Big Book of Writing

Wishes Would Surely Come True (Void, SDRA2)

In summary: Iroha eats one (1) pot brownie

Warning: drug usage; spoilers for the whole game, the side stories, and the members of Void

***

Beneath an old building beside a church, footsteps echoed beneath the modified room. A brush swept across the floor as Iroha tried to clean the dusty place. Her dress had been put to the side to prevent it from being dirtied, and she wore her grey prisoner garments-turned-pyjamas instead.

Syobai was in the other room, counting the total number of funds they've received so far. Sweeping the floor was a task he gave to her, if only to keep her busy and stop her from complaining. Never having cleaned things well before, she struggled with getting the right motion to sweep the dust into the corner of the room.

Unlike the broker, she hated the predicament they ended up in after escaping the Kisaragi Foundation. Living on the run, scamming the remaining Remnants of Despair, putting themselves in danger...that wasn't the life Iroha wanted at all.

Iroha stopped sweeping, looking over at Syobai. He was heavily distracted by the funds and talking to himself, making calculations and future plans. As quiet as a mouse, Iroha stepped to the side of the room and leaned the broom against the wall. With a light tread, she snuck out of the room.

She didn't bother closing the door to their bedroom when she entered, she didn't want to risk alerting him. Looking around the 'bedroom' was pitiful, it only consisted of an old couch Syobai found with its cushions pulled onto the floor - his and her beds, respectively - and separate bags containing their belongings.

Syobai always had something to fiddle with in his bag when he had nothing to do, a large piece of string that he tied into knots and undid afterwards. Iroha went over to his bag and rummaged through it for the string, but couldn't find it.

Instead, she opened a side pocket and found a brown square covered in plastic wrap. Iroha quickly unwrapped it, confirming her suspicions: it was a brownie! A giant brownie square, one that he had hidden in his bag. The painter puffed up her cheeks with irritation, upset that he didn't think of sharing it. Sweets were very hard for them to come by nowadays.

Hiding this and making her sweep, Iroha thought the best way to get back at him was to eat the brownie. It was a dumb plan, even by her standards, and Syobai might get really mad. But if she didn't do small things like that, then she would've gone mad from frustration long ago.

Without further ado, she took a big bite from the brownie. Despite its oddly bitter aftertaste, its sweetness encouraged Iroha to keep going. She put the plastic wrapper back in Syobai's bag, and she laid herself down on the pulled-out couch cushions. The cushions were lumpy and squished, but they were better than sleeping on the floor.

Oddly enough, her world kept spinning even when she laid down. But it felt like she was just lying on a warm cloud. She stared at the ceiling while kicking her feet a little. She was aware of a vague sensation on her heels, but she couldn't tell what it was. She felt like she could stay there forever.

But then a voice broke through the haze. A voice she recognized.

"Did you seriously eat that whole thing? Do you know how much sugar's in that?!"

Iroha jolted upright and looked around. Standing near the wall was a group she never thought she'd see again. Hajime looked pretty peeved at her, while Emma, Nikei, and Mikado wore expressions of exasperation and amusement.

"Y-You guys?! How..." Iroha got to her feet, staring at them with wide eyes. "H-H-How are you alive?! I watched you die! I thought-"

Mikado stepped forward and sharply flicked her forehead, making her yelp. "Did you forget what I said? I promised that a blessing of luck could revive us, did I not?" he asked, his voice flippant. "Really, it's like you have cotton in your head!"