2026-07-01: Hana's Dual Perspective
- Log: Hana's Dual Perspective
- Cast: Yua Ijuuin, Hana Fukami
- Where: Tokyo TV
- OOC Date: 2026-07-01
- IC Date: Sun, Dec 02 / Mon, Dec 03 2012
- Summary: Kimitake drags Yua to Flower Talk to clean up her reputation, after the tabloids wrung her out over her reaction in Hawaii. Hana doesn't miss his veiled scorn, though -- and he spells it out for Yua, when they're alone. That's why she comes back to the set the next day with some hand-made cookies to make up for his behaviour... but what she wasn't expecting was for Hana to be an old flame of his, earlier in her life. Hana knows more than Yua bargained for, and so she ends up disclosing a whole lot more. With both of them trapped by their ambitions outstripping what society will tolerate, they decide to become friends.
- Content warning: Domestic abuse, transphobia, misogyny, transmisogyny, allusions to sexual violence
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ijuuin has posed.
OST: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyyiJc0Wk2M CHVRCHES - He Said She Said
"... and be in Tokyo by noon." It's always a demand, with her husband. "I'm bringing you onto Flower Talk."
"Um...?" Yua wasn't sure how to respond to that, at the end of Kimitake's phone call on Sunday.
"Don't tell me you haven't heard of it?" He asks, on just this side of patience.
"O--of course I've heard of it!" Yua says, quickly; any respectable housewife has seen that daytime television, of course, with its traditionally feminine hosts encouraging good morals in women. "I'm just not sure why...?"
"Your irresponsible behaviour in Hawaii," he answers, curt. "It's all over the tabloids. We need to get ahead of it."
"They wrote about that?" Yua asks, her stomach sinking.
"You threw a tantrum in a room full of reporters!" Kimitake snaps, and she hears him take a breath, a moment later, to at least calm himself in the eyes of anyone watching.
"I-- I'll be ready," Yua promises.
But she at least manages to pack a picnic lunch for Miho and Tyrrha, before she has to leave.
...---...
"Mm... it can be stressful to travel when you're carrying a baby," Yua admits, on the air. "I guess I got a little overwhelmed..."
At least the women on the talk show are more sympathetic about it. They might even manage to make her look good!
...---...
After the show's conclusion, when the cameras have stopped rolling, Yua and Kimitake happen upon one of those hosts -- Hana Fukami.
And Yua bows, to her, and says: "Thank you for having us, Fukami-san."
Kimitake nods, in turn, and the fact that he has less need to lower himself is simply taken as a given. "You're an excellent performer," he says, as though he scarcely knows her, and his tone is complimentary. "I can see you've cultivated a wealth of experience. Ah," he smiles, easily, as he gestures away any embarrassment, following up with a personable: "But I'm sure you hear that from everyone!"
There's little bigotry in his warm reception, by the letter of the law he follows.
But there's a certain look in his smiling eyes, as he laughs so easily...
Hana's not the only one here putting on an act.
...---...
Yua wouldn't have realised he meant anything but warmth, if not for one of those car trips home she's come to dread, trapped in a small metal tomb with a man who can speak his mind without being observed.
"Next time -- try to carry yourself with at least some shred of decorum. You're as embarrassing as that Touri is, flouncing around on television. Blatant bitches," he adds, the misogyny acidic from both axes, knuckles tightening against his steering wheel.
"I-I don't know who..." Yua starts, her own hands defensively curled around her belly.
"She calls herself Hana these days," and somehow, he even manages to make using the right pronouns into an insult. "Can't you even figure out an obvious implication like that? You really are hopeless, Yua." His yobisute address isn't a matter of warmth. "No wonder you need us to take care of you."
"If you hate her so much, why did you bring me here?" Yua wonders, a touch sulky, as she looks out her passenger-side window. (There's no escape from these conversations; even if she could open the door, she can't very well jump out of a moving vehicle.)
"It's your fault," Kimitake says. "You and all your carrying on."
"I'm sorry," Yua says, and in a sense she's not lying; she is sorry she didn't realise he'd be so mean about it.
Even if it's just to avoid setting him off, she supposes she ought to be more careful.
But that's not the only thing that strikes her, as Kimitake escorts her home under that stormcloud, only to smile warmly to the woman she loves and assure her that he wanted to get her back right after that media appearance so she wouldn't get overwhelmed.
That woman he hates so much...
...---...
The next day, once Yua's finished up in Studio Chura, she pops up home to fetch some cookies she's baked -- and assures Eiko she'll be back soon. "I just have to thank someone," she explains, as she heads out again, and she prefers riding in Seiji's car much more.
The sun has set on the end of the filming day by the time she finds the set for Flower Talk again, holding a pair of baskets. She manages to find Kiki, first, and offer her a basket of home-baked cookies for her kind reception. But she insists on finding Hana herself, and her genuine manner suggests she really does just want to deliver her thanks personally.
Yua's an Ijuuin, now, so she's afforded certain privileges in society, like being able to find someone personally instead of getting escorted out as intruding riff-raff.
<Pose Tracker> Hana Fukami has posed.
Flower Talk is a lovely show; they do in fact have a lot of flowers, though it's not traditional arrangements so much as modern. Kiki and Hana offer an energy that is by turns warm and calm, with Kiki's bright questions working alongside Hana's gentle followups. It's a show of good morals and good feelings, though there are some more serious guests on now and then. On Sunday, though, it was two Ijuuins!
-=-=-
"Aaah," Kiki says at Yua's admission, "I'm sure! Traveling all that way would make me cranky, and I'm not even pregnant! Oh, you're so lucky... And with such a handsome husband, too!"
Hana smiled at her, then. "Sport is a field of passion, isn't it? I'm sure you were just excited for your friend."
They'll definitely make her look sympathetic. And give her a chance to talk about more pleasant things!
-=-=-
But after the show, Hana is there with Yua and Kimitake both. "Of course," Hana says. "It was an honor to host you." Then she looks to Kimitake, letting on nothing of how she might know him in the moment--instead, she sees that look in his eyes...
Hana falters. "Yes," she says. "I do my best. Everyone is very helpful to me."
-=-=-
Seeing that look in his eyes... It would throw her off for the rest of the day. But this is Monday now, and Hana is done filming and done with the aftermath for the most part; soon, she'll go home. With the show over, she's had reasons to stay after, but those are mostly gone... Until--
Kiki is cheerful. "Homemade cookies!" she says. "I'm so lucky~! Thank you, Ijuuin-san! Oh, Hana-chan? She's probably in her dressing room..."
When Yua knocks at that door, Hana steps towards it, opening it up and looking at Yua in surprise. Today she's in pink, a lovely shade for a delicate-looking outfit. Her long nails are a darker pink; her red eyes and black hair are still perfect from hair and makeup.
"Ijuuin-san," Hana says, and Yua might pick up on the slight tension in Hana's shoulders before she specifically tries to quash it and smiles more warmly. "What a lovely surprise! What brings you back?"
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ijuuin has posed.
"Mimi was so cool...!" Yua sparkles, given half an excuse to talk about her excitement.
Of course, they clarify that she's so fond of her because she's her best friend, and her cousin, now, too.
Hana helps Yua, and Yua...
Well, Yua's standing beside her husband.
And he seems to be smiling perfectly normally.
If only it reached his eyes.
...---...
"Sorry to bother you," Yua says, quickly, because she does pick up on it, now she knows she ought to look. The slight stammer in her reply, in turn, is her own subtle signal -- "I-I just -- I wanted to bring you something to thank you for your kind interview yesterday!"
She holds out the basket, in both hands, a nice little woven thing -- indeed, it's hand-woven, with touches of imperfection which speak to an amateur effort -- with home-baked cookies inside of it. "I thought maybe it could have been an imposition... so... even if it was a difficult request, you were really very nice!"
Yua is definitely more of a Kiki than a Hana, with regards to her energy levels -- but it's not hard to pick up that it's more nervous than bubbly, right now.
<Pose Tracker> Hana Fukami has posed.
So cool!! That, at least, is something fun to see; Hana can see the affection in Yua for Miho, just by listening to her. Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean anything romantic. It can be nice even as friends!
But here and now...
To thank her? It's not the first time Hana's received such a sentiment, of course. But it's still a surprise, given how much Kimitake's gaze said he hated her, before, and now his wife is here...?
"Oh, you were no imposition at all," Hana answers. "We love to interview all sorts of people. Your cheering for your Miho-san was wonderful to see, even if I suppose that wasn't the whole point of your being here..."
She pauses, and then--
Hm. She is nervous...
"Would you come in for a while?" Hana asks, and reaches out to accept the beautiful basket with both hands. "Maybe we could talk."
She steps back out of the way, and gestures towards the couch; it's a big enough room that she can have someone in here, anyway.
"These look wonderful," she says. "Thank you!"
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ijuuin has posed.
Yua's eye -- she's apparently only got the one, which Hana's background research would have suggested is a terribly sad story, even just from the things which are part of the public media record -- doesn't hold the same leashed contempt Kimitake's does, at least. That's not to say there's nothing buried there, either, but...
... rather than scorn, the thing she's immured is far more sad.
She's more cheerful, at least, thinking of her friend. "Mm! Mimi's super impressive!" And she might have left at that, realising she had better not talk too much about how great her 'friend' is, except --
She blinks, hearing Hana invite her. "Huh? Oh, sure!" She didn't expect that Hana would want to talk to her long -- it's not Miho's ring, on her finger, after all -- but she doesn't object, either; she steps inside, and takes a seat on one end of that couch, following instructions quite easily.
"Phew," she sighs, because, like -- all else equal -- running around trying to track down the stars is rough on her poor feets. Tomorrow, she'll have reached twenty three weeks...
... which means she's counting down the weeks, now, her attention shifting to keeping Hiroki safe inside her as long as she can to give him a fighting chance if he ends up premature.
It's not like she doesn't know she's at risk of that, with all the pressures pushing down on her.
"I'm really glad you like them," she smiles, looking to Hana again. "I decided to try a little basket-weaving, recently, so I thought they'd be nice packages... but don't worry, I've been cooking since I was little, so the cookies should really be good!"
<Pose Tracker> Hana Fukami has posed.
Hana did of course do background research--or rather, she reached out to a team member whose job it is to do that, and read the findings--but there is sadness there. At the same time, she's glad not to see that same contempt in Yua's eye.
Miho is super impressive, Yua says. Hana smiles. And indeed--
It is not Miho's ring on Yua's finger, it's the ring of a man who hurt her badly just yesterday if only with a few cutting words, but Yua doesn't seem to be inclined to do the same.
Hana steps over to the chair nearby, only after Yua's sat down. "Besides, I feel bad thinking of you having to wander around so much to find me," she says, resisting the urge to glance down at Yua's belly as she says it. "So you made the baskets, too!" Hana remarks. "Oh, I'm not worried--I can tell they look good."
"You're very talented, Ijuuin-san. Really, the interview was no trouble; you were a delight to talk to."
"Though..."
She looks apologetic, "I think I may have offended your husband without intending. I should apologize."
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ijuuin has posed.
"It's getting to about that time," Yua agrees, though of course she's vague about it. It would be impolite to directly say her feet hurt. But she smiles, hearing Hana see the quality of her cookies. "I'm glad!"
She smiles, as well, as Hana assures her, though she wonders how much assurance Hana really has to get through in a day. And then --
Yua looks away, not quite quickly enough to hide that sadness in her eye again. "No, no," she shakes her head, hands folding neatly in her lap. "You really didn't do anything wrong, Fukami-san. It's, um..." she's a touch quieter, "... mm... don't worry, you've done nothing to apologise for, I promise!"
Why does she look like a deer caught in the headlights, all a sudden?
<Pose Tracker> Hana Fukami has posed.
Of course she's vague. But Hana continues, "My sister-in-law is due this month. I've been helping her here and there..." So, she tries to signal, she's sympathetic to those kinds of isssues. She doesn't comment on the assurances of assurance--instead she sees that sadness...
"Ah, but now..."
A deer in headlights. "I gave you an awkward situation. I'm sorry. Don't worry, I won't ask you to get in the middle."
"I just was remembering how that went, and... Perhaps it was only my imagination, then."
Pause. "What about these cookies? Let's try one!"
Hana picks it up and delicately nomphs.
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ijuuin has posed.
"Really? That's great!" Yua smiles, to her. "Having an auntie around is a big help, you know? Um... just like my cousin's helping me!" It is NOT just like Miho helping Yua, but of course Yua needs to insist it is.
There's something she's trying to hint at, there, too, but it's just because she can't come right out and say it. "It's all right," Yua assures her, gently, when she apologises again.
Even as Hana says it was her imagination, and...
"How do you like it?" Yua smiles, though her expression is a touch thinner. "They're mint chocolate...! I wanted to make something yummy for everyone, since the food I'm making for dinner is pretty bland these days..."
She's thinking something different, though. She's wondering whether she really is just a coward, letting Hana think it's all in her head. It's really... more improper when he's messing with someone else's head, isn't it...?
"Um," she starts, her fingers curling around each other in a vain effort to vent her anxious energy without doing something as embarrassing as rocking.
(Kimitake's already given her a talk about not doing that in public.)
<Pose Tracker> Hana Fukami has posed.
"It's very rewarding," Hana says of helping. "I feel lucky to be able to be there for her."
But something she's trying to hint at... Hana might be able to pick up on it. "You're very close with your cousin, aren't you?" she asks. "My sister-in-law is a little older than I am, but you're the same age." And of course, her research...
But she likes it. "It's very good!" Hana answers. "It's a very clever combination. ...Oh, is that so?" she asks. "Hmm. That makes sense, though." It illustrates something to Hana, anyway.
But Yua is nervous...
"Mm?" Hana wonders. "..."
She hesitates. "...Is there something on your mind, Ijuuin-san?" she prompts gently. "Or is it..."
"Is it that he told you about my history?" she wonders.
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ijuuin has posed.
"We were best friends in high school," Yua explains, "so Mimi's always been looking out for me." Which at least suggests something about them -- protective relationships between girls is a common method of practicing for romance -- but it's still hardly a definitive statement, and, indeed, Yua doesn't even realise it's a statement at all.
On cookies, she smiles, to say: "Mm, mm, mint is sharp, but chocolate is sweet! So they taste even better together!" It's a case of 'opposites attract', is it?
That's... theoretically an explanation for the man she's married.
Yua looks a shade more nervous, as Hana brings up her background. Yua doesn't have a person who handles it, but... that doesn't mean people don't hear things. "Um... that is..."
She glances up. "Are we... being recorded?" She asks, instead of answering. "Or, um... is this the sort of conversation you'd want to tell people about? It's just... I don't want to be improper, so..."
<Pose Tracker> Hana Fukami has posed.
Best friends... Hana smiles. "I still talk to my best friend from high school," she offers. "It's important to have someone who can look after you." Hana has seen the reports, of Yua going missing, of Miho searching for her... she can start to put together a few possibilities, especially now. But she doesn't voice them immediately. Instead she smiles about the cookies. "It works really nicely," Hana says. "I'm not as much a baker, but I'm trying to improve at cooking for my boyfriend..."
Still, that nervousness--
"We..." Hana smiles, and shakes her head. "This conversation is what we call 'off the record'. It means nobody's recording, and I won't use it for a story or tell people you were saying anything."
"...If that's what you're worried about, then it's all right. I promise I won't tell people if you say something improper."
"Whatever you want to ask, you can. It's just us here."
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ijuuin has posed.
"There's some great cooking videos online! And food discussions, too! Hee hee, there's even kids trying to get into it... I saw a very fancy video from one of my students reviewing food the other day! Of course, that's supposed to be a secret, he's using a code name, he calls himself Ramenboy87, but that blonde hair is really distinctive," Yua giggles, thinking of the video she found when she was looking up Angelo's Bakery. Of course, she doesn't add that she's heard the teachers bemoaning his antics, too. That would be unprofessional! "Kids are so creative...!"
(And, yes, Yua thinks Ryuji's gaudy star wipes are very fancy. She's very impressed at his video editing skills.)
... but of course, if Yua could just talk about the youth, she wouldn't have that look in her eye.
Yua doesn't know much about the world of fame -- which might explain why she got into such obvious trouble with the tabloids in the first place. Something being 'off the record' isn't a thought she's used to having! When Hana reassures her of that, though, Yua does look relieved. "Oh, good," she smiles, her hands still lacing together.
"It's just -- um --" ... though, tellingly, it still takes her a moment to get there. "... he did mention a little," she admits, and perhaps, rather than quiet, the word for her voice is overshadowed. "Just... he mentioned a different name, and... um... it's not... you didn't make it up!" Her resolve to reassure Hana kind of all spills out in a hurry, as she looks up to her again. "You didn't imagine it! Just -- just, it's not your fault, okay? He's offended b--because he isn't very -- because he has some negative thoughts about --" Yua, realising she's dug a hole she can't dig up to escape from, falls silent again, looking back down to the ring binding her finger.
It's easy to say he has transphobic thoughts, but of course, Hana knows it's not just that.
He hates women as much as he hates anyone who dares to leave the closet.
It's the sort of thought he tends to share with the men he hooks up with... and nowhere else.
"... it isn't something you should have to apologise for," Yua starts again, a touch lamely.
<Pose Tracker> Hana Fukami has posed.
"I've seen those," Hana says with a little laugh. "He's getting into an awful lot of trouble, isn't he?" she wonders. But kids can be creative! "I suppose you must see a lot of that in your work," Hana ventures.
But... while the youth would be easier to talk about...
"Yes," Hana says. "So it's all right."
But it does take Yua a moment, doesn't it? Hana folds her hands, having set the cookie basket on the little table there. She waits, patient, her eyes gently on Yua. And then... ah. The name.
"I see," Hana says. "So he mentioned my old name to you..."
A shake of her head. "I don't mind it, you know. My parents gave me that name. It was mine for a long time; I suppose in some ways, it still is. But it isn't very suitable to a woman."
She purses her lips and then says, "When I was a man," she says, "I had... an acquaintance, with your husband. I knew how he felt about such things, but..."
"Seeing that look in his eyes was painful," she admits. "Hearing him compliment my 'performance'..."
"I'm not just performing," Hana says. "I don't want to apologize for that. ...But some people assume things are a certain way..."
"Thank you," she says. "For telling me it wasn't just in my head."
"It's kind of you to say it isn't my fault, too. But in his mind... It is, I think."
"Because I wasn't willing to be satisfied with just what I had. Because I've looked for more."
"...You have too, haven't you?"
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ijuuin has posed.
"It's normal for boys that age," Yua assures Hana, smiling. "Hee hee... I do see an awful lot!"
And not all of it is as pleasant as the passions of the young.
"You don't?" Yua asks, and sounds a little surprised, hearing Hana's stance on her old name. "Oh, that's good... the people I've met who decided their gender didn't suit them, you know, they were always quite upset to hear it. But I suppose it can't be the same for everyone, right...?"
(And even though she frames it as a decision, the way she describes her prior experiences is warm; she might not entirely understand it, but she's still embraced it.)
"I know about... how he handles his relationships," Yua advances, delicately. "He, um..." She bites her lip, in another moment's hesitation. "He's the one who's putting on an act, Fukami-san."
She fiddles with her ring, the rich mokume-gane mixture glinting and shifting in the light. And at first she is quiet; she is still afraid.
... but if Hana knows how Kimitake handles his relationships, too, she supposes it's a secret that's already out.
"Mm," she hums, after a long moment of silence. "I wanted to marry Mimi... we're even having a baby... but the family couldn't accept saying that publically. So... I was married to Kimi-san, since... mm, you know. He needs a wife to get ahead, so..." Back when he was seeing Hana, of course, Kimitake had a wife -- who wasn't Yua -- but he evidently lost her between then and now. And perhaps it's no wonder, given the things he'd say about that woman in private.
He didn't respect his first wife. It's not unreasonable to expect things aren't so different with the next.
"I pushed Mimi to be legitimate... so everything that happened... it's my fault, too," Yua admits, quietly. "So... I can understand your feelings, I think."
<Pose Tracker> Hana Fukami has posed.
"Hm hm. I suppose it is. I knew my share who got into that kind of trouble... Though they didn't have channels."
But Yua is surprised, and Hana inclines her head. "Being a man suited me all right for long enough. I just found... Being a woman suits me better. I'm happier this way. But I have a lot of treasured connections I made as a man... I don't want to abandon them. So if I hear my old name now and then, it's not the worst thing. ...It would bother me more if someone insisted on using it after hearing my new name."
'Decided' is fine enough for Hana; for her, it was a matter of coming to terms with her identity, understanding her desires. Certainly, she made the decision to transition, even if those feelings weren't feeling she simply elected to have.
But she knows. Hana's face falls a little. "I see," she says. "I'm sorry."
She notices Yua's discomfort, certainly. But before trying to reassure, she listens. The family...
"Ah," she says.
"We all have to think how much we're willing to compromise," Hana says sympathetically. "I love the man I'm seeing... But as things are, I can't be his wife, even if he asked. And there are reasons that I'm reluctant to change that..."
A shake of her head. "Ijuuin-san is..." She considers. "I thought he was severe and attractive, at first. But he was so impersonal. Even so, someone I shared something like that with looking at me with such contempt... It hurt."
"...He was cruel about his wife at the time, too. I suspect he doesn't treat you well. You don't have to confirm it--I just... suspect."
"It's amazing that you're able to have a baby with her. But a baby needs a father. So I don't blame you for that choice. You made the best choice you could, based on your situation."
"Well, maybe we're both a little wicked then," Hana sighs, but tries to put a bright face on it. "But I think it's all right, to try for the best. To try for more than you thought you could have."
She reaches out a hand for Yua. "...Let's not punish ourselves for hope, shall we?"
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ijuuin has posed.
"I had one, right back when the big site started!" Yua giggles, as she recalls: "I used to upload videos of ballet practice...! I wonder if it's still around..."
... of course, it hasn't been touched since the incident.
"I see," Yua nods, as Hana tells her how it was for her. "I can kind of relate to that... not that I've ever disliked being a woman, except for how it would be easier if I was a man, but... before I realised I had a certain option, I thought of myself a different way, too?"
She frowns, as Hana says she can't be her boyfriend's wife. "Ah... is it because you're not official? Um, I know there can be troubles with how you're viewed by the government and hospitals and things..." She doesn't know about the sterilisation, but she's at least trying to put forward her best guess.
"I thought it was just how the Ijuuins were," Yua shares, when Hana reflects on Kimitake's better qualities. "They're all very strong... very sure. Methodological, and logical, and -- and enduring, like a fortress. Getting Father to smile is really a surprise, you know?" The way she addresses him is old-fashioned -- like a samurai from the movies. "But... Mimi has lots of kind feelings, she just keeps them locked up inside. By the time I realised the things Kimi-san had locked up inside were so cruel... it was much too late to leave him."
Yua sighs, and adds, of the state of her belly: "I was really selfish... I jumped before knowing where I'd land. I just... I wanted to do it, and... and I don't have time to hesitate, you know?"
... if she'd waited to be sure, she might not have survived long enough to give Hiroki this shot at survival to begin with. Babies take time, and time is the one thing Yua can never be sure if she'll have.
"So, maybe... maybe that's fine..."
Yua's smile is a touch wavering, but she reaches a hand out to Hana, after a moment. (There's a strange decoration, there on her right hand; a triangle of black fabric, stretched from a ring around her middle finger to a bracelet about her wrist.) "You're right," she says, though it's more alarming as she finishes, "reality punishes us enough without us doing it too, doesn't it?"
<Pose Tracker> Hana Fukami has posed.
"Oh, fun!" Hana smiles warmly at that. "I love performing. I was never in ballet, but I did learn some choreography here and there."
But Yua can relate to it... Hana listens. "A lot of things are easier as a man," Hana admits. But, she doesn't think she has to say, it's worth it. "Yes. I thought I was just gay... but it's not quite that, in the end. Though I suppose it's also that?"
When Yua frowns, Hana inclines her head. "That's right. And... Well, I don't need to go into detail just now. Suffice to say that it's a difficult consideration."
Strong and sure. "Attractive qualities," Hana agrees. "I like enduring. My boyfriend, you see... He's strong, too. Do you know? He can pick me up!" She smiles. But she notices that old-fashioned look, too. The matter of Miho and Kimitake, though...
"I'm sorry," Hana says. "I hope you and she can endure it together."
Selfish? "...Mm." She doesn't know why Yua doesn't have time to hesitate--but she is willing to believe it's not just something about making the most of one's twenties. "Sometimes, you should do what you want to do, I think."
Maybe it's fine. Hana smiles softly, and when Yua reaches back to her, she takes that hand quietly and squeezes Yua's fingers. She notices the strange decoration, but...
She doesn't pry.
Reality punishes them...
"Ijuuin-san," Hana says. "Would you like to be friends? ...I know it's presumptuous of me, and you may not wish to associate with someone who's known your husband in that way..."
"But I would appreciate it if you'd consider it."
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ijuuin has posed.
"If you'd like to learn, feel free to stop by Studio Chura some afternoon! Most of my tutoring's with the youth, but really, that's mostly just because all the children know I can help with their dancing..."
(See? Yua really can be a savvy businesswoman! Let's just ignore how Studio Chura would be deep in the red if she was held to any actual standards. Maintaining that space is Father's gift to her...)
"Mimi likes men too, and if I was a man, I could marry her for real... so that's why I think stuff like that," Yua sighs. "But Mimi says she likes me being a woman, and I like being a woman, too, so I guess I really just wish society wasn't so harsh."
She nods, sympathetically, with an affirmative hum, as Hana elides the detail. Instead, she talks about her boyfriend, and Yua brightens to hear it. "Wow! That's the best, right?! I love up!" And -- and she says it just like that?!
Oh no... she's so cute.
Yua looks ashamed, though, as Hana suggests they should endure it together. "Um... it's a secret, actually," she says, looking down. "Father didn't know Kimi-san was this awful... if I told on him, there'd be a lot of trouble in the family. And Mimi wouldn't let him get away with it if she knew, and... and it could just get really complicated, and... and I have to think about Hiroki's future, too." She looks a touch ashen, as she asks: "So... so don't go talking to her, okay? Promise?"
Right now, there's nothing more important to Yua than making sure Hana and Miho never have an honest conversation.
But it's Yua having the honest conversation, right now, despite herself. She blinks, looking to Hana with surprise, as she asks if she'd like to be friends. "Really? But -- but if we're friends, you might see him again? Is that really okay...?" She pauses, for a moment, before hurrying to add: "N-not that I'm saying I'm against it! You're really a good person, Hana! I think I'd be lucky if I had a friend like you! But -- but you shouldn't have to see someone who doesn't respect you, you know?"
<Pose Tracker> Hana Fukami has posed.
"I'll think about that!" Hana answers.
She will probably not do it. Exercise is sort of not her jam... But she'll think about it!
But Miho also likes men... That's good to know. "I see... I understand. I wish that, too. ...At least I know that my boyfriend would love me either way. But... this is how I want to be. I wish it were a little easier..." She pauses. "But on the other hand, being with someone as a woman is very different from being with them as a man. I've seen people on both 'sides' of it, and I think you'd find your relationship was very different."
Up! She says it just like that. Hana laughs softly. "You're very cute, Ijuuin-san. But I do, too. He's so... strong."
The shame in Yua's expression troubles Hana--but as she mentions it's a secret... Hana looks concerned. "I see," she says. '...That's your decision, not mine; don't worry. It's not my place to tell her anything like that. I promise." She's not really familiar with the really old families. It might be just like that.
Still, "I might," Hana says. "But that's all right. I have people who love me, who care about me, and I'll see them too."
She laughs faintly. "I don't know if I'm a good person," she admits, "But I just... think it would be nice."
She shakes her head. "I do have to see people who don't respect me, though. That's just life. If I avoided all of them... I'd never go out very much."
"It can't be helped."
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ijuuin has posed.
That's just why dancing is so great! It's exercise for people who don't like exercise!!
"Is it?" Yua wonders, tilting her head. "I guess that does explain a few things..." Surely that's why Yua's the only woman Miho's been with, she thinks.
... if only it were true the other way around, too.
"Mmhm!" She hums, cheerfully, when Hana calls her cute. "Mm, mm! It's great when the person you love is strong!"
She does look reassured, at least, to hear that Hana isn't going to go and tell either. "Thank you," she smiles, to her. "I know it's a burdensome secret... I don't like to put it on people, but since you already kind of knew, I guess I just kind of told you?"
It's Yua's turn to look concerned, though, as Hana talks about her experiences with respect. "That sounds really hard," she says, sympathetically. "But I'm definitely sure you're a good person! Because you let me in! If you weren't nice, you would have just told me to go away because Kimi-san's a big jerk!"
Is that... is that how that works...?
"But if we're going to be friends, you need a super-cute nickname! That's the law!" Yua insists, wagging her finger. "I think... you're a 'Kotoba'! Because you've already brought the 'Hana'!" Hanakotoba, that is -- the Japanese language of flowers.
<Pose Tracker> Hana Fukami has posed.
"Mm!" Hana answers. "They expect different things of you. And that's before you get into--well, you know." Things that Hana doesn't have to say, right? "Even some things that seem the same feel different..."
"Yes," Hana answers to strength. But she can at least reassure Yua about that. "It's all right," the woman in pink says. "I... did, yes."
Concern! Hana smiles faintly, but it's not a happy kind of smile. "It can be," she says. "But I'll handle it. ...And well, you did bring me cookies..."
A super-cute nickname? Hana tilts her head--and then she laughs softly. "is that how it is?" she asks. "All right. That's appropriate, I think. And I have to be a little cute, if I'm going to keep up with you. May I call you Yuarin?"
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ijuuin has posed.
"It feels different?" Somehow, there's tension on Yua's face, hearing that. She falls quiet; she looks past Hana.
These perversions of yours...
Fascinating as they are, you should really be better to your husband.
Don't worry. You're not the first woman whose degeneracy I've fixed.
If being with a woman is frightening, being normal will be much easier for you, won't it?
You should really thank me, Yua.
"Right," she snaps back to reality, a moment later.
"I really hope you like them," she smiles, of her cookies, though her smile's a little wan too.
Luckily, there's something that can revive her: being very cute. "Great!" She sparkles, cheerfully. "Mm, mm! Yuarin loves that!" OH NO SHE EVEN THIRD-PERSONS HERSELF. "That's so cute...!"
<Pose Tracker> Hana Fukami has posed.
"Mm," Hana reaffirms. "Who people are, who you are... they both factor in. Most people don't change themselves enough to notice the differences."
But she doesn't elaborate any further, seeing that quiet, that wan smile. "I do," Hana says of the cookies. "Do you mind if I share them? I was going to have some friends over later..."
But cute! Hana watches Yua sparkle and marvels a little at the change in the woman who came to see her earlier.
"Good," Hana says warmly. "Well, Yuarin, I'm looking forward to it!"