It's Not a Date! (Akira)

[Luka Kurokawa]

Luka was silently pouting throughout the car ride as they made their way to the place Akira told her to meet him. She pressed her puffed out cheek against the side of the car and made an exaggerated sigh. Why did it have to come to this. She turned her gaze over to the side with a bit of annoyance to the older woman smiling next to her. In fact, the two of them seemed to have completely opposite attitudes right now. And yet, they looked similar. Mom, you didn't need to come along. This is embarrassing. It's not even that big of a deal. Her mother had asked where Luka was heading off to earlier that day. After inquiring further, she only became aggressive with her persistence when she discovered Luka was meeting up with a boy. Stopping her daughter, she did what she figured any good mother would do in such a situation like this. Forcing her to change out of her tattered jeans and shirt, she put her into a cute, white sundress and forced her to wear the sun hat she bought her to go with it. In her mother's words, she looked like a 'cutey-patootey.' Her daughter showed some degree of resistance with all of this, but settled on the terms that she did indeed look much cuter like so. Her mother knew her well enough to get her to go along with it, after all. It wasn't until her mother insisted that she come along with her to meet this boy. Outright rejected, of course. But she pestered long enough to go along for the ride at least. She would have a driver come pick them up and bring them over, which was better than taking the train at least. Still. . .

She looked at her mom with a deadpan expression as the drove. Her mother simply back, smiling, and tilted her head. You're staying in the car. And don't do anything weird. Her mother giggled to herself. Honestly, Luka just couldn't win this kind of battle against her mother. As the driver signaled that they reached the destination, Luka got out of the car, taking her bag with her. She glared at her mother one last time and slammed the door before turning around. She knew her mother was smiling behind her. She sighed and leaned against a nearby wall to wait until Akira showed up. Honestly, she was too bothered by her mother to be worried about anything else. In a way, she had to thank her mother. In any other situation, she would be at a loss for what to do considering her inexperience with boys. But now? All she could do was focus her annoyance on her wonderful mother.

Her eyes wandered a little while she sat there for a second. Then she turned back to the car. Why were they still there? Did she honestly pay the driver to wait until Akira showed up? Why was sh- oh god. Peering into the window, Luka's expression became grim. Her mother packed her video camera. She was filming this. She knew her mother took pride in filming nearly every waking moment of her life but. . . seriously? Why this!? Luka cracked a smile that simply said 'I'm going to kill you when I get home." and waved at her awkwardly. She wasn't sure what she'd prefer. Akira to show up sooner so they could leave in a hurry, or for him to come later when her mother's camera will inevitably run out of batteries. No, knowing her mother, she probably had spares. Did. . . she plan to film their whole outing? That would be unforgivable. Those tapes would not survive! Pledging this resolute attitude into her heart, the young girl in the white sundress waited for that boy to show up. And if her mother did anything crazy? They'd book it. He could run, right? If not, she could carry him. Definitely. All of these ideas swirled inside her head as she began to zone out rather than keep an eye out for him.

[Akira Nakajima]

While it may not have been a date, Akira knew that looking good at an engagement was important. While he himself didn't care too much for appearances, he knew girls, by default, had some small degree of concern over who they were seen with. Or, at the very least, that they cared about the other party's tidiness. While Luka didn't seem to be the sort of person to give a damn, it was entirely possible that she did have those desired- concerns, maybe- in the back of her head. Either way, whatever the case, he wasn't just going to appear in a ragged vest. That was for damn sure. Besides, he doubled over as an idol. Maintaining his looks was pretty much par for the course.

His top consisted of a white dress shirt, top two buttons left undone, with a black leather jacket, zipped about two-thirds of the way up. Not quite up to three-fourths. He planted his pocket watch in one pocket, his phone in the other. A few thousand yen in bills was firmly situated in his pants' pocket. It wasn't a date, but any place with food cost money. Whether he paid part or whole was irrelevant, given it was just pocket change, but the option was there. Speaking of pants, he was wearing a nice pair of blue jeans, with light fading around the knees. He, personally, preferred black jeans, but blue was the more socially acceptable color, it seemed. Underneath was his lacy unmentionables. Or not. Who knew. Nobody'd be getting into his pants to find out. That much was for sure. His footwear was a combination of style and functionality, offering support for the ankles and having a degree of protective thickness, while appearing as stylish leather on the outside.

He had thoroughly brushed his hair, keeping all knots and tangles out. Straight black locks flowed backwards and over the collar of his jacket. Between that and his androgynous face, the only thing really protecting his masculinity was his choice of clothes! His height didn't help much, either. Especially not when half an inch of that was actually his boots. Young or feminine- he gave off one or both of those airs. It could be annoying, but, oh well. He had utilized those traits as a means to an end. He wasn't going to start begrudging them again. They had brought him so many interesting situations, after all.

”Hm?” Now, Akira wasn't one to come extremely early, but intending to arrive a few minutes early was always good. The reason for this was that one had to accommodate for any number of annoying or unpleasant situations or incidents that might have occurred on the way. Nothing occurred, so appearing earlier than designated was a matter of fact. However, Rukako was there. Already. How odd. Or interesting. She did seem to be distracted, though. He wouldn't say anything. Not yet. He also wouldn't touch her. Mostly because that was rude. If it was his sister, though, he'd push his finger into her cheek. Or pinch it. His sister got special treatment, even if not all of it was necessarily one hundred percent nice.

”Hopefully you haven't been waiting long.” Akira commented, only a few feet away from the girl. Actually, that was a girl's line, wasn't it? Oh well. ”You got here a bit early. If I'd known you'd be here this soon, I would've left sooner.” With a slight smile, he observed the surroundings. Nothing terribly out of place in that part of town, he supposed. ”How are you?” He breached the other topic, a little curious about her dazed state.

[Luka Kurokawa]

As she zoned out, Luka heard a particularly familiar voice. Considering the situation, she immediately recognized. In fact, she actually jumped a little and looked over at the boy who just greeted her. She quickly realized she was in a very bad situation whether Akira realized it or not. No, he would have way of knowing. No, I wasn't waiting. I probably would have been here later but my mom offered to drive me. She- Luka's eye twitched as she looked over in the direction of her mother. That moron was setting up a tripod in the middle of the sidewalk. The damn driver was still there too! People were looking at her, but were passing by without any words.

Luka slowly turned back to Akira, then slid her body to the side until she could break Akira's line of sight from the grown woman trying to film them. I'm fine. Just a little thirty. Why don't we go in now? With a forced smile, she grabbed Akira by the hand and led him into the restaurant. I've never actually gone to a restaurant without my parents, I have to admit. Do I seem nervous? Oh, how about we get some booth seating? Like that booth right there. She turned his head and pointed at a booth seat. At which point, she pressed her face against the window and signed for her mother to leave. With a laugh, that lady waved and removed the tripod. The then proceeded back into the car. With a sigh of relief, she slowly walked back over to Akira. Hopefully that woman had enough sense to know when to quit.

Maybe she should just focus on what she was doing now and try to have some fun? She told herself to do that, rather than worry about her mother. Come to think of it. . . didn't she hold hands with a boy just now? She felt her face burn up at that thought. Ctrl+Alt+Del that from memory. With another deep breathe she turned to Akira with a deadpan smile and continued. Now then. Where were we. She honestly didn't know how to start a conversation now. It was different with Miki since they were both in the same line of work and that she happened to have some interesting books. And when she was out and exploring with Akira they talked about serious business. She knew that she would be a total mess talking to others about anything other than something in her comfort zone. Which, was kind of funny that she considered a life or death battle for whatever they were protecting themselves from to be part of that 'comfort zone.' You could call her odd, and you'd be right. If you told her she was odd though, she just wouldn't get it.

[Akira Nakajima]

To say that the boy was not amused would be a lie. The fact that Rukako had jumped at his greeting was humorous through and through. Admittedly, he was curious with her glances and all, but she did what she could to block whatever it was from his sight. Going by her words, he almost wanted to guess that it had something to do with her mother. He was curious enough to try to peek, but, honestly, he would be good just that one time. After all, the girl, taller, had done what she could to block his sight. If only for the time being, he'd reward her efforts. Her words following the blocking act were just a little more amusing. She was clearly not fine. And that forced smile kept the boy's expression in a pleasant and warm grin. He wouldn't laugh. He wouldn't. He refused to do so. Partially because he didn't want to get hit if she got violently embarrassed.

”Sure, we can-?!” Now, though he knew Rukako was very forward and lacking in social awareness, despite the fact he knew she was one to act without consideration at times, he had not, in the smallest nor the largest, expected the chance that she would take the helm and pull him on in. His momentary surprise prevented him from actually taking a glance to see exactly what was urging the girl on so well. A silent click of the tongue was his only objection to the scenario. He was, at least, amused by the girl taking the lead. ”You do seem a little-bwuh?!” And then more surprises. She was, very likely, shooing away whatever bothersome fly- or mother- was around. He'd probably tease her about it shortly, but he opted to play along for now. Part of it was admiration for her efforts. Part of it was the desire to not receive neck or spinal injuries. A good part of it was to hide his extremely playful smile.

”Well, if we're going to rush along to our seats, let's make an order. You did say your were thirsty, after all.” He offered the girl a pleasant smile, one lacking his amusement that had been present until moments before. He took a seat at the booth Rukako had so eagerly “recommended”. ”Drinks, small snacks. Things of that sort would likely be good. Refreshments. Though, preferably lighter than what we ordered for that meeting.” He lightly laughed, trying to push the elephant in the room away for the time being. He'd spring it back on her when she had her guard down, though. That'd be an entertaining diversion later.

”What are you thinking about?” He asked, blue and red orbs hovering over the menu quickly and easily. ”Admittedly, I'm somewhat fond of Lavender Lady Gray. Perhaps with blueberry muffins and peanut butter cookies.” The menu had plenty of heavier choices, sure, but he wasn't looking for a meal. Even if he was, he'd probably have preferred regulating the portions. It was best to keep it simple and light, easy to digest and not a problem to work off. He had a figure to maintain, of course. It was a very sensitive balance! He looked up at his partner for the outing. Admittedly, he thought she looked nice. Perhaps teasing her a little was in order?

”While you look fine normally, your choice of clothes today really accentuates your natural beauty.” Was it flirty? Perhaps. Was it mean? Depending on interpretation, sure. Was it playful, though? Most certainly. Of course, his smile was pure. He meant his words one hundred percent. She did look nice.

[Luka Kurokawa]

They were finally seated and it didn't seem like her mother would be around to bother her anymore. That was the more likely scenario, but she couldn't completely count it out. Luka picked up her menu, but didn't exactly start reading it. She was still deep in thought. It was only until Akira's comment on her being thirty that she realized she had actually said that. Right. I am very thirsty. And now she was hastily looking for the drink menu to not seem like she was spacing out. Nothing was going right for her, was it? While she may have not exactly been particularly thirsty, she honestly did prefer booth seats. Something about having a wall to one side instead of more people was a little comforting. Plus, the seats were cushy.

Mhm. I don't think I'll eat anything big right now. Though, what they both considered to be a 'big meal' was probably different. As she scanned the menu, Akira asked a question that only seemed to frazzle her more. What was she thinking? Did it really look that obvious that she was thinking about worrying things? And she had just nearly gotten over the whole thing too. Eh? Nothing. I mean. . . Auu. She decided to just shrink underneath her menu again. Why was this so hard? She had no trouble performing in front of live audiences, but all of sudden she was getting all worked up over nothing. Taking a deep breathe, she focused on the menu. I'll have Dragon Eye Oolong and hm. . . Luka was honestly tempted to order something meaty. Though, it seemed that her mom was already ten steps ahead of her and told her to order something 'light and less barbaric.' Though she was tempted to argue, she did bring up the good point that she didn't need to be getting cramps from eating too much. A fruit parfait to go along with it. She needed some fruits in her diet anyway. Maybe her mom would let her have more meat tonight if she had fruit now? It was a long shot, but it was something to consider.

Now all they had to do was wait for someone to wait on them. Then Akira said something out of left field. Wasn't that way too bold for this kind of situation? Luka just coughed. Is that so. Her voice was quieter that time. Honestly, how the hell was she supposed to follow up with that? Luckily, she had this magical shield they called 'the menu' that she could hide behind. And then the waitress came and asked for their order. The Dragon Eye tea and a fruit parfait please. And then, the lady took her menu. Oh right. That was a thing wasn't it? Now without her shield, Luka's face had a noticeable red tint by this point. Her eyes ended up locking onto Akira only to jerk off the the side. She began mentally chanting that she 'wanted to go home now.' She didn't know what to say at this point, she couldn't hide behind her menu, she couldn't just eat to avoid talking, and that last comment left her utterly confused over the situation she was in. Au. One last noise escaped her as she stared at the wall. Was this was going on a date was like? God forbid she admitted to herself that it was a date after being adamant to her mother about it not being the case. Not that she listened either way.

[Akira Nakajima]

Akira relayed his order casually when the waitress appeared. He was a little surprised that Rukako had, in fact, stayed on the lighter side of things. He half-expected something meatier. It fit with her persona, at least. Actually, thinking on it, the girl really reminded him of a certain girl in one of his light novels. She certainly had an absurd level of potential with her weapons. Maybe it was a prophesy of things to come? Actually, no. He considered where the story had gone. No, no, no. He wasn't going to feed the tropes. Best to keep it simple. At the very least, the girl was extraordinarily meek right now. Yeah, he was probably just fresh off of his light novel. Rukako was much more amusing and cute, after all.

”Well, while we wait for that, I have to admit, I'm a bit curious.” The boy opened casually, but the topic was probably going to draw some more interesting reactions from the girl. Plus, it'd probably serve to verify his suspicions about the earlier episode. And, well. Honestly, he was a bit curious. ”What kinds of people are your parents?” The most angelic of smiles curled his lips as he tilted his head slightly. His chin rested on a bridge formed by his hands. He tried to appear as welcome and friendly as possible. He didn't want to seem teasing. Not yet. Or at all, really. That was more of “Miki's” thing than “Akira's”. In all honesty, he was a bit curious on a natural level, too. How did one raise a child to be as socially awkward as the one before him? Was it sheltering? Or were her parents exceedingly eccentric? It might have sounded rude- there was a reason he didn't say those things, of course- but he was really curious. It was intellectual curiosity. He wouldn't fault the two pillars that raised the girl.

But it didn't make him any less curious.

”Ah, you don't have to answer if you really don't want to.” Fortunately, it was a topic he could speak on, as well, if asked. Granted, it was a little less heart-warming than actual parents, but he and his sister did have his “Uncles”. They were tied together not by blood, but by oaths and firm bonds that extended beyond plasma. Theirs was a covenant stronger than ties brought about by the womb. ”But I really am curious after that little scene.” He added after a brief pause. And therein lied his vie for verifying the identity of Mystery Avoidance X. If it was spot on- and he was willing to imagine it'd show- she'd probably give him at least some of the information he was looking for. Well, hopefully. He did need some form of entertainment before the succulent morsels arrived.

Besides, he had to break the ice somehow or another without relying on battle topics.

[Luka Kurokawa]

The girl only turned her head in curiosity when Akira presented a question to her. She could only blink upon hearing it though. Where did that even come from? Did he notice her mom anyway? What a pain. She face-palmed as he mentioned 'that scene.' And here she thought she managed to get away with it. Well, my dad also doubles as my agent. My mom says he's the one that got me all these deals to the point where I'm doing all these different lines of work. He's kind of amazing if I think about it like that. Her dad was really stoic usually with not much to say. He didn't seem to speak much, but when he did it sounded very authoritative. It was probably the result of working in business for so long. And my mom. . . well, she doesn't work. She does household stuff like cleaning and all that. That, and she usually chooses what I wear each day. Though today. . . was probably for a different reason. Just thinking about what her mom was saying made her embarrassed. So what if she was meeting a boy? Though, it may have been for the best that she helped.

She looked down at the table with a defeated expression. That was her outside. Filming. She seems to feel the need to videotape everything I do. Though, her mom made a note that this was because it was her 'first date.' Luka wouldn't mention that, of course. At the very least, Luka had managed to exit her comfort zone and begin talking. Hopefully this would keep up. If she didn't she'd feel as if she was simply incapable of socializing in general. So. She paused. What the hell was she supposed to say anyway!? What do you like to do? How vague. You need to be more specific. Like, outside 'that' line of work. She was referring to their fight against the shadows and demons of course. At the very least, she could learn a little bit about this boy. They had already talked on a few occasions, went out on hunting trips together, shared a horse, planned a meeting. Hey, wasn't that actually a lot? Maybe that was how everything got to this point?

You already know about my job but. . . you can ask about it. If you want, I mean. Her face went a little red as she presented herself open to questions about her job. She wasn't sure if he was interested in her work, but in the chance he was, she would happily explain it. Honestly, she was being a lot more 'accepting' of everything being said today. There wasn't a hint of violence being thrown at the boy in any form. That was probably a result of the situation she found herself in. It was a strange one for her. Or if you want to ask about something else, that's fine too. Or nothing at all if you don't want to. Were these normal responses to these questions? Also, where the hell was her parfait!? At least then she had an excuse to not talk.

[Akira Nakajima]

The father was the one that situated their partnership on the idol level, it seemed. That thought was amusing to no end. Akira knew for a fact that wouldn't have happened if “Miki” was known for what “she” was. Then again, that wasn't a given. It was entirely possible something like that would have been arranged regardless, if it meant trying to get the girl together with a boy. No, no. That was much too sad. Rukako would probably have been able to find a boy or girl she liked if she put enough effort into it. It shouldn't have taken too much on her part to get the feelings reciprocated. Her mother, on the other hand, seemed to be especially doting. Well, there was nothing wrong with that- outside of any potential trauma. As for as he was concerned? Her parents'- or her mother's, specifically- acts that brought forth the girl's irritated and embarrassed expressions, were a-okay.

”Me? Nothing too out of the ordinary.” Akira pleasantly dismissed his interests. He was still going to tell her, of course, but he just wanted to clear that one thing up first. ”Reading and bartering are probably my two primary hobbies. One is relaxing and mentally stimulating, provoking the imagination. The other is a good review in economics, and helps keep me connected to people's standards.” He probably sounded like an annoying teacher, or something, with those lines, but those were the values he assigned to his hobbies. Of course, he could often act a bit obsessed with his reading. ”Other than those, I suppose the majority of my free time is dedicated to helping my family and generally spending time with them and tinkering around with a few business-related projects.” Those “projects” were actual successful businesses, though. No need to mention that he enjoyed helping people. That would have sounded too. . . weird, probably. Besides, it was less helping them in general than it was helping them achieve their dreams and goals.

”I could ask you about work, yes, but I'll refrain from doing so. I'm sure you enjoy it, but I'm sure you probably get bombarded by questions from various sources, right?” Well, truthfully, he knew better. In all actuality, he had access to a lot of her professional information thanks to the exchanges made at the business tables. That, and he felt it was more important to figure out things about the girl herself. Her job was one thing, but that was a facet, much like the identities he crafted, or the sides he showed depending on the environment. ”Though I will return your question. Outside of your jobs, what do you enjoy to do? Your hobbies, and the like?” He used the plural on jobs for a reason. He was pretty sure she enjoyed both. He didn't want her bouncing from one to the other. No, he just wanted to cut off her means of escaping to that safety and pry into the girl's actual interests. It'd probably help him in the long run, too.

[Luka Kurokawa]

Luka certainly hoped this wouldn't be the extend of what they would do. Sitting and talking like this was doing a number on her mental state. She certainly wouldn't be able to handle another outing like this. Well, this was assuming he wanted to go on another one. She doubted he would. Why would he, anyway? No, more like, why did he want to in the first place? Such complicated thoughts were shut out of the girl's mind given how troublesome they were.

Akira gave his interests pretty plainly. They certainly weren't anything like Luka expected. They were very. . . boring? Very was an understatement. She just nodded upon hearing them. Were there even adults who enjoyed economics? She was sure there might have been, but she imagined old men sitting in big rooms together laughing about how much money they made that day. However, this boy? It was an odd thought. I see. So you help your family with stuff too then? I make dinner sometimes when my mother needs to run out. I do cleaning sometimes too. You said something about business projects too? That part Luka could at least relate and talk about. Though, 'business projects' sounded a bit ominous. At the same time though, Akira already seemed quite smart to her. He helped plan that meeting and even helped pay for all of that. He obviously wasn't hurting on money. If there was one thing that might surprise people who knew Luka, it was that she certainly knew 'the value of a dollar.' She knew how to manage her money. To the point where she honestly. . . simply wouldn't spend it without good reason. Hell, her only major purchases lately were for that meeting and to get a really nice sword. She regretted neither.

I. . . guess that's true. Yes. He was right about that, she supposed. She had been in interviews before. Small ones, though. Her dad knew to keep her away from major interviews that she wouldn't be able to handle. Though, the questions he wanted to know regarded her personal hobbies. It was a fair enough question she figured. Well, I've been practicing with a sword for about two years now, but recently I feel as though I know everything I need to? Other than that, I play video games at home. Mostly dance and singing games. That's probably where my dad got the idea to get me in the idol business. I play all kinds of other games though. I do a little reading too, though. Truly, her days were filled to the brim with stuff to do. Luckily, given the portion that was hobby related, she could easily fit in a day like this every so often. Killing things at night is pretty fun too though. She spoke with a deadpan expression to that last one. Gosh, she was starting to regret she didn't order some meat.

[Akira Nakajima]

Rukako could cook? For some reason, probably the fact that he'd only seen her happily killing things or wanting to fight, he hadn't been able to picture that. Well, he didn't doubt her words. He nodded to her first question, at the very least. While he didn't cook- he could, if needed, but typically didn't- pretty much everything he did prior to the more progressive “assistance” he offered to strangers was to his family. Just probably not in the way that the girl was expecting. Which was fine, as he didn't plan to go too far into detail on that. Instead, he just smiled lightly at the girl's second question.

”Think of it as a trading card game, except rather than trading cards, you're trading items. That's how I treat it, for the most part. It's a game you can play at will- at any time of day, or any day. Some people need certain things, and they can acquire them through these trades. It helps them out, and it lets me come ahead. It's a mutually beneficial game, and one that I consider myself to be a good player of.” Though he had meant businesses originally, it was no lie that his up-trading and day-trading were both accurate fits for “business projects”. More than that, it made for a simpler topic. And he did enjoy up-trading. It was like playing the market in a game, but it produced real results. It also didn't hurt that Tokyo had an excess of players.

The girl went on to mention her experience with the blade. Well, to be fair, that passive ability she got at whatever point was probably a cheat. He was sure she could make any number of professionals that had diligently and thoroughly trained for their whole life cry because they were exceeded in skill by a young lady that had only been practicing for two years. Hell, she was a busy girl, at that. That was like rubbing salt in the wounds, he was sure. Now he had, at least, had an excuse to claim knowledge of the girl's hobbies. Admittedly, he was curious if she had read any of his suggestions- rather, “Miki's” suggestions. His smile, fortunately, didn't break at her mention of the nightly outings.

”Sounds like you're a busy bee in every way. With work and play, your schedule sounds booked.” He offered a short, light laugh. ”You read, though? Mind if I ask what you've been looking into recently?” He lightly tilted his head, really and honestly curious. ”It's good that you have a variety of hobbies, though. It keeps one. . . fresh, to so speak. Too much of a single thing can be bad, after all.” That was the second time he had complimented her for her other interests. Once as Miki, once as Akira. Well, it was true on both accounts. Relying entirely on work was a horrible way to live and have fun. Similarly, just the same thing to relax with would also hollow out one's soul eventually. Seemed like there was nothing to worry about regarding her. She'd probably be a productive adult once she hit maturity.

”I imagine our orders should be here soon. For your sake, I hope. You were thirsty, after all.” Whether it was just a good-natured comment on his part or a subtle means of reminding her of earlier wasn't readily apparent. Either way, he did want some muffins. And the cookies, too. The tea would be a nice compliment to both.

[Luka Kurokawa]

Luka listened to the explanation of what Akira did with his business projects. She honestly took it with a bit of disbelief at first. After all, could it really be like a trading card game? The more she listened though, she could sort of understand what he meant. Maybe economics wasn't all that complicated? It certainly sounded less boring, but it was still something Luka wouldn't touch unless she had a very good reason. Ehhh. I see. Maybe it's not as bad as I thought. I figured it would sound like work. It sounds more like a game of getting paid for making good predictions and preparations. She had heard bits and pieces about stocks from her dad, but nothing concrete. He didn't actually do economics, after all.

Akira certainly was proving to be even smarter than he originally led on, though. Or did all kids his age know this much about these kinds of things? she wouldn't know given her schooling situation. She had to safely lean towards no, though. There were dumb people out there. As for her? She had a bit of an excuse; not that she'd dwell on it like a crutch. She had tutoring that worked just fine and, according to her parents, got the same education as other kids. Provided, many of these lessons were heavily condensed to cater to her scheduling. And speaking of her scheduling, Akira had a comment on that.

Indeed her schedule could be considered 'booked' if it were not for her free period that she gets to spend at will. Being able to go out today was because of that. Then there was the question of books. Well, she certainly wasn't reading much recently considering her 'job' at night. But there was still some things she could mention. Hmm. . . not much lately. Lots to do now. But I have been reading some things a friend of mine gave me. Well, could she call Miki a friend now? Luka figured she wouldn't mind even if she somehow heard her say it. The fact that she didn't feel bad about saying it made it official, right? They're a bunch of adventure books. I'd have to say they're pretty good but I have to admit I was a little thrown off when I started reading. She leaned in for a second. There was hardly any pictures. Light novels were a new thing for her, after all. But I got used to it. I just think it'd be nice to get more looks at the characters rather than trying to picture them myself. After all, the writer's vision is the closest to the actual idea you can get. A reader can paint themselves a picture, but it can be much different from what the writer's view looks like. It was something silly like that which made her want more pictures.

The next comment about her having many hobbies made her think for a moment. Did she really have a lot of hobbies? Wasn't it normal to have this many? If not, what were people doing with their time then? Surely school doesn't use up that much effort. Luka was stumped, unless people just did nothing with their time. Finally, Akira's comment about her being thirsty brought on an unamused glare from Luka at him. One more comment like that and she'd kick him. He was definitely in range.

[Akira Nakajima]

So, it seemed, his efforts in trying to spread the light to the nonbelievers had not been wasted on the young Rukako Kurokawa. The fact that the doctrine of fantasy was spreading successfully was wonderful. He was, admittedly, a little concerned by her comment of a lack of pictures. Sure, light novels didn't have anywhere near the level of art as a manga might, but that didn't lower their values. It seemed she, at the very least, managed to adapt. The boy smiled warmly. He wouldn't be able to make a comment at the present, but he was pleased.

"I see. Be sure to tell your friend you enjoy them, then. I'm sure they'd be delighted to know you've come to love their interests, as well." He nodded, gracefully ignoring her venomous, but entirely unintimidating, stare. It was right around those few moments that the waitress strolled on by with their orders. Teas aplenty, and snacks ahoy, the waitress lightly bowed and excused herself after the obligatory customer service comments. The boy shifted in his seat lightly before relaxing and bringing the tea to his lips. Warm and soothing were the two best words to define the tea. The taste was fine, but the way it worked down his throat and all? Wonderful.

"In any case, you mentioned enjoying games." He led in before meticulously picking at one of his muffins. "I don't know if you'd be interested, but I am fairly certain an arcade is near here. Would you like to head there after this?" While he was perfectly capable of holding a prolonged conversation in a cafe- he had done so before in the past!- he did figure that Luka would eventually get anxious just talking. Maybe he had been reading her wrong, and it wouldn't have been the first time with her, but he did consider her to be a more "active" sort of person. Walking and talking would have likely be preferable to simply sitting and talking.

"They do tend to have dancing games there, if I recall." He added as a small hook to his bait. Even if she said no, there was no room to accuse him of a lack of trying. Worst-case, he'd just have to think of something else. After saying that, he ripped a chunk of his muffin off before eating it. His fingers were like soft, gentle tweezers picking at the construct. "Weird" was probably not an incorrect description for his method of consumption. Probably.

[Luka Kurokawa]

As the server finally neared, Luka took a good look at her parfait and tea. Dragon Eye was a nice little treat she had only recently discovered by chance. Ever since, she took to ordering it whenever possible. As for the parfait, it was a bargaining chip for her mother to have something meaty for dinner. Luka took care to take a drink first, lest Akira mention her being thirsty again. She didn't want to kick him, but any comment like that would force her hand. It was non-negotiable. As she began to make progress on her food, Akira had an odd comment regarding the person she got the books from. Was it odd? She could be wrong, as it was just an odd feeling.

I suppose so. Maybe. Would she really be that happy to know? Somehow, Luka doubted that a bit. She began eating some of the fruit in her parfait. It was refreshing, to say the least. Combined with the tea, it was a decent snack. Akira's food looked good too it seemed. You like peanut butter too? Another one of my friends seems to really like it. She figured it to be an odd coincidence. Provided, she didn't have many people she honestly considered a friend. Hardly anyone that she met via this incident ever really approached her personally. So she found a small coincidence like that among friends to be a little amusing.

Arcade? That honestly sounded like a nice idea. There was one nearby then? Sure. I'd love to. She smiled for once. It was a calm smile that showed she was much more at ease. Just sitting here eating food that would only give her energy with nothing really for her to say would be painful. Would you. . . play games with me? She just wanted to make sure she wouldn't be the only one. well, she knew there would be others playing, but she wanted him to play with her. That one last comment about the dancing games made her frown though. Just because I do idol work makes you think I like dancing games? To be fair, she did. There was no going around it. But she didn't like his assumption; unless she forgot that she mentioned it. Maybe she was just looking for an excuse to get mad?

Luckily, I do in fact like those. Some racing games would be fun too. Is there anything you have in mind? Maybe there was some economics game there too? She would try to play that with him if she could. Hopefully she wasn't too bad with it. Was it bad she was actually a little excited now? At least she was having fun. It would be terrible if she wasn't having fun while dong all of this. Just what sorts of interesting things would they being doing today, anyway?

[Akira Nakajima]

”Well, it certainly sounds as though your friend has excellent taste, then.” Of course, while he would like to think she had more friends that had reached that level of enlightenment, it was doubtful. She, most likely, referred to that outing that she had with Miki. In which case, praising Miki's tastes could be interpreted as a sort of egotistical praise for himself, assuming one was fully aware of the situation. Well, nobody would be finding out anytime soon, if he had anything to say about it. He simply continued disemboweling the muffin he toyed with, those fingers cruel tools of food-slaughtering, before consuming it in its entirety.

”Well, I'm certainly not the sort of person to enjoy simply watching another person play.” He gently pointed out with a smile. ”Unless they're doing something comical or entertaining, that is.” Though his smile was warm, and his words were innocent, the true meaning there was that he enjoyed watching people make fools of themselves by screwing up tremendously. It truly was. . . comical. Blinking once the girl frowned and made her comments, the boy tilted his head slowly before lightly snickering, unable to hold back his humor. Had she really forgotten that quickly? Maybe she had gotten so thirsty that her brain dried up? He wasn't going to say that, but that was certainly amusing! He'd be embarrassed if he made a mistake like that while actually fully awake.

Well, maybe she had the excuse of still recovering from earlier. Perhaps.

”I would like to think you like dancing games because you told me you liked them already.” There was a toothy grin that wasn't even properly hidden by the boy's hand. With his fingers spread, that hand did little to help. He closed his eyes halfway while waving his free hand dismissively. A quiet chuckle still escaped him. ”And that was just minutes ago. Maybe you're still a little stressed?” He winked, clearly teasing. Taking a deep breath, the boy visibly put forth an effort to straighten his lips. He failed, by the way. That smile persevered.

”Well, I'm not terrible at dancing games, myself.” He was being modest, given he could actually dance. ”So there's that. If you wish to try racing games, then I'll take your automobiles and raise you some fighting games.” He doubted she'd be against a fighting game, anyway. That seemed like it would be right up her alley, even if she hadn't actually played games of that genre yet. He tilted his head slightly, lightly gesturing with his hand, as though awaiting her acceptance or counter-offer.

Either way, he imagined there would be much fun to be had.

[Luka Kurokawa]

Right. . . Were there a lot of people who felt that strongly about peanut butter? Then again, she only had a vague idea about how deep that interest ran. Maybe she would learn in time? That sort of thinking ran into the idea of learning more about them overall. Making friends would be a nice thing to do for once. And learning about them seemed to be a good way to start things off. She figured that was something that could be accomplished in due time.

Luka smiled a much more cheerful smile at his response. She was glad that he was going to play games with her. She honestly didn't care how good he was. And if he was new? She could teach him all the same. Good. I think it'll be fun, then. Though, the bit about being comical was a bit worrying. She didn't do things that could be seen as comical, right? She doubted it, of course. Most girls her went to her performances said she was 'really cool.' The guys were usually too loud to really understand. Her mom assured her they were nice things though.

Of course, her happiness was dashed quite quickly as it became apparent that she made a major folly in her thinking. She had actually mentioned that she liked dancing games before. Now that she thought back a bit. . . she did, didn't she? Rather than kicking him like he deserved, she turned to the side and puffed her cheeks. I knew that. Then she muttered something that made her sound infallible. Truly, she was a bit embarrassed, but she was doing a good job of holding it in for once. She proceeded to ignore the other comments about it that came right after. She ignored them as well by puffing her cheeks harder. It was super effective.

As it turned out, Akira was apparently not bad at dancing games. Could he keep up with her on the highest difficulty then? She wouldn't get her hopes up just yet. As for the the offers for other games, she happily nodded. Sounds like a plan then. As she said that, she finished up her food and waited for the server to come over. It was probably good she had a light meal, else the cramps would get in the way. She'd pay for her half of the food, naturally. Afterwards, she'd wait for Akira to lead them over to the arcade. Ready when you are. Things went from scary to great pretty quickly. The only way this could go bad was if her mother was somehow waiting outside with a camera rolling. The thought of it was scary, honestly.