2026-04-03: Con Supplies and Conversation
- Log: Con Supplies and Conversation
- Cast: Moriko Kumamoto, Hyousuke Suzuki, Fuuka Yamagishi
- Where: Electric Town - Main
- OOC Date: 2026-04-03
- IC Date: Fri Oct 19
- Summary: Fuuka and Hyousuke lend Moriko a hand in transporting supplies for an upcoming con, and both learn a little more about her along the way. They also have a shared, silent, distaste for zeppelins.
(|=========================== Electric Town - Main ===========================|)
-========================================================= Tokyo/Akihabara ====-
A sacred place for otaku, not just within Japan but worldwide. Here, it's so
mainstream to be a geek that it circles back to being cool again. That is,
unless you harass the staff of the businesses here whose job requires them to be
a part of this culture, or the cosplayers who work so hard at their costumes
that it's practically a second job for them.
Arcades and gaming shops alternate with manga stores full of merch that's so
pricy as to make any broke fan envious. Collectors line the streets for the
chance to trade for the rarest gachapon finds. Maid cafes and popups with menus
designed to profit off the latest hits in the weekly manga collabs andor old
favorites from two decades ago cater equally to tourists and locals alike.
Anywhere on earth may be a heaven or hell depending on who you are, but that may
be truer than most places for Akihabara.
<Pose Tracker> Moriko Kumamoto has posed.
Moriko has put out word that she could use some help wrangling the box of printed doujin, the little displays she's ordered, some of the stuff she needed for a costume, some pens and pencils, a few sketchbooks and the general detritous that comes with trying to get extra money through a fan event.
She doesn't have a TON of stuff, but she's got enough to need the help. Or at least want it so it's not a pain. And she doesn't want to ask the old man because the guys he'd probably send would probably scare people off.
That might be kind of funny at least, but that's not what she's done.
Instead, she's waiting for them near the print shop, some stuff in hand and waiting rather patiently. Out of the way, occasionally checking her phone and watching the crowd.
She's in a long skirt, blouse and light jacket. She wasn't riding today, so she's gone for more casual!
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
Unfortunately for Moriko, part of the help she *had* sent for was likely not much better than the guys she'd avoided calling in. Hyousuke, even while not wearing Kasugayama's uniform and setting expectations before he'd had a chance to act, struck an imposing figure. He was six feet of carved sinew, his right eye marked with a scar that was like a canyon running from brow to cheek, while a crop of blonde hair sat above the rest of his features. It was hard not to set certain expectations with an appearance like that, and no matter how plainly he dressed, it was a lot harder to shake them than set them.
Not that it mattered much to Hyousuke himself. One didn't need to be a fashion model to haul supplies around, and the number of boxes he'd stacked atop each other before wandering over to Moriko stood as a testament to that. He carted them around with remarkable ease, and it seemed that the only reason he'd not gone further was because peering around them as they were was trouble enough.
"Oi, Kit-san, where'd you want me to put these?" He called out to Moriko, craning his neck in what he thought was her general direction.
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
Midterms proceed apace, but sometimes you need to give your brain a chance to rest. Because of that, when Moriko asks for help, Fuuka agrees to lend a hand.
Fuuka sends Moriko a text to let her know she's on the way - and as promised, Moriko will see her waving at her through the crowd.
...Because she's short, she might get lost in it a little at first. Soon enough, she manages to wade through it, approaching her at the print shop.
"Hello, Kumamoto-san." Fuuka greets with a polite nod.
Her own outfit today is a black turtleneck with a forest green capelet with a flower pattern around the lower edges and a matching skirt.
She turns her head as she hears Hyousuke greeting Moriko, and she offers him a nod as well.
"Suzuki-san. It's nice to see you again." Fuuka greets. ...She's glad he's here. Lifting and carrying isn't her specialty. She's glad to be provide pair of hands, but he might be able to pick up her slack...
<Pose Tracker> Moriko Kumamoto has posed.
Moriko's not as strong as she likes to think she is, so the help is going to be appreciated either way. Even if it might prick some deepset pride of self-reliance and other various things that she's only barely aware of. Instead, she greets both with a cheerful enough wave and calls out, "Thank you." To both. Perking up and smoothing her skirt out before hooking a thumb towards the shop. "This is the last stop and why I needed help the most."
Still, Hyousuke's carrying the biggest pile of things, so she divies things up between herself and Fuuka from there and begins to heft them around." So now we need to-" she pauses. "Do we go back to the dorm? It's two weeks out. Could go to the garage, store them there. The old man might whine though." She sounds a bit rough around the edges with her language there. It's fine.
There was a short little smile though. "Dorms?" Leaving it up to Fuuka as much as anything. For some reason, she can't imagine Hyousuke being as worried about a garage.
"We can take a look through it after if you guys want. I don't know what all did get sent or how it'll look. Proofs are one thing, final's another right?"
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
Fortunately for Fuuka, while she was short, Hyousuke was tall. Tall enough that he could just about peer over boxes with the right angle, and sit that familiar mop of blue hair once he'd heard her voice. He grinned back at her as she approached, hoping she did not mind too much that he did not wave back, or offer any other kind of gesture. Strong though he was, hefting the stack of boxes he'd saddled himself with using only one arm would have been difficult enough, never mind waving with the other and jostling them around.
"Yamagishi-san! Good to see you too." Hyousuke said, nodding in return.
The last stop was made, and though he'd already been carting around a substantial amount, Hyousuke insisted on lowering his arms just a little more, and making just a touch more room on top of the stack. He did not request more, but hoped that the gesture showed he was open to carrying whatever else Moriko could fit between the topmost layer and his eyeline.
"Ain't my dorms, so it's up to you two." He said, shrugging a little despite it jostling his set of supplies a touch. "But it sounds like it's gonna be less trouble if we leave 'em there. Probably easier to look through 'em there too."
Hyousuke's noncommital answer was given a tone to match, and he awaited the pair's thoughts on the matter. He wasn't quite sure what the rest of the student body - of a school like Gekkoukan - would think of a Kasu student on their turf, but given he wasn't in uniform and would be tagging along with Moriko and Fuuka, he supposed it would be alright.
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
Fuuka accepts what Moriko hands off to her, balancing it carefully. She 'hm's thoughtfully to herself, then, as the question is raised - where to?
"Which one is closer to the venue? It might be easier to put them somewhere close..." Fuuka asks - but Hyousuke raises a good point. Moriko did say the old man might whine...
"...We wouldn't want to inconvenience anyone." She agrees. "I don't mind the dorms."
If anyone's out front right now they might ask questions... but considering everything they're carrying, explanations would be easy, at least. They can probably get away with minimal awkwardness...
She nods, then.
"But, yes, I think it would be a good idea to double-check everything. If there's any issues, then it'd be better to catch them early." She agrees.
<Pose Tracker> Moriko Kumamoto has posed.
Moriko would probably be a bit upset that he's clearly trying to show off and would insist on at least carrying some of her own things. Even going so far as to say, "We both know how strong you are. We can still help." She puts her foot down on that at least. Maybe literally, just a little stomp. Because she can.
"Six of one." She replies to Hyousuke's question about the distance. "It's going to suck to haul to the center either way I think."
She fidgets for a moment, then looks between the two. "You two want to put things down, I'll call and see if the geezer is alright with us stealing some office space for a week or so?" She rubs the back of her head. "I don't want to put more on him than I already do, but-" She shrugs.
"It would be easier to set up at the dorms. Could maybe hand a few bits of merch out or something even." She muses.
"The dorms works." She decides. "If you guys ever want to see where I work on my bike I can do that later. With a ride even." She makes a dismissive gesture, looking to Fuuka, "Last time was fun right?"
There's a brief pause. Both Fuuka and Hyousuke had death gripped hadn't they. She eases back a little on her heels. "Could go by train too."
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
Hyousuke blinked a little in response to Moriko, but said nothing. He even cast a wary glance at Fuuka, wondering if perhaps she was able to shed some light on what he'd done wrong. Had he overstepped his bounds with another friend again? It was a matter to think on later, he supposed, rather than dwell on while a task still demanded his attention. His perplexed - and slightly shocked - look was a lot slower to fade than his feelings on the matter, however, and lingered until a decision was made regarding where to set things down.
"You already took Yamagishi-san out for a ride?" Hyousuke asked, deciding to hone in on that part of Moriko's response, rather than the topic of *him* being offered a ride with her. He had his own reasons for not relishing the idea of doing the same, but that was a heavier topic for another day. Whatever the case, his tone was an inquisitive one, more than anything. That much was only emphasised when he cast a curious look between them, hoping to hear more about their respective takes on the 'last time' that'd been mentioned.
Another thought popped into his head on the topic of bikes, but that one he addressed specifically to Moriko.
"And who's the 'old man?'"
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
Fuuka meets Hyousuke's look, but she doesn't have any insight for him. Maybe Moriko just wanted to support herself more... She can't really blame her for that.
'Six of one', Moriko says, and Fuuka nods. So it'd be just as difficult either way...
She nods as Moriko thinks things over before concluding that the dorms works.
"That might be nice." Fuuka considers with interest, as Moriko suggests checking out where she works on her bike. She is interested, as someone who likes machines. And as she mention last time, and Hyousuke asks about it... Fuuka laughs sheepishly.
"It was fun." Fuuka assures, then looks toward Hyousuke. "We were both looking into the same thing, so we went together. ...But it was my first time riding one, so it was, um... a lot more intense than I was expecting."
She looks between the three of them.
"The train might be safer..." She admits. Can three people even ride safely on a bike...?
<Pose Tracker> Moriko Kumamoto has posed.
Moriko looks between the two and asks, "What? I don't want to just stand by." She scoops up her share of boxes with some level of aplomb and hefts it in both arms. Even if it's a lot less than Hyousuke might be carrying himself. She saw the look between the two!
"Most of the issue carrying it to the shop would be that we might get in the way and you might end up with someone's literal greasy fingers poking around trying to figure out if it's a part or tool shipment." Which is another valid concern!
"The train's easier to meet up with at least. I Just meant-" she wobbles her hand, "I guess I can't do more than one at a time. Eh." She shifts the weight of the box and gestures with her head, "Let's go!"
Looking back over her shoulder at Hyousuke's question Moriko replies, "He's the old man. Runs the shop." She knows his name, but at this point it's almost funnier to keep calling him ojisan. "A bit rough around the edges. Lots of tattoos." Which is a bit of a shorthand really. Right?
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
Moriko's response drew a sheepish look from Hyousuke that he didn't attempt to hide. He didn't say anything, but the awkward expression tugged at his features in such a way that his embarrassment needed no words to come through clearly. He supposed it was best to move on, before he risked fanning the flames further.
A different kind of thoughtfulness worked itself into Hyousuke's features at Fuuka's recounting of the past ride, particularly when she mentioned it was 'intense.' He looked to picture it in his mind's eye, glancing off into the distance a little and imagine the scene of one clinging to the other on a speeding bike. A small smile crept onto his lips at the thought, but in complete fairness to him, Hyousuke felt a little bad about it afterwards.
"Train's probably safer," he eventually conceded, "But it sure sounds like the bike's a lot more fun."
And both options seemed safer *and* more fun than riding a zeppelin. His sample size of the aircraft was hardly extensive, but he figured one burning balloon ride was enough to form a solid opinion.
His look turned to a quizzical one at the mention of tattoos, however. Again, it was mostly simply curiosity - she had said something interesting, and he wanted to know more. But there was also - for those looking close enough at him to see it - a hint of wariness in Hyousuke's eyes.
"Tattoos? Man, I don't think I could still long enough to get *one.* Old man must be pretty strong if he can take that many." It was a fairly lighthearted remark, but the smile he gave after looked a little hollow. Though he refused to say it outright, Hyousuke figured he knew what that shorthand was for. And that only raised more questions than it answered.
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
"That's a good point..." Fuuka agrees, as Moriko brings up that carrying it to the shop means the possibility of getting in the way, and people coming to investigate. That could be a problem if they want to keep the contents in good shape...
She laughs, just a little, at Hyousuke's comment on the bike being more fun. There don't seem to be any hard feelings about him finding that amusing, at least...
She would agree on the matter of the zeppelin, though. She thinks she would like to keep her feet squarely on solid ground for a while.
Fuuka listens, then, as Moriko describes the old man for Hyousuke. Rough around the edges, with a lot of tattoos...
...If neither of them are going to voice the thought, she isn't going to be the one to blurt it out.
"It seems like you two get along well enough..." Fuuka comments. Is that what comes from frequenting the same garage?
<Pose Tracker> Moriko Kumamoto has posed.
Moriko seems confused either way. It's probably not that surprising with her. She shakes it off for now, moving along herself. "I mean-" she says, glancing to Fuuka, "If it was fun. Could try going faster next time." She offers a faint grin, "Becuase who doesn't en-... Guess I can't go that much faster. You don't want to try and ride on the back of someone dragging a knee." She adjusts the boxes like she wants to rub her chin, then gives up and just props the boxes up instead.
"The bike's always more fun." She mutters, "Though both have problems with uniforms." She shakes her head.
"Yep." Not that she goes into the exact details, she figured that was enough and even that might have been too candid.
Probably not.
"Yeah... I'll take him something later at least." She shrugs. "It's fun sneaking little key chains to hang up over there. Or cell phone charms."
She would also agree on the zeppelin. She's still not as prone to worrying about similar modes of transportation though! Blame the biker side.
She does give Fuuka a look though. "He's an old family friend." She admits somewhat wryly, "Old school kinda guy. Old school kinda company in a lot of ways. Happy he lets me work on the bike though."
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
Normally, Hyousuke might not have batted an eyelid at the mention of someone being old school. However, given the context - and the unspoken thought shared by him and Fuuka - he couldn't help but stare a little when she mentioned it. He didn't dare broach the subject brazenly in a public space, but the analytical look on his face lingered while he considered what a good way to broach the subject would actually look like. There was also the matter of Yua's wedding - if nothing else, that alone had left him with 'old school' or 'traditional' values.
"What're you thinking of taking? I didn't get too good a look at what was in all this, so I'm not sure what's where." Hyousuke asked, canting his head towards the boxes a little. More specifically, to one he thought - from the most cursory of cursory examinations - contained merch that might've fit the bill. He also gave another sheepish look, though this time with a wide smile. A lot more lighthearted than him wondering if he'd offended a friend, all told. "Nice to know you got a place you can work on that stuff though. Always good to have a place to get away from it all." He gave Moriko a knowing look, and a knowing smile as well. He had his own place, with his own 'old man.' Whether they belonged to one organisation or another was not something he was clear on, however.
"By the way..." Hyousuke added, looking between both Moriko and Fuuka for an answer. "...If we're helping at the con too, do we need costumes or uniforms or something?"
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
"I-I think that was fast enough for me..." Fuuka admits with a sheepish laugh. She does nod quietly, though, at Moriko's muttered statement.
She listens, then, as she explains - how the old man is an old family friend, and an old school kind of guy. It doesn't take much to guess what she means by that.
"Yes, I'm glad for that..." Fuuka agrees with a nod, and then looks toward Hyousuke. A place to get away from it all... She doesn't really have a place like that, herself. It does sound nice.
Hyousuke raises a question, then. Do they need costumes or uniforms...? Fuuka looks Moriko's way for confirmation.
<Pose Tracker> Moriko Kumamoto has posed.
Moriko grins. It's not like she's going to tell them one way or the other. And there is something to be said for what she might be suggesting on a few levels. Maybe. Probably at least. There's also the fact that, you know. It would probably be pretty quickly obvious as she figures. Speach, tattoos, it would be out either way. "He's harmless. I promise." To her. And probably to them.
"Taking where?" She seems a little confused at first, 'If you mean the charms I dunno, I might figure it out." She snickers, "Mostly because it's kind of funny getting a confused phone call." He probably thinks it's funny. "It really helps" She admits wryly. "It's where I earn most of my parts and work money you know?" She gestures back towards the boxes.. nearly dropping her own. She manages to avoid it with a quick 'Whoop' and a fumble.
"I was thinking on costume ideas. Last time I went in one of the Magical Card outfits." She strikes a cutesy pose that doesn't fully match the look she usually has, but she's trying.
She slips back into her usual persona. "None of you say anything about it."
"It gets easier with practice!" She insists. "Could even try to-" she thinks. Then frowns. "Well could find a lighter bike or schooling if you wanted to try more." Yes, Moriko's looking for buddies to ride with. Just like she looks for excuses.
"It really is nice though. Just going there and working with my hands." She almost moves to show her fingers off for emphasis but stops.
"We have a few weeks. Let's work on some cosplay when we have free time?" She suggests. "Or I could find my old ones>" She looks to Fuuka, then herself and back, "We might be able to swap?" She glances to Hyousuke, "You might struggle with a skirt though."
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
At the mention of her confusion, Hyousuke nodded firmly in confirmation - then promptly stifled a short laugh when she mentioned getting confused phone calls. He barely even tried to hide that he found amusement at the thought of an old man of such status phoning her up, and asking where something cutesy or otherwise clashing with his aesthetic had come from. What he did suppress was the urge to watch while she fumbled, instead quite conspicuously looking away and pretending he'd not seen anything. He even carried on with the conversation like nothing had happened.
"Sounds a lot safer than how I'm getting money these days." He said, deciding not to mention the supernatural entirely, but only hint towards it. "Probably looks a lot better on your resume too..."
Hyousuke said nothing about it, as was requested of him. That did not preclude him from letting his gaze linger on her afterwards, however, slowly blinking with an uncharacteristically inscrutable expression etched onto his face. Half of him wanted to ignore that it had ever happened for the sake of not being found mangled in a ditch somewhere. The other half wanted to call her out on it and say that the cutesy pose was indeed cute, whether or not it matched her usual aesthetic. Deciding that he liked his kneecaps intact, Hyousuke elected simply to nod in response, and pretend he'd not seen the display. He even chose to talk about bikes, and move swiftly on from her pose.
"I'm busy with some stuff, so maybe I'll learn how another time." The maybe did a *lot* of heavy lifting there. "'Til then, you're just gonna have to settle for giving me a ride." Assuming he ever did ask her for one - the one back from the museum he'd requested had been scuppered by the zeppelin crash.
A sage nod was given when she agreed with his sentiment.
"I know the feeling - I get like that during training. Don't have to focus on anything but what you're doing. No need to think about what's going on, with who, or how... It's nice." His almost serene expression was swapped for an exaggerated pout at the mention of a skirt. Hyousuke would have crossed his arms, were they free to make the gesture. "Are you saying I can't pull one off?" He almost sounded indignant at the thought of it.
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
Costume ideas... That cutesy pose is a surprise. Fuuka shakes her head seriously.
"I won't." She assures. She listens with interest as Moriko explains that the garage is where she gets most of her parts and work money, and Hyousuke comments on what he does, without elaborating.
"I can understand the feeling." Fuuka says with a nod. It is nice to work with her hands - it makes her feel at peace when she has a project to dig into.
"That sounds good." Fuuka replies with a nod, as Moriko suggests working on the cosplay in their free time. "It might be nice to make something new, if we have the time. ...This will be my first time, though, so maybe it would be better to start with something easier..."
It's already a big step out of her comfort zone doing something like this at all, but she does want to try.
She looks between Moriko and Hyousuke consideringly.
"I'm sure we'll think of something that works..." Something they'll all be happy with.
<Pose Tracker> Moriko Kumamoto has posed.
Moriko grins at the snort, "It is kind of funny getting those confused, "Why is there a thing in my work room."" She wobbles her hand against the box for emphasis. Clearly a hand talker even at the worst of times. A curious look is shot Hyousuke's way though. "And what are you-" She hesitates, "Later." She'll worry about that later. If he's into it with similar groups or worse, well that's a whole other problem isn't it. She actually can keep a secret after all.
She gives both a serious look, but neither of them call her on the cutesy pose. "Perfect." She declares.
"You're going to have to remind me then." She suggests to Hyousuke. Which isn't true. She truly will look for any and all excuses to ride! "Maybe."
"Oh I have to think on what's going on the whole time, but it's in a way that I don't have to worry as much. Except brake lines. Those suck."
She nods to Fuuka, "Bare minimum you should swing by. I can show you where I work and maybe we can get something working for you too?" She pauses. "If you need the kit I mean." That is, projects for her of course.
"I'll talk to you when we get back to the dorm. It shouldn't be too hard for us, especially if we want to go one way or the other-" She means cute or not, but doesn't articulate it. Oops.
"We'll get together. Can get some good costumes and makeup and no one will ever know it's us. Trust me." She smiles briefly. It's rather foxlike. That's not reassuring with anime tropes is it. "It hasn't bitten me yet at least."
"Definitely>"