinka grit her teeth. She had to admit, Rikka had a point. Clearly being here had a negative effect on all three of them. Interesting how it only directly affected Rikka but the effects cascaded to Yuuta and then to Shinka. It was an odd dynamic to realize.
It didn't make it any less unpleasant.
"I'm not gonna stop you," Shinka eventually concluded. "But wait five minutes. We're going with you."
Rikka reacted with surprise, perhaps at the fact that Shinka conceded so easily or perhaps to Shinka's condition. "Why?" she asked shakily.
"Why?" Shinka repeated, already walking to her room. "Because you're a teenage girl traveling alone at night. Obviously." She hesitated in grabbing the doorknob. "Yuuta, I know you're listening. Start packing." With that, she entered the room and began organizing her things.
As Shinka took a seat next to Rikka on the train, she quietly wondered what the others would think of the fact that the three of them decided to leave without warning. No doubt that wimp, Makoto Isshiki would be ecstatic being alone with Kumin on the trip home. As for Sanae... well, as much as Shinka regretted leaving her, the little hellion was still in good hands as long as Makoto and Kumin don't lose track of her. Considering how noisy she could be sometimes, they shouldn't have too much trouble.
"Thank you for accompanying me," Rikka said, quietly but not quite a whisper.
Shinka rolled her eyes, giving Rikka a light tap on the head. "Uh huh. Just be glad I didn't stop you."
The train ride back to the city was made in mostly silence. The landscape outside the window seemed completely different from what they saw from their ride that morning. The green fields and trees were pale and seemed almost frozen under the moonlight above. How different a little change of lighting could make a place look and feel.
Several minutes passed before conversation began. Rikka was the one to break the silence. "Nibutani... you were also like me right?"
Shinka glanced at Rikka whose gaze remained outside the window like earlier.
"What makes you say that?"
"Just a feeling... I... I want to know what lead to you becoming Mori Summer..."
There was more than mere curiosity in her voice. There was a certain longing - as if Shinka's answer would help solve some internal dilemma. Shinka shot Yuuta a puzzled look. He smiled sadly and shrugged.
"Hmm." Shinka lowered her head and drummed her fingers on the arm rest. "Used to be like you...? Yeah... I guess," she muttered dryly. "Though it was hardly as dramatic as your situation..."
Shinka looked to Yuuta who was watching with interest. She quickly averted her eyes, feeling a low heat rise to her cheeks. "This isn't a thing I tell most people. You two better keep this quiet."
Rikka turned and said seriously, "I swear by the Eye of the Wicked Lord."
Hearing her say this, Shinka smiled slightly. It was nice that already Rikka was feeling better. Shinka shook her head slowly and tried to organize her thoughts.
"Okay then," she muttered, steppling her fingers. "How to begin...? I guess it all started during middle school..."
Shinka began to recount the events leading up to her becoming Mori Summer.
After telling her tale, Yuuta went on speak of his own experiences with chuunibyou. Shinka found that their stories had been awfully similar yet different at the same time. It felt oddly symmetric in ways. It was comforting to realize how relatable he was.
Yuuta had slowly lost presence among his friends. It reached a point where they forgot about him entirely, effectively casting him aside. He had been branded an outcast by the very people he cared about. Thus, he took their branding and forged a new persona out of it. He gave them a reason to see him as an outcast. He became the Dark Flame Master.
Shinka had always been good with people. She almost instinctively knew how to make people happy. They always turned to her for advice. They thought she was perfect - superhuman, even. They put her on a pedestal as if she were a god.
Shinka always hated it. She could never be friends with someone who couldn't see her as an equal. So she decided, so be it. If she was to be a great figure, she was to be the greatest figure of all - a woman with a century of wisdom and experience and a supernatural power over peoples' heart and souls. She became Mori Summer.
She could almost laugh at how absurd and how similar their stories had been. At the very least, Rikka had a legitimate reason to be as delusional as she was. Shinka and Yuuta were just being dumb kids who wanted to be special. It was so stupid.
Rikka, of course, was completely enamoured by both of their stories. Shinka wasn't even surprised. Rikka had always described her chuunibyou as a rejection of this world for a different one: a reality where the shackles of the mind were shattered; a reality where she was free to be who she wanted; a reality where she was free do what she willed. Both Yuuta and Shinka had taken the fate imposed by them to craft their own path - a reality of their own. Obviously Rikka would have liked that.
Their stories had lightened the mood significantly. Shinka was pleased to see both Rikka and Yuuta were smiling. She herself was smiling as well.
A pleasant silence filled the train car for the rest of the trip.
Once they arrived at their home city, it was decided that Yuuta would escort the two to their respective homes. The three of them would first go to Yuuta and Rikka's apartment to drop Rikka off since their stop was the closer than Shinka's stop. After which, Yuuta would escort Shinka to her house like the gentleman he supposedly was.
That plan was never followed through. As early as dropping Rikka off, they encountered a problem.
Rather bafflingly, Rikka was repeatedly tapping the keys on the calculator she had taped to the wall. "Someone has hacked my security system!" she exclaimed.
Immediately, Shinka felt like she was having an aneurysm. She rubbed her temples as she leaned on the railings on the stairs. "She forgot her keys?" she growled in annoyance. "Really? What is she, a primary schooler?"
"Yeah, I know, right?" Yuuta sighed. "I guess it can't be helped." He started down the stairs and called to Rikka. "You can sleep with us. I'm sure my mom and sisters won't mind."
Shinka was not pleased with this change of plans. She was even less pleased to find out that Yuuta's younger sister was at summer camp and his mother and youngest sister were in Jakarta. Yuuta and Rikka would be a boy and girl, alone, under the same roof that night.
"Alright, I'm sleeping here," Shinka announced aggressively, plopping onto the couch. "I'm not letting you two sleep in the same house together. Who knows what you two might end up doing."
Yuuta gave her a pained smile. "I don't think you being here would make it any better," he muttered. "If anything, it'd make it worse cuz'... well, you know... you're my girlfriend..."
Shinka felt heat rise to her cheeks even as she rolled her eyes. "Please. I know seven different ways to make you topple to the ground and stay there. I'm not defenseless. Takanashi, on the other hand." She turned to Rikka who was standing awkwardly next to the wall. She raised her eyebrows questioningly at Shinka. "She may not be defenseless but you're like two heads taller than her. I doubt she'd be able to take you."
"Yeah yeah," Yuuta grumbled as he entered his room, no doubt to change out of the shirt he was wearing - it was the same one he was wearing all afternoon
"I think you are worrying too much, Nibutani," Rikka said. "The Dark Flame Master would never harm me."
Shinka stared dryly. "And all the times he chops you on the head?"
Rikka's ears turned red at those words but her expression remained stoic. "Those don't count," she said quietly, not quite whispering.
"Right." Shinka returned her attention to Yuuta who she could still hear inside his room. "You know what? I thought of an easier solution for this. She's sleeping over at my place." Shinka stood and picked up her bag from the table. "Come on, Takanashi."
"Wait, what?" Yuuta said, his voice muffled through the door. There was suddenly frantic movement inside the room which caused Shinka to smirk.
"Uh... sure." Rikka smiled in confusion but followed Shinka as she walked out of the apartment.
"Hey, wait up," Yuuta said, bursting out of his apartment right as she and Rikka started down the stairs.
Shinka smiled slyly at him. "Come on, you. Let's get going." She then continued down the stairs, Yuuta and Rikka following behind her.
On the way to Shinka's house, they stopped by a convenience store to buy Rikka some dinner. They only realized that Rikka hadn't eaten yet when they heard her stomach growling. Once that slight detour was done with, they made straight for the Nibutani residence wherein they bid Yuuta farewell.
Shinka's mother arrived home from work half an hour after Shinka and Rikka arrived. They had to explain to the woman why they had returned from their trip early and why Rikka was sleeping over. It was an awkward few minutes of talking but the woman didn't ask much questions. She bid them good night and retreated to her bed room, leaving the two to their own devices.
Shinka allowed Rikka to use her bath while she set up a futon in her room. She also provided Rikka a change of clothes since Rikka had forgotten to pack pajamas. After Rikka's bath, they found that Rikka was at least a size or two smaller than Shinka. Rikka looked like she was drowning in fabric by wearing Shinka's pajamas.
"Well, it's better than nothing," Shinka said in amusement from the edge of her bed while Rikka stood in front of the mirror in her room. "It's kind of cute in a way, how it's too big for you."
"Hmm. This must be what it feels like to wear magicians' robes," Rikka muttered, twirling once to make the fabric flare out. "It is not unpleasant."
Shinka laughed dryly. "Yeah. No. Please don't call them magicians' robes."
"Lemon," Rikka noted, sniffing her sleeve. "So that was the citrus-y smell you always seem to have..."
Shinka raised an eyebrow. "You've been smelling me?" she asked, slightly put off by the remark. She suppressed the urge to sniff the clothes she was currently wearing.
Rikka shook her head. "Not on purpose. It's just really noticeable. Yuuta smells it too."
Both eyebrows rose this time. Shinka had no idea what to make of that information so she made no comment. Even still, she could feel heat rising to her face.
There was an awkward pause in the conversation. In that time, Rikka sat herself atop the futon, getting comfortable under the covers. Shinka also scooted closer to the center of her bed, mirroring Rikka's pose.
"Nibutani, I've been wondering," Rikka began, breaking the silence. "When you and Yuuta became lovers, it was because of our agreement, yes?" Shinka nodded. "I was under the impression that you'd get someone else to become his lover. Why did you become his lover?"
At the sound of Rikka's words, Shinka immediately recalled the day she and Yuuta got together. In her mind, she could picture it, the way she had offered Yuuta her hand and how he had kissed it. It was still vivid in her memory after nearly three months have past. Despites her efforts to suppress it, a smile of embarrassment tugged at her lips.
"Well... Out of all the girls in our class I said he could date... he said he wanted me..."
"I see..." Rikka nodded thoughtfully at this. "So he chose you... And you actually accepted...?"
Shinka brought up her hand to her face - the same one he had kissed - and debated on how much she would tell Rikka. The stipulations of their relationship was that she was not to fall in love with Yuuta. It was that very stipulation that convinced Shinka to even accept. She at least knew she couldn't tell Rikka that.
"He was... he was very persuasive," Shinka eventually replied, vauge as it was.
This answer seemed to amuse Rikka. "So I take that to mean you were never in love with him in the first place?" She chuckled slightly. "I suppose that explains why you both seemed so unique. Truly your lovers' contract was different from a that of the mundanes."
Shinka smiled wryly. Had she been had before she even knew it? She couldn't tell. Though she suspected it had more to do with Rikka than her own acting skills. "Was it really that obvious?"
Rikka thought for a moment but shook her head. "I might have just been looking too deeply at the two of you," she admitted, looking away. "You two were... I don't know... you just drew my attention - as if you had some strong mental interference magic about you."
"Hmm." Shinka let herself fall sideways onto her bed. "You didn't happen to be jealous, were you?" she asked, watching Rikka curiously.
Rikka seemed to bristle at that accusation. "Of course not! I... I..." Her outburst quickly lost steam and she nodded quietly. "Perhaps I was..."
Rikka brought her knees up to her chest and hugged her legs. She lowered her head slightly, refusing to meet Shinka's gaze. "Tell me, Nibutani... do you think I'm in love with Yuuta?"
This question gave Shinka pause. Rikka had been clinging to Yuuta since day one. At first Shinka assumed it was a simple childish attachment - after all they seemed like a father and daughter most of the time. But now being asked this question, Shinka had to wonder if there was anything more...
"Maybe you are," Shinka muttered, shifting to a more comfortable position on her bed, lying on her side, with her head propped up by her arm. "Imagine these scenarios: You're alone with Yuuta in a classroom."
Rikka lowered her head further.
"You're alone with Yuuta in a movie theater."
Rikka buried her face into her hands.
"Alone with Yuuta on a deserted island."
Rikka let out a dramatic cry and ducked under the covers. "Nibutani, I surrender! No more!"
Shinka let out an amused sigh and shook her head. "I think that aptly answers your question," she said slyly. "Congratulations, Takanashi. You're in love."
Rikka peeked out from her covers, an adorable pout on her face. "Was that necessary?"
Shinka rolled onto her back, smiling at the ceiling. "Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't. All I know is that it was hilarious."
Rikka whimpered cutely at this but otherwise did not reply.
"Love is love, Takanashi," Shinka said airily. "Whether it's romantic or platonic, it doesn't really matter. You love Yuuta and Yuuta loves you. Just remember that and you should be just fine."
"I love him and he loves me," Rikka breathed, as if she couldn't quite believe it. "Yuuta loves you, Nibutani. Do you love him back?"
Shinka kept smiling up at the ceiling though she could tell Rikka was staring at her seriously. "I can't tell if it's platonic or romantic but..." She chuckled. "I do. Without a shadow of a doubt. I love him."
"It doesn't matter if it's romantic or platonic," Rikka repeated to her.
Shinka chuckled once more. "No. It doesn't."
Those last words hung in the air as another moment of silence passed. The only sound to be heard was slight swaying of leaves in the wind by her window and the muffled sound of cars passing by on the streets outside.
The ease in which Shinka gave Rikka her answer should have surprised her but somehow it didn't. Deep down, she already knew she failed. She just had to make the best of it now.
"H-hey, uh... Nibutani," Rikka said, breaking the silence once more. "I want to thank you again. I was ill equipped to endure a night without shelter. I am most grateful that you thought to grant me asylum."
Shinka rolled her eyes. "Don't worry about it. We're friends. We help each other out."
"I also thank you for speaking with me earlier," Rikka added. "It lifted my spirits at a time when they felt too heavy to bear."
Shinka sat up and shot Rikka a smirk. "Again, don't mention it. I was just being friend."
Shinka then glanced at the digital clock on her desk. "It's getting late," she noted. "We should sleep." She got out of bed and made for the light switch on the wall.
Rikka nodded and got comfortable in her futon. "Good night, Nibutani."
Shinka smiled softly. "Call me Shinka." She turned off the lights and walked over Rikka to her bed. "Good night, Takanashi."
"Call me Rikka. It's only fair."
Shinka pulled the covers over herself. "Good night, Rikka."
"Good night, Shinka."
BONUS SCENE
Yuuta yawned and picked up his ringing phone. It was Makoto on the line.
"Hey, man. I know you're trying to sleep and all but could you help me out?"
"What is it this time?" Yuuta groaned.
"Kumin said she wanted to go on a walk and I joined her. Right now I'm outside a convenience store. She's buying a drink. Do you think that maybe this is my chance with her?"
"Go for it man," Yuuta said tiredly. "Grow a spine and go for it."
"Hey. Don't call me spineless. Just because you're dating Nibutani doesn't mean-"
"I'm hanging up now. Good luck wooing senpai." Yuuta tapped the end-call button on his phone and set it back onto his table. Shortly after, he went back to sleep.
This chapter was unbelievably hard to write and yet I somehow managed to finish it on schedule. That's a story in and of itself but I'll get to that meta-narrative later. Now,
This chapter is one that merges the events of episode 7 and 8 of the anime with the goal of further developing Yuuta, Shinka, and Rikka's relationship with each other. I split it into two, focusing on Yuuta and Shinka in each.
Yuuta in this chapter seems a little bit out of character but that's actually intentional. Yuuta is very much a character who will put in all the effort to help someone if he feels like they need help from him specifically. As far as I can tell, he has not declined any legitimate pleas for help. I decided to strain that aspect of him by taking something that's already in the anime - Touka asking him to join the trip for reasons - and focusing on how he deals with a situation where he cannot help in the way he was asked. I also presented him as much more deeply affected by Rikka's moods rather than the dense and shallow confusion he seemed to have in the anime. It made the whole ordeal weigh much heavier on him than it did originally.
I will admit, the reason I did this was to make it so that he and Shinka could share those two moments of intimacy they had this chapter, emotional or otherwise. Forgive an author for indulging.
The development of Shinka Nibutani in the chapter is just a continuation of her development in chapter 2 in that she's growing increasingly concerned and affectionate for both Yuuta and Rikka. I made a major edit to the original episodes in order to make these developments possible.
In this chapter, Rikka didn't run away from the empty lot after confronting Touka like she did in the anime. Rikka running away and Yuuta walking back to the house is the reason he and had to hurry to catch up to Rikka leaving on the train. This one edit allowed for the entire second half of this chapter to exist. It allows Yuuta to have an emotional moment with Shinka, for Shinka to join Yuuta and Rikka on the trip back to the city, and for Rikka and Shinka to have their heart-to-heart when Rikka sleeps over at Shinka's house.
(Part of me feels like I should have shown why Rikka let Touka drive her and Yuuta back home. I could have hand-waved it as Touka just grabbing Rikka's arm before she gets to run but I feel like it's fine it as is.)
This chapter, I've written Shinka acting more genuinely than I have in previous chapters. I truly do believe she is a caring character who would affectionately tease the people she's trying to help. And frankly, I can't wait to write Shinka being that way with Yuuta.
Anyway, regarding my difficulties writing this chapter, there was a period of three nights straight wherein I was actively trying to write this chapter and couldn't get the right words onto the page. By the third night, I got so frustrated that I went on a huge rant about my dislike of my own writing process and how it's so easily crippled by writer's block. A few friends of mine saw this and offered some comforting words. One person in particular was quite helpful. I'd like to take this moment to thank PUM (Asianpotter1 on FanFiction) for offering to sit down for a few minutes to help me sift through the scenes I was having trouble with. I've been beta-reading his more recent stories and it feels really nice to know they're willing to do the same for me.
I also thank my friend, Zaulte (FalseAlarm101 on FanFiction) for giving my fic a thorough read through and giving detailed feedback through PMs. It was much appreciated.
Welp, this was a long endnote. I'll not make it longer. Until the next chapter.
