Stepping off the train, Ryuji felt as though his body was lighter than it usually was. Ohya had treated him earlier, and the aroma of the takeout wafting from the styrofoam boxes under his arm was deliciously inviting. He'd had a good time down at the Black Cat. A new, local band with an interesting sound had debuted there, and when they had finished with their set, had stuck around to chat with the bar goers. Ryuji had chatted animately with the bassist while Ohya looked on, sipping her drink with her usual feline grin. Once the band had cleared out, he'd spent a little longer with Ohya listening to her tales of office drama. He had suspected that the she had exaggerated things a touch, but her office rivalries were always interesting to listen to. In thanks, Ohya had treated him to more monja than even an athlete like himself could eat, so she'd let him take home the leftovers. His conversation with Ohya about Makoto swam in his brain and he felt himself grow a little warm when Ohya had called him out on having feelings for her. She hadn't been wrong of course, but it was...well he thought his feelings were a little more complicated than that. And he had no idea what she thought either.

Now, he sat down on the bench, waiting for his connecting train to roll in. He sent a quick text to his mom:

[23:47] Ryuji Sakaomoto: sorry for being late, O is sending me home with takeout tho

[23:47] Izumi Sakamoto: What's your ETA for home? You really oughta get home earlier so you can sleep

[23:48] Izumi Sakamoto: What's O-chan sending home with you?

[23:48] Ryuji Sakamoto: lookin like 12:15 when I'll be home. O gave me monja AND curry. we eatin good.

[23:49] Izumi Sakamoto: She knows me too well.

With a smile, Ryuji slipped his phone back into his pocket and regarded the train station. Overall, things were going well. As soon as his train rolled in, he'd cap off a good day with a little takeout and head to bed.

A hand landed on his shoulder then, ripping him from his reverie. Ryuji whipped his head around, his shoulders tensing as his heart thundered in his ears.

"Sakamoto? What are you doing out this late?"

Ryuji's brown eyes settled at last on the girl speaking to him. For a moment, his brain didn't make sense of what his eyes were seeing and he simply stared at her. Then, as though his eyes had suddenly clicked into focus, he saw Niijima looking at him with a guarded expression.

"Prez! Jeez, you scared me!" said Ryuji, feeling the tension drain out of his shoulders. The punkish boy turned to face her, setting down the styrofoam takeout containers gently. The student council president was still, her expression unchanged.

"What are you doing out so late, Sakamoto?" repeated Niijima, her red eyes catching his. Ryuji blinked.

"Uhhh...I went out to get drinks and see a band?" he replied slowly, not sure what he had done that warranted this kind of questioning. "What are you doing here Prez?" asked Ryuji, looking at her with curious eyes. Niijima startled but didn't break eye contact.

"That's not what's important right now," she said, and her voice seemed a trifle uncertain. "And what do you mean when you say drinks? Have you been engaging in underage drinking Sakamoto?" continued Niijima, her voice taking on that steely tone he'd heard previously when she had stared down the former track team members. A cold thrill went down his back at the memory, and Ryuji scrambled to put words together.

"No no nothin' like that! I mean, there was alcohol but like, Ohya is an adult and she can drink that stuff! I just had a soda!" blurted Ryuji as all the pieces fell into place. His voice had risen in volume, which drew the eyes of some of the other commuters. Realizing that they'd created a scene, he and Niijima turned and apologized quickly to a few of the disgruntled onlookers. After a moment, they turned back regarding each other.

Then, Niijima sat down on the bench with a sigh. She cupped her chin in her hands, frowning still, but looking more embarrassed than suspicious. Adjusting the takeout, Ryuji sat down as well, continuing to look over the student council president.

"I'm sorry Sakamoto. It was...it was very narrow minded of me to walk up to you and start interrogating you for being out late. Especially considering that I'm also out late. Please forgive my rudeness," said Niijima, not looking at Ryuji. Her voice was somewhat muffled by her hands.

Ryuji remained quiet for a long moment, considering her apology, and then nodded.

"Aw it's alright. I could get mad at ya, but who would that help?" replied Ryuji, tilting his face to look up at the ceiling of the train station. "But Niijima...I want you to think better of me than just some delinquent that you got stuck with," said Ryuji, still looking up at the ceiling. The dark haired girl lifted her head from her hands to look at Ryuji. Perhaps it was the strange situation they were in, or maybe because it was so late, Niijima found herself tracing the lines and contours of the blonde boy's face. She found herself becoming aware of him in a way she hadn't felt before. She felt as though she was experiencing a revelation that came after the dawning of several smaller epiphanies.

"I want you to know that I'm not..." the boy paused, searching for words. "I want you to know that I'm more than labels everyone's been stickin' to me," he said finally, and his face turned to meet her gaze. "And...another thing," continued Ryuji, his brown eyes holding her gaze with a strange softness that set Niijima's heart into a strange flutter.

"I wanna know you too,"