Closed Swirling Doubts and Flickering Hope PV MAMORI ANEZAKI FINISHED

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GROUNDS
2024-10-08
@Sakura Kato

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Mamori wasn’t much for afternoon walks — he preferred the morning routine, not out of love for the quiet, but simply because it was what he was used to. Today, though, the late start to his day nagged at him, and before he knew it, his legs had led him to the grounds in the afternoon, the crisp air doing its best to shake off the sluggishness that clung to him. His thoughts drifted, aimless, until a sound tugged them back—someone’s voice, quiet and determined. “Swish, flick... ただスウィッシュしてフリックするだけ Just swish and flick.” Japanese? That wasn’t something he expected to hear outside of his own thoughts. The words were familiar, though not quite what he expected — more of a muttering to herself than any actual spell. What caught his attention was how much of it was just katakana, spelled out phonetically rather than translated. It didn’t feel quite like proper Japanese, more like something caught between two languages. Curiosity piqued, he found himself approaching the girl before he could think twice. She was focused, frustration evident in the way she gripped her wand. He could see that familiar leaf lying motionless in front of her — it was practically indicative of Wingardium Leviosa practice. He hadn’t had a hard time with it himself but decided it wouldn’t hurt to start with a little empathy. He stepped forward, letting his feet carry him closer to where the girl stood, wand poised over a leaf. “こんにちは Hello, ” his voice was quiet, a half-smile tugging at his lips, soft enough not to break the moment. “Is it Wingardium Leviosa? That one gave me trouble too, at first.”

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Date: 08/10/2024 | Time: 16:45 | Outfit: ✕ | CC: #e65c9e
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─────Sakura continue to drown herself in her sorrow. She was frustrated beyond words. It was just unlucky enough that she was sorted into Slytherin despite being a super nice and caring person. But now she couldn't even cast a simple spell. "Am I even a witch at all?" She wondered to herself. She shouldn't have this much trouble. Maybe she was a dud. Sakura shook her head trying to clear away the negative voice in her mind.

Then there was a slight shuffle behind her somewhere. She froze. "It's an animal maybe. I shouldn't be too worried." She relaxed until she heard a voice speak up. In Japanese? Her head whipped around to see who had spoken. It was a boy dressed in Hufflepuff robes. Talking to her? A Slytherin? Most Hufflepuffs she knew or well rather seen avoided her at all costs running away before she could even open her mouth to say hello.

She shook her head clearing her thoughts again. "Well forget about the past and focus on the present Sakura." She mentally scolded herself. "Yeah it is. It's no use. I can't do it. No matter how hard I try or how much I focus." Sakura let out a heavy sigh and wiped away the tears threating to fall at her admission of defeat before lifting her head to look at the boy again. "But are you Japanese? You know assuming you spoke in it and sounded pretty fluent."

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| 𝑰𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉: @Mamori Anezaki | 𝑴𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈: @None |
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GROUNDS
2024-10-08
@Sakura Kato

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Faces and names often aligned in Mamori's mind without much effort, especially after the Sorting Ceremony where he had seen all his fellow first-years. But when the girl turned around, he realized he'd forgotten her name. It had been over a month since that evening, and they really hadn't crossed paths much because so much was happening: they didn't have any classes together, and their social circles were so obviously miles apart. A tiny twinge of guilt at having forgotten tugged at him, until he decided it didn't matter. She probably didn’t know his name either. He then noticed the girl's eyes had lingered for a moment on the yellow lining of his robe, suggesting a hesitation, like she was debating whether to speak. After a beat, she asked her question in English, and Mamori nodded slightly before responding. "Yeah, I'm half Japanese." He tried to keep his tone light. "Well, my dad spoke it at home sometimes, so I grew up with both." As he spoke, he realized that although she had murmured in Japanese earlier, her response now came entirely in English. It dawned on him that she might be more comfortable using English, so he made a mental note to stick with it. Without saying much more, Mamori reached into his pocket and pulled out a small cotton handkerchief, neatly folded, the kind he usually kept with him. "Here," he said, offering it to her with a gentle nod. "You can use this to wipe your tears. Better than using your hand." He smiled softly as he handed it over, thinking it was more hygienic but kept that to himself, not wanting to make her mood even worse. He shifted slightly, glancing at her wand. "As for the spell," he began, voice thoughtful, "maybe try loosening your grip a bit? I used to hold mine too tightly, thinking I had to force the magic out, but it's more about control. Let your wrist move more freely — swish, flick, and let the movement flow naturally." He then paused for a moment, considering. "Sometimes, it also helps to imagine the leaf already floating. It's like you're guiding it with your magic, not lifting it. Gives the spell something to connect to."

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Date: 08/10/2024 | Time: 16:45 | Outfit: ✕ | CC: #e65c9e
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─────Sakura eyed him curiously as he spoke admitting he was half Japanese and also saying that his father spoke the language in their home. "I'm Japanese myself but I can't speak it very well. My parents americanized me and my brother and refused to speak it at home as well. I've been trying to learn it but I have no references for it so I'm not sure if I'm even pronouncing things correctly." She looked down but quickly snapped her head back up when the boy offered her a handkerchief with a soft smile.

She stepped closer to accept the item from the boy. "Thank you. That's thoughtful of you" She smiled using the handkerchief to dab her eyes again. He shifted slightly as he glanced down at her wand. She listened to his suggestion of loosening the grip on her wand. She didn't even realize she had been holding it tight clearly because of frustration. She relaxed her hand allowing it to hold onto the wand with almost no pressure.

"Imagine it already floating?" She looked down at the leaf only moved by the slight breeze the came through every so often. Maybe it was her negative thought process preventing her from doing it. Maybe if she believed she already could do it and imagined the leaf floating like the boy suggested she would be able to do it.

"I don't know..." She lets her shoulders drop. "I've already tried so many times and I still can't do it. But maybe I'll give it another shot." Sakura turns back towards the leaf closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "Swish and flick...you can do this Sakura" She thought to herself before raising her wand and pointing it at the leaf. "Wingardium Leviosa" She said with a loose but still firm grip as she does the elegant swish and flick. She imagines the leaf already floating in her mind and as she opens her eyes she sees the leaf....actually floating. "I've done it!"

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| 𝑰𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉: @Mamori Anezaki | 𝑴𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈: @None |
⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

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GROUNDS
2024-10-08
@Sakura Kato

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The word "Americanized" made Mamori's eyebrow inch upward with the kind of skepticism usually reserved for dubious potion instructions. A Japanese witch, in a Scottish castle, somehow channeling American energy? Right. Either this girl was some sort of walking three-culture-special with extra sauce on top, or — more likely — she was just another victim of America's apparent conviction that they had some sort of monopoly on modern culture. The irony of an Asian witch in a European magic school claiming American influence wasn't lost on him. "You're from America?" he asked, momentarily dropping his affected laziness for genuine curiosity, mind already jumping to what that meant about her magical schooling background. "That's... different. Usually American wizarding families send their kids to Ilvermorny. Did your family decide our charming British weather was worth crossing the pond for?" As she dabbed at her eyes with his offered handkerchief, Mamori watched her adjust her grip on the wand as suggested. The transformation was immediate — her movements became more fluid, less forced. Her previous tension seemed to melt away as she focused on the leaf, and Mamori found himself holding his breath along with her as she cast the spell. When the leaf finally rose into the air, a smile spread across his face. "See? Magic responds better when you're not fighting with it," he observed, watching the leaf's aerial performance. And because his excellent teaching clearly deserved some recognition — and he was constitutionally incapable of letting a perfectly good moment stay serious for too long — a mischievous glint appeared in his eye. "Well, I suppose I should take some credit for my excellent coaching," he mused with mock modesty. "Now then," he declared, fishing out his homework planner and flipping it open with a flourish and holding it like a proper business ledger. "Mamori's 便利屋 Benriya (jack-of-all-trades), at your disposal. Let's see here..." He made a great show of flipping through pages, squinting at nonexistent entries with exaggerated concentration. "According to our current rates — very reasonable, I might add — that'll be 5 Galleons for the expert spellwork consultation, plus a 2 Galleon rental fee for the emergency handkerchief services." He peered up from his 'ledger' with what he imagined was a very professional expression, if not for that telltale quirk at the corner of his mouth. Not that he had the faintest idea what actual magical services cost — his financial expertise began and ended with the monthly allowance from home. But his Slytherin senpai Mahlioz had enlightened him about the apparent worth of a Muggle pencil (5 whole Sickles, if you can believe it), so surely 7 Galleons was a perfectly reasonable fee for his expert magical guidance. Pure business acumen, really. "We do offer flexible payment plans if you're short on gold, though I'd appreciate if you kept that quiet from Gringotts. The goblins get rather tetchy about competition in the financial sector." With a theatrical snap of his planner, he added, "Of course, I might be persuaded to offer a discount if I at least knew my client's name. Can't very well send an invoice without proper documentation, can I?" He topped it off with a wink, adding a cheeky "よろしくお願いします""thankyou very much" but unnecessarily lengthy that somehow managed to sound both perfectly polite and utterly ridiculous.

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Date: 08/10/2024 | Time: 16:45 | Outfit: ✕ | CC: #e65c9e
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─────"No I was born in Japan and lived there until I was about 3 I think. Then we moved to Newchurch. Americanize is just the term my mom used. She said that not many people here would speak Japanese so me and my brother only learned English. Like I said before, I really want to learn but it's hard because I can't understand it fully. You know, like pronunciation and grammar?" She explained with a soft sigh.

As he smiled warmly at her successful attempt at the spell stating the magic works better if you don't fight against it. The boy pulled out a planner of some sort. Sakura watched him with a confused expression as he scanned the pages. What was he doing? Running his fingers down the pages and murmuring to himself. "Is he seriously doing homewo-" her thoughts were interuptted as he suddenly spoke up.

"Y-you're charging me? For helping me and the handkerchief? Five...two....Seven galleons!?" She looked at him with wide eyes. "He's got to be joking" Payment plan? Oh my name...It's Sakura. Sakura Kato. I'm a first year Slytherin. I'm going to assume yours is Mamori? You said Mamori something. She still looked confused as he winked at her.

Sakura wasn't entirely sure how she felt about this kid. First he gives her his handkerchief. Then gives her advice on the spell she was trying to do. Then has the nerve to charge her for it? "Who has that kind of money as a first year? I mean some people do but not every one." She thought to herself.

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| 𝑰𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉: @Mamori Anezaki | 𝑴𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈: @None |
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GROUNDS
2024-10-08
@Sakura Kato

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Mamori raised an eyebrow at her wide-eyed "You're charging me?" — though in truth, it was more to mask the laugh he was desperately trying to suppress. Was this really what passed for Slytherin cunning these days? He'd been hoping for at least a token attempt at bargaining, perhaps even an entertaining back-and-forth of Slytherin wit. But no — the girl was proving to be refreshingly, if endearingly, credulous. Ah well, no matter. His little performance had served its purpose anyway — he'd only wanted a creative way to get her name, and he'd managed that much at least. No point in pushing the act further just for his own amusement. "Sakura Kato?" If anyone had been wondering about her heritage, that name just eliminated all possible doubt. In fact, Mamori wasn't sure he'd ever encountered a more painfully typical Japanese name in his life. "Lovely name, very Japanese indeed. Let's skip all that family name business, shall we? Sakura works just fine." Without bothering to wait for her response — as if waiting for permission was ever his style — his tone shifted to something more casual. "And you got it right! I happen to be Mamori Anezaki. Though I believe you're well aware of my house already, given how thoroughly you were studying my robes earlier," he added with a knowing smirk. "Mamori works fine for me too." Shoving his planner back into his bag with a flourish, he adopted his most magnanimous expression. "As you're my inaugural customer on this most auspicious first day of business, I suppose I could be generous — everything's free of charge." He announced this as if bestowing some rare magical artifact rather than, well, nothing. "Keep the handkerchief too — consider it your 初回特典Shokai Tokuten (first-time benefit), if you will!" The handkerchief was hardly a sacrifice; his trunk was practically a handkerchief shop at this point thanks to his mother's overzealous packing. Besides, his impromptu performance had worked better than expected — no more tears, one successful spell cast, and all it had cost him was a bit of theatrical flair and one spare handkerchief. Not bad for an afternoon's entertainment. But he did have his own plans to attend to, and there wasn't much point in hanging around just to watch more spell practice. "Feel free to owl me if you're ever in need of Japanese practice — pronunciation, grammar, whatever floats your boat. Or you know, if you're just bored and want someone to hang around with." he wagged his finger with a mock leer of seriousness, "anything involving rule-breaking or life-threatening situations will incur my premium 便利屋Benriya (jack-of-all-trades) rates. Those don't come cheap, you know." With a grin that suggested he was far too pleased with his own wit, Mamori gave her a few casual waves. "Well, I'll leave you to your spellwork then — this perfectly pleasant afternoon walk isn't going to take itself, is it?" And with that flourishing finale, he turned on his heel and began walking away.

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ATTEMPTING TO LEAVE (UNLESS SAKURA WISHES TO STOP HIM

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Date: 08/10/2024 | Time: 16:45 | Outfit: ✕ | CC: #e65c9e
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─────The boy raised an eyebrow at her sudden exclamation with an amused look in his eyes. Then she blushed as his compliment of her name. "Oh Thank you. Yeah you can call me Sakura. I don't mind." She said with a shrug of her shoulders. "This Mamori kid is interesting...He's cool but very...very interesting" She thought to herself. She had never met anyone like him. Now everyone always says that every person is different but this kid was interesting different.

Her jaw dropped when he suddenly told her everything was free of charge. And then announce that she could keep the handkerchief. Seriously, who was this kid? Making all that talk about galleons and gold. Charging her an absurd amount of money for a simple gesture of kindness. "That's it. This Mamori kid is now the strangest person I know" She shook her head not being able to understand his process of thinking.

Sakura nodded when he said she could send him an owl at any point in time if she wanted to hang out. He was even willing to help with her Japanese. She smiled at the thought of being able to speak a language she's been trying so hard to learn and understand with the help of someone who is part Japanese. "Oh I'm not much for trouble so don't worry about that too much." She shook her head vigorously. Trouble was the last thing she wanted to get into.

She watched as he suddenly spun on his heel giving her a wave and stating his leave. She waved back with a smile. "See you around Mamori." She watched him leave. "Well I made a new friend...I think I can call him that?" She muttered to herself before turning back to the leaf which had long since fallen back to the ground. "Maybe I'm not completely hopeless after all."

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| 𝑰𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉: @Mamori Anezaki | 𝑴𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈: @None |
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