[IC] Where It Always Rains

[Asura]

TOTSUKA RYUSEI
戸塚 竜星

---

a date where smartphones exist
i don't fucking know pm

---

"Does it matter that much? They still chose to plaster us all over the front page—all of them are guilty on some level."

Maybe it was a little overzealous to condemn the entire club for the actions of a single member. But they all sat idly by and let it happen. Hell, the majority of them probably relished in it—they were all wannabe journalists, living in some backwater podunk town nobody cared about. This was probably the most exciting thing to happen in recent memory, maybe the only exciting thing to happen in recent memory. Like vultures to a fresh kill, they couldn't help themselves. The more he thought about it, the less the idea of beating the entire clubroom senseless seemed out of line. There had to be consequences for this, or he would have to deal with them trailing him for the rest of the school year, hoping desperately for him to do something that would sell their stupid little rag.

"Whatever you decide to do, take me with you when you go. I wanna exchange some words with their editor." He eventually decided, tucking his hands into his pockets, "We still got like fifteen minutes. Wanna have a quick smoke? Could use one after all this bullshit."

[mickilennial]

---

April 8th, Year 1

---

Akari sighed as she looked at her phone. How much longer was she going to have to tolerate this? They were crowding her desk. So annoying. Nakano’s presumptions were dumb, too. If he was important and someone knew him from somewhere, it’d be something people were whispering about already. He was just a new kid, another troubled idiot who ended up with the rest of them in a backwater town that meant nothing and where nothing happened.

Sure, Akari couldn’t know for sure, but unlike Nakano her brain operated in the real world and not one made up by delusions.

[Hero]

---

---

Of course it mattered. Contrary to popular belief, Shiori did not randomly go around throwing punches at every possible slight. Not that Totsuka would be aware of that, seeing as how this was his second day. But he was definitely getting the wrong impression if he thought she was about to throw down with an entire room of nerds. Oh well, she had her target set and she wasn't changing her mind anytime soon.

His next words actually got her to relax a little. A smoke right now sounded great. She let out a sigh, beckoning him to follow her. "Yeah, we'll just go to the same place in case Nakano's lingering, that way I don't have to wait 'til after class to kick her ass," She noted, her hands behind the back of her head. "I was just thinking about my supply dwindling, too, so you picked a good time to offer."

---

---

---

---

Ichika was a little relieved that Nakano stopped questioning her, but she wasn't a fan of the new arrival. Not to mention she basically confirmed what she figured was going on. The album comment was shocking as it is! Part of her wanted to eat her lunch in peace, but she wasn't sure letting the interviewer speak freely with someone ready to slander her cousin was a good idea.

Junko, on the other hand, was more amused than anything. "Other than knowing you should be expecting a visit from him soon in the future? Nothing, really," She chuckled, cleaning up some of the crumbs left by her sandwich. "I don't know what you were thinking. You watch the guy beam a kid with a skateboard and think you'll get away scot-free? Should've followed Sakaguchi's lead and skipped school today, too."

Ichika bit her lip, looking to Sakaguchi for help, though the dark-haired girl was more preoccupied with her phone. She visibly deflated, at a loss.

---

---

[Mcmolly]

---

April 8th, yesterday’s day before the day after tomorrow.

---

Well, it was worth a shot, but as it turned out not all Tokyoites knew each other, and all delinquents did not have a group Line. Unlucky. On top of that, Junko seemed more interested in some hypothetical retaliation than she was in giving up anything useful. Where Ichika’s concern had seemed genuine though, Junko, Kanna guessed, just wanted to see some blood. Maybe she was bummed that she’d missed yesterday’s beatdown.

Junko

“Right,” Kanna said absently, clicking her pen a few times. “If I skipped school every time some dumb boy got mad at me, I’d have a worse record than Kenzo—” she glanced to Akari, cleared her throat. “No offense. But I’m not throwing away six years of perfect attendance over nothing. Besides, if anyone should be rooting for me, it’s you, Junko. If Shiori does go down for this, she’s gonna get in trouble, and that album of yours might get a lil' bigger.”

[mickilennial]

---

April 8th, Year 1

---

Akari looked at the time on her phone–still enough time to get away from Nakano, though she had a feeling she was about to make more than one delinquent’s perennial shitlist on the second day of school. Was she goading Takano Junko? It was a hard read, but Akari didn’t know the peculiarities between the two. After all, the only time she had to deal with Nakano was when she was reporting on things that bothered Akari. As for the other girl, well, the two of them didn’t cross paths often enough for Akari to really be tilted one way or the other. Either way, Akari didn’t want to be around the two girls as they gossiped their boredom away.

The tall girl looked to the two other girls as she stood up. “Your obsession with Himawari is pathetic. But you do you. I guess. Personally, I am done with it.”

“Shimizu.” She said idly, “I’m going to the bathroom.”

More of informing her than inviting her, but it was whatever.

The peppy girl looked like she wanted to get away as much as Akari did. If her phone was right they still had fifteen minutes to do whatever. With that said, the raven-haired girl moved out of the classroom and toward the girl’s bathrooms. She didn’t care about either’s reply as long as they didn’t follow her, and given how involved they were about this conversation they probably wouldn’t stop until the bell rang for next period.

[Hero]

---

---

Oh, Ichika didn't like this. At all. Junko seemed way too comfortable talking about Shiori, though it was more the tone she didn't like. They must have had run=ins together; hearing her talk about more potential beatings was starting to upset her a little. Was this normal? No one else seemed to respond to that stuff. Maybe this is why Sakaguchi thought that Ichika being sent here was a punishment of sorts. Said girl got up to leave, and for a split second, Ichika assumed the worst. Fortunately, she got the hint.

"I...I have to go, too," She said, giving Nakano an apologetic look. "I'll, uh, see you around!"

With that, she made her hasty exit, trying to get as far away from the reporter as she could.

---

After School

---

---

---

Shiori had made a beeline for the Newspaper Club's room. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on who you were asking) the room was empty of its members. After ten seconds of deliberating on whether she should break every computer in the room or not, she decided against it--if only because she didn't have a bat to smash things with--and reluctantly made her way to the Boxing Club's room. She took her sweet time heading over to the school's gym.

It was amazing that the school bothered to have a sports gym in the first place, but there were a few clubs that required them. The Kendo and Judo Clubs often rotated in use through the free space, though the Boxing Club had its own room complete with a boxing ring. Said ring looked like it was kept in decent shape, taken care of with much love though it had seen better days. A trio of dummies stood, hanging on by a thread for the most part. A few mats were lying around, and two doors leading to other places were located near the entrance; it was likely that one was the changing room while the other was a storage closet. There was a sheet on said closet with a calendar listed, appearing to be a schedule of sorts.

Once the duo arrived, there were four other people inside. One was an older gentleman, one they would recognize as their history teacher, Shinsato-sensei. Despite his frailness, his eyes were sharp. One was a brown haired boy with golden eyes. He seemed at ease, seated on a bench and wrapping gauze around his left hand, a pair of boxing gloves at his feet. The last two were a portly brunette speaking to another student. He looked older than her, cool, blue eyes focusing on answering her questions.

On their arrival, Shinsato-sensei approached them. "Ah, Totsuka-kun and Himawari-kun. Welcome," He greeted the two. "Touga and I spoke already about your predicament. I understand you see it as punishment, but I hope you'll come to enjoy yourself."

He gestured over to the other students. "Uemura-kun will be the one in charge. He's the senior of the group so he will be the one showing you the ropes," He noted. "I believe Akarino-kun and Hattori-kun are in your class."

At the mention of his name, Uemura motioned for the girl to follow him. The kid on the bench got up as well, jogging over. Neither one made an attempt at hiding how they looked up at Ryusei's staggering height. Still, the dark-haired kid spoke with confidence."Yo. I'm Uemura Akihiko," He introduced himself before jabbing a thumb at the other two. "Go on and introduce yourselves you two."

"Holy fuck, you're tall," The other guy couldn't help but comment. "Sorry, I'm Akarino Kei. Bet you'll be a powerhouse by the time we whip you into shape!"

Shiori rolled her eyes, placing her arms on the back of her head. "This is stupid," She grumbled, walking over to the bench.

"If you're joining, you should probably go change into your gym clothes," Kei called after her.

Shiori ignored him, plopping down on the bench with her chin in her hand. Shinsato chuckled. "Himawari-kun will be our manager. I'll go over what she needs to do, make sure you go change so Uemura can show you the basics," He told Ryusei, patting his shoulder before shuffling over to the redhead.

---

---

[Xiro Zean]

---

April 8th, first day at boxing club.

---

“A-Ah. So the fights are relatively safe?” Himōri hesitantly asked the leader of the boxing club, hands clutched around the complimentary gloves she’d been given when she entered the building. Internally, she released a sigh, wondering how she got herself into this situation.

She had been locked in conversation with the club leader for a while, having went straight to the club as soon as the school day ended. While there was always things to be done at home, the brunette allowed herself a moment a selfishness to satisfy her curiosity, and so she had followed the directions on the pamphlet she found that morning to reach the sports gym in record time.

If she were to be perfectly honest, she was initially disappointed to find that there were only two people aside from herself, save for the history teacher who acted as an advisor for the club. Her enthusiasm spiked once again when their homeroom teacher appeared to speak to Shinsato-sensei, but as she was reminded of whom had left with the homeroom teacher beforehand, a sinking feeling began to settle in her gut just as quickly.

A few minutes had passed since then, leading to her current predicament. Himōri fumbled with the laces of the glove in her hands, her mind wandering as she felt the grainy texture of well-treated tanned leather. High quality stuff. Goatskin was usually reserved for designer handbags for their smoothness, yet the school seemed to have opened up their wallets for the sake of their rising star. Her mother would kill for a chance to have some to work with. Slowly, the brunette looked up from the gloves and toward said star.

Uemura Akihiko. She wasn’t sure what to say about him, but then again, that was her general consensus on most of the school’s body. Even before his newfound fame garnered by his athletic achievements, Himōri never really had a chance to speak with him. Or rather, she never really spoke to anyone, and Uemura just happened to be included in that general population.

Before she could get an answer to her earlier question, however, the doors to the gym had opened, and the weight in her stomach calcified into a lead ball. She’d seen the newspapers like everyone else, just as bored by life and wishing for excitement. That boredom was what brought her to the club in the first place, but she never wanted anywhere near the level of excitement that came from seeing the newly formed delinquent duo of the school entering the club room.

Himōri did her best imitation of a mouse when Uemura had her follow him, becoming as small as possible without bending her knees, keeping herself from making eye contact with the giant who she was brought to stand in front of. As long as she didn’t attempt any sudden movements, he probably wouldn’t even register her as a person on his radar.

…Wait. If he was going to be in the boxing club, didn’t that mean she was going to have to fight him at some point regardless?

”Shit,” Himōri mumbled absentmindedly, her hands flying up to her mouth a second later as her eyes widened with shock. Oh god, did she say that out loud?!

After making sure her stupid, impulsive brain didn’t make her say anything else without her permission, she slowly lowered her hands as she spoke in a quiet, downtrodden tone. ”I-I’m Hattori Himōri. I just joined, s-same as you. _{Please take care of me.}”

If Totsuka-san didn’t kill her during this first boxing club meeting, Himōri would make sure she finished the job. She couldn’t even attempt to hide the embarrassment on her face.

[Hero]

---

---

Ichika packed up her things quietly. Shiori had already told her that she had plans to do after school, so she decided that she needed to keep herself busy, too. And the best way to do that was to indulge herself in her favorite sport, of course! Granted, she really only knew the school had a team when she overheard a pair of girls talking about it in homeroom, but since they were looking for members, that meant she'd be welcomed, right? That was the assumption she was going to run off on, and she wasn't going to let herself get down just yet. The school had a weirdness about it, making her feel sad sometimes, but she was gonna fight it for as long as possible.

With bag in hand, the brunette practically skipped her way to the gym. She saw Shiori go down the hall, though she paused as she noticed the other new student with her. Weird, were they joining the club together? Well, whatever the case, she could just ask her later.

The volleyball net was set up in the gym, and a few girls already doing some stretches. Some of the team headed towards the changing room, others were sitting on the bleachers chatting away. One blonde was watching the rest, frowning to herself, though she perked up once she spotted Ichika.

"Hello! Are you here to tryout for the team?" She greeted her cheerfully. "Though...you don't look like a first year. Still, all are welcome!"

---

---

[mickilennial]

---

April 8th, Year 1 — Volleyball Club

---

“She’s not, Mizuno-Senpai.”

Akari sighed, as she crossed her arms, having finished her stretches a few moments ago.

Not that she had much of pre-game, pre-practice routines committed and few in the Volleyball Club were willing to exactly chastise Akari. The raven-haired Japanese girl hadn’t much of a care for what most of the club thought and in her first year she had built a bit of a reputation for herself. Demanding. Tough. Tall. Of the other schools they came up against, did any of them have an inside presence like Akari? Very few. She was probably the tallest second year Middle Blocker in all of Japan. Still, even with her height Mizuno Tomoyo, The Captain, treated her normal for the most part and she was one of the few people in school she gave formal respect to that wasn’t a teacher. That much could be seen with her adorning honorifics toward. Everyone else was just their family-name. No -san, no -chan or -kun, not even -senpai. Except for Mizuno. Only Mizuno.

“Shimizu is another second year. She’s new to town.”

[Asura]

TOTSUKA RYUSEI
戸塚 竜星

---

a date where smartphones exist
half past morbin' time

---

The last chime of the day was usually a welcome sound. It meant that classes were finally over and everybody could scurry off to their club activities, or—for the hoodlums like Ryusei—go wander the town until nightfall. It was unfortunate that the towering teen would have to fall into the former category this year. As he stewed for most of the day, he found himself growing increasingly irate with the idea. It had been so absurd as to almost be funny at the time, but having to deal with a group of people he didn't know, nor want to know, every day after school, for who knew how many hours... Somehow Utsubyo managed to keep getting worse with every passing day. At least he had roped Himawari into it; if nothing else, she proved to be fun to tease, and he could take some solace in knowing he wasn't the only one who definitely did not want to be there.

Somewhere along the path between 2-C and the gymnasium, he met up with her. She seemed in a mood, and frankly, so was he, so he simply contented himself to silence until they arrived. Mercifully, the journey was not long, and their destination was everything the transfer could have imagined it to be—beat to shit and full of equipment that probably hadn't been replaced in the last decade. There weren't many folks milling about either, although he took that as more of a boon than a bane. It meant he had fewer people to talk to and consequently, fewer people to bother him. He simply grunted when their history teacher approached him and gave the typical spiel. Bastard was probably just happy to have another member to pad out his club with. Maybe they'd get more funding that way.

Of course, it couldn't just be the sensei to crowd him. The senpai of the group didn't seem especially notable, although his calm demeanor certainly stood out compared to his juniors. One of them decided to mouth off about his height, as if he didn't fucking know he was a foot taller than half the damn school, and the other one looked at him with a mixture of terror and apparent embarrassment at her own fear.

"Totsuka Ryusei," He eventually grunted, although his eyes eventually fell on Kei, "And I'm already in shape, in case you were blind."

It took a fair amount of restraint to not add 'as well as dumb' to his little quip, but that was probably for the best. The teacher was still around, as evidence by his request that Ryusei go change. Grumbling to himself, the teen took the excuse to get the hell away from his fellow club members before they did anything else to piss him off, and disappeared into the nearby locker room. He did not return until he had shed the stuffy school uniform provided to him and replaced it with the equally irritating gym clothing they had given him.

"Alright, I'm ready. What the hell are we doing? I don't wanna be here all day."

[Hero]

---

April 11th, 20idk
3:15 p.m.
Weather: Cloudy with a Chance of Rain

---

The next few days passed without too much of a hassle. While the majority of the buzz had died down, there was no end to the rumors that circled around as people started to put their own theories as they focused on what happened to why it happened. Some said it was because Ken had threatened Ryusei, others believed that Ryusei had approached Ken looking for some of his "goodies", and even more came up with a rather ridiculous motion that Ryusei was jealous of Ken's skateboarding skills. None came even remotely close to the truth, nor did people care too much about reaching it as they were content with coming up with their own, more exciting ideas.

Once the final bell rang, the students were dismissed. While most of the clubs were meeting, the Boxing Club had been canceled for the day. The decision had been Akihiko's as he had something to do after class that required his attention. Shiori wasn't too hung up on it, having quickly grown bored with watching people do stuff while she had to sit and watch. The first few days were dedicated to drills, and there was actually nothing less exciting than watching someone punch the air a million times the same way.

At least she was free of it until Monday.

Getting up from her desk, she gave Ichika a wave--the Volleyball team was still meeting, so that meant Shiori was on her own. Not that she was going to complain; she was still a little awkward around the brunette and getting some alone time was for the better. That did leave the question of what to do, though. Actually, she knew what she should do. The number of cigarettes she had would only tide her over for the weekend, and she needed more.

Her eyes landed on the dark-haired 'ogre' of the classroom. Not how she'd describe him in her opinion, but she heard the word float around. He was actually good-looking, but he often looked either bored or angry so it was difficult to see. She really only noticed when she watched him focus in boxing. She couldn't tell if he was taking it seriously, but it was different enough that she noticed, anyway. She supposed if it wasn't for the story Nakano published, he'd probably get approached by a few girls.

Putting that aside for the moment, Shiori approached him. "Yo," She threw him a greeting. "Got any plans for your first day of freedom? If not, I got something I need you for."

---

---

Ichika hopped over to Akari's desk, rocking back and forth on her heels, giddy. The brunette was ecstatic that she had gotten on the team and was all too happy to finally, finally socialize with people. And she had the perfect reason to approach the girl without getting glared at too much. Maybe it was Shiori giving her abandonment issues, but oh well.

"Sa-ka-gu-chi-san!" She called out her name cheerfully. "Wanna walk to the gym together?"

---

[Asura]

TOTSUKA RYUSEI
戸塚 竜星

---

a date where smartphones exist
half past morbin' time

---

The bell brought to a close yet another shitty day, and perhaps for the first time that week he was truly happy to hear it. The boxing club's beloved senpai had better things to do that day than coach his underclassmen, and their overseer was apparently too incompetent to do his job without one of the students doing all the heavy lifting, so he was free from the incessant monotony of throwing the same punch four hundred fucking times a day. It was for the best—he was honestly getting pretty sore. Not from the practices themselves, of course. For all the shit he gave the club, they took it relatively easy for the first week to ease the new arrivals in. It was the after school workouts he had to do afterwards that were really kicking his ass. Whether the old man had devised it as a form of punishment after finding out the real reason he joined up with the club, or his grandfather actually was thrilled by the idea of his grandson being a world champ was beyond him, but if he had to spend one more evening running the hills of Utsubyo...

"Yo,"

His irate monologue was brought to a halt by the arrival of an increasingly familiar young woman. After the debacle with the newspaper, most of his peers had given him a wide enough berth that he didn't have to worry about fending them off himself. Most of them. But Himawari Shiori was probably the classmate he had spoken with the most since school began that prior Monday. Not for nothing—he had dragged her down with him. It seemed she had something to request of him, as well. That much tracked. Why else would anyone spend time with him? Still, humoring her was probably better than wandering home this early. Knowing his luck, he'd be lugging around bags of topsoil for some 'impromptu weight training'. As if he didn't know the old bastard didn't just want the back garden redone.

"The fuck could you need from me? Some skate boarder giving you trouble or something?"

[Hero]

---

---

Totsuka's response was as grumpy as ever. In the back of her mind, she figured it'd be weirder if he actually agreed to it right away. Still, it wasn't like she was asking just to get something out of him as they'd both end up benefitting if it actually succeeded. And if not, no harm, no foul. Probably. At a minimum, it wouldn't involve any violence that would sour his reputation any further. Well, actually, getting caught buying certain things as a minor wouldn't really look good. Oh well.

"Yeah, I need you to bash another druggie's head in," She replied dryly, albeit she decided to get right to it. "Since Akarino won't stop commenting on how tall you are, I wanted to see if you'd be able to get away with helping me resupply. I'm running low and if it works, I can just have you shimmy over and get it for me."

Of course, she would make sure that he wouldn't be doing this for nothing. "And in exchange, I'll happily supply you during school hours," She offered, wiggling her eyebrows in an attempt to make the offer seem more enticing. "...or, y'know, I'll do some other favor or whatever."

[Asura]

TOTSUKA RYUSEI
戸塚 竜星

---

a date where smartphones exist
half past morbin' time

---

Ryusei simply stared at the redhead for a few good moments. The hell did she mean, resupply? It was only when she insisted that she would share with him during school hours that he caught on to what she was getting at. Why the hell would he go and buy her smokes if he could get away with buying them for himself? It made more sense for him to just buy them for himself and make her beg for the privilege. Of course, then he would need to find a place to stash them—his grandfather had a nose like a bloodhound, and he'd taken to immediately showering once he got home to wash the stink of smoke off before the old coot caught on to his little lunch breaks. Using Shiori to hold the pack was probably for the best, especially with how badly she seemed to need her daily fix.

But he couldn't just let her win unopposed. He quirked a single brow at the mention of her doing something in return for him.

"Another favor, huh? Might not be a bad idea. How wide can you get your jaw again?" He asked, rising up from his seat as if to better inspect her lips, "... Eh, we'll cross that bridge when we get there. C'mon, show me where this store is. You're also paying for 'em."

With that, he slung his bag over his shoulder and made for the door, content she would be flustered with the implication. If she wasn't, well, that was good in its own way too.

[mickilennial]

---

April 11th, Year 1 — On Route to Volleyball Club

---

And so this was her life.

In a way it was funny, reminding her back to… better times. Before Mirei had to move on account of her father finally finding a good job that wasn’t in this horrible town. She hadn’t understood it then. Thoughts wondering why everyone kept abandoning her had clouded her mind then and it took a long time for her to get over it. Though part of her still missed having Ishii Mirei around; having her best friend to help her through the tough times. Shimizu wasn't the same, but her boundless energy, part of Akari wondered if it'd eventually have an impact on her. Only time would tell, she supposed.

She sighed, looking at the sunnier girl. “Yeah. Sure thing.”

There was still things she had to do this week, but it was also another day occupied by priorities Akari refused to ignore or reschedule. By the luck of the shichifukujin she hadn't been able to confront Totsuka. Likely due to her new friend's constant indulgences and Akari's own responsibilities at home and in club. She was still fully intending to do it, but what would she say a few days removed from the whole event? So annoying.

”You’re excitable today.”

[Hero]

---

---

Shiori's minimal attempt at looking tempting hastily deflated into unamusement once Tostuka spoke. That's twice now! She clenched her jaw in an attempt not to react, but as he stood up, the distance closing between them caught her off-guard. She stiffened slightly, almost expecting something, but instead he gathered his bag and walked out. She let out a huff of irritation, a little offset by how frazzled his response had her. Why did he keep doing that? Why did she keep getting so flustered by it?!

Shoving her thoughts aside, Shiori bit her tongue and stomped out afterward. She was tempted to shoulder-check him, but until she got what she wanted, she wasn't going to risk it.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll pay, I'll pay," She huffed at him, waving her hand absentmindedly.

---

The walk was a brief one consisting of Shiori mostly stewing in her displeasure. Part of her figured it'd be useful to point out some important things from the town, but aside from one or two bus stops, there wasn't really anything to point out. She briefly mentioned one of their classmates' father's cafe, but even that was because it was close and they just so happened to have said classmate in their homeroom.

The convenience store was as run down as the other buildings with little foot traffic. The laundromat next door had much more activity, with a parade of students and stay-at-home parents filtering in and out. Shiori signaled for Tostuka to follow her and she led him to the alley between the two buildings.

Fishing her wallet out of her bag, she counted out the bills and double-checked that she had the right amount. "Probably best to give me your jacket since it's part of the uniform, but your shirt and tie shouldn't look too out of place for a businessman," She said as she offered the money to him. "All you gotta do is go in and ask for a pack. And if they say no, I'll just go with Plan B."

---

[Asura]

TOTSUKA RYUSEI
戸塚 竜星

---

a date where smartphones exist
half past morbin' time

---

The walk through town was more depressing than Ryusei had expected it to be—he knew it wasn't going to be anything like downtown Kobe, but even the main streets seemed dead as dirt. Shiori seemed to have given it her best shot, pointing out a few things here or there when she wasn't busy brooding, but he could tell she was at a loss for items of interest. It wasn't like he could blame her though. He had come to Utsubyo expecting nothing and it had still managed to disappoint him almost every step of the way. Their arrival at the FamilyMart was welcome, if only because it gave him a sense of familiarity despite its rundown exterior. The alleyways beside a conbini were no strange frontier to the teen either, so he readily followed his redheaded companion when she ducked off.

"You're that desperate to get my clothes off, huh?" He cracked, hands already busying themselves with his tie. He pulled it free and tossed it to Himawari, his jacket following shortly thereafter. As flattering as Shiori's implication that he could look a businessman was, he had little interest in playing pretend. The teen wasted little time popping the first few buttons of his shirt—just to mess with her a little—and rolling up his sleeves so they rested around his elbows. Figuring he looked casual enough, he proceeded to snag the offered bills.

"I'll be back." He muttered as he stepped back out into the open, figuring it best he hurry along and get the cigarettes before his luck ran dry and she started making good on those threats of hers.

____________________________

It didn't take him long to return. The interior of the store had been about as dead as the exterior, with only a few errant youths stopping by after class to stock up on drinks and snacks. For his part, Ryusei wasn't especially nervous. He had bought cigarettes and worse plenty of times back home, supplying his delinquent friends with all they could need with his admittedly generous allowance. The key was to just be confident, to not act like a fucking spazz, and if all else failed, look mean enough that you weren't worth the risk to question. If the cashier had any misgivings about the cigarettes when he rung them up, he didn't voice them—the teen's perpetual scowl had undoubtedly informed the man that he was not inviting idle chitchat, nor a rejection of his purchase.

With a couple packs held between the digits of one hand, and a wrapped sandwich in the other, the teen returned to the alleyway. He tossed the former towards his partner in crime, and began unwrapping the latter.

"Hope you didn't want menthols. They were out," He declared before taking the first of many bites. "Not that I mind. Menthols taste like shit."

[Hero]

---

---

The redhead openly rolled her eyes this time at his third crack. Good God, she thought TV shows were exaggerating teenage boys and their hormones, but Totsuka was putting them to shame. Maybe he was just testing the waters to see if she was easy? That's how delinquents were usually depicted, anyway. And if she was honest, she definitely expected Takano to end up being some kind of slut. The thought made her chuckle, though as she watched him start to unbutton--

Holy shit, this guy needed to get laid.

Shiori scowled at Totsuka, holding onto his jacket and tie and glaring at him until he left her eyesight. She sort of wanted to watch in case he got denied, but she very much still looked the part of a schoolgirl and would likely end up blowing their cover. As she waited, she realized she forgot to tell him which pack to get. Well, he only had so much, he could probably figure out that she wanted at least two packs of a specific brand.

On his return, he tossed the packs to her. Her initial reaction was a touch of disappointment--of course he ended up getting the sane brand her father did. She wasn't a big fan of it as they usually made her throat itch if they weren't the menthol version. Once she laid eyes on the sandwich, however, her expression turned to one of disbelief.

"You could've gotten a better brand if you didn't splurge on a sandwich!" She outright scolded him. "That wasn't part of the budget!"

A door leading out to the alleyway swung open, and Shiori hastily stuffed both packs into her pocket. She motioned for the guy to start walking, though she paused as she heard some humming. Another employee came out with a pair of bags in hand, likely headed to the dumpster. He paused as he noticed the pair, eyes landing on Shiori. His brown, matted hair was a slight mess, his face on the average side as he looked a little older than the two. The name on his uniform read 'Sato'.

"Oh, Shiori-chan," He greeted her happily, though he seemed wary about Ryusei, his eyes looking him up and down. "And...a new friend?"

Shiori figured outing Totsuka as her classmate would probably complicate things, so she nodded. "Mhm. Just stopping by for an...afterschool snack," She replied, though her disdain for the food paid on her yen was clear.

Sato placed down the bags for a moment, looking between the two. "Are you sure he's...a friend? Or a...'friend'?" He asked her.

The hell did he mean by that?

---

---

Ichika gave the other girl a wide grin. She agreed to go and they were going to have a great time, why wouldn't she be excited? Socializing with the other members--actually, socializing, in general, had Ichika coming out of any nervousness more confident and happier than ever. She thrived in most social situations, and even if it was a sport, interacting with people was just so refreshing. It was better than being at home and watching Shi-shi stare at the TV 'til they went to bed at least.

"Honestly, you saying yes is what made my day," She cheerfully admitted. "I'm also ready to get in and spike some balls! Or...smacking them? Oh, you know what I mean!"

Now that she thought about it, she wasn't sure what position she'd end up playing. She was kinda short to be in front, but she was great at spiking. Maybe she'd ask Mizuno-senpai once they arrived?

---

[mickilennial]

---

April 11th, Year 1 — On Route to Volleyball Club

---

Akari sighed, shaking her head. “Spiking and Serving.”

The taller girl shuffled her hands in her blazer’s pockets as she looked over at the smaller girl. Shimizu had told the entire class that she liked shopping and volleyball so her absolute ignorance of the right lingo surprised her. Part of Akari was hoping that she would’ve been some kind of ace before she moved to Utsubyo, but apparently this was not the case. Akari was dumb to think so, obviously, but the idea that this loud, bubbly moron could help bring the team over the top was pretty naive of her. She was who she was.

“It’s just lingo. You’ll get used to it. Is this your first time on an actual team?”

[Asura]

TOTSUKA RYUSEI
戸塚 竜星

---

a date where smartphones exist
half past morbin' time

---

"The hell is wrong with Bats?" Ryusei asked, almost baffled that someone would complain about his brand. Maybe she proved the stereotype right and really did want menthols. "Don't worry about the sandwich. Somebody has been monopolizing much lunch time, so I was hungry. Consider your favor repaid."

While Shiori's tough girl image crumbled before him and he savored his afternoon snack, the arrival of a third caught his obvious attention. The guy seemed friendly enough—until his eyes landed on Ryusei. Typical. He wasn't exactly a beam of shining fucking sunlight, but why was it that all he got were glares and suspicious glances no matter where he went? Not even transferring a new town was enough to free him of the eternal chagrin of Japan's population, it seemed. He hadn't even said two words to the guy when they briefly passed each other in the store and he was already getting looked at like he stole something.

It wasn't until the fellow spoke for a second time that the teen's pondering suddenly clicked. So that was it, huh? No wonder this Sato seemed so upset with him. He could certainly understand the worry. Unfortunately for him, however, understanding did not equate to sympathizing, and Ryusei was in just foul enough of a mood to take a jab at the guy's expense. His companion almost assuredly wouldn't appreciate it, but hey, it was her idea to drag him along. She'd have to accept the consequences of her actions. Meandering over to Shiori from his position nearer the alleyway's exit, he slung a casual arm around the redhead's shoulders.

"Hey," He greeted the older male, swallowing the mouthful of crispy fried bird and bun that had occupied his mouth prior, "I'm the snack."