[b]9:30pm, Streets of Shine City[/b]
Akane found herself once more enamored with her studious work. [i]Another cold, night walk home.[/i] She hated the cold. With a flip of her bright red scarf, Akane moved it over her face in attempt to keep the cool air from reaching her. Just like any other boring walk home, Akane found her eyes captivated by her cell phone. [i]9:30...[/i] She quickly tapped at her phone to change the radio station until she found the Shine City Radio station. [i]Oddly quiet... Well except for the music, but no host?[/i] Akane shrugged. When she moved to Shine City, she became accustomed to listening to the broadcaster make his outlandish announcements, before switching back to classical, more soothing music of her own. Perhaps she was the outlandish one, but the piano music she always listened to was her favorite, and listening to it helped her play.

As the music started to play into her ears, Akane's thoughts began to wander. Random topics mostly... Like the ten cats she had still put off getting, and of course, she thought back to her time at the tournament with James. It was a shame the two of them had just played, but she still had a wondrous time finally interacting with someone. He knew what he was talking about, and Akane wasn't going to forget about his offer to play her sometime. She hatched her plans to practice and master the game she so attentively watched others play. [i]It couldn't be too hard.[/i] There was no way she was to let James win. She had already understood the game completely, but quickly switching her fingers all over the controller wasn't as easy as the pros made it look. It was nothing like the piano she had kept so close, but perhaps she could relate the two in some way, or set up some formula for her controls. [i]Gah, that's no way to look at this. I just need to practice.[/i]

Akane shook her head a slight amount as if coming out of her thoughts. The arcade wasn't far, but it was also late. With a short sigh, Akane spun on her heels. She didn't have anything to do [i]ever[/i], and there was likely no one there to bother her! This was the opportune time to go out and practice! It would take a few minutes to make it there, but Akane didn't care.

Cranking up the volume on her cell, Akane tuned out once more, barely paying attention to where she was actually headed. Her mind was enthralled with reminiscence of the tournament. She was still a bit far, but it wouldn't take long, though the cold, biting air was making Akane rather annoyed. Perhaps she'd run into him there... [i]No, of course not, and I would still need to practice so there is no chance of losing![/i] Akane glanced inside the Shining Kettle as she passed it on her route. Thoughts of stopping inside swirled in her head, and her eyes flicked to the window  to see if any interesting persons had gathered inside. Not that she would be willing to approach strangers, but perhaps a friend of hers (of the few she had) had similar nighttime plans.

As Akane peered at her reflection in the mirror, a small object appeared next to her, making her jump a little. She peered down and nearly jumped once more as she realized the cat that had strode up next to her. Akane brought her hands up to cover her mouth. [i]Her weakness![/i] She couldn't help but lean down and begin to pet the small, rugged looking cat. It must have been a stray from the look of its condition, living off of the food scraps that people like Akane gave it. But alas! Akane didn't have any suitable cat food on her! It was a sad day. Akane had taken to distracting herself with the stray feline for many minutes. He was rather friendly, and a perfect companion for someone who didn't much enjoy talking. That day a new friendship was born!