Diamond Sovereign Juno's page

Juno does not understand any of the words coming out of Yuki's mouth, but in summary it seems she did well. She smiles like a dog about to be rewarded with a treat, only to receive much better; the touch of Yuki's lips lingers softly on Juno's for a moment, before the two are rudely interrupted.

Juno breaks away from the kiss regretfully to respond to the messenger. 「I have not the slightest idea what you could say that would be worth the effort, but you may feel free to try.」 Feeling a bit put out by the interruption, she still does not fail to register the dryad's boast. 「No, she lies. No reason to give her an opening to tell more.」

Juno stops for a moment as she takes in the feeling. She wipes away the tears and makes a "well that was weird" face before responding to Yuki.

「I can try to acquire one.」 Juno's summoned weaponry did not seem to last long, though she supposed that if she focused on making something permanent she could do so. She holds her hand out to the air, and a small portal appears, dropping a golden revolver studded with diamonds into her palm. She keeps her finger far from the trigger as she carefully hands it over to Yuki. 「Will this do?」

2d6 ⇒ (6, 3) = 9

Juno ponders this for a moment. 「That would make sense, actually...」 Juno had no reason to believe the dryad couldn't teleport, but she already knew the dryad was a master of illusions. Juno decides to trust Yuki's judgement.

@Tenshi, Naiad: The dryad Tenshi is facing may be a mere image. I am at her lair with Yuki; if we are correct, then we shall track down the real one here.

「Very well. Let us find her, together.」 Juno grabs Yuki's hand and gently ushers her along, taking a wild guess and heading downstairs.

Juno's heart skips a beat when she sees Yuki's condition. She runs over, fussing over her.

「It's all right, dear. I'm just glad you're safe.」 Juno hugs Yuki closely, lingering there for a bit until she receives a message from Tenshi. Words dripping with fear; she certainly needs aid.

「I have just received word that the dryad is at the park. I have to go back. Can you still fight?」 When those last words slip by Juno's lips she wishes they had not; the answer was clearly no, but that would not stop Yuki from taking the opportunity to say yes.

On a subconscious level, everything belongs to her. Though that and those near and dear to her especially. So yes. :)

Juno barely hears Khutulun over the man's nonsense. Lacking any real response to him, she turns around, face flushed, and responds to to her temporary ally.

@Khutulun: I will be back as soon as possible. Thank you. And, ahem. My apologies about trying to kill you yesterday, it seems we may have misjudged.

With that, Juno musters up a portal, though this one leads not to her vault but instead to her girlfriend.

Not sure how potent the existing connection is, so 2d6 ⇒ (1, 5) = 6 for magic if necessary. I want to be able to come back through the portal, and if possible I'd like it to be something only Juno and Yuki can use.

「M-m-m-my what?」 I mean sure, it was true, but he certainly had no right to just say it bluntly like that.

「I hardly see why I should inform you of her whereabouts,」 Juno finally replies, realizing too late that she just told him she knows where Yuki is.

Meanwhile, Yuki is talking like someone who has zero control of a situation but desperately wants the people around her to believe she does. It is a state of being Juno is intimately familiar with.

「I have to go help her.」 The thought pierces through Juno's mind, but the question is, how? Yuki is hardly the only one in danger here; Tomoyo's safety is still not wholly secured, and Mother seems to have made an enemy of every supernatural being in the city.

Stupidly, out of desperation, Juno places her bets on someone she tried to kill yesterday.

@Khutulun: I have someplace I need to be. If I withdraw... can you guarantee my mother's safety?

Kiyomi stands dumbstruck as all this happens before her; pulled in three separate directions she knew not what to do, and before she could decide she ran out of time. Kiyomi's heart stops for a moment when she sees her mother about to die, and she falls to the ground with a heavy breath when the fight is thankfully cut short.

「Yuki... What's wrong with Yuki?」 The feeling she had was certainly not mundane concern; the power that linked the two of them had informed Kiyomi of danger. Kiyomi hoped that this link would be sufficient to speak to her girlfriend.

@Yuki: Are you well? I had a feeling that you were in danger. Willing to spend magic to get this line working if necessary.

Kiyomi gets up and addresses the unfamiliar man who speaks in rhymes. "Who are you? What do you want to discuss?"

I was largely waiting to see what Junpei is going to do with Tomoyo. >.>

We might have to, these crashes are getting pretty ridiculous.

「Mother thinks she's a "thing" too...」 It seems the popular opinion among those more knowledgeable in magic. But with Tomoyo in her arms, softly embracing the weeping child, how could Kiyomi possibly deny her personhood? Without hesitation, Kiyomi makes the first act of defiance in her sixteen years of life.

@Mother: We are all dangerous. She is my little sister, and will be treated as such.

Perhaps the message could have been less biting, but that is not too important to Kiyomi at the moment. What is important is the crying girl in her arms.

「There, there... Nobody has to die today, okay? Onee-san will protect you. Tell me, who said such an awful thing to you?」

Very nice! :P

You know, sometimes I forget we're on Juno's side. :3

Her interests do occasionally align with the other characters... At the very least the only person she's openly hostile to is Junpei.

Good time to roll boxcars.

Kiyomi looks on in horror as her mother aims a kill shot at Tomoyo; Kazue's remark does not even register as she frantically sends a message.

@Mother: No, please don't kill her! I can handle this, I can stop her!

Kiyomi does an impressive leap out of her carriage as she joins the fray. She slides to a stop between Tomoyo and the battered dog. Getting up, she walks slowly towards the girl, weapons put away.

「Tomoyo dear, please do not do this. Naiad is an ally, we gain nothing from harming him. Just come over here and give onee-san a hug; I can help you.」

Comfort: 2d6 ⇒ (6, 6) = 12

I'll be spending the Hope Shift on Tomoyo, whenever the appropriate time to do that is.

Tsuchi does not even register to Kiyomi as her carriage gets moving. She pauses at the driver's comment. 「If things are already happening at the garden, then...」

「Driver, I change my mind. Take me to the gardens.」 She would have to make do without a second trinket.

Juno throws her hands in the air in exasperation. 「Is EVERYTHING in this city secretly magic?」 She shakes her head and steps into the carriage, figuring that whatever nonsense was transpiring in the cafe was the problem of whoever was responsible for the building in the first place.

「To the mansion, please.」

「Right, that makes sense.」 Kiyomi sighs; this is normally not a problem she would have to think about, with her schedule usually fairly regimented and her mother usually away on business.

Still, the situation gives her an idea. 「Diamond Sovereign Juno.」 Maybe she should not be doing this in front of the door to an open cafe, but she does not terribly care.

Kiyomi snaps her fingers, and a large portal appears where the car had been before. From this, a new mode of transportation appears, complete with driver to bring her back to the mansion.

2d6 ⇒ (4, 1) = 5

Bleh, hopefully I get some bonuses on that...

Kiyomi smiles warmly as she says farewell to Yuki. The smile rapidly fades when Yuki leaves the cafe, Kiyomi looking drained and exhausted.

「This isn't going to work, is it...」 she whispers to herself. She thought what she felt for Yuki was real, but her heart was faltering now. What teenage infatuation could possibly overtake her loyalty to her mother?

Though, that is probably already decided. Yuki will not be happy when she discovers Mother is aware of her organization's little trap. The thought causes... something to well up inside of Kiyomi. She pulls a bundle of 1000 yen notes out of her bag and without thinking leaves an extravagant tip for Azumamaro.

She retreats back to her car, and requests the driver to bring her home. 「Just one more task, before the garden meeting...」 Whatever happens, she will come to blows with someone there. She needs to be prepared.

She is the most popular girl at school; someone is always talking about her, for good or ill.

Sure glad that, as a player, I know exactly who that baby is. If I didn't I would have to accept "murdered her firstborn" as a genuine possibility.

..."Tried to murder her firstborn" could still be a thing, of course.

Kiyomi can no longer hide her irritation. 「Do you seriously believe I have an older sibling that I never knew because my mother killed her?」 Kiyomi chooses to focus in on this accusation, as the other is far more difficult to deny. 「That could be anyone's baby; my mother is a rather well-connected woman, I am sure I could find a dozen pictures of her holding someone else's child if I tried. You have made it very clear you dislike my mother, Yuki, but this accusation is crossing the line.」

Kiyomi crosses her arms. 「Besides, I already know how my mother always looks so young. It is illu...sion... magic.」 The young lady falters as she realizes what she just said. A carefully maintained illusion... where one accusation seemed ridiculous, the other seemed more plausible every moment she thought about it. 「I am sure Mother has an explanation for this...」

Kiyomi chuckles softly at the child's antics before taking a small sip of her tea. She hides her change in expression at her mother's notification in the cup.

「A backup trinket?」 Kiyomi had not considered making more trinkets before; her power up to this point was unquestionable, there was simply no reason to beg another trinket. One of the others - Tenshi, was it? - seemed to believe that doing so was dangerous, and not worth the extra risk outside of extreme circumstances. Surely, Khutulun's broken state was partially caused by her obscene number of trinkets.

Still, given what these hunters can do... Perhaps it is best to be certain. She will have to mull this over some more before the fated time.

「Kyou Oshiro... She was my grade school teacher. I remember she always was surrounded with flowers but never smelled nice. I suppose she is our dryad, then.」 Kiyomi decides to leave out the memories of Oshiro-sensei and her mother speaking; it is not unusual for the parent of a student and that student's teacher to speak to one another and with Mother's apparent unpopularity there was little incentive to give Yuki more chances to jump to conclusions.

I feel like I've said this before, but: I eagerly await the incoming disaster.

「Things I won't agree with... huh.」 Kiyomi had never considered Yuki her sidekick but something about her phrasing there put her on edge. 「Things related to my mother, perhaps.」 Yuki obviously hates Mother, and Yuki's organization plans on doing... something to her.

「Of course, Yuki. That independence is why I fell for you in the first place.」

@Mother: We have been betrayed. A man named DK knows about our meeting and plans to trap you there.

「It sounds like we have a plan; I do expect I would succeed my mother if she were to step down. It is what she has been preparing me for, long before I knew it.」

@Mother: I suspect the culprit is that wretched Junpei. We will have to concoct a sufficient punishment later.

「Thank you for this, Yuki... I love you.」

@Mother: For now, tell me what you wish me to do. I love you, mother.

「Excuse me?!?」 Kiyomi's face goes pale, and she does her best not to raise her voice. 「This is not 'our child', Yuki. It's a trick set up by a mother goddess unimpressed by my... proclivities.」 It's not that Kiyomi did not want children of course; on the contrary, she took great pride in the knowledge that she would one day continue the vaunted Shirakawa line and give her children the future granted to her by her mother. However, she certainly did not want to have a child now, and the concern that this child might be a... thing rather than a person only solidified matters.

「I do not believe I am being unreasonable when I say that procreation is something to be left for the distant future. For me to be pregnant now, at such a young age, would be scandal enough. It is not something I can abide as a Shirakawa. So I ask again, please help me fix this.?」

Well I definitely was not expecting THAT reaction. Not even too sure how to respond to this.

「...Is that a yes? It sounds like a yes!」 Kiyomi was fully prepared for Yuki to deny her, to shut her down upfront by simply not being into girls; that was where things seemed to be headed the night before, after all. Kiyomi whispers softly to herself, 「Yuki-chan is my girlfriend...」 and for a brief moment she is in bliss.

Yuki's last question drags Kiyomi out of her euphoria, and she remembers the biggest issue of the day; an issue that may have been easier to solve if Yuki had rejected her. 「I am afraid we have something else to worry about before we can consider 'ending up on top'.」 Kiyomi explains in painful detail what Shanhaz had told her that morning: about the identity of Juno, the supernaturally imposed engagement, and the threat of giving birth to a monster.

「We have less than a day to resolve this before it is set in stone. I haven't the slightest idea what Juno believes I gave you as a dowry, but we need to find out to stop this.」

Yuki scoffs. 「Your mom has nuked the town twice now.」

Purportedly, the garden is dedicated to the crew of the USS Ōsumi, an amphibious transport dock used in the reconstruction of Obusa after a meteor strike. Among the crew, you find your father’s name.

I think mother dearest needs a lesson on temperance.

「What? No! No, that's not what this is at all!」 Kiyomi's voice quivers. 「I... I never knew what my mother was. She never told me. I only found out when I went to the mall two days ago, and became one myself.

「I... I didn't spend time with you to spy on you. I never had any reason to think you were more than the transfer student, who is smart, and strong, and confident, and pretty, and, and...」 Kiyomi sinks her face into her arms, her ears bright red. 「I like you, Yuki. When I... kissed you, last night, that was not the way I wanted to do it but. I did want to do it.」

@All: Not sure who you are referring to, Tenshi. Assuming they are not our Naiad I do not think I have met this person.

@Naiad: Tomoyo-chan is where? Y-yes, she did come home with me... My maid was supposed to be looking after her (Kiyomi's tone is clearly annoyed here). Would you be so kind as to make sure she is okay? I have another engagement at the moment but will take her off your hands as soon as I can.

Though silent, her face does little to hide her emotions; Yuki can clearly see the mixture of frustration and worry. 「Alex seems to be a relatively trustworthy sort, but... Well, if he does anything untoward I will find out and I will kill him. No need to worry about that. But why would Su-Shanhaz just let Tomoyo wander off like that...」

「My mother is in charge, as far as I know.」 Shanhaz had mentioned a mentor of her mother's, though Kiyomi knew not who that was, or if mother answered to this person or if she simply took advice from them. Mentioning it now would only confuse things and open up questions Kiyomi did not know the answer to.

「So... this Brotherhood of yours. What are its goals? Should I feel threatened by them?」 Kiyomi stops as she realizes this is technically two questions, and looks away as if avoiding eye contact would make it more likely to slide.

「Okay, so I guess she is doing that on purpose then.」 Kiyomi chooses not to waste one of her own questions on that oddity.

Kiyomi's grip on her cup tightens at Yuki's question. Did she really have to start there? 「No, Yuki... She's... she's gone. Her sister is staying with me.」

Kiyomi manages to hold back any tears and tries to turn the conversation elsewhere with her next question. 「Who is this 'DK' person you keep mentioning? Is he your boss?」

Kiyomi stares wide-eyed for a moment at the misplaced cell phone before eventually pulling it out of her cup and sliding it back over to Yuki. 「There are worse ways this encounter could begin, I suppose.」

「Ahem. So. I believe you have as many questions about the situation as I do. So how about this: I will ask you a question, you will answer truthfully, then you ask me a question, and I will be honest in turn. Agreed?」

Assuming she complies, Kiyomi begins. 「Your weapon is clearly not natural. How did you get it?」

「Oh. Hello again.」 Kiyomi had largely dismissed from memory the strange encounter with the older woman, having been rather irrelevant compared to everything else that had happened the night before.

This second meeting brought those memories rushing back to the front of Kiyomi's mind, primarily the girl's brazen and overtly sexual commentary. It would be easy to dismiss if she had acted a typical drunk and horny school girl, but the subject of her interest made it harder to ignore. 「She likes girls. Like me. ...I'm not that bad, though. Right?」

The revelation that... Tsuchi-san, was it? Was actually quite pretty when not overly painted did not help matters. Kiyomi adverts her eyes and takes a sip from her drink before saying, 「I would like to hold off on ordering until my companion arrives, thank you.」

She nods politely to Jack; it was rather unlike him to offer advice, so Kiyomi chooses to take it to heart.

Kiyomi is not terribly surprised that none of the employees make special note of her; part of the reason she likes this place is that it is somewhere she can go without being a Shirakawa for a while. She is proud of who she is, no doubt about that, but it is nice to relieve the stress of her responsibilities, and a cafe with a silly theme that others of Kiyomi's ranking would never enter is a good place to do that. She was sure that some of the employees knew who she was - they had to, after all - but she appreciated they had the tact not to mention it. Though even with all of that Kiyomi would not come here so often if the tea was not as good as it is.

"A private booth for two, please." She leaves Yuki's name and a brief description of her with the greeter, informing her of the second customer. When shown her seat she looks over the menu more times than necessary, suddenly feeling very fidgety.

Kiyomi's heightened uncertainty about Tomoyo may be influenced by my recent reading of Kindred Spirits on the Roof making my writing even gayer than usual. I'm still not entirely sure where things will go with her; I think Kiyomi would be satisfied if Tomoyo could revert back to a child's form or if Tomoyo's mental age was raised somehow to match her physical age. Kiyomi certainly would not pursue the latter option given how uncomfortable the current mismatch is, she's understandably a little squicked out by her own feelings.

Either way, I hope the decision to leave Tomoyo at home doesn't blow up too badly, I just could not justify dragging her along to a date with Yuki and a strategy meeting with Mother.

Kiyomi winces every time Shanhaz uses the word "it". 「She is a person... right?」 That Tomoyo is not exactly human had not occurred to Kiyomi before this point. Still, she looks, speaks, and feels like a person. That would be enough for Kiyomi, at least until given a reason to think otherwise.

「Stronger than my mother... huh?」 Again, a thought that had never occurred to Kiyomi. She expected, desired to stand beside her mother as equals, though deep within herself she had expected to always be... just a little less. But Shanhaz says that using Tomoyo would make her even greater than her mother...

Kiyomi glances at Tomoyo. Even in the form of a maiden, she has those innocent eyes that just make you want to protect her. Kiyomi imagines herself with Tomoyo sitting in her lap, petting her hair and seeing her smile... though her mind cannot settle on depicting the child or the young woman.

「If we could just find a way to make her a child again...」 Kiyomi whispers to herself, too quiet for Tomoyo but possibly within Shanhaz's ear. She could go to school, be with her family again. Grow up happy. Kiyomi-onee-chan could protect her and make sure that she is away from all of this death and destruction. That was the key point; regardless of any other circumstances, Kiyomi wanted to ensure that Tomoyo does not get hurt. Therefore, exploiting her domain is simply not an option.

「Well, I am plenty strong already. If problems arise it will be my responsibility to handle them.」 She moves to Tomoyo to pet her softly on her head. 「I'm sorry, dear, but I have some business to take care of. Su... zu?" she pauses with a wince, wondering if the djinn would correct her. 「"If you could, please show Tomoyo-chan the books and games we have. Let her do whatever she likes... within reason, of course."」

Kiyomi brushes off her skirt and moves to the hallway. 「"Well, I'm off. I promise when I get back we can do whatever you like together, okay Tomoyo-chan?"」 After receiving her response she sets off, feeling a little bit more resolved somehow.

I'm not sure of the geography, but if the cafe is within walking distance of the mansion she would walk, otherwise she would take the plainest car available that would not immediately tip her off as being a Shirakawa.

Shanhaz... Not Suzu. Not even human. Kiyomi had expected this but she still had hoped that she was mistaken in some way.

What Shanhaz says about Juno only opens up more questions. So becoming a "magical girl" meant playing host to some primordial being that could manipulate her decisions for her own ends? Kiyomi certainly did not sign up for that.

It's Shanhaz's last statement that drains the color from Kiyomi's face. 「I'm... pregnant?」 Bearing a child at a young age, with no answer for who the father is... that would be scandal enough. And the thought of the child not even being human... Kiyomi thinks back to her first night as a magical girl, how she took the essence of a horrifying aberration into herself. The consequences of that.

「I can't let that happen.」 She stands up, taking a deep breath. 「I have a... meeting with Yuki soon. Hopefully she will have some more insight and we can put this matter to rest.」

Kiyomi thinks back to the night before. "Yuki did not give me anything, no. But... something did happen. I think my magic took control of me and made me kiss her. I heard a voice. Whispering in my mind about children being afraid of commitment."

She gives Suzu a pleading look. "I need to know, Suzu. Who are you, really? What has happened to me? Who is Juno?"

「My mother's... what? I'm what?」 Kiyomi looks in horror at the ring on her finger; she had entirely forgotten about it. It had appeared when something... someone else had taken control for a brief but crucial moment.

Kiyomi finds a seat, having rapidly lost the ability to stand. She looks up at Suzu; beloved, loyal Suzu-chan, who had stood by Kiyomi since birth. Who had been for all those years Kiyomi's closest and most personal friend, who had cheered for her successes and comforted her through her failures.

「None of it was real, was it.」 She buries her face in her hands. 「It was all... power. Coercion. It was a curse, a curse to stay beside me, a curse to care about me, and... oh god, now I've done the same thing to Yuki!」 Her eyes widen as she realizes the significance of Yuki's behavior the night before. She had acted as if her will was not her own, protecting Kiyomi and being her shining knight as if on instinct. Now Kiyomi understood why.

Trembling, she tries to rip off the wretched ring.

Kiyomi watches Yuki try and fail to reply to her, disappointed but understanding. 「This meeting is going to be unpleasant.」 She had to go, though. She had to.

At Suzu's entrance, Kiyomi only nods in comprehension. A day ago she may have flailed about swearing that her night with Tomoyo was not at all what it looks like, but right now Kiyomi is too mentally drained to bother. She follows Suzu to the library, not yet bothering to change out of her nightclothes.

I forget, does Suzu know that Sakura/Tomoyo is actually a child? Because I think the answer to that is no unless she has information beyond what she's gotten from Kiyomi.

Kiyomi pets Tomoyo softly on her head, smiling with the warm sincerity of a loving big sister. She tries to get up without waking the younger girl; presumably, Mother did not include Tomoyo in the summons or else she too would have been awoken, and to be honest Kiyomi is entirely okay with that. She can just rest, and let Kiyomi-onee-chan do the fighting.

Kiyomi does not take too much time wrestling with the question of reservations; it was her idea so she should make the call, she thinks.

「I should contact Yuki first... Make sure she's awake.」 Not dealing with physical exhaustion was one of the perks of Kiyomi's new abilities, but the previous night was strenuous to the point it would not surprise her if Yuki could not move the morning after. She briefly entertains the idea of calling her before deciding she would be more comfortable sending a text.

Yuki: I intend to make reservations for the Wonderland Cafe at ten. Are you okay for that appointment time? She types "date" at first but frantically replaces it with "appointment" before pressing send.

I completely missed all of these discussion posts because of the bug that made it so you can't see updates on your campaign page. Woops.

I'm still here, obviously, and would be happy to see new blood brought in. I'm still really enjoying this game and would definitely prefer if it did not die out due to lack of membership.

I've considered Junpei the most protagonist-y character since his introduction and I stand by that. :p

Kiyomi spent much of the party being the most important person in the room, which certainly fits with her ideal. The party is also the first instance where you can look at her actions and not call her the villain of the plot, so that's certainly a plus for her being a leader and a hero. +1 Fate for that.

Kiyomi's primary fear right now is that Yuki won't accept her as a romantic option, and well, the events of this night certainly did not help matters. Kiyomi is no longer entirely sure what Yuki is, let alone what Yuki is to her; hopefully their Sunday coffee date will clear up matters and at least offer resolution if not satisfaction. I'm not sure if a +anything is valid here since things are definitely still in limbo.

As you said, the revealing of Aratani's plainness was a poor moment for the Shirakawas, but I'd say that it has overall been a boon to Kiyomi's development; it humanized her mother and made "living up to her expectations" a more achievable goal. Due in part to how helpful the conversation with Tiresias was, I'd go for +1 Hope for Kiyomi's Wish.

Kiyomi gives Jack a don't you say anything glare before getting in the car beside Tomoyo.

There was much to be done, but that would be saved for tomorrow. For now, Kiyomi thinks, they both need their rest.

As Kiyomi waits for her ride, her thoughts wander over her new situation with Tomoyo; previously it had been impossible to tell which girl was Sakura and which was the doll, but it was now quite clear that Tomoyo was the latter.

She still had the problem of being a child in a teenager's body... is it possible for her to return to a child's form when she was never really a child at all? If she tried, would she turn back into the stuffed toy, trapped like that forever? Kiyomi did not have the answers for these questions, and suspected Tomoyo would not either. 「I will just have to ask someone who can find out.」 Another meeting with Tiresias would be required.

Oblivious to the conversation going on between Junpei and Tomoyo, Kiyomi looks on towards Yuki... God, she looks cute in that uniform. 「I'll be right back, okay? I need to talk to Yuki for a bit.」

Kiyomi approaches her, tentatively at first but her resolution grows as she walks. With an "ahem" she states, 「We need to discuss some things tomorrow. About what you are, and what I am. And... what we are.」 She blushes slightly at that last bit, wringing her hands together. 「I know what you did was an accident. I'm sorry for lashing out at you. And... I'm sorry for what I did, too.」 She turns around to hide her continuously reddening face as she continues, 「I know a place where we can talk over tea. I will text you the address.」 She walks briskly away, back to Tomoyo, as the redness reaches her ears.

Reunited with her new sister (「Wait, am I allowed to just decide that?」) Kiyomi makes a call to her driver to come pick the two of them up. 「What an awfully long day,」 she thinks to herself. 「Surely tomorrow cannot be this exhausting.」

>Your friend ate the attack. One of our brothers may be dispatched to keep an eye on her... One of the junior officers.< With a flick, the man produces a phone and taps out a message.

Yuki looks up from her phone, but, seeing the living doll, can’t find words.

And the reward for "thickest dramatic irony" goes to...

Boyfriend? That boy? Kiyomi cannot help but be confused; from the context, the only person she could be talking about is Yuki. Kiyomi cannot pin down why Tomoyo would get the pronouns wrong, but it isn't terribly important right now so she ignores it.

Kiyomi shoots a nasty glare at Junpei, demanding without a word that he just. shut. up. His asinine worldview would not help anything here.

The heiress turns back to Tomoyo. 「Sometimes... people do bad things that they didn't mean to do. That they didn't want to do.」 Yuki had never intended to kill Sakura; quite the opposite, even. 「But when that happens it can be even more important to support and love them. Because you want them to do better. Because you know they can do better.」 Kiyomi thinks back at how Tiresias had taken measure of her sins, and chosen to comfort rather than condemn her. If I deserved that, then so does she. Kiyomi will have to have a heartfelt conversation with Yuki the next time they meet.

Kiyomi stands up, taking Toyomo by the hand. 「Come along, Tomoyo-chan. Let's get some rest.」