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Tweak says, "Aw, hamburgers!"

Shimohama Isao (whenitsleeps) wrote in disappear_rpg,
@ 2011-03-23 23:07:00

Current mood:	accomplished
Current music:	Big City Life by Mattafix
Entry tags:	isao, toru

WHO: Toru and Isao
WHAT: Ditching classes for the arcade
WHERE: The arcade
WHEN: Sometime during the school day
WHY: Slackers need to be slackers together!

There were plenty of bad things that people said about 3-B. Some were loud, others were lazy. The teacher had given up somewhere in the beginning of the year. Those were all of the reasons he actually enjoyed his class. A group of eccentric personality suited him well and he usually blended into the background. While he always made it a point to eventually get his work done for the class, he did have a habit of sleeping through most of the day at his desk. He was happy to do so after full nights of tossing, turning, and doing anything but sleeping.

However, every now and then sleeping during the day didn't really work that well either. Knowing that he would not be missed, he didn't even bother attending class that day. Some fresh air would be better for him. He had really just been taking a walk, but he figured that ducking into the arcade for a moment couldn't have hurt. You never knew when coins would be left in the machines.

He hadn't expected to run into anyone else he knew there, but sure enough he caught sight of the Nanakamado uniform. Upon further inspection and stepping a bit closer, it was that one tall guy from the anti-bullying club meeting. Huh. That was interesting, but there was nothing wrong with a fellow class-ditcher.

"Hey," he called while giving the other a casual wave.

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2dbeauty
2011-03-24 03:13 am UTC (link)

Toru had his own reasons for skipping school. It wasn't that 1-B itself was particularly bad, it was more that the whole school's atmosphere was. He hated walking among the crowds, seeing all of those faces staring back at him, knowing that they'd be judging him. Hated the idea of sitting in a starkly-lit classroom slaving over studies when he could be happy and free elsewhere.

So today, Toru had made an occasion of it and gone out to the arcade. Nobody was there save him, so he made his rounds beating the high score on each single-player machine, visiting each like an old friend.

When Isao walked in, the otaku was tapping away at the buttons on a music game, and attempted a startled pause when he heard his voice. Toru turned away from the game, eyes wide.

"O-oh, hey, s-senpai! Y-you're in the anti-bullying club with me, right?"

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whenitsleeps
2011-03-24 04:23 am UTC (link)

"Apparently I am," he nodded. May as well re-introduce himself just in case the other boy didn't remember. He was sure he didn't remember many of the names. "It's Shimohama Isao."

The first question to follow that up would've been about what in the world Toru was ditching class for, but as he barely had a reason himself he decided to stray away from it. No need to make the other seem like he was judging. Instead he peered over at the game Toru had been playing.

"I'm not in here much. Are the games okay?" Not that he was a big gamer. But still.

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2dbeauty
2011-03-24 04:59 am UTC (link)

"Ah... 'm Ishinomori Toru. N-nice to see you." Toru awkwardly shifted back and forth where he stood, wondering what to do now. He was not exactly enthusiastic about the idea of getting told off for skipping school, nor did he want to ask what Isao was doing out of school, either. When the older boy asked him a question, he sighed in relief, paralysis effectively ended.

"Y-yeah, the games are pretty fun... Th-there's card games, shooters, music games, fighters, some retro stuff... m-mostly I stick to the one-player games and modes, b-but there's multiplayer games, t-too..." Toru vaguely gestured at the various machines. "T-try out whatever you'd like, I guess..."

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disappear_npc
2011-03-24 08:37 pm UTC (link)

"But don't bother with pinball. You're never going to beat my score."

The voice came from somewhere behind them. Kei stood in the doorway, Nanakamado jacket slung over one shoulder and schoolbag in the other. For all intents and purposes, he appeared to have had the same idea as both of them, and stepped towards his classmates with a smile.

"I'm worthless at half of these, but no one can ever take me down at pinball."

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whenitsleeps
2011-03-24 10:17 pm UTC (link)

Isao gave Toru a grin that was somewhere between confused and sympathetic. Being an average and laid back sort of person, Isao had never considered himself an intimidating figure. He just couldn't wrap his mind around the whole reason for stuttering. Before he could reassure the other that he wasn't going to bite, there was another voice. Pinball. While he wasn't too familiar with Kei, he did remember the name on the top of the dorm's pinball score list.

"Probably not," he agreed with a wave. Apparently it was ditch school day. Not that he minded, the company outside of a school setting was nice. "Have you beaten your own high score here?"

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	disappear_npc 2011-03-24 10:30 pm UTC (link)
	"A couple times," he answered, rubbing the back of his head. "And I once got close to Ishinomori-san's on one of the other machines." He tossed his head in Toru's direction as he said this and followed with a quiet laugh. "My name's not even on the list, now, though." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

2dbeauty
2011-03-25 12:55 am UTC (link)

Toru was surprised to see yet another Nanakamado student appear in the arcade, and had to fight the urge to retreat to the shadowy back of the area. It was the second-year, Sato. He'd seemed friendly enough, and the fact that he was willing to cut class to go play games was indicative that he was some kind of kindred spirit, but Toru was still nervous around him regardless of these factors. Trying not to let it show was a futile effort.

"O-oh, Sato-senpai, you're skipping, too?" he said, trying to sound casual. "I guess you're here to beat my scores again, huh." The second statement actually came out sounding vaguely natural- when Toru got passionate or competitive about something (usually a game or an anime), he became several degrees more enthusiastic and comfortable with himself, and it showed.

"If you want, us three could have a little competition, since we're all here..."

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	disappear_npc 2011-03-25 01:18 am UTC (link)
	"I'm coming back from a doctor's appointment, actually. But since I don't want to bother heading back to school..." His smile grew a little broader. "A competition? Sure, I'm game. What's the prize?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	2dbeauty 2011-03-25 02:39 am UTC (link)
	Never mind the reason, Kei was skipping school and actually going along with Toru's idea! The otaku smiled back, stroking his chin in thought. "Y-yeah, a competition... hmmm, maybe the losers should have to buy the winner lunch at wherever he wants to eat. Th-that's pretty standard, right?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

whenitsleeps
2011-03-25 03:16 am UTC (link)

"I should probably play referee then." He smiled, genuinely happy to do so. "I'm a little tight on money and some observing first will be good for me." He didn't really have a lot that wasn't supposed to go to his own food for awhile and he didn't need to be borrowing any more money from his roommate. He did well with actual dancing games, but he didn't really have great skills elsewhere. Which was okay, because usually he enjoyed watching others more anyway.

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	disappear_npc 2011-03-25 03:26 am UTC (link)
	Kei, meanwhile, was rolling up his sleeves. "Alright, kouhai, pick your poison!" The cocky act broke with a laugh only seconds later. "I'll get my wallet ready." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

2dbeauty
2011-03-25 04:06 am UTC (link)

Toru smiled shyly at Isao and Kei before turning to the arcade machines. He liked to think this was his domain, that he could defend his high scores against any challenger, such was his knowledge and skill... but Kei seemed like he could pose an actual threat. Or worthy competition, he pondered.

After what seemed like an age of looking back and forth, Toru nodded his head and pointed to a machine. "H-how about Country Fighter? I'm sure we're a fairly even match in a fighting game like that?"

He walked over to the machine. "I-I'll pay for this round."

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	whenitsleeps 2011-03-25 04:45 am UTC (link)
	Isao followed them over. So far ditching classes was turning out much more interesting than he thought it would. He cleared his throat. "The game is Country Fighter then. Ishinomori versus Sato," he did his best to mimic a proper referee, though he was bad at keeping a serious face. "The crowd waits in eager anticipation for the match!" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	disappear_npc 2011-03-25 01:07 pm UTC (link)
	Kei nodded to Toru's suggestion and, placing his school things down next to the machine, stepped into position. Once the game was up and running, he waited for Toru to pick his character first. Almost as an afterthought, he turned around to look at Isao. "I know it's not the right game, but when we start, you should still say Fight!" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

2dbeauty
2011-03-25 10:58 pm UTC (link)

Calmly, Toru moved through the list of characters on the selection screen until he found his preferred fighter (the graceful, mask-wearing Antares), then watched Kei's side to see who he'd choose. Someone's character of choice in a game like this would often be revealing about them, he'd noticed.

The statement Kei made to Isao made Toru grin a little. "I-it'll feel more like a real tournament this way, won't it? I'm pretty excited for this now."

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	whenitsleeps 2011-03-25 11:05 pm UTC (link)
	Even though he wasn't playing himself, Isao was pretty excited to see what would happen himself. "Alright, on the count of three then." He looked one last time at both to make sure that they were ready to go. "Three, two, one aaand fight!" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

disappear_npc
2011-03-26 12:51 am UTC (link)

Kei had skipped indecisively around the screen and ultimately settled on the main character. You couldn't go wrong with a classic, right?

When Isao started them off he launched into furious, finger-tapping battle, managing to hold his own for the first match and then lose swiftly and painfully to Toru in the two that followed. He didn't look terribly disappointed as he rolled his sleeves back down.

"Haha... I knew that was going to happen. Guess I owe you lunch."

Kei looked over his shoulder to Isao. "I wouldn't want to leave the announcer out, though. Ishinomori-san's place, my treat?"

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2dbeauty
2011-03-26 04:17 am UTC (link)

Victory was easy enough for Toru- the first round caught him off guard, but soon enough allowed him to figure out Kei's fighting style and win. As the results popped up on the screen, he turned to the older boy and nodded.

"Th-that was fun! Thank you for the match, senpai... a-and lunch." Toru smiled a little smugly at this. "Y-you're pretty good, though. Maybe next time you'll win."

Quickly afterward, he averted his eyes and backed up a few paces. "B-but, um, lunch, right... w-we could go to Noodle Alley together, does that sound good? A-and I'd be willing to chip in to cover Shimohama-senpai, too, so that'll be more fair. After all, I didn't beat him at anything..."

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whenitsleeps
2011-03-26 04:37 am UTC (link)

Regardless of how he was feeling and regardless of the situation, Isao always had a flag built into his brain that waved vigorously at the mention of free food. He didn't care what it was, he would never pass up something he didn't have to pay for. He smiled and nodded, feeling a bit like he had suddenly won as well.

"That'd be great, thanks. I can figure out a dessert later at the dorms in return." It was nice to at least pretend he was offering something in return. He was sure there would be something lying around. Like chips... cookies... pie. He would just pick up one of those small pies at the grocery store later. That would be the cheapest solution.

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	Later, in the restaurant. disappear_npc 2011-03-26 08:19 am UTC (link)
	Kei sat at the bar of the chosen restaurant, peering into his wallet. "Alright, I think I've got enough. Get whatever you like." (Reply to this) (Thread)

	Re: Later, in the restaurant. whenitsleeps 2011-03-27 01:11 am UTC (link)
	Isao had been contemplating what to order on the way over. It was always nice to try new things, but it always came down to something salty for him. His doctor fussing at him for sodium levels only seemed to encourage him to eat salty things more often. Hm. "The shio ramen is good here," he noted, ordering just that for himself. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	Re: Later, in the restaurant. 2dbeauty 2011-03-27 06:40 am UTC (link)
	Toru leaned on the bar, scrutinizing the menu options. He didn't often go to restaurants to eat, so he hoped to make the best of it. "...ah, I might as well get the Weekly Special. Whatever that actually is..." he said, ordering it. "Hope it doesn't turn out too weird." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	whenitsleeps 2011-03-29 05:08 am UTC (link)
	"The weekly specials are never that bad. Most of them just feature seasonal stuff." Isao reached over and grabbed a pair of chopsticks from the counter. "Except for that time I think they just threw whatever leftovers they had into a bowl... but that wasn't the worst thing in the world." (Reply to this) (Parent)