2026-07-12: Hana wa Nanten, Onna-musha wa Bushi
- Log: Hana wa Nanten, Onna-musha wa Bushi
- Cast: Yua Ijuuin, Goro Akechi, Miho Ijuuin
- Where: Kikuraku Private Lounge - Yumezaki Ward
- OOC Date: 2026-07-12
- IC Date: Sat, Dec 08 2012
- Summary: It's Miho's twenty-third birthday party! The old samurai used to say 'hana wa sakuragi, hito wa bushi' -- that the best flower is the cherry blossom, and the best man is a warrior -- but of course, Miho's not a man. There are many men amongst the Ijuuins of her party, though -- including Kimitake, whose quiet mistreatment of Yua is interrupted by Tyrrha finding Akechi, Tyrrhaingly. Yua spontaneously invited him when hearing he couldn't imagine a party like this, and Miho, who loves Yua more than life, was happy to accommodate her. Thus does Akechi get a critical window into Miho and Yua's daily lives... and into the lives of the Ijuuin clan, which is still largely out of reach of the New World Order.
- Content warning: Coercive control
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ijuuin has posed.
Miho Ijuuin's twenty-third birthday is the most ostentatious 'small family affair' one could imagine. (Her family, being fair, is not small... accounting for her cousins, at least. And are there a few extra faces here today...? You know -- beyond Kiria Ryouhara, who's blended in seamlessly as a waitress?) Held inside to ward off the afternoon chill of Winter, it is nonetheless eminently floral -- the flowers of the nandina tree taking prominence as Miho's birthday bloom. It is a thing both beautiful and deadly -- and it's for both practical and artful ends that the nandina bonsai tree Yua and Miho have carefully tended has been brought out to feature centre-stage. It took four men to lift it; being precisely cultivated has not made it excessively small.
(If there are signs its poisonous berries have been harvested, its bark stripped for a purpose... surely it's just an artistic statement.)
This is an art Miho has taught Yua; meditating on the bonsai is particular to her traditional upbringing. Bonsai, calligraphy, flower arrangement... all of these historical arts, shared with Yua, and all embraced by her wholeheartedly.
(Indeed, Miho first started instructing Yua in calligraphy all the way back in high school...)
Yua was very happy when Natsumi asked her opinion of the flower arrangements for today -- she helped her mother settle on white and yellow North Pole chrysanthemums to herald Winter and celebrate Miho's sincerity and integrity, white and yellow nandina flowers to honour the day of her birth and her love for her family, yellow wintersweet blooms to underline her foresight, leadership, elegance, and compassion, and white hihiragi, which of course was Yua's hand in the work, the Ryukyuan flower's reputation for caution, foresight and protection holding particular significance to Miho's home given where it came from... and of special interest to Miho given its appearances in the Kojiki, Japan's oldest historical account. (Indeed, it's because Yua was eager to invoke the hihiragi that Natsumi supported it with her wintersweet.) Yua was understanding about letting Miho attend with Tomoki, in turn, when Natsumi raised the point during their work. That's why she encouraged Miho to pick him up, assuring her that Kimitake could bring her and Tyrrha along.
"It's okay," she told her, then. "I'll definitely be there! And I'll help you get dressed, too...!" There were sparkles from the force of her sincerity.
'There' is a rich function hall in Yumezaki Ward, Kikuraku Private Lounge -- the very place Takashi patronised for Yua's engagement, though one wouldn't recognise it from inside. Here, everyone has gathered, after lunch, to socialise and trade stories and hear people speak to Miho's triumphs; it's an occasion that will end with dinner. (And, of course, that timing is deliberate; Yua insisted that Miho would want to come home to her, on her birthday, so Natsumi was conscientious enough to make sure he'd have time. ... whether she hopes Yua has overestimated Miho's willingness to cut her time with her man short, of course, is something the mother of the clan is not likely to divulge to her daughter's face.) The colour palette is yellow and gold and white and grey; that nandina bonsai tree is the centrepiece, giving everyone a good reason to talk about Miho's craft and fine control. On a table before it are gifts -- arranged more like offerings, not wrapped but proudly displayed. There is a fine gold sculpture of a sabre placed beside a feminine flower arrangement, celebrating both Miho's physical prowess and her womanly youth. A beautiful yukata, suitable for the summer, has been hung on a mannequin beside the table, carefully arranged to show off the genuine silk hand-woven with its floral motif. More practical is a small meditation garden, with smooth rocks, white sand, and a far smaller bonsai, held in a box suitable for placement on a desk. There is a box of hand-crafted chocolates from Belgium -- the kind, one might realise, which was bought in Belgium -- and a dagger with a golden dragon etched into the handle, its eyes calming purple chalcedony gemstones.
It's clear, this year, that the whole family is honouring Miho's singular accomplishments in the Olympics.
One gift is a touch more modest -- by comparison. It is a photo Miho might remember, for all the co-ordination it took -- lining up Miho, Kimitake, and Tomoki's schedules, that is. They're all there, and so are Yua and Tyrrha, all dressed in their Autumn kimonos. Tyrrha sits, holding a plaque emblazoned with 'UNITY'. To Tyrrha's right stands Yua, her left hand on her shoulder, wedding ring prominent on her finger; her right reaches behind her, to embrace Miho, standing at the girl's other side. ... it's Miho's left hand embracing Yua, obscuring whether she too bears a ring, her right resting on Tyrrha's shoulder instead. What is clear is that beside both of the women are their men; Kimitake's hand grasps Yua's shoulder, while Tomoki's rests at Miho's. It is, perhaps, a powerful statement of how the two pairs have come together to care for the orphan girl -- and why she now speaks of two sets of parents.
The frame is lovely, in the kintsugi style; the black frame has been broken and lacquered with gold. Luckily, funding it was a group project between Yua, Tomoki, and Kimitake... Yua wanted their nice frame to be a surprise, and that meant using her teacher's salary, and that was never going to fund anything half as impressive as these gifts. Fortunately, the men agreed that Yua finding a time that worked for everyone was worth a lot!
Well. That's what Kimitake said in front of Tomoki, anyway.
Yua's winter kimono is cheerfully yellow from its Euryops daisies, invoking her harmonious relationships, marital harmony, and bright love. Patterned over them are elegant sprigs of lady's purse. 'I give you all that I have,' they say, speaking to her devotion and her generosity.
Everyone knows just who she's given everything to -- and it's not the man beside her, almost a foot taller, in his grey and white clouds-and-snowfall kimono. Still, Yua's hand is curled about Kimitake's arm; she could not do her other father-in-law the disrespect of spurning his son.
"You're positively radiant, Yua-chan," Nagaharu Ijuuin smiles, to her.
Beside him, her wife, Chiyuki Ijuuin, gasps with delight. "Ah, look at her, son! She's glowing."
"She grows lovelier by the day," Kimitake smiles, warmly, as Yua bows her head.
"Thank you, father, mother," Yua says, smiling gratefully. She speaks of them, too, in the samurai's fashion. They're Kimitake's parents; by all logic, that makes them hers. She does attend to the illusion; she rings Chiyuki and her older daughter Ema just as she does Natsumi and Saya and Ritsuko and Yurika and Yuna and Yume, and so too does she write their accounts in her family binder, so that she can ask after school trips and promotions and all the mundane back and forth that strengthens familial bonds. This is what is expected of a wife; dutifully, Yua networks, and so tells Kimitake the weekly bulletin just as she tells Miho.
Kimitake, one notes, is far more reliant on it.
"Now, dear, is he treating you well?" Is nonetheless more theatre, coming from Chiyuki's mouth. Yua has shared some difficult things with Natsumi, and more with Ritsuko, but Chiyuki...
Yua asked her mother-in-law, once, about his ex wife. Chiyuki kindly explained that there was nothing to worry about, and it was really just romantic incompatibility.
And Yua asked her sister-in-law, once, what he was like growing up. Ema had nothing unkind to say.
... and the implicit message of their silence comes through loud and clear.
So Yua smiles, leaning closer into him. "Kimi-san takes care of me," she says, and performs her contented smile more easily with her eye closed. "He's been very kind... very understanding. Parties like this don't come naturally to me, but he's been a patient teacher. I think we make a good team..."
"Oh, Yua-san is easily taught," Kimitake adds, modestly -- and considerately waiting until she's done to do so. "She truly is a hidden gem."
Precious, in other words -- and common, to boot. One does not hide gems in wealth.
Nonetheless, they are other words... so he's being nice, just as Yua scolded him to be on the drive in.
(But as he pointed out, he'd be a fool to spite the 'Golden Girl' on her birthday.)
"Good," Nagaharu nods, firmly. "I'm glad to hear you embodying that harmony on your kimono. I knew you were a catch the minute I saw you!" This is more jovial; he thinks he's being friendly.
"Oh, but I'm sure you have a dozen people to see, still," Chiyuki smiles, a touch self-effacing; she has been playing the game for close to forty years, after all. "Have you seen the woman of the hour, yet?"
"We didn't want to crowd her," Kimitake explains. "The Head's children will want to see her, first."
"It's been a little while since we got underway," Chiyuki suggests, gently. "As for us -- we need to find Ito-san, don't we, dear?"
That she looks to her husband is inevitable; that he takes her prompting with grace suggests their partnership. "We do," Nagaharu nods, as she takes his arm, too. "We'll see you when we sit down for dinner, Kimitake-kun, Yua-chan. Though you might want to stick a tracker on her," he adds, teasing, to his son. "With a kimono like that -- she's liable to disappear!"
Because Yua's kimono is white against a yellow backdrop -- and those colours dominate the celebration. It's as if Yua's part of her celebrations...!
There's a logical reason, but Yua still feels unsettled. Moreso, as Kimitake laughs: "I'll consider it. Be well, father, mother," he nods, to them.
Yua giggles, too. It's a touch faint. "Father," she dips her head, too. "Mother."
With that acknowledgement, they leave the newly-weds. A beat of silence passes...
... before Yua tugs at Kimitake's arm, cheeks puffing up with the force of her, "Mooooouuuuuu..."
"What's the matter, Yua-san?" He asks, kindly, knowing the answer.
"Mimi," Yua insists, tugging at him again. For a few moments, she isn't performing. "Mimi time."
"She didn't come here with you," Kimitake points out, gently. (Or at least, that's his tone -- and his tone is what carries, when his voice is this quiet.) "Clinginess is an unattractive trait... I'd hate for anything to mar your beauty further."
Even if it's just with one eye, Yua glares at him, pouting terribly. "Mimi time!!"
"Don't stomp your foot," Kimitake reminds her, and his tone is kind. "People will stare."
"I wasn't..." Yua starts, defensively.
"You're a terrible liar," Kimitake says, and he's smiling. A shade louder -- still quiet, but defined enough to permit eavesdropping -- he explains: "I'm sorry, there's just a social order to these things. I promise we'll see her soon."
Before Yua can protest about how patient she's been, though, a much louder voice cuts through the refined chatter:
"HEY! I know you, yeah! You're the guy from TV! You're super ultra MEGA not an Ijuuin what GIVES?!" Oh, no. Tyrrha slipped containment and found enrichment.
Loudly, Tyrrha grabs Akechi by the arm; loudly, she escorts (drags?) him to Kimitake and Yua. Everyone in the hall can hear this, now; the stares are inevitable. "Yumama, Kipapa, back me up! This is so totally Mister TV, right?" And just like Yua occasionally does, she emphasises so totally Mr. TV by saying it in English.
This time, when Yua giggles, her fingers modestly veiling her lips -- it's more honest. "'Mister TV'," and she says it in English, too, "has a name, ucha. Akechi-kun, it's good to see you! I didn't think you'd accept my invitation...!"
"This young detective is your guest?" Kimitake asks, raising a brow. (Tyrrha, dutifully, releases her grip and chuckles about it.)
Yua smiles, sunnily. "Do you object? I gave him a special invitation when he said he couldn't imagine something like this!"
"Of course not," Kimitake says. "Akechi-san has helped us with many difficult cases. He may still be in high school, but I must still consider him my junior." His kouhei, he says -- and that means something different, in the adult world. That's 'a worker who started after I did.' He's saying that he's taking him seriously, which explains the san. And, in fact -- "Of course, he may not consider himself in the same profession... but both of us are dedicated to justice."
"Mm, mm!" Yua hums, nodding, satisfied that he isn't gainsaying her. "But he's still my student, so... he's Akechi-kun! I see you met my new daughter," Yua adds, smiling to him. "Her name is Tyrrha -- I'm afraid some relatives of mine died, so we needed to adopt her to keep her well." She's part of Yua's family? But her fingers felt like cold steel. (Her feet, one notes, are normal. Perfectly sensible loafers, beneath her purple nerine blossom kimono, its messages of patience and looking forward to meeting again serving to underline the point that she is a sheltered daughter. The patience, one might suppose, is also being asked of Yua's present family...) "As her senior, I hope you'll steer her well." And if Akechi has had time to go to class, recently, he might have heard of her there -- or heard her, she's not quiet. She's a first-year, though, so he's definitely the senpai in that instance. Turning to Tyrrha, she gestures, to Akechi. "Tykko, this is Goro Akechi! Kimi-san's right, he's an upstanding young man...!"
Maybe it's not just Tyrrha who heard that introduction, though...
<Pose Tracker> Goro Akechi has posed.
Boy does Akechi love 'small family affairs'! So very much. Especially extravagant ones, just like he grew up with!
Oh wait.
He gets to take in that extravagance, piece by piece. That cultural 'melting pot' which more alloys out the impurities of Okinawan heritage until Yua is 'just as Japanese' as the Ijuuin's desire. He's looking at the 'family photograph' with a hand upon his chin, contemplatively, when-
Tyrrha grabs his arm and starts dragging him along.
"I beg your pardon but- could you please let go? I am rather fond of my personal space." He says to Tyrrha, a sweatdrop on his forehead when he continues to get dragged. Surprisingly he isn't trying to wrest his arm from her grasp, but obviously that's because he's a gentleman.
Not that he knows what Tyrrha is and that in no world could he break her grip right now if she wants to hang on.
"Haha... what an amusing way to put it." Akechi says, with a pinched smile, as Tyrrha presents him to the bride and groom. "Usually people say 'It's that guy on TV.' if they don't remember my name." He says, as if in good humor over the whole situation, like he's a gentleman being patient with an unruly child.
Which indeed, she is.
As Tyrrha lets go, he smoothes out the sleeves of his grey jacket, black gloves being sported upon each hand. "Thank you. It's good to see you again as well, Ijuuin-san." He says, as he greets him with that faux affable smile he nearly always wears.
"Indeed, he's been quite the interesting senpai." Akechi says, as if in riposte to being called his Junior. "Why, I've always enjoyed his sense of humor most of all." Things between him and the police are always a little tense, given that they don't appreciate the shame he sometimes brings upon their departments by catching corruption within the department.
But he's perfectly polite here. "Yes, your wife has been quite the- passionate teacher herself. She won me over simply by the force of her sincere effort." He even means that as a compliment. Before he then turns to Tyrrha, "A pleasure to meet you. As she said, I'm Goro Akechi, and I don't merely play a Detective on TV." He quips, before extending his right hand out for the robot to shake, only thinking better of it after it's already done.
"I look forward to seeing you around the halls of Seven Sisters. Do not hesitate to seek me out if you need anything."
He may regret that statement imminently.
Before he then turns to Yua, "I look forward to seeing your best friend- I mean, your cousin-in-law again, and wishing her a Happy Birthday. Her athletic accomplishments are to be admired."
After all, he got a front row seat to watching some of them that night during the Dark Hour. It was quite the spectacle!
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
Miho's birthday kimono is beautiful; pale red with nandina blossoms and a golden-yellow obi, with long furisode sleeves as befits her youth. Her hair is down by her ears, now, a little longer than it used to be; she fully intends to disappoint people who expect her to grow it out long, though. It isn't her style these days. But today is not a day for disappointments; today is a day for elegance and grace, and Miho is statuesque in this kimono, in her quiet and calm, in her measured motions. She knows precisely what is expected of her, and she can fulfill it well.
Miho commented more than once about the hihiragi. She noticed Yua's hand in things, and never fails to acknowlege it, if only in subtle ways.
Miho has shared many arts with Yua, but Yua has shared much with Miho, too.
But Yua isn't the only one Miho is sharing with, today; her driver Seiji drove her to pick up Tomoki Hasegawa, who is here in a dark kimono in grey, also with a snowfall-and-cloud pattern, as it happens. His black hair blends in, but his green eyes are sharp--and on Miho, most of all. They are together while talking in a group, him escorting her; she's had a chance to admire the gifts from afar, and one in particular...
Well. Miho does not often show emotion, but she showed some when seeing Yua's gift in particular; that kintsugi frame, the picture itself... it is a powerful statement, yes--
But it is more than 'powerful'. Miho will have to say a lot to Yua about that, later. When she can express herself better.
But earlier...
Ritsuko Ijuuin in a beautiful kimono of her own comments to another relative, "Yes, this is him."
"Ahh," the relative says, "A movie star for an Olympian... It suits, it suits."
"I'm hardly as advanced in my craft as Miho-san," Tomoki answers, putting up his hand to forestall praise. "If I've been able to support her at all, I'm glad."
"He's modest," Miho says, "But he has been able to support me. And I'm looking forward to his next work coming out..."
It's like that; when people aren't only talking about her accomplishments, many are talking about her escort. Until...
"Excuse us," Miho says, when--
Tyrrha found enrichment. With Tomoki's arm (and the rest of him) Miho comes over, and her sister smooths things with the guests they were talking to. 'Mister TV', apparently.
"How exciting," Miho says then, her calm voice cutting through some of the chaos. "I see Tyrrha-chan has found a friend."
Goro Akechi... Miho regards him thoughtfully, her scrutiny sharp--but a smile (small) spreads on her face.
"Any guest of Yua-chan's is welcome with me," Miho says, and that may close the matter if anyone had questions about whether he ought to be here.
"Yua-chan often wins people over with sincerity," Miho says. And then to Akechi, "I'm Miho Ijuuin," of course, "And it's a pleasure to meet you."
Here's Akechi's chance!
"But Tyrrha-chan, when hunting new friends it's best to be a little more subtle," she jokes. Is it a joke??? "If they all hear you coming, they might escape."
But then back to Kimitake. "Cousin," she greets him, "It's a pleasure. I'm glad you're taking such good care of my best friend. And as to detectives..."
"I admire them, both police and private--the mind to bring out a case to its conclusion... It's worth celebrating, isn't it?"
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ijuuin has posed.
Oh, yes... that horrible thing which happened the very day before Yua's birthday... which made her spend hers in hospital, gripped by the terror of losing her son.
Never mind what Yua's birthday was like, look at all this! Yua would be lying if she said she wasn't a little scared the Black Mask would show up to ruin things again -- but it looks like this afternoon is one hundred percent BLACK MASK FREE!
Tyrrha drags Akechi over, though, and thankfully does give him his personal space once she's Presented Him. (Not unlike a cat proudly dropping a bird newly-mauled...)
"We have fun," Kimitake chuckles, smiling to Akechi. Oh, things get tense -- but Kimitake has always been pleasant and friendly with him.
But then, he's not the sort of guy who shows his teeth when he's come to eat you alive.
Yua hears her sincere effort being praised... and her sparkles increase in power!! Luckily, she spies Akechi going for the handshake, and so chirps: "Remember, Tykko, we shake hands gently!"
"Right, right!" Tyrrha affirms, with a good nature if not a good face (IS THAT WHERE ALL THE TEETH WENT?!), and so remembers to keep her terrible steel hands nice and lax whilst shaking. (If anyone asks, they're prosthetics. Damage from the accident.) "I'll remember to look for ya," she assures him, with that man-eating grin of hers. "Man, between you and Sakurai-senpai, I won't have no trouble at all!" ... Tyrrha says it cheerfully, and with zero insight.
And it's not just her, it's --
"Mimi!" Yua chirps, and if one thought her sparkles were a bit much before they were not prepared for the force of sunny cheer which is her exclamation now. (No wonder she's in such a cheerful yellow kimono...) She claps her hands together, but it's mostly to remind herself not to glomp her in the middle of the party. "Mimi, Mimi! Mimi says it's Mimi time!"
Being patient and not getting in the way of your wife is so hard.
"Ha ha... well, that settles that," Kimitake chuckles, as if the whole thing were friendly. "I'm pleased to have the luck to care for such a charming woman," he adds, with a smile for Miho. Between Miho's scrutiny and Akechi's, though... "I'm overjoyed to see you reach your twenty-third," he goes on, graciously, as if he weren't weighing up risks. "You've reached an auspicious year of your life!" Twenty-three, he means, because three, five, and seven are the luckiest of the lucky odd numbers -- though nine is of course exempt, as the unlucky number of suffering. (This, too, is kotodama...) "The next two years will be particularly important for you... I hope my wife can support you through the decisions you have to make. She is just a little older than you, after all... she's been through it all already."
"I'm always here for Mimi!" Yua insists. "No matter what!!"
"Ah, just so," Kimitake smiles, to her, as he slips from her grip. (The risk, he's assessed, is a touch too great.) "But I do believe I see my sister over there... if you'll excuse my rudeness, I would be equally remiss not to greet her. There's something I ought to say to her personally, though... might I ask you to catch up?" He asks Yua, raising a brow.
"Mm-hm!" Yua hums, as she steps over to Miho, instead. "Don't worry! I won't get lost!"
"I'm sure," he assures her, as he steps away.
"Mimi, Mimi, this is him!" Yua adds, sparkling, as she gestures to Akechi. "He'll be a good influence on Tykko! He's a good boy!"
"So I'd better hunt pretty good..." Tyrrha muses, tilting her head. "Hmm... but that means... oh, yeah! Bait!"
"Ah --" Yua starts, but Tyrrha's already hurried off to find one of the waitresses bustling around the place to procure snacks which she might use to hunt Akechi with. She smiles, shaking her head. "Oh, Tykko..."
<Pose Tracker> Goro Akechi has posed.
"We most certainly do." He says with such a huge smile, "Why, I was told the most amusing anecdote from your earlier career by one of your fellows..."
Before, with a beat pause-
"Well, more a classmate. After all, we only just met." In regards to Tyrrha finding 'a friend'. Before he does smile himself.
"I'm so glad to finally encounter the woman of the hour- otanjoubi omedetou gozaimasu." He says with a bow, "And what a lovely kimono to celebrate in. Don't you think so, sensei?" As she asks Yua for her opinion, on what is obviously asking for a 'woman's' opinion on the beauty of it.
Tyrrha does shake, and Akechi is glad that Yua gave that warning on- gently. Or else he might have been making a hospital visit.
Then she gives hunting advice, and Akechi perhaps sweatdrops, "Hahaha- and why would I ever wish to escape from such a charming kouhai's company?" Yep, that smile, Miho can see he definitely heard the implication there. But he's not deer in the headlights, he's playing along.
"Yes, I imagine so. ... Did you say Sakurai?" As he suddenly catches that detail and double takes, before hesitating, "Ah I see that you've met one of my underclassmen already. Well. Certainly she'll be most helpful."
Akechi stares into the middle distance as he thinks about the habits a robot demon will learn from Sakurai.
Akechi's Mental Landscape: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fWyzwo1xg0
He comes back to somewhere in the middle of Kimitake's words, forcing a smile back, "Yes, it's so good to know that she'll be there to support you- again and again, throughout these early years of raising your firstborn."
Okay he found his stride again by just putting in veiled implications in the conversation for Kimitake to not quite register.
"Of course- by all means. I look forward to working together more in the future." He says as Kimitake departs, quite relieved.
And then- "... Bait?" He echoes, as an interrogative, as Tyrrha scampers off and- "Ha. Well if she's looking for 'Akechi bait' she might have an easier time swinging by the local bookstore..."
He then cranes his head to the side a little, "... Oh dear. I do wonder what she thinks my preferred diet even is."
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
Miho is accustomed to the most potent of Yua sparkles, and is thus pleaesd rather than overwhelmed by their sheer radiance. ...She also recognizes that this level of sparkle is dangerously close to decoherence...
It is nice to hear 'Mimi' after all this performing..
"I wouldn't neglect my kind cousin and best friend," Miho says of 'Mimi time'. She doesn't know what Kimitake is weighing... and that's definitely for the best, because it would be very high-risk to snipe here where Miho's in birthday power. Instead, she listens to his well-wishes and smiles back. "Thank you," she says. "I hope indeed to find fortune this year, with the support of my family."
The next two years... She considers that. Until she's twenty five. ...Until she's married, presumably. Kimitake means well, but...
Tomoki doesn't comment on that. Instead he says, "Yes, you've always been there for her," to Yua's insistence. "It's a beautiful thing."
He isn't even kidding or teasing!
But Kimitake says he sees his sister... "Please feel free," Miho says with a nod towards Kimitake.
And this is... him! "Well, anyone looking after our Tyrrha-chan is appreciated," she says.
Akechi is very polite. Miho nods back. "Thank you," she says. "It was a gift. I'm glad you could come." Tomoki adds, "Good to meet you. I'm Tomoki Hasegawa; I have the luck of escorting our birthday girl."
To escape! Miho actually laughs softly. "Maybe you wouldn't. But it's good practice, isn't it?"
But that talk... the firstborn. Miho says nothing to that. Instead--
"I didn't only mean to catch you, of course--I find it helps making friends when you're willing to put yourself out there. Yes?"
She considers. "...Hmmm. That's a good question... I suspect she'll bring you meat, though."
Tomoki adds, "Definitely, she's going to bring you meat."
Tomoki looks at Yua, and back to Miho. They share that glance, and then Miho says, "Tomoki-san, would you check in with my mother about the drinks? I'd like to get some fresh air."
"Of course," he answers. "I'll see you soon."
"Yua," Miho says, "Akechi-kun. Join me out on the balcony? I would appreciate it."
In this way, it's about what she wants... not about getting Yua out of the crowd.
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ijuuin has posed.
"She's beautiful!" Yua enthuses, brightly, of Miho's kimono. "Nandina's her birthday flower... it's a flower for love which only grows stronger, and the celebration of a good family! Of course, nandina berries are also super-poisonous for cats and stuff... but humans use nandina for medicine! Like cough medicine! Don't you think that's a good metaphor for how strong Mimi is? She's fierce, but she uses that to help people! Mm, no one's stronger! Don't mess with Mimi! Right, right?" She asks Tomoki, and one might question if Yua really gets why Akechi asked her... since it's not like her description was appropriately delicate, either.
"Nankuru nai sa!" Tyrrha assures Akechi -- and that's Okinawan, not Japanese, as she assures him that things will work out. "If you escaped, Akechi-senpai, I'd just find you!"
(Maybe, Yua thinks, those kinds of jokes are normal...)
"Yeah, yeah," Tyrrha adds, still grinning, when Akechi asks after Maria. "Sakurai-senpai wants to start a Bike Club. So I got a bike! It's so much fun! People make such interesting noises when I ride past. They're like, 'aaaah!', or like, 'what was that?!', or they yell, 'you almost killed me!', and I do kinda wonder how that would work, but..."
"No running into people on your bike," Yua wags a finger, though her scolding is still quite warm.
"See?" Tyrrha asks, folding her arms behind her head. "There's sooo many rules out in the city..."
Hi, Darkness! Tyrrha wants to be friends, too! She's here to play!!
Yua, meanwhile, smiles to Akechi. "It's not just me being there for her," she says, looking to Tomoki. "Mimi's been helping me a lot, too. Since mama moved back to Okinawa, she's been supporting me, instead..." That's the story they're going with, at least: that Yua is staying with Miho in much the same way as any pregnant woman in Japan might move in with her parents to get more support as she's working on her baby. And of course, that means Miho will continue to help her after the birth, too...!
"Remember when she met you, Tomo-kun?" Yua asks, giggling, when Tomoki says she's definitely bringing meat. "She said, 'hey, you must be Topapa!', and then she pushed that jerky into your hands and insisted you had to accept her because it was so tasty..."
Is Tyrrha secretly the fiercest warrior in the 'get Miho married' scheme?! She's already acting like Tomoki's her father, just like he'd put a ring on it!
But then -- Miho invites them out onto the balcony, and Yua hums, "mm-hmm, mm-hmm!", happily following her out there. It's only once the sliding glass door shuts, and then sound of so many Ijuuins saying their very fancy words fades that she puffs out a big sigh. "Haaaauuu... it's so loud in there! Was it a lot for you, too?" She asks Akechi, sympathetically.
There's seating out here, and Yua, who at this point can be seen to be pregnant, naturally gravitates over to sit on the bench. "Sit, sit," she encourages the others, her hand waving at the wrist to call them down.
"Mimi, did you see all your birthday gifts?" Yua asks, smiling brightly, to her. "That dragon was so pretty...! I think that's real gold, too!" It's definitely real gold. "And that cute little garden will be great for when you're working in the study! Breaks! Breaks for Mimi! You gotta remember, they're important!!"
She pauses, and adds, leaning over to scrutinise Akechi: "You, too, Akechi-kun! I know your finals are coming up, soon, but you've got so much extra work to do too... I worry for you, mooouu!"
<Pose Tracker> Goro Akechi has posed.
"Hasegawa-san, a pleasure." He grins affably, as if he were privy to some inside joke about this whole debacle that nobody else were. "And I'd agree, you are quite the lucky man."
However, he's a detective, of course he knows things! Yua in fact learned that on the first day they met.
"Yes, indeed. Did you know that on the other side of the world, Nandina is considered a highly invasive species? A priority threat to be dealt with. Yet here in Japan- we've been growing it for centuries without complaint."
He manages a slight grin, "Perhaps one might consider it a fitting comparison for her performance at the Olympics. ...A small jest."
'If you escaped, Akechi-senpai, I'd just find you!' Akechi grins, "Oh? Perhaps if I need a detective in the future, I'll hire you." Tyrrha though runs off, "Haha- well, she definitely seems the type to put herself out there." He says, agreeably. It's going to be a glorious disaster at Seven Sisters, he just knows it.
"Meat. Hm. Not a bad guess, I'd say."
But not entirely on the mark.
"Of course, certainly." He says when asked to join her on the balcony. He is of course a little wary but there's no reason for him to be, right?
Once out on the balcony, he gets asked if it was that loud, and Akechi says, "Well, I admit it can be bothersome... but if need be, I'm able to drown out the noise of the world around me with my thoughts." As he confides this to her before adding. "I am used to the applause of an audience when I'm on television- but, it's not as if they're talking non-stop."
Akechi remains standing for a moment, as Yua tells him to sit, then after a time, drifts over to the seat that allows the two to be closest.
He grins at Yua's enthusiasm, "You're such an enthusiastic party goer- I'm sure the Birthday Girl appreciates it. On that note- I have a gift for you as well later, Ijuuin-san."
When Yua talks about breaks, he does lean back, crossing his arms, "Well, the fact is- I've already finished studying for finals. Given my study methods, I haven't needed to put in 'cram sessions' as you might call them since early middle school."
He does chuckle, "Still I see your point. Breaks can be quite valuable. Though I suppose it all depends on what one is using that time for."
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
Beautiful. Miho smiles. Though she doesn't chase conventional beauty, it's nice to hear it from Yua all the same--especially when she is willing to be more 'feminine', like in traditional garb. (She is fine with being handsome most of the time. Western femininity isn't her cup of tea.)
But Tomoki can answer where Miho can only demur, "Right! Miho-san's the strongest woman I've ever met. She could take me!" He laughs good-naturedly, and guilelessly looks to Akechi about that grin. "Definitely," he agrees.
And the matter of the flower... Miho actually laughs at it being invasive. "Fascinating," she says. "Invasive species are so interesting, aren't they?" she asks, engaged by the jest. "In their own ecosystems, they are part of the harmony... but taken where they don't belong, they become a problem to everyone. I'd hope I'm not considered invasive by my competitors..."
But she smiles, with the normal amount of teeth. "But perhaps it's a good sign that I prefer to live at home."
Tyrrha heads out, and Miho indeed has been looking out for Yua the best that she can...
Tomoki laughs at the matter of meat. Miho says, "Oh, I'm not saying that meat is necessarily your diet--just that it's definitely what she would bring you."
"Topapa was a surprise," he says with some amusement. "But I did accept her for it," he muses.
Out on the balcony, Miho remains standing as well at first--until after Yua sits, and then Akechi chooses to let them sit together.
"I do," Miho says, apprecaites Yua's enthusiasm. "And oh? It wasn't necessary," she politely demurs. That's a 'thank you' in polite speak.
The noise... Miho says, "I wouldn't say that a celebration for me is too loud," she says, because that would be rude, "But the winter air is crisp, and I do want a bit of that."
"I saw," she says. "They're beautiful. I'm honored that people would think of me with such things." She pauses. "...And I particularly liked the portrait."
With the frame.
But extra work? Miho looks to Akechi thoughtfully. "Interesting," she says. "So you have a system. I'd expect nothing less of someone already working in your field in high school."
Breaks...
"True," Miho agrees, of what to use the time for. "I've been considering how best to spend my time, of late. Perhaps a little meditation would help me find an answer."
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ijuuin has posed.
"Mm, mm, the strongest woman ever! Yeah, Mimi is Japan's greatest weapon!" Yua agrees, cheerfully, hearing Miho activate on the idea. "Did you know she won her match in Hawaii just a week ago?! In one of the Fencing World Cup matches! They run them aaall through the year, and Mimi's won the last three years in a row!" Is winning four in a row unlucky, though...? Certainly not, Yua decides. That's why it's winning. The luck of winning must surely override any deathly associations!
"Looks like Tykko's taking after Mimi, huh?" Yua wonders, when Akechi jokes about hiring her as a detective. A breath later, she explains: "When I went missing, Mimi worked hard to find me! So she can appreciate the work you do a lot! She even thought about becoming a detective herself, right, Mimi?" Yua asks, looking to her.
Tyrrha, though, is full of surprises. One thing isn't a surprise, though: when she picks up two different appetizers, it's Tomoki she's going to go and bother about which one is the better Akechi-bait, not Kimitake. For some reason, she just seems to like Tomoki a lot more...
(Tyrrha will, obviously, end up eating both appetizers in the course of that deliberation.)
But then, on the balcony... things can be a little gentler.
As A Music Box Plays: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUFOdRYhDEg (Yuki Kajiura - It's Only The Fairy Tale)
Because Miho sits next to Yua, and Yua can tilt over to lean on her, and it's just a matter of the pregnant woman being tired and not anything else. Obviously. There's no back to this bench, she needs something to lean on!
"Wow... you're so disciplined!" Yua gasps, hearing Akechi insist that he can drown out noise with his thoughts. "All mine can do is drown me!" It's the kind of banter which is more revealing than she realises -- though she has no idea Akechi has that context.
"Ahhh," she adds, looking a touch embarrassed, "I am really happy everyone's happy Mimi's Mimi! It's just a lot of people... and I don't want to embarrass anyone." She is more enthusiastic, and, well... if she's a hidden gem, what does that say about where she was hiding?
Anyway.
The blush which spreads over Yua's face, as she hears Miho move from thanking Akechi for his thoughtfulness to hers, is a little more difficult to explain away -- but perhaps she really is just modest. "I wanted to get you something properly... and Tomo-kun and Kimi-san did, too! We all worked together! I thought the kintsugi would be nice, since... sometimes it's been complicated. But Mimi's overcome everything, and you're even better because of it!" Mental illness, her soulmate being stolen away, being sworn into the upper echelons of the nation's worst predators...
Oh, and Yua's married someone else, and now they're pressuring Miho, too.
... if this world has meaning and worthiness too, Yua thinks it must be kintsugi, just the same. A broken thing, repaired to be beautiful. A different beauty to the True World... but perhaps worth appreciating for the effort it took, if nothing else.
"Ah, but you have a method?" Yua asks, peeking around Miho to look to Akechi with a wide eye. "Wow... you're really impressive, Akechi-kun! I didn't think about organising that kind of thing at all when I was your age!" Which isn't to say she didn't organise anything. Yua has always been a Schedulin' Siren. She had binders in high school to organise all the important things... like birthdays, and recipes, and all the great things she was going to get to do when she grew up and became Miho's housewife!
"Mm, mm," Yua nods, looking up to Miho again. "I remember you taught me about shikantaza, when I wasn't doing so good. It's actually a lot of work... but I bet you can do it! And then you showed me how trimming the bonsai trees worked, when I wasn't shaking so much... I was so impressed you had trees on the balcony, Mimi!" Yua's expansive high-rise garden is definitely something she expanded when she started living with Miho... but Yua did not begin the tradition of keeping plants out there.
"I took a long break just now," Yua admits, and even though Akechi isn't part of Yua's public class in Seven Sisters, he's surely noted her absence through November. Notably, she did attend for a day or two after the Black Mask attacked them... only to suddenly take leave afterwards. (Publically, the explanation is that she had to handle matters with Tyrrha. Privately, well -- Tyrrha was certainly involved.) "Ahhh, and now it's almost time for your finals... I really could have timed that better!" That really wasn't her call. "But I had to help Tykko come to the city and get settled in, so... I think I used the time pretty good! Right?" She adds, looking to Miho.
<Pose Tracker> Goro Akechi has posed.
"Oh I don't doubt that for one second." Akechi says, as if he's going along with Tomoki's 'joke' along with Yua- but he isn't certain Tomoki actually believes that. There are few men in the world who believe they couldn't take on a woman in a physical contest.
But Goro Akechi certainly knows better.
"I'd consider it a compliment, myself." Akechi replies to Miho regarding the Nandina as invasive, "It just means you're an opponent they have to take that seriously." He says, with a wink her way. Not flirtatiously, certainly.
"Ah yes. From what I recall, she was rather tireless in her search for you. It's a sort of discipline that even a detective might envy." He knew that Miho was searching for Yua during that period where she was missing? Well yes of course, he's quite thorough.
'Oh, I'm not saying that meat is necessarily your diet-' "Anyway- if she did want to bait me with food. Then the best way would be for her to convince a coworker of mine to spring for Sushi."
Watch out Sae Niijima, Tyrrha is coming for you.
"Indeed, it does help after all that I'm rather talented- much like yourself. While certainly you must always practice to stay in shape for fencing- lesser opponents could catch you on an 'off-day' and you'd still best them handily- if I don't miss my mark?"
He chuckles, "It's much like that with me. I'm- far ahead of the class material, such that I merely perform a light review of prior notes as I go. In truth I was ready for college years ago- but you know how the Japanese Education system is, they believe the social experience of high school is important, no matter what level you're at." As he nods his head towards Yua with a smile, "The discipline comes into play mostly in how I handle living as I do. Including- how I make your classes for matter."
Still, as Yua speaks of Mimi, he falls quiet, letting Yua just enthuse about Miho. He can't be that passionate about such things, but part of him does enjoy seeing other people bee that passionate.
"So- Tyrrha, she called you, what was it? Yumama? How are the two of you related again?" He knows about the secret of Tyrrha, he's more interested in the cover story here just to be certain, besides, it's always good cover to ask about it as if it were something he didn't know at all.
<Pose Tracker> Miho Ijuuin has posed.
Tomoki didn't specify take him 'in a fight'.
...But jokes aside, he'd definitely lose a swordfight to her. Maybe he's the rare man that is secure in his lack of combat prowess--or maybe it's just not the axis that matters to him. ...Or maybe he's just being nice. It's hard to say without knowing him.
The last three years in a row... "It's because I've had such talented competitors that I can go as far as I have," she says, and there is some modesty in it--but she also believes it. If you don't face the best, you can't be the best.
A compliment! Miho smiles, and it's again a little toothy. "Indeed," she says. "I will."
"I did," Miho agrees with Yua. And Akechi knows about it. "I was highly motivated," Miho says. "I still seek to protect her."
Sushi... "Hmmm. Noted." That's good bait. Tomoki, of course--will expect Tyrrha to eat them. That's just how it is.
Obviously, she must lean. And thoughts... Hmm. Miho doesn't comment on that. Instead, she says, "I'm glad, too. ...But you won't embarrass anyone," she says. She is sure of that.
But they worked together... "I appreciate that sentiment," she says. "I believe... that whatever we might wish, our experiences are a part of us. It is best to build on them, rather than pretend we can become 'whole' by throwing out what..."
She frowns. "...Excuse me." She shakes her head. Something hit her there, something made her a little dizzy, but she doesn't catch the contradiction in the moment.
A method, and talent. "Certainly. Competitors at a high level require keeping an edge, of course." But by implication, she agrees; 'lesser' opponents can be bested easily.
And it's like that with him... "Hmmmm, I see. That makes sense." She doesn't comment on whether the Social Experience is important. She had... experiences, about that.
As for Yua's enthusiasm... "I'm glad that you've taken to those things. You've shared so much with me that I want to be able to share in return." And Yua always has shared so much with her.
And Miho does love her plants.
As to Tyrrha, well, "You'll get back to it when you can," Miho says of the classes first. Then, "She is Yua's cousin, from Okinawa; after her parents' death, Yua and my cousin adopted her. ...I've assisted with her care, because it fit into our plans already. ...And then while Tomoki-san is here, of course..." He does too.
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ijuuin has posed.
Yua had to be told about that one -- it's one of those things you pick up while dating men which she mysteriously just never picked up. Besides, it's obvious to her that Miho is the strongest. After all, Miho can pick her up...!
But Akechi reveals that he likes sushi best, and roll the Jaws theme: Cooking Mama is coming for YOU.
Yua smiles, admiring Miho's strengths. She leans against her, as she comes back to Akechi's point about her discipline, nodding firmly. "Mimi's super dedicated... super disciplined! Since she's the best, she gets the best people trying to topple her... and that makes her even stronger! Since Mimi's protecting me, I'll really be okay!"
Yua isn't okay. Yua knows that; Akechi knows that. (Yua doesn't know that Akechi knows that.) ... and Miho does not know that. Nonetheless, Yua maintains it to be true, because it should be true, and it has to be true, and -- and she just has to hold on for a while.
This whole cursed world they've been trapped in, it's only for a while.
So she really will be okay... once they're free.
It's precisely the opposite revelation to the openness Miho talks about, but Yua's the one who doesn't know that. Despite speaking about it, earlier... it's easier for her to think Miho is also making do. Rather, she sees Miho shaking her head in her dizziness, and looks up, reaching a hand to Miho's shoulder. "Mimi?" She asks, with concern, and she wonders instead whether it's too hard on Miho, this fiction that they are two families come together. What she knows, after all, is that she's lost sight of how much it hurts Miho before. "It's okay," she assures her, softly. "It was a good photo. We're all together. We'll always be together!"
And perhaps that sounds like 'both of their families will stay close', but it's most important to Yua that Miho knows she'll always be right here.
Her attention orients back to Akechi, once she's checked in on the woman who ought to be her wife. "I was really surprised to hear you say six am was a good time," Yua admits, and has the grace to look embarrassed as she adds: "Oh, I kept your secret for a super long time, Akechi-kun, but one day I pulled out your card when I was looking for things with Mimi, and I ended up telling her who my morning student was...! Sorry, sorry," she bows her head, lifting a palm vertically in her contrition for a moment, "but you don't have to worry, okay? Mimi's a steel trap woman! Nothing escapes her! So if I was going to tell anyone, it's lucky it ended up being her, right?" Look at that sunny smile. How could you hate a smile like that! Even one which just did a betrayal...! "But I'm really happy to hear you've got it all handled," she adds, her smile brightening. "Don't worry... high school isn't forever!" And that's all she'll say about the social experience of high school.
they hid a dissected frog in her bag it was so bad.
"We share together! Right?" Yua asks Miho, brightly. "Like in high school, when you saw my cute shorthand," writing kawaii is a whole thing, as it happens, "and you wanted to tell me about the fancy writing art you were trained in, too...! Hee hee... now I can write cute and fancy!" Sparkle!! "And how I got you interested in plants, too! Remember when I came over one day in third year, and father gravely thanked me because you'd finally figured out why the bonsai was so important after we went camping all those times? I still remember that! Hee hee, though it wasn't until you got me back that I kinda got how the bonsai worked, too... I used to think they weren't free like they should be, but it's really about discipline and care! Right?"
Perhaps this, too, is a manner in which her Okinawan messiness is being ironed out... like the way in which Yua went from planning things for phases of the day to planning them out by the hour, when she stopped counting time by the position of the sun and started watching a clock. Did her natural urge to sort things ease her transition...? Certainly, that drive came from the mainland, in her lineage -- the same drive which made Yua and her mother too sensitive for formal priestess work.
Grandmother knew they would be vulnerable, if they were exposed to the world of spirits.
She was right.
"Mm, mm," Yua nods, to Miho, before she looks back to Akechi. "Tykko used to live on a pretty rural island... there was just a schoolhouse for elementary and middle school, and she would have had to go three hours on the ferry to get to high school, so she was being homeschooled for a little bit. But then -- ah, there was an accident," Yua frowns, and she looks deeply troubled about it all. "Does it seem strange that she calls us both mama? It's, ah... in Okinawa, we say 'ichariba choodee,' it means that once we meet, we're family. Since her community was so little, everyone was used to working together, you know? And now... I live in Mimi's home right now, so that she can help me with the baby, since Kimi-san's busy with his important work. So when we took her in, it was hard for her to say that I was taking care of her, but Mimi wasn't... and so she looked at Kimi-san and Tomo-kun, and decided they were family, too! Well, we did manage to teach her how things work on the mainland, but... she'd already decided both of our families were important for her, so we've decided to embrace it." Yua smiles, warmly. "It's really not that much different, since Mimi and I were always best friends, too... we're all just even closer now! We even have big family dinners with everyone together, sometimes... though usually we're only able to catch one of the men, they both need to work hard at their careers!"
Technically, they did all have dinner together, after that photo shoot, when Yua brought them back home to thank them for their efforts. And it's actually true that Tomoki gets invited over for dinner on a decently regular basis. All those technicalities add up to the truth!
Yua doesn't know, in saying this, that she's being evaluated for the strength of her cover story... but perhaps that's why Akechi is the young man best placed to do so. He can see the way Miho protects Yua without being explicitly romantic, in the way one could mistake for a close friendship... and in that context, Yua's affection may well seem to be more related to her expressiveness than her own desires for romance. After a little more chatter, it's Yua who mentions feeling a little chilly, wondering if they want to go back inside -- which is also a nice indication to Miho that she's feeling steadier.
... she even goes back to Kimitake for the remainder of the mingling, rather than hanging off Miho's arm, as she'd secretly prefer. She even does her part to encourage the family, when they gossip to her about whether Miho looks particularly radiant with her fellow, and about how it's so nice to see her dating again after so long. Tomoki, she tells them, is a good man; kind, and easygoing, and receptive, and appreciative of Miho's efforts. ... she does not mention his appreciation for Yua's efforts, but of course that's part of why she feels all right praising him, knowing what she knows now about the man beside her who she used to call kind with sincerity.
(Chiyuki checks in with her, at one point, as to whether she was able to wish Miho a happy birthday; and, indeed, she did.)
When they're seated for dinner, the main branch of the family, of course, is sat at the head of the table -- with Takashi and his wife Natsumi heading it all up. What might be more surprising is the way Yua gets to sit at Miho's other side, Nagaharu's family -- plus Akechi, seated with them, naturally, as Yua's guest -- getting second billing. Before the meal, there are speeches; Takashi, head of the clan, speaks first and longest about his favoured daughter. Juuzou, her older brother, speaks next, and then Ritsuko, her older sister. After her family of birth, Tomoki is called on to speak next, recognising his importance as her present beau; once he's spoken, Takashi calls on Yua to offer words about her best friend made cousin, and it falls to her honour Miho not only on her behalf but on behalf of all Miho's dear friends who are not at the family function.
There is an open offer for anyone else who would like to speak, once they have, but it's quite notable who was called and directed to prepare.
Through those words, and the conversation over dinner -- Miho's favourite, veal cordon bleu -- which follows... one thing becomes abundantly clear.
There is a reason why the New World Order has had such limited success in suborning the Ijuuin clan to their vision. That the Order has only three agents amongst the numbers of the clan shown here is a testament to the stone vigilance of its patriarch, Takashi Ijuuin.
Perhaps, in a way, it's even comforting...
... because even without sharing the Order's goals, a traditional, deep-rooted family like this must demand a cover story from its members who don't fit the norm.