[okazaki's a weird guy who says weird stuff and eats weird things, and ichika's mostly used to it. on any other other day, she could have easily brushed it off, but... tonight feels a little different.
and all she can think about is how glad she is that her back's turned toward him, so that he can't see (and potentially make fun of) the pink tint dyeing her cheeks.]
I have no idea how you managed to wrap Yoshinari around your finger like that. [oh, there are the towels! shredding a sheet off, she quickly returns to the coffee table, noticeably avoiding looking okazaki in the eye as she speeds past.] He always seems so... excited to follow your instructions.
[If he did see her, he'd probably do his best to hold back yet another comment about letting another man see her like that. Does she belong to him? No. But she's the one capable of making his wish come true, so there's that.]
Probably just bonding since I trained him myself. [A definitely sempai/kouhai relationship, basically. He also can physically vent his frustrations with Yoshinari with all of his chokeholds he puts on him. ]
I wouldn't really want anyone to take him from me either.
Oh, I doubt Yoshinari's leaving you anytime soon! He seems pretty attached. [one clean wipe, and his coffee table's spic and span again! nice!!] Kind of like a duckling who's imprinted on someone they think is their mother.
[miles away, somewhere nearby ishika's apartment, one yoshinari hideaki sneezes.]
I remember when Kazuki used to be like that—sweet and eager to please. Nowadays, it feels like he's just... dissatisfied with something. [she almost says with me, but now probably isn't the time to unpack all her familial baggage. balling up the paper towel, she tosses it into the nearest trash bin.] But I guess he's just at that age. We were all there once, right?
That's a pretty accurate assessment of the situation.
[Okazaki chuckles at that, really. There's no denying that in a sense that's how it is. No matter what happens, Yoshinari would find a reason to come back to him and trust him. It's not entirely a bad feeling, but he'd rather talk about Ichika's situation.]
As for your brother, he really does sound like he's at that rebellious teenage age. Maybe he's acting a certain way to get a certain someone's attention?
[Since teenage boys aren't exactly known for being rational in their behaviors and act out in new ways to get the attention they want.]
[she doesn't seem particularly convinced, but it is true that she hasn't been available lately; work's been bearing down on her shoulders and there's not a single hour that goes by without the phones ringing. not to mention, there's also been the matter of... that. her fingers stray up to her neck.
thinking about kazuki puts a strain on her nerves though, so after a quiet exhale and slight shake of her head, ichika looks over her shoulder at okazaki with a forced smile. subject change!!]
Actually, talking about it, what were you like as a teenager, Okazaki? I've always wondered. [a beat] Also, could you toss me one of the KitKats? I'll give it a try.
Me? I was pretty normal. [There's a gentle chuckle from him. But the lack of answer indicates he really doesn't want to talk about it. Not that anything painful happened, but it's difficult for him to genuinely open up to someone.
You know, despite everything he is and his Stepford Smile.
But the kitkats are a nice and distracting topic to focus on now as he hands her an unopened package.]
Here you go. [Hopefully she doesn't mind the really odd taste...]
[something gives her the impression that he's being vague on purpose, and ichika wisely drops her line of questioning. as much as she wants to know more about him, there's no point if he doesn't feel like sharing.]
It can't be that bad, can it? [making short work of the wrapper, she takes a chomp out of one of the sticks and—her eyes go dead. hm. hmmmm.]
That's... interesting. Very interesting. [she takes another bite.] I think that the more I have of it, the more the taste of the corn just grows on you.
[Vague on purpose would be right, given his mysterious nature. It's easier for him to be that way, if he's being completely honest. And with Ichika taking the hint and dropping the subject, he can't help but smile a little more sincerely.
On to the topic of his odd snacks!]
I think 'interesting' would be a correct word for it. It's about as odd tasting as I expected and I'm not entirely sure I want to try them again any time soon!
[He sounds completely happy, though, to have tried yet another odd snack that he has a hard time eating all of. Just another tasteful experience, he supposes.]
[She takes an actual step toward him as she presses forward with her line of questioning. Ichika's had more than enough time to take a look around his apartment, so coupled with that evidence and the look on his face...
[If this were Yoshinari, he would have put him in a headlock right now to vent his frustrations. But it's not. It's Ichika. She'd fight back if he put her in a headlock, probably which would put him in a worse position than he is now.
But he knows one way to gain his bearings in this situation.]
I'll eat them now, only because you're cute, Ichika.
[He takes a bite of his corn flavored candy awaiting to see if he successfully flustered her.]
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and all she can think about is how glad she is that her back's turned toward him, so that he can't see (and potentially make fun of) the pink tint dyeing her cheeks.]
I have no idea how you managed to wrap Yoshinari around your finger like that. [oh, there are the towels! shredding a sheet off, she quickly returns to the coffee table, noticeably avoiding looking okazaki in the eye as she speeds past.] He always seems so... excited to follow your instructions.
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Probably just bonding since I trained him myself. [A definitely sempai/kouhai relationship, basically. He also can physically vent his frustrations with Yoshinari with all of his chokeholds he puts on him. ]
I wouldn't really want anyone to take him from me either.
[Because he's clingy as all hell.]
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Oh, I doubt Yoshinari's leaving you anytime soon! He seems pretty attached. [one clean wipe, and his coffee table's spic and span again! nice!!] Kind of like a duckling who's imprinted on someone they think is their mother.
[miles away, somewhere nearby ishika's apartment, one yoshinari hideaki sneezes.]
I remember when Kazuki used to be like that—sweet and eager to please. Nowadays, it feels like he's just... dissatisfied with something. [she almost says with me, but now probably isn't the time to unpack all her familial baggage. balling up the paper towel, she tosses it into the nearest trash bin.] But I guess he's just at that age. We were all there once, right?
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[Okazaki chuckles at that, really. There's no denying that in a sense that's how it is. No matter what happens, Yoshinari would find a reason to come back to him and trust him. It's not entirely a bad feeling, but he'd rather talk about Ichika's situation.]
As for your brother, he really does sound like he's at that rebellious teenage age. Maybe he's acting a certain way to get a certain someone's attention?
[Since teenage boys aren't exactly known for being rational in their behaviors and act out in new ways to get the attention they want.]
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[she doesn't seem particularly convinced, but it is true that she hasn't been available lately; work's been bearing down on her shoulders and there's not a single hour that goes by without the phones ringing. not to mention, there's also been the matter of... that. her fingers stray up to her neck.
thinking about kazuki puts a strain on her nerves though, so after a quiet exhale and slight shake of her head, ichika looks over her shoulder at okazaki with a forced smile. subject change!!]
Actually, talking about it, what were you like as a teenager, Okazaki? I've always wondered. [a beat] Also, could you toss me one of the KitKats? I'll give it a try.
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You know, despite everything he is and his Stepford Smile.
But the kitkats are a nice and distracting topic to focus on now as he hands her an unopened package.]
Here you go. [Hopefully she doesn't mind the really odd taste...]
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[something gives her the impression that he's being vague on purpose, and ichika wisely drops her line of questioning. as much as she wants to know more about him, there's no point if he doesn't feel like sharing.]
It can't be that bad, can it? [making short work of the wrapper, she takes a chomp out of one of the sticks and—her eyes go dead. hm. hmmmm.]
That's... interesting. Very interesting. [she takes another bite.] I think that the more I have of it, the more the taste of the corn just grows on you.
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On to the topic of his odd snacks!]
I think 'interesting' would be a correct word for it. It's about as odd tasting as I expected and I'm not entirely sure I want to try them again any time soon!
[He sounds completely happy, though, to have tried yet another odd snack that he has a hard time eating all of. Just another tasteful experience, he supposes.]
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You're finishing the bag, aren't you? I did come all the way here to give it to you.
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She did bring him when he asked her to. It'd be a shame to waste them.]
Maybe I want to save them for later.
[That's a flat-out lie given all she has to do is look around and see that he doesn't exactly finish what he starts in terms of his snacks.]
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No way does she trust him to keep his word.]
Maybe? Don't be wasteful, Okazaki.
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But he knows one way to gain his bearings in this situation.]
I'll eat them now, only because you're cute, Ichika.
[He takes a bite of his corn flavored candy awaiting to see if he successfully flustered her.]