97/Free Range Student Sunday

Free Range Student Sunday
Date of Scene:	16 July 2023
Location:	FaM-Mart
Synopsis:	Just after the dance, some students converge on a local hangout to just... hang out. Guest Starring: MR. VICE PRESIDENT!
Cast of Characters:	Koji Silvia, Wako Agemaki, Mie Kitamura, Mamoru Chiba, Naru Osaka

---

Koji Silvia has posed:
It's a light and breezy summer Sunday in Juuban. There's just enough sun and cloud that occasionally odd shadows wash over the streets, but never interfere with the warm disposition of the day.

Families are pulling in and out of the gas station portion of FaM-Mart, getting ready in rented or owned vehicles to take a day away from the city to enjoy the weather, meaning the attached shop is a constant ringing of the entrance bell as adults and kids come and go with bags for the trip.

Days like these are loose ends for some people, especially students at Radiant Heart. No classes. No clubs. The dance is already done... Which leads to scenes like this.

For one such student... he has decided to use one of the wood tables to relax in the slight shade of the picnic shelter, with a bag full of food and supplies sitting next to him, save for the cooling delight of vended Cup Noodle, and a pair of umeboshi onigiri resting close by, their brother just getting chomped down with some gusto.

The phone he left on the table buzzes from a message, but he ignores it.

Wako Agemaki has posed:
Speaking of students at loose ends...

The bell jingles again, announcing the door opening yet again as Wako steps out into the summer air with her own shopping bag. Humming lightly to herself, she glances this way and that, as though making up her mind where to go next--

--only to let out a yelp of dismay. "Vice President, no!"

She all but dives past where Koji is sitting, barely managing not to drop her bag in her haste to scoop up the small yellow fox that has begun creeping stealthily closer to Koji's onigiri. "That's not yours!"

Mie Kitamura has posed:
    Frankly, Mie doesn't know what to do with herself on days like these. Hanging out in the castle in the Bad End Kingdom with Wolfrun and Akaoni just leaves a bad taste in her mouth on good days. Plus there's always the chance she'd run into Joker. *shudder*

    So off to Earth she goes, to pretend to be human. The problem is, as she discovered, that the apartment she had rented just in case she absconds with a magical girl has no food in the fridge.

    Thus here. The wide variety of choices has her looking a little lost, and has caused her to mumble to herself for the past ten minutes. "Natto? What even //is// this?" She has the small carton in her hands as she turns it over and over as she tries to sus out some kind of clue to its contents.

Koji Silvia has posed:
Reaching up, Koji has to tug out one of his earbuds, and then slip his free hand into his pocket to dig out their case as a girl approaches. Licking his fingers clean as he watches her scoop up... a FOX... that he hadn't noticed, the other one is tugged out and put away.

Standing up in the presence of Wako, the young man in street clothes says in a pleasant tone, "Oh hello there. What an adorable little friend you have. Does he want a snack?"

Kneeling down to be on the level of Vice President he adds, "If your friend will let me, I can get you a little chicken snack from inside. But you have to behave yourself."

Unlike most, he doesn't immediately try and pet the fox, and moves slow, keeping his tone level.

Wako Agemaki has posed:
"I'm sorry--" Wako's still a bit flustered, and the fox wriggling like an antsy toddler in the crook of her arm isn't helping matters. When Koji kneels down and addresses him directly, Vice President slips free and leaps from Wako's arm onto his shoulders, doing a quick scamper around behind the back of his neck like an animate and very curious stole.

Wako's face turns pink. "I'm really sorry!" she says again, this time accompanied by an apologetic bow. "He's supposed to know better than to steal, but I guess he's not really used to being someplace where people don't already know him."

As she straightens, she fixes VP-on-Koji's-shoulder with a put-upon look. "Stay here and I'll get you some karaage, okay? Honestly."

She's already hustling back inside, bag still in hand, before Koji gets much chance to voice an opinion on being left in custody of a small furry animal. The bell jingles again, and Wako re-enters the convenience store with enough energy that she nearly runs straight into Mie.

Mie Kitamura has posed:
    With a shrug, Mie tosses the natto into the basket. There's only one way to find out what it is, and she is bold enough to try it. Now... off to the next thing.

    That's when Wako nearly runs into her. "Excuse me!" Mie says imperiously, like a queen looking down at a commoner. "Look at where you are going. You nearly made me drop this..." She looks at what she has in her hands. "Seaweed onigiri."

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Nobody calls it Dar-dar, but there's no question that Darien Shields has some kind of radar (or maybe sonar) that keeps him from walking into people or lampposts or streetsigns on the busy sidewalk...

...while reading a book. Which is absolutely what he's doing, in his own little world, until he sees an extremely quick and bright little yellow thing moving in the corner of his eye and pauses on the inside edge of the sidewalk to look. And it's a fox on Koji.

Darien folds his book shut with a snap, adjusts his glasses, and pivots right there to come over and investigate. "Koji-kun! Who is this?" he asks delightedly.

Koji Silvia has posed:
Rather belatedly, Koji looks up at the prim little Mr. Vice President standing on his shoulder, tail wrapped around his neck, and has to ask the fox, "So... is she always like this?"

He does not reach to scratch or rub, as he does not know if the small creature will nip him, but with a slight grin he looks back and forth and then reaches for the spare chopsticks in his bag. fishing a single noodle out from his half-warm Cup Noodle, and holds it up high for the little fox.

If you've never seen a canid eat pasta, it is an amusing sight. Tilting his head sideways, Vice President peels his muzzle back a little bit, leans in and begins to catch and chew the edges with a rapid-fire ang-ang-ang-ang-ang. One the chopsticks get close, he releases the rest of it, and sets them down on top of the Cup, one eye closing as the noodle is accidentally smacked to his cheek before finally being nomf'd up like a snake!

Looking up from his little sneak, Koji replies to Darien with, "Oh, well... I actually don't know. But he's very curious and his owner is in the Konbini. She said to stay here while she got karaage. I'm just not sure for who..."

Wako Agemaki has posed:
If the fox has any wisdom to offer in response to Koji's question, the offer of the noodle thoroughly distracts him from sharing it.

As for Wako, she catches herself up short and ducks her head a little at Mie's scolding. "You're right," she says, holding in a sigh. "I apologize. I'll buy that onigiri for you, if you want. I just needed to grab something that I forgot about."

Mie Kitamura has posed:
     Mie looks down on Wako (regardless of their height difference might be) for a second or two before nodding. "This is acceptable." She hands the onigiri to the girl, looks at the shelf of foods, and decides to get one of those bento boxes that has a random assortment foods in it.

    She also grabs a bottle of green tea and turns to go to the counter. "This way," she commands and turns, just kind of assuming that Wako will follow her.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"Are you and your new friend and its owner busy, or can I shirk some responsibilities in your general presence?" asks Darien, leaning in a little to admire the fox, but continuing to give Koji and fox space. "I wish I could just shrug on a disguise and be someone else for a while," he laughs sheepishly, sticking his book in the back pocket of his jeans.

Wako Agemaki has posed:
Wako is not quite right behind Mie - after accepting the package of onigiri that's handed to her, she lingers long enough to select one of karaage before she follows the other girl to the counter to check out. The cashier gets a slightly rueful look: yes, I am back already, despite having just bought a whole bag of snacks.

Onigiri and karaage are duly bought and paid for, and Wako waits off to the side for Mie to check out with the rest of her basket before offering the onigiri back to her. "I left someone waiting outside," she explains, "but if you want, you're welcome to join us?"

Once he's finished nomming down the noodle, Vice President turns his bead-black stare towards Darien. Despite his utter lack of boundaries where Koji seems to be concerned, he shows no inclination to investigate the tall guy from any closer up.

Koji Silvia has posed:
Keeping himself perfectly balanced, Koji reaches down and closes the container with his two remaining Umeboshi, and then slips them into his backpack and away from the little fox's waiting nose and teeth.

For Darien, he grins, and reaches into his bag stuffed with goodies from the konbini with his offhand, "Oh I am sure that if I was to be asked where my roommate is, I would have to tell people I don't know. I am just sitting at this table with people I don't know..."

He puts out a chocolate taiyaki and a can of iced milk coffee on the far side of him at the table, and then sits down, picking up the spare chopsticks so he can dip them into his Cup Noodle, bring it up, and let the fox at the lickable treat or chicken stock, salt, and a little sweet.

Mie Kitamura has posed:
    There's a bit of hesitation at Wako's offer, as there's a part of her that doesn't want to do anything with these lowly humans, versus the other part that tells her she needs to 'fit in.' "Very well," she decides stiffly, taking the onigiri and follows Wako out to the tables.

    She stops short when she sees Vice President. "A fox," she observes, her eyes narrowing. "How... delightful." She slides onto the bench of the picnic table on the opposite corner of where Koji is, never taking her eyes off the fox.

    "Your fox," she tells Koji, a little bit of an inhuman growl at the edge of her voice. "Must be kept away from me, or I shall be tempted to eat it." Is she... joking? It's hard to tell.

Naru Osaka has posed:
The market hasn't quite got all of the students from Radiant Heart yet, but it is getting one mmore. Naru isn't coming from the direction of the school, but clearly she was off doing something else on her Sunday. Whatever it was, it is time for a snack, or possibly time to refill the emergency stash that feeds mostly Usagi, but a surprising number of other hangry students too.

Naru was not expecting to recognize a pack of people outside the market and she smiles brightly, lifting her hand in a wave to those she knows. "Goodness, there's a party going on." She blinks a moment spotting the fox. "And Koji seems to have found a new friend." She includes Mie in that wave and smile, she doesn't know the imperious young woman yet, but that doesn't seem to give her too much pause.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
The delight resurges at the goodies Koji puts in front of him, and Darien neatly slides into the seat right there. He's in the middle of cracking the can open and grinning back at Koji -- and giving VP space, if a little curiously now -- when Wako and Mie come out. "I'm certain," Darien says to Mie in a mild tone, "you can keep yourself from eating someone's pet fox."

Then Naru comes up, and Darien moves himself and his taiyaki and coffee down a spot to make even more room at the table. "Osaka-san! Nice to see you."

Koji Silvia has posed:
Finally, Koji reaches to touch his new little companion, resting the chopsticks on the table. He reaches to slowly try and pick him up and off his shoulder. Should Mr. Vice President allow for this dishonor to his smol but august personage without too much wiggle or nip, he will attempt to put him down on the table in front of where Wako would be, "Actually Miss. This little one isn't mine. I was just keeping him company until his person came back."

Giving an apologetic smile to Wako he says, "I promise you that all he got was a little broth and a noodle. But I couldn't help myself. He was being very well-behaved. I'm Koji Silvia, 10th Year at Radiant Heart."

Letting the introduction go for both the newcomers, he bows his head politely, and then smiles to Naru, "It's a big table, you can sit next to Darien if you like." Noting over to the spot that would put Naru between Darien and Mie, he finishes, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Wako Agemaki has posed:
Vice President gives the chopstick an experimental nom, but finding it unpalatable, he settles for licking the flavor off it - at least until Mie approaches the table. The he freezes, wide-eyed, still in blep mode as Koji de-shoulders him and sets him down on the tabletop.

"Sorry, that took a little..." Wako begins as she returns to the table. She doesn't quite make it all the way through the sentence, however, instead trailing off into a mild double take at the new arrivals and Mie's unexpected warning. "--yes, please don't eat him."

She slides into the seat that Koji has claimed for her via Vice President, who quickly shakes off his paralysis and scoots to whichever side of her puts her between himself and Mie. "It's fine!" she assures Koji. "Wako Agemaki, 10th year. And this is Vice President," she adds, nodding to the fox as she sets about opening up the karaage. "Hi, Naru-chan! It's nice to see you again."

Mie Kitamura has posed:
    "And I am Mie Kitamura, 8th Year at Radiant Heart." Mie says in return. She sets her bag off food on the table and digs out the natto and a pair of chopsticks. "Vice President of what?" she asks, still giving the fox a wary eye.

    She opens up the natto carton and peers at it's contents. Hunh. Beans. She breaks her chopsticks apart and swirls the contents, watching in fascination at the long stringy bits. Finally she pulls out some of the beans, the stringy bits stretching along. "What //is// this?" she mumbles to herself, as she keeps on stretching to try to get the stringy bits to break. It takes pulling it at about eye level before it breaks, and she kind of eyes it suspiciously. "How do you even eat this?" She awkwardly tilts her head up and lowers the natto, stringy side first until she pops the beans into her mouth. She chews thoughtfully before deciding. "I do not like this."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Oooh.. that's natto." Naru explains as she spots Mie trying the delicacy. "If you're not used to it.. it's a bit of an acquired taste. Not many who didn't grow up with it care for it." She nods at the attempt. "You're going alright at the eating, but it's weird and sort of awkward to eat. It's not my favourite either." She smiles easily. "I'm Naru Osaka, 9th year."

She waggles her fingers at Vice President, a little greeting just for him. "Vice President is adorable." She notes to Wako with a smile and then looks between Darien and Koji. Her smiles turns a little rueful. "Have you forgiven us all, Darien? Still talking to Koji?"

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"I don't know if I've met anyone who does like it," muses Darien, and then he blinks and shakes his head. "Sorry," he tells Wako and Mie. "Darien Shields, also tenth year, also RHA." He takes a sip from his canned latte as he listens-- basks, actually, in the relative normality-- and then gets a crooked smile of his own when Naru turns her rue on him and his roommate. "Yes and yes." He leaves that as-is. "Did Usagi-chan tell you she finished her algebra? She got them all right, too."

Koji Silvia has posed:
The round of introductions allows Koji to pick up his mostly done cupped Noodle, and his non-foxlicked utensils so that he can get himself a nice mouthful of chicken ramen. A few slurps later, he digs into his bag for a lemonade that he cracks and downs a bit of.

There's a sigh from him and then he smiles, "She did? That's great."

There looks to be more he wants to say, but he then stops himself and just moves on, "So where are you from, Miss Mie? If you're not from Japan, some of the food can be a little... intimidating. If you would like something a little more taste friendly, I can go get a few things to try? My father is American, and despite his absolute LOVE of our cuisine, he still likes to do what he calls 'cheats'."

As if sensing an intent, he slides what is mostly salty-sweet chicken broth and some carrot shaving in the bottom of the cup, and murmurs to Wako, "He can have the rest if he wants it."

Wako Agemaki has posed:
"Of my old school's drama club," Wako answers Mie, and flashes a quick little grin. "At least, that's what the club president decided." She snaps apart a pair of disposable chopsticks and picks up a piece of karaage to offer the fox, who accepts it with enough delicacy to avoid brushing so much as a whisker against the wood.

Once he's occupied, she tucks into the fried chicken herself, tennis-matching with some interest as the conversation passes from Naru to Darien to Koji. When Koji offers the cup for VP, she smiles and shakes her head. "That's okay. We probably shouldn't encourage him to go after other people's food. Thank you, though!"

Mie Kitamura has posed:
    "I am from... France," Mie decides. With a name like 'Mie Kitamura' she could be from //anywhere// you know? She eyes Darien and Naru suspiciously as they all come to crowd around the picnic table.

    "Perhaps next time," she tells Koji, getting up. "I have prior engagements to keep." She collects her bag, stuffing the pair of chopsticks into it and picks up the natto, tossing it away as she leaves. "Goodbye."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Take care, Mie." Naru sends farewells after the 'French' girl as she leaves and sets her satchel on the bench for the moment.

"I did hear!" Naru beams at Darien. "You're a miracle worker, and I am eternally grateful to you. Thank you." The thanks sound sincere, as if Darien had helped Naru actually pass a math assignment, but helping Usagi pass is clearly close enough.

"He's adorable, Wako." Naru doesn't crowd around the fox while he's eating, but she does look at him fondly. "Does he stay in the dorms with you? I have to admit, I was very surprised at how permissive the pet rules were in the dorms." She has no idea. No idea.

"I'd like to grab my own snacks, are you willing to watch my bag while I do?" Naru asks of the group as a whole, retrieving out her wallet from the heavier bag.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"You are a thousand percent welcome," laughs Darien, picking up his taiyaki from Koji, "now I just have to convince her to do it again." He nods to Mie as she leaves, his face a little bemused-- and then he shakes his head and takes a bite of the pastry. Chocolate *_* is the best, and Koji is the best, and Darien's face says so.

"Of course we'll watch it," he nods firmly to Naru.

Attention turning to Wako, Darien asks with interest, "Are you joining the drama club here too? I don't get to do the fun ones, I have an internship I go to after school, but I always thought drama might be fun. You know, or chess. Or track. Or~" He waves a hand and laughs, indicating 'any number of others'.

Koji Silvia has posed:
Reaching over, Koji hooks the purse and pulls it over to the slowly growing pile of bags between the other three, and flops it so that it sits at a bad angle for someone to grab it and run, "Safe and sound. See you in a bit, Naru-chan."

Going back into his bag, he pulls out his Umeboshi, reopening it and settling one in his mouth as he picks up his cup ramen and takes it with his empty lemonade to the bins to drop into their appropriate spots. Coming back over to the group, he settles back in, finally taking a bite and gripping the rest in his free hand, he picks up the conversation once more, "Meantime I took up two clubs to pick up the slack. Law of averages. I've been in Gymnastic since I was in elementary, and decided to get into Computer Club since I got moved to this school last year."

There's a pause for another bite, exposing the salty pickled plum slices hidden within, "You should check out the Animal Care Club. They have a LOT of school pets that show up, as well as strays and shelter pets who need a little exercise and fun. They'd love little Mister Vice President there."

Wako Agemaki has posed:
"Well," Wako admits, "he kind of goes where he wants, a lot of the time. But yeah, he stays with me in the dorms. I was worried at first, but the guidance counselor seemed to think it was no big deal. I just wish he wouldn't run off on his own - it's not like the island, here."

She nods easy confirmation to Naru's request to watch her bag. "No problem! Between the three of us, it won't go anywhere, so take your time." As Naru heads off, Wako looks back to the boys. "I've already signed up for the drama club here," she confirms. "I kind of want to look into the music clubs, too... I hadn't heard about the Animal Care Club, though." She takes a moment to nibble on a piece of karaage, then laughs. "I think I might end up with more things to do than there are afternoons to do it in."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"I don't need much. I won't be long." Naru adds her couple of yen into the club conversation before she nips into the market. "Art club is pretty awesome. Debate club looks good on one's resume. Or so my mother assures me."

She nods to Wako and then laughs softly. "Well, now all of us can keep an eye out for him when he's out and about? If he'll let us be safe people if he has trouble. He is pretty devoted to you." She leaves it here, and nips into the market. She has a List and a Plan. It won't take her long to pick up what she's there for.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"I'm not slacking!" protests Darien with a mouth full of taiyaki, back of his hand in front of his face to hide his rudeness. "And besides, I've chopped out one afternoon a week to take the self-defense class with Counselor Inai. It never hurts to be prepared, right?" He chews and swallows hastily, then drinks some more iced latte, waving a hand. "The too many clubs, not enough time problem is real. There should be less school so there's time for more clubs."

He glances sidelong at Koji as if seeing what he can get away with.

Koji Silvia has posed:
Chewing down the rice ball, just like before, Koji licks his fingers clean and then murmurs back, "You know... I have never actually met Miss Inai-sama."

There MAY be a hint of smug in his tone, like someone who has evaded a dreaded foe to their consternation. But he shrugs, and then says over to Wako, "You said you were from an island? You aren't talking about any of the southern chain here or the northern islands where th-..."

Stopping himself from bringing up one of those Things We Don't Talk About, the young man picks up his final treat and just before he bites, he stick his tongue out just a little at Darien.

Wako Agemaki has posed:
Wako's brows lift a little when Darien mentions Inai-san's classes. "Oh, that's right... I signed up for those, too. I should probably stick with that and Drama Club for now, at least until I figure out how much time I'll actually have for things."

Vice President has finished nomming down the piece of karaage that Wako gave him, and now pops up to put his front paws on the edge of the table and have a look at what other interesting things might be on it to investigate.

Koji's aborted question gets a curious tilt of Wako's head; it's clear she doesn't quite follow what he'd intended to ask. "I'm from Southern Cross Island," she offers. "It's pretty far south... obviously," she tacks on with a laugh, "and it's not very big. I was impressed Naru-chan had heard of it."

Naru Osaka has posed:
There's a list of things Naru is here for, and she literally has a List. It truly does not take her long to collect up what she needs, and a few things that she wants, and a coffee drink. There's a stash of snacks that lives in their dorm room, that (so far) Usagi hasn't found, so that Naru can conjure out treats and snacks as needed. Snacks as needed is an important supply for their room.

There's mercifully no line up at the cash and it's not so very long before Naru is emerging with her bag of this that and the other. And a nice icy cold coffee drink. Which clearly passes for 'snack' in Naru's world.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
Darien sticks his tongue out right back, and pulls down an eyelid to boot. They are very mature tenth graders.

A second later and he's pretending it never happened, taiyaki in mouth and eyes on Vice President again. He looks-- a little wistful, maybe, but honestly Koji probably smells like inaruzushi or something.

He nods! to Wako. "I'm actually looking forward to it. The class, I mean. Inai-sensei and I are at somewhat entertaining odds. She probably just thinks I'm a pain in the butt, and she definitely makes me mad, but it's funny, if that makes any sense?"

He takes out his phone with his pastry-free hand and thumbs around on it to find Southern Cross Island.

Koji Silvia has posed:
Moving, Koji seems to decide his spot is not where he wants to be, and shifts his position to sit ON the benchtop, leaning into it and planting his footwear on the bench-portion, "Maybe I'll come watch... but then senpai might notice me."

Looking up at the sky for a moment, he then rolls his head to look over at Wako and then Darien in an almost cat-like manner, followed by raising and wiggling his fingers at Vice President, "Believe it or not, my mother knows a lot about self-defense. She's a pretty woman working in an office setting. There's a lot of handsy and stupid men where she works."

To demonstrate he takes up his phone from off the table and flicks through his photos until he can show Wako a picture that Darien has seen many times. She's got model good looks, her hair is blonde with this faint pinkish hue to it, and she's smiling and waving from right next to the Hachi statue in a tan suitskirt and sensible heels. But it also demonstrates where the boy gets his looks from, "She started teaching me on the weekends about six months ago. It's one of those reasons you won't usually see me around for a chunk of the weekend."

Wako Agemaki has posed:
The byplay between Koji and Darien has Wako bringing a hand up to her mouth to smother a giggle. Very mature tenth graders here at this table, for sure.

"I'm looking forward to it, too," she tells Darien, raising that hand to wave at Naru as she makes her way back over. "Honestly, it's something I probably should have looked into a long time ago."

Vice President, seeing no especially tempting goodies in easy reach on the table, scampers his way up onto Wako's shoulder and settles there, watching Darien watch him while Wako leans to look at the picture Koji's showing her. "Oh," she says approvingly, "your mom really is pretty. It's great that she can teach you self-defense techniques... you're very lucky."

Naru Osaka has posed:
"What are we looking forward to?" Naru asks as she leans in to look at the phone photo being offered to Wako. Immaterial of the fact that it's not being offered to her. "Is that you Mum? Well fitted suit." She notes on the tailored outfit.

Her shopping bag gets added to her school bag, and she decides to stand and open up her coffee drink. She takes a sip and there's a contented little sigh. "Oh, she teaches self defense? That's really cool."

Naru tries to get caught up on the conversaton in but a moment, only slightly winning.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"Oh, senpai's gonna notice you," says Darien to Koji, pocketing his phone now that he knows some more geography. He flashes Wako a grin at her stifled laugh, and then he finishes off his coffee can. "Yeah his mom is awesome." He glances up at Naru as she's coming back and looks rueful. "We were briefly talking about the self-defense classes Inai-san is going to be teaching. I'm definitely looking forward to them, you should go too. Agemaki-san here is going! You should definitely also drag Usagi-chan... we should all go!"

Koji Silvia has posed:
Slipping his phone back away, Koji leans back with a frown, "Oh sure... and I suppose if I go you'll make me get up there so she can put me on the mat, right?"

There's a slightly rueful tone in his voice a she looks at Wako and Naru, "See, this is what he does. He psychs himself up to do a thing, and then suddenly he decides that misery loves company."

With a sigh, the long-haired young man looks down into his bag, "You think Mister Vice President will let me hold him while it's your turn? I mean... if you'd trust me with him that is. I understand they choose a lot on their own, but I don't want to presume, Agemaki-chan."

Wako Agemaki has posed:
Wako is quick to seize on Darien's suggestion to Naru, nodding enthusiastically. "That's a great idea, actually. You should definitely come to Inai-sensei's self-defense classes, Naru-chan. Maybe that way I could finally meet the famous Usagi-san, too."

She has to smother another giggle at the ribbing Koji sends Darien's way. "I don't think I can really criticize Shields-kun for that, though..." She reaches to absently scritch Vice President behind the ears, smile turning lopsided. "I mean," she hedges, "he really just does what he wants most of the time, but he seemed to take to you pretty quickly earlier. And that was before you fed him. Honestly, I'd be happy if he stuck around people I know, like you guys, if he's not going to stay with me. Like Naru-chan was saying earlier, you know?"

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Self defense class sounds like another thing that will be better one one's resume than actually /fun/." Naru points out. "But it does sound useful. I'll see if Usagi wants to come along, I expect she will." Naru quirks her head thoughfully and then nods. "Especially if everyone else is going." Her little laugh is self deprecating. "I'm such a weakling though. It'll be a slog. I promise to make everyone else look great."

Naru giggles softly at Wako's coments about her fox companion.. "The Vice President supervision collective." She grins at the very idea. Another sip from her coffee drink.

Mamoru Chiba has posed:
"You always come along," Darien tells Koji genially, reaching over and very lightly pushing the other boy in the arm. "You can't hate it that much."

Then he's unfolding himself carefully from the picnic table bench, and he smiles lopsidedly at Wako. "Darien is fine. There's another name someone else calls me sometimes that works better, but I can't remember what it is."

That one might be new on Koji, too.

Taking his book out of his back pocket again, Darien straightens his shirt and brushes himself off like pollen's a problem or something, and he gives Naru a fond smile. "You're not a weakling. I think you'll surprise yourself, if that's how you feel. At any rate--"

Darien lifts a hand. "See you all soon, I'm sure. I have to get to work." And he slopes off down the sidewalk.

Koji Silvia has posed:
Koji frowns with some humor, "Tell the lady in accounting that keeps hitting on you we all said hi!"

Pushing off the table himself, he zips up his pack and pushes Naru's purse towards her, "I wanna go grab some stuff I forgot, and then head back to school and hide my stash. You two want to walk back with me to the school grounds?"

The plastic konbini bag comes up in his hands, and for a moment, a few cans of cat food can be seen in it.

Wako Agemaki has posed:
"I'm no athlete myself," Wako assures Naru. "We'll probably be in pretty close to the same boat, starting off. That's just another reason to do it, right?"

The karaage is almost gone. Wako splits the last piece in half with her chopsticks, eating half herself and passing the rest to Vice President to snarf down. "Darien, then. Take care!" Tucking the chopsticks into the empty carton to throw out, she nods agreeably to Koji and begins gathering up her bag. "Sounds good to me," she says. "I told Naru-chan this last time, but I'm still learning my way around, so..." Hopping to her feet, she moves to drop the trash into a nearby bin. "You can keep me from getting lost!"

Naru Osaka has posed:
"Thank you." Naru retrieves her satchel from Koji's care, waving after Darien as he takes his leave. She qrches her brow at Koji's comment about accounting, tucking THAT bit of trivia away in the back of her mind. She loops the satchel across her, carrying her snack bag in her hand.

"It is reason to do it." She agrees with Wako with a nod. "I'd be glad of company wandering back to school." She laughs and gestures with her drink at Wako. "You haven't texted me lost yet, clearly you're doing well!"