2026-01-16: Being Nice
- Log: Being Nice
- Cast: Shinichi Nagisa, Kanae Fuyuki
- Where: Shujin Academy - Classroom Building
- OOC Date: January 16, 2026
- IC Date: September 11, 2012
- Summary: A classmate of Kanae's ducks out on cleaning duty, and Shinichi picks up the slack. They talk, and Kanae is dubious about why he'd take over, but Shinichi insists it's fine. It's all fine.
(|=================== Shujin Academy - Classroom Building ====================|)
-==================================================== Tokyo/Aoyama-Itchome ====-
Shujin Academy is split between its main classroom building, which faces the
back streets of Aoyama-Itchome, and its practice building out back. The
classroom building is a grim concrete building with sleek glass doors, three
stories tall, with classrooms for the third years on the ground floor, second
years on the second, and first years on the top. The faculty office is on the
second, and the student council room and the library on the third. Vending
machines dot the hallways here and there, and the bathrooms are kept clean. Its
front gates are wrought iron with a circular design, and a stylized clock on the
eastern wall informs students just how late they are.
The foyer is lined with glass cases proudly displaying trophies earned by its
top students, and just past them is the school store, though the yakisoba bread
there is almost always sold out. Billboards across the school announce various
articles and notices of interest. Past there, the walls are gray and white, the
floors are wooden, student lockers line the walls, and the sliding classroom
doors sport diamond windows. The classrooms themselves are rather more sober,
with simple desks and chairs for the students and a taller desk at front before
the chalkboard for the teacher. The windows to the outside seem simple, and even
have yellow curtains that can be pulled shut, but are lined in a diamond pattern
to prevent shattering. We wouldn't want our students to escape, now would we?
There is a fenced-in roof, but the door to it displays a sign stating students
aren't allowed. Despite this, it isn't locked, so nothing stops anyone from
hanging out there anyway--at least, not until they get caught. Oddly, there's
also several small planters there too for growing flowers and vegetables.
<Pose Tracker> Shinichi Nagisa has posed.
Mamiko Tanikawa. A classmate of Kanae's in 2-A, but perhaps not one she knows well. She perhaps has heard she has a boyfriend who's an upperclassman, but not much more.
Today, it just so happens to be Kanae's day to clean the classroom, along with Mamiko's... however, when the bell rings, she leaves.
This isn't too unusual. Sometimes you have a little business to take care of before you start, but about fifteen minutes later- a boy enters the classroom.
Kanae's unlikely to know him that well, but maybe she's heard of Shinichi Nagisa- someone even the teachers generally look down on for losing his sports scholarship in Lacrosse by refusing to play.
He's handsome enough, with orange-red hair and blue eyes and an athlete's build, albeit one that would be more fitting of the off-season.
"Hey. I'm filling in for Tanikawa-san."
But... he's also not in her class. He's in 2-E. What gives? It's a little unusual. "You're Fuyuki-san right? From the Tennis Club? Nice to meet you." He flashes something of a smile, though it's a little subdued?
"Anyhow, I can start on the blackboards." He says, as he heads over in that direction, the Blackboards and cleaning the erasers generally one of the things that takes the longest of cleaning the room.
Picking up an eraser, he starts cleaning up the last remnants of what was written on the board during the day's lessons.
<Pose Tracker> Kanae Fuyuki has posed.
A upperclassman boyfriend... That could go either way; Kanae doesn't know her or him well. Her friends are mostly second-years. But wht she does see?
"...?" Mamiko LEFT. But that's normal. The fact that she didn't come back was getting Kanae a little grumpy. Until...
Kanae is already done straightening up a lot of stuff by the time Shinichi shows up. She has heard of him--she keeps track of rumors, mostly for self-preservation. And she's not a teacher.
"Oh. Hi," Kanae answers, and she looks up at him; he's much taller. "Right," she answers, and smiles back. "Nagisa-san, right?" she confirms. From... nothing in particular, she doesn't say. "Oh, you sure...?"
Well, twist her arm, why don't you. Kanae gets the broom, instead.
"...So, uh."
"Why're you here instead of her, anyway?"
<Pose Tracker> Shinichi Nagisa has posed.
"That's right." He says conversationally, though he doesn't sound happy that a girl he hadn't directly interacted with him before knew his name?
Most guys would be.
"And yeah, I don't mind."
Finishing up the blackboard, he arranges the pieces of chalk where they should be, and picking up the erasers. Unlatching a window, he begins to pat them together rhythmically outside the window.
"She asked me to- had somewhere to be with her boyfriend." He answers her, pat, pat, pat. Chalk Dust floats out the window to vanish as it scatters on the wind.
"If you wanna duck out early too, that's fine. Even if it's not a practice day, Tennis star like you has to keep training right?"
The words themselves sound as if they're bitter, or passive aggressive - in and of themselves. But- they're not really.
They're more neutral. It's just an offer without any expectation one way or another. And not one because he's picky and fastidious. It's just there...
... to be taken advantage of...
<Pose Tracker> Kanae Fuyuki has posed.
He doesn't seem to Kanae like a happy guy in general.
"Huh." He 'doesn't mind'. "It's not even your class..." But Shinichi explains, and Kanae, still sweeping, lifts an eyebrow. "Huh?" she asks. "..."
He offers it to her, and she shakes hre head. "Nah. I laze out now and everybody'll be talking about how I couldn't bother to do the same things as anybody else." She knows she has to be on 'good behavior', after all.
"...Besides, it's my class, not yours. It's my responsibility."
Pause. "But that sucks. I've got a boyfriend, too, and I'm not skipping out on stuff to go see him. Not cool, Tanikawa-san."
"..I mean, I do have to practice a lot," she adds, "But not that much, that i'd have to just skip out on other stuff."
"So what, you're a friend of hers or something, that you're doing her favors?" Pause. It occurs to her he might like Mamiko... But that would be pretty brutal.
<Pose Tracker> Shinichi Nagisa has posed.
Kanae gets an unusual look as she says how it'll be talked about by other people, but he just nods in the end. "Suit yourself."
He doesn't after all think people would do that, because he's the bigger target, but he's not about to say that.
"It's whatever?" He says of Tanikawa skipping out, "School day like this she doesn't have much time to see him anyway." At least, that's how she excused it.
Pat. Pat. Pat. Yeah this is taking a while, these things are saturated with chalk dust.
"Not really? Barely know her..."
So he's not a friend- barely an acquaintance. It could be he's the type of guy who's just trying to get into her good graces just in case.
But then would he really talk about her like that?
"She just asked me if I could fill in- so why not?"
Why not??? Why though?
<Pose Tracker> Kanae Fuyuki has posed.
Kanae's used to people not being as worried about it, but she remembers what things were like in Inaba. She's pretty sure it could go like that again if a few things changed. ...Well, maybe some big things that would have to change, but no sense in tempting fate about it. "Yeah," she says. "I will." Suit herself.
But whatever? "I guess?" Kanae answers. "Well, whatever."
But he barely knows her, annd... he could be that kind of guy... Kanae sweeps, sweeps, sweeps, getting up closer to his window.
"...You really don't have anything better to do?" Kanae concludes. "That's..."
"Sorry, but that's kind of sad."
<Pose Tracker> Shinichi Nagisa has posed.
Pat. Pat. Pat.
'You really don't have anything better to do?'
'That's... Sorry, but that's kind of sad.'
The rhythm stops for a moment as he considers those words. There are more important things he could be doing, in a general sense.
His homework.
Putting in more hours at the hospital.
Yet... what's most important of all to him?
"Heh." He has this wistfulness to her smile and half-chuckle he puts forth at her comment. "Yep. That's me alright."
There's a little sadness in his blue eyes, as he picks back up again. "If you're trying to get a rise out of me... I'll just save you the trouble and tell you flat out: You won't."
It's not even defiant? Or at least if it is, then the anger is way, way deep down. He says it just matter of factly.
But why does he think that's what she's doing?
"Anyhow, erasers are done. I'll grab the duster for the blinds. Better I do that before cleaning the windows."
<Pose Tracker> Kanae Fuyuki has posed.
More important than doing someone you don't even know or like a favor? Lots of thigns would qualify for that.
But, "...Wow."
He looks sad, but Kanae just shakes her head. "Nah," Kanae says, and continuing along the room after that. "I'm not. Sorry, I shouldn't just say whatever comes to mind like that. It just... weirded me out."
"Why would I want to, anyway?"
But the erasers are done. Hm. "Yeah, guess that's true," Kanae answers about the windows. "...Thanks. You're taking the hard jobs. That makes me feel a little bad. ...But I guess I want to get out of here sooner, too."
<Pose Tracker> Shinichi Nagisa has posed.
'Wow.'
No reaction to that one. "I guess it would seem pretty weird..." He says back in reply, as he grabs the duster, and heads for the blinds. At least as tall as he is, it's not that hard a job for him.
"I dunno why. Some people make a game of it I guess."
Interesting...
But, what she says? Well, that actually gets a smile out of him, a warmer one. Like he's not used to being thanked for this sort of thing.
"Anytime. Though, you shouldn't tear yourself up over it. It's fine."
Swish, swish, as the duster goes between each blind, slowly raking across it to pick up the dust. As he cleans though-
"Huh. Did you know the latch is busted on this window?" He asks that, conversationally, stopping his dusting for a moment to inspect it, then to wiggle it outright.
"Yep, stuck tight."
<Pose Tracker> Kanae Fuyuki has posed.
"Yeah," Kanae answers. It does seem pretty weird. "Some people are like that," Kanae agrees. "They get bored or mean and decide they just want to push people. ...I don't really like it."
She can think of someone who keeps trying to get a rise out of her, anyway.
But he smiles, and that's nice. "...OK," she says. "Well, all right. I guess I won't." Tear herself up over it. "Hm?" she asks, then--Oh. "Yeah," she says. "Sorry, I forgot. I found that last time I was doing this. I don't know what to do about it, though."
<Pose Tracker> Shinichi Nagisa has posed.
Shinichi shrugs. "Usually means they're just insecure. It's whatever to me."
Better him than anyone else, in his mind. He'd rather they not waste their time, but if they're gonna- well, he's the best option.
Kanae says she won't, and he nods, as if to silently say 'good' before he inspects the window for a time.
<Pose Tracker> Kanae Fuyuki has posed.
By this point, Kanae's had a chance to mostly finish sweeping the classroom. So, now that she has that donne, she walks back over to him and his tools. Peering curiously, Kanae watches him mess with the screws, and...
'Oh," she says.
"You're pretty handy, huh?" she asks. "You can fix things. That's a nice skill to have."
The plate was loose. "I guess they'll appreciate it?"
The air might be nice over there.
"Well... Thanks."
<Pose Tracker> Shinichi Nagisa has posed.
"Try to be." Is his affirmative to being pretty handy. "I like fixing things if I can."
There's so many things you can't fix, that it feels good when you can fix something.
"No problem." He says to her thanks, sounding at least a little pleased, "You notice anything else broken around here, you can come to me. Facilities here has so much to do they usually can't get to it for a while. I can usually take care of it much quicker."
Swish. Swish.
"So how's it going lately on the courts?"
Just, small talk, but sports is at least something he can make easy small talk about.
<Pose Tracker> Kanae Fuyuki has posed.
"It's nice to do," Kanae agrees about fixing things. "Cool."
She doesn't dwell on the philosophy of it, but it's nice that he seems to appreciate being thanked. And... "Sometimes I think it's just not a priority to fix stuff like this," she admits. "But if you can do it..."
"It's nice of you. Let me get you a bread or something at least, after we finish here."
Pause. The courts! "Oh, pretty good," Kanae says. "We won our last meet. But..."
"The 'other' top player doesn't ever call that good enough. I mean, I guess it's my own fault since I decided to try to get her on the team..."
"Well, whatever, you wanted to know the outcomes, not the messy details, right?"
<Pose Tracker> Shinichi Nagisa has posed.
"Maybe." Shinichi says noncommittally to her statement about it not being a priority. "They probably have something else going on. ... I don't."
Does this guy really have that much free time? You wouldn't know it hearing the rumors. It's either that he's lazy - or a coward - or a fuck up depending on who you talk to.
"Oh- you don't have to." He says awkwardly to her offer of bread, like he's not certain how to deal with the offer of gratitude in something material. "But... I guess if you're sure, I won't turn down a snack before I head across town."
Across town- to go home? Or, what?
"Hey! Congrats." He says, positively, before, "Ah the hyper-competitive type? I get it. Hope she calms down before it lowers morale. Then it affects everyone's performance, not just hers."
But she says about the outcome? "I don't mind listening. If it's bothering you, probably means you need someone to bounce it off of- right?"
Bounce. Did he just make a low key tennis pun there? Well... Japan does love it's word games.
<Pose Tracker> Kanae Fuyuki has posed.
"Hmmm." Nothing going on.... boy needs some hobbies, Kanae thinks.
"It's cool," Kanae says, "I'm going to feel bad if I don't." A snack is good. But across town? Well, nnot really her business, so it's fie.
"I gotta travel a while myself," she admits, and goes at it sideways like that. "So I like to snack beforehand unless I'm meeting up with Touma-kun or something."
But, "Thanks!" Congrats are nice. Then she laughs. "Oh, it's definitely hitting morale," Kanae says. "But I don't know what we can do about it, so it's whatever."
Bounce it off of... Kanae grins. "Nice. And I mean, i have plenty of people to vent to, I just... figured it was better to make conversation than not."
"If you let people impose on you once, you'll probably be here again, so I might as well get to know you a little."
<Pose Tracker> Shinichi Nagisa has posed.
"Alright then." He agrees to the reward of a snack at least. "Yeah, can't do my best on an empty stomach anyway."
Do his best at what? He doesn't say... is he not just going home?
Shinichi does give her a curious look as he finishes up one set of the blinds, "Guess it's different with girls. If someone was hurting the team back when I still played, we'd get together and give them a talk. Usually there was something you can appeal to that'd get them to rethink their attitude..."
A beat.
"... is there anything you know about her like that?"
Kanae's grin, he nods, and smiles politely, "Yeah, sure. Better than just working in silence like nobody else is in the room, right?" While he doesn't mind silence... not many people at school really talk to him anymore. So it's... nice, to have a conversation.
"Probably." He agrees with her idea that he might be back if he lets people impose on him, and he knows he will, "Guess we'll see. Tanikawa-san's the only one in 2-A that's asked me to sub in so far. Could be a while though, unless your cleaning assignments always line up."
<Pose Tracker> Kanae Fuyuki has posed.
"Hmmm. I'm gonna pry a little--you have an after-school job or something?" At least she's honest about it.
Prying, that is.
But with girls, "I'm not sure it's a girl thing or if it's a her thing," Kanae admits. "She doesn't really care what anybody else thinks--or at least, she doesn't want us to think she does. She'd do the opposite out of spite, half the time."
"...Nah. Best I can do is call her rude names in French. Well, whatever. I can keep up the rest of hte team's spirits. In a way she kind of gives them someone to unite against? So... it's not all bad."
But she smiles back. "Totally," Kanae agrees. She's found another task to do by now. But it's almost all done.
"Wouldn't surprise me if someone else did once she mentions it, though. We don't always line up, but I don't mind doing my part, either, so I end up with it a little extra..."
<Pose Tracker> Shinichi Nagisa has posed.
"Kinda. It's mostly volunteering at the University Hospital. Sometimes when it's all hands on deck they pay me to come in and do kinda what a medical assistant does."
He wobbles his hand as if to say 'it's not quite that', so she won't think it's anything illegal, since those things usually need certification.
"Hm." He says to Kanae's explanation, "She's that bad?" Shinichi asks, mildly. "So kinda like a rival on the team. That's fine, so long as everyone can look at her that way."
By now, he's finished with the blinds and is drawing them up, before beginning to dust them as well, before he can start to properly clean them.
"Hmm. Well not everyone likes to clean." He says on leaving her a little extra, "I find it kinda calming though."
He didn't used to like it so much. As a boy he thought it was a woman's job - but now, he kinda does. Go figure.
What would his younger self think if he could see him now?
<Pose Tracker> Kanae Fuyuki has posed.
"Oh!" Kanae finnds her opinion of Shinichi going up, actually. "That's really cool," she says. "You going into medical stuff when you get older, or something?" She doesn't know enough about hospitals to know that that would be illegal. So it's fine!
But, "Heh. She is. ...A lot of people get down on her, though. So I guess she's just fighting back... or I say that, but then she's going to dump water on my head again or something and make me forget I was feeling a little sympathetic."
"Dust! Kanae comes over and--well, she can't do them at the same time, but she's about done with her half, so she keeps him company for the momennt. "It is pretty calming," she agrees. "Not a boy's thing, usually. But calming."
<Pose Tracker> Shinichi Nagisa has posed.
"You'll probably laugh." He says with a wan smile as if to communicate everyone does, "Thinking of becoming a nurse, actually."
He braces for it a little, whatever reaction usually comes, before saying as if to move on quickly from whatever it might be, "What about you? What kind of career are you thinking about?"
He nods as he listens to Isabeau- "... Guys do that sometimes too, like when we're celebrating a victory. But something tells me it wasn't like that?"
He chuckles, and there's a shake of his head, as he gets the corners. "Yeah, not a boy's thing at all really. My mom was surprised when I got a little into it..."
Not a boy's thing. Unmanly. He tries never to let it faze him- but it really does, sometimes. There's a lot of things he's into now that most boys aren't but...
... most boys haven't done something as awful as him either.
<Pose Tracker> Kanae Fuyuki has posed.
"Whoa, really?" Kanae wonders. "Nurse over doctor? Why's that?" She doesn't laugh, but she does ask the question. But her?
"Oh, I..."
Have to talk to a man with a long nose and a wizard about averting a war that will consume everything I love.
"Aah, I'm not sure yet," Kanae admits. "I'm probably not good enough to go pro in tennis, and what I really want is to do something in film, but... I'm not likely to get hired as an actress, and I'm not sure how to get in on the technical side."
But guys, too. "It was not. It was more of a 'we got mad and ended up getting kicked off the field for fighting' kind of thing." She looks chagrined about it, at least. "That girl always winds me up."
His mom was surprised! "Yeah. But that's cool, too? Means when you get older maybe your wife won't have to do all the work. That'd be cool for her, right?"
<Pose Tracker> Shinichi Nagisa has posed.
"Hmm. I'm not scared of hard work or anything... just- I don't see the point in becoming a Doctor when what I really wanna do is take care of people."
Sure there's the thought he's not smart enough. At this point there's definitely no way he could just buckle down and make up for it.
But he could try, just- he doesn't see the point, when his goal is something else.
"Doctors at the hospital are more hands off than I'd like to be? Guess that sounds ridiculous... but I think I'd rather be a nurse."
His Dad tried to talk him into being a surgeon instead, being good with his hands, wanting to fix people- but nah.
He just wants to care for people and you can't do that while they're under anesthesia. He nods at Kanae saying she's probably not good enough to go pro- instead wanting to do something in film. "Not sure. I've heard that people usually are in AV clubs- then maybe they go to film school? Never thought about how someone gets into it unless you start real young and get picked up by a talent agency..."
He actually looks pretty thoughtful about that, "But, you could always see? Maybe it gets you a scholarship to the university at least. Then you competing at that level will give you a better idea."
It's at least a good thought there, it's what he thought he'd always do, but he messed that up. No way would anyone ever recruit him at the college level.
And besides, he still doesn't want to play anyway.
"Heh." He has this wistful smile on his face, maybe even a little chagrined, "Well hopefully they didn't suspend you or anything. I got tossed out of a few games for that... but they figure two guys going at it is pretty normal in a contact sport."
He'd like to say 'maybe get to know her better' but easy for him to say, harder for Kanae to live through.
...
...
...
He knows he can never get married... if he messed up... no. But you can't say that, "Yeah true. I mean, I wouldn't want to put all the housework on her anyway? Especially since she'd probably have to do most of the cooking- I'm not any good at it."
It's more acceptable for guys to learn how to cook, but he just- never had anyone to teach him, and he never had the impetus to learn that aspect of domestic life.
<Pose Tracker> Kanae Fuyuki has posed.
"Oh," Kanae says, nodding thoughtfully. "That makes sense. Doctors are kinda more 'tell you what to do' than just take care of you, I guess." She can see it. But her experiences with doctors are Like That, anyway. "Hmmm... I guess that's a thought." A shake of her head. "Japanese audiences don't want to see girls like me in their shows, anyway. I'd definitely be on the other side of the camera."
But, tennis.. "Hmmm, yeah. I shouldn't count myself out before I've tried, right?"
But she laughs. "Nah, it was basically a slap on the wrist. Besides, they can't get rid of their two best players." A beat, "I guess that's true. But guys are all easygoing about fights, too."
Kanae knows Isabeau very well. But since he doesn't say what he's thihking, "Hmmm, that's cool of you too," she says. "You're more of a catch than I thought you were, Nagisa-san." Not that she's interested; she has a boyfriend. "Most boys aren't any good at cooking," Kanae agrees. "...But hey. You're about done, and I've got somebody waiting on me.."
"But if you happen to be around another time, we can talk some more."
<Pose Tracker> Shinichi Nagisa has posed.
"Yeah exactly."
The culture of being a Doctor is... pretty ultra-aggressive, authoritative too. He's seen nurses get chewed out for things that aren't their fault and, he just doesn't like it.
He doesn't want to be in that position.
"Huh? Really?" He says as he looks her over, "I think you're pretty cute myself, never really got into that whole 'pale skin' thing."
He says it matter of factly, without any sense of flirting with her.
"Exactly. I mean sure most people aren't gonna go pro but- doesn't mean it can't open doors, right?"
He nods again, with a smile as she notes can't get rid of their two best players, "That's the Shujin way." He quips, but that may be more meaningful than she said. "And yeah that's true. Sometimes we'd make up right after. Girls can hold a grudge for longer."
There's something of a wan smile at her statement of him being a catch, "Oh you're just saying that. I'm nothing special, really." He used to be confident- he used to think of himself as a catch.
Not anymore.
"Sure. Wouldn't mind cleaning beside you again." He smiles at her, and if she forgets about the bread, he won't remind her.
<Pose Tracker> Kanae Fuyuki has posed.
"Thanks," Kanae says, "But a lot of people are into that. ...I just don't think it would work out." Since hew asn't weird about it, he only gets her hesitating a moment before she answers. ...Then, it's fine. But, "Guess so." Doors...
"Heh," Kanae laughs about the Shujin way. "I guess it is. ...But that's just it; we hold grudges a lot more. And we've definitely got a grudge, me and her."
She waves a hand. "Well, I won't try to convince you. The whole modesty thing works for some girls, too."
"Yeah," she agrees. "Me, too."
She in fact will remember the bread! ...and drop it off before she heads out againn.