2025-11-10: Kurou's Best Day Ever
- Log: Kurou's Best Day Ever
- Cast: Tsubasa Seki, Kurou Ryouhara
- Where: Naganaki Shrine
- OOC Date: 2025-11-10
- IC Date: Wed, Aug 08 2012
- Summary: WHO WOULD WIN: Tsubasa's paranoia or Kurou's sheer joy over being friends with a dog? The answer may surprise you! (Spoilers: clearly Ryouhara just stole Kurou's name to cover up his crimes, because this boy is totally harmless and sweet as hell, so it's fine to give him Jun's number to help him find a REAL tutor.)
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Tsubasa's visiting Ichika's family home with her for the holidays! Some of this has been great. Some of it has been... terrifying, but that's not Ichika's fault. And some of it is --
Well, you know. They got a dog. A tosa inu -- the national fighting dog, though this one is a real runt -- called Lance. Lance needs plenty of walkies every day or she gets zoomy. Some things don't change, even if the surroundings do: sometimes you gotta take your dog for a walk.
They're doing it now, of course, because the rain's let up; it was miserable earlier today, but now it's... still miserable, just not actively pissing on them. You know. Little victories. "Fuck, it's hot," Tsubasa grouses, anyway, as they slouch up the stairs to Naganaki shrine. Even in a tank-top (two tank-tops?! Oh, no, that's their binder under there) and board shorts, they're boiling.
"arrrrrrooooooooooo..." Lance pants, beside them.
"Sec," Tsubasa says, as they wash their mouth out at the basin. This is God's house. You don't fuck around in God's house. Once they've done that, and clapped their hands in front of the shrine -- for the love of you, don't let that freaky ninja guy hurt Ichika, aight -- they step off into the shade cast by the sacred tree and dig a water bowl out of their duffle bag. Pouring some out for their poor, poached pooch, Lance proceeds to go laplaplaplaplaplaplaplap as Tsubasa drains the rest of that water bottle into their own god damn mouth.
<Pose Tracker> Kurou Ryouhara has posed.
Kurou always does his homework.
Literally and figuratively. Though he transferred later into the year, he still scored in the top third at Kasugayama High School, which isn't necessarily the biggest achievement to claim given the institution, but... more to the point, he has done his homework on Tsubasa Seki.
Not that he necessarily fully understands all of it, nor can he necessarily fully confirm every rumor on short notice. But it isn't necessary. Not for his purposes. What he needs is a moment with Tsubasa without a surrounding gang adding the complication of numbers. Kurou wants to meet Tsubasa alone.
... The dog does not count.
Even in the heat, Kurou wears his casual hoodie -- it's sleeveless anyhow -- though the hood is currently up for what meager protection from the rain it provided. This reveals the ears sewn into it: pointed and upturned, too long to be felid, not long enough to be vulpine. The grey color is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. He's carrying a worn and battered backpack, slung over his shoulder, perhaps because one of its shoulder straps seems to have been ripped off entirely.
Kurou watches Lance slurp up water for several moments too long before approaching the shrine, clapping his hands together, and, evidently, committing to his own prayer with a small bow.
Then he steps into Tsubasa and Lance's shade.
"Seki-senpai," he greets, already armed with their name. His gaze is intense with purpose, but that purpose falters as it dips toward Lance.
... The dog's name didn't come up. "Wanko...senpai...?"
The tilt of his head designates a question, but he has address Lance with such a cutesy term with an otherwise completely straight face.
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Don't ask about Tsubasa's test scores in the lastest round. Technically, their name didn't even come up in the results -- they famously never sat them, though rumour had it that they took a make-up week during the first week of Summer holidays.
... and just barely managed to pass, even though they normally score in the top third of their class without even trying.
Technically, this is God's shade, so, like, Tsubasa ain't gonna argue anyone else stepping in. So long as they ain't, like, crossing the barrier which separates the tree from everyone else, it's cool?
They turn, one hand resting on their duffle bag, the other at their hip. "Yeah?" And...
Their eyes narrow, behind their makeup. "I seen you," they say, though of course they don't know his name. "Who you run with?"
Lance, of course, senses a NEW FRIEND, and so lifts her head from her water bowl to go snuffle at Kurou with her horrible wet muzzle. She borks a happy greeting as her tail wags at approximately one million miles an hour.
"... that's Lance," Tsubasa introduces her, after a moment of that. "It's cool. She's friendly."
<Pose Tracker> Kurou Ryouhara has posed.
No, their name didn't come up in the latest round of test scores. Which is an exceptionally curious fact combined with other rumors Kurou uncovered about Tsubasa. Kurou supposes any other bits of information have to do with unrelated extenuating circumstances.
This is also not important right now.
Kurou begins to lower his bag to reach into it, but pauses. Who does he run with? He looks at Tsubasa several seconds too long for appropriate silence, then slowly looks to Lance and back again.
"... I do not have a dog," he replies.
To run with, on this summer afternoon. It is by sheer coincidence one of his sewn in hood ears flops over as he says it.
When Lance approaches, Kurou sets his bag down and lowers into her space. It turns out this kid will tolerate any amount of jumping, wet nosed sniffing, and even licking about that might come out of this dog. (Would he even just sit there if she bit him?! ... Probably.) Yet while he is enduring it with his typical blank expression, he does not yet attempt to reach out.
"I see. May I pet her?"
He's already forgetting why he came here, isn't he...
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Uh... ain't what I..." Tsubasa starts, their lips lifting to show half their teeth as their brow scrunches up in bafflement.
He sure is tolerating Lance, huh. Weird kid.
(And Kurou will find that Lance is a GOOD GIRL who does NOT LICK HIS FACE, because Tsubasa trained her out of that to preserve the blue-and-white makeup they habitually wear; she does lick his hands, though, and get right up into his face.)
"Sure," Tsubasa shrugs, shoving their hands into their pockets. "She ain't gon' bite or nothin'."
Lance does WRIGGLE EVEN MORE AFFECTIONATELY when pet, though.
"... anyway," Tsubasa settles on, at length. "Who ya run with in school, dude. You with the Brick Boss? Or was it th' Clear Boss? Don't recall."
They'd remember if he were a Boss, surely.
<Pose Tracker> Kurou Ryouhara has posed.
dog dog dog dog dog
Kurou is briefly entirely consumed by the presence of the glorious and powerful Lance, licked hands and all. Petting permission! He gingerly reaches up, careful to come in slowly and feel at Lance's ears. His facial features don't move, but his pupils have maybe doubled in size. It is possible they are sparkling.
So soft. So... cute.
"Good girl," he offers in monotone praise. "You wiggle with fervor for life." That's important.
And now he is not going to stop petting Lance until Lance says it's time to stop petting Lance, even as the conversation continues. He experiments subtly with the difference in scratching and petting to see what the dog responds best to.
"Oh." That clarification. They meant the what social circle. (They meant gang, come on Kurou.) Pet pet pet dog dog dog. Why is he taking so long to think about this? There is his shirogarasu, yes, but Kurou genuinely believes that isn't in the spirit of the question being asked.
"... I do not think I run with anyone."
Surely he would know! Does he think you can just accidentally be assigned a Boss? (Yes.)
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Lance probably isn't ever going to say it's time to stop petting Lance. Lance is having the best day ever*.
*technically, every day of Lance's life is the best day ever, because Lance keeps finding new things to be overjoyed by. This is the secret of happiness held by a dog.
Lance especially loves chest rubs. She plants her butt down and scratches at her side as if Kurou pressed the 'make leg go thonkthonkthonk' button. But she also adores ear scratches! And head pets! And if Kurou presses on her shoulder, she will even roll over...
for belly rubs
"She's pre' bouncy, yeah," Tsubasa explains. "Reckon she's still young. Think th' vet said, uh, like... two years old, somethin' like that? So like, not a puppy, but..." ... a Teenage Dog?!
Still, Kurou insists he's a loner. "Huh. Musta got ya mixed up," Tsubasa shrugs, as they plant a foot on the bench to lean on it. (You could just sit on the bench like a normal person, Tsubasa.) "Ain't up with all th' younger grades. It's cool."
They wag a hand, elbow propped on their knee. "Jun-kun's like that. Don't run wit' no one. If you can protect yourself, works jus' fine."
Tsubasa shrugs, looking over to Kurou (and dog). "Looks like ya heard a me already... but we're in God's shade, let's be polite. Tsubasa Seki. An' you?"
<Pose Tracker> Kurou Ryouhara has posed.
Kurou is also having the best day ever.*
- there is no technically. dog!! With LEG THONK and BELLY RUBS. How are there so many secrets to discover about dog? Is this a pressure point of some kind, to make her leg move of its own accord? Kurou remains entirely under Lance's thrall, no matter how focused and stoic he seems otherwise.
"Puppy," Kurou echoes, his tone just as serious as usual, as if giving a grave diagnosis. Or is he even listening right now...
But Kurou certainly fits the idea of a loner while he's at school. If he can be said to have any friends, they've all, so far, mostly been discovered out of class. There is relief to be found in learning this is not completely weird -- there are others, like himself, who defend themselves alone.
"I haven't had a problem," he notes. Not a brag, merely a fact. "Not with that."
Right, yes, there was a reason he came seeking Tsubasa Seki, but -- ah. In all the dog, Kurou forgot the importance of politeness. Kurou rises to his feet and bows to Tsubasa.
"Kurou Ryouhara. It is nice to meet you."
... And then he plops back down to resume petting Lance.
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Lance loves Kurou. Kurou is her FRIEND and he keeps PETTING HER and this is AMAZING? She goes whuffwhuffwhuffwhuff and wigglewigglewigglewiggle...
Puppy!!
"Cool," Tsubasa nods, when Kurou assures them they've had no trouble. "Nothin' wrong with it."
It's not necessary to be part of a gang, after all. It's just... generally useful protection. But this guy seems pretty harmless, as far as Tsubasa can tell, so he probably just never pisses anyone off. Like, look at how enthralled he is with Lance? Dudes would probably feel bad pummelling a guy like --
Anyway, Kurou bows and introduces himself and then Tsubasa's weight slips way too forward on the bench,
"AH FUCK"
and they fucking faceplant right beside it.
"Aroo?!" Lance scrambles up to go sniff at the pile of Tsubasa currently twitching on the ground. They wave a hand vaguely in her direction. "S'cool, s'cool, uh," they get a hand under them, pushing themself up, only to hit the back of their head on the underside of the bench, "FUCK!"
Okay, so roll out from under there then get up and while doing this they're just muttering, "shut up, shut up," because either this guy is Ryouhara or Ryouhara's adorable little brother or SOMETHING and EITHER WAY this is a DISASTER?
<Pose Tracker> Kurou Ryouhara has posed.
whuffwhuffwigglewiggle Kurou needs to escape Lance's siren tail wag, hypnotizing him forever, and remember why it was he chose to seek Tsubasa out.
... Maybe a moment more.
Until TRAGEDY STRIKES
The same moment that Lance scrambles toward Tsubasa, Kurou moves with her. He looks down at poor Tsubasa's collapsed form, squatting down to inspect them for any injuries. He's beginning to reach for some smelling salts when they assure him and Lance that everything is cool, everything is --
Hm, no, it seems everything is not cool. Everything is, once again, a fuck.
Kurou slowly withdraws to give Tsubasa some breathing (and rolling) room, then wordlessly reaches into his bag to pull out a small picnic container. He unzips it, but frowns. It's a hot summer day, and the ice pack he carries has already lost a good deal of its chill simply being carried around. This may not be enough for his neck, and it makes him doubt it's enough for a head injury.
He offers it forward anyway.
"I did not say anything," he clarifies.
Kurou looks down at Lance.
"Did you?"
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Get away from --"
No, hang on, just think about this for a second. (Ow, fuck.) There's no way this guy knows that they are Phoenix, Tsubasa assures themself. Even if it IS the same Ryouhara -- like, is that physically possible? -- they've gotta be cool, fuck, like...
... an ice pack?
Tsubasa gives it a long, suspicious look as they try to evaluate what kind of sick ninja tricks he's hidden in there, but it just... looks like an ice pack, man.
So they straighten their neon blue wig on their head and mutter, "whatever," grabbing it and pressing it at the back of their head as if they hadn't just rightened their hair.
(Lance said not a word. She looks up to Kurou with a concerned whine. Arooo...)
"Tch..." Tsubasa grimaces, sitting down on the bench which just slayed them, which might be a terrible idea but like they're GONNA fall flat on their face if they do a runner right now. They fix Kurou with an unfriendly expression, despite their previous assertions that they've got to be cool about this.
"... Ryouhara, huh. Got a brother runnin' 'round?"
<Pose Tracker> Kurou Ryouhara has posed.
Without knowing the source of Tsubasa's wariness, Kurou assumes that the space to breathe is not space enough. He hands over the ice pack and takes another single step back, but his attention on their features has grown. There are a number symptoms of a concussion to watch out for, and to make sure there is not any bleeding. A wig would do well to hide that, unfortunately.
The only ninja trick Kurou desires here is being over prepared, and he is not as over prepared as he would like. This means there is no trickery. This is also a tragedy.
But that sudden fall... Kurou looks to the shade, then to the water bottle Tsubasa was drinking from. They seem to have taken all the necessary precautions, and yet...
"It would be prudent to move indoors if you are experiencing symptoms of dizziness, fatigue, or sudden irritability," he says. "Would you permit me to check your pulse?"
He's got sharp enough instincts to suspect the answer is no.
A brother? Kurou straightens, just slightly with curiosity. "No." Perhaps they know someone in the family? Kiria can be quite loud, visually speaking. Perhaps they run in similar circles...? But Kurou knows better than to offer further information by seeking elaboration.
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Sudden irritability my ass," Tsubasa grumbles, which might at least suggest it's not sudden. "Fuck off, man, my pulse's normal."
It's not. It's racing pretty hard, right now. They can't actually remember how to check that, though, so they don't make a fool of themself.
You know. Any more than they already did.
They reach out with their other hand to pet Lance, who, being assured that Tsubasa is not dying, then wanders back over to Kurou.
"... aight." Tsubasa narrows their eyes, when Kurou insists he doesn't have a brother.
He may note, at this point, the way they glance to his shoes.
Kick check: how sweet are those kicks?!
<Pose Tracker> Kurou Ryouhara has posed.
A minute ago, Tsubasa was letting Kurou pet their dog. Now, Tsubasa is eyeing him like he kicked their dog. It seems sudden, if you're Kurou! Which is to say, his lids lower, just a fraction, in the world's faintest squint of skepticism. But he can't really prove it that it isn't baseline irritability.
Tsubasa too, is skeptical. With Kurou keeping a close eye on their eyes to make sure there's no pupil related problems to worry about, he watches them fall to his... shoes...?
Kurou looks down, too, standing on a toe with one leg and twisting it, as if there is some worrying investigation taking place.
His sneaker boots are black, though the darkness of it is slightly faded. The laces are bright, some color between violet and neon blue, and given the way the matching trade is flaked off in some areas, it seems more than likely they were not purchased this way, but altered. There is not a single designer icon to be found anywhere on the surface or sole, and the treads are well worn. Plenty of people would have replaced them by now.
Kurou looks back at Tsubasa with another questioning cant of his head.
"... Is there a problem?"
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Technically, Tsubasa hasn't revoked petting privileges. They're just... wary, for some reason.
Maybe it's because they hit their head!
... but those are not the kind of sweet kicks they have come to expect from the Ryouhara they know. "Hm," Tsubasa grunts, looking back up to Kurou.
"... nah." They decide, a moment later. "Jus'... heard've a guy called Ryouhara who was a real shitheel. But that guy musta been talkin' 'bout someone else... guess it's a common name."
It's literally the exact opposite of a common name, Tsubasa, it's RADICALLY uncommon. But what does Tsubasa look like, a statistician? ... sure, they'd kill it in a job like that, but they're NOT.
<Pose Tracker> Kurou Ryouhara has posed.
That's the concern. Heat exhaustion, or a concussion. But Kurou cannot force Tsubasa to a new area. ... Not without causing some problems. And even a friendly dog like Lance might use teeth if even a perceived kidnapping was afoot.
Ah, Tsubasa does know a Ryouhara, but to call him a shitheel. Kurou brings his hand to his chin in thought, tapping a finger at his lips. This visible display of contemplation might also count as concern for the boy. "I do not know anyone like that..." he confesses thoughtfully.
No. They took care of anyone who might be a 'shitheel' already, didn't they...? This is something Kurou may need to warn Shiryuu of later.
(It would not occur to Kurou that they could possibly be talking about Shiryuu. He took over the principal's office once, but that surely wasn't that disruptive to everyone's day, was it?)
"... I see." The dots finally connect as Kurou pops to attention, gaze back on Tsubasa. "Ah. My apologies. I did not mean to startle you. I did not seek you on behalf of another. I have performed independent investigations on you for my own reasons. There are a number of rumors about you circulating around our school."
He rummages back in his bag and pulls out...
... his... test... scores... ?? He scored decently high, but not perfect.
"They say you are a skilled essayist, worthy of monetary compensation. I do not seek to have my work done for me, but to learn from your proficiency for fair recompense."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Mmhm," Tsubasa hums, mildly, though they continue regarding Kurou with a little suspicion. Is that really a likely story...?
Still... he says he's not here as a Ryouhara, and Tsubasa looks over him again.
They wonder: is it possible that ninja creep stole this guy's name so he'd look unassuming if anyone looked him up? This kid seems, like... inoffensive as shit. If Tsubasa was going to steal someone's identity to get away with murder, like, he'd definitely be high up on the list.
"Hey, uh..." They start, just in time for him to pull out his test scores.
And Tsubasa fixes him with another baffled expression.
"Eh?"
All the gears in their head screech to a halt. It is only by the grace of a God kind enough to recognise they're trying not to be disrespectful that they don't fall on their face again.
(It helps that they're sitting down.)
"Uh -- I -- you, uh --"
Tsubasa does kind of drop the drippy ice pack to their lap, though.
"Like... seriously?"
They take a breath in, a breath out... "Seriously, dude..." Like he just gave them a heart attack.
Tsubasa leans forward, clapping their hands on their knees. "... look," they say, with another outwards puff. "I ain't no tutor or nothin'. Bein' real, I'm straight allergic to puttin' screws in people 'til they shape up. But sure, I believe you, so..."
They grab their phone, and a notepad from their duffle bag, checking something on the former to scribble down on the latter. "Here's Jun-kun's number," they say, as they hand the note over with one hand, and Kurou's ice pack over with the other. "You can tell 'im I sent ya. He's real good at catchin' a dude up on school shit."
Tsubasa pauses.
"Uh, an'... jus' be careful, aight?" They add, with a concerned frown. "Reckon someone's noticed your whole harmless gig an' stole ya name to go do some mad criminal bullshit. Ain't ya fault or nothin', but, like... you jus' look out for you out there."
<Pose Tracker> Kurou Ryouhara has posed.
Whatever Tsubasa heard, it's left a stark impression on them. Kurou worries over the implications of this. But... it's all too likely, the more he thinks of it. A spark of retribution ignites in him, then quells. There is nothing for the fire to burn today. Only the hint of damage already done.
It must be addressed.
But for now, Kurou needs to address his academic imperfection. Which seems to make Tsubasa's face turn off for a second. They begin to stammer.
"Seki-senpai?" he asks, not without concern. Between the heat and the head injury, the stammering is not a reassuring sign. He flinches to move, but stills, remembering Tsubasa told them to fuck off. Fucked off he must remain, for the moment.
Seriously?
"... Seriously."
As Tsubasa rejects being a tutor, Kurou looks back at his scores. The other of his hoodie ears is drooping now -- entirely coincidentally. But this venture is not without hope. Kurou accepts the note, pushing his hood back to read it better. Tsubasa mentioned the name Jun earlier... another loner at the school...
He accepts the ice pack, too, and slides it against the right side of his neck, pressing it to get what cold out of it he can. There's not much left. Then he lets it drop back into his bag and bows to Tsubasa.
"Thank you. I will follow your advice."
As he rises, he gives them an owlish blink. Harmless gig...? "I..." It seems it's Kurou's turn to not be sure how to respond to that, for a moment. "... I will be careful," he finally says, "And... I think you should get some rest, preferably somewhere with air conditioning."
One concerned sentiment deserves another, he's decided.
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Tsubasa thought to write Jun's name -- 'Jun Kashihara (smartest guy in school)' -- over the number they've provided Kurou, of course. God knows that just getting an unlabelled number is an invitation to chaos.
(You know, above and beyond the chaos Tsubasa invites just by being who they are, like, as a person.)
"Ah..." They sigh, weight rocking from their palms into their knees for a moment before it becomes clear they're using that momentum to rise up themself. "Ya prolly right, yeah? Heat's makin' me more jumpy... or... somethin'." It can't be any of the several targets painted on their back; it's gotta be the heat.
"Anyway, sorry for rippin' ya a new one there," they shrug, reaching up to rub at the back of their neck. "Jus', like... been havin' a month. Y'know." Given the rumours circling around their presence at the Aoba Park Arson, it's not even hard to imagine what horrors might have befallen them to say month with that kind of tone.
At least, they think, they didn't jump his ass. Kid definitely doesn't deserve that.
"You're cool, so, like... don't worry 'bout it."
Tsubasa pauses.
"You wanna pet Lance before I go, don't ya."
The camera cuts back down to Lance, who is sitting beside Kurou, ears perked up and tail wagging hopefully.
"C'mon, man, don't go livin' with regrets, pet the dog."
<Pose Tracker> Kurou Ryouhara has posed.
A title to go with the name... this is not the outcome Kurou had intended to get, but he can accept it may be for the best. Not to mention that he now needs to warn Shiryuu someone may be causing trouble with the Ryouhara name. (Kurou......)
He watches Tsubasa with his own steady energy. He wants to respect their personal space, but he is also willing to ignore that request for the sake of avoiding a concussion. Or another concussion.
"It is not an uncommon symptom of excessive heat or blunt force trauma," Kurou explains, as if jumpiness is not also not a completely normal response to a socially inept stranger approaching them alone, knowing their name and burying the lead on his request. "There is no need to apologize."
A month... hm. Yes. Perhaps Kurou should have considered those other rumors before making his request. A note for later. (Empathy +1? Or some equivalent of it.)
He bows his head for farewell, before being made to wonder if Tsubasa Seki has the power to read minds.
Kurou gives a tiny little nod at that.
And then...
...he...
...pets the dog!
"Take care, Lance-senpai."