2026-08-27: New Years Ruminations
- Log: 2026-08-27: New Years Ruminations
- Cast: Akihiko Sanada, Hyousuke Suzuki
- Where: Sumeru City, Kameya Alley
- OOC Date: August 30, 2026
- IC Date: January 02, 2013
- Summary: Akihiko and Hyousuke meet up during New Years. Together, they talk about what the next years of their life will bring them.
<Pose Tracker> Akihiko Sanada has posed.
It's New Years Eve. Another year will be over soon, and the next one just beginning.
For Akihiko Sanada, the future nears closer and closer. He'll be off to university soon, but he's a little lost right now. He doesn't know what he wants to study just yet. He's lucky, he'll get a scholarship off of his boxing skills. But what's the point he's still unsure?
Akihiko decides to take a look around Sumeru, near where the Tokyo University campus is. During his ruminations, he runs into Hyousuke Suzuki.
"Yo, Suzuki-san!" The silver haired boy says, raising his hand in greeting. He pauses for a moment. "Want to grab some food together?"
And here they are! At Izakaya Shiraishi, a place in Kameya Alley. "This makes me think of one of those alleyways Shinji used to waste himself in..." Akihiko mutters to himself as he takes a set of chopsticks in hand. Then, louder, "so, why are you wandering the streets, Suzuki-san?" He asks the other boy with a light smile. "You bothered by something too?"
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
It was New Year's Eve, and Hyousuke was alone. Pudding was fast asleep, his friends were busy with their own family or closer friends, there were no outstanding jobs that needed taking care of, and he'd already finished his training regimen for the day. Thus, bereft of anything meaningful to do - and with the NHK broadcast that year not happening for a while yet - Hyousuke found himself killing time by pottering around Hirasaka, hoping that someone or something would pop out and help him figure out what to do to help pass those last few daytime hours.
Strangely enough, the solution did indeed fall into his lap. Akihiko was unexpected, certainly - Hyousuke's cocked brow and look of mild surprise was enough to convey that - but he was certainly not unwelcome.
"Sanada-san? Sure, I've got time to kill. You good with ramen?" Izakaya Shiraishi served more than just ramen, but as far as Hyousuke was aware, it was by far the most popular foodstuff on the menu. And what better way to round off the year than with a piping hot bowl of the stuff, to warm him up on a frigid winter afternoon?
The remark about Shinjiro didn't go unnoticed, and Hyousuke took on a wistful look for all of a moment or two. Part of him considered asking after their mutual friend, but hearing and seeing Akihiko, he thought better of it. Instead, he decided to address the far more pertinent question. The one that was actually addressed to him.
"Just getting some air." Hyousuke said, unsure about how best to phrase it. As far as he was aware, there wasn't really a 'good' way of telling Akihiko that he didn't have anyone to spend the end of the year with.
"Trying to... I dunno, to clear my head." Hyousuke said, eventually settling on that. He slurped up a mouthful of noodles, hoping to use it as a way to stall for time while he let his thoughts coalesce. Eventually, he spoke again, no more sure of himself than before. "Figure out what I want to do next year. How about you? What're you doing all the way out in Sumaru?"
<Pose Tracker> Akihiko Sanada has posed.
"Ramen's great with me." Akihiko says with a smile. "Let's see how Sumeru ramen matches up to Hagakure."
"Mm." Akihiko grunts with a nod, as he digs into his ramen. He savours it, as Hyousuke clarifies what he means. "We might be in a similar boat." He replies with a side smile. "I'm thinking about University too. I don't know what I want to study yet, so I thought I'd visit the area around Tokyo U's campus." He slurps up some noodles too, before leaning back against the stool. "Got any ideas, yet?"
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
Hyousuke's ramen smelled a little sweet. It tasted a little sweet too. That was because he had ordered the banana ramen - a fact Akihiko would have overheard, had he been paying attention. However odd it sounded, Hyousuke seemed to have no trouble with it, eating it up with as much gusto as one might a more savoury affair.
"Me? Nah, I didn't bother applying to any of 'em. I'm not smart enough for something like that. Damn well not smart enough for Tokyo U." Hyousuke said. He tried to seem a little less sheepish than he felt, but there was no stopping the quick glance to one side he made. He paused a moment, collecting himself, before turning the conversation back to Akihiko. "I'm kinda the same as you though. Wouldn't even know what to study if I *did* get in. You sure you got no ideas? Figure you gotta be pretty smart with *something* to get in somewhere fancy like that."
<Pose Tracker> Akihiko Sanada has posed.
Banana ramen... Akihiko definitely bulged his eyes out at that one. But he then orders his own bowel, assuming that it's a regional specialty. The sweetness and banana flavouring are...definitely a little much, but it's not awful at least?
Akihiko furrows his brow a bit at that. "Are you sure? ...You know, university is supposed to be pretty important." He says, but... Well, he can't really keep up the chiding senior up for long. "Do you know what you're gonna do for work?" He asks with a light smile.
Akihiko laughs a little. "Sure, I'm good in school. Have to be, if I wanted to keep up with Mitsuru." He realizes that Hyousuke might not know who Mitsuru is. "My long time friend." He clarifies. "Even if I didn't have boxing for my scholarship, my adoptive family would be able to help. But career ideas?" He shrugs his shoulders. "I just want to grow stronger. I don't know yet what will get me there."
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
Akihiko didn't need to keep up the act for long. Hyousuke, judging by the contorting of his face that lingered for a good few seconds, knew exactly how much weight people placed on it - and what kind of a situation he'd be in if he ended up not going.
"I'll figure it out. Find some work, maybe take night classes. 'Course, I'd have to figure out what I'd even do when I got there. If I get there." He almost sounded dismissive of the idea, like it was just some idle fantasy not worth thinking about.
He nodded at the mention of a 'Mitsuru.' The name didn't quite ring a bell, but he got the sense that it was something - or, rather, someone - very important. He scrunched his face up and tried to remember it, but nothing came to him, so he went right back to conversing with Akihiko.
"Guessing that means you're not studying ancient history or whatever?" Hyousuke laughed a little, until a thought crossed his mind. "...Unless that helps with knowing more about our, uh, you know..." Hyousuke gestured vaguely behind him, waving at where a Persona might be summoned.
<Pose Tracker> Akihiko Sanada has posed.
Something best to be avoided. They're still within the Lost Decades, after all.
"So long as you have a plan." Akihiko nods. He doesn't...love the tone of voice he's sensing from Hyousuke. He just knows the feeling well. And knows the type of people who sound like that. "I'm sure you'll figure something out." He says gently, but firmly.
"I doubt it." Akihiko says with a wry smile. "We have a pretty significant backing as well. If they found something about that, I'm sure they'd tell us." He's being vague, but the backing is the Kirijo Group. If those scientists found something about knowing ancient history in improving wielding one's persona, that'd be vital for SEES to know. "I've been doing so much with 19th century Vienna, Greece might be a good change of pace. That's the strain of a classical education." He says with a laugh. (His project, of course, has been on the Congress of Vienna after the Napoleonic Wars.)
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
Even with how closely Hyousuke worked with members of SEES, much of the group's inner workings remained shrouded in mystery to him. Their purpose, their methods, their gear... He could guess at none of it. So when Akihiko mentioned significant backing, he still couldn't quite piece it all together. It was just another group he was not a part of, and another team he simply had to stop pondering lest their many mysteries bother him more than was reasonable.
"Sounds complicated." Hyousuke said, a little terse, but otherwise friendly. It took his brain a moment to spin up and figure out what else to say - his mind wasn't quite as fast with academics as it was on the battlefield, clearly.
Would've thought you'd keep going with what you know already though. Y'know, build off the knowledge you already got." It appeared those few seconds of thinking on a reply longer than two words bore some fruit, for whatever it was worth. He bought a little more time with a sip of green tea, though in comparison, it was barely a blink. "But I get that. Keep doing something long enough and it starts to wear you out. Gotta switch things up sometimes if you want to stay sane." Hyousuke chuckled a little, hoping the note of bitterness in his voice was faint enough that the izakaya's clamour could cover it up.
"Dunno if it'd help any with getting stronger. But being smart and stuff's good too."
<Pose Tracker> Akihiko Sanada has posed.
It's a mystery to everyone! Sometimes, even Akihiko isn't sure what happens outside of what he sees.
Akihiko at least, picks up on Hyousuke's terseness. He flashes a smile. "Sorry. We're backed by the Kirijo group, is all." He offers, figuring that should be fine. "It's hard to know what we can share outside of our little group."
"It's not a bad idea." Akihiko replies after a beat. He gives the other boy a side look, as if trying to size him up. He's not quite sure on what to make Hyousuke yet though. "I'm not opposed. Honestly, if I could just keep going on like this, forever. Trying to solve supernatural incidents..." He lets that linger for a moment, before chuckling into his glass of water. "It's an idle fantasy. I can't neglect my real life either."
Akihiko nods in agreement. "Fight smart, not hard, and all that."
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
"Oh, the Kirijo Group." Hyousuke said, as casually as finding out what someone had ordered for lunch that day. He took another mouthful of noodles, paused mid-slurp, contorted his face as the morsel went down, and fixed Akihiko with a puzzled look. "Oh. THE Kirijo Group. So that means your 'Mitusuru' is..." He'd only heard of the woman in passing, but it was easy enough to link her with a megacorp whose name could not be escaped. He wasn't quite sure how he was supposed to react to all that, so decided to leave the matter with a short remark. "...Well, at least you're in good hands."
"Still... No reason you can't fight hard *and* smart." Hyousuke continued, idly playing with the mug of green tea in his hand. He tipped it this way and that a little, more fidgeting with it than gesticulating, while elaborating on what his thoughts on the matter. "Someone's gotta take care of all this supernatural stuff. Doesn't look like it's going away any time soon, so you gotta be prepared to deal with it, whether it's on your own or in a team." Hyousuke paused a little, seeming almost pensive as he thought about what to say next.
"But if this all does go away, and we don't have to worry about everything... You ever think about what you'd do afterwards?"
<Pose Tracker> Akihiko Sanada has posed.
Akihiko lets out a laugh. "Yup! That Mitsuru Kirijo. I was surprised when I first heard too." He's very amused as he watches Hyousuke take that in. "The best." He replies.
"Someone has to." Akihiko agrees. "And it seems like there's plenty of different occurrences all over." He lets out a little laugh. "That's exactly what I'm trying to figure out. I'm not sure yet."
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
"Yeah, me too. At least it sounds like you've got the smarts to do whatever you want." Hyousuke said, commiserating with a smile when Akihiko confessed to not being sure about the future. Hyousuke - perhaps quite conspicuously - left out anything regarding himself, choosing instead to sip down another mouthful of tea. Slowly, surely, and somewhat serenely, though it was again just a way to keep from having to follow up with an answer on the spot. "Maybe you can do, I dunno, biology or something. Research how to make yourself stronger or something."
Were he aware of Pscience as a field of research, he might have suggested that.
But he wasn't.
So he didn't.
<Pose Tracker> Akihiko Sanada has posed.
Aki lets out a laugh. "What, like a potion type thing?" He asks, amused. Though, he does stroke his chin about it a bit.... "It's not the worst idea... But I gotta admit, I'm not one for steroids." He says. "I'd rather get through with my own strength."
He hesitates for a monument, before giving an apologetic smile to Hyousuke. "Sorry. It really just comes down to where my passions might be. And deciding what I want from it."
Cognitive pscience isn't a bad idea either. If only he knew about it properly. It can't be helped.
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
"Yeah. I mean, not really? I don't know. Science isn't really my thing." Neither were maths, English, literature, or any number of other academic subjects. But such was life, and Hyousuke was just as willing to drop the subject as Akihiko was as the conversation moved on. "Well, whatever you want to do, here's hoping you do it well." It was perhaps an odd way to phrase it, but there were a million and one things on his mind. Hyousuke's attention seemed split between his meal, the conversation, and something going on in his own mind
"...You want to go for one more bowl?" He asked, looking down at his nearly-emptied serving of noodles. "I'm still hungry, and I've got nowhere else to be today."