Sipping Away the Monotony [Nakamura]

[Densetsu Karu]

Date: Wednesday, April 23, 2003
Time: 4:20 PM

It was a dreary day, with clouds in abundance and further on the horizon, the promise of rain. The shopping district was no less bustling, of course; the world had no reason to stop turning just for a little unfavourable weather. Ahead of Karu, a group of pigeons were competing to gobble up a decrepit chunk of bread that had been left behind on the sidewalk. He watched them for a moment, amused by their competition. A new challenger, its wings still unkempt from some past scuffle, managed to sneak past the squabbling birds. It snatched up the morsel while the others were distracted and fluttered away with it.

Life, at all stages, was a zero-sum game.

The pigeons scattered as he walked past. His attention moved to the path ahead. Before long, he was only a couple of blocks away from his destination. Class had ended roughly an hour or so ago. Karu, wholly uninterested in the myriad of extracurricular clubs that Hikarizaka Private High School had to offer, had left the school as quickly as he could. He wanted to visit his favourite café before it closed for the day. To be able to partake in some of their tea would make up for an otherwise monotonous day.

As he rounded the corner, he immediately noticed the familiar uniform of his school, worn by a girl standing in front of the café. This sight was not typically noteworthy on its own; after all, the shopping district was a popular after-school hangout for many students at his school. It was the girl's familiar, chin-length orangish-brown hair that sparked recognition in his brain. The name of a student he had met only two days prior, Nakamura Hanako, crept to the forefront of his mind. Yes. It was her. To say that she had left an impression last they met would be an understatement.

Well, there was no use in ignoring her. She would surely recognize him the moment he passed in front of her to enter the café. Oh, the cruelty of Lady Fate, to take away his moment of peace right as he began to grasp it. Begrudgingly, he headed toward her, preparing for another social interaction. When he was within earshot, he waved to her, even though her back was turned, and said, “Hello, Nakamura-san!” He waited, but she didn't respond. For a moment, he felt panic. Had he the wrong person?

No. It was definitely her. With that renewed realization, the panic ebbed away. She must've not heard him, somehow. Deciding that was the case, he walked past her, then turned around and smiled in her direction. “Hey, Nakamura-san,” he said, a little more casually. Hopefully that would get her attention this time.

[Nakamura Hanako]

Most people would describe today as 'dreary' — gray clouds hung low in the sky, with the ever present earthy smell of rain. There weren't very many people out today, and those who did decide to go out made sure to be prepared with umbrellas. There were quite a few people complaining about the weather. 

Hanako, however, quite liked rainy days. She didn't find them dreary or dull at all. They were calming, and made her feel happy. It was a little cold, but she didn't particularly mind. She had always preferred the cold over the heat anyway. The heat was horrible. It made her skin crawl and itch, and the added feeling of sweat causing her clothes to cling to her skin was extra awful. 

Since it was such a nice day outside — in Hanako's opinion, at least — she decided that she'd take a walk after school ended. She honestly had no idea where she was going. She was just wandering around a bit, hoping that she wouldn't go someplace unfamiliar and get herself lost...again. It was really quite embarrassing. She had lived in Hikarizaka her entire life, and she somehow still had a difficult time finding her way around. 

After some walking, she came across an unfamiliar destination: a cafe. She had a vague memory of going her with her mother a few weeks ago, but she wasn't sure if this was the same cafe. She might have not even gone to a cafe. It could've just been something she imagined. She tended to let her imagination get the better of her, and sometimes had difficulty differentiating real memories from ones her mind conjured up. 

Hanako stood in front of the cafe for a good fifteen or so minutes, wondering if she should go on. Well, that's what she was originally thinking about. As usual though, her thoughts drifted away to something else, and she ended up standing in front of the cafe while thinking of something completely different. She was in her own little world, completely spaced out. No doubt she looked strange about it. 

She eventually snapped out of it, due to someone greeting her. The voice caused her to blink, jumping a little bit in surprise as she turned to look towards the person who had spoke. Despite his rather plain appearance, Hanako recognized him automatically. He was Densetsu Karu, the person she'd eaten lunch with a couple of days ago. 

"Hello, Densetsu-san," Hanako greeted him with a genuine smile. She quite liked Densetsu. He could be a bit confusing at times, but that was probably just because she found most people to be rather confusing. "How are you?" 

[Densetsu Karu]

At his introduction, she jumped in surprise. Huh, she must've really been stuck in her own head, considering that he had not tried to startle her in the least. After a distant, confused blink, recognition sparked in her eyes, and then came a smile and greeting. Was she genuinely glad to see him, or was she putting on a mask? In his mind, he clutched his own mask cautiously, not wanting to be caught off-guard by her again. She seemed meek and relatively helpless, but she was dangerous. To him, anyway.

He wasn't sure how to read her yet. She was a strange person, but that's part of why he had decided to make contact with her. He had this compulsion to learn more about her—to understand her just a little bit more. He didn't know why. That feeling frightened him a little because of how out of character it felt for him. He didn't want to understand anyone. He didn't need to understand anyone. And yet, here he was, trying to understand this strange girl he had only met a few days prior.

Ah, but he was making her wait. It was his turn to space out. What had she asked him? "How are you"?

“I am doing fine, thank you,” he said, nodding thoughtfully. “You?”

While he waited for her to respond, his mind returned to thoughts of the café. He definitely needed some tea. Why had she been standing out here whilst locked so deeply within the confines of her own mind? Maybe she wanted to get something as well, but just couldn't make up her mind about what to get, or if she wanted to get anything in the first place. Fair enough. It was on him to help her decide, then.

“Shall we?” he said, gesturing at the establishment behind him with his hand. They could go in together. For no particular reason. Karu was a slave to his whims, and his whims wanted him to be cordial to her. To learn, to understand. “Whatever you want on the menu, it's on me.” Surely, an offer like that would sweeten the deal for her. People in general liked free food and drink. Maybe it would open her up a little, which would put an end to his curiosity, which would finally free him from this bizarre compulsion he had to learn about her. Then he could go home and never speak to her again. He clutched his mask harder.

[Nakamura Hanako]

Hanako waited patiently for Densetsu's answer. She understood that he wasn't trying to ignore her. At least, she didn't think he was trying to ignore her. Words could be difficult sometimes. Or maybe he just hadn't registered her words. Should she repeat the question? Or would it be better to wait before saying anything else? Perhaps she should just move the conversation to something else. 

But she didn't have to do any of those things, because Densetsu answered her question. "I'm doing alright," she said in response. She tilted her head up towards the gray sky and murmured, speaking more to herself than to Densetsu, "It's such a pretty day out..." It was a shame not every day was like this. She would choose rain or snow over sunshine any day. 

"Shall we?" Densetsu asked, and Hanako turned her head back to look at him. "Whatever you want on the menu, it's on me.”

Hanako's eyes widened momentarily and she blinked in surprise, unsure of if she'd heard correctly. He was going to buy her something? Whatever she wanted? That would mean she'd be burdening him though! Although...he did offer, so maybe it was alright? She wasn't used to people offering to buy her anything. She didn't know how to react. This was so strange. 

"Are you sure?" she asked, wringing her hands together nervously. She wanted to make sure that he was absolutely certain about this decision.  "It's really sweet that you offered and I'm grateful, of course." she didn't want Densetsu to think she didn't appreciate it, because she really did. "But...wouldn't it be a waste to spend money on me?" 

[Densetsu Karu]

OoC ; Sorry I took so long! University assignments the past couple weeks have slowed me down in roleplaying/writing. I'll try to be quicker with the next one.

His offer got an amusing reaction out of her. Eyes widened, blinking, Nakamura fixed him with a stare that betrayed her surprise at his boldness. It was a bit comical to him, but he held a neutral expression. Then came her words, thankful, but hesitant. Uncertain. “But...wouldn't it be a waste to spend money on me?”

Surely, she was just protesting out of formality...? What was this about "a waste" to spend his money on her? She held no special status on those grounds. If he spent his money at all, it would be a waste, whether it was on her, or himself, or someone else. That was the paradox of spending money: even when he thought he was doing something good with it, there was always something better he could be spending that money on. Always a better cause. Always someone else who needed it more.

He couldn't figure out how to explain that to her. It was a philosophy he held, something beyond simple words and much beyond a simple sentence of explanation. If he tried, she probably wouldn't understand what he meant anyway. Elaboration would be needed. He decided to not even try, and opted for a more sensible response. “Nonsense. What's a few yen among friends?”

Uhhhh, hold on. Were they friends? They had only met twice, now. Maybe that wasn't the best thing to say. He glanced to the side, embarrassed by his slip of tongue, and muttered, “...er, acquaintances, if you prefer.” He was not aware of it, but his ears had flushed from the realization of his mistake. Not wanting to dwell on it, he turned around and began to step toward the café. With his back turned, he beckoned for her to follow. He was perhaps a bit rude in his haste, but he wasn't thinking about that.

He hoped that she would follow him. Aside from wanting to brush aside his mistake, he had started walking out of a mixed desire to get out of the not-so-private street and to further convince her to let him pay for her. She seemed the sort who would just go along with what the most insistent party wanted. Even though they had only interacted a few times thus far, he didn't think he was wrong in that judgement of her character.