2025-09-30: Ramen Shop Confessional
- Log: Ramen Shop Confessional
- Cast: Shinjiro Aragaki, Shinobu Shimizu
- Where: Hagakure Ramen, Iwatodai Station, Iwatodai
- OOC Date: September 30, 2025
- IC Date: July 19, 2012
- Summary: Shinobu meets up with Shinjiro, who's been avoiding Myunghon and the Cardboard Dragon. He reveal what's going on... as well as his own condition he believes has caused the whole situation. Shinobu convinces him to try and not run away, and in turn, he recommends she talk to them too.
(|============================= Iwatodai Station =============================|) -================================================== Iwatodai City/Iwatodai ====- The intersection of high speed rail along the coast of Tokyo and Tatsumi Port Island's monorail line from the mainland across the sea to its artificial island, Iwatodai Station is the cornerstone of daily life to the inhabitants of this place. Even the most jaded salaryman could get lost in the experience of looking out upon the glittering sea as they ride across it to their daily life. A multi-story strip mall across the street from the station offers students such selections as Wakatsu for sushi high in omega-3s to increase that brain power, Hagakure Ramen with all the collagen you could desire for skin care, or even Wilduck's infamous Mystery Burger for those who desire an impromptu test of courage. Net cafes selling some of the latest releases and hole-in-the-wall bookstores give people endless options of what to do with their evening. With this blend of local flavor and modern convenience, Iwatodai Station truly is the ideal option to stop by whether you're coming or going home. BGM - Tranquility - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvvwVzA1z44
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
Finding Shinjiro is difficult when he doesn't want to be found... but Shinobu still has his phone number, so texting him makes it easier. When asked for a meetup, he's silent for a bit, before acquiescing, though she'll have to meet him in Port Island.
Hagakure Ramen is a small little joint known for collagen ramen and good food. Shinjiro often sits at the bar, knowing the chef personally, but today he's in an empty back booth outside of lunch rush. He's absently looking at his menu, a fidget tool more than actually eating, and it's very clear he's not in the best mental state. He has not been back to the Cardboard Dragon, messaged any group chats, or texted anyone himself since his fight the other day.
One might speculate he's avoiding Myunghon, and they'd be right. The question is: what happened?
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
Shinobu has noticed the way Shinjiro has been avoiding Myunghon. Even the subject of them - when he can't even bring himself to say their name...
It's a bit more meddling than she'd like to do, and maybe a bit hypocritical given how her own interactions with them have been lately... but she needs to figure out what's going on, so she reached out.
And, before long, Shinobu steps through the door. It doesn't take long to spot him - she heads right for that booth.
"...That's gonna get cold if you don't eat it." Shinobu advises - and then slides into the booth across from him. "...So... what's up? I heard you had a talk with Myunghon that went south, but I didn't hear the full story. What happened between you two?"
Straight to the point. Shinobu's never been the type of person to beat around the bush.
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
Shinjiro's got a plate of shrimps already, but they're definitely getting cold just sitting there. When Shinobu advises, he winces slightly before nodding, taking one and dipping it into the sauce in a way that shows he's very delicate with it, trying to maximize flavor.
"...not one to dance around, huh." He knew that's what she was like, and what was coming, but it still stings. Shinjiro grimaces, taking a moment to collect his thoughts.
"...I fucked up."
A breath, a little shaky, as the very memory bugs him. "I... this is going to be hard to explain. But... fuck, where do I start?" He's not normally like this, able to find his words somehow, but there's a nested web between this and his condition, something he's often loathe to share.
"They probably hate me now, because I tried to see if they were pushing me away, and I fucked up how I did it, and it's just a goddamn mess, and I, I, fuck."
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
"Nope." Shinobu confirms - but she's at least more likely to ease up now that she seems him actually eating.
She listens then, as he starts - and doesn't interrupt as he works himself through it. She 'hm's to herself.
"Well, for starters... if I know them, they're probably feeling about the same way you do now. They probably hate themself more than they hate you and think they ruined everything." Shinobu replies. "Start at the beginning? Probably easier than winding yourself up by bouncing around."
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
Shinjiro nods to the confirm, finally taking a bite of a shrimp, before he starts.
Once Shinobu replies, though... "I don't know about that. It's..." She tells him to start at the beginning, and he pauses, nodding.
"...I told them something I don't tell many people. It broke their heart, and they said they'd shoulder that burden with me. But ever since... it's felt like there's a tension, a stress. That they're not acting like they normally do, that they're masking around me what they really feel."
A release of a breath he wasn't sure he was still holding in.
"After the Atelier, I confronted them about some texts they sent me, that you were mad at them and they were scared and.... I wanted to know what they were talking about. They... revealed something that happened with that Peacock Silk owner. They revealed that this Tsumugi they slept with or something was the one who probably convinced them to jump out that window and go after Ishiba, nearly *die*, and I just. It feels I'm burdening them, trying to help them with everything."
A pause, as he tries to offer an olive branch. He probably can't dance around it, as much as it feels like it's a risk to even share it with another person. "...they feel like I'm bludgeoning them with my condition when I mention it. Fuck... I didn't... I don't blame them, I'm such an asshole."
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
Shinjiro starts at the beginning. Shinobu listens consideringly. He told them something that they agreed to shoulder together, but it's lead to tension...
She leans back but doesn't interrupt as he explains the situation. She was aware of his concerns thanks to So-young, but hearing it directly from him helps paint her a better picture of the situation. And then he explains - his condition... She frowns consideringly.
"That's the thing you two talked about?" Shinobu asks. "If you feel that way, then you gotta go apologise... but don't forget your own feelings, too. If you feel like they're hiding things around you 'cause of it, you gotta mention that, too."
She shakes her head.
"...But that's just my view of the situation. What's important is what you wanna do about it." Shinobu says.
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
"Yeah, it's... I probably need to tell everyone, but I'm scared..." Shinjiro admits of his condition, rubbing the back of his head. "If I already fucked it up with Myunghon, I'm going to fuck it up with you and everyone else too. But... it's not fair to keep it a secret, I guess. I'm not... I'm really sick, Shimizu." He admits shakily, but there's a thread there, like he's not sharing the Whole of the Situation, instead testing the waters.
But about apologizing, he winces again. "...I'll just make it worse. They've dealt with enough of my bullshit. I'm just..."
What does he want to do about it?
"Honestly? I was just going to return to sitting in an alleyway all day. Probably best for everyone, right?"
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
Shinjiro admits that he's scared. Shinobu frowns, her expression sympathetic. ...She feels more than a little out of her depth, here. She's best used more like a blunt object, but a delicate situation like this... It's hard to know how to navigate it without hurting anyone.
He admits that he's really sick, though.
"...Shit." Shinobu exhales, shaking her head. So that's why... "Sorry, Aragaki. I didn't know that."
But he says he'll make it worse - that Myunghon's dealt with enough of his bullshit...
Returning to sitting in an alleyway all day... Shinobu's frown deepens at that.
"...Nah. That's bullshit." She replies, shaking her head. "Running away from this ain't gonna help. You think people aren't gonna notice you're gone? Like it or not, you're one of us now - and if you leave, you're gonna be missed. Maybe you'll mess it up if you tell us, but it's not gonna be any worse than if you just ditched everyone."
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
As Shinobu talks in return, Shinjiro's eating another shrimp. Her apology is nodded to absently. How could she? He doesn't talk about it. He tosses in his mind if he's going to say more, but her specific words get to him. A grimace.
"...I'm going to be gone either way. It's better to rip the bandaid off now and leave you all while it's rough than to hurt you all when it's well." He exhales again. "I... I'm not a good person, I'm not someone who belongs around others, especially not good people." The way he says 'not a good person' doesn't sound like he's simply ragging on himself in the moment, but that it's a long and deap-seated belief.
He stares down at his sauce, the shrimp twirling in it, and then...
"I'm dying, Shimizu. Chronic organ failure. Doctor says I've only got a year left, even if they're looking for a cure they'll never find. It's better to not make you all deal with that."
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
...He's going to be gone either way. Better to rip the bandaid off now. He says he isn't a good person, he's not someone who belongs around others, especially good people. ...It sounds like he genuinely believes that, too.
And then he explains - he's dying.
There's another sharp intake of breath.
"Aragaki..." She starts.
...What can anyone even say to that?
She exhales again.
"...So you've got a year. In that case, is that really how you want to leave things? Leaving everything unsaid so you can camp out in the alleys again?" Shinobu asks. She cracks a grin, then. It's forced. He can probably tell, but she's trying. "...Besides. A buncha punks hiding out in a dingy Hirasaka card shop..."
Sorry, Myunghon.
"You really think we're the type of people who care if you're a good person or not?" She shakes her head, her expression going serious again. "...We get it, y'know."
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
"...sorry." Shinjiro corrects himself as his name is spoken, trying to figure out what to say next, already thinking he fucked up. But Shinobu instead exhales, and continues. Is that really how he wants to leave things?
He swallows. He doesn't know what to say, so he responds to her joke instead, knowing it's put on for him.
"...I think Park would be offended by that." So-young never read as a punk to him, after all.
Though, Shinobu tries to reassure him, and he breathes slowly. "...I guess not," is all he can find in him to say. He doesn't really know if they get it, but... he appreciates the sentiment, a nod. "I guess."
Then, he circles back around to the question. "...It's not how I want to leave it. But I don't know what else to do. Even if I apologize, I... I'm a wrecking ball. I hurt people's feelings and bulldoze over them and just... I thought I was being considerate, letting them know and communicating my problems, but really all I was doing was enforcing my own will."
"I'm just going to hurt them again."
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
"...You don't gotta apologise." Shinobu replies, shaking her head. ...He gets a genuine smirk, then, at his response to her joke.
"Yeah. She probably would." She agrees. She doesn't retract it, though. If anyone can handle some good-natured teasing, it's probably So-young.
He guesses not... but he doesn't know what else to do. He hurts people's feelings and bulldozes over them...
...It's familiar, and the fear of hurting Myunghon again is something she's familiar with, too.
She leans back, folding her arms in front of her.
"...I get it. I'm kind of the same way." Shinobu admits. "All's you can do is... try, and go from there. If you don't... this rift between you two is just gonna get wider."
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
Shinjiro nods about apologies and So-Young, but he's still in his head. "...yeah."
But about being the same way... he nods once more, frowning. "...you're right. I'll... see if I can. I can't make promises right now. At the least, I'll try to text them." Given his indecision, Myunghon might get to him first.
A pause, as he just pops another shrimp in his mouth, the last one.
"...you should talk to them, too. I think they fear you right now... and I know you really matter to them. I was the one who helped them buy the concert tickets." He rubs the back of his head sheepishly.
"I don't care if it didn't work out between you two for whatever reason, but... it's not your fault they're destructing, either. Like you said earlier, they probably blame themselves more."
He then slides his menu over to her. "I know you might not be hungry now, but if you are, I can recommend you something. I'm just going to get a to-go of my usual."
<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.
Shinobu nods, as he says he'll try to text them. She can't make him... but she thinks she can trust him to try. And he says she should try to talk to them, too.
...Well, it'd make her a real big hypocrite if she said all that and didn't, huh...?
"You were, huh?" Shinobu replies. There's a slight smirk. "...That was a pretty good pick, really."
She nods though.
"...But. Yeah. You're right. I'll... try to grab 'em sometime to talk, too." She replies.
And with that, he slides a menu over.
"Sure, that'd be great. I could go for a bite." She replies. She'll take his advice - he knows the place better than she does.