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Everyday is Great at your Junes
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Junes - Food Court
Situated upon the roof of Junes, the Food Court is billed as a place to relax and have an affordable (read: absolutely disgusting) snack or two. A popular hangout place all the same, it's easy to find crowds sitting around tables or children playing in the small playground in the center at nearly all times of the day.
Innumerable food stalls are set around the perimeter, with ample space given in consideration to line sizes that are more wishful thinking than matching the actual demand for refreshments. Bad weather is only kept at bay by strategically placed umbrellas and awnings around the court. From large wooden benches you'd see in parks to smaller, classier round tables outside cafes, the seating is wildly varied as the food offered (the quality of said food, sadly, not varying any from being disgusting).
Due to speakers blaring the commercial jingle nonstop, it can be hard to eavesdrop on conversations without coming very cloe to a group. This makes it a great place for a secret headquarters between collaborators. In turn, it is a terrible place to study for upcoming exams or what have you.
After a few days in Inaba, and the drag that is starting at a new school, Fumiya has felt the itch for something just a little bit familiar. A bit more modern. Even just an empty shell of moderness, whatever, he loves shallow comfort. Is there anything more shallow than the behemoth department chain of Junes? Certainly not in Inaba.
Wandering around the department store for an hour or two, window shopping and annoying the clerks with requests to examine items and clothes he'd never buy like he would at Paulaownia, made Fumiya realize that he was actually pretty hungry. He's been living on the home cooked stuff from Grandparents since he got there, and while that's pretty sweet he's just in the mood for something a little more artificial. Heading up to the food court, bobbing his head to some unknown bit of pop music, Fumiya attracts a few odd stares.
"Is that kid new here?"
"What's with the hair?"
"Haven't seen clothes like that in awhile."
"Mommy, is he a new mascot?"
Fumiya just smiles at the mumbling, and even throws a wave at a child, before arriving at a Takoyaki stand. "Hey Babe, double Takoyaki please." He asks the part time girl behind the counter, placing some yen down. Without even waiting for a response he turns around, leaning back against the counter, with his arms crossed. He's either looking out for someone in particular, or... just posing.
With her arms folded and her gaze not looking at anyone, Yukino Mayuzumi seems like someone who has a major attitude problem or is just grumpy most of the time. In reality, though, it's just how she happens to be in life. She doesn't hate anyone or try to be unfriendly on purpose, it's just how she is from her time on the streets, which is ironic given how she was 'rehabilitated' by her teacher. Nonetheless, it seems some things just never change.
As she walks along window shopping and not paying much heed to anyone, some people glance at her and then look away, afraid of attracting unwanted attention of any sort. Others just walk past. It seems nobody wants to risk getting on this girl's bad side.
Rounding out the trio of punks converging on Junes today is a boy in a rumpled Seven Sisters High uniform. Hideo actually doesn't stand out as much as he might otherwise, thanks to the striking similarity between the Seven Sisters and Yasogami school uniforms, although his untucked shirt and untied tie clearly mark him as some manner of delinquent. Or a huge dork.
At least the boy with the pageboy cut isn't as much of a dork as Fumiya, though. Rounding a corner in the department store and heading into the food court, his eyes scan the area to see what all is available and make the mistake of passing over Mister Neon. "Oh, jeez," he says in surprise, casting his gaze to the side and throwing a hand up to shield himself. Overreacting much?
His momentary recoil may accidentally cause him to take a step back and directly into Yukino, that's usually how his luck works.
Any other stray comments regarding his clothes don't seem to bother Fumiya at all. In fact it's almost as if he's reveling in them. Maybe that's the reason he turned around to wait for his food, he'd better see and hear these reactions, not to mention give people a better view. As if saying 'Come on, Inaba, you know you're jealous'.
Fumiya actually smirks at Hideo's exaggerated reaction to his styling threads. He's seen worse, heard worse too. It's about this time his food is ready, so he accepts his order and his change from the girl. "Thanks babe. Keep cool, I'll be seeing you around." He says to an increasingly confused and possibly disturbed young part-timer.
Popping some of the Takoyaki in his mouth he takes a seat at a random table, with one leg crossed leaning back in his chair. Scanning the crowd he seems a bit disappointed, until he spots Yukino. Well hello, potential Babe #2 of today.
Being bumped into by Hideo doesn't exactly bother Yuki. Well, at first she seems a bit annoyed, but then when she realizes what happened, she steps back a little. "Sorry about that," She says politely, a stark contrast from how she was just acting, "I didn't know you were standing there." Her stern look is replaced by a calmer one. "Don't worry, I'm not mad or anything," She says with a slight smirk, since most likely Hideo may have noticed Yuki's tough look on her face. She doesn't notice Fumiya just yet though.
The sudden bump of walking right into someone causes Hideo to take a step in the opposite direction. He's not entirely sure which is worse, walking into an innocent bystander or walking towards that terrible fashion disaster.
Yukino's apology grants the boy from Sumaru, and especially his eyes, a much-needed reprieve. "Oh, no, it's my fault," he says, turning around to face the woman he bumped into. "I took a step backwards, I was the one who wasn't looking where I was going." He gives a self-depreciating chuckle. If he thought Yukino was at all threatening, with her height and her short hair and her previously bad attitude, he's certainly not showing it. Perhaps he has a good poker face, or is very self-assured. Or just a fool.
By the time Hideo began his awkward apology, Fumiya had already finished his meal and tossed the remains into the nearest bin (Give a Hoot, Don't Pollute kids). He's already started grooving towards the pair. There really isn't any other verb to describe the odd half walk half dance that he occasionally does.
As he gets closer, he gets a better look at Yukino. Hmmm, kinda tall, kinda modestly dressed. But that's cool. She stands out in her own way, he likes that. Making one of his foolhardy decisions, at least that's how they usually turn out, Fumiya decides to strike up a conversation with her immediately.
"Hey babe, what brings you to Junes?" He abruptly asks, but he immediately brings up his index finger, as if to stop the response. "Wait, let me guess... a 9 to 5 girl, working, school, and responsibilities, you just wanna have fun?"
"Hey, it's perfectly fine," Yuki says with a grin. "I'm taller than you, or a lot of other people I know, meaning that it happens all the time." She chuckles a little, and doesn't seem to mind the fact that Hideo either has a good poker face or just wasn't intimidated by her. In fact, she kind of likes him a little. But her attitude changes as Fumiya gets closer and attempts to hit on her.
Folding her arms, Yuki says, "Excuse me, but did you just call me 'babe?' And you're asking if I'm a 9 to 5 girl?" Yuki scowls a little. "I do work part time, yes, and I do go to school. But the way you're treating me like I'm one of your friends is just plain rude." She shakes her head.
"Not that much taller," Hideo says, gesturing with a hand above his head. "I'm just short is all." See, Fumiya, THIS is how you're supposed to hit on girls. Start with the small talk. Not that Hideo is hitting on Yukino, mind, he wouldn't recognize flirting if it clubbed him over the head.
The temperature seems to drop as the neon boy walks over and begins putting the moves on Yukino, and it's a bit of a shock for Hideo to see the girl's demeanor change so quickly. "Hey, it's not polite to get into people's conversations," Hideo says as he glances over his shoulder at the interloper and-- oh, jeez, him again! The boy from Sumaru flinches at the sight of /that neon/.
Yukino's response doesn't seem to phase the neon-clad teen much. At Hideo's protest, Fumiya just smiles at him. "Easy bro. It's also not polite to run into people without looking." His sunglasses hide his eyes, so it's hard to read his full expression, but he almost gives the impression that he's only taking this all half-seriously.
"You're a traditional one, I like that. But we're all just potential friends, aren't we babe?" Fumiya flicks his collar back up, tilting his head as if to get a better look at Yukino. "But the bro is right. I shouldn't be rude. The handle's Fumiya Watanabe, I'm new to Inaba."
"If you must know," Yuki says sarcastically, "I'm Yukino Mayuzumi. But I suggest you change your attitude if you want to get to know me better." She hmmphs and folds her arms, a sharp glare aimed at Fumiya. "And I don't care if you're new to Inaba or any place else. It sounds more like you're new as to how to treat a girl. And I don't go for that very much in a guy."
"B-bro?" Hideo repeats. Who uses that sort of language these days? Little girls talking to their older brothers, maybe. "Yeah, well, running into people is an accident, jumping into a conversation's on purpose. Two totally different things."
And now he's not just the bro, but A bro. Can Hideo be demoted any further!? "Wow," is all he can think to say to Fumiya's continued attempts to be a mack daddy. It's almost painful to watch.
Fumiya hmms. "Mayuzumi..." He repeats, nodding. "I like it. It packs a punch." As if following up what he just said, he reacts as if he were wounded by Yukino's following statements. "Ooohh, harsh. You don't hold back at all."
He then asides to Hideo, as if he now insists on dragging him along into this. "Some babes just love to play hardball, eh bro?" A playful grin returns to his face, as he looks back at Yukino. "Some guys don't like that sort of thing, but it doesn't bother me, not a lot does." Neither does making a fool of himself, for instance. If Yukino wants to try to embarrass him into leaving, it probably won't work. "So you didn't answer my original question, Mayazumi. What brings you out to Junes?"
"If you _must_ know," Yuki says, now starting to sound a little annoyed, "I came to check this place out because I was bored and had little to do." She doesn't mention that she got the day off from work or that she was done with her studies for the day. Right now, it's none of Fumiya's business really. A ladies' man like him doesn't impress Yuki that much. "And I would prefer it if you called me Yuki instead of Mayuzumi!"
Wait, what!? "You'd prefer if he called you by your first name?" Now that's strange! Although it's not as strange as suddenly being drafted into being Fumiya's wingman. "I don't think she's playing hardball, guy," Hideo whispers back to the recent movee. Then realizes he's actually playing along with the charade and shakes his head to try and clear out the terrible neon mind control.
Fumiya, on the other hand, seems as pleased as punch. "Permission to use a cute nickname instead of her family name? It's totally sweet, bro." He whispers to Hideo, but since they're both right in front of Yukino there's not much point.
"So you're softening on me after all. I'm not surprised. Alright Yuki, you can call me Fumi if you want, to celebrate meeting like this today." He's really laying the false-charm on thick, though he's not deaf to the tone of her voice. Thinking to himself, he decides to tone it back just a little. "But hey, you came to Junes because you had little to do, and you met me and bro here. Now you're doing something! There's purpose behind everything in life after all."
"Celebrate meeting you?" Yuki now huffs in disgust. "Seriously, I don't know who you think you are, but I can tell you that you are VERY lucky you're not on the receiving end of a punch from me. Back in my younger days, people who hit on me like that were found knocked out after they did that." She shakes her head again. "I don't feel like getting blood on my clothing today, though, so I'll let you off."
"Aren't you still in your younger days?" Hideo asks. "You don't look like you're past high school, just a little on the tall side." He tilts his head to the side, then whispers back to Fumiya, "I think you've lost this one, you probably shouldn't push it."
Surprisingly, not even this seems to deter Fumiya any. At least, not immediately. He just laughs. "Ohh, feisty. You don't often meet girls like that. I guess it's too bad I didn't know you back then." He then, suddenly, backs up a few steps from Yuki. He even moonwalks to do it, though this is mostly a distraction.
"But you may be surprised to learn it, Yuki, but I'm not totally dense. I'll listen to the bro, I'm not out to make enemies." He puts on a slightly more sincere smile than the others he's worn this evening. "But you can't blame a man for trying to take advantage of the spring of his youth? Just like you can't blame me for being me, radical guy that I am." Saying that, he whips out a comb and fluffs up a bit of his hair, probably losing any good grace he might've earned.
"Look, just chill out, OK?" Yuki says as she turns to walk away. "I'm sorry I'm like this, but you're just not the type of person I'm into right now." She's really not a bad person, it's just Fumiya's attitude is a real turn off to her. She does turn to Hideo and say, "Maybe we'll meet again soon?"
He's... he's really combing his hair. Just... right there in public. Hideo never thought he would truly be at a loss for words at any point in his life, but that takes the cake. Soooo corny. "Uh, yeah, maybe. I'm Hideo Aratami. It was nice meeting you, Mayuzumi-san. Or, was it Yuki...?"
After the way he's acted, she probably could've decked him one and few people would've thought of her as 'bad person', but that's just how Fumiya is. At the very least she doesn't have to worry about him being offended, it's not an easy thing to do. "Shot down! Another battle lost. But if love is a battlefield, then I just have to win the war."
He does seem just a little bit dumbfounded when she does a bit of a complete turnaround regarding Hideo, but even this he takes in good stride. "Oh bro, if I had known you two were meant for each other I would've stepped aside." He takes a few more steps back from them, /not/ moonwalking this time. "Perhaps we'll met up again someday, in the sleepy town of Inaba or elsewhere, babe and bro." With that, he kind of abruptly leaves, leaving behind puzzled expressions on anyone else who was nearby.
And no one's expression is more puzzled than Hideo's. With Yukino walking in one direction and Fumiya in the other, the boy from Sumaru is left standing dumbfounded in the middle for several seconds before asking nobody in particular, "What the hell just happened?"
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