Ryuji rolled his shoulders, attempting to ease the stiffness that had settled into his body as he and Makoto had studied that afternoon. She had complimented him on turning in his assignments on time, but had been fairly critical of the sloppy way he'd showed his work on his algebra assignments. She had asked him to re-do his proofs so that even if his answer was incorrect, he could still secure partial credit if showed that he was using the formulas correctly. Of course, then she had to remind him of the correct formulas. It had taken a great deal of repetition, but he was pretty sure he knew at least a few now. His brain felt absolutely fried, and he relished his walk home.
The blonde left the school feeling tired but buoyant as he headed towards the station. He slipped in his earbuds and pulled up 'Paralyzed' by Black Flag, an American punk band he liked. Ryuji largely attributed his not failing English outright because of his desire to understand the lyrics of American punk music.
He was about mid-way through the song when Ryuji noticed the transfer student still hanging around the school. The dark haired boy appeared to be tapping away at his phone...and his lips were moving. Ryuji removed one earbud, trying to hear what the transfer student was saying.
"Kingdom...country...palace..." came the sound of the transfer student's voice. Ryuji felt a host of questions bubbling up in him. What the hell was the transfer student doing here? And so late? As Ryuji started to approach though, Akira put his phone away with a sigh.
"No dice, Morgana. Let's head home for the day," said the dark haired boy to the cat lurking in his duffel bag. The transfer student then turned and began walking in the direction of the station. Ryuji stared after Akira for a long moment before slipping his earbud back in with a shake of his head. Man, Akira might be a nice guy, but he was sure strange alright.
Ryuji headed to the station as well, but figured he would stop in Shinjuku. He had been out of the scene for a while and people might start to miss him. He shot a quick text to his mom, who promptly responded with a several cartoon tiger stickers and told him he needed to get back before eleven so they could eat together. He, in return, sent several cartoon dragon stickers and reassured her he'd keep an eye on the time. And besides, Ohya would be there to keep him out of trouble. Tapping away on his phone, Ryuji pulled up a favorite playlist as he stepped onto the train.
As the train rattled towards Shinjuku, Ryuji couldn't help but think over the mysterious transfer student. That cat with the unusually aware blue eyes had been a shock that morning, and had kept surfacing in Ryuji's mind. Now Akira talked to it? Either the guy had a screw loose or...or...the possibilities made Ryuji's head spin. He sighed and put those thought aside for now. Whatever, he'd just have to ask Akira about it later.
The train came to a stop, with a cheery automated voice telling the passengers that they'd arrived in Shinjuku. Ryuji slung his bag over his shoulder and headed out, cutting his music but keeping his earbuds in. While he was usually pretty safe, it never hurt to be a little extra alert. Especially when students weren't precisely supposed to be here.
The blonde punk kept his head down and walked quickly towards the sound of pounding percussion and wailing guitar which streamed out into the evening air. As he got closer to the source of the sounds, his grin grew wider. Looks like he'd made it to a live playing night, those were always his favorite.
A scruffy looking man at the door gave Ryuji a once over before offering the blonde a tired smile. "Hey Ryuji. Long time no see, eh?" he asked, looking up at Ryuji with gray eyes. Ryuji grinned back at him.
"Yeah. Been a minute, Kousuke," replied Ryuji, fist bumping the man and handing him a few hundred yen. The gray eyed man pocketed the money and waved Ryuji through.
The sound of the club gushed out to meet him, and Ryuji felt the throbbing bass reverberate in his bones. He took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the atmosphere of the place. The scent of leather, sweat and liquor hit his nose and comforted him with the familiar smells.
Ryuji pulled up at the counter, sitting himself down at the bar next to a woman who appeared to be in her late twenties. The woman sipped at her drink, and Ryuji caught her eye with an impish grin.
"Not at Crossroads tonight Ohya?" he asked, looking mischevious. The woman looked at him with glittering eyes.
"Ryuji! You've been away a while. What's been happening that's kept you from hearing some of the newbies here at the Black Cat?" asked Ohya, tilting her head with an impertinent air. Ryuji sighed dramatically.
"Man, like...everything," he replied, rubbing the back of his head. "I've been assigned a tutor and there's been a transfer student who brings his freakin' cat to school," continued Ryuji as the woman behind the bar poured him a spicy gingerbeer. "And get this, my tutor is the student council president. I don't know how Kawakami cooked this up..." said Ryuji, taking a sip. Ohya regarded him with glittering eyes.
"Well then, tell me more. Both of these seem like fascinating developments," said Ohya, grinning broadly now. The bass swelled and Ryuji and Ohya both paused for a moment, savoring the strength of the chords reverberating through the air.
"Well, the transfer student is the one I haven't spent much time with," admitted Ryuji, sipping his gingerbeer. The spiciness of the drink tickled his nose, and he sneezed into a handy napkin before continuing. "He's supposed to have like...a criminal record or something? I don't know too much about it and I haven't asked him yet. He also brought his mean as hell cat to school with him and just...carries him around all day. I think I saw him talking to his cat also. Whatever that's about," said Ryuji, sipping again.
Ohya considered for a moment. "I wonder what sort of criminal offense it was. Did he seem like the violent type? With regards to the cat thing though, you know it's not unusual for people to talk to their pets right? It's a little weird that he brought it to school, but you'd be hard pressed to say talking to pets is weird," mused Ohya, swirling her liquor with a contemplative look.
Ryuji rolled his eyes. "Well, I've never had a pet so I guess you're the expert on this Ohya. But like I said, no idea what his past is like," he replied and Ohya gave a mock scowl before moving on.
"Make sure you bring me some more details next time about that transfer student. Sounds interesting if you ask me," said Ohya and Ryuji waved his hand in a 'yeah, yeah sure I will' gesture.
"So tell me about Miss Student Council President then hmmm? What's she like? Is she your type?" asked Ohya, a sly grin spreading over her face. Ryuji jolted as he choked on his drink and began to cough loudly. Ohya slapped him on the back as Ryuji glowered at her.
"What the hell Ohya? Why ya always gotta make everything out like that?!" carped Ryuji, massaging his throat. Ohya snickered.
"Oh, I mostly do it because your reactions are so over the top," replied Ohya, looking smug. "But also, you actually blushed this time. She really must be your type~" purred the journalist, looking like a cat with a canary. Ryuji clenched his jaw and exhaled sharply through his teeth.
"She's not as frigid as I thought she was, I'll say that much," he said, his brows furrowed. Ryuji's face and ears burned, and he scowled at Ohya, who eventually stopped teasing him with her Cheshire Cat grin.
"Well don't be such a clam now! Spill! What's she like?" asked Ohya, leaning forward.
Ryuji rolled his eyes and drummed his fingers, trying to figure out how he was going to say what he wanted to say. The band playing announced that they were taking an intermission, and the sounds of crashing percussion and wailing electric guitar faded as the performers got down from the stage.
"She's really intense," he said finally, looking down at his hands. "She's got this way of like...cutting through all the bullshit y'know? It feels like she's got some kind of burning core that drives her forward. But...she also seems pissed in a way. Like she's trapped. Maybe by expectations, maybe by who her sister is but...I dunno, she just doesn't seem like she's...happy I guess," continued the blonde, his voice softening and trailing off. Ohya watched him, not saying a word.
"The one time she seemed happy was when she was practicing aikido. Yeah, I couldn't believe it either until she asked me to practice with her," confessed Ryuji, smiling a little now as he remembered the slap game the two had played. "She's definitely surprised me. I think I wanna get to know her a little better." he finished, bowing his head. For a few long moments, neither said anything.
Then Ohya broke out into a loud cheer. "Hey bartender! Get my boy here a drink! We're celebrating this punk's crush on the student council president!" yelled the journalist, and the bartender burst out laughing. Ryuji turned as red as a boiled lobster, flapping his hands at her and trying to shush her.
When Ohya finally settled down, she regarded Ryuji with a beaming smile. "In all seriousness though Ryuji," said the journalist, thrusting her glass at him. "I'm real happy for you. Looks like things are picking up for the Star Sprinter of Shujin at last!" exclaimed Ohya, and she clinked her glass against Ryuji's in celebration. Ryuji shoved her, but there was no real force behind it. There was a lot going on that was weird, thought Ryuji as Ohya chattered away, but maybe things were turning around like she said.