Not the Usual Lunch

[Kirishima Anzu]

Thursday, May 15th
12:05 PM

Oh, so I have no choice but to come here today, after all; this is apparently the cost of sleeping in this morning. Anzu regrets her desire to sleep just a little bit more than usual after doing a whole bunch of homework last night. Because of that, she could only dress up, grab some bites for breakfast, and dashed out to catch the last bus which could reach the school on time, and therefore, she couldn't prepare her own meals. Even though her mother keeps insisting on making the lunches, Anzu did her best to prevent that from happening. She doesn't want anybody helping her with anything that she can really do by herself.

So here she is, queueing in the rowdy cafeteria, waiting to get a meal for her empty stomach. Anzu hopes she does not make any grumbling noise until she gets the food, or she may have to find a hole to hide herself. It doesn't help that she's not so good with crowds to begin with, especially male crowds.

Thankfully, Anzu manages to obtain a curry rice set soon after, and immediately spots an empty place near the window. There's still quite some space too. She walks towards her desired place with a smile on her face, and finally settles down.

Anzu takes the first bite out of the curry rice. It's ok enough, she thinks, at least this can give students more alternatives. Then, Anzu takes a sigh after reliving her morning lessons. Many students, both boys and girls, asked her questions about various subjects, from History to Literature, all of which she tried to answer in the most understandable way. And there was quite a handful of envelopes in her locker, too, and she has to return each and every one of them later. Anzu's not even sure whether her instant popularity in this co-ed school is beneficial, since it is a rather large shift from her previous school life. Yes, she was well liked by her peers in middle school, but this is way more than she expected.

Anzu returns to her dish, amuses herself by the thought of "one eats to live, not the other way round", then continues digging in.

[/size]

[Densetsu Karu]

The familiar sights-- students, talking, eating --and the familiar smells-- cafeteria food, homemade lunch, sweat, ...perfume? --it was a rich combination and confusion for his senses. He could attmpt to tune into one sensation, only to be distracted by another, and another, Together, the bustling sights and sounds created the atmosphere of the place called... the cafeteria.

Most of the tables were already taken by other students. It took Karu several moments, his eyes scanning back and forth over the crowd, before he spotted an empty table. Well, mostly empty; a single person was sitting there. He moved at a quick pace, attempting to reach the table before it, too, was claimed.

Upon arrival, he glanced at the insignia on the student's breast pocket, which indicated she was also a first-year, like he was. Karu felt a prickling sensation that he had seen her before, but gave up trying to determine when and where. He took a seat.

The boy opened his small lunch bag, which greeted him with the scent of one of his favourite culinary delights: sushi! His grandma had apparently noticed, since she made it for him on a once-a-weekly basis. Guilt poked from in his stomach; his grandparents were always so nice to him, while he was always in a terrible mood. I'm such an idiot...

For his lunch, Karu had brought two chopsticks. He had improved in his chopstick-handling, but still often dropped his food. A dozen tries and one consumed sushi roll later, he put lunch away; it was too much work, and he wasn't that hungry anyways.

Bored, the freshman glances across the table, watching the familiar girl. Small. Doll-like. He could not remember who she was, so he shifted his gaze out the window. He supported his head with his left arm, and his eyelids drooped. He felt the strong desire to lie down right here and fall asleep, but it seemed like too much work to change his position.

[Kirishima Anzu]

Anzu keeps digging her curry rice, and slowly consume her meal bit by bit. Hmm, this curry is mild, definitely suitable for more average people, which makes sense, since they have to cater a large number of students after all. But of course, Anzu still prefers the curry to have a little bit more flavor than this rather generic one.

Then she notices a boy who decided to sit on the opposite of her. He's probably already here for a couple of minutes, as her eyes immediately shift to the box he's holding. Then, her eyes sparkle with amazement at the contents: fresh, scrumptious-looking pieces of sushi in his box. The buttery-looking tamagoyaki (omelette), juicy tuna, fatty salmon, each piece is tied up with some white rice by a strip of seaweed. They look so tempting, like the ones on conveyor belts in numerous restaurants.

After eating a bit more, Anzu notices that the boy is having a problem in holding his food with his chopsticks. Why is he like that, she wonders. It's rather strange to see a boy like him being unfamiliar with chopsticks, a staple of Japanese meals. Looking at his rather hopeless struggle, Anzu can't help but letting out a small giggle, while covering her mouth with her free hand.

Then the boy decides to stash his lunch away after just one bite. Anzu is rather perplexed that he gives up so easily. Done already? Those things should not be kept for too long, or the freshness will be gone. After scanning her momory to make sure that he has never made an indecent move on her before, Anzu leans forward a little bit and ask:

"Excuse me! Um... are you sure you don't want to eat those? Well, I mean, your meal?"

[Aizawa Shou]

The cafeteria felt very much like an old battlefield for the young teen. A slight pang of embarrassment. She had her first kiss stolen here. An elaborate ruse to guilt her rival. Shou scrunched up her eyes and lightly patted her flushing cheeks with her hands. She didn't want to think about it. A first kiss was supposed to be romantic.

"Mou... Shut up self. Shut up, shut up, shut up!" She spat, fleeting across the open floor. The cafeteria was remarkably quiet for lunchtime. She kept her small form to herself, and went placidly towards the sandwiches. Shou located some yakisoba bread, if only to eat something now, and calm the gathering storm in her stomach.

And there he was.

The thief.

That idiot.

Densetsu Karu.

Huffing to herself, she avoided his gaze completely and sauntered off in a mood to find a table to herself. Today, lunch would be her time. She would not be disturbed, and all who dared tried would earn her infinite wrath in one mega-dosage. Unwrapping her snack, she took her first bite, and her food-depraved taste buds danced with delight as the sweet sauce coated her palate.

Dragging herself away for a second to observe Karu in one stealthy glance sideways, Shou spotted another girl walking up to him, engaging in conversation. Her brown brows descended as she kept chewing. So what if it was another girl. He wasn't her boyfriend. He was such a jerk. A colossal idiot-thief. Shou's chewing slowed. she gripped her yakisoba bread tighter, causing the contents to rush to the edges.

"Damn it all..."

Shou scooped up her bread, and herself, and walked over to Karu. She slammed herself down beside him, nearly nudging him hard enough to send the poor boy into a low orbit around the planet. With a huff she brought her bread to her face and shot Karu a angry glance.

"We're eating lunch together today. Got that?" Shou demanded, tearing a chunk of her bread off, devouring it like a starved predator. She leaned forward and observed the newcomer with her delicate features wrinkling up in jealous fury.

"Who's your friend Karu-kun?" She asked, stressing the "kun" as she munched viciously at her innocent yakisoba,

[Densetsu Karu]

Sinking. Every second, drowsier and drowsier. Sinking. Deeper deeper... Sleepy. Tired. What was he doing here?

"Excuse me!"

The words cut through his sleepy lull like a knife through butter. Who would disturb him, here? There was only a handful of people he knew at this school. He turned towards the source of the voice; it was the girl across the table. The gleam in her eyes confirmed that she had spoken.

"Um... are you sure you don't want to eat those? Well, I mean, your meal?"

What? That was all she wanted? What did she care if he ate or not?... Isn't she... Kirishima Anzu, one of his classmates? Yes, that is why she was so familiar. Did she recognize him, as well? He was actually a little famous in this school on the gossip side of things. Gossip. So stupid.

"I'm not very hungry today," he said to the girl, returning to his window-gazing.

Suddenly, an unknown force slammed itself against him. He was pushed forward. The force of the unidentified object pushed his face down towards the seat-- he was saved from a painful collision by his hand which stopped his fall. Who the hell was going around pushing people during lunch?

"We're eating lunch together today. Got that?"

Oh, no. It was her. Aizawa Shouko. As was her normal mood, she was angry about something. Angry at him, maybe? Ugh. Dealing with her was always so irritating. Not to mention, boring! What was she upset about this time?

Karu sat up, facing the little demon. Her face wore her trademark glare. Come to of it, all his bad luck had started since he had kissed her exactly eleven days ago. Did she have some sort of curse on her? It was impossible, but oddly enough, it fit well.

"Who's your friend Karu-kun?"

What was this? Jealousy? How... petty. She didn't even have all the facts, and yet she was jealous of this girl? Was it their brief interaction that had set her off? This implied she was watching them. Did she have stalker tendencies? A laugh was building in his chest-- it took all his energy to not release it.

"Ah, Shou-chan," he said, making sure to include the -chan suffix as he passively reminded her of his thievery. (Admittedly, he didn't understand why this "first kiss" business was so important to her.) "This is my classmate, Kirishima Anzu. Kirishima-san, this is my friend, Aizawa Shouko. Don't worry too much about the death glares, it is merely her way of expressing her excitement." By now, he was awake, and he was alert. Karu prepared himself for a likely physical assault from Shou.

[Kirishima Anzu]

Anzu is speechless after the sudden turn of events. She backs off a little after the ponytailed girl's sudden entrance. The latter looks... upset to say the least. What's the matter with her? Did she come to school late? Did she get into a fight? Did she forget her textbooks? Is she unwell? Et cetera, et cetera. Dozens of questions keep flooding into Anzu's head, urging her to find out what the other girl's problem is. But, this is the first time Anzu has met this girl, so it will be rude of her to pry right away.

So the "good samaritan" decides to tread softly, and starts with her own formalities, once her classmate has done with it:

"Um, how do you do (gokigenyou)." Anzu chooses the most polite greeting she can think of (turns out to be the one she used to say so much when in girls school), notices the blue badge on the ponytailed girl's uniform, then takes a deep bow. "Aizawa-senpai. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Well," Anzu continues, trying not to make the older girl mad, "please don't mind me at all, senpai. I'll make sure not to bother you."

Anzu can't help but wonder the way her classmate addressing a girl who is older than him as "-chan". Does that mean they are close to each other? Are they... childhood friends? Neighbors? Cousins? Or... can they really be... a couple? Anzu has always thought that boys tend to prefer girls their age or younger. Is he an exception? Anzu thinks it's rather weird, yet somehow curious at the same time. If they are going out, they must see something in each other. Anzu can't help but feel a bit lonely. Even though she's got a lot of attention and letters from the boys, she has never found any male who truly cares about her and sees her as a person, not just a cute doll on display.

[Aizawa Shou]

A porcine snort. That was all she gave him. Her mouth worked it's way to a straw protruding from a juice box. Much like the maw of a shark, she clamped down on it, producing a pathetic whining sound from the carton as she drained it's contents.

"Classmate..." came her vocalization sucking on the straw to get those last few precious drops of juice, "Hmph, kamawanai..."

Shoveling a particularly large bite of yakisoba, Shou munched with an intent stare towards this new girl, her upper lip dabbed with sauce. There was something too... Refreshing about the girl. Sweet as honey and a timid temperament to boot.

"Aizawa-senpai. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Shou nearly winced. She was much too kind and gentle, as if a rainbow should be projecting itself above her head amidst a flock of twittering songbirds. It was powerful, and nearly overwhelming. Such niceness. Like there was a caramel-dipped stick of hard candy where her backbone ought to be. She'd had the fortune, or grating misfortune to run into a girl like this once, with more manners and softness about them than was healthy. People walked all over them, and exploited them. As despicable as it was, such young girls were targets for alpha females, preying on them.

Though Shou was determined to make her territory secure. Before some cutesy girl snatched away from her, the first boy to show her affection, even if it were false affection. She at last uttered a sheepish greeting.

"H-how do you do," Shou croaked, letting out the tiniest breathy noise. Any male with half a brain could see the foundations being laid out. Another female had strayed into Aizawa Shouko's territory, a soft-spoken cat against
a furious lioness trying to keep face.

"Well, please don't mind me at all, senpai. I'll make sure not to bother you."

Shou gasped lightly.

"W-why would I mind? It's not like the two of you are dating," she started, fighting hard to cover up the faintest beginnings of rosy cheeks, "besides, it isn't like I like him or anything. E-especially since he's so weird."

Shou plugged her mouth with more yakisoba bread before things got out of hand content with the duality of the bread, and the delightful sweet/savory mixture of the contents residing within it's floury valley.

[Densetsu Karu]

Neither of them were interesting. Not one bit. Granted, he had just met Kirishima, so she still had a chance (however, he doubted it). Shou was a different story: he had met her several times before, but she did not change in any way. Were Yasuda's words wrong?... No, this meant Shou (and likely Kirishima) was a machine; in this case Yasuda's words did not apply.

So boring... any entertainment that had been building inside of him evaporated quickly. Sleep and lethargy nestled in his bones once again. He didn't want to talk, he didn't want to see anybody! All he wanted was to lie down in a soft bed and sleep forever.

"Well, please don't mind me at all, senpai. I'll make sure not to bother you."

"W-why would I mind? It's not like the two of you are dating. Besides, it isn't like I like him or anything. E-especially since he's so weird."

He blinked. Yes, this only confirmed his theory that she was attracted to him. Disgusting... What a stupid thing to say! Anyone could tell from the way she worded it that the exact opposite was true. For her credit, it was unlikely anyone was smart enough to come to the same conclusion.

"Why the hell is everybody so obsessed in relationships and couples?" The words slipped past before he could stop them. It was spoken so softly and calmly that the malice in his voice was hard to detect. He had not intended to begin a rant, but it was too late to take it back now. He might as well finish... it was likely nothing unfortunate would befall him anyhow. "Are x and y that interesting? Do you stay awake at night wondering who's going to date who next? Perhaps you've made a stupid chart to keep track of things." His arms, previously holding his drowsy head up, were at his sides. His eyes were drooped, as if he was bored, but inside his heart was beating against his chest; he had finally voiced his rising fury of one of the stupid things about this school. Words he had kept locked up for quite some time.

Oh God, no, did he just... did his outburst make him a hypocrite? If he was making such a big deal about people making a big deal about relationships... ugh, he was becoming one of them. Their silliness was infecting him like a highly contagious, invincible disease.

[Kirishima Anzu]

Anzu's current situation can be described by quite a number of words. Surprised. Shocked. Baffled. Confused. Worried. She can't do anything but freeze in place.

She is just trying to considerate, no matter what kind of relationship those two students have. Especially since the older girl looks rather upset. Anzu doesn't want any trouble. She is being polite. Her father said that politeness always pays. So what on Earth is this kind of situation? She does not even mention anything about relationships. All she has done is mere courtesy. Simply rudimentary etiquette. That's why she doesn't understand. What the boy just said, is irrelevant, at best. Why is he so worked up? Besides, if it keeps going on like this, the food may be spoilt.

Anzu doesn't know what she should do, since this situation just came out of nowhere, but she has to try to fix this somehow. She decides to speak up, with the most diplomatic voice she can think of:

"Um... excuse me... um... Karu-san, isn't it? I'm not really sure what you meant. The only chart I have is my personal timetable... And... I only stay up late if there is lots of homework to do... And... I don't have any boyfriend... I don't even know any couples in this school... Aren't you going to eat?" Anzu gestures to the boy's lunch box, trying to change the subject.

[Aizawa Shou]

"Why the hell is everybody so obsessed in relationships and couples?"

[/color]
A rare sight to behold. Aizawa Shouko, with her pulsating vein on the right side of her head, churning her boiling blood to her brain. His words stung. Not like a bee sting, but like being gouged with a lance. As if some black knight had stomped across the cafeteria on horseback and plunged his spear into her gut. This young girl took romance seriously.

"Are x and y that interesting? Do you stay awake at night wondering who's going to date who next? Perhaps you've made a stupid chart to keep track of things."

And he was making a mockery of it. He dared to make a mockery of it.

"You're so... Clueless! It's the Westerner in you. It's sucked all the romance out you big jerk!" Shou croaked angrily. To turn matters of the heart into such insipid ones... Jokes! It was enough to bring the vein to her head, and her earthy eyes to set alight.

"S-stupid foreigner..." She meekly added, tossing her head to the side, threatening to whip the boy's face with her hair. Perhaps it fitting punishment, to take his lashes from her ponytail and be done with it. if he'd been sitting upright, the edges of her chocolate locks would have struck home.

She grasped for food, to cram into her twisted mouth, and found she had hastily, and angrily consumed the unfortunate yakisoba bread, sending it tumbling to an acidic doom. The safest place for it now. Licking a fingertip, she prodded at the plastic wrapping, collecting tiny crumbs of bread to pop in her mouth.

"Um... excuse me... um... Karu-san, isn't it? I'm not really sure what you meant. The only chart I have is my personal timetable... And... I only stay up late if there is lots of homework to do... And... I don't have any boyfriend... I don't even know any couples in this school... Aren't you going to eat?"

Shou winced, holding a grasping hand to her heart... No... It wasn't cardiac arrest from the sugary, caramel-dipped batter this girl exuded. Nor was the pain in her mouth a cavity from the innocent sweetness. She had bit her tongue. Mumbling angrily to herself as mental storm clouds gathered above her head. The teen could think of nothing else to do.

So she did it.

She thrust her hand forward, and snatched up a lovingly-wrapped futomaki from Karu's lunchbox and tossed it into her toothy cavern, sending it, like the bread to it's end. Her eyes were clamped shut as she chewed, with naught but a huff to her fellow students.

At least it probably changed the subject.[/blockquote][/size]

[Densetsu Karu]

This was a joke, right? Right? ...Unfortunately, it seemed Aizawa Shouko was dead serious.

"You consider all that gossip as romance...?" he muttered in a dry tone, losing interest already. Her ideas were so idiotic, he could not take her seriously; as if stupid kids rushing to fall in "love" was real romance. Was this foolishness for real? Was it a curse restricted to just this school, or the whole city? The whole world?

"Um... excuse me... um... Karu-san, isn't it? I'm not really sure what you meant. The only chart I have is my personal timetable... And... I only stay up late if there is lots of homework to do... And... I don't have any boyfriend... I don't even know any couples in this school... Aren't you going to eat?"

. . .

It had to be this school.

As if further mocking him, Shou reached into his lunch bag, pulled out a piece of his sushi, and popped it into her mouth without a second thought. Was she trying to change the subject? Got to give her points for trying.

"Yeah, you two can have them," Karu said, placing his bento box in the center of the table. "I'd prefer you ask next time, though. You never know what I could have done to those."

It was boring, now. These two had ruined his fun, ruined any chance of his interest. If there was any chance of redemption, it would be nearly impossible to obtain at this point. He wanted to leave, now, to get away from this stupid cafeteria and its stupid people in this stupid school.

It was not only his interest they had chased away; it was also his opinions of them. They were, without a doubt, machines. Predictable, oblivious, another model in the large crowd. Neither of the two inspired him, neither of the two changed him. The only thing their company accomplished was to further confirm what kind of machines went to this school, and how to tell apart a machine from a real person.

Because of this, he decided it was enough. So he stood. "If you two will excuse me, I must leave,"

[/color] he said. "If you still want to eat my lunch, return my bento to me later."[/color][/size][/blockquote]

[Kirishima Anzu]

Anzu does not know what's going on anymore.

So that guy from her class doesn't want to eat his lunch, then Anzu, being attentive to others as usual, tries to ask him why and persuade him. Then a senpai she hasn't met before, who may or may not be his girlfriend, comes along. Then somehow he just bursts out about romance being a typical gossip topic in school. Anzu, being utterly clueless about the situation, tries to explain herself and reminds him of his food. The senpai reaches out and snatch a piece from his portion out of the blue. And the next thing she knows, he's going to storm off and ditch his meal to the two girls.

What kind of development is this???

Anzu does nothing wrong, she's trying to be considerate, and yet... What's wrong with that guy? He's different from the other boys she has encountered, but... in a weird way. If he were a girl, he would probably be asked "Is it that time of the month" sooner or later. Well, if he has issues, Anzu will like to help him out in any way she can, even though her first impression of him is rather... obnoxious. Then again, many people with issues are like that. The attitude acts like their own "shield", their security zone.

So, being humble right now doesn't solve anything, she has to act.

"Please wait!"

Anzu calls out, trying to stop the guy from leaving.

"Do you think you can skip lunch like that? Then I feel sorry for anyone who can't afford their own lunch. It's even worse if somebody made that meal for you. If you really can't eat, then please explain yourself, we will be glad to take care of it for you. Throwing a tantrum like that and run off... you are just like a five-year-old."

Anyone hearing what Anzu just said will probably think that she is scolding her younger sibling. The girl herself can't believe the tone she just let out. Is this what being proactive means? Still, Anzu tries to brace herself for any apologies if necessary.

[Densetsu Karu]

"Please wait!"

What the hell did the little machine want? Did she want to further torment him with her ignorant words? Does this girl have any dignity? What more did she need to say, or add, that would effect the previous events in any way? He didn't want to talk to them... couldn't she see?

"Do you think you can skip lunch like that?"

Do you think you can control someone else's eating habits? His opinion of her, already intensely low, dropped a few centimeters (if one were measuring respect in height). On what grounds did she think she could speak to him like this about his food?

"If you really can't eat, then please explain yourself, we will be glad to take care of it for you."

To demand personal information from his life... she had no rights, whatsoever, to do this. His life was his life... nobody else could put their big nose into it, his business, his emotions. It was private, and there was no way these simpletons could understand in the least what he went through every day, week in and week out. Not to mention, the fact that she had offered to "take care of it"... as if she could fix his life, this school, or these machines around him... he almost laughed at the absurdity of the thought.

To avoid reacting and ruining his wall, his only form of defense, he continued walking, as though she had not spoken. This girl, this machine, was going into territory she was not welcome in, just as Shou had. She was dangerously close to a punishment equal to Shou's.

Then, one last sentence found his ears, only a few words that came from her mouth, "...a tantrum like that and run off... you are just like a five-year-old..."

No, he was sure of it now. Nobody, least of all a little girl like her, was permitted to speak to him like that. After this day... when his mind was clearer, when he was ready, he would exact his utterly brutal revenge-- it will be so sweet, and so unexpected. She will regret ever speaking to him in this matter.

For now... he would leave.

"Damn it, it's always this junk at lunch..."

[End]