amnesiac

by orphan_account

Summary:

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

kusanagi nene lost her memories
kusanagi nene is lost in a new place
kusanagi nene wants her memories back
kusanagi nene meets a magician

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

or: my take on a fantasy au
inconsistent uploads

Notes:

enjoy <3

Chapter 1: the mysterious girl and the magician

The girl awoke, sitting up straight away and breathing heavily from what seemed like a bad dream. 

She whipped her head around hastily to view the near vicinity. 

It was bright, and she had to squint to observe her surroundings.

Trees encased the clearing of flowers, verdant and vibrant. The grass acted as a surprisingly soft cushion underneath her. No itchy spikes, just soft green straw.

She lifted a hand to her forehead, trying to catch her breath.

The girl was unable to recall much of anything prior to her current situation. She couldn't remember her family, and friends, or anything, really.

How long had she been out here? Her heartbeat quickened as she attempted to understand her current circumstances.

Even so, the booming sun was unforgiving and gave a good reason to find a shady place to rest and breathe.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The girl leaned back on the large tree trunk, sighing contentedly in the cool darkness. 

There was the ever so frightening thought of bugs crawling onto her while she reclined against the bark, but she couldn’t care less under the hot sun of the day.

She peeked her eyes open.

In a small puddle, she could look at herself.

Long silky green hair crowned her tanned face and a nice turquoise cloak that draped over her body brought out her sharp purple eyes. It had yellow sleeves and a similarly colored collar.

A brown satchel was slung across her shoulder. She looked innocent and, frankly, quite shy—

“BWOOOSH!”

She was cut out of her thoughts when something flew overhead and caused all of the vegetation to shake and rustle violently. Her sage hair whipped around her and she blocked her face with her arms to avoid dust from getting in her eyes.

She stumbled out from under the tree’s cover in her panic, her pupils needing to readjust to the bright sunlight again. Her gaze landed on a grey dragon— DRAGON?!

“E-Eh?!” she gasped.

On further examination, there seemed to be someone riding on the back of the beast, but the creature soon flew beyond the shrub, out of view.

“W-What the…?” the girl murmured, her voice raspy from the lack of use.

She continued to look in the reptile’s direction. She contemplated following it since it could lead to fellow human life, however that would have to rely on her brief sighting of a person atop the serpent. Would it be worth the risk of getting lost in these dense woods? 

Though her choice was already made because as  soon as she stepped forward, a hand on her shoulder pulled her back.

“Wait!” a high pitched voice cut through the air. “You don’t wanna go out there!!”

The girl whipped her head around, her eyes wide with shock.

She took in the brown-haired girl’s appearance and calmed down. She at least appeared kind and caring, wearing light and bright colors. Her outfit consisted of frills and ruffles, further emphasizing her childish appearance.

“Who… are you?” softly spoke the green-haired girl.

The brunette smiled cheerfully. “The people refer to me as the sun-kissed magician!” she unsheathed a kind of wand that looked like it came straight from a cartoon. “But you can call me Hanasato!”

That magician’s introduction sounded practiced and composed.

“Hanasato…” the girl in green echoed, her eyes giving a glare with a tinge of suspicion at the girl.

“What’s your name?” Hanasato chirped with a hop.

The girl bit her lip and went quiet, deep in thought. What was her name? She wished she could answer Hanasato.

She could just call something out? No, that would be too risky.

But it wasn’t like she had much of a choice.

Hanasato tilted her head curiously at the girl’s long pause. The girl in question sucked in a breath to ease herself as she pondered.

She saw her appearance earlier in the pool of water, so if she could just think of something really fast…

“I-I’m Kusanagi.”

Really?! she scolded herself, hoping her mortification wasn’t visible. Naming myself after some sword? How embarrassing…

Hanasato smiled. “It’s nice to meet you too, Kusanagi-chan!”

Kusanagi forced her lips to play into a smile as she hummed in response.

“ROOAR!”

The thunderous sound made both Kusanagi and Hanasato jump.

Hanasato took the other girl’s hand and began to run into the underbrush, “We shouldn’t hang around here! I’ll take you to the village!!”

Kusanagi stumbled for a moment before sprinting alongside the magician. Going to a village didn’t sound too bad.

Wait, is she really just gonna trust this girl?!

“Where are, pant, we going?!” Kusanagi squawked as her pace began to slow.

Hanasato giggled, “My hometown!”

Kusanagi probably had a better chance with that dragon.

She didn’t really have a choice, though, now that she was trapped in Hanasato’s grip. 

And she wouldn’t have a good chance of running away with her current stamina.

To her dismay, there was much more dashing to be done, as they continued to gallop past trees and narrowly avoid tripping over roots or other overthrown foliage.

Kusanagi’s breathing began to stagger and her footing faltered. How long had they been running again?

Without warning, Hanasato screeched to a stop, nearly causing Kusanagi to trip over her own feet.

“Here we are!” she cheered. “Scramble Village!”

Chapter 2: scrambling

Summary:

more running for kusanagi

Notes:

yahoo lesbians

 

Kusanagi looked around.

Scramble Village was a cheerful place, these colorful critters running about like children.

The stores at the marketplace were warm and welcoming.

The scent of freshly baked pastries wafted through the crisp air, bringing a smile to peoples’ faces.

The buildings reminded Kusanagi of cottages, the paint and material of the houses exuding a cozy and friendly vibe.

That is, until you saw what the tall, long lane of smooth stone stairs led to.

Contrasting heavily from the rest of the town stood a large marble palace.

It radiated ‘intimidating’ and ‘cold,’ looming eerily over the village.

Kusanagi suppressed a gasp of awe and fear of what could be inside.

Hanasato tapped Kusanagi’s shoulder, which brought her back to reality.

“It’s nice, right?” Hanasato grinned with bright grey eyes, referring to the town. “So warm and homey!”

Oh, right.

Kusanagi gave a curt nod, secretly afraid of the girl’s intentions.

She gave a cheeky smile. “C’mon, you should meet Haruka!”

The magician gestured for Kusanagi to follow her, then ran along the pebbled path. The green-haired squeaked and chased from behind, not quite recovered from the previous sprint.

“Haruka-chaaan!~” Hanasato called out, waving enthusiastically.

Kusanagi squinted her eyes to look in the direction of Hanasato’s gaze and spotted a woman in blue. She was helping a huddle of little turquoise penguins across the road. Atop her head sat a blue point-tipped hat.

Could she be…

“...A witch?” Kusanagi breathed as she and the brunette approached the lady.

The so-called ‘Haruka’ looked up at the call of her name and sighed. “Hanasato, what did I tell you about using my given name so openly?” she chided, putting a hand on her hip. “You never know who could be listening.”

“S-Sorry! I keep forgetting…”Hanasato apologized.

Haruka huffed. She glanced over and noticed the second figure near Hanasato.

She turned to Kusanagi, who hadn’t even realized Haruka noticed her, suddenly wearing a calm and considerate smile. “Hello there. What’s your name?”

Kusanagi was caught off guard by the woman’s sudden interaction. “I-I’m Kusanagi Ne—”

“Ah,” Haruka interrupted with the lift of her hand. “You must be unfamiliar with this! Be wary of who you tell your name to. Given name, specifically. A sorcerer could cast a curse on you!”

Haruka placed a finger over her lips with a small wink. “It’s a witch’s greatest secret~”

Witch’s..? But I’m not a witch… Kusanagi thought.

She then chuckled lightly, dropping her seemingly serious demeanor along with her hand. “Though, you already know my name.” Haruka glared playfully at Hanasato, who laughed nervously. “I would prefer it if you called me Kiritani.”

Kusanagi nodded and smiled gently. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Kiritani.”

Then, a lady with pale teal hair rushed outside from a restaurant. She wore warm autumn-y colors and a white apron.

A waitress, Kusanagi presumed.

The supposed waitress hurried to hug Haru– Kiritani, her arms snaking around the witch’s waist.

“I’m on break, Haruka~” she called with an airy voice.

Kiritani sighed deeply at the use of her name once again. The witch scolded the waitress lightly as Kusanagi looked at Hanasato.

“Who is she?”

Hanasato grinned excitedly. “That’s Shi—” she stopped herself to think about her next words. Then she started again. “That’s Hinomori-san! She’s the most popular waitress at the Lucky Rabbit!”

Hanasato pointed at a bustling restaurant to her left, seemingly filled with people. It was styled with a Japanese glint, the floors lined with tatami and the walls looking to be made of wood and ricepaper.

“Kiritani works at the alchemist’s next door!” she exclaimed with a gesture to the neighboring building.

Kusanagi looked past the restaurant, and saw a building with no distinctive labels besides a large potion symbol on it.

The alchemer’s had a darker color palette than the other nearby buildings, making it stand out. Next to the door was a hexagonal garden window protruding out from the rest of the brown stores. It was made almost entirely of windows, several colorful plants seen growing from the inside.

A few citizens wandered in and out of the parlor, a tall figure seen greeting them from inside the garden window.

One of Kiritani’s coworkers, Kusanagi assumed.

Hanasato hopped in front  of her view, catching her attention once more. “So, what do you do? Like, as in your job!”

Kusanagi’s voice softened and wavered, her posture shrinking. ”I… don’t know. Or… I don’t have one? I can’t remember,” she explained with the shake of her head.

The magician nodded in thought, bringing a hand to her chin. She snapped her fingers suddenly, causing Kusanagi to jump.

“I’ve got it!” she beamed with shimmery eyes. “We can try different kinds of work, until you find the one meant for you!”

“Wait, hold on—eep!” Kusanagi yelped before being dragged off by the hand.

Kiritani looked up as the girls ran off, still locked in Hinomori’s embrace. She smiled gently and brought the floaty waitress back inside. 

Notes:

the chapters will get longer from here trust!!

Chapter 3: an unexpected duel?!

Summary:

kusanagi meets the white knights

Notes:

platonic emukasa...

 

Kusanagi and Hanasato winded through Scramble Village, swerving left and right.

They bound up the possibly hundreds of marble steps that led to the palace, hand-in-hand.

Kusanagi heaved as they ran, reminded of how out of shape she was.

“Where… are we going… haah, n-now?!” Kusanagi shrieked, clutching Hanasato’s hand like a lifeline.

Hanasato grinned and pointed to the left wing of the castle.

“The knights should be training today!” she exclaimed enthusiastically, her voice unwavering.

Extroverts… Kusanagi thought with a frightened expression.

The marble floor became a grassy terrace as Hanasato slowed to a walk.

Kusanagi paused to catch her breath, hunched over with hands on her knees.

“W-Warn me next time you start sprinting away…” she gasped wearily.

She raised her head and was surprised to see several knights dressed head to toe in whites and greys with golden accents.

A particularly loud laugh rang out and both Kusanagi and an orange-haired knight covered their ears. He seemed to start scolding the loud one.

Meanwhile, Hanasato ran over to a triad of knights, ultimately leading Kusanagi to follow.

The group consisted of the loud blond, the grumpy ginger, and a bubbly pinkette.

“Hi, Tenma-kun, Shinonome-kun!” Hanasato chirped, waving excitedly.

She glanced at the short pink girl with a bright smile. “Is this a new recruit? I’m Hanasato!!”

The supposed newbie grinned. “Hehehe, Otori’s the name!! Wonderhoy!!!” Otori beamed, pouncing on Hanasato.

The blondie groaned dramatically, peeling Otori off of the magician. “She’s not a knight, just the court jester. But she insisted on wearing one of the knight uniforms, so here we are.”

The ginger grumbled an annoyed complaint under his breath and crossed his arms.

The noisy knight unfortunately spotted Kusanagi and smiled radiantly.

“Ah, greetings, miss! It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance! I am Tenma, the strongest of the White Knights!”

Kusanagi’s face scrunched up and she nodded awkwardly. “Yeah… nice to meet you.”

Hanasato gasped, suddenly reminded, “Eek! I haven’t introduced any of you guys!”

The magician gestured between Kusanagi and the ginger. “Kusanagi, this is  Shinonome! Shinonome, this is Kusanagi!”

Suddenly, Otori jumped up and hugged Kusanagi with an iron grip. Kusanagi yelped.

“It’s so nice to meet you, Kusanagi-chan!!”

“Y-Yeah,” the girl in question wheezed.

Once again, Tenma tugged Otori off.

Shinonome let out an exasperated sigh. He turned to the magician and the girl.

“What business do you have with us?” he asked with a tinge of annoyance, struggling to ignore Tenma and Otori’s kiddy fight in the background.

“Oh yeah! Kusanagi here has amnesia!!” Hanasato urged.

Kusanagi’s eyes widened and she shook her head frantically. “I-I do not! I think…”

Hanasato easily brushed off her comment. “She needs help remembering stuff! So, can we have her try sword fighting to jog her memory?”

Shinonome seemed a bit confused and he scratched his cheek before he nodded.

“I don’t see how sword fighting would help…” he glared at the bickering knights behind him and rubbed his forehead with closed eyes. “Sigh… But it couldn’t hurt to try. Come on.”

Shinonome led the girls to a back shed with uniforms, swords, daggers of all kinds, and, weirdly enough, murky red potions.

Shinonome took down a sword and a set of armor, holding it out to Kusanagi.

“Here, put these on. Did you want to try too, Hanasato?”

Hanasato shook her head with a weary smile. “The last time I handled a sword it didn’t go too well… I’ll pass!”

Shinonome hummed with the lift of his head, not questioning further.

Kusanagi took the items and held them to her chest.

“Is there a place where I can change?” Kusanagi mumbled.

The irritable knight pointed to the showers behind him. “You can close the curtain when you're in there.”

Kusanagi quickly rushed off and slid the curtain shut. She clutched the armor and the uniform close, the weight of the situation crashing down on her.

One, she had no idea where she was and why she’s here.

Two, she had no memory of her life, or her connections,  or other aspects of herself.

Three, she’d been randomly trusting a bubbly magician who’d been dragging her across town! Not to mention the existence of magic and dragons!

Her breathing and heartbeat hastened.

“What the hell…?” Kusanagi groaned, sinking down to the concrete floor.

She massaged her head. Had she always been this naive? She wouldn’t be surprised if she got herself killed in a past life due to her trustfulness.

These people didn't seem to have ill-intent, but Kusanagi couldn't be sure. It'd barely been over a few hours since she met Hanasato, yet she was so willing and ready to help.

Kusanagi fiddled with the ends of her jade hair and she sighed. “Why is this happening to me…”

A knock echoed through the empty bath house, scaring Kusanagi out of her skin.

“Oi, are you done?” Shinonome barked. Kusanagi could imagine the displeasure on his face.

“A-Almost!” she lied. “J-Just give me a moment!”

She hurried to her feet and removed her cloak and dress, slipping on the white uniform and padding. She wore her bag, which she earlier found was empty, over it.

Surely it would be okay… for now.

She scurried outside and dusted off her sleek pants.

“Sorry for the wait,” Kusanagi mumbled nervously.

It appeared that Tenma and Otori had finally ceased their fight and stood beside Shinonome.

“I told them about your… situation,” he began. “They’d be glad to help.”

Hanasato clasped her hands together. “Wonderful! Let’s get right to work!”

And that’s how Kusanagi—a very slim and weak girl—found herself sparring against the “strongest, bravest, most awesome star knight in the kingdom,” in Tenma’s words. The sound of clashing metal echoed off the smooth white walls of the castle.

Kusanagi was slowly growing more clumsy, her movements groggy and inaccurate.

Then, Tenma struck forward in a way that made Kusanagi’s blade barrel into the air. Her eyes followed the weapon until it clattered on the floor.

Tenma sheathed his sword and laughed pridefully. “Hahaha! You made a valiant effort, Kusanagi-chan!”

Kusanagi collapsed onto the floor, panting heavily. Hanasato kneeled down next to her.

“So, are you remembering anything new?” she asked, looking down curiously. Kusanagi shook her head.

The magician outstretched her hand to the tired girl, which she took gratefully. “I think that’s enough sword fighting for me.”

Hanasato nodded. “Alright! Go change, and we can head back!”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The girls waved goodbye to Otori, Tenma, and Shinonome. The amount of stairs, now that Kusanagi looked at them, was dauntingly many. She stumbled down each horrid step, her legs burning for a break.

But Hanasato carried on.

She swore she almost collapsed again when they reached the bottom. Hanasato noticed her condition and grabbed her hand again.

“Hold on tight, okay?”

Kusanagi blinked, fully expecting to be dragged along again when she felt the ground beneath her disappear.

But… she wasn’t falling.

No, in fact, she was flying.

Kusanagi gasped and tightened her grasp on Hanasato’s hand. Then she noticed Hanasato, too, was flying in the air.

“H-HanasAAATOO!!” Kusanagi screeched when they suddenly darted forward, zooming over Scramble Village.

Amidst her fear, though, Kusanagi had to admit the view was gorgeous. It was getting late, the sun beginning to set beneath the horizon. Because of this, the lights of buildings illuminated the humble town. The roofs’ triangular shapes were elegant and the color went from a maroon to an off-violet.

Trailing behind them were golden flower petals, which seemed to be propelling them forward. Her green cloak fluttered behind her.

Slowly, and scarily, they descended.

Hanasato landed nicely on her toes, surprisingly gracefully.

Meanwhile, Kusanagi stumbled with wobbly legs.

“Need to regain your land legs, right?” Hanasato commented coolly, already walking to the alchemist’s. “I had that same thing my first time too.”

“W-Wait! You could fly this entire time?!” Kusanagi stuttered, rushing to Hanasato’s side.

“Mhm!” she sang plainly as she swung the door open. “Kiritan-! Eh?”

Sitting at the front desk was that same man from earlier. He had a mildly shocked expression, but he cleared his throat and plastered a smooth smile on his face.

“Greetings,” he said. “You must be Hanasato. I’m Kamishiro, Kiritani-san’s newest hire.”

Hanasato smiled quickly after he introduced himself. “Yeah! It’s nice to meet you, Kamishiro-kun!”

She adapted so easily… Kusanagi remarked.

“A pleasure,” he replied effortlessly. Kamishiro leaned to the side to view the girl behind Hanasato with a catty grin. “And you must be Kusanagi. Kiritani-san mentioned you!”

Kusanagi nodded briefly, avoiding eye contact with the odd fellow.

He chuckled and sat up straight again. “How may I assist you, gals?”

Kusanagi looked to Hanasato for the answer, unsure herself.

“I was looking for Haruka-chan, actually!” Hanasato explained.

As she spoke, Kamishiro combed back his purple hair, which brought Kusanagi’s attention to his uneven locks.

“Did he cut it himself?” she wondered, tuning out Hanasato’s rambling.

Kamishiro walked around the desk and to a large, tropical plant. Kusanagi’s eyes followed him as he knelt down and tended to its leaves and watered the soil with a petite yellow watering can.

“-so Kusanagi needs somewhere to stay! I wanted to ask Kiritani about it!” Hanasato’s words faded back into view.

“Somewhere to stay, hm?”

The sorcerer dusted off his hands and stood up, his knees cracking.

“I have a friend who would surely be glad to have you.”

“Really?” Kusanagi spoke, subtly surprised.

“Of course! Here, I can bring you to her place right now.”

Kusanagi smiled slightly, a blush forming. “That would be great.”

Notes:

sorry to anyone who expected knight mizu, not today!!

Chapter 4: his roommate

Summary:

kusanagi finds her new home

Notes:

ruinene, if you squint

 

Kamishiro waved his hand dismissively, as if to say ‘don’t worry about it,’ before turning to Hanasato.

“Kiritani-san is in the back room, if you’d like to see her. I can take Miss Kusanagi to my friend’s home.”

 

Hanasato glanced at Kusanagi. “Would that be alright?” she asked with a caring look.

Kusanagi shrugged. “I’ll be fine. I can fend for myself if this guy tries anything,” she spoke, motioning to Kamishiro lazily.

The sorcerer in question put his hands to his heart emotionally as if he was shot by Kusanagi’s words, a crocodile tear falling from his eye.

“How awful for Kusanagi to assume!” he sniffled. “Why do you think the worst of me..?”

Kusanagi scoffed, smiling despite it all.

Hanasato snickered and nodded. “If you’re alright with it, then I guess! See you tomorrow, Kusanagi-chan!”

Kusanagi waved goodbye as Hanasato disappeared behind the counter. She sighed and turned back to Kamishiro. But he was gone.

“Eh? K-Kamishiro-kun?”

Then, he popped back into view by the door, sparkling red… things appearing around him. He laughed cautiously.

“Sorry, Kusanagi-chan. You looked like a witch with your…” he gestured to her clothes, focusing on the blue-green cloak. “So I assumed and teleported there.”

He rubbed his nape. “My apologies again, Kusanagi.”

Kusanagi shook her head. “D-Don’t worry about it. It’s fine, really!”

Kamishiro exhaled in relief. He beckoned for Kusanagi to follow. “I’ll walk you to my friend’s place so you know how to get there.”

He pushed the door open and held it for Kusanagi, to which she began to walk down the street, the atmosphere quiet and warm because of orange lit lamp posts. The two remained silent on their walk, the only thing breaking the tension being the click of their heels on the cobble road.

Kamishiro hummed to himself, expression soft and thoughtful unlike his catty face back in the shop. Kusanagi felt awkward and anxious under the thickness of the air.

“You seem troubled, Kusanagi-chan,” he murmured, not making eye contact.

She jumped at the sound of his voice but she quickly responded. “Uh… how so?”

Kamishiro shrugged his shoulders. “You were tense. I suppose I can give you an overview of your new roomie,” he smirked and began to list off characteristics.

“She’s outgoing, mildly secretive, and teasing, but she makes up for it in kindness and overall brightness.”

They took a left turn and kept walking.

“So she’s an extrovert?... I’m in for a ride…” Kusanagi thought with a shudder.

Then she shook her head with a confused expression. Why did she have such an instinctive aversion to extroverted people?

Kamishiro continued, not noticing Kusanagi’s internal questioning. “Very talented girl. She’s quite musically inclined.”

 

Kusanagi nodded along, eyes trained on the rocky floor. But she did perk up a little at ‘music . ’

She wondered if she was interested in music or perhaps singing in her past life. Maybe she was a songstress.

Kamishiro put a hand to his chin, smiling melancholically. “Though, she tends to hide parts of herself in our occasional meetings. Figuratively, I mean.”

“I predict you two will be good for each other,” he hummed with a smile.

Before Kusanagi had a chance to react, the sorcerer grabbed the strap of her bag and halted their steps.

“We’re here!”

After Kusanagi got over her huff of annoyance, she saw that the house wasn’t noticeably different from the rest of the homes in the neighborhood, keeping in line with the wooden beige and the muddy greys. It was a charming size, not too big and not too small. Kusanagi could see, though, that each window was cupped by a silky pink curtain from the inside.

Kamishiro rapped his knuckles on the door with three resounding knocks.

Not much later, the door opened.

Out stepped a girl with pastel pink hair and eyes. She was laced in blues and whites, wearing a cute skirt that bounced as she walked. She wore a bright smile.

“Oh? What brings you here tonight, Rui?” she spoke curiously.

“Mizuki! I have but one request. You owe me, yes?~” Kamishiro purred slyly.

The girl, Mizuki, Kusanagi assumed, finally noticed Kusanagi and raised an eyebrow, eyes shifting between the two figures in front of her.

“Ah-this,” Kamishiro gestured to the aforementioned girl.”Is Kusanagi-chan. She’s part of my favor.”

 

Mizuki hummed questioningly, urging Kamishiro to continue with the wave of her hand.

“Kusanagi-chan here needs somewhere to stay. She’s… a newcomer, you could say.”

Kusanagi nodded pressingly in hopes of enhancing their offer.

“So… will you?” Kamishiro batted his eyes at Mizuki with some sort of puppy dog eyes.

Mizuki snickered cheekily at Kamishiro’s unnaturally large pupils. “Geez, learning from Emu-chan, are we?”

When the sorcerer persisted in his efforts, she sighed deeply and glanced at Kusanagi. 

Now, Kusanagi wasn’t doing anything in particular, but whatever it was, it worked. Mizuki’s face warmed and she smiled gently.

“... I’ll do it. But just so you know, it wasn’t because of you, ya’ idiot!” she chortled, smacking his head playfully. It was a weak attempt, though, as Kamishiro was much taller than both of the girls.

Kamishiro grinned appreciatively. “Then it’s settled! I will be off now, as it’s getting too late for my liking. Enjoy, girls.”

Mizuki waved goodbye to Kamishiro before examining Kusanagi closely. She proceeded to smile and hold her hand out to her. “The name’s Akiyama Mizuki!”

Kusanagi grasped Akiyama’s hand and shook it gingerly.

“Kusanagi…” she mumbled.

“Hmmm? Nagi?” Akiyama questioned with the tilt of her head.

“Kusanagi,” she corrected, speaking louder.

Akiyama plastered another grin onto her face. “Mm! Nice to meet you!”

Kusanagi noticed that their hand was soft, as if there was a lot of work that went into making them feel that way.

She glanced down at their clasped hands and retracted her own, unable to meet the other girl’s eyes.

Akiyama took Kusanagi’s palm again and tugged her into her house. “I’ll show you to your room, Nagi-chan! I can call you Nagi-chan, right?”

Kusanagi’s face heated up at Akiyama’s forward actions and she reluctantly nodded.

As they walked, Kusanagi couldn’t help but take note of the way Akiyama’s pale, mid-length hair swayed in tandem with her frilly blue skirt. Their shoes clicked on the floor, providing white noise to cover up the embarrassing silence.

“I can feel you staring~” Akiyama teased, squeezing Kusanagi’s hand which caused the green-haired girl to jolt.

Kusanagi decided that was enough examination for her new roomie. She hoped her hand wasn’t too sweaty.

Akiyama pushed open the door to a very pink room that looked like a unicorn exploded inside of it. The walls were white and the room was barely lit by small table lamps that were placed atop a dresser beside the bed. Kusanagi was mildly shocked by the sheer amount of pink decorations, but shook it off.

Akiyama released Kusanagi’s hand and spun to face her. “Cute, right? You can sleep here tonight, and I’ll take the couch.”

Kusanagi opened her mouth to protest, but Akiyama tutted, “For now, at least! Until I can find something better.”

She smiled. “Plus, you need to rest up! I’m sure you’ve had a long day.”

Kusanagi closed her mouth. “Fine.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kusanagi quickly settled into Akiyama’s room, not that she had much to unpack.

She dropped her sling bag onto the floor. She slipped out of her sapphire cloak and draped it over the footboard, allowing it to dry off sweat. She sat at the edge of the bed, unsure of what to do with herself. 

She could shower? But that felt too needy for her to do on the first day— first night, really— at a stranger’s house.

She clicked off the nightlight and laid back onto the comforter with a soft grunt.

There she went again, blindly trusting strangers with what could be her life. Who knows what Akiyama could try to do?

She placed her palms over her eyes and pressed down to ease her growing headache. Kusanagi just needed a break. Some time to collect herself.

Kusanagi rolled over and aligned herself with the bed. She outstretched her arms and stared blankly at the ceiling, inspecting each ditch and every imperfection on the white stone. 

The room was dark, save for the dim glow of the outside lamp posts entering from the window above Kusanagi. The idea of what tomorrow would bring brought both fear and curiosity to her. 

Just today she met many, many people. 

Hanasato, Kiritani, Hinomori, Otori, Tenma, Shinonome, Kamishiro, and now Akiyama, her new roommate.

But she couldn’t shake off the fact that she had lost all memory of her life. 

It made her really think about reincarnation. 

She could have sworn the last time she checked, dragons and mythical magic didn’t exist. 

However, it could be fully possible that they did exist, and Kusanagi just couldn’t recall. Was there some kind of condition to call this?

“Whatever…” Kusanagi muttered, shifting onto her side. She closed her eyes.

It was getting too late for this.

 

 

 

DAY 1: -ˋˏ COMPLETE! ˎˊ˗

DAYS UNTIL 𓁹 ARRIVAL: 7

Notes:

not the BEST at writing thoughts like this, so hope this was good enough

stay tuned, i have lots more planned :3

Chapter 5: one moment of rest

Summary:

kusanagi x akiyama shenanigans

Notes:

this chapter can be skipped if you aren't into mizunene! i wanted to indulge a little bit :3

 

The girl awoke with the sun, disgustingly earlier than she would’ve liked.

What a start to a bad day.

She found the heavy pink comforter draped over her as if she had been tucked in. She vaguely remembered dozing off while sprawled over the covers.

Must’ve been Akiyama’s doing, assumed Kusanagi, yawning.

The grey morning was a calm and welcome change of pace.

Kusanagi got up and out of bed, leaving her cloak on the bedpost. 

She waddled tiredly to the open living room plus kitchen area.

The only things that distinguished the different rooms from each other was the square rug that sat under some sofas and an island (peninsula?) table that split the living room from the kitchen.

Akiyama laid still on the larger of the couches, her limbs hanging off of the edge precariously. 

It was obvious she was struggling to fit on it comfortably last night. 

A thin quilt barely clung onto her, on the brink of slipping off.

Kusanagi sighed and approached Akiyama. She grabbed the soft blanket and pulled it over Akiyama, gently tucking it under her body. 

Akiyama shifted with a quiet grumble before returning to her soft snoring.

Kusanagi exhaled the small breath she didn’t know she was holding and shuffled away from the pink-haired.

Morning glow hugged the lacey pink curtains. 

The entire kitchen gave off a nostalgic vibe. 

Checkered tiles that were stained and dusty, dirty bowls and plates stacked too high, a singular pink mug that must belong to the only tenant. 

Well, before Kusanagi moved in.

The cup piqued Kusanagi’s interest. 

She grasped the handle and held it up, observing the pale lettering. 

A cute white cat sat behind words that read, ‘it’s okay to run away.’ 

What an odd saying.

Kusanagi’s stomach grumbled so she set down the mug, more roughly than she would’ve liked. 

A little ‘tink!’ echoed through the silent room. 

Kusanagi immediately turned to head to look at Akiyama, who remained hushed on the couch. Her stomach growled again, calling attention back to her hunger.

Kusanagi scoured the cabinets for a quick meal, but she found nothing that would satiate her aching hunger.

“There’s bread in the box, if you’re hungry,” a familiar playful voice sneered.

She spun around and spotted Akiyama, awake and leaning over the back of the leather couch. 

Akiyama nodded to the bread box on the counter top, and Kusanagi opened it. Lo and behold, a fluffy loaf of wheat bread sat inside.

“Ah,” Kusanagi mumbled, ripping off about a quarter of the loaf. “T-Thanks, Akiyama-chan.”

Akiyama stretched her arms up with a groan and walked to the island table. “Please! You can call me Mizuki~ If I ever got cursed cuz people used my name, I’m sure Rui would find a way to cure me.”

“Rui is Kamishiro’s name, right..?” Kusanagi pondered. She wouldn’t trust Kamishiro to cure her.

“I’ll think about it,” Kusanagi murmured before sinking her teeth into the bread, savoring the soft texture and the delectable taste.

Akiyama must have seen the brief enjoyment on her face because she smirked proudly. “Do ya’ like it? I made it myself!”

Kusanagi blushed and gulped the chunk of bread down. “It’s… really good. Are you a baker?”

By the way Akiyama shined a toothy grin, Kusanagi could assume she was right.

“Correctomundo!” Akiyama fired finger guns at her. “I work at the bakery down the street!”

Kusanagi couldn’t hide the amused smile that was brought to her face at Akiyama’s behaviour. 

Even so, a tinge of guilt seeped through her shyness. 

Guilt for moving in so suddenly. Guilt for taking Akiyama’s room. And now, for eating her food. 

Maybe she was overthinking it, overreacting over something so miniscule, but it was just in her nature. She swallowed before speaking quietly.

“S-Sorry for, uh… being a burden, or something,” she confided, eyes trained on the checkerboard floor.

Akiyama tipped her head to the side, leaning forward against the table. 

The way her eyebrows furrowed with curiosity and concern made Kusanagi’s heart flutter.

“Sorry? What for?”

Kusanagi nipped at her lip. “Like… kicking you out of your room and stuff.”

“Huh? Ah… ahahaha!” laughed Akiyama, a much preferred smile taking the place of that upset expression.

Kusanagi blushed brightly at her sudden amusement. “D-Don’t laugh at me! I’m trying to be genuine..!”

Overdramatically, she flopped onto the table and wiped tears from her eyes. “Aha-ha..! Oh, Nagi-chan,” her hysterics gradually died down. “You have nothing to be sorry about! Honestly, it was getting too quiet around here, so I appreciate the company.”

 

Akiyama stood up again and rested her arm on the counter. “Really, I don’t mind taking the couch at all.”

Seeing how Akiyama had to curl up on the couch in order to fall asleep, Kusanagi didn’t believe her statement for one moment.

She tilted her head to argue again, but stayed silent and consumed the rest of her bread.

Akiyama’s smile weakened as she watched Kusanagi swallow the remainder of the bun. Her mauve eyes were downturned and she looked like a sad puppy. 

Akiyama couldn’t bear that sight of Kusanagi.

“... If you really feel that bad, I wouldn’t mind if you helped me out with some chores?” Akiyama offered, walking around the table.

Kusanagi’s purple eyes met Akiyama’s pink and she felt a smile come to her lips. She nodded gratefully.

Akiyama grinned. “Then it’s settled! You can help me do dishes!”

Kusanagi’s smile faltered. “Y-You say that so enthusiastically…” But she did have to pay Akiyama back… “Okay.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kusanagi was in charge of rinsing off the dishes.

She originally protested and said that rinsing was the easy part of washing plates, but Akiyama was determined to take the ‘harder’ job.

She took the soapy platters and rinsed them off with the faucet water, carefully stacking them in a drying rack afterwards.

Her work was diligent, earnestly trying to repay Akiyama for her kind heart. Akiyama chuckled at her dedication every so often, teasing Kusanagi about it, to which she harrumphed.

The kitchen went fairly quiet, the rushing water from the sink providing calm background noise.

Akiyama began to softly hum a little tune, one that proved Kamishiro’s statement on her musicality correct. 

Kusanagi was entranced by her voice, almost entirely stopping the dishwashing to sit and listen. Akiyama glanced over at the distracted girl and snickered.

“Earth to Nagi-chan? Hellooo?”

Kusanagi found herself blushing once more and she snapped her head back to the sudsy water.

Though she couldn’t get her ears off of Akiyama’s singing. Well humming, really. The tune was vaguely familiar. Kusanagi wondered if it was Akiyama’s own work.

Akiyama continued to scrub the bowls and plates, her eyes staying on the sponge and ceramics. 

Kusanagi’s, however, couldn’t decide if they wanted to stay focused on the task at hand or to admire Akiyama. 

Her voice was smooth and balanced. But eventually, her song ended and they were doused in silence once more. 

Akiyama looked solemn.

Kusanagi didn’t deny her disappointment. The silence was deafening. 

So Kusanagi hummed a song of her own.

The song was similar, and she didn’t know where it was taking her. 

The rattling of plates paused and Kusanagi could feel Akiyama’s eyes on her. 

An embarrassing red was surely visible on her skin, so her song ended much earlier than Akiyama’s.

Nervously, Kusanagi looked up, but she found her eyes lost in Akiyama’s cherry pink. 

Akiyama’s cheeks were almost pinker than her hair. 

She smiled, her voice softer than usual.

“Your voice is wonderful to listen to, Nagi-chan.”

Kusanagi smiled back, albeit more anxiously. “Yours too.”

The tower of dishes was gone.

Notes:

thanks for reading till the end! hope those few mizunene shippers enjoyed it

Chapter 6: matching mugs, matching hearts

Summary:

yup another chapter of mizunene

Notes:

this chapter can also be skipped if you aren't interested in the adventures of mznn :)

 

The clock struck noon and Akiyama was away in her room. 

Kusanagi had been exploring what she could, the bathroom, the living space, the kitchen cabinets, and the like. 

It was odd to do, sure, but there wasn’t much else she could do besides go outside and be potentially dragged into another adventure with Hanasato. 

Not that it was a bad thing.

Kusanagi sprawled out on the living room floor, the hot summer sun seeping inside through the open windows. Birdsong quieted to an occasional laboured chirp.

 

Even the birds are tired of this heat, Kusanagi complained with hooded eyes.

Kusanagi propped herself up with her elbows and looked around for something to mitigate her sickening sweating. 

She wandered the small space of the house, attempting to cool herself off, but it was to no avail. If anything, she felt even more fatigued.

Akiyama almost slammed the door open with an exhausted groan, swinging her limbs carelessly. 

She wobbled over to Kusanagi and flopped the majority of her weight onto the poor girl, her arms dangling around her shoulders. 

Kusanagi let out a peep and her body tensed. She pressed her palms on the baker and tried her best to work her off, but Akiyama clung on.

“Ew, you’re so sweaty! G-Get off me!”

Akiyama whined and tightened her grip, head flopping around haphazardly. 

Kusanagi squeezed Akiyama’s shoulders and pushed her back, cringing. 

Akiyama peeked one eye open and spotted something of interest apparently, since Kusanagi blinked and Akiyama was gone.

 She didn’t go far, though.

Akiyama examined the cupboards and saw her kitty mug, then a series of glass cups. 

She frowned, unhappy with this result.

“Kusanagi, we gotta go shopping.”

“H-Huh?”

Kusanagi was stunned by Akiyama’s blunt words. The lack of her usual nickname was quite scary. 

Regardless, she nodded and ran to the baker’s room to get her pack and put on her cloak.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Akiyama emerged from her pink-sploded room in an outfit more suitable for outside wear. Fitted in a blue waistcoat and white bonnet, Akiyama fluffed out her matching blue skirt and petticoat. 

Kusanagi was in the living room, midway through putting on her satchel when Akiyama bursted out. 

She grinned and linked her arm with Kusanagi’s.

“‘Kay, Nagi-chan! We’re going to the market!”

Kusanagi was quite literally dragged out by Akiyama, and they ran straight for the marketplace.

The market was really a plaza filled to the brim with people. 

The buildings were squeezed together to fit the most stores possible and there were stands lining the street, vendors trying to hook people in. 

Akiyama seemed to be well-versed in this place, since she directly walked to a certain store and bravely ignored every peddler and salesperson who interacted with them.

They stopped walking in front of a stand that sold useful pottery and ceramics. 

A lady with reddish brown hair tied in a high ponytail was knelt down and scratching a little Shiba Inus’s ear. She looked up and padded over to them.

“Mizuki-chan, welcome back! Who’s this young lady you’ve brought?” she spoke, her warm blue eyes curving as she smiled.

Akiyama grinned right back. She grabbed Kusanagi’s shoulders and pushed her forward, as if to display a new toy. “Mochizuki-san! This is my new roomie, Kusanagi!”

The green-haired girl waved timidly. The dog barked with a little hop, making Kusanagi jolt.

The woman giggled and waved back. “It’s nice to meet you, Kusanagi-chan. I’m Mochizuki, and this is Shibao!” 

The dog barked promptly, scaring Kusanagi again. 

Mochizuki ruffled Shibao’s fur absentmindedly. “Hehe, you shouldn’t push around Kusanagi-chan so roughly, Mizuki-chan!”

Akiyama promptly made a show of releasing Kusanagi’s shoulders with a pout. Kusanagi gave a slight smile.

“Ooh, I just remembered!” Mochizuki ran to the back of her stand and the little pup followed her. 

She came back with three heads of cabbage and a dog hopping up and trying to bite the veggies. “I bought too many cabbages last season, so can you take some off my hands? I still have five more at home…”

The pink-haired took two of the heads. “Th-that many, Mochizuki?! Sheesh, why didn’t Hoshino-chan stop you..?”

Mochizuki only laughed nervously.

Akiyama rolled the last head over to Kusanagi and she picked it up delicately.

“Oh, yeah! Mochizuki, do you have any green mugs for sale?” Akiyama remembered suddenly. 

“Ah… So that’s what we came out here for,” Kusanagi thought. “I don’t need a cup, but if Akiyama wants me to have one I guess…” 

Mochizuki nodded and took down a few clay cups from a shelf. 

Each cup was similar, but the shade of green and the decals differentiated them. “Would any of these do?”

Akiyama tipped her head to the cups, signalling Kusanagi to pick one.

The first cup was a deep green that displayed the quote, “You were born to be real, not to be perfect.” Cheesy.

Another mug was olive colored and had another quote. “I finally found it! A feeling that I want to cherish!” Not as bad, but still weird.

The final cup was lime green and showed a little yellow bird surrounded by rosemary.

“Hm,” Kusanagi hummed and she picked up the third cup. The bird was cute, unlike the random quotes. “I like this one.”

Akiyama nodded. “Alright, then we’ll buy it!”

“A-Ah? I didn’t bring any money…”

“I’ll buy it for you!”

“But you’ve already done so much for me!”

“Okay, Mochizuki-san, I’m paying!”

“W-Wait!”

But before she could stop her, Akiyama already paid Mochizuki in coins. “Hehehe, pleasure doing business, Mizuki-chan.”

“The pleasure’s all mine~” Akiyama called back, placing down a head of cabbage to hand the now purchased mug to Kusanagi.

Reluctantly, Kusanagi took the cup and stored it securely in her bag. 

Akiyama took the opportunity to pet the doggy before she picked up the lettuce again. Kusanagi said goodbye to Mochizuki and they walked back home.

On their walk away from the bustling marketplace, Kusanagi’s face remained in a pout. Akiyama glanced over and snickered. “Put away that pout. It doesn’t look good on your pretty face!~”

Kusanagi sputtered and her face went red.

“That’s better,” she smiled, adjusting her grip on the lettuce heads. Kusanagi puffed out her cheeks in frustration.

Akiyama hummed thoughtfully. Neither of them exchanged any words.

“Say… I wanna learn more about you,” Akiyama mused. “So, we should play a game I came up with!”

Kusanagi raised her eyebrows. “Okay… What’s the game?”

Akiyama ran ahead and turned around, walking backwards. “Ehh, it doesn’t have a name yet. But basically it goes like this; I’ll ask you a question, then you ask me the same one! That way, we can see what we have in common!”

“... Alright. Let’s play.”

The pink haired grinned. “K! My question is… aah… what’s your favorite color?” Her tone sounded more like she was asking herself a question rather than Kusanagi.

“Green, I guess,” Kusanagi mumbled. “Um, what’s yours?”

Akiyama’s grin became a smirk. “Pink, of course! The cutest color~♪” said Akiyama happily. “Your turn now!”

Kusanagi tilted her head as she pondered. “Who’s your closest friend?”

“Upupu~ Probably Rui at the moment! And you?”

“Hanasato-chan.”

“EHH!? You know Hanasato-sama?!”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Their game ran longer than expected and they continued playing even after they got home.

Kusanagi smiled sentimentally.

Today wasn’t so bad…

Notes:

uwaahhh i lost my chapter streak so now im posting multiple chapters in one day and just adjusting the publication date ;3

Chapter 7: when a house becomes a home

Summary:

more kusayama fluffys because i cant get enough of them

Notes:

guess what im gonna say guys

thats right, u can skip this tooo

 

The day faded into pink dawn, the sky littered with creamy white clouds. 

Kusanagi found herself deep in thought, taking a scalding shower in Akiyama’s bathroom. 

Her skin screamed for relief so she shut off the water and embraced the cooling burn.

“Thinking about everything is gonna be routine soon…” Kusanagi muttered.

She stepped out of the shower and closed the curtain, which was as pink as anything else in the place. Kusanagi wrapped the white felt towel around her torso. 

She stared down at her sweat-ridden clothes distastefully and wondered if Akiyama had any clothes she could lend her.

Kusanagi perched herself on the vanity tabletop, subconsciously finding comfort in the low hum of the lights. 

She could overhear the chirping of birds outside. Kusanagi closed her eyes and honed in on the tweeting.

Jays, crows, canaries, robins, doves, the calls mixed together in her head. It was… peaceful. It echoed loudly in her mind, so much so that she couldn’t hear…

“Nagi-chan?” the voice that scratched Kusanagi in all of the right places hollered. “Are you alright in there?”

Kusanagi only hummed quietly in response, her eyes trained on the floor.

“Ku… Kusanagi?”

She hummed again.

“...”

Kusanagi wondered if Akiyama left. The silence signalled that she did, so she hopped off of the counter and peeked the door open, clutching the towel to her chest.

Akiyama’s eyes widened and she was mid-knock when Kusanagi slammed the door shut.

“S-Sorry!” Kusanagi stuttered, coming back to her senses and blushing

Akiyama froze in silent shock. “Um… I-It’s fine. Do you need anything..?”

Kusanagi cleared her throat, readjusting to the use of her voice. “I could use a change of clothes… I-If you’re up to it!”

“O-Of course!” Akiyama hurried off, as signified by her footsteps trailing away.

Kusanagi leaned against the door and tried to calm her blush, fidgeting with the top of the towel. 

She looked over at the fogged up mirror and, to her dismay, she was still evidently red.

A knock vibrated against her back. Kusanagi, more cautiously this time, opened the door. 

Akiyama passed the clothes over and quickly pulled the door shut once more. Kusanagi unfolded the clothes delicately.

 

It was a cream linen turtleneck and short plaid beige overalls. Certainly something new, but not unwelcome.

After putting on the new outfit, she hung up the towel on the rack and picked up her discarded clothes from the ground. Kusanagi looked in the mirror. 

She’d say she looked… alright. Maybe that was a biased answer. 

She left the bathroom.

Akiyama was in the kitchen with a knife and a cutting board, chopping away at half of one of the cabbage heads they brought back from their trip. She looked up at the sound of the door clicking shut.

A smile grew on her face along with a soft blush, both warm and cute on Akiyama. “Nagi-chan! You look good in my clothes~”

Kusanagi combed her green hair behind her ear. “Do I? I don’t know about that…”

Akiyama set down the knife and walked around the island table to reach Kusanagi. She patted her shoulders and eyed her clothing. “It suits you! You can keep it, if you’d like.”

The sage-haired girl shook her head. “N-No, I don’t wanna take more from you…”

“Nah, we’re roomies now! Not like I’m losing it forever, I can always just take it back if I need it!”

Akiyama brought up a good point. It wasn’t leaving the household… so it was fine. 

Kusanagi nodded with an exhausted smile. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted her mug placed next to Akiyama’s on the counter.

Akiyama wandered back to the kitchen and continued cutting up the rest of the greens. Kusanagi pulled out a stool from under the table and sat down.

“What’re you doing?”

Akiyama poured the cabbage into a bowl and set the knife aside. “Cooking dinner! You haven’t eaten since this morning, right?”

As if it heard Akiyama mention food, Kusanagi’s stomach growled louder than she would’ve appreciated. Kusanagi blushed and nodded. 

Akiyama laughed lightly, and she beckoned Kusanagi over.

“Care to help me cut up some of the carrots? I’m gonna start cooking the meat.”

Kusanagi took Akiyama’s spot in front of the cutting board. She carefully (and quite slowly) cut the carrots into slices. 

Her hand was shaky, so once she finished up, she quickly put the knife into the sink. 

Akiyama had begun to prepare the meat on the oiled pan, the delicious sizzle crackling through the house.

The baker, who was redeeming herself as a cook, took a pair of tongs and flipped the chunk of pork onto the other side. Once it was finally cooked to a nice medium, Akiyama placed it on the cutting board and sliced it in half, putting the bits into two plates. 

She plated the vegetables on the side. Kusanagi opened up the breadbox and took the remaining bread, halved it, and put them on the plates too. Akiyama smiled at her.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As they ate their food, Kusanagi hummed in delight.

“It’s really good… Thank you for the meal, Akiyama-chan.”

Akiyama shook her head. “It’s nothing at all, really! I might’ve been extra motivated to make it good since I have a new long-term guest.”

Kusanagi chuckled before taking another bite. 

The flavor melted across her tongue. Salty and appetizing, she missed the taste of meat. The lettuce was crunchy and the carrots were slightly sweet. The tastes contrasted well. 

A smile spread across her face.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That night, Akiyama again insisted on taking the couch. 

Kusanagi gave up offering the bed to Akiyama earlier than the baker expected. 

She closed the door and flopped onto the baker’s bed. The chirping of canaries died down, marking the setting sun. Replacing the songbirds, the buzzing of cicadas and clicking of crickets echoed through the night.

The long day was over, and she could sleep again. 

But… she didn’t want it to end. 

She had a good time with Akiyama, and she liked the slow pace. It was sweet, calming, and domestic.

Maybe she wouldn’t regret living here, despite their rushed meeting and moving process.

Maybe this strange new house had finally become a home.

DAY 2: -ˋˏ COMPLETE! ˎˊ˗

DAYS UNTIL 𓁹 ARRIVAL: 6

Notes:

just remember guys once we get back to main story nene knows honami and one day has passed :)

also srry for the hiatus(?) im back i prommy ✨

Chapter 8: six's a crowd

Summary:

waow bakery

Notes:

wow its a chapter with like half of pjsk cast guys plz read its like 2000000 words

tw: ruikasa + anhane stupids

 

Kusanagi slept comfortably that night. 

She woke up the next morning, safe and sound in Akiyama’s bed. That sounded kind of weird.

Kusanagi shook her head and got up, opening the door and walking groggily across the hall to the bathroom. She quickly washed up, brushing her teeth and splashing her face with cold water. 

The chilly, stone floor tiling helped wake up the sleepy girl from her rest. She dried off with her given towel and left the bathroom.

“Akiyama?” Kusanagi called from the hallway.

The baker groaned and mumbled something, her head peeking up from the couch. Kusanagi smiled gently. 

She sat next to Akiyama’s tired body, stifling laughter.

“Are you sure you don’t want to sleep on the bed tonight?” Kusanagi glanced at her crumpled form with concern. “You look really sore…”

Akiyama shook her head, sitting up quickly to prove her comfort. “Nuh-uh! I’m… fine..!” Her stiff body proved otherwise.

Five knocks tapped on the door.

Akiyama was about to get up and check, but Kusanagi stopped her with the pat of the baker’s leg. Kusanagi stood up and peered through the peephole.

“Mm, it’s Hanasato-chan. Do you want me to open it?”

Akiyama gasped, her cherry eyes gleaming. “Hanasato-sama?!”

Kusanagi giggled and opened the door.

Hanasato looked up and smiled. “Good morning, Kusanagi-chan!”

“Good morning,” Kusanagi replied.

A few other people stood behind the magician and Kusanagi tilted her head.

A familiar ginger looked over. “Oh, g’morning.” 

Shinonome, if Kusanagi recalled correctly.

Then, there were two unfamiliar girls who wore fancy and textured clothes. 

The blonde girl wore a dark fedora.

“Hm? Isn’t this Mizuki’s house?” the black-blue haired girl questioned.

The other girl next to her shrugged.

Akiyama managed to get up and lean against Kusanagi to see who was at the door. She was still swaddled in a blanket, her hair unkempt and messy. She gasped dramatically when she saw.

“An-chan?! And Otouto-kun?!”

Shinonome scowled with the roll of his eyes. “Stop calling me that, damnit!”

“Oh? Mizuki, who’s this?” the black-blue girl teased.

Akiyama’s face went bright red and she scoffed, “N-Nagi-chan is just my roommate!” She quickly changed the subject. “How did you even get my address?! I vowed never to tell you guys!”

Hanasato pitched in, “Kamishiro-kun told us when we asked him!”

Akiyama gasped once again, louder than the previous two. “Rui?! Selling my address to strangers?! The betrayal!”

Shinonome shook his head. “Akiyama, he knows me and Shiraishi.”

Kusanagi stayed silent during the back and forth banter, afraid to interject. 

The blonde girl beside the black-blue shared her sentiment.

The girl walked forward to Kusanagi and nodded. “H-Hi, I’m Azusawa. I assume you’re Kusanagi–chan?”

“Oh,” Kusanagi was slightly startled, “yes, I’m Kusanagi. ”

“I-It’s nice to meet you. Sorry about An-chan… er, Shiraishi.”

Kusanagi shook her head. “No, it’s alright. I should be sorry for Akiyama’s behavior, if anything.”

“So she’s Shiraishi,” Kusanagi pondered, glancing at the bickering girl, “and this is Azusawa,” she mused, her gaze landing back on the blonde.

“This is where you’ve been staying, hmm?” Hanasato cut in, leaning over to look behind Kusanagi and Akiyama. “Not bad!”

Kusanagi nodded in agreement, a shy smile growing on her face.

“Also, I haven’t seen you in a while! I was out parading with the knights and the princess! She’s having a ball soon, too!”

“A ball?”

“Ah yes, I’ve overheard about that too,” Azusawa confirmed gently. “Shiraishi told me a bit about it. She was invited, and I’ll be going with her.”

“Mhm! As her highness Yoisaki’s cordial magician, I too have been invited alongside Kiritani!” Hanasato said, a great smile on her face. “Kiritani chose Hinomori as her plus one, and I’ve still been looking for one myself!”

Kusanagi nodded along.

“Eh? Are you guys talking about the summer solstice ball?” Akiyama instantly jumped into the conversation. “I got an invite too! I already have a plus one chosen!”

Kusanagi couldn’t deny her disappointment at Akiyama’s words. She hoped to be her escort.

“Kusanagi-chan, have you been invited?” the magician asked eagerly.

“N-No,” the aforementioned girl stuttered, “since I’m new to this town… I’d be surprised if the princess knew of my existence.”

“Then you can be my companion to the ball!” she cheered.

“It’s really okay, I don’t do well in crowded—”

“Ahh, this is gonna be really fun, Kusanagi-chan! All of our friends are going!”

“I don’t know about our friends, b-but—”

“We can pick out gowns with each other!”

“W-Wait—”

Kusanagi finally sighed. Her fate was determined.

Azusawa giggled and Akiyama patted her back comfortingly.

“Hanasato-sama is even brighter than I expected!” Akiyama remarked while laughing. “C’mon, Nagi-chan, it’ll be fun!”

She nodded disdainfully.

“Knights are automatically expected to be there, so I don’t get a ‘plus one’ or whatever,” Shinonome spoke bluntly.

“Ha, take that, Shinonome! I’m better than you!” Shiraishi added teasingly.

“Wha— How does not getting to choose an escort equate to you being better?!”

“And they’re back at it again,” Kusanagi thought, a smile growing on her face.

After a while, consisting of waiting for Akiyama to wash up for the day, for Kusanagi to get her satchel, and for Shinonome, Akiyama, and Shiraishi to stop their pointless arguments, the group was off. 

Apparently, Hanasato intended on taking Kusanagi to the bakery to get some pastries and possibly try out baking herself. 

She knew one of the workers there, one of Akiyama’s coworkers, because of course she did. 

The friendly magician met Shinonome, Azusawa, and Shiraishi, who were off their shifts, on her way to the alchemy to ask Kamishiro for Kusanagi’s new address. 

She had tried to invite Kamishiro as well, but he said he would be busy all afternoon.

So there they were, a group of six, leaving Akiyama and Kusanagi’s house and heading for the bakery. 

On a good note, most of the people attending were people who Kusanagi was more or less comfortable with. She was just hoping the bakery wouldn’t be too packed.

When they all arrived and spilled into the store, they saw that the bakery wasn’t as full as Kusanagi expected. 

A few groups of people were scattered around the store, waiting for their special breads and foods, probably. 

A certain colorful trio caught Kusanagi’s eye.

“Kamishiro-kun..? And Tenma-kun and Otori-chan?” Kusanagi spoke, pointing over at the three.

Kamishiro was in much more casual clothes compared to his usual complicated grey robes. Tenma and Otori were as well, the knight wearing simple pants and a blue blouse, and the jester fitted in a fluffy long green dress. 

Tenma glanced over at the group that had just entered.

“If it isn’t Shinonome, Kusanagi and Hanasato!” he grinned. “Akiyama, Shiraishi, and Azusawa too!”

“Does he really know everyone here? Just like Hanasato, I suppose,” she mused.

Kamishiro glanced over, his arm slipping from Tenma’s waist. “Hm, it is! I hadn’t anticipated for you to be headed here too, Hanasato-kun.”

Hanasato smiled, “I didn’t either! It’s nice to see you out and about instead of cooped up inside and working!”

“It is a Sunday,” Kamishiro chuckled.

“Kusanagi-chan!!” Otori beamed, dashing over to hug her. Kusanagi let out an ‘oomph’ at the impact.

“H-Hi, Otori-chan.”

Otori pulled the next nearest person, Akiyama, into the embrace as well, to which she yelped.

“Ah! Otori-chan is so cuddly!” Akiyama giggled, patting the jester’s hair.

Eventually, she let go of the girls.

Shiraishi piped up, “So, what brings you three to the bakery?” 

“Well! Kamishiro and I were just out on our date!” Tenma beamed. His tone sank as he continued, “Then Otori insisted on coming along.”

Shinonome shrugged his shoulders. “Good. You two get too mushy.”

“Hey~” Kamishiro protested as Tenma blushed. 

“Otouto-kun has a point!” Akiyama snickered.

“For the last time, don’t call me that!” 

Kusanagi tilted her head, “Oh yeah, when is the ball?”

“The ball?” Tenma suddenly brightened up. “Why, it is in only six days! Kamishiro will be my companion!”

“Wait, I thought knights weren’t permitted a plus one?” Azusawa questioned.

Kamishiro nodded, “They aren’t. But my dear star was in charge of the planning and scheduling of this event, so her highness allowed him to invite one other person.”

“Wow! Tenma-kun could balance both planning a whole ball and his knightly duties?! Impressive!” Akiyama complimented.

Shinonome groaned, “You’re feeding into his huge ego…”

“HEY!” Tenma objected, taking deep offense.

The ring of a diner bell echoed through the bakery.

“Order #87! Your order is ready!” a cheerful voice announced.

Tenma flew around. Kusanagi looked over too. It was a shorter girl with blonde hair styled in two ponytails. 

Her golden locks faded into a cherry pink, similar to Akiyama’s. She held a lot of resemblance to Tenma.

“Saki?!” Tenma gasped.

“Onii-chan?!” the girl gasped back.

“I thought I told you to stay home today, since you weren’t feeling well!”

“W-Well, I was feeling better! And I wanted to carry my weight, ‘cause of how much you help out and everything!”

“I told you, you don’t need to do anything! You were sick, so I took care of you!!”

“Argh… But I’m already here! I’ve been working just fine, so don’t worry!”

Tenma sighed, having lost their argument. “Fine. Take it easy, though!”

The girl behind the counter laughed, handing the customer their desserts and placing the money in the cash register. “You treat me so well, Onii-chan!”

“Mm, Saki-kun, it’s nice to see you today,” Kamishiro smiled.

“Saki-chan! I didn’t know you were working today,” Akiyama said as she rushed to the counter. “Today’s pretty easy, right?”

“Mhm!” Saki hummed with a bright smile. “Easy enough for me!”

“Yeah, that’s Tenma’s little sister. Akiyama’s coworker, if you didn’t know,” Shinonome introduced the girl to Kusanagi. She nodded gratefully.

“Whaddya wanna order, Kohane?” Shiraishi asked Azusawa, pulling her over to the counter so she could read the menu. “I wanna get a mint-choco brownie!”

“I-I’ll get a peach bun, An-chan.”

Oh yeah, they were supposed to be ordering pastries.

“I’m sure Shinonome-kun’s gonna want some fluffy pancakes!” Shiraishi teased the knight behind her. 

Kusanagi was afraid to interject their conversation, so she just looked up at the menu. The grapefruit jam tart sounded good…

“What are you ordering, Nagi-chan?” Akiyama asked.

Kusanagi looked up. “Oh, th-the grapefruit tart, probably.”

“Hm, looks yummy! I’m gonna get the chicken stuffed bun!”

The green-haired hummed and nodded. “That looks good, too.”

“Hanasato-sama, what are you gonna order?” Akiyama turned to the magician.

“The tuna bread, I think!”

“And you, Rui?”

Kamishiro glanced at the girls from behind Tenma, who was chattering away to Otori. “Mm, I’m probably going to share with Tsukasa-kun, so whatever he decides.”

“The savory peanut-chicken stuffed bun!” Tenma declared promptly.

“What an intricate name, fufu~” Kamishiro laughed, stroking Tenma’s hair. “Perfect for my star.”

Kusanagi rolled her eyes. They’re just going to get more annoying the more she interacts with them.

“One strawberry cupcake!” Otori announced to Saki, leaning over the counter.

“Mhm, coming right up! What about you guys?”

The other eight, Kusanagi included, told Saki their desired desserts before she disappeared into the back kitchen.

“Phew, that was a big order! Hopefully Tenma-chan can get through them all!” Hanasato mentioned light heartedly.

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A few long moments later, Tenma’s sister returned with every baked good arranged nicely on two platters. She set them on a table and made a show of dusting off her hands. 

Everyone crowded around, taking whatever seats there were.

Each of the ordered foods was wrapped nicely in thin, clear paper, the name of the confectionary listed on a cute label on top.

“Woah, everything looks delish!” Akiyama exclaimed, scanning over the trays for her bun.

Kusanagi nodded to Saki appreciatively, “Thank you, Saki-chan.”

Saki waved her off. “It’s nothing! Just a part of the job!”

“My amazing sister!” Tenma gushed, rushing over to embrace the baker who served them. “So responsible and grown-up!”

“Awh, Onii-chan!!”

Kusanagi glanced over and noticed Azusawa had already taken her peach bun, taking little nibbles out of it like a…

Mouse.

“Uwaa, Kohane~!” Shiraishi cried, snuggling up to the fellow detective. “You’re too adorable!”

Azusawa squeaked, “W-What did I do?!”

Kusanagi looked away from the mushy detectives, regrettably looking at Kamishiro and Tenma.

A singular small bite was taken out of the bread Tenma held out, most likely taken by Kamishiro. Tenma was urging him.

“Come on, you haven’t eaten anything other than little candies from Otori all day!” he frowned. “You’ll starve!”

Kamishiro shook his head, leaning away from the savory bun despite having a comfortable hold around Tenma. “I can assure you, I’ll be fine! A-A knight can’t skip any meals now, can he?” 

By the way his face contorted to disgust at the sight of little green bits atop the bread, it was obvious he just didn’t want to eat the vegetables. 

His stomach growled tellingly, which didn’t help his case.

A lot of couples, Kusanagi observed.

In her slight disgust of the lovey-dovey actions surrounding her, she managed to catch sight of her tart among the mess of discarded paper and crumbs. 

She snatched it quickly, peeling off the paper packaging. 

The scarlet jelly shimmered in the warm electric light of the bakery, and the vanilla sponge made the entire pastry look all the more appetizing. 

A clipping of mint sat atop the tart.

Kusanagi’s face scrunched and she flicked the leaf off.

She took a bite out of the dessert, and she immediately lit up with delight. The sweet, soft cake and the tangy, sour grapefruit-flavour mixed and blended deliciously. She wondered who made the recipe.

“You look happy,” Akiyama smiled, mouth full of her chicken scone.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full,” Shinonome scolded from across the table.

“Shut up, Otouto-kun!” Akiyama hissed, swallowing after.

Akiyama cleared her throat, “You look happy.”

Kusanagi consumed the rest of her small confectionery quickly. “Do I?”

“Yeah! Was the tart that good?”

“It was tasty, yeah…”

“Good, I’m glad!” Saki chimed in from the side, taking the now empty trays. “I gotta get back to my shift, so I’ll see you all later!”

Tenma hurriedly waved to his sister. “Bye, Saki!! See you at home!”

Kamishiro laughed, softly pulling his partner back into his seat. “Don’t yell with food in your mouth, I wouldn’t want you choking.”

Shinonome rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath, “I would…”

Shiraishi snorted. “Oh please! You’d miss Tenma-senpai if he choked to death.”

“Gh-! No I wouldn’t!”

Shiraishi was about to refute, but Azusawa grabbed her shoulder. “Do we have to get back to the office, An-chan?”

She checked her watch and gasped. “Eep, we do!”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Azusawa, Shiraishi, Shinonome, and Tenma all ended up having to get back to their occupations, whether that was solving mundane mysteries or returning to their knightly duties. Kamishiro took Otori on a walk, as she was getting too jumpy and fidgety inside. 

This left Hanasato, Akiyama, and Kusanagi in the bakery.

Hm, thought Kusanagi, is there something I’m forgetting?

Just as they were about to leave, just as they were walking out, Hanasato stopped them with a sharp gasp. Both Akiyama and Kusanagi whirled around at her breath.

“Eek! I almost forgot!” she cried. “Kusanagi, we were going to try baking!”

Notes:

baking?! a ball?! a long chapter from momo?! fufu i certainly have stuff planned :)

biggest thanks to my friend who helps write and beta read these chapters (IFORGOTTOMENTIONHERIMSOWWY)

Chapter 9: strawberry cupcakes

Notes:

so sorry for the wait :(

 

“Baking, hm?” Akiyama echoed, moving back to the front desk. “I’m pretty sure Boss would allow it. Tenma-chan probably will too!”

“If Tenma-chan is okay with it, then I suppose,” Kusanagi mumbled.

Hanasato nodded and rang the diner bell on the counter, summoning Tenma Saki. 

She hurried out and tilted her head when she saw the three girls.

“What can I do for you? Looking for more desserts?”

Hanasato shook her head, her cheerful persona coming out. “Actually, we were wondering if Kusanagi could try out baking!”

“Baking? If I may ask, why?” asked Tenma, who began to multitask, packaging another order on the side.

Hanasato began babbling about Kusanagi’s amnesia-memory-finding plan, which Tenma seemed very entertained by. 

Akiyama looked shocked, to which Kusanagi glanced at her curiously.

“Why do you look surprised?” Kusanagi mused.

Akiyama looked entirely dumbfounded. “... Y-You have amnesia?!”

Ah, I didn’t tell her… Kusanagi blinked, before quickly replying.

“Er, well, we aren’t exactly sure it’s amnesia, but that’s the easiest way to describe it…” she explained, trying to diminish her worries.

“I don’t really have a reason not to believe you, and Akiyama-chan can supervise you guys, right?” said Tenma. Akiyama gave two thumbs up.

“M’kay! Follow me, you three!”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tenma walked the triad into the back kitchen, the fresh grain scent wafting through the air. 

There was a team of bakers working together to efficiently make each delicacy from the menu. Jams, cakes, breads, scones, each of the cuisines were excellently handmade and as enticing as Kusanagi’s grapefruit tart from earlier. 

A large brick oven was situated in the back, and there was dough set to rise next to the large windows.

“Mmm, smells good!” Hanasato chirped, admiring the backstage chefs as they worked.

Kusanagi just hoped this job would prove helpful toward her ultimate goal—figuring out her life. Past life? Whatever.

Tenma brought them to an empty table, away from the bakers hard at work so as to not disturb their peace.

“Alright, Akiyama-chan can show you the ropes and help you two find what you wanna make! I gotta get back to the counter! Try not to burn anything, alright?”

Hanasato and Kusanagi nodded in agreement. Tenma hurried back out.

Akiyama clasped her hands together. “So, what shall we try first?”

“Um, what about those cupcakes over there? They look pretty simple,” Kusanagi said, gesturing to the glass display stands.

“Ooh! Those are some of my favorites,” Akiyama squealed. “Vanilla dough, strawberry icing, and super cute pan liners!”

“Cupcakes are fun! Okay, let’s do it!!” Hanasato cheered.

Kusanagi and Hanasato washed their hands in a sink, and Akiyama handed them both cream colored aprons with the bakery’s logo embroidered onto the chests.

Akiyama seemed to know the recipe by heart, as she immediately began taking out various ingredients and dropping them onto the table. 

As she took out a few eggs from a large ice chest, she asked, “Do either of you have any allergies? Just to make sure.”

“Nope! I’m safe!” the magician chimed.

Kusanagi only shook her head. At least I don’t think so?

Akiyama took out a bowl and two whisks. She grabbed another larger bowl, pushing the smaller container aside.

“Hanasato-sama, can you go to the back garden and fetch some strawberries?” Akiyama handed her a wicker basket and motioned her to the door at the end of the hall.

Hanasato nodded gleefully, giving a playful salute before she took the basket and rushed outside, the door clicking shut behind her.

“While she does that, why don’t we make the batter?” the baker suggested. “Flour, eggs, butter, baker powder, vanilla extract, sugar, and milk.”

“Easy enough,” Kusanagi murmured, grabbing the heavy bag of flour and a measuring cup.

Akiyama put a few logs of timber into the brick oven, rinsing her hands off afterwards. She opened up a cupboard and pulled out two trays of six muffin pans.

“Here, come pick out a design, Nagi-chan!” she called, opening a different cabinet filled to the brim with various multi patterned and colorful paper liners.

“Uh,” Kusanagi looked over all of the different styles, before settling on white and green striped ones. “Will these do?”

Akiyama nodded, slotting a liner for each of the twelve pans.

“O~kay! The set-up is usually the most tedious, so from now on it should be all fun!”

Akiyama cut up the butter into thin slices, set it into a small ceramic dish and placed it next to the fiery oven. 

She poured out half a cup of sugar into the larger of the two metal bowls and sprinkled it in with the now melted butter.

“Mix these together with the whisk until they’re nice and creamy, alright?”

Kusanagi complied, picking up the handle of the whisk and stirring the sugar-butter mixture. Soon, it became a smooth, yellowish blend. She looked to the baker for further instruction.

Akiyama leaned over her shoulder and cracked two eggs, plopping the yolks and whites into the batter. She grabbed a small dark bottle and dropped a few beads of vanilla into the brew.

Kusanagi caught a whiff of the liquid, and her mouth watered even though she had just eaten. 

“What’s that?” she questioned.

“Vanilla extract!” was the cheerful response. “It’s very potent, which is why we only add a couple drops. Keep mixing, by the way.”

To Kusanagi’s right, Akiyama began to make her own concoction, whisking flour and baking powder together.

“Is this good?” Kusanagi questioned, holding up the bowl for her to see.

She nodded, “Perfect!”

Akiyama took her smaller bowl of dry ingredients and poured a little into Kusanagi’s wet ingredients. She grabbed the pitcher of milk and dropped a splash into the bowl. 

“Remember to keep whisking!”

Kusanagi continued stirring, folding the dry grains of flour and baking powder into the wet butter. 

She suddenly had a pounding headache. 

She brought her hand to her forehead with a soft groan, but Akiyama didn’t seem to notice. 

She looked really happy, sharing her passion with her roommate. 

And Kusanagi didn’t want to ruin that for her. 

So she endured.

The pain stung once, but it disappeared quickly.

Akiyama alternated between pouring milk and the grains into the large bowl, Kusanagi stirring the elements together until not a lump was in sight. That ache was odd and painful. 

She hoped it wouldn’t come back.

“Careful! If you overmix, it’ll lose its fluffy consistency,” Akiyama added from next to Kusanagi. Had she been standing there this entire time?

“A-Ah, okay…” Kusanagi stopped mixing.

Akiyama took the bowl and deftly spooned the batter into the paper tins, making sure every last drop made its way into a liner. 

As Kusanagi watched from the sidelines, she admired Akiyama’s careful handiwork.

Hanasato returned as cheerfully as she left, wielding a basket full of ripe red strawberries. “Is this enough, Akiyama-chan?”

Akiyama glanced over and smiled. “Just right! Thanks, Hanasato-sama!” she said, taking the basket from her hands.

Kusanagi tried to smile as well, but that raging pain returned. 

She gulped nervously, trying to ease the stressful pain with the heel of her hand, but this time it wouldn’t leave.

The last thing she saw was a worried expression on Akiyama’s face before she collapsed and blacked out.

DAY 3: -ˋˏ COMPLETE! ˎˊ-

DAYS UNTIL 𓁹 ARRIVAL: 5

Notes:

ooof, looks like kusa is having trouble.... ;)

Notes:

thank you for reading ~

REMINDER: this is just a passion project of mine!