[IC] Shine City II: The Next Season

[Opposition]

Shou really was an interesting man. He seemed so fluid and cool when talking to his students. Akane enjoyed his company and was sure that many other students were the same way. And he played games too? Wow, this guy is an A+ teacher. Akane definitely wasn't the best at the games she played, but she was a determined person. Perhaps one day she'd try entering one of the competitive tournaments held at the arcade, though such a thought had never crossed her mind before.

"I suppose I will have to talk to Mrs. Green then. I've never taken one of the cooking classes," her voice lowers just a bit as she speaks. "Too busy taking Calculus, Statistics, and the like." Math... Akane shivered at the thought. Though that really wasn't an excuse. Akane would have pulled the 'I'm a broke student and can't afford to eat well' card if she and her brother hadn't had their parent's fortune. Perhaps she would take up the professor's idea and try a cooking class, or at least get to know Mrs. Green.

Akane gave the waitress a smile as she moved to their table with Shou's order. With an appreciative nod, she turned back to Shou. Akane's eyes widened as Shou had offered her his plate of cheesecake to her. Akane realized that people like Shou weren't the type to take no for an answer. She pulled the plate close, lifted her tea off of the small plate it had sat upon, and went to slice the dish in half, moving a portion onto her plate. "I simply can't accept that." Akane then slides the remaining portion of the cheesecake back to Shou.

Akane would nod. "Cats are like friends that don't judge you and are very cuddly." Akane knew her obsession with cats would eventually lead to her life as an old woman with sixty cats, but that didn't stop her. Cats are too adorable. "Ah yes. I've heard the rumors about Professor Matsuoka's adorable dogs. They've quite the reputation among your students."

The pair fell silent for a moment, leading Akane to follow Shou's eyes to the student outside the window. As far as she knew, Akane and he had never met. [color=red]"Is something the matter?"[color] She asked, before listening to Shou's mumbling with a perplexed expression. Akane smirked as Shou praised her. "He doesn't seem to be doing any harm, does he?"

Akane gives a quick shrug to her professor. "Do you wish to go speak with him?" Akane felt kind of strange. It was as if the two of them were spying of the other Student, 'James Avery' "Boys will be boys I suppose."

@MyCatGinger

[SkeankySnack]

"It was fun. You can be my player 2 any time," Nori answered with a wink.

"Oh, guess that means you're player one then?" His voice was teasing, a grin on his face, "I think I can handle being your wingman, Boss." Kyle gave a sort of pseudo-salute to her.

She bent down to grab her purse, and after a brief search pulled out a Snickers Bar, "Your prize." Her smile was wide, it felt happy and frankly infectious as Kyle's own smile grew. She took his hand in her's, placing the candy bar in it and wrapping his fingers tightly around the bar, "Something sweet." Her voice was playful, Kyle probably should have known that this was what she meant when they made the bet, but truthfully...he was ok with that. Since coming back to Shine City he hadn't had the opportunity to really get out and interact with anyone his age, but by some random act of fate, this girl just suddenly shows up, invites him to eat nachos and play some Mother-Trucking HotD. It was a really fun way to spend the early afternoon and it felt good to socialize with someone again, but it felt deeper than that.

Since their strange introduction into each other (literally), Nori's told him about her guilt of dropping another guy and Kyle's told her about him dropping out of school. They both laid their cards on the table, both awaited judgement, and neither received punishment, but rather acceptance and understanding; he got her and she got him. Looking at her, Kyle's heart wasn't totally sure how to handle the string of emotions playing within him. Between the warmth of her hands around his own, the genuine smile on her face, the rosiness in her cheeks and those radiant eyes that pierced his own, Kyle thought this tattooed girl, Nori was incredibly...beautiful.

And then it happened, like a hummingbird taking a drink from a flower's nectar, Nori rocketed upwards, planting her lips for all but a second on his cheek. His eyes widened in slight shock at the unexpected action, before settling into a star-stunned gaze. Kyle's face became more flushed and he smiled bashfully as his eyes wandered down and away from her own, slightly embarrassed, but kind of...happy. After regaining some of his composure he looked back up towards her smiling softly, "Thanks Nori, I'll save it for a salty day," he took the candy bar bent down and placed it inside of one of the outer pockets on his coat.

"Now then,", He started as he stood up, "As runner up, I think you deserve a prize too so...how about I come see your set tonight and if you're not too busy afterwards, maybe I can treat you to something-anything? Whatever you'd like, my treat."

@Narcotic Dollie

[Delta44]

The soft chime of the store's doorbell rung throughout the small station as Kaori's second customer made her entrance, though with Kaori being in the back helping someone else, it would likely come as a surprise as to who had just come in through the door. The vagrant smell of flowers assaulted Ryoki's nostrils like a soft flame, as the colourful flower room gave off the feeling of a rainbow shining all it's glorious colours unto the earth. Looking about the store momentarily from the entrance, Ryoki noticed how there wasn't anyone tending to the shop, though seeing as the shop wasn't closed, she knew the clerk was likely off doing something or another. Noticing the bell at the front desk, the thought of pressing it entered her mind, however she ultimately resisted the urge. She didn't want to annoy the staff by summoning them, only to find herself browse the shop for a half hour...

That said, Ryoki decides to take a look around at all the beautiful flowers which she could purchase. She knew she could buy something with her family's money and buy the biggest, most beautiful flowers they had, however that wouldn't feel right. No, Ryoki was going to buy something for her parents with what she had and what she earned. Of course, she didn't have an awful lot of money to spare, but nonetheless, Ryoki was sure she could buy them something that was both somewhat inexpensive and beautiful. Well, it wasn't for certain, but she at least had to try. If worse came to worst, she could always change her gift to be something else. She didn't have to get her parents flowers. Though flowers would be ideal.

And so, whilst humming the tune of a new song in-the-making, Ryoki began to browse the innumerable flowers in which she could choose, hoping to find something that looked beautiful, smelled lovely and had a decent price tag... This was going to be a challenge...

@LovelyAnastasia

[Oz]

@Daxam
@Stern Algorithm

((Livius said he had seen Zac around, not Shizuka... Sorry for the confusion!))

"Oooh?" Livius leaned forward with a grin that was even wider than before. Livius was an avid baker, as well as a dedicated cook. Although he definitely didn't seem to be the baking type, it was a hobby that he enjoyed enough to make it a job, as he worked at the Tiny Snowflake. He wouldn't think about leaving there, no matter how much he joked about it. He was comfortable with the environment and people who worked there. But he didn't give a thought about giving money to the competition.

"Magician?" He questioned, although not in an impolite manner. He leaned back, wondering how large the business and demand for magicians went. Was it a viable career? He didn't know, so he couldn't really judge. "That's interesting! I've never seen a magician perform." His parents had never bothered with such activities, or really even spending time with him outside of events that would help their reputation. Still, Zac's wording was enough to provoke his curiosity.

"Boooo." He pouted when Zac refused to fill him him, leaning back further in the seat in a moping manner. "Why tease me like that? How mean." He jibed, but sprung back into a gleeful demeanor quite quickly. "Maybe I'll see if I can get you somewhere. My boss knows a lot of venue managers who could possibly pull some strings." He offered. Livius wasn't against using slightly underhanded strategies in order to get what he desired, or in order to help his friends.

"Are you sure?" Livius leered at Zac's comment about the maid outfit. "I think it'd suit you just fine." Contrary to what Zac might think of his comment, Livius really wasn't joking.

[Knight of Doom]

"A Christmas present for a gardener!" The girl exclaimed. "We have lots of things for tending gardens! Flower garden, veggie gardens, herb gardens~" It almost seemed as though this girl was in her own little world, but then she addressed the blond. "Here, towards the back!" Amaya followed the cheerful red headed employee to the back of the store. "Decorations, how to books, tools, gloves, aprons, even sun hats! The ones with humming birds on the ribbon are my favourite." Hmm, there sure were a lot of things to choose from. At first she was overwhelmed, but then took a moment to wrap her head around what kind of person her secret Santa was. She loved being outdoors, and tending to plant life. However, Amaya had to remind herself that she was a college student and didn't have much space to do what she wanted. "Do you know what kinds of plants your friend tends to?" the young girl asked, "If you do it may help you narrow down some of your choices!"

"Well, first of all she's a college student who lives in the dorms, so she doesn't have much space to grow larger plants. I think something to do with flowers would work better." The brown eyed girl thought out loud. "Perhaps a potted flower. Oh, she really likes the color purple, so maybe a purple flower," Amaya was simply speaking the first words that came out of her mouth. During these kinds of times it helped her think, but sometimes made her look ridiculous because she was too deep into thought to apply common sense, or a different factor or what she was thinking about. "If I'm going to get her a flower, then I should also buy some things to help her maintain the growth of the flower." All of a sudden, an obvious thought hit her. "Oh! But it's winter isn't it? Aren't flowers out of season?" Amaya asked. She felt so stupid for not realizing it before.

[KoL]

After finishing her chores (who could think that living alone would be so hard?) for yet another day, Iruka locked her dorm room and decided to take a short stroll to the nearest convenience store and buy herself a bento and a few other things that she was in need of (don't ask what, dumb!).

If, but only if, Iruka had a bigger budget to manage, she would go to Shine Junction and eat something on one of the restaurants there, but you can't expect a jobless/nearly broke student to be able to do that. Thus, Iruka sighed, resigned once again to rely on the marvelous wonder of microwave food. Once she had bought all she needed to and checked her phone to see that she still had plenty of time left for herself. What better way to kill it than on the arcade?

"Perhaps, I could play a bit of pachinko, who knows if I might win something?" At first, Iruka thought about playing mahjong, but there were too many younger children around the tables and it would be uncomfortable for a college aged girl to join them, so Iruka opted for another simple game. Following that, got herself some tickets and began to walk around the arcade, trying to find a free pachinko machine.

[Bozo]

Another day in this city of his. Another day of mysteries and hidden truths, faded values and little white lies. Shrine City was many things, of course. Love, life, and luxury were a few of the many things to be found here. After all, with all youth of today, who could say any different?

Oliver took a drag of his cigarette, lifting up a photograph of a young woman who had came to him for a prior case, blowing smoke across the faded film. Such a young woman, with her curly brown locks and tender gaze that captured the soul with cognac colored eyes. He couldn't forget her, how she'd been looking for her boyfriend who had gone missing for a week after leaving for a fishing trip. He had just vanished, never returning her texts, all calls going to voicemail.

The detective thought it was the first of something serious in his long career of private investigation, getting his hopes up in preparation of what he thought would be a defining moment in his career. Yet, like so many cases before it, it resulted only in disappointment.

It turns out the boyfriend has sent his sweetheart and email stating he was in the next town, forgetting his phone charger and forgetting to call her on a payphone just outside the hotel he was staying at. Oliver had wasted his time over a lady who didn't check her emails, with the only thing bearing fruit of his efforts was an adequate sum of Yen with a USD equivalent of five hundred US dollars.

He took another drag of his cigarette.

Another dame he remembered due to her stupidity.

Ah well, there was always next time, he guessed.

"I've been cooped up in my office for too long," he muttered to himself, standing from his desk and rolling down the sleeves of his shirt. "I need some coffee, been a while since I had any." Buttoning down his vest, he combed back his hair, reaching for the coat rack and slipping on his overcoat. Not forgetting his tasteful fedora, he took another drag from his cigarette before snuffing it in the ash tray he kept on his desk, before taking another one out from his pocket.

He'd suck on it for now, and light it when he actually got to the cafe.

.......

It had been a quick drive for him, pulling into the parking lot in his Bentley Continental GT Convertible. He stepped out, and sauntered up the front entrance.

"Mochavine Bar and Cafe, huh? Interesting..."

Strolling to the bar, he placed a hand on the counter.

"I'll take a coffee. Tall. Black. No cream or sugar."

[Yui]

Stratus. That was a name she was well familiar with. Somebody who came to the arcade just as much as Tomoko did, and was able to keep on square footing with her at all times. It wasn't uncommon for her to set a high score just above Stratus's, then return a couple days later to see Stratus had just barely gotten over her own high score. Whoever they were, they were an interesting opponent, always upping the ante just a little bit at a time. Today, like many days, Tomoko had discovered one of her high scores had been topped. And, as always, it was Stratus.

And, as always, Tomoko was not leaving this arcade until she took her #1 spot back.

Stepping up to a fighting game machine, Tomoko slipped a couple of tokens into the slot and started her game. As long as Tomoko didn't mess up, getting her #1 spot back would be a doable task by all means. Moving the cursor to select her character, she...

Tomoko messed up. She accidentally chose the character right next to her main. A garbage-tier character she had never played for that very reason. She wasn't winning this. No way. She had been defeated. Gently, Tomoko leaned forward and placed her head on the arcade machine, waiting for the AI opponent to put her out of this arcade run's misery. She would have to try again once this was over.

[Takashi]

Yutaro checked his watch as he left Mochavine and saw that he still had plenty of time left before work. It was a chilly December afternoon, so it wasn't the best time of year to relax outside, and he didn't really have any shopping to do. As he walked down the street, he took out his phone and absent-mindedly swiped through the screens, before he finally decided to save Rosanna's number before he forgot it. I hope I'm not burning up my luck too quickly, he thought, grinning at the prospect of getting one lovely lady's number while simultaneously making friends with another; certainly not something that happened every day. He hoped he would have the chance to get to know at least one of them a little better. But, that would have to wait. For now, he needed to find some other way to kill time.

He found himself, as he often did, at Lancom Arcade. It was usually a lively place filled with people who were playing all kinds of games. Yutaro had played every game in this establishment at least once, and had the layout of the building more or less memorized. If things hadn't worked out for him at the casino, this was his second choice. He loved the atmosphere of both places. The lights, the bells, the booming voices of the arcade machines challenging all those who walked by (did that machine actually have a motion detector on it? Sweet), all swirled together to create a mood of exciting tranquility, if that was even possible.

He grabbed a few tokens and, as he walked around contemplating which machine he'd feed his hard-earned money, he saw quite a few interesting people. One lucky guy was getting a kiss from a cute girl by the House of the Dead machine. Another girl seemed to be having a good time at the slot machines. He wished her luck, but generally avoided slot machines at the arcade because they had lower payouts. Casinos liked to put several "loose" machines in plain sight so that patrons could see people winning and get drawn into the games. Arcades, however, used flashy dance games and other video games to draw people in; their slot machines were there to inhale as much money as the law allowed. The gamer in him was tempted to reveal the "bad rules" to her, but he decided it would probably be in bad taste to do so, so he just let the girl enjoy her game and silently wished her the best of luck.

Finally, he came to what was certainly a rather odd sight. A girl was standing in front of a fighting game machine, but instead of fighting, she was bowing her head in defeat over the controls. That was strange; typically, when people put money into a machine, it was because they wanted to play it, but she was just literally sandbagging while the pitiful level 1 AI tried to kill her before the time ran out. Yutaro was somewhat familiar with this game, and noticed that she had picked the absolute worst character in the game, one that was the butt of many online jokes since his debut. Then it clicked; she must be a newcomer to gaming and was caught like a deer in the headlights. He then resolved that it was his civic duty to give her a proper welcome into the gaming community before some trolls scared her away.

"I know the controls can be complicated at first, but you should at least give it a try," Yutaro said as he approached Tomoko, standing at the player-two slot, but not laying down a challenge just yet. "It's actually a fun game once you get the hang of it." The AI won the first round thanks to a time-up, but the situation was still salvageable. "You see, when he jumps in like that, you can hold down and push punch and you'll do an uppercut, knock him right out of the air. Go ahead and try, you can probably beat this guy with that alone." He gave her a friendly smile, oblivious to the fact that Tomoko was the last person in the world who needed advice in gaming.

@JustYui

[Narcotic Dollie]

Nori’s lips made contact with Kyle’s cheek and it happened.

Fireworks.

’What the --?,’ she thought, pulling back quickly and touching her hand to her mouth. Her lips were buzzing like an electric current was flowing through them. ’It was just a kiss on the cheek, how is this even happening? I’ve made out with people and didn’t get this worked up.’ the blonde mused as Kyle averted his blue eyes and his face flushed a sweet shade of pink. She wanted to pin him against the House of the Dead machine and--

’Down girl!,’ Nori told herself, grabbing her sweater and pulling it back on. She needed to cover up, the more clothes between her and her new friend the better. Think of something 100% not sexy, like snails or something. Take a cold shower, maybe? Did that even work for girls? She didn’t care, she’d try anything at this point, because the blonde was moments away from jumping this man and scaring all the children in this facility for life.

"Thanks Nori, I'll save it for a salty day," Kyle answered with a smile, pulling his hand from her's so he could tuck the candy bar into his coat pocket. "Now then," he paused here to stand. "As runner up, I think you deserve a prize too so...how about I come see your set tonight and if you're not too busy afterwards, maybe I can treat you to something-anything? Whatever you'd like, my treat."

"I'd like that," the blonde replied a little too quickly, her ears beginning to turn red. "I work the early time slot tonight from 5:00 to 10:00. I'll give you my number," Nori said as she began to sort through her purse for something to write with. Selecting her waterproof eyeliner, the DJ took Kyle's left hand and held it steady while she wrote her number in neat print on the back of his hand. "It'll come off if you rub it against something, so be careful," the girl advised as she dropped his hand.

"I guess I should get going. I've got a few more errands to run before work," Nori told him, shifting her weight from one foot to the next. "So...I'll see you around?" She asked, looking up to meet his gaze.

@BeastofDestiny

[MyCatGinger]

Math.
Shou inwardly flinched. He interjected, saying the words Akane had on her mind, but we're mirrored in his, "For all the things I am, I am not and never will be an astute mathematician. Not will I understand how people do it."
Here, he smirked a little to himself. Anyone who had been at the academy long enough knew that Alex, or Professor Alessandra Goretti (or soon to be Alessandra Matsuoka) was in love with numbers. Of course, as a professor of physics, it wasn't so surprising. Some of the older students may even remember her and the comical arguments they had over which was the better science, before being told off by a chemist or even someone from the Mathematics department.

"Mrs Green is lovely, though!" he caught himself, subconsciously having scrunched up his face at the thought of maths itself.

He smiled again over at Akane, not forcing the rest of the cheesecake onto her, but taking a tiny bite for himself. "The same could be said of all animals. They're fascinating."

And he couldn't help but chuckle at her next remark, "Is that so, Miss Takumi? I worry my dogs will end up having more presence than I do at the academy..."

He sat back in his chair and busied himself with his coffee. A silence fell between them for some time as he contemplated what to do about James Avery.
And also, about Akane. He looked her over, brown eyes analytical behind their frames. The rest of his face was obscured by the characteristically large coffee mugs the Mochavine was famous for.
...she was a wonderful student. No, a wonderful girl. Quiet, but that did not hinder her inner loveliness by a smidgen. He let his mind linger on the thought of her meeting James, and if it would do the boy any good.

He made the decision to see him.

Finishing the rest of his coffee in an almost inhuman swig, he felt a little jittery but gave Akane a smile with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"I think we both should go see what he's here for, at the very least, no, Miss Takumi?"

@OppositionJ
@Cirrus

[LovelyAnastasia]

Kaori Tatsumia

Today's Theme Song Sung by Kaori

@Knight of Doom@Delta44

---

"So something small, sturdy and floral," Kaori thought for a moment, "And purple." She snapped her fingers and hurried off somewhere. In a few moment she came back with a small pot of purple blooms. "Bluebird Nemesia!" she grinned eager to please, "They do well in pots, are pretty hardy in cooler temperatures and love to eat lots of sunlight. And they have most lovely violet color and smell like fresh, like clover." She looked down at the blooms in delight. "They are such easy little things," she murmured stroking one soft petal, "You can put them pretty much anywhere and they'll flourish with just a little water and fertilizer."

Kaori turned a bit pink when she looked up. Talking to about flowers like they were children or baby animals was odd wasn't it? And she had done it in front of a customer. Rosy cheeked, she offer the potted blooms with a smile. "A little bag of fertilizer is all nemesia needs to help it grow, along with sunlight and water of course," she laughed softly, a bit sheepish, "You could even put it in a hanging basket so it can stay out of the way." Hearing the front door's bell ring, she looked up, but righted her attentions back to the blonde woman. "Fertilizer is just right next to the hanging pots," she pointed to the next shelf over, "If you need me again, do be afraid to call for me, My Lady. I hope I helped some."

Making sure the blonde woman was well off before she left, Kaori hurried back to the front of the store. A tall curvaceous dark haired woman was looking about. She looked familiar, though Kaori couldn't quiet place her. Where had she seen her before? Unable to put her finger on it, she walked over to the taller woman. "Welcome to The Enchanted Florist, where we'll help you make the arrangement of your dreams!" she chirped, "My name is Kaori. How may I help you today, my lady?

But when the dark haired woman turned, Kaori turned a bright shade of pink. Ryoki-sensei, her musical mentor. A bit uncomfortable, but never the less pleased to see the older woman, the red haired girl dipped her head in a polite bow. "R-Ryoki-sensei," she stammered, but smiled warmly, "I didn't recognize you at first. Um, would you like any help in your browsing?"

[Stern Algorithm]

A few moments later, Zac notices Shizuka hovering nearby, as if waiting for himself or Livius to need anything else. Zac was about to include her in on his and new friend's conversation when he heard the barista speak. Turning to the man behind the counter, Zac grins and replies, "Honestly, I'll take anything I can get, right now. I'm running on the last of my savings."

Jokingly, he then adds with a chuckle, "Though, I have to warn you. I don't think I'd look as good in a maid's uniform as Shizuka or any of your other employees."

@Oz@Stern Algorithm

@Daxam

@Daxam
@Stern Algorithm
"Are you sure?" Livius leered at Zac's comment about the maid outfit. "I think it'd suit you just fine." Contrary to what Zac might think of his comment, Livius really wasn't joking.

@Oz

"Haha," the barista replied, "If you work here, you'll probably be wearing something closer to what I have on." He had a grey pinstriped vest over a white dress shirt, grey dress pants, and an apron to top it all off.

The barista

"Unfortunately, we don't have a stage, but I would definitely let you perform, 'street magician'-style to the customers, as long as you keep the tricks tasteful," the barista added. He felt that in the end, Zac would refuse, considering there were better places for an up-and-coming magician to make his debut.

Shizuka went back to the kitchen counter to pick up Zac and Livius' orders. She carried a tray laden with their food to their table, and said, "Here you go, sirs," placing the Tropical Parfait in front of Zac, then she placed one of the coffees and a plate with two of the eclairs in front of Zac as well, and the other cup of coffee and plate with the remaining two eclairs in front of Livius. Given that Livius had ordered two coffees and four eclairs, Shizuka assumed he was also ordering for Zac. Although Zac already had a parfait, his larger physique let Shizuka accept that maybe he was a big eater. "Please enjoy." Shizuka took a step back so as not to hover over them eating, but she remained available for questions, comments, or concerns either of them might voice. It wasn't like she had any other customers at the moment.

[Daxam]

Hearing Livius, Zac, assuming he was just joking, couldn't help but laugh. "Well, it's nice to hear someone thinks so," he says, still chuckling. At that moment, Shizuka places their orders on the table and Zac looks up at her, thanking the sheepish waitress. Puling his parfait toward him, Zac notices that two of the eclairs and one of the coffees were sitting on the table in front of him. When he was about to ask Livius if he meant to order for him, he hears the barista give him his offer. Immediately, Zac turns around, kneeling on his seat, grinning at the man. "Are you serious?" he asks, looking like an excited little kid with his shining eyes and the parfait in hand.

It had always been a dream of Zac's to perform for people, whether it be on stage in a packed venue or something simpler. While Livius' offer definitely appealed to him, Zac felt that he didn't have anything good enough to impress any of the people his new friend had in mind, at least not until he had perfected his escape. But, where he was now, a job entertaining people here at the Shining Kettle sounded perfect to him. Looks like I'll be able to work alongside Shizuka, too, he can't help but think, having already taken a shine to the waitress.

"If you're serious about the job offer," Zac says to the barista as he sits back down, "then I'll gladly take it!" Turning back to Livius, he adds, "And as much as I appreciate the offer, I don't think I'm ready. I still need to work out some tweaks in my escape, namely not drowning. But, if you keep that offer open, then I'll gladly take it once I know I'm ready!"

@Oz@Stern Algorithm

[Cirrus]

While watching Matsuoka and Red Scarf Girl out of the corner of his eye James is distracted by a woman with a guitar who begins playing music he has not heard before. The lyrics aren't his type (no lyrics are, really), but he is impressed by how well she plays the music. She's probably a professional of some sort. Why would she be playing on the street? As if to answer his internal question she begins to jump and dance, clearly enjoying herself. For the fun of it, I see. It must be nice to be able to play an instrument like that. Or to be able to sing. Or dance, especially in public like that. Or own a dog! James' growing spell of sadness at his own rhythmic incompetence breaks instantaneously as he spots Moose at the woman's feet. It's so cute. I want to hug it and pet it and push its face into funny little smiles and... I suppose that would be awkward.

James calms himself and returns his attention to Matsuoka and Red Scarf Girl to witness the latter move the former's cheesecake closer, slice it in half, take one of the halves, and put it on her own plate. James quickly returns to looking at his phone. Are they sharing a cheesecake? Do teachers normally do that with students? Do students normally do that with teachers? What's going on over there? James considers the possibilities for several minutes before realizing that he doesn't have enough information to make a conclusion. If this were a romance anime that would mean they were into each other, but using stereotypical romance anime plot devices as a basis for evaluating a meeting between a student and a teacher, especially one that may be by chance, seems unwise. I suppose I'll have to ask one of them later. James returns to his cell and prepares to depart for the Shining Kettle, but as he does he notices the date. That's right. Today is the start of the Lancom Arcade tournament. I've been waiting for this. James remains where he is for a while longer as he considers what today holds.

@OppositionJ@MyCatGinger

---

James isn't the type to participate in video game tournaments. He plays games to improve both himself and the person he is playing with -- not to see who is better or to win a reward. Despite that he does observe tournaments. There are few better ways to learn than by example, and spectating allows him to watch as much as possible and have ample time to analyze what he sees. For this upcoming tournament, though, he has a more pressing reason to observe from the sidelines. He wants to identify KeroKero KyuuKyoku.

It's not unheard of for somebody to manage to beat one of James' #1 scores. When that happens he usually lets them enjoy their victory uncontested (until after the yearly leaderboard reset and archival, anyway), but KeroKero is different. They have already taken two of his five remaining #1 spots and are currently competing for a third in a game called Mecha Saints. Mecha Saints plays like Fighter Street (except with mechas because Japan) but it has a few extras added in like a competitive leaderboard for AI matches and alternate game modes. Games like Fighter Street are normally James' weakest genre (tied for last with MOBAs), but he has found some very interesting quirks in the least played character because he picks it while teaching new people how to play (something he does quite often). He cleverly uses those oddities to post very high scores.

James decided to compete for this #1 spot. He played his typical cat and mouse game of posting incrementally higher scores in order to lengthen the competition*, but eventually KeroKero managed to force him to play at his absolute best in order to post the score he has now. The back and forth between the two has decimated the leaderboards for Mecha Saints. It has room for 20 entries but now it only has three names on it: Stratus, KeroKero KyuuKyoku, and, at the bottom, the tag for whichever poor soul held second place when the mayhem started.

* - James' Odd Job

James gets a token discount at the arcade because he does stuff like this, which is why he enters so many leaderboard entries.
After spending most of his time at the arcade during his first winter break James realized that it was going to be an expensive habit so he found a way to soften the cost a bit. He told the owner that he was going to make him some extra money that week, and that he would keep doing it if he could get a token discount. The owner was skeptical, of course, but he came around pretty quickly when James delivered. He did so by getting scores just above the lowest spot on the leaderboards for several different games. Naturally the previous owner of that position played the game a few more times to post a higher score and reclaim their position on the leaderboard. It's an especially effective strategy later in the year when everyone wants to be on a leaderboard in order to make it into that year's archival of the leaderboards. Both James and the other player improve from the activity (the important part to James) and the arcade makes more profit thanks to the extra plays (also important to James because he likes the place and wants it to stay in business). After the owner calculated that James was generating enough competition to effectively double the money he spent himself (which is a fairly large amount to begin with) it wasn't hard for James to convince him that a 20% token discount was reasonable. He tried to negotiate cheaper snacks but the owner wouldn't budge on those. Shame. When posting scores for this purpose James uses the tag Stratus sparingly and rarely uses the same tag more than once. He only upsets the leaderboards for a game a few times so he seldom ends up with the spot himself, but sometimes he does unintentionally take the spot.

@JustYui

[Delta44]

So encompassed in her own browsing, Ryoki didn't hear the faint tap-tap-tap of Kaori's shoes as she glided through the store to meet her. She was currently overlooking a bunch of Carolina Phlox, though had no idea what they were and if they were any good. "Welcome to The Enchanted Florist, where we'll help you make the arrangement of your dreams!"

Wait a minute... Wasn't that...?

"My name is Kaori. How may I help you today, my lady?

Turning around, Ryoki's jaw dropped at the sight of the small redhead whom she had become well accustomed with over the past- ... Gee, how long had it been? Ryoki couldn't recall. Regardless, Kaori stood before her, apparently just as stumped as she was, though with one of those incredibly sweet smiles and a heartwarming blush, she bowed. "R-Ryoki-sensei, I didn't recognize you at first. Um, would you like any help in your browsing?"

Ryoki couldn't help but smile in giddy excitement. If this were anywhere less public, Ryoki would've hugged the poor little redhead out of joy! She was just so cute that whenever Ryoki saw her, she could hardly keep herself contained! It was a curse, alright. Nobody could be that stunningly cute! It was like having a cute, little innocent ball of pink fluff that could be tormented with and manipulated into being cuter by having her try to unlock her inner sex appeal! If that analogy was a bit too much, that's because it wasn't an analogy. Towards the end of their music lessons, more often than not Ryoki would... 'lose control'. Sometimes it was just simple hugging and teachings, however sometimes Ryoki would involve more 'practical' methods, some of which would get a lot of views on certain sites on the internet...

Swallowing the drool that would've come out otherwise, Ryoki smiles and playfully ruffles Kaori's hair. She had to compose herself, at least for now. 'Innocent thoughts, Ryoki... Innocent thoughts... No! Not innocent as in Kaori, woman! Compose yourself!' Though her mind was in a state of disarray, she looked perfectly calm, though Kaori may or may not have picked up by now that her calmness was a mere front. "What a surprise! I didn't know you worked here, Kaori! You should've told me!" She continues, adjusting her scarf slightly. "It's good to see you're growing up!" Whatever way Ryoki meant that was up to Kaori to interpret. Spinning around, Ryoki stares at the flowers which she was studying before, putting a finger to her chin. "I'm looking for something to give to my parents. Their anniversary is coming up soon, you see, and I was meaning to get them something, y'know, meaningful. So I thought: 'Hey, why not get them flowers?' Problem with that is I don't know what's best and what isn't, but I suppose that's what you're here for!" The older woman grins, facing the redhead once more. "I kinda want something that will live a long time, as a way to commemorate their marriage. They're not exactly the gardener type of people, so something that doesn't require an awful lot of effort to take care of would also be good. Anything come to mind, Aka-chan?"

That was the nickname she occasionally called Kaori by, the reasoning behind which being self-explanatory - "aka" being "red". As the girl took her time to think up some flowers, Ryoki couldn't help but let a couple thoughts wander around in her own head, the most predominant of which being:

'I have got to make her wear that uniform again...'

@LovelyAnastasia

[Opposition]

Akane ceased her constant chatter as her professor seemed to bury himself in thought for the moment. No doubt, he was thinking of the random student outside. Shou seemed to really care for this student, or he at least felt strongly about this 'James'. All teachers had those types of students of course, the kind Akane tried to avoid. Then again, she tended to avoid all other students. She brought a hand up to her chin as she was caught in thought, swirling the contents of her drink around in its cup as she did so. It's not like the two of them would meet again anyways. Akane shrugged off the thoughts of the student, directing her wayward gaze back to her professor.

"We should go see him?" This may have been one of the first times Akane had shot a questioning glance at her professor. She wasn't one to go against her superiors, but Ugh, people. No doubt awkwardness would ensue if she had to converse with James. Speaking to her peers was definitely not her forte, and Akane made that quite known to anyone who managed to stumble into a conversation with her. Perhaps that was the reason she spent most of her time off studying or playing games. It was not that she disliked her lifestyle of solitude, but perhaps interacting with her peers would be enjoyable if she met someone fun.

Akane attempted to mask her rather large sigh with her hand. "I suppose I could accompany if you'd prefer it." He didn't appear like some Akane would hate. She gave a shrug, gathering her dish and cup together before withdrawing some cash from her bag. She quickly counted out some cash for her and her companion's refreshments and laid it on the table. "Lead the way." Her eyes went wide a moment. She had no idea what Shou wanted her to talk to James for, but there was no going back now.

@Cirrus
@MyCatGinger

[Dolerman]

Nick was sitting in his room, he wasn't happy, the chewing gum in his mouth was just sitting there, occasionally being rolled around in his mouth. But there was no enthusiasm, he was feeling low, really low. His date with Shizuka went fine....fine for a friend or an acquaintance.
She didn't want to be anything close to a date or a girlfriend. This hurt, he really liked Shizuka, she was the calm ocean to his typhoon, the stable rock to his volcano, Nick wasn't used to disappointment, he rarely puts himself out there and admits his feelings for someone, and when he does its always reciprocated. It was a little like Nori but Nick promised himself not to think about her, she was probably dating someone now, most wanted girl in the city HAD to be. He spat his stale gum in his bin and turned on his radio app, he didnt have the energy but he had a job to do.

Hi Shine city, Nick here. Umm its 9:15 Saturday night, I'm sure a lot of you have dates....and well check out Club LUSH, good music...Good DJs, really good DJs.....oh Ryyva is back, she's real pretty, check out her guitar skills. I also heard we have an ex detective or something, his name is uhh, one second....Oliver J Holland charming handsome type, and mysterious too, watch out ladies. Time for Weston Suggestions I suppose what I suggest is that if you really like someone, being friendly, interesting and genuine isn't enough, there is always someone better, so brace yourself for...dissapointment.......Well I better get going to the Arcade, the Tournament is in full swing, gonna keep an eye out for Sakura and someone called Tomoko Kimura should be interesting...anyways here's a song who for everyone who feels a little let down right now....yaowza...sigining out.



Nick put his Jacket on, and left the house on the way to the Lancom Arcade, while wiping tears from his eyes. Not even bothering to chew bubblegum at all.

[KoL]

Iruka was actually enjoying her time at the arcade, for once playing something that wasn't mahjong, she was terrible at any other kind of games (either too much of a klutz, or far too easily distracted), "But, if it's just letting these balls slide down, I can do it... right?" she thought with the half-hearted determination of one who knows she's trying to trick herself.

And so, she began to play, kind of losing the track of time while innocently feeding the machine with tokens until... "Huh?" Iruka said as the last of her tokens was devoured by the pachinko machine, that once again didn't let out any balls at all.

When you think about it, that wasn't such an unexpected outcome and, because of that, Iruka only spend the pocket money she had on tokens, knowing that she couldn't dare lose her sustenance money because of games. Even so, Iruka couldn't help but feel a bit (much) disappointed as she was ready the arcade while listening to the transmission "It's getting late already, I should get back" she thought, but her feet refused to move as she stared wistfully at a prize booth and all the fluffy dolls that they had there.

Eventually, Ir[7ff00=8dc73f]uka's body obeyed her commands and let go of the pile o' cuties and as she was about to leave the arcade... "Wha!?"[/color] Iruka bumped on someone. A taller boy, around Iruka's age, with an oddly colored hair who was chewing some bubblegum. However nothing of this mattered now to Iruka as she had one hand over her chest while taking small breaths and muttering "I need to keep calm... I need to keep calm," insistently under her breath as she tried to control the sudden onset of her haphephobia.

[SkeankySnack]

"I'd like that," Kyle barely got the full question out before she answered him, he figured that was a good thing, "I work the early time slot tonight from 5:00 to 10:00. I'll give you my number." Nori reached into her purse again and produced...a pencil? Oh wait, no that was make-up. Taking his left hand into her own, she began to write the digits down, the make shift writing utensil dragging across his skin as the numbers took form. "It'll come off if you rub it against something, so be careful," she let go of his hand and he observed the digits, they were of course backwards from his perspective, but he'd translate later.

"I guess I should get going. I've got a few more errands to run before work," Nori told him, shifting her weight from one foot to the next. "So...I'll see you around?" She asked, looking up to meet his gaze.

Once again Kyle found himself gazing into her sun-filled eyes, a little disappointed that she had to go, but he was ok with that, she had things to do and he'd see her again later that night, "Yea, most definitely," he smiled a big smile, "I'll see you tonight, stay safe, alright?"

They exchanged farewells and the tattooed girl took her leave, Kyle lingering behind at the arcade machine just watching her walk away. She turned around once to look at him, her eyes just as shining despite the distance, he waved to her with his right hand and watched her disappear from the arcade. Alone once again, or as alone as a building full of people would allow, Kyle took time to reflect on the events that occurred that morning into the afternoon. Bliss.

"Good reaction," he thought idly, looking at the number on his hand he quickly pulled out his phone and punched in the digits. In hindsight he probably should have just handed her his phone, but was too distracted by how adorable "sexy" she was to care. Looking at the digits on his hand one last time he pumped it and immediately felt a yawn coming on. "Hm...kind sleepy..." looking at his phone again, it was still pretty early enough in the afternoon that he felt he could get away with taking a nap before going to Nori's set. After all he didn't necessarily need to be there at 5:00, but he did need to be there so he could see her. With his mind made, Kyle sauntered on home with the intention of crashing for a few zzz's.

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9:17 pm

"(crapcrapcrapcrapCRAP!)" Kyle shouted out as he ran as fast as he could down the street, phone in hand as he tried to find out WHERE THE HELL CLUB FRICKIN LUSH WAS!!! When Kyle returned to his apartment earlier he thought it wouldn't be a terrible idea to smoke just a little bit before conking out for a couple of hours. Well a couple of hours turned into several which brings Kyle to his current and unfortunate circumstance. Quickly throwing on a t-shirt, blue flannel, a pair of jeans and grabbing his coat and hat, Kyle flew out the door, barely remembering to lock it behind him before rocketing down the street.

"I didn't even text her, god she's probably wondering where the fuck I am, I don't even know where the fuck I am, why did I smoke that shit before sleeping!? Why do I sabotage myself like th-!!!??? WHAM!

Kyle fell flat on his ass, the pain was pretty bad there, but it was his head that he was more focused on, "(Argh, son of a-!)" Kyle gritted his teeth to bite against the pain in his head, he slowly opened his eyes to find another individual on the ground in front of him, another guy, probably around his age but with half his hair dyed blue and the other purple. He looked pretty in pain too...Kyle snapped into focus his attention immediately directed away from his own trauma to the SECOND FRICKIN' PERSON HE LITERALLY RAN INTO TODAY "God what is wrong with me?!"

Clambering to his feet Kyle quickly approached the other guy, "Hey man, are you alright? I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." Kyle was feeling pretty horrible, but then...he remembered Nori was still waiting for him. "(oh crap)..." Though his feelings were somewhat conflicted, he made a choice, "uh, uh, uh, ah, you!" Looking around he spotted another person, some girl, "So he needs some help, he looks fine, but he might need some ice, I have to uh.. uh... I'M SO SORRY!"

Kyle bowed down and jetted back down the street again. To be perfectly honest, he felt extremely horrible for just abandoning the people like that, but he was sure they had it handled, plus he was LATE! Kyle willed his legs to move faster, pushing himself as hard as he could to get to the club, not even realizing that he dropped and left his phone behind.

@Dynamo Frokane @KoL

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Kyle's outfit