June Tsugami's Story

Kotone Ryokucha

The chattering of the crowd was loud and jumbled up in the dome-shaped newly remodeled stadium, the Nomimono Stadium. There were four platforms, each were empty and had four squares on them each. Meanwhile, underneath the stadium were a network of dressing rooms and rehearsal rooms. And under each platform was a group of four, and in the middle was the infamous idol, C.C. Lemon-tan, peppy and ready to go. Then suddenly, all the lights were turned off in the main stadium, silencing the chattering audience.

"Good morning everyoneee!" an obviously excited voice echoed throughout the stadium, most people recognizing it instantly. It was C.C. Lemon-tan's voice, and her platform was being raised up to the main stadium in the darkness. Handfuls of citzens shouted and clapped as the spotlight focused on the girl, and meanwhile, all of the other beverage groups were being raised into the stadium through the platforms in the darkness.

"Welcome to the once-a-decade Nomimono Beverage Wars! Let's begin by stating the rules!" she hopped in the air, and then pointed to the screens that hung above her, which flashed the rules as she read them aloud.

A girl, whose appearance is of a mature late teenager stood in the upper left square, her posture elegant and poised. Her hair was a reddish-brown, which was put in a taut bun, topped off by an oriental kanzashi. She wore a kimono that was a jade green, with a lotus pattern, and though her appearance is that of a mature young woman, her thoughts and personality were far different.

"This kimono is so uncomfortable! I want to go play at the pet store with the animals!" she whined under her breath. I wonder how Rose-chan is doing back there.. Koto turned around, peering at the slightly taller girl behind her, with the rose in her hair as usual.

"Psst! Rose-chan! Can we go to the Nomi Forest later?" she poked Subarashi Habuti's arm, hiding her face from the rest of the teas as usual. She then quickly returned to her elegant mode as the lights flashed on the Soda group, C.C. Lemon-tan introducing them to the audience. She glanced over at Coke, and recalled a few childhood memories, then pinched herself before nodding her head, her lotus kanzashi silently jingling. All the groups were expected to dress how they were viewed, the Teas had to wear kimonos, Alcohols were to be wearing their formal western clothing, Juices were to wear something fancy, yet nature-related, and the Sodas had to wear something fancy, but related to their company. How come we're the only ones who have to wear stuffy kimonos?! Koto pouted slightly, but was once again surprised by the spotlights flashing on the Alcohol group, C.C. Lemon-tan doing the introductions, but it's not as if Kotone actually paid attention this whole time. (Which means that whoever's in the Alcohol and Soda group, you can put your group's introduction in more detail.)

"Ah, we're next." she quietly muttered, peering up at Koucha Ishikawa, who was about a head taller than her. She stood, poised and refined, as usual and expected, and soon enough, the spotlights flashed upon her group.

"Next is the Tea group! The members being: the Green Tea, Kotone Ryokucha!" The square she stood on lit up, and she waved, then with the flick of her wrist, she pulled out her lotus kanzashi and tossed it into the audience behind. Her hair was released from the bun and was let out into maroon shiny waves. The crowd cheered as they did with the other groups, Kotone watching the shocked reactions of the elders in her clan in victory. How's that, you uptight geezers! C.C. Lemon-tan continued on, the next person to be introduced being Subarashi Habuti.

Shinko stood straight and poised with her head held high as the lights flashed at the Soda group. She donned a dress with an exotic green print displaying paisley and ombre going around the entire dress which is then overlaid with delicate emerald tulle. At the waistline, a lime green sash holds tight to her body and under it, a cute skirt that gave her easy access to move around in. Her hair was in a high ponytail with her infamous twin braids framing her face.

“The first group we have here is……. The Soda group!” Shinko was usually able to tolerate C.C. Lemon-tan but she was starting to put her in a bad mood for some reason today (she didn’t let the annoyance show- that’d be unprofessional of her). She didn’t know if it was her being extremely loud right now or if her heels were just making her uncomfortable. She highly doubt it was the latter, though, since her ears are a bit sensitive much to her liking.

The first to be introduced in the group was Coke. He cockily waved at the crowd with a smirk plastered on his face. So conceited… she thought to herself as chrome green orbs scanned the other groups before landing on Green Tea. Her eyes narrowed a bit as she skeptically looked back at Coke. She knew of his relationships with some of the female members of the Teas and she was starting to think that it’d be a hindrance in the future. We better not lose just ‘cause he has a soft spot for them, her eyes shifted towards June Tsugami. And I’ll just have to get along with this one, too, she almost cringed at the thought of working together with her rival but she knew that team work would have to be important if she wanted to win.

“Next of the Soda group, give it up for Sierra Mist, Shinko Misuto!” She then averted her gaze back to the crowd and waved with a small, polite grin as the spotlight shined upon on her. "Aww! Such cool beauty, ne?" After C.C Lemon-tan gave a high pitched giggle and moved on to the next group, her game face was suddenly on, intsantly going into her competitive mode. If any drinks are going to win, It'll be utter bullpiss if it isn't us Sodas.

Written in guady, bright white letters, the slogan 'Sprite' wrapped its way across his back and shoulers. June grimaced towards the crowd, seemingly unimpressed by the show of the opening ceremony as the soda's platform rose into the limelight. As if the banners across his suit weren't enough, June also carried a Spite bottle in his right hand, a prop his sponsers had enthusiastically encouraged him to drink from as he introduced himself. He found his own eyes glancing curiously at the fellow competition of the other teams before his attention returned to the sodas. Noticing Shinko's stern gaze wash over him, June responded to his erstwhile rival with a mischievous wink, daring her competition. Shinko's competitive nature always somewhat irritated him so he enjoyed taking every opportunity to annoy her. His grimace twisted into a pleasant expression of simple delight as the ceremonies events proceeded, their focus falling on his green hair. "He's the cool and calm personality of the Sodas, give a warm welcome tooo Juneee Tsugamiii!"

One arm fell to his hips as June arched his back slightly and drank deeply from the sprite bottle held in his other hand. Like any good promoter he 'ahhed' loudly in apparent satisfaction before waving and smiling to the cameras. June felt warm alright. He could feel the heat of excitement bursting and rippling amonst the audience as they clapped and cheered to all four teams. He felt even hotter as he shifted awkwardly underneath his black suit and trousers. He continued waving until the spotlight changed, at which point his grimace returned ever so slightly.

His arms came to rest by his side as he watched the events unfold. In all honesty, he looked forwards to the coming tournament with a mixture of trepidation and anxiety. He felt a tug at his side as Coke offered him a friendly grin of excitement and suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. Lets get the ball going then

кιуσѕнι кσнαкυ~ нαкυ's heart thudded inside his chest as if threatening to burst out at any moment, right in front of the massive crowd. They weren't even looking at him yet - their attention was elsewhere - and he could already feel the speeding beat of the blood-pumping organ begin to hike up into his throat to choke him. He didn't do well with crowds, he never had. But at least the block in his throat wouldn't abstruct him - there was no speaking involved. That Idol girl was taking care of all the introductions. All he needed to do was stand there and look pretty. Looking cool was officially out of the question; he stood there in a stuffy, slightly feminine kimono with his hair straightened and pinned back on one side with a silver string tied in a bow, looking meek with his hands fingering the hem where the front of the kimono criss-crossed. The Kimono sported pale, delicate colors, with shimmering silver accents. The ensemble together with his pale skin and soft features gave him such a doll-like appearance, and his bright eyes and dark hair stood out with due emphasis. Even his fingernails sported a blue polish with silver metallic tips. He personally wasn't quite sure why he'd agreed on the particular style, and worried that it perhaps made him look too feminine, but it was too late now. He could only hope the moment of being on display would be quick, and he would be able to change soon enough. Even if he did like looking cute, this was excessive, and he felt like a collector's doll on display. Not to mention that this kimono buisiness was completely ridiculous in the first place; most teas originated from china, and were later distributed to other asian cultures and so on, so forth. But whatever. Steriotypes aside.

He watched as a couple other groups were introduced, each member giving their own little wave or smile. Depending on what they did, they seemed to either be trying to convey a certain attitude or just trying to be themselves. Maybe even just trying to leave a lasting impression. Sh*t, He thought, biting down on the inside of his lower lip, but catching himself just before breaking through the skin. What am i supposed to do? Just smile and wave? I don't wanna look stupid or anything, but they'll probably forget about me later on anyway.... Maybe it'll be okay...

Kohaku's hands clenched as the lights shined on the teas. Sh*t. This was it, wasn't it? Everyone was going to be staring and looking. Haku gave a quick glance around the group, biting his lip again and looking for any sort of slight glance of approval from any of his teammates. The others seemed so much more confident. If any one of their hearts were beating at half the pace of his, it certainly didn't show. His eyes landed on Koucha Ishikawa, a friend of his that he at least felt a little familiar to, and felt a small tinge of jealousy. The much taller boy was strong and confident, poised and... ready, at the very least. Haku felt quite the opposite; small and nervous and shy. He let his eyes drop once again, giving off a shakey sigh.

The spotlight dropped on Ryokucha Kotone, and the girl's introduction was nothing shy of outgoing and bold. Jealousy tinged again, but he tried to take a deep breath and gather himself at least slightly before the spotlight was on him.

The spotlight still caught him pretty off-guard.

"White Tea, Kiyoshi Kohaku!" the idol called out as the light hit him and he tried as hard as he could to swallow his heart back down into his chest. He blinked wide-eyed for a moment, but caught himself, and forced his expression into a sweet smile, giving a shy wave before quickly retreating back into his previous and shy position. As the polite applause (he assumed people were only clapping because they figured they had to) roared in a mixture of claps, giggles, and 'aww's, a light blush of embarrasment settled into his cheeks. "Aww, isn't he sweet?"

Haku bit his lower lip, tugging lightly at the hem of one of his sleeves and lowering his head a bit to hide the light embarrasment. This was almost worse than being forgotten about, or being boring. Now everyone thought he was cute; not that it hadn't been inevitable. He would simply need to buckle down and tolerate it, but he simply didn't care for all this attention. As if the crowd wasn't bad enough.

He took a deep breath of relief as the attention turned to the next person and could relax, even if it was only slightly. At least this would be over soon enough and he could change into something a little more comfortable, or, his own style at least. He wasn't quite sure the exact layout of rooming and such, but he hoped anyone within earshot of him didn't mind the violin. He had to do something to unwind, and the instrument normally calmed him down. The unfortunate part was, despite him being able to play the violin quite well, many of his sessions for thinking or unwinding resorted down to him mindlessly plucking the strings in a random and not-so-ear-pleasing order. Screw anyone who complained, of course, because he found the action necessary. And yet..... it could go on for hours. Well, depending on how many people would be saddled with hearing the abnoxious noise, he figured he'd try to make the length of the session shorter. Very considerate.

Koucha's inner war with his visible irritation raged on as he fought the clawing urge to narrow his eyes at the ridiculously hyperactive voice of C.C. Lemon-tan. He forced his agitation into a heavy sigh while she read off the rules the groups were briefed on at an earlier time. Standing on one of the high platforms with his fellow Teas, the pride-driven young man stood poised at and gazed out at the roaring crowd. Koucha was rather accustomed to performing in front of a crowd, being one of a rather large family, so this was nothing more than another event for him. The violet haired male turned his head slightly at the barely-audible sound of Ryokucha's voice whining about the fairly unnecessary, formal clothing.

Looking down at himself, Koucha couldn't help but agree with the fellow Tea, though he was familiar with the feeling of a Kimono, he still agreed that it was rather uncomfortable when on a platform with a crowd boring holes through you like hawks. He currently had a loosely tied pure violet Kimono wrapped around him, with a kenseikan headpiece pulling his long hair back from his face. The Kimono was tied together with a pure white sash and he had a pair of Eastern style sandals on his feet.

Hearing Kotone whisper to Subarashi, Koucha slightly turned his head until snapping back when a beam of light engulfed the Soda group with C.C. Lemon's voice not too far behind. The Ishikawa simply narrowed his eyes at the overconfident Coke who was currently waving at the crowd, while practically radiating cockiness. He shifted his dark orbs over to the silver haired female of their group, Sierra Mist, as the girl gave the male a grave expression before turning to the other male who had a head of green and basically wincing. He watched as the girl then proceeded to give the crowd a polite smile as she was introduced. Afterwards, he blankly stared at Tsugami as the male advertised his beverage with everything on him, from clothes to the actual product. Not long after, Heidi, or 'Peppy' as they call her, was introduced. Koucha chuckled at the glare sent across the stage at C.C. Lemon before observing them as a full group. His mouth curved into a small smile of amusement at the fickle state of the Soda group before sighing when he realized that his was no better, other than the fact that his best friend, Kiyoshi was also in his group.

Glancing at his friend, Koucha raised an eyebrow at the male's seemingly worried or frightened expression to say the least. Then he remembered how his friend never had a great history with anything to do with crowds. As he was about to whisper a few words of encouragement to Kiyoshi, a beam of light showered down on Ryokucha. The girl plucked her kanzashi from her hair, which was pulled into a bun, and flicked it into the crowd behind her, releasing her auburn hair in luscious waves. As expected the crowd roared, while Koucha allowed a small smirk to form on his face at the reaction of the elders in her clan. Don't get him wrong, Ishikawa respects Elders with everything in his being, his most beloved Grandfather formerly being one of them, but there was just that enticing sense of satisfaction when you get under their skin once in a while.

The spotlight then traveled from Subarashi to Kiyoshi who exploited his 'adorableness' to rile up the crowd. He gave the male a sympathizing expression before quickly molding his face into one of seriousness when the light beam slowly traveled to him.

"And finally, here we have our very own Black Tea, Koucha Ishikawa!" Shifting himself to give the crowd a small, mischievous smirk before said audience burst out in rambunctious applause and animalistic roaring. As the beam of light shifted away, and C.C. Lemon continued introducing the other groups, Koucha made sure to take notes of each person. Even with his calm persona, Ishikawa couldn't suppress the bubbling competitiveness in him. May the best Beverage win.

Takashi Kuran

A pair of pale scarlet orbs scanned the area as the platforms were raised, humming a playful tune under his breath. Being one of the most hyper-active and party-loving people you will ever have the pleasure of meeting, Takashi's been the one who attracts the attention of almost any crowd. As he's always said, "The more the merrier,". The redhead quietly whistled to himself while he stumbled along the platform, softly nudging his fellow Juices along the way just for the heck of it. He then stopped as C.C. Lemon-tan's voice rang out and introduced the first group.

Giving a hearty laugh at Coke's usual naive cocky attitude, as the introductions took place, Takashi had a bright smile on his face, that is until his gaze fell on none other than his so called 'twin', Wine. The baby-faced Kuran's face dropped faster than a heartbeat, but quickly composed himself when he felt the eyes of the massive audience burn holes through his body. Tearing his eyes away from the look-alike, Takashi fidgeted with the tie that seemed to tighten around his neck. The redhead never actually hated Wine, in fact the two used to be the best of friends, until one day Wine just turned his back on him and fell into the world of players and popularity. It didn't help that every time someone saw his back, they automatically assumed he was the Alcohol. Shaking himself from the reverie, Kuran suddenly felt a new pair of eyes fall on him, and not just another one of the hundreds of the audience either, this pair felt... different. Turning to face the Alcohol group completely, he found the eyes of none other than the 'Champ' herself, Takara. A beam of light suddenly fell upon the girl and Takashi just as quickly snapped back to face the other way.

Wearing a red, flower-printed tux vest, with a plain white collared shirt underneath, while a bright, heat-packed spot light occasionally shining down on you, really turned up your body temperature. Takashi also had a pair of freshly polished dress shoes and black slacks to match. Finally, the spot light froze on the four members of the Juice group.

"And here we have the group of never-ending enthusiasm, the Juices!" C.C. Lemon's voice instantly grappled Takashi's attention. The spotlight raining down on their Leader-figure, Orange. After the man's self action to grant himself some attention, the light stuck itself onto Takashi. "And here we have the twin of Wine himself," That brought down Takashi's ego more than he let show on his face, but forced a bitter smile on before it could be caught by more people than he would want. "Takashi Kuran!" The red head puffed out his cheeks and made a peace sign towards the audience. He would usually be against exploiting his 'baby-face', but this was a special occasion and they needed to rile up the crowd to be on their side. The action sent a rippling wave of shrieks through the females in the crowd while the males simply chuckled at the childish motion. After we win this, I don't want anybody to mistake me for him.

Kotone Ryokucha

Koto twitched slightly as one of her curly waves of hair was poking her neck, which bothered her quite a lot, as it would most people. She quickly flicked it off in a split second, hoping that no one was watching her, and then felt a certain pair of eyes on her. She carefully redirected her vision to Coke, who was staring at her, and then suddenly looked away. He scoffed from afar, running his hand through his hair. The kimono-clad girl questioned his actions, since he had been acting like he'd known her for a long time since she had returned from the extreme training, oh well, she can just ask Rose. She stood silently, and slipped her hands into her kimono sleeves, at first groping for the tiny, fluffy, yet slightly worn, rabbit plushie. She fiddled around with it to pass the time and to warm her lukewarm fingers. Agh! How long will this take?! This stadium scares me since it speeds up your lukewarming rate by ten..! I wanna go play with the animals in the Nomi forest...

After the introductions, C.C. Lemon-tan took a swig of her drink, and then winked to the crowd, as attention-grabbing as ever, isn't she?

"Okay~! Now, everyone, I announce the Nomimono 137th Beverage Wars, official! It will be on TV and live here, at the stadium, Every Friday, and the times will the announced two days prior to the tournament! Thank you all for coming and watching the opening ceremony! Now we shall mark this with the traditional...." C.C. Lemon-tan paused, raising her arms in suspense, "Celebratory Nomimono Exclusive Party! Now will all V.I.P.s please go through the gold doors on the south wing and flash your ID!" she gestured towards the golden double doors packed with beefy men who have a scanning device in one hand, a tazer in the other. I bet if they didn't have those tazers, then they couldn't stand a chance against me, or nee-chan! Now, all I have to do is sneak out during the the whole chaos with people leaving and all and then I can go play! she thought optimistically to herself, smiling ever so slightly.

"Okay, now will all beverage contestants please leave and get dressed for the party?" C.C. Lemon-tan for once, stood still and smiled like she should have in the first place. Koto silently stepped down the stairs of the platform and quickly went to her dressing room, sprinting through the last few halls and then quickly slamming the door shut behind her back and sliding down in relief.

"AHH! This kimono is so freaking stuffy!" she recklessly threw off the endless layers of clothing and tossed it onto a chair, her tone of voice was childish and a more higher pitch. She was just about to slip on her shorts until she heard some rustle. Koto quickly slipped on the lavender shorts and white tee, grabbing a dagger in case. She put on her elegant mask once again, changing her tone of voice completely.

"Who is there? It is quite rude to interrupt the Ryokucha heir in her dressing room." She ran her finger across the shiny, scrubbed blade as she corrected her posture immediately. A familiar figure emerged from the wardrobe.

"Ah, Koto-sama, you are as sharp as usual." her clothing attendant chuckled, holding a blue kimono to change into. Koto grimaced, and then held the blade towards the woman's neck. She held a glass bottle in front of the woman's face, and sprayed a secret memory-erasing concoction in her face which erases the victim's memories of the past five minutes. Koto swiftly pushed the woman back into the wardrobe and sat on the chair, discreetly hiding away the blade as the woman snapped out of the ten second trance that followed afterwards. Ha, as long as the family secret medicine is in my hands, I can be myself easily, just as long as no one remembers, which can only be achieved by drinking the 'blood' of the Ryokucha... I don't think anyone will be getting to my blood at least. But sadly, it's immune to the Ryokucha themselves.

"Come on out, Asami-san, I know you're there." The same woman emerged from the wardrobe, chuckling, and then held the same kimono in her hand.

"As sharp as usual, Koto-sama, but unfortunately for you, the family has already predicted you escaping, so they sent me. Now be obedient and put it on." the woman removed Koto's clothing and and slipped on the first piece of robing.

"No, I refuse, unless I get to wear western clothes, I will not go and will be going outside." the girl slapped away the attendant's hand and tossed away the robe. The woman smirked and took out her attendant's earpiece, calling one of the elders. Koto sat there, grinning in victory, and poked at her plushie.

"Yes. Yes 'mam. I'll tell her that. Okay, have a great evening." the woman clicked the earpiece, followed by a thud at the delivery chute. She walked over to there and opened it, taking out and opening a box.

"Here you go, o-jou-sa-ma." she said, passing the box over, her tone of voice had a slight mix of irritation in it, well, who wouldn't? It's either get fired of follow the brat's every beck and call. Koto bitterly put on the outfit, even though it was western style, she just hated parties that were formal. She looked at herself in the mirror and waved at the attendant.

"You can leave now, after all, I do keep my promises." the attendant quickly left, and Koto grinned at the stylish and cute outfit she wore in the mirror. She grabbed the leg strap and strapped it under the skirt, equipping a few blades. She stared at her faithful katana from her sister and then regretfully left it in her kimono for the attendants to put away. She threw on a soft black scarf to drape around her arms and then set off to the party, heading to the sleek two-seated Benz that her family had prepared, just to show off. She looked around and sighed after the coast was clear.

"My family, showing off to the max, especially to the Ishikawa family. The elders are so competitive with them.. Oh well, I'm just their puppet anyways. I'll be fighting for you, nee-chan! And then afterwards, I can play with the animals! Yay!" she did a little spin as she happily held the white bunny plush in her right palm.

"


June had been desperately suppressing the violent urge to reach out and tell the others to relax throughout the entire introductions. As the limelight finally changed to another group, June exhaled a dismal sigh and looked back at Pepsi and Sierra Mist with raised eyebrows. Coke was fine being his usual self, his outgoing personality matching the celebrity life perfectly like a key in a lock hole. As for the others, Pepsi was practically bristling in irritation at the whole ceremony, so much so he felt restless just by looking at her. He spotted the briefest of glares directed at C.C. Lemon Tan as she introduced the woman with a twirling parasol and sighed again.

The opening ceremony proceeded as planned before coming to fruition as C.C. Lemon Tan declared they should prepare for the party. The thought left June inexplicably hungry as he imagined tables of specially catered finger foods.

“Mmm, looks like a lot of the others are just as eager to get off stage also” June chuckled amusedly as his observant eye caught several frustrated figures heading for the exits. Much to his style, his lips curled into a slight smirk as he turned his back and strode of with a nonchalant attitude. “Well, see you all at the party. Dress up well seeing as this is our first chance to meet everyone”

His hurried footfalls echoed through the hallways before stopping by the entrance to his dressing room. June’s tall frame filled the doorway as he shut the door behind him and practically threw down the heavy sponsor suit before leaning backwards. “Pheww” he exhaled in relief, releasing his built up tension. He stood there for a second longer before striding over to his closet. After several short moments June emerged outside the unassuming wooden door of his dressing room once more. His black attire gave him a slightly imposing appearance as the white light was sucked into the darkness of his black suit jacket and trousers. Pale fingers traced the soft edges of his signature fedora hat in circles as he summoned the courage necessary for the approaching party. It was weird how he felt completely comfortably when backed up in an alleyway surrounded by gangsters, and yet the glamorous mobs of modern society still intimidated him.

“It’s just a party though” He reassured himself, stepping forwards as if to reinforce statement. He walked outside until he reached his own ride for the night, courtesy of his powerful family. Despise showed on his face as he glanced at the Audi R8, not that he hated the car, but it was instead the blatant show boating of money which aggravated him. He couldn't even drive such a thing by law at his age. Momentarily he wished he was back in the simple confines of his humble apartment before his driver unlocked the silver vehicle with a sharp click. “At least the food will be good, right?” And at the very least he'd get to enjoy a peaceful evening before things began heating up.

Heidi Ballentyne

Blue orbs widened considerably as a party was mentioned. A party. Was it really necessary? Heidi just wanted to get the ball rolling, punch some people in the face, and take her prize. Why did there have to be so many pit stops? She let a soft sigh slip, her eyes traveling over the guards the lingered beside the doors to the stadium. There was no backing out now, and definitely no dodging the after party. Sizing them up, it appeared to Heidi that she would be captured and brought back within minutes. Not that she wanted to run away, but parties, well, they just weren't her thing. It was annoying to have to interact with so many strangers, possibly making friends with the very people, er...drinks, that you were going to have to smash into the ground. She was compelled to simply bolt the second she'd hopped off her pedestal, watching June as he gave a wave in her and the other's soda's direction. She wanted to run up to the green haired man and punch him in the arm for good luck...

He's such an idiot he'll probably need it, the girl thought, giving a slight smile, which vanished the instant she laid eyes on Coke, This imbecile could use a good knock to the face too. Not that it'll help him.

Heidi gave Shinko a glance as well, she was still looking to be the calmest of the bunch. Did nothing about this faze her? The woman gave a soft sigh, as she started in the direction of her dressing room, muttering something of a "good luck" toward the other girl. After that, she vanished into the confines of the hallways, wandering into the dressing room she had been assigned to. It was...very elegant and she almost felt as if she were to low class to be somewhere as nice as this. The walls were painted a vibrant blue, mirrors laced with sliver and intricate thorns and branches carved into the sides of most of the furniture; the mirrors, the wardrobe, and the chairs were among the pieces in the set. After a moment alone, she wished her mother could have made it...or even one of her siblings at that, but she simply shook those thoughts off.

Delicate ivory hands pulled open the wardrobe only to find one her worst nightmares awaiting her. A deep blue dress with a band of a darker blue shade and rhinestones embedded in the top. She grimaced at the thought of wearing yet another dress as she took the entrails that fell toward the back. However, she knew her mother would kill her if she even thought of dressing otherwise. And, so, reluctantly, she pulled the dress from the wardrobe and placed it against her skin. With an eyebrow raised, she glanced in the mirror, jumping when there was a knock at the door. She threw the detestable dress over a nearby chair and approached the door, yanking it open with a scowl.

"Are you ready to paaaarty little sister?!" A fairly tall and older blue haired woman stood in the door way, a wide spread grin painted itself across her face.

"Eh, Rita, what are you doing here?" Heidi asked, leaving the door open as she strolled back into her room, sitting in the chair opposite her blue mess of a dress. She glared at it, wishing she could set it on fire with her eyes. Then again, she wished she could set every dress she saw on fire, this one wasn't all that bad, considering. "Well, a little birdie told me you wouldn't know how to do your make up, "The woman smiled, closing the door to the dressing room as she allowed herself inside, "now put on your dress, we don't have much time."

"Ugh," she groaned, reluctantly rising to her feet and peeling off her previous outfit to step into her newest party outfit. When she was done with that, her sister pulled a pair of...shoes from her bag? Were those really the shoes she was expected to wear? There's no way... However, one look from her sister said that she was not going to have it any other way. As soon as the shoes were strapped to her feet, her sister had pushed her into a nearby makeup chair.

"I don't wanna do this anymore...!"

Shinko’s hand twitched. She took a deep breath and suppressed the urge puncture Tsugami’s eye to keep him from winking again. Stop! Just think of happy things and tolerate him until it’s all over. Don’t get too competitive with your own ally now..... Man, if only father wasn’t so damn strict about his reputation, she thought bitterly to herself.
"Celebratory Nomimono Exclusive Party! Now will all V.I.P.s please go through the gold doors on the south wing and flash your ID!” Of course there’d be a party, she sighed. Well, at least there’s gonna be some drinks I’m familiar with, her eyes gazed over at the Alcohol group before stepping off stage.

Sporting a bright green dress with black polka dots, Shinko sat down in front of her vanity, gracefully slipping a pair of simple black heels on in the process. “Here, Misuto-san.” She turned to see Suke Keishiki by the door, one of her father’s many assistants. She had short, orange hair with amber eyes and faint little freckles. She was a couple inches taller than her but she still felt like she was being assisted by a little girl since she had such a baby face. She was purposely there to do her hair but Shinko had asked her to bring a black cardigan to go with the dress since it was too short for her taste although she did like the fact that the dress wan’t too flashy.

After giving a short thanks, Shinko quickly put on the cardigan before sitting back at the chair to get her hair done. “Suke-san, please. No need to call me by my surname. Shinko’s fine.” Shinko didn’t like being called by her last name by anyone who worked for her father and she made sure they knew that. The only time they get away with it is if she’s in the same room with her father himself.

“Hai, Shinko-chan!” She replied cheerfully and Shinko’s mood seemed to brighten up a bit. She was glad her father didn’t send her one of the other snobby assistants. Growing bored, Shinko closed her eyes and hummed a tune before she was tapped on her shoulder. “Done!” She opened her eyes and stared at her reflection, a nervous look spread on Suke’s face going by unnoticed, and raised a perfectly shaped brow at the chignon bun.

“You…”

“Gomenasai! I’ll do it properly this time! I know I failed to make it perfect. I-It’s lopsided isn’t it? Does this mean I’m going to get fired? Oh-”
“It’s fine.” Shinko smiled and stood up. She walked out the door leaving a relieved Suke -muttering something about being safe- behind and made her way outside where a black and silver Lamborghini waited for her. She looked around and saw Ryokucha-san walking away from Ishikawa-san’s (fabulous) Bugatti before jumping into her Benz. Shinko looked back and forth between the two rides suspisciously and trailed behind them seeing as they were going to the same place.

June’s arrival at the front entrance was indicated by the sharp squeal of a car coming to a sudden halt. Street lights flickered over his silver carriage as the passanger doors snapped open, revealing June’s relaxed figure. “Thank you for the ride” He nodded at his driver prior to stepping out of out the car. Before he could take another step, June was instantly mobbed by a crowd of reporters. To the simple bypasser, it looked as though the cameras loved him.

“Mr Sprite!”

“What are your plans for the forthcoming tournament?”

“Do you have any predictions for what’s in store?”

“Mr Tsugami! They say you have ties to the gangs, is this true?”

“Any words on your plans?”

June smiled fluidly, his relaxed composure seemingly enough to reduce the onslaught of questions to a mere trickle, like a dam in a river. “There’s no need to answer these questions” He began, a nonchalant tone as he waved off the camera flashes “Surprises will be more exciting for the audience that way”

Black shoes skidded against the polished floor as June stepped through the doorway, relieved to finally be inside. His green hair swayed under oddly hues projected by the stained glass chandelier as his fedora hat was removed from the tip of his head. June looked entirely comfortable with his surroundings. Something about the combination of his classy attire and his young looks seemed to go hand in hand with the fancy ambiance of the lobby room.

A flustered attendant hurried forwards to retrieve his coat and hat. She bowed politely before disappearing in a side room, leaving him in simple black trousers with a belt strap suspended over a white shirt. His sharp eyes observed his surroundings for a moment before locking onto the restaurant area and the tables lined with warm food. He licked his lips, “Target acquired”.

On his way there, June noticed a small, rigid figure inhabiting one of the chairs lining the beige lobby walls. His brows sank into a frown as he recognised her as one of the alcohols, although the name eluded his memory. Sitting there with her short black hair distraughtly wrapped around her hands, so frail and lonely, she looked just like a porcelain doll. June was surprised she was alone, most other men would’ve come running to assist her out of sheer sympathy.

His attention was immediately drawn to the enticing smell of roasted meat and succulent sea food. June couldn’t help but smile. The restaurant seemed eerily quiet, especially with the vast quantity of food and drinks, meaning he'd have first pick. Embracing the opportunity, he set about filling a plate.

Koucha Ishikawa

"Good evening, Ishikawa-san. Or should I just call you Kou since we'll be allies?" The Ishikawa raised an eyebrow at the rather bold (Pun) statement. He simply stared at the girl for a moment, observing her calm, and elegant personality, the polar opposite of the optimistic voice he heard mere moments before. Hachiru peeked his head out from the driver's seat questioningly at the delay, before the violet haired male simple nodded; signalling it was alright. Sliding into the seat and mumbling his farewell to the fellow Tea, Koucha watched in slight amusement as the girl strode up to him.

"You didn't happen to hear me earlier, did you? If you did, keep it a secret. Well, it's not as if you, an Ishikawa will actually listen to a Ryokucha. If you do happen to let my secret out, be prepared to be my enemy on the field too. Later, Kou-cha-san." Koucha suppressed a chuckle as the girl threatened him, before difficultly shutting the car door and making her way to her own car. "Isn't that Miss Kotone, of the Ryokucha, Koucha-sama?" Hachiru asked, wearing a playful smile. "Yes," Koucha replied, before smirking; watching as the girl snatch the keys from her own driver. "Hachiru, you know I respect you, yes?" He quickly asked his chauffer. "O-of course, Koucha-sama." The male responded, suddenly curious about the sudden question. Koucha watched intently as the brunette Tea slipped into her own car. "Then with all due respect..." The Ishikawa said, gazing at his fellow Tea's car; in which the windows were rolling down. "Get out." He deadpanned, snapping his gaze onto his long time driver.

"W-what?" In a swift movement, Koucha swung the driver's door open from the inside, gave his driver a firm shove to make him stumble out of the car, and lunged into the driver's seat himself as Kotone flashed her driver what appeared to be some kind of card. By the time the Ishikawa had slammed the door back into place, and snapped his seat belt on, he saw the twin lights of Ryokucha's Benz swerving away onto the road. Without a second of hesitation, he drove off after her which, with his car's acceleration, didn't take very long.

Tapping his fingers patiently on the steering wheel, Koucha embraced the precious silence that he's been missing the last few days ever since he started this competition. Moving into the right lane to make the exit, he watched in slight curiosity as Kotone abruptly switched into the correct lane, just barely making the exit before driving in himself. Squinting slightly, he noticed the brunette had an arm bent to her head and automatically assumed she was on the phone when he caught a glimpse of her talking. Continuing to drive, the Ishikawa glanced into his rear view mirror only to see the same black and silver Lamborghini, he saw a while ago, trailing behind him. While taking glances from the road to the rear view mirror, Koucha could've sworn he saw a head of silver in the car.

Thinking back, he knew he had seen someone with silver hair from before. Raising his eyebrows in recognition, Koucha made the connection. That Sierra Mist girl... He never did absorb her name completely, remembering how he was slightly distracted by his best friend's fidgetiness.

Slightly side tracked by the thought of Kiyoshi, Koucha realized he had trailed behind from Ryokucha, who was now making her way into the building. Driving into the valet quickly, and tossing the keys to an over-excited valet boy who seemed to drool over the car, with a firm, "Get a scratch on it, and I will kill you,". Suddenly, he was overwhelmed by the roar of the media who seemed to gather from nowhere. Pelting him with questions, he simply gave them a small smile before replying, "I apologize, I am needed elsewhere,".

His polished, black leather dress shoes, made a soft sound as he took quick strides into the lobby of said establishment. Scanning the area for the brunette, he found himself deserted only hearing a distant ring! of the elevators. The violet haired Ishikawa heir decided to take his time and wait for the others, especially Kiyoshi, to arrive. Making his way to the restaurant where the party is said to be held. There, Koucha found Tsugami filling up a plate and a rather unbalanced, wobbly figure of what he had concluded to be Nikola, of the Alcohol group.

Furrowing his eyebrows, Ishikawa decided to approach the rather tiny female as she planted herself onto one of the chairs lining the wall, conducting that simply ignoring her would be rude. Not to mention, that he had to start gathering data and information about the other groups to have an advantage on the battle field.

"Excuse me, Zielkov-chan, you seem rather groggy," He started, his hands in his slack's pockets, "Is there something wrong?"

Shinko sighed at the sight of paparazzi as her mood grew darker. They better move unless they want to get run over. Her eyes narrowed at the crowd as their eyes widened in glee as they saw her through the windshield after being left in the dust by Ishikawa-san. To her delight, they made way for her so her car could be handled by one of the valet drivers. She casually got out of her car and handed the keys to a man with dark red hair and bright green eyes. “Thank you and please don’t ruin anything.” If she were some other girl, she wouldn’t care less if anything happened to the car -since it was actually her father’s- but she was a perfectionist and would absolutely hate having to ride back home if the car wasn’t the way it’s supposed to be. Every little detail mattered to her whether it was one of her belongings or not.

Like Black Tea, Shinko simply excused herself from the media and entered the lobby. Now where do I go? She didn’t care if she looked foolish, she wasn’t going to ask for any help. She scanned the lobby before her eyes spotted an area where a red head recently disappeared in. Red hair…. Red hair…. Now who was a red head? Oh! It’s probably one of the Juices or perhaps… an Alchohol? Well, I guess I’ll just see for myself. She walked at a slow pace, taking her sweet time, until her nose was filled with the delicious aroma of food, automatically making her feet walk faster. Since food is obviously there than that means… Her stomach growled. FRUITS! She had always favored fruits just because it made her feel like a child again. Back when her mother was still alive, they’d sit out at the patio and eat different types of fruit all the way from ruby red apples to big, juicy watermelons (though she could never eat as much as her mother did seeing as she was just a small child). It was sort of like a mother-daughter tradition they did in the weekends after a long week of work.

Like a lady, Shinko made her way to the food stand with poise and elegance. She knew her father would be upset if she didn’t have a solid meal first but she just couldn’t help it. Looking at the many types of fruits before her, she eagerly filled her own two plates with colorful arrays of fruit, carefully placed among one another evenly. She just couldn’t stand it if one pile of food in general was bigger or smaller than the other(s) so everything had to be perfect. Gomene, Otousan, but Kaasan would probably do the same, ne? She thought proudly to herself at the thought of being like her mother. The only thing that made her upset was that her only memory of her was all a blur.

As if the fruits put her in a trance, she was completely oblivious to the fact that there were also others (though only a few) in the room, let alone her rival who had also filled his own plate of food. Though she wouldn’t admit it, she knew she had a bad habit of letting her guard down when it came to fruits of any kind. Completely indulged with the food on her plates, she finally snapped back into reality when she realized that one more step and bam! She would’ve bumped into the red headed’s back in front of her. She didn’t even realize she was holding her breath until she exhaled in relief. Trying to keep her cool due to embarrassment, she slowly backed away and muttered out a low apology while giving a slight bow (even though she didn’t even lay a finger on him). “Gomenasai. I wasn’t watching where I was going.” Well, that was unprofessional of me. Tch, stupid fruits…