Snippet #2615449

Johnny watched the rowdy individual (Kazuki) get "detained" by security. Judging from the speed and the harshness put behind the words, Johnny imagined the shouting included much swearing. There was an odd feeling in the towering foreigner’s gut as he watched the situation play out. What was it… nostalgia? Johnny knew for certain that he saw something familiar in the events that unfolded the many metres away.

A fair number of the words, Johnny managed to recognize on account of his recent cram-reading of the booklet. He determined that the kid was not pleased about being at this school. Who knows? Johnny thought, Maybe there is something about this school that guy doesn’t like? It was then that he felt that he might have the thousand-yard stare again. Pre-emptively, he shook his head and returned to studying his dictionary.

Thanks to the enclosed space where little outside sound pierced the perimeter walls, Johnny heard many a dialogue delivered in Japanese from a few of the groups of students that had formed. He was barely able to catch to a handful of the words. What words he did catch, he sometimes managed to decipher what was being discussed between the other students. Most of the dialogue he caught was the clear, deliberate dialogue between two who appeared to be actresses. (Gen and Vika) Johnny did enjoy the performing arts, as they were similar to sports... and his personal interests... Plus, the clarity in their speech made it easier to decipher the individual words being said, which was great practice.

Amongst the students, Johnny saw the one who was taller by a measly inch. (Ryou) That one was awake and apparently mingling with the others. Johnny pondered if the near-clone would make an interesting rival to mutually hone each others’ skills with. If there was one thing he learned from his old schools, it’s that having no challenge bored him greatly. It was the main reason why his grades were so… average… Having someone potentially superior to him in some way would certainly give Johnny drive to do better throughout the year. Perhaps moving to this school was a good idea after all.

A little further away, the one with the pink hair stood out like a sore thumb, (Cassiopeia) obviously because of the pink hair… which was pink like a sore thumb. Johnny had seen people with dyed hair before in the States, mainly during family reunions in California. He never understood the appeal behind it. Was it a ploy for attention, like how some treat the idea of fitness? Johnny suspected not, because unlike fitness, dyed hair doesn’t directly benefit the wearer. The way others seemed to swarm around her was ample evidence for Johnny to determine this stranger was a very popular girl, much like he was back in his old schools. The foreigner had no clue how "school hierarchy” functioned in this country, so he wasn't sure what to think of this girl.

The rest seemed like individuals whom Johnny would properly meet soon enough. For now, the foreigner needed to get more familiar with the language. After setting his messenger bag next to him, Johnny leaned back on the bench and crossed one long, muscular leg over another. With one hand, he continued reading the dictionary. The other hand lay stretched, yet relaxed across the back of the bench. He was the picture of relaxation to onlookers, and the stretched nature of his pose allowed his physique to more easily show through the uniform.

As he continued reading, and trying to absorb as much information as he could, he bobbed his head to a tune only he could hear, one of many rock ballads by Jimi Hendrix and his old ‘Band of Gypsies’.

—

+0 Intelligence (since it’s still the same stuff he’s been doing last post)

+1 Popularity to Ryou
+1 Popularity to Kazuki
+1 Popularity to Gen
+1 Popularity to Vika