''A world without a side of good.'' She said thoughtfully as she digested all the lore Jun was feeding her with a morbid curiosity. Back home there had never been time for hobbies, hell, if her father was here now he would probably insult both her and Jun, but critically, he wasn't. ''How very bleak.'' She smirked at Jun putting in the extra effort when quoting the setting. ''It is fortunate for us then, that this is merely a game.''

She continued listening to Jun and her expression, although subtle because of how little she tended to emote, soured a little at the grim details of the Inquisition's deeds. ''I did not know you liked such ghastly fiction, Kanjo-san.'' She tried to sound like she wasn't judging her, just shocked at the revelation that the relatively shy and hardworking girl she knew could get engrossed in something like this. Come to think of it, this whole thing, wasn't it more of a masculine hobby than a feminine one? Maybe labels like masculine or feminine ultimately didn't matter too much when it came to ones hobbies. Had she been overthinking about what she should do to get more in touch with who she really was?

''In other words, worshippers of 'Corn' are cowards. Stabbing one's enemy in the back is something only a criminal would resort to. True heroes face their enemies head-on.'' She said, getting a little passionate herself. When Jun started answering her question about Enma, she couldn't help but smile. ''Historically, samurai are glorified, and we seldom shine a light on their bad deeds. However, Enma's family embodies different ideals adjacent to the samurai of old. They are alike, and yet, also different.'' She looked down at the figurines, the smile staying on her face. ''I am relieved he is making a good impression. I want Enma to get along with the same people that I do.''

junsuina

[attr="class","likedo"]

Never in a million years had she expected that someone would confess their feelings to her. She was tall for a woman, and she even dressed more masculine than feminine most of the time. She also spent most of her time making weapons near a forge, she felt like a misfit, a monster, and yet it was the only person she knew how to be. When Enma looked at her, it was like none of that mattered. He didn't see Masao the misfit, he saw Masao, the woman he was in love with. Was she truly worthy of this attention? Of someone as valiant, brave, charming and funny as him? A flurry of emotions were swirling through her as they sat there, her eyes darting from this place to that while she held his hands and tried her best not to freak out or startle him.

Someone loved her.

Someone loved her and she...

When he squeezed her hands back she looked into his crimson eyes, her heart could have stopped then and there, weak from the anticipation. Then she felt it again. Unimaginable happiness from what he said next, her heart dancing and singing, feeling things she didn't even know was possible. She was speechless, all she could do was look at him, mesmerized by his words and his vulnerability, silently thanking whatever lucky star had arranged for their journeys to cross paths, for their fates to intertwine in a way that made her see the world in a new light. Enma was the one who brought colors into her sad, gray world, and he was saying he loved her.

To make matters worse, he didn't stop there, and if her face had been burning red before, when he continued complimenting her it wasn't just her face, it was her whole body and heart and soul that was burning brightly. ''E-Enma...'' She cracked a smile, tears forming in her eyes as her warrior poet laid his heart bare. When he put her hand up to his cheek she took in how warm it was. He was flustered, just like her, he was nervous, and figuring everything out as he went too. ''Oh, you already do.'' A couple of tears trickled down her face as she let out a small nervous chuckle, moving in a little closer, pulling him into a big hug at first. ''You always leave me speechless with your actions and your words.'' She spoke softly into his shoulder as she kept embracing him, wanting to feel more of him than just his face. ''You inspire me in turn. Your courage is second to none, you don't hesitate for a moment to risk yourself for those around you. You fight with the spirit of a warrior, and yet you are not afraid to leave yourself vulnerable like this, telling me these things even though they must be hard to say.'' She kept her arms wrapped around him, but pulled her face up to his, smiling as she looked into his eyes before glancing down at this lips and leaning in for a deep kiss.

''I love you too, Enma.'' Her heart was threatening to explode with how much it was reacting. Funny, when he said those words to her he made it all look so effortless. ''I want to help you achieve your dreams, and... I want to be here by your side. I need you.'' She traced a hand up his back, following it up to cup the back of his neck gently. ''Let's keep inspiring each other.'' She added after letting the silence hang in the air for a moment, letting out another small nervous laugh as her happiness needed an outlet.

enma

''As a support student, I can create weapons of the highest caliber. Blades that sing and resonate with the kind of harmony weapons made by an Ando is expected to.'' She still took her support job seriously, and while she might come across as a little arrogant, she also just was very good at her niche, and had a lot more confidence in it than she did her fighting or rescuing abilities. ''However, weapons alone do not win the fight. Weapons alone...'' She took a moment to mull over his words again, he was trying to make her reach some kind of conclusion, wasn't he? She looked out at the pitch and then it dawned on her. ''Weapons alone do not protect those I love.''

She looked down at her hands. She kept them delicate and soft despite the fact that she used them to shape and hammer metals. ''As a manufacturer and support hero I could live a life of relative peace in my workshop, but that is not the life a warrior should lead.'' She was starting to get over some of her angst, who knew talking about things that she kept bottled up could actually help? ''I was given a gift, and a chance by this world. I want to pay my opportunity forward by giving back to society and becoming a Paragon.''

Lawbringer

Running through the teleporter, she had very nearly been burned alive in Takamagahara East and now found herself walking straight into a flash flood. She recognized a lot of the faces here, everyone but Deathcap and the shadow monster Lucille was carrying, or was that another Nomu? Oh well, she was positive her teacher had it handled. She wasn't here to help those who already looked like they were doing fine, she was here to help those who were struggling. Namely, Ylva Riis who Misaki had told her about.

Dashing forward when she noticed Ylva near Deathcap, Masao joined them on the mushroom and grabbed Ylva, dragging her up onto mushroom platform and towards the center. ''Paragon here!'' She announced her presence, looking over at Kiku. ''I stand with you, Deathcap-san.'' What an absurdly useful power. What would have happened to everyone if Kiku hadn't shown up when she did? ''Riis-san, are you hurt? Misaki-san told me you might need a hand.'' Things here were more dire than she dared imagine. The only thought on her mind now was how could she best apply herself? Save more people from the water and bring them to the mushroom? She wasn't exactly a professional swimmer.

The giant rook that was encroaching on Kiku, Ylva and her gave her the answer she was looking for. ''Deathcap-san, how long can you sustain this mushroom?'' She stood up and turned to face the creature. Judging by its looks it was durable, her sword would probably no good against it. She looked over her shoulder one last time at Ylva. ''From the looks of it, you have already done your part.'' Her body started to glow with a bright light as she turned her eyes back on the rook. ''Now I will do mine, and I will continue to do it until these things are gone!'' In a flash, a shiny suit of metal armor adorned with rose patterns manifested over Masao's body to protect her. Just in the nick of time too, as the rook reared its arm back to send a punch hurling down towards the girls and Kiku's mushroom platform.

Stopping the rook's punch with her hands, Masao's knees almost buckled under the pressure, but she continued to push back, refusing to back down as she entered into a contest of strength with the beast. ''Cease your futile attack, monster! You cannot harm us!''

How long could she keep this up?

𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐨𝐲, Lucille Arbogast, Matsu, Jinx, 🆁🅴🅼, Ylva Riis, Farrin, 𝕐 + 𝕐, Stellar

She let a hand run over his chest to feel the cotton of his turtle-neck, and a little bit of the muscles underneath. ''You look great.'' She whispered against his lips, smiling before pulling away. ''I am doing just fine. My armor kept me safe for most of it so I didn't sustain any serious injuries. Well, that and you risked your life to save me...'' She trailed off, but brightened up at the fact that he wanted tea. That meant she was doing something right. ''How about yourself, I trust you are healing okay?'' It was embarrassing, but the fact that she had been raised as a boy, and the fact that she had grown up with butlers and maids in the house meant that she hardly knew the first thing about a lot of those essential things that seemed to come so naturally to other girls. Was she a good girlfriend? She hoped she was, and could continue to be even better.

''I anticipated that you might bring Raiju, do not worry, there's a weapon stand in my room.'' After all they were still in the common area of the dorm that her and Ylva shared. ''Follow me.'' She took his hand softly and led him down the hallway. It felt kind of bizarre. She had been hanging out with him for a while now, and yet showing him to her room felt like a bigger deal than she had first imagined it. ''This is the one.'' She stopped in front of the door and gave it a delicate push before stepping inside, leading him right behind her.

Her room was... Well, it was clean, pragmatic and there were lots of bookshelves and storage space for her blueprints. In one corner she had a desk and chair setup with a laptop resting on the table, perfect place to do homework. There was a TV too, but it wasn't all that special and it honestly saw way less use than she liked. Her bed was big, with lots of blankets and pillows for maximum sleep comfort. Next to her bedside table there sat a lone, closed box of jewelry, with a black sleeping mask next to it. On the far side wall, a familiar art piece hung next to her walk-in wardrobe. Her hobbies weren't really reflected in the room because she didn't have any.

Save for one.

What tied the room together was the amount of plants, and especially flowers she had decorating the place and livening it up with some much needed natural fragrance. Not many people knew this about her, but she loved picking flowers and taking care of plants. It also just wasn't something a warrior would typically concern themselves with, so she saw no reason to bring it up.

''Right over here.'' She smiled, indicating a weapon stand that stood up against the wall next to the door. It was empty too, almost as if she had anticipated he might be carrying a weapon. Heck, she knew exactly how he felt. They were both probably still a little on edge after what happened. Walking aside to let him into her room proper, she leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek once he had stored Raiju. ''I'll go get the tea, please have a seat in the meantime. Make yourself at home.''

She took a deep breath when she got to the kitchen and for a split second there, she wished she had just invited him out to spar. Fighting was easier than all this people, romance, listening to emotions and sharing parts of yourself that you thought you would hide away from the world forever. Picking up the tray with their cups and the kettle on it she steeled herself. Giving up was too easy. A proper warrior knew how to conduct themself not just on the battlefield, but around their partner too. She just needed to get used to this.

Walking back in she set the tray down on her desk. ''I am sorry if you find my room to be lacking in character. Truth be told, I spend more time outside of it than in it.'' And she was pretty sure if someone could calculate or track the hours, she had been in her workshop three times as much. Not that any of that mattered. Enma was here, and she was still longing for him. ''Enma, there is something I want to talk about. Two things, actually.'' She let out a small sigh, feeling more and more nervous and less capable of keeping up her stoicism. Assuming he let her, she took his hands and held them. ''I'm not the most... Emotionally communicative person, and neither are you. However, my emotions have been acting out of turn and...'' She took a pause as she could feel herself tearing up. ''I... I fought another villain.'' She admitted, but quickly added. ''And I'm okay, I didn't get hurt.'' She gave his hands a reassuring squeeze. ''I just need to get it off my chest because...'' She looked down at his hands, caressing them gently with her thumbs. ''...Because for a moment, I thought I wasn't going to make it. Then I thought of you and...'' She looked up at him sheepishly, seeking comfort in his eyes. ''You being here brings me a lot of joy.'' She felt a couple of tears trickle down her face as she blinked her eyes. ''Thank you.'' She smiled, taking another deep breath. ''I did not want to make this a sad evening, but I needed to let you know. The other thing. It is about my father, Akari Ando. He is visiting the school campus this weekend, and I want you to meet him. As my boyfriend.''

enma