Description

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{

I think at some point before you're born, they send you a manual on how to act like a person, just in case you're too clueless to catch on by yourself. Mine got lost in the mail.

}
Kazuki's Story ~ Theme Song - Without a Heart/Somehow
Dɪᴀʟᴏɢᴜᴇ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✦ #349438
Tʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✧ #515451

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✦ Full Name ✦

Kurokawa Kazuki
Origin and Meaning: His surname, Kurokawa, means "Black River," while his given name, "Kazuki," is written with the characters for "peace" and "hope." He finds this meaning thoroughly ironic, given his somewhat flighty and depressive nature.

✦ Nickname ✦

Kuro
Origin and Meaning: A shortening of his surname, given to him as a rather derogatory nickname by some of his old classmates, a descriptor chosen based on his rather gloomy appearance. In their earliest meeting, Yoichi mistook this jab for his actual name, and so called him Kuro by mistake. Kazuki was too embarrassed to tell him of his mistake, and thus only corrected him on it later, and so the nickname ended up sticking. He doesn't mind as much if his friends call him Kuro, but dislikes it when anyone else does, as it seems insulting, given the name's less-than-kind origin.

✦ Gender ✦

Male

✦ Age ✦

18
✦ Sexual Orientation ✦
- Heterosexual
✦ Face Claim ✦
- Yukimura Tooru, Aoharu x Kikanjuu

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✦ Height ✦

Five feet, ten inches.

✦ Weight ✦

167 lbs.

✦ Eye Color ✦

Gray-black.

✦ Hair Color ✦

Jet black.

✦ Physical Description ✦

Comparing Kazuki to those in whose company he's most often seen - Yoichi, more often than not - one can't help but wonder just what exactly they have in common. In part, this is because their appearances couldn't be more different. Yoichi's presence exudes confidence, control, and an overwhelming vibe of power. Kazuki, on the other hand, barely seems to be there, like he's actively trying to fade into the background. Carrying himself with a slouch, the mousy youth always looks like he's hiding, trying to avoid direct confrontation with some unseen enemy. Or, to put their difference in animal terms, Yoichi seems like the apex predator in any social environment, while Kazuki, on the other hand, looks like the easiest of prey.

Compared to his friend, Kazuki also falls short in several other aspects. Yoichi is tall and powerfully built, while Kazuki is of a fairly average height, and a bit on the scrawny side despite his efforts to keep up. In contrast to Yoichi's more tanned skin, Kazuki is very pale, a reflection of his preference for remaining indoors. Notably, however, there is one thing he and Yoichi share in common: neither one of them is fully Japanese, a fact which helps to explain Kazuki's uncommonly pale complexion. However, with Kazuki, this isn't quite as obvious as it is with Yoichi. After all, his messy, neck-length hair is a fairly common shade of black, while his steel-hued gray-black eyes are little different - although you could be excused for not noting his eye color, since he's almost always seen with a pair of somewhat spectacles with rectangular black frames that tend to obscure his dark eyes somewhat. Regardless, when compared to Yoichi's blonde hair and red-brown eyes, Kazuki's appearance is pretty ordinary.

As you may have noticed, Kazuki tends not to evaluate himself from an objective viewpoint, but rather, by comparing himself to those around him - usually Yoichi. And, as you probably also noticed, these comparisons are very seldom favorable. If you asked anyone, even Kazuki himself - in fact, especially Kazuki himself - they'd tell you in a heartbeat that Yoichi is definitely the more handsome and personable of the two. However, what Kazuki probably wouldn't confess - as it's something he doesn't even recognize himself - is that he's doing himself something of an injustice by setting his standards so high and them talking himself down when he fails to meet them. His face isn't exactly handsome in a traditional masculine sense, defined as it is by rounded cheeks and prominent cheekbones that make him look just a touch effeminate. His hair is fairly straight, but tends to curl at the ends, giving it a perpetually messy, fluffed up look that tends to ruin what might otherwise be praised rhapsodically as "locks of raven as smooth as silk," or some similarly poetic hogwash. Were it not for his need for glasses, his eyes might otherwise tend to draw attention due to how large and dark they are, playing off of his pale skin quite nicely. Although he lacks a tan, he also lacks major scars or blemishes that might render him unsightly. And, although he's not exactly buff, he's at least in shape and thin enough to be appealing - two things his preference for somewhat bulky, loose-fitting clothing tends to conceal. As such, even if he's not exactly an Adonis like a certain acquaintance of his, he could still rightly be called somewhat cute.

As mentioned above his preference in clothing tends to be rather conservative. He favors basic white dress shirts and warm, soft cardigans, usually paired with simple khaki slacks. Of course, this is only when he isn't just wearing his school uniform, which he tends to stick to wearing through most of the day, wash in the evenings once he's changed into his pajamas, and then wear again the following day. Since he doesn't exactly get out much, it can be kind of rare for people who only know him through school to see him wearing anything else.

✦ Distinguishing Traits ✦

Fluffy: Kazuki's hair appears to be in perpetual disarray. No matter how much he tries to control it, there will be some end curling outward, or some loose tuft sticking up. It's plenty soft, though, giving him a strangely doglike aspect, in that one may sometimes feel a strange compulsion to pat him on the head - at least, when he's not being distant and standoffish.
Creepy: To those he doesn't know, Kazuki tends to seem very cold and aloof. He's not exactly good with social interaction, and tends to be very nervous, fearing drawing attention to himself or saying the wrong thing. As a result, he seldom speaks, only occasionally offering up some small tidbit or another as a response, or simply nodding or shaking his head to show he's paying attention without having to speak up. What's more, a plethora of trust issues compel him to keep a very close eye on anyone he's forced to interact with, but at the same time, he suffers from mild scopophobia and anthropophobia, making him feel intense discomfort when he knows he's being scrutinized, or when he's forced to make eye contact with others - as he feels like they're staring. Consequently, it can seem to somebody who isn't familiar with his particular dysfunctions that he's trying purposefully to ignore them - refusing to make eye contact, seldom offering any sort of response, etc. - and is only looking at them out of the corner of his eye to see whether or not they're going to leave. Because of this, it's easy to assume he's haughty and aloof rather than simply socially crippled.
Oversized Sweaters: Another peculiar quirk brought on by his various insecurities is his distaste for physical contact. While he's not going to faint if you poke him, he tends to dislike prolonged or sudden contact, as the former makes him feel as though his personal space is being steadily violated, and the latter tends to take him by surprise. To avoid accidentally touching anybody, he tends to wear sweaters that are just slightly too big for him, allowing the sleeves to cover his hands almost completely.

✦ Oddities ✦

Always Cold: For whatever reason, Kazuki tends to chill easily - another reason why sweaters and cardigans are an almost universal part of his wardrobe.
Terrible Liar: Kazuki is really bad at telling falsehoods convincingly. For one thing, he tends to stammer and trip over his words a lot more than usual when trying to deceive someone, and for another, he deliberately forces himself to make eye contact. Perhaps he does it because he thinks it'll make him appear more honest...?
Quiet: Kazuki is very good at being completely silent - not just when he's not speaking, but simply when he's moving. He has an eerie gift for appearing and disappearing suddenly and without warning, as it's very difficult to hear him moving. When it comes to getting out of situations where he feels uncomfortable, sometimes he'll just seem to vanish the moment people stop paying attention to him.

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✦ Personality ✦

Confident. Assertive. Outgoing. Brave. These are all words that don't describe Kazuki. Descriptors like "emotionally distant," "inexpressive," "paranoid," and "antisocial," on the other hand, all suit him perfectly.

The first thing people notice when meeting Kazuki for the first time is how cold he seems. He almost never speaks, and his face usually remains blank save for a faint frown. In particular, his eyes might be described similarly to those of a certain anime character - "like the eyes of a dead fish." His default gaze is empty and vacant, seeming to wander everywhere except towards the person talking to him, as though he'd rather be anywhere else. Then, every now and again, he'll peer back to see what they're doing, in the process giving a sort of harsh, cutting sideways glare that seems to scream the simple command "leave me alone." Sure, he seldom confronts people directly, and usually agrees with what they say to make conversing easier - as he hates conflict - but his vacant, shifty manner tends to put most people off when they first meet him, as his first response to meeting new people seems to be to treat them as an enemy, or somehow hostile.

Clashing entirely with his defensive mannerisms, however, are his speech patterns. More often than not, he speaks very politely, treating most, if not all people around him as though they're his social superiors. He has trouble saying no to almost anything, and so tends to be very compliant to whatever requests others have of him. This might be enough to offset his somewhat creepy physical demeanor - were it not for the fact that he almost never speaks to people he doesn't know in more than monosyllabic utterances, and his voice tends to be so hushed that he can sometimes be hard to hear. As such, it can almost seem more like he's muttering things under his breath and refusing to talk.

Because of all these factors, many people's first impression of Kazuki is that he's an antisocial freak who hates people. And, in a sense, they're right - save for the fact that "hate" is probably the wrong word to use. Rather, it would be more accurate to say that he finds it nearly impossible to trust or meaningfully connect to others. Furthermore, he also has a crippling fear of drawing attention to himself, making it very difficult for him to convince himself that it's worth his time to approach another person. Because of this, and because of his rather off-putting reputation as a loner, it's always unusual when somebody actually bothers to strike up a conversation with him. While he might otherwise take this attention as a relief from the solitude of awkward silence, he has a very poor impression of "people who aren't Yoichi or trusted by Yoichi" due to his personal experience. As such, if there's somebody he doesn't know who just starts talking to him out of the blue, it's probably a sign that they want something from him, are underhandedly mocking him, or are otherwise trying to play him for a fool. As such, Kazuki tends to be so preoccupied with trying to find and decipher any and all subtext in a conversation that might reveal his "enemy's" true intentions, and with trying not to leave himself open to be insulted or exploited, that he generally tends to find it difficult to say anything at all.

So, he says nothing. He approaches no one, save Yoichi and those to whom Yoichi has introduced him, feeling that it's safer this way. Because...

Relationships with others - be they family, friends, or even lovers - are all give and no take. You see, for the most part, Human beings are frauds.

And, even if he wouldn't say that every single person is just a self-interested liar looking for an easy dupe - as one would merely need to look at his trust of Yoichi and others to see that this would be hypocrisy in its finest form - Kazuki simply doesn't think it's worth risking trusting others when, more likely than not, they'd never be willing to do for you the things you do for them. In fact, if he'd had his way, he wouldn't have even risked trusting Yoichi, were it not for the string of unlikely coincidences that pushed them together. As it is, he's been lucky enough to find one or two people he can rely on to treat him honestly, people who actually care about how he feels. This much is, already, more than he ever would have been willing to ask for.

As you may have noticed, his issues with people stem from more than just cynicism and a history of being treated as an outsider. Rather, they're a painfully obvious manifestation of his deep-seated fear of abandonment. This is why he can maintain resolute in his jaded worldview, even if not everybody betrays or attempts to manipulate him; even the people who treat him kindly eventually leave and never come back. So far, the only one to break this mold has been Yoichi, but far from reassuring him, this only further worries Kazuki, as he's beginning to realize how much he depends on his more socially competent friend-turned-older-brother-figure to protect him from unwanted social situations. Because of this, he's deeply afraid of displeasing Yoichi, or doing anything else, for that matter, that might result in losing his favor - as he's no longer sure that he could actually cope with having absolutely nobody he can rely on. At the same time, he hates himself for failing to trust the only person who's ever been willing to accommodate his many flaws and look out for him, as he feels that, after all Yoichi has done for him, he owes his surrogate big brother at least some level of faith, no matter how reluctant he is to risk such a thing.

You see, Kazuki's cynicism may drive him to suspect and fear people, but at the same time, it also compels him to distance himself from the things he sees around him. He doesn't want to be a fraud or a traitor, and he most certainly doesn't want to make anyone give anything to him that he wouldn't give back in a heartbeat. While it's difficult for him to trust others, he himself can thus be trusted without any hesitation. Every time a kindness is shown to him, he makes a note of it without fail, treating it as a debt he must repay. Other people may forget the times they were lent a helping hand - but not Kazuki. If there's anything he can do for a friend, he'll be there in a heartbeat. It's almost comical how somebody who's so socially inept can manage to be so thoughtful, but somehow, he does it.

People-watching is something of his hobby, and because of it, he's gotten remarkably good at telling what people are thinking about. The only problem is that his interpretations usually tend to be filtered through his own jade-colored worldview, resulting in his social paranoia. However, this does mean he's usually very good at telling what people want, meaning his "debts" often end up being repaid by him doing something that somebody needed done, without ever having to be asked. This is also why he's so bad at saying no - if he knows what somebody needs, and feels he owes that person something, then there's really no excuse for him failing to repay them, in his opinion.

Because of this, he shows a very different side to his friends, proving that he isn't just a gloomy loner with trust issues. In fact, Kazuki is a gloomy loner with trust issues who just also happens to be possibly the most altruistic, loyal, and sweet friend you could ask for. Since he's not in immediate danger of being played for a fool when in the company of people he knows well enough not to be threatened by, he tends to be a little more open with his feelings in such company, speaking his mind without worrying too much that he'll be castigated for it. He's still painfully quiet, and tends to beat around the bush rather than bring up touchy subjects, but sometimes surprises those close to him by speaking remarkably bluntly either when he doesn't realize that what he's saying may be uncomfortable to others, or when he simply feels something must be said. As such, if something's truly important, you can expect to hear his unfiltered opinion on it, even if he is uneasy about saying it.

These traits combined also cause him to be unable to tolerate it when somebody he cares for is unhappy. Quite simply, he's terrible at cheering people up, as his gloomy manner and self-deprecatory sense of humor don't lend themselves well to encouragement. What's more, just because he knows that they're sad and what's making them sad doesn't mean he has any idea how to fix it - he's good at telling what people are thinking, but not HOW they think, in other words. But sometimes, he just tries so hard that you can't help but feel a bit encouraged that, even if you're keeping company with somebody totally oblivious, he's really, truly, personally invested in seeing you happy.

There are certain boundaries, however, that even his friends can't cross. Just because Yoichi's willing to introduce him to someone - thus marking that person as being most likely trustworthy enough to not be immediately afraid of - doesn't mean that he's entirely comfortable with that person staring at him. And, even when he's talking to Reika - who is without doubt his closest friend save Yoichi himself - prolonged eye contact tends to make him very uncomfortable. And, he even tends to avoid any sort of physical contact with both Reika and Yoichi alike, keeping his distance in every social situation that he possibly can. In general, he's rather uncomfortable around women especially - partially explaining why he's more easily flustered by Reika than by Yoichi. This is for two reasons.

The first is that he's never had an actual girlfriend, but is also kind of a huge geek when it comes to things like video games and anime. Many times, he's seen romance portrayed as some sort of be-all, end-all - far from how he's actually witnessed it in around him in real life. As a result, he has very unrealistic impressions of what love really is, assuming that, because he can't ever trust anyone completely, and because of his many other, equally crippling issues, it's something he'll never be able to truly experience. At the same time, though, he has a simple desire to be happy that draws him to it, like a moth to a flame. What if he really could fall in love? What if there were one people who he could really, truly trust enough to give himself entirely to, and receive the same devotion in return? For once in his life, he'd have a relationship that he'd absolutely never have to worry would fall apart. But, unless the other person was exactly like him, how could something like that ever happen? Because of this, he's especially wary of women, because he doesn't want to be lured into a one-sided obsession that will only result in heartbreak and abandonment.

But, what's more, he's also seen plenty of girls falling head-over-heels for Yoichi. Given that his surrogate big brother is something of a playboy, this isn't exactly surprising, but what he didn't anticipate was that some of them approached him, seeing him simply as a tool that they could use to get to Yoichi. They'd ask for Yoichi's phone number, where he lived, or other things like that so that they could stalk him. On one memorable occasion, a girl even asked Kazuki out on a double date with Yoichi and his then-girlfriend, only to spend the entire time ignoring Kazuki himself in favor of pestering the more attractive of the two. These experiences have only further inured Kazuki to the very concept of love, as he's come to expect that nobody could ever fall for somebody like him when he's so worthless compared to Yoichi. Because of this, no matter how appealing the concept of "true love" might be to him, he treats it as simply a fantasy, and tries to ignore any attraction he might feel to anybody, which is much more difficult that it might sound - especially with Reika. She's been more kind to him than almost anyone. The moment Yoichi invited Kazuki to join their little group, she showed him nothing but smiles, accepting him without question even through the disastrous first few months of their "friendship," when Kazuki barely even spoke. Her constant generosity toward him eventually won his trust, and he's done his best to pay her back for all the kindness she showed him ever since. He'd do anything so long as she asked him to, regardless of how unreasonable any favor she might request would be. Although sometimes he feels like he's being a burden to Yoichi, or that his surrogate brother might eventually grow tired of him, for some reason, he can't help but trust Reika completely. She's done so much for him, and she's somehow never seemed annoyed by having to deal with him. So, he feels, she, of all people, would never try to lie to him, use him, and abandon him. And yet, he still can't bear to try to act on his feelings, since he can't imagine that she'd ever feel the same way. If he tried confessing to her, it would only destroy their friendship - or so he fears. So, he does the only thing he can, and keeps his feelings bottled up.

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✦ Likes ✦

Singing: Not something you might expect of a person so timid, but nevertheless, this is one of his hobbies. He's actually quite good at it - with the song linked as his theme song also providing a convenient reference of what his voice might sound like - but few people actually know about this, since he never sings in public - he'd be too afraid of being laughed at.
Kendo: Another thing you'd hardly expect, but he actually studied it for several years upon moving in with his family in Japan, no doubt inspired by the swordfighting in the anime he's so fond of. Sadly, he ended up giving up this hobby a few years back when bullying from Kendo club members forced him to quit, and hasn't picked it back up since.
Video Games and Anime: One of the reasons he was bullied to begin with. During the time he spent in America, he ended up getting into video games and television, and kept watching TV when he moved to Japan, resulting in him stumbling somewhat cluelessly into Anime. He was very fond of the over-the-top action and humor it offered, and so remained a die-hard fan even as he grew older. Sadly, many of his peers just thought he was a creep for enjoying such "childish" pastimes.
Cooking: His parents were seldom home when he was little, so he ended up getting tired of eating microwave meals and learned how to cook. While he's not exactly a master chef, he's still surprisingly good at it.

✦ Dislikes ✦

Being Shouted At: He learned from a young age to be scared when an adult started yelling at him, and as of yet, it's a habit he hasn't unlearned. He's very easily cowed, and tends to be very uncomfortable when somebody so much as raises their voice towards him.
Being Insulted: Kazuki tends to take any slight towards him rather seriously. He has a very low level of self-esteem to begin with, so he may even take things that were meant innocently to be backhanded insults. As such, he's easily frustrated by condescension.
Lies: One of the things he loathes most. He takes trust very seriously, and doesn't give it often. Lying to him is a sure way to earn both his suspicion and ire.
Demanding People: It's not that he isn't willing to work for or with others - it's just that if people keep asking him for things without ever showing him the slightest bit of kindness, he begins to feel like he's paying them for a debt he doesn't owe. This, too, is a very good way to chafe at his patience.

✦ Motto ✦

Ongaeshi: Paying back one's debts.

✦ Motivation ✦

Trust: Above all else, Kazuki wishes somebody would prove him wrong. He wants to find just one person who he can trust absolutely, without fearing being manipulated or abandoned. Perhaps, if he didn't feel so afraid, he might finally be able to be happy...

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✦ History ✦

Kazuki's early life is... complicated. His mother, Akane, was a young Japanese woman who studied abroad in America, and ended up getting a job there as an intern in a major corporation. Although her prospects were initially promising, she ended up having an affair with an old classmate that cut her career short, as she became unexpectedly pregnant. Pressured by her family into taking responsibility for her as of yet unwanted illegitimate son, she reluctantly quit her job to stay home and raise Kazuki. However, her boyfriend-turned-husband soon began to grow resentful under the stress of having to support both Akane and their son, and so cut all ties with them when Kazuki was only nine, after several years of arguments and abuse between himself and Akane, which Kazuki often found himself blamed for by both his parents. If only he hadn't been born, everything would have been fine.

After three hard years of struggling to make ends meet, Akane was forced to return to her family in Japan for support, begging their forgiveness for her irresponsibility. However, they always looked on her as something of a dead weight and a disgrace to the family, making the atmosphere at home a rather hostile one. Eventually, she tired of their abuse, and so moved out one night without telling anyone.

Twelve year old Kazuki thus woke up one morning to find that his mother had disappeared. Although they tried getting in touch with her, all she'd tell them was that she'd come back for Kazuki once she could support him. So they told him, and so he looked forward to the day that he'd finally be able to see her again. In the mean time, however, it appeared he would be living with his grandparents and his aunt.

He was always something of a black sheep in the family. As an illegitimate child, he was an embarrassment and a disgrace in the eyes of his grandparents. Nevertheless, they could hardly put the blame on him for being born, so they reluctantly allowed him to remain in their care - largely thanks to the influence of his aunt Aina. Her husband had died in an accident shortly after Kazuki himself was born. With no prospect of having children of her own, she decided to take it upon herself to raise him. She was rather strict when it came to performance in school, but very laissez-faire aside from that. As such, so long as Kazuki kept his grades up and stayed out of trouble, she didn't mind what he did. While this meant that she didn't look down on him like his grandparents did, and was generally very kind to him, it also meant that she wasn't always there for him when he needed her - and he, for his part, was too nervous to bother her by going to her instead.

All that aside, doing well in school was harder than it might seem, as Kazuki had grown up mostly speaking English, and now found himself faced with an environment in which he'd have to write and speak in a completely different language. He picked up Japanese as best he could, but for the next year, he was always somewhat behind in his work due to the difficulty he had in keeping up with the material. More that just that, however: he also couldn't communicate with his family or his classmates. Because of this, he was always something of an outsider, both in school and at home. By the time he finally felt confident enough in his speaking ability to try reaching out to his classmates - and even then, he still had difficulty expressing anything more than basic thoughts - they already thought he was weird. When his love of anime and video games began to show, they only felt vindicated in their dislike for him. Labeled as a creepy otaku, they shunned him for the most part, some bullying him outright when the teachers' backs were turned. This seldom escalated to the level of physical violence, but as even those he'd thought of as maybe being his friends turned against him, he found both his self esteem and his faith in other people crushed. His parents had abandoned him, the rest of his family didn't care, and now, he found himself cast out even by those his age. Eventually, he just stopped trying to talk to others - it seemed like the world would be a better place if he just didn't interfere with anything.

This might have gone on forever were it not for a lucky coincidence. As it happened, when Kazuki was thirteen, a young half-Japanese boy who had lived in Germany for some time transferred into the class. His name was Yamada Yoichi, and he became Kazuki's only friend. Since they shared English as a first language, Kazuki was assigned to show Yoichi around the school. At first, he was terrified of the rather fearsome-looking boy, but to his surprise, they actually had a lot in common. They'd been left behind by their parents, and had plenty of issues back at home. They were equally afraid of committing themselves to other people, and yet equally honest in their desire for at least one genuine friendship. Yoichi was the first to see this, while Kazuki found himself surprised that the scary new student was willing to defend him from his many detractors. But, regardless of his reasons, Kazuki came to accept Yoichi, if not at first as a friend then as an ally. He was, after all, the one person Kazuki could really communicate with, and the one person who was actually willing to talk to him. Even if he was suspicious at first, he didn't need anything more than that.

So, bit by bit, Kazuki allowed himself to make his first friend, despite his misgivings. During this time, he also first encountered another of Yoichi's close acquaintances: a girl named Reika. They got off to a rocky start, as Kazuki still had little experience talking in Japanese, and even less experience in talking to girls. Nevertheless, she proved to be immensely helpful to him, offering to help him with his schoolwork - ironic, considering that he was technically her senpai. Although she initially doubtless had some misgivings about the rather creepy youth, he ended up reconciling with her through his sheer determination to pay her back for her help. And, while still not entirely comfortable interacting with her due to his budding crush on her, he nevertheless came to trust and rely on her almost as much as he does on Yoichi. Thus things remained over the next five years, seeing the trio through middle school and into high school. But, in Kazuki and Yoichi's senior year, an unexpected fourth member would join their little group, which might spark several changes in how they saw one another that, until then, they never could have predicted...

So begins...

Kurokawa Kazuki's Story

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#2016-03-31 17:45:05, as written by KazeNoKitsune

Countryside could be seen for miles. It was strange, but Hikaru couldn't have been happier. She was in the car with her mother and father, heading down an unfamiliar road, until she heard a loud buzzing noise.

Without warning, the short haired girl fell out of bed and was torn from her peaceful dream by the loud alarm clock and cracking her head open on the wooden floor. She remained upside down, the bottom half of her body on the bed while the rest of her was now in the floor. With a sigh of pure frustration, Hikaru got up off the floor and rubbed the now tender spot on the back of her head. She hated these dreams, they constantly reminded her of what she could never have. Before she could become too depressed by her dream, Hikaru noticed her new school uniform hanging on her bedroom door. Shit! That's right, school!! Hikaru panicked. If she didn't get ready, she wouldn't have time to find her way around the school or locate her class on time. She withdrew her uniform and rushed to the bathroom in record time. Due to her socks, Hikaru nearly slipped and stopped mere centimeters from crashing into the bathroom door.

Once inside, Hikaru took a quick shower and dressed for school, only slightly skeptical about her school uniform's masculine appearance. It looked like something boys would wear, but who was she to judge? She didn't know a lot about Japanese fashion or the culture, seeing as she just moved to this country, and the fact that any Japanese school was interested in her was flattering. Hikaru gazed upon herself in the mirror and adjusted her bangs before tugging at the Seiyuu academy's red tie around her neck. She pulled it looser, not very comfortable with it clenching her throat. She made her way to the kitchen and quickly whipped up breakfast for herself and her grandmother, chewing her food in record time. Once she finished and washed the dishes, Hikaru shoved on her shoes and seized her luggage as she left the house. She smiled up at the rising sun, totally unaware that she had been mistaken for a boy and was going to be attending Seiyuu Academy as a male student starting today.

As she made her way down the streets, Hikaru ran her fingers through her pale blonde hair, walking calmly to the train station before boarding. She couldn't reach the straps hanging from the ceiling, so she took a seat before they were all taken by adults. She stared around at people flirting with their significant others and couldn't help but notice s group of girls giggling as they pointed at her. She smiled and waved to them in a friendly manner, only for them to giggle more. What was with them? Had they never seen a girl on her way to school before? She brushed it off as something about her foreign appearance, but their reaction generally disturbed her.

Once the train made it to her stop, Hikaru stood quickly and retrieved her luggage. She had to get off of the train before it decided to keep going, so she rushed off the platform and dashed towards her school with a sense of excitement. She had never been a new student before! She had to run a few blocks with her heavy luggage in tow, but at least her heaviest bag had wheels. The invention of the wheel was absolutely genius. Before long, Hikaru finally had Seiyuu Academy in her sights, and she had to admit the live on campus was absolutely gorgeous! She began wondering what kind of sports this school participated in, and took no time going in to retrieve her schedule. She wandered the halls for what felt like forever, but was escorted to the principal's office soon enough by a member of the faculty. Once her schedule was printed off, Hikaru found out that she was in class 4B. Apparently they did not switch classes here, nor did they have a cafeteria. She would have to bring her own lunch, a detail her grandmother had never mentioned. I'm going to starve at lunch!

The small blonde girl that was dressed as a scrawny male student shifted through the crowded hallways until she finally found her class. She had to squeeze past people, but she eventually made it to her classroom and took a seat in the main back, hoping that since it was the start of the year that no one had claims on the seats yet. She was very small, and did not wish to start a fight. She was doing well, and did not wish to trigger her anger. The longer Hikaru glanced around at her classmates, the more she seemed to realize that she was in the boy's uniform, not the girl's. This school thought that Hikaru was a boy!! This was bad. There had to be some kind of mistake. She felt nervous, but realized that she would have to switch uniforms after today, but for now she'd lay low if possible. Her chest was almost always bound down by ace bandages because she didn't like her boobs distracting her in sports, so it would be easy enough to pass as a male. She touched her chest to make sure the bandages were keeping it flat, sighing in relief when she realized that maybe no one would find out. She couldn't sacrifice her first day after all. Besides, would pretending to be a boy for a day really be that bad? What could happen in one day? Hikaru had no idea she'd be keeping this façade up a lot longer than one day, but how could she have known?

Olive eyes scanned the room until they landed on the clock. She realized that class would begin in about twenty minutes, but right now that felt like a million years away. She just hoped that no one would recognize her as 'boy' Hikaru once she wore the female's uniform and straightened out this gender mix up. Everyone thinks I'm a boy.. Wait... I can't tell them! This is s dorm school!! I'll lose my scholarship! suddenly the blonde girl was quite conflicted. She would have to pretend to be a male, or risk missing out on this prestigious school.

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#2016-04-01 06:33:20, as written by xLevesquex

Yoichi Yamada
|| 18 years old || Student || Heteroromantic // Pansexual ||
Dialogue Color: #848482 Thought color: #B6B6B4

Boobs.

Yoichi was definitely dreaming about boobs before he heard a familiar voice in the other room. He couldn't quite pinpoint who's breasts they belonged to, but it was possibly that big breasted- junior? He thinks that she's a year younger than him, as she always calls him senpai (which he loves) but maybe she was just strange like that. He didn't ever get to know her name, but hoped he'd see her around this year. All of these thoughts were going through his mind as he was awake immediately after he heard Reika's voice speaking to his maternal grandmother in the other room. Yoichi was certain that she moved in with them a few years ago to watch Yoichi, after everything traumatic happened to him, but he felt as if he didn't need her and bitched at her whenever her got the chance.

Upon hearing his short raven-haired friend enter the room with her high, feminine voice that he loved any other time of the day but not at that moment. And so, he buried himself deeper and decided to play with her, giving her the impression that he was still asleep. He had to suppress his grin as she started desperately shaking him to wake up and thought about what she said, realizing he wouldn't be playing this little game of his for too long if he didn't want to get stuck with an asshole. Especially that asshole Tsuyoshi, he'd rather jump off a bridge than be stuck in the same room as that asshole. He especially disliked the boy because of how he treated his friends: constantly leering and saying weird things to Reika whenever the opportunity arises and bullying his socially challenged best friend Kurokawa. Yoichi silently promised himself while Reika pulled on his limb that he'd knock Tsuyoshi on his ass at some point that year.

Upon hearing that she'd give his bento away, he genuinely felt sad and it took him a moment to sit up. However, when he did, he rubbed his eyes and hair and gave her puppy eyes.

Please tell me you were joking, I love your food.

The spoiled teen looked like he was about to start crying as he wrapped himself around her hips.

I'll do anything!

The dramatic teen realized that the best way to ensure his lunch was safe was by actually getting up and putting clothes on, as he only had boxers covering his body. So, he got up and towered over Reika before making his way over to his dresser, where he had his ironed uniform laying down flat. Yoichi shamelessly started dressing, not caring that Reika was right behind him while he pranced around half-naked. After he dressed, he finished by pulling on his socks and spun around to his friend.

Good?

He was far from "good". His buttons were all through the wrong holes on his blouse, his blouse was half-tucked half-untucked in his pants, his sleeve cuffs were all over the place and his tie was tied on completely wrong.

Not even waiting for an answer, he shot her a thumbs up and went into his private bathroom to brush his teeth, wash his face and run his fingers through his golden hair. After applying deodorant and spraying himself with cologne, he made his way back out into the room. Although he was working at a speedy rate, he was still exhausted and it was clearly visible in his eyes as he dragged the cheerleader and amateur model out of the room with him, closing the door behind him. His grandmother, Alice, narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously and at his childhood friend as well and Yoichi immediately got the message she was sending. He rolled his eyes and in English said

Yes, grandmother, we definitely just had a quickie in like ten minutes while you were sitting out here.

He stuck his tongue out at her and grabbed Reika's bags, as well as his own that were already sitting outside his bedroom door. Despite Alice trusting Reika and liking her, she didn't trust her own playboy grandson. Completely ignoring his grandmother's angry stare, he spun around on his heels and smiled down at his friend.

Are you ready to get going, Reika?

He asked, returning back to Japanese, while setting down a bag for a moment, just to send his best friend, Kurokawa.

To: my baby #1
From: Yoichi

cant wait to see you, Kazuki-senpai!!! <3<3

After pressing send, he somehow felt proud of teasing him about "senpai". Sometimes, he would call Kurokawa senpai because he was always more mature and intelligent than Yoichi, while Yoichi still acted like a child. The teen secretly wishes that he could be as smart and collected as his best friend but not everyone gets what they want in life. After tucking his phone away, he followed wherever Reika was going to choose to go.

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#2016-04-01 21:35:20, as written by Feyblue

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Kazuki gazed blankly into the red lights of the digital clock perched atop a desk across from the bed where he lay.
6:43.

In another minute and a half, the alarm would go off, telling him it was time to wake up. Of course, such a thing was pointless, since he was already awake. At this point, the alarm clock had become more of a formality than a necessity - a backup measure just in case somehow, Kazuki didn't find himself already awake by the time it went off.

He rubbed his eyes, watching as the 3 on the clock changed to a four. He supposed he probably could have gotten up when he first came to, about ten minutes earlier, but what would have been the point of that? He'd already left himself more than enough time to shower, get dressed, get his books together, find somewhere to meet up with Yoichi, and maybe even get breakfast before heading out to classes. And, it wasn't like he had any of the reading he'd been assigned over break to do - he'd finished that ages ago. Some other students would be moving into their dorms around now, of course, but he'd already anticipated that, also. Since his grades were good and he was a senior, he'd easily managed to convince the housing staff to give him his room assignment by email so that he could move in a day in advance. It wasn't like he had many personal affects he wanted to bring with him - clothing to wear, a few snacks and books, and his laptop computer were more than sufficient. The process had only taken longer than a half hour because it had been a pain to move his desk away from the window so that there wouldn't be glare on his screen while he was gaming. Well, that and because he'd accidentally re-assembled his office chair facing backwards, and had been forced to take it apart and start all over again. Regardless, there wasn't much point to getting out of bed, so he didn't. He'd have felt cheated if he had to miss out on a single second of the time he'd given himself to spend curled up in the comfortable warmth of his bed, even if he had to spend it staring at the ceiling.

Oh. Speaking of seconds, he only had about six left. Slipping himself out from under his comforter, he ducked under the as-of-yet unoccupied upper bunk of the dorm, crossing the room in two steps and flicking a switch on the side of the clock just one second before the time it displayed to 6:45. Smiling faintly to himself for his punctuality, he set about his morning routine without any further hesitation.

He had just opened the door of the adjacent suite bathroom when a low rumble sounded from his desk. Ah, he thought. That'll be Yoichi.

Picking up his phone from where it had been sitting on the edge of the desk, he flicked out the charging cable, glancing down at the screen as he did so.

Hero of Justice
cant wait to see you, Kazuki-senpai!!! <3<3

Kazuki raised an eyebrow, double checking the sender. No, "Hero of Justice" was definitely the contact name he'd chosen for Yoichi. He looked back at the message, as if re-tabbing would cause the sender to change to "Ayanami" instead. No such luck. He breathed a heavy sigh, shaking his head. "For a moment, I, too, thought I could see a rose-colored life before me," He lamented under his breath, angrily prodding the touchscreen in his hand to swiftly type out his own message.

Is that you, Yoichi, or have you just decided to give your phone and my contact information to some desperate female underclassman after giving her a very inflated and inaccurate opinion of me? If it's not the latter, then are the hearts really necessary?

He hit send, but a new thought occurred to him a few moments later, so he hastily added even more biting sarcasm as an afterthought.

The last thing I want is to set flags with you. Saged, reported, called the cops, the prime minister, and the nearest pizza place.

Oh, right. Speaking of food... and he had said that he wanted to meet up... He glanced back to the clock, shaking his head. There probably wasn't enough time to settle on a place, order, eat, and then get back to school in time for class. Still... He pounded out another message, his fingers dancing over the keys the all the dexterity of a dedicated nerd.

Speaking of meeting up, though, how does the front of Central Hall sound? I think our first class is in the lecture hall there. It's not until eight, though, and you don't live far from school. I'm already here, btw. Moved in last night, so don't bother stopping by aunt's place. Requested you as a roommate when I turned the forms in. If you do the same, and request room 314, they'll probably assign you up here too.

Hitting send one final time, he slipped his phone into the pocket of his jacket, along with a few other necessaries like his wallet and the key to his dorm room. Slipping his book bag over his shoulder, he turned and strolled out. Regardless of what answer he got from Yoichi, he'd be heading the same way, so there wasn't much point in waiting.

In this way, the first day of a new school year began. Kazuki glanced up at the sky as he exited through the side entrance of the dorm, slouching his way out into the school's main courtyard. It had been a while, hadn't it? Barring some really incredible scholarships, it was unlikely he'd be making it to college. Aunt Aina hardly had the money to pay for him as it was. He'd only managed to make it this far because his middle school had been affiliated with the academy, and he'd been the top student in his grade level, meaning Seiyuu had basically bent itself over backwards to accept him. He smiled faintly. He'd worked his ass off for that, spending roughly three years in a blind, studious panic as he desperately tried to ensure that he'd be able to go to the same school as his only friends planned on attending. They probably hadn't realized just how hard he'd tried to stick with them, but that hardly mattered. The last things he wanted were to guilt them or to provoke their pity.

Idly, he wondered if Yoichi had responded yet. He glanced back at his phone, checking for new messages. Meeting up with his first friend after spending summer break pretty much entirely by himself - as he lived out in the suburbs and couldn't afford to take the train into town every day just to see Yoichi and Reika, as he otherwise probably would have wanted - was going to be a refreshing experience after the malaise of complete solitude in which he'd spent the last several weeks. But, more than just that, maybe he'd luck out, and Yoichi wouldn't be the only one he'd run into...

He might have been a self-professed cynic, but that didn't mean he couldn't have hopes, after all.

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#2016-04-02 01:40:00, as written by Strix

"Please tell me you were joking, I love your food. I'll do anything!"

Arms found themselves around Reika's hips and she realized his face was too close to below her belt for her own comfort as well. The easily embarrassed teenage girl found herself shivering and frozen in place. Even if she didn't see him that way, Yoichi was a dangerous force, and she had to escape, especially when she realized her best friend was practically naked, "A-Ah.. Etto.. U-Um.. Y-Yoichi.. GET CLOTHES ON YOU PERVERT!! Don't touch me there! Okay, Okay, I won't give someone else your bento!" She stammered at first in shock, her face blood red as the older male embraced her rather intimately, but she knew that was just the kind of guy that he was. Suddenly she realized just how tall Yoichi had become. He was no longer the short boy she used to pick on for being three inches shorter than her for half their childhood. Creating a lot of space when he released her, Reika covered her eyes when he stood, but a few seconds too late. She saw a LOT more of her childhood friend than she wanted to ever see in her life, turning around so that she wouldn't have to see any more of him, just in case. Why did girls like this pervert so much!? Kazuki would never agree to marry her if he found out she'd seen his best friend half naked. She'd be lucky to marry anyone if that information got out!!! Her blush began to die down now that her eyes were concealed, but she was afraid that the image was burned into her skull now. That was not exactly how she wished to see her friend...

Once a decent amount of time passed, she turned around. She was completely disappointed in his ability to dress himself, "You look like you had a romp in the sheets and got dressed in the dark..." She state in an irritated voice. This boy was absolutely hopeless. She was beginning to understand why his grandmother was so damn grumpy. He'd surely give Reika a few early grey hairs if she didn't learn a coping mechanism soon. When her best friend shot her a thumbs up, she put her thumb face down in response. If his outfit was part of the Olympics, she'd give him a 0.5 because his technique was all wrong. What skin was he supposed to be covered that way? He had bits and pieces of his body flashing through his clothes. It was distracting and inappropriate for school.

"Why didn't you get dressed in there too?!" She snapped at him, letting out an annoyed huff as she leaned against a wall waiting for him to come out of his bathroom. This was absolutely ridiculous. His antics got worse with age. She half expected to walk in on him sleeping absolutely naked one of these days. She admired his cologne, able to smell it without putting forth an effort while he dragged her, considering it was quite freshly applied.

"Yes, grandmother, we definitely just had a quickie in like ten minutes while you were sitting out here."

Reika's face returned to a bright red and she shook her head furiously, "No we did not! Do not joke like that! I'm not easy like those girls you sleep with." She snapped at him in Japanese, considering she was actually rather studious. Reika went as far as punching him in the arm to show she was not interested. Reika was used to showing him an angry and violent side that she kept hidden under lock and key, one she never showed Kazuki or their other classmates. She didn't want to seem so uncute to everyone else. She knew it was a joke, and she also knew her punches were little more than mosquito bites to Yoichi, but hitting him made her feel better. She honestly couldn't blame his grandmother for being skeptical. Yoichi had a certain reputation, and it was hard to give him any credit when it came to women. She was actually kind of surprised he didn't hit on her in a more sexualized manner.

"Are you ready to get going, Reika?"

With a nod, Reika opened the door for him, "Yeah, Yeah. You're the one making us late. Isn't that my line?" She mumbled at him taking the bag with the bento lunches from him. While they were practically the same, she didn't want him stealing Kazuki's. She eventually had a plan to confess to him, without actually confessing, so she didn't want Yoichi getting used to carrying them. The last thing she wanted was for Yoichi to know she confessed, because then he would know the outcome, and if it was a refusal, she couldn't face either of them after that. She wondered how he managed to text carrying those bags, but then she remembered that he was quite athletic. When did that little boy I spent the night with every weekend become a man..? sure, she was well aware he was a manwhore, but until he started carrying her bag and she couldn't tug him out of bed, it didn't feel real. It was easy to delude herself. She sent Kazuki a text as they began walking, seeing as they hadn't seen each other in ages.

To: Kazuki~

Ohayo, Kurokawa-Senpai! Are you at the school yet? Let's have a great senior year, okay?

She sent the text before a blush crept on her face, pocketing her phone. She didn't want Yoichi to know, or to worry. She didn't want to put him in a situation where if things went sour he would have to choose sides. She hoped he was awake, because she honestly couldn't wake up both boys, and she did not think she could manage seeing HIM in boxers. She'd faint. She knew for a fact she'd never be able to handle it. She kept walking, smiling up at Yoichi, "Have you decided on a college yet? I want to go to an art school... Maybe abroad or something." It didn't take long, before they made it to Central Hall, a bright smile creeping onto her features when she located Kazuki. Without giving it a lot of thought, she ran over and wrapped her arms around his neck, embracing him in the tightest hug she could manage. She released him after a few moments, handing him his bento lunch, "Have you been eating properly?"

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#2016-04-03 05:36:43, as written by xLevesquex

Yoichi Yamada
|| 18 years old || Student || Heteroromantic // Pansexual ||
Dialogue Color: #848482 Thought color: #B6B6B4

Yoichi enjoyed the glare he was getting from his grandmother while he followed behind Reika and just to add the cherry on top, he freed his hands just enough and made vulgar hand movements behind Reika's back. He would normally never ever disrespect Reika like that but he did so just for the purpose of making his grandmother angry. He swore that if his younger sister wasn't in the house, she'd have ran far, far away a long time ago. However, Yoichi knew she struggled a lot after the death of her two children and he'd often have his bonding moments with her, just never in front of anyone. It's almost like they had a secret agreement to act like heartless assholes to each other when others were around.

Upon exiting his house, the pair unknowingly pulled out their cellphones at the same time to text the same person. He read his best friend's reply and quietly laughed, preparing to text back, but received another from the same awkward, dark-haired teenage boy. The second text made him chuckle a little louder and shake his head at the suspicious Kurokawa.

To: my baby #1
From: Yoichi
hahah youre hilarious! & no, I wouldnt do that, you can get babes yourself anyways, if you really tried. <3<3<3<3 (im gonna keep sending you a bunch of hearts now purposely)

Just as he stuffed his smartphone back into his pocket, he felt the familiar vibration against his thigh. Not wanting to just stare at his phone the entire time he walked with Reika, he decided to instead leave it alone and chat with her a little bit. Replying to her question, he said

I honestly don't know. I don't even know what I want to do, my father wants me get involved in his business but I don't know. I'd be set for life, but would I be happy?

Embarrassed by his sudden deep words, he countered it with

Abroad?! You can't leave me, Reika-chan!

After his comical whining, he decided to pull his phone out of his pocket once more to finally reply to his friend.

To: my baby #1
From: Yoichi
sounds good, babe. we'll be there really soon anyways. cant wait to see you again!! so hyped up <3

After a while more of walking, they arrived at Central Hall and his eyes landed on his best friend, his grin becoming largely apparent. He was about to call out to him when Reika ran ahead and gave him a tight hug. Yoichi was surprised at this reaction and blinked a few times. He was also a bit concerned for how Kurokawa was feeling, as he knew that his friend was iffy with physical contact. Yoichi walked up to the two and cleared his throat before speaking.

Hey, hot stuff. Haven't seen in forever, I missed you a bunch! But, we should really get going, these bags are getting uncomfortable on my weak, brittle arms.

He joked, clearly aware of the strength he holds.

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#2016-04-03 20:36:23, as written by Feyblue

╔╗

╚╝

Sure enough, Kazuki's phone buzzed right around the time he pulled it out to check for messages.

Hero of Justice
hahah youre hilarious! & no, I wouldnt do that, you can get babes yourself anyways, if you really tried. <3<3<3<3 (im gonna keep sending you a bunch of hearts now purposely)

It seemed Yoichi had responded to his earlier sarcasm, although he hadn't yet said anything about meeting up. Kazuki's grin shifted into a slight grimace. He knew full well exactly how Yoichi liked teasing people, but that didn't make his cutesy act any less irritating - especially considering what he'd just said. His inability to get along with members of the opposite sex was a somewhat legendary point of frustration for him, making Yoichi's veiled attempt at reassurance just seem like pity.

He was just about to vent his frustration the only way he knew how - more sarcasm - when something unexpected happened. Another message almost immediately appeared - and this one wasn't from Yoichi. Checking his inbox, he found himself grinning despite his earlier annoyance.

Ayanami
Ohayo, Kurokawa-Senpai! Are you at the school yet? Let's have a great senior year, okay?

Kazuki nodded silently to himself. Yoichi could definitely wait. Responding to this message was, at this moment, his most crucial responsibility.

While he typed out his response, he glanced back at the contact names he'd chosen for his two friends. In retrospect, they'd probably been in pretty poor taste, since Yoichi's had been a sarcastic jab at his character, and he'd only chosen Reika's because of a pun, an anime reference, and a complete initial misunderstanding of her personality. He'd been paranoid, assuming Yoichi had some kind of ulterior motive for standing up for him - that nobody could have been altruistic enough to jeopardize their own reputation and waste their own time for the sake of somebody like him. By calling Yoichi a "Hero of Justice," what he'd really meant was that the way Yoichi was behaving didn't make any sense, that such things couldn't have happened in reality. He may as well have called him Don Quixote. But, as time had passed and he'd seen that Yoichi really didn't seem to have any real ulterior motive, that title had stopped being an insult, and had become a genuine reflection of Kazuki's opinions. No matter how he looked at it, Yoichi had saved him, and come what may, he'd risked accepting that salvation.

The origin of his little codename for Reika was less based in cynicism and more in miscommunication. After a few months of hanging around Yoichi at school, he'd ended up letting his guard down enough to try meeting some of Yoichi's other acquaintances. Most of them had largely ignored him and gone on with their business, and at first, he'd expected that Reika would be no different. At that time, his ability to speak Japanese was still somewhat limited, meaning he'd had difficulty just keeping up in conversation at times. That much aside, she always seemed hesitant to even interact with him, and when Yoichi wasn't around, he could hardly get a word out of her. He'd thought she hated him, or at the very least, that she was simply cold and unemotional. He should have known better, having often been the victim of such judgements himself. But, not knowing any better, he'd made her contact listing a pun based on the "Rei" in her name, and on her perceived coldness. Unlike with Yoichi, there really wasn't any excuse for leaving this tired old joke as it was. So, without a second thought, he tabbed away from his draft of his message, erased the nickname, and then stared at the screen for a good few minutes, trying to think of a good replacement.

...No, "Pls Notice Me Kohai" was not an adequate substitute.

Eventually, he just gave up and typed in her actual name. He was pretty bad at giving people nicknames, all things considered.

He'd just returned to typing his message when another popped up on his screen from Yoichi. He said they'd be there soon, or something. That was good, but for now he needed to-

Wait... "We?"

This was about as far as Kazuki's thoughts got before a dark haired shape blurred into his field of vision from the left and ran headlong into him, arms unexpectedly wrapping around his neck and pulling him into a very enthusiastic hug. Kazuki gave a slight, wordless squeak of surprise, nearly dropping his phone in his attempt to catch whoever had just crashed into him so that they both wouldn't be bowled over. He shuffled uncomfortably, trying to free up his empty hand from where it had been trapped against his side by the body pressed up against his own. What was going on? Why was somebody hugging him? He felt a heat rapidly building in his face as his confusion mounted. Looking down, he found himself staring straight down upon a head of raven black hair. The girl slowly raised her face from where it had been snuggled up against him, and in an instant, a vibrant purple gaze met Kazuki's, and he understood.

Actually, he didn't understand at all.

"R-Reika-san?!" He squeaked out sheepishly, his glasses sliding a good half inch down the bridge of his nose and nearly sent falling to the ground as Kazuki did a double-take. Sure, he hadn't seen her for a few months, but getting tackle hugged out of nowhere wasn't something he'd expected at all. More often than not, she kept him at arms' length, and he did the same.

Still, even if it had taken him by surprise, he wasn't going to complain about a hug if it was from Reika. He colored slightly, realizing how stupid he must have sounded, squeaking like a mouse at the slightest contact. He awkwardly tried his best to return the hug, but barely managed it before Reika pulled away.

"Umm... hello. It's... been a while," He greeted her awkwardly, lowering his head slightly and looking away to hide his embarrassment while he adjusted his glasses. He tried to give a friendly smile, hoping she wouldn't think he was angry at her, but he was still so confused that he had a feeling that it probably came off as a bit forced. His brain was still trying to process the fact that he'd just been tackle hugged by, of all people, the girl he had a crush on. As she handed him a lunch she'd packed for him - That's... really nice of her... - all he could do was accept it with a nod and a few murmurings of his profuse thanks.

Fortunately, it looked like Yoichi was also there, somewhat alleviating the tension between them as Kazuki tried to recover his composure. He gave a slight wave, the sleeve of his slightly oversized jacket flopping around as his fingers poked out from beneath its folds. "Hello, Yoichi. S-sorry I couldn't visit much over the summer. Aunt Aina was pressuring me to get a part time job, and there was a lot of other stuff to worry about..." He greeted. Yoichi passed it off with a joke and a grin, and set Kazuki's mind at ease. Good. They weren't mad at him for not visiting more often. Or, at least, Yoichi wasn't. He really hoped Reika wasn't either.

"R-right... we should probably go. Class starts in about fifteen minutes. T-thank you again for the lunch, Reika-san! Um... if it's not a problem for you... maybe we should all meet back up and eat together?" He asked sheepishly.

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#2016-04-06 08:15:27, as written by KazeNoKitsune

Hikaru blinked in surprise when students began pouring in during the last fifteen minutes before class. She rubbed the back of her neck when she began to receive unwanted attention from the other students in the room, her eyes lowering to her desk. She had a bad feeling about this, being in the spotlight never went well for her in the past. Apparently the fact that she was a new student was engraved on her forehead without her knowledge or something, because almost everyone was staring. She wondered how they seemed to immediately know she was new here, considering the sheer amount of students that attended this school Hikaru figured it would have been fairly difficult, but apparently everyone knew everyone here. There was no way Hikaru would be able to remember over three hundred seniors. She wouldn't even attempt it, because she couldn't remember all of the fifty at her small public school back in Britain. Did these kids all go to school together their entire lives or something?

Girls discreetly giggled at her from their seats and boys asked her if she was a leprechaun, or if she knew what puberty was, but Hikaru ignored the taunting despite how much it annoyed her. She knew that short guys were often teased like this. She had to learn to accept it, because if anyone found out she was a girl, she'd lose her scholarship. She needed to go to this school, because Japan was unhealthily focused on academics and she didn't have a lot of options. Her arm was figuratively and academically twisted behind her back, even if no one else took notice. Her life had become far more stressful all of a sudden.

She gritted her teeth, and clenched one of her fists, glaring up at the ring leader with his palm pressed on the center of her desk towering over her. She looked like a little middle school boy compared to the tall bully standing before her. She ran a hand through her blonde hair, "Do you get off on picking on guys smaller than you? Why don't you just admit you're into guys and get it over with." Hikaru spat her words out before she could contain herself, only to be jerked out of her seat by the collar of her uniform. She winced a bit, but continued to stubbornly glare up at the antagonistic jock. It looked like her temper had gotten the best of her after all. Noticing her defiance, the bully slammed her into the nearby wall, jarring the small girl, but it wasn't like anyone realized she was female, so no one batted an eyelash.

Realizing she had to stick up for herself, Hikaru decided to make everyone realize she wasn't just some small fry they could all push around like this guy was attempting to do to her right now. She narrowed her green eyes and swung before she could reason herself out of it. She wasn't going to be pushed around all year, she absolutely refused. Yep, she was getting her ass kicked once this guy's buddies realized what was going on. She prepared herself accordingly for the inevitable beating, but to her surprise, it never came. Some girl stood between her and her attackers, and she saw the blood dripping from the ring leader's lip. The girl standing before her sounded so introverted, but she was being quite brave in this moment. Hikaru had immediate respect for this girl, even though she had not yet even seen her face and did not know her name. A sheepish grin formed on her face when she realized she now had an ally at her new school, even though it was just her first day.

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#2016-04-08 06:50:37, as written by Strix

She hoped that Yuichi would not bring up her aspiration to study abroad in front of Kazuki. She wasn't sure if she was really going to do it, but she wanted the option without her crush knowing she was considering it. She was equally embarrassed when she released Kazuki, "G-Gomenasai!" She squeaked out in a shy manner, biting the inside of her cheek. When he mentioned heading to class, she nodded her head. Reika had missed out on almost everything Yoichi and Kazuki had said from embarrassment and staring at him. She led the way to their class, "W-We should totally meet up for lunch. I-It's been way too long, right?" She asked her gaze shifting between the two boys accompanying her. Just as Reika walked inside, she noticed that a small boy was being bullied by Kuroku, Jun. She immediately began to storm over, realizing the kid was a new boy at the school.

Before she made it halfway to the crisis, the small boy punched Kuroku in the face, releasing himself from the horrible jock's grasp. She couldn't help but smile a bit at the short boy's spunk, but she moved in quickly, standing in between Kuroku, his band of three thugs, and the blonde short boy, "E-Eh!? Leave him alone!" Her choice to stand up against a bully only earned a squeal of admiration from the entire room, and those peeking from the halls. She knew this wasn't wise, but she couldn't stand bullies. Male students had hearts in their eyes, and while many of the girls were jealous, they did not dare glare at the amateur model and cheerleader. Reika was generally untouchable at school, she had all the right friends, both male and female at this school. Her violet eyes narrowed and a pout formed on her lips as she gazed upon the bully, "Go sit down, Kuroku-San." She demanded in her wisoft and timid tone of voice. Despite it's soft quality, it was clear that she was determined to be taken seriously.

She didn't even realize how she was inadvertently tugging Yoichi and Kazuki into this heated situation between the new kid and Kuroku. Though she did take notice that Kuroku's lip was bleeding. It seemed the short blonde kid could pack a punch despite his childlike appearance and short stature. She was impressed that he did not back down in the face of adversity. Something about the unknown blonde told her that she liked this guy already. She could see the anger is Kuroku's eyes and also how much he and his gang wished to tear into the boy she was protecting, but Reika stood her ground. She was constantly doing this, despite the fact that she could get hurt. She wasn't like the bitchy girls she spent time with. Reika cared about everyone, especially the small, weak, and downtrodden. She knew what it was like to be stepped on. She was constantly bullied as a child when kids found out her parents were famous and that she was a budding model as well. She knew how this felt all too well, because until she grew a pair of large boobs, she was this boy. Even though she was friends with Yoichi, when he moved away she was constantly picked on and beaten up. It died down when he returned, but it happened on occasion when they were apart until she hit puberty and the cheerleaders took notice of how male students admired her.

Today was turning out to be rather eventful, what with Yoichi embracing her half naked and now she was even standing up for a boy she had never met until now, "Take your seat, okay?" She told Hikaru, not once lowering her arms that blocked the bullies from getting to the boy despite her obvious fear. Kuroku and his gang were among the guys that were NOT in love with her after all, so she had no idea what could happen.

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#2016-04-08 20:53:21, as written by xLevesquex

Yoichi Yamada
|| 18 years old || Student || Heteroromantic // Pansexual ||
Dialogue Color: #848482 Thought color: #B6B6B4

With all the bags in his arms, he shook his head and laughed.

I don't give a damn, good for you, working and shit. And yeah, lunch sounds awesome! Show me where our dorm is?

Yoichi began to walk inside with Reika, expecting Kurokawa to simply follow along (like he always did) and became immediately disturbed by the sight when he walked inside the school. Before Yoichi had the time to defend the small blond, Reika stood forward and ensured his safety, making Yoichi smile proudly. She used to be a lot worse, being on the other end of the bullying "stick". Boys and girls alike picked on her for being beautiful and Yoichi was the one who had to defend her. Not that he minded, he just dealt with the constant guilt of leaving her behind to get bullied when he went abroad. With this in mind, he dropped his bags on the floor and cracked his knuckles.

Hey, Jun! What's up, you ugly fucker?! Picking on little boys because you can't handle someone our own size?

Yoichi yelled at him (despite being a few feet away) and insulted him by not using honorifics, because he knew how much the Japanese ate up their respectful terms. He marched up towards him, leaving all of his and Reika's bags behind on the floor as he gripped Jun by the collar.

Nice to know you're still a little pussy!

He taunted, before getting a rough punch in the stomach by the slightly shorter alpha male, while his friends cheered him on. Yoichi knew that both he and Jun could fight on school grounds and totally get away with it because of how rich their families are, so after recovering from the punch, he shoved the teen back and balled up his fists.

Is that really all you got?

With that final taunt, he swung forward and connected his fist harshly with the chocolate haired young man, throwing him off balance before his other friends jumped in. One of the other friends shoved Yoichi while another tripped him and he fell to the ground, but not before pulling down another lackey with him, landing his elbow right the middle of his abdomen. Before getting back up quickly on his feet, he took note of him trying to catch his breath from the impact and shrugged before jumping at another asshole, punching him repeatedly. Although a part of him deep, deep down realized he was way outnumbered and wouldn't win this one, the other larger part of his personality continued fighting them, despite being immediately ganged up on and punched in all directions. Though he was getting beat up, he had a childish grin on his face. He hadn't had a fight like that one since before the break (which in the grand span of life, isn't that long).

OOC: Sorry it's not longer, I had more plans for this post but I'm busy as hell!

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#2016-04-11 04:12:50, as written by Feyblue

╔╗

╚╝

The dark-haired youth breathed a sigh of relief at Reika's response. It seemed she wasn't mad at him, either.

Of course, that wasn't all he was thankful for. A faint smile crossed his lips as he realized he'd be having a nice, quiet conversation with his only two friends for the first time in months. On his own over the summer, his thoughts entirely occupied with family matters, his job, and that ever-present colossus of a distraction, the internet, he hadn't realized how much he'd missed their company.

Yoichi shot him an off-handed congratulation, to which he gave a quiet nod and a muttered "Thank you," before asking if Kazuki would lead him to their dorm. Evidently, he either had already submitted the forms and been approved, or, what was much more likely, he was just planning on moving in alongside his friend regardless of what room he was assigned to, since he didn't give a damn. The boy smiled, adjusting his glasses. Yoichi could always be counted on to do what his friends expected, regardless of any rules and regulations that told him to do otherwise.

However, Kazuki's momentary peace of mind was shattered upon entering the school. He hadn't really been paying attention to his surroundings, but evidently, something had drawn Reika and Yoichi's attention immediately. She had rushed in between several rather imposing boys Kazuki knew all too well to avoid and some short kid he'd never seen before. It looked like there'd been some kind of fight, and Reika - who was entirely too nice for her own good - had rushed in to break it up. Well, Kazuki normally wouldn't have been caught dead entering that kind of situation, but the leader of the squad of bullies already seemed rather irate, and honestly, he was kind of terrified that Reika was going to be getting a fist to the face if she didn't stand back and start looking out for herself. He made a move to intervene, hoping that they might somehow do the impossible and convince the attacker to stand down through numbers, but Yoichi was faster.

Fortunately, it didn't look like Reika was going to be hurt, which was good.

Unfortunately, he didn't get the chance to stand up alongside her and maybe impress her.

And, even more unfortunately, it looked like Yoichi had decided to solve the problem of violence in his usual fashion; namely, with more violence.

The apparent leader of the group received a rather savage right hook, and the rest of his squad went tumbling into a rather chaotic heap of rising and falling bodies surrounding Yoichi, trying to drag him down. Kazuki looked around in a fright, not sure whether he should intervene or not until he saw the group's leader stumbling back into the fight, aiming a right hook for the back of Yoichi's head.

In retrospect, he probably should have just warned his friend, but something in him reacted instinctively to seeing his usual protector in danger. That, and... well, he really, really, really hated those who picked on those weaker than them.

As a result, one Kuroku Jun found himself suddenly sideswiped by a rather heavy bookbag as Kazuki swung the school-issued carry case dangling from his arm as a makeshift flail, clubbing the much taller senior in the side of the head. Already off balance, he stumbled right into one of his fellows, and went sprawling to the ground. Kazuki blinked. He was fairly certain that he'd never managed to floor a bully before - let alone in one swing.

I wonder... is this how Yoichi feels all the time? He thought, noticing as two of the students who'd been attacking Yoichi turned to gape at him, taking a few steps back as he adjusted his book bag, evidently afraid he'd club them too. He glanced over at Reika, hoping she wouldn't be angry that he'd gotten himself involved. Well, that and hoping she'd admire him for protecting Yoichi. Mostly the latter, if he were to asses his feelings honestly.

I'd still rather be loved by one person than feared by many... but perhaps, were I able to live a different life... Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to be a Hero of Justice for a change?

Unfortunately, he had little time to celebrate, as Jun was getting back up again - and he looked pissed. Kazuki instinctively took a step back, raising his bookbag bludgeon in preparation for another swing.

Now, He mused. Would be a very good time to run.

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#2016-04-11 17:38:59, as written by KazeNoKitsune

"O-Oi... It's not like I can leave you to deal with this all by yourself!" Hikaru responded to Reika in a lresistive manner, dogmatic determination in the short girl's eyes as she spoke. To her classmates, Hikaru was a boy, she couldn't let a feminine girl fight her battles, because the teasing would only be that much worse in the long run. However, due to her short stature and male uniform, Hikaru came across as a little boy trying to prove that he was tough. Hikaru prepared for attack if any of the boys decided to try and lay a hand on the girl that was currently bravely defending her. though the moment of peace ended rather quickly after Jun recovered from the punch Hikaru had delivered to his jaw, because a tall blond haired male interrupted with several choice profanities. Looking at him, Hikaru couldn't help but notice that he was quite attractive by nearly all definitions of the word, but this was neither the place or time for such distractive thoughts. Man.. Why does my brain choose now to have girl thoughts?

Plugging one ear due to the tall blond's loud tone, Hikaru blinked in surprise that yet another student came to her aid without knowing her at all. She was surprised by his height, but tried to not gawk for long, considering his violent demeanor and foul choice of language. She did not wish to turn her current ally into an enemy, that much was certain. When the tall blond dropped the bags in tow Hikaru knew that something was about to go down, only to be verified when the blond grabbed the bully by the collar. While Hikaru was eternally grateful for the rescue, she began to worry about the others getting in trouble because of her. This skirmish was not over, and the teacher would arrive at any moment. Then her tall savior received a blow to the gut, and Hikaru's eyes widened. That bully had the guts to throw a punch at the tall senior that accompanied the ebony haired girl? Hikaru wasn't even sure if she could stand up to someone with that intimidating of a presence. She shivered when the tall blond seemed barely effected by the hit he had received, not wishing to end up on this guys bad side after all...

Once the fight became heated, Hikaru froze, remembering what had happened back in Britain. She had nearly killed that boy.... but if she didn't do something, the guy that helped protect her would get his ass kicked, royally. Thankfully a timid looking male about eight inches taller than herself clobbered the ringleader with his bag, earning a smirk of approval from Hikaru and it definitely was enough to bring her back to reality. She burst into action after her initial shock and twirled Jun by the shoulder, redirecting him from his pursuit toward Kazuki. After whipping the thug around to face her, Hikaru thrust her right knee into direct contact with his gut. The dark haired ringleader crumbled to the ground, and someone shouted that the teacher was coming. The bullies scrambled for their seats along with all of the students cheering on the fight. Hikaru adjusted her tie and dusted off her male uniform, "Thanks for the assistance with those guys, I am Yoshika, Hikaru by the way." She grinned, introducing herself to Reika, Kazuki and Yoichi before returning to her seat in the back of the room. Little did she know, she'd be getting to know this group a lot better. In fact, she would be spending a lot of time with two of them in particular.

Without the tomboy realizing it, she was peeking to see where the students that fought alongside her chose to sit. Class was starting, but she wished to properly thank them and ask a few questions about this school. Her olive orbs widened when she realized she would have to speak to the class, and would be assigned a dorm. This would be interesting.. The teacher came in, a short and docile man with large rimmed glasses. He began roll call, completely unaware of the fight that had taken place. The teacher began attendance check, but also announced the dorm mates as well. When he came to Hikaru's name, he motioned for her to come to the front to introduce herself and she tensed up. Being in the spotlight was not something she enjoyed in this context. She shuffled to the front, rubbing the back of her neck nervously, "I am Yoshika, Hikaru... I moved to Japan from Britain... Yeah..." She bowed politely afterwards, even though her introduction had been painfully casual despite Japan's formal customs.

Yoshika-kun... You will be dorming with.. Kurokawa-kun and Yamada-kun in room 405. Please take your seat, class shall now begin." The teacher stated, writing down his choice, giving none of them a say in the matter.

Hikaru wasn't too sure who those two were, so she returned to her seat in confusion, ruffling her messy blonde hair as she attempted to figure out which guys were her dorm mates. She only hoped it wouldn't be the bullies from before. She wouldn't last long at this school, especially if her dorm mates were buddies with Jun. She didn't even want to consider what would happen if one of the bullies found out she was a girl. This choice was becoming riskier by the minute. She wanted to fess up, but her voice was failing her. She couldn't ruin this kind of education for herself, even if she would end up spending the entire year looking over her shoulder.

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#2016-05-01 04:56:57, as written by Strix

"O-Oi... It's not like I can leave you to deal with this all by yourself!"

The boy's words were admirable, especially due to his short stature. Reika couldn't help but giggle at Hikaru's insistence on not leaving her to deal with the bullies on her own. The small blond boy's fiery determination was something she envied, "Suit yourself" Reika responded with a grin. She was standing up for him out of kindness, but this small boy showed actual bravery. He could have easily fled and left her to deal with them alone. At the sound of cracking knuckles, Reika peeked over her shoulder to see that none other than Yoichi had joined her. A large smile formed on her lips, starting to forgive him for the perverted embrace and half naked catwalk. It was times like this that reminded her why she enjoyed being around Yoichi so much. He was just....so heroic. Despite all of his faults, he had a major soft spot for the downtrotten and she absolutely adored that about her best friend.

"Hey, Jun! What's up, you ugly fucker?! Picking on little boys because you can't handle someone our own size?"

What she did not adore? His foul mouth. It immediately broke his charming spell, well, at least in Reika's case. She knew that several other girls were drawn even more to Yoichi for his 'bad boy' behavior, but she was far too timid for all of that. She noticed that Hikaru plugged his ears and she bit her bottom lip. It was true that Yoichi was yelling unnecessarily, but she was used to his tendency to favor a loud volume by now. She sweatdropped however when Yoichi seized Jun by the shirt, and she cringed. This could turn out really bad if a teacher showed up.. Reika was fairly goody-two-shoes, which surprised teachers every year when they realized she was quite close to the delinquent, Yamada, Yoichi. On the flip side, it didn't raise any eyebrows that Reika was close to Kurokawa, Kazuki, seeing as both of them were straight laced students.

"Nice to know you're still a little pussy!"

Reika's violet eyes blinked several times in disbelief when Yoichi was struck by Jun, her fists clenching tightly. Yoichi managed to create some space between himself and Jun, so her panicked heartbeat calmed for the moment. She couldn't help but be frightened for her friend. It was her fault that he was in this situation, however something told her he would have stood up for the small boy no matter what.. That knowledge soothed her mind, but at the same time she couldn't shake off her guilty feeling. Yoichi was always getting hurt for her sake. She wanted to ask him why, but she wasn't sure if she could handle the answer either.

"Is that really all you got?"

She closed her eyes when Yoichi's fist collided with Jun. A shiver ran down her spine just thinking about the pain that Jun experienced in that moment. She knew first hand that Yoichi was incredibly strong, and that his punches were no laughing matter. When she opened her eyes, it was clear that Yoichi was being jumped and her eyes widened in horror. She immediately began searching for something to throw at the hooligans, but to no success. As she fumbled for projectiles, she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye, looking just in time to watch Kazuki swing his bag at Jun. She was surprised that he chose to join in on the action, but she was glad that someone had Yoichi's back. ..Kazuki was pretty cool just then... She shook her head in attempt to refocus her thoughts. Now was not the time to gawk like a fangirl at Kazuki... A light blush formed on her cheeks and she returned to searching for a weapon. Just when she located her metal ruler, Hikaru landed another blow against Jun, protecting Kazuki from his retaliation. It was announced by the other students that a teacher was coming, and Jun scrambled to his seat followed by his goons. Every other student began to file into their seats and Reika shook her head at their cowardice. She rejoined her friends where they stood, giggling as Hikaru attempted to tidy up his appearance.

"Thanks for the assistance with those guys, I am Yoshika, Hikaru by the way."

"Takeru, Reika. It's a pleasure to meet you, Yoshika-Kun." She chimed in a friendly manner. The boy was at least four inches shorter than herself, but perhaps he just had not hit his growth spurt? Besides, his short stature made him all the more adorable, like the little brother she'd never had. Reika sat down in front of Hikaru, waving for Yoichi and Kazuki to join her. She began pulling out pencils, highlighters, her literature book and a notebook to take notes in. She took school quite seriously, and if she didn't take notes she knew that Yoichi wouldn't graduate. She was roomed with two girls from her cheerleading squad, so that was nice. At least she would know her dorm mates. She remained quiet as the teacher announced everything, doodling in her notebook until Hikaru's name was called. When Hikaru went up to the front, she could tell that the boy was nervous, and he had all right to be. He was jumped on his first day, and she knew how tough that could be.

"I am Yoshika, Hikaru... I moved to Japan from Britain... Yeah..."

Reika bit back a laugh at Hikaru's very informal introduction. She could tell that it was irritating to the teacher and to some of the students, because it came across as disrespectful and rather cocky. She glanced to Kazuki and Yoichi to gauge their reactions, but she did so a bit too soon, considering the teacher was not done. The next words from their elderly Sensei's mouth made today very, very interesting.

"Yoshika-kun... You will be dorming with.. Kurokawa-kun and Yamada-kun in room 405. Please take your seat, class shall now begin."

Reika smirked at her two friends, "At least you already know each other, ne?" She teased, sticking her tongue out playfully at both Kazuki and Yoichi as she awaited their reaction to their living arrangement. She knew the two had never had another dorm mate before, so she was looking forward to their response to this news. The fact that no one was given a say in the matter only made Reika more amused by this turn of events. When Hikaru sat back down behind her, she glanced over her shoulder, "At least you're roomed with Kurokawa-Senpai and Yoichi-kun." She chimed in a friendly manner. She was definitely going to enjoy this year, Reika was sure of it. Watching these three boys would supply her with endless amusement, and perhaps, just maaybe, she would be able to confess her feelings to Kazuki before the school year ended.

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#2016-08-17 22:06:07, as written by Feyblue

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Unlike the others, who'd been chattering amongst themselves in the aftermath of the fight, Kazuki had mostly been keeping to himself. He had always tried to minimize the amount of attention he drew to himself, and had always tried to avoid intervening in the affairs of others. Naturally, hitting his senior in the face with a book bag was a violation of both of these policies. Although it was a little late for damage control, he'd thus resolved to distance himself somewhat from his surrogate brother, at least for the day, considering the fact that Yoichi was making no attempts to avoid standing out.

Speaking of Yoichi, he and Reika seemed to be getting along well with the boy they'd stood up for, but that was hardly any of his business. What mattered right now was acclimating himself to the new school year's classes, and hopefully avoiding entangling himself in other people's business any further. This, at least, seemed mostly successful. The first few classes passed rather uneventfully - well, at least, uneventfully aside from Yoichi rather pointedly napping on Reika's shoulder, of all places. Kazuki growled under his breath. He might have respected Yoichi greatly, but that didn't mean he couldn't be jealous of him sometimes. Deciding to clear his head, he exited the classroom ahead of his two friends, who seemed preoccupied talking with Hikaru anyway. Stopping at a vending machine, he got some juice for himself and the others, figuring it would only be polite to offer some as an apology for making himself scarce earlier. He didn't get the chance to explain his reasoning, however, as by the time he'd made it to the rooftop, the others were already there.

Kazuki was just about to step out of the stairwell and greet them when it happened. Yoichi said something, and Kazuki felt his heart freeze in his chest.

"Reika-chan? Are you... confessing to me?"

In retrospect, it shouldn't have taken him by surprise, but it did. Yoichi and Reika had always seemed more like brother and sister than anything else to him. At times, it had even seemed like Reika might have reciprocated Kazuki's own feelings. And, even if he was sure those moments had been nothing but his own imagination, he still hadn't expected this.

Yet, as the scene unfolded before him, he found himself wondering just what had ever managed to get his hopes up so high. Yoichi was Yoichi, the perfect male specimen. He was their bright and fearless leader, an ideal to which Kazuki himself couldn't even dream of comparing. So, why hadn't he realized it sooner? He was such an idiot. Of course she would choose Yoichi over him. Anyone would, given the option.

A heavy silence settled over the rooftop, and Kazuki could see that his wasn't the only heart that was only the verge of breaking. Yoichi didn't answer, leaving the dark-haired girl to pick up the pieces of what was clearly a failure. Seeing the girl he had always idolized looking so crushed, Kazuki would have liked to say that he wanted nothing more than to confront Yoichi and force him to apologize for hurting Reika's feelings. But, actually, that wasn't the truth at all. No matter how he looked at it, he was actually... relieved? If Yoichi rejected her, that meant he still had a chance, right? So, then, he was willing to trample upon her feelings if it meant getting what he wanted? After all his talk about honesty and staying true to one's friends, this was how he really felt?

He was actually no different from the sort of person he hated most, wasn't he? For the most part, Human beings were frauds in his eyes. And now, confronted by his own treasonous feelings, he realized that he, too, was a fake. With the knowledge that some twisted part of him actually took pleasure in seeing her humiliated weighing on his mind, Kazuki knew that he couldn't bear to face her.

As Reika packed her things and moved to go, Kazuki acted on instinct, darting back around the corner of the door's frame and concealing himself, hoping that she wouldn't notice him as she rushed quickly past. He wouldn't get in her way if she wanted to leave. After being so humiliated, he knew he'd have wanted nothing more than to escape, too. It was the very least he could do to ensure that she didn't realize that he'd seen her so humiliated.

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#2016-08-20 03:27:19, as written by xLevesquex

Yoichi Yamada
|| 18 years old || Student || Heteroromantic // Pansexual ||
Dialogue Color: #848482 Thought color: #B6B6B4

To say that Reika's response shocked Yoichi would've been an understatement. He was completely blown away that she confirmed her confession to him and half-expected a different response. Although, he wasn't sure why because he was normally quite a confident young man but he did acknowledge that things were different when it came to Reika. He cared about her more than any of his other hook-ups or even past girlfriends, but really wasn't sure if his feelings towards her were the same that she apparently had for him. Despite this, he nodded along carefully with Reika's explanation and tried his best not to embarrass her or make her feel uncomfortable.

No, don't apologize, Reika-chan. I want you to be as honest with me as you have to be, okay? I will never invalidate your feelings or opinions, no matter what they are.

Yoichi kindly assured her and looked down at his clenched fists, just now noticing that they were balled up as tightly as they were, then relaxed them and stretched out his long fingers. He bit his lips, unsure of what to say next and felt slightly awkward, which wasn't a usual occurrence for Yoichi Yamada. However, he soon realized that his awkward silence was a mistake as Reika was obviously crying and trying to leave. Yoichi stammered for a moment before getting himself together and clearing his throat. The blond stood up quickly and stepped in front of his raven haired friend.

Please don't, I'm really sorry, Reika.

Yoichi reached out and grabbed her smaller hands in his and glanced around, biting his lip. He often referred to Kurokawa and Reika by only their first names because of how close they were and also because his first language was English, so he's more used to calling people by only their first names than not.

Look, I'm gonna be honest with you, like I always am, 'kay?

Yoichi warned her softly and gripped her hands tightly.

I really love you, Reika, but I'm not sure if it's the same as the way you feel about me... I need time to think about this, alright? I promise that this doesn't change anything between us, but I don't have an answer for you right now.

After Yoichi's soft spoken explanation, he grinned at the shorter girl and pulled her in for a tight hug.

Please don't be sad and please don't regret telling me this. I always want you to be honest with me and even with Kurokawa because we're always here for you and we both care about you dearly. Even if what you have to say is difficult.

Yoichi pulled away and smirked down at her.

And I don't blame you for falling for me, I mean, look at me.

He teased and gestured down to himself, chuckling softly before clearing his throat and silencing himself.

You don't have to leave, I'm gonna give you some alone time for a bit though and I'll eat my lunch in my room.

After telling her this, he repacked the lunch and walked over to the pile of his and Kurokawa's things and grabbed them, groaning as he did so. He looked back at Reika and smiled brightly.

Thanks for the lunch by the way, I'm sure it's awesome, as always.

And after giving her his signature wink, he left and his heart was beating at an incredible speed. However, as soon as he entered the stairway, a figure caught his eyes and he looked beside him, seeing Kurokawa. He gulped and bit his lip, realizing that his best friend totally saw all of that, but tried playing it off coolly anyways.

Hey, Kuro. Why don't you go in there and hang with Rei-chan for a bit? I-I'm gonna bring this stuff to our room, 'kay?

He said quickly and smoothly before racing down the stairs before his friend could say anything.

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Yoichi obnoxiously and breathlessly bursted into his shared room with Kurokawa and Hikaru and dropped all of the bags (except the bento) loudly before he realized that Hikaru was sleeping or trying to. He inhaled sharply and bit on his lower lip, hoping he hadn't woken the boy by accident because of his naturally loud behavior. He then noticed the redness on Hikaru's face, his uneven breathing and opened shirt. His brows furrowed worriedly and he set down the bento on a nearby end table and slowly stepped towards the couch, sitting beside Hikaru.

Dude,

he started slowly in a concerned tone.

Are you okay?

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#2016-08-20 19:48:50, as written by Feyblue

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Kazuki didn't know how long he spent waiting in the stairwell, hoping desperately that he wouldn't be noticed when Reika made her "escape." Regardless, when someone finally walked past him, it took him by surprise, since the first one to leave hadn't been the rejected girl, but rather the very one who'd shot her down. Yoichi turned as he passed, looking straight at Kazuki, who crumpled a bit beneath his gaze, somewhat embarrassed to be caught spying. Regardless, if Yoichi was angry at him, he didn't show it. All he did was... ask for help? Kazuki did a slight double-take as Yoichi asked of him the last thing he'd have expected: for him of all people to go and comfort Reika. What good could he do? If anything, wouldn't his clumsy attempts to cheer her up just make her feel worse?

But Yoichi had asked him to, and it was Reika who was crying. Before he'd even finished processing his friend's request, he was already nodding seriously, knowing that he couldn't possibly refuse. So, as Yoichi made his way past, Kazuki took a deep breath, desperately trying to calm his racing heart and praying that he could do something - anything - to make Reika feel better. Then, on shaky legs, he took his first step out onto the rooftop.

The wind felt cold as it hit his face - although that might have just been his anxiety playing tricks on him. His hands slipped within the comfort of the oversized sleeves of his cardigan as his fingers fidgeted, winding in and out as he tried to distract himself from the dread he felt, knowing that this incident might spell the end of his friendship with Reika if he made the slightest error. But still, he had to try.

He gazed absently out over the skyline, unable to bring himself to look at her, as though that way, he'd have plausible deniability and could pretend like he hadn't noticed anything. As he walked, he noticed out of the corner of his eye a slight crack in the rooftop. Good. That would work perfectly. His foot caught on it, causing him to trip forward slightly. He stumbled but didn't fall, losing his balance only just enough that his glasses slid off and clattered to the ground. He gave a slight cry of "surprise," followed by a grunt of "irritation" as he clumsily bent down, taking the extra time to wipe off the lenses of his spectacles on his sleeve before putting them back on. It was a simple, insignificant occurrence, but the noise would alert Reika to the fact that he was there, and the "accident" would buy her about twenty more seconds to compose herself. He could only hope that it would be enough to let her keep her "secret," giving her a sense of security that might make cheering her up a possibility.

Regardless, he couldn't well delay any longer, or she'd see right through him. So long as he was acting rather than verbally lying, he might be able to deceive her, but the moment words came into play, he'd immediately be seen through. So, standing up, he glanced back to where she was, trying his best to make it seem like he was only just noticing her. Raising a hand, he gave a sheepish wave.

"A-ah, hello Reika-san," He stammered. His usual anxiety, at least, he didn't need to fake. He already felt stressed enough that his pounding heart could explode at any moment. "I ran into Yoichi on the way up. I guess I was late...? I'm really sorry about that! I had to complete some notes, and I thought I'd go get drinks for everybody, and... er..." Usually, in this situation, he'd have just said that if she was already done and wanted to leave without him, she could go ahead, since he wouldn't want to trouble her. However, Yoichi had specifically asked him to stay with her. So, above all else, he couldn't let her leave! It was underhanded, and the sort of thing he'd usually avoid since he didn't like being pitied, least of all by someone he looked up to, but it looked like guilt-tripping her would be his only option. If making himself pathetic was what it took to make Reika happy, then so be it!

"Umm... I guess you're already done... but... umm... we don't have anything else on our schedules for at least another hour, and..." He needed to think. What was a reason he could give for seeming so desperate that wouldn't be false? Immediately, the answer came to him. Of course, there was only one reason that wouldn't be a lie.

"And I really missed you over summer! I wanted to get the chance to talk more, but after that fight this morning, well... umm..." He trailed off again, wondering if he'd been a little too truthful. Normally, he'd have said something nonspecific, like "I really missed you guys." But Yoichi had been sending jokes and his usual annoying-yet-strangely-encouraging text messages practically daily. It had hardly felt any different from being right there with him. So it was that, for the past few months, he'd missed Reika's company more than anything else.

His cheeks colored slightly, and, realizing that he was staring, he quickly broke eye contact, looking away in a vain attempt to hide his embarrassment at having spoken so directly. "A-anyway, if it's not too much of a bother... would you be willing to... uh... hang out for a while?" Kazuki asked awkwardly, hoping that this would be enough to make her stay. Yet, if she did stay, what would be do then? He hadn't really thought that far ahead...

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#2016-08-21 06:16:59, as written by Strix

"No, don't apologize, Reika-chan. I want you to be as honest with me as you have to be, okay? I will never invalidate your feelings or opinions, no matter what they are."

As he spoke the word 'honest', Reika felt her stomach wrenching, Honest..? She couldn't even attempt being honest at this point. She was already so deep in the lie that she told, thinking it would bring a little damage control to her mishap, she couldn't possibly tell the truth now... Reika had her lunch packed up and ready to go, but she was surprised when Yoichi intercepted her retreat. Unable to glance up at him through tears of embarrassment, Reika stared at the concrete below their feet instead. She felt humiliated. It wasn't so much because it felt like she was being rejected, that was what she wanted him to do after all...

Even so, although Yoichi wasn't the person she had originally planned to give the lovey-dovey bento to it still stung when he responded in such a way. It was comparable to blunt force trauma to her pride regardless of who was turning her down. She wasn't used to rejection or confessing for that matter. There was only one boy Reika had ever gained the courage to confess to... and it was still very traumatizing to think about. This wasn't very different... The only thing that kept her together was the fact that unlike the boy she confessed to in middle school, Yoichi actually cared about her feelings. That, and there was also the little-known detail that she had a crush on Kazuki. It was through a series of misunderstandings that she was here confessing to Yoichi. How could she confess to him that she liked Kazuki when she wasn't even sure if Kazuki would accept her feelings? Reika wiped away her tears on her sleeve, trying to pull herself together. She knew that she would eventually get over this humiliation, but it didn't change the fact that this was embarrassing. If Kurokawa-Senpai doesn't feel the same...that would put Yoichi-kun in a very tricky situation... He'd be in a very awkward place... If he didn't know, perhaps it would spare the friendship. Reika couldn't help but believe that.

"Please don't, I'm really sorry, Reika."

Violet tear filled eyes widened when Reika felt her hands enveloped by Yoichi's. She immediately shook her head when he apologized. If anyone should apologize, it should have been her for being a coward, for pretending she was confessing to him to spare putting herself out there. Reika was used to Yoichi calling her by her first name without honorifics because they grew up together, but it was a lot more embarrassing when anyone else did it. Yoichi was her only childhood friend after all.

"Look, I'm gonna be honest with you, like I always am, 'kay?"

A nod was her initial response, but Reika knew that she owed him more than that. This was a serious issue, and she was dropping all of this on his lap to save herself. She felt incredibly selfish for doing it, but at the time she had been so afraid of how her best friends would respond. Even though Kurokawa had been late, she knew Yoichi would have told him eventually... At least this way Yoichi could turn her down and later on down the road once this was all forgotten she would be able to try again with Kurokawa. Preparing herself for the rejection speech, Reika let out a soft sigh and put on a strong face, "O-Of course." Reika responded, determined and ready for the harsh response. Though the way he clung on to her hands made her nervous. Just how brutally honest was he going to be? She couldn't help but wonder, but she knew he'd get to it very soon. He didn't beat around the bush very long, and she really appreciated that about Yoichi.

"I really love you, Reika, but I'm not sure if it's the same as the way you feel about me... I need time to think about this, alright? I promise that this doesn't change anything between us, but I don't have an answer for you right now."

At first, his words gave Reika a heart attack, but as he continued she understood he meant platonically. Or...not. Wait...He had to think about it?! Reika gazed up at him, then at the city down below them her blush deepening. This was not what she had anticipated. Did he really have to think, or was he trying to spare her feelings..? What if he accepted her confession!? Her entire face turned a dark shade of red. How was she supposed to handle something like this? She never even thought there was a remote possibility that Yoichi might accept the accidental confession, "I understand. Just.. Don't go easy on me because we're friends, okay? I won't hate you if you turn me down. " She assured him, hoping that he would not change his answer out of feelings of guilt or pity for her. Reika wiped her eyes again. How did something that was supposed to be a simple and subtle confession to Kurokawa ever get to be this complicated!? Was the universe so opposed to her confessing to him that it would sabotage her like this?

"Please don't be sad and please don't regret telling me this. I always want you to be honest with me and even with Kurokawa because we're always here for you and we both care about you dearly. Even if what you have to say is difficult."

The hug left her very flustered, remembering how the LAST time he hugged her, he was lacking a shirt....and pants.... Ugh! This isn't the time to be thinking of things like that!! Of course I am starting to regret telling you this. Y-Y-You were supposed to say you don't like me like that! Jeez! Guys like you are never interested in girls like me! Reika thought to herself with a pout on her lips, cheeks a bright shade of pink as she timidly patted his back in the hug, participating a little at least. Why did he need time to think about this? He witnessed all of her awkward stages. How could he possibly have feelings for her like that? Shouldn't it have been easy..? Though when he mentioned honesty again, Reika wanted to crawl into a hole and die somewhere. She had something difficult she needed to say to both him and Kurokawa, yet the words wouldn't come out. She always felt like someone had cut her tongue out whenever it came to confessing how she felt about Kurokawa. I know you both care... but what if he doesn't care in the way I want him to...? Reika thought to herself, nodding her head at Yoichi. She couldn't think of anything to say. She knew she should have told him the truth, that she wasn't trying to confess to him... but then he'd immediately realize who her real target had been all along. Would Yoichi get mad at her for lying? Why did I lie in the first place!? I just made things a lot worse!! Reika you're so stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!

"And I don't blame you for falling for me, I mean, look at me."

While she had a delayed reaction from the shock of the hug, she managed to recover quickly enough to respond to his arrogance, "B-Baka! Wipe that smirk off your face!" Reika snapped at him, shoving his shoulder slightly. fuming with irritation. While she normally could look over his cockiness, she hardly believed this was the time. After getting her point across, Reika crossed her arms over her chest, still pouting, "I-I'm not perverted like that! Get over yourself!" she insisted in a flustered manner. Her tears were no longer flowing as heavily or nearly as frequent.

"You don't have to leave, I'm gonna give you some alone time for a bit though and I'll eat my lunch in my room."

Great.. I ran him off... So much for preserving the trio... Reika thought to herself, emotionally beating herself up for even making that bento. If she didn't decorate one and not the other then she would never have gotten into this mess in the first place. If she didn't try to move her relationship with Kurokawa to the next level, there never would have been a misunderstanding to be had. Why did I have to try and change things? I should know by now I can't have things like that...

"Thanks for the lunch, by the way, I'm sure it's awesome, as always."

"Duh..." Reika responded in reference to her food. She knew that she knew how to cook, and she prided herself in her ability to choose fresh vegetables, "O-Oi..." Reika complained when he winked at her. Why was he still doing that, even after she dropped such a heavy topic into his lap..? Was she overthinking things too much..? After she was alone on the roof Reika let out a soft sigh and the tears began flowing freely again. She wanted to fight herself, to punch herself in the mouth for not admitting what was truly in her heart. Though she heard someone else trip on the rooftop, spinning around immediately after she wiped her eyes.

"A-ah, hello Reika-san,"

As if on cue, life was throwing her yet another curveball. She felt like breaking down then and there. She wanted to confess her feelings, yet in her own cowardice she had already done so to Yoichi... she couldn't do that... She knew it would belittle her feelings for Kazuki. Her words wouldn't hold any weight if the two boys called her out. She was stuck between a rock and a hard place. It felt like there was no way out, "O-Oh, hey Kurokawa-Senpai." Reika closed her eyes and smiled brightly at him, even though tears still lingered in her eyelashes.

"I ran into Yoichi on the way up. I guess I was late...? I'm really sorry about that! I had to complete some notes, and I thought I'd go get drinks for everybody, and... er..."

Reika blinked a bit when he began explaining himself. She remained quiet, patiently listening. However, she was kind of glad he did not show up sooner. If he had witnessed any of that with Yoichi, she would have probably thrown herself off the roof, protective fence or not. Finally, she was beginning to understand why the faculty felt the need for such things. While she knew she wouldn't actually jump off no matter what happened between the trio, the temptation was there. She felt so helpless.

"Umm... I guess you're already done... but... umm... we don't have anything else on our schedules for at least another hour, and..."

Was he asking her to hang out with him..? Reika did not want to assume anything, but it felt like that was what Kurokawa was trying to say to her. She bit her lip, glancing to the scenery below to clear her mind. Her heart was racing like it always did in his presence. He wasn't a 'bad boy' like Yoichi, nor was his appearance considered 'model like', but she didn't mind any of that. It was moments like this that made Reika fall for Kurokawa, not his physical appearance. His shy personality, it was something she could appreciate.

"And I really missed you over summer! I wanted to get the chance to talk more, but after that fight this morning, well... umm..."

What she heard just then really brightened up her mood. She gawked for a few seconds completely in shock, He..missed me..? Reika smiled a bit, her cheeks turning fairly red. The tears finally fell from her eyes, but her smile and laughter changed the mood entirely. She may have been crying, but at least it was from happiness, right? He missed -me-... This isn't fair...[/i][/color] She thought to herself, wiping her eyes again. She didn't want him to see her crying, but when she looked up she noticed his blush. They were both so painfully awkward, she couldn't help but laugh a bit, "I missed you too, Senpai." she practically sang out. It was very easy to say knowing he felt the same way.

"A-anyway, if it's not too much of a bother... would you be willing to... uh... hang out for a while?"

"I haven't really ate yet so I'd love to, Kurokawa-Senpai. What kind of drinks did you get?" Reika inquired as she slowly made her way over to the fenceline, sitting on the ground this time leaning against the thin metal. She didn't want to sit on the bench she originally sat on with Yoichi. She didn't want to think about that awkward moment again so soon. She couldn't change anything right now, and he didn't accept or deny her. The fact that he had to think about it made Reika think he was still going to say no, so perhaps she wouldn't be in a mess after all? Would I even have the courage to tell the truth...? If he... NO! He wouldn't. Isn't it obvious I like Kurokawa...? He's been with so many girls... I think it would be.... Well.. I hope it isn't...but... UGH! Her thoughts were way too noisy! She opened her bento which only lacked a few bites, looking over to see if Kazuki was going to join her on the concrete. Being alone with him, she was really nervous... There weren't many times when they were together without Yoichi, especially not for over an hour!

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#2016-08-26 23:23:07, as written by Feyblue

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Raising his head, Kazuki breathed a faint sigh of relief, a slight yet earnest smile crossing his lips. He'd been terrified that she'd run off, and he'd have forced himself to admit something so awkward for nothing. If she was willing to stay, though, then maybe, he could come up with something else to smooth things between them, distract her from her rejection, and, if he was especially lucky, help him come to terms with the fact that she'd effectively rejected him before he'd ever spoken up. Sure, Yoichi hadn't accepted her offer... but if she'd had eyes for him, that meant that she'd only notice people like him in a romantic sense, right? When it came to comparing Kazuki and his far more formidable friend, there wasn't any competition whatsoever. His chances of being noticed were as good as none.

His eyes still avoided looking at her as best he could, since just a slight glance had been enough tell that she was still crying. Fortunately, it was still early enough in the day that he could pass it off as just squinting in the sunlight. He made his way sheepishly over to her, as though trying to hide the blush on his face - another thing he fortunately didn't have to fake. Why had she had to smile like that when she said she'd missed him? And just after he'd had to see how outclassed he really was... it was hopeless, but those words, that smile, made him want to hope anyway.

Sitting down beside her, he'd liked to have said that he took the time to reach into his bag and fumble about clumsily with the drinks for a few moments to give Reika a little extra time, but for whatever reason, his hands seemed to be genuinely trembling on their own. He bit his lip, taking a deep breath and trying to relax. Now wasn't the time to be thinking about the fact that the two of them were alone, least of all as a chance to make his own move. He wouldn't undercut either Reika's or Yoichi's feelings like that. He wouldn't take advantage of her sadness! He owed them that much, didn't he?

Trying to hide his nervousness - not to mention his inner shame - he withdrew three drinks. "Umm... There's fruit punch, lemonade, and grape soda. I got an extra for Yoichi, but..." He trailed off, mentally slapping himself for bringing the conversation back to Yoichi. Was he really that stupid?! He thought quickly, and hastily continued, not wanting to let his words die out on that topic. "A-anyway, you can have any one you want. I'm not really all that picky when it comes to drinks, so..." He turned bag to his bag, withdrawing the lunchbox she'd given him earlier that day, as well as a pair of chopsticks. Removing the lid, he looked in, smiling to himself as he saw just how much effort she'd gone to for his sake. She really didn't need to be, and yet, she was always so nice to him. Maybe.... maybe this was enough after all? Was it alright if he was satisfied with this? Was it alright if he just gave up? He'd already lost, so maybe, it would be best to just accept it.

It made sense. Maybe it was because it made sense that he couldn't bear to think about it any further. "I-itadakimasu," He stammered, before quickly silencing his runaway emotions with a hasty bite into his meal. The fact that it was exactly as delicious as he'd expected comforted him, but at the same time made him feel bitter.

"It's great," He said honestly, doing his best to smile for Reika despite his own inner turmoil. "I... I didn't think it was possible, but you've actually gotten even better at cooking over the summer." Kazuki thought about what he'd said for a moment, his face turning bright red. That much praise was definitely going too far. He probably just sounded like he was trying to flatter her and didn't mean it, but he was being completely honest. Too honest, really. He probably just sounded ridiculous to her.

He just hoped that she'd take his enthusiasm as he returned to hastily devouring his lunch as a better compliment than his words, and wouldn't realize that, at least in part, he was trying to hide his embarrassment. Just what had Yoichi been thinking, telling him to talk to Reika alone...?! He really couldn't handle this...

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#2016-09-22 05:40:45, as written by Strix

"Umm... There's fruit punch, lemonade, and grape soda. I got an extra for Yoichi, but..."

Stuck between a rock and a hard place, Reika began playing eenie meenie miney mo to figure out which drink she would choose between Fruit Punch and Lemonade. She absolutely hated anything grape flavored. It NEVER tasted like actual grapes, ever. She wasn't even sure how they were able to call it grape flavored in the first place when it clearly was not. Why did they even continue making that stuff? Obviously, some people liked it.... but she was not among them. When Yoichi's name came up, she felt her stomach churn. She was immediately reminded that she confessed to him in fear that Kurokawa would not feel the same, in fear that Yoichi would not approve of them as a couple... She did not want to lose either of her friends...

"A-anyway, you can have any one you want. I'm not really all that picky when it comes to drinks, so..."

"Lemonade." She finally replied, taking the drink gently. She stared down at it smiling, realizing it was something that Kurokawa had given her, that he had paid for. Just the thought brought a blush to her face. She retrieved her bento from her bag as well, reopening it. There were only a few bites taken out, as the switch up with Yoichi had interrupted her meal, "That's a good trait. Unfortunately I'm a little picky..." She lightly giggled, wiping her eyes with her free hand to make sure all of the tears were gone. It seemed Kurokawa could always bring a smile to her face, even when she was this upset. The extent of her feelings for him never ceased to amaze her.

"I-itadakimasu,"

It was a bad habit, but Reika peeked over at him to gauge his reaction, not taking a single bite of her own until she knew it wasn't bad. Yoichi hadn't taken a bite, so she wasn't sure if she had done a good job. Normally she did, but there was always a first for everything. She had heard many war stories where someone had accidentally used salt instead of sugar or vice versa. She had not done it yet, but she was always fearful that she may make that same mistake one day.

"It's great,"

Hearing his praise, Reika immediately smiled back brightly. His praise was always the most meaningful, not that she would ever tell anyone that. She couldn't even seem to straighten out this whole bento mix up, "Itadakimasu..." Reika stated softly before taking a bite as well before taking a drink from the lemonade she received from Kazuki. She knew it was only her crush on him making her feel that way, but somehow the lemonade tasted better when it was a gift from him.

"I... I didn't think it was possible, but you've actually gotten even better at cooking over the summer."

Nearly dropping her chopsticks at the compliment, Reika bit her bottom lip as her blush grew, "E-Eh? You think so...?" She asked nervously. She wasn't really sure if she had improved or not, but to hear him say so made her heart want to burst. Senpai had noticed her.... her cooking that is. Sigh. Perhaps it wasn't meant to be? Maybe he just didn't see her that way? She wasn't sure, but she was losing the confidence she built up to give him that bento little by little ever since she realized Yoichi had received it by accident. Despite feeling insecure, she took another drink, "A-Arigato, Kurokawa-Senpai~ I will try to my best to continue to cook tasty food!" she stammered in a speedy manner, a little too happy to be praised by the boy she liked. Normally it would have been obvious she liked him, but neither of them were what most would consider 'normal'. They both were awkward and shy, too naiive to realize they both liked each other. When the wind blew, a magazine slid towards them and she immediately leaned forward to snatch it up like a viper striking, totally disregarding she was in her school uniform which consisted of a skirt. The magazine was the latest issue with her newest modeling shots inside, something she did NOT want Yoichi or Kazuki to see. Kazuki.Was.Not.Allowed. She would do anything she could to prevent him from seeing her like that... It was humiliating. Little did she know, when she sat back, the images were smaller on the back in his line of sight if he looked over.

Reika modeling
Reika modeling with famous Pop Star Yuuta
Reika modeling with Yuuta 2
Reika modeling with Yuuta 3

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Kurokawa Kazuki

0 · 1,221 views · located in Japan

a character in “Seiyuu Academy: A Girl in the boy's dorms!?”, as played by Feyblue

Description

So begins...

Kurokawa Kazuki's Story

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