2025-10-04: Not Very Nice
- Log: Not Very Nice
- Cast: Yukari Takeba, Minato Arisato, Reiya Aomori
- Where: Chagall Cafe, Tatsumi Port Island
- OOC Date: October 4, 2025
- IC Date: Saturday, July 21, 2012
- Summary: Study group at Chagall! There are questions... and certain assumptions.
<Pose Tracker> Yukari Takeba has posed.
Chagall cafe is crowded today. And it's full of Gekkoukan students, usually in groups- study groups united by the caffeine and sweets. It's so crowded that the study group of two - then three, were sat at a four top, thankfully it's on the second floor, so it's less crowded.
"So for this equation..." Yukari leans over and jots down on a group sheet to work at...!
S=C*(02Pi)=2Pir*(02Pi)=R0 so S=r0
"... there. So with that the answer is..." A few calculations done quickly in her head, "...Two fifty six degrees... with a length of 13.4 centimeters. Though we're gonna have to show how to get there too butttt it's pretty much self-explanatory at this point... Phew."
She sits back, smiling, "I think I'm pretty confident for the math final at least." Don't talk to her about English though.
She takes a sip of coffee herself.
<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.
Exams really crept up on Minato. That's not to say he isn't studying like mad -- he is! -- but, well, between his several clubs and his work in SEES...
Minato looks down at his calculator, and then up to Yukari.
And gulps.
"All right." Scribble scribble, scribble scribble... and he does manage to solve for X, at least.
Life's looking grim.
<Pose Tracker> Reiya Aomori has posed.
Reiya Aomori is not here for Pheromone Coffee. He is here for studying. And in that study...
He looks over at the group sheet. S and S. "...Do you understand?" he asks Minato, looking over at him as he gulps. "We can go over that one again, if not."
A pause. "I am also confident in my mathematics... reasonably." It's not his best subject but he has been studying consistently. "What if we wrote it out long-form? That might help."
He does not sip his coffee.
<Pose Tracker> Yukari Takeba has posed.
Yukari watches Minato at work, "There you go, good for you." Before Reiya suggests that they can go over it again if not. "... Sure." She says, as she opens her notebook to another problem about measuring an arc.
"I think someone said this one was probably going to be on the exam."
Then he suggests long form. "Iiiii don't think long form is going to help at this point. If you don't have it by now, you can't cram that many in there over one weekend."
There's a sigh, "On the other hand... if he can't solve this next one short form, then it might be for the best to try anyway."
<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.
"Let's do it," Minato nods. "9.8 equals v-squared over 275... to find v-squared, times the bottom row... which means then v is the square root of 275 times 9.8..."
When is Minato ever going to need to find the centre of centripedal force, anyway?
He taps that into his calculator, and writes down 51.9 ms to the power of -1... which Yukari, at least, should be able to recognise as correct.
"Phew..." Minato sighs, on seeing that he didn't completely bungle the problem.
"I should set a better example as a leader," he says, with a shade of apology. "But I joined a lot of clubs... well, and we've had a lot of club activities in ours, too."
'Club activities.' You know. Shadows.
<Pose Tracker> Reiya Aomori has posed.
Reiya is better at science than raw math, but his mother wouldn't let him hear the end of it if he didn't do decently in math.
Minato gets it... and... He taps it in. "Good," Reiya answers. "I think it's important to practice. Hearing the concept isn't enough; you need to exercise it."
But... True. "Hmm." You can't cram it in if you don't know...
"I don't think you're doomed," he says to Minato.
Helping?
"We have different strengths," Reiya says. "The wise general knows his weaknesses, and compensates for them among his advisors."
"...But they won't let you let someone else take your exams," he concludes.
"True. There's been a lot."
<Pose Tracker> Yukari Takeba has posed.
"Hey good job." She says, actually praising him, "You've got it."
When are you going to need to find the center of centripedal force? Well obviously, when you encounter a centipede shadow charging at you wearing a mask in the center.
GET YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME MINATO!
Yukari isn't actually incredible at math at baseline. She's just put in some extra time studying early for this one because she didn't want to embarrass herself.
'I should set a better example as a leader.'
Part of her worries that Minato is setting his bar for himself way too high given... well, Mitsuru. Yukari just gesticulates with a pen, "Well, Kirijo-senpai would think so..." She says a touch acerbically, "... but expecting yourself to make grades like her and balance everything is just... unrealistic."
Besides, she could point out that Mitsuru Kirijo definitely doesn't fit the 'wise general' in Reiya's description, but she's not about to go that far.
"Just, do what you can right now, as best as you can. So long as you're putting in the time, that's what counts really."
Unlike Junpei Iori, who is currently reading Manga back at the Dorms while counting down to a panicked final cram session tomorrow.
<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.
"Right. Practice makes perfect." Minato nods, firmly, to Reiya.
And as he looks down at the problems, he concludes... "I'm not doomed," and he says it with a little more cheer, since Yukari's praising him too. "Still, I doubt I'll top the class this time..."
He pauses, and adds, to Yukari: "That's right. I'm thinking of Kirijo-senpai. I know she'll be watching."
He shakes his head, though, when Reiya suggests advisors. "When it comes to exams, getting someone else to sit them is cheating. I can't do that. But studying together counts." They're still advising!!
"It's just strange," he reflects, looking down at the page. "This year, exams snuck up as if I never expected them to happen right now. One day, the teachers announced there'd be exams next week, and then suddenly everything was focused on that. Have you noticed something like that?"
OR MAYBE THEY'RE USING A WALKTHROUGH!
<Pose Tracker> Reiya Aomori has posed.
Minato is the General, Yukari. Mitsuru is the Princess.
He nods firmly when Minato cheers up a little. But... Kirijo-senpai might think so. Reiya is thoughtful about that. He notices the acerbic tone, but...
Hmmm. "She will be watching," Reiya agrees, "But so long as you don't do poorly, you will be fine." It's not like he's trying to date Mitsuru or something, right? You'd have to be some kind of Genius to even think about that...
"Yes," Reiya says. "You are training with your peers. That is good."
Putting in the time... Reiya nods. But then Minato asks a question. Exams snuck up...
"No," Reiya answers seriously. "I haven't noticed that at all."
...He doesn't even blink.
<Pose Tracker> Yukari Takeba has posed.
"Nah, unlike some other guy." Yukari grins at him, "There's hope for you yet." Honestly, he's pretty smart she's found? Just he's gotta take the time.
"Yep... she's said as much, just don't let it psych you out. You don't need her approval."
Studying together counts! "Yeah that's why we're scheduling these sessions up to the day of... it's just more engaging than sitting alone."
But he reveals that strange feeling like exams crept up and- "Uhhh, well that's kinda how it is every year? Some start early but - way too many people waited until the last minute... honestly I've been dreading it for the past month."
SHE HAS A CALENDAR! She doesn't need a walkthrough!!! Besides who would ever think that eating that much Wakatsu and playing trivia games would get you good grades?
(https:'www.awkwardzombie.comcomicextracurricular-declivity)
"Anyhow... this Pheromone Coffee is pretty good, actually."
>Yukari enjoyed a cup of pheromone coffee.
>It feels like people are looking at her... Is this the effect of the pheromones?
>Strangely, you feel as if her Charm has increased after drinking the coffee.
"What do you two think, should we move on to English or, keep chugging along on math?"
<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.
"I've been praying for Iori-kun," Minato shares with Yukari, gravely. "Actually, I think reflecting on that has made me better at studying, too..."
Prayer can't save you any more than seafood can, Minato!
"Hmm... so, so long as I do well enough... all right." Minato nods, firmly. (Did he really think Mitsuru was going to annihilate him for getting bad grades? ... maybe he did. And listen, he's but a mortal boy, of course he's thought about it, but there's a difference between stray thoughts which you know are outrageous and any kind of coordinated plan.)
"It's just like practicing at midnight," Minato nods, firmly. "You can't go it alone. You'll just get hurt." Minato, the maths problems aren't going to set you on fire.
Probably.
"Every year, huh..." Minato blinks, looking down at his work. "But last year feels like it was forever ago... actually, last week feels forever ago, too." That's called dissociation, Minato. You're describing dissociation.
Minato, too, sips his coffee, a metaphorical note dancing over his head. "... it is good," he notes. And Yukari might note that he did not order seconds when he came in. Maybe that Virtual Diet actually had something to it...
"Let's move on," he agrees, switching books. "Let's see, we have... the use of participles in English. They use present and past participles... those are the ones which are partly verbs and partly adjectives. That's... the difference between 'instructing' and 'instructed'. They don't have objects, but they can be modified by adverbs. So..."
Scribbled, scribble.
<Pose Tracker> Reiya Aomori has posed.
"Iori-kun is doomed," Reiya agrees with the implicit statement. "...It's poetic. The desperate struggle to enjoy life before the brutal end... Like a butterfly migrating across the country." Reiya looks down seriously. "...I should borrow that game from him later." He seems to have gotten over it...
A lot of people do put it off. And it is more engaging. "I retain more of the material when I review in a group," Reiya agrees. But, don't need her approval? Hmmm. "Exams... I've been waiting for them for a while. Last time, I studied with..." Pause. "Exams are always when they are. That's how dates work. It's very orderly that way."
Pause. "Does it?" he wonders of Minato. "The perception of time..."
Hmm.
Reiya finally sips some of his own coffee. This is the kind of thing that gives him charm: mystery.
"Let's move on," he says after that. And the use of participles...
"Adverbs modify many things..." Scribble scribble.
<Pose Tracker> Yukari Takeba has posed.
"You've been praying for yourself too, right?" Yukari at least, is justttt superstitious enough to pray for grades. Even if it's not the primary thing she prays for. "All the prayer in the world isn't enough to help Junpei-kun."
She gives a long sigh at that. Before she looks across the table at Reiya. "I almost thought you were going to put that in haiku form... for a minute there."
But she knows he didn't, because there were no kigo in there! Kigo words will definitely be on the final in Japanese Lit.
He does look at Reiya as he says who he studied with, "I suspect you didn't get too much studying done back then." She says in a tone that feels like a sigh.
Boyfriends and girlfriends studying together feels like it's a recipe for disaster in her eyes, unless they're studying with other people, or in public.
...
Yukari actually bought and tried Virtual Diet when Minato wasn't around.
It worked for three days, at least.
WILLPOWER!
Fortunately coffee without cream and sugar has very few liquid calories.
"Alright..." She turns to her English notes. "... Why does English have to be so complicated...?" She sighs, "It's sentence structure and grammar just have too many rules."
It's a soft complaint, before she writes it down. -ing, -ed.
'He was instructing him swiftly.'
"So... is this a correct use of a Present Participle?"
She turns her notes around to check with the other two.
<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.
"Of course," Minato nods, when Yukari asks if he's been praying for himself too. "Self-reflection is just as important."
Minato tilts his head, and muses: "Butterflies are very responsible. That is... they expect you to take responsibility for your actions. I suppose they're only on this earth for a short time, so their actions weigh on them much more heavily... or something like that."
No haiku here. Just a weird time for philosophy!
"Hmm... perhaps my sense of time is broken, then," Minato notes, when Reiya insists on how orderly dates are. "I should visit Be Blue V. I'm sure they have something for that." Minato, time isn't one of the five senses. You can't just see a doctor and fix it, Minato.
(Well, not like THAT. Maybe try seeing a therapist...)
Yukari writes out an example sentence, though, and Minato thinks out loud: "I think... adverbs like 'swiftly' go before participles? So it would be 'He was swiftly instructing him'? Though... I wonder if that's right."
He taps his pen on the page. "And I remember they said... adverbs are organised by manner, place, frequency, and time. So if they ask you to use more than one, 'swiftly' is a manner adverb, I think, so it would go before something like 'again'... or..."
Scribble, scribble.
'He swiftly and often instructed the students'...
"... English doesn't make very much sense," Minato concludes, looking down at his exercise book.
<Pose Tracker> Reiya Aomori has posed.
"The transience of life is more an autumn or winter theme," Reiya opines. "It's summer now."
But butterflies are very responsible. Hmm. "You have an interesting way of thinking," Reiya says to Minato. "But responsibility is very important, I agree."
Still, didn't get too much studying done... Reiya considers that for a moment. "We did well on our exams," he settles on. ...Which isn't exactly a repudiation of what Yukari said, either...
"Get a watch," Reiya says seriously. "Then you can always check what time it is." Pause. "Well," he admits, "Almost always."
An example sentence...
"English is complicated because it is made up of many languages," Reiya thinks.
"But..."
He writes, too. "We can prove it through examining the alternatives. 'He often swiftly instructed the stduents' would mean that he frequently but not always did so quickly... But swiftly and often makes more sense in context."
Pause.
"...Also, 'instructed' is the verb, and 'swiftly' and 'often' are the words that modify that verb..."
"Actually I suppose it's because English is very specific. I suppose they don't trust people to understand context in English..."
Hmm.
<Pose Tracker> Yukari Takeba has posed.
"... What kind of butterflies have you met?" Yukari says, as if taken aback by the statement of them 'expecting you to take responsibility', "That's not some kind of weird metaphor right?"
For some reason it didn't sound just like some 'interesting way of thinking' to her, but she also can't quite place it.
"... Right." Yukari says as if skeptical of Reiya's claim, "But I bet you did more 'studying' than just those sessions."
Yukari side eyes Minato about Be Blue V, "Uhhh that place that sells accessories that they claim are good for your health? Feels like a scam to me..."
Minato looks at it, and corrects her, "Oh! Really? Wow... another of those sentence structure rules..." Yukari takes her notebook back and begins to correct it. Leaving the incorrect example there and marking it with incorrect. 'He was swiftly instructing him'
'He swiftly and often instructed the students.'
"... Yeah. I always feel like I'm making so little progress on it." She sighs, in agreement with him.
She listens to Reiya give his perspective, "What you mean... it's done that way because White People can't read between the lines?"
Then she looks up, and thinks about it, pauses and- "Thattttt might just be true." Look Yukari's only met like three white guys that she's interacted with more than a few seconds.
GAME: Save complete.
<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.
"You know, when I moved here..." Minato starts, only to realise that this is another one of those things that other people have no clue happened. So he shakes his head, and says, "... it's nothing."
Just like that boy no one else has ever met...
"A watch tells time in a twenty-four hour period, though," Minato points out, of watches. "Maybe I need some kind of... 375-day watch." He pauses, and looks to Yukari, as he adds: "I hadn't heard they were a scam. I'll have to be careful."
Still... it's complicated because it's a melting pot, huh?
"There are a lot of rules," Minato agrees. "And breaking them even a little sounds wrong. Like, you can 'always cook pizza', but you can't 'cook always pizza'. Or, with adjectives... you can have a big old green frying pan, but you can't have an old green big frying pan."
He makes a thoughtful noise. "Maybe we should ask Gould-san," he suggests. "He'd know all about it." Minato isn't immune to it, either, assuming that one of a handful of white guys can demystify the entire English language...
(And what's with calling him -san even though he's another guy, Minato?!)
<Pose Tracker> Reiya Aomori has posed.
"Everything in nature can remind you of responsibility," Reiya says seriously to Yukari. ...That's why he didn't think the butterfly thing was weird??? But Minato starts to say something, and then he doesn't. "Hm?" he wonders. But, "OK." It's nothing.
But Minato points it out, and Reiya is thoughtful. "You could skip the hours and get a daily planner," he advises. "That's a disciplined way to regard time." A scam? Hmmm.
"I got a charm that protects me from lightning from there," Reiya says, just as seriously. "It's been very helpful." He pauses, then. Yukari is skeptical... "That is also true," Reiya admits.
Progress!!
A lot of rules. That's true. "Hmmm." Reiya thinks he wants someone to cook an always pizza.
"Oh," Reiya says, "That's a good idea. He would know." Reiya just assumes that would be a thing, too.
"..." He looks at Yukari. "When you put it that way it doesn't sound very nice..." He thoughtfully regards this idea.
"Oh, well. Let's move on."