(No Subject)

[rulebook]

Who: Ryuta and Haruka
Where: Sannomiya, shopping district
When: Tuesday, April 18th
What: Unexpected Encounter (Social Link)

Ryuta left school early that morning, hoping to avoid any unwanted attention. Sneaking around may have been overkill, but he couldn't risk being caught. Even if he was now part of whatever yesterday was, he was sure that disciplinary action would be taken against him regardless of his new standing.

Moving a safe distance away, he relaxed a bit and continued down his trek to the train station. Before boarding the train, he entered the bathrooms to change his attire. After all, even with an excuse it would be hard to explain why he was out of school. Best not to tempt fate.

Once he reached his destination, he let out a breath of relief. So far so good. Even if school just started, he had to be sure none of his fellow students saw him. It was a matter of life and death for him. He opened the doors to a small café, and walked inside. The sign above the store read, 'Regality'.

Comments

[allisnothing]

True to what she told Imaizumi, she did prefer being out than holing up in the room - sore and depressed and angsty at the Call running her over. And she had the day off anyway so might as well go out and enjoy the day while pretty much everyone else was stuck in classes.

She walked down the streets of Sannomiya, her cane lightly feeling as she went and a headphone in her ear. She'd come down here a few times now and she was becoming relatively familiar with the area. Her mental map was steadily filling in and she probably wouldn't need to rely on an app telling her where to go soon.

She found the headphone inform her she was outside a place called 'Regality' and she paused, tilting her head slightly. She'd been to Chagall a twice and that place was pretty good (their pheromone coffee didn't see to have any diff, sadly). However, that was on the other side of the area and she didn't feel like doing the long walk back and she felt a need for caffeine.

She took out the headphone, placed it in her pocket with her phone, and entered.

[rulebook]

"Welcome home, mistress!"

Several of the waiters and waitresses turned to the door and bowed at their new guest. All of them were dressed as butlers and maids respectively, lined up by the door to properly greet their customer. One butler stepped forward from them, his head lowered examining the menu. He lifted up his head to address her properly, shifting his glasses as he gets his first look at the new customer.

"Good day, mist--" Ryuta nearly choked when he saw Haruka. The sudden pause in his greetings drew some of the other workers attention, clearly dumbfounded about his reaction. They started to whisper amongst themselves, wondering why he seemed so nervous. Not wanting to make a scene, he told them to get back to work. Curiousity spread fast among all of them, but they followed his orders and continued what they were doing before.

He thought to himself how he could best resolve this situation. An idea occurred. In an attempt to disguise his identity, he deepened his voice. "W-welcome, mistress. Would you like it for h-here or to go?"

[allisnothing]

She looked in bemusement for a moment before it clicked.

Oh. This was one of those types of places. Lucky her?

At the sound of the butler addressing her, she tilted her head, curiously. She seemed to be thinking of something intently as her head was turned up at him. After a long moment though, she shrugged a little and said, as though not noticing the stutter,

"Here." She nodded a little. "Please take care of me?"

[rulebook]

Huh? It worked? Ryuta smiled, relieved for the moment. Now he just had to keep up the act for a little longer. Fortunately he had practiced this part well. As he cautiously took her hand, Ryuta spoke to her in his deeper tone. "Of course, mistress. I shall take you to your table personally."

He led her to a table in the back corner, giving the two of them some privacy from the other people in the café. He didn't need the other workers questioning his act.

"Is there anything I can get for you today mistress? We serve a wide variety of drinks and pastries. Whatever you desire mistress, we shall provide." He began to bow, but stopped as he realized the concept would be lost on Haruka. At the very least, he thought the act was going well so far.

[allisnothing]

She let him take her hand, memorizing the feel of it as he led her. She listened to the sounds going on around them, feeling them drift further into the cafe, through the busier sounds and finally to an area that seemed quieter or less busy.

In response to his question though, she said,

"Golden drop tea, drained from a thousand cups, followed by chocolate cake made from a hundred blends, with the power to inspire a thousand ships to launch?" She smiled though, and leaned forward in her chair, "Failing that, what sorts of things do you have?"

[rulebook]

Was... that a joke? He couldn't help but wonder how in the world someone would make such things. And how expensive something like that would be to a high school student. No, focus on the task at hand.

"I...apologize, but we don't carry anything like that." He cleared his throat a little, trying to maintain the false voice as best he could. "If it's tea you want, we have a special house blend of green tea. I personally enjoy it rather well. And while the chocolate cake here may not be on the level of inspiration you desire, it is made from scratch and has been awarded some very pleasant reviews."

Good, good. Just a little longer. I might actually be able to pull this off. He smirked slightly, satisfied by the results of his charade.

[allisnothing]

"Darn," Haruka replied, but didn't look put out at all. "Those sound good though. Can you make the tea iced?"

[rulebook]

"Of course. I shall be out with it in a moment, mistress." Ryuta walked back toward the kitchen to place her order at an even pace. With a little luck, I just might pull this off.

After a few moments pass by, he returned with a cool slice of chocolate cake along with a glass of iced tea. He placed them in front of Haruka and after a moment of thought, he guided her hand to the plate and the glass. "I hope you enjo--" Right before he finished, feeling confident about his act, the manager of the café popped out of the kitchen. "Hey, Tanemoto! When you finish with the young mistress you can take your brake. I appreciate your work today."

He then immediately returned to the kitchen, leaving behind a dumbfounded Ryuta to fend for himself. "Uh....I...um...." He had no words. If Haruka could see, Ryuta's face would be reminiscent of a deer in headlights.

[allisnothing]

Haruka felt the hand guide her and she suppressed a sigh. She nodded and was about to say thanks when she heard the other voice.

She let the awkwardness sit there for a bit before turning her head towards Tanemoto, idly wondering if she'd feel the sweat break out on his hand. Once she thought it was long enough, she said lightly,

"Huh. I think the right phrase here is 'What a twist'?"

[rulebook]

So much for that plan. Ryuta sighed softly before sitting down across from Haruka. Hopefully, he could minimize the damage to a degree by talking it out. Save some dignity.

"I doubt I'm going to hear the end of this, am I?"

[allisnothing]

"Maybe?" Haruka took her tea and took a sip, pleased at how it tasted. "I could post it all over the school network that Tanemoto-san's a butler. Recommend a ton of classmates just to stop on by so they can see it themselves and enjoy the great green tea. And through the hallways and when I see you, I can always call you 'Butler-kun'.

"Or at least, that's what I'd do if I was a bitch." She took another drink before going for her cake. She took a thoughtful bite though, "I might still call you Butler-Kun occasionally.

"Didn't know the school allowed students to work."

[rulebook]

Ryuta seemed surprised by her remark. He thought he would have to bribe her or do something degrading to get her to stay quiet. Smiling a little, he was actually happy to be wrong about something.

He laughed a little at his new nickname. "If that is the price I must pay for your silence, so be it. I would ask that you refrain from using it at school at least."

However, he froze at her last remark. Well, he was already this deep. He may as well come clean. "Actually... it doesn't. However, technically this isn't 'work' by standard definitions. I was simply filling in for someone who was sick. It's more like.... community service with pay. I help out other businesses in the area when they are shorthanded for some extra cash."

[allisnothing]

"I'll try to keep it in mind. Things slip," Haruka replied easily. She tilted her head slightly. "So it's more like sort of on and off work so it doesn't fit what would be in the student manual?

[rulebook]

Ryuta felt a cold chill from her words. Was she trying to blackmail him? Not being in control of the situation made him feel all the more guilty.

"Yes, that is it precisely. However..." He took a deep breath, trying to relax his nerves. He had to be sure she didn't tell anyone. "However, I would appreciate your silence in this regardless. Even if it's not in the rules, I doubt it would be looked upon favorably. So in exchange for your silence, I will do anything you ask of me. Within reason of course."

[allisnothing]

"Wow, this is really feeling like some shojo manga right now, except it's usually the girl in your position," Haruka replied. "I think it usually ends with something like 'please go out with me' or 'give me my first kiss' or 'be my slave until we graduate'. Possibilities..."

She finished draining the rest of her iced tea before continuing,

"Okay then. For my silence....

"Can you buy me another iced green tea?"

[rulebook]

Ryuta nearly fell out from his seat at her request. Was she toying with him? Or was she trying to be nice? Seeing her expression though, he could tell that she wasn't joking.I will say that she is someone not to be taken lightly.

"Um... sure?" He calls over one of the waitresses and orders another drink for Haruka.

Sitting there in silence made the situation seem all the more awkward. He had to say something. But what? "I... appreciate your kindness. If it were anyone else, I'm sure they would have asked for something crazy. So... thank you." He wanted to say more, but the waitress returned with Haruka's drink.

[allisnothing]

"No prob," Haruka replied, finishing more of her cake. About half of it was gone now and she seemed content to take her time with it.

"You probably get enough crazy requests already, Butler-kun?"

[rulebook]

Ryuta grimaced for a brief moment, turning his head to the side to avoid looking at Haruka. He took a moment to respond to her question, the familiarity in his voice reduced to a sadder tone.

"Indeed I do."

Resting on the table, his fists clenched to the point his knuckles started to turn white. He was upset. Upset at himself for letting his emotions slip. He had to regain his composure.

Calming down, he addressed Haruka in a professional, business-like tone in an attempt to change the subject. "This seems to be a rather one-sided conversation. I would like to hear more about you. What do you hope to achieve by coming to this school?"

[allisnothing]

Haruka tilted her head slightly. She seemed to think on this for a bit, using her fork to play with the cake.

"Opportunities mainly?" She shrugged and took another bite. "I get to be on my own for a while and I get trained in what I want. That's fair.

"You?"

[rulebook]

"Same. A state of the art school built for the country's best and brightest would be a great way to advance myself." Rigid and straight to the point. He would not falter again so soon.

He readjusted his glasses as he thought the situation out. Like a game of chess, he had to think two steps ahead of his opponent. It picked up on the small hint behind her words and pressed forward. "I take it your parents were overprotective?" It would make sense after all. Being blind would make any decent parent worry about their child.

[allisnothing]

"Huh. Advance yourself in what?"

She shrugged again at his question. Another piece of the cake disappeared. "I dunno. As much as anyone else's would be? Only sixteen too." She put down the fork as she felt the last of the cake disappear. "At least I didn't run away to Tokyo like a rebellious teen out of dramas?"

[rulebook]

"Education, of course." A little vague, but good enough for the situation.

"I see." He nodded to himself. So she has a standard relationship with her parents. He thought to himself a moment longer before asking her out of the blue, "What do you think about this country?"

[allisnothing]

"Doing what?" Haruka asked, drinking her tea.

The question, however, made her look up. She looked bemused. "It's alright? Could be better."

[rulebook]

He ignored the first question for now, deciding to follow up on her response. "In there lies the problem. It could be better. While the system itself is as best as it can be, the people behind it have no idea how to properly run a country."

He began to speak more formally, as if reading aloud a speech he made in advance. "Shutting oneself in serves no purpose whatsoever. I do admit that we are maintaining our economy rather well. But that is all we are doing; maintaining, not progressing." He shifted his seating position to a more firm, upright pose.

"I'm not saying that we should openly accept foreign influence readily. There has to be a balance to things. We must learn from other countries while keeping true to our core beliefs."

He let out a quick sigh before sitting back into a more comfortable position. "Unfortunately, I am alone in this idea."

[allisnothing]

"Wow, thought on that a lot? You sound like you have your own manifesto ready," Haruka commented. She didn't sound like she was mocking him, though.

"What's balance? I like foreign movies and that's apparently eroding the cultural fabric of the country,"

[rulebook]

He caught her interest now, which was all the more reassuring for him to continue. "Hmm. If it were up to me, I would allow a free exchange in ideas and practices. Throughout history, cooperation between nations has lead to greater results over isolation."

He glanced out the window to his side, looking at the people passing by. "However, the way things are now, no one would be willing to do such a thing. Everyone is too focused on their hatred rather than the future. I hope to change that. Have people work together to make this country prosper again."

He turned back toward Haruka, and spoke to her with a strong determination behind his words. "And that's why I wish to be the Prime Minister."

[allisnothing]

Haruka sat, letting those words sink in. She kept a straight face for the most part, but then she barked out a short laugh,

"Interesting." She smiled a little. "Pretty ambitious? Not what most people am for."

[rulebook]

He smiled a little at her comment and replied back, "I'm not most people." He took her words to heart, seeing it as a compliment. "Well, I should be heading back to work now. Your meal is on me today."

Ryuta stood up from his chair and started to walk back toward the kitchen. He glanced back toward Haruka before he went too far off, "I hope to see you again, mistress."

[allisnothing]

"Sound logic." There were many things you could declare yourself to be anyway.

Haruka nodded at his farewell, turning her head in his direction and said with a smile,

"Thanks. See you later, Butler-kun."