[b]Toma Tanaka - Tanaka Residence | After School[/b] Toma stepped into his house, and slid the door shut behind him, happy to be out of the chilly air. He kicked off his shoes, and took a deep breath, giving an "I'm home!" that was far happier and more energetic than he felt. He stared discontentedly at the shoes for a moment, before bending over to place them together neatly. As he looked back up, he saw his mother's face peering at him from around a corner. She smiled softly at him. "Welcome back, Toma," she said with a quiet cheerfulness, not unlike her son's. He returned her smile, doing his best to appear bright and happy. "I got what you asked for," he said, holding up the bag he held. He stared at her for a moment, and forced back a frown. As was usual, she looked... depressed. Her shoulders sagged and she stooped forward ever so slightly. Her face was etched with wrinkles and she kept herself compact, almost making it seem like she was perpetually cowering. "Sorry for being a little late," he said. "I'll make supper." Disapproval flashed across her face as she stepped fully into the hallway. "No no, I want to do it. You and your father are always working hard everyday, keeping you two fed is [i]my[/i] job." Toma's eyes widened in surprised at how strongly she spoke those words. "Oh, uh, sure. If you need any help, just ask, okay?" He handed her the bag, earning him a satisfied smile. The two went into the dining room, Toma plopping down into a chair at the table and his mother continuing into the kitchen. The boy laid out his homework, and started on it, though he paid more attention to his mother cooking away, her back turned to him. At the moment, she seemed... not necessarily 'happy,' but content, at the very least. Toma had a hunch that she was like him, in many ways. She was happier when she was doing something. The issue now was that she stayed home everyday, saying that she "wasn't fit for work" anymore. Though judging from the way she looked most of the time, it wasn't difficult to believe that that was the truth. The boy turned back to his work. --- [b]Tanaka Residence | Late Night[/b] As per usual, Toma sat at his desk as the day changed. He sipped at the tea he had made using the leaves Hamada had given him. While it did taste good, he was skeptical that it'd do anything for his sleeping habits. He didn't not sleep because he couldn't, but more because he didn't [i]want[/i] to. Or something. He wasn't sure himself. Perhaps the tea was having some sort of effect though. He seemed to feel drowsier than normal. Maybe it was all in his head. [b]Tanaka Residence | Morning[/b] Toma's eyes blinked open, and to his surprise, he found himself not at his desk, but lying on his back on his mattress. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, vaguely remembering turning off his computer and crawling into his bed. Not something that happened often. He checked his clock -- and by his best guess, he had gotten a solid 5 hours of sleep. A lot more than usual. He felt... good. It was a strangely uncomfortable feeling, one that he wasn't accustomed to. Sleeping hunched over his computer always left him sore, but today there was no pain. Unsure whether he was happy about the good sleep he had gotten or not, he got up and ready for the day. After shower he paused, looking at his messy hair in the mirror. Remembering the interaction with Hamada the night before, he frowned. Spotting a comb on the counter, he picked it up and ran it through his hair, straightening it out and pushing his bangs away from his forehead. He stared at himself for a moment. He looked so... so [i]professional[/i]. Clicking his tongue in disapproval, he brought his hands up to his hair and ruffled it back up. To his annoyance, however, he couldn't quite get it back to how it looked when it was freshly towel-dried. With a defeated sigh, he decided to go drink his coffee and stop caring about his mop of a head. --- [b]Warakuma High School, Class 3 - 1 | After School[/b] As Toma packed his things into his bag, he took the time to remind himself how much he disliked Saturday evenings. Not only did he have to find things to do tonight, but he'd have a full day to fill tomorrow. It more often than not became a chore to keep himself moving. He turned to face Aiko's desk, but saw the boy already leaving the class. Toma frowned as he got up and slung his bag over his shoulder. Aiko had seemed to be bothered by something during the day, so Toma decided to follow after him, to find out what was wrong. A minute later, he caught up to Aiko, who was questioning an unfamiliar girl. Toma caught Aiko's last few words, and he frowned in concern. "Hey Aiko, you're looking for someone?" he said as he walked up to the two, turning the statement into a question as he wasn't entirely sure he was correct.