2025-10-09: A Lilac For Your Memories
- Log: 2025-10-09 A Lilac For Your Memories
- Cast: Jun Kashihara, Tatsuya Sudou
- Where: Rengedai Ward, Sumaru City
- OOC Date: October 09, 2025
- IC Date: July 23, 2012
- Summary: After a day of exams, Jun goes to visit his father at Seven Sisters High. Along the way, he happens to run into a Sevens alumnus who feels oddly familiar...
<Pose Tracker> Jun Kashihara has posed.
The first day of finals has passed swimmingly for Jun. Not so much so for many of his classmates, but... that's the unforunate reality of many Kasugayama students. He's most concerned about one Tsubasa Seki, who wasn't present at all today... but there's not a lot he can do about that for now. He's talked to Ichika about it some already. That'll have to do for now.
Since it's finals week, his father is also very busy. Jun came home after testing, fixed an early dinner together with his mother, and agreed to take his father's share to him at Seven Sisters while she heads back to Sumaru TV in Aoba for an upcoming evening shoot.
He's just gotten off the train to Rengedai now, in fact, a bento box resting in a canvas bag he brought from home. As he leaves the station, he can see the clocktower at Sevens rising up over most of the rest of the ward. He pauses a step, breath catching in his throat as he remembers the conversation he had with Akechi there...
But then he shakes his head and breathes out a long, faint sigh. He has the Sevens emblem on him now, as always. It's fine. And if he happens to run into Akechi, well, he can just apologize to him in person.
Jun smells the lily on his breast pocket for further reassurance, then stands tall and strides down the street towards the school. This is one of the nicer wards in the city and he's walked this path many times, so he isn't paying close attention to his surroundings... or anyone who might be nearby.
<Pose Tracker> Tatsuya Sudou has posed.
Finally, it happened. Tatsuya Sudou had worked up the courage to ask his best friend without a body if he could visit the OG Joker. He then took another two weeks to work up the courage to actually do it, also to heal from the wounds that had been inflicted upon him during the art festival.
It was finally the day, Tatsuya did his hair, wore his best jacket and scarf, and waited at the train station for hours, until he saw Jun get on a train and did the same.
Sudou waited and stole glances of Jun on the train from the other side of the train car and when Jun departed, Sudou followed. Slowly he moves closer as they walk through such a nice side of town until he is looming behind Jun. It's weird to be walking around paper bagless but well when it is just the two of them, only one of them can be the Joker and Sudou knew which of them was the real Joker.
This is the moment Sudou had waited for and at this moment, he has gone quiet, he can't think of anything to say. He had imagined it so many times, planned it out and now his words are all stuck in his throat. Finally he says the only thought that seems to pass his filters and comes out, "Nice flower."
<Pose Tracker> Jun Kashihara has posed.
Jun isn't afraid of mundane threats. He does sometimes get creeps who see how beautiful he is and have a problem with it, but he's yet to meet someone that he couldn't send packing with a flick of his flower. ...At the least, he's yet to get accosted by a Persona-User or a Demon for that reason.
He doesn't notice Sudou--not until he's looming behind him, at which point he glances over his shoulder. Sudou is a big guy with a shock of white hair, but Jun is used to strange-looking people who seem threatening on the surface, so he doesn't tense up or anything like that. He simply offers him a friendly smile and moves to one side to let him pass if he so chooses.
Rather than pass him by, though, Sudou compliments his flower. Jun hadn't expected that, and after a blink of surprise, his smile warms. "Oh, thank you."
He continues along his way towards Seven Sisters at his own pace. Therein is a fairly natural potential conversation piece... if Sudou's interested in talking about something as mundane as his former school, anyway.
<Pose Tracker> Tatsuya Sudou has posed.
Tatsuya Sudou stands tense for a moment as the look of surprise on Jun's face causes thoughts to race through Sudou's brain. Is Jun going to recognize him, will he remember him from the other timeline, will he remember him from that one time at school... Then the words come out and Sudou relaxes a little. He didn't realize he had stopped breathing until he started again. He does his best to ignore the laughing that he is hearing from the brink of nowhere.
Tatsuya walks alongside Jun for a moment, quietly. In a way it felt right, not that he remembered them ever being together but he had heard the stories and through the stories this all felt right. Finally he looks at the clock tower and mentions, "It doesn't matter how many years pass, that clock tower looks the same. Inside and out." Tatsuya didn't need to add the last bit but he doesn't because in the end, he is his own worst enemy.
<Pose Tracker> Jun Kashihara has posed.
Good news, Tatsuya: Jun doesn't recognize you in the least! Isn't that great for you?
The two of them walk alongside each other for a while--just long enough for Jun to look back at him and wonder about it. That's when Sudou looks at the clock tower and remarks on it. Maybe he didn't need to add the last bit, but Jun is currently a normal person. And for a normal person, a comment like that leads him to conclude--
"Are you an alumnus of Seven Sisters High School?" It's a little odd--one would think one wouldn't visit during finals week--but maybe this was the only time this man had available. Besides, the school day is already over, so it's not that odd. "I'm on the way there myself. My father's a teacher there--I'm bringing him dinner." He holds up the canvas bag; Sudou might be able to spot the homemade bento within. (Well, he could see the bento box. No way to tell that it's homemade, let alone homemade by Master Joker and Queen Aquarius.) "His name is Mr. Kashihara--did he teach any of your classes?"
<Pose Tracker> Tatsuya Sudou has posed.
Sudou nods his head as he looks at Jun for a moment before looking back at the clock tower, " Yes I've been away since my high school career ended but I had a bit of time off from work due to injury, so I thought this may be the only time I have to visit it. " Memories slowly pass through his mind of his troubled high school career. The pressure from his dad, his lacks of friends, how at the end there was only one person who really was there for him.
As the name pops into Sudou's head, he hears Jun say the name. He stops in his tracks and looks shocked, how had he not known. How did his friend never tell him. "Wait, your father is Mr. Kashihara?! He was my favorite teacher. He taught me history." This is one of those earth shattering revelations.
Tatsuya Sudou continues to ignore the laughter at the back of his head, as instead he is picturing their reunion...and then realizes he can't meet Mr. Kashihara with Jun, or it's going to get awkward. Sudou contemplates what to do and at the same time questions what he should do now that he met Jun. Should he just call him Joker, or ask if he remembers things or hears voices or anything. Instead he votes to continue small talk, "So, whats it like having a teacher for a dad?"
<Pose Tracker> Jun Kashihara has posed.
The shocked look Sudou gives Jun prompts a smile. His father teaches world history, so all of this makes complete sense so far. Not a single reason to think anything's strange anymore.
"What a coincidence! I'm not shocked to hear that. My father's a wonderful teacher," he replies, clearly proud. He offers Tatsuya a hand to shake. "My name is Jun--Jun Kashihara, of course." As opposed to Jun Kurosu, as it was on the Other Side. "It's a pleasure to meet you--may I ask your name?"
Whether Sudou shakes his hand or not, Jun considers his question. "Hmm... I don't really know what it's like to not have a teacher for a father... but you know what he's like. He's thoughtful and kind, and always so eager to share what he knows," he says, voice warm with filial affection. "He's given and taught me so much over the years, ever since I was a little boy. I had an early interest in mathematics and astronomy thanks to him." And also astrology and various occult topics, but as a fun side hobby rather than anything either of them take seriously... anymore, anyway.
"I'm sorry about your injury, by the way," Jun adds, looking Sudou over with concern. He doesn't look like he's hurt, but if he's still on leave from work... "Are you doing any better now?"
Rin Sasaki has arrived from Hirasaka - Main.
Rin Sasaki has left for Central Street - Main.
<Pose Tracker> Tatsuya Sudou has posed.
Tatsuya Sudou blinks at the name, and in his head he is yelling at the void asking if he has the wrong Jun. Still this is the one that he had been pointed to and told about and he knew on some deep level the voice wouldn't lie about this. So he accepts the name and doesn't try to correct the kid.
"It is nice to meet you, I am Tatsuya, Tatsuya Su...toh. " Sudou changes his last name at the last minute as he realized this kid could ask his dad and suddenly this all becomes a really awkward thing. " It's a pleasure to meet you Jun Kashihara, now that I know he is father, I can absolutely see his influence upon you." Somewhere pass the encouragement of how awesome and amazing and cool Jun is, there is a hint of jealousy
Sudou recalls the days he spent in highschool wishing that Mr. Kashihara was his father, and how he would do anything if Kashihara raised him. In some way this only encourages what he does next, "You know today is full of coincidences, a long time ago, in what feels like another life. I knew a Jun Kurosu, we were good friends. What an odd trip down memory lane today is turning out to be."
<Pose Tracker> Jun Kashihara has posed.
Now how awkward could it actually be? ...Don't answer that.
"Ahaha, you flatter me. But thank you, Sutoh-san," Jun replies, smiling. He does think it's flattery too--after all, they've only just met, so how could he see his father's influence on him?--but it's a sweet sort of flattery coming from a man who just met the son of his favorite teacher. He's not bothered at all. Why would he be? ...And if there is a hint of jealousy there, well, Jun is gracious enough not to read into it.
"Really?" Jun's smile fades a bit into a look of wonder. "That is a coincidence. Kurosu is my mother's maiden name." Not that Jun's ever gone by the name Jun Kurosu, but... that's a really big coincidence. He looks at Tatsuya a little more closely. He hasn't met him before, has he?
... ... he does seem familiar somehow. He can't put his finger on how, but... the closer he looks, the more he gets a sense of deja vu like he's been getting from so many places and people lately... There's something missing, though--something that kept him from noticing sooner. What is it...?
(It's the fact that Sudou's face isn't half-burned away.)
"What was your friend Kurosu-san like?" he prompts, because maybe it's all just in his head and it really is just another funny coincidence.
<Pose Tracker> Tatsuya Sudou has posed.
Tatsuya stares at Jun for a moment, and blinks as he catches up with the dotted lines and everything. The voice in the back of his head is laughing so hard as if this is the funniest joke ever. "Your mother's maiden name. Small country I suppose."
The question on what Jun Kurosu was like causes him to stop and think for a moment as he looks for the words, "He was a leader who valued his friends. Powerful and kind at the same time sort of thing. You know that guy who just stood up and everyone said, he is the boss. Let see, loved history, and had a hobby with astrology." Sudou says, piecing together the stories he had been told about Jun Kurosu and his own wishes of what Jun becoming the Joker would mean. Some of it is totally made up, some of it is conjecture and best guesses.
Tatsuya stretches his arms as they walk, not remembering it being such a long walk to the school, " I guess that is all I really know about it. We fell out of touch after high school, so unfortunately I don't know what happened to him. "
<Pose Tracker> Jun Kashihara has posed.
It is a very strange series of coincidences. Even his name... Tatsuya Sutoh... It's so close to the boy who won his heart without effort. Jun looks away, his free hand brushing through his hair as a brief, gloomy look passes his pristine features. No... He shouldn't think of Tatsuya Suou now. That's unfair to Sutoh-san. Just because they happen to have very similar names... Just like Jun Kashihara and Jun Kurosu.
At least this Jun Kurosu doesn't sound completely like Jun himself--even if the passion for history and astrology hit home. Jun Kashihara is certainly not anyone's boss, though, nor is he any leader. He thinks of himself more as a support role. Besides, if this was a friend Sutoh-san knew in high school, he must be a grown-up like him. Just another strange coincidence to go with his ever-more-common deja vu.
"Kurosu-san sounds like he was a wonderful friend. I'm sorry to hear you lost touch with him--but who knows? Maybe you'll run into him again one day," Jun says encouragingly--and without a trace of irony. This does not sound like a wink-wink-nudge-nudge statement. It's something said by someone who is not picking up what Sudou is putting out at all.
It has to be him. But he clearly doesn't remember. Not a thing.
They're closing in on Sevens, at east--those are the school gates they're approaching. Turn a left, and they'll be on school grounds. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?
<Pose Tracker> Tatsuya Sudou has posed.
Sudou sees the school gates and starts to realize that some of his less truthful statements are about to unravel if he doesn't find an off ramp to this encounter. Still the conversation is engaging and he gets distracted from his plight for a moment. " Well that is the bane of high school. It ends and everyone take their own paths, some criss cross later, some just grow more and more distant." Tatsuya says as he thinks of his own path and the pat of the other Sudou he has been told about. Maybe he didn't have to travel the same path, maybe he could be something else. Like a two eye lion instead of a one eye lion.
Looking up at the clock tower for a moment he tilts his head, "Looks different now. Must be the height difference. " Looking at Jun he smiles, "I hope you are right, I would like to find him again. Maybe I will try retracing our steps one day and tracking him down." That is when he sees the sign, all visitors check in with the main office.
"Well Jun, I think this is where we part for now. It appears i have to go to the office and sign in before my trip down memory lane continues. Maybe I will meet you and your father a little later." Tatsuya smiles and gives a wave. "I appreciated the company on the way here. It was nice."
<Pose Tracker> Jun Kashihara has posed.
"I see..." That's a sobering thought for Jun, who is already in his third year of high school. The thought that once he graduates, he'll grow apart from Eikichi, Tsubasa and Ichika... But then, Sudou says so himself, doesn't he? Some still criss-cross later. Just because they can grow more and more distant doesn't mean they have to.
"If you do, I wish you luck, Sutoh-san," Jun replies, smiling back. He follows his gaze to the check-in sign--and once again, it makes perfect sense to him that Sudou would leave him here. Jun is the son of one of the teachers currently teaching here, so they know him and let him come and go as he please, more or less. Someone like Sutoh who hasn't been here in years would need to play more by the rules.
"Likewise. But, just in case..." Jun reaches into the canvas bag. On top of the bento, there is also a bouquet of assorted flowers. This is normal for Jun--after all, sometimes you simply need to say it with flowers. It takes him only an instant to pick one, and a moment later, he holds a sprig of lilac out to him.
Lilac... in the language of flowers, that can mean 'friendship,' 'modesty'... and 'memories.' "May you reunite with your friend one day, Sutoh-san," he tells him with an encouraging smile.
Whether Sudou accepts it or not, Jun will wave back before turning away and heading on towards the main doors.