Zucchini Salad [Noise Prince and pandamonium]

[Noise Prince]

 

 

 

 

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Kyoji peeked his head into his homeroom teacher's office. He leaned against the doorframe to look further in when he didn't immediately see her. He clicked his tongue against his teeth. If she said she wanted to talk to him about something after school, she should be here, at least. It wasn't like he was early, though he could have been, since he skipped his last class. He suspected that she was going to give him another lecture about skipping school, or about getting too rowdy with the others- even in good fun. Kyoji rarely got into real fights, but it definitely didn't seem that way to faculty.

 

"Inaba, you beat me here!" The teacher sang as she approached. Kyoji wore his disapproval- admittedly hypocritical- all over his face when he looked over his shoulder at her.

 

"I expected you'd come in kinda late so I went and got myself coffee," She walked as if Kyoji didn't stand between her and the office, and he really didn't have much choice other than walk in ahead of her. She sat down, and set her mug down onto a stained coaster she somehow managed to fit on her scrambled desk.

 

"Why don't you sit down?" She asked him, looking up at her student. Kyoji shrugged, and leaned forward on the desk.

 

"Is this going to take very long, Sensei?" He grumbled. He was hoping this would be an in-and-out thing, mainly a formality since even if it was fruitless, it was what a teacher was supposed to do.

 

"Sit down, Inaba," She said with a sickeningly lovely smile. Kyoji leaned his head to the side, sighing loudly, as if contemplating it, before taking a seat in the chair in front of the desk.

 

"You've caused quite a bit of trouble these past few years, you know that?" She started bluntly. "You stay on top of your schoolwork, so it's hard for the school to officially reprimand you for skipping so much, and despite your usual crowd, you don't really get into the same… situations as them." She started to get a little more subtle.

 

"They're not… 'my crowd' or anything," Kyoji answered, exasperated. "They're just people I hang out with sometimes," He specified. It's true, the people at school he spent the most time with weren't outstanding citizens and had gotten into a good deal more trouble than Kyoji ever had. But it was pretty clear to most people that he wasn't really friends with any of them.

 

Her smile dialed down in nausea-inducingness before taking a sip of coffee.

 

"If you drink too much this time of day, you'll be up all night needing to take a leak,"

 

"I have something specific to ask you," She said, not giving him an inch in his attempt to derail the topic at hand. "While you're not exactly in trouble in the traditional sense, your standing at school isn't great. I don't need to explain to you, I don't think, the kinds of problems this could cause now, as a senior."

 

"Okay, now we're getting to the 'come to school more, stop rough-housing, don't talk so loud indoors, don't bother my classmates' blah blah speech, right? I appreciate it, but I've memorized the script." Kyoji scoffed.

 

"I've got a fresh rewrite," She said with a sly smile. She leaned forward. "Your classmate, Amori Akio, you ever talk with him?"

 

His eyebrows rose at the mention of that name. He was a quiet kid in class. Really quiet. Kyoji had to have talked to him at some point, being classmates, but he couldn't remember any significant exchange. Had he upset him or something?

 

"Not really, why? Is he saying I did something?"

 

"That's not it," She said. "I'm trying to lay down the deal here, like you, he's kind of a loner, doesn't really have friends in class," Kyoji opened his mouth to argue, but since he practically just admitted to not really having friends, he couldn't argue that point with her. "You're both good students, who are failing in other areas. So you do me a favor- hang out with him sometime. Doesn't have to be a big thing, don't have to set your whole weekend schedule around it. Just, talk to him. I think you could bring him out of his shell.

 

"You want us to be besties?" Kyoji laughed.

 

"I want to give you a chance to make a better reputation. Helping out with giving a meek classmate more confidence will make you look better to the staff, and make it easier for me to vouch for you. You're planning on going to college, right?"

 

"I dunno," He lied.

 

"Well, if you ever want to, you'll need the support of the school. And this is probably going to be less painful than other measures you could take to get on the good side of the faculty. You're not the kiss-ass type, so it wouldn't work well, anyway."

 

Kyoji leaned back in the chair, crossing his arms. "You know? That's fair. I'll talk to him tomorrow, then."

 

She grinned, and cordially shook his hand before he left. She took another sip of coffee and looked at the time. That went by quicker than she thought it would. He didn't need as much convincing as she predicted. It wouldn't be long, though, until she expected Akio to come to her door for their little chat.

[pandamonium]

Akio sighed. He had been asked by sensei to see her in her office. He wasn't sure why. He behaved, kept to himself and didn't cause any disturbance in the classroom. He even made sure to take notes and attend school everyday. Had he done something wrong? Was it he's uniform? He was smaller than average, so finding fitting clothes was hard enough, a fitting uniform was nearly impossible. He clutched his oversized blazer, nervously. Once he approached her door, he knocked cautiously.

 

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Sorry it's so short. ^^')

[Noise Prince]

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You're fine! You needed my character to reply, anyhow. I'm going to practice a bit of restraint here :3)

 

"Come on in," Sensei called out out of instinct when she heard the knock, maybe a bit too loud considering the hesitation of the knock itself. She smiled as Akio walked in, and gestured for a him to take a seat. He was almost the polar opposite to Kyoji. They were both good students, both boys, both a bit antisocial and had difficulty really connecting with their classmates, and that was about it. But she was relying that this was enough of a basis for them to get along.

 

"You can relax, you're not in trouble or anything," She assured him, noticing how uneasy he seemed. "I actually have a favor to ask you," She leaned on her elbows on the desk, her hands interlocked, cradling her chin. "You know Inaba Kyoji, right?"

[pandamonium]

Akio nervously entered and sat down. He tensed. Of course he knew Inaba Kyoji. The boy was loud and caused a ruckus whenever he decided to attend school. He nodded. What did he have to do in this? He thought. At least he's not in trouble, he sighed.

 

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Don't feel like you need to restrain yourself. Write what feels comfortable, remember? )

[Noise Prince]

"Well, he is hard to miss, isn't he?" Sensei replied, smiling gently, hoping to make him feel more comfortable. "I probably shouldn't be telling you this, but Kyoji recently came to me and told me that he wishes he could be a better student, and be an asset to the academy, but doing so would mean alienating himself from his 'friends'." She was careful to emphasis the looseness of the word's application in this case. "He's a good-intentioned kid, and I think he's fallen in with a rougher crowd than he should, and isn't prepared to be relatively friendless for the rest of the year." She explained, raising her coffee mug to her mouth for a moment to recollect her thoughts.

 

"You're a good student, you have good grades, you come to school each day, and you're well-behaved… I thought you'd be a good influence on him." She told him. "I suggested he become friends with you, since you could kind of… reteach him to be a functional class member again." She leaned forward, setting her mug down, looking straight at Akio for a moment.

 

"So this is my favor; do you think you could play nice with him a bit? He apparently has wanted to get to know you better for a while now. But he was also a little embarrassed, so he asked me if I'd talk to you about it and ask on his behalf. What do you say?"

 

She did feel a little bad, embellishing the truth so much, since this would probably be harder for Akio than Kyoji, because the world was an unfair place and of course the troublemaker would be a handful more so for the model student than the other way around. Still, she did think it was beneficial for the both of them in the long run, if she could just get the beginning started.

 

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Haha, got me there~)

[pandamonium]

Akio nodded. The guy was hard to miss, but it was strange that he wanted to turn over a new leaf so quickly. He didn't seem like someone who cared about what others thought of him. So why the sudden change of heart and why did sensei have him come in?

 

Akio blushed. He was a little embarrassed for being complemented, but happy for the praise. At the suggestion of befriending Inaba, it finally made sense why he was asked to come in.

 

It's strange that Inaba would want to befriend him. He's not much of a talker and honestly, who'd want to befriend him? He was a dull person who spends most of his time either studying or gardening. But he couldn't say no to sensei. She was kind and warm. He nervously fiddled with his oversized blazer, giving a nod.

 

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Sorry for the late response. I'll be going on a trip Monday night and I've been preparing for it. I my be gone for a couple weeks. I'll do my best to reply as often as i can until then!)

[Noise Prince]

Sensei gave him a broad smile, even though she knew Akio would agree to it. He was very withdrawn, but he was dependable, so she highly doubted he would turn down a 'favor' from his homeroom teacher.

 

"Great! Thank you so, so much!" She beamed. "I've already talked it over with Inaba, and he said if you agreed, he'd talk to you first tomorrow, since we both know you're more shy," She elaborated. "Maybe you two could do something after school." She suggested. "Ah, but that's between you two isn't it? Sorry, my intrusive mother hen side is showing her little chicken head, huh?" She laughed.

 

"Alright, since you're doing this for me," She leaned forward on the desk, much more relaxed, resting her cheek against the palm of her hand. "Do you need to ask me for anything? Talk about anything?"

 

She'd offered a few times before, for Akio to come in and talk to her about something. It was fairly apparent to any half-way respectable teacher that there was something troubling him, something dark hanging over his head, though he had told her it was fine. She expected that might happen again, but as someone who considered herself more than just a half-way respectable teacher, she wanted to make sure he knew she was available.

 

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I see ^^; I understand, and thank you for the heads up!)

[pandamonium]

Akio blushed. He didn't know why he liked sensei so much. Maybe her motherly ways? He nodded. Not sure what else to say.

 

He leaned back and shook his head. This was the one thing he didn't like. Sometimes he wants to tell her, but most of the time, he'd rather be left alone about it.

"Thank you, sensei. But nothing's wrong. Is that all?" he asked politely.

 

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Thank you for understanding! It wasn't really planned out. ^^')

[Noise Prince]

Sensei tilted her head, closing her eyes and smiling.

 

"I'm happy to hear that," She told him. "You're always so quiet, and hard to read, so I get a little worried, you know?" She leaned back against her chair. "That's all I needed, you're freed from my clutches," Sensei added playfully. "Thank you again, for agreeing to a rather strange request,"

 

As Sensei said, the next day, Kyoji was waiting for Akio. He was sitting at Akio's desk, actually. He got there rather early, compared to his usual last-minute entrance, and some other early-arrivals took notice, as well as his unusual placement from the back of the room. He was keeping to himself, though, reading a magazine. Some people had to wonder if Kyoji was planning on messing with Akio somehow. Most everyone in class left him alone, refraining from bullying or being friendly, it was almost an unspoken rule, since he was rather gloomy, so it seemed out of place for Kyoji to threaten that balance now. But a different but somewhat similar unspoken class tradition applied to Kyoji, in a sense, so no one really approached him about it, either. But he was just waiting.

 

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No problem! These things can happen~ Hope you don't mind the time-skip here)

[pandamonium]

Akio blushed. "No need too worry about me sensei..." he took a small bow and shuffled out the door. Giving a sigh of relief. It was a strange request, but manageable.

 

Surprised to see Inaba so early was nothing compared to the surprise of seeing Inaba in his seat. How to handle this? Should he find another seat or confront him? He did promise sensei to help him out...he decided to approach his desk and see how it goes from there. Standing in front of his own desk, he set his bag down and pulled up a chair. They had a bit of time before class started.

 

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thank you for understanding! And i don't mind the time skip! I actually like reading your replies. It's like reading a good story. Hahaha makes it hard to reply sometimes since i can barely write two paragraphs. ^^')

[Noise Prince]

Inaba closed the magazine and slid it to the side when he saw Akio from the corner of his eye approaching him. Instead of saying anything, he started to take the chair from the desk in front of him, and moved it to face him. Kyoji was a bit surprised, thinking he just needed a moment to ask him if he was free that afternoon, but they might actually be having a conversation first. Kyoji hadn't really thought that far ahead, even though he knew they'd be having real conversations eventually. He leaned his weight onto his arms, folded against the table.

 

"So… got any plans for after school?" He asked him, figuring he might as well start with what he was prepared for. They could always talk about what they could do now instead of later. Plus, on the off chance Akio did have plans, then they could talk about that. Kyoji was pretty sure he wasn't in any clubs or any sport teams, though it wasn't as if he paid close enough attention that it wouldn't slip by unnoticed.

 

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Good! And thank you ^v^! And don't worry about length, I haven't felt 'short-changed' or anything so far )

[pandamonium]

Sitting across from Inaba, Akio fiddled with his blazer. What to say? He just sat down without another thought. He decided to have Inaba start the conversation.

 

He thought about it. He normally just hung out at the library finishing homework and studying until closing time. He didn't really have the time to do it once he arrived home.

"I study in that library until closing time..." he mumbled.

Did Inaba want to hang out after class?

"Um...is there something you wanted to do after class...together?"

 

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Hahaha okay. Just let me know if you wanted me to write more and I'll do my best!)

[Noise Prince]

Kyoji felt a smile creep over his face, and covered his mouth with his hand casually, acting as if he was just leaning his face on his hand. He didn't want to seem rude right off the bat, but he thought it was a little funny how Akio seemed to think on it. Did he actually have plans and didn't want to tell him what they were? Did he not want to seem awkward by admitting he didn't have any plans?

 

Ah… studying, not very interesting. Studying until closing time, however, that was an interesting detail. The school stayed open until quite late, so that was pretty unusual since he said it as if it was something he did regularly.

 

"Yeah, can you put off studying for a day?" He asked him. "I was thinking we could maybe grab a bite to eat, or go to the arcade, or something like that. What do you like to do?"

 

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Alright, I will, though I think I'll be evening out with you soon enough since now it's our two characters interacting.)

[pandamonium]

Akio was surprised at the offer. He expected to spend time with Inaba outside of school, but not this soon.

"I guess... Um...I don't do anything but homework and study...so I don't know what to do...What would you recommend?"

He sat stiffly in the chair. Awaiting judgement.

 

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Okay! )

[Noise Prince]

Kyoji noticed how stiff he got after he asked. He really wasn't used to people being friendly, was he? Had he ever hung out with a classmate after school, Kyoji couldn't help but wonder. The opportunity seemed to make him tense up. He figured he didn't go to the arcade much on his own, either. Kyoji wasn't great, but he presumed he would be better than Akio, and he didn't want to take him to the arcade just to crush him.

 

"Well, let's just eat somewhere nearby, nothing fancy," he suggested. "I haven't been to a McDonald's in a while, how about that?"

[pandamonium]

Akio was starting to panic. He knew he wasn't a very interesting person and Inaba would undoubtedly be bored of him. He wanted to do what sensei asked of him, but this could be difficult.

 

Going to get a bite, might be doable. He had a bit of money.

He nodded. "Yeah...that's fine..."

 

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[Noise Prince]

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Kyoji smiled and nodded. That wasn't so hard, really. Asking someone to hang out outside of school was really outside his comfort zone, but all he had to do was put the words in the right order, right?

 

"Alright. Good. We'll do that, then." He told him. "Here, you can have your seat back. We'll talk after class, yeah?" He added as he stood up, taking his magazine and going to his own seat in the back.

 

Kyoji often times left the classroom during lunch to eat alone, and today was one of those days. He got his food, and left for one of his favored isolated areas, but Takahama Hiromi had already beaten him there. How she knew where he'd be was a mystery. Her arms were crossed and her glossy pink lips formed a round pout.

 

"You're so mean!" She asserted. "I was planning on asking if you'd go out with me this afternoon since you've been busy all week, but before I do, you're making plans with Akio? Since when are you two friends?"

 

"We're not friends… it's just…" He wasn't really sure how to explain it. It wasn't like it was a secret that Akio didn't have any friends in the class, but it seemed unnecessary to say that he was doing it to be nice because of that. He had been blowing Hiromi off lately, though, she was on the nose there. It wasn't her fault, or maybe it was, a little. But Kyoji just didn't really like girls.

 

That's not exactly true, and a bit harsh. He enjoyed girls' company as much as boys, but it seemed that a number of times girls started to expect something specific from him. He'd be as likely to hang out with a girl if she asked as he would a guy friend, they'd have a pretty good time, rinse and repeat. Then one day she would ask about getting more serious, if he really liked her. The answer was always an unceremonious "no", something that made him pretty unpopular on more than one occasion. They wanted something specific from him that he couldn't give. He'd been accused of being cold, and inconsiderate of women's feelings. It could be true, but he saw a number of guys that he thought were worse in that regard, but they sought out dates, girlfriends, romance… they could somehow give them what they were after. Kyoji couldn't do that. Was that what made him stand out as especially bad?

 

Hiromi was the latest girl to slide Kyoji into the role of 'casual boyfriend'. But he was wiser to the act now, a lot of good that did, since Hiromi didn't seem to mind at all that they wouldn't be getting serious. She didn't even seem interested in kissing or even sex. Kyoji had no idea what she was getting out of this, or what she thought she would eventually get, because she also didn't act like just a friend, either.

 

"It's fine," She huffed, running her hand over her side-swept bangs, before extending it out, her pout becoming a very sly grin. "Iiiiiiiiiif you lend me money so I can buy milk tea from the vending machine." Kyoji clicked his tongue before reaching into his pocket.

 

The day was long, especially since Kyoji usually didn't stay for the entire day. But he felt it would be awkward to disappear at places just to come back at the end of the day to get Akio before going out. But eventually, it did come to an end. This time, he sat at his desk and waited for Akio to come to him.

[pandamonium]

Akio gladly accepted his seat back and sat down. Pulling out the essentials to take notes. It must seem strange, but he enjoyed school. Especially the library. The library was the perfect sanctuary away from reality. He's even been tempted to stay the night or weekend on a number of occasions, but he'd always chicken out.

 

Once the bell for lunch rang, he quickly gathered his things and headed for the library. He found his usual spot and settled down. Pulling out his bento, he began to eat.

 

The day passed in a blur, he gathered his things and went to Inaba's desk. He pulled on his blazer.

"Um...are you ready?"

 

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[Noise Prince]

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Inaba smiled up at Akio when he finally gathered his things and came to the back of the class. He really was a model student, he had so many things he needed to put away since he had so much out to take notes and follow along in the textbook. Typically, Kyoji himself really would only have the textbook out. He couldn't take notes when people were talking anyway, he did better just listening and taking notes at home while studying on his own. This made him look like a bad student in class, but since his grades were alright, the teachers didn't have much leg to stand on when they might reprimand him.

 

"Yeah, let's go ahead," He said, getting up, noticing how small Akio really was standing so close to him. The way he fidgeted with his blazer didn't help matters, either. Kyoji threw his bag over his shoulder and lead him out.

 

"I used to come to the McDonald's nearby so much as a freshman. I felt like such hot shit, like I was so grown up or something, eating fast food whenever I wanted," He laughed.

[pandamonium]

Since he doesn't have the time to study or do homework at home, he needs to gather as much notes as he can and finish his homework in school. It's how he's been able to keep a good grade point average since his first year.

 

Akio quickly followed behind. Keeping his distance.

"I don't normally go out and eat."

He'd eat some of his bento and save the rest for later.

 

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[Noise Prince]

(Sorry for the delay! Life stuff got quite busy)

 

"Really?" Kyoji wondered if he was maybe frugal, or maybe a health nut. McDonald's wasn't pricey, but there were healthier options if the latter were the case. "Do you like McDonald's? We could go somewhere different if you don't. I don't really mind much," He told him.

 

"Have you ever gone out anywhere near the school, at least? I'm open to recommendations,"

[pandamonium]

(It's cool! I feel ya. I recently got back from visiting family, so I have more time to reply now! :3)

 

He had a bit of money saved up from a part time job he took during the summer, so he tries not to spend on things he considers a luxury. Like going out to eat. But he'll make an exception. He's trying to help sensei and Inaba.

"I'm not picky. McDonald's is fine."

 

Scratching his cheek, he looked down at his feet. "I normally hang out at the school's library and on weekends the park near my house. I do also run errands."

Wow. He honestly sounds dull. He wouldn't be surprised if Inaba stops hanging out with him.

[Noise Prince]

"Cool," Inaba nodded, wondering if McDonald's was actually fine or if he was just trying to appease him, being agreeable. Things were going to be a little awkward if they were both doing it, so he figured he'd take the lead in most cases, since his new 'friend' was so timid, and just be sure that he was enjoying himself, too. "They have a new frozen beverage thing I've been wanting to try,"

 

"Must be nice to live near a park, really convenient." Kyoji replied with a wide smile.

[pandamonium]

He clutched his bag tightly. Not sure if he gave a right answer. He internally sighed in relief when Inaba continued talking.

"That's cool. What's the beverage?"

 

Akio nodded. "I like it very much. It's pretty empty most of the time, so I can just read on a bench for hours. If you'd like, I can take you there."

He turned bright red after realizing what he said. What a weird thing to say. He hoped he didn't just make Inaba uncomfortable.

[Noise Prince]

"Its... it's kind of weird to describe. They have this 'frozen hot chocolate' which sounds contradicting but it really tastes like cold hot chocolate. And they have a new version with orange flavor in it. I've never had chocolate and orange, but a lot of people say its good." He explained. "I haven't gotten around to it yet, so now's the perfect time, right?"

 

"Yeah, that sounds fine. Maybe instead of sitting down and eating, we can take our food to the park, then." He suggested.