2026-10-16: More Than Friends
- Log: More Than Friends
- Cast: Ririka Kawase, Hyousuke Suzuki
- Where: Hirasaka - Main
- OOC Date: October 16, 2026
- IC Date: Friday, January 25, 2013
- Summary: Hyousuke got Ririka a gift for her and her 'friend' to enjoy for Christmas. Now, Ririka and Ikumi go to talk top Hyousuke and say thanks. And also to explain that they're... well, it's in the title.
(|============================= Hirasaka - Main ==============================|)
-=============================================== Sumaru City/Hirasaka Ward ====-
The westernmost ward of the city, and also the one furthest inland, Hirasaka is
considered one of the least desirable places to live in Sumaru. This is in part
due to the bad reputation of local Kasugayama High School, nicknamed "Kasu High"
by its students and "Cuss High" by its detractors. A school of overwhelmingly
boys but some errant girls, it's said to be for delinquents, poors, and other
"problem" children. Just down the street is Sumaru Prison, which is not a prison
but an underground club with a live stage, and either way the parents of Sevens
students hate it.
It's not all bad in Hirasaka, though. The shopping is second to none, with a
huge five-story mall called Smile Hirasaka that offers a wide variety of
businesses and conference meeting rooms; just be sure to go on a day when the
stores aren't closed. For those who want a more homey atmosphere for their
purchases, there's Kameya Alley. Plenty of office buildings populate the area,
too.
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
Hyousuke got Ririka a very thoughtful gift for Christmas, an experience at a tea house, good for herself and one 'friend'. Only... Hyousuke didn't ahve the full story of the 'friend' Ririka had been shopping for in the mall that day.
Ikumi is... way more than a friend to Ririka, to put it lightly.
After some checking on the backend, and some long talks with Ikumi, Ririka reached out to Hyousuke, inquiring how he and Pudding were doing, and also arranging a meetup so she could introduce the 'friend' that had benefitted from his gift.
And so! Ririka finds herself making the trek to Sumaru today, dressed in a jacket over a flannel and cargo pants. And she's arriving at the park with a girl who is much more average height, with short, messy dyed-green hair, jacekt, pleated skirt, and tights. (And also, fingerless gloves.)
They're chatting as they walk into the park, in low voices.
"... so the tall brawny guy, right?" murmurs Ikumi, looking far more relaxed than she feels as she strolls along.
"Yeah. He's not so bad, once you get to know him," Ririka promises, looking about a quarter anxious as she feels. They're both scanning the park.
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
In anyone else, the bashful way Ririka had spoken about her 'friend' and the look Ichika had given him upon mentioning them would have, at the very least, aroused some small level of interest. Hyousuke was not anyone else. The signs had failed to make it through the dense layer of bone that was his skull, and he simply assumed that Ririka had taken that rather close friend out for a day out. In spite of it all, he did cock a brow at her wanting to introduce him to that friend. Another supernaturally-inclined person, perhaps? One of the members of the team she was on that he'd potentially be working with? No way to know for sure without going, he supposed, and thus he agreed to meet her.
Pudding was to come along as well, of course. If he found out that Hyousuke had gone to the park without him, Hyousuke had no doubt the fuzzy little fellow would be most displeased.
It wasn't long before Hyousuke came into view. A solid wall of muscle, hewn into an athletic build and topped by a short crop of honey-blonde hair, he looked like trouble before one noticed the deep trench carved into his face from brow to cheek. This was more or less alleviated by two things. One, the polite expression he wore, followed by the broad smile and enthusiastic wave he gave upon seeing Ririka and her - he presumed - friend. Two, the dog that trotted along at the end of the lead he held. Short, golden-furred, and sniffing at everything Hyousuke let him, Pudding was about the furthest thing from intimidating a dog could be.
"Kawase-san! Hey! Hope I didn't keep you two waiting too long." Hyousuke said, noticeably louder than their hushed tones, but not so loud as to call attention. Pudding had no such inhibitions, however. Not only did he see someone he recognised as a friend, but beside her was a new person - a new friend, potentially. Overjoyed at such a glorious bounty, he strained a little at the lead, let out a happy bark, and looked up with wagging tail and expectant eyes. Hyousuke himself looked from Ririka to Ikumi, and gave a firm nod by way of greeting. "You're Kawase-san's friend, aren't you? Hyousuke Suzuki. Pleasure to meet you. And this little guy's Pudding. Don't worry, he's friendly - he's probably not gonna stop staring at you until you pet him, thinking about it..."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
To be fair to Hyousuke, it's not exactly like Ririka advertises it. (Maybe someday she will, but today is definitely not that day.)
Ikumi might be recognizeable from school--she runs with a gang, but she also runs books for various wagers at times, at least when the teachers aren't looking. (The teachers are often not looking.)
Ririka waved. "Hey, Suzuki-san!" she called out. "Hey, Pudding!"
Ikumi gives a much more relaxed single lift of a hand and a casual, "Yo."
"No, you're good!" Ririka says, with a small shake of her head. "We're just getting here."
'Friend.' Ikumi smirks a little, though that's to steel her own nerves. "Yeah, you could say that. Ikumi Okuyama. I've seen you around Cuss high, right? Nice to meet you, Senpai."
Ririka, on the other hand, blushes a little. "Yeeep. Uh, I--we--" she shoots a look at Ikumi, who nods back. "--just wanted tot hank you for your gift. We had a really nice time."
Ikumi squats to hold her hand ot for pudidng to sniff. "Hey there, little guy." She's wearing fingerless gloves.
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
Pudding did not care about gloves, fingerless or not. Ikumi was within range, and that meant it was time to investigate. He sniffed, prodding and poking at her palm with his nose, until finally... another happy bark. Satisfied that she was indeed friend, Pudding licked at her hand and pressed his entire face into it, all but demanding that she grant him the attention he so rightly deserved. Hyousuke was a lot calmer by comparison. While the hand clamped onto Pudding's lead was obvious active, the other remained loose, his thumb jammed unceremoniously into the edge of his pocket.
"Yeah. Got in this year, if you're wondering why you haven't seen me before that." Hyousuke said in response, a little tersely, but not so much - he hoped that it came across as unfriendly. When he turned to Ririka, he was quiet for a moment once she finished. There was a vaguely puzzled look to him as he evaluated her, but nothing that lasted once he began to speak again. "Pleasure's all mine. There's some really nice places around here, if you want any more recommendations." There was even a place that did a delightful little set for couples, but he didn't think she'd be interested in that.
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
Ikumi lets out a quiet laugh and proceeds to vigorously pet the Pudding. "Friendly little guy, aren'tcha? I got plenty more where that all came from" Hyousuke explains that he transferred in that year. "Yeeep. I know. You don't run with a crew either, right?" She looks up, studying Hyousuke for a moment. "... wouldn't have taken you for a dog guy, but if this little guy likes you you can't be all bad."
"Pudding's a stray that Suzuki-san found," Ririka chimes in, glancing at Hyousuke. Ikumi's not Awakened, so she cna't explain about the Rumor, but that version of the story is essentially true.
Ririka is quiet as Hyousuke studies her. By contrast, she worries if he's already figured it out. The offer of more recommendations doens't exactly disprove that hypothesis. "That'd be gret, thanks. I hope you liked the tea and snack set I picked up for you."
Ririka takes her turn to kneel and offer a hand to Pudding. "Hey, Pudding. Glad to see you're doing okay." She glances up from the inevitable onrush of doggy attention. "Everything okay with Pudding? You need any help with things for him?"
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
Pudding did indeed like Hyousuke. However, he also seemed to like Ririka. And Ikumi. And anyone else that paid attention to him. He was indeed a friendly little guy, and leaned into every bit of petting that Ikumi gave, tongue lolling out in abject joy at the fact that a person had deigned to spoil him. The sight was enough to lend a smile to Hyousuke's features that, while not much wider than what the polite one he wore, was noticeably warmer.
"Not really my style. The gangs, I mean. Dogs are fine."
"Couldn't just let him wander around alone, especially at this time of year." Hyousuke said offhandedly, deciding to omit any mention of Ririka and the rest of SEES lending a hand. If she wanted to mention that to Ikumi, that was her perogative - he didn't want to put her in an awkward position by spilling more details than were needed. Being friends with a couple of Phantom Thieves had drilled at least a little bit of opsec into his head, it seemed. Pudding, of course, cared little for the intricacies of concealing a secret identity, instead caring much more about receiving pets from Ririka as well. He spun, shifted, barked, and sniffed, leaving little doubt as to how happy he was to be doted on in such a manner.
"It's fine. I'm set for supplies at the moment and I've got an apartment lined up." He said, speaking casually in response to Ririka's query. "But I'd appreciate it if you could get him to go on a playdate with Koro once in a while. Socialising with other dogs is supposed to be good for him, and Koromaru seems pretty well-behaved." Hyousuke looked to Pudding briefly, then back to Ririka. "What about you? You need my help with anything?" He asked, phrasing it as innocuously as possible, but firming his voice just a little. He didn't suspect exactly what was up, but being called out to the park to speak in person, her blush, her quiet... Something amongst it all had piqued his curiosity.
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
Ikumi shrugs a little. "Hey, if you're makin' it work for you, more power to ya, man." She's only going to be concerned with Hyousuke if he starts making trouble for her and hers, really. "But, uh, yeah. Thanks for the gift. We had a really nice time."
But Hyousuke was concerned, given the time of year... Ikumi nods approvingly. "Not everyone's that decent. Cool." She gives a meaningful look to Ririka, who just smiles back at her.
"Who's a good boy," Ririka coos to Pudding, petting his hears and head. She looks up and nods as Hyousuke says he's set on supplies. "That's good." She brightens. "Oh yeah, Koro-chan! I'll talk to the others, but that'd be good."
Ikumi shoots Ririka a more quizzical look, and Ririka smiles. "I'll explain later. And send you photos."
Ikumi shrugs. "Alright."
But Hyousuke asks, and Ririka shakes her head. "Things are good for now, but... thanks." She stalls for a moment, looking to Ikumi.
Ikumi scratches her cheek for a moment. "Hey, senpai. Are you tight with Kashihara-senpai at all?"
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
With Pudding sufficiently distracted by the attentions of an established friend and a new one, Hyousuke was free to give Ikumi a quizzical look of his own, even tilting his head a little at the question. That Ririka had deferred to her only made the situation more curious, and he couldn't help but wonder what exactly was going on.
"Kashihara-san? Yeah, we're cool. He's tutored me a few times, and we hang out." He said. It was a lot easier to say that, than to explain that he'd helped spearhead a rescue operation concerning his peer.
"Why do you ask? Is something wrong?" Hyousuke asked, blinking a little and looking somewhat concerned. They were calm - relatively speaking - and that alone was enough to keep him from being on edge, but he couldn't help but feel like he'd missed a step along the way.
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
Tutoring, they've hung out. Ikumi looks to Ririka, and the two share a small nod. "No, nothin'gs wrong," Ikumi continues. "Just, ah..."
Ririka's at least said this a few times already. Ikumi hasn't done it the once. When Ikumi looks to Ririka for a lifeline, Ririka can't help but laugh a little, quietly. "So the reason I wanted to come thank you in person," Ririka picks up. "And to introduce you to Ikumi-chan is... well. You didn't just give me a nice gift for me and my friend, you kind of... got me a nice gift for me and my girlfriend."
Ririka's blushing, but she's smiling. Ikumi is also blushingand is fiddling with something in her coat pocket.
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
Were one to examine Hyousuke closely as he processed what Ririka said, they might have heard the hamster wheel squeaking away, or seen his eyes go a little blank as he turned the words over in his mind. Then, suddenly, his mouth opened a little, and the wheel suddenly came to a screeching halt.
"Oh. OH. So *that's* why Ichika-san was looking at me funny when I told her what I got you two." Hyousuke rolled his eyes a little as it dawned on him, and shook his head as if to dismiss the thought entirely. "Well, thanks for telling me. And congrats on the uh... girlfriend." He gestured vaguely between the two of them with his free hand, unsure of how exactly to respond, but hoped that a general sentiment of warmth and acceptance came through.
He thought for a moment, and in a rare moment of considering things beyond the immediate moment, followed through with another question.
"Who else knows? Apart from your sister, I mean."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
Ririka and Ikumi are both kind of holding their breath a little, waiting for Hyousuke to process things... and Ririka looks relieved when Hyousuke gets it. (Ikumi, too, though she's still a little bit tense.)
And Ririka laughs as Hyousuke relays the tidbit about IOchika. "Wait, really? She didn't tell me about that..." "You're welcome, and... thanks."
Ririak reaches up to take Ikumi's hand, giving her a reassuring smile as she interlces their fingers together.
"Girlfriend," she confirms.
Ikumi flashes Ririka a warm smile for a moment, the hand in her pocket settling. "Thron boss is the only one who knows for me," says Ikumi. "And, uh, I'd kiiind of like to keep it that way?"
"Sis knows," Ririka says. "So does my family, so does my band, and a few of my friends. I'm just... taking it slow, for now."
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
Hyousuke nodded, keeping quiet until both Ikumi and Ririka had finished addressing him. Even when they had, however, he remained silent a second longer, though it wasn't the slow processing like before. It was a thoughtful silence that he broke before it had time to grow into anything awkward.
"Yeah, don't worry about that one. I'm not gonna talk about it to anyone you two haven't." Ririka's answer was a little vague, but he supposed asking for a specific list would be a little awkward, so simply let sleeping dogs lie. Metaphorically speaking. Pudding was very much not sleeping.
"Man, looking back though... Can't believe I didn't think there was *something* up. Not that I don't understand why you didn't say anything at the time." Hyousuke said, laughing a little at his own density. For Ririka's sake, he didn't elaborate on exactly how she'd acted while he'd gone shopping with Fuuka. If their positions were reversed, he knew he'd be mortified. "Just glad you're telling me now. But now that I do know, I'm gonna start looking up places that do couples' sets. I know, I know, you don't want to go around telling everyone. But there's this one place I went to had the *cutest* little heart-shaped muffins. Damn it, what was its name..."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
Ririka can fill in Hyousuke later--there's a few members of SEES who know already, but Ririka doesn't think other parts of her social circle overlap with Hyousuke all that much.
"Cool, thanks. I appreciate it," says Ikumi. Ririka eches the sentiment.
Ririka laughs, and looks to Ikumi. "Oh, right before Christmas, I ran into Suzuki-kun and a friend of mine, Fuuka-chan, at the mall while trying to figure out what to gte you. Except, well... I said I was shopping for a friend, and..."
Ikumi lets out a sharp bark of laughter. "Ha! And he ended up gettin' a gift for you and your 'friend', huh?"
Ririka blinks. "... Yeah." She looks at Hyousuke. "... did you guys ever say who you were shopping for?"
"Oh, and Fuuka-chan knows, too."
But Hyousuke's thinking of looking up more places. "Oh, thanks, but... you don't have to get us another experience or anything. But the recommendations would be welcome."
Ikumi looks to Ririka, and mouths the word 'cutest?' as Hyousuke puzzles. Ririka shrugs and looks down at Pudding. It's fine.
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
Hyousuke bit back a laugh, doing his level best to keep from letting it manifest too openly. However, there was no keeping his smile from splitting his face just a little wider.
"No, we didn't. It's 'cause we were figuring out what to get *you* as a present. Wasn't sure if I was supposed to think I was unlucky 'cause you were there while we were trying to keep it a surprise, or if we got lucky *because* you showed up, but it all worked out in the end."
Then they mentioned another gift, and his expression became one of mild puzzlement.
"Hm? Oh, no, you guys're booking your own places, I'm just getting recommendations for you. This little guy's been eating up any spare cash I make." Hyousuke chuckled a little at his own remark. Pudding looked to him for a moment, mouth hanging open in a steady pant at the suspicion he was being talked about, before returning his attention to a particularly crunchy leaf. Or, rather, the remains of one. With a furious flurry of blows, Pudding rendered the leaf down into little more than scraps, valiantly vanquishing his foe.
Pudding looked back up at Ririka. He looked expectant. Did she want to give him more pets? He certainly wanted more pets. He nudged into her and wagged his tail, letting out a (relatively) quiet bark to grab her attention. Or Ikumi's. Or Hyousuke's. Anyone that would give him the attention he deserved, really. Alas, that small dog being an open secret in the boys' dorms had no doubt dealt a mortal blow against whatever Hyousuke's reputation had been, only for the remains to be trampled upon by his love of tea pastries becoming known to more people.
"Speaking of, that set you got me's good stuff. Where'd you find it? Somewhere on Port Island? I might start paying more visits if you've got stuff like that stashed away over there..."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
And it turns out, they were shopping for her. Ririka blinks in surprise, and then bursts out laughing. "Oh no, I didn't mean to--" She has to stop speaking to let another laugh pass. "Well, I guess you did figure out a gift for me, after all, huh?"
Ikumi is snickering a little too, and at Pudding's bark she kneels down and grins. "C'mere, you mutt." She pats her lap to get the dog's attention, and then reaches out for more pettings.
But they're on their own. "Okay, okay, cool. Just... wanted to make sure," Ririka says. "Thank you!" But as for where she got that tea set. "Oh, yeah, I'll text you toe name of the store."
And with the heavy news out of the way, they can let the conversation take its natural course for a while.
... All while giving Pudding plenty of pets, of course.