There was a certain energy to the ramen group that Hoshiko couldn't describe but it made her feel what could commonly be described as happiness. It felt like she was hanging out with friends and while she wasn't presumptuous to say they were, the fact that she was so easily able to talk with them despite them being in a higher year than her was a good sign. She was even smiling a bit though that was as much because she was going to have food on someone else's dime which was always worth a grin or two. Before doing the rounds in conversation her eyes rolled towards another senpai who seemed very excited about the girl who took their order which only served to widen Hoshiko's smile again. "Senpai, do you have a cruuuuuuush? You should say something!" Hoshiko was quiet enough to not alert the attention of Yuri but loud enough that it was very clear among the group who she was talking to.
"Cute? The boys who like you?" Hoshiko blinked towards Shirasawa-senpai. Hoshiko wasn't exactly an expert on cute boys so she shrugged her shoulders. "You could probably do better." As the food was set in front of her, the first thing she did was take a gyoza and dip it in the broth of her spicy ramen before taking a bite. "You have a rough way of talking, senpai. It's kinda funny." Speaking with her mouthful towards Nakano-senpai, Hoshiko took another dunked gyoza bite. "Also what's a condom? Why would she be scared to buy them? Hey we should all exchange contact info. Do you guys have Line?" Perhaps she was rushing into things but Hoshiko didn't care.
She was just happy to be part of something for once.
"I don't even know why I'm hereeeeeeeeeeeeeeee."
Hoshiko slumped her shoulders as she followed along with the small group of mostly familiar faces. When she left the ramen shop a few days ago she didn't expect the next time she'd be invited to something would be being dragged along to a study group. She hated to study! It was so boring! And she wasn't even in their class, she was a first year, they'd all already been through it so what were they going to study with her? Answers to tests they took already? Hoshiko's hands were in her pockets and her lips were pouting but she'd already agreed to come along when Shirasawa-senpai ran into her in the halls and invited her as Hoshiko was getting a drink for lunch.
In hindsight, Hoshiko really wished she listened to the invite instead of just immediately saying yes when she was asked to do something with others.
There was some conversation being discussed about their class being expelled but that didn't exactly matter to Hoshiko given she was a first year and the worst thing her teacher did was try and get Hoshiko to apply herself. She was partly tuning out and partly making sure her voice was heard as she complained whilst shuffling her feet. There was nothing exciting about studying even if it came with them stopping to get snacks which at the very least would be the highlight of the afternoon. Hoshiko would have killed for something else to do.
And that was precisely when Shirasawa shrieked.
Hoshiko had to cover her ears until it subsided. Just before she thought to ask what that was all about, she noticed the rest of the group in some state of shock or the like and her eyes finally danced upon the reason. A body. A corpse. A cadaver. All manner of other names for the thing that was completley out of the ordinary; it wasn't like corpses were just found on the sidewalk every day. Well, not that she knew of. She'd have to ask Nakano-senpai if she saw bodies before; she just seemed like the type. The only time Hoshiko had seen a body was on cop dramas that she watched, mystery stories and the like starring eccentric murder solving detectives and the stuffy partner who was usually cute and uptight.
"Is it a real one?" While people were, understandably, freaking out, Hoshiko did a strange choice and approached the body, blinking only once as she did. "Shouldn't we, like, see who it is? Maybe we know him. Like a grandpa or uncle or something." That's how they did it in the shows. The detectives would look for a wallet or card or identification of some kind and while Hoshiko was definitely not a detective she had watched many of them on tv. "Wow he's like...really dead, huh." Hoshiko, for want of a stick, crouched next to the corpse and poked with her index finger the arm of the corpse. She gripped the cadaver's sleeve and lifted the arm up a brief moment and let it fall back onto the trash bags.
"HEY, HEY, WHAT'S GOING ON HERE? IS EVERYTHING ALRIGHT? WHO SCREAMED?"
An authoritative voice cut through the area and Hoshiko quickly stood and spun to face it. Two uniformed officers arrived on the scene and instinctively Hoshiko threw up her hands. "He was dead when we got here. Honestly. I didn't do it. We didn't do it. She did it." Hoshiko pointed towards Shirasawa-senpai. "I mean she didn't do it. She-"
"Everybody step away. Now." The first officer on scene commanded while his partner was reporting something to the radio, no doubt calling it in and calling for backup.
"See, this is why I don't study."
"Which one of you kids can explain to me what happened?" Wisely, the officer seemed to ignore Hoshiko.
"Cute? The boys who like you?" Hoshiko blinked towards Shirasawa-senpai. Hoshiko wasn't exactly an expert on cute boys so she shrugged her shoulders. "You could probably do better." As the food was set in front of her, the first thing she did was take a gyoza and dip it in the broth of her spicy ramen before taking a bite. "You have a rough way of talking, senpai. It's kinda funny." Speaking with her mouthful towards Nakano-senpai, Hoshiko took another dunked gyoza bite. "Also what's a condom? Why would she be scared to buy them? Hey we should all exchange contact info. Do you guys have Line?" Perhaps she was rushing into things but Hoshiko didn't care.
She was just happy to be part of something for once.
April 24th, 2025
"I don't even know why I'm hereeeeeeeeeeeeeeee."
Hoshiko slumped her shoulders as she followed along with the small group of mostly familiar faces. When she left the ramen shop a few days ago she didn't expect the next time she'd be invited to something would be being dragged along to a study group. She hated to study! It was so boring! And she wasn't even in their class, she was a first year, they'd all already been through it so what were they going to study with her? Answers to tests they took already? Hoshiko's hands were in her pockets and her lips were pouting but she'd already agreed to come along when Shirasawa-senpai ran into her in the halls and invited her as Hoshiko was getting a drink for lunch.
In hindsight, Hoshiko really wished she listened to the invite instead of just immediately saying yes when she was asked to do something with others.
There was some conversation being discussed about their class being expelled but that didn't exactly matter to Hoshiko given she was a first year and the worst thing her teacher did was try and get Hoshiko to apply herself. She was partly tuning out and partly making sure her voice was heard as she complained whilst shuffling her feet. There was nothing exciting about studying even if it came with them stopping to get snacks which at the very least would be the highlight of the afternoon. Hoshiko would have killed for something else to do.
And that was precisely when Shirasawa shrieked.
Hoshiko had to cover her ears until it subsided. Just before she thought to ask what that was all about, she noticed the rest of the group in some state of shock or the like and her eyes finally danced upon the reason. A body. A corpse. A cadaver. All manner of other names for the thing that was completley out of the ordinary; it wasn't like corpses were just found on the sidewalk every day. Well, not that she knew of. She'd have to ask Nakano-senpai if she saw bodies before; she just seemed like the type. The only time Hoshiko had seen a body was on cop dramas that she watched, mystery stories and the like starring eccentric murder solving detectives and the stuffy partner who was usually cute and uptight.
"Is it a real one?" While people were, understandably, freaking out, Hoshiko did a strange choice and approached the body, blinking only once as she did. "Shouldn't we, like, see who it is? Maybe we know him. Like a grandpa or uncle or something." That's how they did it in the shows. The detectives would look for a wallet or card or identification of some kind and while Hoshiko was definitely not a detective she had watched many of them on tv. "Wow he's like...really dead, huh." Hoshiko, for want of a stick, crouched next to the corpse and poked with her index finger the arm of the corpse. She gripped the cadaver's sleeve and lifted the arm up a brief moment and let it fall back onto the trash bags.
"HEY, HEY, WHAT'S GOING ON HERE? IS EVERYTHING ALRIGHT? WHO SCREAMED?"
An authoritative voice cut through the area and Hoshiko quickly stood and spun to face it. Two uniformed officers arrived on the scene and instinctively Hoshiko threw up her hands. "He was dead when we got here. Honestly. I didn't do it. We didn't do it. She did it." Hoshiko pointed towards Shirasawa-senpai. "I mean she didn't do it. She-"
"Everybody step away. Now." The first officer on scene commanded while his partner was reporting something to the radio, no doubt calling it in and calling for backup.
"See, this is why I don't study."
"Which one of you kids can explain to me what happened?" Wisely, the officer seemed to ignore Hoshiko.