2025-09-12: What's With You?
- Log: What's with you?
- Cast: Kasumi Yoshizawa, Kazusa Motojima
- Where: Shujin Academy, Tokyo
- OOC Date: September 12, 2025
- IC Date: Tuesday, July 10, 2012 (Afternoon)
- Summary: Kasumi is struggling with her performance in Rhythmic Gymnastics—she is technically flawless, but her movements are stiff and uninspired. After the advisor leaves them to their own devices, Kazusa and Wakana come over to talk to her. Wakana tries to offer support, but Kazusa is more confrontational.
<Pose Tracker> Kasumi Yoshizawa has posed.
It's a fairly normal afternoon at Shujin Academy. Main class are over and students are going about doing their club activities. For the Rhythmic Gymnastics Club, that means taking up part of the gymnasium to practice their moves.
Kasumi is currently the one on the mat, a little out of breath from her efforts so far. She takes a running start and leaps, twirling the ribbon in her hand as she soars through the air. She lands on the tip of her foot again and twirls, the ribbon swirling around her before she leaps again, this time going into a dive. She hits the mat in a roll before jumping up onto her feet again with a flourish.
Kasumi didn't screw up the routine at all. It was all perfectly fine. But that is where the problem lies... It was just fine. Though she made no mistakes, her movements are a bit stiff. And judging by the furrow on her brow, she seems to be aware of it.
She's not the only one as the teacher advising the club harumphs, "You can do better that, Yoshizawa-san." Unfortunately such criticism is not followed up by any useful suggestions.
Another teacher walks up to the club advisor and the two talk quietly for a moment, before the advisor says, "Alright everyone, do some stretches for a moment. I have something I need to take care of."
The two teachers walk off as the club members start to mill about doing their own things. Kasumi sits down on the mat to take a moment to catch her breath as she stares at the floor, running through her movements in her head and trying to figure out where she's going wrong.
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Kasumi is here at club practice, of course. She's in her gym clothes, her hair tied back in a secure bun, and her arms are folded as she watches Kasumi do her routine. Her eyes are narrowed as she looks over all the tiny little details. Technically it's flawless. Even she can tell that, as much as she might harp on everyone for perfection.
And with her is another club member, Wakana Oosaka, a girl that's the same height as Kazusa, with short brown hair and an overall much kinder disposition. (Really, it might seem a wonder why Wakana chooses to hang out with Kazusa sometimes. Kazusa is maybe marginally nicer to her, but is still harsh with her, too.)
Kazusa looks aside as the teacher offers her 'advice', but then leaves the club members to their own devices. "Come on, Wakana-chan," says Kazusa shortly, as she makes her way to Kasumi.
"Nice job," she says, in a tone that somehow manages to be both sincere and sarcastic all at once. (Maybe she just has resting snide energy?) "But you're not going to win any awards like that."
"Kazusa-chan," says Wakana softly. "Come on, you can see she's putting in the work, right...?" She offers Kasumi an apologetic smile. "It was technically really good, Yoshizawa-san, but..." She hesitates a moment, maybe to see if Kazusa will cut her off.
<Pose Tracker> Kasumi Yoshizawa has posed.
Kasumi looks up as she notices some others walk up to her. From her seat on the floor she looks even smaller than her lithe frame normally makes her look. But still, she looks up at Kazusa and her flunky and waits for the inevitable-
'Nice job, but you're not going to win any awards like that.'
Kasumi frowns a little and looks down again. Is she ignoring Kazusa? She doesn't seem to be all that receptive to Wakana's words either as she repeats back, "Nice job? Technically good?" They definitely sound more like empty words more than anything else. An attack against her lacking skills...
"I can do better than this, I know I can..." She's saying this more to herself than to Kazusa and Wakana, but they're close enough to hear regardless.
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Kazusa huffs and tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Sheesh. If you can do better than this, then why aren't you? You know they keep talking about how you're heading for the Olympics, but personally, I don't see it."
Wakana shakes her head. "Kazusa-chan, they're already putting a lot of pressure on Yoshizawa-san, don't you start, too..."
"We all have a lot of pressure on us," Kazusa snaps at Wakana. "And we all have to pull our own weight on this team. I do it. You do it. But her?" Kazusa gestures to Kasumi.
"Don't talk about her like she's not here," insits Wakana gently. The milder girl moves to sit next to Kasumi. "... you're kind of stiff," she remarks, and looks up at Kazusa. Kazusa just snorts and looks away, so Wakana continues. "... you need to be more fluid. It's not just gymnastics, it's a dance, too."
<Pose Tracker> Kasumi Yoshizawa has posed.
That's the question, isn't it? Why isn't she doing better? What's changed in the past few months that's caused her to lose that ability she once had... The ability to dazzle the judges and the audiences.
Well, there is one obvious answer.
Wakana tries to defend Kasumi, but unbeknownst to her the words only remind her of recent events. Of the pressure being placed on her. And the risk of her failing and losing everything.
Unfortunately it just makes Kasumi tense up more as she bites back, "You think I don't know that?" Her reply works to both Wakana and Kazusa as she stands up, "I've been doing this for years!" She starts to storm away...
But then stops. No, this isn't her... She is Kasumi Yoshizawa.
Kasumi takes in a deep breath for a moment to make herself relax, then turns to look at Wakana and Kazusa with a smile, "That's right. I am going to make it to the Olympics." It looks like she's saying that with confidence.
But a silent part of her remains unconvinced.
Still, Kasumi maintains the smile as she says, "Thank you for your concern. But your focus is better spent on your own improvement, yes?"
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Wakana, like Kazusa, doesn't know the why of Kasumi isn't performing the way that she used to. But she is at least trying to be genuine in her feedback. (Or at least, 'offer any at all.')
Wakana flinches a big, drawing back from Kasumi's rebuke. "Oh, I'm-- I'm sorry, Yoshizawa-san, I was just..." She looks away and lets her voice trail off, not getting up when Kasumi does.
Kazusa, for her part, just arches an eyebrow at Kasumi and looks... unimpressed. She's been doing this for years. "Then act like it," she says, archly. "You're off your game, and I won't have you dragging the rest of us down with you."
But Kasumi comes back and says, with a smile, that she's heading to the Olympics. "So they say... but I'm not convinced."
Kazusa smirks as Kasumi mentions improvements. "Big talk, combing from you." She examines her nails idly. "If you can't even handle this much pressure, there's no way you'll survive in the Olympics."
Wakana, for her part, just sighs and gets up. She offers Kasumi a weak smile. "Well... then I'll wish you good luck."
<Pose Tracker> Kasumi Yoshizawa has posed.
Kasumi does feel a little bad for snapping at Wakana as she did, so gives the other girl an apologetic smile, "Sorry... I didn't mean to be rude."
Kazusa however doesn't get an apology, mainly because Kasumi doesn't think there's anything to apologise for. Not for the way she's spoken, or for 'dragging the rest of them down' as Kazusa puts it.
Instead, Kasumi looks at her and asks, "What about you? How exactly did you perform at the last meet?" It's a subtle jab, given that technically the 'last meet' was the one Kasumi went to. The one she had been chosen to be the club's representative for.
It's unintentional though, as she actually means 'the last meet Kazusa performed at'. After all, it's not like the entire gymnastics club is riding on her success, right?
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Wakana gives Kasumi a small shake of her head. "It's... fine. We're all a little tense, right...?"
Kazusa herself, though, just smirks when Kasumi takes that jab. Oh sure, getting overlooked for a first year stung, but the last meet Kazusa went to... Kazusa shrugs. "I don't remember. Why don't we go check the school trophy case. We can all refresh our memories, and you can see just what kind of a legacy you're supposed to be upholding."
She takes a step closer to Kasumi. Her tone turns a little more serious, if no less snide. "Seriously though. What's with you? You've got all the teachers talking about your potential, so what happened?"
<Pose Tracker> Kasumi Yoshizawa has posed.
Kasumi pauses at the suggestion... While she was the one who asked, she doesn't really want to go and actually do the thing Kazusa suggests. Given Kazusa's the one who suggested it, she probably has her name on at least one of those trophies if not more.
And Kasumi doesn't really want to have to stand there while Kazusa gets smugger. So instead, Kasumi just smiles politely, "Thank you, but I'm afraid I'm a little busy at the moment. Perhaps another time?"
Though as Kazusa asks what with her, Kasumi doesn't look too thrilled about answering. Partly because she doesn't exactly know... Which is why she murmurs, "If I knew that, I'd know how to fix it..." She turns away, walking off to go get a drink and also escape this conversation.
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Kasumi is probably right to suspect a trap, and it's honestly pretty fair not to want to watch Kazusa get any smugger. Kazusa just smirks a little. "Sure." She doesn't buy that Kasumi is busy. "Another time, then."
"Hmm." Kazusa watches Kasumi give that answer and then walk away. She lets out a frustrated grunt. "Great. We're supposed to stake the club's reputation on 'I don't know'? Give me a break."
Wakana looks to Kazusa. "You... heard about her sister, right...?" she asks quietly.
"Yeah," says Kazusa with a shake of her head. "But if that was the problem, don't you think she'd be even more out of it? C'mon, Wakana. We should go do some stretches."