Turnabout First Date [Sunohara]
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Post by Sugase Akemi on Aug 8, 2017 1:13:45 GMT -6
Tuesday, April 29th, 2003, 12:00pm
Greenery Day (National Holiday)
A light breeze gently rustled the branches overhead as Akemi watched from below, head bent back and eyes glazed over with a mild fascination. The trees seemed to come alive under her scrutinous gaze, each quivering frond a fragment of the breathing whole. She felt a bit like a tree herself today, the skirt of her green jumper dress fluttering much like the leaves she had fixed her gaze on. It seemed only appropriate to meet at the park on Greenery Day. Likewise, it seemed only appropriate to become like greenery on Greenery Day. She doubted, however, that this was an opinion generally shared by the public, and if it was, she found it unlikely that many would engage it with quite as much enthusiasm as she had.
An assortment of every flowery and fruity hairclip she could find in her room adorned her bangs, making a garden of her red tresses, which had been gathered into a lopsided bun and topped off with a plastic daisy. Below that, the vividly colored shirt of cartoon flowers she wore competed for equal attention and would likely have won were it not for the bright but considerably calmer green dress she wore over it, toning down the explosion of color. However, this peace amid the chaos was quickly broken at her legs by a pair of green and white striped socks, finished off with multi-colored tennis shoes. [Outfit]
It was, in all honesty, a tamer look for her than usual. Curious glances were still thrown her way, certainly, and she still stuck out like a sore thumb in quiet Hikarizaka, but only about half as much as usual. Missing were the stacks of bracelets that climbed toward her elbows and the layers of mismatched socks and accessories. This was probably for the best... After all, her goal for the day was to play with the puppy, not immediately scare it off.
Although... The fact that Sunohara hadn't been scared off by their initial meeting still came as somewhat a surprise. If he could survive an entire date with her, he truly would be an oddity worth keeping an eye on. Her lips curved into a dubious smile, and she let out a quiet chuckle, finally breaking contact with the branches above to glance over at the nearby park clock.
Assuming he hadn't backed out, the poor boy would soon arrive, and the fated encounter between puppy and alien would commence... What a strange and wondrous tale that would be. Could the universe withstand it? Perhaps reality would cave in on itself before the day ended, though the beginning of Golden Week certainly seemed an inopportune time to cause the destruction of time and space... Ah, best not to overwhelm her misguided suitor then.
Her mysterious smile still gracing her features, Akemi closed her eyes and hummed.
We'll whittle the days away~
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Post by Sunohara Youhei on Aug 8, 2017 23:47:55 GMT -6
Sunohara Youhei didn't just have butterflies in his stomach...he had flesh-eating moths(Those were real right?). What had begun as simple self-doubt and disbelief ("Is this really happening? Can I do this? Will she really like me?") had now evolved to full on paranoia (What if I can't find her? What if I mistake her for someone else? What if she sees me mistake her for someone else and assumes I'm purposefully ignoring her for?!). It didn't help that Okazaki hadn't been around to help allay his fears or offer any sage advice (where was he the one time he actually needed him?!) It also probably didn't help that he didn't know her name. Or what school she went to. Or basically any personal, identifiable information whatsoever. Why hadn't he asked? What kind of idiot doesn't ask for the name of the girl he asks out on a date?! He didn't even introduce himself! She won't know him either!! With any luck, there would just be one cute girl at the park and that girl would be her. Girl who...has good taste in music.
Unfortunately for him, the park was far from empty. It was a holiday, so naturally many were spending their free time at this park. Had it been a school day it would be much less crowded (he knew, on account of the times he had skipped class and taken a nap here). While it wasn't particularly big, it was still difficult to find any one person without some sort of landmark to assist him. Thus, since he lacked such knowledge of her potential whereabouts, he had no choice but to walk around and attempt to sift through the many people until he found her. However, because he knew so little about her, he didn't feel comfortable simply glancing at all the faces and making a judgement based on familiarity (He really, really didn't want to pick the wrong person). So instead...he cracked up a plan. A genius plan in fact. Rather then him trying to recognize her...perhaps she could recognize him instead. She had approached him the first time after all. He just had to...show herself to him somehow. So for the better part of the next 30 minutes he spent his time getting in range to various women and drawing attention to himself ("Ah! Look at that bird fly over there! It sure can fly!" or "Look it's a squirrel! I really wish I had some nuts to feed it!"). What the blonde boy didn't know was that his actions were both unnatural and unappealing, so even though his intent was to draw their attention, it simply repelled them, and he found less and less people around him as he spoke. Thus, he was forced to relocate, and it was with this relocation that he had the extremely good fortune to stumble upon the red-haired girl - quietly humming to herself with eyes closed.
"Ah! It's you!"
Unfortunately his surprise had reached his mouth before any other thought in his mind. He stood now, tactlessly pointing his index finger straight at her as his face was still locked in an expression of astonishment.
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Post by Sugase Akemi on Aug 14, 2017 6:05:21 GMT -6
Hurry it up! Wring it out!
Quiet but clear, the melody that had led her to today's fateful meeting rose from her throat in a low hum, and though she did not vocalize them, the lyrics scrolled through her mind along with each note.
Though my legs are tangled, they will surely take me far...
It was a bit like mental karaoke. In one's thoughts, any voice could be made... Perhaps she could imagine the song as performed by a high-pitched mascot character. The thought made her snicker mid-hum.
Even if I steal it and manage to grasp it...
Such an intense, high-energy song... Even so, it was rather difficult to take seriously in an adorably piercing tone. How funny. The little musical experiment she had begun two days prior was taking some... amusing turns.
If it isn't you, then what's the poi-
"Ah! It's you!"
The words were shrill with surprise, ringing in Akemi's ears, but the voice was not a foreign one. Falling into silence, she calmly opened a single blue eye and gave the speaker a sidewards glance, her lips curling upward even more as she caught sight of a familiar mop of blonde hair. Right on schedule. Lovely.
"Are you certain?" she seemed to wonder aloud, closing her eyes again without turning to face him. "Who might it be that you're looking for?"
Ah... He still didn't know her name did he? She giggled at her own question, hand raising to cover her mouth. It had not been her intention to ask a question the boy could not answer, but now that it had been vocalized, she awaited his response with amused anticipation. Perhaps at this stage it would do no less harm to instigate further...
Finally turning to face him, she opened her eyes and smiled, a faint mischievous flicker behind her gentle blue gaze.
"Sunohara-san?"
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Post by Sunohara Youhei on Aug 20, 2017 21:55:39 GMT -6
How had she known his name anyhow? He never introduced himself to her (that would have been a moment of bravery he wouldn't forget so easily) - and when she had approached him at the music store it hadn't been as a stranger. She had known him somehow...but how? School? A friend of Mei's? A fan from his bygone soccer days? Or maybe...just maybe...a silent companion who has had feelings for him from the moment she first locked eyes on him - crushing on him from afar but simply too shy to approach him and confess. She must have learned his name through the fruit-vine and finally worked up the courage to approach him at the other day when he least expected! It only made sense of course...he was alone...jamming to his music...she couldn't resist. After all, rock stars always looked their best when they were jamming to the beat of the drum! But she had slipped...she had said his name before initiating the proper introductions. The question she was asking now...she knew...and she knew that he knew...which means it was a trick question! An ordinary man might stumble and ask for her name, making some kind of excuse...but she expected more. Surely, she now wants to see the confidence of the man she fell in love with!
Sunohara Youhei's face had began with one of confusion as the girl's question was first posed to him. As his mind raced down the rabbit hole only he was familiar with, his expression began to change first with understanding, then with confidence, and finally with an overwhelming, overabundance of arrogant self-worth that anyone in the immediate vicinity would surely exclaim "Ew. Stay away from me." He nodded with understanding now, his eyes closed and his thumb and forefinger resting against his chin in the shape of a check-mark. He had no idea what her name was - nonetheless, he answered with the air of a man so confident, it might as well have been the answer for a million dollar question.
"Ha! A question like that...it's almost too easy. A red-haired girl, blue-eyed beauty who has superb taste in music and even better taste in men...naturally...I've been looking for you!"
With a quick shift in pose he pointed his index finger defiantly forward, exclaiming the "you" with gusto straight at the girl. He had seen the pose in a game once and couldn't help but emulate it now after seeing how cool it looked. He wasn't an attorney, but hopefully it was okay for him to use the pose anyway.
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Post by Sugase Akemi on Aug 30, 2017 4:19:07 GMT -6
The way his facial expressions changed with such rapid intensity and without apparent cause... Did they always do that? How peculiar. Akemi tilted her head as she observed the curious display, silent laughter hidden in the subtle movements of her own features. Yes, she'd certainly made the right choice agreeing to this meeting... Clearly Sunohara Youhei had more than enough entertainment value to offer, and it would take little prodding on her part.
"Ha! A question like that... it's almost too easy."
Oh? The redhead raised her brow curiously. Clearly he did not know her name. That wildly confident expression... From what source did it come? Surely the answer would be interesting.
"A red-haired girl, blue-eyed beauty who has superb taste in music and even better taste in men... naturally... I've been looking for you!"
An even better reaction than expected. Akemi snorted, both hands slamming over the lower half of her face to suppress a wave of laughter. Her blue eyes crinkled with mirth as she took in the scene, and the longer she stared, the more ridiculous and needlessly dramatic the blond's pose seemed to become. Did he think her a cornered criminal? One typically did not ask such individuals on dates. Such a bizarre choice of posture. Perhaps she should respond in equally dramatic fashion? What would he do then? Hm...
"I'm afraid that information is... insufficient," she began once her silent giggling had died down. She spread her arms in a wide, sweeping motion as she shook her head and smiled with amusement at her own actions. "I suppose it could be fairly argued that I qualify as a 'red-haired, blue-eyed beauty'... But I wonder by what standard my taste in music and men is being measured... What qualifies as 'superb'?"
This type of response was... incomplete. It lacked the over the top nature of the puppy's enthusiastic pointing. How to finish...?
"I would like to see evidence of such claims... That is all." With a theatrical wave of one hand, Akemi ended her statement and bowed deeply and gracefully. Perhaps this would do. Yes, that seemed quite dramatic. What fun.
With an amused smirk, she glanced back at her "date" and awaited his reply with watchful eyes.
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Post by Sunohara Youhei on Sept 10, 2017 22:59:36 GMT -6
"I'm afraid that information is... insufficient"
EHHHHHHHHHHHH?! His mouth was now agape and his eyes had rolled towards the back of his head at her shocking response. Insufficient?! That was one of his best lines! How many compliments had he managed to fit into that one line? 5? 10? She wanted more?!
"I suppose it could be fairly argued that I qualify as a 'red-haired, blue-eyed beauty'... But I wonder by what standard my taste in music and men is being measured... What qualifies as 'superb'?"
EHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?! It had had nothing to do with his compliment itself but was the logic behind the compliment she held issue with?! Wouldn't a girl usually take a compliment like that with a cute blush and say something like "O-of course you couldn't mean someone like me..." or a "T-thank you but surely I don't deserve such praise". What was with this woman?! She was refuting him due to "logic"?!
"I would like to see evidence of such claims... That is all."
His mind was blank. His confidence crushed. Evidence? What evidence? He had none. How is one supposed to provide evidence for an opinion anyway?! He put one hand behind his head and smiled sheepishly.
"Ah ha...well you see...about that..."
But then he remembered...the attorney from the game. He was a hero. He never gave up. He never surrendered. And if a fictional, video game character could stand against all odds, with or without evidence, Sunohara Youhei could very well do the same! He slammed his hands down on the nonexistent table in front of him (which entailed his hands simply coming to a sudden stop in mid-air for dramatic effect) and glared at her with the same intensity the hero glared at all others who stood in the way of his justice. He felt a little bad, glaring at the woman he was supposed to be wooing, but this was the only way for him to gain the confidence he needed to answer her. This was the only way he could answer her with his head held high.
"The evidence is as clear as day! The evidence for your taste in men is obvious from the very person who stands before you - the man you agreed to go on a date with! Sunohara Youhei."
He pointed at himself with an overconfident, arrogant grin, surprising even himself at the act he was currently pulling off.
"As for taste in music..."
He pulled an object from the inside of his coat pocket and flung it straight towards her without warning.
"Take that!"
"Music stores can't afford to advertise bad music, and you yourself happened to enjoy this artist!"
It was a CD filled with the same music from the artist of "Far And Beyond" - the music they had both listened to on their first meeting. He had meant to save it as a surprise gift for her...but in his zeal he had instead thrown it in her face.
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Post by Sugase Akemi on Mar 1, 2018 2:23:48 GMT -6
Smack
In the split second that she had to react, Akemi could only flinch, a barely audible yelp managing to escape her lips before she could stifle it. The foreign object that had come hurtling toward her face fell to the ground with a clatter, but the girl simply stood motionless, eyes wide, mouth slightly agape, and hands reflexively raised.
"Music stores can't afford to advertise bad music, and you yourself happened to enjoy this artist!"
Sunohara's words were gibberish to her for the moment. In fact, she had temporarily forgotten everything he had just said as she struggled to recompose herself after the sudden (albeit unintentional) assault. It took only seconds, but it seemed longer. The lack of control felt... disturbing.
"Ah... you've learned a new skill," she finally responded, calm countenance returning with each word she spoke. Though still inwardly recovering, her soft smile had returned, and she seemed eager to shrug off the momentary break in her demeanor. "It would seem your hands are cannons now."
Yes, he had simply caught her off guard again, that was all. It was nothing to worry about. He was an excitable puppy pawing at everything with reckless energy-- something to keep a watchful eye on but not anything dangerous.
She glanced down at her feet, identifying for the first time exactly what she had been struck with. A CD? Ah, of course, he had said something about an artist she enjoyed. Silently, she stooped over to pick up the unceremonious offering with delicate fingers, examining its cover as she stood up again.
This was... the artist from yesterday. Was this what one might call a courting gift? She did not believe such things were typically chucked in the faces of their intended recipients. Even she knew this much. Truly, Sunohara was as foreign to the world as she. Perhaps her earlier prediction would fulfill itself and the universe would collapse after all.
"I suppose... In the face of such evidence, I shall accept the role of 'red-haired, blue-eyed beauty.' To entertain a date with a boy with music cannons for arms is certainly a rare opportunity." She spoke thoughtfully, poking her chin with an index finger as if taking her own bizarre conclusions into serious consideration.
Music cannons... Could they shoot things other than CDs? Records, perhaps? Musical sound waves? An entire boombox? The thought made her snicker.
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Post by Sunohara Youhei on Mar 2, 2018 1:03:00 GMT -6
He was on a roll! His logic was flawless! For once in his life, he had managed to outwit someone! It felt...exhilarating. Is this what it was like to be smart? Is this why everyone studied so hard? He took heavy breaths as the mental effort pushed him to his limits. Though he was sure he had dealt the killing blow, he prepared himself for a potential response...but he received no such response. There was only silence. He had defeated the enemy! The enemy that was his opponent. His opponent who was also his date. His date who was also a girl. Specifically, a girl he had bought a present for. The present he had just flung toward her face. The girl whom he wanted to woo. The present that was meant to please her. Each realization came thundering down on his head. One. By One. As they did, he found himself bowing further and further towards the ground, both in utter defeat, as well as in an attempt to apologize. Apologize to the gods, who had given him such an opportunity that he had surely just dashed, apologize his past self, for ruining the chance of a lifetime, and most of all...apologizing to the beauty before him, whom he couldn't even bare to look at, for fear of rejection. His eyes were clenched shut. He opened his mouth...but no words came from his stuttering lips, save for the gurgling and sputtering of a man who had no words to justify his ridiculous actions. He hadn't defeated her. He had simply defeated himself.
"Ah...you've learned a new skill"
...eh? He quickly opened his eyes and tilted his head up, quickly trying to read her expression. His eyes were met with that familiar smile she wore so well. Had it always been there? He could have sworn after he threw his present she had-
"It would seem your hands are cannons now."
If the boy had looked surprised before, now he looked completely baffled. It was surprising enough that she didn't see it fit to leave him right then and there, but what was this comment? Was...was she actually giving him an out? It was almost too good to be true...maybe it was? What was she even talking about? Cannon hands? The puzzlement and confusion on his face was clear as she continued speaking.
"I suppose... In the face of such evidence, I shall accept the role of 'red-haired, blue-eyed beauty.' To entertain a date with a boy with music cannons for arms is certainly a rare opportunity."
"Really?!"
He bellowed with surprise, before hastily attempting to recover from his instinctual response.
"I mean-"
He coughed heavily.
"Yes! I forgot to mention that when we first met! Truthfully, I haven't mastered them quite yet..."
Wait...was she serious?! He didn't have cannons for arms! That was impossible! He had just mindlessly thrown something! He didn't have anything else to throw! Much less any music! He'd have to somehow recover...think...what would Okazaki say in this situation?
"But you won't regret this chance! Got any requests? Any song you want - just name it!"
Though his demeanor was now confident and proud, on the inside, he began to crumble. For, it was in that moment, he realized the critical error in his logic. Okazaki always made things worse.
Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
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Post by Sugase Akemi on Aug 11, 2018 22:07:08 GMT -6
"Really?!" I mean- Yes! I forgot to mention that when we first met! Truthfully, I haven't mastered them quite yet...
He had... "forgotten to mention" it? Akemi maintained her calm smile, but her eyes seemed to glimmer with laughter. Possible responses flitted through her thoughts, but the boy went on, apparently eager to make her job easier and lock himself into the scenario she had created.
"But you won't regret this chance! Got any requests? Any song you want - just name it!"
She cocked her head. A bold offer. Could he deliver on his promises? Perhaps she had inadvertantly stumbled upon the truth and he really did have music cannon arms? A puppy that shot music... He was turning into a character from a children's cartoon. The show kept getting better and better and she didn't have to try. Sunohara's was a tale that wrote itself.
"Hmm..."
Closing her eyes, she rested a hand on her cheek and tilted her head slowly back and forth as if to sift through her thoughts for an answer. A serious song? A silly song? Which would produce the best outcome? One by one song titles flicked through her mind, all sufficient for the occasion but not quite right...
"Ah."
Suddenly stopping, she opened her eyes and fixed her sights on the boy before her, a mysterious gleam in her blue gaze that seemed simultaneously curious and dangerous. She raised an arm to point at him unceremoniously as she uttered the potentially damning title in a monotonous tone reminiscent of a student reciting last week's homework.
"At the Bus Stop by Tommy February6."
... Did he even know the song? She hadn't thought of that before speaking. It was popular but seemed out of the boy's realm of interests. Could music cannons shoot songs the user didn't know? Or perhaps it would be more interesting to see his response because he didn't know? He'd yet to shoot down any of the unexpected curveballs she'd thrown at him so far. In fact, he seemed to only amplify them. Her eyes burned into him with expectation.
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Post by Sunohara Youhei on Aug 20, 2018 23:50:56 GMT -6
Every moment she stood with her eyes closed felt like an eternity. The only thing the blonde could do was pray...pray that she would ignore him. Pray that she would change the topic. Pray that she would do literally anything other then take him up on his offer. Her silent pondering not only added to the tension, but also gave the boy plenty of time to mentally reprimand himself again, and again, and again...mostly for how stupid he had been for bungling things up - not once, but twice! By some strange twist of fate he had actually been allowed a legitimate date...and here he was unintentionally doing everything in his power to ruin it within seconds of it starting. With every moment that passed he could feel his demise approaching. There was no such thing as a second miracle. This...this is how it would end. When she finally opened her eyes...she pointed her arms at him, as if death himself was calling for him, and gave her final rites.
"At the Bus Stop by Tommy February6."
His head slowly sunk down until he was left staring at the ground. This was it. It was over. He didn't even know what song she was requesting...but even if he did, there was no way he would have the CD for this one as well. He had no choice but to admit his lie...no choice but to admit to his careless attack...no choice but to lose out on a girl before even getting to spend one day with her. This was it. This was...Game Over...the world slowly began to grey out around him...memories of his friends and of his past slowly passed him by...but just as he was about to give up all hope, he suddenly remembered something. He remembered the attorney. The same one that had gotten him into this whole mess to begin with. Hadn't the attorney been in a situation like this? With his head down and his spirit broken? At that time, Sunohara was certain the game over screen would be next...but that's not what happened.
Hold it!
Someone had said those words...and that is when everything began to change. Mentally, the boy said those words to himself...and then suddenly, as if by magic, he saw a ray of hope...laying right beside his feet. Cornered as he was, he realized there was a solution after all. It was crazy, and it might not work, and he would have to lie like he had never lied before...but at this point, there was nothing left to lose. He had to take the chance!
He closed his eyes and smirked, keeping his head down, attempting to emulate every shounen protagonist he had ever seen.
"It's dangerous for me to use it twice in one day, but for you...I'll make an exception."
And then he began to yell quietly, not unlike the heroes he had looked up to as a kid. For he was gathering his energy...gathering it for the one moment he would need to permanently change his fate. But also...because he needed a distraction. He needed to put on a show so dazzling, the truth would be impossible to find.
"ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh"
His voice began to grow progressively louder and louder until he was nearly shouting and then...his eyes burst open. And in that moment, several things happened at once. His arm holding the bag suddenly went into the bag and swung forward, causing the bag to fly up, in an arc, around his shoulder and spill it's remaining contests in a glorious fashion around him.
"AT"
While this was going on, his left arm reached down to a rock below him. For that moment, it almost looked like he was trying to do a side-flip...but then his hands converged and he was suddenly in a pitcher's stance, his other hand now free from the inside of his now empty bag.
"THE"
Much like a pitcher, he expertly hid the actual contents in his hand by keeping them close and covered...he took just one more moment to lock onto his target, the tree tops behind the red-haired beauty, before finally following through.
"BUSTOP!"
And then he threw it. Threw it so high, and so far, and so fast, that it would have been impossible to tell what it was he had actually thrown. Or at least...that's what the blonde was going for.
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Post by Sugase Akemi on Jul 6, 2019 3:57:58 GMT -6
Transparent as ever, Sunohara's face seemed to sink in despair until his gaze made contact with the earth beneath his feet.
Ah, then it was just as she had guessed- he didn't know the song. But had he already given up? Such an outcome was disappointing, but Akemi supposed it couldn't be helped. A puppy could only know so many tricks. He'd already far surpassed her expectations, so perhaps she'd come to expect too much.
The gleam of anticipation faded from her eyes and she lowered her outstretched arm, but as she did, Sunohara began to stir.
"It's dangerous for me to use it twice in one day, but for you... I'll make an exception."
Oh? Akemi's brow raised, her curiosity newly piqued. He had more tricks after all?
And then it began. At first it was a low hum that she could barely discern, but before long, the sound had grown increasingly louder until the boy was shouting at the ground, head still lowered. Akemi could only stare, her eyes round with a mixture of surprise and intrigue.
Was this an episode of Dragon Ball? Sunohara certainly had the hair color of a super saiyan. There was little time to dwell on this question though, as the boy suddenly jumped into a frenzy of motion.
"AT THE BUSTOP!"
In the span of those words, a great deal happened, but Akemi's bewildered, wide-eyed gaze remained unbroken. Even as a foreign object hurtled past her, she simply continued to gape, unable to react to the blond's desperate display. For how did one react to such actions? Even a person with less alien traits than she would have trouble formulating the right response. What had even happened? Sunohara's posessions lay scattered on the ground at his feet where he had apparently dumped them from his bag and... Had he just chucked a rock at her? What had he been trying to accomplish? It was all so bizarre and unprecedented that after a beat of puzzled silence the girl burst into a fit of giggles, hand clutching her mouth.
"Very well," she managed between snickers as her giddy laughter finally subsided. "I'll accept that performance."
The hand covering her mouth dropped back to her side and she smiled gently at him. Ah, such an odd, confused puppy. Perhaps it was about time he knew her name. She had toyed with him enough for the moment.
"I'm Sugase Akemi. Have you heard of me, Sunohara-san?"
.... Or maybe she'd poke at him just a bit more.
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