2026-03-16: Complex Relationship Real Talk
- Log: Complex Relationship Real Talk
- Cast: Yua Ijuuin, Ichika Kawase
- Where: Smile Hirasaka - Meeting Room
- OOC Date: 2026-03-16
- IC Date: Wed, Oct 10 2012
- Summary: Yua gets a bad grade at teaching, but Ichika, when she finds her, has much nicer things to say about her program. Yua shares some of her pregnancy complications with Ichika, knowing that she has good reason to be worried about them... and when Ichika shares her polyamory with her, Yua offers her some advice on queer family planning which she likely wouldn't find elsewhere. Yua, of course, thinks she's speaking strictly educationally... but Ichika figures out that it's not just theoretical, anyway.
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ijuuin has posed.
After teaching at Seven Sisters, today, Yua can't go back to Studio Chura... she has to attend a meeting. The education department is getting all their anti-delinquency programs together to discuss and compare them...
... and Yua's been texting Miho all day.
> Am I supposed to wear a suit??? I don't wanna wear a suit, that's Mimi's clothes!
> What if they figure me out?????
> I don't remember what a mean is help!
> What if they don't like my presentation??? SO unfair I have a BINDER!
Luckily, she's been able to ask Para-Mind for more... specialised support, too. She even gets through her actual dance class without freaking out the kids!
But then-- but then--!!
Yua... gets a bad grade at teaching. :(
Her student engagement is just fine -- she's doing better than a lot of classes, in fact -- but her documentation, the educators note, is sorely lacking. Normally, this would prompt them to reassign the role... but Yua's informed that someone is vouching for her, so she's instead sternly informed that if it wasn't documented, it didn't happen.
And everyone else has cool slideshows on their computers, and they stifled their reactions when they saw her pulling out a binder to flip through...
... man, even when she's a teacher, Yua's no good at school. "I'll close everything up," she assures the others, as they get up to leave. "I just need to rest a moment... you go ahead!"
It means that Yua, in her leotard, isn't amongst the suit-wearing educators who come down the stairs of Smile Hirasaka in a pack. "... I was surprised," one man says, "for a nominally voluntary class, Ijuuin-san had quite good numbers, but... not even basic survey data?"
"She must be modern," a woman sighs, "you know, not believing in exams... but I would have thought she'd have something? Then again, she is very junior... somehow, she got this position as soon as she was done training... it's not really fair to her, either."
"Well," another woman adds, "you know what they're saying... she took the project on part time because she's a rich man's wife..."
"It's irresponsible to 'keep herself occupied' with the futures of those vulnerable children," the first woman clicks her tongue. "Even if he pulled some strings... it's not right!"
But that flock of adults all have, like, massive Teacher Energy, man. The danger levels on sassing them are off the charts. Still, they came down the stairs... aren't there conference rooms up there, above the mall?
Sneaking up there isn't so tough, especially for someone used to breaking and entering... all one has to conquer here, after all, is the unnerving sense that shiftless teens aren't supposed to be up here.
It takes a little searching, but eventually...
Sniffle...
... the correct door will reveal itself.
Yua's the only one still seated, now, at a long rectangular table; the projector screen has been pulled up, already, so it's really just her and her binder. No, not that kind -- this one is made to hold documents, and it's bright pink, with 'DANCE CLASS REPORT' stuck to the front surrounded by very cute stickers. She pokes a finger at it, that expensive ring easy to sight on her finger. She's thinner than she was, but the curve at her belly is notable, too; she'll need to buy a bigger leotard, soon.
She's a little teary, fancy handkerchief clutched in her other hand, though she is trying to keep it together.
Man... can teachers even get bad grades at teaching?!
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Miho has been texting back, heedless of WORK getting in her way. She's mostly been on time, too. Unfortunately... Yua may not have liked all of her answers. (A suit would indeed have been appropriate...)
But Miho's not here right now. Ichika Kawase is, and she's been looking around the mall. She was planning to tackle her shopping from the top floor...
But instead, she sees a pack of teachers. Ichika's in cargo pants and layered tanktops today, with sneakers.
Sneakers are good for sneaking.
No data... a rich man's wife... Irresponsible. Ichika glances at them, but doesn't go to get involved. Instead...
She just quietly walks up the stairs after they pass, and searches around. Door, door...
"Sensei?" Ichika asks, when she pokes her head around the door.
"Thought I'd find you here."
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ijuuin has posed.
Yua insisted that she didn't WANNA, though, and that was that. It won't be until dinnertime that she'll reveals it's because someone said they didn't recognise her at one of Kimitake's parties, recently...
(... the reason Yua wears that leotard everywhere has everything to do with who she is.)
"Oh!" Yua exclaims, looking up to find Ichika peeking around the door. "Kawase-kun, you startled me...! Come, come, you really shouldn't be snooping around here," she dabs at her eye with her handkerchief, though of course that means her expertly winged eye-liner is all mussed up, and...
And Yua sighs. "That's what I should say, anyway," she goes on, "and I am concerned that you're worried about adult's problems... but I can't really scold you for poking your head in. Were you curious...?" She smiles, swallowing down that lump in her throat. "I'm fine, really, just... just my seniors scolded me a little. But don't you worry about that!"
She pauses, though, her handkerchief folding in her fingertips. "But, er... why did you think that, anyway?"
She doesn't realise they were gossiping about her...
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"It's fine," Ichika assures Yua, which is definitely not how it's supposed to work but it's absolutely going to work that way just at the moment. Yua is concerned...
"I was," Ichika says. "I saw a pack of teachers coming down the stairs," she explained, "And one of them mentioned 'Ijuuin-san'..."
"So I figured you might be here."
"I mean, I'm more worried about how you and the baby are doing..."
"But I'm OK with adult problems, too."
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ijuuin has posed.
"Ah..." Yua sighs, as she realises, in fact, that they were gossiping. "I am sorry they worried you," she smiles, to Ichika, though it's a touch wan. It's not how it's supposed to work, so she's at least trying to be the one to reassure the girl.
"Ah, you want to grow up too quickly," Yua shakes her head, her smile growing rueful. "How the baby is going is an adult question too, you know! But I understand why you'd worry," she adds, and nudges one of the wheeled seats beside her out from under the table with a foot.
"Come, come, don't stand in the door that way," she says, a hand flapping up and down to urge her forward. "The guards will be cross that you're loitering in the wrong spot." A light pause, as she adds: "I can tell you about his progress, if you're worried... but are you sure you shouldn't be studying, dear? Midterms are next week... I don't want to distract you with these adult problems if you have more important things to worry about!"
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"They didn't," Ichika assures Yua. "At least, not too much. It mostly told me you were up here."
Ichika doesn't seem too unsettled, in any case, and smiles back at Yua. "Yeah," she says. "I guess so." It is kind of an adult question... but she gets it.
"Sure. That'd suck, anyway." Ichika steps inside, and closes the door behind her, coming around to sit next to Yua.
"There's some things I'm trying to slow down on," she admits. "But this isn't one of them. I do worry. I can see there's stuff up..."
Pause. She shakes her head. "Nah. I'm good on that front. I've been studying since before this week, mostly. I've got a tutor--Jun-kun's been helping me out, and Hibari-chan some too."
"Today's my break day. So... what's up?"
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ijuuin has posed.
"Ah... you are very perceptive," Yua smiles, unable to quite veil how troubled she feels, hearing Ichika says that she can see stuff is up.
Part of her wants to tell her to mind her own business and stop prying into adult's lives -- but -- she remembers what she saw, in that boy's Palace. She's nervous about Ichika perceiving too much, but...
She's concerned for her.
"So long as you are slowing down," she says, instead. "That's good."
She tucks her handkerchief away in her purse, turning to Ichika. "Oh, your friends are helping you! Wonderful!" Yua smiles, to her. "Ah... but even if your grades aren't as good as you like, please don't be too hard on yourself, okay? Maybe I shouldn't say this, but I got a bad grade at my program... even so, I think you and your fellows have enjoyed it! It's like that, you see? Sometimes evaluation doesn't capture everything too good."
Like how they were mad that she wasn't formally evaluating her students... but how is she supposed to itemise the kinds of things she's trying to support? It's all way too individual for a final exam, and anyway, having a final exam would scare away half of her specific students!
"Hiroki's been fine," she adds, a hand laying at her belly. "They're a little worried about my blood, they think I might develop pre-clampsia," pre-eclampsia, "or deep vein throbbing," thrombosis, "but we won't know until later... right now, I'm just dealing with my hypernemesis gravitas," hyperemesis gravidarum, "and it's been a little hard... they say it might clear up in a few weeks? I'm fifteen along, so... we'll know if it will get better soon, or..."
Yua sighs. "Oh, it isn't the end of the world," Yua assures Ichika, smiling to her. "Since we have money, I can have a nurse come to my home and give me fluids if I can't keep water down... if I wasn't so fortunate, I'd have to go to hospital, I suppose. Well, I've embarrassed a few dinner parties and exasperated my husband a little... but I'm sure I'll feel better soon!"
She is not sure about that.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Ichika knows she's being at least a little pushy, but it's hard not to look, not to notice, and not to ask.
"Right. Like, I'm using birth control and stuff--don't worry, OK? I'm not... planning on a repeat for myself, anytime soon."
Her friends are helping, though. "Thanks," she says. "...Hm." Ichika remembers; there's a lot Yua isn't... good at, as teachers go. But, "We all like your classes. I'm glad they exist. I'd be pretty sad if they stopped for good."
She knows they're going to stop at least for a while, anyway.
But he's been fine... Ichika actually does know what those things are. So she frowns in thought. "You're having a difficult time," she concludes. "Well, I won't spread it around--most of the others aren't gonna notice stuff like this, but... It's hard for me not to."
"I hope it gets better," she says. She's not going to pry in the details of her medical stuff more than she already has, after all... but it reassures her to know that Yua knows.
And that Yua knows that Ichika knows?
"That's good," Ichika says. "I'm glad you do. ...Oof, though. That's rough..." She remembers when... "I'm glad your husband's not like... my fiance was. He always found a way to make sure I knew I'd embarrassed him."
She smiles. "I hope you do. OK, sensei, that's all the prying personal questions out of me for now."
"I'm rooting for you, OK?"
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ijuuin has posed.
"Then, that is... cool!" Yua declares, and then pauses, looking to Ichika. "That is what you say, right?"
Yua... it's not cool if you have to ask...
"Oh, don't worry!" Yua assures Ichika, hearing that she'd be sad if she stopped. "I'm really very unlikely to be terminated from this position! Even if they're unhappy about my paperwork..." She sighs, and thinks, to herself, that it would be safer for the Awakened students of her classes if they did end. But... Ichika doesn't know anything about that.
Yua smiles, to Ichika. "Thank you, dear," she says. "I'm a little embarrassed that you're offering me support, when it really ought to be the other way around, but... it does help to know that you recognise how hard it is. I'm sure I'll feel better," she assures her.
Though... when Ichika talks about how Eiji was, she bites at her lip, glancing aside, for a moment. "...", she elides, as her teeth release, and her lips part, and she doesn't say much at all.
... it's gone in a moment, though, as Yua smiles to Ichika. "Well, it might be time for me to ask a prying personal question," she says, her voice gentle, and perhaps she was just troubled by remembering Eiji's crimes? Because what she says is: "I understand Kamiya-san was arrested a little while back... have you been all right, Kawase-kun? It must have been terribly confronting to learn all those things... and I'm sure it brought up a lot of bad memories. I've not wanted to poke at the wound, but... I wouldn't want you to feel like you were alone, either."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Ichika siiiiighs, and manages not to laugh. "It's... close enough," she goes with.
But very unlikely? "Hmm. Well, that's good." Ichika wonders if it's because of what they said--her wealthy husband--or because nobody else would take the job anyway. It doesn't really matter.
"You do your best for us students even when you're going through all this stuff," she says. "It's normal to want to think you're doing OK, too."
Ichika... knows it's complicated, with Yua, but... That's an 'adult' matter she doesn't have enough experience with to try to meddle in. Being married to a big important family like that...
"Oh..."
"It was and it did," Ichika admits. "...It made me wonder... was he doing all that when I was with him? Did I help, or enable him, or...?"
"But I'm OK. I have some good friends who've helped me with it. And..."
"I just have to remember that the stuff he does is his fault. Well, not that he's doing much now, I guess. But you know what I mean."
"I've just... been focusing on my life, instead. Things are pretty serious with my guys, so... That's nice."
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ijuuin has posed.
"Yay!" Is -- is Yua real?
Yua smiles, when Ichika praises her work. "Then... I'm happy! Even if the department doesn't appreciate my work, if I'm able to help you guys, that's what really matters!" Yua, of course, is impossibly idealistic on this matter; management not appreciating someone's work often means that work doesn't continue very long. But Yua can apparently see it that simply...
... still, is there a matter to meddle in?
Even Yua's not sure... but she certainly can't voice those concerns with a girl who just escaped what she did. One of her students, no less.
Besides, it's nothing!
"Those sound like very big and heavy questions," Yua sympathises, with her. "But I'm very glad your friends are helping you, Kawase-kun. You're right... he's the one who did those awful things. He hid them under his nice veneer," and here she thinks, quite literally, of the dungeons beneath the wedding venue, "but in the end... I don't think he respected you at all. Even though he knew you were upset, a boy like that... he wouldn't accept responsibility for what he did." And she grows a touch quiet, as she remembers Cognitive Ichika's teary smile; as she reflects on investigating the breach of confidentiality, without putting any kind of stop to the Shadow at all.
Well... she did hear the Palace was defeated, eventually.
But how cruel is she, to act like she cares so much about Ichika when she wouldn't save her...?
She does double-take, though, after a moment.
"Er... you are getting serious with... more than one of your partners?" Yua asks, a touch confused. Concern knits her brow, as she says: "Kawase-kun... if one of them finds out you're seriously dating someone else, you might in more danger. I know teenage emotions are terribly big, but... as a health teacher, I really must advise you to consider who you'd really like to date!"
Oh -- oh no.
Yua don't know 'bout polyamory...
(Tsubasa learned the term recently, though, and shared it with Ichika and Ryuji.)
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Yay. She's pretty cute. Even an adult can be 'cute'... That's nice.
"Yes," Ichika agrees. "You do, so..."
Big, heavy questions. "Right," Ichika agrees. And when Yua offers her adult's perspective... Ichika nods. "That's... what I think, too. If he respected me, he wouldn't have treated me the way he did. I'm..."
"I'm not even sure he actually liked me," she reflects. "I mean, he said he loved me, but..." The evidence suggested otherwise. She shakes her head.
Anyway--
"Hm? Oh!" Yua is confused and concerned, and Ichika laughs soflty, shaking her head. She puts up a finger. "Right. You're right usually but--"
"They both know, and they're both cool with it. They're not also dating each other, but... They're both seeing me, and they're OK with that."
"It's like, polyamory, they call it...?"
"Anyway like, it's different degrees of serious, but... It's good. How it came out this way is kind of a long story."
"But I'm happy with it."
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ijuuin has posed.
"He might have had some one-sided feelings," Yua cautions, "but I'm not sure the 'love' he was talking about would have much to do with what you or I would consider love. I don't think it's possible to really love someone if you don't like them, you know? If it's like that, it's an obligation... or an object to possess."
Ichika laughs, though, and Yua looks all the more confused. "Eh?" She asks, the question marks visible on her sprite. "Poly-Mori? Like, a really BIG forest...?" ... well, that is what the last name 'Mori' usually means...
The question marks persist, as she says: "Is it like having a whole forest of relationship trees...?"
Yua's head tilts further. "I don't really get it... don't they get jealous?"
And the other way. "??????????" That wasn't even words, just a confused grunt...
"Well," Yua supposes, straightening up, and completely not thinking about the fun facts she's relating, "I suppose it's just a shame that you're not seeing a girl and a boy! If it was like that, then one of you could carry the other ones' egg, and you could all have a baby together! But I don't know about any IVF that lets two sperm impregnate the same egg... oh, well, I'm sure the next generation will think of a lot of new solutions for you!"
Hey, didn't Yua get IVF to have her baby...?
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"...Right," Ichika says. "And I'm not interested in being anybody's 'object' anymore."
Yua's confusion is... well, it could be worse. She could be saying it's bad. But Ichika doesn't think she would. "No it's like..."
Pause. "Huh... I guess you could...? But I've only got two."
"I mean, I guess they could? But they don't seem to be. I was surprised about that at first, too... But they're friends."
But Yua spills some fun facts, and Ichika opens her mouth and closes it. She's never thought of something like that; she has the same bias a lot of people in her shoes do towards 'natural' approaches... But on the other hand... Ichika tilts her head. "Huh. I dunno if they'd like that, but..."
Pause. "Oh, hey. You used that too, right?" Ichika asks. "...What was it like? I mean, I'm probably still planning on the 'usual' way when it's time for me, but... I'm kinda curious."
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ijuuin has posed.
"Good," Yua smiles, to Ichika. "No one should have to endure such a fate."
No one should, but...
Well, that's definitely not Ichika's problem.
Yua blinks, baffled but apparently not ill-meaning. "Friends...? I see... well, I am glad your situation is positive now!"
(Hey, does that mean... well, that's definitely not a question for Ichika, either.)
"That's right," Yua nods. "It was the only way we could achieve what we wanted. Well, I had to go through a lot of tests, and Mi--" here she clams up, visibly nervous, as she correct herself, "mmmmmmmmeeee," like she was saying the English word for 'ware' all along, even though she's been saying 'ware' this whole time, "and my husband weren't sure if it would work the first time... but surprisingly, it did! When you can't conceive as you'd like to normally, it's really very important as an option, you know!"
Flawless execution. That explanation wasn't suspicious at all!
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"I agree."
Ichika smiles. "Yeah. It's a lot better than it was. But I'm trying not to get ahead of myself..."
But Yua explains. 'Mi'.
Hmmm.
"...Right," Ichika answers. Didn't she hear something about Yua's dear one before...? Well, maybe she remembers it wrong.
"Yeah, I guess that's true... Just because you can't do it on your own doesn't mean you might not make a good parent." Pause. "I can think of some times where you'd need to..."
A shake of her head. "Anyway," she says, "I probably shouldn't fixate too much... I need to worry about entrance exams and stuff before all of that."
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ijuuin has posed.
"You don't need to go too quickly," Yua assures Ichika. "Let the world catch up, okay?"
Yua scratches at her cheek -- a touch blindly, because she's scratching at her left side, which means that at first she misses and scratches at her hairline before she's able to feel out a correction -- as she thinks, for a moment. A modern girl like Ichika, seeing multiple people because she wants to...
"There are times like that," she explains, with the remove of Education. "For instance, if you were partnered with another girl, and you wanted to have her baby -- you'd need to take her egg and carry it inside you. They call it 'surrogacy', but bians use it to have children together, too. Normally, you'd need to find a donor to make that work, but I suppose if you're seeing multiple people you might not need to worry so much... though I'm afraid everything I'm saying is quite illegal in Japan right now," she adds, shaking her head. "Even male donors aren't a thing here like they are in other countries... in Japan, you must be married to access IVF, and I'm afraid marriage is quite strictly held to be one man and one woman."
She pauses, as she adds: "Well, sometimes you can operate in grey areas... but it really depends on your clinic, and it's not nearly as flexible as modern young people need, these days."
Yua laughs, though, hearing Ichika say she oughtn't fixate. "Oh, dear! You're quite right, I shouldn't be filling your head with all this nonsense! I suppose I just thought it's something you're unlikely to hear through normal channels... but you're quite right, Kawase-kun. You have much more important things to worry about!"
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"Mm."
Education! "Yeah," Ichika says. "I've thought a little about it... I know I'm into guys, at least." She pauses. "Yeah... that's kind of how it is with us. I can only actually marry one of them, right? ...But we can still all help each other."
"Right... Sucks," Ichika says. "It doesn't hurt anybody to let it be the other way. That's what I think, anyway."
Gray areas... hmmm. "Yeah. Well, at least I know it 'works' for me, right? So when I'm older..."
Yua laughs, and Ichika smiles. "I appreciate it anyway. ...I just... Well, I've got a lot to do, anyway."
"Like today I've got some shopping to get in."
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ijuuin has posed.
"I'm sure you'll work something out," Yua encourages Ichika, smiling.
Though, she wonders... will she be able to cope with one of her men marrying another woman, once they grow up...?
... well, Yua thinks, she'll learn about keeping up appearances in her own time.
"It doesn't hurt anyone!" Yua insists. "We--well," another flawless save, "I know people can say awful things about that feeling," sonoke, "but I'm sure they're just being too harsh... I suppose I shouldn't say it so plainly, but I imagine it must be a little isolating to feel like your relationship doesn't match other people's." Yes, surely she's just imagining what it must feel for Ichika...
(Yua doesn't realise how badly she's told on herself, though, talking about being that way; 'sonoke' is queer slang. Then again, Ichika might not recognise what that means, either...)
"I'm sure you have quite a lot to do!" Yua says, straightening up. "Come, come, you mustn't spend all afternoon listening to a fussy little biddy, you have very important fashion to see to!" She places a hand to the table, and slowly creeps upwards, huffing, "here we go..."
And if she keeps holding onto the table for a few seconds afterwards, well, that's normal.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Flawless save. Ichika doesn't want to push when Yua's trying so hard to hide it, though. Besides... "It can be," Ichika admits. "But for me... Well. It's a long story, I guess, but just because I can't marry someone doesn't mean I don't love them."
Ichika doesn't recognize the word, but she's not telling everything, either. Then Ichika laughs. "Fussy, huh?" she asks, and as Yua starts to get up, Ichika rises too--and then--
"Hmm."
"...They might yell at me if I go out on my own and meet the guard," Ichika says, and puts out a hand. "If you could walk with me until we get to the rest of the mall, I'd appreciate it."
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ijuuin has posed.
"You can love someone very much and not be able to marry them," Yua agrees, and somehow, it seems... quite sad.
... well, Yua thinks it's 'somehow', anyway.
"They call me little miss fussy fangs!" Yua chirps, brightly, and then, "uuuup... there we go!"
She giggles, though, hearing Ichika ask. "You're worried about me, huh? You're very sweet to make it sound like I'm helping you, too..." She takes Ichika's hand, anyway. "I'll be okay once I've been up for a minute," she assures her, as they move to head out. "They say it's because of my anthrostatic hype-tension!" Orthostatic hypotension. What kind of health teacher ARE you, Yua.
She makes sure to lock the door as she's leaving, too. She promised she would...