adsum | npc contact.1

( It's a beautiful drawing, and Natsume doesn't want to ruin it...... Drawing magic circles is distinctly different than drawing- anything else, and he hesitates ever briefly before he carefully draws a cat by the base of the trunk. Cats the way you think of them, simplified, and he hides any mistakes in anatomy by coloring it in.

i don't draw is his way of explanation, placed to the side - not upside-down this time, but along the binding of the notebook. not this type of thing at least.

you have very good memory though, if you're drawing just from that. i admire that type of skill.

...interesting. Useful. Natsume doodles a second cat, also black, next to the first idly, then moves further down the page and shows off his incredible art skills - that is, drawing perfectly straight lines without a ruler, perfectly round circles without needing a guide. Slowly it takes form: a miniature magic circle, with strange runes between the rings. He marks each cardinal direction with a different amount of lines in their triangles, studying each one and moving on once he's satisfied.

There are six-pointed stars made out of triangles flipped across one another just outside of the circle, and he very carefully draws the runes there too. Perfect.

this circle has no meaning to it yet, but this is the type of thing i enjoy.

And... Like Hiro did for him, Natsume'll give him the pen and press it to some open space. Draw one too. )

[ You know what's impressive? straight lines and perfect circles, and Hiro watches intently as Natsume draws his magic circle, leaning in slightly and barely breathing the entire time, but it's with the air of somebody who doesn't quite know what he's looking at but is intrigued nonetheless.

He takes the pen back but hesitantly, like he's not sure what to do, not like when his hands moved automatically when drawing the tree. How does one add to a magic circle the way you add two cats sitting under a tree? Nothing really comes to mind.

So he writes, "how do you add meaning?" next to Natsume's words with his near illegible scrawl, and passes the pen to Natsume again. ]

( Welcome to the black magic fold, young apprentice.

...He isn't sure Maya would appreciate him teaching her brother the in and outs of things like this, but this is "within his means" so she'll have to deal.

words have power. He pauses. Underlines the last word, power.

And that's sort of all an explanation needs to be, but Natsume will continue -

that's why i speak in a way that discomforts others, and why i previously underlined my last words. it catches people off guard and makes them more susceptible to magic when spells are cast.

you merely need to write what your heart desires, and the circle will be complete. )

[ THIS IS HOW THEY GET YOU...........

He sort of shrinks a little in his seat at the return of the underlining, but his interest is held enough that he doesn't pull back like he did before, frowning a little at the explanation Natsume writes out and giving him a quick glance at "susceptible to magic" because um?

hm

He picks up the pen and rolls it around in his hands, thinking. His heart's desire... what he really wants in this moment... Naturally, it's tough to think of anything on the spot. But he takes the pen and— not sure if he's supposed to draw his own circle or add to Natsume's— chooses the latter and writes the characters in between the runes in Natsume's circle: chickenscratch that can just barely be made out to read "fujiya milky"

please work, summoning circle ]

( ...It isn't hard to endear yourself to Natsume, in the end. Hiro's his age, but he's simple, and there's nothing Natsume likes better than simple people.

He's also finally glad for the silence of the library, shoving his foot under his bag and lifting it high enough for him to dig around in it. He remembers getting candy recently - he doesn't like sweets too much, not the usual kind, so he was just going to pawn it off on someone else -

with a flick of his wrist, the fujiya milky flies up from the side of the table, angled just so that when it falls, it falls onto the notebook they're sharing.

°˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°「魔法だヨ」 )

[ me crying at why isn't his pb more expressive, imagine this but muted at 10%

IT'S MAGIC...!!! ]

( MAFUYUUUUUUUUUUUUUU I MISS YOUUUUUUU

He's so easy............ Natsume smiles, pleased to bring happiness to someone new - it looks like his magic worked ☆ He'll very carefully take the pen from Hiro, drawing another magic circle - a little less complicated with shapes this time.

And between the runes, he'll write his own heart's desire: "arisu-kun's trust" )

[ One day... I will play Mafuyu again... She would make that same face at Natsume's magic, too.

Hiro lets Natsume take the pen from his hand, and while he doesn't pick up the candy, he does keep his hands on the edge of the table just in case Natsume's about to write that he's allowed to have it. Another magic circle isn't really permission, though, and Arisu-kun's- his? trust...?

trust...

...

He points to Natsume, and holds his hand out flat, palm face up. ]

Hiro's handwriting is messy, right? Ritsuka is going to have a brainwave and check the handwriting on the note Hiro left on the chocolate wrapper and the first note that was left at the dead drop point that she found during spring break.

( He wouldn't have given him the candy if he wasn't going to let Hiro eat it-

does he want him to mimic him..? Natsume twirls the pen briefly, then sets it down and also holds out his hand, palm face up? )

They do not match! Hiro's handwriting looks like a lot of uneven but passably deliberate lines, while the writing on Ritsuka's first drop point note looks more like it was very rushed and/or written on an uneven surface. Mystery Student X is still out there somewhere!

[ Sometimes you live with a sister who will place a piece of candy on a desk and then stare at you like "I dare you to take it" and you're never sure--

But yeah, palm face up! He takes Natsume's hand in his, cupped underneath for support while he picks up the pen with his other hand and draws this symbol on Natsume's palm, tracing along his life line with the arrow end pointing towards Natsume's thumb. ]

( He resists the urge to twitch his hand any - being drawn on with a pen is kind of ticklish and he is Kind Of Ticklish - as to not disrupt Hiro, and when he's done he... peers at the symbol, eyebrows pressing together.

Lacking pen rights, Natsume just tilts his head in the universal question of "what is this". Don't say your trust you know what he means. )

[ It's his trust! (:

Hiro looks a little bashful, but also a little proud of himself for whatever reason. He lets go of Natsume's hand and sets the pen down on the table again, withdrawing both hands to rest at the edge of the table within reach of the candy but only if it's okay. ]

( This will come in handy eventually, maybe. At the very least Natsume's going to stare at it to commit it to memory, like I did after I drew it on my hand so I could visual it correctly, because as expected it will rub off quick.

But. Well. As long as Hiro's happy. Natsume flicks the candy at him as if to give him permission, which he didn't need to give but there you go!!!

While he enjoys that, Natsume will copy the thing on his hand down in his notebook some pages ahead, along with notes on which way it went, before he returns to their Art Page. hmm....

another note for hiro: do you want this page, or can i have it?

the kitty cats... the proof of magic which is definitely real.... )

[ He doesn't catch the candy so much as he holds his hands out to block it from rolling off the table, and puts it inside his pocket for later instead of eating it right away, watching Natsume copy the symbol down in his book and seeing it copied well enough that he doesn't need to comment on it.

The art page, though... hmm...

He presses his hands together and then opens them like a book before separating his hands. Fold it in half and tear along the crease? Natsume can have the tree and the cats, if Hiro can keep the magic. ]

( hiro and natsume's friendship one day

Sounds fair, so Natsume will carefully tear the page out and fold it both ways until it's as crisp as can be, then halve it. Hiro gets the magic, Natsume gets the tree and cats -- the latter which is going back in his notebook, tucked between its pages like a little present. Which it kind of is, just the same way Natsume's magic is for Hiro.

On the next page:

if you're ever in need of a magician, just call for me.

...That sounds like it's winding down to a farewell and he isn't even sure if he's managed to get Hiro to want his company around uh-

let's be friends, arisu-kun.

Yeah, this again. )

[ If he ever wants candy—- oh, but then he reads the next line, and he sort of ducks his head a little, biting at his bottom lip like he's embarrassed about it. There are a lot of reasons he could give to say no- that he's quiet and boring and can't contribute to conversations without it being a hassle and doesn't really play around outside like other kids and also he has a scary sister.

He only has one reason to want to be friends, but one reason is all one really needs, so he looks up to meet Natsume's eyes, and nods. ]

( None of those are an issue with Natsume, actually, especially not the scary sister bit because Maya doesn't scare him at all—

but he offers Hiro a gentle smile. Good boy.

...im at a loss for how to close out this thread now that i think i accomplished what i set out to do but natsume will sneak some more fujiya milkies into hiro's lap before he leaves thank you for the cuteness... please know that he puts them in his locker too when he discovers it... please take the candy off his hands. thank you. )

( "you could have just edited it" no i have to be difficult and i panicked

Anyway, it's Girl Hunt 2.0 - but Natsume stops by 2-C to pick up Shuichi first during lunch. He'd leave a treat for Hiro if he was around but since Hiro doesn't go to class much hélas. This ain't about him anyway.

And off to 2-E they're heading; he's pretty sure that Maya'll be in her class if it's lunchtime, and if she's not busy- no, even if she is busy, because he's not a decent person... They'd like to talk with her. At least he's a little covert about it, asking her to meet them in the stairwell for a quick chat while they have the time. Scribbled beneath that is we have some information you might be interested in, miss student council president -

Equivalent exchange. Some time of hers for some things of theirs. He knows she gets it. Regardless they'll be there, please come so Natsume doesn't have to fetch you the way he did last time ♡ )

Edited 2021-04-17 15:58 (UTC)

[ Why does the note Natsume wrote end up feeling like it belongs on Messages With Threatening Auras™...? Best not to question it.

Anyway, Shuichi skipped breakfast since he no longer has a dining hall that he's forced to go to for meetings every morning, and he's going back to old habits. So on the way, he kind of lingers behind at a vending machine to get something quick -- which is why Natsume's being offered some custard-filled bread if he wants it, as they end up settling down at the meeting point by the stairs.

And while that's going on... ]

Hey... Sakasaki-kun? You don't have to answer if you don't want to, but... I've been wondering about something. This isn't the first time you've spoken to Arisu-san, right?

[ He remembers him mentioning being friends; and anyway, this line of thinking beats worrying about whether she'll even show up as they wait. ]

...Was it... ah, because of the message before the boards got deleted?

[ Sorry, Natsume. He's kind of inadvertently like this and makes deductions. ]

( Why does everyone get that vibe... Stop........ If he wanted to write a threatening note you'd know it..!!

He'll accept the bread though, thank you for the snack- )

It WAS. I'd inquired Seki-kun about it and learned she'd posted IT, so I sought her out not long after to ask what she MEANT. Were you curious about it as WELL?

Ah, well... I did find it pretty odd at the time. Though it started to make a little more sense once the messages from last year were gone...

[ Since admittedly the weirdest part about it had been the "everything will be gone soon" -- but it's also difficult not to remember something going up in the middle of the night right before an event like that. If Natsume had the caution to look into it, he must at least be pretty perceptive himself... it's in line with what Shuichi's noticed so far.

It can't hurt to run this opinion by him, and see if he's noticed anything relevant. ]

She might have just... had a lot on her mind. But it felt a little... like the sort of thing you might post in a moment of weakness, when you're maybe letting things out that you normally couldn't say.

[ But... why? ]

( it's as clamor said, they should follow up with the art room students to figure out more information about aiko — besides, they should know something, right? the head of this dispatch team happens to be izumi, so komaeda follows behind him willingly (he has no choice considering the leash is in izumi's grasp) as they make their way to their destination. it's here that komaeda reaches out and grabs izumi's wrist — )

Hey, let me go in first. I want to check something.

( pulling him back, komaeda walks into the art room just in case you know.. what if his luck procs? you never know if paint starts flying, or something. just trying to keep his good friend sena-kun safe from messing up his girlboss look. )

( Shuichi brings up a good point — that is what it felt like, right? When you knew things were just going to disappear anyway, so you could just say whatever you wanted and be safe in the knowledge that either no one would see it then, or ever. )

She's a second-year like US, so she'd already be aware of what happens to messaGES. ( ... ) She told me that if I didn't understand what she WROTE, then it wasn't for ME, but - who was it for in that CASE?

( He frowns slightly - this is something he's obviously thought about before - then shakes his head, leaning back against the wall. )

I don't think it's an answer that's going to come easiLY. She doesn't want us mucking around in her busiNESS, and I understand WHY. It's easier to work alone or with a few people in comparison to... ( ...well. He looks at Shuichi, head tilted. Their murder discussion kind of went off the rails? Yeah. ) But Arisu-shi is reasonable and a kind, cute girl; if we truly needed her HELP, I'm sure she would give IT.

( She never had to answer any of his questions, after all. And yes, she asked for something pretty heavy in exchange, but still: she answered them. )

npc contact.1

full navigation

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

4/25, after the redo of "talking" with Hiro

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

natsu-shuichi と mayachannn 4/...27?

no subject

no subject

i love the matching pose icons they bless me

4/27! komeowdakun, senakun, glockkun + artroom students

i'm in tears i didn't even notice.... detectives together