2025-09-24: Nicer Than I Thought
- Log: Nicer Than I Thought
- Cast: Koh Katsuhiro, Shinjiro Aragaki
- Where: Paulownia Mall, Tatsumi Port Island
- OOC Date: September 24, 2025
- IC Date: July 16, 2012
- Summary: Shinjiro and Koh run into each other at the mall and decide to walk back together, making idle small talk.
<Pose Tracker> Koh Katsuhiro has posed.
Koh, like many Gekkoukan students, finds solace in Paulownia Mall after long days of classes. He came in on the great wave of listless teenagers breaking against the rocky shore of commerce, but he's also one of the last to leave. There's still enough time to get back to the dorm before the extra hour and there's still fluorescent lit shops open, so it's not time to go home yet.
It is time to shop, though, once arcade games are done. The young man is making his exit from the pharmacy with an opaque bag of medicine in one hand.
He pauses outside to withdraw something from it. The only good thing: a small candy bar that he can sit and munch on while he watches the dwindling crowds.
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
Yesterday's mall visit was somewhat disastrous, but today's may be less so. Shinjiro is here for a different reason than hanging out with Myunghon, anyways, as he steps outside of Kenneth Arnold, a small bag forming to the shape of the CDs inside at his waist.
He's passing by Koh, since the pharmacy is next door, when he stops and tilts his head. His fellow dorm mate...
"Katsuhiro?" he remembers the name from asking around. He's not great at small talk, but...
"You heading back to the dorm?" Seems he was considering doing so, too.
<Pose Tracker> Koh Katsuhiro has posed.
Teeth half-sunk into his snack, Koh's eyes flicker toward the familiar face addressing him. He has to snap off a piece of chocolate and swallow before he can give the other boy a bright smile.
"Ah! Aragaki-san." He greets. "What's up?" Koh, thankfully, is a talker.
The food is forgotten for now. "Yeah, probably," Koh supplies. "It's kinda late." Still, he finds reason to linger when he looks at Shinjiro's bag and the direction he'd come from. "Find anything good?"
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
"Not much, just getting some new albums," Shinjiro responds casually. "Was heading back myself, too."
Though, as he asks about the bag... "A few. Some new American grunge, a classic I didn't have yet. Some stuff Kawase made me think of, too."
A pause, as he eyes the medicine bag. "Starting to get a cold?" he asks, purely curious.
<Pose Tracker> Koh Katsuhiro has posed.
"Cool. Kawase-san was telling me about that place the other day. I forgot about it. Or it didn't exist yet, it's been a little while. Great selection, though. You do look kind of like a grunge guy..."
Koh carefully refolds the foil over what remains of his candy bar. "Mind company?" He's pretty laid-back, but not rude enough to walk and eat. "I might as well go too, the arcade'll close soon."
As for the medicine, the boy merely smiles. "I get headaches," He replies, "Don't worry, I'm not contagious. I do grow on some people, though."
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
"Guess I do. Red coat, beanie, shitkicker attitude..." Shinjiro smiles a bit at that last part.
"Not at all, let's go," He says about the company, waiting for Koh to start before he follows.
About the headaches, though... "Yeah, they've got good medicine for aches and stuff. Couldn't find everything I need there, but, when can you these days?" He grumbles a bit.
A pause, though. "You game much" he says about the arcade.
<Pose Tracker> Koh Katsuhiro has posed.
"You're nicer than I thought you'd be so far." Koh chimes helpfully about the other boy's attitude, "I mean, after that time I saw you swinging the sign around I was a little scared to say hi."
He goes, tucking bag at his side and hand in a pocket as they make their way through the emptying mall. Koh's gait is lazy, his eyes scanning for any last traces of interesting things.
"Yeah. Sometimes you just do what you can, right?" Koh does call in sick a lot, though it's probably not on most people's radar. He seems cheery enough now.
"Oh, yeah. It passes the time," He says of games, "I'm trying to learn fighting games so I can hang with everyone in the dorm. All the girls beat me up last time, it's a little embarrassing." His shoulders roll helplessly. "You?"
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
"Tch." Shinjiro responds about being nicer, but it's mostly in good humor. "I'm just making sure all of you don't get into trouble." A pause. "It's easier to get off the cuff than a battleaxe."
He does nod about doing what you can. Shinjiro may be observant, but he doesn't go to school, so he can't be sure that Koh's calling out.
"Passes the time, huh? I used to play RPGs. Drake Adventure IX was the last I beat about three years back. Never really been big into fighting games, but that's mostly a lack of trying."
As they move through the mall... "You come around here often, besides the arcade? Club Escapade isn't bad, but don't get caught. Chagall's fine, pheromone coffee seems bunk though."
<Pose Tracker> Koh Katsuhiro has posed.
Koh's eyes slant over toward the other boy when he mentions the battleaxe in a look that implies he's become a little scary once again. It doesn't last, though.
"Yeah, games help you keep your mind busy, you know?" Koh grins. "Oh! Yeah, the one with the cute slimes? I used to get tons of those in the crane game. Girls love those." He considers. "Yeah, you're probably not missing much with fighting games. I'm doing enough in real life." It's a joke, albeit a rueful one.
"Club Escapade, huh? Haven't been there yet." A hint of a smile comes at the mention of Chagall's coffee. "Ah, I've eaten there sometimes. Maybe you're just not drinking enough?"
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
Shinjiro just smirks at that look, before pausing. "Crane game, huh? You often trying to pick up girls?" He doesn't seem that interested, himself.
"Well, true. But in real life... it's not fun." He shrugs there, before nodding about Club Escapade. "Yeah. I'm tall and don't wear a school uniform, so I can get in pretty trivially."
PHEROMONE COFFEE THOUGH. "No, it's definitely bullshit. I don't need to 'amplify my charisma'."
<Pose Tracker> Koh Katsuhiro has posed.
"Haha...well..." Koh seems almost sheepish when pressed. "I just like having company." He does seem to be in a good mood now that he has someone to bother.
"Hmm," The boy muses, casting a farewell glance toward the club's entrance. "Maybe I'll try it. I'll get a disguise or something."
He maintains a straight face at Shinjiro's insistence about the coffee. Mostly. "Yeah, you're probably right. You can get the same stuff from a vending machine for like a third of the price."
Once they get out outside and into the humidity Koh has a more serious question: "How long have you been part of SEES, Aragaki-san?"
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
"Well, I shouldn't be that bad," he laughs. "Not a cute girl, though."
About the disguise... "Sounds good. You ever need someone to vouch, lemme know." He waves a hand as they get outside, into the humidity. He nods about the coffee, but...
"...Now or before? Now, maybe a week. Before? Since middle school. Me, Aki, and Kirijo were the first." A pause. "What about you? Saw you come in on that motorcycle, what an entrance."
<Pose Tracker> Koh Katsuhiro has posed.
"I'll live," Koh assures.
"Got it. I'll let you know how it goes, unless I end up in jail." He laughs, an easy snicker before moving on.
"Oh, the motorcycle," Koh scrubs a hand through curly hair. "I was kind of winging it. But, mewell, I guess I just became an official member a few weeks ago."
The rest bears some consideration. "The first? Wow. I've been with the Group for a couple years. Out in Aomori, things a little...intense here. Guess that's why they moved me."
"But. I'll do my best for you guys, Aragaki-senpai." He's testing the waters with the honorifics, his tone indicates as much. But he's not entirely insincere either.
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
"Good," Shinjiro says, before turning about the jail. "I don't recommend it, it's not fun there." Wait, how does he know?
But the motorcycle... "That's good enough. You got Arisato there, and he was able to turn the tide of battle, so." A nod about a few weeks. "Aomori, huh? What's the group got a kid like you doing?"
But, Aragaki-Senpai... that makes him smile sheepishly, turning. "Sure, Katsuhiro. I'm more of a berserker, but I'll be counting on you, then." A pause. "Not that I've got much say on that, anymore."
<Pose Tracker> Koh Katsuhiro has posed.
On the topic of jail Koh just nods slowly. He probably believes Shinjiro wholeheartedly.
"Man. What a guy," He says of Minato. But on the topic of Aomori he just shrugs. "Dark Hour's everywhere. I've got a knack for sensing stuff. I'm no Yamagishi-san, but I'm kinda lucky."
A smile is given in return. "Hey, I'm good at keeping people alive. We'll probably make a good team."
And, that said, he's happy to make more idle chatter all the way back to the dorm.