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Oubai, Kouchisei ([info]daioujou) wrote in [info]disappear_plot,
@ 2009-06-28 01:51:00

Previous Entry  Add to memories!  Tell a Friend!  Next Entry
Post-Investigation Meeting
Who: Exploration Team and Kozue.
What: Meeting to discuss Toru.
Where: Soyokaze Touka.
When: Day after searching Toru's room.
Why: He's a nice guy really.

Kouchisei arrived at the ryotei when his father's black Ford pulled up by the kerb. He’d chosen to be silent during his journey because the old man was unhappy. He’d wanted a son who wouldn’t be high maintenance. It had been tough at home since his disappearance: the old man's silence had been overwhelming and he absolutely had to come home after school. It had been difficult enough lying, just to investigate Toru's room. But some of the fear the old man showed was moving, and he'd sometimes get a present in the hope he wouldn't do run away again. Guilt on his mind, he’d always made sure to get home quickly. His father was working and he had to do it himself as a result. The walk was good, as it had given him time to think:

It was better to deny that world existed than think he'd almost died.

Remaining inside, the young man thought about how his father seemed conflicted. Running around after him one minute, keeping him happy, and being cold the next. He obviously wasn't used to such dilemmas. Taking a breath, he opened the car door. His chest was tight, his lungs hot and his throat dry. Soon, he was standing on the kerb looking at the car.

This was like he had to make a choice. It was supposed to have been easier! Acknowledge that ridiculous world and the things within, or mend his relationship with his father.

Kouchisei sighed and looked away. It was beginning to feel like the last supper. Nodding his thanks, he had to quickly step back as the car drove away. He was a grown man, his father said. He couldn't stop him going outside, or even associating with friends [something he knew the old man wanted him to find]. Perhaps it was the reason he'd been able to secure a room at the restaurant where members of the diet dined. That was an institution their family had provided members for, and one many of the men of his family aspired to.

His father's behaviour was another result of his acceptance of that world, he figured. And that was his desire to run from his problems. Except everything vanished when he went into the restaurant, replaced by calm. He was wrong. That world was ridiculous and he knew it. It was unbelievable. Hallucinogenic. Stress, lack of oxygen, pain and general weakness; all of them he had suffered. He knew they were the reasons.

He remained inside the lobby, waiting for everyone else to get there. There were things they needed to discuss.


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[info]anthesphoria
2009-06-29 01:24 pm UTC (link)
Other people were coming into the ryotei as well, for a fancy dinner at Iburi's premiere restaurant; most of them were adults, of course, since this was also one of Iburi's most exclusive establishments. So, when another high school student entered the room, it was a bit noticeable.

The young Miss Kondo was wearing a tea dress, a pastel pink color with a floral print around the hem, and a pair of heels that helped, a little bit, with making her seem more adult. Or at least, adult in height. Her hair was down, and she'd gone light on the makeup, even lighter than she sometimes went for school. Along with the muted color of her dress, she managed to look elegant without attempting to look older than she was.

The man who was escorting her was, in many ways, her opposite: though they were both slim, where she was short, he was tall, maybe two inches short of six feet. He was wearing a dark, well-tailored business suit. Some of the students in the lobby might possibly recognize him, in fact: Kondo Shinjiro, who had graduated from Nanakamado just over two years ago now. Though the last name tied him to Kozue, their appearances barely did: his features were a bit more Caucasian than her own, although the shared the same shade of hair -- and the same curls. But aside from that, they hardly looked like siblings. They did rather look like two people with great affection for one another, though; Kozue was holding onto his arm and chatting amicably as they walked through the lobby. Her voice was politely quiet, so as not to disturb other customers, but she looked far more interested and engaged than she usually was - almost animated, in fact. But not quite.

"... and when Ayako-chan brought it back to the dorm, it got upset--I don't think it liked closed spaces very much--and ran under the bed, and we spent an hour or maybe two hours chasing it around the room, and I was so worried that it was going to escape into the hall or a teacher was going to come, and it even climbed up on top of our dressers at one point, and--" she stopped, looking a bit sheepish. Whatever story she'd been in the middle of, she put on hold as she and her escort reached the other side of the waiting area. He must have squeezed her arm, or said something low to her, for she broke off speaking while he dealt with the man in charge of reservations and seating. Kozue finally took the time to look around the room, and caught sight of one face she recognized from school, and then another, and another. Hey, what were so many of her classmates doing here?

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[info]apathyisboring
2009-06-29 02:32 pm UTC (link)
Kiriko didn't specifically recognize the young man on Kozue's arm, but she did know who he was. She supposed she must have met him before, either at Nanakamodo or when their families got together in the past, but his face was still not familiar to her. All the same, she knew him - Kozue's older brother, heir to the Kondo's company, recent graduate of Nanakamodo, and all-around success story.

She wondered if Kozue ever felt the sharp pangs of jealousy she was feeling now.

She doubted it - Kozue didn't seem to have the same ambitions that she did. Probably for the better, Kiriko thought as she noted how happy they looked. Just thinking about his situation made her jealous - and it wasn't even her family! If it was her own brother, she'd probably be so resentful it would be impossible to get along.

Kiriko noticed then that their parents were nowhere in sight. Was he treating his sister? To a place like this? She sighed quietly to herself, acknowledging again that she'd kill to be in his place, then trying to put it out of her mind. She wouldn't let it keep her from behaving herself, and besides, she had a 12-course meal to look forward to.

"What a coincidence - Hey, Kondo-san," she said with a smile.

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[info]anthesphoria
2009-06-29 04:56 pm UTC (link)
Kozue raised her free hand to wave at Kiriko, with a smile, although she looked flustered for just a moment. Surely, her classmate had noticed her staring! But the pink flush across her cheeks faded quickly. "Hello, Ikeda-san - how are you? That's a lovely dress."

It wouldn't do to follow that up with, so what are you doing here? With a whole bunch of students? How could you get in? Kozue couldn't have gotten a table here under her own name; Shin had really only just been invited a month or two ago. Between his not having a girlfriend (or at least a girlfriend he wanted his parents and grandparents to know about, Kozue reflected) and the proximity of the establishment to Nanakamado, he'd invited her instead.

(And as far as stabbing moments of jealousy, oh, yes, Kozue did have them, but they weren't directed at her brother. She and Shin were in the same boat, in her mind. People who could fit in, and live without having an old woman constantly at their back muttering words like foreigner and konketsuji, they were the people Kozue was jealous of.)

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[info]apathyisboring
2009-06-29 05:17 pm UTC (link)
(Note: retconning earlier comment implying Kiriko's ignorance of Kozue's heritage, since we decided their families know eachother!)

She noticed Kozue's confusion, and of course couldn't blame her for it. She wondered if a group of high-schoolers would be allowed in here unsupervised under normal circumstances, even if they could afford it.

"Oubai-san's family owns this place," she explained quietly, gesturing to Kouschei. "He invited some of his, ah... friends here. Special circumstances, you could say." She looked back to Kou, still speaking to Reizo at the front, and hastened to add, "But I think Shirai is here with his parents."

Her eyes shifted to Kozue's brother, here. She did sort of remember having seen him before, but really what she remembered was his hair. Looked the same as his sister's, but somehow he looked a little more American on the whole. She certainly didn't envy him that. Kiriko smiled at the boy, bowing her head by way of greeting.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to hold you and your sister up."

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[info]anthesphoria
2009-06-29 06:37 pm UTC (link)
Kozue nodded, and looked over to the rest of the assorted group. Weren't they a kind of odd combination to be spending time together? When she'd talked with Kiriko and Kouschei during her sports practice, they had seemed familiar, but distant. Surely not close enough for him to treat her to a meal here. And Misaki, too?

But she bowed towards the group; as her brother finished speaking with the host and looked back over to see who his sister was talking to. Seeing Ikeda Kiriko, he inclined his head back, quite politely; "Don't worry, it's no trouble. I'd forgotten you were my sister's classmate, Ikeda-san. It's nice to see you." He was at least familiar enough with her to match her last name to a face; with a smile, he turned back to Kozue. "Okay, we're ready to go in."

She bowed towards the group, as a way of bidding them all goodbye at once. "Well, I'll see you soon at school - enjoy your meals, everyone."

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[info]pinksunbeam
2009-06-29 06:52 pm UTC (link)
Misaki looked at Kozue thoughtfully. Her family never really got outside of the intellegence circles in the main University as it wasn't "polite" to be seen with the likes of Kondo-san's family, considering their looks and her mother's belief in the idea that it was silly for a person to flaunt their international looks. Misaki on the other hand thought that Kozue and her bother were both stunning looking people and in her head she was already trying to picture what sort of clothing would look good on them. She wondered if maybe she could ask them some time if she could dress them up and take some photos. That was if they would let her.

She blushed some looking at Konzue's brother, he was rather good looking. Why did she feel so plain around them though? It bugged her in the back of her mind. She was envious of the fact that Kozue was close to her brother, she wished that her sisters could be like that with her. But she knew that Shizuka would chatter on about the various things in college and say something about politics and Hotoro would always constantly hem and haw about how Misaki ate, and what she ate, and the pride of the family and blah blah blah. Her good mood was starting to go down when she thought quickly and mentioned.

"Um...Kozue-san, is...there any chance you can stop by the table for desert?" She smiled. She wanted to get to know the girl better.

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[info]anthesphoria
2009-06-29 07:02 pm UTC (link)
Kozue stopped, and looked up at her brother, who shrugged after a moment, with a grin on his face; a small smile looked natural with his features, in a way seriousness really didn't. "I promise I won't be offended." Kozue, with a smile, nodded to Misaki and then looked over towards Kou.

"I'd be delighted - if that's okay with you, Oubai-sempai?" Since he was the one treating and all; coming around to invade his table without asking would be rude.

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[info]daioujou
2009-06-29 07:26 pm UTC (link)
Kouchisei was not pleased. He didn't mind Kozue, but he'd ordered enough for their group and didn't like to impose on the staff. The meal had also, he remembered disfondly, cost a great deal of money.

"Hrmph... as long as you can pay for it."

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[info]anthesphoria
2009-06-29 07:32 pm UTC (link)
Kozue nodded with a smile, although inwardly she was, all in a rush, trying to figure out exactly how much desert would cost here - and how much pocket money she'd have for it - and oh dear, all that business.

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[info]pinksunbeam
2009-06-29 07:44 pm UTC (link)
"I'll pay for it Oubai-sempai!" Misaki told him quickly, "I'm the one that asked if she could come and have desert with us."

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[info]daioujou
2009-06-29 07:49 pm UTC (link)
Kouchisei looked directly at Kozue. There was some enjoyment in this.

"Mitsumame. Castella. Hakuto jelly. 3,388 Yen."

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[info]anthesphoria
2009-06-29 07:55 pm UTC (link)
"I like the menu here; Castella especially," Kozue commented mildly, still smiling, and looked over at Misaki again. "I have it under control. You don't need to pay for mine, Aoi-san, although thank you for your generosity."

And the prices wouldn't ruffle her - even though my, that was expensive. A few days she wouldn't be getting a snack after school.

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[info]pinksunbeam
2009-06-29 08:41 pm UTC (link)
"No no, it's not right! I invited you, I'll pay." She pouted some and looked at Kou. "How much would it cost to do destert?"

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[info]daioujou
2009-06-29 08:46 pm UTC (link)
Kouchisei turned to Misaki. "... I just told you. It's for each."

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[info]pinksunbeam
2009-06-29 09:55 pm UTC (link)
Misaki's eyes went wide, she didn't have that much with her and pouted. "I'll wash dishes?"

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[info]anthesphoria
2009-06-29 11:24 pm UTC (link)
Kozue shook her head again, more motivated by the revelation that Misaki couldn't actually afford it. The contest of who could be most polite in offering to pay for the meal had turned slightly more serious, for Kozue, at least.

"No, really, please don't. I can handle it, or ask my older brother. It wouldn't be right of me to impose upon you like that."

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[info]pinksunbeam
2009-06-30 11:58 am UTC (link)
"But...But it wouldn't be fair to impose on you when I asked you to join us! I'll...I'll wash dishes or something. I don't want to have you touble your brother! It wouldn't be right Kondo-chan!" Misaki told her and looked at Kou.

"Oubai-sempai, if I can't pay for the deseret can I make up for it by washing dishes or waiting on a table or something. I really don't want Kondo-chan having to pay for the food here."

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[info]daioujou
2009-06-30 12:01 pm UTC (link)
"Misaki, this restaurant doesn't want disservice. Besides, you have no experience. Somebody still has to pay for the extra food." Kou didn't sound or look pleased.

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[info]pinksunbeam
2009-07-01 12:51 am UTC (link)
For the first time ever Kouchisei got to see Misaki upset. This was rare as she hardly ever got this way, especially around her classmates. Crossing her arms she pouted some, "Are you saying that I would be a disservice to your resturant. I'm simply asking if there is some way to earn the money so that I can pay for my friends food. Is that something so bad. And I have had experince. I make dinner for my family every evening. I know how to cook and clean up after myself. So please do not insult me by saying that I would be a disservice to your resturant."

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[info]daioujou
2009-07-01 01:19 pm UTC (link)
"We have paid staff. You are taking away their work. Hmph. Why is it hard to understand?"

Kouchisei's face showed no emotion. He had thought Misaki was a nice girl, but now she was showing him who she was and he didn't like it; she was pushy and he disliked girls who made noise. It only made him sure he liked his own company, and outside of the quiet people like Kiriko [he thought she was] he didn't want to get too involved socially.

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[info]pinksunbeam
2009-07-01 06:10 pm UTC (link)
"Alright," she said softly and looked away. What was with her lately. This wasn't how she normally acted. She was feeling funny, ever since that detective had asked her questions before Toru kun had been missing. She bowed suddenly to Kou.

"My applogies. I didn't mean to seem rude, please accept this applogy Oubai-sempai."

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[info]anthesphoria
2009-07-02 04:01 am UTC (link)
Kozue looked between the two people -- friends? -- confused, feeling suddenly bad; had this really become so serious, so quickly? She would have said more, but her brother nudged her arm slightly. This was keeping them from getting to their table, and probably keeping her classmates' party, too.

"I'm sorry for causing trouble," she said, bowing as well, before heading into the interior of the restaurant.

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