Fuyuki Hakuryu's Story

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Athleticism +1

Bishop stood nervously outside of the gym by the stairs until he saw her. The dark blue hair was unmistakable, even locking eyes with the girl. One final time he ran over what he wanted to say in his head, try and make her understand just how sorry he genuinely was. He had to make it up to Devone and try to repair the damage he thought he had done from the day prior. Bishop watched her walk by and moved to speak with her when another woman's voice shouted towards him.

"Trander Bishop-san!" Bishop turned to see another girl rushing right past Devone heading right towards him. He blushed noticing a very pretty girl that appeared to be a senior and was VERY happy to see him. Something he was not very use to at all. "Ahh, w-what?" With wide blue eyes the junior stood out in the open hiding his flowers behind his back as best he could. "Finally found ya! Hakuryu Fuyuki! "I'm your Senior Partner! Let's get along okay?" A flurry of emotions washed across his face, and every second he wasted Devone was getting further away. But.... Arietta wasn't his senior anymore? It had been literally a day and she already ditched him? A pit grew in his stomach as time for a a minute, it was painfully obvious to Fuyuki that he was having some sort of internal conflict. So much was happening at once for him, mostly that his greatest fear had actually come true.... His first senior partner left him. Without a word.

"O-Ohayo.... Senpai." Bishop managed to choke out, swallowing a lump in his throat. He glanced around the school hallway to see that several other students were now watching curiously. A girl shouting and running, a younger junior student holding an entire bouquet of flowers in the open. This looked so so bad. Especially seeing as he had wanted to talk to Devone in private, but it seemed that would not be possible. "Oh, am I interrupting something?" Bishop jumped at the question, realizing that the flowers weren't hidden so well. "Ah.. N-No. I mean.... Well. It's umm..." He glanced to try and gauge where Devone was to the entrance of the girl's locker room entrance. "T-To be honest senpai-." Bishop kicked himself for not immediately remembering her name as his mind was on the brink of short circuiting at this point. "I was planning on speaking with an old friend. B-But, can I meet you back here after I'm done. Please?" His eyes widened with the most sincere look he could come across. Bishop had a bomb dropped on him, indirectly and needed to process some things. "If I can't make it back in time, then I promise to talk with you during class. May I be excused senpai?" He would give a deep apologetic bow, showing that his manners were on par.

If Fuyuki was gracious enough to allow, Bishop would nod and thank her one more time and hurriedly walk after Devone. If she was close to the door he would sprint forward until they were about 10 feet apart. "D-Devone! Ah, senpai." Bishop would call at her name. He hoped that she would stop and listen, trying to be subtle about it though. "C-Can I talk to you, please.... Privately?" His cheeks were beat red, hiding his flowers completely behind his back. He hoped she hadn't noticed yet as he stood there awaiting her response outside the gym and girl's locker room. Would Devone make time for her old friend?
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Charm +1 (Fuyuki)

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The playing continued, and the foreigner only got better and better with practice. He was getting back into the swing of things, thank heavens. The kids who hanged around seemed to enjoy themselves well enough anyway. Not that Johnny noticed, since he had tunnel vision for the frets alone.

He opted not to throw in vocals- the one musical talent he always kept up on- because that required even greater focus than he was currently using.

A kid blurted out something in the hallway, which snapped Johnny out of his groove. “Oooh crap,” he said smoothly, yet abruptly as he began shutting off equipment and putting said equipment away. He lost track of time, and was not sure if he was running late or not. He knew it’d be stupid to wait and see. “Thanks for letting me hang out here, by the way,” he bowed his head to the other students who were handling the place.

“No problem, man,” the first said, “You’re pretty good.”

“Yeah, I need more practice,” Johnny replied, “I’ll be an… good player soon though.” He didn’t recall the word “asset” or any synonym, so he had to settle on a slightly broken replacement. Soon enough, the room was emptied of people and locked. Johnny began to power-walk through the hallways at an almost comically fast speed.

He soon made it to the gymnasium he was meant to head to for his first period. As he walked into the change room, he checked his phone, only to realise that he was still pretty early. Despite being immensely relieved, Johnny was still quick to swap to his Phys. Ed outfit- his tanktop and track pants, topped with that bandana to keep his hair out of his eyes. The hair on the back of his head hung down closer to the base of his neck, but still quite short compared to most guys he’s seen attending Airdalen.

The foreigner stepped out into the gymnasium. He stretched his ligaments lightly, for he had arrived well before the actual class. His blood had been racing out of fear from being late. The fear was unfounded, however. The foreigner was thankfully not late. His smooth body, bronzed slightly from many a past outdoor activity, might have looked like it was made of metal from a distance.

As he stretched, Johnny noticed a new face who seemed just as keen on getting to know people as he was. The girl in particular seemed to be exuding an almost regal aura as she greeted just about everyone she met. She was extending said greetings from a bench near the entrance of the gym.

Not one to miss out on an opportunity to make friends, Johnny approached Fuyuki Hakuryu. “Hello,” he greeted, “My name is Johnny Farelli, but you can call me Jay.” His Japanese, while solid and legible enough to avoid sending the wrong message, was still considerably sloppy on account of the dialect he grew up with in the ghetto. He had no idea he was in the presence of a princess. Sure she seemed to exude a rare grace, the foreigner was hard-pressed to really notice, let alone determine what such grace meant. All he really noticed was a friendly face and a lot of greetings to different people.

He just couldn’t miss out... but who knew how she would react to the dialect? Obviously she did, but did any of the other students know?

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The only part of him that was distinctly less Italian than the rest of him was his straight hair. Ordinarily, his hair would be curly and a shiny jet-black like his mother, but his Japanese father provided the change in combination. When Fuyuki extended a hand to shake, Johnny returned it in kind. His huge guitarist’s hands, with long, lean and tough fingers, might as well have enveloped the smaller girl’s digits. The toughness mostly came from much practice pressing hard into nickel-plated steel strings. One could also mistake them for blacksmith’s hands, although both a guitarist’s hands and a blacksmith’s hands had major differences.

Jay-chan??

Johnny had no idea the “-chan” suffix could be used for both women and men, so he thought this Fuyu was implying that he was a girl. It only confused him slightly, given his obviously masculine form. The strangeness of the suffix usage ultimately told to him that “-chan” could, in fact, be used for both men and women.

What would have bothered him, if he was easily offended, were some of the choice words uttered by onlookers- words on how the foreigner should “know his place” or “Objecting to calling a person a nickname”, whatever that nonsense meant. It was less offensive and more confusing. Why would these guys act so defensive around a single girl? He then recalled the attitude of the guy who punched him so weakly yesterday. As a matter of fact, that kid said the same thing about “knowing places”. A pattern began to emerge that even the foreign dumbass would’ve noticed.

Were Japanese boys defensive around girls in the face of foreigners? Why?

We’re all people, aren’t we?

Aren’t I?

Despite the negative thought, it ultimately could not pierce the immensely positive energy he had built up after helping the blacksmith and getting a job. His white smile thankfully remained on his face. “I know my place already,” Johnny replied matter-of-factly, enunciating his words well enough, but not exactly fast enough for the sake of fluency. “It’s where I am, and where I will go.” In this case, it was heading into the gymnasium proper. He really had no idea what the onlookers were implying at the end of the day.

Given Fuyuki’s reaction to the choice words of the onlookers, Johnny had a feeling they were meant to be insults of some kind. They were like no insults he had ever heard. These apparent “insults” were comically tame compared to insults from the ghetto like [nope] and [not getting banned here] or anything raunchy involving his mother. “So Fuyu, or Fuyu-san?” Johnny asked to make sure he was getting it right. He was about to continue when Fuyuki closed the distance. Between the onlookers and her sudden proximity, Johnny’s hugeness really began to well up in his thoughts. His next word (which would have been him asking "Fuyu-chan" caught in his throat.

“Please … me Jay-chan,” (get your mind out of the gutter) Johnny struggled- albeit not visibly- to remember the word ‘accompany’. However, he remembered using that exact phrase to Gen-san at the dance, so he managed to decipher what was being said soon enough.

This may be a hilarious sight for those who were not elitist sticks in the mud: A tall, muscular Italian fella with a bandana, tanktop, and track pants, walking with a smaller girl who… wasn’t exactly dressed for Phys. Ed, or even the streets for that matter. Those bells would only weigh a person down and get in the way. Hardly appropriate garb for getting a slam dunk in. Did she know what the first class was? The last time he saw a person wearing bells was Avery one Christmas, when he coiled his afro into messy dreadlocks. That was a fun year.

No! Focus, damnit! Seats, find seats… Finding seats would get him away from the crowd; that would help his claustrophobia. The only seats in the gymnasium were the bleachers. Bleachers were spacious seats. They were not exactly comfortable, but they would do.

Johnny, being a gentleman and a gentle man, stepped slowly to pace as he escorted Fuyuki into the gymnasium proper. “I’m not sure what that was about, but I think they’re cool,” He spoke cheerily in regards to the behaviour of the other kids. He was ultimately a dumbass, so he had no idea who exactly Fuyuki was, and as such did not present himself as one would in front of a princess. He was laid-back and nodded greetings to random strangers in the hallway as they walked.

The kid who had punched him passed by, and gaped when he saw that the foreigner was escorting another pretty girl. As they passed, the kid spoke to his buddies. “How the fuck is that gaijin getting friendly with so many pretty girls?!”

“How's it hangin', Yuga-san!” Johnny called back to the kid with a wave. He spoke with an innocence, unaware that the kid was implying that he was ""“Getting with”"" multiple girls. Back home, he’d have probably been self-conscious about that sort of thing, but right now he has so much else to think about that the innuendo he would have laughed at now only fell flat.

His response only made Yuga and his friends gape in dumbstruck fashion. Yuga had witnessed the toughness of the foreigner, and recalled that classic movie, King Kong. In the context of the movie, Yuga saw the princess as Fay Wray and the foreigner as… well… After yesterday, he felt like a T-Rex when Johnny Farelli was around, and he did not feel powerful.

“You’re really a … person, Jay-chan.”

What was that word… Ka-wa-yee? Something positive, I think. He hadn’t learned anything relating to compliments aside from the word for “awesome”, which was among the first words he had learned. He made a note to look it up later. As a result of not knowing what the word was exactly, he didn’t exactly react like most would.

They had arrived at the bleachers, and Fuyuki opted to sit at the higher seats. An odd choice, given that they were to have Phys. Ed. Then again, he was around these higher seats when he first met Tsukiko, so maybe he shouldn’t judge. The girl sat down, and patted the seat beside her. “I want to know more about you, Jay-chan.”

Johnny blinked; he could’ve sworn he saw some strange appendages materialize on the girl’s head, like… some kind of ears? Seeing as there turned out to be nothing, the foreigner shrugged with an almost doofy smile, and complied anyway. Wanting to know people, that’s what buddies do, he reasoned. He really didn’t mind the questions. As a matter of fact, he relished them. Now that he thought about it, he was surprised he didn’t get as many people asking him questions like this over the first month he was here. He often asked about the homes of people who passed by the old bar and grill- folks running to Mexico, others down on their luck, others working hard to make their fortune, and especially foreigners from countries like… well, Japan.

To the first question, he replied “I’m from the Los Angelas- America,”

To the second question, he replied, “My parents have work here. Father is in construction.” That was only half of the answer, however. He preferred not to talk about the other half, and thus left that particular question seemingly lacking.

To the third question, he replied, “I’m down for pretty much anything, but I’m in the Swimming and Basketball club. I heard of this thing called “Kendo”, but I have no idea what it is. Might be cool to try at least once, anyway.”

The fourth question, specifically the mention of “home”, made his eyes almost immediately glaze over. It brought memories broiling in front of his mind’s eye like a wildfire. The screech… the breaking glass… the dog… “Uhm…” He turned away, using a sharper sound emitting from somewhere as an excuse.

“Jay-chan.” Suddenly, she gripped at the hem of his tank top. Given that the tanktop form-fit over his physique, that meant her tiny soft hands were touching his brass-like musculature. The unexpected touch snapped him out of his trance of unpleasant memory lane. That’s what… buddies do…? Whaaaaaaaat? Is this a Japanese custom? Johnny had half a mind to push her hand away… but would that be taken as an insult in this culture? For that matter, was touching people a different subject in Japan? Most folks in the ghetto don’t like people touching them unless they’re close. Johnny wanted to make friends, but this seemed almost too fast for the foreigner. On top of snapping out of his trance, Johnny tensed up slightly with a sharp intake of breath. He was certain she would feel the sudden tension, but he wasn’t sure how she would take it.

Oh right, her question. Focus. Focus. Her word uses… “home” and “miss” … home miss… miss home… do I miss home? Homesick? Yeah, that must be it. “Do I miss home? No,” he replied quickly to avoid staying silent for to long, “Actually, I’m better here.” The words, while weighted like lead on their own, were delivered as light as paper. He hoped disguising the cryptic words with an upbeat phrasing would be a satisfactory answer.

He was about to ask Fuyuki something- likely about the gripping at his hem- when she semi-stated her reason for touching his clothes and himself in the first place. “P.E…? I don’t have gym clothes…” she seemed not to notice Johnny’s glazed eyes… or maybe she did, and shrugged it off as a non-issue. Johnny hoped it was the former… but it was likely the latter. Damnit.

“P.E.” Johnny repeated, “Uhm,” He scratched his chin as he tried to think of the words to describe it. “Physical… Education, I call it (in English) Phys-ed.” He flexed an arm, and pointed towards said arm with his other hand. He wasn't trying to show off his musculature; rather he was trying to show his point. “Working our bodies.” Johnny replied with a refreshed, assuring smile, “I wouldn’t worry; I’m sure the teacher would understand. He might tell you to get a uniform next time.” He would offer a spare- he had done so dozens of times. However, every time he did that, the recipient looked hilariously tiny in his attire. That, and every time he lent a shirt to a girl, he never got it back. It was always the girls, which struck the foreigner as strange… None of his shirts really fit girls that well…

… And they already had their shirts … Holy shit they were stealing my shirts! Johnny realised.

“Actually,” Johnny continued, “I have curiosity. (Broken Japanese) What are those for?” He twirled a finger around his head, in the same area where Fuyuki’s bells would be if he were wearing them. “Wouldn’t those get in the way?”

“So Ka-wa-yee!” There was that word again. Johnny blinked, but a smile formed around his features regardless. He had no clue what it meant, but it certainly wasn’t that other word he had heard others describe him, “Bah-kah” or however it’s pronounced. What was the word…? “You’re (definitely?) a ka-wa-yee and funny guy, Jay-chan!”

Ka-wa-yee must be some form of compliment… Johnny reasoned. “Wait… Ka-wa-yee and… funny?

The foreigner recalled… something he didn’t want to recall. To the left of Fuyuki, a dark figure materialized in Johnny’s vision. The figure was humanoid, curvaceous, and it moved. Oh fuck. At the end of two limbs, hands emerged with detail. He saw the hands move, forming gestures he had learned off-by-heart. The hands were small, smooth, and fragile. With dark skin, the vision appeared black in the bright gymnasium lights. “You / Are / Cute / And / Funny.” The face came into view. it was clean, unlike the last time he saw it. His body tensed up as a cold sweat formed.

His mind raced so fast as the phantom moved closer and closer. His heart rate rose rapidly, and his face flushed as understanding filled him- understanding the word "Kawaii", like Hawaii, except with a K. The phantom inched closer, and threatened to block Johnny's view of Fuyuki. The hands moved some more. "Why / Did / You / Pet / The / Dog?"

NO! I didn't… I didn't mean- Miraculously, a sudden, completely absurd thought formed in his head. The thought was so sudden and so absurd that it knocked the phantom back into his deeper subconscious. Wait a sec! … Hooooly shit! Johnny realised, Fuyu-san is hitting on me… I think… No, that can’t be right. We just met and- Oh my god...

During this inner monologue, he missed Fuyuki’s rhetorical question about how the teacher would probably give her some slack. Her dismissive giggle regarding the subject filled his ears and echoed in his mind. It muffled the thoughts in his mind and snapped the foreigner back to reality. Damn, right! Focus! he commanded himself as he took a deep breath. As his heart rate lowered slowly, the foreigner's hand rose to his forehead to wipe off the sweat that had formed. At this time, he wished his bangs were down in order to hide that cold sweat. However, his bandana was on, and it was visible for all to see.

Her response to his question was particularly strange. Something about an alarm and danger. “Warning device.” Johnny remembered device because it was a fitting word for anything built in the 21st century. He learned the Japanese equivalent to words like "Warning" or "Caution" so he wouldn’t stumble into dangerous areas. “It’s because I’m dangerous. Well, at least that’s what I’m told.”

“How? You’re like, half my size.” Johnny blurted before he could register the wink. Being psychologically weakened, he was not particularly focused on minding his manners. As soon as he said it, however, the lack of manners dawned on him an in instant. His eyes suddenly widened, and he slapped a large hand over his mouth. “I’m sorry, that was rude of me,” he added as he removed the hand once more. “I understand what you mean by careful, I think.”

The foreigner cleared his throat. “Anyway,” he continued, “So you’re Dan-ger-ous? I don’t see how.” the foreigner shrugged and crossed his arms. A playful smirk formed across his face as he regarded the girl in mock-suspicion. He deep-down meant the question, because he had a feeling that “dangerous” had different connotations in Japan. Right now, this small-ish girl couldn’t possibly be dangerous. Yuga-san wasn’t dangerous, and that kid punched Johnny in the gob. How could this girl with bells in her hair be any worse?

Fuyuki being dangerous seemed really absurd to Johnny… but perhaps it was meant to be a joke? A joke to bring Johnny back around from that funk? Could she tell the foreigner’s face had been crumbling? Did she have experience with this sort of psychological help? Does she know about the foreigner’s fractured psyche, the one he tries so desperately to keep together and try to be himself again?

Well… I guess it doesn’t matter anymore. whether she did or didn’t notice, she had done the foreigner an enormous solid by snapping him out of that jam. Johnny was immensely grateful. First Gen-chan, now Fuyu-chan… or was it -san… Regardless, The foreigner had that familiar feeling: the feeling that he was going to make some great friends and finally move forward in his life.

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Charm +1 Fuyuki.

Bishop waited for what felt like forever. He remained in his bow, holding the flowers out toward Devone. The laughter made him flinch at first in a reaction, then he slowly recoiled so where he was standing up properly. "Do you really think forgiveness can be bought?" She'd see the confusion in his conflicted eyes as he tried to process what she said. "Wait- no... That's not-" "You're years too late, Bishop. I'm a different person now and so are you. Don't act like nothing has changed when it has." He was at a lost, a small part of him was beginning to crumble as she spoke and moved towards the door. He thought about all the good times they had together as kids. She was saying now that it all meant nothing and she was going to acknowledge him or them. His eyes started to water up with tears hearing the heartbreaking words. "I suggest you let it go like I've decided to let you go." He wanted to fight, he wanted to have a full blown argument with Devone right then and there. But the conviction in her voice deterred him. He wouldn't move at first, showing hoe much he desperately wanted to be there and try and work this out. But something in the way she looked at him made him yield.

Bishop slowly walked out of the locker room consigning his defeat in the conversation. He was at a loss of what to say, but the motion of Devone caught his eye. She plucked one of the blue flowers from his bouquet, taking him off guard. A spark ignited in his eyes as she (Devone) shut the door in his face not leaving Bishop a chance to rebuttal or comment on what she did. It was there that he had an image from the past. Every time they met as children, Bishop would hand Devone a single flower. Just as their parents would exchange small but meaningful gifts to each other upon their reunions. His grip tightened on the flowers slightly, having seen that single act. A single moment between them that heralded back to their childhood. What Devone claimed to have left behind.

"I don't believe you.... No way." He'd mutter to himself taking a silent vow. Bishop wasn't going to give up on her (Devone). Something deep inside him said not to, this wasn't true. Though the two may have changed, they were still very much the same person whether they liked it or not. "I'm not going to let you go Devone. Even if it kills me." He would quickly turn and walk away, heading to the boy's locker Bishop hurried and changed into his school P.E. uniform, placing the flowers in his locker and headed to the gymnasium without further incident. Although his spirits were slightly dampened by Devone's second and much more deliberate rejection, Bishop was using it as fuel for a fire that had just been ignited. It was small, and somewhat vulnerable however it was far from ashes that could be kicked around. Anyone that had paid any attention to him the past few days might notice. He was determined, despite his motivation being on new and rather weak legs.

Bishop would look out for a friendly face, definitely noting that Devone was there too. If she watched, he'd have a slight blush to his cheeks no doubt saving face from earlier. But it was a far cry from the expression of how she left him. He'd kicked himself up and was pressing on. He hoped to find Akira around. Maybe even Rhys or someone from the swimming club. A friendly face to talk to at all really, like his new senior Fuyuki! He was going to be okay and he knew that now.
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“Yes, I know… I’m small…”

“I would not say that,” Johnny replied, still trying to make up for his blurted-out statement, “You are taller than mos-“

“But I can’t help it… Mine are just humble ones…”

Wait, what? Yours are just humble… You mean the bells are humble? Why are you touching your chest? "Yours are humble"…? What does it mean? Johnny’s expression froze in befuddlement at what Fuyuki said.

He didn't want to come across as confusing, and was about to ask for elaboration, when Fuyuki continued. “Jay-chan… Do boys really like oppai…? Why is that?”

“... Bigger what?” Johnny asked. He was clueless to the exact word Fuyuki had used, although something about her gaze- that of sudden disappointment- made him flush deeply in embarrassment. He thought the disappointment was directed at him. Ooooh my god, did she notice my thousand-yard stare? Oh crap. Oh crap. Ooooh shit. Whoa hang on... Maybe this is a misunderstanding? “I don’t know that word: Oh-Pie.” His pronunciation of the particular word was incredibly sloppy, especially compared to the rest of his dialogue. But, if I had to guess… She did lower her head, and her long hair was especially noticeable. However, Johnny knew it couldn’t be hair because he knew the word for hair.

Wait… She was touching her chest as she was saying that word… “Oppai”… Could it be…?

“I’m sorry, I just thought of something funny!” Johnny heard Fuyuki say before he could guess at what she meant. It was hard to understand the subtle differences in dialect, so Johnny couldn’t quite tell that Fuyuki was trying to change the subject for ulterior reasons. “Anyway, I like you, Jay-chan, so let’s be friends, ‘kay?” Her hand poised for a handshake.

Whatever the earlier question was about, Johnny figured he’d be 100% certain of the meaning while he learned the language. He could always answer later, given the chance. Gen knows English; Johnny could ask her later. In the meantime, his confident smile once more returned as a familiar situation brewed up. They were to shake hands on friendship. The foreigner could get behind that. He shifted his seated position in order for his muscular arms to reach Fuyuki’s hand. His large guitarist’s hand easily enveloped Fuyuki’s petite digits. Despite the size and firmness of his hands, they did not feel overwhelming, nor did the foreigner grip too tightly. It was like Fuyuki put on a snug glove. More than anything, the heat from the hand was comforting.

“Happy to be a friend!” Johnny spoke with that smile of his. Yes, friend. That’s what I need. That's all I need.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the unmistakable blonde hair of Bishop. “Yo!” Johnny called to the kid with such incredible stamina. “Come hang with us, Bishop!” He had learned the boy’s name from adding his contacts on his phone. The foreigner's free hand rose to wave at the blonde as he still held onto Fuyuki's hand.

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"I wonder if I face it,
would you come back?
If it would, I wonder
if I could still hold you
and think of nothing else,
I truly wonder now."

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██As per usual, Ryou left others alone and simply minded his own business. Life was surely easier that way from his own experience. It was what she would say, lonely, but somehow, he had gotten used to it. That loneliness had becomes part of him and he hardly doubt it would ever disappear. Anyway, he entered the boys' locker room and got changed into his gym clothes. The guys left him alone, but he could feel the occasional glances towards him. It was also followed by whispering, but he didn't mind it like always. He could hear some of it though, like body, tattoo, and, cool. It seemed that he also hit an admiring chord even among the male populace.

He continued with his changing and exited afterwards when done. He really didn't like the conversation when a brave soul finally came up to him and asked about Kim and Hakushiro. He never really understood the concept why most boys like the idea of having multiple hook-ups or so on. He had been around a lot of females... a lot, but only she can invoke anything meaningful with him, only her. That alone is enough to make his heart freeze.The thought made him sigh as he stood in front of locker's room for a moment.

When, he was back to reality. Well, he was only gone for brief time, he looked for where he was going to sit. He considered at the very back since his considerable height would block others. It's best to be at the back where he won't bother anyone's vision. He then found an empty bleachers at the very back and settled himself there nicely. Of course, he could feel the following eyes, but he had been accustomed with that. Anyway, he ignored time by busying himself. That's right he downloaded a pdf book on his phone.

He did thought of leaving his cellphone in his designated locker, but there was still time. He should use it and it would be effective to steer people to leave him alone. That's when he tinkered with his phone and began reading the book he downloaded. It was actually about marine animals. It was because of what Hikaru mentioned to him earlier at breakfast at wanting to go to the Aquarium. Their Aunt of course volunteered to take his little brother, but Hikaru wanted to go with him more. Well, it was not a bother and he does have free time. That's why he told him they would be going this weekend. That bright smile was warm to him that's why he didn't want to disappoint his little brother. So, he would be studying on these animals, so he won't look completely an idiot on that outing. It was also not bad to have some added knowledge.

At that point, he wasn't sure how much time passed by. He could feel the eyes on him, some were rather heated filled with what? He really didn't want to know. He just focused on his reading and was only briefly disturbed when the intercom delivered at announcement. He raised his head a bit. It seemed that Belrose and Fukui was being summoned by the Principal. That was odd considering those two being upright students. Then again, there was the incident... Yeah, it was probably that one, the trust fall. It seemed to him that this senior year was getting livelier when he was certain it would end without much note. He only hoped he won't be getting dragged into something. He really didn't need it. with that, he continued with his reading but then after a while, the bell finally rang which meant gym class should be starting now. That's when he kept his phone and noticed that the teacher was still not around.

There was still time isn't it...? He could return with his reading, but he wasn't in the mood anymore. After all, he had already been forcing himself in reading it... Even going to the Aquarium, but it wasn't... in the beach, so he should be fine. He just didn't want to disappoint Hikaru and even with his behavior of not caring about what others think. He didn't want to look uncool to Hikaru. That's why he should be fine. He took a deep breath and released a sigh again. Well, he can prepare himself for that. There was still time. His trail of thought stopped at that as he didn't want to think about it anymore. It also helped that his eyes caught familiar faces among the growing crowd. There were no attachments or strong emotions. There's not much of lingering feelings as well, just familiar. His current position allowed good vantage point so, he could see them well.

There was his Junior, Johnny with an unfamiliar girl (Fuyuki). She is beautiful and somehow, hold a resemblance to her. His gaze lingered at her longer than the others. "Beautiful..." He muttered under his breath, but whether it was about the unknown girl or someone else. There's no denying she was a nice sight to the eyes. Then, he noticed the American Boy (Bishop). the only time his gaze moved away. The talks he heard outside echoed in his head, but it didn't expand from that. Next, he noticed one of the names mentioned from the intercom. There was Belrose speaking with a girl (Yuuki). He really didn't think much on it and his eyes then landed at the entrance. There he saw the other half of the announcement, Fukui who was with another person (Tadashi). He soon changed his attention to somewhere else and landed on one of the girls being linked to him just because of one dance. There was Kim and it seemed she was talking with a boy (Rocco). But, like as it had been.... all of them have nothing to do with him. That's why he closed his eyes as he waited for class to begin.

---

STATS

Intellect+ 1 (Ryou)
Popularity+ 1 (Fuyuki)

“Yo!” He deep booming voice drew Bishop's attention, he turned around to find the source seeing Johnny. The very tall guy that was modeling for the girls before swim practice. “Come hang with us, Bishop!” He smiled softly to himself to try and see who was the other person Johnny was speaking of. "Trander Bishop-san!" He found the shorter dark haired girl from before (Fuyuki). That's when he suddenly remembered and panicked... He didn't remember her name!! Bishop sweat-dropped and began to walk over, his gait natural but slightly nervous. There was such a rush of information the moment that they left, he actually had no idea what her name was. All he knew, was that she (Fuyuki) was his senpai.

While walking towards the group that had invited him, Bishop cast a glance towards Devone who he could clearly see now talking on the phone as well as talking a girl that appeared to be leaning over her. He sighed quietly to himself, still feeling the tug on his heart strings before he moved on and saved face with..... Now that he thought about it. He couldn't remember either of ther names (Johnny and Fuyuki). Talk about awkward. "Hey uh, good morning. Senpai, ohayo." For the lack of knowledge about them personally he attempted to make up for it with enthusiasm addressing them both simultaneously. Smiling brightly to them both, he would move to sit among the now trio of students. 2 juniors and 1 senior. "How has your day been?"

For Fuyuki it would be impossible to not note the accent that laid over his Japanese. However, it wasn't nearly as strong as Johnny's, indicating that he's been speaking it roughly since he was a small child. He wasn't fluent unfortunately, certain words come with difficulty but nothing in a basic conversation of discussion. That's what he carried his dictionary around for.

“Yeah, he and I are in the Swim Club- Oh!” Johnny remembered that he was still holding onto Fuyuki’s hand, and gently broke off the handshake to properly greet Bishop. “Dude, you were really good yesterday! I need to catch up on my swimming.”

He spotted Ryou-senpai entering the gym. Ryou had turned away an instant after, but Johnny had the feeling that his senior was looking at something… Nah, just my imagination. He shoved the minor thought away just as soon as he had it. He was about to call to his senior to join them as well. However, the foreigner did see that his senior closed his eyes in waiting.

He smirked, and returned to the immediate conversation. He’ll be able to chill with Ryou-senpai later. Maybe they could do something badass, like jump fences, climb the fire escapes, or make the tallest human ladder… Or perhaps something normal like going to a club and playing some billiards or something.

Johnny had read up on some clubs and cafes similar to the one back home, only he imagined the ones here would be somewhat clean at least. There was this one particular ridiculously cutesy one he had passed by on his way to the blacksmith’s workshop, called the Kirby Cafe. Johnny found the mascot on the front vaguely familiar, which is why it stood out to him. He never remembered where he had seen “Kirby” before.

Little did he know that one of the other clubs he had looked up was the same one Gen-san frequented.

“You do a lot of swimming before?” Johnny asked. He figured Bishop must have done some hardcore training before, considering how good he was.

---

+1 Popularity to Bishop (I'm pretty sure this counts.)

"Jay-chan calls me Fuyu.... and you call me Senpai... You have to call me Fuyu too!" The girl excitedly shouted towards Bishop suddenly making demands of him. He blinked really unsure of what to do or what to say. This was definitely against standard Japanese customs and tradition, but he previous senpai (Arietta) broke the rules as well asking him call her by her first name. "O-Ok?" "If you don't..." Bishop blushed and leaned back when the senior girl got in his face. He couldn't actively recall the last time a girl had purposefully gotten this close to him. His blonde bangs hung on the outskirts of his eyes giving him a clear view of Fuyuki and whatever she was doing. Punishment! First rule! Always listen to Fuyu, okay?" "Ow!" Bishop rubbed his nose as his senior (Fuyuki) flicked it, a tiny bit jaded. What was up with her? Bishop technically didn't even know her full name, just 'Fuyu' which honestly could've been anything. He turned to Johnny when he spoke.

"Hm? Oh uhh, yeah. I've been swimming since.... Well, as long as I could remember. I've had good coaches." Bishop easily deflected the compliment away from himself and onto his instructors. With as much self doubt as he had, it was sometimes hard to take a compliment out of the blue like that. With Fuyuki's comment Bishop nodded and smiled slightly, finding that she was technically right. "Ah, that's right! You can grasp the Nihongo, but it's not as rough as Jay-chan, but you're not a native speaker." With that, he began to feel a little bit self conscious about his speaking. It was that obvious? He really wanted to get better, but people could still tell. For a moment, he had wished that Japanese was his first language so that he could fit in better. "If you have difficulties in it, I can help you with it!" He smiled, but only outwardly still feeling a bit stung from her remark earlier. "Thank you Fuyu-.....Senpai. I'll ask for help if I need it." He had a genuine intention to ask, but not right now.

"Oh, that's right, where are you from originally Trander Bishop-san?" 'That' question, it always came up for Bishop eventually. "Trander Bishop-san is long... I'll just call you B-kun! I can make a guess where you are from, but, I want to hear it from you." This was a lot to process. It seemed as if Fuyuki would bring up several different talking points and simply expected you to tag along, he was already beginning to get a little mentally fatigued. Under normal circumstances this would be fine, but he previous encounter with Devone had worn him down a bit. "Well umm.. Hehe. That's kind of a long story." Bishop would rub the back of his head nervously, in hopes that it would deter them (Johnny and Fuyuki) from really wanting to know. The expressions on their face shown the opposite. "Well ummm.... I was born in Japan originally. In Okinawa, on the military base. Then we moved to Guam, where I started school. Then South Korea, Spain and Oman. We moved to San Diego for a while, then Texas. Then to Australia and eventually back here in Japan so... I'm from a lot of places. Hehehe." Bishop wanted to keep it as simple as possible and he didn't exactly elude to the fact that his father was in the military. Given his line of work, he was told to be somewhat candid with who you speak to and what you say.

Her comment on his swimming made Bishop's face go a little red. He was feeling a lot of focus on himself suddenly, when he was used to people ignoring him. Including his old senpai (Arietta). He was starting to get slightly anxious and fidget where he sat listening to Fuyuki go on about how excited she was about him and Johnny. He remained quiet, silently wishing the spotlight on him to get turned off. It was then that he realized how much he actually wanted to NOT be the center of attention, when the other day he wished to be that exact thing. What changed? Maybe it was the circumstances? Or maybe just all the unwarranted; in his opinion, compliments and praise. He didn't quite know, but Bishop dealt with it the best he could.

"Oh, that's right, did she like your flowers, B-kun?" "Hm? Oh uh....." Bishop looked around nervously trying to scramble for an answer. The situation hadn't gone nearly as well as he had hoped, Devone had outright rejected him and told him to give up. That, whether she liked it or not was NOT happening. Bishop smiled to Fuyuki putting his acting skills to the test. "Well- she was too modest to accept them. But I insisted anyways. I do have a few extra, I suppose I owe you several as a apology for taking off so soon." <And forgetting your name>. Bishop recovered better than he had hoped, but the sweatdrop from the exaggeration about Devone's reaction hoping they wouldn't catch on to his half-lie. "So-.... What do you think we'll be doing in P.E. today~!?" Wanting to change the subject off of him and his botched confession to Devone, Bishop brought up class. Even with her (Devone) being so nasty, he didn't find it in his heart to think or speak ill of her.