2025-12-22: Ryuji's Whirlwind
- Log: Ryuji's Whirlwind
- Cast: Ichika Kawase, Ryuji Sakamoto
- Where: A Parking Lot In Shibuya, Tokyo
- OOC Date: December 22, 2025
- IC Date: August 29, 2012
- Summary: Ichika shows Ryuji her new van! But that's far from the most important thing that happens in those few moments--and with a certian floodgate open, they can really imagine at least parts of a future...
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Ichika reached out to Ryuji earlier; it's afternoon by the time they're set to meet, and in Tokyo instead of Sumaru or Iwatodai. A nice wednesday! ...where school is almost back in session, if not quite. So Ichika's going to make the most of it! Thus...
> Hey you wanna meet up?
> I can go to you this time.
> Actually I've got a surprise!
Ichika is a good texter.
Now, though, she's dropped a location in Shibuya to meet up, near the station but not quite at it, because for some reason she wants to meet at a parking lot instead. That might be mysterious, if... Ryuji realizes it's a parking lot at all.
Ichika's dressed normall; still in cargo pants and a tanktop, but when Ryuji arrives where she mentioned...
Beep beep! A black van honks at him!
Inside? Ichika, in the driver's seat. She waves!!
<Pose Tracker> Ryuji Sakamoto has posed.
There is a sense of dread from Ryuji about the incoming school session. He had left his academics in a very dangerous position and didn't want to face that particular problem. So Ichika's text is a very welcome reprieve from his academic woes and his attempts to find a job.
>Of course!
>Yeah. I'm low on train fare. Sorry!
>For Real? Can't wait!
Ryuji is a practiced texter. He smiles to himself, feeling a little better now that Ichika is heading his direction.
Wait, he needs to get ready! Crap! Hurry!
After a shower, some light panic over wardrobe, and travel to Shibuya, Ryuji arrives at the destination with a raised brow. It was a parking lot.
He isn't sure what kind of surprise could be in a parking lot until it pulls up and honks. Ryuji blinks at first, adjusting to the idea of Ichika driving with a series of expressions. First, confusion. Then, concern. Then, embarrassment. Then, hype. Then shortly after, acceptance.
"Woah! Ichika! When did you get this?! And why a van...Do I want to know?" Admittedly, Ryuji isn't sure what to make of a van as he is so used to the idea of getting one of those Drifting cars.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Ichika was in Sumaru earlier, so she already had lunch, but she doesn't imagine that's going to be much issue. And when Ryuji looks around--
His series of expressions gets a laugh from Ichika, and she quickly rolls down the window. "Hi!" she greets her boyfriend. Then she grins. "I like vans! Means I can take my friends places, or load up on gear for camping or whatever. Did I ever tell you I like camping and stuff?"
"My parents decided they wanted it to be easier for me to go back and forth from Sumaru without having to take the long way all the time," Ichika explains. "So, car!"
"Not that long ago at all. You wanna see inside?"
She may have ulterior motives.
"We can go somewhere in a bit, or just hang out here! ...I wanna stay and talk at least a few, though."
<Pose Tracker> Ryuji Sakamoto has posed.
Ryuji grins and shakes his head. "I could camp...I don't really think I've been officially? But good to know. I'm just a city boy myself." He puffs out his chest with a little pride.
"Ah! That explains it. I guess I forgot you're a year a head of me. Easy to forget when I'm not referring to you as Senpai and such." He thinks about that. Is he into that idea. The jury is still out for the moment.
"Sure!" Ryuji is unaware of any ulterior motives or is at least pretending he is. He opens a door and climbs in, looking around with nervous "I shouldn't just touch things energy" as he gazes around the car and all it's buttons.
"I'm down for whatever. I don't want to think about going back to school or the job search for awhile." Ryuji laughs, looking over at her and stopping when he meets her eyes. He smiles stupidly and turns bright red. "Plus--I just might like spending time with you. Go figure."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"Then, I'll add that to the list," Ichika says. "It's great! There's something... really cool, about being out in nature, you know? I'm mostly city myself, but it really lets you unwind and connect. The mountains especially are beautiful around this time of year."
A laugh then. "Yeah. You definitely don't have to call me -senpai," Ichika clarifies. Is he into ti? She'd be OK with that. But it's not exactly her own big thing, either.
Inside, the car is very gray, with red accents and light beige seats. There's seats all the way back for now, though Ichika has thought of rearranging for more cargo space. The center console has a screen which currently has a map of Shibuya on it.
It has air conditioning! It's a fairly recent car, even.
She smiles at Ryuji, and rolls up the window on her side for a little more privacy. "Cool," she says. "I can definitely keep that off your mind," she tells him--and that stupid smile and bright red face makes her heart melt. "Then... let's stay in here," she says. "It's cozy, right?"
She looks back at him, into his eyes, and forgets what she was going to bring up next for a long few moments.
The spell breaks when she blinks and says, "Oh, uh. I wanna get to know coming out here more often anyway, since... you're here."
<Pose Tracker> Ryuji Sakamoto has posed.
"Mountains, eh? That does sound pretty nice. So you're going to turn me into an outdoorsman and I'll turn you into some weird otaku or gamer. Fair trade?" He winks as he finally gives into the urge to mess with something. His seat falls downward before quickly being readjusted with a cheesey grin. "This thing is comfy as hell though."
He catches that double meaning in her next statement. He grins widely and shakes his head. "You spoil me. But we can talk some here first...I missed you."
"Yeah. I'm probably going to have to figure out coming to see you when school starts. Especially if I get a job too. But once it evens out, I'm going to spoil you some. I think you deserve that." He scratches the back of his head, meeting eyes with her again. "Like I also don't want the only time I see you to be when we're with the Phantom Thieves...Like how awkward would that be?"
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"Haha," Ichika laughs, "Yeah, I can go with that. Some of those anime girls are pretty hot." Not that Ichika's into them, but she can apprecaite aesthetically! ...Instead for that, he messes with his seat and Ichika says, "Ooh, good to know how to do that one."
A beat, "Good, good. And hey, I can spoil my boyfriend if I want to."
Pause. "...Yeah. I missed you, too."
Figure it out... "Yeah," Ichika says. "The dorms don't allow boys to just hang out so we'll have to meet somewhere, generally. I know some good places, but..."
A job, too. Hmm. It's good for him to do, but now it occurs to Ichika it might mean he has less time for her too, with all else they have to do. "...Thanks," she says of spoiling. "I'm looking forward to it."
She looks back at him. "...Super awkward," she says. "Besides, can you imagine? Joker telling us to stop making out in the saferoom because they need us?"
She is probably kidding.
"...But no, I get you. And hey, I can come to you, too. I like it when you do the man thing and set everything up and all, but I'm happy to do my part. Right?"
<Pose Tracker> Ryuji Sakamoto has posed.
Ryuji blinks when she seems to be talking about the hotness of anime girls. Is he into that? Maybe he can get her to wear a costume. That brings a blush to his face. Yeah ok that one is going to need to be broached...cooly. With style. Grace.
He is sensing something though. Something he should be doing.
For the moment, he just nods along with what she's saying, staring at her lips and then his gaze descends. He is listening but his monkey brain was starting to somewhat guide everything else.
He snaps back to reality when she calls it awkward. What---Boobs...what? Then she spells it out and he grins widely. "Yeah but we're totally gonna do that once right? I can't let Seki have all the fun."
"Yeah...I'm going to make this work...I--Look I don't think I should say the words yet since we're just starting out...But you make me want to."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Ryuji seems surprised! And Ichika adds brightly, "Just because I'm not big into it doesn't mean I haven't seen a few!" She knows a few games, too, even if that's more brother and sister's deal.
But something...
His gaze descends, and Ichika is actually talking this time so she doesn't immediately stop to be pleased at him looking. He manages to recover himself before she has to say anything. Then she laughs, which might make him look down again. "Yeah," she says, "Definitely. Especially if it's one of those saferooms that has like a partition or something..."
But he's going to make it work. Ichika blinks, as he says that--and then puts on a smaller smile. "...You can say it if you feel it," she says. "If... that's what you mean. But be careful with my heart, OK?"
She absolutely wants to talk about that monkey brain moment. ...But this is serious.
"...Ah, i said I wasn't gonna push," she realizes, and glances to the side, a little red.
<Pose Tracker> Ryuji Sakamoto has posed.
"Heh. That's fine. It's not my main thing either just got a few I really like and I think you will too." Ryuji admittedly only knows of her sister. The brother subject has yet to come up in Seki's intel sessions. He really owes them some ramen sometime for all their help.
What happens next prompts a more serious expression from Ryuji. He at least knew that once he said these words--it was a sure thing one way or another. Though the way she responded told him that it was likely one way over the other. He shuts his eyes and turns to her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Ichika, I---since I met you, you have been the coolest girl I have ever met. And I get to date you. It -kinda- is the greatest thing ever...I know it hasn't been that long and I can't promise the future you want cuz I'm kinda a screw up...BUT---I love you. Yeah, it might be a little early but I like to be bold sometimes." He grins cheesily. "So is that too much?"
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"I've thought about looking into some romance shows though," since Ryuji mentions he likes that kind of thing. And besides, "I'm happy to find out!"
But it is serious. Ichika is very serious about this. She waits, and leans closer as Ryuji sets hands on her shoulders. The greatest thing ever? Ichika smiles--but she's uncertain until he actually says it. What he says...
Ichika melts. Her expression is a happy one immediately, but her shoulders sink a little against Ryuji's hands before she catches herself. "Oh, I--"
"I love you too," she says. "...It's a little scary," she admits, "But I'm trusting you. You say you can't promise me the future I want, but..."
"Right now, the future I want is with you, you know? So... even if it's a while off, don't count yourself out yet."
He likes to be bold. "I like it when you're bold," she says. "It's definitely not too much."
She leans forward, to kiss Ryuji; he said he wanted her to take charge sometimes, and it seems like the right moment. It's a brief but passionate thing, as Ichika finds it demonstrates better than words what she feels. When she pulls back, though--
She's smiling wide enough that it might start to hurt in a while. "Now I'm definitely not letting you go."
<Pose Tracker> Ryuji Sakamoto has posed.
"Yeah. Trust me, it will only be a little embarrassing." Ryuji winks.
Ryuji is a little taken aback by how powerful his words are. As she melts, Ryuji stares with a bright red wide eyed expression. He only doubts if he can live up to be worthy of her.
He smiles stupidly as she says it back. He can only offer another big grin as she talks about how it feels. "Yeah...I'm going to live up that trust. I gotta, after all"
He leans into the kiss, letting himself just go with the flow as he pulls her to him. As the kiss is broken, he grins at her words. All he can say is...
"Heh, For Real?" He says it in a smitten way.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Ichika grins back. "OK. A little I can handle."
Ichika beams back. That big stupid grin is very endearing for her. "You gotta," she agrees. "But I'll live up to yours, too. ...Like..."
For real? Ichika smiles. "For real," Ichika says. "Like..."
"You know about my past. You know I'm... experienced. Like, more than most girls with my history. I almost had a baby. ...And that never slowed you down much. You saw so many ugly things in that Palace, but they didn't scare you away from me. Instead, you kept going with the same kind of... unflappable sincerity that you seem to put into everything else."
"You're a good friend to your friends. And you've been really good to me. And I can't wait to see what that looks like more and more from here."
"..And," she admits, "I like that right before you told me something really important you got distracted by my tits," she laughs. "I'm gonna need you to focus up while we're talking, but otherwise, I'm happy for you to look." She teases a little, but--she means the last part, too.
"But seriously. I mean it. And..."
"And I wwas worried I'd scare you off, but... I don't think I will."
"Not if that's how you feel."
<Pose Tracker> Ryuji Sakamoto has posed.
"Heh. Might be a little more than I'm letting on..." He chuckles as he continues to hold her.
Ryuji gives her a nod to reaffirm his commitment to this. When she brings up her past, Ryuji briefly recalls some of the things he saw, feeling his stomach churn from the vile shit that guy was into. Still it was part of Ichika and Ryuji accepted that as much as his damage. They accepted each other and that was what was important to Ryuji as he continues to just smile. "I promise it's not all sunshine and rainbows. I'm gonna screw up. I'm gonna still be Ryuji Sakamoto but all I want is a future with you."
Ryuji cringes as he is caught and nods. "I did, didn't I...Heh. Sorry. But I'll keep focus for now just...It's really hard sometimes."
"Look---you're stuck with me. If we're talking worries...I worried you and Seki would realize you didn't need the blonde baby and go off to have a whirlwind romance they make a manga about...I'd read it of course but I'd be a little salty about."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Ichika laughs, and stays where she is, tilted to the side in her chair.
"That's cool," Ichika says. "I'm fine, disagreeing sometimes... having issues. That's normal. So if you screw up, that's OK. I might, too."
"A future... I really want that," she says. "I mean, I'm not gonna push you to like, formalize stuff too soon, but... But I'd like to be able to think about it, you know? To picture it. And now that you've said this, I think I can, without... being unfair."
He cringes, and Ichika laughs. "It's cool. I like 'hard' things sometimes, too," she says with a wink. "...It's cool. Just, while I'm talking, try to keep the eyes up."
But worries... "Mm. I can get that," Ichika says. "I mean, things are really good with Tsubasa. Like... really good. But there's things I can't do with them. And I don't just mean sex, right? Because like, we can... figure that part out, me and them," she euphemizies.
"But I mean, stuff for our future. You know? ...I don't think of you as some baby. I want us to have our own whirlwind, or whatever it looks like. You're not an 'extra' to me. The future I want has you in a starring role, too."
<Pose Tracker> Ryuji Sakamoto has posed.
Ryuji nods when she tells him to keep his eyes up there. He will do better...Or he thinks he will when she mentions 'hard' things with a wink. This was starting to get spicy for ol Sakamoto. He is bright red, feeling pretty good about things right about now.
"I mean I just have to figure out a path but whatever that path is, it has you next to me. And Seki next to you. That's how it is now."
He blinks, tilting his head to the left. "Like what besides sex? I mean I can---well picture the sex but I'm not sure what else I have other than---" He would usually just say it but now he is suddenly feeling kinda self conscious.
"Then lets do it. Lets have the most indulgent break neck romance our teenage selves can handle. Like I feel like a lot of the hard part is behind us. Lets do something..." He isn't thinking about anything sexual as he says this but the thought comes to his mind just after the words leave his lips. "Errr...I mean not necessarily that...just heh, I want to do something to really celebrate us."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Bright red! Ichika likes that--but it also tells her he's not ready for too much yet. It's a good reminder of where he stands.
"Yeah," Ichika answers about the path. "Exactly. That's just how I want it. You're my boyfriend. That's not small, you know? ...I used to have a few 'boyfriends', but... This is different. This is serious."
He blinks, and since he doesn't get it... Well, she can explain. "Like..."
"Don't mistake me--I'm not saying yet. But like... One day we could get married. Tsubasa wants to take care of my kids, but if we're still together in ten years or whatever, they're your kids. That's stuff I can't do with them. That's stuff I can do with you. ...With you i can think goofy stupid things about all that. So like, I want them involved, I want them an important part of my life..."
"But you're gonna be really important, yourself, if we stay together like that."
Then she smiles. "Sounds great," she says. And then she 'hmmms'. "Tell you what. I know you're not ready for what i want to do right now," she says. "But..."
"How about... We go out and get something to eat. Maybe even some cake or something. And celebrate. My treat."
"...And then later we can get in the back and you can put your hand up my top. Sound good?"
<Pose Tracker> Ryuji Sakamoto has posed.
Ryuji nods as she mentions her past. "Right. It's serious for me too even if it's my first--heh." He feels a little embarrassed by the comparison but does his best to keep his confidence intact.
As she explains, he listens, shutting his eyes as he pictures some of the future. It was still a lot of wouldn't it be nices and no concrete plans. Still it was nice to think positively about the future thanks to his friends and Ichika.
"Yeah I guess you're right. It's just funny to think about that we're closer to that than I realized." Ryuji thinks out loud, placing his head on her as he continues to consider all of this. "Our kids are gonna be crazy good looking...We're going to have to punch bad suitors to make sure they don't end up making our mistakes."
He blinks for a moment when she mentions wanting something. It doesn't take long before he gets it and that red color returns. He really wants to...but there was still a little more growing up for this Romeo.
But her offer perks his interest, prompting a grin. "We'll see if I get a little more bold after the cake."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"Just means I get to enjoy those 'firsts' with you," Ichika says of it being Ryuji's first. "It's nice."
It's a lot of wouldn't it be nices... But Ichika's glad he could at least think about it. She certainly wants to. She was holding back before, but...
A laugh. "They will!" she agrees. "It'll be cool. Between all of us, we'll keep them safe."
He may or may not be guessing what it is she wants; Ichika isn't saying for the moment. But she grins back. "Let's find out, then." She leans in to kiss him again, and then pulls back, turning in her chair back to the steering wheel and starting up the van.
"I think I saw a place on my way over here..."