[I KNOW THE ACTUAL REASON WHY, LET ME LIVE!!!! Porcelain Kingdom will always exist in my heart.]
I see....
[Yeah, that's all. He's getting the feeling that Akira doesn't particularly want to talk about his family, so he won't press the topic. Especially not when it's followed with--]
You have a boyfriend?! You.... You've never said anything about it before!
[ maybe my second character will work in Porcelain Kingdom. For now, Akira's sly expression goes under the radar and his confused one returns. Why is Kouhei so surprised— ]
You never asked?
[ He doesn't seem to have an issue about admitting that he's in a relationship... Gender is even less of a worry. The bus makes a stop and Akira will lead Kouhei out, but continue the conversation. ]
[No, he didn't ask, but he figured that Akira would have mentioned something like that by now. How do friends work.... how do relationships work. But still, Kouhei looks genuinely happy as they get off of the bus and continue walking. Another smile for the tally!]
You're right, but that's.... That's so nice. I'm really happy for you. You'll have to tell me about him sometime. [....] Only if you want to, of course.
[ You don't say "I have a boyfriend" out of nowhere, Kouhei!! But it also isn't a secret, so he doesn't mind at all. If anything, this opens more possibilities for conversation. He smiles back at him before bumping their shoulders together playfully. ]
Thanks... I don't mind telling you about him—I think you two would make good friends, too. [ BUT. But. ] Are you seeing anyone?
[Still not entirely used to friendly affection, the slight shoulder bump almost startles him, and he looks down just a touch in embarrassment as they continue on.]
Really? It would be nice to meet someone you're close to.... [Truly! But even though Akira's question is so simple, Kouhei definitely turns a little red.] Who, me? No.... No, of course not.
[And he pauses, glancing to the side as a distraction.]
[ Oh... Not Akira is a back being embarrassed because did he screw this up? Christ. Just smile awkwardly and note not to do that again. Kouhei is a good guy and doesn't deserve to be made uncomfortable.
Let's latch onto Kouhei's love life instead. ]
A little. [ Can you feel this mischievous gaze, Kouhei? ] What's your type?
Someone nice who won't think I'm a bother, I guess....
[What if he just like. Forcibly changes the topic, how about that. He can't use the "I have a twisted personality" excuse on someone he knows isn't going to judge him for his preferences.]
What about you? I'm more interested in hearing about you!
[ Just because he doesn’t think of him as a bother and he can’t imagine anyone he knows that would think that way, either. There are good people in Recolle and he hasn’t found someone he wants to punch out of pure malice just yet. ]
What about me?
[ He is a kind and generous soul, so he purposely allows the change. He knows it’s hard to talk about oneself—he sucks at it, too. ]
[A smile that seems like it can brighten the whole world.... like sunshine.
....]
Um.... Remember that post I made about the person in my memories? I think--
[Oh, that sure is the door opening. Is this the place? Excellent timing there, Kouhei. He does, however, step in and wait for Akira to follow behind him. There's so much china here!]
[ And he slips over here. With a little talk to the employee, they get to pay for a room. It's pricey (not too bad)... But that's what you get for leisure? If Kouhei doesn't shell out, Akira can easily pay for this (and regret it later). As the employee bows out to prepare a room for them in the back, he looks over to his friend: ]
[Thankfully, the price isn't outrageous enough for Kouhei to be appalled, and he does have a job. Besides, hanging out with a friend like this is something he's never really done before! It's well worth it. Even if they're just going to be breaking plates and things.
But the break between his statement and Akira's response threw him off enough that he probably looks a little more than slightly shocked, and with a slight flush, he sighs and rubs at his neck.]
I can't believe you figured it out before I did....
[ The employee doesn't take too long before they bounce back over to them. ushering and guiding them to the room. It's all white, clean as the Apple store, and there's a wall of fine china ready to be demolished. When inspecting them, the wares are rather thin—cost-effective, probably.
Anyway, as they hit the doorway, Akira has been spooked into silence for a whole minute. ]
... So it really is your crush?
[ What?? Why is it that every time Akira makes a joke about people's crushes/relationships, they end up being true?
[This really is a unique place. Everything is so pristine that Kouhei feels a little bad that they're about to break all of this china, even though it doesn't look terribly expensive or anything. He's the guest here (?), so he's going to wait for Akira to do something first.... Or so he'd hoped.]
That's-- That's what I was trying to tell you!
[He isn't fretting too much, at least not outwardly, but his voice is clearly far less measured than it usually is.]
And it's not me, either way! It's the me in my memories.
[ ... They're both guests, Kouhei. He picks up one of the two bats provided to them. Feels pretty solid. He taps the floor with the bat before doing some practice swings. ]
I know you mentioned before that receiving memories of someone who seemed important to your past self feels strange... Are you doing okay?
[ Crush is a Big Step from "important someone." He notices the tone change, even if slight. It doesn't stop him from tossing a cup into the air and smashing it. It makes a crisp, clean shattering sound. ]
[Whoa.... That's impressive. Kouhei hasn't really touched a baseball bat since mandatory PE class in school, but those weren't even real bats. These are hefty, as he can tell from Akira's swinging, and he hesitates slightly before taking the other bat and tapping it against the floor just the same.]
It's only weird because every one of my memories was about them for a while, like they were the only thing that mattered to that me. And I've gotten other memories since then, so now I know it wasn't just them. But I think.... they meant a lot to me. The other me.
[It's just as he's turning around that Akira tosses the cup in the air, and Kouhei whips his head around to look just in time to watch the impact. The noise resulting from it is more than loud enough for him to hear clearly, and the debris hits the floor and shatters even further. Good thing they're wearing protective gear!]
... I hope you can find someone like that here, too.
[ They all deserve happiness in whatever form, even if he knows they all need to fight for a happy ending. He twirls the bat with ease before stepping aside so Kouhei can pick out hits target. They are sharing the porcelain and the room, after all.
He balances the end of the bat on the ground before squatting, hands still firmly clasped on the knob. ]
Yeah. Do you need some safety earmuffs?
[ Scratching his cheek, he thinks he could have thought this through...? It may not be ear-shattering, but it can spook the meek. Kouhei does fit that type. ]
[He laughs briefly under his breath, just a touch awkward, and picks up a medium sized plate. It's nice and light.... Which means that it should probably break rather cleanly.]
No, I'm fine. I'm just surprised I can hear it so clearly. Besides, I can turn my hearing aids down if it gets bothersome, though I wouldn't be able to understand you. So that's a last resort.
[It's his turn, isn't it? Throwing the plate at the wall like a frisbee would be easy enough, but he does have pretty good coordination.... So after ensuring that he's far enough away, Kouhei tosses the plate up and swings at it, managing to break it and send a few pieces flying toward the opposite side of the room.]
[ He considers that maybe instead of exchanging recipes, they should exchange tips. Humming thoughtfully, he considers how to boost Kouhei's self-esteem, but the crisp sound of shattering porcelain brings him back to their activity.
At first, he doesn't say anything when the plate breaks into little pieces, but he continuously taps the bat against the floor like applause. He's proooud. ]
[He looks shocked, more than anything, and almost a little incredulous. Did he really just break a plate with one swing of the bat? It was so easy! Is this what baseball is like?]
It was.... New, I guess? I don't think I've ever purposefully broken something before. It's just as much fun watching you, though.
[ ... No, it isn't what baseball is like, but no one is going to tell Kouhei otherwise. ]
I thought so.
[ He's glad that Kouhei finds it at least remotely interesting. Leaving his bat to lean against the wall, he picks a porcelain cup and tosses it to Kouhei.
[He knew Kouhei had never broken anything?! ....Not that it's hard to tell, but like. Come on.]
Have you ever been somewhere like this before? You seem pretty comfortable with a bat and things breaking--
[That sure is a cup being tossed his way. He has to drop his bat to catch it, but manages to do so even as he winces at the slightly loud noise it makes.]
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I see....
[Yeah, that's all. He's getting the feeling that Akira doesn't particularly want to talk about his family, so he won't press the topic. Especially not when it's followed with--]
You have a boyfriend?! You.... You've never said anything about it before!
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You never asked?
[ He doesn't seem to have an issue about admitting that he's in a relationship... Gender is even less of a worry. The bus makes a stop and Akira will lead Kouhei out, but continue the conversation. ]
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You're right, but that's.... That's so nice. I'm really happy for you. You'll have to tell me about him sometime. [....] Only if you want to, of course.
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Thanks... I don't mind telling you about him—I think you two would make good friends, too. [ BUT. But. ] Are you seeing anyone?
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Really? It would be nice to meet someone you're close to.... [Truly! But even though Akira's question is so simple, Kouhei definitely turns a little red.] Who, me? No.... No, of course not.
[And he pauses, glancing to the side as a distraction.]
But it does sound nice. Just a little.
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Let's latch onto Kouhei's love life instead. ]
A little. [ Can you feel this mischievous gaze, Kouhei? ] What's your type?
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[NO, HE WANTED TO CHANGE THE TOPIC, THIS IS GOING TO GO SO POORLY.]
I.... I don't really know. [Except everything about his voice gives away exactly how embarrassed he is.] I've never really considered it, so....
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I’m sure you can come up with a couple of preferences.
[ Gently elbows Kouhei’s side! ]
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AT THE GROUND]
Someone nice who won't think I'm a bother, I guess....
[What if he just like. Forcibly changes the topic, how about that. He can't use the "I have a twisted personality" excuse on someone he knows isn't going to judge him for his preferences.]
What about you? I'm more interested in hearing about you!
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[ Just because he doesn’t think of him as a bother and he can’t imagine anyone he knows that would think that way, either. There are good people in Recolle and he hasn’t found someone he wants to punch out of pure malice just yet. ]
What about me?
[ He is a kind and generous soul, so he purposely allows the change. He knows it’s hard to talk about oneself—he sucks at it, too. ]
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[Even though that's like.... all of his friends here. How did he get so lucky? Everyone on Retrospec seems so nice (for the most part).]
Your preferences. Or something along those lines, I guess. [Stop.]
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[ Someone like that would probably treat Kouhei right! That's what matters the most for him. ]
For me, their smile has to brighten up the whole room.
[ Which... Isn't hard. And lucky for Akira, they've reached Porcelain Kingdom...! He opens the door for his friend. Go in. ]
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....]
Um.... Remember that post I made about the person in my memories? I think--
[Oh, that sure is the door opening. Is this the place? Excellent timing there, Kouhei. He does, however, step in and wait for Akira to follow behind him. There's so much china here!]
Thanks.
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[ And he slips over here. With a little talk to the employee, they get to pay for a room. It's pricey (not too bad)... But that's what you get for leisure? If Kouhei doesn't shell out, Akira can easily pay for this (and regret it later). As the employee bows out to prepare a room for them in the back, he looks over to his friend: ]
The post about your crush, right?
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But the break between his statement and Akira's response threw him off enough that he probably looks a little more than slightly shocked, and with a slight flush, he sighs and rubs at his neck.]
I can't believe you figured it out before I did....
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Anyway, as they hit the doorway, Akira has been spooked into silence for a whole minute. ]
... So it really is your crush?
[ What?? Why is it that every time Akira makes a joke about people's crushes/relationships, they end up being true?
He's scared of this power. ]
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That's-- That's what I was trying to tell you!
[He isn't fretting too much, at least not outwardly, but his voice is clearly far less measured than it usually is.]
And it's not me, either way! It's the me in my memories.
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I know you mentioned before that receiving memories of someone who seemed important to your past self feels strange... Are you doing okay?
[ Crush is a Big Step from "important someone." He notices the tone change, even if slight. It doesn't stop him from tossing a cup into the air and smashing it. It makes a crisp, clean shattering sound. ]
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It's only weird because every one of my memories was about them for a while, like they were the only thing that mattered to that me. And I've gotten other memories since then, so now I know it wasn't just them. But I think.... they meant a lot to me. The other me.
[It's just as he's turning around that Akira tosses the cup in the air, and Kouhei whips his head around to look just in time to watch the impact. The noise resulting from it is more than loud enough for him to hear clearly, and the debris hits the floor and shatters even further. Good thing they're wearing protective gear!]
It's.... It's loud.
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[ They all deserve happiness in whatever form, even if he knows they all need to fight for a happy ending. He twirls the bat with ease before stepping aside so Kouhei can pick out hits target. They are sharing the porcelain and the room, after all.
He balances the end of the bat on the ground before squatting, hands still firmly clasped on the knob. ]
Yeah. Do you need some safety earmuffs?
[ Scratching his cheek, he thinks he could have thought this through...? It may not be ear-shattering, but it can spook the meek. Kouhei does fit that type. ]
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[He laughs briefly under his breath, just a touch awkward, and picks up a medium sized plate. It's nice and light.... Which means that it should probably break rather cleanly.]
No, I'm fine. I'm just surprised I can hear it so clearly. Besides, I can turn my hearing aids down if it gets bothersome, though I wouldn't be able to understand you. So that's a last resort.
[It's his turn, isn't it? Throwing the plate at the wall like a frisbee would be easy enough, but he does have pretty good coordination.... So after ensuring that he's far enough away, Kouhei tosses the plate up and swings at it, managing to break it and send a few pieces flying toward the opposite side of the room.]
Um.... I hit it? [As if that wasn't obvious.]
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At first, he doesn't say anything when the plate breaks into little pieces, but he continuously taps the bat against the floor like applause. He's proooud. ]
How does it feel?
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It was.... New, I guess? I don't think I've ever purposefully broken something before. It's just as much fun watching you, though.
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I thought so.
[ He's glad that Kouhei finds it at least remotely interesting. Leaving his bat to lean against the wall, he picks a porcelain cup and tosses it to Kouhei.
Smash this, too. ]
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[He knew Kouhei had never broken anything?! ....Not that it's hard to tell, but like. Come on.]
Have you ever been somewhere like this before? You seem pretty comfortable with a bat and things breaking--
[That sure is a cup being tossed his way. He has to drop his bat to catch it, but manages to do so even as he winces at the slightly loud noise it makes.]
Another one? Don't you want to go next?
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MOBILE FUCKED IT UP
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