Chewed Out
   
  Inaba - Yasogami HS

Yasogami is the largest high school in all of Inaba, and is the most popular place for parents to send their children due to its size and local proximity to one of the larger residential zones, although its student body collectively hails from all over town. That said, in a town as small as Inaba, the student body is not as large as one would typically find in the city. Most students know one another by name, even if they know nothing else about them.
The main building is divided into three floors of three classrooms each, though rooms fulfilling other purposes, such as the teacher's lounge, are also tucked along somewhere in the three hallways. The higher the floor, the more senior the students, with the first-years on the ground floor and the third-years on top. All three floors are connected by a staircase that also leads up to the roof, with the second and third floors featuring a balcony in which to overlook the lower floors. Neutral tones of brown and grey give a somewhat rustic atmosphere to the hallways, especially pronounced during sunny afternoons.
As the student body is not that large, hallways are rarely crowded even with the number of students that seem to spend all their time loitering about specific places of the campus day after day. The library on the second floor proves popular on rainy days, as the pattering of rain against the windows is believed to have a positive effect on one's focus towards their studies.

After school, the last thing anyone wants to be doing is staying later than they have to. If there are no clubs, or no tests to take, or otherwise nothing to do, it's rare to see students sticking around unecessarily. This is an even stronger case for Osamu Tsurugi. For someone who values efficiency above a great deal of things (excluding Swords, Rivals and Close Friends, which can be counted on a single hand), to lose time over something unnecessary is downright unacceptable.

Which would explain his current disposition.

It's release time, and the Sports Clubs don't meet today. He should be going home, but he's not. He's here, staring at a pair of delinquents- one of whom is familiar, the other looks like a bad Hammertime extra. The aura of cool and serene stasis the secretary tended to project seems to have intensified to something akin to standing in the same room as a glacier, right down to the chill in the air. That he was smiling, despite this Aura Of Doom is not a good omen in the slightest.

The crazy one is here because some of the female student body took issue with the Eighties Freak romancin' them and their girlfriends. Yasogami already has one Casanova, it doesn't need another. The other boy, Shirou, is here for recent charges of Inciting Violence. Really though, it's generally Inciting Violence from Thora- and that's perfectly normal. The problem is how public it's become.

That's where Osamu, unfortunately, comes in.

Hell Secretary clears his throat, standing before the two miscreants. His eyes are darker than usual, and perhaps struggling with a bit more anger than they normally do. "So then, you two," he begins, may as well get this over with, "I'm sure you already know what you're here for, so let's cut the pleasantries, hmm? I know you both want to go do whatever it is you do- trust me, so do I. So, care to explain to me why things have taken this course?"


Shirou grunts a bit, rubbing his cheek a bit, unconsciously remembering a bit of /why/ he's in here. The poor kid is kicking a bit in his chair, eyeing Osamu dispassionately, not even really glaring. "Look, 's kind of a misunderstanding. I don't even think she /ment/ it... but err... it is Thora..." He trails off, muttering, and leans his head back. This was getting bothersome.


Fumiya works really hard on his wardrobe, it's not easy to find that much neon clothing. So he's earned the right to look like a Hammertime extra if he wants.

The infamous 80s Kid seems to be taking the meeting only half seriously. He sits, partially slouched, in the chair with his hands in his coat pockets. His pink shirt hangs loosely over his pants, because tucking your shirt in is for squares. He's also tapping his foot, but this isn't a sign of impatience from him. It's hard to tell, but there's a faint rhythm to it, as if he's listening to a pop song in his head.

"I don't know why, you tell me. Are people hating on me for being so cool again?" Fumiya asks, a trace of sarcasm lining his voice.


Tsurugi Osamu sighs, this is going to take all afternoon, isn't it? "Alright. It looks like I'll have to make a few things clear," he straightens, adjusting his glasses- he unintentionally causes light to hit them in just the right way to cause the lenses to appear opaque, "Sekigawa-san, I understand that you have been courting Kobayashi-san as of late, and while I do laud your decision, I must caution you about bringing problems inherent within this relationship to class. I will talk to Kobayashi-san about it as well, next time I see her. It's dangerous to do so, with the speed at which rumors spread here- I'm already doing quite a bit of damage control as it is, in regards to that incident." Indeed, around three sets of girls, today, had been talked to about Spreading Nasty Rumors about their underclassmen.

Hell Secretary Tsurugi probably has a few circulating about him as a result, but what can you do?

Next, he stares at the Timelost, Foreign Fetishist. Really, do people honestly dress like that in this day and age? Didn't that die like, twenty years ago? "Very well, I will tell you, since you apparantly don't know." Osamu has no sense of humor, or is just picking at his underclassman's diction. "Your fashion sense, and the way you have been treating your female classmates has been very disruptive toward their learning experience. I understand that you are new to town," and the nineties, "-but this behavior is unacceptable. We already have one Kenji Kurosawa running about, attempting to bewitch the skirts off the young women attending classes here- but at least he's mildly successful about it, not to mention well meaning beyond the urge to 'get with' a girl. Watanabe-san, I would ask that you tone it down from here on."


Shirou gives a bit of a growl, the rather mousey boy leaning in just a hint. "Oy, now hang on. I am /not/ courting Thora." Because to insinuate otherwise would get him killed by her after all. "I was talking to her about Ragnarok coming into town, and... well, insinuated that she had a crush on the lead singer. I don't think she took it well." He leans back, sighing. "But yeah, right, whatever. Won't happen again." He says rather defeatedly... despite his flashes of back-bone, he's still the same wishy-washy Sekigawa.


As the Hell Secretary decides to elaborate, Fumiya rubs his chin at the mention of the name Kobayashi. Hmmm. His eyes widen, though his sunglasses mask it fairly well. "Ohhhh, you mean Thora-babe?" A big smirk is spread on his face, and he actually taps Shirou on the shoulder lightly with his fist. "Sorry bro, if I knew she was taken I would've backed off earlier." At least he got away when he did.

Appropriately enough the conversation turns to him at that moment, and he frowns again. "Hey hey hey..." He starts, defensively. "Love's a battlefield y'know, we're all teenagers here. If you waste a moment your chance is gone." Shrugging, Fumiya straightens in the chair a bit. He chuckles when he hears of Kenji trying to hit on the ladies too. He'll have to meet up with him again in the future. "Tch, you guys are worse about this than at Gekkoukan. Didn't know smaller town high schools were this uptight." Oddly enough he outright ignores the comment about his fashion sense.


Oh, so that's what this is about? Shirou, you really don't know how to not dig your own grave, do you?

"I see. If it's just something like that, I can see why Kobayashi-san would become annoyed. She is the type to frustrate herself on normally trivial matters like celebrity crushes and the like," Tsurugi shrugs before continuing, "I'm glad we've come to an understanding, Sekigawa-san. Perhaps I could try to quell the rumors regarding you and Thora-san, if that would be of assistance."

It's strange. He actually has much in common with Watanabe- specifically, his speech, even if Osamu speaks as an older generation of Japanese, while Watanabe uses bad eighties lingo.

Maybe that's why he seems... Almost infuriating. "Yes, love is a battlefield, Watanabe-san, and you have not been picking your battles carefully," Tsurugi's gaze falls like a bag of cement on his second subject, "And worse, you have not actively considered the consequences of your actions. You are invading the personal space of girls who do not know you, and probably now do not even want to know you. It's not about being uptight, it's about common decency. Besides, it's not 'cool' to date a Casanova with a reputation for rejection- did you ever think that this rampant skirt chasing might actually hurt your chances rather than help them? Instead of trying to act like you're the most attractive man on the planet, how about try to actually find and then use something about yourself worth liking?"


Shirou gives Watanabe a /death glare/... or as close to one as he can give. He's not exactly intimidating. "She's /not/ mine, or anything of the sort. And if she /was/... I'd have confronted you beforehand." So he says... but it's more likely he would have just ignored him anyway.

He nods a bit to OSamu, sighing once more. "Yeah, that... that'd be fine, whatever. 's just a big misunderstanding, yeah?" Gyeahhh... this sucked.


Oddly enough Fumiya seems to be loving this. The death glare, the chewing out, the attention in general. He's doing his best to repress a grin. Osamu's speech might mean more to him if his assumptions were right about why Fumiya is such a skirt-chaser. He's not, though, and Fumiya does what he does for more reasons than highschool love. Not that he's going to let anyone know right now.

"The babes just have to say no, I don't insist on chasing a dead end." Which is kind of a lie, as anyone who was present at Junes two weeks ago can attest. "But fine, if you're giving me an order as a school official to back off, I'll tone it down on school property. But I am who I am, and I don't change for no one." It's his way of saying his fashion his here to stay.

Then, in apparent disregard of what he just said, he asides to Shirou. "So, where does Thora-babe hang out after school anyway?" He asks, as if it were a totally innocent question.


"She is my coworker," he would say bluntly, "We create weapons. Often for show, but occasionally for the purpose of combat. We occasionally come to blows, and I have the scars to prove it, Watanabe-san. I sincerely recommend that you not infuriate Kobayashi-san- I often have to deal with the fallout, and I do not appreciate the added stress."

This kid is infuriating. And obnoxious. Mostly infuriating- if Osamu wasn't a pinnacle of mental control, he probably would have beaten the eighties reject over the head with a Shinai by now. "The issue is not 'saying no,' it's that you are pursuing them as if they were objects. They are young women, not 'babes,' Watanabe-san. It would pehaps help your case if you would treat them as such."

Osamu shakes his head, sighing. It's about time to go home, isn't it? Please? "Sekigawa-san, is something the matter? Perhaps there is something else that is tugging at your conscience? Remember, I am here to listen, give advice, and occasionally," his eyes shift back to Watanabe, then return to the more 'acceptable' of the pair, "-discipline. Is there anything you would like to tell me?"

Shirou bristles just a bit at Fumiya's question, but refuses to give into another glare. He takes a breath, and reaches up with a hand to rub the bridge of his nose. "Nothing more then usual Tsurugi-san. Though, unless there's anything else...?" He implies the 'for me at least' in his tone, glancing over to the kid stuck in the past. If he starts to sing a song about the 'Power of Love', /he's/ gonna bash his face in with his own fists. Shirou has had a lot of stress lately and this wasn't helping.


Fumiya hmmms. Create weapons? He recalls Kenji telling him about Daidara when he arrived in Inaba, it must be there. But before he can continue, he seems to relent a little. He's not completely thick, especially when so much of what he does is an act. Even if he has a hard time feeling too sorry for Osamu coming to blows with Thora when he's being chewed out right now. "Alright, I'll take it easy around Thora-babe." Though he is genuinely interested in her, if not for romantic reasons. She's really unique among school girls, he can appreciate that. Even though he has a feeling he'd regret saying that to her in those words.

Fumiya frowns again when Osamu informs him that he is treating the girls like objects. For a moment it looks like he's actually considering what he was told. For a second there's a crack in his facade, but a smirk returns to his face immediately after. "I'll keep that in mind, then." Making real enemies of people is not what he's after, surprisingly enough.

Shifting in his seat, he falls back into player mode. "So was this everything then? Daylight's fading away, and I have places to hang out." He probably does. He hasn't decided where he'll hang around today yet.


Mae Ikina walks down the hall, her face focused in a peaceful sort of way. Her shoulders are tense, however. As she enters the classroom, her eyes settle on Osamu, and she smiles slightly. Her gaze then flickers over to Shirou and Fumiya, and she raises her eyebrows. After a moment, though, the focused expression returns.

"Good evening, Tsurugi-san, Sekigawa-san... Watanabe-san."


"That's alright, Sekigawa-san. If there's nothing else to cover, I believe you can leave if you would like." He pauses as the other one inquires. After a moment, he shakes his head, "I'm afraid I still have things to discuss with you, Watanabe-san. Some of the more... traditional teachers are complaining about your choice in clothing. I know it's trivial, but it would be welcomed if you were to tone that down as well- even a little adjustment would be a good deal of help. People tend to be satisfied when they see that they're making even a little bit of progress."

Then, suddenly, a Wild Mae appears.

Tsurugi detects... something amiss with his ex-boss. The Secretary frowns, showing a bit of worry as she bows- an emotion he quickly hides for the sake of saving face, and preventing her from worrying further, "Ikina-san, good evening. Are you well?"


Shirou is just getting up as Mae enters, and he in turn gives her a polite bow. "Ikina-san..." He glances to Osamu, and he hasn't forgotten their one brief but intense conversation on the matter of Mae. He gives a thin grin, nodding to Osamu. "I'm glad we got this sorted out Tsurugi-san. I'll take my leave now, if you will." Showing that he's from an upper-class family as well, he matches formal tone to formal tone, moving towards Mae, if only to get around her. Though if she stops him to talk, he won't exactly say no, now, will he?


As Mae walks in Fumiya's expression brightens, though right before he's about to open his mouth he remembers Osamu is standing right there. It wouldn't be the smartest thing he's ever done. So he just nods. "Ikina, right? What's up?" This is being polite for him, at least he didn't call her babe.

He doesn't hide his sigh, though, when Osamu brings the topic of his clothing back up. "Come on, really?" He asks, finally sounding a bit impatient, and shakes his head. "Sorry, but you're gonna have to hit me with some actual rules when it comes to my threads. I'm wearing the school coat, that basic black is already cramping my style. Those traditional school teachers should get with the times anyway."

Says 80s kid.


Mae smiles at Shirou as he passes. "Sekigawa-san. Keep at it, I'm sure you'll make a fine man one day." She then looks over to Fumiya, and pauses for a moment. "Watanabe-san, you keep on choosing your own self-expression over mantaining social relationships. People aren't avoiding you because they hate how you look, but because you're making the statement you only care about yourself. Why don't you try to act like everyone else for a few weeks, and see how it goes for you?"

She turns to Osamu, with that same calm smile. "Tsurugi-san. Even if I stopped coming to school, you'd still take care of things here, wouldn't you? I'm counting on it."


Osamu frowns, his brow twists in sincere worry. That idiot in the eighties mess vanishes from his immediate thoughts- something more pressing takes his place, "Ikina-san, what are you talking about? I can't imagine school without you around, doing something. I always take care of what must be taken care of, but it would be less fufilling knowing that my old compatriot was not there to support me."

He moves vaguely toward her, eyes focusing on her face, "Ikina-san. Something happened, didn't it? Please, tell me about it. We can go somewhere nobody else can hear us if you like." A voice, seated deep in his heart continues where his body could not: 'Don't leave, you're my first true friend, Ikina-san.'


Seeing that Osamu is now considerably pre-occupied, Fumiya stands up and slowly backs out of the classroom. He gets to dodge the fashion police for another day!

He considers asking Shirou if he has any gossip on Osamu and Mae's apparent relationship, but decides to save it lest he tempt fate. He'll just have to keep his ears open around school.


Shirou grins to Mae as he walks out... but bristles just a bit as well as he hears Osamu speak. Yes... he thought so, but that basically seals the deal. Osamu is a rival for Ikina's hand... and likely to be the victor. After all, Mae's rebuffed him before, and he's not likely to try again so soon... or again, for that matter.


Mae's expression falters, and then is replaced by a bright smile as she closes her eyes. "Well, I was listening to motivational tapes last night, and I mostly don't remember what it said because I fell asleep. But I do remember one line: live every day as if it was your last." She tilts her head a bit to one side. Grin grin grin. "So, I thought if it was my last day, I'd probably try to leave good memories of me with everyone, and give everyone a chance to move forward."

She opens her eyes, and looks away, scratching the back of her head. "...maybe I got a little carried away, though."