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[ Oh, he'd seen her around plenty, but Yayoi keeps that thought to herself. Honestly, even she would have a hard time making the connection between Cure Peace and her civilian self, especially when Yayoi was nowhere near relaxed enough around him to let her timidity slip away into her otherwise cheerful mannerisms.
At least he treated strange girls he didn't know the same as he treated heroines of justice-- if nothing else, she could sort of respect that.
For now, Yayoi takes a quiet, deep breath and thinks of Nao. Nao, who could talk back to the upperclassmen calmly and respectfully, and who didn't balk at encounters like this. ]
I don't always go to the store around here, but they carry my mother's favorite brand, so...
[ This is also true, but she thinks she might just skip going to this store the next time. ]
[He pauses a moment, listening to her reason as that bill folds over between his fingers, brushing between them as if he were making sure two weren't stuck together. She made a good sell, using her mother--as that was something that Matatagi could certainly relate to.
But people often hid their true intentions behind things like that. Things that struck at your heart. Maybe she was just some klutzy girl getting her mom something from the store just around the corner. Or maybe she just said that to get away from him--another person who would rather he have a nice, if fake expression than the dark one he'd put on to combat the world.
She was timid, and almost pale at the sight of him. Of course it'd be the latter.
...
But his tone takes on a more playful hitch, head tilting regarding her last remark.]
[ It's entirely instinctual. She may be a stammering girl with hunched shoulders at the moment, but Yayoi had already experienced enough encounters with this boy as her alter-ego, had heard that nickname so many times, that before she can even think to stop herself, her eyebrows snap together and she blurts out: ]
I told you, it's not Go--!
[ Just as quickly, horror and mortification seize her and Yayoi firmly snaps her mouth shut. No. Oh, no. She should have just apologized for bothering him and ran straight home, and now it's like dread itself is sinking icy, oozing fingers into her shoulders. What does she say now? What does she do? ]
...
[ Well. He's already judging her, so Yayoi just clutches her bags closer, squeaks out a frantic apology, and takes off at a dead run. Away from him.
[It was in that moment that Matatagi's body ran cold. His eyes widened with shock as that tone of voice, the same frustrated tone he almost heard on a weekly basis comes out. The way this girl speaks with familiarity when by all accounts she should not.
He's met this girl before, and like hitting the home stretch on putting a puzzle together, the pieces all start to come into place. The yellow hair, the eyes, they're the exact same. The personality was different, but Matatagi was no stranger to having a face that portrayed a vastly different personality. It was how some people got through their lives, as shady as it was a practice.
And most importantly, the way she stops herself. If anything gave her away that there was more to this than just a girl wanting to stop at the supermarket for her mother, it was that. The yen bill crinkles in his hand as he watches her book it, determination set in his eyes.
Oh no. She's not getting away that easy.]
H-Hey! GET BACK HERE!
[Fortunately for him (and unfortunately for Yayoi), he's the best there is in a track star. Catching up to her would be absolutely no problem. In fact, he’s so good at it that he accidentally whips past her while she’s running, the boy having to skid to a stop before the next intersection and pivot back around.]
[ ... Right. She'd forgotten he was surprisingly speedy, swift in a way that Nao would have admired if his connection to the Precure wasn't somehow being belligerently there and unaffected by the draining atmosphere. Instinct again, and instinct has failed her (again), because there's really no way to escape now. He's proven he can outrun her, so if she tries to bolt again, he'll just catch her easily.
So Yayoi freezes, eyes so large and full of trepidation that she looks more like a little forest animal staring into the gaping jaws of a predator. She can't even form the words to try and get herself out of this situation, and she's about 85% certain if she tries right now, she's just going to start crying.
[Well, he'd told her not to move, and that's precisely what she did. She stops dead in her tracks, eyes wide like a frightened doe and staring at him as if he were going to engulf her right then and there. He'd seen those looks of fear before, when he played soccer against the Sazanaara, his Azur frightening them to the core due to its apparent monstrous look. Matatagi had no idea if Yayoi could see the same, but he figures he doesn't even need it to give off the image of whatever it is.
This is his true self, scary or not. And if she couldn't take it, she could take a number in the long line of people who only wanted to put up with him when he had his nice, smiling face.
Not that he ever really SHOWED that side to her. But maybe it was because of the one she wore. The one that made him SICK to look at.]
You...You're that GIRL!
Cure--whatever! The one who keeps bumping into me when that aura shows up!
[ "Cure Peace", she thinks, but at the moment, she's too busy trying to take deep, steady (quiet) breaths to even bother attempting to correct him. She could also just insist that she wasn't who he thought she was, but then she'd have to explain why she'd taken off running in the first place.
And, even if seeing him glare at her and feeling the way his accusation sinks into her skin like barbs makes her want to shrink down even further...
Yayoi doesn't want to lie.
So she tightens her grip on the bags and bows, the words escaping her in a trembling rush. ]
I'm sorry!! I promise I wasn't following you, and I'm sorry for not saying anything sooner, but p-please don't tell anyone!
[There's not a hint of insincerity in her voice, although Matatagi expected that more than anything. She'd been caught, and even if she'd tried to lie her way out of it, her expression and mannerisms gave her away. There's no way she would bolt at such a harmless nickname otherwise.
He guesses he has to give her credit for owning up to it. Maybe she's just a fraction above everyone else who tries to keep a secret.
His eyes watch her visibly shrink under his intense stare, his sharp words. Her apologies don't exactly bounce off as much as they don't look like they're having an effect...at least...at first.
Matatagi tilts his head up.
Even if I did, no one would believe me, would they...
Thoughts that he's glad stay in his head, and not for Yayoi's ears. If she knew that, it'd be easy to take advantage of him in that way. So he shelters his heart slightly more, easing up on the aggression to a more....playful tone.]
Yeah? I mean it'd be so easy to let it leak. Me, knowing -just- who this Cure girl is. And she comes home on this street and goes to this exact store for her mom.
[ Don't cry is the first thing she tells herself, desperately-- because when she thinks about it, about what happens if he does let it leak and her mother is targeted or her school (more than usual)...
It's a terrifying thought, and even as Yayoi tries to fight against it, tears well up regardless. ]
I... a-anything you want. I'll do whatever you want, so just please...
[ He might sound more playful but at this point, she isn't going to take it to mean he isn't serious. ]
[It's almost pathetic, how quickly she's stricken down by such a threat. That voice quivers, and her eyes well up with tears and she practically looks ready to collapse on the spot.
Pathetic...
But that didn't mean he felt any better about it. His voice loses that playfulness immediately, eyes falling half lidded and serious. She didn't take the bait, so he might as well be as straight with her as she's being with him.]
Look.
[Please stop crying.]
My demands are simple. If this stuff you're getting us into [Because he still doesn't know why HE'S able to move during these bad end spells while every normal citizen can't--maybe its because he's in proximity to her] is going to keep coming, I want you to make sure my brothers are okay. I don't care what it takes or how far you have to run, we make sure they're safe before anything else.
[Not quite the demand most would expect when keeping a secret as big as this. But Matatagi didn't like to sink himself to the level of people who he despised the most.
"It's not like I was going to tell anyway..." he says to himself, folding up that bill that was going to be put in that vending machine, figuring he might as well wave it for later.
"I'm surprised she didn't see right through it."]
You do that, and I'll keep all this Cure stuff secret.
[ His... brothers? Those two little boys she'd seen him with, his expression so gentle when he spoke to them?
The duty of a Precure was to protect, and Yayoi had never seen anything wrong with risking herself in order to spare the civilians the bad end the generals so dearly wanted to cause. Placing this boy's brothers first might make the fights more difficult, but it's not as though she hasn't been worried about her own family before.
Looking at him now, even as she lifts a hand to blot the tears away on her sleeve, Yayoi thinks that what he wants of her is what any caring person would want for their family.
And that, really, is what allows her to meet his eyes, lips pressed together solemnly as she nods. This is, at least, a more reasonable demand than what she had at first expected. ]
... Deal. I swear on my name I'll protect your brothers.
[And that was that. Matatagi hears her answer and rolls his eyes, his whole body slumping as a smile (a teasing one) spreads across his face.]
Swear on your name? Really?
[His had curls into a fist as it reaches towards her, extending one finger and pushing into her forehead enough to move it an inch or so back.]
And what name is that, Goldilocks? Cure...what was it--Harmony?
[Which one was the real girl anyway? Was she just girl by day and a Precure at night? Or is this Precure self her true form, and the girl is the disguise?
It's Cure Peace-- [ as she recoils slightly, shifting her bags to clap a hand over her forehead. She just sounds resigned now, a little tired-- but that was an emotional ordeal just now. At least for her. ]
[A soft mutter, layered underneath a stretch as he eases the stiffness out of his legs. Despite being a sprinter, his legs had exerted themselves from 0 to 30 and that left for some much needed stretches.]
Matatagi. Matatagi Hayato. Guess you'll need to know that if you're going to be protecting my family.
[So it's a deal. He'll keep her little secret, and in return...whatever's going on, his brothers would be protected. He'd seen her in action, so he has no doubts she had the capability to make sure of that.
Easy for him, he wasn't ever going to tell anyone who wanted to know, anyway.]
[In that moment, if you looked close enough, there was a slight pause in his attitude. As if a softer side momentarily peeked out only to be engulfed by the darkness he surrounded himself with. It's fleeting, and you'd miss it if you weren't paying attention...
But it's clear that her mom's certainly an acceptable reason to go to the store. As if...other reasons like 'I want to' and 'I'm out of [x]' weren't good enough.]
You better hurry. She'll get worried or something.
[His hand reaches instinctively for his pocket to make sure his wallet's still there, debating if the vending machine was really worth it anymore before starting to make his way past.
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no subject
At least he treated strange girls he didn't know the same as he treated heroines of justice-- if nothing else, she could sort of respect that.
For now, Yayoi takes a quiet, deep breath and thinks of Nao. Nao, who could talk back to the upperclassmen calmly and respectfully, and who didn't balk at encounters like this. ]
I don't always go to the store around here, but they carry my mother's favorite brand, so...
[ This is also true, but she thinks she might just skip going to this store the next time. ]
B-but I won't bother you!
no subject
But people often hid their true intentions behind things like that. Things that struck at your heart. Maybe she was just some klutzy girl getting her mom something from the store just around the corner. Or maybe she just said that to get away from him--another person who would rather he have a nice, if fake expression than the dark one he'd put on to combat the world.
She was timid, and almost pale at the sight of him. Of course it'd be the latter.
...
But his tone takes on a more playful hitch, head tilting regarding her last remark.]
Yeah? What if you already are? What then?
What'll you do, Goldilocks?
no subject
I told you, it's not Go--!
[ Just as quickly, horror and mortification seize her and Yayoi firmly snaps her mouth shut. No. Oh, no. She should have just apologized for bothering him and ran straight home, and now it's like dread itself is sinking icy, oozing fingers into her shoulders. What does she say now? What does she do? ]
...
[ Well. He's already judging her, so Yayoi just clutches her bags closer, squeaks out a frantic apology, and takes off at a dead run. Away from him.
It's a shame she has terrible stamina. ]
no subject
He's met this girl before, and like hitting the home stretch on putting a puzzle together, the pieces all start to come into place. The yellow hair, the eyes, they're the exact same. The personality was different, but Matatagi was no stranger to having a face that portrayed a vastly different personality. It was how some people got through their lives, as shady as it was a practice.
And most importantly, the way she stops herself. If anything gave her away that there was more to this than just a girl wanting to stop at the supermarket for her mother, it was that. The yen bill crinkles in his hand as he watches her book it, determination set in his eyes.
Oh no. She's not getting away that easy.]
H-Hey! GET BACK HERE!
[Fortunately for him (and unfortunately for Yayoi), he's the best there is in a track star. Catching up to her would be absolutely no problem. In fact, he’s so good at it that he accidentally whips past her while she’s running, the boy having to skid to a stop before the next intersection and pivot back around.]
Don’t move!
no subject
So Yayoi freezes, eyes so large and full of trepidation that she looks more like a little forest animal staring into the gaping jaws of a predator. She can't even form the words to try and get herself out of this situation, and she's about 85% certain if she tries right now, she's just going to start crying.
But at least she doesn't run. ]
no subject
This is his true self, scary or not. And if she couldn't take it, she could take a number in the long line of people who only wanted to put up with him when he had his nice, smiling face.
Not that he ever really SHOWED that side to her. But maybe it was because of the one she wore. The one that made him SICK to look at.]
You...You're that GIRL!
Cure--whatever! The one who keeps bumping into me when that aura shows up!
no subject
And, even if seeing him glare at her and feeling the way his accusation sinks into her skin like barbs makes her want to shrink down even further...
Yayoi doesn't want to lie.
So she tightens her grip on the bags and bows, the words escaping her in a trembling rush. ]
I'm sorry!! I promise I wasn't following you, and I'm sorry for not saying anything sooner, but p-please don't tell anyone!
no subject
He guesses he has to give her credit for owning up to it. Maybe she's just a fraction above everyone else who tries to keep a secret.
His eyes watch her visibly shrink under his intense stare, his sharp words. Her apologies don't exactly bounce off as much as they don't look like they're having an effect...at least...at first.
Matatagi tilts his head up.
Even if I did, no one would believe me, would they...
Thoughts that he's glad stay in his head, and not for Yayoi's ears. If she knew that, it'd be easy to take advantage of him in that way. So he shelters his heart slightly more, easing up on the aggression to a more....playful tone.]
Yeah? I mean it'd be so easy to let it leak. Me, knowing -just- who this Cure girl is. And she comes home on this street and goes to this exact store for her mom.
So what do I get out of it?
no subject
It's a terrifying thought, and even as Yayoi tries to fight against it, tears well up regardless. ]
I... a-anything you want. I'll do whatever you want, so just please...
[ He might sound more playful but at this point, she isn't going to take it to mean he isn't serious. ]
no subject
Pathetic...
But that didn't mean he felt any better about it. His voice loses that playfulness immediately, eyes falling half lidded and serious. She didn't take the bait, so he might as well be as straight with her as she's being with him.]
Look.
[Please stop crying.]
My demands are simple. If this stuff you're getting us into [Because he still doesn't know why HE'S able to move during these bad end spells while every normal citizen can't--maybe its because he's in proximity to her] is going to keep coming, I want you to make sure my brothers are okay. I don't care what it takes or how far you have to run, we make sure they're safe before anything else.
[Not quite the demand most would expect when keeping a secret as big as this. But Matatagi didn't like to sink himself to the level of people who he despised the most.
"It's not like I was going to tell anyway..." he says to himself, folding up that bill that was going to be put in that vending machine, figuring he might as well wave it for later.
"I'm surprised she didn't see right through it."]
You do that, and I'll keep all this Cure stuff secret.
...Deal?
no subject
The duty of a Precure was to protect, and Yayoi had never seen anything wrong with risking herself in order to spare the civilians the bad end the generals so dearly wanted to cause. Placing this boy's brothers first might make the fights more difficult, but it's not as though she hasn't been worried about her own family before.
Looking at him now, even as she lifts a hand to blot the tears away on her sleeve, Yayoi thinks that what he wants of her is what any caring person would want for their family.
And that, really, is what allows her to meet his eyes, lips pressed together solemnly as she nods. This is, at least, a more reasonable demand than what she had at first expected. ]
... Deal. I swear on my name I'll protect your brothers.
no subject
Swear on your name? Really?
[His had curls into a fist as it reaches towards her, extending one finger and pushing into her forehead enough to move it an inch or so back.]
And what name is that, Goldilocks? Cure...what was it--Harmony?
[Which one was the real girl anyway? Was she just girl by day and a Precure at night? Or is this Precure self her true form, and the girl is the disguise?
He'd believe either.]
no subject
But my name's Yayoi. Kise Yayoi.
no subject
[A soft mutter, layered underneath a stretch as he eases the stiffness out of his legs. Despite being a sprinter, his legs had exerted themselves from 0 to 30 and that left for some much needed stretches.]
Matatagi. Matatagi Hayato. Guess you'll need to know that if you're going to be protecting my family.
no subject
If she had heard it, it's nothing she hasn't heard before. ]
I'll remember that, Matatagi-kun. [ She will. ] But I really do need to get going.
no subject
Easy for him, he wasn't ever going to tell anyone who wanted to know, anyway.]
Yeah, go get whatever you came her for...
Your mom, right?
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[ Here she is. ]
no subject
[In that moment, if you looked close enough, there was a slight pause in his attitude. As if a softer side momentarily peeked out only to be engulfed by the darkness he surrounded himself with. It's fleeting, and you'd miss it if you weren't paying attention...
But it's clear that her mom's certainly an acceptable reason to go to the store. As if...other reasons like 'I want to' and 'I'm out of [x]' weren't good enough.]
You better hurry. She'll get worried or something.
[His hand reaches instinctively for his pocket to make sure his wallet's still there, debating if the vending machine was really worth it anymore before starting to make his way past.
What a turn of events.]