2026-07-12: Strategy Games and Other Common Interests
- Log: 2026-07-12: Strategy Games and Other Common Interests
- Cast: Yuuki Hoshizora, Misato Fushihara
- Where: Yuuki's (Borrowed) Apartment, Renegdai, Sumaru City
- OOC Date: July 12, 2026
- IC Date: December 08, 2012
- Summary: Yuuki invites Misato over to the apartment she is staying at, to hang out. They discover common interests -- and a few details about the other's inner lives, too.
<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
When they walked home together, for the first time (and have since), Misato told Yuuki to let her know if she was ever bored and wanted her to come over.
Yuuki is staying at Iori Hayabusa's apartment. A former Navigator who worked with her parents, he has an apartment in Sumaru -- but he tends to live out of a second apartment in Tokyo. That often leaves Yuuki alone, in an apartment that is nice... but rather plain.
As a second apartment, it is largely furnished with rather impersonal and cheap furniture; there are a few stock paintings on the walls. She spends a lot of time in her room.
And it is lonely. So, finally...
Misato's cell chimes on Saturday afternoon. A ding, then a second, for text messages from Yuuki.
> Fushihara-san.
> Are you busy? Do you want to come over?
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
It's Saturday. Misato doesn't have a shift at Bakery Pan-Pan today, so... ultimately, there's not much for her to do but go home. Which leads to her lying listlessly in bed, staring up at the ceiling. It's a normal for her.
And then, there's a ding from her phone. She contemplates ignoring it for a moment, and then digs it out -
It's from Yuuki.
Misato sits up.
> Hoshizora-san!
The message is accompanied with a bright, cheery emoticon.
> No, not at all! I was wondering what to do today, in fact... I'd love to~!
This one is accompanied with a musical note.
With motivation acquired, Misato hauls herself out of bed, hurrrying to make herself look presentable.
<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
Yuuki blinks down at the cheery emoticon. She smiles, after a moment; leave it to Misato to be cheerful. Even if she did seem to hesitate the other day before the turn to go back to her house. There is something more to Misato Fushihara...
...She just doesn't know what it is yet.
> Great! I'll send a pin. Let me know when you're on the way over.
Yuuki, for her part, is already presentable -- but she makes her bed, pulls a chair into her bedroom, and looks over the scant decorations there. She is grateful, at least, for having a television and console in there.
But the anxiety that there won't be enough to do is already there.
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
> Okay!
She picks up the pace, and takes a moment to consider her outfit. She usually dresses sporty, but if she's going over to a friend's house...
...What does she wear when visiting a friend? It feels like it's been ages since she's done that last...
...Eventually, she settles on a long-sleeved white t-shirt with yellow outlines of sunflowers on the right side for a nice asymmetric look, paired with black pants, a nice pair of shoes, and her hoodie tied about her waist like a skirt.
And of course, she has to have her ribbon.
> On my way~!
...And sure enough, Yuuki will, eventually, hear her apartment's bell ring.
<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
Yuuki, for her part, is wearing a short-sleeved, pale yellow T-shirt and a blue skirt. And when the doorbell rings, she answers -- opening the door and looking at Misato. She has had friends over, but it has also been for awhile. So for half-a-second, she stares uncertainly.
Then her eyes are drawn to the ribbon. Then, Yuuki smiles.
"H-Hello, Fushihara-san," she says. "Um--please, come in."
She steps back, and the rather generically decorated apartment awaits. "I'm staying with Iori-san, but... he's out a lot. Um..."
She glances around. "...Is it okay if we hang out in my room?" she asks. "The rest of the place isn't really mine, so..."
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
Yuuki smiles, and Misato smiles back.
"Hello, Hoshizora-san~!" Misato greets brightly. "Thank you for having me!"
She steps inside as Yuuki invites her in, taking a moment to look around. It's generic - the kind of thing she'd expect from a place someone doesn't expect to return to often.
"Ah, I remember you mentioning that..." Misato comments, and then nods. "Yes, of course!"
She giggles.
"I'm curious to see it~."
<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
The giggle -- and the way she says that -- makes Yuuki stutter. Her cheeks redden, and she turns. "R-Right, um... r-right. This way!"
There is a single hallway, leading to two rooms. One of them is closed; the other is ajar, but Misato can see that a small wooden sign has been added, which has "YUUKI HOSHIZORA" written on it.
She holds the door open.
It's a room that she has visibly only recently arrived in. There are a trio of mostly unpacked cardboard boxes, against one wall. Her desk has a laptop sitting on it; there is also a flatscreen TV on the wall, with a gaming console under it.
The walls have a trio of posters on them. All of them are somehow related to space exploration. One is a schematic of the space shuttle; another is a rocket launch; the third is an astronaut floating above the Earth. There is also a bookshelf, which has several books and manga on it. A few plushies and figures, and a couple of model rockets, can also be found.
Yuuki turns around to look at Misato. "I know it's... not much," she says. "I couldn't bring everything with me, unfortunately."
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
Misato follows right after her to the hallway. The closed door must be her parents' friend's room... She offers Yuuki a polite nod and steps inside, looking her room over. She hums cheerily to herself as she studies it, and then whirls around to offer Yuuki a smile and a shake of her head.
"It's okay, I understand." She assures. "Even so, it's very you~. I can tell what's important to you by what you've chosen to bring with you... I like it! Those figures are really cute, too..."
She considers the console, then.
"What kind of games do you like, Hoshizora-san?" She asks, curious.
<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
"Really?" Yuuki asks. "I suppose, um, I wear my interests on my sleeve." She smiles back at her, and then her eyes are drawn to the figures at her remark. She has a couple of very cartoon-like yokai figures; there are a couple of astronauts, of course. And, perhaps familiar to Misato, there is one of a girl in a school uniform with shoulder-length brown hair.
Misato might know that manga.
She looks at Misato, putting a hand to her chin. "Well... I like fighting games. I have a few of those. And I like strategy games, too--I've got the latest Nobunaga's Desire."
She scratches her cheek. "And RPG's, too. What about you? Do you play?"
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
"Really!" Misato assures with a nod and a smile. Her eyes linger on that figure of a girl. She does know that manga. It's more of a surprise to her that Yuuki does...
...She considers her for a moment - and feels like the question of video games is a much safer topic, just in case she's off-base, so she holds her thoughts in for now.
"Fighting games always look fun, but it's hard for me to play things that require intricate inputs..." Misato admits. There's a spark in her eyes, though, when she mentions strategy games. Yuuki likes them too, huh...? That's a surprise. "Oh? Really? You do? Me too!"
She nods enthusiastically.
"I enjoy RPGs, too... oh, and puzzle games!" She says.
<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
Yuuki catches Misato glance at the figure of that brown-haired girl. For a moment, she has a tiny spike of panic. Would Misato recognize it? Would she guess? Would--would that be a problem?
Fortunately, Misato decides on a safer topic.
"Oh, it's okay," she says, regarding fighting games. Even if it surprises her; the other girl seems sporty. Yuuki perks up, though, when she finds out that she likes strategy games, too.
"You do? Do you--um--do you ever do multiplayer?" Yuuki asks, a little hopefully.
Then, she smiles, clasping her hands in front of her. "What's your favorite puzzle game?"
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
Yuuki says it's okay, and Misato nods. A part of her feels a little bit of a regret about that... but, that's just a fact of life to her now. She's come to terms with that.
She can see the way Yuuki perks up when she she mentions that she, too, likes strategy games.
"I haven't know anyone else that plays them, so I haven't had the opportunity..." Misato admits with a shake of her head, and then smiles. "...But I wouldn't mind trying!"
As for puzzle games...
"I like all kinds, but... the one where you connect the colored slimes is pretty cute." Misato replies. "...Oh, and I like those games about the doctor and his assistant, too. It's fun to have a mystery tying them all together."
<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
"Then we'll have to do it. They don't have couch co-op but..." Yuuki glances back at the closed laptop on her desk. "...We could do that online?"
Then, she smiles -- and tilts her head to the side. The doctor and his assistant... it takes her a moment, and Misato can see the gears turning in her head. Then, her eyes widen.
"That reminds me of a puzzle!" Yuuki declares. Then, she giggles, lifting a hand over her mouth. "I like that one, too. The characters are fun."
There is a moment's pause, as she walks -- without announcement, in that slightly odd way of hers -- to a box. She reaches inside, and pulls out a closed plastic case. The title reads: "POYO-POYO 4."
"This one?"
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
"Mm-hm! I'm willing to give it a try." Misato agrees with a nod. There's a part of her that's eager to try. She's fought Yuuki before - even if she doesn't know that - but getting the chance to contend with her strategically... It's intriguing.
She watches Yuuki for a moment, then, as the gears turn - and then! Misato claps her hands together.
"Yes!" She enthuses. "I'm glad you agree!"
That's not the only thing they share - Misato watches as Yuuki, without a word, moves to a box draws out a plastic case. Sure enough...
"That one!" Misato confirms. "We have a lot in common, huh?"
...It's... genuinely nice, to share her interests like this. That's a dangerous feeling.
<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
"Let's do that soon," Yuuki says, with more than a little excitement in her voice. She hasn't had someone to play with in awhile -- she hasn't wanted to play in awhile. And she hadn't kept up with her online friendships very well, either.
"Mm-hm. The doctor is charming," Yuuki says. She smiles, and she lowers the DVD case for the game -- even if she has an idea. She looks at Misato, her eyes blinking a couple of times.
"We do," she says. She hesitates for a moment. Does she really have the time to befriend this girl?
Is it neglecting her duty to her parents?
But...
Loneliness had been gripping her heart in a vice. And the smile on Misato's face makes it loosen a little more.
So, a little more quietly, Yuuki admits: "...I'm glad we do."
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
"Let's!" Misato agrees. She can hear it in Yuuki's voice, too. She winks. "I hope I'll prove to be a worthy adversary~. Don't go easy on me!"
She laughs, then, and nods her agreement.
"Yes! He's fun, isn't he?" She agrees. She meets Yuuki's look, sees that hesitation... but doesn't push her.
"...Me too." She agrees.
...Even if it feels like she's just using her to ignore her own problems.
<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
"Don't worry," Yuuki says. And it may be familiar, even if she says it in a different tone. "I won't hold back."
She smiles, though -- and she nods in agreement. The puzzle-loving doctor is fun. And the way some of the stories are sad -- well, she likes that too.
"Mm." She lifts the game case up. Maybe she isn't sure if this is right, but it makes her feel better. "...Want to play? It has a versus mode."
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
"Great." Misato replies, pleased. It is a familiar sentiment... but it's good to know her response is still the same, even for Misato Fushihara. The last thing she wants is to think Yuuki was holding back on her.
Yuuki lifts the game case up, and Misato nods.
"Sure!" She agrees. This is bound to be a more entertaining night than what she would have been doing otherwise...