2026-02-09: For Tomorrow's Sake
- Log: For Tomorrow's Sake
- Cast: Hyousuke Suzuki, Jun Kashihara
- Where: Izakaya Shiraishi
- OOC Date: 2026-02-09
- IC Date: Sat Sep 22
- Summary: Hyousuke and Jun decide to have lunch at the izakaya, where the discussion quickly turns to the topic of Jun's mother's recent advocacy. Both reaffirm that they want to work towards a better tomorrow, though Hyousuke remains unsure if he will be there to see it.
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
The izakaya was a bustling as it had always been. Glass and ceramic clinked and clattered all throughout the establishment, providing an uneven rhythm as the backdrop for the conversations filling the air, as well as whatever background noise could be heard filtering in through the walls and out of the kitchen. While one might have thought the disparate collection of noises would have created a cacophony not conducive to an environment built for eating in, Hyousuke found the noise to be somewhat relaxing. He couldn't quite place why, and didn't care to think on it too deeply. The food was good, the atmosphere was lively and easy to immerse oneself in, and most importantly, he could actually afford to eat there.
Rounding it all off was the company. With lunch close by at the end of the day, and Jun being a mere stone's throw from him once the last bell of the day had rung, he'd not hesitated to invite Jun to grab a meal with him. That aside, there was something on his mind that he'd been meaning to talk to Jun about for a while, but had never quite found the time for. If ever there had been a chance to do so, a light afternoon meal was it.
"Hope I'm not pulling you off anything important." Hyousuke said lightly, trying to keep a conversation going between idle sips of green tea. "You must be getting busy with requests for tutoring and stuff now that everyone's off holidays."
<Pose Tracker> Jun Kashihara has posed.
Jun is happy to accept Hyousuke's invitation to get lunch together. As classmates, and as tutor and tutee, they've slowly been getting closer over the course of the school year. It's nice to go out somewhere to eat even if it's not a backdrop for Jun helping Hyousuke internalize his lessons. And, of course, as someone who grew up in the neighborhood, Jun's known Ma'am a long time, and enjoys her food--even if she does make it very weird sometimes.
"Not at all," Jun reassures him in between sips of his own tea. He laughs a little at Hyousuke's assumption. "I'm flattered you think so, but I don't get all that many requests. You and Kawase-san are the main ones, along with a couple others. I've had a scattering of those who ask me once or twice and then lose interest--studying just enough to pass a test or exam. Still, I'm glad to be able to help others learn, even if it's only for one session."
Ssssip. "You've been doing better on your own schoolwork lately," he adds. "At least, it feels that way to me. What do you think, Suzuki-kun?"
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
Hyousuke shrugged lightly, remaining quiet for the few seconds it took for him to take another sip of his tea. When he put it down, and his expression was once more unobscured by the mug, he didn't seem to be particularly pleased or perturbed by the results of his own tests.
"I'm getting better." He said, the tone of his voice reflecting the look on his face. "Got a C- on most stuff. Except for English..." Considering that he barely attended school before being dragged kicking and screaming into Kasu, it was a marked improvement. "But I'm pretty sure that's mostly 'cause you've been helping me." Jun was far from the *only* influence, but Hyousuke was willing to bet he was one of the more impactful ones.
Another silent moment passed, and another thoughtful sip of tea was taken - a chance for him to let another thought coalesce in his mind, so he didn't stumble through his next question blindly.
"By the way, been meaning to ask about something." His tone grew a little less casual, and a little more firm. The slight pause before he continued certainly didn't relax matters either. "It's about your mum. You never told me she was Junko Kurosu!" Mild though it was, there was genuine surprise in Hyousuke's voice. He didn't sound particularly concerned by it - just surprised.
<Pose Tracker> Jun Kashihara has posed.
"Hmmm... We can work on your English next if you feel like you're still struggling with it," Jun offers. Then he smiles ruefully. "Ah, but maybe you don't want to discuss that right now while we're just hanging out? Still, I'm glad to hear you feel like you've been improving." Whether it's mostly because of Jun or not--that part isn't the important part to him anyway.
There's a moment of comfortable silence as the two of them drink their drinks. Jun's already put in an order of yakitori, and it isn't long before it's delivered to their table. Hyousuke, if he's ordered something, will receive it too. Jun's just picked up a stick of his order when Hyousuke speaks up about his mother.
"She is," he confirms, smiling fondly. "I don't usually bring it up--I don't want to come across like I'm bragging. But people have been noticing our resemblance more lately." There is something to the fact that Junko played the Kuchisake-Onna in SMILE, and how Jun is supposedly the true Joker according to the Joker Killer--both of them beautiful, yet assigned to the role of something monstrous. Jun looks off into the distance for a moment, then shakes his head a bit.
"Were you interested in meeting her? I visit her often at Sumaru TV, so I could introduce you if you like," he offers before nibbling on his skewered chicken.
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
The short, quiet, thump of a bowl being placed upon the table sounded between them, and Hyousuke set to work almost immediately upon his steaming bowl of banana ramen. Odd though it may have seemed to some, Hyousuke treated it with the same zeal as he would have any other normal bowl, albeit slowed a little given he was in the middle of a conversation. At Jun's question, he simply laughed a little and shook his head slightly, smiling politely when he offered a reply.
"Nah, it's fine, I don't want to bother either of you." He said, waving his chopsticks a little, as if to dismiss the notion. "I'm just surprised I never found out before now."
Looking at Jun, and remembering what he could of the actress, the resemblance was certainly there. Whatever his reason was for not having been able to pick up on it before, he found it impossible to deny now.
"Only put it together when she made that announcement." He said, his tone settling into something more casual and offhanded.
<Pose Tracker> Jun Kashihara has posed.
"Announcement? ...Ah, you mean how she's been in the news lately pushing for more LGBTQ+ rights?" Jun pauses to admire the gusto with which Hyousuke attacks that bowl of banana ramen with only a little bit of mute horror. Has he ever seen anyone eat that and like it? He's genuinely unsure. Maybe that Shinjiro Aragaki fellow... and even then, Jun isn't sure if he liked it but was intrigued by the bizarre flavor profile. He supposes there's an audience for any flavor. It's heartening in its own way, really.
"It's true," Jun continues after chewing and swallowing another bite of chicken. "It came up after I came back from... Ijuuin-sensei's wedding," he says, a touch delicately. It's still odd to call Yua Ijuuin-sensei instead of Ooshiro-sensei. "She asked me how it was, and I told her, and she commented that she couldn't wait to see me marry the man of my dreams." He smiles sadly. "Father and I had to point out how that can't happen, at least not in Japan. She was quite taken aback. She knew, it just... never stuck in her mind as relevant, apparently."
That sadness is cut by a fond chuckle. "She's been quite passionate about it since. I think she just wants to see me walk down the aisle in a white tuxedo."
He's not sure that'll happen anytime soon--certainly not with the boy he has in his heart right now--but it really does feel good knowing that his mother is fighting to make sure it can happen one day.
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
Even hearing 'Ijuuin-sensei' was enough to give Hyousuke pause. It occurred for little more than a heartbeat, and would likely have been nigh-imperceptible to anyone not specifically looking for it, but even he still had trouble processing that she wasn't Ooshiro-sensei any more. The things said at the wedding, and the way she'd acted, certainly didn't make him any less apprehensive about the whole thing, but there was little to do about it now. There were more pertinent matters that required his attention anyway - two of them being talk of Jun, and of Yua.
"I think we'd all be happy to see it." Hyousuke responded, after swallowing down another mouthful. Despite his best attempts at maintaining impeccable table manners, old habits died hard. He spoke so casually it might have been difficult to tell, but it was his attempt at providing reassurance. "Kinda relieved to know some adults give a crap about you and this sorta thing." He continued, poking at the noodles, but not quite lifting them. "...Pisses me off that most of 'em don't..." He didn't expound upon those that actively opposed it. He didn't see the need to, hoping that their inclusion was implied.
<Pose Tracker> Jun Kashihara has posed.
Jun does note that brief pause of Hyousuke's--after all, the two of them were there together, and talked about it afterwards. He doesn't have cause to think he's any more or less weirded out by it than he is, even if Hyousuke did seem to want to confront Yua about if this wedding was bad for her. Maybe he still thinks that way. Jun doesn't press.
Not when there's something more pressing that Hyousuke is mumbling about. Jun pauses in eating his yakitori when he sees Hyousuke prod at his ramen noodles and make a bitter comment about how most adults don't care--in such a way that implies it's something that Hyousuke's affected by too.
"It is frustrating," he says delicately. "I hope my mother's example will be inspiring for those who also simply never thought about it deeply before. There are some who won't care, or who will be actively opposed, but there will be others who care for those who are affected by it--or are affected by it themselves." Jun offers Hyousuke a small smile. "You and I will be legal adults in only another couple years or so, too."
They may be children now, but it won't be much longer before that's no longer true. Resenting adults when they'll inevitably become the same is a good way of making oneself miserable, in Jun's opinion.
"I do feel sorry for those who don't get the support they need from the adults around them, though," he adds softly, watching Hyousuke for a moment. "But maybe this will prompt them to reach out to their peers instead, by allowing it to be something people can freely discuss."
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
Hyousuke bit back a bitter response when Jun mentioned themselves becoming adults in no small amount of time. He wanted to make some morose remark about how he wasn't certain he'd make it to the end of the next year, much less into adulthood. He wanted to say he'd already spoken of his uncertainty of the future, and how things were no more clear now than they had been when he'd talked to a 'coworker.' He wanted to say so many things, but Jun was not the person that he thought should hear them. Certainly not in a settling like this.
He nodded thoughtfully instead, using the tea as an excuse to keep from having to speak until he was good and ready. He only managed that when Jun mentioned others being spurred on to speak out, and though a moment to collect himself seemed to have toned down the bitter sting to his words, it still tinged his speech.
"Then I guess we gotta step up and help them." He remarked. He paused for a second or two after, looking down at the bowl as he chewed on the statement he himself had made - as if his mouth had moved before his mind had a chance to act.
He almost seemed surprised by the fact that he'd said it, or perhaps that his first instinct had been to assume that he could actually offer any meaningful help to those in need. The silence that plagued him almost seemed a stunned one, and when he spoke again, his tone was a little hesitant. Like he was searching for the words as he spoke them.
"Like you said, we're gonna be adults soon. And we gotta do *something.*" There it was again - the same attitude he'd approached the post-wedding situation with. The need to help, to act, to do something... and the grim reality that he didn't know what, or how, or with who.
He never thought on himself, despite the remarks made to Jun. What he could do, and how he should proceed - if he even lived that long - were brought up, certainly. But it was about others, and not about himself.
<Pose Tracker> Jun Kashihara has posed.
It's true that there's a certain aspect of Hyousuke's life that Jun won't be able to understand--even if he's been threatened by it time and time again by now. Certainly Jun has no reason to think that Hyousuke's life might be cut short, either because of supernatural things or... anything else. With both of them eating, he doesn't catch that on Hyousuke's face either.
Instead, Hyousuke talks about how they've got to do more on their parts to help out. Jun nods slowly as he chews and swallows his food. "You're right. It's something that affects me directly; I shouldn't simply sit back and wait to see someone else's results," he muses. He tilts his head to consider Hyousuke. The way he repeatedly uses 'we'... "Is it, perhaps, something that directly affects you too? Or do you simply want to help support your friends?"
Jun's not the only queer person in their friend group, after all.
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
"My friends. Not just the marriage thing, but the..." His face contorted a little, and he looked away again. The gears turned in his head, and he attempted to try and figure out what he was supposed to say, but it was clear that he struggled to put his thoughts into words. He eventually managed to speak, but he seemed hesitant to, still thinking on what exactly he wanted to get across to Jun. "...The whole thing. I want... I want things to be better for them. For you. For..."
For himself? The thought was almost laughable. He wasn't even sure he'd be there next year.
"...For everyone, I guess." He said, settling on something that he hoped wasn't so vague as to raise suspicion. "Doesn't affect me directly though. I don't even think about getting involved with that kinda thing. I've got bigger things to deal with than that." He waved his chopsticks a little as he closed off, as if the motion would dismiss any notions of romance or intimacy or related topics. Then, he waved them for a heartbeat longer and a mote harder than he might usually have.
The thoughts proved unusually stubborn when he tried to push them down and keep them quiet.
<Pose Tracker> Jun Kashihara has posed.
"Thank you," Jun says, quiet but sincere, his one visible eye softening. Hyousuke might struggle with his words, but his feelings get across quite well. "You're a sweet person, Suzuki-kun. You always care so much about your friends. I'm honored to count myself among them."
But it's not just for his friends, but for everyone. Jun nods in agreement. "Yes. It's the right thing to do," he says firmly. "It's ridiculous to say loving someone is wrong solely because they're the same gender as you. Who exactly does it hurt? No one."
Hyousuke says it doesn't affect him directly, because he's not interested in romance. Jun gives him a thoughtful look. Bigger things...? And he seems to be awfully forceful about it, like he's trying to convince himself... "Like what, if I may ask?" His gaze gentles. "Even if you have other things you need to deal with, love is love, you know. You can still develop feelings for someone, even if you don't have time to date."
He bows his head, smile turning rueful. "...I myself am dealing with a one-sided love at the moment." He's not really sure it is one-sided, per se, but... Tatsuya's made it clear he's in a position much like Hyousuke's: he's got bigger things to deal with.
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
Hyousuke went quiet at Jun mentioning he was sweet, and being honoured to be counted as a friend. For once during their conversation, he failed to even struggle for the words, unsure of how he was supposed to respond to something that sounded so genuine. He blinked, he nodded in acknowledgement, and he offered a polite smile to show he appreciated it, but to be told that to his face without reservation... He almost didn't trust it. He certainly had trouble digesting it. It was an awkward and uncomfortable feeling to be saddled with, and he did his utmost to push that down as well.
His agreement was more emphatic when Jun touched on the state of things, and how ridiculous it all was.
"I don't get it." He muttered, just loud enough for Jun to hear. He made no attempt to hide how bitter he was about it, but did not attempt to elaborate either. He just had to make sure Jun knew where he stood, and by the time he had even an inkling of what else to say, the conversation had turned to focus on him. His first instinct - and, indeed, action - was to shrug lightly.
"Some personal stuff." Was his response. It was about as vague as an answer could be, but he had little idea of what else he was supposed to do. How was he supposed to speak of supernatural matters to Jun? Would he even be believed if he were to talk about what he did every night, why he trained so hard, and how the bruises he showed up with were not always from fights with humans? Then there was what Ichika had said to him on that rooftop - words that echoed in his mind, clear as a bell.
How could he, in good conscience, let anyone invest themselves in him, when he might not even be there tomorrow?
"Just... thinking about the future, that's all. Trying to carve something out for myself. I've just been too busy with that to think about stuff like love."
It wasn't a lie. Not entirely. There was much he kept hidden, and much he did not dare to think about, but he felt no need to tell any of it to Jun. Besides, the conversation needed to move on, and he cared more about addressing Jun's issues than his own. He leaned in a little, as if there was any risk that anyone would care enough to eavesdrop on the gossip between two Kasu students, and gave his response.
"Whoever that guy is, he's missing out."
Hyousuke's response had all the tact of a sledgehammer, but it was completely genuine. A simple compliment from a simple friend, delivered with the sincerity of one man telling the other that the sky was blue. "You're a good guy. He'd be lucky to have you."
<Pose Tracker> Jun Kashihara has posed.
"I see," Jun says, smile fading into a look of concern. He's not really satisfied with that answer, but he knows he has to respect Hyousuke's boundaries, as his friend. If he and Tatsuya really are alike in that respect... then Hyousuke's probably just trying to protect him.
If in fact he does think of him as a friend back. His smile and nod a moment ago had felt a little forced. Or else, perhaps...
...Jun will let it go either way.
"It is wise to work on yourself first before you worry about getting into an intimate relationship with someone else. My point was more that it's not sensible to shut yourself out to any possibility of romance just because you have something else you're working on," Jun replies. His smile turns rueful. "...But maybe I'm projecting. The boy I have feelings for also has something bigger to deal with."
Still, for all that that's true, he doesn't want to guilt-trip Hyousuke. "Thank you," he says. "We both have the rest of our lives, as you say." (That's not quite what Hyousuke said, but it is how Jun interpreted what he said.) "There's no harm in letting things come as they will."
He takes another sip of his tea, then offers him a small but warm smile. "Whatever personal matters you're dealing with, I'm rooting for you, and I'll support you however I can."
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
Jun mentioned a friend with bigger things to deal with, and for a moment, a puzzled look flitted across his features. Nothing too serious - just simple wondering at what exactly was meant by that. He knew better than to pry. Everyone had their secrets, and he had no intention of pushing for anyone else to spill theirs. The thought passed quickly, however, replaced by him having to bite back a wry remark about how long 'the rest of their lives' might've actually been. he was grateful, then, when Jun concluded the matter, rather than give him the chance to respond with some noncommital remark on how he would just have to let life 'happen,' and see what came.
"Same here." Hyousuke said, and for once, offered a smile that was more than a polite gesture. It wasn't forced, though there was a firmness to it. It was warm, and it was bright, and it was as earnest as earnest could be. "I'm not good for much, but just call me if there's anything I can help with. I've got your back." The smile traveleld to his eyes, setting in them a conviction that nothing between Heaven and Earth could shake. "Just don't ask me to do any translating. Japanese is hard enough."