Title: A Stroll In Inaba....
Summary: Kazuo is with his "fanclub" at Junes, and meets an unusual individual....
Who: Kazuo Yuudai, Aigis
Location: Inaba - Junes Dept. Store
Every day is great at your Junes! o/~ This jingle is one reason why Junes is so prominent within Inaba. Just one store in a major department store chain, Junes offers many different products at unbeatable prices, from simple groceries to comfortable furniture and even an expansive electronics department, the latter of which has been proven very popular by some of the teenage crowd lately.
The department store is so massive that the elevator is the preferred method in which to go anywhere around the place, with different floors for different departments within it. Although the goods are varied enough that each may as well be their own store, at least several things are constant: the bright and cheery colors, the frequent announcement of some special deal or another going on, and most importantly, the endless looping elevator music of the theme song that can even rival Satomi Tadashi's for sheer catchiness.
Customer Appreciation Day is said to be every day at Junes, but this sure doesn't seem to show with the majority of its employees... especially the part-timers. Lazy, rude, and prone to complaining about their salary, they are not pleasant people. Even so, that hasn't been enough to drive the customers away.
This street always felt a little melancholic whenever she came by. While taking trips to Inaba was not a day-to-day affair, Mai had hoped to check something with the owner of Daidara Metalworks. Unfortunately she came out as emptyhanded as she came in, and rather than just head back to Port Island with a soured mood, she had opted to wander around the commercial area to check if something might catch her fancy and be interesting.
So far this had been proven to be a mistake. All the closed stores, the lack of life, perhaps it was just winter's fault but she could not shake the graveyard feeling this place emitted. The textile shop had some interesting things, but lacking a project to apply it on Mai found little purpose in purchasing anything there.
The bookstore on the other hand had drawn her in like a drug-addict is drawn to a shady alley. She was just coming out with a slightly more heavy schoolbag, a slightly more content look on her face. Satisfied at least that the trip had not been for nothing.
There's at least one person who doesn't share the same feeling. Kazuo is taking a stroll through the commercial district this evening, it seems. He seems happy enough -- nothing weird has been happening to him lately, and he's always happy when nothing weird happens. Though he hasn't seen any of his newer friends in a while.
Kazuo is also shorn of his fanclub, it seems, as Naoki decided Jirou needed more tutoring in academic subjects. Kazuo had decided to forego that, wanting to get some air that evening. And as luck would have it, he's walking past that bookstore when Mai comes out. Because his mood's pretty even, his resonance is too, but it's definitely there, like the happy crackle of a hearth flame and a dragon's pleased rumble.
Wierdness hung to her like unwanted lint to velcro, for better or worse. More often than not Mai had a tendency to seek it out, but occasionally even she stumbled on the unexpected.
Her detection senses had never been terribly good when she's actually in a pleased or happy mood, as such emotions often led to her lowering her guard, which in turn made the paranoia necessary to detect over decent distances subdued. Yet when another highschooler passes within mere meters of her, even she's not THAT oblivious.
Her steps come to a full halt, grey eyes taking in the appearance of this student. It was not a familiar face but the uniform was familiar, and he seemed kind of old to be in highschool. Maybe he just reached puberty sooner? His height mixed with his choice of footwear made her wonder if he's know...
"Excuse me." she asks aloud, trying to draw his attention. Perhaps it would go easier if she smiled, but trying to make Mai do such things generally required effort or coercion. "Have you seen Thora Kobayashi this week? She is the student president at your school if your uniform is what I think it is, and she is...hard not to notice." Being a freaking amazon-sized teenager helped Thora for that.
Kazuo pauses when he hears someone speak, and looks to the source of the voice. It's only after he registers her presences that he catches a whiff of the odd scent -- blood and baby powder? That seemed an odd combination. But that weird electric feeling is there, that strange humming, the odd sense that this is Somebody, not just another nameless face in the crowd.
The question registers, and Kazuo places a hand to his chin in thought. "Thora Kobayashi?" he echoes, to make sure he's heard the name right. "Hm. I've seen her around, but not lately, I don't think. Not that I can recall anyway," he answers politely. "I'm sorry. I can keep an eye out, though, and let her know you're looking for her, if you'd like," he offers.
The answer - not entirely unexpected, but unwanted causes a brief sigh from the Gekkoukan girl, "I suppose that would have been too much to ask." she mumbles softly, gaze briefly trailing along the sidewalk as disapointment is made as plain as the giant orb of fire in the sky. "Well, thank you. I am Mai Namikawa, a friend of hers from out of town. She got in a bit of trouble last weekend and I had hoped she made it back alright on her own, but she would not have missed a week of school if so." At least, she liked to think so, in truth she had no idea of Thora's attendence records.
"You are?" She asks, her tone making it sound like curiosity more than inquiry. "I can tell we have something in common, even if it is not a hobby generally discussed much. Are you part of any club?"
Kazuo blinks when Mai mentions Thora having missed a week of school. "Oh, I didn't know, I'm sorry," he offers. "I generally keep to myself, so I don't know a lot of what's going on at school when compared to others. I can ask Tezuka-kun, though...he's normally a little better informed than I am."
Her inquiry of who he is draws a nod. "My name's Kazuo Yuudai," he returns. "Pleased to meet you, Namikawa-san." A pause, though, as she asks about clubs and hobbies. "No, I don't belong to a club. Like I say, I usually keep to myself, and don't bother people a lot."
He smiles, though it's not a lecherous one at all. This is important to note, because from anyone else his next words might sound like he's trying to flirt. "You say you can tell we have something in common? What would that be?" he inquires. He's not flirting, or teasing, or anything of that nature.
He does have an idea of what she could be talking about...but he doesn't want to say if she doesn't, because...well, if she's not talking about Personae, then he'd have to explain it to someone who doesn't know about it. And that might be very bad....
"Your apology is unnecessary, if she is in another class and you have no ties to the student council, I suppose it would be much to ask for you to have noticed this discrepency." After all, why would he care if they are not friends? The offer to check leaves her momentarily in thought, but Mai shakes her head. "That won't be necessary. No need to draw more attention to it and cause foolish rumors."
The name is met with a faint bow of the waist, "Ah, I see." A loner, or more secretive than most. Either way it was a good enough answer on the topic that she had no desire to pry further. "Well, I hear colleges look at those sorts of things and it can be poorly seen, but it might just be a pressure tactic." Unconfirmed info remained dubious, unfortunately.
At the 'flirty' comment, she can't tell if he's being a bit of a smartass, dull-sensed or just playing it too well. "Unusual abilities, if you will. I can't tell what you have precisely or how developed your talent may be, but I can tell you have the spark, the potential - or the curse, depending who you ask." She moves a little away from the door, glancing around to make sure of no accidental risk of being overheard. "What is yours called? Mine is called Hannya."
Kazuo nods. "Probably a good idea," he agrees. "The rumor mill tends to turn when somebody starts randomly asking after someone they don't know. Particularly when those two people have differing genders." He knew what Jirou would say -- he'd start thinking Kazuo was 'finally getting interested in girls'! Which Kazuo would never live down!
"Likely," Kazuo replies to the noting of colleges and clubs. "All that should matter in college is the grades. Or if you're looking to get into sports, if you can actually play. I don't see that a college would discriminate based on membership in a club, or lack thereof, in high school. That seems silly."
The 'flirty' comment was offered evenly and openly, with no trace of subterfuge, smirkiness, or snarkiness. Perhaps he just doesn't know? However, when her words seem to confirm what he thought she was talking about, he nods. "Ah. Yeah, I have that," he admits. "Mine calls itself Sigurd. Or...I guess I call it that, I haven't quite figured that out." His answer might indicate a lack of knowledge about Personae in general. Maybe that's why he didn't immediately admit it?
Getting interested in ladies would probably not be too bad if the one asked about was not the Oni herself, too. But maybe they would think Kazuo had intents to challenge her or something of the sort, who knows.
"Yes...silly." Well now she felt kind of silly for believing it, but at the same time she did not want to dismiss it without asking someone actually in university. "I'm sure it can have some sort of effect, in certain circumstances." But the cases would be few and far in between.
There is a bit of relief in her eyes that she doesn't have to hint further, as Mai's subtlety had limits that were very nearly passed, "I didn't know until the old man with the killer nose told me." she admits, and then some degree of researching ensued. "It takes a while to figure out...then again maybe it's best not to, some of the people involved with this are kind of jerks, and it can get you in trouble too." Most users did not look twice at a normal person, but to sense another led to sometimes welcoming reactions - or not so welcoming reactions.
"I use mine alot, for better or worse, troublemakers where I live. I can't get a break. But if you're looking into getting better, Thora-san could probably show you a few tricks, once she gets back."
Kazuo's eyebrow quirks a bit. "...'Killer nose'?" he inquires. He'd met no such man. Which he voices. "Mine was...a man with a mask. A butterfly mask, I think. Been a long time, and I only saw him once, in a dream when I was a kid." He shrugs a little, as though he didn't really see a lot of import with it.
Mai notes how often she uses hers, but his response is probably disappointing. "Really? I've only found the need to use mine once, and that was when I found out about it being there to start with," he replies. "Well, I don't use mine very often, so I don't know why getting better with it would help." He's not being rude, no...just speaking frankly.
"Nosey, killer nose, or just Igor I suppose." she pauses, taking a good look at him before lifting her shoulders as he explains his circumstances. "He'll call you eventually, don't worry about it too much. Think of it like he's the Butterflyman's secretary or something." Still, the mention of that man made it clear enough that he was not a TV rescue or anything of the sort.
"Point." it's true, she was perhaps too used to her duties and troubles to even remember the times where she did not have to worry about needing Hannya at all. "It's...well, I suppose it's not as necessary around here, this place is relatively peaceful. Just be careful if you travel to Okina, Port Island, or Sumaru City late at night. ESPECIALLY Sumaru City lately." The Dark Hour was scary, but Sumaru had it's own brand of Persona-user unfriendly issues as of late. "In fact it's probably be best not to be in any of those too late, Yuudai-san. Around here is nicer, minus the occasional wierd stuff and earthquakes." But like anyone in Japan, Mai was a little resigned when it comes to quakes. They happened, nothing she could do about it.
Kazuo seems...confused. Igor? Call him? Butterfly man's secretary? That all seems really weird. Ah well. More things he doesn't know much about. But he doesn't want to seem completely stupid. "Hn...I doubt it. I'm nothing special. Just a high school student," he states. This is not spoken in a self-derisive tone of voice. But in a tone of voice that speaks of certainty.
"Yes, I saw a bit of trouble in Sumaru recently," Kazuo observe. But before she can get her hopes up too high, he notes, "Apparently, I showed up on the streets there when some kind of meeting was going on. I have no idea who was meeting. I almost got in a fight, if it wasn't for the fellow in the white suit that shooed him away."
"Being a highschool student is not a barrier for excellence or being special," she retorts, seeming to find a bit of offense in that. "Some idols are barely out of middleschool. Some people are simply thrust into something with little care for their age." Yet as she thinks about it, being just a student...isn't really bad either. "As long as you do what you feel is right, in any case." Is not a perfect way to bridge the two notions, but it's considered close enough.
Mai does not 'get her hopes up' much, "Sounds unfortunate." She wondered what sort of meeting that could have been. "Was the fellow wearing a mask or anything special like that? There's a few...wierdos in that city, I don't quite get what they do or want, but they're strange."
Kazuo might recognize her tone in response to the 'just a high schooler' comment. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you," he offers. "I can really only speak for myself there, I wasn't trying to make it seem like high schoolers couldn't do great things. Just that this high schooler--" He hooks a thumb at his chest-- "...Isn't really anything special." His smile is slightly sheepish.
He shakes his head to her second question. "Nah, he seemed pretty normal. Though he had...similar potential. He had a younger fellow with him that was a little odd, though. Not sure how to explain how he was weird, though...."
He'd probably find it even weirder if he'd known the 'younger fellow' was really a girl....
The slightly grumpy sound she makes is perhaps meant to be a way of accepting the apology, but clearly the idea flustered Mai. "Well, if you are happy being average...be all the average you can be." Yet given her tone, it sounded like a mentality she clearly held no love for. "But be sure you do not regret it later."
Yet as harsh as her words sounded regarding his views toward being unspecial, to hear that he was mostly normal was actually comforting. The possibility of encounting the wierd masked Sentai people was not one she wished upon anyone, so to hear there were no masks was a sigh of relief. "Well, I suppose it's good that things ended up fine then." is all she could really say.
It was kind of nice, to just...talk with someone without needing to worry too much about the next threat, someone similar yet detached. It made her feel relaxed a little, "Well, maybe I should start heading back, it's a long train ride home. It was nice to meet you Yuudai-san, and please take care. If you see Thora-san before I do, tell her Mai was worried for her sake." And a few other things, such as if she'd mess something up, hopefully she did not.
Kazuo smirks at her words, clearly picking up her dislike for being average. "'So few are chosen, there's even fewer called'," he quotes. "But hey...there have to be average people in the world, too," he points out. "Otherwise cannons would have no fodder." He's kidding, really...but in a way it's true. Not everyone is supposed to have potential, and not everyone is destined to reach the great heights of achievement. There have to be people in the audience, too, to applaud those who do attain greatness.
Yes, everything did turn out fine, and Kazuo nods when she notes it. "Very true," he agrees. And at the mention of heading back? "Yeah, it's getting late, I should probably get home myself," he notes. "I'll tell her that if I see her," he promises, with a smile. "It was good to meet you too, Namikawa-san. Be careful on the way back!"
"Some aren't so much called and more shoved nose-first into it." but otherwise it was a pretty good quote. She seems however outright miffed at the very notion of average people being fodder. "If that is the true nature of the world we live in, then maybe it's not worth trying to improve." Perhaps she was being naive in thinking that everyone had their 'thing', and while it did mean not everyone would be performers on a stage, they would get their moments. But if the bulk of the population existed to fawn at a fraction of it? Well, it could just as well burn.
+2 CHAOS
"Have a good evening, and maybe I will see you again someday." she says, even sending a small and restrained 'byebye' wave as she starts walking toward the station. "Always!" Being careful...well, always was not accurate, but it was at least 70% of the time.
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