CH III - risa doesn't
like tea
☠️
Even though Izumi accepted Risa's request with ease and asked no pointed questions, she treated it as if it were an appointment. Risa felt like she was talking to a receptionist as Izumi shuffled around on the other end, looking for a date that she was available for, and scheduled the meet-up for two weeks after the call was made. This wasn't really a shock to Risa that Izumi would pull something like this. Using the excuse of being busy, though, made Risa's eyebrows raise. If she's being honest, she assumed that Izumi did nothing with her time other than be the ruler of all that is evil and plot ways to make her husband's affair kid's life more difficult than it actually is. Thinking about it more, Risa can give her stepmother some understanding. Being the wife of the head of the clan, whose behavior is nothing short of unpredictable, must be incredibly time-consuming. In a way, she's grateful because it meant she had time, and with those two weeks:
She has a speech prepared.
It is not in Risa's nature to be prepared for anything. She felt ridiculous writing down her words on the bright, neon pink flash cards. Nao let her borrow, and even though she strictly made sure to do this without being seen, it still made her cheeks flush from embarrassment. But Risa needs to do this; she can admit that her track record of speaking her mind when it comes to her father isn't the best, and she certainly can't make the same mistake and think that the meeting is going to go any differently, and suddenly she won't revert back to being in this paralyzed state of fear that she has to come up with this lame excuse that she willingly wanted to see them, which is far from the truth. This is necessary; she has to remind herself as she paces back and forth, reciting her speech from the top of her head while having a firm grip on the flash cards.
"Fuck!" She curses when she gets the line wrong—the one she's been struggling with this entire time—and who knows how long she's been reciting it. She looks up from her card, and her eyes land on the stuffed blue peguin on her bed that's facing her direction. The peguin had been her only audience this whole time, and despite the fact that it wasn't a conscious being, Risa just knows it's passing judgment.
She visualizes stuffing it into the trash can, going so far as to stomp on it with her foot, but the reality is that Risa could never get rid of it even if she wanted to. She won it in junior high at the cultural festival, which is probably the biggest accomplishment of her life. No, tomorrow will be the biggest accomplishment of your life, the voice in her mind interjects.
Her phone buzzes, and she pulls it out of the pocket of her pajama shorts. She's disappointed when she reads the contact name. While she can vouch that these two weeks have been very productive, she can't deny that they have also been spent dodging her mother's calls, making it the longest the two have gone without any sort of contact. She can just see her mom on the other side of the world right now, ready for her shift at the hospital since it's Friday. She's wearing her Hello Kitty scrubs that Risa giggled at when she first saw them, and she assumes that smoke is actually coming out of her ears.
The moving date is getting closer. Risa doesn't know how to break the news to her mother that it's not in the cards for her to come back. It didn't make it easier that for years her mother has been ecstatic about her return, and lately it's all she could talk about in their most recent calls. Then she has her mother's anger to deal with, and that is not a pretty thing, so Risa has just decided to avoid it all together. She's got a lot on her plate right now, and sadly, her mother has to come in second. She slowly puts her phone back into her pocket and waits until the buzzing stops to continue her speech to the stuffed peguin.
She contradicts herself the next morning when she's grasping for her mother's strength through memories. She thinks of carrying bags of groceries up five flights of stairs when she was nine to her mom's apartment at the time. Her mother had been in front of her, trying to make their predicament entertaining by pretending that they were Rocky Balboa in his training sessions: "Come on, Risa, we're almost there! You're so close; you've got this!" She thinks about how whenever Risa was sad and it was only them and no one else, she would play Shoop to brighten up her mood. She remembers multitasking while watching Chapulin on the television and trying to keep her Sonic popsicle from dripping on her grandmother's carpet after she chased down the Paletero for it. She thinks of sitting on a stool while Maria la del Barrio played in the background as her grandmother braided her hair.
She misses it, and she misses them. She knows what she could be leaving behind, but she can't go back to them. At least she can hold onto things from them, like playing Shoop right now as she gets ready for the meeting, even if it's the opposite of Risa's usual taste in music. She'll do almost anything to make her feel at ease right now, ignoring how heavy the gold hoops her mother gave her when she was fourteen feel on her ears. She mutters the lyrics under her breath, attempting to apply some mascara since she feels it's appropriate for the occasion. She miscalculates how hard it is to actually put it on because the eyelashes on her left eye are clumpy, and when she blinks, the mascara stains the bottom of her eye.
It takes her about a minute to wipe the mascara away with tissue paper and water. It doesn't make her look any better; it makes her look like she applied an absurd amount of eyeliner when that wasn't her intention. Her thoughts go back to that boy a year younger than her, the one with the stupid haircut. What was it, Nanamen? It doesn't matter because she finds herself looking like him before she goes to meet her father and stepmother. She cannot have that Izumi would probably have a stroke if she saw him.
She has to go to desperate measures when she voluntarily calls Asahi asking for his help. Ugh, what has the world come to? Asahi answers instant playfulness in his tone that's enough to send Risa over the edge. "You do know we live a walking distance from each other correct?" He begins probably with the shit eating grin on his face.
"I need your help." She gets straight to the point, deciding not to indulge in his attempt to rile her up. It would usually work, but there are more pressing matters to attend to—her makeup.
Asahi makes a noise of protest on the other line. "It's my day off! I'm refusing services unless I'm getting paid!"
"It's not like you help anyone, even when you're busy!" Risa lets her annoyance get the best of her and fuels Asahi's emotion even more.
"I am learning to teach—."
"The minds of the future generation—yes, I know." She finishes the sentence. "Would Sensei say the same?"Asahi falls silent, then lets out a laugh.
"He loves me!"
He despises him.
Risa rubs her temples. "I don't have time for this. Will you help me or not?"
"Hmmm," he ponders. She hears him get up from his bed and walk back and forth dramatically. "What's the problem?"
Risa pauses; maybe it isn't a very good idea to call the epitome of embarrassment to assist her in something so silly. She's already called him, though, and the meeting is getting closer. "You promise not to laugh?" She attempts; she knows that no matter what he says, he's going to laugh.
"Of course! What kind of cousin would I be?"
She's unfortunately proven right when Asahi is wheezing in front of her. Risa clenches her fists, holding herself back from exploding as she watches him fall to his knees. "You look like," he breathes. "A raccon, what did you do?"
Her face becomes hot. "Shut up, Asahi!" She yells. "I don't need this right now!"
"What's going on?" Her younger cousin asks behind them, Risa looks over her shoulder, and Asuka gasps. "Oh my god! Did you get punched?"
Asahi's laughter gets even louder, and Risa is almost in tears. She groans into her hands. "This cannot be happening right now." She says to herself.
Asuka awkwardly pats her on the back, trying to comfort her. "It's okay! I'm sure there are black eyes far worse than yours right now."
Risa inhales; her eyes go wide as she looks at Asuka. "I did not get punched! I was just trying to wear mascara and then—."
"You don't know how to put mascara on?"
She could scream right now. Asahi wipes the tears from his eyes and stands up from the floor, his knees wobbly. "I'd give anything to see Haru Tachi react to this."
Asuka's lips part in shock. "You're seeing ojisan today?"
"In the flesh." Asahi confirms for her. He gives Risa a slap on the shoulder, causing her to go oof. "Thank you for that, by the way; I really needed it."
"You're not welcome." Risa mutters under her breath, massaging her shoulder. "Look, can you just help me with this?" She gestures towards her face, and Asahi and Asuka stare at her dumbfounded.
"What?" Risa says confused.
"That's what you need help with?" Asahi says flatly "Removing it?"
"You don't have any makeup remover?" Asuka asks.
Risa imagines losing it on them. Of course don't have makeup remover, you little shit, or else I wouldn't be here right now. Asahi, your laugh is annoying, and the world would be a better place if you just shut the hell up! Even though she controls herself, she feels her father's shadow looming over her.
Asahi chuckles. "My dear cousin let me introduce you to the wonders of makeup removal. Asuka let her borrow some of yours."
Asuka's jaw drops. "B-but I just got it, Asahi, and it's scented!" She argues.
"I don't care what it is!" He dismisses. "And why the hell would it be scented? Who wants scented makeup remover?"
"Me! I do! That's why I bought it!" She puts her two hands in fists.
"Asuka. She is just going to use it for her under eyes—."
"Guys, it's really fine. I really don't need—" Risa tries to deescalate the situation she created all because she didn't know the basics of mascara.
"Shhhhhhhhhh." Asahi interrupts her; he stares down at Asuka with the most serious look on his face that Risa has ever seen him have. It's unsettling. "Asuka, if you don't let her use your scented makeup remover right now, I'll tell mom about the time you—."
"Okay." Asuka rushes to her room to retrieve the remover, and in an instant she's back and shoves it into Risa's hands along with a flat cotton pad, a pained expression on her face.
"Just...be delicate." Is all she requests. Before Risa can say anything, she walks away. Risa guesses it's too much for Asuka to bear.
Asahi sighs. "Kids are so easy; you just blackmail them, and they'll do anything you want."
"I'm scared for your students." She says honestly.
"See, I do so much for the helpless community, and they give me nothing in return. Not even a thank you!" He says throwing his arms in the air to be a bother.
"Whatever." Risa says looking down at the bottle, confused. I'll figure it out, she thinks to reassure herself.
Asahi watches her. "Are you okay?" He asks, and Risa's eyes flicker at him, irritated.
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" She answers rather quickly, her voice increasing in pitch at the end of the sentence. He sees through the bullshit but finds it in his heart not to say anything.
"You're seriously wearing that?" He decides to say instead, and Risa finds she would rather be interrogated on her emotions than what she wears.
She frowns and looks down at her outfit; it looks fine to her, at least to Haru and Izumi's standards; they have always been picky about what she wears. When they were allowed to leave Jujustu High and she would visit, she'd have to wear two layers of clothes, the outer layer being the appropriate outfit and the second layer being the one they would hate. She'd get the visitation over with, and then after she'd take off the outfit they approved of, she'd shove it in her bag, and for the rest of the day she'd wear the outfit she wanted and would go out with Asahi to either shop or get ramen. She's no longer in school, though, and didn't have any plans after, so there's no point in practicing the double layer routine.
Asahi clicks his tongue. "You have an obsession with overalls." He declares. "It makes you look like that one song—what's it called? Bingo was his name, O!"
"Bingo is a dog, you idiot," Risa states. "You're thinking of Old McDonald, had a farm." Why she decides to correct him on it, she has no idea.
Asahi claps his hands. "Yes! That's it! You're Old McDonald!"
"Why do I still talk to you?" Risa asks herself.
"Easy because you have no one else to talk to!" Asahi answers too enthusiastically.
"I hate you; tell Asuka I'll give this back to her." Risa turns to the nearest bathroom.
"I hate you too! Let me know how it goes!" He calls out to her before the shuts the door.
☠️
Eating had been even more of a hassle. She forced herself to eat, but the nerves made her want to regurgitate everything. When she had enough, she dropped the chopsticks in haste and was about to thank her Tia and Tio before the meal, but before she could get a word out, Nao had the car keys in her hand and was out the door with a let's go. It made sense why they had been analyzing her every move when she sat down, and their eyes were boring into her as she ate. She looked at her Tio to get some sort of understanding, but he gave her a smile and shrug and told her, "Go. Be safe."
During the car ride, memories of her childhood flood her mind. Since she graduated and moved out, she's only been back during the monthly gatherings. One thing about Risa is that she will never want to step one foot in there unless she has to. In high school, the visits were mandatory, or else Risa wouldn't have bothered to show her face at all. Nao pulls up to the estate, slamming Risa out of her thoughts as it dawns on her that this was truly about to happen.
Childhood was spent in lectures, silence, and an angry man pacing the halls while Izumi was pulling the strings on Risa's body.
She takes a deep breath, putting a smile on her face for Nao. "Thanks for dropping me off, Tia; it means a lot."
Nao reaches out with a tight grip on Risa's arm. "Call me if you need anything. Please." She sees the desperation in her eyes and the fear. Shouldn't this be so simple? Shouldn't a daughter be able to talk to her father without so much fear?
Risa tugs her wrist away and massages it from the grip Nao had on it. She doesn't give Nao a confirmation because, if she does, it just proves that Risa and her father would never find common ground and that fear would just be the basis of their relationship. She gets out of the car and slams the door behind her, pacing into the estate without any thought but heading towards the place where she knows they'll be waiting for her. What stops her, though, is a loud whistle coming from the side; she trembles when she smells the cigarettes.
She turns her head and sees her older brother Hiro leaning on one of the poles with a cigarette between his fingers, followed by a devilish smile. She's not close to her older triplet brothers, being that they're prodigies in Jujustu Socerey and Risa is, well, not. They're in completely different zones in the Jujustu hierarchy, and with all the missions they go on, Risa rarely gets to see them. She knows almost as much as the people who've asked her questions about them because of their popularity; they're so well known that they earned the nickname The Tachi Three.
Hiro represents anger, and even though the title of special grade comes with honor, it means he has to keep his emotions in tact at all times. His cursed energy is so high that it's been described as painful to look at. Out of all her half siblings, he's the most like her father. His own behavior is incalculable. Sometimes Risa wonders if her brothers feel anything but the emotion they were born with. He doesn't seem incredibly angry, but he does seem bothered in Risa's book. That's his calm, so she could deal with him.
"Little sister," he starts with an aggressive tone; he looks just like Izumi; they all do it; it creeps her out. "Look at you, the woman of the hour."
She isn't as afraid of her two other older brothers as she is of Izumi, but Hiro is a different story, and somehow she finds it in herself to ask. "What are you doing here?" It's a justifiable question with their busy schedule; she assumed they'd be somewhere abroad and not here of all places
"Dad called us. He said that you," he says, pointing his cigarette at her. "Called for a family meeting."
She scoffs, Of course he did that. "I only requested to meet with your mother and him. That's it." He has to know that she's the one who didn't drag him into this; they're in the same boat. She's already on edge with Haru and Izumi, and spilling her life plans to her three older brothers makes her even more sick.
"When it comes to our Risa, we all have to be there; you know how it is."
She doesn't, and she hates it. "Is Hina here too?" Hoping that she isn't and that she won't have to do this in front of her entire family.
"It's the whole fucking Brady brunch." He grins.
Her heart could stop right about now; she almost thinks she should turn back and call her Tia Nao. No, she has to do it today. This is just another one of Haru's obstacles, and instead of holding his hand, she'd bite it. She wouldn't let this get her down.
They're going to find out eventually; might as well take them out with one blow.
Hiro throws his cigarette, stomps on it, then pushes himself off the pole, making his way towards Risa. When he gets there, he towers over her. Usually Risa would walk or look away, but this time she keeps his gaze out of all of them. He had been the one to take the affair the hardest, and for the longest time he hated her the most.
He nods at her to follow, and she does, exhaling a breath she didn't know she had been holding in. He opens the sliding door to where Izumi and Haru reside on the estate. Just as he said Hina and her two older brothers are there, Izumi is at the head of the table, sitting next to an empty spot that should be occupied by her father.
"She's here," Hiro says. "Waited just like you asked."
Izumi thanks him with a sweet smile then stares at Risa with her usual lifeless eyes. "Aren't you going to greet your brothers? It's been time since you've seen them."
She clenches her jaw, and like the puppet she always is, she obeys. She holds out her hand for her two older brothers; Haruto is the first to accept the handshake, which doesn't surprise her. He's the kindest, then it follows Hayate, who has a more mellow approach to shaking her hand. The two of them never treated her wrongly, but they also never bothered to interact with her either. All she and Hina do is nod at each other in acknowledgment
"Where's Father?" Risa asks.
Izumi peers up from her book. "He'll be here shortly. He's preparing something for you four."
Oh? Risa thinks.
It doesn't take long until her father comes into the room with a kettle in his hand. He sets it gently on the table and puts a pleasant smile on his face at the four of them. "I know it's going to be a wonderful day when I'm surrounded by my children." She wonders what he'll have to say about that by the end of this; her stomach lurches, and she throws the thought away.
He's always been quite affectionate toward other people. He first goes to hug her brothers, whispering small praises about their strength in their ears.
He hugs Hina next. "You look so elegant." He tells her, and her sister nervously chuckles as she thanks him.
He stops when it comes to Risa; they stare at each other for a moment, and he stretches his arms out for a hug. She feels her throat close, then accepts falling into her father's arms. "Hi Dad." She whispers just a simple gesture of affection, something that lets Risa know that he knows she's real, and it makes her crumble. Then she starts to ask herself if the hate she has for him is truly valid, if the situations he's put her through are just dramatized in her mind for the sake of feeling sorry for herself.
They break apart eventually. He rubs the top of her head, then turns back to the table, taking a seat next to her stepmother. He grabs the kettle and begins to pour into six of the cups individually, and Risa is hit with the realization that he's pouring them tea.
Whatever fondness she has for him leaves in an instant because Risa absolutely hates tea. Her father is well aware that she detests it after the number of times he forced her to drink it when she was under his care. She keeps the easy-going smile on her face in order to keep her cool; she isn't trying to lose it over something as trivial as tea.
Her siblings, on the other hand, enjoy the tea to their hearts content, thanking their father with absolute joy in their eyes as they take small sips.
Izumi starts off the conversation, her eyes landing on Hina. "Now tell me how the kids are."
Hina's eyes light up. "They're doing good Mom. Masura is occupied with his friends; he's so well liked that I lose track of them, and I find that Misa's taste grows more weird every day; she refuses to wear anything of color, but Masamichi says she's free-spirited. And Panda, he's so smart and so kind; he's advancing—."
Izumi cuts her off with a huff. "Please, Hina, when will you stop seeing that thing as a child? It's a cursed corpse; my interest only lies in my real grandchildren, the ones that live and breathe. And Misa, a daughter disobeying her mother is never a good thing; you must do something about it quick."
Risa clenches her fists at the comment. Izumi had never been kind when it came to the women of the Tachi clan, and Hina was no exception; in fact, she's the standard the Tachi women are supposed to follow. She's pretty, obedient, and strong; she's perfect. The conditioning still has an affect on Hina, as Risa can see how horrified she is at the comment, but nothing leaves her lips. Her love for her children wasn't strong enough to protect them from the ways of the clan, and Izumi's opinion on her eldest nephew is why Hina doesn't show up with Panda to the gatherings.
"Izumi, shut your mouth. They're our grandchildren regardless of how they were born, plus the boy shows great potential; I've seen it myself." Haru says.
Risa almost rolls her eyes as Hina beams at their father's praise. Get a grip, she thinks.
"The student I've been working with just got promoted to first grade." Hina changes the topic off of her children, and very swiftly, Risa can accept she's impressed with that.
Haruto gasps. "That's great! What's their name again? I just ran into them recently."
"Kin." Hina answers and Haruto snaps his fingers.
"Ah! That's right, Kin. You've done wonders on them, Hina; never have I seen such improvement in such a short time."
What is it, Praise Hina Day? She wants to flop her head on the table. She remembers Kin, and she also remembers the time Kin knocked Asahi out during the sister school exchange event when they were in their third year and Asahi and Risa were in their first. She forgot that Hina takes socerers under her wing when she sees the greatness in them or some random shit; she even mentored her older brothers when they were younger; she's quite literally the reason they're at the place that they are today, so being under Hina means you are destined to rise up the ranks of Jujustu society. Once, her sister was a great socerer, but she retired when Masura and Misa were born. Risa would do anything to be in her shoes and have that incredible knowledge on cursed energy at her fingertips, but Hina doesn't do anything about it and passes her knowledge onto strangers. What a waste.
Her brothers start to talk about the most recent missions this week, and Risa pretends like she's listening when she's trying to calm down her nerves, and the agonizing smell of the tea isn't helping.
"So Risa how have you been?" Hayate speaks for the first time this whole evening, when topics start to fade away and the silence becomes a tad bit awkward.
Her whole family stares at her, waiting for a response. She feels sick. You can. You can. You can. Her mom's praise rings in her ears, and she's taken back to the groceries and stairs. Her eyes fall on her father, who seems interested and has a genuine smile on his face that Risa rarely ever sees.
I can't.
"I've been okay. Managing." She replies.
Hiro snorts, and the sleazy smile that Risa wants to rip off spreads onto his face. "You're okay? Come on, Risa, we're here because of you. Anything you have to say?" She stays silent, gathering her words. "Or did all that time with that clueless cousin of ours affect your speech?"
She doesn't know why, but it makes her snap. She says damn to the flashcards she devoted herself to and lets everything pour out. "I'm not moving back to the states; I'm staying here, and I'm going to become a Jujustu Socerer. I know this wasn't in the plan, but I just can't leave. This is what I'm going to do, and as a courtesy, I'm telling you, but nothing is going to stop me."
She can't describe the looks on their faces, but if she had to, it'd be between mortification and restraint. It's the worst silence she's even been met with in her life; it's so loud until her father barks out a laugh. Her eyes go wide, and she jumps to her defenses.
"This isn't a joke, Dad. I'm serious. I'm going to be a socerer."
It's the second confirmation that makes the round of protests begin. You can't be serious, her brothers are saying. Hiro is seething as each second goes by. Hina puts her arm gently on Risa's shoulder with the most disgusting look of concern on her face as she softly tries to convince Risa out of it with points she's already gone over thousands of times. She just sits there and lets it happen, her anger boiling at them for trying to make the decision that only she should have been able to make from the beginning.
She can't decipher Haru's, but he keeps his composure as he listens carefully to what everyone has to say, especially when Izumi says her piece.
"Risa It's not the playground that your father and I made for you. You're ranked fourth grade, you'll be seen as a joke. You also have little to no experience with anything; you were on the sidelines throughout your time at Jujustu High so you could avoid combat and missions with your classmates. They'd be taking a gamble with you, Risa, and it's not something they can afford."
"The only reason it was even like that is because you have been making it that way."
"And that's for a reason. This is how it's supposed to be; you came here to gain control, then to go home to your mother and live out the rest of your days in peace."
"I don't want peace."
"Don't be foolish. Everyone wants peace. I don't know what type of attention you're trying to gain here. It's not working." Izumi spats
"I'm not trying to gain anything here I know I'm useful I can help—."
"ENOUGH!" Her father bangs on the table, and all the Tachi children flinch at the act he's done many times before. His eyes are wide, his face is red, and he stares daggers at Risa. "You're useful when we say you are, and listen to me when I tell you that you're not! Never ever bring this up again. Forget about it. Go home, Risa. You don't belong here."
He stalks off in a swift motion, and Risa feels like her heart has been ripped out of her chest as she watches her father leave. Hiro gets up from the floor and storms off. Izumi stands up, grabbing the tea kettle. She glances at Risa and calmly says. "You can take your leave now."
She does tears forming in her eyes, irked at her stupidity. She knew this was how they would react, and she still lets this get to her. What comes from this is motivation, and Risa is going to put her all into it. She does belong, and she is going to become a sorcerer.
She's going to pull out her phone to call Nao when she feels a tap on her shoulder. Risa turns around and is met with Hina, who's breathless. Did she run to catch up to me?
"What are you doing?" Hina says exasperatingly.
Risa thinks it means something completely different, but she answers. "I'm getting a ride..."
"No, I'll give you a ride. Come on."
Her older sister's minivan is very cute, the kind of cute that makes Risa want to rip her eyeballs out. When she comes in on the passenger side, she sees a small family photo hanging from the rear view mirror. It's of Sensei, Hina, and Panda in the hospital after the twins were born, with Misa being held in Yaga's arms and Masura in Hina's. She sees Hina's eyes land on it, and her body becomes at ease. Risa also spots the large diamond on her ring finger. Risa crosses her arm. Sensei certainly has taste.
There are no words exchanged on the drive; Hina's hands are tight around the wheel, probably from the pent-up energy from what just happened moments ago. Risa stays in the same position on the passenger seat, replaying everything that just happened in her mind. Her sister finally parks in front of Tia and Tio's house. Risa unbuckles her seat and says her goodbyes. When Hina grabs her wrist in the same manner that Nao did earlier, instead Risa lets her and doesn't pull it away.
"Risa." Hina says, then halts contemplating her words. "Why do you want to be a sorcerer?"
She doesn't want to respond but the force of her sister's eyes and noticing they're the same color as her father's makes her reply without hesitation.
"I want to be something different."
Hina lets her go.
a/n: THANK YOU FOR 1K ON SELF DESTRUCT YA'LL ARE THE BEST AND MADE MY DAY <333
SOOOOO!!! i'm in college now and that's a very huge transition and I've been adjusting to the workload and trying to find the time to write has been really hard I lowkey forgot how to write...BUT I am still VERY dedicated to this fic!! apologies for the slowness of updates I do need to get my degree besties! so bear with me!
and ngl I was zooted when I wrote some of this chapter so some shit might not be coherent...ANYWAYS! look at me introducing a new characters risa's older brothers and more of hina's life revealed and also.... me introducing "kin"... omg foggy what are you doing what are you doing...
kins gender is up to your interpretation I will be sprinkling different pronouns but they/them will mostly be used but do not frame them into one gender pls <3. stay cool babes ✌️🫶
AND! i wanted to give visuals for how I think the characters look so I will be revealing throughout the chapters in the authors note so let's start with our main protagonist risa. this is the closest I could get to how I imagine her in my head.
her skin is supposed to be darker btw and her hair is MUCH frizzier/curly. I made her on piccrew too so I can get more visuals on her looks that art breeder wouldn't let me add 🤬
darker skin/frizzy hair and the face that makes everyone think she's constipated but really she's just a introverted loser :-)
^^ made this one for fun she's so cute <333
hope you enjoyed this chapter regardless of the messiness of it!!
much love,
foggy 😶🌫️