Yūshū University (temp name and place in forums)

[Clef]

Rain pittered against the metallic fold out chairs that lined the empty lawn as Hikaru took it all in. A duller sound of rain mixed in with the metallic pangs, her umbrellas shielding her from the light rain that overcast the skies. The rows of wet chairs was were overshadowed by a large looming empty stage, the stage her group would be playing in later that day. Hikaru smiled, her eyes looking up and just knowing that the skies would clear for them to play. Men on the stage moved about as blurred shapes, their shouted instructions being muffled by the interrupting orchestra of water that was between them and her. A voice behind her called out her name and Hikaru turned, only it wasn’t so much that she was turning, but more that the entire world rotated and she was stuck in its middle. What came into view wasn’t the face the voice belonged to, but instead she was suddenly back home, in her room, a magazine clutched in her hands, the words on the pages distorted by many tears. The magazine was opened to a page slamming the j-pop idol for a recent outburst and her string of erratic unusual behavior. Hikaru looked up and to the right where she knew her bedroom mirror sat so she could stare at herself and the world pivoted again around her, images blurring by and resettling so that instead of staring at the reflection of herself, she was looking into the tear filled eyes of her best friend whose shaky hands were clutching her own. The girls mouth moved, spilling fourth questions that Hikaru couldn’t hear and when she opened her mouth to tell her everything would be okay but the world turned sideways. Hikaru remained in place and watched in horror as the image of her best friend fell away. Hikaru reached out to emptiness and suddenly she found herself in a boys body, sitting on the hard tatami floor of his homes living room. Pain tingled on his cheek as he stared up with wide eyes at his mother, whose face was a distorted mixture of shame and rage. Jun looked over to his father, but the face lacked any details. It just shook its head back and fourth in disappointment. Jun opened his mouth to apologize but the world suddenly went black.

Jun opened his eyes to the soft rhythmic tak tak tak tak tak of a bicycle behind him, first growing louder and then fading softly into the distance as the biker got further away. The sky above him was of the clearest blue with no clouds anywhere to be seen, a koi shaped fish kite being the only object in the sky daring enough to disturb the peaceful blue. Jun didn’t startle awake from his dream, or wake up in a cold sweat. Waking up from these dreams felt more like breaching the surface of a still pond. Jun blinked away the last remnants of sleep and tilted his head to the left. The world was aslant and off down the distance he watched as a group of kids run across his vision and splashed into the waterway below. Jun unclasped his hands and carefully removed them from behind his head, pulling his arms to his sides and propping himself up on his elbows first before forcing himself to sit up, his knees drawing up slightly. Below him was an artificial river bank, above him the sidewalk. He had fallen asleep on the grassy slope between when he had decided earlier this morning on his walk from his Uncles to the university to stop and rest and take in the beautiful Osaka scenery. Sleep hadn’t been a part of the plan but classes didn’t start for another day and judging by the suns position, he hadn’t been asleep too long. Jun pulled himself up from the grass and grabbed his shoulder bag, looping it over his head and letting the leather bag hang against his hip. He repositioned it after climbing the slope and making it to the sidewalk and then continued again to his school, to the new place he would call home while he was studying.

Jun wasn’t dressed in a school uniform, since school didn’t start till tomorrow. He wore jeans that were probably too skinny and brought too much attention to his very red converse chuck taylors that weren’t laced very tight. He had on a white v-neck t shirt and a thin blue overblouse on over it, tucked into his jeans only on the left side. The overblouse shirt traditionally female piece of clothing but Jun considered himself fashion forward and it was more and more common these days to see men and women reversing fashion roles. Of course, there was another, more important reason why Jun mixed womens clothes with guy clothes, but he hoped that reason would forever remain a secret. Jun wore an array of bracelets and a couple rings on his fingers and draped over his neck were a pair of big headphones. Jun reached up with hands that were soft and feminine for a guy and pulled the headphones over his ears, careful to keep his fingers from contacting his ears. He reached into his pocket and removed an mp3 player and hit play, letting the music start up where he had last paused it. Jun would have to take two trains deeper into Osaka and walk a little more yet. He had a bike, but this, like the rest of his things were already at the University. His unlce had dropped the bike there and chained it to a bike rack and put the key into one of Jun’s many boxes which had already been taken to his dorm room.

Jun was of average height (a slight bit shorter as Hikaru) with indigo colored hair. His eyes seemed to switch between a rust color and the redder shade of garnet, which he told people was caused by a genetic defect. (It was rumored that the Idol Hikaru had worn contacts to make herself stand out more). Jun had a very cute effeminate face and it didn’t surprise him when he was asked by people if he was a male model. Jun usually laughed it off and thanked those who did ask gracefully, but he had no desire to be in any sort of spotlight anymore. Jun entered the train station with a walk that was perhaps too stiff and purposeful (he still couldn’t strike that perfect balance for his gait) and a step or two too quick. It made him seem very purposeful, as if this walk to the train station was more important than every other persons. Jun would continue to work on that as he slide his rail pass over the sensor and passed through the turnstile. He joined the throng of people awaiting the train and became part of the sea that swayed as one group of passengers got off and another got on. Jun choose to stand through this train and the next and departed the correct station, emerging into daylight once more, deeper into Osaka. The University wasn’t very far and Jun didn’t bother with maps. He’d been here several times already during entrance exams and to fill out the admittance paperwork with his uncle. The university was one of the more prestigious institutions in Osaka, a famous all boys Uni that prided itself in its wide range of studies and programs and its very fluid style of teaching that was a blend of western and eastern cultures. As Jun walked he came first on his right the sister school to his, (insert name here xD), an all girls University that was set up much the same was as the all boys institute he’d now be attending. Almost as if on autopilot his body began to gravitate toward the entrance of the University, where large numbers of girls were coming in and out of. Jun caught himself before he actually got to the gates and just hurried on by without drawing any suspicion, berating himself for not paying attention. Further down the road he turned and walked through the correct set of gates to the correct school. The school itself was new in terms of Universities, built in a very modern style and housing everything one could imagine in its many many buildings. Swimming pools (indoor and outdoor), tennis courts, baseketball courts (indoor and outdoor), science labs, culinary buildings, game rooms, large dining halls and even beautiful café courts where students can hang out and dine. They even had several sushi restaurants located on campus and mobile food stalls that rotate on a schedule throughout the grounds. The main courtyard that he was at snaked off in many different well gardened paths and Jun took to the one that would lead him to the dormitories. The students were housed in three separate dorms; A, B, and C. Jun was in building B. The three buildings were designed different but functioned the same and all included the same amenities. Each building opened up into a large commons area with sofas, couches, televisions and tables. The chairs ranged from pod chairs in quiet corners to large circular couch setups for groups of friends to chill and relax upon. A few giant sized bean bags dotted the set up giving students their fair pick of comfort. Across the large room in the middle were wide stairs that led up to the higher floors and an elevator door sat open for those who needed it. To the right was a large half circle desk with an office behind it where staff could go and student assistants were stationed. Down the hall one direction were private study rooms which could also be used by students who were here for music programs to practice their instruments. Down the hall attached to the opposite end of the commons room were your more recreational areas. Table tennis, pool tables, small theater for student movie events were this way. Jun walked through the middle of the room and to the stairs, passing other students who were just now moving in. His room was on the second floor and a right off the stairs, fairly close to the showers and bathrooms which was convenient. Jun was in room 215 and took the key supplied to him from his pocket. He tested the door first, still locked, then knocked and waited a moment before unlocking the door and sliding it open. The room was empty, the large window opposite him letting in plenty of light. His boxes were stacked in the middle of the room and every last box had his name on it. His roomie hadn’t even showed yet to move in… Maybe Jun would get the room to himself. He had wanted to apply for a singles room, but those were reserved for people with special needs and special conditions (of which he had, but he obviously couldn’t put that on the paperwork..) so he had to settle for a roommate and just needed to be extra careful. And maybe he’d get one who went out and stayed out all the time if he was lucky, someone that wouldn’t be intrusive. Jun tried not to paint a mental picture in his head of what his roomie could look like and tried to just wish for the best.

Jun didn’t honestly feel like unpacking, but knew he needed to get some of it done now. The first box was already untapped and inside of it was a key to a bike chain. He took this and tied it to the loop of his phone charm. The box he cared most about moving first was thankfully at the bottom, his uncle probably putting it there so that if anyone was to go through his boxes they’d have to get through all the others first. Jun lifted the boxes on top of the smaller one and set them down (being a guy had its perk when it came to lifting things). He didn’t bother opening the box on the bottom, he knew what was in there already. The box was rectangular, and much longer than it was taller. He immediately took this box to the bunk beds and slid it underneath. He’d claim the bottom bed for himself and with that decision being made without his roomies input, Jun went ahead and unpacked the box that had the sheets, comforter and pillows stuffed into it. The room was pretty good size with two desks and two separate closets. In the center of the room was a kotatsu, a sit down table with an heater built into the bottom of it for use during the winter. Jun opened the closet to see that the school had provided the futon cover for the kotatsu, which was a bonus because he hadn’t asked his uncle to purchase one for him. The majority of Jun’s boxes were clothes, clothes, clothes and more clothes. And lots of shoes and he discovered his closet was filling up at an alarming pace.. He had even kept his winter clothes with his uncle.. still.. Jun managed to get all his clothes and shoes into the closet, but knew that if he went shopping anytime soon to feed his fashion addiction, he’d need to find more places to put his clothes.  

[outlaw trinidy]

CLICK TO PIC

Toshi shifted his dufflebag to his back, wearing the large bag like a backpack while he picked up the box out of his brother's car. "We'll swing by with the rest later." He was told then watched his brother drive off. Toshi knew his parents were hoping he would stay at home while taking classes but he applied at this university in the hopes of getting a dorm. Dorm life, what every young person needed after leaving the nest. His sister would miss him since she was still at home and said she wanted weekly visits. He could not make that promise, due to his expected classes. Silently, Toshi made his way through the campus. He had been there only a handful of times but, years of playing video games thankfully made Toshi subconsciously map out his locations.

Toshi was eighteen, and had strawberry blonde hair with silver eyes hidden under glasses. People often noticed when they were talking to him. He got weird comments from others for his looks, which always puzzled him. Currently he was wearing a short sleeved buttoned shirt with a tie and pull over vest. A bracelet on his left arm which was also a USB drive that held his journals. He liked freehand notes and doodles when he observed his surroundings but his journals were something he had been doing since he was ten. "Today, I brought my cards to school and I noticed the girls were more interested in the pictures while the boys would talk about the game." "My brother said I would be a good doctor. I read all of Father's books and understood them. Doctors make good money and are set for life. I'd rather work with animals though." And other blurbs he made every day. Just one comment per day, for the last eight years of his life. Although Toshi came to the University to become a vet and help in the zoo; he was rather curious about anthropology and somehow convinced himself to take a class. Hopefully he did not overwhelm himself with too many classes. He was thinking while he eyed faces during his walk. How many of them were new students? How many of them would be in his classes? And why did he not recognize anyone from high school? It was strange being away from home. It was only a few miles away, yet felt like hours away. His hard earned freedom felt a bit daunting now. Clearing his throat, however, Toshi shifted the box in his hands so he could dig in his pockets. On his keychain held the new dorm key for room 215 of building B.

When he reached his room, he saw it was already open and he heard noises inside. Hey, I'm Toshi! Hamase Toshi is the name, zoology is my game... Sup? I'm your new roommate. He thought while he stood at the door a moment then took a deep breath. Tapping the door open more with his shoe, Toshi slipped in and cleared his throat. "Hey, I'm your roommate, Hamase Toshi." He said before he even observed the room. He found the indigo haired boy was unpacking. He seemed to be about the same height, in fact a half an inch taller. Or so Toshi's guess was. Toshi was 165.5cm, and he slouched a lot so he seemed rather shorter than that. He saw the bottom bunk was already taken by his new roommate, and one of the desks and closets. He was fine with getting second pick, he just hoped his privacy was protected. He slowly walked to the empty desk and put the box on it then scratched the side of his cheek with his pointer finger then adjusted his glasses with his middle finger on the right side. "Yes, well. What classes are you taking?" He asked, hoping they would have something in common.  

[Clef]

Jun had moved away from his clothes to the other boxes. The non-fashion boxes were far less in number and contained random knick knacks and supplies for school. His uncle had given him a vintage and sturdy leather bag to carry his books and supplies around in. It wasn't "in season" at all in terms of fashion but it was stylish in that antique sort of way. It was brown with its edges lighter in color from ware and tear and had a thick sturdy leather strap attached with old brass clips. The bag had that old bookstore smell to it and would work well with many outfits he knew he could come up with. Jun took the bag out from one of last remaining boxes and walked over to the desk he claimed as his own and looped the strap over the top of the chair so the bag hung just slightly off the ground. Jun opened drawers and dumped pens and pencils in without much organization and piled a bunch of blank grid notebooks made by Campus on one side of the desk. Other random knick knacks joined the notebooks on the desk, an assortment of charms, cute little plushie toys, and a framed picture of his uncle. In one of the desk drawers Jun dumped a pile of fashion magazines but left the other drawers empty for now.

Jun had pulled several stuffed animals from another box and headed to the bed with an rainbow colored Alpaca, stuffed Furyu Sergeant Frog Keroro toy, a neko cat, and a Snorlax in his hands. He slightly frowned and wondered what the other guys would think of him and his stuffed animals. He had always slept with a lot of stuffed toys on his bed before and it just felt too awkward not to have at least a few of them. He left most of them back home and many more at his uncles house but figured just a handful of them would be acceptable. And it didn't really matter if anyone called him girly for sleeping with stuffed animals, he'd just have to deal with that if it happened. It was impossible to undo years and years of girl habits in just a matter of a few months anyway. Jun went back to the box and was rummaging around when he heard a tapping sound by the door. He lifted his head out of the box and watched as a blonde boy appeared. Jun stood up and gave him a slight bow in greeting as the boy introduced himself and Jun took a moment to examine his new roomie. The boy had strawberry blonde hair and wore glasses, giving him an bookish look. The shirt, vest, and tie all added to the bookish look and Jun wondered if he would end up spending his school years with a nerd.. someone who probably would be spending a lot of time in the dorm and not out as Jun had silently hoped. "Its nice to meet you. My name is Hatsu Jun.." he replied. Hatsu wasn't his real surname, not technically, but his parents, upon discovering their daughters unique condition, decided to make the two separate identities and with some money and the help of Jun's uncle had managed to get Jun registered as an actual citizen with all the paperwork and documentation that he needed. This gave Jun his own legal identity separate from Tsujihara Hikaru. The surname Hatsu was a unisex name that meant 'beginning', which he found appropriate now, since he felt like his life was just beginning again. Jun watched the boy walk toward the other desk and he estimated that they were close to the same height (but most japanese men were about average height) but this Toshi did seem to slouch a bit which gave him a shorter stature. The air seemed to fill with an awkwardness that was almost palpable. The strangeness didn't go away when Toshi tried to broker a conversation. The iyes, well of that question felt full of nervous weirdness.. and it kinda reminded Jun of how his uncle talked because he was a doctor. All doctors seemed to say 'yes, well' all the time.. like some sort of professional calling card. "I'm majoring in fashion, how about yourself?" Jun replied and redirected the question. Jun had a list of other classes he'd have to attend, but those were all your basic study subjects with an English course thrown in for good measure.

It really wasn't until now that the full reality of this situation hit Jun. He would be roommates with Toshi for the entire year! That means that Jun would be sleeping in the same room with a boy, eating meals together probably, and studying together. It hadn't really occurred to him until now and Jun had to turn away from Toshi and take a deep breath. Jun took a strange wobbly step toward his boxes and kneeled down and pretended to rummage through more things in order to hide the strange anxiety that now threatened to grab him. Japanese Idols weren't allowed to date and maintaining the innocent virgin image had been one of the most important parts of Hikaru's life. Idols were beloved and admired by their fans for their innocence and pureness, and Hikaru had always taken that to heart and strived to do her very best to maintain that image for her loyal fans. That meant no dating and doing her best to never be seen alone in the same room as a boy if she couldn't help it. Sure she had crushes in highschool while being an idol but those were never allowed to materialize into anything and all the boys in her school knew that she was off limits. She received confession letters from her fans or classmates, and they were flattering but they were never acted upon. Jun tried to listen when Toshi talked about what he was studying here, but it was hard to hear over the beating of his own heart. Jun closed his eyes and thought about just giving all of this up right now and running back home to his parents, but that's exactly what they wanted and this thought helped him as he gritted his teeth and took another deep breath and opened his eyes. Being Jun would only be awkward as long as he let it be. He was a guy now and cast away all the silly thoughts and habits of his past.  

[outlaw trinidy]

Toshi was looking at the room when his new roommate bowed in introduction. Hastily, Toshi bowed in return while keeping an awkward hold of his box. After setting down the box on his new desk, Toshi tried not to stare at Jun. He obviously had a popular vibe going off him. Would he be like the ones in high school? He seemed to be nice enough, and Toshi never judged a person on just looks. He tried to make an attempt to make conversation, which came out rather awkwardly. "Oh? what does that entail? I know nothing about fashion, forgive me." He sheepishly bowed before he once again adjusted his glasses and announced, "Well, I was going to study to be a veterinarian for my parent's zoo. But, I took a few zoology classes and anthropology classes. I have not picked which path I want to take. My parents.... are rather ambitious." He decided to leave out that the anthropology was mostly his idea... but his parents and older siblings want him to help at the zoo. He would have a lot to learn these next few years, whatever path he choose. "We both will be busy it seems. Do you have any designs yet?" Toshi asked, taking a seat at his desk.

He turned to start unpacking things and making sure he carefully hid his stuffed lion he has had since he was a toddler chasing after his family and playing with the animals. "So, where are you from? I mean, you seem to be the same age as me and you were not at my school. It is right down the street..." He said pointing out the window and realized it was actually the other direction. Quickly changing the pointing, he coughed and went back to his box of stuff. As he started to unpack more of his items he started to feel rather uncomfortable at meeting new people. His box only had his most precious items, things he did not want his siblings or parents poking into things. Made things extra uncomfortable when he tried to unpack small knickknacks and personal items he wanted to keep rather private. Leaving most of the items in the box, he dumped a lot of the pens, papers and notebooks then filled the desk with all kinds of little trinkets. He found his small book light and glasses case then put them on the top bunkbed. "So, what items do you think we should get for the room? My brother and sister is being dropped off by my parents later, with the rest of my stuff... We should organize things. Er, if that's ok with you?" Toshi said, feeling too self conscious about the rest of the items in the box so he was done unpacking.  

[Clef]

Jun waited until he had a hold on himself and the uncertainty and anxiety that threatened to rush in before he answered, turning from his box with an friendly smile on his face. "I have no idea." He joked with a wink. "But after I graduate and learn what it entails I'll be sure to tell you. I think its just going to be a lot of drawing designs and sewing clothes together. I've always liked fashion.. so I thought I'd actually try making clothes instead of just wearing them." Jun answered, wondering just how hard designing fashion was going to be. It was one thing to have a ludicrously large wardrobe and mixing and matching clothes, was another entirely to actually be the one coming up with new clothing designs.

"Your parents have a zoo! Sugoi! (means like awesome, or so cool! in japanese) Its been a while since I've been to a zoo!" Jun had to hold back from just making this conversation strictly about zoo's and animals and pestering his new roomate about taking him to the zoo to look at, and maybe even pet, all the adorable animals. He just met Toshi and it would probably come off as awkward if he just suddenly pestered him to take him to the zoo.. Jun had no idea what anthropology was but he knew that being a veterinarian was a good job and this university had a section for taking care of animals for studies. "So.. uhhh.. what exactly is anthropology? Does it also have to do with animals?" Jun didn't inquire further about Toshi's ambitious parents. Jun knew what having ambitious parents was like. He shook his head in reply to having any designs yet, reaching over and pulling a sketchbook out from one of his boxes. "Nothing good yet. I've got some ideas in some of my sketchbooks but they aren't good designs.." Jun didn't open the sketchbook, merely walked over to the desk and laid it down. The designs in there really weren't particularly interesting and truth be told, there were more random song lyrics scribbled in the books than there were fashion designs.

Jun took a seat at his desk, turning his chair so the back of it was facing Toshi. Jun sat backward on the chair, resting his arms on the back of the chair and leaning his chest into the chair. "I came here from Tokyo." he replied, his tokyo accent probably already gave this away. Jun perked up at learning that Toshi was from Osaka and went to school just down the road. Jun followed his finger to out the window, which was the wrong direction as Toshi pointed in the opposite direction. "Oh? That's great! I was hoping to find someone who was familiar with the area. You'll have to tell me where all the best food places and shopping areas are. I've been meaning to buy some new clothes." Jun took another look over of Toshi though and got the feeling he wasn't the kind of guy that went on large shopping sprees.. so maybe asking him for shopping recommendations wasn't such a good idea. Jun stopped asking questions and let Toshi unpack. While this was going on he lifted his feet from the floor and used his hand to spin his chair round and round slowly, resting his chin on one hand while the other was pushing off the desk to give him momentum. After a couple minutes of Toshi organizing his stuff he brought up the subject of their shared room. "I am fine with that. So you have siblings? Are they also attending school here? And I'm not that picky. Maybe try and get a television in here and a white board and.. anooo...(ano is a filler phrase the japanese use that's the equivalent of hrmmmm/ummmm, used during pauses in conversation) maybe some dishes in case we want to cook some instant noodles or order in and don't want to eat in the cafeteria. I need to buy a curtain so I can hang it over the opening of the bottom bunk and close it if I want to. I'm not really picky about my space so I don't really mind if you want to put any furniture in and you can put things wherever you want. I.. do already have a box under the bed and that's the only thing I ask you to not touch. That and my notebooks." Jun finished, hoping he wasn't being overly unreasonable. Thankfully these dorm rooms came equipped with a small sink and a pretty decent fridge with enough storage space for two. Beneath the sink was a small dishwasher too, which was a good bonus.  

[outlaw trinidy]

Toshi was not sure what to make of the wink, but he was not that social of a person. He usually observed, rather than interacted. Was it a common behavior where Jun was from? He wondered. Ah, it seems neither of us really know what we will be doing until we graduate. He hid his inner chuckle. "Well, from what I was told I could use some advice." He paused and adjusted his glasses nervously and added, "But I suspect I'm a hopeless case, so no need to bother if you don't want to." He chuckled lightly and once again looked at the overflowing closet his new roommate had. He never saw such clothes, or maybe he did. He paid more attention to behaviors rather than the clothes. Maybe he should take notes on the clothes too. But, that's a lot of work... And he was not really that interested.

Beaming with pride, he nodded. Growing up in a zoo was a wonderful experience, and he would probably visit whenever he had free time, but as he thought about his experiences and what he knew about his new roommate, he realized something. "You can come and visit sometime. Father is always looking for an extra hand. Just .... wear something you don't mind getting dirty. He might ask help mucking out a stall." He said sheepishly. His father would never let it be a friendly visit, or a quick visit. It would always be a working visit, a learning experience. "Well, in a way. Studying human behaviors... cultures...why we evolve the way we do." he started to get nervous he would bore his new roommate so he trailed off and shrugged to end the subject. He eyed the notebook being placed on the other desk and wondered what was in it. However, if it was like his notebooks he would respect the guy's privacy. "At least you have ideas. I bet some of your classmates won't even have that." He said, rather hopeful. He knew he would never have fashion ideas, nor would he even consider taking such classes. Maybe some of the other classmates would be in the same boat as Jun. Lacking the artistic skills and just having the dreams.

Ah ha! Toshi thought, knowing he recognized the dialect. He nodded at that and smiled. Wonder what a big city guy thought of this town. It was rather large, but had a lot of old fashioned culture compared to the modern Tokyo. When asked about the shops and food places, Toshi hesitated. He honestly ate mostly at home and his mother shopped for him. Might as well confess this now, from the looks of things, Jun looked like a shopaholic. Clearing his throat, Toshi fiddled with his box "My sister always teases me for letting Mother shop for me. But, it's easier than going to those stores. They are always so overwhelming. ..... The shopping district is not far from here. I can show you the area. But, I won't know which ones are the best. Sorry." He had to bow at that, rather embarrassed as he stood and focused on organizing his items. "Ah, good. Yes. I have two brothers and a sister. I'm the youngest son. My sister is in middle school. And my brothers already graduated, but they went to different schools. One majored in business... and the other.... well. I doubt he will show up." He listened to the suggestions for the room and nodded. They seemed like good ideas, Toshi also was thinking about getting something to carry his bathroom items. Maybe a place to store his notebooks. Cause once he typed them up he rarely kept them. The shredded notes became bedding for his pet. He missed that little fluff ball already. Though he knew his sister would take great care of the flying squirrel. "Sounds fair. And good plans. Maybe we can get something more comfortable to sit for us to read in. For rainy days, or finals." He left out the whole point for him to leave home was to branch out. Learn more about people his own age. Get out there and actually live! Not stay cooped up at home all day and read. Or help out at the zoo. Even though, grooming wild animals is once in a lifetime opportunity. "They should be by after they are done with the rounds at the Zoo, we have time to go look around town. If you want. I can show you the areas I do know. And I do know the best sushi is in the shopping district." He offered, rather awkwardly. he would not be the best tour guide. But he would not get them lost at least.  

[Clef]

Jun didn't think that mucking a stall sounded like a fun afternoon and wasn't sure if his roomate was teasing or actually being serious. Jun wouldn't mind helping out in other areas though, areas such as petting animals, or feeding animals, or cuddling animals, or telling animals how cute they were.. or anything that didn't require getting dirty.. Jun took a glance over at his closet and didn't think he would want to get any of those clothes dirty, not even his sweatpants or pajamas. Just the thought of getting any of those clothes dirty made him icky on the inside.. Jun decided that if he went shopping he would have to pick up some cheap throw away clothes just incase. Jun listened as Toshi gave a very brief and broad explanation of what anthropology was and nodded along, but he could tell that Toshi didn't want to continue talking about it so Jun didn't ask anymore question. Jun glanced over at his notebook again and smiled, hoping that to be the case. But with such a prestigious university he was almost certain that everyone else here would be leaps and bounds ahead of him. "I'm sure my classmates will be well prepared. But that just means I'll have to work all that much harder to stand out." Jun replied enthusiastically.

Jun almost gaped when Toshi just flat out admitted that he let his mother shop for him. It wasn't something he thought any sane individual would just outright admit, but it did explain why Toshi's clothes weren't that trendy or didn't seem to fit him just right. "Overwhelming?! You just haven't had a good shopping experience is all. I'll have to drag you through some of the stores and get you to try on some new clothes. I'm sure you'd enjoy it. Just as long as you show me where the stores are, I'm sure I can find the best ones to shop at." Jun was almost ready to just jump up and go shopping this instant but thought it best not to show his excitement that much. His uncle had already chided him for spending so much money on clothes before the school year started and its not like he reeeaaaallly needed any new clothes just yet. But Jun still couldn't ignore Toshi's obvious fashion plea for help..

Jun wondered what it would have been like to have siblings. He thought that it probably wouldn't be so bad to have your parents focus split on someone else. "Well, I can't wait to meet some of your family. And your lucky to have so many people so close that you can hang out with and spend time with." Jun wondered if Toshi also had a lot of other friends in the area. He figured Toshi would probably spend a lot of his free time out with other friends from Osaka. Jun stood up at the offer of leaving the Univeristy and exploring a little bit. "That sounds great! And so does getting a bite to eat. No use staying up here all day, I can finish unpacking when we get back." Jun had to keep his excitement in check as he slid off the chair and walked over to the closet (he wanted to skip and hop over to the closet as he normally did in the past as Hikaru). If he was going to go out, then he needed to change his clothes, even though he was already in normal clothes.. Jun continued to talk while he was waist deep in the closet, digging through different shirts and jackets. April in Japan was still pretty cool with averages of around 20 C (66 Fahrenheit). "Does your family own a truck? If we want to buy any chairs or big pieces of furniture we'll have to have someone with a vehicle that can transport it. All I've got is a bike.. and ummm.. no drivers license.. I do have an uncle that lives here in Osaka but he doesn't have a big enough vehicle to really transport furniture. I was surprised he managed to get all my boxes here in his car." Jun continued to just chat while waist deep in the closet, shuffling through shirts, pants and well, everything. Eventually her emerged with a bundle of clothes in his hand when the thought of where to change clothes struck him. Jun was fully comfortable changing clothes in front of other girls... as a girl.. but he'd never changed in front of a boy before and he wasn't sure if Toshi would be comfortable with Jun just stripping down and changing right there in front of him. Even if they were to be roomies, they didn't have to be that comfortable with each other. Maybe they should buy a room divider they could put in the corner of one room to give them something to change clothes behind. Jun plopped the pile of clothes down on his bed and spun around to face Toshi with an apologetic look on his face, clapping his hands together and bowing a bit. "Anoo..... I'm sorry to ask this.. but could you step outside while I change? I know it sounds unreasonable.. " Jun was glad that Toshi was willing to give him the room while he changed clothes. "Definitely need some sort of dividing screen to change behind. Be too much of a hassle to keep asking one another to leave when the other wants to change clothes.." he muttered as he sorted out the clothes on his bed. Jun slipped off the overblouse and then stripped his shirt off. He quietly mumbled and muttered in frustration as he wiggled himself out of the blue jeans after kicking his shoes off. He made a mental note to buy a hamper while they were out today. Jun substituted the blue jeans for some black jeans and used a patterned white belt to hold them in place. He traded out the v-neck white shirt for a collared one with a front pocket and slipped into a nice pair of brown shoes. Jun grabbed a black hoodie and twisted and tied it around his waist to use incase they were out long and the temperature dipped to cold. He also grabbed his shoulder bag and checked to see if his wallet, phone, and other few knick knacks were still inside. It was hard to break the habit of carrying a purse full of everything plus some and he couldn't get used to wearing a wallet in his back pocket so he just kept that in his bag. Jun slipped the bag on and left the dorm room where Toshi was waiting and gave him another apologetic bow for taking so long. At least Jun didn't try to mess with his hair or flip through jewelry or accessories.. "Did you want to change before we went?" he asked. If Toshi wanted to change or grab some things, then Jun would wait in the hallway until he was done. When they were both ready to Jun walked with Toshi down the hallway to the stairs that would lead downstairs.

As they rounded a corner Jun almost ran smack into a large moving box that was being carried by another grunting japanese guy on the otherside. "Whoa! Watch out" Jun exclaimed and dodged out of the way but the guy, startled by almost bumping into someone, lost his balance and stumbled forward and to his left. The large cardboard box in his hand slipped from the guys hands and crashed to the ground, tipping over and spilling an assortment of knick knacks, CD's, magazines (with cute half naked girls on the cover) and other random tid-bits. A baseball glove rolled out of the box and the baseball that was tucked into it, signed by names Jun wouldn't have been familiar with, rolled out of the glove. With the box on the ground, Jun got a good look at the tall guy who had been holding the box.. tall and well built. and rather handsome he thought out of habit. The guy had on a pair of thin dark framed glasses that clashed with the broody serious expression on his face, an expression that was all the more soured by having his box upended from his hands and its contents spilled all over the floor. "Ehhh.. I'm so sorry! Here, let me help you with that."

Daisuke had gotten into the University on a baseball scholarship, which was about the only way he'd ever make it into a school such as this one. He was considered a pretty good prospect for pitching, having led his Highschool team to the finals two years in a row only to be beaten both times. But still, his performance and baseball IQ were enough to get big schools to take notice of him. Even schools in Tokyo had reached out to him and offered him tours, and tours usually always led to scholarships. Daisuke didn't take those offers in Tokyo, even if it was the baseball mecca of Japan. He decided to stay in Osaka because just down the road his sister was starting University just like him. Unlike Daisuke, who only got into University because he was a good pitcher, tall, and athletic, his sister got into University on her smarts alone. Where he excelled in atheltics, she excelled in academics. She was also a year younger than he was, having just skipped over her final year of school and jumping straight to University. Daisuke was fiercely protective of his sister though, and despite her many many protest he took the scholarship here over the ones in Tokyo.

All this was on his brain as he came up the stairs with a large box in his hands and he didn't notice the two coming his direction as he rounded a corner. The one in front of him swerved out of his way and called out for Daisuke to watch out, and this caused Daisuke to come back to reality, but only just in time to stumble and juggle the box till it ultimately lept from his hands and hit the ground. After the box was upended, Daisuke gave the two in front of him a sour look and was about to shout at them to watch where their going but was cut off as both of them sincerely apologized and had already kneeled and bent over to help him put his things back into the box. It wasn't entirely the fact that they seemed sorry and were offering to help that stopped him shouting, but that one of the guys had reached out and picked up some of his magazines that kept Daisuke from shouting.

Jun knelt down alongside Toshi to help pick up the things that spilled out of the box and put them back in. He didn't pick the magazines up intentionally
but since they were closest to him, its what he grabbed first. Several of the magazines had opened to middle pages after sliding out, revealing more revealing girls and Jun couldn't help a slight burning in his cheek. those are some really cute girls.. he thought, recognizing that in the span of less than 15 seconds he'd made mental remarks on the attractiveness of both men and women. It was something Jun never had to outwardly deal with in the past as an idol since dating was so forbidden and taboo in the industry and any such activity had to be done in secret. And idols who were found out to be dating often suffered very severe consequences. Jun shook the thoughts of his past life from his head as he flipped the magazine closed. He was about to open his mouth to speak, introduce himself or just say something to clear the awkward air but before he could the magazines were swiped from his hands hastily and tossed haphazardly into the box. Jun watched as the tall guy quickly gathered up the rest of his things without making eye contact and as soon as the last object went into the box, it was lifted up and carried down the hallway with silence. Not even a thank you or an introduction. Jun stood up and looked at Toshi and just gave him a shrug. "I'm glad I'm not rooming with that guy.." he openly admitted and motioned Toshi to lead the way.

Daisuke grabbed at the magazines with lightning fast reflexes, his big hands managing to take every single one of them away from the one who had picked them up. He tossed them into the box and without a word, and only a glare, went about picking up the rest of his things. He chose to ignore anything either one of them said as he lifted up the box and pushed past both of them, mentally hoping that maybe, just maybe, the guy who had picked up the magazines hadn't actually seen what was in the pages. The last thing he needed was for people to think of him as some weird pervert or something on the first day of University. Daisuke even knew that it was normal, or somewhat normal, for guys to have magazines like this.. but it was still awkward for other people to know he had them. Daisuke tore down the hallway until he found his dorm room and pushed the door open and vanished behind it.





Changed into outfit like this  

[Clef]

Daisuke Nakamura wiggled the door to his dorm open with a foot and as soon as he got it open wide enough to fit a shoulder into, he slid the rest of the door open with his shoulder and grunted his way into the room. One side of the room was stacked with cardboard boxes that must belong to whoever he was going to be living with this year, but the person wasn't in the room with his boxes so Daisuke wouldn't yet meet his roomie. He carried his box of junk to the table in the middle of the room and dropped it unceremoniously there. There were several more boxes outside in his fathers truck that he needed to get, then drive the truck back home to the outer farmlands and then take the train back into Osaka. It was going to be a long day.

Daisuke turned to head back down when his phone vibrated in his pocket. He fished it out and turned the screen on, a text message from his sister.

Hey Onii-chan! whee Have you unpacked your things yet!?

I just got the first box in. How are you? Is everything with your dorm okay? Do you need any help with anything? Do you still need fathers truck for anything? I can come over there before driving the truck back if you need help unpacking?

stare I told you not to worry so much about me. I'm doing fine. Everything is alright. You should just focus on your baseball and less on your little sister

Gomen nasai (sorry) I just worry is all. But I'm sure I don't need to worry. I bet you've already made a ton of friends. Cute friends too. Hehe.

neutral Even if I did make any friends, I wouldn't introduce them to you. But I don't think any of the girls here will like me.

Daisuke sat up and grunted and started to type more rapidly on his phone, as if his rapid typing could help convey his encouragement to his sister.

Its a new year. I'm sure you'll make a lot of friends!

You say that every year Onii-chan. And every year I start off with some friends only to have them vanish once they get annoyed with me.. sad

This year will be different! University is different and these schools here are more open minded. I'm certain you'll make lots of friends. And if you don't, then I'll just threaten some of the guys over here to be your friends haHa!

stare Baka. You should finish packing. I'm going to finish setting up my dorm room.

Okay okay! Dad will be upset if I keep the truck too long, anyway. Baseball coach is having a pre-term meet up tonight but tomorrow after first day of classes I'll swing by and check on you.

Sounds good. Bye Onii-chan! 3nodding

Daisuke sighed and stared at his phone screen for a moment longer before turning the screen off and putting the phone back in his pocket. He scratched at the back of his head while looking around but he was soon up and out the door again. He didn't like being idle and if he just sat around then he'd end up worrying more. So Daisuke decided to busy himself with carrying his boxes up.  

[outlaw trinidy]

Thinking about trips to the zoo, Toshi was actually planning their visit. In fact, Toshi was thinking he could convince his parents to let them do part time work. It might pay for some unexpected expenses. Apparently his roommate liked shopping. He had the feeling he would visit the shopping district uite a few times. He did not mind eating out; or getting treats now and then... but most of his funds were budgeted for school supplies. Though.... if he would learn to go shopping for clothes; maybe his parents would give him some more spending money.

Well, standing out was not Toshi's style but he understood the need. Especially in the world of art. "Sounds like a plan." Working hard to stay on top was probably the best way to stay on top of things at this school. He was rather surprised when he had gotten accepted. Sure he had good grades and had no problems in school but... he never really stood out. This school was more for those who were destined to be somebody. he was a nobody.

Good and shopping were not two words he ever pictured together. D..drag? Oh dear... Toshi realized and he rather regretted mentioning he knew nothing about clothes. He would try, at least once. It was one of the reasons he left home. "We...well there are quite a few shops just up the road. " He answered. This was good right? Even if it was terrifying. Totally good. He was here to learn. So why was he filled with such dread?

"Try not to be bothered by my little sister. She.... likes to ask people a lot of questions. Lucky?" He said, wondering what Jun meant. His parents were not bad... just, always busy. his sister was sweet; yet rather annoying at times. Then his brothers, well one was not to be talked about and the other was too serious all the time. "I don't really hang out with others... Er... I was always too busy helping out at the zoo." An excuse he used all the time. Now he had no excuse.

Ah! It seemed the suggestion to explore the area was a hit. Toshi had little to unpack right now. And he was glad he packed light. Seeing Jun was going to dominate most of their free space, Toshi would have to quickly claim the shelves for his books. He did not pack a lot, mind you. Some Manga, fantasy books American Comics. Various research books about animals and behaviors and a collection of European novels. The talk of food made him realize he had little to eat since Breakfast. He quickly checked his wallet and saw he had enough to get some cheap clothes and food. He would just have to be careful for the rest of the month. "Truck? Yes, both of them have something we can use. And my brother's car has a lot of storage space. We should be alright. Oh? Your Uncle is from here?" Now that I think about it, I wonder who will transport my stuff here. They would probably stuff Katsu's car full. Toshi was still thinking about where to put all his stuff when Jun asked about changing. Nodding, Toshi started to head to the door. It was a nice enough day he could leave his jacket behind. "Don't worry about it. Take your time too." He said before closing the door behind him. Though, Toshi did not understand the need to change clothes just because you're going shopping. Was that what others did? Seemed like a waste of time. Leaning against the wall, Toshi was deep in thought about his future when Jun finally came out. "No, thanks. It's ok." He said and they were off.

While they walked, Toshi took this opportunity to try memorizing the school. He would probably get lost a few times. Wow, all the rooms looked alike. He would need to really pay attention to the numbers; even which building he needed to go to.

Not sure if it was because he was deep in thought, or if the other guy was to blame but just as they rounded a corner; there was a blur of dodging, exclamations and items falling out of a box. Quickly apologizing as well, Toshi started to help gather some of the items. Hesitating at the magazines Toshi glanced up at the boy who spilled the box. He seemed... familiar somehow. Was he a sports player? The baseball glove was an indicator. Though, lots of people played and were not someone Toshi recognized. His parents often took them to the local games. Try to get them to have some family tradition during their free time. Problem was, none of their children really liked sports.

Helping with putting the items away, Toshi desperately looked away from the magazines, not wanting either of them to think he were a pervert. Which was rather silly since they were not his magazines. The last items were quickly put in the box by the boy, and Toshi stood; dusting off his knees. Well, you're welcome. He thought when the boy left without a word. There was a brief moment of camaraderie when Jun made that comment, nodding Toshi agreed out loud and said, "As am I."

The air was crisp; yet rather warm compared to yesterday. Toshi was glad he left his jacket behind. It would be annoying to drag it all over and he was not.... quite as ready to be fashion forward as Jun. "this road leads to the street we need." Toshi pointed ahead of them. Both of the schools were behind them; busy people were walking and ignoring the two new college students. How odd. I have walked these streets many times, yet this feels different. Toshi thought, realizing while he pointed out a few locations Jun may like to know. The pharmacy was up the road, not even two miles away. A laundromat; even a little bike repair shop was within walking distance. "What was your old place like? Are there really shops for everything?" Toshi found himself asking Jun. He had always heard stories of Tokyo. How busy it was; how many shops and people. the shopping district was only a few miles at most. Probably a twenty minute walk;depending on traffic. So, they had time to talk. There was a daiso store near the sushi place; they probably could pick up a few things for their room there. Toshi would be more willing to spend money on practical things.

I guess Toshi will try this  

[Clef]

Hanako was getting frustrated. She knew she shouldn't, as she huffed out a frustrated sigh, a sigh that she didn't even know was audible. If she was calm, she would recall that was on the list of bodily noises that she made without being aware of it, but she wasn't completely calm right now. Hanako couldn't chide people with words, but she had long ago perfected the art of glaring daggers at people, and behind her black square rimmed glasses she was doing just this. Hanako's encounter with this similarly aged boy (a boy who could be attending the University across the street for all she knew)
who stood behind the counter at this kissaten (Japanese tea drinking room/coffee shop that sells café sandwiches/soups and other Japanese lunch/breakfast items. Popular with university students and business men) began as they all did, she walked up and the boy asked her what she wanted, and Hanako held up a "one second, please be patient" gesture, and proceeded to hand him a laminated card she kept with her at all times that explained to strangers that she was deaf. And as usual, the person took the card, read it, and then stared at her open mouthed as if they had never seen a deaf person before. And well, he probably hadn't. Japan wasn't exactly well known for its acceptance of disabilities and people who were different, and in a culture where everyone actively tried to avoid inconveniencing anyone, little consideration were given to those with handicaps. Japan had just as many handicapped people as the rest of the world, but the country tried to sweep them under the rug and pretend they didn't exist. Hanako experienced this all her life but tried not to put unfair blame on other people because of the flaws of her country (flaws that were at least being recognized and addressed now). The beginning part of this exchange she had kept her patience. She took her card back from his hands, could see in his eyes that his brain was still trying to figure out what to do next, so Hanako took out a small pad of paper and a pencil and proceeded to write what she wanted. Simple. Easy. Or it should have been. The boy behind the counter, as many before him had, started to do the annoying thing where they point to the items on the menu she had already written down, and tried repeating back to her what she already wanted. Hanako couldn't hear a word the boy said, but she knew by the way his mouth was moving and how wide he was opening it that he was trying to confirm her order by talking loudly, as if raising his voice could somehow pierce her deafness. Hanako shook her head and picked up the paper again and pointed at it, but the boy just looked from her to the paper and then tried again to reconfirm her order with words. Hanako slapped down the piece of paper she had written on and tapped it rapidly with her finger in what she assumed was making a loud tap tap tap noise, trying to express to him that she only wanted what she wrote down and he didn’t have to keep talking. She was starting to attract attention from other patrons of the kissaten. She knew this not because she could hear quiet muttering, but because the boy was no longer looking at her, but at all the eyes behind her that were looking in their direction. Hanako was about to give up completely when the manager showed up and dismissed the boy. Hanako took a calming breath, ready to start all over but the manager bowed, and mouthed what she was sure was 'gomen nasai' and rung up her order. She could tell that even though much more competent, the manager still seemed unable to find a way to explain to her how much yen her food would cost as he started to hold up fingers to represent numbers, but Hanako merely pointed to the digital readout that already told her the total that her order came to. The manager bowed sheepishly again. She fished through her handbag, removed her purse and paid the man. She got another apologetic bow and gave one in return. As a final thought, she took the piece of paper again and asked if she could have it to go, to which the manager nodded.

She was genuinely ashamed of getting so worked up over a situation that was all too common for her, but like her brother, she was prone to getting a little hot in the head.
She walked to the other end of the counter and waited while they readied her order. She had ordered the Oyako Don (Chicken, egg, onion, scallions, nori ricebowl), and had bought a small can of coffee and a bottle of water. Hanako ignored the glances she got from the other patrons and instead reached behind her and tugged the big smart phone from her butt pocket. Daisuke had convinced her a week before to buy a new cellphone, something bigger and better than her old cheap flip phone. His reasoning was sound enough. Hanako was starting a new chapter with University and a more independent life would require a phone that was better equipped to help her. Daisuke would still only be a short walk away if she needed his help, but she was going to make it a point to rely on him as little as possible. So she stared at her new shiny phone and pressed the little side buttoned that turned on the screen. She had already set up a password for the lock screen and her quick fingers unlocked the phone. Hanako thought the phone was too big and heavy and she already missed the familiarity of her smaller flip phone, but she couldn’t deny that texting and typing on this one was much faster and could offer her a lot of utilities in the way of downloadable apps. She would always prefer signing over texting, but sometimes she didn’t have a choice. The worst part though, was that the phone was so big that only half of it fit into her butt pocket and like many women before her, Hanako wondered why lady pants pockets were so small and useless. It couldn’t be helped, she needed the phone to be in a pocket so that it was in contact with her body for when it vibrated. If she left it in her bag, then she would all messages or notifications that she got. The boy who she shot eye daggers at earlier was the one who put her bag of food on the counter and she gave him an apologetic smile and took her food and left, slipping her phone back into her butt pocket as she walked out. The boy still shouted "Arigatou Goazimasu!" (Thank you very much!) as she left, then sheepishly blushed as he realized the customer wouldn't hear it.

Hanako thought about taking a table or bench somewhere outside and eating there, but decided she’d just make the short walk back to the University. Her dorm-mate had not shown up yet and Hanako was curious to see if she had arrived. Her school counselor had already explained the situation of her roomie and had given her a picture of the girl. Hanako didn’t really need to keep the photo but still had it in her bag just incase she needed to show it to anyone else. She had already memorized the girls face and would be able to spot her if she was anywhere within her line of sight. As she walked with food in hand, she began to wonder just how the two of them were going to communicate. A girl who can’t see talking to a girl who can’t hear and doesn’t talk? That was certainly going to be a huge hurdle to cross but she knew that the two of them would find some sort of system to make it work. Hanako was almost at the university and noted the large amount of people that were coming and going. She wondered what it would be like to be blind, to be walking about with a cane or seeing eye dog and not being able to see other people staring at you but knowing all the same that they were doing so. Hanako was deaf, but she didn’t wear hearing aids or have any other visible signs that told people of her disability so she felt very normal and comfortable when walking about. She was tall for a Japanese girl though, at 5’7 (67 inches) she had a good few inches on the majority of her past classmates other girls, and even the average boy. Her father and brother made her look small though, with both of them being even taller and much wider than she. Hanako dressed appropriately enough, though some of her family had noted the overabundance of baggy long sleeved shirts and sweatpants, and long skirts. They praised her for dressing modestly at home, but only her brother was aware of the reason she had to wear clothes that covered her skin and now that she no longer lived at home, she could dress how she wanted. Hanako no longer had to take a pair of clothes out of the house with her to switch into when she went out. Hanako wasn’t a fashionable child growing up but the last couple years she had really taken an interest in her appearance, fashion trends and the ability to express herself with her appearance, something her brother Daisuke seemed irritated by. She knew her brother still saw her as a little 12 year old sister though, and hoped he’d get over his anger at how she was maturing. Would be even better if he would stop being angry at her for getting her skin inked.. but that was a can of worms that she didn’t want to think about or open. Hanako wore pretty casual clothes on this cool spring day, black tights with blue denim shorts. She had found some absolutely gorgeous tan ankle boots in a second hand shoe store that were her size. She wore a black t-shirt with a high collar under a light weight dark grey tunic with a sharkbite hemline and scoop neck top and elbow length sleeves. She thought the outfit did a good job of showing the length of her legs.

Hanako had gotten back to the University and was eager to get back to her dorm room and dig in. Food was probably her greatest guilty pleasure since it appealed to all the senses that she used. Some of the other deaf people she had met and kept in contact with always joked that the quickest way to find a deaf person was the find the person with the most food on their plates. This was because at restaurants or large dining events, deaf people got mostly ignored as people forgot that people like her relied on signing or lipreading to follow a conversation, so deaf people usually focused all their attention on the food in front of them, and boy did they like eating. She might not know what sound sounded like but she knew how good food tasted and what good food looked like. Hanako made a turn toward the large set of buildings that were the University and dorms but was stopped by a girl who was sitting on a bench further down the path. Hanako had never met her before, but knew her instantly by the picture that she had in her bag. And if there was any doubt, the girl had a cane set across her lap and was wearing glasses (something she always found odd about blind people, but knew a lot of blind people wore them anyway). Hanako hesitated and started to walk slowly in that direction with unsure footsteps, not really sure how to approach this situation. She had imagined it in her head that she’d get back to the dorm and her roommate would be in the dorm, unpacking or like.. sitting in the middle of the room or something and would hear Hanako come in and then they’d find a way to introduce themselves and start from there. Hanako hadn’t thought that she’d just spot her on a bench outside sitting alone and a part of her thought that she could just walk past and continue to the dorm and wait for the girl to find her way there. As Hanako got closer though, she could read the frustration on the girls face and wondered if she was waiting for someone, or if she was lost and needed help. Hanako didn’t have it in her to just walk past without doing anything but she also didn’t know what she could do. Hanako approached the bench hesitantly, examining the girl as her brain pondered how to communicate with someone who couldn’t read sign language or read notes on paper. She wasn’t ignorant and rude enough to wave her hands about in front of the girl. That wouldn’t do her any good. Hanako reached back to her butt pocket and pulled out her phone and wondered if she could do anything with her new phone. She sat down next to the girl as she woke her phone up and tried to divide her attention to looking at the girls face and the screen on her phone. She didn’t want to be looking away if the girls lips moved, but she needed to see what was on her phone as she tapped through it. Most of the apps were just junk, the stuff that came standard on any new phone. She’d have to go through it and see if she could uninstall those. She thought about dialing her brothers phone, but the only reason she ever had to actually call him instead of text him was during emergencies. It was the system they had established if she was ever in trouble and needed emergency help and couldn’t text or was in too much trouble to text so if her brothers phone lit up with a phone call from Hanako, then she knew her brother would charge on over here, running anyone in his path over and she didn’t want to cause him, or anyone else, any troubles. Hanako wondered if she could give some sort of sensory clue as to who she was, but thought that just randomly poking or proding the girl would be extremely rude, so she decided to wait and see, to just watch the girl to see even if she knew that someone had sat down next to her on the bench.  

[outlaw trinidy]

Kokoro was staring off at who knows what, trying to get a good sense of where she was. Her phone was telling her she was in the right area, yet she felt a bit... unsure. She had managed to find a place to sit; and she "watched" the world slip by around her. Although Koko did not overly express that she was blind, times like this it was probably fairly obvious. Her new school sounded large, which meant she had to keep her cane with her. At least until she was more comfortable with the layout. Her drive to explore was driving her nuts. She really wanted to see more of her school and by see she could try imagining things by using echolocation and her cane. Hands reaching out to touch the material. She tried to always use her imagination when she was walking around. Picture the sky being bright and sunny when she felt it warm on her face. Or those days when you could smell the rain in the air, were there grey clouds? Maybe a bit of fog before the rain? And those old buildings. They felt like they had a lot of heart. When she first entered the school grounds, she touched the building. Now that she was here alone, without family or friends; Koko was wishing she had insisted she got her tour that day instead of now.

So, here Koko sat. Growing more and more antsy about sitting there and doing nothing. She had no idea where her dorm room was, though she could ask someone how to get to the building... she would then have to explain how she was blind. She had wanted to be shown around by someone who knew her. Which is why she had made plans with her Aunt. Her smart phone was in her hand; fingers touching the braille on her screen. It was a weird sensation. DIfferent than paper, but so far it seemed to work rather well. It simply showed her the center of her screen and she was able to navigate things from there. Text, web browse. Anything that her reading tech was able to translate. Still; she felt rather alone holding the phone. Not in the mood to blog or read, Koko was once again listening to the last text her Aunt had sent her. Maybe if my Aunt would actually answer... she thought; fumbling around on her phone to listen to the letters she spelled out. "Where are you?" She asked; having heard nothing from her Aunt for the last hour. Aunt Ai was going to help her settle in her new dorm. Being blind, Koko was not wanting to literally blindly fumble her way into her new school and beg people to help her find her new dorm. No, she wanted to show some independence.

While Koko was dealing with this frustration, she began to notice a presence. Were they people gawking at the blind kid? "Hello? Is someone there?" She asked, gripping her phone tighter she was not sure what to say or do. It was rare, but she had met a few bullies. One even ripped her phone from her hand; mocking her for not being able to see. She had smacked them with her cane and got her phone back; but it did make her a bit leery about keeping her phone out around someone. She listened a moment and just knew someone was there. Koko tried not to pull her belongings closer. She wanted to trust that she could be safe in her new school. Maybe the person did not know what to say to a blind girl... "I won't bite... is there something you want?" She asked.  

[Clef]

Hanako continued to sit awkwardly next to a roommate who didn’t know her roomie was right next to her. She continued to fumble with her phone but was not familiar enough with the smart phone technology to actually figure anything out and taking a glance at the phone in the girls hands revealed that this Koko used a phone that translated things through Braille, a language Hanako only knew vaguely about. Hanako began to tap her foot in rapid frustration, leaning her body forward and turning her head to get a better angle on the girls lips. Hanako took a moment to observe that for a girl without sight, she did a pretty good job of making up her hair and doing her make up. Hanako saw the girls lips move a first time and read a clear hello and was about 80% sure the girl was asking if someone was there. Hanako didn’t like relying on lip reading to communicate, but when most of the population didn’t know how to sign, or didn’t have the patience to put up with writing notes back and fourth, lip reading became the easiest way to do it. Hanako’s eyes went to the girls hands next as she gripped her phone tighter and this made her realize that her presence here, a voiceless presence, might be making the girl uncomfortable. Hanako needed to find a way to communicate, and soon otherwise the girl could start calling for help or worst case, swing that cane about to chase her off. Hanako caught more movement from the girls lips but this time she was a bit late at reading it and wasn’t entirely sure what was being said and she couldn’t just ask the girl to repeat it.

Hanako started to rack her brain for ideas and thankfully one came to her. Hanako pulled her purse up into her lap and noisily started to dig around in it. Hanako heard only silence as her hands started combing through her belongings, metallic objects, coins, lip balm, and containers of make up all clanking together in a cacophony of sound, none of which Hanako was aware of. After about fifteen seconds of rifling about she finally found the small object she had been looking for, the key to their dorm room. Hanako pulled it out from her bag and was pleased to see that the key had the dorms room # on it, and was even more pleased to see that the lettering was ever so slightly raised on the metallic key. Now she just had to hope that her roommate knew what their room number was and would make the connection.

Hanako kept the key in one hand as she reached towards Koko’s hands. She first gave the girl a gently tap on the back of her hand as if to convey that she didn’t mean any harm. Hanako then took a deep breath and using her left hand, she took one of Koko’s hands and moved it toward her, away from the girls phone and turned her hand palm up. Hanako laid the dorm key into the girls palm and then let her hand go and waited, hoping that the girl would try to feel the item and recognize it as a key and feel that it had numbers on it. This idea also relied heavily on the notion that her roommate already knew the circumstances of Hanako’s handicap and would put two and two together. She thought that if she could just get her to realize who she was sitting next to, that they would be able to start off on the right foot.  

[outlaw trinidy]

Hearing a tapping of a foot, Koko was rather unsure what to say or do. Obviously the person next to her was stressed about something. But, what? Koko tried not to bite her lip glossed lips. It would smudge things and it was a pain to put makeup on. Took a lot of light touches; and twenty minutes or so of hard work. She often just wore lipstick or lip gloss. Maybe something for her eyes so it did not stand out so much for being milky.... today she wore a bit more. It was her first day of school and she wanted to make a good impression after all.

Koko could hear the sounds of someone rifling through a bag. At least the person heard her. Were they looking for something? Somewhat curious, Koko was trying not to jump to conclusions. After all; there were plenty of reasons a person was quiet. There are colds that made people lose their voice. And; people who were mute... oh! They could be eating... I do smell food. Awkward silence continued until there was a gentle tap on her hand. Jumping ever so lightly, Koko trusted this was going to be a safe interaction and opened her hand out while her hand was taken by the stranger. A cold metal object was placed in her hand; then her hand was released. Koko turned her head to the side in puzzlement as fingertips touching the metal grooves then she moved the key around in her hand finding the carved numbers. Wait, that's my room number! She realized and for a brief moment she wondered how the person got her key safely on her fluffy keychain and she smiled. She remembered the school telling her a bit about her roommate. Hanako was deaf.

Holding up a finger to show, han on a moment, Koko came up with a plan of communication. Quickly tapping away at her phone, using the two braille notches on her screen cover she found where she left her rarely used app and opened up a notepad. Her phone sounded out what she was typing, and she heard it say: "Are you my roommate? Tap hand with key for yes. Other hand, no." And she held her phone over to where she thought the person was looking. Her laptop had better apps, and would actually do braille for translation. Tiny pulses under her fingertips that helped her see what was on the screen. Easiest thing she used, was things that read things out loud to her. She knew of many apps that read out loud all kinds of things. Seeing that the girl was not using any of those apps, Koko was assuming Hanako had none. I bet Hanako would love those kind of programs! We can find her a cute female voice and we can be talking in no time! Maybe she can even program out things she usually says and just press a button to have it say it. Ohhh I can't wait to hook her up with some tech.

If her hand with the key was tapped; joy would come to Koko's face. Quickly she would type out: It's nice to meet you!
Ok it was not a question, but she was happy. She would have to ask if she could touch Hanako's face at a later time. She did not want to confuse her new roommate this early in the day.

Then: do you have any talking apps?
This was important to her. She would have to know how techy this girl was. But, yes and no questions were all she could do right now. Maybe she can learn some signs with her hands? Would be strange however. She would have to get some good instructions...

She would go on and make sure to add: I added a pulse app to my phone. I can't see it, but it's supposed to pulse lights to get ahold of you; thought it would help for when we are in our room. is that ok?

Last, she asked: Do you know where our room is?
An extremely important question. Her aunt may have her belongings, and was running late but at least Koko had a way to be in her room, flop on her new bed. Maybe even get to know her new roommate.  

[Clef]

Jun was relieved that Toshi’s family had a vehicle that could transport items to and from stores and the dorm if they needed things that were too large to carry by hand. ”That’s great! I’m pretty sure there are going to be students here who have vehicles but I wouldn’t want to burden random strangers with helping us out, so its very good that your family has some transport we can rely on.” Jun didn’t add on he hoped that they could borrow the vehicles at random times to explore some of the shrines and recreational spots in and outside of Osaka on the weekends or festival days or whenever they would get breaks. He wasn’t even sure if Toshi knew how to drive.. but he could bring that subject up at a later date. ”Oh yes, my uncle works at the Ryogen Center. Though he doesn’t see patients as often as he used to, I think most of his work is research based now days. I don’t really know much about it to be honest.” Jun answered. The Ryogen Center was both a hospital and research center, one that was often on the frontline of pioneering groundbreaking research and medicine, but it also acted as a regular hospital and emergency medical center. Jun knew his uncle was a pretty renowned doctor there but he never had much interest in his uncles work. His uncle also acted as his primary doctor and was the person who took care of him because of his special condition, but Jun decided to keep most of that info to himself.

The two of them left the school after their encounter with an unfriendly fellow student with a rather extensive collection of questionable magazines. Jun hoped that they wouldn’t be running into the big guy much this school year, even if he was kinda attractive in that athletic bad boy kind of way. Jun followed Toshi’s lead as he walked them away from the school and towards wonderful wonderful shopping. Jun was so excited his step had a bit of a bounce to it as he tried to picture all the stores he could explore. Jun marked the things that Toshi pointed out, pharmacy, Laundromat, food joints and the such but he really was more focused on finding clothing stores… The question about Tokyo and its shops made Jun start just gushing about the shopping districts in Tokyo. ”Tokyo is incredible! Almost every train station has some sort of major shopping district around it and each one of them has its own distinct style and personality! You can go to Ginza which has all your high class posh boutiques and big named department stores, but you can also find fashion that’s very avant-garde. But even if clothing isn’t your thing, Ginza has loads of craft stores, some of which are like nine stories tall! You could easily spent an entire day in any shopping district in Tokyo and not see nearly 20% of what they have to offer! There’s Asakusa which used to be the heart of Edo and its full of artisan goods and family run merchant shops that have been around for generations. The fashion there isn’t very good though, but its great if your shopping for unique gifts for people. Then you have Kagurazaka, which sells a lot of your kimono fabrics and traditional Japanese fashion and footwear. Roppongi is well.. everyone knows of Roppongi. I honestly only went there once.. its not exactly a place known for its innocent reputation but if your into bars and picking up dates… Then you have Shibuya which I’m sure your familiar with. Used to go there a lot with my friends since its very trendy and shic, especially for people our age…” Jun continued on this way for almost the full 20 minute walk, talking about the arty Shimo-Kitazawa area with its hole in the wall shops and unique fashion finds and narrow streets. He chatted about the absolutely wonderful Harajuk and Aoyama neighborhoods which was full of sophisticated high class fashion for youths but also a gold mine for vintage clothing lines and eccentric secondhand stores. Jun talked briefly about Shinjuku and its noisey light filled streets that was like the eastern version of Las Vegas. Shinjuku was a haven for music junkies looking for vinyls and CD’s and off beat underground music but it had its share of fashion too. Jun mentioned the electronics heaven of Akihabara but admitted he’d only been there a few times, and almost slipping out that it was for a promotional gig with the idol groups.. Jun found it hard to talk about the vast areas of Tokyo without mentioning the experiences he’d had doing small gigs and concerts or promotional events so he tried to keep everything about the shopping and fashion.. but even that was hard since Jun knew far more about fashion for girls than he did for men, so he had to actively not mention clothing lines and stores where he stopped for previously as Hikaru. Though.. Jun got the impression that Toshi wouldn’t recognize any of the brand names if he did let some slip.

Before he knew it they were at the Shinsaibashi-suji shopping district. This shopping district was distinct and recognizable for its large multi-colored glass covered ceiling that spanned the entire street. The glass squares lit up when it got dark, giving the entire place a red and orange light and unique experience. A small crowd was coming and going, Jun suspected that with school starting, most people were busy with setting up in their dorms and that later in the evening or on weekends this place would probably be super crowded. The Shinsaibashi suji shopping district was one long street with shops and vendors lined on both sides and some small side streets that snaked off the side. Though Toshi was the one who had led them this far, it was Jun who basically took control at this point as shoppers mode kicked in. He didn’t really hesitate as he just jumped right in and started to explore everything that this shopping district had to offer. There were restaurants, karaoke, gift shops and enough fashion stores to make Jun as happy as a bear on a beehive. The next few hours consisted of Jun leading Toshi from store to store, all the while talking about random things as he tried to get to know his roommate. Topics ranged from family to childhood, to hobbies, food, pop culture and of course, fashion. Jun seemed to have the irresistible need to try on several different outfits at every clothing store they came to, all the while thrusting things at Toshi for him to try on also. This was probably the most difficult part of the entire trip because Toshi often just muttered something and put the clothes back and Jun had a very very hard time getting a solid fashion sense on Toshi. Jun couldn’t get Toshi to wear anything out of his comfort zone at all and so each and every store he’d have to find very casual and normal clothes for Toshi to try on, and make sure it was nothing with bright expressive colors. He also had to start distracting Toshi from reading price tags since some of the stores he dragged Toshi to seemed to make the boy uncomfortable with how pricey their items were. Jun wondered if Toshi didn’t have a lot of money on him, but he thought it would be rude to ask.. so after a while Jun started taking Toshi to the secondhand shops or places with what normal people would consider reasonable prices.

While all this was going on, Jun had started to collect a handful of bags full of clothes.. he.. just couldn’t help himself as every shop it seemed had at least one thing that screamed out to him. Jun probably spent a good combined hour just going to and from the dressing rooms and each time he’d come out and model an outfit and ask Toshi’s opinion on it but he just got a blank stare and some sort of noncommital reply.. After like the fourth store, Jun just gave up on asking Toshi for any sort of fashion opinion.. but Jun didn’t hesitate to give his own advice and opinions to Toshi as he verbally drenched him in fashion philosophy and tried to explain to him what colors worked with what, and how different clothes had different fits and how on certain seasons your were only supposed to wear this or that. Jun felt like most of this just bounced off Toshi’s skull though.. After a while Toshi made mention that he was hungry and the two of them took a break from shopping. Jun asked Toshi what he felt like eating and they both agreed on a ramen stall that was nearby and not very crowded. The place had a pretty good variety on its menu, and even a “super deluxe 5 lbs ramen bowl!” challenge item. Jun just kept his meal simple with pork ramen with scallops, onions, and garlic. He noticed Toshi eyeing the large ramen challenge and if Toshi picked it would mostly spend that time watching to see if Toshi could actually eat that much. After the two ate they took a break from clothing to check out some of the novelty shops and arcades. They spent some time in an cramped book store, Jun looking at fashion books and Toshi looking at some manga. Jun never had any interest in anime or manga, but as an Idol, Hikaru often met fans that were very heavily into those kinds of things. They visited some small souvenier shops with knick knacks and keychains and cute stuffed animals. Jun added a cute black bear to his stuffed animal collection.. but discreetly bought it while Toshi was busy looking at something else. It wasn’t long though before they were back in a fashion store, this one was a secondhand store and after a lot of urging he finally got Toshi to try on some things and even purchase an outfit! It wasn’t exactly the trendiest outfit, but overall the jeans, brown shoes, socks and shirt fit well and it just seemed to scream Toshi. Jun didn’t think he’d have bought the clothes but with a lot of encouragement and egging on, Toshi walked out of that store with Jun with a bag of clothes of his own. The rest of the trip was spent looking at potential accessories and furniture items for the room and since they needed some sort of screen divider to change behind and what not, they had gone ahead and picked up a cheap one. Jun paid for that himself and soon they were on their way back to the University. Jun’s hands heavier with clothes… his bank account lighter with money. He mentally cringed and hoped his parents wouldn’t notice since they had warned him that any frivolous spending would have consequences. Jun didn’t really care though.. he had to have the new clothes and it was his money anyway, even if his parents still had a lot of control over the money he had made as an idol and musician.

Jun did feel kinda bad that he made Toshi carry the box with the divider screen as they walked.. but Jun really didn’t have any hand reality left to carry anything else. He hoped he could stuff all this stuff in the closet in the dorm room.. ’Thanks for showing me the area and coming shopping with me. It was a lot of fun! Maybe the two of us can explore some of the other districts in Osaka sometime. Bet there is a lot of other things to see!”  

[outlaw trinidy]

Toshi was not sure if he had to explain it would take a lot of convincing to use their trucks; but he had faith his parents would help if they could. They at least had a spare car, maybe... that Toshi could use. Not that he liked to drive. Ever. But, I guess that comes with moving out. Hearing where Jun's Uncle worked; Toshi looked surprised. "My brother works there!" He blurted. Excited they had a weird connection like that, he added, "He works for one of the CEO's or something. I don't.... honestly pay attention to the acronyms he always uses..." He sheepishly admitted. In truth, his brother was a bit more important than a gopher but, Toshi was clueless to that. He did, however remember they were not supposed to talk about Koji. Something about gang troubles. But, he had been really turning himself around this past year; even got a job at that hospital. Maybe he's trying to do good.

Toshi kind of understood Jun's excitement. Sure, Toshi was more excited about people watching and learning weird facts; but he was able to understand that level of excitement. In fact, as they walked and talked, Toshi showed he was super excited to learn about Tokyo and learn about his new roommate.Sure, half of the time he had no idea what Jun was talking about. But, he was still having fun just talking. Tokyo sounded wonderful and he sure wanted to visit. But he did not want to say such a thing because it would sound like he was suggesting a trip. Not really able to recognise any of the brand names, Toshi tried to hide that from his reactions though. He did not want to seem like a complete loser...

Once they reached the shopping district, Toshi had a sense of pride for his town when he realized Jun seemed happy at the selections. He was glad they had a place that pleased the fashion nut from Tokyo. Toshi did not mind at all when Jun took over, running around like a child who just found the best candy store ever. He followed at a more leisurely pace, but was trying to step into Jun's perspective and see this shopping district with new eyes. Before it seemed overwhelming, and too many choices. Now? With someone who seemed to know what he was doing? It was not as bad. Plus, the fact they talked helped Toshi keep focus. Because they were the same age, they seemed to have very similar childhood stories when it came to certain culture influences. Although, Jun seemed to care more about people and their thoughts about him while Toshi was so weird and awkward in school. toshi softly admitted he was thinking about joining the kendo group; though not sure if he would be as good as the others. He talked about the zoo, and what it was like growing up around exotic animals. When the topic of pop culture came out, Toshi admitted he liked pop music. He was not as obsessed as his sister; but he had a few CD's he listened to when he cleaned at the zoo. He listened with a new interest about fashion. Not really understanding why it was important, it was rather complicated there were so many parts to this. He did try on the clothes that Jun showed him. Some of them were rather... outlandish in design. Then others, they seemed simple enough and when Toshi looked at the price tag he panicked and quickly put it back. Seeing how much Jun bought, Toshi was beginning to realize that his roommate was probably wealthy. That would explain some things.

Eventually Jun was showing Toshi more average clothes, and the young man was more comfortable with trying the clothes on. He was still not sure how to respond when Jun came out in fashionable outfits; asking for advice or opinions. But he tried to smile and either give thumbs up or say something. Often he had a blank expression more because he was not sure if the outfit was "the in thing." or not. Eventually Jun just stopped asking, Toshi felt bad but he was glad it did not stop Jun from having fun with shopping. Eventually, Toshi's stomach raed at him for missing breakfast and being late for lunch. So, he quietly spoke up and suggested they get some food. It was a good thing they both quickly chose Ramen; something Toshi did not mind eating. It was fast and he would silence his complaining stomach. His hungry eyes kept staring at the food challenge; he wondered if he could handle it. He was always told he could eat enough for three men. Why not! With a determined nod, Toshi ordered the super deluxe 5 lbs ramen bowl.

Patting his super full belly, Toshi leaned back in his chair in content. He was not feeling sick, so he decided it was worth every yen. "How was your meal?" He asked Jun, he had the feeling his accomplishment of devouring the large bowl of ramen was something of a big deal. he scratched at the side of his cheek and glanced around realizing there were a few people looking at him. "L... let's get out of here..." He suggested. OK, so he had hoped to relax a bit longer and talk some more but he really hated when people looked at him like that. Like... he was visible. He had been ignored for so long, he rather liked being ignored sometimes.

They left the ramen shop and instead of more clothes shopping; they explored more of the strip. He was rather excited seeing some manga he was in the process of reading; and he actually debated about buying one or three... He settled on one book and could not part with a limited bookmark at the front desk. It had his favorite character on it! As they headed to other shops; he was more excited about the cute knickknacks spotted in the windows; and he peeked in various shops wondering if his sister would like that stuffed bunny. Or if his mother would like the tiny purse keychain. While Jun was off doing something, Toshi quietly bought his sister a tiny plushie keychain. For helping with caring for his pet.

They wandered around a bit, and Toshi almost asked Jun if he wanted to do some games at the arcade but he instead was asked to check out the thrift store across the way. A shrug and nod, Toshi followed Jun and somehow was convinced to try on another outfit. This outfit was not really bad, if Toshi was being honest. I mean, spending money on clothes was going to be a weird thing for him... but this outfit did not really stand out nor did it scream he was a lame person. OK. I guess I can get away with this... Right? I mean... He wanted to get new clothes... something that made him look more like a normal college student. "Yeah, ok." He said out loud while looking in the mirror and he still hesitated when he paid for the items. That was a lot of his monthly budget. He would have to have a talk with his family once they come tonight. That would be ...... interesting. They checked out one last store before Toshi suggested they think about heading back. Jun thankfully agreed and they only bought a divider for the room; Jun insisted he would pay for it so Toshi did not mind carrying it. After all, Jun had his arms full already.

"No problem! I am glad you had fun. Osaka has a lot to offer. The tower is not a huge distance; and they have a great section of shopping I am sure you would like. I am sure we can explore a lot of places during the school year." He said. His pride for his town was starting to show a bit. After all, Osaka had a lot of history. The charm of this place was the fact they kept a lot of the old while adding the new. He loved living here. Could think of no other place.

As they reached the college, Toshi's hands were getting a bit sore so he was rather thankful when they made it to their dorm room and he would be able to put the screen down. It was not so much as... heavy. He had lifted larger items at the Zoo. The shape was rather awkward. "Oh, wait. Is that someone by our door?"