2026-11-09: Obligations
- Log: Obligations
- Cast: Katsuko Yoshinaga, Kazusa Motojima
- Where: Shibuya Station - Underground Mall
- OOC Date: November 09, 2026
- IC Date: Wednesday, February 06, 2013
- Summary: After her talk with Haru, Kazusa heads to the Underground Mall to do some window shopping, and runs into Katsuko. Kazusa brings up the Yugawara trip, and then someone else joins the conversation.
(|==================== Shibuya Station - Underground Mall ====================|)
-====================================================== Tokyo/Shibuya Ward ====-
If you think Shibuya Central Street has the ultimate in shopping, wait 'til you
see the Underground Mall off of Shibuya Station. A collection of all sorts of
stores, it's accessible down the stairs from both Shibuya Station and Central
Street, making it feel like an "as above, so below" situation.
There's only so much room in these subterranean walkways, so each store is more
like a hole in the wall, but each one makes the most of the space they've got.
Clothing and shoe stores use racks that spill into the walkway, the walls, even
the ceiling to display their wares. A flower shop has a chalkboard describing
prices for its potted plants and specialty bouquets. Jewelry stores show off
their wares beneath locked glass cases. A premium mini-supermarket offers the
most delectable sweets. Japanese sundries, cosmetics, music and DVDs--you can
find all of them and more here.
The hallway walls display massive, colorful ads for the next hit thing, and more
ads string overhead. It's almost jarring compared to the bland concrete
hallways, tiled floors, and corrugated steel shutters for stores not currently
open.
<Pose Tracker> Katsuko Yoshinaga has posed.
Though it was only the opening days of February, the weather had begun to shift to greet the changing of the seasons. January's bitter chill still lingered on the air a little, but springtime had begun to make its move, and winter had begun to move out. Nevertheless, Katsuko had still chosen to bundle up a little. Pressed trousers in a dark shade of grey sat beneath her coat, itself a warm and gentle shade of brown. Her hair had been tied into a neat bun, with the collar pulled up just a touch, covering whatever skin had been left exposed by the style.
Katsuko looked down at the display in the shop window, eyes scanning over each available item as though she were a hawk surveying the land beneath. Fingers pressed to her chin, she barely blinked as she considered the merits of the various items set out past that thin pane of glass. Despite how hard she looked to be thinking about the chocolates arranged neatly in the shop's display, however, Katsuko's expression barely changed from that stone-faced look, with her occasional blinks being about the most drastic shift that could be perceived by passers-by.
The problem was not the quality. She had conducted research and asked a few of her clubmates, and all agreed that the price point of the obligatory chocolates there were acceptable, when compared to the quality of the confectioneries on offer. The problem was not availability either. By the looks of it, the shop had anticipated that they would need a fair amount in the run-up to Valentine's Day. The issue, she lamented, was that they were a little bit gaudy for something that she only intended to give to people as a polite gesture.
Each piece of milk chocolate was wrapped in a delicate pink film, the ends tied off with glimmering golden string. They themselves were bundled together into a neat little plastic bag, clear and pressed and tied off with a ribbon to match the gold laced about the chocolates. Katsuko couldn't help but admire the craftsmanship, but she wondered if giving someone those would send the wrong message. She'd already made a faux pas like that with the transfer student - the last thing she needed was to repeat the mistake. People would talk, and she couldn't have that.
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Spring might be making a slow approach, but it had not arrived quite yet. Kazusa wanders through the underground mall, dressed in coordinated blouse and skirt combo, a stylish long coat (worn open now that she was indoors), tights, and ankle boots, all meant to keep the cold out. She has a small black designer backpack worn high on her back, and her hair is left worn straight.
And, of course, her signature pink nail polish and silver bracelets.
She's slowly perusing the windows but there isn't really anything she's hopping for, at the moment. Her preparations for the trip were basically finished, and there wasn't really anything she needed to buy to take with her, either.
It was rather the point of going to a high-end ryokan, after all. A lot of things were provided for.
She'd head to her studio, but she doesn't have enough time for that tonight. So for now, she wanders the underground mall. That is, until she sees Katsuko.
... she should probably say hi. Circumstances had forced her to have a very awkward conversation with Katsuko while Shinichi's Homunculus was still a going concern, but that problem was over now. So hopefully they could move forward like nothing was out of the ordinary.
She carefully makes her way over. "Yoshinaga-senpai," she said respectfully. "How are you today?" She glances at the window. "... shopping for Valentine's Day?"
<Pose Tracker> Katsuko Yoshinaga has posed.
Katsuko blinked and looked to the side, the vague hints of surprise flitting onto her features as she heard her name. She turned to face Kazusa the moment she realised that it was indeed her being called to, and regarded Kazusa with that trademark stony glance of hers.
"Motojima-san. A pleasure." She said, with scant little emotion present. Whether it was taken at face value or not mattered little to her. It was nothing more than a perfunctory greeting, given so that she could transition to small talk without just launching into it.
"I am. I thought it was best to get them now. There's still plenty, and I'd like to get them while the price is still agreeable. Especially after Christmas." Not that she held it against them to jack up the prices the closer they were to the day. If anyone neglected to make adequate preparations for a yearly holiday that was on more or less every calendar sold in Japan, that was on them. "I've no issues with the quality, but these will only be friendship chocolates. I don't want to give the wrong idea to people." Not a hint of romantic desire in her voice. She was either a very good actor, or so utterly disinterested in love that it verged on outright repulsion.
"What about you?" She asked. "Are you looking to buy some too?"
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
A pleasure. "Of course," says Kazusa with a small nod. If she senses it's perfunctory she doesn't seem to mind.
"Mmm..." She doesn't want to give the wrong idea... "They are a little flashy," she agree, turning a critical eye to them. "But if you don't want to give people the wrong idea, it all comes down to the presentation. Present them in a group setting, or just mention you wanted to get something for your friends."
Kazusa has no problem believing Katsuko isn't interested in romance. She isn't, after all. (At least, that's what Kazusa keeps trying to tell herself until her brain finally decides to agree.)
But her? "... not particularly." Of course, she can count the number of people she officially counts as 'friend' on one hand, even if the real number is probably a little higher. "Of course, I am treating a number of people to a trip this weekend. So, you know."
She's pretty sure 'a trip to Yugawara' trumps 'friendship chocolates' in the social calculus, at least.
<Pose Tracker> Katsuko Yoshinaga has posed.
Katsuko was sure that she had something to say about presentation and her inability to present anything but a PowerPoint with an expression as impenetrable as a glacier, but Kazusa's comment about a trip knocked the wind square out of her sails. She hid it well, as she did with most things. It was one thing to read about the trip on her phone - that much could just be waved off as the idle musings of someone wanting to go somewhere someday. No concrete commitments, just expressions of interest. But to hear Kazusa declare that it was definitely happening... Internally, she began to wonder just how she'd forgotten Kazusa was a Motojima.
One of *those* Motojimas.
"To Yugawara, right?" Katsuko asked. Cold as it was, there were the place still had a litany of things to do at that time of year. Even the beach was good for sightseeing, so long as you bundled up and didn't plan to go swimming. Nevertheless, for those that could hear it, there was a quiet note of surprise to her voice. Not solely at the fact that Kazusa could afford it, but at the idea that enough people were friendly enough with her to make it a group outing. "Has anyone else confirmed they're going?" She asked, partly to keep the conversation going, but also out of outright curiosity.
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
How did Katsuko forget that Kazusa was a Motojima? She doesn't exactly make a secret of it! And she'd been very cler about the trip, even if Katsuko hadn't been certain about going.
But departure time is in three days. She definitely needs to ahve all the details nailed down.
"Yes, to Yugawara. I've finalized most of the details... except for a final headcount." She looks directly at Katsuko as she says this, despite the difference in their statures.
There are a number of people that Kazusa is on marginally friendly terms with. Some of them she evn counts as friends! ... But really, part of the trip entails 'inviting friends of friends' so that she can ensure her guests have people along to have a good tie with.
Has anyone confirmed? "Yes. A good number of people, actually. There's only one person I haven't heard back from." She crosses her arms. "Look, I know we're not exactly friends, but..."
She glances around a little to make sure nobody is paying too close attention to them. She takes a deep breath. "... I would appreciate it if you came along. It would... be regarded favorably by my father if you were to attend. And his interest in meeting with your father is one of the one of the reasons he gave his permission for the trip."
Oh, so it's not that Kazusa can afford it, but that her family can, and Kazusa had to do some convincing to get access to the purse strings. She glances away after a moment. "... it's a high-end ryokan, and there's enough suits that I could give you one of your own. Or if you'd care to invit a friend to come iwth you, you could do that as well."
She looks away a little bit. It's kind of manipulative, and she's not happy about that, but she's trying to be upfront about the negotiations.
Most of them, anyway.
<Pose Tracker> Katsuko Yoshinaga has posed.
And there it was. The reason she was being invited to the trip. The invite hadn't been a formality given out of politeness after all, but that didn't mean it had been given altruistically either. Katsuko supposed she should have seen it coming, rather than brushed it off as a gesture made to keep the peace, but felt a little more at ease when Kazusa came out and said it.
"If you'd wanted me to arrange a meeting, you only had to ask." Katsuko said flatly. Was that a teasing retort echoing Kazusa's sentiments from way back when? Maybe. Maybe not. Katsuko was certainly disinclined to say.
With that pithy remark out of the way, however, Katsuko took a moment to consider the question. She looked down thoughtfully, two fingers pressed around her chin, and weighed the options. The pause was a short and thoughtful one, but even she could sense some manner of tension beginning to build in the air the longer she let it drag on for, and so she ventured an answer that she hoped would be received well.
"The offer is appreciated. But I-" The words caught in her throat suddenly, held back at the last moment by a wayward, unwelcome, thought.
Kazusa had offered Katsuko the chance to take a plus-one. A friend, ostensibly. But who amongst the people she knew could she take? She knew nobody at Shujin well enough to invite them to such a thing. She was on friendly terms with Misato, but not close to friendly enough for that kind of thing. If her father counted as the plus-one, and Kazusa's wished to meet him there, then that made things simpler to plan, but it didn't erase the lingering thought that amongst all the people she knew, none were truly friends with her.
Katsuko thought it lucky that she'd faced down, as she could not stop that single, solitary, tremor from twitching her lip. It was a subtle thing, but she didn't want to risk exposing even that.
"...I would need to know if my father should attend this or not. He's a busy man, and this would be short notice. Otherwise, you won't need to plan for a plus-one. I'll be attending on my own." She eventually said, hoping to disguise her hesitance. Her voice was flat again, but not in the way that lacked emotion. Rather, it was a somewhat forced tone - like she was trying to restrain it. "Whatever the case, I do thank you for the offer, and I humbly accept it."
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
She only had to ask. Kazusa studies Katsuko for a moment. "... Meetings with your father aren't really part of our arrangement. Then again, I suppose trips like this aren't, either."
She could try and argue that part of their arrangement was Katsuko giving cover for Kazusa with her father, but that's a stretch.
But she'll wait out Katsuko's ponderings. But when Katsuko asks that question, she blinks. "... No?" She catches on a moment later. "Oh, no, my father won't be attending this trip. It's mostly just friends and acquaintances around our ages."
And some kouhais. It's fine.
But she nods, as Katsuko says she'll attend alone. "Very well. I'll make sure to confirm things with the staff. Thank you, Yoshinaga-senpai."
She hesitates for a moment, chewing her lip as she considers. "... I did have another reason for the trip, though. I just thought, after how December and January went, it might be nice to get away for a little bit." She shrugs a little, trying to play it off. "... even if it's just for a few days."
<Pose Tracker> Katsuko Yoshinaga has posed.
"Oh, the business with Nagisa-san. I hear that was resolved recently, and he's gone back to normal." Katsuko remarked, as if she'd not been there to do battle with the thing that had burrowed its way into his psyche. It was on occasions like this one that she was grateful for her stoic demeanour. After all, who could tell that she was lying through her teeth when the closest thing she bore to an expression was a quick blink at the mention of their peer? "I don't know what happened with him, but I'm glad we don't have to-"
Katsuko cut herself off again, though this time not because of any introspection. It was the close and steady tap-tap-tapping of a cane against the station's tiles that had her blink quickly and suddenly grow quiet. She wasn't scared, not by any means. But she was most certainly surprised when she turned to face the source, and found herself looking at her father. Dark-haired with eyes much the same shade as Katsuko's, Hiroyuki moved forward steadily in spite of the limp in one leg.
"Ah, Katsuko-chan, there you are! You're still looking at the chocolates?"
Katsuko nodded, turning quickly to face the man. At a glance, and despite the cold, there was nothing but warmth to him. The smile spread across his face, the creasing of his features, the way he kept close to his daughter and how she looked to him with warmth to match his own... In an instant, it was clear how they felt towards each other.
"Oh, yes, I'm sorry. I got caught up talking with a-" Katsuko hesitated to say just what Kazusa was. Their relationship was a transactional one, and she had no illusions about them being friends. But to deny it out loud and outright, especially in front of her father... it was unexpectedly difficult.
Hiroyuki smiled down knowingly at her and cut in before the silence grew awkward, for which she looked grateful. As grateful as she could look, at least.
"Oh! Well, you two don't need to rush on my account." He said, waving the hand not resting against his cane. "You two must've been so busy, what with finals and everything going on at once. Katsuko-chan's been working herself to the bone, getting into Tokyo U - between you and me, I think she could stand to relax a little more."
"Otou-san...!" Katsuko said, a hint of bashfulness creeping in, but still kept at bay. Hiroyuki, well aware of how his teasing affected her, just laughed a little and turned to face Kazusa.
"Sorry, sorry, I couldn't help myself. But where are my manners? I'm Katsuko-chan's father. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss...?" As he drew close enough to speak politely to Kazusa, and as he inclined his head forward a little, something else revealed itself. For all of his warmth and affection, and despite how genuine it was, that man's eyes were razor-sharp.
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
"Yes, he has," Kazusa confirms about Shinichi. "So there's nothing to worry about." She pauses, frowning a little as Katsuko suddenly cuts herself off, following her gaze...
... Ah. If the familial resemblance didn't give it away, their interactions sure did. Kazusa felt that familiar pang but shoved it down deep.
Tokyo U! "Congratulations, senpai," Kazusa says smoothly. "It seems like your efforts have paid off."
But when prompted, she gives a small, polite bow. "Kazusa Motojima. I attend Shujin, though I'm only a second year. It's a pleasure to meet you, Yoshinaga-san. You're with... Horui Cybersecurity, if I'm not mistaken?"
<Pose Tracker> Katsuko Yoshinaga has posed.
"That's right. You're pretty well-informed, Motojima-san. Not that I'd expect anything less of you." He smiled, he chuckled, and he looked - for all intents and purposes - to simply be a gentle older man having his fun. But Katsuko knew those eyes, and she knew that glint. He was a shark catching the scent of blood in the water, and he'd chosen to circle in on an opportunity. "It's good to see you two getting along, though. But what's all this I hear about something happening between you? You two aren't getting into trouble now, are you?"
Katsuko immediately flashed Kazusa a look - an unusually firm one at that. She didn't dare say a word, but hoped that her sudden shift in demeanour behind her father's back made it clear: Don't tell him a thing.
"Nothing to worry about. Exams were difficult this year, that's all."
It was hard to tell whether he'd bought it or not. Where Katsuko was a brick wall, he was a chameleon - whatever thoughts lay behind those eyes were hidden behind an expression that said only what he wished others to hear.
"Ah, yes, finals. I don't miss them. Better get used to them though - you're going to have to handle much worse if you want to catch up with me."
Again, he laughed, and again, Katsuko took on as close to a bashful look as was possible for her.
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Kazusa smiled demurely, laughing softly into her hand at the compliment. "Why thank you. I try. After all, it's important to know whom one is talking to, right?"
This might seem... wildly out of character for her, but it's not--not in this kind of circumstance, at least. She caught the look Katsuko gave her but just smiled back.
"Oh, no trouble at all, sir. Why, we were just discussing an upcoming trip this weekend. I invited Yoshinaga-senpai to join me in Yugawara this weekend. After I saw how hard she was working, first with finals, and then entrance exams right after--in the middle of winter break, no less!--I wanted to offer a relaxing weekend away. I've taken care of all of the arrangements."
... Sorry, Katsuko. This i the only thing she has to distract from the topic of Shinichi. And he did just say he thought his daughter should relax more., right?
<Pose Tracker> Katsuko Yoshinaga has posed.
Katsuko supposed she only had herself to blame for that one. Kazusa had done exactly as asked, and to her credit, it worked spectacularly. Hiroyuki looked from Kazusa over to Katsuko, gaze slowly tracking across. Katsuko flashed Kazusa a look - one whose portrayed emotion she couldn't quite figure out - and then looked back to her father. While that flint-edged glint in his eyes was still present, it had dulled somewhat to give way to a brighter look. One accompanied by a wide and beaming smile that could be not be mistaken for anything but pride.
He had the good sense to not say that he was proud of his daughter for actually making a friend, but for anyone paying close enough attention, the implication was there.
"I only just accepted." She said, blinking up at him while searching for an answer to save her dignity. "I know I have work to do, and if you need help around the house I will-"
"Katsuko-chan." He said. The interruption was firm, but gentle. "You don't have to worry about me. Go on - take a break. You deserve it."
For what felt like the first time in an age, Katsuko was momentarily lost for words, and hesitated. It took her more effort than she cared to admit to nod, and respond.
"I will. Thank you, otou-san."
"Don't thank me, thank your friend. She's the one taking you with her. Just bring me back a souvenir, alright?"
He turned back to look at Kazusa, and that razor-eyed sharpness honed by years in a cuththroat industry returned.
"And you take care of her, alright? No getting into trouble behind my back, you hear?"
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Kazusa resisted the urge to roll her eyes as Katsuko said she'd only just accepted. Come on, she's trying to make you look good here. Well, sort of. It's also making Kazusa look good, hopefully, but two things can be true at once.
Even if they're not friends, just acquaintances with a mutually beneficial arrangement. But now's hardly the time to quibble about the details.
Seeing that smile, though... Kazusa forces herself to keep her own composure, hands clasped now in front of her.
"Oh, please, no thanks are required. I'm simply happy to share the fruits of my family's success." Success that could be further shared if their families were to do business, she didn't say.
"I assure you, there won't be any trouble at all. Everything will be provided for for my guests."
<Pose Tracker> Katsuko Yoshinaga has posed.
"I'll have to personally thank your father, then." Hiroyuki said, his tone jovial, but the intent all but stated. He wasn't born yesterday - he knew the game Kazusa was playing, and if her father had bankrolled the trip, the one he had a part in too. But there was a time and a place for business, and it could all wait until Katsuko had taken her well-earnt rest. Katsuko wasn't blind to it either, but there was little she could say would make the situation go any smoother. "I'm going to buy some flowers. Don't wait up for me - I'll see you at home if I finish before you do."
With that, Hiroyuki wandered off, and Katsuko bid her goodbyes. Once she was sure he was out of earshot, she turned back to Kazusa, and reassumed her usual, neutral, expression.
"Sorry about that. I'd thought he was still picking some other things up." She didn't want to call the whole display a little embarrassing, but the vague look of sheepishness told the story for her. There was also the matter of Kazusa. She couldn't just wander off now, could she? She still had plenty of time to kill, and no desperately urgent commitments. Surely it wouldn't hurt to extend an invitation for some socialising if their parents were to do the same, right?
"...Would you like to look at the chocolates with me?" Katsuko asked awkwardly. The words felt strange in her mouth, but she spoke them regardless. "There's likely to be simpler ones inside, if you need to buy some."
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
And Hiroyuki had taken the bait. Not that it had taken a lot of work on her part. "I'll be sure to pass along your regards, Yoshinaga-san." Well, there. Her father would get something he might want, and hopefully she could focus on just... enjoying the trip. "Have a good evening."
She let the pleasant smile fade from her face once the elder Yoshinaga had turned to leave. "IT's fine," she said to Katsuko's apology. Her tone is, perhaps, a little curt.
Katsuko makes the offer of socialiing, and Kazusa is about to refuse it out of habit, but catches herself. "... I may as well, since I'm here. I wasn't planning on buying oligation chocolates, but... perhaps I'll pick something up for the train ride over."
And with that, she turns to head into the store.