2026-04-21: Closing The Gap Of Dreams
- Log: Closing The Gap Of Dreams
- Cast: Lisa Silverman, Jun Kashihara
- Where: Rengedai - Main
- OOC Date: April 21, 2026
- IC Date: Saturday, October 27, 2012
- Summary: In another happy coincidence, Jun and Lisa meet after school at Sevens, just in time to walk part of the way home together. If a certain Suou happens to break out in hives later, it's probably not their fault.
(|============================= Rengedai - Main ==============================|)
-=============================================== Sumaru City/Rengedai Ward ====-
The central ward of Sumaru, built on the Tanabata River that splits the city
like a yin-yang symbol, is called Rengedai, or "Lotus Pedestal," because it
looks like a lotus flower floating on the water. It's a quiet, peaceful place to
live, and though it has undergone modernization over the past decade or two, a
good number of historical sites remain.
Its most standout feature is Mt. Iwato, a small mountain with a significant
network of caverns that spelunkers are advised not to explore casually. Alaya
Shrine is available for worship at its foot. It has never been set on fire.
The prestigious Seven Sisters School stands nearby; according to rumor, the
symbol sewn on the school's uniforms will protect you from the Joker Curse. To
the west is Honmaru Park, built on the site of feudal leader Kiyotada Sumaru's
castle and in his dubious memory, but it's under construction, so you can't go
in there.
Mansions, houses, and apartment complexes dot the riverside banks. The Lotus
Plaza Shopping Mall is right there with them, offering modest shopping in
convenient walking distance.
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
School (a half-day) is coming to an end at Seven Sisters High School, as are certain after-school activities; Lisa Silverman has been a little distant today. Not that she isn't distant lately a lot of days, but especially so. Nevertheless, she has her best friends close for the moment--
"Yeah, Mee-ho," Lisa says, "I think I'm gonna hang around here for a little longer. But I'll catch up later, OK?"
"Are you sure you're all right?" Sheba asks, the tallest of the three, looking to Mee-ho standing (the shortest when Lisa's not sitting down) and then back to Lisa.
"A little bummed," she admits, "But I'll tell you about it later--I don't really want to get into it..."
"Later then!" Mee-ho claps. "OK. Just as long as you do--we're in it together, right?"
"Right!"
This will leave Lisa to gather her stuff and start out of the classroom after they go... the classroom next door to Kashihara's!
<Pose Tracker> Jun Kashihara has posed.
School may be coming to an end this fine Saturday, but that doesn't mean the teachers are necessarily going home at the same time as the students. There's papers to grade, homework to go through, students coming in after class to look after--if you're a dedicated teacher, which Mr. Kashihara is. This doesn't mean he spends all his time at school, but it does mean his son, Jun, often ends his school days by going home to make or pick up a meal, then shuttling it to Seven Sisters to give or share with his father. (Alternately, he'll visit his mother at her workplace in Aoba to help her out with errands so that she can make it home in time to make dinner for the family.)
Today is one such day. Jun's already arrived and dropped off his father's lunch; he's particularly busy today, so he warmly thanks his son and promises to be home in time for dinner. Jun accepts this with grace, and wishes his father luck and leaves--
Just in time for Lisa to leave, too.
"Oh, Lisa-san," he utters, glancing over and recognizing her. He turns with a smile and approaches. There isn't a flower currently on the breast pocket of his Kasugayama uniform. "What a coincidence. But it's nice to see you again." His smile fades into a look of concern. It was only yesterday that they were at the new Gas Chamber's concert and she stormed away in anger. "Are you... doing all right today?"
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
Lisa doesn't look tired, despite having been up late. She's way too good at makeup (and bouncy with Youth Energy) to show that. But she does feel al ittle subdued anyway. Not even Miss Ideal's weird lecture got through to her today...
But there's--
"Jun-san!" Lisa greets back more brightly, and smiles back. She doesn't notice the lack of flower because why would there be? "I guess I am next door to your dad's class," she says. "That's nice."
A beat, "Aaah... Sorry about last night," she says, abashed, a hand coming up tot he back of her neck. "He put on a great show and all but that guy just really knows how to get on my nerves. Who gives people weird nicknames when they've just met?"
"Anyway, sorry. I don't wnat to talk bad about your classmate. Um..."
Pause.
"How are... You?"
<Pose Tracker> Jun Kashihara has posed.
Once they're in conversational distance, Jun folds his arms and raises one hand from the elbow, fingers curling inward near his cheek. He'll replace that flower sooner or later, but... it feels like he's waiting to find the right one, after everything he's been through lately. Enough about that, though; it's not like Lisa would or could know anything about it.
"No, you don't need to apologize," he reassures her. "Eikichi-kun is a friend, but he does have a polarizing energy to him. I take it this is why you were reluctant to approach him at first."
Weird nicknames... That must be the 'Ginko' she got mad about both from Eikichi and Hyousuke. Jun wisely does not repeat it. "I'm doing well, thank you. I was just visiting to bring lunch to my father." He nods over his shoulder at Mr. Kashihara's classroom. "I was planning to head home after this, so if you like, I can accompany you to the train station."
Not really necessary since Lisa lives locally, but Jun wouldn't know that. He gets no sense of knowing that already, either, or knowing Lisa already either, aside from their recent encounter at Yua's dance class and of course Eikichi's concert.
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
Lisa is an animated sort of person. That shows in just how she moves when she talks. So, when he reassures her, her shoulders slump a little in obvious relief. "Yeah," Lisa answers. "We'd had a big argument when we met here last week or so... And I didn't want to harsh on his success, right?"
Ginko. Definitely.
"Oh, that's cool. If I brought my dad food he'd probably ask why I didn't do it 'properly' myself." Sigh.
"But sure. I don't actually need to go all that way, but my house is in that direction, so that works for me."
She in theory has to be careful about being seen too often with the same boy... But it's fine. Super fine!
"Do you live closer to Kasu, then?"
<Pose Tracker> Jun Kashihara has posed.
Super fine, considering Jun may be gaining infamy as Junko Kurosu's queer son. Who knows? Maybe he can be Lisa's gay best friend instead.
"Oh? All right," Jun says of Lisa not needing to go all that way. Privately, he figures Lisa may be lying to avoid having someone she barely knows see what stops she gets off at, and he respects that this is a measure she has to take as an idol rising in popularity. She doesn't seem hostile, so it may not even be anything against him, just a precaution she's been encouraged to take.
"I'm sorry to hear your father isn't supportive, though," he adds with sympathy as the two of them head off. "Not everyone has a good relationship with theirs like I do with mine." Like Sudou and his father, a grim thought that Jun keeps to himself. He nods at the question. "Within walking distance," he replies, because he's not worried about Lisa having that information. "It's nice--I can spend that travel time I would have spent going to see my parents at work instead." He smiles. "Both of them are dedicated to their jobs, so it does a lot to help us all stay close and connected."
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
Exactly!! And it's not like bisexuals exist.
It's true! And she'll even show him her house. It's a big house. ...That said, she'd be smarter to do as he suspects.
"Thanks," Lisa says, hefting her bag again to make sure it's there. "He's... I mean, he means well, and all. But he wants me to be super traditional, and I just don't feel it."
Within walking distance! "That is nice," Lisa agrees. "I'm glad you've got a good relationship with your parents. Kashihara-sensei always seemed nice, and your mom's really cool, too." They talked about her the other time, after all.
"Sounds really nice..."
"Well, I try not to get too distant--it'd be bad for my sister if I did. She's at kind of a rough age..."
<Pose Tracker> Jun Kashihara has posed.
Bisexuals? Whoever heard of such a thing? (Not that Jun is bisexual himself, so it's a moot point anyway.)
Jun would of course revise his assumptions if Lisa did show him her house. He'd be quite surprised about that too! That's his initial assumption, however.
Super traditional... Fortunately, even though Lisa doesn't look Japanese, there are lots of countries in the world where it's tradition for women to be at home cooking and cleaning, so Jun merely nods sympathetically. He is himself a fine cook, as taught by his mother, but he knows achingly well how stifling 'traditions' can be.
He chuckles when Lisa compliments his parents, pleased. "Thank you," he says. It fades a bit with concern as Lisa goes on; it might be tough for her to talk too much about her parents if she has a bad relationship with them. Then Lisa brings up her little sister, and Jun's interest is piqued. "Oh? How much younger than you is she, if I may ask?" he wonders. "I'm an only child myself, so I don't have any insight into that sort of thing."
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
No one, ever!
Lisa's a great cook--despite her best efforts. And she can put on a mean tea ceremony. She just doesn't want to.
"Of course!" A beat, before she continues, and Jun shows interest. "About seven years?" She knows how many, it's just a tone thing. "She was born like, nine years ago..."
She doesn't mind the questions. "It's kind of funny--I was having a rocky patch with my parents' expectations around then... But when she came around, it all seemed like stuff I could deal with, since I wanted to help with her."
"It kinda depends on your relative ages, I think. But for me, I look after her. She's in elementary school! Her name's Amy. ...Unlike me," she says, "She has black hair, so she doesn't stand out quite as much..." Eheh.
<Pose Tracker> Jun Kashihara has posed.
"What a coincidence," Jun says for the second time that day. It's nice to meet someone where he can say these things to and reasonably expect it is a coincidence. "My parents were having a rocky patch around then too. We managed to work through it, though--the three of us together." He smiles at Lisa. "Even if they aren't completely better, I'm glad things improved for you too."
He nods again as Lisa further explains. Relative ages changing the dynamics does make sense. Lisa's parents probably wouldn't have as much of an expectation that she help out if she were only one year older as opposed to eight years older. Briefly, he wonders how much older Katsuya is than Tatsuya...
"Amy-chan, hm? That's a cute name," he says. He pauses thoughtfully at the mention that her black hair helps keep her from standing out. "Do you have a lot of trouble with that?" He imagines it might help her as an idol, but school is another matter--and even if it does help her as an idol by distinguishing her from the pack, it must still be Othering. Jun's circumstances are wildly different, but he can relate to that too.
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
There are a lot of coincidences! Btu that's why they're coincidences; they just sort of happen. "Oh, huh! I guess there's something about being seven or so," she says with a small smile. "Thanks. They drive me nuts," she admits of her parents, "But I wouldn't trade them."
Indeed; Lisa is much older. ...But she doesn't really think much about Tatsuya's older brother, though Tatsuya himself...
Well.
"It is! It'ss orta like mine; you can spell or pronounce it eithr way, but we mostly use the Western one." Pause. "...Not sure why, since my parents are diehard traditionalists with everything else, but..."
A vague gesture with both hands. "I used to have more. ...Everybody assumed I was American, or that I should be good at English. But Sheba helped smooth that over... She doesn't know I know it was mostly her."
"Outside school a lot of people still do, but at school at least it's a little easier."
"I guess you must stand out, too, even if it's not the same way. Right?"
<Pose Tracker> Jun Kashihara has posed.
Well indeed. Jun's thoughts are often on him too...
But there's no reason for that to come up, so he and Lisa will remain unaware that they also have that in common.
Amy or Eimi, and Lisa or Risa. Jun gets what she's saying, but confusion lights his eyes (well, his one visible eye) when she again calls them traditionalists, now in a context that doesn't quite track. "What do you mean?" he wonders.
So she's not American. Of course; America is hardly the only country in the world with white people in it. Jun touches his chin in thought, though. Something about all this doesn't track, but he'll let Lisa explain what she means before asking more about it. Instead, he asks, "I assume Sheba is a friend of yours?"
He smiles wryly, eyes shutting for a moment. "Right," he confirms. "I've gotten bullied in the past for my looks, too." No prizes for guessing why; he is achingly pretty, much more like a girl than a boy. "These days, I'm able to defend myself, and I stay out of the politics of my school's gangs and offer help with tutoring, so I'm not bothered nearly as much, but it was rough when I was younger."
Fortunately, a supportive home life kept him on the straight and narrow through those days, where in another life, he might have--say--critically injured his bullies with a Persona and ended up exiled to Kasugayama as opposed to choosing to attend.
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
For now!!
Confusion! "Oh. I mean, like..."
She's not American! But Lisa does explain, "So, my parents are from the States," she explains. "But... They really love Japan. They naturalized years before I was born, and they like, really love all the traditions and stuff. So Dad wants me to be a proper young Japanese lady, and like... Well. I mean, I am Japanese, but girls these days don't want to be demure perfect wives, we want to go OUT! We want to do stuff!"
Sheba! "Yeah, Mami Shibata. She's one of my best friends--and she's in Muses, too. It's the three of us--her, me, and Mee-ho."
But he has... "Ugh. That's awful," she says, though she had a feeling it was something like that. "Hmmm... Yeah, it must be rough there with all the fighting and stuff. I'm glad it's better than it used to be, at least. You get it, though; just because you look 'good' doesn't mean people are going to be nice to you about it."
That would be terrible, being exiled there. Especially over terrible injuries to others.
<Pose Tracker> Jun Kashihara has posed.
"Ahh, I see," Jun says as Lisa explains her parents, their love of Japanese traditions, and her own Japanese citizenship. "I can understand your struggle much better now." He smiles at her. "Going out into the world and realizing your dreams is a wonderful thing. I hope one day your father comes to understand you, Lisa-san." He himself is a nonconformist in many ways, and more and more he realizes he's lucky to have such supportive, loving parents.
Something to pass forward when he's a teacher. Jun doubts he'll ever have children--if he ever does, they'll surely be adopted and/or fostered--but he can still help guide the next generation in his own way.
"Aha. It must be fun to form a music group with your best friends," he muses. He plays the keyboard himself, but he's never been part of a band. ...Maybe if circumstances were different, he'd feel weird that Gas Chamber doesn't include him... or Tatsuya... but he didn't so much as bat an eyelash at the new Gas Chamber's concert, much less get any déjà vu about it. It's just as well on Eikichi's side that he found others in general, too.
"Mmm, it can be, but it's also been fascinating. The school's politics changed in my second year, when Eikichi started attending and swiftly made a name for himself as the Death Boss, and changed again this year after becoming a co-ed school. I could write a thesis about it, and probably will." As for looking good, he does get it, and so does she. "Yes. You can't just be beautiful; you need to be beautiful in the correct way, in the correct context," he says. "It can be frustrating."
Maybe Jun could become a teen heartthrob if he went into acting like his mother, but he's not interested in that. He'd just be marketed towards girls anyway, and he's especially not interested in that. (At least it'd be easy to adhere to any love bans.)
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
"Sometimes you forget people don't know what's obvious to you," Lisa says with a faint grimace. But she cheers up a moment later. "Thanks for not making a big deal of it, even though you weren't sure. It's... awkward, a lot of the time. I had to tell my manager so many times I don't actually speak English..."
But it would be nice, if her father understood. ...Maybe that would be really nice.
"It is!" Lisa says. "It's funny--it's the sort of thing you read about, but it really happened for us. They're really happy." And her? Well, obviously she must be to! "I know in the business some girls end up with strangers just because they look good together... I'm glad it's not like that for us."
Fazcinating! "Whoa, look at you, smart guy," Lisa says, and she's impressed. "Huh, he did all that...? Maybe he's not as brain-dyed as I thought." Pause. "Yeah, the girls moving in must've made it really different... Not that Kasu guys don't still pester Sevens girls, but not as much as they did."
"But that's just it. A lot of guys were just interested because they were curious about how I'm white. Now, a lot of them just see an idol..."
"Love should be about more than just looking good next to someojne, right?"
"Well, not that I can talk much about that these days. I'm not supposed to date or anything."
<Pose Tracker> Jun Kashihara has posed.
Jun mirrors that faint grimace. He tried to be discreet about it, but this is something she's dealt with her whole life; of course she realized what he was getting at. At least she isn't upset--quite the opposite. He smiles back, both friendly and sympathetic. "I can only imagine," he says, of the awkwardness. He does frown slightly about the manager. "That sounds frustrating. It's one thing to have many people continue to assume and misunderstand, but getting that repeatedly from the same person..."
It is nice that Lisa ended up in a group with her best friends. Jun isn't aware of the business of the idol industry, but to think some might end up in bands based solely on their looks... That also feels frustrating. "I'm glad for the three of you too. It's always better to do something with your friends," he says warmly.
He laughs at being called a smart guy, though he knows she's not joking. "He can seem outrageous and vain sometimes, but he's actually quite tough," he reassures her. "He whipped the school in line. Nobody smokes there anymore, because Eikichi-kun forbids it. That's how influential he is."
It doesn't surprise him to hear that Kasu guys don't pester Sevens girls for dates as much as they once did, either. Thinking on it, his classmates talked about that as a status symbol way more in the previous two years than they have this year. He hadn't thought much of it since, well... why would anyone come to him about that? That might be something to look deeper into, though--for the sake of any future theses.
"I quite agree," he says softly, though. "Love should be about finding someone who makes you feel warm... and safe." His pale cheeks color light pink as he glances away, the look in his brown eyes bittersweet as he brushes a few strands of his bangs back with his free hand. The color has mostly faded by the time he glances back at her. "I've heard of that. The 'love ban,' it's called? I'm sorry you have to deal with such a thing."
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
"It is," Lisa agrees. "I mean, obviously I appreciate him, he has a lot of experience to pass on--but it's kind of inconvenient to him that I'm no good at it, I guess..."
It's very nice! "Thanks," she says, and smiles back. Jun's really nice, she thinks. "Whatever comes of it, we're doing it together, and that's sort of the dream."
Tough... "Whoa, really?" Lisa says, and wrinkles her nose. "That's good." About how nobody smokes there. "That's a lot more impressive than I thought..."
It was a big status symbol, before. Now, after Sevens had all that happen... Maybe less so.
"Warm and safe... That's a nice way to look at it. I think there's a lot of ways love can be... but it should never just be 'useful'." She smiles at him, and it may or may not be mysterious; she has a feeling he's experienced a little love, now that he mentions it.
"Mm-hm," she says. "And I mean, I'm too busy for it right now anyway," she admits. "But it'd be nice to still have the option..."
"It's about 'building relationships with the fans'," she quotes someone, "Or something like that."
<Pose Tracker> Jun Kashihara has posed.
Jun huffs a sigh, but he does ultimately concede, "I suppose he does have to think of the business. That's his job, after all. Still, he ought to pay attention to the things his talent tells him. It's not as though it would change just because he wants it to."
Granted, Lisa could always study and learn more English--Jun could teach her, in fact, though he imagines an idol could get tutored by a professional and/or native English speaker--but he's sure she's already thought of that or else had it suggested to her. If it's not something she's doing already, it's not his place to say something about it.
Doing something together with your friends... That is the dream. Jun's heart prickles a bit at the thought. He has a loving and supportive family, but he hasn't traditionally had many close friends through his life. That's been changing as of this year, but as a result of his increased exposure to the supernatural. A silver lining, he supposes.
"Eikichi-kun's got a good heart, and he's stubborn as hell. I'm sorry that the two of you haven't gotten along, but I hope you can resolve your differences," Jun replies. To his knowledge, Eikichi isn't known for giving weird nicknames, but as he thinks on it, he realizes he doesn't know for sure.
It's easy to get that sense from Jun right now. The look on his face, and the way he says it... Anyone with any emotional intelligence can tell it comes from a place of experience. "Yes," he says simply this time.
"Ah," he says when Lisa admits she doesn't have time anyway. "Yes, true. That should be your own decision, not your manager or producer's." A dubious look crosses his beautiful features at the quote, or maybe semi-quote, given her addendum. "I'm not sure I see the connection... but I suppose I don't know much about how idols work anyway. It would be an additional competition for your time. I don't think anyone could reasonably demand you give up school instead."
Even though a high school-aged person technically could do that. Only elementary and middle school are mandatory. That probably looks weird in its own respect, though.
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
"Hmm. Yeah!" But Ginji disregarding the wishes or stated interests of his talent won't be a factor later, surely.
She could learn more... But she's really, really bad at it, and that's embarrassing to get over. But unlike--well, unlike what? She's had her friends for a long time...
"Hmm. Well, if you say it's possible, I can at least try," Lisa says, because she does value Jun's opinion already. "Thanks. ...We'll see, I guess!"
Lisa may be clueless sometimes, but not about this.
Instead, "Yes," she agrees. "That's how I feel. It should be up to me. And... whoever."
"Supposedly it's like... Yeah, it's because it's competition for the fans. It's like that. But right? I'm definitely not doing that! Being an idol is fun but I'm not ready to close the door on like, going to more school or whatever..."
But as they walk, she spots--
"Oh, hey, this way," she says of a street--and way down the way, not quite here but there within minutes, there is a Very Big House.
<Pose Tracker> Jun Kashihara has posed.
'Competition for the fans'... When she says it like that, Jun suddenly doubts that it's about dividing a given idol's time, energy, or interest. Fans can get awfully passionate about the idols they're fans of, and thanks to locker rooms, this is something Jun does know something about. (Yet another reason why he dislikes sports.)
"As well you shouldn't. Your education is more important than anything. That's how you create opportunities for yourself and close the gap to your dreams," Jun says firmly. In other circumstances, he might think that being an idol is Lisa's dream, but there's something about the way she's been talking about it that gives him the impression that her dream lies elsewhere.
"Hm?" He follows her gaze, and follows her down that street. It isn't the way to the train station--he realizes they've gone a bit afield of that and he hadn't noticed since he'd been so absorbed in conversation with her--but he doesn't make any assumptions this time.
Soon enough, though, there is a Very Big House. Specifically, a Japanese-style mansion. And Lisa mentioned that her parents love the traditions of Japan...
"Is this...?"
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
It is definitely not just about time or energy. Lisa is dancing around that idea, but she gets it, too. ...Even if she hasn't been in those boys' locker rooms.
"...Hmm. You really are a smart guy," Lisa reflects. "And passionate about it. That's really cool." He's right; this is a fun dream... but it's not, precisely, her dream.
So what is her dream? She doesn't know.
Down the street!
"It's my house," Lisa confirms. "...Eh, heh... so you see what I mean, about my parents, right?"
"They're happy with it, at least." Their life in general, she presumably means.
<Pose Tracker> Jun Kashihara has posed.
"Ahaha, thank you. My dream is to become a teacher like my father, so of course education is important to me," Jun tells her with a broad smile. "It really is true, though. The more you learn, the better you'll understand yourself and what you want in the first place. Don't get me wrong, though; that comes not just from schooling but life experience, so your time as an idol is important, too." Something he understood intellectually when he chose to attend Kasugayama, but only truly internalized as of this year.
"...Yes, I do see," Jun replies, gaze rising up at the mansion behind the gates. He has a nice house over in Hirasaka Ward, but it hardly compares to this--especially considering the nicer neighborhood and therefore most likely nicer property values.
At least her parents are happy with it. Jun considers this for a couple of seconds before he looks at her. "Are you happy with it?"
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
"That's cool," Lisa says of Jun's dream. "I think I'll remember that. It sort of means everything you do has some worth..."
It's nice.
But Jun sees it, all right. Lisa nods once--and then he asks her. "Uh?" she starts, and then--"I mean, it's a great house," she follows up--
"I mean..."
"It's OK," she says. "It is a really nice house. I just wish Dad would put a little less pressure on me to be how he wants. ...There's a lot of people doing that. And it's not really just me."
"But..." She smiles. "I do kinda like Western beds," she admits wryly.
<Pose Tracker> Jun Kashihara has posed.
"It does," Jun agrees.
They move on to the house. Lisa seems caught off-guard by the question, and Jun folds his arms, school briefcase hanging from his left hand, as she struggles through it. She does come to an answer, though, and he chuckles at her response.
"As long as you've got something you enjoy. It's important to feel comfortable in the place where you live," he replies. He's surprised that she did live in the area after all, and moreso than that, that she did show him to it... but not in a bad way. It's a nice feeling, realizing that you've earned someone's trust.
"This is where we part ways, then. I need to get back to the station," he says with a nod, arms unfolding. "I do hope you have a lovely rest of your day, Lisa-san."
<Pose Tracker> Lisa Silverman has posed.
"Oh, there's tons I enjoy about it," Lisa says freely with a little laugh. "I mean, it's where we all live... Even if we have issues, that matters."
He has! Maybe he's just cool like that. That has to be all it is; he's just been consistently Good since they met... and, well.
She knows he's not just into her for--well.
"You too, Jun-san," Lisa says. "Take care!"
She waves, and starts for the house.