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[antisocialable]

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[nuraridouman]

Omurice? You can get that here? [Douman blinks and shrugs his shoulders.]

You can get whatever you want. Actually, just order this one and this one for me [he points at what he wants on the menu] and I'll get us a table ready in the meantime. I'll pay.

[which is already a HUGE christmas miracle by itself]

[antisocialable]

Yeah? I asked once and I got it. But it's probably not a normal item.

[ haru doesn't seem to mind. anyway, sakura nods, following douman's instructions without making a fuss. he makes his order before heading back. ]

Should be here soon.

[nuraridouman]

[In the meantime, Douman is going to spot a free table for them and get out of his outdoor clothes, although he still keeps the scarf and mask nearby. There is also a small gift-wrapped parcel in plain red with a purple ribbon waiting for Sakura on the table.]

Here you go. ....Merry Christmas ...or whatever.

[Inside it Sakura will find his very own copy of The Laid-Back Youkai Dictionary, with a personal note scribbled onto the first empty page. (It's literally scribbled, after the first attempt with fancy, beautifully flowing script and the second with an overly formal type of writing have been crossed out.)

Explaining our whole world to you would be a pain, so read one entry of this every day or two. If something interests you, ask me and I'll explain it more. And tell me something about your world in return, so that we're even.

- Ashiya Douman

There's a big seal in the form of a grid drawn above his signature, almost as if Douman had forgotten that Sakura wouldn't know that the kuji-kiri was his signature mark. (He did.)]

[antisocialable]

[ woah it's a real present. a book even. sakura's not much of a reader, so he'll trail his fingers over the spine of it reverently. it is a pointed gesture, but still a kind one. and sakura doesn't really receive presents so this is a big moment for him. so he'll just soak it up. ]

Wow . . . It's real . . .

Thanks.

1/3

[nuraridouman]

Of course it's real.

[nuraridouman]

Looks. I know a book isn't what most teenagers might want as a gift these days, and I know that it's a bit ham-fisted and I already said that it's not entirely not self-serving, but.


[Gods. How does he say this? All he wants is a ditch to crawl into.]

I mean what I wrote inside, ok? You already know a lot of things about me, but I know pretty much nothing about you yet. So. ...Tell me sometime.

....That and I hated the idea of you running into more trouble with us just because we keep forgetting that our common knowledge isn't a given here.

3/3

[nuraridouman]

.....there's also a Otoshidama in the back. Don't open it before it's New Years, and don't think too much of it. Actually, just toss it away if it's not something you want.

[It's a plain purple envelope with a thin golden string tied around it, containing an age-appropriate amount of strings and a thin bracelet with a tiny bell attached to it that he found at one of the stalls here. (The bells was Douman's own touch to it.) There's also a small note, explaining that the sound of the bell should remind Sakura that there are people who want him around, and that the cat's just 'because we were both probably likened to one more than once.']

[antisocialable]

[ hmm. it still feels weird to learn about people here through a book. and he's not sure he cares for it, especially with the little bits douman has told him. it's quite clear he's meant to have a negative reception to some of them and he probably will.

but even so. the book isn't going to decide his expectations. sakura will do that himself. ]

There isn't much to say about me . . . ? I'm just a kid.

But I'll take care of it. All of it.

[nuraridouman]

[If Sakura decides to look Douman's name up in the book he'll find himself out of luck. It's a simple dictionary about different types of youkai and their particularities, with cute pictures and side notes or warnings. Simple things like "A zashiki warashi will bring good luck, except when they wear red. Then it's bad luck and they're probably unhappy, so pay attention to your friend's clothes!" or "Shuten Doji get tons of strength from drinking alcohol, but they can't hold their liquor well and tend to go on drunken rampages. Drink responsibly and beware the dangers of alcohol!" Or even "It's illegal to bribe Nekomata with catnip."]

Just a kid can still mean a lot of different things. Like, what year is it where you come from? Do you have youkai or anything supernatural at all in your world? Super robots? Flying cars? Is it even Japan at all?

[antisocialable]

[ sakura gives him a baffled flat look. ]

It's Japan? No aliens or robots or any of that stuff. Seriously. It's just normal.

[nuraridouman]

[Douman just meets his eyes, blinks, and then takes a sip from his tea.]

Just making sure. Once you're reached a certain point, "normal" is always treacherous. Like how it's 'normal' for my students or teachers to blow up a room of my school every other day.

[antisocialable]

That isn't normal, that sounds like a problem.

Anyway, none of that stuff happens at Makochi. We have a lot of gang fights, that's all.

[nuraridouman]

Gangs? Like delinquents?

[antisocialable]

Yeah. They come into town and start shit.

That's why Bofurin exists. To protect the town. We had a major fight not long ago.

[nuraridouman]

..okay, you have no right to dunk me and my exploding classrooms anymore.

You have gangs come into your town, and they're just allowed to? What are the police and teachers doing?

[antisocialable]

The police don't come by the town much because of all the gang warfare.

And what are teachers supposed to do?

[nuraridouman]

I'd beat any delinquent who tried that at Hyakki Academy black and blue till they cried for mercy, and then I'd kick them out.

[Not just would. Can and has done so before. Several times, without any remorse. Douman is patient, but he isn't lenient.]

And any cop who tucks tail rather than doing their job can go find a new one.

[antisocialable]

[ sakura shrugs. ]

Well, no one does that. So we deal with it ourselves.

[nuraridouman]

[Douman shakes his head, clearly upset at the idea.]

That's absurd. The adults are supposed to look out for the kids. Even if you can handle it yourselves, that still doesn't mean that you should just have to.

[antisocialable]

[ sakura gives him a blank look. he's never had an adult look out for him in any shape or form, so. ]

Someone has to. And we do just fine.

[nuraridouman]

I'm not doubting that.

I'm just pissed at any adult, especially those in a position of power, who would let their charges take the hits while they cover behind them. Let me guess, their excuse is something like "not my problem" or "we wouldn't win anyway, so just stick it out till somebody else can take care of it"? If you take the benefits, you also take the responsibility!

[That means protecting citizens just as much as students. It's one thing to not want to get trashed by somebody much stronger, he won't hold that against any average civilian. But even then you can call for help and then look for ways to gang up on them, or alarm somebody much stronger to come handle the situation. You don't just abandon shit!]

[antisocialable]

[ sakura merely shrugs. he's still new to makochi, so their way of doing things is unfamiliar. but he'll defend it. this is the place that accepted him. all of him. ]

Just 'cuz they don't fight doesn't mean they don't help out. All the shopkeepers and people always give me stuff for protectin' them.

Isn't that enough?

[nuraridouman]

So they look out for you in their way? That's good. I also won't keep it against any shopkeepers or the like for not wanting to fight gangs.

[But teachers or other figures of authority who have sworn to protect those around them? Douman will absolutely exorcize anybody like that who fails that hard at their job first and ask questions later. So he shakes his head.]

Such a situation is unforgivable on the backs of the local authorities and your teachers. How can they demand any respect from you if they don't have the will to do anything for you in return? Not even the old order of Might Makes Right worked like that.

[antisocialable]

I dunno why you're so mad about this.

[ he's honestly kind of lost. ]

I've never had anyone help me before. Why would they start now?

[nuraridouman]

Why wouldn't I be mad that nobody has helped you before? How can they call themselves human if they do things that not even we ayakashi would do?

If you care for somebody, you don't leave them hanging. It's easy as that.