Nosy Naivete
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Post by Okazaki Tomoya on Sept 14, 2011 23:01:55 GMT -6
May 2, 2003The stream of students walking down the hill seemed to never end - faces upon faces of people he had little reason to care for. Would he be heading to the arcade? Milling about the city to see what might catch his fancy? Or would it be off to Sunohara's dormitory, once again, in the hope of killing time and distracting his mind. He never managed to keep up with the throng of people, though this was most likely due to a lack of motivation rather then a lack of effort. Simply put, he had nothing to do, nobody to see, no obligations he need attend to. He, quite literally, had no reason to rush; so what else could he do but walk leisurely down the hill.
The problem wasn't his lack of distractions, for distractions were easy to come by and easier to create - it was his utter lack of purpose. Distractions could only go so far before emptiness, and then eventually, hopelessness would settle in. As much as he detested the thought of work for the sake of work, he couldn't help but envy the purpose some of his newly met acquaintances seemed to have: A drama club, a bond between relatives, hell, even student council president! To them, life wasn't wavering - it wasn't uncertain. They didn't spend their life running away from responsibility, only to quell their dwelling mind with distractions and an overabundance of sleep. Instead, they all had something to work towards. A goal. What was his goal?
The throng of students had slowly diminished from a wave to a trickle, and he was left standing at a crossroads. He was left with a simple choice. Laze around the city allowing his attention span to settle on whatever entertained his fancy, or forgo delaying the inevitable and barge into Sunohara's room. It was a simple decision, why didn't he simply choose? Maybe it was because, no matter which path he took, at the end of the day, nothing would change. It simply didn't matter. [/blockquote]
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Post by Yasuda Erina on Sept 17, 2011 2:59:08 GMT -6
Another school day had come and gone, and Erina hadn’t met a single new person. The realization caused the girl to pout and scold herself. “What a useless day!” she groaned, banging her fists against her head. “So many people to meet, and I just slept all day~!” A particularly intense volleyball practice yesterday and a night of studying had ensured her exhaustion for the larger part of the day. She had passed out the moment she sat down at her desk, and, according to classmates, remained that way until school had ended. “I didn’t even get to eat lunch!”
With a sad sigh, she pulled a box of strawberry pocky from her bag, tearing it open hungrily. Crunchcrunchcrunch One at a time, she swiftly devoured the snack, biting down along the sticks so quickly she almost appeared to be slurping them up like noodles. crunchcrunchcrunch “Well, I guess it’s still early. I bet I can still meet someone new.”
And then she saw him.
Crunchcrunchcrunchcrunchcrunchcrunchcrunch Erina had stopped in the middle of the path, still crunching furiously on her pocky as she stared at the boy standing at the crossroads before her, curiosity flickering in her eyes. He was wearing the Hikarizaka uniform, so he obviously went to the same school. Why was he standing around like that though? Didn’t he know how to get home?
“Hey, hey~!” she called out, rushing forward to close the gap between them. “Where are you going?” She cocked her head curiously, but before waiting for a reply, hastily added, “Oh, um, I’m Yasuda Erina of class 1-A!” Eying the color of the badge on the boy’s uniform, she smiled brightly and bowed. So he was a third year…
“Do you know where you’re going? When I don’t know, I point my finger and spin around. Maybe you should do that~!”
Crunchcrunchcrunch
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Post by Okazaki Tomoya on Sept 17, 2011 16:44:45 GMT -6
It took him the brief lull in the one-sided conversation for him to realize she was talking to him. His reputation preceded him and people rarely, if ever, willingly came up to talk to him. From a glance at her badge it was obvious why she was so energetic - she was a first year; a first year who had likely not heard of him. He wasn't surprised, it was the beginning of the year, the incoming freshmen always seemed to be...shy? He didn't have a chance to wallow in his mellow mood as common sense snapped him back to realty. Just...what on earth was going on? Who was she? Why was she talking to him, and what on earth was she talking about?
He reacted as normally as anyone else would - a moment of dumb founded silence followed by...a few seconds more of dumbfounded silence. What was her name again? Never mind. He didn't really care. More importantly, just what was going on? Maybe she had been dared to approach him, he scoped the area for a group of giggling girls...only to find none in sight. The bottom of the hill was growing more and more lifeless by the second. Unable to come up with an answer, and with the awkward silence growing longer and longer, he couldn't help but ask.
Are you an idiot?
Or rather, that's what he would have liked to ask, but for some reason he hesitated in asking a question so rude. Had it been her naivete? Her freshmen status? The fact that she had the guts to walk up to him, a third year, and so freely talk to him? He didn't know, but at the very least he felt she was entitled to a modicum of respect.
"Like hell I would do something so embarrassing. Why don't you do it for me tell me how it goes."
With that said her energy was a bit too...overwhelming. With any luck she would spin herself back up the hill and leave him alone. The sight of the pocky only reminded him of his own hunger. Food sounded like a good idea right about now... [/blockquote]
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Post by Yasuda Erina on Sept 22, 2011 3:17:28 GMT -6
The boy had taken so long to reply, Erina jumped a bit when he finally did. Still nibbling on her last few sticks of pocky, she stared at him with a puzzled expression. “It’s embarrassing?” She seemed to consider this for a moment, looking upward, as if the answers could be found floating around her head. “Maybe… Because you’re a boy? Or because you get really dizzy? I can do it for you then. I don’t mind~”
She flashed him a smile then proceeded to follow her own advice, twirling in place with her arm outstretched, brown pigtails flying about. “I did this when I got lost at a department store once!” she explained, still spinning round. “And it led me to the furniture section, so I jumped on the couches until I got in trouble, and they called for my mom.” Giggling at the memory, she slowed her pace and stumbled forward, a bit disoriented, but still pointing.
“That way! That way!” she exclaimed, trying to steady herself. She turned to look at him again, then remembered that he still hadn’t introduced himself. How were they going to become friends if she didn’t even know what to call him? “Oh, um… What’s your name?”
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Post by Okazaki Tomoya on Sept 22, 2011 17:35:19 GMT -6
Obviously it is was embarrassing. Did she even understand what the word meant? He didn't have time to answer the question before she started rambling on ahead. She understood what the word meant...or perhaps not - she was so off base from social norms that he wasn't even sure if the term "social norms" even applied to her.
"I don't think those reasons-"
But before he could finish answering her new bout of questions, she flashed him with a smile, that seemed too infectious to be safe around, and started to twirl. Wow. She was actually doing it. Up until now he hadn't completely let go of the possibility this was all an elaborate prank, but it was impossible to deny what was now going on in front of him. Unfortunately, it didn't end there; she started talking while spinning, her voice changing in pitch as each rotation occurred. Did she have an attention problem? Was she...alright in the head? If spinning around was embarrassing, being escorted out of a store by ones mother had to be much, MUCH worse...and yet, here she was- openly admitting it to him, without a care in the world.
"Uh..."
Her finger was pointing away from salvation and towards the busier side of town as she leaped with joy for...he didn't even know anymore. For a moment he was certain, what with the exorbitant amount of energy emitting from her small frame, that she would drag him along to god knows where - similar to a certain other female acquaintance of his, but before she had a chance she slammed him with yet another question. For once he was given a proper chance to answer, but still reeling from the spontaneity of it all, simply answered:
"Tomoya. Okazaki Tomoya."
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Post by Yasuda Erina on Sept 23, 2011 2:29:37 GMT -6
“Okazaki-sempai,” she repeated, smiling at her new acquaintance. A third-year friend! How exciting! Turning back to look at the direction she had pointed, she jumped a little with excitement, clapping her hands together. “Oh, wow~! Maybe you should’ve just went that way to begin with! It looks more fun, don’t you think?”
Now that she thought about it, why hadn’t Okazaki just gone into town, anyway? It seemed like an obvious choice. What else was there to do? She looked back at him again, this time a bit quizzical. Well… She supposed it didn’t matter. Either way, they were going to go into town together now (The idea that he might not want to hadn’t crossed her mind), and she would make a new friend today. It would be a good day, for sure!
Crunchcrunchcrunch
The last of the pocky disappeared in seconds, and Erina automatically reached into the box again, frowning as her hand grabbed at air. She turned the box upside down, shaking it over her head as she peeked into the bare container with one eye. “What? Whhhhyyyy?” she whined, lowering the box, having finally accepted that it was, in fact, empty.
“Um, um, um… Okazaki-sempai, do you want to eat?” she asked, smiling sheepishly as she added, “I mean… um… Do you want to… be the best, nicest sempai ever and buy me food? Pretty, pretty please~!” She clasped her hands together and bowed deeply. “I didn’t eat lunch today! If Okazaki-sempai buys me food, I’ll be the happiest girl in the world! Really!”
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Post by Okazaki Tomoya on Sept 23, 2011 22:06:33 GMT -6
He flinched at the '-sempai' she added to the end of his name. While a very common method for freshmen to address seniors, it didn't feel right when applied to him. Perhaps it was because he felt that older generations didn't deserve extra respect when the difference only spanned one or two years, perhaps it was because he hated to be associated with the authority that came the term, or perhaps he was a good for nothing delinquent who had nothing to teach or offer and thus didn't deserve any respect.
He glanced in the direction of her finger with a tired expression. If he were to be perfectly honest, the road leading towards the markets held nothing particularly spectacular compared to the pathways leading to other, similarly mundane destinations Why did he get the feeling it only seemed fun because she had made it so?
"Not really no..."
He held back a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose with his eyes closed, hoping to find some inner peace as his tolerance disappeared by the second. Apart from his inability to keep up with her, it seemed she was going to be intent on having him follow her around town. He couldn't claim to be particularly fond of pushy individuals...he preferred to take things at his own pace. But just as he was about to think of a scheme to get rid of her, another complication arose. Her voice of devastation immediately attracted his attention, but it wasn't long before he realized what had caused the whine. It was the very thing that had been taunting his hunger from the start...or lack thereof.
"I don't consider myself much of a sempai so...I don't really have an obligation to do so do I?"
The gears in his mischievous mind began to turn as he finally gleaned the light at the end of this strange, strange tunnel. Perhaps this evening wouldn't be so boring after all.
"Unfortunately I don't have a great deal of money on me...you would have to earn it."
He proclaimed as he walked ahead of her, advancing in the direction she indicated, deliberately denying her the chance to reply. Finally, he turned his head to give her a proper response.
"Up for the challenge?"
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Post by Yasuda Erina on Oct 2, 2011 2:30:34 GMT -6
“Uwaaaa?!” Erina let out a distressed cry at Okazaki’s lack of concern, her face shooting back up from its bowed position to look at him with a mixture of shock and dejection. She had been rejected for food before, sure, but somehow, it hurt more coming from this boy. Perhaps it was his… indifference?
“Earn…it?” the young girl repeated his words, trailing after him as he began to walk down the path, her disappointment evaporating as confusion and curiosity took its place. “What kind of challenge?” She seemed to regain her steam at these words, quickening her pace to walk side by side with him. “Like shiritori or jan ken po?”
Shitirori had never been one of her strengths… She always seemed to slip up and use words that ended with “n.” Something based a little more on chance, like jan ken po, would be her best bet. “I can do it!” she exclaimed, nodding determinedly and clenching her fists. As long as it’s not shiritori… I can probably do it.
Oh, but she had already said it! What if he chose shiritori because it had been her first suggestion? But if she told him not to choose that, he’d know she was bad at it and choose it anyway! Erina began to fidget, fiddling with her fingers as she began to fear the possibility of impending shiritori doom and an afternoon with an empty stomach.
“So, um… Wh-what was the challenge?”
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Post by Okazaki Tomoya on Oct 5, 2011 23:10:13 GMT -6
He couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt towards her protest. Her innocence seemed to pierce through one like an arrow, bending their will to her childish fantasies...but he viewed her innocence through the rims of a jaded boy, seeing the potential for personal gain rather then the need to protect. She didn't seem to have the ability to feel embarrassed...or did she? He couldn't help but wonder if she was truly ignorant, or if there was a limit to her naked confidence. The streets were crowded with students simultaneously window shopping and commuting home. While he blended in with the other uniforms, the two of them must have looked like quite the pair - an infamous senior delinquent known for his harsh tongue, and harsher attitude, followed closely by the innocent little freshmen who could be mistaken for a middle school student, but it didn't matter to him. At this point, he was willing to live through every rumor,every whisper, and every bit of unwanted attention flung his way - all for the shot at the perfect prank. He had simply come too far and endured too much to back down now.
With that said, nothing particularly interesting came to mind - nothing that would require little effort but yield a high reward that is. Every nook and cranny of the place had the potential for greatness, but without knowing how she would react it was just as likely to end in total failure. He needed information.
He had answered her shaky question with a-
"Oh don't worry, it'll be something much, much simpler"
Only speaking up again when he had been casually strolling through the throng of stores that lined either side of the road.
"So...what are you hungry for?"
His memory flickered back to another girl he once knew. A girl that had resigned to eating the same food day after day - a girl he had once fought to end that mediocrity, a girl who had had a simple dream...
He snapped out of the memory, suddenly questioning whether life for the girl before him had been any easier. She always seemed to have food on her but...being overly hyper, excessively bubbly, and short even for a freshmen...had she managed to make any friends? Had she always been resigned to the same bread, day after day? He glanced back at her for just a moment, realizing far too late that his fears were, more likely then not, ridiculously unfounded. That smile had no enemies. [/blockquote]
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Post by Yasuda Erina on Oct 17, 2011 2:08:13 GMT -6
Erina breathed a deep sigh of relief at Okazaki’s reassurance, then quickly jumped and straightened up, hoping he hadn’t noticed. She watched him nervously as they continued down the path, the smell of snacks and food taunting her from the shops and restaurants that surrounded them on either side. What was he thinking?
Her mind drifted off into space as she pondered the boy’s thought process. What could be any simpler than jan ken po? Maybe instead of something competitive, he’d just have a request? She closed her eyes and tilted her head, brow furrowed in thought. However, Okazaki’s next question made her eyes open wide and she spun around to face him, walking backwards.
“Lots of things are yummy, so it’s always hard to choose!” she exclaimed, becoming increasingly animated with each backward step. “But I like curry a lot… Ramen is good too. Back at my old home, there was a ramen shop close to my school, and sometimes they gave me secon-WAH!”
A loud clang echoed as the back of Erina’s head met a pole, and the girl stopped in her tracks and sank to the ground, clutching her temples as she whimpered. “Owwie~ It’s not nice to hit girls!” [/size]
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Post by Okazaki Tomoya on Oct 17, 2011 13:57:56 GMT -6
He could feel his stomach moan in protest. He hadn't eaten anything for hours, and he was getting hungry. Fast. His mind ran through several possibilities but his hunger was stunting him from thinking of anything worthwhile. He was starting to wonder if he should simply eat in her presence without offering any, a form of torture he knew would work well for the girl with no inhibitions to appetite - kill two birds with one stone...but that held a certain cruelty that superseded his usual affair. More likely then not it would backfire on him in some way or other, she was simply too unpredictable...he would have to save it for his ever predictable and resilient delinquent companion.
He listened to her animated speech with growing regret as his stomach began to occupy every thought. Curry...ramen...to a hungry stomach all of it sounded delicious. Why had he asked this inane question? Rather then buying him time it was simply distracting him.
As she started to tell another one of her borderline believable tales he glanced at the shops around him, forgetting his original goal and instead looking for a place to eat. Expensive restaurants lined the street, but he wasn't ready to spend too much money, especially if he had to pay for the girl as well. Suddenly he remembered his original purpose while simultaneously losing all inspiration for following through with it. As her voice rattled on, he pondered to himself what a quick and easy solution could be. Perhaps he could make her do something embarrassing? No, she was immune to embarrassment. Let her trip and drop her food? No, too mean. Perhaps-
Clang
With a start he turned to see her slumped body next to a large steel pole, blaming the incident on an unusually cruel passerby rather then the blatantly obvious culprit beside her. He laughed. He laughed out loud without holding anything back. If people hadn't noticed them before, they certainly had now. What a strange scene it would have made for them. But he didn't care, (for when had he ever?) for he had forgotten about all of his troubles, even if it was only for a moment.
She had done his job for him, albeit in a backhanded manner. With a sigh and a smile he exclaimed.
"Alright, you pass."
He offered her a hand, resolving to call it even. Just for today.
"Come on...let's get you some Ramen."
[End~]
[/blockquote]
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