2026-01-29: New Facts and New Ways Of Being
- Log: New Facts and New Ways Of Being
- Cast: Tsubasa Seki, Ryuji Sakamoto
- Where: Izakaya Shiraishi - Kameya Alley
- OOC Date: 2026-01-29
- IC Date: Mon, Sep 17 2012
- Summary: Tsubasa invites Ryuji out for a bite to eat, and hears about his unsettling classmate Kazusa and his aspirations towards a food blog. Ryuji didn't realise Tsubasa was the kind of nerd who would suggest incorporating how well the business is doing into those reviews, though! When Tsubasa gets a chance to ask about a fact of Ryuji's, they come up with something unexpected: asking where the two of them stand in terms of their relationship. They work through their own feelings about it, and recognise how important Ichika is to the whole premise.
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Tsubasa's invited Ryuji out, this time! To the tune of 'yo wana hit up th izakaya', it's not exactly a formal invitation, but it still counts.
Izakaya Shiraishi isn't too crowded in the afternoon after school. It's more of an adult's hangout than a place for teens, in a lot of ways -- including its serving of beer, which is not for the youth -- but Ma'am permits Lance to sit under the table so long as she doesn't bother anyone, which is more than Tsubasa can say for a lot of food joints.
They, of course, have ordered kaarage chicken. Obviously.
"Yo," they lift a hand, when Ryuji finds his way here, too. They're in a magenta, cyan and yellow wig today, but they haven't yet found it in themself to change out of their Kasugayama school uniform. (They wear the boys' uniform, despite the fact that schools are positively draconian about girls wearing skirts and Kasugayama not precisely being a bastion of GID inclusivity; the bottom half of their shirt is unbuttoned and tied in a knot around their waist, and their sleeves are rolled up to the shoulders.) "How ya been?"
<Pose Tracker> Ryuji Sakamoto has posed.
Of course Ryuji wants to hit up an Izakaya!
After school, Ryuji is on the first train out of Tokyo and into Sumaru. Which is why he is still in his Shujin uniform as he rolls into Izakaya Shiraishi.
Ryuji waves as he sees Tsubasa, grinning at them as he makes his way to the table. He immediately pets Lance because who wouldn't? A Monster, thats who.
"Sup?" He notes the uniform and the tied shirt, sighing. Why they gotta treat Tsubasa like that?
After stretching a little, Ryuji leans on the table and yawns. "It's ok....Just school bullshit...About to go crazy with the weird girl in my class. It's like sitting in a room with a Wolverine or something vicious. Just waiting for it to eat you...only this one probably eats souls or whatever paranormal bullshit."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Nummuch." Tsubasa shrugs a shoulder, as Lance's tail goes thump-thump-thump beneath the table.
But -- school bullshit! "Huh." They pause, for a moment. "... an' that's weird where you at?" Tsubasa... might have a higher-than-normal expectation that girls will be vicious, having gone first to Akiyama and then to Kasugayama.
A moment later, their lips pull back in a brief grin. "Don't worry. Givin' you shit. Know it's weird, I used to go there, too. You talkin' Motojima-san, yeah? Like ya said on th' chat." Tsubasa's cheer fades, as they grab a piece of chicken. "Yeah. She was right fucked when I saw her, but it weren't nothin' supernatural. Shitty fathers are like... world's most natural disaster."
<Pose Tracker> Ryuji Sakamoto has posed.
Ryuji continues to pet Lance as he watches Tsubasa, nodding lightly.
He grins as Tsubasa gives him shit. "Yeah just like your school is filled with Elvis impersonators." He chuckles picturing all those pompadour'd badasses in white bedazzled track suits with fringe. It was quite an image.
"Yeah. Motojima.." Ryuji's smile fades as he groans at that name. "Look if it was just that she was nice, I'd probably ignore it but..." He tries to figure out how to explain the vibes he got off a homunculus. He leans back as he tries to find the words. "So like...imagine if you had a really bad Shadow just sitting with you. Staring at you. I mean I dunno know if it is but its just like...there and you know it. Like for real dude. It's a lot and I don't like having to spend homeroom with her if I can help it." He sighs and looks back to Tsubasa. "And if I'm not careful, I could end up on the school's bad side if I keep having to go to the nurse to get some distance man."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Hey man, sequins are sick," Tsubasa speaks in defence of the impersonators. Of course they'd think sequins are sick, they're so bird-brained they're probably infinitely amused by the shiny clothes.
Still, Ryuji talks about how bad the vibes around Kazusa are, as Tsubasa chomps down a piece of chicken. "Hm," they grunt, around it. Okay, swallow, then -- "I'll ask Uchida-san if she's heard anythin'. Gotta get th' latest reports to her soon, anyhow." A light pause, and -- "Uh, she reckons Phoenix is a friend a mine. S'how I explain it to most folks. Only got supes awkward, like, th' one time."
IT WAS SO SUPER AWKWARD BUT NEVER MIND THAT
<Pose Tracker> Ryuji Sakamoto has posed.
"Heh. Didn't think Elvis was your style, bro." Ryuji laughs, looking down at the menu as he quickly decides on a Banana Ramen for himself. This would be his second plunge into the Banana Ramen world...
"Yeah. I know we're supposed to look into it but man will I be glad to get whatever it is out of my class. I almost feel like studying I'm so messed up from this all." Ryuji laughs, knowing that he isn't serious about school work until the last possible moment and that may never chance. Still, maybe he should start taking stuff seriously for this future Ichika has made Ryuji sort of want. "Man, I don't even try to do the secret identity thing...Feels like it could get complicated fast. Plus like one slip up and well..." He runs a finger along his neck.
"Soooo...I'm thinking of starting a food blog where I review all these places I go to. Put my usual actions into something ya know?"
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Not mine," Tsubasa shrugs, "but I respect it."
They frown, as Ryuji declares that he almost feels like studying. "That serious, huh. Aight, leave it with me." Tsubasa rubs at the back of their own neck, though, as Ryuji talks about the struggles of a secret identity. "Kinda didn't have a choice. Had to explain it from th' start." It has to do with how Tsubasa, specifically, Awakened -- in front of everyone, who were all deeply distraught at the idea they might have just died.
Still, Ryuji shares his ambitions to start a food blog. "Yeah?" Tsubasa asks, looking back over to him. "What's ya metrics? If ya wanna measure somethin', you gotta have an objective set a standards ya measurin' everythin' by. Like, service quality, ingredient quality, that kinda shit?"
Tsubasa it's a food blog not a science experiment!!!
(Then again, aren't those how people make rating systems...?)
<Pose Tracker> Ryuji Sakamoto has posed.
"Heh...I dunno bro. Get one of those Disco jackets and you'd be sure to impress Ichika." Ryuji sticks out his tongue before grinning mischievously. "Nah, man, I get you. I'm more into the black biker stuff myself." DID RYUJI JUST ADMIT TO BEING A LEATHER DADDY? No but you sure could pick on him.
"Yeah man. That serious. Maybe It's just cuz I'm not used to it just...being there in the real world? Like what if the monster got you while you were under the blanket." Ryuji rubs the bridge of his nose, nodding. "Yeah, I forgot...I guess it can't be helped. Admittedly, I'm kinda wondering what the cops could actually charge us with? Like I don't think people know about this stuff besides the results...That said I've been hearing that don't need to officially do anything to us so it's best we remain hidden like ninja." He doesn't realize the irony of telling Tsubasa this.
Then Tsubasa drops the scientific method on Ryuji's soft skull and he just stares like a deer in headlights. "Uhhh. I thought I'd just give my thoughts and observations but I guess I could figure out a system." Suddenly, Ryuji wonders if pre-delinquent Tsubasa was a mad scientist NB who lashed them down with their hypotheses. Maybe he's watching too much anime...
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Tch," Tsubasa clicks their tongue to their teeth, flashing another grin. "Careful. Might just pull it off." They gesture, with a hand, as they add: "Leather's hot as shit, tho', man. Save it for another month or so." Wait, they've worn it?!
(Visual Kei's got all kinds of fashion involved in it, man.)
"Pre' much," is how Tsubasa sums up Ryuji's assessment. (Hey, man, ninja aren't bad, it's just that specific ninja who's bad.) "Cops'll jus', like, make shit up. Like when they was tryin' to pin th' Aoba arson on me." That arson job, of course, was committed in an attempt to murder them.
Tsubasa might be an evil scientist. An evil data scientist, which is, like, the worst kind? Do you KNOW how much evil you can do with statistics?! Tsubasa knows, which is probably why they say: "You can look up how good a joint's been doin' financially, compare that to food quality. Adults love that shit. Either it validates their priors," what the fuck are priors, "or they get to thinkin' they're rogue heroes savin' a sufferin' establishment that oughta do way better than it should. Or you take down a place what's doin' great despite their food suckin' shit."
A beat passes. "Or I can look that shit up for ya," they offer. "Databases are dry as shit." At least that explains where you find that information.
<Pose Tracker> Ryuji Sakamoto has posed.
Ryuji blushes and laughs nervously. "Yeah, what am I saying? Ichika might just cut me off for Disco Tsu." He pauses for effect before breaking out laughing.
"Nah that was pretty lame..." He pauses again when Tsubasa admits to also being into leather. He tightens his jaw and nods in appreciation. "Sound advice. heh."
"For real? Fucking assholes ! " He lets out a sigh, tapping his fingers on the table in more angry manner. "I guess we don't get caught then...which means that fucking smug bastard Akechi can really screw us if he gets proof." Ryuji is just saying something he already knows as if to confirm it again with someone. "Damnit..."
Ryuji just stares at Tsubasa with the weirdest expression. This is the first time he's seen this aspect to Tsubasa. It wasn't the make up, the gender experience, the fashion....it was the fact Tsubasa was a nerd? He finally just laughs for a solid moment. "Sorry...I just never knew this was your thing...Like I can see why she likes you so much, dude." He grins and shakes his head. "Come on, you get one weird fact about me if you want it, bro. Only fair."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Nah," Tsubasa shakes their head. "Reckon she'd like you in a leather jacket jus' as much." So, like, could that work???
Dear God, that might work.
Tsubasa pauses, though, tilting their head as they consider for a moment. "... don't reckon Akechi would stitch us up. He's got, like... pride 'n shit. He'd wanna get us for an actual reason. Ain't got nothin' I can say 'bout most a them cops, tho'... 'sides from Officer Shimizu," not Shimazu, that's a critical difference, "an' Sergeant Suou, they all fuckin' junk."
Congrats, entire police force. You have two good apples.
But Ryuji gives Tsubasa a strange look, and Tsubasa gives Ryuji one in turn. "What? You got a problem?! H--hey, c'mon!" Their shoulders hunch as they take CRITICAL damage to their rep, like, they can SENSE it!!!
They scowl, looking off to the side, and at least it's not completely obvious their cheeks are burning under all their layers of artifice. (It's not exactly perfect camouflage, either.) "Tch," they click their tongue to their teeth, and they might have just played it off cool, like, effortlessly established that they're still the meanest thug on the block and actually knowing the intricacies of spreadsheets is totally cool bro...
But they scratch at their cheek with a finger, as something else barges into their head. "Uh." It's a very eloquent start. "Got a question 'round there, actually."
Tsubasa then completely fails to actually ask the question for a solid fifteen seconds.
"Uh, like," they start, at length. "When you were dealin' with me mom?" Oh, no, it's going there. "You said, uh, how she was makin' ya partners uncomfortable, like, plural... oughta ask ya how you regardin' me. Yeah?"
<Pose Tracker> Ryuji Sakamoto has posed.
Ryuji nods. "Yeah, maybe so."
Ryuji can be like one of those GyoGyo manga characters!
He blinks at their answer on Akechi being that stuck up. Even he is shocked that the Detective Prince was that egotistical...like Ryuji had some idea that the pretty boy was fake but what other demons could the jerk have? Was he mean to cats or something? "Man, I don't get why we let him hang around...He just keeps showing up..."
Ryuji blinks again when Tsubasa mentions which cops are good and all of that. It just hits him how bad his friend has had it. "Right. I'll keep that in mind."
Ryuji kinda feels bad about it, wincing as he watches the damage he just wrought. "Uh...sorry. That might've been a little too much."
Then Ryuji is hit by Critical damage by something he isn't sure how to approach. I mean what did he mean. He just stares for a moment as he winces again and tries very slowly to make sense. "I mean like I've been trying to figure that out too...Like I admit part of why I can be in this relationship is because the other side is you, dude. Like you got more history and stuff with her but I also know that it's different for me and her...so I guess I was trying to like"
He rubs the back of his neck and looks at the table. "...show that you are on my team too or something...I admit I haven't really considered the romantic side of it...which now I admit is me making this awkward as fuck."
"My bad if that made you uncomfortable." Ryuji looks up, scratching the back of his head.
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"I dunno, man," Tsubasa shrugs. "Sure-ass respect findin' a reason more'n makin' shit up for quotas." Are they defending Akechi after what he did?! Come on, man!!
(A lot of cops do just make shit up for quotas, though, huh... 'show them the man and they'll tell you the crime', they might suggest, if they wanted to get lambasted even more for being a huge nerd who actually read their history textbook.)
"It's not that weird," Tsubasa mutters, in frank denial of how weird it is.
What's kind of weird: their whole relationship! There's no guidebook on this shit, man!! Still, Tsubasa listens carefully to what Ryuji has to say, as they gnaw on the inside of their cheek. So they're a factor, too...?
"Supes awkward," they agree. "But like, it's cool, dude. Wouldna... asked if I weren't thinkin' 'bout it. But, uh..." Tsubasa starts, and wishes, for about the millionth time, that they could just sub in Ichika here and climb out the window. Ichika's, like, good at this touchy-feely emotions shit. "It was... cool, y'know? Nice how... you were, like... really gave a shit. Like -- I ain't, like -- ain't like with Ichika, but... it's cool how I... matter to you too. Or... somethin'. Like -- like, I give a shit 'bout you too, like --" Tsubasa, overusing all those filler words is going to put you in debt for generations, "uh, like, I saw how Ichika was with her guys before, y'know? They weren't, like... involved with each other none. Didn't talk or hang out or nothin'... it's different like this. We... goin' forward together, right?"
<Pose Tracker> Ryuji Sakamoto has posed.
"I guess they are both kind of messed up, eh?" Ryuji admits.
"Thanks." Ryuji says, forcing an awkward smile as they try to ground themselves again. He does listen to them also try to navigate this relationship, nodding. At least, he wasn't alone in this.
"It was cool? Eh, I dunno about that but it's how I feel though." He nods, smiling a little less awkwardly.
"I'm glad you're not super angry cuz I dunno dude. This all is super new to me. My romantic experience is the manga I read and what we have...like it's new...So like yeah, let's figure it out." He nods, finally seeing his ramen has been delivered. He didn't even notice. He grins sheepishly. "Yeah, I get the feeling that Ichika was with some real assholes before me. And like I ain't perfect but I'm not...like that either? So it's interesting to be...compared to that, ya know?"
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Yup," Tsubasa nods.
"Don't worry, man, it's like -- it's good," they try to explain what they mean by cool. It's hard to figure out just what Tsubasa means with that weird mix of slang and shit straight from the thesaurus, huh?
They actually look surprised, though, when Ryuji talks about the possibility they'd be mad. It takes them a minute to think about it and realise that a lot of guys have -- charitably -- colourful responses to any implication of homosexuality. (It's not that they don't know very well those responses exist; it's just kind of hard for them to conceptualise it in their head.) "Nah, man, I ain't mad or nothin'," they shake their head. "Fuck, dude, I even dated a guy before, y'know?"
(And he was a huge prick, but they can't all be winners.)
Tsubasa shrugs, finally remembering their own karaage, too. Chomp. "Nah, like... she had good boyfriends, too. You jus' heard bout the king shithead. Like, sure, there were other jerks, was this one prick who reckoned he didn't need no rubber, that's how I ended up takin' her back to me shithole apartment th' first time..." They trail off, thoughtfully, for a moment. Then: "Uh. Didn't like no one comin' over back then, was a whole thing, it's whatever. But most of 'em were better, like, there was this artist guy, liked crossdressin', an' me roommate, Shuyo-kun, he's part a her gang... he's th' only one I know real well, but I ain't heard nothin' from th' other guys what made me reckon I oughta hold no intervention. Like, there was this one guy from school, wanted to settle down 'fore she was ready to think 'bout that shit, but he took no for an answer jus' fine." They poke at their chicken, with another shrug. "... so she's come a long way too, y'know?"
Tsubasa shakes their head. "Anyway. I ain't tryin' to psyche you out or nothin', jus'... wanna make it clear I ain't comparin' you to dirt. ... but I get it if it gets stuck in ya head."
Their fingers drop, to drum, against the table. "Gets in mine, too."
<Pose Tracker> Ryuji Sakamoto has posed.
Ryuji nods. "I guess that's true. You're X-Gender so the rules have gotta be different."
Oh Ryuji loved breaking that guy's nose. A grin comes to his face when he remembers the nasal voice that asshole had post sucker punch.
Ryuji takes generous slurps of his Banana Ramen, letting the bizarre sweet broth settle on his tongue as he listens to the list of guys. He has admittedly gotten better about not feel inadequate in comparison. However the amount of guys does bring a dullness to his eyes as the anxiety hovers. He slurps more noodles and broth.
He swallows and nods. "Yeah...I get you dude."
"Look, I think we both needed Ichika to...balance whatever we're doing. Like she kinda makes a lot of this make sense."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
"Fuck th' rules, man," Tsubasa nods, firmly.
Unfortunately: they're just not very good at this whole touchy-feely shit. They can tell that Ryuji's feeling bad, but that doesn't mean they have any clue how to help.
"She's good at that," they settle on agreeing, instead. "I... get in my head a lot. She's the one pulls me outta it. She'd prolly be talkin' way smarter 'bout this shit than me, even if she's down on herself havin' any." Smarts, that is. "Like... was thinkin' how... I was jus' like me father, other day, after we got in a fight with our friend at school. All... wrapped up in it... like there was somethin' in me can't be fixed. I was scared I'd hurt her... I really wanted to run away. 'Specially with all th' -- th' targets on me back an' shit. But she -- she got it through me thick fuckin' skull she wanted to be with me -- thought it was important I was tryin' instead of jus' takin' bein' good for granted. Cared so much 'bout that she was willin' to pick me up."
Tsubasa looks down, at their rapping fingers. "Guess she knows what she wants, y'know...?"
<Pose Tracker> Ryuji Sakamoto has posed.
"Heh. For real, dude. Fuck the rules." Ryuji grins.
Ryuji listens to them talk about their fight and how Ichika managed to pull them out of their shell. He nods, liking that Ichika could just do that. It was nice to know someone like that.
"I guess she does. Don't ask me how or why us but she certainly does want us." Ryuji takes another slurp of his ramen, swallowing quickly. "But it makes me want to be a good boyfriend to her."
Ryuji finishes his Ramen quickly, looking pleased. "So lets go hit up an arcade or something dude. Maybe we can win her something out of those claw machines."
Ryuji pets Lance again, feeling like the world was going right for once.