I am so so so so sorry for being late ;.; I need to get my life together.
I actually had a bunch written, even last week, but I realized that what I wrote doesn't fit for being the next chapter. I can definitely use what I wrote for future chapters though!
Arima Mana, the birthday celebrant who was currently acting as armchair psychologist to sneakily help people in desperate need, was in the zone. A state of flow, if you will. He was moving straight through the requirements of his role swimmingly, ignoring the suspicious looks and annoyed glares Ruby and Aqua were giving him.
He was in the zone, and he was performing his role perfectly. He seemed to have brought something out of Aqua, Ruby, and Ai with the first two pictures. 'A few more pictures, and maybe I can understand them further and help them better?' He thought. Unfortunately for Mana, however, life just wasn't that easy.
"Mana!" Arima Miura, Mana's mother suddenly called out, a relieved smile on her face. "Wrap the game up! One last picture! Your surprise is already in the parking lot and will arrive soon."
Even as Mana's face lit up in glee, and his hands clapped happily in excitement with the demeanor of a comedian waiting for a punchline, Mana inwardly groaned. 'Ugh, sensei, I gave you a time an hour later than the one I gave the others on purpose so that I could do a bit more, but you were so responsible you were pretty much almost on time.'
Mana had three more pictures prepared to hopefully get more thoughts and reactions out of them. Unfortunately, Mana had to reorganize himself to adjust. 'I'll have to cut off the pharmacy, the theator actor, and the school images I had prepared, unfortunately…'.
Other than those he prepared to get reactions out of people, the last picture he prepared wasn't really anything special, it was just a picture that Kana insisted he add in, trying to embarrass him.
'Well, it's embarrassing to show, but it satisfies Nee-chan and also adds a layer of levity after all the digging I've been doing…' Mana concluded hesitantly.
"Awww, it looks like our time with our little game is up." Mana pouted outwardly, contrasting his collected thoughts inwardly.
"But we have time for one last photo!" Mana continued on, more than a little pressured by his older sister's expectant gaze. Her eyes were sparkling, some kind of older sister instinct to tease her younger brother seemed to have awoken.
"Oh?" As if sensing the strange air of the girl beside her, Shirogane Kei tilted her head.
'Right. She was there.' Mana remembered.
The picture he'd be showing was a group picture of everyone laughing at him with him embarrassed in the center. 'To be honest, it' s embarrassing, but at least it's a funny childhood memory so I don't mind it as much.'
Mana coped and rationalized as easily as breathing.
"Nee-chan… Do I have to show this one? It's embarrassing…" Mana still had to try though.
"Show it!" And so his elder sister demanded. And so he showed it.
It was last Halloween. Kana, in some terrible bout of cheekiness, decided to prank Mana and dragged her mother and the Shirogane family into her prank. It was just a small gathering in the Arima home, but everyone kept talking about costumes. Trick-or-treating wasn't really a thing in Japan, so it was just going to be a funny little gathering with costumes for the kids, or so everyone told Mana. When he emerged in full cat onesie costume, complete with cat ears, cat tail, and even fake whiskers Kana wouldn't let him change back.
'Such a brat.' Mana complained fondly in his heart.
The first to react was, surprisingly, not the extraverted Ruby as Mana first suspected, but the somewhat shy Shirogane Kei seated in front. "I remember this!" she exclaimed.
Mana was unsurprised. Kana was the most adamant about the prank, he remembered, but Kei was the one who laughed the hardest at every time she saw him in the outfit.
Kei, although usually shy at first, really burst out of her bubble and started telling Aqua and Ruby all about that Halloween get-together in full detail.
'Yeah, we're definitely not getting further than this.' Mana thought dryly while he reacted to Kei's story with flushed cheeks. 'At least I got some objectives done.'
Mana's objectives were, first, to break the ice between the two families that were friends of his family. They were all his family friends and he wanted them all to get along. Although he wasn't really expecting Kana's dumb prank photo to get it done at his expense. 'Whatever works, I guess.' Mana sighed internally.
The second objective was to observe the various reactions of the people in front of him so that he could better determine what to do next with them. It was probably the most important objective of his agenda. 'I couldn't show that many pictures, but I got a lot of information.' Mana thought. He'd have to go over it all once he had time to think to himself.
The third objective, for later, was to watch the movie together. It was just a little way to have fun with everyone, but also another way he could observe their reactions. 'Especially my scene with Ai-nee.' Mana planned to pay close attention to that scene.
And the fourth objective… Mana caught movement at the edge of his vision. His 'surprise' had arrived. She looked a little annoyed with him, which honestly surprised Mana considering how calm and collected she usually was to him, but Mana hoped his mother could temper her edge a little bit.
Shirogane Miyuki, the eldest among the children invited to Mana's birthday party, considered himself smart. He was always getting high grades, the highest in his school, even, and he was always praised for his accomplishments. They were even starting to call him genius.
But Miyuki knew it wasn't enough. Not by a long shot.
He studied hard every day so that he would always get the highest scores. And after every test, after every public record of class standing, he would show it to his mother in the hopes that she would stop being so angry all the time with everything.
But his mama never looked. She was always so busy with work, or was just so angry at his papa, or at him. Or at everything.
He just wasn't a genius. A genius who could do anything.
His first encounter with genius was with the child actor, Arima Kana. He was studying for the finals one day when the newly transferred neighbors came over to introduce themselves.
The two Arima children were there, smiling politely, but his mother, his father, and Kei immediately recognized her.
Genius child actor, that's what they called her. Everyone was impressed.
The more time he spent with the Arima family, the more impressed he was with her. She could read the script and act out what was requested her. She was so good at what she did, even Miyuki could tell that she earned the title of genius.
Miyuki wanted to become a genius, too. If he could become a genius, maybe he could impress his mama, make her smile, and his parents wouldn't fight anymore.
When Miyuki was first invited to Mana's birthday party, his first thought was 'I kind of don't want to.'
Mana was just too loud and bright for his introverted self. Miyuki was honestly thankful that his shy sister warmed up to him and was willing to listen to him because he didn't know if he could.
Miyuki would prefer to sit with Kana among the Arima siblings. Kana, at least, won't disturb him when he's studying, just as he won't disturb her while she's practicing. Mana absolutely would drag him into whatever he felt like doing.
It was when Miyuki's papa mentioned that they'd be watching Kana and Mana in a movie that Miyuki's interest was peaked. It would be Mana's debut role in a movie, too.
'Mana, acting? If he could act, then even I could be a genius.' Miyuki did not believe that Mana could act at all. He'd seen Mana go on commercials before, sometimes with Kana, only recently doing one without her. He was always being cheerful and energetic in every one he was on.
For better or worse, Miyuki's impression of Mana was of an energetic kid who dragged everyone along on whatever he wanted to do. Case in point, the earlier prank on that new boy, Aqua. He dragged three families into the prank.
Miyuki was honestly surprised that the boy didn't cry or get angry after that.
But Mana somehow managed to get everyone through it, and Miyuki noticed that the boy pretty much forgotten all about the prank and was actively participating.
Then, something happened. It seemed Mana had given his surprise the wrong time and so it would be coming late.
But Mana was prepared. Mana had an activity prepared 'for later', he had claimed, and he brought it out.
Mana had a whole presentation and everything, and he dragged not just the kids, but even the adults into his activity.
Miyuki participated, noting Hoshino Aquamarine as a smart kid who spoke complicated words with confidence and was possibly a genius, and even embarrassed himself as he accidentally exposed his doting older brother side to everyone. As he watched Mana handle everyone through all of that through his silly presentation, he realized something.
'Mana must be a genius too. How else could he lighten up the atmosphere like this?' Miyuki thought.
From Miyuki's point of view, Mana could keep the interest of both the kids (based on Miyuki's labels, this is everyone younger than Miyuki) and the adults (based on Miyuki's labels, this is everyone Miyuki's age or higher).
'I have to ask Mana how to become a genius later.' Miyuki nodded to himself.
Mana, the boy in question who was desperately ignoring the strange questioning looks aimed at him from multiple directions, lunged in the direction of his surprise, who herself was smiling scarily nonchalantly at him.
Mana met eyes with her. Through her professional smile hidden underneath her blonde bangs of hair, he could feel the potent energy of her 'I am displeased with you but I am professional and so you will feel my wrath later' gaze.
And so Mana did his best to reply with his eyes. 'Ehe~ Sowwy~' Technique 1 was to abuse the fact that he was a cute kid.
Moving on to the introduction so as to not anger his teacher any longer, Mana continued. "I am pleased to introduce to everyone today's super surprise, my English teacher who won't be teaching English today, the super pretty and amazing Hayasaka-sensei!"
The calm and composed lady gave a formal curtsy to the inhabitants. "Good morning to everyone here. I am Hayasaka Nao, the English teacher of Mana." She introduced herself professionally.
"Sorry for being late. I misread the time." she continued.
'Ever nice and professional, she still did her best to not make her client look bad, huh?' Mana appreciated her professionalism.
'But there's no need to damage her reputation here.' Mana stepped in, accepting the blame he deserved.
"Sorry Hayasaka-sensei! I gave you the wrong time." Mana coincidentally also hoped that her punishment would be less severe because of his entrance.
The teacher's eyes glinted warmly as she accepted his apology, but Mana couldn't help but feel that he was still on the hook.
"I usually teach English here in Japan, but Mana told me that he was looking for someone to teach self defense to his 'super pretty and beautiful friends'. Hayasaka Nao subtly digged at Mana and was awarded with a bright red flush of embarrassment.
'Ah, she's already starting her punishment for giving her the wrong time. Not that I could blame her.' Mana knew that he'd be pretty annoyed to develop an unprofessional image by being late to a professional event, even if it wouldn't be his fault because he was given the wrong time.
The way she was punishing him was… honestly a little expected. As part of Mana's just in case preparations, he deflected whenever she asked why he wanted self defense classes. He did his best to make it look like he was some kid who had a crush and wanted to look cool in front of her through self-defense classes. A safe deflection, one to direct away from any potential investigations into Mana's Hoshino Ai-nee's circumstances, but one that Mana had to pay for in teasing.
Mana hoped that she'd take his reactions as just wanting to show off to his friends, but of course she deliberately chooses to tease kids about potential romantic ventures.
'Aunts, I swear…' Mana shook off the generational trauma in the form of the memory of his aunts from his past life as he shut off the pictures from his activity and made way for his teacher.
"And so, because I worked in the police force before and also taught self-defense back then, I volunteered my services." Hayasaka Nao went on to explain how she, an English teacher, went on to be qualified to teach self-defense today, on Mana's birthday.
Mana couldn't really tell how much of her supposed back story was true and how much of it was a cover up for her actual job as a subordinate of the Shinomiya family, but he picked her because he could guarantee her quality, at least compared to the various other names among the choices that he couldn't recognize. An emergency connection to her was pretty much the only reason he bothered to take his English tutoring lessons once every two weeks, especially since he already knew English from his past life.
As the various attendees not privy to the surprise, who were pretty much just the adults, "Ooh!"'d and "Ahh!"'d and reacted to the surprising new situation, Mana gave up his place center stage as Hayasaka Nao stepped in to replace him and begin the classes.
"Shall we begin?" Hayasaka Nao's face was as serene and professional as ever, but Mana couldn't help but feel regret when he looked at glint in her eyes promising retribution for his antics.
So yes, in some cases, Mana is completely and successfully in control. In a lot of other cases, Mana's holding on by his metaphorical fingertips.
Mana's struggling just like me frfr
I hope I was able to integrate the Shirogane family + our new surprising addition, mama Hayasaka, well! This is all meant to be an Oshi no Ko fanfic first and foremost, but I feel like Mana has somehow gathered a bunch of traumatized people with a bunch of family problems. Including himself!
Mana's got a long road before any problems get fixed, unfortunately...
I wish all problems get fixed as fast and as easily as they do in fix-it fanfics...
Anyway, Oshi no Ko fanfics have been slowing down, and I feel that part of it is my responsibility! I need to update more to inspire more people to write! And so here is the lie!
We're gonna see more Oshi no Ko fanfics.
This lie will definitely come true!