View source for 2023-01-03 - The Careful Handling of a Girl's Heart


{|class="toccolours" cellspacing="2"
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! style="background:#CC6699; border: 2px #CC0033 solid; font-size: 110%;" align="center" colspan="2" | '''Title: The Careful Handling of a Girl's Heart'''
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|'''Summary''':<br>
''Yumi and Kyouka take some time to catch up, and end up discussing chocolate, parfaits, hearts, dating, and Valentine's Day. Some blushing may be involved.''
|-
| '''Who:'''<br>
[[Kyouka Okazaki]], [[Yumi Ohzora]]
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| '''Where:'''<br>
Game Center Crown (Shitamachi Low City)
|-
| '''OOC - IC Date:'''<br>
1/3/2023 - Sunday, Febuary 07, 2016
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|}


 .**************************** Shitamachi Low City *****************************.
 *+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+ Game Center Crown +*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+
   A blue sign with bright yellow and pink lettering announces the name of this  
   arcade, which is nestled in the bottom story of a tall white building,        
   emitting cheerful chiptunes and the chirps of digital battle onto the         
   street. The spacious room, painted in friendly pastels, is host to rows of    
   arcade games, all under the watchful eye of an attendant at a semicircular    
   counter in the back. Most of the games are aging, albeit gracefully, but      
   there are a few newer cabinets, including the very popular Sailor V game.     
                                                                                 
   Most are controlled with buttons and joysticks, but there are a few equipped  
   with plastic guns, steering wheels with seating, or mini motorcycles, and of  
   course the ubiquitous Dance Dance Revolution station. Near the window, there  
   are a few crane games heaped with cheap stuffed toys, sometimes including     
   reproductions of whatever magical girl is making the rounds in the media      
   currently.                                                                    
                                                                                 
   The Furuhata family runs this arcade, and their son, Motoki, works here       
   often. They also own the cafe right upstairs, called Fruits Parlor Crown,     
   where Motoki's younger sister Unazuki works as a waitress. Fruits Parlor      
   does a brisk business off arcade customers, and the arcade itself has a       
   perpetually sticky carpet due to the desserts and drinks brought from         
   upstairs.                                                                     

 <Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.

Kyouka was... in a better mood since the last time Yumi had seen her, about a week and a half ago at the art gallery showing. That night she had shown up to support her friend (dressed appropriately for the occasion in the dress Yumi had helped her shop for), and had been interested and engaged, but... well, also a bit distracted, despite her best efforts. She hadn't discussed ''what'' had been bothering her, but there had also been too many other people around for that.

But, she'd had a chance to process some of that, now, and when Yumi had invited her out to hang out, she'd answered with an enthusiastic yes. And so she'd arrived at the arcade a bit early, just to make sure she wasn't late (not in the dress this time--jeans, t-shirt, flannel shirt on top, and her favorite parka and boots), and had scoped the place out for her friend before texting Yumi that she'd arrived and that she'd grab them a table at the cafe while she waited for her friend to arrive. And so Yumi will find her, humming to herself as she flips through articles on her phone.

 <Pose Tracker> Yumi Ohzora [Infinity Institute (11)] has posed.

Kyouka had caught Yumi at a better point in the evening than some of what happened, and Yumi was happy to show her not only her own work but some others', too. There had been a few people around, though, so Yumi had kept a mental note that Kyouka was distracted--only after obviously complimenting her on showing up in the dress--and then, well. Then a lot happened! 

Now, though, she had more than enough chance to invite a relatively new friend out--she hasn't forgotten her at all, especially not after all the food--and so...! 

Yumi Ohzora steps into the cafe from downstairs, dressed herself in white and green with a little pink, a dress and jacket and boots. She turns over and waves at Kyouka, noticing her humming and sliding into the seat opposite her with a friendly, "Hey there! Looks like I'm a little late, huh? Hope you weren't waiting too long!"

 <Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.

Like the dinner party before it to support her mom, Kyouka was willing to deal with the dress in order to support Yumi--though she was perhaps a tad more comfortable there among her peers than at an upscale dinner party. The compliment had been gracefully accepted, and returned, of course.

But she looks more comfortable dressed down as she is, mostly in blacks, dark blues, and the purple of her parka. When Yumi finds her she's humming along with whatever background music is playing in the cafe. She catches the wave out of the corner of her eye and looks up, smiling and returning it. "Hey, Yumi-chan."

Kyouka has her phone on the table, and when Yumi sits she might be able to catch a glimpse of... something Valentine's Day themed? She leaves the screen on as she sits up a bit. "Nah, no worries. I haven't been here ''that'' long, and I think I was a few minutes early anyway. How've you been?"

 <Pose Tracker> Yumi Ohzora [Infinity Institute (11)] has posed.

Yumi is trying to encourage her, anyway! ...But she has no objection to Kyouka's current look, either. She likes it! 

She smiles along to the background music and says, "Nice to see you." Though--hmmm. Valentine's Day themed... But she shouldn't have looked! On the other hand, it makes her curious. 

Well, maybe in a minute. 

"I've been..." She considers, "Busy," she decides. "But I've been feeling a lot better since--well, you know," the hospital and all, "And I still feel pretty good today. There's been a lot to do, but it's still nice." 

"How about you?"

 <Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.

Kyouka appreciates the encouragement! She also appreciates that Yumi was willing to listen to her troubles so readily, too.

It's a little hard not to notice the Valentine's theming of whatever it was Kyouka was looking at. But she doesn't seem in a rush to shove her phone back in her pocket, either.

Kyouka nods, "Yeah, sounds like it. Sorry again I had to miss out on that other invite. But bureaucracy waits for no one. Hope enough people showed up, though." She smiles, "I'm definitely glad you're feeling better, though."

"I'm..." she weighs the question for a moment. Finally she settles on, "... okay, I think. Still thinking a lot about that other night, but..." she shrugs a little. "I'll persevere. Been trying to keep busy. Been experimenting with a few new recipes Tohika-chan showed me, so that's been fun."<br>
Marinette Dupain-Cheng walks over from Shitamachi Low City.<br>
Marinette Dupain-Cheng has arrived.

 <Pose Tracker> Yumi Ohzora [Infinity Institute (11)] has posed.

Yumi will give in to the nosiness soon enough and ask about it. 

But first, "Oh, yeah. We found what we were looking for. Turns out it was a book," Yumi explains, though in vague terms. "It was affecting my friend pretty badly... But the group I had were able to find it. It was a little scary in places. Lots of birds. But we did fine." She smiles. 

Kyouka, though... "It's natural to keep thinking about something like that. Do you want to talk about it?" Yumi asks. "It's fine if you don't. ...Talking about those recipes sounds great, too." Mai!

 <Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.

Kyouka nods, "A book, huh? So... if you found it, does that mean your friend is doing better, then? Lots of birds, huh?" That doesn't ''sound'' scary but... maybe they were magical birds, or something. Or jut... an unsettling number. Plenty of omens about birds out there, after all. "Glad you guys made it through, though."

She shrugs a little at that question. "I'm... I dunno. I've ''been'' talking about it quite a bit. I guess... until I find Strike Wolf's creator, it's just a risk I need to get used to, you know?" Her gaze had drifted off to the side a little bit as she thought her way through that answer, but she looks back to Yumi now. "Thanks, by the way. For getting it back for me. You saved me twice that night. It's, uh... a little surreal, knowing your friend has literally held your heart in their hands. Thanks for being careful with it."

 <Pose Tracker> Yumi Ohzora [Infinity Institute (11)] has posed.

"Mm-hm. He has to recover a little, still--it was really sapping his energy--but he's no longer at risk from that, anyway. I'm not sure yet if he's going to remember anything. He's not exactly the most talkative guy in the first place unless you get him started," Yumi says. But birds! "Scary birds. Lots of them." She smiles, then. "Me, too. Thanks for wanting to come, at least. You can call on me too, OK?" 

But... Hm. "I guess that's fair," Yumi admits, of talking about it a lot. "If you're in this life it is a risk." It's a little distant for Yumi, admittedy; she already risks death without being a magical girl, so it's hard to feel the same way. Still... 

"You're super welcome," Yumi says with a smile. "I know you'd do the same for me. Though..." She gives a sympathetic look. "That would be pretty weird," she admits. "I'm not used to that expression being literal, either..." 

"I'd always be careful with a girl's heart though!" Pause. Yumi glances to the side, embarrassed. "Sorry, that was cheesy."

 <Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.

Kyouka nods. "Well, I hope he recovers from it quickly, then, and that we don't have to worry about ''that'' showing up again for a while." She nods, "Of course! If it were literally ''anything'' else I'd have blown it off in a heartbeat." She blinks a bit. "In an instant," she hastily corrects. She nods, "I will."

"Yeah..." she agrees, about it being a risk. "I mean, it's not like I've never had a close call while camping or mountain climbing or something, but... I know those risks. These risks... are still kind of weird. And I only fell into this life on accident, you know? But I don't feel like I can stop, if it means I can help protect others..."

She gives a very firm nod about returning the favor. "''Definitely''." She's not going to say she owes Yumi for it, though--one of her talks with Mai kind of cured her of that notion, for the most part.

She blinks at that line from Yumi... and then blushes, clearing her throat as she glances off to the side. "Y-yeah, maaaaybe a tad." She'd been trying very hard ''not'' to read anything into the symbolism of one girl holding another girl's heart in their hands.

After a moment, she clears her throat again. "Um... should... we order, now that we're both here?"

 <Pose Tracker> Yumi Ohzora [Infinity Institute (11)] has posed.

"For sure," Yumi agrees. In a heartbeat, though... "Right." Yumi doesn't comment on the slip of the tongue. It's fine. It's super fine. But... 

"I guess that makes sense," Yumi answers. "Those are pretty dangerous things, too..." She considers. "Hm. Yeah, it's hard to know that you could do something and just... not, isn't it? I get that for sure." 

But she smiles. She doesn't think Kyouka 'owes' her either, and would argue about it. 

But Kyouka blushes. Yumi glances to the side. It was supposed to be funny, but... 

"Right!" Yumi answers. "Yes, let's! They've got great parfaits. And the shakes..."

 <Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.

Kyouka definitely hasn't had hearts on her mind recently or anything. And it's not at all extra distracting because of all of the heart-themed marketing materials everywhere, either. Not in the least.

"Yeah, not really my way... I mean, the only reason Strike Wolf and I were able to team up is because I stepped in when he was being stolen and needed help, so..." Kyouka may call it an accident, but maybe the cosmos had other ideas. Who knows.

It was a little funny! But Yumi's awkwardness didn't do the line any favors. "I, um... appreciate the sentiment, though..." she says finally, glancing back towards Yumi. She gives the other girl a small, almost shy smile.

She picks up her phone--the screen has long gone to sleep at this point--and stands up. "Both of those sound like good options... what's your favorite of the two?"

 <Pose Tracker> Yumi Ohzora [Infinity Institute (11)] has posed.

Definitely not! 

"Right," Yumi answers. "If you weren't that sort of person, then you wouldn't be in this position in the first place." Yumi considers that. An 'accident', it was in theory, but... She's attuned to the idea of something more than coincidence in a lot of ways. Magic, even! 

"I mean, I wouldn't want to hurt a friend anyway," Yumi says. But, she smiles back anyway. And then... she considers. She was going to avoid bringing it up, but... 

"The fruit parfait, I think. We should get that!" Then she pauses. "So, uh..." 

"Looking into Valentine's stuff, huh? Sorry, I saw it on your phone. I've got it on the brain myself..."

 <Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.

Kyouka nods, "Yeah, exactly. I mean, if we weren't compatible I wouldn't have even heard his call for help to begin with, so... yeah." Magic and destiny are still concepts Kyouka's trying to come to terms with.

Kyouka nods, "Fruit parfait sounds good, then." She heads to the register to order, coming back a few moments later with a pair of parfaits, setting one down in front of Yumi and taking her seat again with the other.

"Oh! Um, yeah, but it's... Well, I was just looking for some ideas for... I was thinking about making some chocolates for the other people in my class? You know, instead of just buying a bunch? So I was looking for some ideas for that to decide if I wanted to do it or not."

She takes a bite from her parfait. "Mmm, good choice," she says, after she swallows. "So... what's on your mind? Do you..." She pauses and then drops the question, thinking better of it. "Anything in particular, or just... the constant marketing blitz?"

 <Pose Tracker> Yumi Ohzora [Infinity Institute (11)] has posed.

"Right!" 

Fruit parfait it is! Yumi tries her own, while listening to Kyouka, and then looks up at Kyouka, and goes, "Mm!" Then she pauses, to brighten. She considers her idea, and then smiles about the choice. 

"I think that's a great idea," she says first. "...I'm no good at it," she says with a laugh, "But I think you could do great! You're a really good cook! That probably means you can do chocolate too, right?" 

Then she considers. "Well," she says, "I'm thinking of trying to find somebody to give the ''nice'' chocolate to... but I can only do storebought." She can do pretty nice storebought, though. 

"The blitz is definitely getting to me," she says with a laugh. "It's everywhere."

 <Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.

Kyouka actually looks a little relieved when Yumi says it's a nice idea. "I am ''so'' glad to hear you say that. I know giving someone a handmade chocolate would probably say... a ''lot'', but I thought it might be okay if I made it clear I made them for ''everyone'' and they weren't too extravagant..."

She smiles at the compliment to her cooking. "Well, chocolate-making isn't something I do on a regular basis, but I ''have'' done it before... it's a little tricky working with chocolate if you aren't use to working with it, though."

"Oh yeah? Do you have anybody in mind for it yet?" She's not gonna knock the lack of ability to make something--plenty of people buy it, after all. "I... don't know if there's anyone I'd give a nice one to, myself. I haven't done a lot with... you know, dating or relationships or whatever..." she lets that thought trail off.

"Yeah, it's hard to escape it, sometimes." It's even got her thinking about it, even if she's not sure what to make of it, exactly.

 <Pose Tracker> Yumi Ohzora [Infinity Institute (11)] has posed.

Yumi beams back. "Oh yeah, it's great! Don't worry about that; as long as you give everybody the same thing it's just 'you're really nice' not anything... weird. Nobody's gonna think you're asking out your whole class!" 

Hmm. So she has done it before. Score one for Yumi being right! "I see! That makes sense." 

"Aaah..." Yumi flushes a little. "I'm still thinking about that," she admits. "But... if I ''do'' ask somebody, I'll definitely tell you about it. Deal?" Then, a beat. But she listens to Kyouka, "That's OK. I think a lot about it because... Well." She gestures. "I figure I'm gonna marry somebody for the Family, so it's nice to do some dating in high school first." 

But it's hard to escape, for sure. Yumi moves right on from that little tidbit. "I think they're... Well, I think about that kind of thing a lot. But especially at this time of year."

 <Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.

Kyouka bursts out laughing at that comment. "Haha, yeah, ''that'' would take some ''serious'' mojo for me to pull off. But still, thanks for confirming it's a good idea, at least."

She sees the blush when she asks that question. "S-sorry! I didn't mean to pry or anything." Turns out she's bad at... girlchat or whatever this is, too. Something to work on, perhaps? "Um, sure, deal, though... I mean, you don't ''have'' to tell me about it or anything, if you don't really want to."

She blinks a little bit. "Oh, right. You're taking over your family business, huh?" She pokes at her parfait with her spoon for a moment. "So kind of seizing the day while you've got the choice to. I can get behind that."

"Yeah, I have to admit... I've been thinking about it lately, too. I dunno. Just curious, I guess? It hasn't always been a thing in the places I've ended up at before, you know?"

 <Pose Tracker> Yumi Ohzora [Infinity Institute (11)] has posed.

"Haha right?" Yumi grins. "Yeah, though. Good idea!" 

"Oh no, it's cool," Yumi says. "I just wasn't quite as bold as I thought I was talking about it..." She smiles after that though. "Well, it's something I'd tell my friends about, right?" And, obviously, they're friends! Even if they're fairly new. 

"That's right," Yumi answers. "Yeah, some people think it's weird," she admits, "But it's just how it is to me. So.. I might as well, right?" 

But hmmmm... "That makes sense, given what you've told me about the places you've been. Well, it's a good time to wonder about it! The spring of youth, right?"

 <Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.

Kyouka chuckles as Yumi admits she wasn't as bold in discussing it as she thought she'd be. "Yeah, I feel that, believe me." She's... pretty open an honest about a lot of stuff, but there's some stuff it's still embarrassing for her to talk about. She nods, "Well, if you're sure, then okay." She does smile a little bit as Yumi does confirm that they're friends. (Not that she had any doubts, but it's still nice to hear.)

She waves off the idea of it being weird. "I mean... it's not..." Okay, so she ''does'' think it's a little weird, or at least, a little old-fashioned, but saying that might be hurtful to her friend. "''that'' unheard of, you know? As long as you're fine going that route, then..."

"Yeah, it's definitely the time for it." She sighs a little, taking another bite of her pairfait to excuse herself from having to speak for a moment. "I dunno. Every place has different norms around dating and it's not exaaaactly one of the things my Mom taught me about Japan, you know?" Especially since it's been... quite a while since she was in Japan in a position to be dating, too.

 <Pose Tracker> Yumi Ohzora [Infinity Institute (11)] has posed.

It's difficult! But, "I'm sure." 

It's definitely a little weird, Yumi figures Kyouka thinks--because most of her friends do. But she appreciates her being diplomatic about it anyway. Not that unheard of... "I know it's less common these days, but we can't entrust half the family business to just anybody, so it makes sense to me. I don't mind. I'm a little nervous about it, but that's just because I don't know who it is, yet." 

She might have other reasons to be nervous if she did. 

Yumi also eats more parfait! It is delicious. ...Then a bit more, and a bit more. "Hmmm," Yumi answers. "Yeah that makes sense. Mother definitely didn't teach me much about that," she agrees, using the more formal term for her own. "Well, I'm sure you can get used to it. And if you ever have any questions, I'm not exactly an ''expert'' but I've been on enough dates. ...Not that they've generally gone that well, but, well. Beside the point!"

 <Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.

"Hey, I can respect the sense of duty." And she means that. "Is it possible they haven't made a choice yet, or...? I'm not really familiar with how the... timing of all of that kind of thing works."

She nods a bit and gives another smile. "Well, thanks for the vote of confidence, at least. I guess, if I decide I wanna give it a shot, I'll just have to figure out how to start and then... start. Wouldn't be the first time I've dived headfirst into something new, I suppose." She laughs a little. "Hey, a bad experience is still experience, you know? As longa s you learn from them, then..."

She pokes at her parfait a little bit. "Hmm. Lotta things I don't know about. How to approach someone, what to do on a date... what to wear..." She frowns a little as she contemplates that a moment. They had been discussing that a while ago, and she's still not really closer to finding answers for herself. She's gotten a bit busy. She contemplates that as she takes a few more bites of parfait.

 <Pose Tracker> Yumi Ohzora [Infinity Institute (11)] has posed.

Yumi smiles back. She appreciates someone who seems to 'get' why it's important to her, anyway. "That's possible," Yumi admits. "It sorta varies; sometimes you hear when you're young, sometimes they don't decide until later. I figure she'll pick somene before I'm 20 or so, though." 

Then she beams back. "Cool," Yumi says. "Yeah, you seem... really good at just sort of doing things. It's really impressive!" 

Then a laugh back. "True. I did learn a lot. Mostly that I don't have time for a certain kind of boy..." 

But a lot of things. Yumi considers. The matter of wearing, well, "It depends," Yumi says. "On where you go, I guess. If you go somewhere Really Nice you might want to dress up, but that depends on what that looks like for /you/. Anybody who tries to dictate how you dress probably isn't worth seeing, anyway. What are they, your parents? Nah. Forget that.""

 <Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.

Kyouka may not agree with it, but the way she figures, Yumi's choice to follow through with it is just as valid as the choice not to follow through with it. Assuming she's ''making'' that choice, but she's not quite sure how to broach ''that'' subject so leaves it alone for now. But for now... support! "So you might have a few years yet before you find out, then..."

She laughs a little, self-consciously. "I mean, I guess. Sometimes I think I'm a little ''too'' good at 'just doing things', but..." The decisions to try and stare down a charging ogress, or to take on a mage without any magic come to mind. But she does smile a little, too. "But thanks."

"Oh? That sounds like there's a story there... though you don't have to share if you'd rather not."

"Yeah, I guess I'm still trying to figure out what that looks like for me. Kind of got wrapped up in other stuff so haven't been able to think on that too much." Another, louder laugh at that joke. "Oh, yeah. ''That'' would not fly with me at all. God, that was my Mom for the longest time and we fought so much over it, too." A moment of contemplation. "Though... I didn't mind wearing that dress to the art show as much as I did to that dinner... I mean, it was also the only really nice dress I ''had'', so..."

 <Pose Tracker> Yumi Ohzora [Infinity Institute (11)] has posed.

"Mm-hm." The support is... nice. It's not that her friends aren't supportive in ''general'', but she can tell for instance that Eri doesn't really approve. And that's fine, but... 

Well. "I think it's cool to be bold, to just... go on and act. I wish I could be like that," she admits. "So I definitely mean it." 

"Haha, it's a story that happened a few times," Yumi says. "The sort of boy who decides that the way to be is to 'protect' you from everything. Treats you like you're fragile. That kind of thing. The last time I made any real effort at dating it was kinda like that. ...Since then I've mostly just been going on scattered crushes, you know. Nothing to really act on. ...Not that it stopped Kozue from teasing me..." 

But she smiles about figuring things out. It's important! And the idea of fighting with her mother may be alien, but it seems to work for them. "Maybe because you got to choose it instead?" Yumi wonders.

 <Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.

And should Yumi ever change her mind... Kyouka will support that, too.

"Well, thanks," Kyouka says, with a smile. "I mean, there's plenty that I'm less good at diving into like that, but... yeah, put me on a field with a ball or out in nature and I'll charge in all day long."

She makes a face at that. "Oh, ''ick''. Yeah, I wouldn't date anyone like that, either. You can take care of yourself just fine." She's seen it, too. Of course, being a magical girl might be a little bit of an unfair comparison to a person without magic, but that's not really an excuse. "Hmm. So keeping it casual, sort of?" She tilts her head a little at the mention of a name, but doesn't press for details.

"Yeah, I dunno. The closest I ever got... when I was younger, there were a couple of girls who told me they thought I was cute... and then backed off when they realized I was actually a girl and not a guy like they thought." She glances off to the side, with a shrug. "Guess when I getting into the thick of things on the field with everyone else it was harder to tell. That... hasn't happened for a while, though."

Kyouka nods a bit, "Yeah, maybe... Or it was just like... more grown-up, maybe? Like, it wasn't a little kid dress? Or maybe because I knew you'd already seen me in it and thought it looked good." She blinks a bit and blushes. "I... I mean, just because you'd been so supportive before, is all I meant by that."

 <Pose Tracker> Yumi Ohzora [Infinity Institute (11)] has posed.

That makes sense; Yumi finds it's a little more like her situation if Kyouka has limits like that... but she still wishes she could do it more than she really can. 

"Pretty much," Yumi says. "I've been so busy with, you know, this kind of stuff." She gestures. "That I haven't had time to do more than think about it." Yumi doesn't think to explain KOZUE for the moment, the Blue Princess herself, who she works with. 

"..Aw," Yumi says. "That's no good," Yumi says. "Well, I definitely wouldn't mistake you." 

Yumi is curious about something--but it's not really her place to ask if Kyouka doesn't volunteer it. So she doesn't! 

"That makes sense," Yumi says of the dress. Then she smiles back. "It's fine. I did and I do think so! So don't worry about it."

 <Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.

Kyouka nods as Yumi gestures, getting it instantly. "Yeah... there's that, too. Making time, then trying to hide your... extracurriculars... which doesn't seem like a ''great'' setup for a long-term relationship." Not that she's an expert, but... honesty seems like a pretty simple relationship principle to grasp.

She look thoughtful, musing quietly, "Unless you were dating someone else in the same line of work, as it were..." She says it a bit absentmindedly, and doens't even seem to have realized she's said it for a moment... until she does, with a blush. "Just... thinking out loud, sorry. Wasn't trying to imply anything."

And that statement earns Yumi a soft smile. "Thanks, I appreciate it. Though, I mean... after a certain point, it... kind of became obvious to everyone, you know?"

She stares off into the distance again, musing. "The girls only seemed interested in me when they mistook me for a guy, the guys mostly seemed too intimidated, add being an outsider and a foreigner on top of all of that..." She sighs a little. "Too bad, too."

She smiles gratefully to Yumi. "Right. Thanks for understanding. And, again, for all your help with the shopping. It definitely went a lot better with the extra help than doing it on my own."

 <Pose Tracker> Yumi Ohzora [Infinity Institute (11)] has posed.

"It really doesn't," Yumi agrees. "Even just finding time to start one is hard." A pause. Kyouka muses, and Yumi thinks of all the cool magical girls she's known who seemed so bright and shining and lovely... 

She sighs, once. "Oh? Oh, right. It's fine." SHe forgets to be embarrassed herself about the idea, because she ''was'' thinking about it generally for a moment. 

"Totally," Yumi answers, both for the thanks and for the obviousness. But the idea of how things are for her... Well. It sure doesn't answer her unspoken question! 

"For sure," she agrees. 'Too bad'. "That's rough, but... Well, if it's important to you, I bet you'll figure it out." 

She smiles back. "You're super welcome. I'm glad it went OK!"

 <Pose Tracker> Kyouka Okazaki [Juuban Public School (10)] has posed.

"Yeah, trying to figure that out on top of..." she gestures generally. "Everything else... Yeah, I like trying new things but I can only handle so much at once..."

It's probably not that much clearer for Kyouka herself than it is for Yumi. There's a very specific sense of disappointment attached to some of those memories that she's never quite been able to pin down ''why'' she felt that way, wrapped up as they are in a few other complicated feelings.

Kyouka looks a bit distracted and lost in thought, trying to put a name to some of those thoughts, when she realizes Yumi's saying something and looks over to her. "Oh, right, yeah. Thanks."

She finishes off the last bite of her parfait, and then waits to make sure Yumi is done with hers. She grabs her empty parfait glass and stands up. "Want me to clear that for you?" And then regardless of the answer, takes care of at least her own. "So... you wanna show me some of your favorite games? I've tried a few of the games here, but I by no means have I tried a lot so..." She gestures to the arcade with a smile. "Onwards!"
[[Category: Logs]]