✪ Fourth Star: Shroomfield ✈

[undying_heroism]

[That morning started out like any other. Wake up, brush teeth, comb hair into a fabulous 'do', and head down for breakfast. Black coffee and maybe some pancakes?

Like always, Alfred's drone wife would follow the request without question, except today she decided to add in an extra ingredient. After all, when wild mushrooms popped up, of course

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Action ☆ Park

[badend_replay]

[ His club's adoring president {read: stalker} has been looking for him all day. Forgive her for being so slow in locating him. As soon as Rika figured out what those stupid mushrooms did she went off to find her friends and make sure that they were okay.

She'll walk up behind him as he's washing his hands and, being as careful as she can, reach out to tug the back of his shirt in hopes of getting his attention. ]

Alfred? It is okay. You are okay, sir. [ Though she's not sure what is wrong, Rika is pretty sure that there is something. ]

[undying_heroism]

[He would continue washing, seeming too dazed by the murky water to notice her. His lips move wordlessly.]

[badend_replay]

[ Sorry, not!not!dad. Rika's not going to let you stay this way. The mushrooms will have to suck it.

She tugs a bit more firmly this time, even trying to stick herself between him and the hand washing. Rika looks up, trying to read his lips but finding she has no skill at that. ]

Alfred?

[undying_heroism]

[Startled at suddenly seeing her, he steps back, moving his hands aside so he won't drip any bloody water on her.]

R-Rika. . .

[As soon as he perceived her, he looked away. Unable to see her. Not after all he'd done.]

[badend_replay]

Good, you recognize me.

[ She smiles, unaware of what he's seeing aside from her. But noticing when he looks away. ]

Look at me, okay? Let's dry your hands and have you sit down for a bit. Do not worry. Everything is going to be fine.

[undying_heroism]

[He shakes his head, although didn't make clear to which statement he was responding to. However, he does go towards a nearby bench and sits, awkwardly since to him it was just the crumbling remains of a building.

Everything was going to be fine. Words he recognized. Because. . .well. . .

. . they were his own. What he always told people.

But how can things be fine now?]

[badend_replay]

[ Rika's not sure what he was responding to but at least he sat down. It hurts her so much to see him like this. He's supposed to be her happy and strong and dependable dad.

She follows him to the bench and carefully takes a seat next to him. Being a good Japanese girl she has a handkerchief with her and offers to dry his hands properly for him. Despite her worry she is trying her best to be tough for him. ]

What is wrong? You can tell me and we can fix it, okay, Alfred?

[undying_heroism]

[He would almost be startled by that comment if he wasn't weighed by everything else. But honestly, how could she not see all this? How could she not see that everything was wrong?

He would motion towards the park, shaking his head more.]

How can this ever be fixed?

[badend_replay]

[ Rika looks towards the park. He must be seeing something different, she realizes. It's not surprising. Hallucinations are part of her canon so she'd be quick to assume they're at fault, even if the whole town wasn't suffering already. ]

Things can become terrible. They can seem messed up and hopeless. You can die or your friends can die. [ She speaks from experience ] But outside of that, time still moves on and people still live. And people do not live broken lives. They are stronger then that, aren't they?

1/2

[undying_heroism]

[He truly wondered if anyone could recover from this. Hiroshima and Nagasaki were small testaments to just how damaging weapons could be.

But just like Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the cities ended up slowly rebuilding themselves, didn't they? And now people continued life like normal.

He was silent as he thought on things.

Everyone was destroyed.

But here she was.

Did this mean that others would be okay? That as long as they still had breath in them, they could always rebuild?

A part of him wanted to shout 'yes'.

But another said that this was his fault. And that if his own two hands caused all this, wouldn't they just cause more harm?

Then again. . .]

. . . . . . .

[undying_heroism]

. . . People have lived for a long, long time, haven't they?

[badend_replay]

... They have. And they will live for a long, long time to come as well. It's too early to give up on that.

[undying_heroism]

. . . [The corner if his lip twitches up slightly though he still looks distressed.]

Hey, Rika? Do you think if I work really hard to help everyone else. . .they'll eventually forgive me?

[badend_replay]

Of course, sir. You are a wonderful person. You will be forgiven. I am sure of it.

[undying_heroism]

. . thanks.