2025-12-14: Pink Gerberas
- Log: Pink Gerberas
- Cast: Minato Arisato, Yukari Takeba
- Where: Port Island Station
- OOC Date: 2025-12-14
- IC Date: Sat, Aug 25 2012
- Summary: Yukari invites Minato on a da--TO HANG OUT, after he gets back from Eiji's Palace. They talk about the feelings of two hypothetical people who are not them, who would, hypothetically, like each other. Minato tells Yukari about kissing Ichika, too.
<Pose Tracker> Yukari Takeba has posed.
Rather than come over to the boys side of the dorm uninvited to knock on his door. Yukari instead drafts a mail on her flip phone.
Subject: Hey. Busy Today?
I was wondering if you're available to talk again.
Maybe on the roof?
Just let me know!
"Is that too forward? He won't think it's too forward I hope."
She says as she looks it over, standing in the stairwell of the girl's side of the dorm, right near the roof.
"... Wait no - if it's on the roof, he might think... you know..."
She edits it.
Subject: Hey. Busy Today?
I was out window shopping today and
Thought we might hang out!
If you're available meet me
At the bridge across Port Island
With the view of the turbines.
-Y
"Perfect, okay!" She hits send. "... Wait. I shouldn't have hit send HERE! Dangit...!"
Yeah cue a sequence of Yukari rapidly putting on her shoes and tearing out of one of the back entrances of the dorm.
-=-=-
And that's where he'll find her. Leaning over the white railing near the footbridge between both sides of the island, wind turbines gently turning in the distance.
The nice sea breeze taking just the edge off slightly from the summer heat.
Does she look a little sweaty? Probably just the heat!
Right now she's in a pink tanktop and a pair of skinny jeans, white sandal flags. Very casual.
Very smooth, Yukari.
<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.
Minato heard the news. (He's been watching for the news.) But now, he's...
... got a message.
"?" Minato asks, looking down from the television to his phone.
"The bridge..."
Subject: RE: Hey. Busy Today?
Sure.
-MT
If Minato had looked up while ambling out of the dorm, hands shoved in the pockets of his casual summer jeans, he might well have seen Yukari tearing off into the distance.
Luckily for her, he's more casual in his approach... though he's not walking too slowly, either.
He's in his usual casual Summerwear; white shirt, jeans. He probably owns, like, five pairs of the same kind of jeans, boys can just get away with that.
"Yo," Minato lifts a hand in a loose wave, as he ambles up.
"Hot day out... hope it doesn't rain."
Phew! Yukari's SAFE!
<Pose Tracker> Yukari Takeba has posed.
Safe. He has no clue whatsoever.
At least she hopes.
'Yo,'
Bringing her arms up from the rail, she turns around, and smiles his way. "Hey, so, ummm..."
She fumbles the greeting, a little flustered.
"... Yeah! I hope so too. That'd be really inconvenient since I didn't bring my umbrella."
Come on, recover! Recover!
"I do wanna hang out! But I thought we might, talk first. I realized I... never quite thanked you. In Yakushima I kinda said a lot of stupid things... and overreacted to a lot of- stuff."
Yes stuff. Good word, brilliant.
Carding her fingers through the side of her brown hair, she tries her best to smile, despite seeming nervous. "It's just been on my mind- though, maybe you've forgotten about it... since... you know? I guess it's just that... the two of us are pretty different, huh? From... everyone else that's, normal."
She looks abstracted for a moment, then snaps back to the front, looking horrified like she made some kind of faux pas, "Oh sorry! I didn't mean to lump the two of us together... just you know. I wanted to say I appreciate you, being there... because I feel like, you get it? You understand... and that you've been looking out for me."
A beat.
"So... thanks!"
...
...
...
... Was that too weird? I hope he doesn't think that was too weird!
I don't want him to think I'm the kind of girl that just emotionally dumps on whoever is willing to listen! Oh no he probably DOES think that! What am I even doing!?
<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.
"Me, neither," Minato says, looking up at the sky. "But we'll be fine... there's plenty of places indoors near here. Like..."
Minato, who was about to mention Screen Shot, realises halfway through his sentence that he was about to suggest going to the movies with a girl, and, like, he already hit on her once, so she's definitely not going to think it's a thing they're just doing as friends.
"... the... station," he recovers, lamely.
Oh thank god, he thinks, a moment later, she still wants to hang out. Maybe they CAN still be friends.
(Minato...)
He tilts his head, as Yukari gets into talking, first... and shakes his head, when she supposes he might have forgotten. He definitely did not forget.
Still... normal...?
Wait... 'the two of us'... 'everyone else'...
Your CHARM is high enough to realise THE GIRL IS PLACING YOU IN THE SAME CATEGORY AS HER!
Minato blinks, straightening up a little. "Any time," he nods. "And... I don't mind. It's not so bad being different from everyone if it's not just me. If I can be there like that... I'm happy, you know?"
He's still got that same mild expression on his face, but he doesn't sound like he's lying about how he feels, either.
<Pose Tracker> Yukari Takeba has posed.
"Right! Plenty of places... at the station!"
Yukari, utterly oblivious that the guy changed her mind on asking her to the movies is just trying to be more agreeable!
Because she's pretty sure guys like agreeable! She can be super agreeable- sometimes.
His charm has gotten to her - it's gotten to her bad now. The warmth of that hug that day convinced her that perhaps opening herself up to others wouldn't be so bad.
'It's not so bad being different from everyone else if it's not just me.'
"Yeah. Growing up- all I wanted to do was be normal. I think I was jealous of normal. Because... I just wanted a normal family to come home to, like everyone else."
Whoa- I shouldn't just ramble on like that!
It's not so bad, he also said back at Yakushima... sometimes it's even fun. He had that same expression there too...
"Anyhow... yeah! I get what you mean."
She says in solidarity without actually saying she's happy. "Anyhow, whew glad I was able to get that all off my chest. ... I was thinking of getting flowers. Wanna come along? I'm kinda interested in your opinions there...!"
Assuming he's okay with flower shopping... as they walk along, she asks, "So... how've you been doing since we got back? Anything interesting happen on break?"
Besides you know - the fact they're now living with a Robot Girl.
"... I was kinda curious, what do you think about your sister you know... dating someone, now?"
How're you doing? Anything interesting happen lately? How do you feel about your sister dating? There was nothing normal about that sequence of questions! Ughhhh... get it together!
<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.
Man, Minato's out here not wanting to make Yukari miserable for asking him to come hang out!!!
GIRLS, MAN!!!
He sure is having trouble telling himself he's cool with being Yukari's cool dude friend after all that, though, too. ... and it's not because he doesn't want to be friends with Yukari.
He listens, as she says she wanted to be normal... and finds he resonates with that, too. Every time he and Minako thought they found a family, they...
Well, he just nods. "Yeah."
Whew...! Minato nods, and lurches forward a step, slipping his hands back into his pockets. "Sure. Sounds good," he makes sure to add, to make sure he's indicating that he wants to come and not just that he's going along with it.
(He doesn't really know anything about flowers, though... would Minako know? Not that he can ask her... unless... nope, twin telepathy is still fiction.)
"SEES investigated that Palace," he says. "Thanks to Yamagishi-san and Moriyama-san, we were able to track down the girls he was going to target next and warn them... since the boy responsible's confessed to everything, now, they should be safe going forward."
It's okay, Yukari. There's nothing normal about answering 'anything interesting' with 'yeah, we helped break up a human trafficking ring' either. ... regardless of that, Minato's still happy it worked out okay for those girls.
"I've spoken to Amamiya-kun," Minato says. "I think he's a good guy... and it's kind of old fashioned for male family members to have to approve of that kind of thing, anyway. So long as Minako-chan's happy, that's what matters, I think."
<Pose Tracker> Yukari Takeba has posed.
"Then... great!"
Sounds good. Then...great! I am sooooo bad at this.
How are you supposed to even talk to guys!?
Much less... this guy!
She does not expect him to answer with how they broke up a human trafficking ring!
"Oh yeah, I heard about that some..." Her expression falls. "... confessed... so they must have changed his heart, then?"
She sighs, "Sorry I'm not trying to be a downer. I'm glad those girls are safe... and that boy's not, doing that kind of thing anymore. Just... you know."
She doesn't approve really of using the supernatural like that.
"Oh yeah? You've met him? Well - yeah, sure. It's pretty old fashioned but you know- you're still allowed to have opinions as her brother. Even if you're not telling her what to do or anything, right?"
She says with a smile, "But yeah s-she sure seems happy." She says nervously. Happy just like Minato is with that same mild expression. Minako is happy, with that same smile.
She clears her throat then, "So what about you? Have you ever dated yourself?"
Perfect...!
He'll say no and that'll leave you an opening to hint that you're interested!
You can do this!
<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.
"Something like that," Minato shrugs. "Even though I took some of the team to respond," he (and anyone else with him) stayed in the back, managing the waves of Shadows so that Ririka and Hitomi could address the main threat, "we still have no idea how they changed his heart... we know they let the Shadow live, though. ... it's still very strange," he adds, thoughtfully, "to see Shadows who talk and think like we do. Roger-kun clearly wasn't human, but Kamiya-san's Shadow was... at least until he gained a monstrous form. But Roger-kun wasn't hostile, and Kamiya-san definitely was... I wonder if that's the difference?"
Another shrug. "... well, it can't be helped. This time, we'll have to let the Phantom Thieves get away with it... I wonder if I'm just saying that because I saw how he thought of those girls, though."
No one said Minato was ever an impartial Leader... but it's true that he doesn't approve of that kind of mind control, either.
He nods, though, looking over to Yukari as she points out he can still have an opinion. "Hmm... then, my opinion is that he's a good guy," he decides, after a moment. "I think she made a good choice."
Minako sure does smile as much as Minato doesn't do anything with his face, though.
"Kind of," Minato answers, looking back forward. "But, well... it's a little embarrassing, the first time. Because she decided she was my girlfriend, but I didn't realise she felt that way... so one day, when we were hanging out together, someone asked if we were on a date... well, she said we were, and I was surprised. Looking back, I feel a little bad... but I guess I can't read minds, either."
Amble, amble. "That was last year, though... before I came here. I guess I was a different person, back then." It takes Minato a moment later to fess up to the next one; he doesn't want Yukari to think he's got someone in mind already. "Aside from that... the only thing that ever happened was Kawase-san -- not ours, she has an older sister -- wanting to fool around with some kissing because we were both stressed out about finals... she's not the sort of person who likes to have a steady boyfriend or anything, though, so I guess we were just doing that as friends. It was nice, but... I decided I didn't want to do something like that a second time. I guess I kind of am a steady girlfriend kind of person after all."
<Pose Tracker> Yukari Takeba has posed.
"... So just like Kaneshiro." She murmurs, considering that, "And it's not like they're going to tell us how they do it or anything."
What's the difference?
"... I'm really not sure. There's a lot of Shadows for people in Mementos and Palaces... and they say if you kill them, the person will have a Mental Shutdown. So they gotta be a part of the person or something, right?"
There's this shrug of her shoulders, "But I'm not really sure why the other Shadows? What even is a Shadow, really?"
She didn't ask that question before, as they were just monsters, but now? Now she can't stop thinking about it.
"... Mmm." She hums at his own consideration of his biases, "I think it'd be hard for me too, in that situation? ... Especially with a guy like that. But... we always intended to try to talk to them first... because they seem like good people? Just... you can't do that kind of thing. Solving criminals by using these powers to change them? It's just not right..."
She smiles at him saying he's a good guy, and she made a good choice, "Well, I'm glad. Me? I met him - and he does seem like a good guy, but I'm gonna stay skeptical for a little longer. She does need someone looking out for her."
She decides not to bring up the criminal record thing, even if he likely knows!
'Kind of,'
"Oh-huh!?" Yukari looks absolutely startled, shell shocked by that response, as he starts to explain, "Ohhhhh- You didn't know? Hmmm... if it wasn't clear, then- it sounds like you weren't really. She was using you as a prop. Middle School girls can be like that..."
Yukari says with a light sense of sympathy and disdain in equal measure.
Okay good, that was real innocent actually! Not a problem! Now-
Except he keeps going, "Kawase-huh? Wait- her older sister- Ichika Kawase!?" There's a horrified look, "...Fool around!?" She tries to deescalate herself, "Oh- I mean... Oh. Iiiii didn't realize you'd already made out with someone you weren't even really dating..." She says awkwardly, brushing her hair back over her ear.
Stupid. Of course he has. He's a guy!
Nnnhhh... why am I even disappointed!?
You're not already thinking of kissing him right?
'... kind of am a steady girlfriend kind of person after all.'
"O-Oh... so... making out wasn't for you unless, you're steady with someone?"
Which derails her thoughts of guys being 'women = yes' for any kind of interaction. "Well-! I... think I'd be the same way. I'm not sure I'd be for, trying it as casually as that though, you know? It'd have to be with someone special!"
Walk. Walk.
They're approaching the station now, which is when-
Okay. Alright now. Here we go-! You can do this! You can do it!
"... Is there anyone you have your eye on right now... that you'd want to be your, steady girlfriend?"
<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.
"Yeah... we're in the dark." Minato frowns. (Wow! A whole entire expression!!) "That's right... some Shadows belong to specific humans. But other ones are mindless... but then, there are ones who aren't human, but aren't mindless... there's still a lot we need to learn." Minato intends to keep figuring it out, anyway.
"... I agree with you," he adds, as he walks along. "Using supernatural powers to solve real-world problems like that... it reminds me of what the Kirijo Group was up to. You could say that going back in time would do a lot of good, too... you could stop a lot of tragedies. But it was too much power for one person to have... that's why I'm uncomfortable with it, even though Kamiya-san really was a bad person. If the power to make someone have a 'Change of Heart' exists, the priority should be making sure no one can use that power... the Phantom Thieves aren't going after anyone who isn't bad right now, but what happens if one of them goes rogue?"
Still... Yukari's going to be sceptical of Ren for a while. "That's fine," Minato nods. "There should be a mix of people like that. If everyone was sceptical, Minako-chan would just feel attacked... but if everyone's supportive, there might be red flags that come up later which get missed. So it's good that you're still sceptical, I think."
He glances up, as he clarifies: "Ah, it was first year of high school..." But really, first-years just got out of middle school! "I guess it did feel a little like that," he admits, "but I could have been more perceptive, too. She said I was mysterious, so maybe she thought I was better at subtlety than I was..."
... he doesn't want to just throw her under the bus, even if, like, the whole thing was super awkward.
And... oh no.
Yukari is horrified.
Minato manages a second expression in so many minutes: looking visibly nervous. Oh no. Oh no, is this one of those situations the boys would tell him he should have been lying about. ... but why would he lie about that?? Ichika didn't do anything wrong. Neither did he, right?! But Yukari's tripping up on it...
Except -- the doom timer ticking down over his head pauses, when Yukari gets to the end of what he's told her. "Yeah," he nods, glancing back over to her. "I wanted to know what it was all about... Kawase-san was nice enough to give me some pointers, but I realised I wasn't really present. I think she knew that, too... she told me I'd better wait a little longer before I went too much further with a girl. When I thought about it, I realised she was right... I think it's because I just wasn't doing things the right way for me."
(Not 'the right way'. Minato doesn't think Ichika's way is the wrong way, either. But one size doesn't fit all, right?)
He glances to Yukari, again, from behind those bangs which are always in his eyes. "Recently, I started thinking about a girl again," he admits, looking forward again. "I'd put my feelings aside, since she wasn't interested... but something happened recently that made me realise I still kind of liked her in that way. Since she gets what it's like... and she's always been looking out for me, even if I didn't always get it. Well... I know I want to be her friend, for sure... so I'm just wondering if I'd be too pushy if I happened to ask her out again one day, too. I don't really know how girls think about this sort of thing, so... what do you think?"
<Pose Tracker> Yukari Takeba has posed.
She'll take any expression as a win for understanding him better, even in a context like this!
"... Yeah. Sometimes I wonder if they really told us everything they know about Shadows and... I kinda doubt it. That's why I was trying to figure things out beyond what they told us."
She has a slightly better opinion of the Kirijo Group since then... but only slightly.
"... Yeah he seems like the worst kind of guy, but even then... who knows what could happen? The things I heard them shouting - it sounds like a lot could even just go wrong, trying to do what they do. The person could get killed- or worse! Even if he's... that kind of scum, I still don't want him killed."
That's always been rather consistent with her. No matter how harsh she can get. No matter how isolated from others...
... she's never wanted anyone to die.
Even if she doesn't know them. She knows what a death robs someone else of.
"Oh- right! And well it's kind of a girl thing? You know... a girl dating someone new they can overlook things in a guy that someone on the outside can see. Like... I'll be fair to the guy, just if I see something - I see something."
She doesn't want Minako to get hurt badly in love. She thinks if she does, then what's inside her will shatter into such small pieces that she'll convince themselves they never existed in the first place.
"Oh! Wellll there's not too much difference in a year." She says, agreeing with him, even if he didn't say it. "And... I guess? You've come a long way, so don't be too hard on yourself."
Does she notice Minato looking nervous? Probably not, that one's a bit subtle. And to be honest? She doesn't know he gets nervous!
He's always so subdued that it's easy to think he never feels anxiety.
"Yeah I'm sure she was being ... real nice." Yukari's tone shifts into something a little sarcastic.
I bet all her pointers were at the back of her throat.
Though... Oh geez I hope not.
"Oh-" And then he immediately disproves that, making her feel a little bad, "Uhhhh, well, if she says so, she's probably right? And well, you yourself would prefer a steady girlfriend. That's... kind of a big moment for any guy, or- girl our age!"
Yeah she's definitely blushing a goodly amount.
What am I even saying!?
This is wayyyy too embarrassing for me to be having this conversation!
She's still red, when he starts to answer her, and- "Oh yeah?" She says, as her anxiety builds up by the moment, "I see... so she, turned you down? But... you still can't stop thinking about her?"
Oh gosh is he-is he doing the 'some other girl' thing when he actually means me?
Aaaaaaaaaaaaa! I'm not ready! I asked too soon!
It is pretty uh- cute though.
"W-Well... I think in my own experience being asked out- and I get asked a lot- over and over. So it can get pretty annoying, you know?"
My hearts beating so fast!
Okay, deep breath.
Keep it together!
Gotta phrase this just right...
"But... it's also because, they get so unserious about it? Like it becomes - a joke. Or not a big thing to them. When I think what I'm looking for is a real connection with someone. If a guy approached me for a second time and asked me seriously... confessed his feelings, and said he was going to be my friend no matter what? I think... well - I'd give it serious thought."
She lets out a short incredulous laugh, "But yeah right, like that would ever happen? What guy wants to put themselves out there like that?"
WHAT AM I DOING?!
I'M GOING TO PSYCH HIM OUT!
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
They reach the station, and Yukari starts to go down the steps just ahead, but then stops and looks back at him, with a smile, "So I think, trying again is okay, if you come at it the right way. Just don't play games with her, alright?"
NAILED IT!
I think...???
... I hope.
"Anyhow, Rafflesia's right there. Help me pick out something nice, alright?" As she turns around and continues the descent down the station's steps.
He listens as Yukari shares her experiences, and observes the way his heart is beating faster. It's kind of weird, since he hasn't been running. So it can get annoying to be asked over and over... but... if it's serious, she's fine with it?
Minato chuckles, along with Yukari, more so that she's ont laughing alone than anything. What guy would ever...?
... maybe the kind of guy who actually smiles back to her when she looks back to him. (Nothing in the rulebook says Eurydice can't look back at Orpheus...)
"Thanks for your advice," he says, dipping his head in a nod. "I think you've got a good perspective here... so I'll make sure the next time I ask, I'm ready to make it a serious thing."
And there's Rafflesia...
Minato looks around, and picks up some gerboas and some daisies. "Would one of these be good?" He wonders. "They're both pretty cheerful... that seems like a nice trait for flowers."
<Pose Tracker> Yukari Takeba has posed.
"... Yeah."
The eight her Father released... out of Twelve.
"I don't... understand really, what's so special about those twelve that they could, create the Dark Hour. It makes my head hurt just thinking about it."
They were very powerful but - this is a worldwide phenomenon! "If you put twelve Palace Rulers together... could something just as bad happen? I don't even know."
Yukari nods, "Yeah exactly. If a guy goes on a bad date - it's just a bad date...? They'd probably complain to their friends. If a girl goes on one- it could get them harassed or worse. All it takes is the wrong guy."
She looks somewhat, angry? As she discusses this. Just the look in her eyes, "And that's not to say a girl can't be just as bad- it's just not likely to be such a threat to them..."
She remembers the way all those men treated her Mom. And while she blames her for having no self-respect. She understands that she could just as easily have one of those men in her life - if she made a bad choice.
She just wouldn't let herself stay there.
"Realize something...? Well it was your first kiss right? That's still pretty memorable. Unless that girl before...?"
Has Minato kissed TWO girls? Would it bother her if he had!?
"O-Oh! I see-"
Work together!?
It's definitely me! It has to be!
Though wait could it be Fuuka...?
She is really cute... she could be more his type.
Or Aigis said-
No! I'm not gonna think he has a thing with a robot!
It's me! Show some confidence!
"-well if you can hold a normal conversation you're probably not being weird? In fact that sounds like the opposite of making it weird!" She says, before she realizes how rapidly she said all that.
Why did I say it like that!?
I'M THE ONE BEING WEIRD ABOUT THIS!
He's smiling back at her though, and she finds herself blushing as she walks down the stairs. "Alright - but I'll be waiting for the update on this one, Mister. Now that you've shared, you've gotta tell me how it goes when you try!"
There now maybe he won't back out!
Wait is that too much pressure!?
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Fortunately, flowers give her a chance to decompress but- gosh, is hanging out with a boy you're interested in always like this!?
Her eyes fall upon the Gerberas, and there's a sense of... nostalgia, there, something softens in her eyes, as a bittersweet sadness shadows her eyes, "Daisies are nice, but I think I'd go with Gerberas here... they're cute and vibrant? You know, they just make things pop when they're around, given how many colors they can come in."
Once... her home was full of flowers. Her mother would take the ones she picked, and decorated their home.
But for the longest time, she couldn't stand flowers in her home. They just reminded her of that day... how what is beautiful could just fade away.
But...
As she looks up from the Gerberas in his hand, at Minato's face... she realizes why she wanted to pick up flowers. Because... despite Yakushima being not so long ago, she can focus on something other than the short span before they wither.
"Yeah! I think I'll go with gerberas. What color do you think I should pick?"
<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.
"Freaky," Minato agrees, when Yukari wonders whether twelve Rulers would be just as bad. (It also handily answers the question about the Dark Hour.) "At least no one's studying that... I hope."
He nods, though, as Yukari talks about the differences between bad dates. "That's unfair... but I definitely believe it. The only guy I know with such a bad idea about dates wants to date his teacher, though... I feel like that's a different problem. With him, I don't want to start anything... I'm worried what happens to him if he actually manages it, since she's a lot older than him."
It's easy for guys to go 'wow, what a legend', but...
Minato blinks, though, looking to Yukari again. "Huh... when you say it like that, it's obvious I'd realise something," he admits, a little surprised. "Since it was my first time kissing anyone." Well, you know, aside from the aunts who liked to embarrass him by smooching his cheeks, but that's DIFFERENT and he's NOT A KID, FUYUKO!
(He misses them...)
"Cool," Minato nods, when Yukari fits two sentences into the space of one, and he at least doesn't say she's the one being weird.
Fuuka could, in fact, tell Yukari all about that time he had to pretend to be her girlfriend to get her past a MEGA CREEP -- and how he apologised for doing so. It's... a very different vibe.
He nods, again, firmly, when she demands to be updated. "Don't worry. You'll be the first to know." And if he had an internal monologue, he might be screaming about coming on too strong. Luckily, Minato just has pleasant white noise static.
(and a boy in a striped suit who isn't saying anything.)
Yukari's gaze softens, though, and Minato can tell he's picked up on something meaningful. "Yeah," he nods, looking down at the gerberas. "They're really pretty." Maybe that's not the kind of thing a BOY is supposed to say, but...
He wants to affirm whatever's going on in her heart right now.
He hums in thought, though, as he puts the daisies back away and turns to all those gerberas. "Hmm... pink's cute," he decides, looking at one lovely pink flower, of a shade not dissimilar to the blouse Yukari likes to wear.
<Pose Tracker> Yukari Takeba has posed.
"I sure hope not. Though I guess it'd be hard to get them out of a Palace in the first place..." Pause. "Wouldn't it?"
There's a disturbing thought, someone being able to get them out of a Palace...
"... Ugh, really? But the youngest teacher here has to be over a decade older than them!" Yukari makes a face at that. "It's probably just some dumb fantasy of being hot for the teacher, or something."
No one would REALLY ask their teacher out right? Really? "Uhhh, you really think he would? That's gotta be against school rules... it could cause a big scandal."
Yukari had the same experience as a kid. Except, unfortunately, she hated her extended family. So because she resisted those kinds of gestures she was seen as disobedient, wild.
"Yeah well... maybe it has to be someone you really like, for it to count?" She says, speculatively, but she knows it's just justification in a sense, "But still, it's something to think about...! You want firsts like that to be special, right?"
When he says 'You'll be the first to know' Yukari herself has a little internal screamsqueal but keeps it together as she says back super casually. "Well alright! I'll hold you to that!"
There's meaning in flowers. As a child she always loved to know those meanings. It's just at some point, it all became 'death' 'transience'...
... but... the Hanakatoba for gerberas is...
'Ardent Love' and 'Optimism'
"You think so too huh? Well I guess you must have, since it was what you picked!" She says with a teasing tone, "Oh!" Her eyes go wide, "You like pink too? I guess we have the same taste then! Then it's decided-! I'll get these for my room."
Pink ones in particular can symbolize 'Respect' 'Admiration' 'Gentleness'
Even if he's a force in a fight...
He's actually really gentle, isn't he?
"Though, maybe I should get something else to go with them... what else do you think would look nice? Though wait a minute. You've never even seen my room, have you?" Yukari crosses her arms and leans forward slightly, "Well then, why am I even asking you?" She asks him with a grin and a teasing tone.
<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.
"Yeah... I think so. Not much to Rule if you don't have a Palace."
Maybe Rulers can't leave their Palaces, if Minato thinks of it like that...
"I hope so," Minato sighs, thinking of Kenji's situation. "He seems really serious... I feel like I should keep an eye on him." Apparently, Minato, too, feels the obligation to look out for the other boys in his life...
(junpei.)
"Firsts are special," Minato agrees, "but that means kissing a serious girlfriend for the first time will be special, too." It seems like it's important to Yukari, but he's not willing to say that Ichika isn't special... and he doesn't think it's a lie to say it will feel different when he's actually dating, either.
Minato smiles, again, when Yukari insists she'll hold him to it. (Two smiles?! The world may soon end...)
And he nods, again, when Yukari notices they have similar tastes. (Does it count if he thinks it's cute because of her...? No, man, that's one of those corny lines...)
Minato blinks,hands in his pockets, and shakes his head. "C'mon," he says, his own tone lighter than it usually is. "That's mean."
He's playing along with the teasing...!
<Pose Tracker> Yukari Takeba has posed.
She gets a look of concern when he says he should keep an eye on him, "You sure? Be careful so you don't get dragged into anything weird, alright? We'd be in trouble if you got in trouble - leader."
Junpei needs someone to look out for him, to be fair. He is full of the bad ideas that only come with being a teen boy of a certain age.
"Oh-! Well, when you put it that way."
So long as he feels it's special, maybe it's salvageable! Even if - she's not exactly thrilled that he was making out with a girl who... who...
... goes down on guys casually...
So many smiles today! She's definitely feeling good about her chances! Okay! She's just gotta wait now for him to work himself up to it!
And she's sure she can help that along some.
As he plays along, her eyes light up, as she giggles, "Ehehehe- but it's true you know! To be honest, any flowers would be fine if they came from you Arisato-kun!"
Wait- I DID NOT JUST SAY THAT!
OH NO! QUICK THINK OF SOMETHING!
"Just kidding! Ahaha..."
Okay - came on too strong - but it's fine now.
... This really is fun. I keep getting caught up in the moment.
"Gosh what should I get. Guess I'm telling on myself some. Believe it or not- I'm a really indecisive person."
But she's not indecisive on everything... after all. They're here right now because of a decision she made.
And despite how terrible everything she learned in Yakushima was... she feels pretty optimistic right now? Maybe she really should stay in SEES...
<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.
"I'll be careful," Minato promises. Really, he's still not even sure if this is all in Kenji's head or not... but he's so certain of it that he can't help but be worried.
Sometimes he worries about his best buddy, too...
Minato would certainly protest if he knew that Yukari was getting so hung up on Ichika's 'experience', but luckily, twin telepathy isn't the only kind of telepathy that's fiction. So he just nods, quite sure he succeeded his saving throw on that one.
(Hmm... could Minato get Yukari to play Blade World...? ... questions for later.)
... but Yukari suggests that any flowers would be okay... does that mean she understood his subtlety?
Maybe all that coffee really did pay off... or maybe it was the virtual diet.
Whatever it is, Yukari seems like she's full of laughter, today...
"Hm hm," Minato chuckles, alongside Yukari, rather than put her on the spot. Yes, Yukari. That was a pretty good joke. Wink.
(You can't just think a wink, Minato... well, maybe making it an inside wink is actually better, right now.)
"Then I'm glad you decided to ask me to hang out... getting flowers is pretty fun, too."
Minato can't read Yukari's mind... but, well, they're pretty similar people.
Sometimes they're just on the same wavelength.