The old yankee time [open]

[Tsukimori Ryosuke]

ooc: They're not crap at all! And I like the weirdness! XD Gives me something to respond to! Your second paragraph made me laugh out loud! XDDD

Wataru just stared at Ryosuke's hand, so the blonde Yankee--already fairly certain he knew what the redhead's answer would be--started doing wild things with his own, like waving it through the air and making shadow puppets, garbage like that. Finally, Wataru gave the usual.

Ryosuke stopped in everything to watch as the other Yankee got to his feet, looking almost as unsteady as though he'd just been through the worst imaginable battle, though he was smiling. "We're not done yet."

Ryosuke rolled his eyes. "I figured. Hence my shadow puppets." He turned his hand into what he thought best looked like a rabbit and lay back on the ground, making his makeshift rabbit hop around the air. He found that when he paid little to no attention to Wataru at times like this, the other Yankee usually did something drastic, but funny.

:Hmmm.. what would you do if I punched you in the face and got you a nice bruise?"

Ryosuke feigned nonchalance. "Punch you back and end our friendship?" Wataru knew him best--his face was pretty important to him. He'd always kind of prided himself in it, because it was--without a doubt--one of his best features. He knew Wataru would only really hit him if he was very upset or if Ryosuke was really deserving of it, and since neither seemed to be true in this case, he was sure he was safe. Except for maybe the bunny. Wataru might find his air bunny annoying.

All of a sudden, as if his thoughts had been audible, Wataru moved to Ryosuke's side and knelt down. The blonde Yankee quit in his shadow puppet games just to stare at the other, not entirely sure what was coming now. Then Wataru's hands came forward at his face, and suddenly, his cheeks were gripped in the same kind of vice he imagined old women gave to their "cute little grandsons."

"Would all your girls dump you and come to me instead? AHAHAH. I'd love to see that!... But man, you should get serious about love. One girl should be enough you know."

Somehow Ryosuke managed to remain as nonchalant as he'd been pretending to be earlier on, and he just sort of lay there, with his face stuck between Wataru's hands. He didn't particularly like that he was probably accruing all manner of dirt and grime on his face with those hands there, considering Wataru had been touching dirty old iron pipes and the floor and whatnot, but he kept his cool.

Until Wataru seemed to get lost in thought. And it had to be a serious one again, because is face adopted a true look of abandon, as though he'd really gotten lost somewhere in his head.

Not wanting to stay in that position much longer, Ryosuke grumbled and began to fidget, finally sitting up to reach out and push his friend back. "I'm glad my face is pretty enough that you wanna touch it, Wataru, but don't make me your human stress ball....you'd started to squeeze pretty hard there. Jeez!"

"Oh whoops. Gomen ne?"

Ryosuke rubbed the places Wataru's hands had been, then waved a hand at his friend. "Whatever. Anyway, what were you thinking about all of a sudden? I thought I lost you..."

[Azuma Wataru]

OOC: omg, i'd love to see shohei play shadow puppets >< must be so cute!

"I figured. Hence my shadow puppets." Ryosuke really was like a child. Sometimes, Wataru wondered if he was like an older brother to him, an aniki, as Nippori would always say. But other times, Ryosuke was usually the one acting more mature and giving him advice.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ryosuke called out "I'm glad my face is pretty enough that you wanna touch it, Wataru, but don't make me your human stress ball....you'd started to squeeze pretty hard there. Jeez!"

"Oh whoops, gomen ne?" Ryosuke's jokes were never ending, even when his cheeks were held hostage by Wataru. His cheeks turned reddish pink and it was kind of cute. It made him look like a child even more and this made Wataru want to laugh. But he stopped as soon as he remembered it was him that caused the cheek's conditions.

It was getting late and Wataru knew this because he caught a glance of the broken windows at the side of the warehouse. The sky was beginning to darken.

What was Wataru thinking of? Mari-chan. But he didnt want to admit this. It was kind of embarrasing.. After all, he was the head of the yankee group. Somehow, he thought it made him seem like a weakling and not manly, his weakness being mari chan and the tumbling team. Unlike Ryosuke, who was definitely a player... did he seem more cool?

He always plays it cool. Wataru always shows his emotions and feelings so directly, it was a bad thing. He was too straightforward and everyone could read him like a blank sheet of A4 paper.

"I was just thinking of..."

Then curiously, he wanted to get something out of Ryosuke that he had always wanted to know.

"Ne.. have you ever been dumped by a girl you really liked? It seems like you always play it cool.." Wataru thought that maybe Ryosuke experienced some unpleasant memories that made him like a player..

But he wasnt going to know unless if the other yankee spoke out.

[Tsukimori Ryosuke]

OOC: gok, hahaha, I practically had a fan-spasm attack because you mentioned that!!! XD I wanna see that so bad!!!! Your post is so cute too!

Ryosuke sat up with his face now free of Wataru's grasp and sighed. The other wasn't responding right away. In fact, once again he seemed lost in his own thoughts. Ryosuke felt a small sense of sadness, realizing that even their fooling around seemed to have been unable to take the other's mind off his troubles.

"I was just thinking of..."

Ryosuke leaned in, waiting. ".....Yeah?"

"Ne.. have you ever been dumped by a girl you really liked?"

The blonde Yankee furrowed his brow. It seemed odd for Wataru to have been so deep in thought about his--Ryosuke's--relationships and not his own. For some reason, he didn't think he was going to really get an answer to his question, though he imagined he could take an intelligent guess about it now, judging by what he was being asked.

"It seems like you always play it cool..."

Ryosuke would have laughed, if he weren't so mind-blown. He ran a hand through his hair and finally hoisted himself back to his feet, smirking. "Come on....you can't ask a guy like me that kind of question!"

He hesitated. "All right, all right, I'll tell you. Yeah. Yeah I've been dumped before, and I've been rejected too. You know Aoi-chan? She seems to get a kick out of rejecting every offer I've ever given her, even the serious ones." He shrugged. "It's a part of life, right? I don't expect to get every girl I meet....." He paused, then winked. "Even if I should!"

"And the cool facade," he added in, slightly more serious now. "It's really just that, a facade. Or it was, at first. I know a lot of people think I just wanna go through girl after girl, not giving a damn about how they feel or anything like that. But they're wrong. I do care, even if I don't show it. And I have a lot of respect for girls, even if I don't seem like the type, I guess....It just made me realize, every time I got rejected, that there had to be a reason for it and I have no right to hate the girl or be resentful or anything. So I guess that just comes off as cool now. Me not minding." He laughed slightly. "Yeah, as I spill you my life story..........."

Ryosuke looked away for a moment, pondering how it was true that everyone saw him as a heartless playboy, going through girls like candy, when in reality, he had the heart of a chivalrous guy, he really did. Even if it didn't seem that way.

"You're thinking about Mari-chan, aren't you?"

[Nippori Keiji]

Nippori wasn’t all that sure what exactly it was that had brought him to the warehouses, but he had just finished his shift having started in the mid-afternoon and finishing in the evening, and the warehouses hadn’t been all that far away from his workplace. Though, after being cooped up for hours, he fancied a walk to get some fresh air, so he had just been following his feet.

Glancing around at the empty warehouses, a lot of memories came back to him from over the past year and a bit. He’d always been a tough kid since his mother died, and even before that. How could he not be, with the way things had been? Despite being slightly insecure, he was resilient and kept striding forward, though mainly for his little sister and little brothers. For their sake, he had kept going - him and his father both had to.

He considered himself so very lucky when he had met Aniki in his first year at Karasumori. He couldn’t have asked for a better friend - no…he was more like a brother than anything else. Ryosuke too… He couldn’t have found better friends, he was sure. And now he had the tumbling team too in addition to his two best friends.

At first it hadn’t meant very much, but now the tumbling team meant a lot to him. It was the first time he had worked with others other than in fights; the change had felt good. And now, thanks to the team, he felt like he was a better person - same with the other yankees on the team. He felt like everyone had changed for the better. He was happy though, that he had more friends besides Aniki and Ryosuke; people that had helped him, and he was entirely grateful for all they had done.

A noise caught his attention, and he looked around to see if he could tell where it was coming from. Thanks to the warehouses being so large and abandoned, and mostly empty, the noise echoed a little around the empty space and around the other warehouses, making it harder to decipher where the noise was coming from.

Blinking, Nippori’s dark brown eyes darted around, wondering what it was. It could have been anything from a stray animal to a gang of Yankees for all he knew. And he really hoped it wasn’t the latter. He had fought a few times before on his own, sure, but that didn’t mean that he liked doing it. He was always more anxious without someone else around.

He stopped his steps for a moment, his teeth worrying over his bottom lip slightly as he hesitated. Should he just stop and go back home? Almost the instant that thought crossed his mind, he frowned and shoved his hands in his pockets, starting to walk again in a more determined manner. He wasn’t about to be spooked into leaving, he was tougher than that.

His feet crunching lightly on the gravel, Nippori continued to look around and listen as he walked, to try and decipher the noise. He seemed to be getting closer, and it sounded a little bit like voices. No, it was voices. Finally, he located what warehouse it was coming from and, his curiosity getting the better of him, he walked over to the warehouse entrance.

He stopped when he spotted who it was that had been making the noise, a smile upturning his lips. “Aniki. Ryosuke-san,” he said, a little relieved it was them and not some other rival gang or something. “What are you doing out here?” he asked, stepping a little further into the warehouse, realising that his question could be aimed right back at him also.



((ooc - omg, what is this pile of crap I have given you two?! I apologise! >__<))

[Azuma Wataru]

OOC: your post was not a pile of crap at all! Don't worry, you write way better than me!

Seeing Ryosuke in this position made Wataru remember the times where he would always flaunt the countless amount of girlfriends he had infront of the team, how it seemed like everyday, he would go out with a different girl. But this also made him realise how much Ryosuke could hide within himself. He might be hiding other things that he didnt want anyone else to worry over. It would be deep down under his cool facade, out of anyone's reach, including Wataru's. This was not a good feeling. Wataru hated it when he was helpless and can't do anything even if his friends are in trouble or feeling down.

Wataru wasn't completely surprised that Ryosuke was putting up an act sometimes. He's a great guy who tries to act tough at times but he wasnt insensitive towards others and cared what others experienced too. A great friend. Sometimes an idiot too.

Hearing what Ryosuke said almost made Wataru sad seeing how it was all a facade in acting like a super major player playboy. He must have been hurt deeply and badly when he hed been dumped. Rejection was a terrible thing and it's also scary. Sometimes, not knowing what the other person thought or feels might be better than being straight right rejected. There would still be a chance of hope left. Just like with Wataru and Mari.
Sure, Wataru wanted to confess to her, but it was like she wasn't very interested in him. She just regarded him as a friend, also a classmate.

To be 100% honest, Wataru is just too scared. He doesnt have any experience in these things compared to Ryosuke.

"You're thinking about Mari-chan, aren't you?"

Ryosuke already knew the answer but he seemed to love getting it directly out of Wataru. Maybe he just loved to tease the redhead yankee a little too much.

Laughingly, Wataru answered "Yes yes Mr 'I'm so cool'. Am I THAT easy to figure out?" Wataru thought that he was pretty opaque and unpredictable. As usual, he thought too highly of himself.

Then, the slightest noise alarmed Wataru's ears. Spinning his head around, he recognised immediately the figure that waddled towards the pair of yankees.

“Aniki. Ryosuke-san,” he said, a little relieved it was them and not some other rival gang or something. “What are you doing out here?”

His presence was undoubtedly surprising because usually, the black haired yankee would be preoccupied with either work or more work outside of school and practise, in order to sustain his family.

"Oi, Nippori. What are YOU doing here when it's already late?" Wataru asked back, stressing on the 'you'. He honestly felt that Nippori was his little younger brother and had the responsibilty of looking after him, regardless of being nosy.
Others saw Wataru as the mother duck.

"I was just going for a walk when for some reason, ended up in here." Wataru grinned one of his cheeky grins and continued "Do you remember this place?" It was a rhetorical question but he asked it anyways.

"Not really a good place that brings back any good memories ne? ...But it was kinda fun wasnt it?"

[Tsukimori Ryosuke]

ooc: I love this post so much! Finally these three are togetherrrr And I see no crap piles or any such nonsense! ('cept for maybe mine)

"Yes yes Mr 'I'm so cool'. Am I THAT easy to figure out?"

Ryosuke had to smirk at Wataru's response, and all things considered, the redhead was taking it all very well. Though, Wataru was a bit like the symbol of hope for change, to the Yankees at least. Ryosuke wondered if he himself would have changed at all if Wataru hadn't joined the Tumbling team and convinced him to do the same, or helped him realize his wrongs, everything...

The blonde Yankee merely shrugged in response to Wataru, that sly grin of his splayed across his face. "Maybe."

There was suddenly a sound at the door of the warehouse, and Ryosuke turned mere seconds after Wataru had. Another gang, maybe? Technically the warehouse was available for any lowlifes to come in and fight, even though it was their place of good memories. He and Wataru were pretty capable together, but against big groups of guys.....

“Aniki. Ryosuke-san.” It was Nippori, looking somewhat curious about seeing the two there. Yet Ryosuke also wondered what had led their other friend to this same spot.

"Big groups of guys," he murmured under his breath, repeating his thought aloud and almost laughing at himself. It was very unlikely for there to be any big gang fights now, wasn't it? And a big group of guys would probably have made far more noise than poor Nippori could by himself.

Quite pleased to see their old friend, Ryosuke pulled a hand from his pocket and offered the other a wave, though he was curious again as to what Nippori was doing here, considering all the work he had to do on the side. It would be nice, though, if the younger boy had gotten out early or a change.

“What are you doing out here?”

"Oi, Nippori. What are YOU doing here when it's already late? I was just going for a walk when for some reason, ended up in here. Do you remember this place?"

Ryosuke smirked at his friend's cheeky grin.

"Not really a good place that brings back any good memories ne? ...But it was kinda fun wasnt it?"

"My story's kinda the same," Ryosuke added in, shrugging again and moving forward to clap a hand on Wataru's back. Now that he looked, there was a great deal of dust and dirt on the redhead's dark jacket, and the blonde Yankee suddenly had the mischievous desire to draw the characters for "kick me" in the mess.

He gave in to his mature half and refrained.

"But I have to say, Nippori....you missed out on everything. Epic fights, Wataru hitting barrels, my shadow puppets....You need to get out of work early like this all the time!" He smiled. "You did get out early, right? I hate seeing you getting worked to the bone all the time." He paused, then added, "And hey, why don't we get something to eat together? I'm hungry..."

[Nippori Keiji]

Nippori smiled a little sheepishly when Aniki just asked him the same question in return. He should have expected that, especially considering how protective Aniki could be over...well, anyone he cared about. It just reinforced his earlier thoughts about how lucky he had been to find such a good friend – a brother. His smile turned into a small, genuine one. Before he could really answer the question though, Aniki was speaking again.

"I was just going for a walk when for some reason, ended up in here. Do you remember this place?"

Nippori looked around at the warehouse slowly. Sure, he remembered it. And all of it brought back a lot of memories – the whole warehouse yard did. "Not really a good place that brings back any good memories ne? ...But it was kinda fun wasnt it?" Aniki continued, and Nippori found himself agreeing. “I guess,” he said, chuckling slightly. It was going to be hard to get used to life as an ex-yankee, that was for sure, but they were all managing so far, it seemed.

It was different now, but it was a good different. He found that perhaps they had things to be proud of now, whereas before there was almost nothing to be proud of except who they had beaten in fights and their gangs fierce reputation.

"My story's kinda the same... But I have to say, Nippori....you missed out on everything. Epic fights, Wataru hitting barrels, my shadow puppets.... " Ryosuke said, and Nippori raised an eyebrow, laughing slightly. “Shadow puppets?” he asked in amusement. Just what exactly had been going on before he had gotten there?

"You need to get out of work early like this all the time! ...You did get out early, right? I hate seeing you getting worked to the bone all the time," Ryosuke continued. Nippori knew that the other two worried about him. He would worry about them too if they were in his position, he supposed. Sure, his life could be considered hard, but he didn’t like to think of it that way. Thinking like that made it seem almost like a chore, when it was nowhere near that. He wanted to do this; he needed to do this.

He nodded at Ryosuke, smiling. “Yeah, I got let out early for a change,” he said, kicking at a small stone on the ground with his foot, hands deep in the pockets of his hoodie. “My boss apparently doesn’t like letting me ‘work myself to the bone’ either, and is now insisting that I get out early at least once a week.” At Ryosuke’s suggestion, Nippori hesitated a little for a couple of reasons. First was the money thing of course, but it was also getting late, and he wondered if he should just head home to help his sister.



((ooc – Sorry this took so long! >< and that it kinda sucks =/ but seriously, I’m blasting through these posts today, huh? This is the 3rd one within a few hours. I should spend more time at the library if this is what happens XD))

[Azuma Wataru]

ooc: yayyyy yankee love <3



“Aniki. Ryosuke-san,” he said, a little relieved it was them and not some other rival gang or something.

"Big groups of guys," he murmured under his breath, repeating his thought aloud and almost laughing at himself.

Wataru turned and looked at Ryosuke as he failed to hear what Ryosuke muttered, yet couldn’t be bothered to ask what he just said. It shouldn’t be anything that important anyways. Ryosuke gave Nippori a casual wave as a greeting, just when Nippori started again “What are you doing out here?”

"Oi, Nippori. What are YOU doing here when it's already late?" Wataru asked back, stressing on the 'you'. I was just going for a walk when for some reason, ended up in here." Wataru grinned one of his cheeky grins and continued "Do you remember this place?" It was a rhetorical question but he asked it anyways.
Not really a good place that brings back any good memories ne? ...But it was kinda fun wasnt it?"

Nippori blinked quickly as he answered “I guess,” he said, chuckling slightly.

"My story's kinda the same," Ryosuke added in, shrugging again and moving forward to clap a hand on Wataru's back.
Ryosuke commented as he slapped Wataru on his back, almost making Wataru jump slightly from the surprise. Then he continued. "But I have to say, Nippori....you missed out on everything. Epic fights, Wataru hitting barrels, my shadow puppets....You need to get out of work early like this all the time!" He smiled. "You did get out early, right? I hate seeing you getting worked to the bone all the time."

Wataru smiled as he remembered what had happened just a while ago in the warehouse and without a doubt, everything that occurred had been very silly. Well, the three Yankees were fairly well known within the Karasumori Team due to their childish actions and silliness. They were probably the most childish out of everyone else and although Wataru was commonly referred to as an ‘aniki’, there were times when he would be a complete child. Nippori, of course, was almost like a baby monkey in the eyes of many others, especially Ryosuke’s and Wataru’s.

Ryosuke was obviously as protective and caring as a mother hen as well, depending on who considered to be the ‘character in concern’, and this time, the character was Nippori, so of course, Ryosuke was acting more like….a dad? He was sometimes like a dad right, thought Wataru. Compared to Wataru, he was less naggy and all. Yes, a father penguin’s image suited Ryosuke much more at times.

“Shadow puppets?” he asked in amusement. Just what exactly had been going on before he had gotten there? Nippori's face appeared as amused as ever. "That was THAT guy doing those weird things" Wataru said defensively, yet letting out a small laugh, not wanting to be accused of being in the same weirdo class group as Ryosuke.

“Yeah, I got let out early for a change,” he said, kicking at a small stone on the ground with his foot, hands deep in the pockets of his hoodie. “My boss apparently doesn’t like letting me ‘work myself to the bone’ either, and is now insisting that I get out early at least once a week.”

Wataru nodded proudly as he smiled to Nippori.
“Oh, isn’t that great? Now you can have more time hanging out with us or more time practicing!”
There it was again, Wataru’s ‘kind of obsessed with rhythmic gymnastics so must practice more, mode’. Nippori certainly deserved to be let off work earlier. He had already been ‘working to the bone’ for a long while now in order to sustain his family’s financial needs. After all, everyone needs a break from all that work. Nippori wasn’t made from iron or steel and certainly wasn’t a working machine. Everyone would hate to see Nippori overwork himself and collapse or miss out of fun.

"And hey, why don't we get something to eat together? I'm hungry..."
“Jeez Ryosuke, when are you not hungry?” Wataru teased, although knowing Ryosuke didn’t always suggest about eating out or complaining about hunger.
“Oh, I know, since Nippori got off easily and you’re hungry, you should treat us!” Wataru clapped ecstatically at his ingenious suggestion and nodded his head simultaneously in agreement.
“Great idea isn’t it, Nippori? What do you wanna eat?” Wataru asked Nippori happily.

He wasn’t actually planning for Ryosuke to treat him, but both Yankees knew that Nippori was usually low on money and avoid these type of suggestions because it requires spending. And that always made everyone else feel for him, not being able to have fun and hang out as much. Ryosuke was probably the richest, no, the guy that had the most money compared to the other two, and Wataru knew that he was the type to decline, but yet to still treat Nippori a meal. The three of them were like brothers after all.

Anyone else in the team would do the same. They were a big family. A noisy one.

“Ah man, I’m a little thirsty too.”

[Tsukimori Ryosuke]

ooc: Haha, Yankee Love. <3 But my post is really terrible... >_<

“Shadow puppets?”

"That was THAT guy doing those weird things" Wataru was quick to point out.

Ryosuke nodded and winked, lifting both his hands to make his hands into rabbit puppets, wiggling his pointer and middle fingers as though the rabbits' ears were moving. But he got more serious once they moved onto the topic of Nippori's job. Ryosuke knew he didn't work nearly as hard as the younger Yankee did, and yet he knew he was probably more fortunate in that money somehow seemed to just come his way. From, admittedly, a family that just wanted him out of the way, from smaller part time jobs, from...other jobs he now tried his best to avoid.....

“Yeah, I got let out early for a change,” Nippori finally responded. He busied himself with some pebble on the floor, and Ryosuke found himself watching the younger boy closely.

“My boss apparently doesn’t like letting me ‘work myself to the bone’ either, and is now insisting that I get out early at least once a week.”

“Oh, isn’t that great? Now you can have more time hanging out with us or more time practicing!”

Ryosuke started laughing, though his mind seemed to be in two places at once. "You had the same thought as me, Wataru." He turned his attention back to the youngest of them. "It's definitely a good thing, right? Give you a breath of fresh air." Despite his own words, Ryosuke had suddenly become the one watching the pebble on the floor. He was happy to hear that Nippori was finally getting some of the freedom he deserved, though he wondered why the other didn't seem all that thrilled about it. Did it have to do with the money, he wondered? Less hours of course meant less pay.

Anyway, there was no point in dwelling on it now, was there? What mattered was that Nippori was out. They could all go out to eat together like they hadn't in such a long time. He made his proposition.

Wataru was quick. “Jeez Ryosuke, when are you not hungry?”

"When I have to sit and listen to you whine," Ryosuke countered, giving the redhead his best rendition of a "juuusssstttt kidding!" type smile. "Actually, I'm always hungry. Or pretend to be. Girls like food a lot, even if they pretend not to stuff their faces in front of you just to be all cutesy and whatnot. You should see my little sister. She can eat nearly as much as you, Wataru...." Ryosuke paused, then shrugged. "Anyway, it seems to me that most girls like going out on food dates. Wataru. Ask Mari to go eat lunch with you some time. Or me, if you're not bold enough to ask for yourself." He grinned cheesily.

“Oh, I know, since Nippori got off easily and you’re hungry, you should treat us!” The redhead seemed to think this was a fantastic idea and started clapping excitedly. “Great idea isn’t it, Nippori? What do you wanna eat?”

Ryosuke laughed, but he considered Wataru's words. He'd just been thinking about Nippori's financial situation, hadn't he? Asking him to treat them, while being what they would do any other time, suddenly seem the wrong option. Maybe....

"Hey, stop whining about your problems, Wataru. You're starting to sound like my little sister too." He clapped more dust off his best friend's back just for emphasis, then turned back to Nippori, smiling. "What if I picked up the tab tonight, we ate together, and you took the leftover stuff to your siblings? I'm willing to be a nice guy and share the food, so long as I don't get stabbed in the back by your brother again, whichever one it was that stuck that knife thing in...."

[Nippori Keiji]

“That was THAT guy doing those weird things,” Aniki said defensively, and Nippori wasn’t about to argue the fact, either. Though, there was no doubt that he could have. After all, all three of them had their silly moments, their childish moments. In fact, Nippori was probably more prone to them than his two older friends were. Especially when Kaneko was involved. He was younger though so it was only right, he reasoned. He snorted when Ryosuke lifted his hands and made them into rabbit puppets.

“Oh, isn’t that great?” Aniki said, and Nippori was about to open his mouth and speak, feeling rather pessimistic about the whole thing, when the redhead spoke again. “Now you can have more time hanging out with us or more time practicing!” Nippori paused for second, before smiling genuinely at Aniki and nodding. What the older boy said was true. He would have more time to spend with his two best friends and the rest of the team this way, and there would be more time to practice. And in his opinion, he really needed the latter...

“It’s definitely a good thing, right? Give you a breath of fresh air,” Ryosuke added in, and Nippori nodded again, finally stopping his foot from moving the pebble around on the floor. “Yeah, I guess it is,” he said somewhat slowly. He was glad that he had more free time, but...another part of him wasn’t so keen on the idea. Because, honestly, he’d have preferred to continue working than to get off early.

“Jeez Ryosuke, when are you not hungry?” Wataru teased Ryosuke, and the blond countered with, “When I have to sit and listen to you whine.” Nippori smiled. Yeah...he supposed getting some time off once a week wasn’t so bad when it meant he got to spend more time with his two best friends. He almost felt like, especially lately, he didn’t get to see them enough and that he was missing out on stuff because of that. Almost like he was slightly out of the loop, although he knew he was being ridiculous in thinking so.

“Actually, I’m always hungry. Or pretend to be. Girls like food a lot, even if they pretend not to stuff their faces in front of you just to be all cutesy and whatnot. You should see my little sister. She can eat nearly as much as you, Wataru...” Ryosuke said, and Nippori could say that he agreed. After all, he did have a little sister as well.

“Anyway, it seems to me that most girls like going out on food dates. Wataru. Ask Mari to go eat lunch with you some time. Or me, if you’re not bold enough to ask for yourself,” Ryosuke said, smiling cheekily. Nippori snorted a little in laughter, although what Ryosuke said did make him wonder... Should he ask Minami the same sometime? He quickly dismissed the idea. The idea of her even saying ‘yes’ were slim, in his opinion, and besides...he was probably about as awkward around Minami as Aniki was around Mari.

“Oh, I know, since Nippori got off easily and you’re hungry, you should treat us!” Aniki announced suddenly. “Great idea isn’t it, Nippori? What do you wanna eat?” Nippori was a little taken aback at both the suggestion, and how suddenly it had been announced, and he was trying to think of something to say that would just be rambled nonsense in his rush to answer. Before he could though, Ryosuke started speaking.

“Hey, stop whining about your problems, Wataru. You’re starting to sound like my little sister too,” the blond teased, before he looked over at Nippori. “What if I picked up the tab tonight, we ate together, and you took the leftover stuff to your siblings? I’m willing to be a nice guy and share the food, so long as I don’t get stabbed in the back by your brother again, whichever one it was that stuck that knife thing in...”

Nippori done nothing but blink for a second, before a small smile tugged at his lips. “Ryosuke-san...” he said, trailing off slightly. “Are you sure?” He had to ask, and he didn’t feel entirely comfortable with the arrangement, but he was grateful nonetheless. He gave a small laugh though, before speaking. “Okay, next time you guys are over, I’ll move the toy swords out of reach.”



((ooc – omfg, this post sucked so bad. I apologise D: I was half-distracted when I wrote this. I’m in the “quiet study” area in college but...it’s not very quiet =/ but LOLZ @ the animal references, gok XD Nippori is definitely like a baby monkey~))