2422/Too Much

Too Much
Date of Scene:	14 March 2025
Location:	Campus Gardens
Synopsis:	On White Day, Kazuo has an answer for Minako... not the one she wanted. She has an answer for *him* - not the one he expected. There is no bruising involved, except the emotional, and the absolutely mutual aesthetic injury both of them feel when random passersby absolutely ruin a PERFECTLY dramatic moment!
Cast of Characters:	Kazuo Saitou, Minako Aino

---

Kazuo Saitou has posed:
After school? - no. No, the girls are at least somewhat likely to be gathering at that point.

Between classes? - no, Kazuo has no idea when Minako has to leave her homeroom or where she'd go.

Lunch. He knows they share the time sometimes, he knows she heads to the cafeteria at least sometimes, and it's far enough into March that it's a genuinely nice day out, sunny and at a good temperature - she might decide to have lunch outside, and if not she might linger on the way in long enough for him to catch her. So. The gardens first, to see if he can catch a glimpse of blonde hair and a red bow, maybe even in a spot far enough away from people already. If he doesn't spot her there, he'll try the cafeteria next. But he hopes for the relative privacy of the gardens.

Minako Aino has posed:
White Day! The often times nerve-wracking follow up to Valentine's Day! It had gone as it usually had so far for Minako -- A few obligation chocolate or other gifts from friends. Nothing serious though. She hadn't expected anything serious, or any confessions of love undying. That didn't mean she was totally without a *bit* of nerves this time around as there was at least one person she was wondering if she would get a response from.

The morning had passed quickly enough with homeroom having turned into an unintended nap, the next few classes nearly the same. Really it was a miracle her grades were as good as they were in the first place.

The freedom of lunch time has her heading past the administration building with just a slight detour through the flowers that were starting to bloom.

It's really not that hard to spot the familiar red bow that was bobbing along behind a flowering hedge as she makes her way toward the central path area. Just as she comes around the corner she comes up short spotting Kazuo who was equally difficult to miss with his height.

"Ah, Kazuo-kun, hello!"

Kazuo Saitou has posed:
(In Kazuo's opinion, napping is the most productive way to spend most classes. Kazuo's opinion should probably not be accepted as authoritative in this matter.)

Kazuo's already turning his head, making it clear he's looking her direction; it's at her call, though, that he catches himself up and turns to make his way to meet her. Meet her along her path, no less, with a deep nod as he's incoming to return her greeting. "Hey," he says. "How are you doing?" ... yes, Kazuo, that's full of grace and courtesy. "Think you could spare a minute?"

Minako Aino has posed:
Minako Aino shifts her grip slightly on the handle of her bag as she pauses to wait for his approach. As he gets closer her head tips back to continue to meet his gaze up until he catches up to her.

It's the questions that cause her to smile with bemusement, blue eyes sparkling in the afternoon sunlight. The slightest tip of her head cants her bow to the side with an agreeable nod. "Mm! I'm doing great," is answered first only for her grin to widen a bit, friendly and bright. "Of course! Here, or...?"

The question is left to trail off even as she quickly casts a glance around to see if others were nearby. Most were just rushing past on their way to various buildings, but given the day it was if they saw any two people together they avoided out of politeness. A good thing in this case perhaps since she wasn't certain what he needed to see her about.

Kazuo Saitou has posed:
There's a brief casting about, and Kazuo says, "Here," and sidesteps into an unoccupied nook to set his bag down on the bench. Far enough from people rushing past for a little privacy, visible enough not to make people wonder what they're doing, and set about with clusters of tulips in prim little controlled riots of color - yellow as her hair, red as her bow, orange as Venus' skirt, pink enough for Chibiusa.

He opens the bag to take out a carefully balanced collection of white boxes: one larger one as a base, a half-dozen smaller ones tied neatly into place with a white ribbon. A turn, and he's facing her, holding her in both hands.

"I owe you a clear answer," he says quietly. "I can't give you what you were hoping for. I can offer you my respect and my admiration. I can offer you my friendship, I hope, if you decide you want it. I can offer you a token of these things, and of my apology that I can't give you more --" He half-bows to her, more direct than the nod, offering up the gift in both hands. There are a dozen drifting scents spreading from it, of pastry and honey, of sweetness and spices, vanilla and chocolate, the underlying grounding richness of coffee. "I'd say an inadequate token," he admits, "except that I asked Kino-san for help with one part when I couldn't get it right, and I hope her magic with that one would make up for the rest. But I can't give you a yes. I'm sorry."

Minako Aino has posed:
There's only two reasons that he might want to steal away with her and Minako is very aware of both: Either business or... Or, it *was* White Day. A little flutter of nervous anticipation starts in her stomach as she ducks into the nook after him.

That flutter leaps to her chest when he starts to pull out multiple boxes. The bag she carries is clutched with both hands in front of her skirt as she stands stock still barely recalling to breath as warmth starts to rise to her face-

And quickly stall out as the flutter leaps now to her throat where it tightens causing her to swallow a single time with a half-smile frozen on her face. It doesn't reach her eyes.

"Oh."

A breath comes to her again in a quick inhalation drawing all those deliciously sweet scents to her. As the explanations come not only about turning her down, but about *what he did* her knuckles whiten against the strap to her bag.

"You... You *made* these?" Minako's voice is a bit strained as she pauses to bite down on the inside of her lower lip making it dimple some. It at least keeps her from frowning at all.

"With Mako-chan's help," she exhales at the end shaking her head just a little with gaze falling downward as she stands imobile.

Kazuo Saitou has posed:
"My grandmother taught me, when I was growing up," Kazuo admits. "The one -" One finger shifts, taps a specific one of the smaller boxes. "That one I hadn't done before, and I couldn't get it quite right on my own. But I wanted --"

His eyes drop, too. He wanted her to know he thought she was worth paying attention to. That it was worth noticing what she liked, and remembering. That she was worth going to an effort for. That she was, in and of herself, without other motives involved.

Problem is, it was the other motives she was hoping for.

"-- even if I couldn't give you the answer you wanted, I wanted you to know I took you seriously."

Minako Aino has posed:
"Kazuo-san." Minako watches the movement as he points out each of the boxes with the explanations given but her head doesn't lift enough for him to see her eyes again. Her bangs cast a shadow over hre face as she continues.

"Valentine's Day is a day for girls to express their emotions without having to say them out loud. There's obligation candy of course, but for the ones they mean? They put love, and time, and effort into it."

"White Day is a way for those emotions to be replied to in a way that..." How to explain. How could he NOT understand this? "In a way that lets both save face if the emotions *aren't* returned."

"THIS-" The bag lifts as if she'd meant to gesture with a hand but it just hadn't *let go* of it's death grip on the bag she currently clutched as a life line.

"Is too much. Because, even though I know you're trying to lighten the blow... It's so *stupidly sweet* that it doesn't help me to not like you!"

Now she finally raises her head, chin held high and haughty as she angrily meets his gaze. Red-faced, eyes alight with myriad emotions, she was at least not crying.

"Thank you, but it would hurt my pride as a woman to accept this."

With that she whirls around sending the length of her blonde hair fanning out like the flourish of a cape. The red bow is there, bright and bold and red, and with her back turned he can even see the dazzling orange gem pin in the center of the bow. It was very much like another gem pin that someone else who put their hair up with a ribbon had been wearing lately: It was the same as Izou's. He'd given it to her after all.

It would be the perfect time to stalk off but another couple pass by on the nearby path causing her to pause so that she's forced to linger a bit longer in this awkward situation. The perfect cherry on top of this whole situation. Her head drops, and she mutters, "Stupid."

Kazuo Saitou has posed:
The same as Izou's.

He hasn't asked about Izou's. Seeing the matching one is an unexpected slash. But that is, under the circumstances, entirely fair; he keeps it off his face and breathes.

The proper response is to say that he understands and accepts her reasons. But saying that many words, that formally, in the face of her turn away -- no. He's said too many words already.

He folds himself down on the bench instead, all he can do to enable the stalking-off when other people are so impolitely in the way, and sets the boxes down next to him. "Yeah," he says instead, clearly in response to that mutter. "I am. Sorry."

Minako Aino has posed:
Minako Aino staaarts to step out... and stomps her foot down with a hiss of breath. Annoyed she looks over her shoulder at his seated form, scowling now as she wasn't feeling quite the need to guard her emotions as much. "I meant *me*!" she blurts as she assumes he was responding to her self-depreciating remark.

"I know I'm 'too much' sometimes, and I know I go overboard." But she did like him didn't need repeating right now. "Mamoru-san had told me to 'go for it' though so I got my hopes up more than I have in awhile. I'm *used* to being rejected, or finding out the guy I have a crush on is actually a youma or agent of the Dark Company, or already taken."

"I'll get over it," she assures with a cluck of her tongue. "This is hardly my first time."

Kazuo Saitou has posed:
"You're not stupid," Kazuo says, and there's a rueful little hint of a smile. He keeps it in bounds, though. "You're enthusiastic. If you get carried away sometimes, well, every virtue has its drawbacks."

And his expression goes wry for a moment. Like being an empath means being less than perfect about extrapolating about other people's emotions when they're not in front of you? Well, maybe. And maybe it's not a great time to say that out loud.

He wants to add, 'you're not stupid at all,' too. But it's not a great time for that, either. And apologizing again would probably get her bookbag slung at him. Right at face level, when he's sitting down. He bows his head again for a moment instead, timing it so that if she wants to use that moment to stalk off, there isn't competing traffic this time.

(That really was so impolite of them. That fan of her hair was amazing.)

Minako Aino has posed:
Minako Aino looks over Kazuo once more. Just once more she allows her gaze to linger on him with her expression softening to just a sad one. Ah, well. What she had said was true. This was not her first time to not have things work out at all.

She could say more. Do more. She could hit him. She could have so many various reactions, but... Nothing comes. Just a quiet, longing sigh before her heels clack away on the path leaving Kazuo alone now.