dramaticalbooty:

“You didn`t know who I am before, but you`re going to now.”
Who are you calling Aomama, buddy?
“I`m a friend of Clear`s. So I know a bit about what he`s thinking and how innocent this probably started. But the problem us, if you make one slip up.”
He pantomimed the good ol` slit throat, dragging his index finger over his neck. 
Why was he even acting so worried? Why did he care about two dumb kids (even though both of them were capable adults!) stirring up trouble like this?It`s not like they were his responsibility.
But Aoba felt that way for his friends; someone had to look out for them, especially when a certain friend had zero common sense.
In fact, calling Clear ‘weird’ was really putting it mildly.
And now he had this kid to worry about.

“Saved you?” He instantly wondered in what context this happened — maybe before he had even gotten here. This made him listen even more intently than before. Even Ren`s ears had perked up in curiosity as the two listened to Daichi`s earnest testimony. If it was something enough to make the scarved boy feel indebted, it must have been significant enough to even be life threatening.

“Well, I won`t sugar coat it. I have my doubts.”
He didn`t know a thing about this kid or how he could miraculously make sure that they would be just fine. What sort of things could he do? Then again, judging a book by it`s cover was too preemptive. Maybe the kid was some sort of secret super hero, or maybe he was crap with fighting, made of bendy straws.
Either way, he made no assumptions. 
He would find out for himself!

“I suppose was being a little unreasonable.” Just a little. In reality it was over the top…buuut not to Aoba. “I was concerned. But it`s easy to see where I`m coming from, as you learned.”
After all, once he heard Daichi`s promise, he was proud of himself for making at least one of them realize how risky it could be. Ah yes, just leave it to good ol` Aoba to be the voice of reason.
“I`m glad you`re aware that you need to be careful.”

“What`s your name anyway? You know, I`d be interested in hearing this little story about what happened with you and Clear.”
Not that he was being interrogative, just interested. His tone was much calmer than earlier, a genuinely curious look on his face.
“I mean, if you don`t mind. We`ve only just met after all.” His gloved hand was extended cordially towards the teen.
“I`m Aoba.”

For such lame threats.. Aoba was kind of scary! 

“A-Ahh..”

Hands went to his neck instinctively. No way. He couldn’t mean that.. Why was this guy trying to be concerned but threatening him at the same time?! Of course.. It wasn’t as though Aoba was concerned about him. Either way! What was the other trying to accomplish by threatening him like that?! 

But he couldn’t just let this guy think that he was actually trying to form some gang of ruffians.. He wanted to prove that somehow. Gangs were a dangerous thing, he knew that! But.. It wasn’t like he wanted things to turn out like that. And as he stated before.. He’d do anything he could to make sure it wouldn’t! Not just to save his own hide.. Daichi really didn’t want anything bad to happen to Clear either. At some point, the two had become friends so he knew better.. He wouldn’t just abandon Clear if things ever did get rough. Definitely not.. 

So…!

Ah. The change in the other’s tone surprised Daichi just a little. He didn’t think his little speech would have any effect since this guy was a big ol’ toughie… Doubts? Yeah, Daichi had those too. The point was that Aoba seemed to have calmed down after the scarved boy finished talking! “Y-you weren’t being unreasonable.. And yeah… Don’t worry. I’ll definitely be careful.. We’ll be careful.” A sigh of relief emitted from Daichi and he let his shoulders slump a little. Ah, yes.. He could probably relax now. 

And so, he offered Aoba a bit of a smile. Nervousness was still clear on his expression but.. It was fine now. “I’m Daichi..” There was some hesitation, in both telling Aoba about what had happened between him and Clear that time and with taking the other’s hand for even a quick handshake. In the end, Daichi did shake the other’s hand before dropping his own to his side once more. 

“S-Sure.. If you’re Clear’s friend then I don’t mind telling you.” 

He almost wanted to ask for proof but with the way things panned out.. It was kind of obvious that Aoba did, in fact, know Clear. 

“Um… Did you wanna talk about that here?” In the middle of the sidewalk. “Or.. We could go for coffee?” Yeah, like he needed caffeine in his system at this point. “Either way’s fine..! I mean.. Whatever you wanna do.. Hahah..”

diredamsel:

“Ah!!”

It was… a normal boy! A weirdly dressed one, sure, but a simple human nonetheless. And he looked quite harmless. To think Maribelle had reacted by calling him a wretched beast, oh, the embarrassment. It had only been but a tap on the shoulder, surely an apology was in order. Not an easy task, but it had to be done.

“I am quite fine, darling, only perhaps mildly on the edge. I must admit however… that I overreacted, I do pray you forgive my sudden outburst, dear.”

It was absolutely unrefined, a lady of her bearing? Screaming in such a way? Truly she would be regretting this for quite a while. At least she apologized, right? Saying sorry was several times harder than playing the violin and riding a horse for her.

“I am Maribelle of Ylisse, we’ve met in a rather… particular way, yes? What would your name be? I simply must know that before I even consider asking for your help!”

Which pretty much translates to: I’m too prideful to flat out ask for your help so I’ll stall for a bit.

If we’re talking about strange clothes.. Well, the girl’s weren’t so strange to him as they were curious and a little cute.. But he’d always thought of himself as a stylish guy so hearing that his clothing might be strange would be devastating. 

His smile grew a little as Maribelle spoke. Relief washed over him too. Good… She wasn’t angry anymore. So he could only assume that he was in the clear for the time being! “N-No, it’s cool. Sorry for sneaking up on you.” Dammit, Daichi. The teen mentally cursed himself for apologizing a second time. Super uncool.. Anyway… He couldn’t just dwell on that if there was any hope of recovering from that..!

Maribelle of Ylisse?

That sounded like a title… Neat. Ah, but he should really be introducing himself now, right? Especially since she did inquire and a cool guy shouldn’t keep a lady waiting. 

“Me? My name’s Daichi.. D-Daichi Shijima. I’ll do my best.. I’ll help you in any way I can!”

The truth, at least.. Although, he felt that he might not be especially helpful, there was bound to be something he could assist her with! Directions… Answering questions..

Hopefully, he wouldn’t seem too silly.

A guy had to eat eventually..  

So Daichi, after cowering throughout the storm, had eventually made his way to Sector 5 in order to do some shopping. Although, by now, that was all over with too so no shopping trip monologue is necessary! Really, he picked up only what he thought was necessary for his basic survival in Hive City so there’s no need to go into further detail.. Just yet.

At his side, his Obariyon carried one paper bag full of groceries while Daichi himself carried one as well. Holding his phone in his hand to keep the Demon Summoning App active, Daichi shifted the bag in his arms to take a peek at it’s screen. 

Wait.. Was that the time? 

“A-Ahhh…!! Obariyon, come on!”

He was going to miss the train! He had to run if he wanted to make it! With that, him and his trusty demon were scampering off towards the train and sure enough…! Everyone was in and the doors were ready to close… But then! “Fuuuwahh!” Daichi and Obariyon squeezed through just in time.

“Safe..!” 

Almost. Unfortunately, the bottom of his paper bag had begun to tear just moments after boarding the train.. And soon after..

“Ah..h.. aah!”

His things started falling out through that hole until it was big enough to pretty much fall apart. Cupped noodles went rolling away along with cans of soda and different kinds of flavored water he found.. Not good. Not good.. Not only was he out a bag but.. There were people in the train! People who saw how stupid he looked..! 

Looking around quickly, the heat rose to Daichi’s cheeks and he quickly got down to start gathering his things as best he could. Shoving whatever he could into his pockets lead to Obariyon eventually figuring it should try help.. Which resulted in the demon leaning over to pick stuff up for Daichi… Which ended with some of the contents of the demon’s bag spilling out onto the floor of the train as well. New toothbrush.. And other toiletries he’d purchased for himself.

“Obariyon, no..! Dammit!” 

It was just one thing after another, wasn’t it? 

(Source: redricewater)

dramaticalbooty:

Idly petting Ren`s fur, he poked the ball of fluff right on the top of his head to make a little electronic sound — he closed his eyes.
“See? I just put him into sleep mode.”
Tapping the base of his palm against Ren`s forehead once more, black eyes opened again to blink at Daichi.
“And now he`s awake.”
After his little show, Aoba sort of tapped the heel of his boot against the sidewalk. He probably wanted to leave, but Aoba didn`t get his answer yet—
“It was a silly thought anyway, you have nothing to do with it, right?”
He almost stressed the word ‘right’ before he saw the slight flashes of recognition, his mouth curling into a slight frown as he bit the inside of his cheek.

“Not REALLY a gang, eh? So it`s your fault.” He mumbled the next bit moreso to himself — “How did a kid have such a bad influence on Clear?”
Then again, given aforementioned man`s usual one track mind…he could see him being put into a bad situation pretty fast. 
How did he even survive in somewhere as sketchy as the North District anyway, let alone this city?
Although Aoba looked pretty mad on the outside, he smoothed his expression before letting out a rather exaggerated sigh.
“Well, whatever. But you two better not come crying to me when you`re cornered in an alley because of a little ‘fun’.”
He shook his head in disappointment.
“You see, Clear`s a little…”
Naïve.
Childish.
Flighty as all heck.

“Innocent. Very, very innocent. So by ‘gang.’ he`s probably thinking something about friendship. Right?”
He wagged his finger almost like scolding a young child.
“But this city is dangerous. You know that as well as I, don`t you?
You can kiss your butt goodbye if you make a misstep. Especially in sector three!”

It wasn’t everyday a frickin’ dog seemed cooler than his cellphone. He just got a newer model too.. Well. Y’know. Before everything happened. Everything… Truth be told, he was a little curious about what Ren could do exactly. Besides talk and look kinda cute. 

But he didn’t have much time to actually think about the strange computer dog.. Not when shit suddenly hit the fan. 

His fault?

Bad influence?

Kid?!

“H-Hold on a sec, will you…?!”

Despite his feeble attempt at interrupting, Aoba continued. Scolding him like some old man. “Crying to you..? I.. I don’t even know who you are..?!” He managed that, puffing his cheeks a little in frustration. Who did this guy think he was..? Clear’s mom? OK, that was kind of an immature thought but… 

Daichi put up with it. The scolding, that is… Besides his previous statement, of course. More so, he was waiting for Aomama to finish before he decided to open his mouth again.

Ah… He felt a little bad. 

Think.. Think… Think… “Listen.. I know. Clear’s a little weird…” Good start. And by that he definitely meant innocent, pure and childlike. “B-But.. He really helped me out before..!” A shiver ran through him as he recalled the shadow that haunted him before Clear came around.. “Seriously, Clear saved me. I-I.. I really don’t know how I can ever pay him back.” A nervous laugh emitted from the demon tamer and he kinda shifted a little. Where was he going with this?

“But I’m not trying to get him into any trouble, honest… I wouldn’t do that to him. The least I can do is be his friend, right? So that’s all this is.. The Yellow Scarves, I mean.” 

No matter how many times he said it, it still sounded silly.

“I promise.. Uh.” Forget names for now. “N-Nothing bad will happen, alright? Honest.. I won’t let anything happen.”

What were his demons good for if they couldn’t protect a friend, right? 

houtsuin:

Well, it’s not actually lying. You wouldn’t do any good dead, and he needed you around if the idea of breaking free from the grasp of the scientists had any chance for success. 

It wasn’t outright manipulation, as Shijima dying meant heavy losses on his side - and Hibiki’s psyche. Daichi could be a strong pawn if placed in the correct situation with the correct motivations, as proven before. 

- “Your powers are almost ridiculous right now, and the same thing applies to everyone else. How do you think you will escape certain death?

If you do not realize the full consequences of your actions and whatever you are getting into, I highly doubt there will be another fate waiting for you, Shijima.”

But he spoke up. Good. A slight hint of a pleased smile appeared on the chief’s face, lingering there for a split second before his severe look occupied his expressions.

He wouldn’t be ‘his’ friend if he had no value, as proven by his infantile idea of turning his back on him and going with the few who supported his childish decision of a ‘new world’… 

Beaten and proven weak enough under his heel.

- “Surprise me.”

Not exactly acknowledging his worth, but not completely denying it either. Daichi seemed to far set on this idea to let go of it, so Yamato would simply see how this would unfold.  

The idea of being a.. Pawn… It wasn’t something that even crossed his mind. He was sure that Yamato wanted nothing to do with him. Making himself useful back then.. He really tried. And he’d gotten himself into one hopeless situation after another. Being helpful at all, especially in their current situation.. It really didn’t seem like it would be easy.

Again.. Again, Yamato mentioned death.

“I…”

Swallowing hard, Daichi held his tongue. Waiting for some sort of approval from the other. He spoke up. He did it.. Sorta stood up for himself.. But why? Why did he even need this guy’s approval? They weren’t in the same situation as before.. Yamato didn’t really have any power here either. They didn’t technically need each other in this place, did they? But then…

Hibiki. 

If Hibiki wanted to trust Yamato. Work together… Then who was he to argue. It was a relief to actually know people in Hive City. So sticking together would be the best idea, wouldn’t it? In order to survive anyway…

- “Surprise me.”

“Eh?”

At some point, Daichi had moved his gaze to his feet. Despite how he tried, he couldn’t keep eye contact. And as moments passed.. He couldn’t even look at Yamato. Too nervous! This guy… This guy was seriously scary. But what was he trying to say exactly? Was that supposed to be supportive? “Mm..—” At first he hesitated with an actual response. And then? He nodded quickly. “Y-Yes..!” Hell yes, he was taking this as a “show me what you can do, shijima”. And he’d be damned if he didn’t take this chance to prove himself!

He got a little brave then, a smile forming on his expression for the first time since this conversation began. 

“I… I’ll do my best, chief!”

wao so i’ve got a few indies following me and uh sorry guys but this isn’t my indie daichi! 

the blog you might wanna check out is this one here

but you can stay if you want.. i just don’t usually do indie interaction on this blog

“S-Seriously?! Well, I…”

“Sure, I guess… But..—”

He’s gunna get beaten up, isn’t he?

“Hibiki… And Io? Well, Hibiki’s my best friend..! I’d do anything for him, y’know? He’s a better guy than I am, that’s for sure… Haha..” After a short laugh, Daichi rubbed the back of his neck before thinking a little bit more.

“And Io.. W-Well. She’s strong… Cute. And she’s really smart! Ah.. I wonder if she’s OK with having a guy like me around.. N-Not that I’m.. Ahh! I mean that as her friend.. Hah.”

TO: AOBA
Subject: (((( ;°Д°))))

oh god i lost clear did he go see u. is this your number? aoba? i hope so ah…

At that point, Daichi found Clear and forgot about the message.

♫ - He’s a little intimidated by Aoba!! But he kinda admires him anyway. In a way. Hopefully not in a weird way. He just sees Aoba as braver than he is so of course he’d look up to him! And he’s dead set on proving that he won’t get Clear into any trouble, yep. Responsible tomo..