2026-06-13: Past Things Said
- Log: Past Things Said
- Cast: Shinichi Nagisa, Kazusa Motojima
- Where: Shujin Academy - Practice Building
- OOC Date: June 13, 2026
- IC Date: Saturday, November 24, 2012
- Summary: Shinichi just wants to get to his shift volunteering at the hospital, but Kazusa grab his attention first. She interrogates what the Homunculus did as her and utterly baffles Shinichi in the process.
(|==================== Shujin Academy - Practice Building ====================|)
-==================================================== Tokyo/Aoyama-Itchome ====-
Shujin Academy's practice building hosts rooms for the school's various clubs,
but also boxes in the school's courtyard gardens, which are lovingly kept. There
are plenty of places in the courtyard to sit for students looking to eat lunch
outdoors or just enjoy the weather, and the walkways have roofs for when it
rains. The gymnasium is large and well-equipped; thick red curtains block off a
stage and podium in the back, so setting up folding chairs can convert it into
an auditorium as necessary.
The interior is both like and unlike the classrooms building: the floors are
still wooden but in a latticed design; the walls are still white and gray, but
with only a small strip of gray at the bottom; and the sliding classroom doors
still have windows, but long, narrow rectangular ones. Vending machines dot the
premises here and there, as do well-kept bathrooms.
The first floor in particular hosts the nurse's office, a surprisingly
comfortable room with green-tiled floors, potted ferns, medicine cabinets,
hospital-style beds behind pink curtains, bookshelves, and plush couches around
a tea table. One can seek counseling here from Dr. Maruki, the kind-hearted
temporary guidance counselor, for any reason.
<Pose Tracker> Shinichi Nagisa has posed.
A half day of school is one of the things Shinichi is grateful for right now... because he hasn't been sleeping well. The last thing he needs is to be caught sleeping in class.
The hours blur together- until final, the bell rings.
"Stand." He says robotically, "Bow." One of his duties as Class Representative- before hoisting up his bag and heading for the door.
At the hospital at least he'll be on his feet, so he can keep himself awake. He just has to get there first...
... he's walking at a decently fast clip through the halls, though that puts him at the peril of running into someone else.
All he has to do is make it to the Shoe Lockers and he's home free!
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
A lack of sleep can be a terrible thing to deal with. Kazusa can sympathize-- well, okay, she's bad at sympathizing, but in theory, she could.
Still, there's been a lot of things the Homunculus did in her absence that Kazusa is still trying to reckon with.
A certain rumor is one of them.
Shinichi is trying to get away, but--
"Nagisa-san!" it's the sharp voice of Kazusa. She is not the same girl that came back from Summer Break, but she isn't fully her old self.
Mostly she's been trying to keep to herself (and to give wide berth to her suposed best friend Wakana), but she is walking with a determined purpose after Shinichi. And she looks cross.
<Pose Tracker> Shinichi Nagisa has posed.
That sure is a tone!!!!
Shinichi can't pretend he didn't hear that one and keep walking. At least it's- less like- the unabashedly friendly- too friendly tone she's been sporting lately.
He stops, and turns around, "Oh uh- hey Motojima-san. Good to see you- you've got practice today right?"
Still, wary and horrified from past interactions, he's trying his best to disengage already, as quickly as possible.
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Kazusa crosses her arms as she catches up and comes to a stop. There's a small huff and a glance aside at the mention of practice. "... yeah." But soon enough she looks at Shinichi. "Look. I need to talk to you." She glances around at the students all leaving their classes.
"... Can we go somewhere and talk in private?"
<Pose Tracker> Shinichi Nagisa has posed.
'Look. I need to talk to you.'
Watch a man die a little on the inside. See man die. Die man die.
"Oh uh- alright? What about?"
He does not turn her down though, because he's just not that type of person.
'in private?'
Stay calm. It's probably not what you think it is.
She's at least acting more normal again.
"Okay uh. If you're sure." He looks around, at the other students who are watching this. "Over there maybe?"
He cants his head towards the stairwell. "Or up top, depending on how private?"
Assuming she doesn't turn that down, he heads up to the roof, which is usually closed off, but lately it's not so much.
Stacked chairs and desks make a messy pile taking up half the roof, with the only notable feature of the place being several smaller vegetable boxes.
"This, work for you?" He asks, with no small amount of trepidation.
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Kazusa is watching very intently. ~stare~
She is keenly aware of the others watching her, though. And going off with the class rep in private might not be the best move, but then again...
Kazusa's not sure she has much of a reputation to protect anymore.
"Yeah, that works," she says. "This shouldn't take long."
She'll follow hm up, though she blinks as she steps into the roof area, looking around with a light frown. Her gaze settles on the vegetable boxes... why is that so familiar...?
She shakes her head and turns to look at Shinichi, one hand on her hip. "It's about the field trip we took. What did the other--" She grimaces. "... I say to you?"
<Pose Tracker> Shinichi Nagisa has posed.
'This shouldn't take long.'
Thank Kamisama
Look a girl asking a guy to speak in private is gonna just get gossiped about, no matter what one's reputation is.
It's basically a law of Japanese high schools.
"Maybe she's into real pushovers?"
"Makes sense..."
Two other girls murmur, audibly, as they watch.
Then, upstairs-
"The field trip? Ah... what do you mean the 'other 'I?"
Apparently he didn't catch that it was a correction rather than a whole statement.
"Well on the field trip- mostly it was about how Amamiya-san and Niijima-senpai looked pretty close. You talked to basically everyone about it..."
He rubs the back of his neck, awkwardly, then looks away- "Like I just figured it was part of that whole thing about doing what your Dad expected of you- ... you know?"
Wait how are those two statements connected? How is gossiping about someone's love life connected to what her Dad expected of you?
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
There was a time that Kazusa would be doing the gossiping.
She's trying to cut back, though.
Even if Shinichi missed the correction, 'other I' is weirdly still a valid statement, given the circumstances (if a bit grammatically clunky.)
Not htat Kazusa can elaborate without sounding crazy. Well, crazier than she's about to for the line of inquiry she's following.
"Just-- don't worry about that. What did we talk about?"
Amamiya and Niijima. Kazusa stares, and then brings a palm up to her forehead. "Ugh. Why didn't anybody stop me? Was there anything else?"
But she goes deathly still as Shinichi mentions her father. The hand lowers, and there is a mix of anger, fear, and shock in her expression. Her voice is flat. "... what was that about my father?"
<Pose Tracker> Shinichi Nagisa has posed.
"Uh- okay."
Shinichi seems rather confused by that one. Is she really Chuuni or something? Well if so, she's hiding it well. He does know she was at least a secret Otaku or something or another.
"Why would anyone stop you? You can talk about that if you want to?" He replies, mystified by the idea that anyone would.
Before he can answer on 'Was there anything else?' She reacts to the idea of her Father being involved.
He puts up his palms in a gesture of trying to appease her. "Hey relax- you brought him up. There was a whole thing about- what you were going to do with his life to be more in line with his expectations for you." He looks away nervously.
"Like you know the whole - do gymnastics, get married- like you had a whole plan for your future. So I figured you were gossiping because your head was in that whole 'thinking about getting married' space."
He at least tells the truth, figuring that nobody could get really mad about just repeating what they'd said before to them.
"I guess it was a little unusual? You were pretty uh... aggressive about wanting to hang out with me, when before well-"
He doesn't continue that statement, just shrugging his shoulders as if that answers that.
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
She's definitely not, and her Transmutation form definitely doesn't say otherwise.
Why would anybody stop her? Kazusa scowls. "Because--"
Because I'm pretty sure it almost got my butt kicked by the student body president.
Not that there's any way she can say that and still sound sane after.
Palm to forehead again to press in. "Because I shouldn't be messing with other peoples' lives like that, obviously."
SAid the girl who has definitely messed with other peoples lives like that.
Kazusa's jaw goes slack as Shinichi describes previous conversation. She is staring in disbelief, before her teeth clench and she seethes. "I don't believe her-- that-- that-- augh!" She throws her hands up in disgust before turning and stomping away--
--only to whirl right back around on the marriage thing. "Okay. You are not going to repeat that to anyone, you hear me?"
But she looks like she's been struck again as she cuts herself off. "I-- what do you mean... 'aggressive.'"
<Pose Tracker> Shinichi Nagisa has posed.
"Because?" Shinichi asks, mystified. Then she answers- and- "I- it just seems like harmless gossip to me, but alright."
There's no chance anyone would stop her though.
"Her? This isn't some twin sister thing, right? Like- her pranking you?"
It's the only explanation that makes sense given her language.
"Uh- sure? It was a private conversation anyway, I wasn't going to-"
'I-- what do you mean... 'aggressive.
Shinichi seems like a deer in the headlights for a moment, before clearing his throat, twice, "You know like- you wanted to be more than just- friends?"
He knows it's not wise to say that, but there's no backing out now, "Like, being extra friendly and- wanting to do study sessions, and spend a lot of time together. You were sending a lot of... signals?"
A beat.
"And given that you were talking about, you know - that plan beforehand... getting married someday-"
He shrugs again, letting that shrug end it before he actually says it again.
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Nobody would. But Kazusa kind of wishes they had.
'Her? This isn't some twin sister thing, right? Like- her pranking you?'
Kazusa pinches the bridge of her nose and forces herself to take a deep breath. "Gh. No," she says, with some vague suggestion of calm that really isn't. "... I don't have a twin sister. Just a younger brother." Who's a first-year.
And whatever semblance might have been suggested vanishes the moment Shinichi starts explaining. Stare.
'More than just friends.'
"I--" Kazusa's voice squeaks as she goes stock still. "I--" There is a heat crawling up into her neck and cheeks now. It's November shouldn't it be colder out here?
And it only gets worse. Signals. Talking about marriage. "... I--" Oh, she's turning quite red, now.
Suddenly she's speaking in a rush. "Okay, whatever sh-- whatever I said back then, just-- forget it! That didn't mean anything, I definitely wasn't trying to send any signals or whatever, and for the record doing whatever it is my father wnts is the last thing I want, got it!?"
Denying things loudly shows that you mean it, right?
<Pose Tracker> Shinichi Nagisa has posed.
"Oh okay- no twin sister then."
It makes even less sense to him then, this whole conversation, especially sleep deprived. He's not in a dream right now right?
Discreetly, he pinches himself and discovers - no such luck.
And then- she gets redder, and redder, choking on the whole idea of it and-
Well, Shinichi is rather certain that tsunderes are now an actual thing that exists. He's just flabbergasted that it is.
Obviously she said all of that, and obviously she was sending signals. He's sure he wasn't misreading it that badly, he's had a girlfriend! He 'gets' girls pretty well.
Or so he thinks at least.
But even though he thinks she's lying right now and that she definitely was doing all that.
He smiles and decides to take it in stride. "Oh thank goodness. You know- I'm glad that's the case- I was worried I'd have to turn you down as I'm not really up for dating anyone right now."
Which he figures is the best way to play this, rather than having to say 'actually it's you, not me' and tell the truth.
"Anyhow now that that's settled- I'm sure you'll find someone more your speed soon, you're pretty enough after all, and talented."
She may have had a rotten personality in the past but- he's trying to be nice to her now that the relief has settled in.
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Kazusa definitely isn't covering up for a twin sister or a doppleganger that took over her life and acted way out of character for her. Definitely not.
That'd be insane, right?
But she seems to calm down as Shinichi takes her at her word, and she takes a deep breath. "Good. Good. Okay." She's at least trying to calm down from her outburst a moment ago.
But there's a snag as Shinichi continues about dating. "Y--yeah. No. not happening. I'm..." Her gaze flicks to the side for a moment. "... not really looking to date anyone right now, either."
She hasn't actually been on a date ever, but she doesn't voice that part.
But then something registers, and she arches an eyebrow at Shinichi. "... Pretty 'enough'?"
<Pose Tracker> Shinichi Nagisa has posed.
Okay it's all working out. And he figures she's saying she's not looking to date anyone right now in order to save face.
"That's cool." He says, as if completely understanding of the position of not looking to date anyone at the moment.
Before- '... Pretty 'enough'?'
"Huh? Oh I mean..."
Pause, he stepped on a minefield maybe. But he was mostly just trying to signal she wasn't 'his type' but she is 'objectively pretty'.
"You're enough of a looker that a lot of boys would want to date you, if they thought you were available. I was just saying it in the- you know, general sense-"
This isn't working, he knows it right away, so he switches to what he knows, sports, "-that there's a whole field for you to play out there, if you wanted to."
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Kazusa is just hoping this is situation has been... salvaged, maybe? She's not really unsure if she can undo everything that Homunculus did, but maybe if Shinichi believes her--or is at least willing to play along, nothing else will have to happen.
And then 'enough' happened.
Good save, mentioning the availability and not the personality.
She gives Shinichi a long, hard stare at his recovery attempt. (Speaking of 'looker', she's ditched the headband she was wearing, and her silver bracelets and pink nail polish are back, her preferred style.)
She snorts quietly. "... Well, like I said. Not really interested in playing the 'field' right now, so... whatever. But thanks, I guess." She does work hard to take care of her appearance, so it is nice that her efforts get noticed.
<Pose Tracker> Shinichi Nagisa has posed.
He's noticed the change in appearance, but he also noticed the change in appearance for the Homunculus.
He figures she's just trying to 'find herself' and 'figure out who she is' and is embarrassed about her last attempt, that's what he eventually settles on.
Which is good as he'd hate to be used as some prop by a girl to figure that out rather than just- a sincere attempt at a relationship.
"No sweat. Just saying for when you are interested." No he's definitely not coming onto her. Just trying to hype her up some. "Anyhow, anything else you wanted to talk about?"
He just knows that if they keep doing this everyone at school is going to assume the two of them are dating, so best to cut it short.
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Well, she's definitely embarrassed by the way the Homunculus acted...
There are a lot of unsettled feelings there, and towards her parents, and towards the extra practices, and...
She's honestly not sure how much this solved anything. But it seems solved, and she's bottomed out on her capacity to get mad for the moment. Compared to the big, massive wound that is the Homunculus taking her over... some things she can let slide.
For now, at least.
But was there anything else? "No," she says flatly. "Just... like I said, please don't go spreading that around, okay?"
She starts walking back to the stairs, and then pauses. "Actually, there is one thing." She glances back. "... I'll be handling my share of the class chores from now on."
<Pose Tracker> Shinichi Nagisa has posed.
"Hey, relax. I'm not the type who would."
Who would I even spread it to anyway? He thinks, but doesn't say. He has no friends right now, after the move from Mikage-cho and him quitting the Lacrosse team here.
But one last thing? "Sure?" A blink, "Well, alright. But... weren't you already?" He's referring to the Homunculus, there, "Lemme know if you need someone to fill in I guess."
He waits for her to make to leave again before saying, "Anyhow, so long. Have a good practice."
Such a weird conversation...
Don't you know you're the strangest thing here?
... but well... he's the weirdo here, and he knows it. He waits for her to make her way down before finally going down the stairs himself and swinging by the shoe lockers.
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Kazusa pauses, and frowns, as Shinichi asks her if she wasn't already. And it's only with the reminder that it comes back to her. "... Oh, right. Well, then... I'm making it official, I guess."
Why wouldn't it be official before???
HAve a good practice. "... right. Thanks. Good luck with your..." She frowns as she realizes she has no idea what it is Shinichi might be going to go do. It's not lacrosse practice, that's for sure. "... rest of your day." She turns to head down the stairs and to her practice.
Should she ask? ... No, she really should get to practice, as much as she doesn't want to. And she definitely shouldn't spend more time alone with him than she has.
She knows how the rumor mill works, after all.
... Still. maybe she should ask sometime, if she gets the chance.