2022-09-18: Confession

• Cast: Yuta Hibiki, Rikka Takarada
• Where: Tsutsujidai
• Date: U.C. 0096 09 18
• Summary: Yuta summons up all his courage and tells a friend a truth he's been hiding.

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<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

Everything is perfect. Twinkle lights glow gently in the soft dusk light, hanging from the branches of a secluded tree in the park. A blanket is spread out beneath it, generously covered in a selection of different flavors of tea, a few homemade sandwiches, and a humble flower arrangement resting in a glass jar. It's clear someone wandered around gathering flowers until they thought it looked nice. There's no artistry to it, but it's sweet all the same.

Yuta waits just before the picnic arrangement, nervously checking his phone. He told Rikka the right time, right? She wouldn't just ditch him. No way Rikka's that kind of person! Yuta lightly pats the sides of his cheeks. He's done everything he possibly could, now he just has to relax. With the help of a few off-world consultants, he's put together an outfit he feels good about. A soft green shirt with some kind of swirling pattern on it combined with jeans -- which he's still not sure about, but Yuta was assured they look nice. A woven bracelet balances out the presence of his wristband, and of course, his red sneakers are ever-present.

Everything feels brand new. After his victory in the pageant and Tsutsudijai's near-victory in the games, Yuta feels chock-full of confidence. This was the perfect time to take his friend's advice. 'Anything can happen', as Orpheus said. 'Love is a battlefield'. And Yuta always does his best to press forward!

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

Yuta has invited Rikka to a picnic. It's been a while since she'd had a proper picnic, and as they both observed during the GUTS beach visit, they haven't really had that many opportunities to hang out one-on-one... It's a good opportunity. So she agrees, and takes the time to get ready.

Now, Rikka's on her way to the park. She's dressed in long, blue pants held by a pair of black suspenders with a cloth belt tied in a bow around the waist, accompied by a cream-colored shirt with writing on the front. Nice, but casual - she's not expecting anything big.

...But, then she comes into view of the designated meeting place. Lights are set up, hanging from the branches of the tree above, shining down on a blanket where an assortment of teas and sandwiches have been laid out, accompanied by a flower arrangement inside a glass jar. It's very...

...It's very...

...Rikka's missed all the signs before. She wasn't really looking for them, to be fair. But this, it's... very elaborate, isn't it? The scene can only be called 'romantic', which is why a feeling of mild concern begins to creep up on Rikka as she slowly approaches the edge of the picnic blanket.

"H-hey, Yuta... Wow. You... really went all out..." Rikka greets, a bit awkwardly. She takes a moment to look him over. ...That's a new outfit - it's really nice too, honestly, it fits him well. Did he buy it just for this...?

She doesn't take a seat on the blanket yet, instead standing just before the threshold, burying her hands as deep into her pockets as they'll fit.

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

Yuta smiles as Rikka comes into view, giving her a wave. Once she's close enough to talk, he eagerly greets her. "Rikka! You made it!" He's already blushing, just a bit. It's a little hard to notice in the dim light, but if Rikka's already on alert for the signs...

"I did! I hope you like it. I found these lights in a box in my apartment, they're kinda nice, right?" Yuta steps back, encouraging Rikka to come and join him on the blanket. "I've got a bunch of flavors of tea. I couldn't remember which was your favorite, so you can pick whatever you like! And I made some food, if you want.." Yuta sits and opens a picnic basket, revealing the sandwiches and a plate of homemade cookies. Beneath the food seems to be a small wrapped package, but Yuta scoots over some cookies to cover it up.

"But before all that, um--!" He looks at Rikka, smile growing a little wobbly with nervousness. "How are you feeling, after yesterday? I hope you didn't get banged around too much. "Oh, my outfit? I went shopping in Tokyo-3. I thought, Kaworu always looks nice, so it must be a fashionable place." He wants to ask if it looks nice on him, but he's a little too shy. "You look really nice tonight. Well, you always look nice, really!"

Is it a bad sign that Rikka isn't coming onto the blanket? Maybe she's just being polite.

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

"Yeah - thanks for inviting me." Rikka replies with a wave. She tries to keep her attention on him rather than their surroundings, so when he starts blushing, it's easy for her to notice. She fidgets, just a little.

"It's... really nice. I can tell you worked hard on it." She admits. She doesn't want to lie to him - it /is/ a really nice set-up. He really did a lot with everything he had on hand, and his care shines through more than if it were some fancy, expensive installation. If she were interested, if she could /be/ interested, she'd be floored.

Yuta steps back, as if encouraging her to join him on the blanket. ...It'd be even more awkward if she just stayed right here, wouldn't it? She takes a deep breath before stepping onto the blanket and very carefully lowering herself into a sitting position.

"Thanks..." Rikka replies. She thanks him, but she makes no motion to touch the tea, or the food.

Yuta asks her how she feeling after yesterday's events.

"I'm still a little sore... the Games were really intense." Rikka admits. "It's nothing I can't handle, though. The pilot suits mama picked out for us are pretty durable, so they took most of the impact... and we've been through worse."

He explains that he went shopping in Tokyo-3, and Rikka nods.

"Oh, that makes sense... Did Kaworu help you pick it out? It looks good." She compliments. "...Ah, thanks..."

Rikka takes a breath. This... is probably just going to hurt more if she lets it get drawn out. She needs to just ask. If she's wrong, great, but if she's right...

"...Listen, Yuta." Rikka starts, and hesitates for a moment before continuing. "...Can I ask what this is all about?"

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

She likes it! Yuta's smile grows all the brighter. And Rikka steps onto the blanket and sits down. That's got to be a good sign. He didn't look up online instructions this time, but it felt right so far. Maybe Rikka already ate, so she isn't going to have any food? Yuta doesn't take any either, then. He doesn't want her to feel awkward.

"I'm glad it isn't too bad," he says, about the Games. "Maybe the pilot suits would be useful next time we go into battle? For you, I mean. I'm not sure it'd make a difference for Gridman. But maybe it'd be fun to have matching outfits! We are an Alliance, after all."

Yuta looks down at his clothes, smiling shyly when Rikka compliments them. "He didn't, he's been busy today. I haven't heard from him or Shinji." Hopefully, nothing is going wrong. "But he gave me some advice! 'Pick colors and shapes that make you feel happy.' So I just went with that and got some things." Yuta pauses, but goes on. "I've been thinking of exploring stuff like this more. The Pageant made me realize how much fun stuff like clothes can be. Kaowu said he'd help me learn how to do makeup and things, when he has the time. I guess -- I don't know. I don't want it to be weird, or anything."

"O--oh! Well!" Wow, he hadn't expected this to move so fast! Yuta takes a breath as well, then rummages in the basket and retrieves the small wrapped package. "I made this for you. The Neon Genesis Junior High Students helped, and Gridman too."

Should Rikka open the package, a charm bracelet is waiting inside. Delicate sterling silver links form the bracelet itself, and several charms are already attached. It looks like there's about half the bracelet left open, though. The charms are quite varied, most of them in matching silver. An oar, a microphone, something boxy... maybe a computer?, and finally... Yuta holds one more, itty bitty package. Within it is a blue marble-like shape.

"It's little charms of all the things we've done together! The boat trip, the pageant, Junk... And this is from the soda we drank, the day we first met Calibur. He helped me smooth it down so it'd be small enough for a charm."

Yuta straightens up. His heart is pounding. "Y--you see, Rikka, I --" He clears his throat, then tries again. "I really like you, Rikka. You're beautiful, and smart, and brave... You've always had my back. You're the first face I ever saw. I've felt this way for a really long time now, and --" Another pause. "I'd love it if we could go out together!"

The last few words come out in a rush, Yuta's face nearly as red as his hair.

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

"Could be, yeah... I usually just wear what I'm wearing sometime, but that isn't always the best thing for the situation." Rikka replies with a nod. After all the trouble her mother went to get them for her(what /did/ she do, anyway?), she might as well keep using it. "...It's true, though. Matching outfits would be kind of cool."

Yuta continues, explaining that he picked it out himself, going off of advice he received from Kaworu. Rikka nods.

"Oh, yeah... That makes sense. And that's good advice - it's important to like and feel good in whatever it is you're wearing." Rikka replies. He's been thinking about exploring fashion, huh...? Rikka thinks about it for a moment, and shakes her head. "I don't think it'd be weird. It's good to know that kind of thing... I'm sure you'll be grateful you did, someday."

And then... Yuta has a present for her. He made it - along with the Neon Genesis Junior High Students, and even Gridman... Rikka takes it with a hint of nervousness, handling the package like it's a bomb about to go off. ...Should she just... refuse it, and give it back to him...? But, would it be rude to not at least look...? She opens the package gingerly and inside is...

It's...

...It's really nice. It's cute, it's thoughtful, it's filled with emotion, and looking at it is like a stab to her heart. How much time and effort went into making this for her...?

And then, he straightens up, like he's worked his courage up to say something. It takes a second chance to actually get to it. And...

Ohhh, god.

There it is. This is what she was afraid of. He makes his heartfelt confession and Rikka's gaze falls to the blanket, her hair falling over her face.

"...Yuta, I... I'm-" She pauses, stops herself before trying to continue again. "I'm not..."

She goes quiet for a moment, before finally...

"...Yuta, I... I can't. I'm sorry." She says quietly, before setting the bracelet back in front of him. It's hard to look directly at him.

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

Oh no.

The second Rikka looks at the charm bracelet, he knows something is wrong. He manages to keep up his smile for a little while longer, though it grows more and more wobbly. But then, Rikka speaks up, and...

Yuta looks a little shocked, for a moment. Out of every possibility, somehow he hadn't prepared himself for this! "O--oh! Um!" He fumbles, his mouth opening and closing aimlessly for a moment. He can't think of any words, and there's a sinking feeling in his stomach, getting worse by the second.

"That's okay." He manages. It's all he can think of in the moment. Rikka looks so upset, and he can't bear that. "R--really! It's fine!" Yuta looks down at the charm bracelet, and his eyes feel hot. He wasn't going to cry in front of her! That'd be totally unfair.

All the effort he went to for this moment feels terribly foolish, suddenly. The twinkle lights are stupid, far too high in the tree to provide any light. Grass is poking through the blanket, totally defeating the purpose, and the food is... childish. Especially with what Rikka's used to from her mama's cooking.

"I'm sorry." Yuta chokes out, managing to get his face into something in the neighborhood of a rueful smile. "I hope I haven't made you uncomfortable. You're really important to me, Rikka -- all this aside, um." Yuta grabs the charm bracelet and stuffs it in his pocket unceremoniously. "I hope we can still be friends?"

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

Rikka flinches, at that. ...She messed this up, didn't she? She feels awful. She should have done things different. It's hard to listen to him... she feels like she may have really hurt him, even if he's trying very hard to hide it. He even apologizes to her...

"Listen, Yuta... This isn't your fault, okay? You did everything right. This was... wonderful, really, it's just..." She pauses. He says he hopes he didn't make her uncomfortable. "...No, you didn't..."

She's still important to him... and he still wants to be friends.

"...I'd be happy to. You're... a really good person, Yuta. You're kind, and thoughtful, you care about everyone, and you're courageous, too, but..." She says, and pauses for a moment. "...But, there's... something I need to tell you. That I really should have told you a long time ago."

She hesitates a moment before continuing.

"...Do you remember when you first woke up, I told you that we had been talking just before you fell unconscious?" Rikka asks. "...Well, this isn't... the /first/ time you've confessed to me."

She waits a moment for that to set in before continuing.

"...I turned you down then, too. I didn't really know you very well, but you'd always seemed nice and I thought you'd take it well, so I explained that I'm... I'm into girls." She says. That probably explains why she seemed so upset when he thought they might be a thing, back then... "...But then you lost your memory, and I started to worry about how you'd react if I told you that without any of your memories, so I put it off, and put it off, and even once I was sure you'd take it well I convinced myself there was no way you'd get a crush on me a /second/ time, so I put it off again... and I /really/ should have told you this a lot sooner. I'm sorry!"

She flinches a little but she forces herself to look up at him now. She has to see his reaction - she owes it to him to not look away, whatever it.

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

Yuta's holding it together. He's doing his absolute best to just make it through this and then retreat back to his apartment where he can have a nice cry on his own. Well, after taking down all this stuff, first. It wouldn't be right to litter.

Rikka's kind words make his smile just a bit more genuine. "You're so kind, Rikka, thank you, um -- oh?" What could there be to tell him, at this point? They've shared so much together. Yuta raises his eyebrows in what he hopes makes him look interested and not sad.

He nods, as Rikka pauses the first time. "It's okay. Please, go on."

Blue eyes widen. "I've -- done this before? Are you serious?" How embarrassing! Yuta winces, covering his face. Thank goodness Rikka gives him a moment to process this! Humiliation burns hot, his heartbeat rushing in his ears. Rikka was a saint to put up with him..!

When Yuta manages to take a breath, uncover his face, and look at Rikka again, she goes on. Oh. He blinks a few times, adjusting to this new information, then smiles. This time, it's genuine -- still a bit wobbly -- but the sweet-natured hint of it has returned. "Rikka, that's so cool! Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me this. I promise, I'll honor your trust." Yuta brings a hand over his heart, as though he were swearing an oath. "It's okay. Really! I completely forgive you. You were in a super tough situation. I cetainly wouldn't have known what to do!"

Running a hand through his hair, Yuta laughs a little. "This is a mess. I'm sorry to have put you through this twice!" What does it mean, that he's fallen for Rikka twice? Even with no memories, he kept her in his heart... Maybe he isn't a monster who entirely forgot his friends and family after all. Maybe those feelings are still there, just buried a little. Warmth spreads through his heart at the thought, comforting him.

"Thank you, Rikka. For taking my feelings seriously, and watching over me all this time." Yuta's eyes are so soft. "I'm so lucky to have you in my life! Um -- if you want.." Yuta pulls the charm bracelet out of his pocket, and offers it again. "It was made just for you. Even if you don't want to wear it, or anything -- maybe it could be a token of our friendship. Of everything we've been through together? It's okay if you'd rather not, too! I'll be okay either way."

And he will be okay. That's a strange feeling, suddenly. Just a few minutes ago, it felt like the world had fallen in on him, but now... Everything was going to be okay. He'd still be sad, of course, but -- it feels like something that'll pass. And he's learned something about his past self, too, which is always a precious gift.

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

He says she's kind... Is she, really? If she was, she'd have told him sooner, rather not let him go through all of this pain. But, she's telling him now, at least. When he asks that he's done this before, she nods to confirm. And... he actually smiles...? That's not quite the reaction she expected. It's a bit uneven, which is to be expected, but... it seems genuine. Rikka looks just a little embarrassed. He promises to honor her trust, too, and Rikka nods.

"...Thanks. Only a few people know at this point - Leina and some of my friends, mostly... but I don't really want it to become a public thing until I'm... you know. Ready." She replies, and pauses for a moment, before realising it's probably important to mention, "...Oh, mama knows already too, so if it ever comes up around her, don't worry about acting dumb or anything."

And Yuta... says it's okay. That he completely forgives her, for being in a super tough situation. Rikka feels a little ashamed at that, massaging the side of her neck awkwardly. ...He really is too nice...

"Please don't apologize... It really isn't your fault." She replies, shaking her head. "Honestly... you'd have every right to be at least a /little/ angry or upset with me... It was about you, your memories, and I held it back from you. If you are, you can tell me, okay? I'd understand."

And yet, he actually seems seems happy. He thanks her, even, for taking his feelings seriously and watching over him. She nods.

"...You're welcome. I wish the circumstances were better, but... I'm glad we became friends." She replies. He offers her the charm bracelet again. She looks conflicted for a moment... but, holding it back would only make things worse, so she decides to be honest. "...Are you sure? I really do like it - I can tell you all put so much thought and care into it, to represent everything we've gone through... but are you sure it wouldn't hurt, looking at it...?"

<Pose Tracker> Yuta Hibiki has posed.

Yuta nods. "That makes sense. Though, sometimes when we fuse, the Neon Genesis Junior High Students get pieces of my thoughts. Maybe it'd be better to tell them? I promise I'll try not to think about it while we fight, but I don't want to give away your secret by accident. Gridman, too."

It's a relief Rikka's mama knows Rikka's secret. Yuta doesn't know if he could keep up a lie to someone like her. Despite her casual act, Yuta always gets the feeling she understands more than she lets on.

"Well... It's true I would've liked to hear it sooner. But I really don't know how you could've told me without feeling like you were making things weird." Yuta says, after a moment of thinking it over. "If there's anything else about who I was, I'd like to hear it sooner than later, next time!" He really doesn't seem upset. It's not in Yuta's nature.

Rikka is taking this all so well. Anyone less resilient would've stomped away, or called him an idiot, or maybe even laughed at him. Somehow, she's more worried about Yuta than frustrated with him. He smiles to himself. Whoever does win Rikka's heart is going to be one lucky lady.

"I am too. None of this--" Yuta gestures to his wristband. "--would be possible without you. You're really Tsutsudijai's guiding star!" He nods, at Rikka's question. "I'd be more sad looking at it sitting in a box or a drawer. If it'd make you happy, Rikka, it's yours."

Maybe he'll hang onto that final charm, though. It'll be his own good luck charm.

<Pose Tracker> Rikka Takarada has posed.

The Neon Genesis Junior High Students...

"...Yeah. We can tell them together - I bet they're probably all waiting to hear what happened today, anyway." She says, and then chuckles a little, some of her good mood returning as she gently teases the absent NGJHS, "...They probably don't have much else better to do."

She gives a moment to let that settle in before continuing.

"But more seriously... Somehow, I'm not too worried about how they'll react." She says. She considers the situation for a moment, though, frowning to herself.

"Mm... I guess... if we're telling them, then I guess we should tell Utsumi, too..." She considers. ...She's a little less sure about that, but... It doesn't seem fair for him to be the only Tsutsujidai-based member of the Gridman Alliance who doesn't know. And if it /does/ end up causing problems with the group's cohesion, it's something she'd rather address sooner than later...

Yuta then... admits that he would've liked to have heard it sooner rather than later. Rikka breathes a sigh of relief, at that - not relief that he wasn't more angry, but relief that he was able to admit even that much. It probably wasn't easy for him, but she feels better knowing he's comfortable expressing things like that.

"Yeah. Like I said, I didn't know you that well, so there probably isn't much... but if I do think of something, I'll let you know right away. No more hiding." She says with a nod.

Yuta says she's Tsutsujidai's guiding star, and Rikka chuckles a little bit sheepishly.

"...I don't know if I'd go /that/ far. These are all things we did together, after all - if any of us were missing, it wouldn't have been the same." She says. But he assures her that he'd be more sad to see it languishing so with a nod she accepts it, taking it into her hand with a smile. "...Then I'll cherish it, Yuta. Thanks."