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Post by Deleted on Sept 10, 2017 18:04:14 GMT
It was seventeen oh hundred on a Tuesday, and Nishikata Fumi was on fire.
He stood leaning against one of the pillars of the Meiji Jingu Shrine tōri. There was a garish red duffle bag at his feet, with a green L embroidered on it. From the opened zipper peeked a bee plush toy, almost with a keenness that suggested awareness.
Were it not that everyone knew plush toys weren't alive, more than a few passers-by would have craned their necks to see. As it was, only a few kids did so, and tried desperately to convince more level-headed parents the bee was certainly looking at them.
Fumi did not notice this. He was engrossed in his mobile phone. Though he looked like a small, even short boy on the outside, inside the game he was a mighty barbarian. The sort that looked like it didn't know any words longer than two syllables, but knew the right way to improve faces by judicious application of a fist.
In the game, Fumi saw everything. A sneak attack from a rogue? Tch, amateur. A wizard gesturing madly as he channeled his five second spell? What an idiot, barbarians closed that distance in two seconds flat. Knights in shiny armour? Fumi introduced them to a warhammer. He was close to becoming the king of pee vee pee.
Had Fumi paid any attention to his surroundings outside the game, he might have noticed the stream of passers-by was dwindling. He might even have realised the sky darkening. And had he done so, he might have had the foresight to find shelter or, failing that, an umbrella.
As it was, Fumi didn't notice anything until the heavens broke and rain showered down like a waterfall. The boy gave a yelp, stuffed his mobile phone in the duffle bag (one man could swear he heard the plush protest this act), and hands over his head, muttering curses, made for shelter.
He hurried out the park, past the jinju honcho, over the Yamanote line where he made a sharp right. Moments later, the dripping boy sank down on one of the seats in the Strobe Cafe.
"They just left me standing," he said to no one in particular, and clenched a fist. "Next time I see those bastards, I'll show 'em what's what."
He paused and expected a retort.
And waited.
Nishikata Fumi let out a small wail when he realised he'd left his duffle bag behind somewhere along the way. |
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Post by Hinata Ueno on Sept 11, 2017 17:08:55 GMT
He had been computing this week's expenditures on his phone as he walked the busy streets of Shibuya. He wasn't sure if the weekly stipend he was receiving would be enough to keep him alive should he decide to buy one of those games that'd come out later that week. Cutting on his food allowance wouldn't do him great, and so he was left in a predicament. He sighed, knowing that while he has yet to tell his parents about the additional mouth to feed in his apartment, he couldn't exactly expect them to believe him if he was to try.
The rain came all of a sudden from above, breaking up his thoughts and the calculations he had going on his head. Hinata was sure he had not heard anything about the downpour on the news this morning, though it might just have been him being preoccupied. Not that it mattered though. He had no umbrellas or anything that he could use to protect himself from the rain in his person, and thus was forced to take shelter in the first establishment his eyes saw. A cafe by the looks of it, though not exactly like the one he frequents.
His clothes clung to his skin in an uncomfortable manner while his hair, drenched and wet, covered majority of his face. Droplets fell with every step he took, somewhat forming a puddle by the entrance. He felt he'd have the eyes of the cafe patrons on him if not for the loud voice coming from a boy within the cafe. Hinata tried not to stare, though the noise he makes made it hard not to. Observing from a distance, he quietly squeezed out the moisture from his shirt and swept his hair back before stepping further into the cafe.
"Yeah, you go show them. You certainly showed everyone in here what's what." He slipped those words as he took a seat not to far from him. It was when Hinata finally got his phone out again that he heard a cry from him, prompting him to lower his device and peer back. "Wait, were you upset with that?"
@freestyle
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Post by Deleted on Sept 11, 2017 22:33:53 GMT
"It's my bag. My duffle bag," Fumi shot back. "I lost it. I forgot all about it!" He let out a small whine again and launched into an explanation of its looks: a cool red duffle bag with a bear mascot attached to it, and a sweet green L on it that was sure to attract attention. "You haven't seen it, have you?" Fumi leaned across his table, smearing rain water across it. A realisation struck him. The boy jolted back, patting down the pockets of his jacket, then his pants, then his jacket again. He shot his hands into each of the pockets, frantically emptying them. "I left my mobile phone in there too," he groaned. ### Somewhere by the Meiji Jingu Shrine, meanwhile, one priest glanced at the sky to estimate how long the downpour would last. He rubbed his eyes twice, and swore off alcohol shortly afterwards, having witnessed what he thought to be a duffle bag being carried by a bee thrice the size of even the infamous giant hornets. Hinata Ueno |
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Post by Hinata Ueno on Sept 12, 2017 1:44:51 GMT
Maybe he shouldn't have gotten involved. "Ah, I see. I feel bad for you. Truly, truly do." he remarked, before turning his eyes back to his own phone. He knew he shouldn't have made the stupid remark, though all was said and done at this point. He continued pressing away at his phone, using an app to help him with his financial decisions. This was why he didn't want to grow up.
Hinata drew back as the boy suddenly leaned closer, partly surprised by the movement. He almost dropped his phone too, though he quickly got caught it with his left hand. "N-No, I haven't." He could pretend that the pink haired boy did not exist at this point, though he could guess that he'd still keep on whining until the rain lets out. Might as well help sort it out. Not that he could do anything with the rain anyways.
"Where'd ya leave it anyways?" This was one thing he figured people who lost their stuff would specify when asking people if they had seen it. He might not have even passed by it all things considered. Hinata could only sigh as he watched him scramble for his things. "Maybe someone reported it to the police already. I mean, who could differentiate between a bag of gym clothes and a bomb left by terrorists, am I right?"
@freestyle
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Post by Deleted on Sept 12, 2017 15:15:19 GMT
Nishikata Fumi squinted. "It's not a bag of gym clothes," he said after a while. "Not a bomb either," he added. What it did contain was a Digimon in its smallest form. This, Fumi did not say. Not in the first place because the guy probably wouldn't believe him; Fumi didn't want people to know about the Digimon. "And in any case, I don't think someone'd bring it to the police." Fumi shook his head, which caused a mini-downpour around him. "Nah-uh. If anything, it's probably... I might've left it at the shrine. But then, he'd... I mean, the shrine. That's where we were supposed to meet, too." His face soured at that last part, and in a low grumble he continued, "Those bastards, saying they wanted to hang out. I bet they set me up. They knew about the rain. Bullying the new kid, those punks." It was at this point that a friendly employee interjected, having hovered nearby with a mop for some time. Japanese knew various levels of polite speech; Fumi opted to use some of the lowest, which had raised more than one frown from people overhearing the duo. The friendly employee had raised exactly two frowns. "Excuse me, customers... but is there anything you'd like to order?" he asked hopefully. "If not, I'll have to ask you to leave." Outside, the rain still came down like a shower. Hinata Ueno |
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Post by Hinata Ueno on Sept 12, 2017 17:24:21 GMT
Hinata had only been half listening to what the boy was saying. He made sense for a while, before his sentences broke to what Hinata would liken to rambling. He leaned further to the back of his chair when he shook his head and sprayed water around his vicinity. Hinata even surprised himself that he could tolerate him, though looking at the window, he figured there wasn't much choice for him.
There were pauses in the middle of his story afterwards, to which the red head would raise a brow, though it seemed to fix itself when it came back to the blaming part. "I'd probably do the same," he muttered absently. He'd love to hear more of the kid's frustrations despite not really sympathizing with him. Unfortunately, someone finally approached them, temporarily breaking the momentum of the story.
He glared for a moment, purposely trying to maintain an awkward eye contact with the employee, before breaking with a sigh. "Guess you can't find the heart to shelter poor ol' me from the rain, then?" He checked his phone once again, trying to see if he could fit excess expenditures for this week's allowance. In any case, he only frowned upon finding out. "I'll have a cup of coffee. Black." Hinata figured that'd be one of the cheapest choice.
Rain still wasn't letting up, and no way was he getting out with the downpour. His eyes went to the cafe windows, where he observed the rain pouring outside. "Ah, your bag's probably drenched by now. Your phone might break from the moisture too." His words were halfhearted and clearly not showing concern. "Got anything else important in there? Games? Cards? Other electronics?" He'd offer to help, but he wasn't really interested in being wet once again.
@freestyle
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Post by Deleted on Sept 13, 2017 0:00:08 GMT
The employee gave an apologetic smile at Hinata's request and shook their head. He pointed towards the entrance, where there were more than a few would-be customers lining up to get out of the rain. All the tables were already occupied by now, though. Up on a podium, there were a handful of people setting up amplifiers, and one tested a microphone. "One coffee," the employee noted, then turning to Fumi added, "Anything for you, customer?" Fumi, for his part, was staring at Hinata. "Coffee? That stuff's too bitter," he said. "I'll have a... lemonade?" When the server shook his head, Fumi substituted, "Then a soda. Ramune?" This, they had on the menu today. Satisfied, the server took the mop and went to fetch the drinks, mopping up the floor as he went. "Nothing else in there's important. My phone... I hope it isn't drenched. Urgh," he groaned, "I'll probably need to start all over again... no way they didn't kill me. But if my phone's done for, mommy'll kill me before she'd replace it." A realisation struck him. "Wait, my wallet's in there, too. I can't pay for this." He turned to call to the server, but he couldn't see the guy anywhere. Fumi shot Hinata a helpless look, put his hands together and lowered his head. "Um, can you lend me some money?" he pleaded. "I'll pay you back when I find my bag. Promise." ### The Yamanote line passed by the Jinju Honcho at exactly 17:42. The conductor felt good about that: it was the fifth week he'd been able to run the schedule flawlessly, and the higher-ups were sure to be pleased. He checked his watch, and so didn't notice the duffle bag fall from the sky and land perilously beside the tracks: the train missed it by a hair's breadth. A bee-like creature dove at it from the sky, seizing the duffle bag and dragging it into a nearby bush. It mumbled under its breath about irresponsible people... Hinata Ueno |
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Post by Hinata Ueno on Sept 13, 2017 10:51:08 GMT
Hinata only turned back to Fumi after he ordered his soda. His eyes followed the cafe employee as he walked away from their table with a mop on hand. As soon as he disappeared to the counter to fetch their order, Hinata could hear another outburst from across the table. He raised a brow as he shot back to him, giving him a serious glare. How careless can one person get anyways? Doesn't he have pockets to keep those important stuff?
He would've felt bad for him if it hadn't been his fault entirely. All his problems would have been solved by now if he simply was mindful of his belongings. Hinata grumbled at his request before regaining his composure with a sigh. "You can always ditch, y'know? Just run away before he asks for payment." Finally leaning closer to the table, he rested his face on his arm. "Well, actually, don't do that." The bill would probably just transfer to him now that he thought about it. "I-it's raining. Don't want your parents to find you sick the next day."
Safe!
He wasn't even sure if he'd find his bag back. Some homeless guy could have thought of rummaging through it already should he have bad luck. Worse would be that someone took off with it and that he'd be looking for nothing afterwards. Still, he couldn't leave the boy to his troubles after these. He didn't want to look bad to the other customers, who all had their attention to Fumi after the scene he caused, to judge him if he does decide to ignore his pleads. "Fine. Just pay me regardless."
@freestyle
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Post by Deleted on Sept 13, 2017 11:35:25 GMT
Nishikata Fumi's expression had darkened at the suggestion of running off; how often had someone run off from the onsen back home without paying? Well, maybe once or twice since Fumi could remember, but each time his mother had shown a fury of which hell hath none, and the thought involuntarily made him shudder. "Tch, like they'd care," he mumbled under his breath. Then he said, "Don't worry, I'll pay you back. I've got pleeeeenghblblbl." He nearly forgot he shouldn't tell cityfolk how much money he had. Look at Fumi. He wore the Azabu High School uniform, which anyone in the know (and even those not in the know) would recognise as one of the big three prestigious private high schools. He wore Ni♦e sneakers, still with that new-shoe-look. On his wrist he wore a Mich♦l K♦rs watch. In short, there was little reason for anyone to think he wasn't good for money. But Fumi did not think of this. Fumi thought of bees and duffle bags, and the douchebags who'd left him standing. "Uh, so if you tell me where you live, I can drop it off," he said. "Or you could help me find my bag?" he added hopefully. Hinata Ueno |
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Post by Hinata Ueno on Sept 13, 2017 13:35:45 GMT
He'd take the offer for him to just drop it off had this whole encounter happened last year instead. There was no way he'd tell some stranger his address, not when he has his digimon stay there during the times he had to go out alone. Knowing Taro, he wasn't sure if he could trust his word when he instructed him not to answer anyone while Hinata wasn't there. Visitors were off limits for him, despite having the whole place for himself.
Fuck it. "N-no thanks. I'll just help you find it, I guess." He did not really want to, but every little bit of money he'd lend him was still needed. He did not want to leave any contact number either and just arrange for another meet up since that'll be too much trouble. Somehow, he regretted sitting down just to make a smart-ass comment about his ramblings earlier. Should've just left him alone, he guessed.
"I can always just escort you back home and get my money back there in case we don't find it." Unlike the boy in front of him, he wasn't too optimistic about finding it. He took another look at his phone, noting the time indicated, before shoving it back to his pocket. "Don't have much to do afterwards anyways." Hopefully, the rain wouldn't last that long and they can go straight to duffle bag hunting afterwards.
@freestyle
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Post by Deleted on Sept 13, 2017 15:17:59 GMT
Fumi's expression brightened. He hadn't really felt like visiting someone to pay them for a Ramune. Not in the first place because it'd cost more. Train fare wasn't cheap. (It was, but Fumi was a bit of a miser on this point.) Fumi almost hoped they wouldn't find his bag, and the guy could come on home. This was because Fumi lived in a public bathhouse, and he thought if people came on by they would also take the chance to soak. "I have a bunch of homework to do, so I can't look for it too long," Fumi said. The server leaned in to place one cup and one glass on the table, then a bottle of ramune. "One coffee, one ramune," he said, then whirled on to the next table. Fumi seized the drink immediately, popped the ball in and drank straight from the bottle. Meanwhile, the lights in the cafe dimmed, and a band of five had gotten up on stage. They started playing music that, to Fumi's ears, sounded like absolute rubbish. To everyone else, it sounded like a bossa nova variant of ' Basket Case', except the lyrics sounded off. They weren't factually bad, but had a certain clumsiness to them that some found charming, even attractive. "I never caught your name," Fumi said straight through a ' kossu ai giifu maiserufu kuriipsu'.
Hinata Ueno |
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Post by Hinata Ueno on Sept 14, 2017 2:52:12 GMT
Just as Fumi claimed his drink, Hinata took his. Coffee was suited for the weather on second thought, which was fortunate for him considering he ordered it on a whim. Bringing the cup to his lips, he took one sip before wincing at the temperature as soon as the boiling liquid touched his tongue. Feeling somewhat defeated, he drew it away from him, placing it back to the saucer it came with and setting it nicely at the table. He guessed he'll just warm up from being wet in the rain later.
It was then that the lights went off. The attention all went to the stage, where a band was set up to play. Shifting from his sit, Hinata turned to face the band and watch them play. The group was unrecognizable, as expected, and the music they played seemed to justify it. "Do people really go here to listen to that?" he whispered, half muttering and not expecting it to escape his mouth. Not that anyone would be able to hear from him from the noise that came from the instruments played by the band.
Fumi's voice managed to go through it though. "Maybe it's 'cause I haven't gotten yours either. Who knows?" Hinata shrugged his shoulders. He wasn't interested in the boy's name whatsoever, though he couldn't pass the chance to make a sarcastic comment. "Well, it's Hinata." His was a common name at least.
He could handle loud places just fine, though being forced to watch something he did not want to see wasn't pleasant for him. He guessed he has no choice, considering the rain outside. Taking a sip of his coffee, now cooled down a little, he finally took a glance outside. At least the rain's getting weaker by now. "Oi, do you visit this cafe often? Do they really play english songs without actually being good at speaking english?" At this point, complaining to the pink haired boy was much more enjoyable than listening. Even he felt like he could pronounce the words better.
@freestyle
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Post by Deleted on Sept 14, 2017 23:04:46 GMT
Nishikata Fumi thought that Hinata sounded like an absolutely easy-to-remember name, although it struck him as a girlier name than he'd expected. He wondered how it was read. "Uncle Hinata, then," Fumi said, and nodded with authority. He took another gulp of ramune and reclined. He focused on the song a bit more, but none of it made any sense to him. Fumi felt confident he'd be able to read any English you showed him (though he couldn't), but when it came to listening... "This's my first time here," he said. "No idea what they're singing. I don't think they sound─" He stopped briefly to listen, "Nevermind, they sound awful." The stream of wet customers had come to a stop, and the server who'd helped them had resorted to desultory mopping by now. "Think the rain's letting up. You wanna help me find that bug now, uncle?" Hinata Uenotl note: he's of course saying "Hinata-ji" (no san) |
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Post by Hinata Ueno on Sept 15, 2017 2:17:02 GMT
"U-Uncle?!"
He knew that he wasn't getting any younger, but getting called uncle was like one of the signs that your life has made you appear dull and boring. He hasn't even reached twenty yet and he wasn't nii-san worthy already. "You're one rude boy for saying that and still not introducing yourself, sonny." Grabbing the cup of coffee, he forced himself to sip the dark liquid rather slowly just so he wasn't forced to continue the conversation anymore. Somehow, he suddenly got conscious of his public image, figuring that not talking would probably stop it from worsening further.
The contents of the cup was long gone when Fumi stated the weather conditions. "Let's get this over with." He placed the payment over the receipt that came with their order, weighed down by coins as to not get blown away. No tip was given though. He stood up from his seat and walked straight to the entrance, not giving the performing band any glance as he left. "The shrine, right?" he asked, turning to see if the boy was still behind him.
@freestyle
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Post by Deleted on Sept 15, 2017 15:15:12 GMT
Nishikata Fumi was vaguely aware of a need to introduce himself. He chose to ignore it. Even if his help didn't seem the most enthusiastic, and he remembered his mammy telling him not to trust Tokyoite strangers, Nishikata Fumi still felt that uncle Hinata could be trusted. After all, such a scruffy-looking guy probably wouldn't do nothing to nobody, he figured. And in any case, Fumi thought, I've got Cado to beat him up if he tries anything funny. He trotted after Hinata, then hurried up the steps before him. "Yep, the Meiji something shrine. It's the big one. I think. Wait..." It dawned on him that there were multiple shrines, and for a wild instant he thought he might actually have gone to the wrong shrine for the meet. But that was ridiculous. Fumi explained how he'd walked; how he had dashed from the shrine, but the park was so large he gave up after a while and briskly walked on. He remembered a fire station, and he'd passed under the Yamanote line. "To the left here," he said, and pointed to the viaduct. It was busier now, but Fumi still recognised it. "Maybe I actually forgot it here?" Fumi thought out loud. "Can't imagine why I would've just gone on if I could've taken shelter here." At the time, the pouring rain had slipped through the opening and given Fumi the idea he would still be drenched if he waited out the rain there. But he forgot about that. Hinata Ueno |
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