Tranquil Serendipity [Tag: Fuukami Haruka]

Time: 1:26 PM
Date: 31st May, 2003

It was a rather quiet afternoon. The sun was out and it was warm, its toasty rays clandestine to the residents of Hikarizaka whom, being directly underneath, could feel but not see said rays. It truly was the ideal day outside, for anyone that didn't burn up in the sun ridiculously easy. For those people, they'd be better off waiting for a day where the heavens opened and released their usual torrential downpour upon the world. That aside, however, the Earth in particular looked beautiful. The roads didn't have even a speck of water among its surface, and plantlife flourished, swaying too and fro in the afternoon breeze.

You could hear the faint cry of children playing a game of soccer in the park, and without even observing you could tell when the ball was shot into the net with the resounding cries of joyful and downcast players indicating the two teams. With soccer occupying one side of the park, the other side was bushes and trees where you could sit in the shade. There were a few people having picnics with their families and friends in the shade, and even a couple of people just stood by trees on their own. It was a busy day, but there were plenty of places for one to sit around.

Kyou was lounging, like the others. She usually had other things she would do, but right now she was here for a very specific reason. That reason was currently rummaging around in the bushes while she leaned against the tree she was under, keeping an eye on the bush that was currently emitting the occasional "Buhi, buhi!". Of course, the creature inside the bush was her beloved pet boar Botan, and he was currently sniffing around in there for goodness knows what reason. Kyou was used to walking Botan, and this could sometimes be a good place to bring him.

Keeping a rough eye on the bush in which Botan as currently sniffing with his adorable behind poking out, Kyou scanned the rest of the field with her eyes. She couldn't find anyone she really recognised, but that was to be expected. She didn't usually find many familiar faces, and usually they were just acquaintances that she had never really talked to before, and thus they didn't usually warrant being spoken to, especially not if she had no business with them. She was here to walk Botan, not drop social calls, after all.

However, even so, she called out to someone today. She didn't even know why she'd done it. It was probably due to her not knowing how long Botan was going to stay here and rummage around in different parts of the bush that caught his interest time after time, but she couldn't say for sure. Kyou had spotted someone that she recognised, anyway, and as a result had called out, on impulse. "Oi, Haruka!" Calling out the name of her acquaintance, Kyou didn't move and remained in the spot she was in.

She didn't even know Haruka that well. Haruka Fuukami, her name was; she was someone Kyou had seen around school, and someone she'd seen in student representative meetings and gatherings. That was it, though. From what the tomboy had seen, she seemed rather formal and careful in student gatherings. A little too careful... she wouldn't be surprised if Haruka was a completely different person out of her class rep duties and whatnot. Hell, judging by even the way she herself acted in those meetings, she kind-of expected Haruka to act differently. Still, this was the first time outside of school that Kyou had seen her, and by impulsively calling out, had started a conversation.

It'd kill time as Botan did his thing, at the very least.

[Fuukami Haruka]

Late spring was always the most gorgeous part of the year (even though it took about several years to actually reach it), and people always remarked about how Fuukami Haruka's given name meant spring. While she most certainly agreed it was a lovely meaning, a more accurate one, perhaps even out of her favor, would be distance. Late spring was distant from the beginning of winter. In that sense, the world was in full swing, far away from an impartial and severe clean-up of all the jumbled messes people left behind after the fun was gone. Even the most bitter of misanthropes could not deny the beauty of nature, unless if Haruka's definition of nature's beauty did not correspond to theirs.

By her standards, the beauty of life and the delicate, pristine yet vibrant days before the beginning of summer was unmatched, and once her thought process was understood, there would be agreement. But loveliness did not just dwell in nature; it lived and thrived in the hearts of people, young and old, though most definitely alive. It lived in the laughter and the tears people shed and caressed wounds people had. In a world that Fuukami lived in, beauty lived in her family and friends. Yet it too roosted in the meaningful ways to spend time for her fellow students: all because this small town was peaceful yet ever so interconnected, far more intricately than one would expect and almost like harp strings.

Amethyst eyes targeted in on the asphalt ahead, searching out obstacles or any kinds of possible danger, even if there weren't anyway. Always a worrywart, Haruka had thought of trying to stop overthinking things. Unfortunately, her policies would not allow that, seeing that it was better to be safe than sorry. Somehow, it unsurprisingly made her compare herself to an old man seeking to not let all his hard work end in vain. On the other hand, this could limit her from striking gold in seemingly risky opportunities. The greater the risk meant the greater the reward though. She would imagine that since she wanted to study history and make it herself, it would be glory.

Regardless, she did not know what her definition of glory was, and she had more immediate goals to face. One of these tasks was to walk Kaoruko on her daily walk and maybe play ball with the little darling. Prepared, the first year had brought hand sanitizer and a tennis ball with her, as well as a baggie of treats to reward her pet. At first, it had seemed it would be only an activity between the two of them, since the first year had not recognized anyone she passed by in the park. That was, up until she met a certain upperclassman.

"Fujibayashi-senpai? I didn't expect to see you here. Is he your pet?"

Fuukami's tone was cool, poised, and unflinchingly formal, but her voice was softer than usual, perhaps at the sight of Fujibayashi's pet. She had always loved animals, even though young children, albeit in the same vein, touched her heart more often. However, the family dog Kaoruko was truly one of the very few beings that were able to see a different side of the freshwoman. Intrigued, the chocolate labrador sniffed around, smelling the scent of boar. Obviously, she was house trained so there was no instinct to hunt. Regardless, she approached Botan curiously.

Giving a wry smile, Fuukami had never expected for a canine and a little piggy to get along, even if she knew that the Three Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf story was far from the truth. Equally, she didn't even expect that there would be a pig for Kaoruko to interact with. And last but not least, the bespectacled brunette didn't even know that Kyou had a pet boar. It showed how much the two class reps knew each other, she supposed, since it was a given that people usually did not share such personal details at student council meetings or class rep meetings. However, beginning from the consistent use of first names without honorifics, it went without saying that Haruka did not know the older girl in the slightest beyond the work they did together, aside from the fact that Fujibayashi was special. How she was special wasn't something the first year was eager to investigate. It was not her right to pry and whether the 3-E class rep was an outlier was not something for her to decide nor remark on. Therefore, she could have never expected her senpai to come to the park.

Due to her schoolwork and other projects, the young girl had not visited this park in so long. When she was younger, however, she jumped at every opportunity to visit it because she loved playing fetch with the lab. Now, such a chore (although infinitely more fun than all the others) was delegated to Tomoka, who could put in the time. The roles were reversed, however, when suddenly Haruka's sister fell ill with hay fever. As a result, she was greeted with this lovely surprise.

Arguably, despite the fact the two were on amiable terms, they did not know each other well enough for their encounter to be lovely. At the very least, they didn't have to negotiate for that, right?

Oh, wow. Her response actually surprised Kyou, although there was no real reason why that should have been the case. Haruka had been overly formal and polite, despite her greeting being exactly the opposite - informal and not particularly polite, more akin to how you would greet a close friend than to how you would greet some random person you tended to see at student council meetings and pretty much nowhere else. Hell, she'd even added the honorific to her response. They were outside of school, so it wasn't like that was even necessary, right...? Ah, well.

The dog that Haruka had been walking approached almost timidly to sniff around where Botan was. Botan himself turned around to look up at Kaoruko, seeing a mammoth of a dog staring down at it. Chocolate labradors were massive, albeit probably the most friendly things to ever exist, but alas... Botan had nooo idea. Standing there staring up as the light was slowly blocked out by a big, curious dog with the unknown motivation of making a friend would only instill one emotion in the little boar. "Buhi, buhi, buhi!" ...Fear. Botan turned and fled, running around the tree to hide from the dog.

Kyou thought to herself a little before responding to Haruka. She was overly polite in the meetings, even now... maybe she thought Kyou cared enough to monitor her behaviour and was staying formal because of the social pretense of meeting another class representative, even if it was out of school hours and in the public park? Well, there was one way to find out. "You can call me Kyou, you know. Ryou and I are sisters, so it's easier to get in the habit of calling me Kyou so we don't get confused. You don't need to call me senpai, either! We're not in school, you can relax." Giving Haruka a short smile, Kyou looked down at Botan fleeing from Kaoruko and knelt down, picking Botan up. "Yeah, Botan's my pet. Isn't he cute?" Since it wasn't like she'd taken him to school this time or anything, she was a lot more forthcoming with the little guy.

"Hey, you don't need to be afraid. He's just curious, look." Kyou talked to Botan, setting him down near Kaoruko. If he had been anything more than just curious, Kyou would've swooped in to protect Botan at the very beginning, anyway. Dogs could certainly be scary, but Kyou wouldn't let that keep her from protecting Botan. "Just walking the dog?" She inquired, not sure of what to say but wanting to say something. She wasn't sure with Haruka, because she'd never seen Haruka outside of in-school situations.

Nonetheless, Kyou shuffled over a bit so that Haruka could join in under the shade if she wanted to lean on the tree as well. She wasn't too bothered, since this wasn't exactly a social call so much as a coincidence that they met. She was walking Botan, at the heart of things, just as Haruka was walking Kaoruko. A happy coincidence it was (or was supposed to be), though that didn't mean it couldn't just be treated similarly to a social outing to the park with their animals.

It was enjoyable in that context, after all.

[Fuukami Haruka]

Tag ; @nietona

She didn't even have to look up at Kyou's face in order to judge the older girl's surprise. After all, to have such a casual greeting met with such a formal one must have been outright disorienting. However, in the presence of animals, such a facade was becoming harder to keep up, even if only slowly. In the forefront of her mind, though, she carefully observed Kaoruko: vivacious, young and lovely and Botan: demure, panicked and surging with clarity. It took her some willpower to stifle a chuckle as her lab's ears perked up in confusion before continuing the pursuit.

Brushing a dark lock of straight hair behind her ears and underneath her glasses, Haruka's amethyst eyes flittered to meet Kyou's deep lavender irises. While maintaining her poise, she couldn't help but look down at the frightened little pig beneath her: yes, chocolate labradors were downright big at all ages -- even as a young puppy like Kaoruko. It was understandable that people who didn't own animals would judge them as adults, but she couldn't tell Kyou's exact impression. Lost in her thoughts, the first year found herself listening to the middle of Kyou's explanation about formalities. "Alright, since you insist, how about Kyou-san? We're not quite friends yet, you know," she teased, opening herself up to the older student little by little. Now her voice was chiding and gentle like her mother's but also warm and playful like her father's -- both unlike the cold, mechanical courtesy she offered at school.

After hearing Kyou out, Fuukami gave her head a light but thoughtful touch. Certainly, even though they were out of school it did not mean they were the best of friends; that was reserved for when you were already working and drinking with your fellow coworkers, or so Shinjirou, Haruka's father, joked. At the mere thought of such a humorous moment, she instinctively had the urge to stifle the smile threatening to emerge on her face, but at what cost? There was nothing to lose outside of school, as the third year so sagely pointed out. Thus, the brunette's lips curved up in a smile like a butterfly spreading its wings with a warmth that had been previously unimaginable. It didn't necessarily mean that she'd address the second year like they were lovers or anything. If she wasn't in a prestigious family, her mother and what little friends she had would have been begging her to regain her old flare for romance; although, in hindsight now, it was only mere admiration.

When she finished sieving through her thoughts, Haruka, after one short moment, then nodded her head and allowed, "Yes, just a quick walk, and Kaoruko-chan's a she, actually." Admiring the young puppy as she spoke, the bespectacled brunette then willed her gaze to return to her upperclassman. "How do you spend your time with Botan, your... pet?" Unsure of the proper words to say, there were two directions she could have gone in: pig or boar. Although, technically, both were decent terms to address the animal as, they all had negative and unaffectionate connotations and she didn't want to accidentally slip up in her use of tone.

Noticing that the older Fujibayashi twin had offered her a spot in the shade, the younger girl couldn't help but oblige while keeping a close eye on her pet so that Botan wouldn't get hurt. Immediately alert to the body language, Kaoruko then restrained herself before lying down in compliance. Smiling, Haruka understood that it would be some time for the boar to come to the puppy; therefore, as a soft whimper was sounded, she offered her pet a pat on the head for a good try at patience.

"My, my, what an impatient girl you are."

In those words, it was impossible to mask her amusement.