2025-10-27: Recon Mission Level: Chocolate Milkshake
- Log: 2025-10-27 Recon Mission Level: Chocolate Milkshake
- Cast: Minato Arisato, Ren Amamiya
- Where: Paulownia Mall, Iwatodai, Tatsumi Port Island
- OOC Date: October 27, 2025
- IC Date: August 01, 2012
- Summary: Now that he and Minako have started dating, Ren must clear the next level in their relationship: gaining her brother's approval. It turns out it isn't that hard for a couple of fools to get along, though.
<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.
Minato is Aware that his Sister is Dating. Thanks to movies, Minato is Also Aware that Older Brothers have a Responsibility towards their Sisters. (You're only a few minutes older, Minato. (THAT'S A YEAR OLDER!)) And so --
He has cordially invited Ren to HANG OUT before most of the dorm ventures out to Yakushima.
School's out, so he's in nice, casual clothes -- though his casual clothing is still pretty smart, and of course pretty dark. The mall is hopping pretty good this afternoon, but the crowds aren't oppressive; it just makes for a nice, neutral environment which is unlikely to end in outright conflict. He sips at a milkshake-to-go from Chagall Cafe, and holds another, untouched, in his hand.
It's a chocolate milkshake. This is a test.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
It's been a hectic couple of days for Ren Amamiya, who has not been able to go home to his attic room at Leblanc and thus has been wearing either a) their school uniform, even though it's summer vacation, or b) a work uniform for the several part-time jobs they've been working over the past couple days. Fortunately, they've been able to shower and get those uniforms laundered thanks to the help of a couple of their friends--and, as coincidence would have it, they were just crashing at the dorm room of their Gekkoukan High friend last night, so they happened to be in the area anyway.
Minato seems like a cool guy, the one time they met. Ren is happy to go hang out with him when he invites them out, dressed in their summer uniform, shoulder bag on their shoulder, toting around an adorable cat. The mall, which they've been to before, is busy but not overwhelmingly crowded, and when they enter, it only takes a moment for them to spot Minato where they're seated.
They approach with a wave and a smile. "Hey," they greet him once they're in easy conversational range. They glance at the second milkshake in his other hand. It's not unreasonable to guess that it might be for them, but they don't assume. "Good seeing you again, Arisato-kun," they say instead. "It's been a while."
A beat. "...So, I'm guessing there's stuff you want to talk about." Ren is an only child, but they've seen modern media. They know brothers are supposed to look out for their younger sisters. "Ask whatever you want."
<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.
"Yo." Minato does, indeed, offer the milkshake out! Alongside a Firm Nod of Greeting. "Here, I got one for you, too."
He will carefully watch Ren's reaction to chocolate, because, of course, he would not be a good big brother if he couldn't help advise Minako on her battle tactics with regards to her new efforts in dating.
(Minato, that's... not really how it works...)
"That's right," he nods. "I heard that you and Minako-chan are seeing each other now... congratulations," he lifts his milkshake, as if a toast. "I just realised I didn't know you very well personally... so I thought we could hang out a little. I figured that if Minako-chan is 'into you', you must be a cool guy." Flawless slang!
(Minato, of course, still thinks Ren is a cool guy, because he doesn't know they're an entire cool kitchen sink.)
"Right now," he says, "I'm asking if you like chocolate with a clever plan of offering you a chocolate milkshake, because if you don't enjoy chocolate, that's something Minako-chan will need to know to approach the situation effectively."
Minato pauses, then.
"I suppose that would have been a much more clever plan," he reflects, still entirely mild and with an expression which hasn't shifted an inch, "if I hadn't just explained it to you outright."
Another pause...
"... but actually, this is the most effective strategy," he decides, a moment later. "Since I have no reason to engage you deceptively right now."
Is Minato... real?
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
(The coolest kitchen sink.)
"Cool, thanks," Ren says, accepting the milkshake. Chocolate is just fine by them; they suck on the straw without any realization that this is a Test of how much they Like Chocolate. It's interrupted by a counter-raise of that shake to meet Minato's when he raises it.
The way Minato says all that, though... Did Minako not tell him about their record? They know she didn't tell a couple of her clubmates and friends, but... Well, it's fine. Ren didn't do what they were convicted of, and if it ever comes up or becomes an issue, they can explain it then. They're not... really... eager to explain it out of the blue for no reason.
"I'm glad," they say. "I'd like to get to know you better too. You're obviously important to Minako, after all." They pause when Minato explains their clever plan, then goes back on it before ultimately deciding, no, this is correct... and then huff a faint laugh as they smile.
"I like chocolate," they confirm, before drinking some more of that delicious chocolate milkshake.
He's kind of a weirdo, but no more or less of a weirdo than Ren and their friends. Is he real? Real enough for Ren. They like that.
After a moment, they lower their frosty treat and add, "Since you're not engaging me deceptively right now, is there anything else you want to ask?" They gesture around the expanse of the mall. "Or d'you just want to walk around and chat for a bit?"
<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.
"We lived together until we were twelve," Minato explains just how they're important to each other. "Then, not for a while... until we both came to the dorm. So I'm sometimes at a loss," with regards to connecting to their sibling, presumably, "but we're still twins. I don't think anything could change that, even if we have much different styles."
Like how Minato's kept that same mild expression and tone since he said hello, and how he's apparently an outsider to any reasonable socialisation habits.
Luckily, Ren knows all about being an outsider!!
He nods, though, when they confirm that they like chocolate. "Cool."
He looks out over the mall, and suggests, "Let's walk and chat. It's less like hostile operation that way." Minato can at least identify that this isn't that kind of mission!!!
And lo, he starts ambling along, shoving one hand in his pocket as the other holds his milkshake. (Also chocolate, incidentally.) "I've seen movies with brothers protecting their sisters around this sort of thing," he says, "but none of them really seemed like effective guides to me. Because they all approached the situation from assuming the male family member somehow knew better... actually, Minako-chan knows more about this sort of thing than I do. I guess she learned after we were split up." It's more of a guess than it sounds; Minato isn't entirely immune to Minako's front, either.
"But I did think of a question," he adds, thoughtfully. "Are you in any clubs, Amamiya-kun?"
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Not until they came to the dorm...? Wasn't that only the start of this year? Ren remembers that Minato said he attended Shujin Academy last year, and Minako just moved to the area from Sumaru, where she'd lived at for a year after moving from Sapporo. So if they're second years, they're only seventeen or sixteen, depending on when their birthday is. That's four or five years to spend apart... Even though, if Minato was in Tokyo and Minako was in Sumaru, they weren't all that far away last year.
"That's rough," Ren says quietly, thinking of something else Minako told them once: I've had adults in my life, who wanted to use me. Or blame me. Had something happened to keep them separated? ...They refrain from asking. That's very personal. "I'm glad you two get to be together now." They crook a smile at Minato. "Your clashing styles work together."
Ren is indeed familiar with being an outsider. They like Minato's strange sort of sincerity. When he opts for a walk-and-chat, they nod amiably and amble right along with him.
"Have you not ever dated anyone?" Ren wonders, looking at him curiously as he explains about his 'research.' (Morgana pokes his head out from the bag in curiosity, but being a gentleman, naturally does not interrupt.)
They glance to one side at the question. It's a very simple question, but... "No," they reply. "I hang out with friends and do a lot of part-timing instead." They could leave it at that--they could've left it at just 'no,' even--but they do want to put in the effort, so... "I have to pay for my own expenses," they add by way of explanation.
...Which doesn't explain that much since here is where they do, in fact, leave it.
<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.
"That's right," Minato nods, when Ren declares that their styles work together. "Together, we're able to effectively cover all possible trajectories and ensure victory."
Minato gazes unto the cat, thoughtfully. "Not on purpose," he replies, a moment later. "There was a girl who decided we were dating, but I didn't realise it at all... I made her very upset when I said we weren't really dating, when someone asked about us going to the arcade together. I felt bad, but mostly just confused... I thought we were friends."
Translation: Minato has achieved new levels of obliviousness previously unknown to man.
Ren shares that they're a baito boy, and just why they are, and Minato's expression doesn't shift from its mild home position. (Which at least means he's not judging them with his eyes.) "You must be very responsible to take care of your own spending money that way," he reflects. "I do a little part-timing, too... I have a trust fund, but that's more for the boring kinds of expenses. But it sounds like you're in a more independent position... you must be tough."
(It also makes him a little happier that he thought to buy Ren a milkshake before they could insist on paying for their own.)
"What stuff do you like to do with your friends?" He asks, then, before he realises -- "Though I shouldn't just ask that without volunteering the information myself, I guess. Well, I'm part of a lot of clubs, so I hang out with people through them... when I'm not, I like going out and getting food with people. And when I'm hanging out with people at the dorm, I like doing stuff like cooking or gardening with them, or watching movies or reading things together... that kind of thing."
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
"Are you two on a club or a team together?" Ren wonders all of a sudden. 'Cover all possible trajectories and ensure victories' is, even for Minato, an exceptionally odd thing to say--but if he and Minako are in a club together of their own, that would make it make a lot more sense. (Often, things that seem odd or weird are really just about knowing the context.)
Ren offers Morgana a bit of chocolate milkshake to lick; Morgana laps it up with a pleased little 'mew, mew, mew.' Chocolate and milk are very bad to give a cat, but Morgana isn't a cat, now is he?
The story of the girl who thought she was dating Minato gets a wince and a low hiss. "Ouch," they say sympathetically--for that girl as much as for Minato.
They bring their milkshake back to their lips, nodding as Minato reflects on his own part-timing. Huh, a trust fund... That must apply to Minako too. Maybe that's why she said she's been used by adults before... Ren averts their eyes for a moment, reflecting on this.
'It sounds like you're in a more independent position...' That's one way of putting it, sure. It would be depressing to tell Minato that they're here because their parents agreed to have them exiled from their hometown as per the court's sentence, so they just say a gracious, "Thanks."
"That all sounds nice. Seems like you keep yourself busy," Ren replies. "Funnily enough, I do a lot of the same, though in different contexts. I mostly only cook when I'm helping out at Leblanc, and I garden to help out a friend of mine at school, but I do like reading and going to the movies a lot. Besides that, I do a little bit of gaming on a retro console I picked up recently, and I've gotten into pool, chess, and darts." They look around the mall. "I also like exploring, so it's fun to check out places I don't go to that often. I haven't checked out most of the stores here--just Chagall Cafe."
With Minako (and Sojiro), at that. They've got good offerings there; Ren sees the Chagall logo on the milkshake cup!
<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.
"That's right," Minato nods, solving the Mystery of Why He's Saying That So Weirdly. He doesn't quite get around to saying /what club/ it is, but maybe Minato is a very literal guy and is just answering the yes/no question instead of anticipating that he ought to elaborate.
(Well, it's really just that most people don't understand what a Special Extracurricular Execution Squad is supposed to be at a glance. Even though it's their club!)
Luckily, Minato doesn't know that either chocolate or milk are bad for cats. He just knows... that that is a cute cat. "Morgana-kun must have his due," he nods, gravely.
But it sounds like Ren isn't all that dissimilar to Minato -- who of course doesn't know the part about him being exiled, but surely his charitable read is correct. "You like gaming?" He asks, with a spark of blink-and-you'll miss it interest in that mild expression of his. "I do a lot of gaming... but not a lot of people play the games I like any more. Though there is someone I party with in Innocent Sin Online... I think she's an adult, so she's probably been playing it forever."
He lifts his cup, taking another sip. "Chagall is good," he agrees. "I work shifts there sometimes... they say the coffee will make you more charming. The arcade is good, too... so's Kenneth Arnold. Do you like music much?"
(Evidently HE does -- he has an older-style MP3 player dangling around his neck, after all.)
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
It's okay. Ren is also frequently That Person when it comes to not explaining things. They've become the explaining person more often recently, it feels like... even though it should be Morgana's job...
It's probably just their imagination, though.
Ren laughs quietly. "That's right. Morgana must be appeased," they agree, willing to go along with that and leave the matter of the club be. Minato already said he has a lot of clubs he's part of, and knowing Minako, she's probably the same way. They do wonder briefly if it's the same club as Yukari and Akihiko... but they don't actually know what club that is.
Morgana just looks smug for a moment, as only someone with a cat-face can do, before ducking his head back down into the bag. He'll pop it out again in a while to take in the mall and watch the people, but by coincidence, they're passing by the hall that leads back to the service corridor right now...
"Oh yeah? Sorry, I'll probably disappoint you--I've only got that retro console right now. I used to have more at home, but..." They shrug and don't elaborate. "Same with MMOs. I don't have a computer anymore, just my smartphone." They also used to have a computer at home, but their parents forbade them bring any electronics besides their phone with them. Back then, they felt like it didn't really matter, anyway. "But I do play at the arcade from time to time," they add.
"I've heard that too. Minako took me to try their Pheromone Coffee once, along with the Boss," Ren replies, moving on. "The Boss thinks it's something they add to the beans, like a powder that's in with the bagged roast." They smile at the question about music. The only surprise there is how long it took Minato to get to it. "I do," they confirm. "You and Minako are both big fans, huh? You're always wearing those headphones and MP3 players."
Also, Minako straight-up told them she loves music before, but still.
<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.
"There's tonnes of good old stuff," Minato insists, once he isn't being distracted by the majesty of a cat. "I'll review the classics and text you a list. Lots of stuff to check out."
Minato pauses, and then suggests: "You should come work a shift with me sometime. Then, you can discover all the secrets of the coffee." All the secrets which part-timers are privy to, anyway. Implicit in this suggestion, of course, is the promise that Minato will vouch for them to his boss.
"Yeah," he nods. "We've loved music for a long time.. especially the older stuff. C'mon, let's go check it out, I'll show you some cool tunes."
Which is probably also music Minako likes...!!
What a successful recon mission...
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
"Sounds good," Ren says. The beauty of this response is that it applies to all of the things Minato has said, from classic video games to working a shift at Chagall together to checking out Kenneth Arnold.
A very successful recon mission indeed!