Chapter Text
"Messed it up again.."
Kenichi's son was depressed as today was the annual sports festival for in school, he had participated in the track competition representing his class, he was so excited, so happy he could finally live up to his fathers name, but he couldn't. The boy wasnt fast enough, he wasnt strong enough, and so he couldnt get second place let alone first.
"Dad..im sorry" hic hic
He was at the park, staying underneath the playground's slide so as he wasnt seen. After the festival instead of heading home Kenichi's son went here to let out his feelings, where no one could see him cry, to see him weak and pathetic. He wanted to be just like his father, but he just cant.
"I cant... be like you"
Truly the Kenichi's son couldnt be like his father.
.
.
[???]:RICARDO WAIT!!
But as Kenichi's son begins to exit the playground he hears the girls voice calling out, but before he could see who it was a dog was running towards him causing him to fall over to the ground.
[???]:oh my god are you okay?!
The girl tried but ultimately fails to reel the dog back and so she decided to tie it up to a nearby post before heading in to check on the boy
[???]:oh my god please dont be dead, i really cant have a criminal record so you better be fine!!"
Kenichi's son:...Im fine, please stop yelling into my ear
As he rose up he could finally take a look at the girl, She had a black blazer with a logo on the left chest and wore a skirt, she also seemed to be donning some kind of white fur hat ontop of her head and a star hairpin, but its hard for the boy to see it, seeing as he was looking up at her.
[???]:IM SO SORRY
The girl said while helping the boy up then bowing toward him, now the boy was sure it was a fur hat but it wasnt the only thing he had noticed
Kenichi's son: you're...very pretty
[???]:huh? im sorry what was that?
Kenichi's son: no-nothing
[???]: ?
He was right she is pretty, her purple hair paired with her blue eyes gave her an almost etherial look, almost as if she dosent belong in this world, paired that with her smile and kind looking eyes she looked liked the most beautiful woman Kenichi's son had ever seen! Infact his face started to turn red looking at this woman
Kenichi's son:Its fine really! ill be going now
The boy wanted to leave fast, it was already getting late and he dosent really want to talk to anyone right now, afraid he might offend them in some way while he was crying
[???]:Ah-Wait!
The girl runs toward him and grabs his hand
[???]:Atleast let me buy you something, theres a vending machine right over there. Its the least i could do for what my dog did to you!
The two now sit ontop of the swings with canned drinks in hand with the dog tied to one of swing set
Kenichi's son: his name is Ricardo right? i heard you yelling his name before i fell down
[???]:Yeah, sorry about him, he saw a squirrel and i couldnt stop him hehe♫...
The girl tried to lighten up the mood before deciding to ask
[???]:so.. why were you crying?
Damn it all! She knows! how can you be so stupid?! Now she thinks its her fault!
The boy looks away from the girl and to the ground
Kenichi's son: i... wasnt crying
[???]:im not an idiot, i could tell you where crying way before Ricardo tackled into you because you were underneath the slide, not many people go underneath slides unless they were playing hide and seek. Im also guessing thats because you didnt want anyone to catch you crying right? your nose and eyes are red so you mustve been crying for a while. And im willing to bet its got something to do with your schools sports festival? since you're wearing the same thing the fit n all.
The boy was stunned, they'd only just met for the first time and it feels like she can see right through him, and something deep down in the boy began to change as he realised that his patheticness was seen, by a girl no less! but it he didnt feel ashamed of it for somereason, maybe something about her was diffrent?
Kenichi's son:Onee-san... thats creepy
truly, the boy inherited his fathers charm
[???]:HEY! thats a bit rude y'know? i gotta be obeservant and quick thinking if i wanna make a good class prez, let alone a ceo...But enough about me! could you tell me what was bothering you? im a good listener y'know
Her tone shifted from playful to tender, like she was the boy's sister trying to cheer up her little brother
Kenichi's son:it... it was nothing important
[???]:Like hell it is!
She reaches out to hold the boys hand, squeezing it gently
[???]:If it'll, help i wont tell anyone
She shows a comforting smile towards the boy letting him decide if he should tell her or not
Kenichi's son:i-i got second to the last place in our schools track competition-
the boy begins to tear up squeezing her hand harder before fully letting his tears fall down to the ground
-last year i was able to get first but now? hic i couldnt even make second place, hic i cant be like my father, everyone likes him and he's way more faster, if he was to race instead of me my class definetly couldve won! but i just cant seem to be like him, no matter how hard i try, hes always stronger than me, more popular than me. I keep trying to be like him but.... i-i JUST CANT BE LIKE MY DAD!!
The boy finally lets the dam break, letting out all his bottled up emotions and crying his heart out, unlike underneath the slide where he tried to keep it in, this time it was fully rushing out, tears and snot running down his face and letting out the words he couldnt say outloud to anyone until now. For some reason the boy felt that he could fully trust this girl with this side of him, to let her see his pathetic side, for her to see all of him.
She let the moment pass before finally saying-
[???]:Honestly i cant understand boys
Saying this she gets up from the swing and starts walking infront of the boy facing towards him, and as the boy looks up at the girl she slaps him hard in the cheek catching him off guard. The boy was about to call the her names until he realised the girl was also close to tears
[???]: for such a stupid reason like that youve been crying for so long! you might be right actually! you really cant be like him! i may not know who your dad is but if i was talking to him i definetly wouldnt be so angry right now!
Suddenly the boy felt betrayed, where had the kind and caring big sister character go? the kind that would gently remind you to bring your lunch and tease you if you got caught talking to another girl? hes been scammed i tell you! where did that girl go!!
[???]: DId anyone asked you they wanted you to be just like your father?
Kenichi's son: um hic no
As the boy wipes away his tears the girl then looks up to the sky, closes her eyes and yells out-
[???]:THEN YOU REALLY ARE STUPID!!
She then cups the boy's cheeks into her palms, staring directly into his eyes
[???]:I cant believe im her almost crying because of a little boy sitting here crying over something so stupid!?-
Her eyes were fierce, the boy could see it, but with all the words she said he could feel how she wanted help him yelling so loud anyone nearby wouldve heard it but luckily it was only the two of them in the park right now
-Theres no one, absolutely NO ONE in this world who can tell you what you're supposed to be, You think your father wouldve won that race and made more friends than you? well ofcourse he would! hes an adult, a fully grown man!-
The girl now pinches the boys cheeks with every shout
-you really wanna be like your father? then go ahead and try to be just like him! but if it makes you cry on for hours on end underneath a slide? then you should probably change courses while you still can! like does your father do the taxes in your house?
Kenichi's son:um no, mom does it-
[???]:does he wash the dishes and do the laundry?
Kenichi's son:no he always breaks the plates so mom does it, but what does this have to do with-
[???]:see? your father isnt perfect, he might just be having the same thoughts you do right now. Scared that he might make a bad impression, that he cant live up to everyones expectations, that he one day he might get fired from his job and cant support the family
Though the girl was rough and a bit physical in consoling the boy, for some reason he understood what she was getting at. That the way hes been trying to reach his father was unhealthy and that no one was ever really perfect, his father was athletic and popular sure, but he couldnt go a day without mayonnaise or seen his own sons problems. The boy realised he'd been living trying to chase his father shadow not because the people around him wanted him to, but because he believed and thought that they wanted him to. Really the boy was an idiot... just like his father.
Letting go of the boy the girl walks back a bit, raising her arms and snapping her fingers towards him she says-
[???]: so now that you're not crying, and since i saved you from that wild dog and bought you soda, that means i earned a reward right?
Boy: huh wasnt the dog yours? also i dont have any money right now but if i scrounge up my allowance back home-
[???]:NOT THAT! i might be a business woman in the future but forcing money out of a kid who was crying a minute ago kinda crosses the line y'know? all i want is one thing
Boy:Then, what do you want?
Then with the wind blowing behind her, purple hair swaying in the wind and moving out of the way of her face showing her face had made the boy truly realize that she really is beautiful, her rosy cheeks, blue eyes and condfident smile, as if saying nothing will shake her will, that she'll always find a way even through the toughest of battles.
The (shorter but older)girl:Tell me your name, not your father's, not your mother's either, yours
Boy: its Sub-...no actually
The boy realizes what the girl's trying to get him to do, standing up and for the first time he does his signature pose
Subaru Natsuki: MY NAME IS SUBARU NATSUKI, AND THANKS TO YOU I REALIZED JUST HOW MUCH OF A BIG DUMB IDIOT I WAS. And thanks to you i learned my lesson now
The boy-no Subaru finishes wiping away his tears and stops crying, only then does he realises he dosent even know what the girls name was, embarassing how did he let out all his frustrations onto a girl he dosent even know?
[???]: Its Anastasia, Anastasia Hoshin i go to Lugunica high, im a first year there
Subaru: thank you, i mean it, i really appreciate you quite literally slapping sense into me
Anastasia lets out a small chuckle, hearing this Subaru believed it to be the best sound in the world. And unbeknownst to the both of them, it would be a meeting that would change their lives completely. it was also the moment where, little Subaru's preferences were ruined
Anastasia:Now!
clapping her hands together she turns around facing away from Subaru, not wanting him to see her tiny blush, really now girl get a hold of yourself hes just a kid
Anastasia:Ricardo its about time we-
Looking where she tied Ricardo up she could only find a his leash that looks like he tore apart, and in the distance she could see the dog chasing after a cat now, why couldnt she have gotten a less energetic pet?
Anastasia: ah... shit
But before she could chase after him Subaru was already gunning for it
Subaru: Just stay here! ill be sure to bring him back soon!
Anastasia looked onwards toward the boy, with his back turned to her and running forwards even if he couldnt catch up to the dog, this wasnt a bad look for him she thought
Anastasia:Haaah you really are an Idiot....♡
NATSUKI HOUSEHOLD
The door opens to the Natsuki household, And as subaru steps in he could hear his father walking towards him
Kenichi:Subaru! we've been so worried youve been gone for hours-WOAH what happened?! did you get into a fight or something?
Subaru's once clean t-shirt was now tracked with mud, his hair ruffled and his left cheek was red, he also smelled a bit like a dog
Subaru: nothing much...actually I just met a girl is all.
Kenichi was about to ask for more details until he noticed that his son had a small smile on his face, well he guesses he could let it slide, the kid is nearing that age where boys begin to see girls in a diffrent light. But still though, what happened?
In his room Subaru lays down on his bad staring at the ceiling today had been a memorable day, something inside tells him he probably wont ever forget about her, pulling out a small white handkerchief and lifting it up, embroidered with the name 「 Ana 」on the corner, she had given it to him so he could wipe off the dirt from his face. But for some reason he didnt, the handkerchief still kept its whiteness
Subaru:She...might be the prettiest girl ive ever met
Pulling the handkerchief close to him
JUUKULIUS HOUSEHOLD
Anastasia had just come back into her foster familys house after walking the dog, yes foster, Anastasia had once been an orphan but because of her exceptional grades and business ability she was able to be adopted by a familt, the Hoshin? the name of the orhanage she grew up in, she had asked her foster parents to keep it and they agreed, it was a way to remind her of where she started from.
Anastasia:im Home!
A voice from the hallway replied
Julius:Ah welcome back
Julius was the eldest son of the Juukulius family, 15 and a master kendo swordmanship with perfect manners and a handsome face, one would believe Anastasia was secretely madly inlove with him, but-
Anastasia: you reek of sweat, take a bath big bro
Pinching her nose she exagaratedly shuffles away from him holding a hand out, signaling him to stop getting closer to her
Julius: truly you, you always speak your mind. Hm?
Julius had noticed Ricardo tired out, normally he'd still be full of energy but now the pet just goes down onto his bed and plops down
Julius: huh never thought id see the day Ricardo was tired, What happened?
Anastasia was now in the fridge opening a carton of orange juice and pouring herself a drink
Anastasia: Met a kid is all, chased Ricardo round the park for hours... and he was kind of cute
MEAN WHILE IN A CERTAIN THEATRE
Anastasia: AGHHHHHHHHHHHH
Having just watched herself say that embarassing line at the end she had wished to be nothing but dust and bones at the moment
Al: So if bro's the lolimancer, does this make her the Shotamancer? what do you think bro?
Al holds an imaginary mictowards Ricardo
Ricardo: Why am i an actual dog
Rem: So if i wish to change Subaru-kuns preferences going back in time and giving him a pep talk while he was young would do it, okay duly noted
Alpha: I really hope you dont do that actually