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Who: Miyume and Mirai.
Where: Around the city.
When: Saturday April 22nd, 6pm onwards.
What: Things.

Mirai had contrived to be the first at their usual spot. He sat in one of the benches, regally and in the middle, legs-crossed, holding onto his mobile phone. On it was a picture of Miyume as she had been in the park, looking up at him with the most coy smile. He flicked to the next photograph with a quick thumb and nearly drew himself back to delete it.

As far as he was concerned, it was only a bit of fun. They weren't going to last. He had an understanding, and was sure she did too, that it was safer to be alone. Was it she wished him peace, or had realised that a little kindness would help? He did not want her asking him for his feelings. He worried he did not love her enough or in the right way to deserve consideration. Was he convincing himself he had found the right person? If he was with the right person, his hands wouldn't be stiff with fright nor his face thoughtful.

There was no sign of Miyume and certainly a few girls had paid him attention as they had left their dorm. One had stayed to keep him company and complained about a "gaijin". Here he had listened and pretended to care, because far be it from one such as he to turn away their company.

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It was almost time for her date and Miyume had yet to stop seething from her encounter with Taue. As brief as it had been, it'd still been enough to rip the scab off a wound that was finally just starting to heal. What was it about her that made people automatically think she was some sort of mental incompetent in need of protection or salvation? Her body was weak, not her mind.

As long as people kept making that assumption, Miyume would pull their heartstrings until they danced to the tune she wanted. It wasn't like she had any other real talents or abilities going for her these days. And more often than not, it was the only way she could maintain even an illusion of control over her life.

Miyume quickly got dressed. While she looked nice enough, she didn't put quite the same care into her appearance as she had been for her dates lately. Hopefully, it would turn out not to have been a mistake for to slack a bit in this area. She hurried out to their meeting place, as much as she could hurry anywhere these days.

The sight of Mirai talking to another girl didn't bother Miyume. At least, not as much as people would surely tell her she should be if they'd known in the first place. She regarded the girl with mild curiosity before turning her full attention to Mirai.

"Hello, Mirai-kun," she greeted kindly. No one would be able to tell from her sweet tone that not even five minutes ago, her mind had been full of nothing but darkness.

"You really did say that?" Mirai was saying to the girl. "Truly, you're a brave girl."

He glanced up as Miyume came over to them, and he did not wait to explain to this girl why she was approaching. He extended an arm to take all the space he needed - making it clear it was his domain and that she was welcome. In the silence of them all sitting together, there was enough time for him to watch Miyume with a good eye, appraising the way which she had dressed herself.

She was far more slovenly than he did remember her. Not because of carelessness but not because of sloth either.

"Are you feeling all right?" he asked Miyume simply.

Miyume sat down beside Mirai in the offered space, offering him a grateful smile. Rather than tense up at the presence of the other girl, she seemed content to just be at Mirai's side. A little of the residual tension she had been holding inside began to dissipate. Unconsciously, she leaned toward Mirai just a fraction but not so much to be invasive or convey possession. All she wanted was to simply stay close to him.

"I've been better," she admitted, tucking a lock of her hair behind one ear as she turned to face him slightly. "I ran into Taue-senpai during my errand at Junes. It went badly. For him, anyway."

Beyond initial acknowledgment and a polite greeting and smile, the other girl may have well been an extra on a movie set for all the attention she got from Miyume that moment.

Mirai seemed neither convinced nor a fool. He read through the lines and went on behaving as though it were no problem - he thought most people would have something to say about his relationship with her. He shrugged and turned his attention to her, looking remarkably nice and kind as she sat down beside him - and he did not seem to remember the other girl at his side.

"Oh no," he sighed in disdain. "He's trying to warn you or something."

He stood up. The girl stood up. There was no mistaking the secretive glance they both gave each other. She laughed like some highborn princess and Mirai smiled at it like he was in on some secret. He took his attention from Miyume for just a short moment. "Excuse me, Ojou-chan. But Hazama-san and I - we're going to have to finish this conversation in private. I'm sure you understand. I'll look forward to seeing you at my next practice, then."

He offered a hand to help Miyume off the bench, then seemed to guide them away from the dorms entirely.

Miyume took Mirai's hand and let him lead her away from bench and the dorms. She stayed quiet, wondering briefly what she'd walked in on. She contemplated asking but her emotions were much too raw for her ask about such things. Miyume didn't trust herself not to say something she might regret. She bowed her head as they walked.

"Where did you want to go tonight?"

Edited 2013-09-10 08:24 (UTC)

"I will take you to see a film," he said. "I forgot, because somebody was... distracting me." His eyes seemed to glimmer as though she knew exactly what he meant. "I hate forgetting important things."

He then squeezed her hand affectionately and ignored the possibility of going to the cinema entirely. "We could just go to the park again. Of course we could see a film or something - or do something else entirely. What do you want?"

She relaxed a bit more at his words, squeezing his hand back. Her grip was a little weaker than usual so she made up for it by gently urging him to stop walking for a moment. When he did, she slid her arms around his waist, pressing close against him. Then she gave him a rather deep, passionate kiss on the spot, either forgetting or simply not caring who might see them.

Mirai was one of those men who grew the more attention he got, where anything positive would make them extremely pleasing. The world generally found him as such, and only a few who knew what the truth was saw his evil grin and malevolence on the outside. He began ponderously to return the affection and began thinking about where his love was. He had a little shiver running down the length of his spine, as if he was searching for it, afraid of it - or both.

When their mouths came apart and they had a chance to step back and breathe, she would see he looked totally unconcerned about anyone else. He looked decidedly pleased by her forwardness.

"... Wow."

Miyume stepped back, lowering herself back onto her heels. Simply standing tiptoe was a dangerous feat for her nowadays; she could injure herself very easily without realizing it. Still, she lingered in a close hug, just resting her head against his chest a moment. His heart sounded like it was racing just as quickly as her own.

Three small words surfaced in her mind but she kept them to herself. As much of a romantic as Miyume was, even she knew better than to dwell on that issue this early in a relationship. For all his apparent suave and skill at seduction, Mirai seemed surprisingly clumsy when it came to matters of the heart. Or maybe it just seemed that way to her after being with Ayana for so long. Despite her young age, Miyume had already experienced a strong, close bond most people didn't get to enjoy until they were much older than she.

She pulled back, gave him a gentle, happy smile, and took his hand again.

"What kind of films do you like to watch, Mirai?"

Miyume would have a glimpse of a slight frown on Mirai's face about this question. "Biopics," he said, before he tightened the grip of his hand to hers and looked like he wanted to share his love about film.

"Documentaries, really," he said, lying. But he seemed pleased by this attention-shifting question and rubbed her hand. He could feel his heart beating a little faster, increasing not because of the lie but the situation. "Those sorts of things."

But what he really enjoyed was science-fiction and fantasy. The imaginative, escapist sort of worlds that were only thought of as appropriate for childhood.

"I like fantasy and allegorical films. Romantic comedies can be fun, too, with the right person. But I don't watch much in the way of film. I've always been more of an avid reader. Again, mostly fantasy and allegorical fiction. I like shoujo manga, too, if it's done really well with a strong, likable heroine and engaging story."

She looked somewhat embarrassed by her admission that she liked shoujo manga. She was a fifteen year old girl. It was completely normal for a girl her age to enjoy them. But after everything she'd been through in the past few years, the things she worried about on a daily basis, the bleak futures for herself she'd been forced to accept, it felt strange confessing to something so normal. It made her feel very young and vulnerable, especially in the company of a sophisticated, older boy like Mirai.

"Do you read manga or watch anime at all, Mirai?"

Mirai felt his mind tense up. He knew she would certainly sense it, and that she would catch him lying. Perhaps he ought to say something. Or he could be quiet and he kept his dignity. They walked for some time without him answering, and for a while he seemed quite unaware that she existed as he pondered the issue.

"No. You should read proper books; manga and anime are wastes of money," he said vehemently. He looked ready to spit on the ground. But it wasn't a lie to say he wanted her to perceive they were things he enjoyed.

That took Miyume by surprise. She wasn't upset though part of her wondered if she should be. She stayed quiet as they walked, expression thoughtful. She rubbed his hand absently, while she tried to pinpoint precisely why that response struck her as so strange. It wasn't just the words themselves. If he was himself, he never would have phrased something like that.

"Did someone tell you that, Mirai?" she asked, in a soft concerned voice. He seemed so nervous tonight. It worried her.

After this it was clear that Mirai couldn't lie well to her at all. There was no mistaking the way he looked uncomfortable; his lips were pressed with frustration and his shoulders bowed with pressure. But in spite of it, he would try to lie anyway. He was prepared to twist this way and that, but he was thinking about it too much - enough that the words came out straight.

"Once or twice."

And at least every other month, he thought bitterly.

"Your father?"

Her voice remained kind and gentle. She stroked the back of his hand soothingly with her thumb.

A small frown appeared on Mirai's forehead. By now he was rather regretting saying anything - but he nodded and continued to say nothing, because it was clear he had chosen to be in her company and now there was something he was getting from it.

"... Yeah."

Miyume nodded but said nothing for a long moment. There wasn't a lot she could say. She'd never been in position and couldn't begin to fathom what it must be like to have your interests disparaged on a regular basis. She didn't know exactly what had happened in the Imaizumi household all these years but she could see the damage that had resulted from it.

So many wounds, so much scar tissue. She certainly knew how to pick them, didn't she? However, Miyume had no regrets. Her instincts had told her he was special, and he was. There was darkness within him to be certain but there was light as well, even she seemed to be the only one who could actually see it.

Those three small words resurfaced again but Miyume batted them away. It wasn't the right time. Things were too scary for him right now. So much change in so little time and still more change on the horizon.

"What would you like to do? It can be anything. Something serious, something silly. It doesn't matter what. I'll go along."

By this time Mirai was thinking if he told her what he truly wanted that she wouldn't judge him for it. The funniest part was that the counselor had made the same observation, but she had been given information to reach that conclusion. And how many times had she checked to make sure he wouldn't ruin the work that was happening?

He was not quite sure what had made Miyume so perceptive. It was not that he didn't want to know, but he believed she would tell him when she wanted.

"I just want to mess all their stuff up," he said, at the same time realising there was nothing to pity about those people, or anyone really. Though it perhaps wasn't appropriate as a date activity. "Somebody must teach them a lesson, don't you think?"

It wasn't the answer Miyume had been expecting but she'd still given her word. She smiled serenely at him, hooking her arm through his.

"Any ideas of what kind of lesson? Or how to go about it?"

Despite his insistence, Mirai hadn't actually planned that far ahead - yet. He was still trying to learn his boundaries and how far he could actually push things. Though perhaps approaching Yachiyo-sensei and friends was the wrong way to go about it.

"I'm still thinking," he said sadly. "But people need to be enlightened as to what they're like, don't you think? It's my civic duty."

It was why he'd made that post, and was spreading a few misnomers. The core of it, they wouldn't be able to tell, was that he found it fun.

Civic duty, huh?

"Hmm, don't rush it. Something delightful will come in time."

Miyume wasn't sure what she felt about the idea of exposing them. Her first instinct deemed it rash and foolhardy but what did she know about these things? Until curfew at Chitoku, Miyume had never broken any major rules in her life.

"We need to learn more about the project we're a part of. Perhaps under the guise of extra credit?"

Mirai shook his head. He wished to do something more subtle than that. He pointed to his head with his free thumb. He wanted her to see that he didn't mean the adults as much as their fellow students. It made him wonder if ever it could come to that huge confrontation he was working towards - because it would be glorious to behold.

"Yes, of course." He fell quiet for a moment. "They wouldn't have a project were it for students like us." And he shrugged, a wide grin on his mouth. "It makes me think. We shall not be thrown out of the school just for breaking a little curfew rule, right? So more of us need to realise that."

"I wonder how many times Kasubata-senpai has broken curfew," she mused out loud. "If she's been caught, what kind of punishments she's received. Even if they do need us here, they could still punish us for breaking the rules."

Though the thought of breaking curfew again was awfully tempting now that he'd mentioned it.

"Well, what sort of punishment will we receive?" Mirai asked. "I believe the problem they're in is that they need us. So there is something to be gained here. What are we going to gain from them? Well, we have these spirits anyway."

He gave a nice smile and tapped above his temple with a finger. But also he was finding that he didn't want to talk about it, and waved the same hand. His smile was lit instead with a wry curiousness.

"But Mii-chan, you never answered. Shall we go to the park? Or do you want to see a film?"

Corporal punishment came to mind but Miyume didn't want to dwell on the issue anymore either. Instead, she smiled at Mirai.

"I think I'd like to skip the movie and go to the park. I brought something special with me today."

She patted her purse. It had been something she'd been wanting to do for a while, anyway. Tonight was as good of a night as any for it.

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