mafuyu hanazawa.
dialogue ; #7f9f91. – thought ; #bb7e8c.
Perhaps his joke doesn't fall entirely flat, given the way the pink haired girl before him lets out a small laugh. That was good, right? She didn't already completely despise him? He'd take it as something of a win, that he'd managed to take the smallest step forward in terms of becoming a friend.
"Oh please, if I were to go on a date with you, it definitely wouldn't be in a school setting. Besides, aren't there rules for that here?" He blinks once at the words, and takes this as his second small win. She wasn't completely averse to a date? Enough at least, that she didn't mind playing along with his joke. It makes his smile a little brighter with that in mind, and then shrugs, "probably, I'm good at letting that sort of thing slip my mind though. There's a whole booklet on rules, it's impossible to keep track of them all here." Besides, this was a college campus, wasn't it? Couldn't they be allowed to let loose a little more than in high school?
Probably not, there was still reputation to uphold for universities after all.
Maybe it was something he should catch up on more, given he'd be teaching high school soon enough. Not that he was overly strict, but letting too much slide would let teenagers walk all over him, and he wasn't exactly for that by the time he was free of the school system. In just two years, really, he'd be graduated and working soon enough.
"Thanks for the warning, but I should warn you, I get a special thrill of putting guys like him in their place. I can't stand guys like that either and if he tries to put any moves on me, I'll crush him," Blinking once out of his own thoughts, he finds himself staring at Kazumi for a second longer before his head tilts and he lets out a small laugh. Crush him, huh? That was certainly a choice of words. She wasn't the type to take shit, was she? Iphianassa and her would get along that way, he was rather confident of that now.
"If you say so; don't put yourself in a bad situation though, Haruto's dirty as they get." Mafuyu doesn't think he'd try anything...insane, or so he had thought until he'd crossed the line of stalking with Iphianassa. How long until he went further into that depraved territory? She seems like she'd be able to handle herself, but it still doesn't settle well with me.
Shrugging off the thought of too many unknown futures, he waves off her apology as she turns around to pull out her phone, call her brother and ask where he and Iphianassa ended up. Not far off, probably. It wasn't that big of a campus in comparison to others nearby. Higashi-Naruse only had space and funds for so much, after all, and as much as he would have enjoyed attending college in the city somewhere a little more prestigious, staying close to his sisters and mom, to home, and going somewhere cheaper even with a full scholarship to other places was better for him in the long run.
He was a bit eager to move eventually though, what with Hisao having tracked him down at this point. More anonymity in a city, less in a town of just barely over two thousand people. It wouldn't be long before that trash starting pinning things, or places down a little easier, would it? As long as he stays away from the girls.
Looking back up from where he had been absentmindedly kicking around tufts of loose grass, Mafuyu's eyes settle on Kazumi for a moment as she begins to walk away, and a faint smile comes to him then, "mhm, lead the way, Kazumi. I certainly wouldn't know the directions." His skateboard is back in his hands from the ground, a little careless in its retrieval, and he jogs for a bit to catch up to her and stick to her side, comfortable in the presence they shared for the moment. She really didn't seem too bad, a likeable personality and a seeming caring side to her as well. And yes, she was pretty, but you'd have to be blind to miss that fact about her. It's just the way her apparent personality thus far makes that sort of beauty a little more true, a little more deep than just the skin, and he finds himself appreciative of that. It wasn't always that way, after all. He'd met plenty of people who turned ugly the moment they opened their mouth.
The air is quiet as they walk for a bit, Mafuyu's mind continuing its wandering, but after a second he glances to the pink haired girl again, head tilted ever so slightly before slipping out the question that had been on his mind since they'd first entered, before he'd been able to given they were all in class or the two siblings were surrounded on both sides by curious classmates that wanted to meet them. "You and Natsuo, where'd you guys move from? I figure you're probably not from Higashi-Naruse originally, right? I feel like I would have met you both by now if you were, it's such a small town."
His words are up in the air only a moment before the answer to that question can even be spoken, interrupted by the sound of Iphianassa's voice, her apparent interrogation on the man who she'd had help her escape Haruto earlier before. His brow quirks slightly at the tone, at the words themselves; couldn't people just want to be friends? Though, knowing her, it made sense that she'd question everything that way. It was rather rare that most would seek her out in any positive manner or lacking some sort of ulterior motive, he knew that, he'd watched it go on for several years now, hadn't he? So truly, in the end, no shock here.
"So what’s your goal here? I don’t have any money, and I don’t own nice things. I don’t have many friends, and it’s not like I’m pretty; so what’s your end goal? Huh?" Silently, he follows in with Kazumi, though the woman doesn't seem keen on staying quiet in their positions as she questions her brother on what the conversation was over. "Miss Iphianassa here seems to think that by being around her, our reputations will be shot."
Looking down at her the, Mafuyu tilts his head slightly, faint smile picking up over his features. Sure, maybe reputation was at risk when you hung around those that had the bad rumors and the like hanging around their heads, but Mafuyu was rather confident that anyone who would treat someone else terribly just because of, exactly what they were, rumors would be far from worthwhile. Iphianassa's anger and harsh personality certainly were there for everyone to see, but that didn't make her a bad person. If anything, the brunette reminded him of his sister. Of Ran, who certainly had her own reputation and bad rumors building with each year they spent here. If someone were to treat her badly, how would he feel? Enraged, no doubt. So why treat someone like his sister cold or cruelly?
But there Kazumi goes again, that swift talk, though this time it's more of a pep talk than just general rambling. He listens quietly all the while, nodding along with each statement, stifling a laugh when the question of how attractive Iphianassa was is turned on Natsuo, who half chokes on the food he'd just put in his mouth. If anything was obvious in this sibling dynamic, it was that Kazumi had her way with teasing, and seemingly found every moment to inflict it upon the dark haired male. He often did the same with his sisters, so he could appreciate that. There was just a joy like no other, getting a reaction out of those related to you like that.
In the end, Natsuo agrees, even if he can't bring himself to look at Iphianassa. Mafuyu tilts his head then, looking over to her with a slight piqued curiosity over the situation. They'd practically just dashed away her concerns, or at least done so in the form of words; whether or not she'd take it and consider any weight behind them was up to her in the end.
"People can like you even without material things, you know. It's not all about money, in the end." Maybe it was for some people, but Mafuyu certainly wasn't one to care for it, and most people who did didn't stick around him for long when they caught a glimpse of his wallet. He shrugs lightly though, glances away, "and people shallow enough to only stick to a pretty face aren't worth your time anyway. Not that you aren't pretty, Iphi." It's a little teasing in tone, he's rather sure that he's the last person she wants to hear compliments from anyway.
"Miss Iphianassa, was something troubling you earlier? I saw you looking at your phone and I can only assume you got a troubling text message." Natsuo's voice cuts through a moment later though, and a brow quirks up in her direction at the words. Text message...of what? Had Haruto tried to get ahold of her again? Or was it something else? Well, he supposes he'll stick around just a bit longer to be sure things are alright after all.
"Oh please, if I were to go on a date with you, it definitely wouldn't be in a school setting. Besides, aren't there rules for that here?" He blinks once at the words, and takes this as his second small win. She wasn't completely averse to a date? Enough at least, that she didn't mind playing along with his joke. It makes his smile a little brighter with that in mind, and then shrugs, "probably, I'm good at letting that sort of thing slip my mind though. There's a whole booklet on rules, it's impossible to keep track of them all here." Besides, this was a college campus, wasn't it? Couldn't they be allowed to let loose a little more than in high school?
Probably not, there was still reputation to uphold for universities after all.
Maybe it was something he should catch up on more, given he'd be teaching high school soon enough. Not that he was overly strict, but letting too much slide would let teenagers walk all over him, and he wasn't exactly for that by the time he was free of the school system. In just two years, really, he'd be graduated and working soon enough.
"Thanks for the warning, but I should warn you, I get a special thrill of putting guys like him in their place. I can't stand guys like that either and if he tries to put any moves on me, I'll crush him," Blinking once out of his own thoughts, he finds himself staring at Kazumi for a second longer before his head tilts and he lets out a small laugh. Crush him, huh? That was certainly a choice of words. She wasn't the type to take shit, was she? Iphianassa and her would get along that way, he was rather confident of that now.
"If you say so; don't put yourself in a bad situation though, Haruto's dirty as they get." Mafuyu doesn't think he'd try anything...insane, or so he had thought until he'd crossed the line of stalking with Iphianassa. How long until he went further into that depraved territory? She seems like she'd be able to handle herself, but it still doesn't settle well with me.
Shrugging off the thought of too many unknown futures, he waves off her apology as she turns around to pull out her phone, call her brother and ask where he and Iphianassa ended up. Not far off, probably. It wasn't that big of a campus in comparison to others nearby. Higashi-Naruse only had space and funds for so much, after all, and as much as he would have enjoyed attending college in the city somewhere a little more prestigious, staying close to his sisters and mom, to home, and going somewhere cheaper even with a full scholarship to other places was better for him in the long run.
He was a bit eager to move eventually though, what with Hisao having tracked him down at this point. More anonymity in a city, less in a town of just barely over two thousand people. It wouldn't be long before that trash starting pinning things, or places down a little easier, would it? As long as he stays away from the girls.
Looking back up from where he had been absentmindedly kicking around tufts of loose grass, Mafuyu's eyes settle on Kazumi for a moment as she begins to walk away, and a faint smile comes to him then, "mhm, lead the way, Kazumi. I certainly wouldn't know the directions." His skateboard is back in his hands from the ground, a little careless in its retrieval, and he jogs for a bit to catch up to her and stick to her side, comfortable in the presence they shared for the moment. She really didn't seem too bad, a likeable personality and a seeming caring side to her as well. And yes, she was pretty, but you'd have to be blind to miss that fact about her. It's just the way her apparent personality thus far makes that sort of beauty a little more true, a little more deep than just the skin, and he finds himself appreciative of that. It wasn't always that way, after all. He'd met plenty of people who turned ugly the moment they opened their mouth.
The air is quiet as they walk for a bit, Mafuyu's mind continuing its wandering, but after a second he glances to the pink haired girl again, head tilted ever so slightly before slipping out the question that had been on his mind since they'd first entered, before he'd been able to given they were all in class or the two siblings were surrounded on both sides by curious classmates that wanted to meet them. "You and Natsuo, where'd you guys move from? I figure you're probably not from Higashi-Naruse originally, right? I feel like I would have met you both by now if you were, it's such a small town."
His words are up in the air only a moment before the answer to that question can even be spoken, interrupted by the sound of Iphianassa's voice, her apparent interrogation on the man who she'd had help her escape Haruto earlier before. His brow quirks slightly at the tone, at the words themselves; couldn't people just want to be friends? Though, knowing her, it made sense that she'd question everything that way. It was rather rare that most would seek her out in any positive manner or lacking some sort of ulterior motive, he knew that, he'd watched it go on for several years now, hadn't he? So truly, in the end, no shock here.
"So what’s your goal here? I don’t have any money, and I don’t own nice things. I don’t have many friends, and it’s not like I’m pretty; so what’s your end goal? Huh?" Silently, he follows in with Kazumi, though the woman doesn't seem keen on staying quiet in their positions as she questions her brother on what the conversation was over. "Miss Iphianassa here seems to think that by being around her, our reputations will be shot."
Looking down at her the, Mafuyu tilts his head slightly, faint smile picking up over his features. Sure, maybe reputation was at risk when you hung around those that had the bad rumors and the like hanging around their heads, but Mafuyu was rather confident that anyone who would treat someone else terribly just because of, exactly what they were, rumors would be far from worthwhile. Iphianassa's anger and harsh personality certainly were there for everyone to see, but that didn't make her a bad person. If anything, the brunette reminded him of his sister. Of Ran, who certainly had her own reputation and bad rumors building with each year they spent here. If someone were to treat her badly, how would he feel? Enraged, no doubt. So why treat someone like his sister cold or cruelly?
But there Kazumi goes again, that swift talk, though this time it's more of a pep talk than just general rambling. He listens quietly all the while, nodding along with each statement, stifling a laugh when the question of how attractive Iphianassa was is turned on Natsuo, who half chokes on the food he'd just put in his mouth. If anything was obvious in this sibling dynamic, it was that Kazumi had her way with teasing, and seemingly found every moment to inflict it upon the dark haired male. He often did the same with his sisters, so he could appreciate that. There was just a joy like no other, getting a reaction out of those related to you like that.
In the end, Natsuo agrees, even if he can't bring himself to look at Iphianassa. Mafuyu tilts his head then, looking over to her with a slight piqued curiosity over the situation. They'd practically just dashed away her concerns, or at least done so in the form of words; whether or not she'd take it and consider any weight behind them was up to her in the end.
"People can like you even without material things, you know. It's not all about money, in the end." Maybe it was for some people, but Mafuyu certainly wasn't one to care for it, and most people who did didn't stick around him for long when they caught a glimpse of his wallet. He shrugs lightly though, glances away, "and people shallow enough to only stick to a pretty face aren't worth your time anyway. Not that you aren't pretty, Iphi." It's a little teasing in tone, he's rather sure that he's the last person she wants to hear compliments from anyway.
"Miss Iphianassa, was something troubling you earlier? I saw you looking at your phone and I can only assume you got a troubling text message." Natsuo's voice cuts through a moment later though, and a brow quirks up in her direction at the words. Text message...of what? Had Haruto tried to get ahold of her again? Or was it something else? Well, he supposes he'll stick around just a bit longer to be sure things are alright after all.