『A3! ❀ 』20 Minute Mankai

Misumi ❀ Action

Rely on Me!
Starring, Misumi Ikaruga

(⌒▽⌒*)

"Hey, everyone! Mail's here!"

Matsukawa called into the lounge, hefting the box of letters and gifts left at the theater by Mankai's growing fanbase. There was the normal mountain for the popular members—Tenma, Masumi, Tasuku—along with a smattering of heartfelt notes for most everyone else. The only thing that was different that day was that, for the first time, there was a letter for Izumi.

"Kantoku-san, Kantoku-san!" Misumi was practically vibrating with excitement as he presented the letter with all the reverence of a gold medal. "You got a fan letter."

"Me?" Izumi's eyes shot open. "That's unusual."

"A fan letter, huh." Masumi seemed to appear out of nowhere, peering over Izumi's shoulder as she carefully broke the seal. "Whatever they wrote, I could write something better—"

"Calm down, Masumi," Tsumugi placed a placating hand on the boy's shoulder. "Shouldn't we be happy for our director? She's finally getting some appreciation."

The boy puffed out his cheeks, pouting. "I guess."

"What does it say?" Misumi rested his chin on the crown of Izumi's head as he glanced over the elegantly-written script. There were pages and pages of praise, coming from someone who had apparently also been a fan of her father. Reading it aloud made Izumi's heart swell and her eyes mist over. "I bet your dad would be proud, Kantoku-san," Misumi smiled softly.

"Thanks, Misumi." She smiled back, wiping away a stray tear. "He's been gone for so long and I've been doing my best... I think I needed to hear that."

"Ah, don't cry, Kantoku-san! You can borrow my triangle."

Unfortunately, as touched as Izumi had been at the time, that wasn't the end of it.
The director received a letter the next day, the day after that, and so on. Each morning, like clockwork, they appeared, written in that signature scrawling script. And while the first fan-letter had focused mainly on the contents of Mankai's recent shows and had praised Izumi's directing talent, the newer ones quickly became questionable. "If only I could meet you and steal you away, my princess," one letter lamented. "I love your messy ponytails in the mornings, I want to rake my fingers through your hair," read another.

Whenever she read these things, Izumi's stomach crawled with dread. How did this person know what her hair looked like in the morning? They seemed to include more and more intimate details of her life, to the point that she was sure they were nearby. She had decided not to tell the others, since she didn't want them to worry, but when she left the dorm or the theater, it felt as if someone was always watching from a distance. She had taken to asking whichever troupe member was free at the time to go with her, using any flimsy excuse she could come up with and trying her best to hide her distress.

Unexpectedly, it was Misumi who helped her out the most. He never questioned her motives, and was often available on his treks to part-time jobs, triangle hunts and feeding local cats. "I'm happy to accompany you before my triangle search!" He would say, never failing to lift her mood with his optimistic energy.—【❀】

Having Misumi by her side eased Izumi's worries greatly. But on one windy afternoon, the director got a call from another troupe leader asking if she could pick up the props the company was borrowing for their upcoming show. Her heart lurched. Everyone was out at the moment, meaning she would have to go alone.

But it would be okay, right?

Izumi clutched her purse in a death-grip, keeping her eyes locked on the road ahead as she speed-walked toward her destination. She was having that feeling again, like she was being watched. Hunted. Stalked. The wind was rushing loudly in her ears, but she could swear she heard faint footsteps approaching from behind. She picked up speed. The footsteps followed suit.

"I-Izumi Tachibana!" a stranger's voice called out.

Izumi broke into a run, rounding the nearest corner and making a break for a busier street, but she had been careless. Her foot caught in an uneven piece of sidewalk and she gracelessly toppled over, pain blooming across her palms and bare knees as they scraped against concrete. The stranger's ragged breathing and pounding steps continued to grow louder, and Izumi belatedly realized that the main road was further away than she first thought. She couldn't bring herself to look back at her pursuer, the thought of what could happen next was petrifying.

"Izumi Tachibana," the stranger repeated, the long shadow he cast looming over her as panic took over. Run, Izumi. She pleaded with herself, but her limbs wouldn't move. Run, dammit! "My princess—"

Suddenly, there was a blur of motion, a hard thud, and a grunt of pain. "What are you doing to my Kantoku-san?"

Izumi's heart leapt. That voice. "M-Misumi...?"

"Agh, you—!"

"Be quiet." Misumi growled. Izumi had never heard that tone of voice come out of him before.

Hesitant, she turned to face them, jaw dropping at the scene before her. The man who must have been her stalker was sniveling, hanging by the collar of his shirt as Misumi held him up with both hands. There was blood streaming from the man's nose. "You... you got him."

"Kan—Izumi. Are you okay?" Misumi's gaze flicked her prone form, scanning for injuries. Izum opened her mouth to say more, but her throat was dry and scratchy, so she simply nodded.

"Hey, you bastard, this is assault!" Izumi's stalker wriggled limply in Misumi's grip, one hand pinching his nose. "I could call the police!"

Misumi's eyes narrowed. "Fine. We can tell them how you stalked Kantoku-san for a week and chased her down."

"Y-You have no proof," the man sputtered.
Misumi finally let him go, dropping one hand into his pocket to pull out his phone. In a flash, he opened his most recent photo album. There were pictures of the man lurking outside the theater, near the dorms, and, most worryingly, under Izumi's window. "I didn't find many triangles this week," Misumi's voice was low, threatening. "My bet is that you scared them off."

The man grimaced, his face went beet-red, and his fists began to shake. Izumi tensed up, worried that he would attack them, and Misumi stepped protectively in front of her. But instead of fighting, the stalker fled, disappearing down the alleyway.

As soon as the man was out of sight, all of the emotions Izumi had been holding back were unleashed at once: fear, desperation, relief. She began to sob, reaching out for Misumi's hand and clinging to him, her entire body trembling. Misumi's expression softened as he crouched in front of her, the corners of his lips tugging downward at the sight of the bloody scrapes on Izumi's hands and knees. "Kantoku-san, I'm sorry." his voice was thick as he drew her into his arms, all gentleness and warmth. As she cried into his chest, Misumi patted her back, soothing her heart and shielding her from the biting wind.

"How did you know?" Izumi asked after her tears had run dry. "That this was going on, I mean."

"I noticed the letters were starting to make you sad," he admitted. "And I noticed that guy on my triangle hunts. My cat friends told me to be wary of him."

"I'm sorry I didn't say anything," Izumi's gaze fell to the ground. "I didn't want you guys to worry over nothing,"

Misumi pulled away, carefully helping her to her feet before giving an answer. "Of course we would worry. We're your family. So please, rely on us more in the future. Okay?"

Izumi felt like crying again, out of gratitude, this time. But she held back her tears, entwining her pinky with Misumi's. "I pinky promise."

"Good. Can we get onigiri after we clean up? I'm suddenly sooo hungry."

"Of course," Izumi beamed. "And, Misumi? Thank you for saving me."
Misumi blushed, giving their pinkies a little squeeze. "Any time, my triangular Kantoku-san."

scene.

written by - UsaChan97
dedicated to - requests

Usa-chan's Note: Misumi protecc. He attacc. And after this, he ate an onigiri snacc. Thanks for reading, and shout out to JustmeForever_ for requesting some protective Misumi :)

【❀】- - - indicates 20 minutes have been reached
c o n t i n u e !