Post-Once Upon PSL Post

[gemuinemanagement]

[Welcome to Azakawa.

It's a small village tucked away in the mountains. There's really nothing particularly notable about it, except maybe for the more spiritually sensitive who will hear the hate and resentment coming from the spirits of the forest if they get near. (But Suga will tell you not to get near.)

The museum is usually near-empty save for Suga and C-ta, and sometimes Pericles if he's visiting. Suga will foist glowstone charms off on anyone who visits - he has enough to spare and he's happy to finally be able to do something to protect his friends. You can read about the history of the village and the Kotori Obake.

Every now and then you'll overhear something unpleasant - like a village official telling Suga to give up on his superstitious nonsense and let the museum be torn down already, it's not his problem that Suga is too creepy to get another job. Suga seems entirely used to this kind of treatment.

It's not a big deal. He has friends here now, and he's happy. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks of him.]

Comments

[mearry]

[ the hug is nice. it helps ground him a little more, and yuuta holds him back tightly, his hands trembling slightly. ]

It’s… it’s not your fault… [ he shakes his head. ] It’s okay. I’m fine.

[gemuinemanagement]

...You don't have to be fine. If you're scared, or hurt, that's okay. You can tell me.

[mearry]

[ … ]

Isn’t it a little dumb to be afraid of something I can’t even see?

[gemuinemanagement]

No? It's pretty sensible if that thing can still hurt you.

[Which it definitely could have - the shattered pendant is proof that it almost did.]

[mearry]

[ it’s sensible, isn’t it? and yet yuuta feels like an idiot for feeling afraid of them. but it’s not just them, but also about the memories the incident uncovered; both of the place they had come from and of the demise game.

are a-ya, b-ko, and d-ne among those resentful spirits? would they curse him for what he did?

he shudders, taking in a shaky breath. ]

I just… I feel sick.

[gemuinemanagement]

[Gently, Suga rubs his shoulders. He doesn't know exactly what Yuuta's thinking, but...]

Lie down with me for a while.

[mearry]

[ he nods, reluctantly pulling himself away from suga.

he will hold his hand instead, letting himself be led. ]

[gemuinemanagement]

[Suga squeezes his hand, as much to reassure himself as to reassure Yuuta. He's here, he's safe.

He leads him to their bedroom and tugs him onto the bed, clinging to him once again.]

[mearry]

[ …

yuuta clings back, almost as if afraid that suga will be gone if he lets go. ]

Do you… do you think they hate me? For not dying with them?

[ his friends, he means. the ones he left behind. ]

[gemuinemanagement]

They don't.

[There's conviction in his voice.]

They're your friends. They wouldn't begrudge you surviving by a miracle.

[mearry]

...

[ well, at least one of them is sure of that. ]

I thought that...maybe we could have rescued them. Like...like if time had paused or something like that. But when we found out that time had passed I...had no choice but to accept it. They're probably dead by now.

[gemuinemanagement]

It was a good thought. I would've let them come here too.

[But that's not how things happened.]

[mearry]

Haha…that would’ve been something for sure. I’d say they’re not the type of people you should befriend, but… maybe you would have. You’ve made worse friends, I think.

[ alexei. no he’s not counting himself. ]

[gemuinemanagement]

[What did Alexei ever do to you.]

They're your friends, so I'd have liked to get to know them, at least.

[mearry]

[ make raven kill.

yuuta smiles wryly. ]

Well I didn’t know them much, aside from A-ya. And he is—was—a bit difficult for most to like, I guess.

[gemuinemanagement]

He's someone you love. So he's important to me too.

[mearry]

…

[ love…

that’s a bit awkward when your boyfriend says it. ]

I-I guess…

[gemuinemanagement]

[...he's realizing now that he's said it that he's super awkward.]

...I mean, um...

[mearry]

[ well, from yuuta’s laugh, it seems that he’s not insulted at least. ]

Glad to know that at least one question got answered. Ah, maybe a second one too, actually.

[gemuinemanagement]

What do you mean?

[mearry]

SQ-chan and I had talked about it. I was veeery out of it, mind you, but I wanted to cheer her up— [ since they were days away from being executed ] —so I think we started to talk about me dating the two of you?

[gemuinemanagement]

[................................................................................................................................

they could team up on yuuta]

[mearry]

[ …? ] Koutarou? Did I say something wrong?

[gemuinemanagement]

[yuuta sandwich yuuta sandwich yuuta sandwich]

N-no, I'm just surprised you'd joke around like that...

[mearry]

Ah, well…

[ uh. ]

I-I guess that’s what happens with bloodloss and a meltdown…

[ he can joke about his trauma, right? ]

But um… you’re not… wrong. I love—loved him. And I love you.