THE HAND!

“–Pretty damn blunt, aren’t ya, kiddo?” You couldn’t exactly deny it now. All you told him was that you went out with people and got gifts and a little more sometimes. Sugaring was a little different from what he brought up - the only difference being you went on dates instead of jumping right into the sack.  Well, at least he had no clue where you worked.

shit. he’d just said that outloud. but all the clues were point to that.  but then again, this pretty woman must think he’s some sort of pervert for coming to such lewd conclusions. IT DOESN’T SEEM LIKE HE WAS WRONG THOUGH. ---if he was, she was sure she would have slapped him.

⇘ ✸ ⇙ — ♍

   "No, tell me what you thought you saw.“ Less sharp this time, more inquisitive. She's afraid he’s another stand user, and one that may even run interests renegade to her own. Perhaps he’s as dopey as he looks and saw a trick of the light upon her cigarette being lit from seemingly nothing.       She hopes its the latter.

he took a hefty breath. his therapist said to breath, and try and think. even if its for a second. his bat stopped which ended with a gust of wind outward.

‘  really brave to take on a bat. dumbass. ‘

‘ why are ya’ yellin’ at me? only a dumbass can get hurt cuz you’re the dumbass gettin TOO CLOSE . ‘ 

he’s not good with girls. especially since reimi was his type.  even if she was a GHOST, he still felt nervous as hell. josuke or koichi wasn’t here with him to be some sort of conversation starter... he wasn’t good with talking... imagine if he wasn’t good with dead girls like real life girls.  his stomach felt weird.

who’s this STRANGE lady,and why is she hugging him!?but, damn, she’s soft and smells likejapanese peaches. 

⇘ ✸ ⇙ — ♍

   "What about them?“ She downplays it and quickly shoos Fafnir back into the aether where it usually stays.       Utavel’s fingers are well-taken care of, at the very least. Nails being neatly manicured, cleanly cut… No callousing, no cuts, no nothing. Her hands perform all sorts of scientific miracles, wondrous little things. 

“What?”  She said with a sigh.  

Of course he would have figured it out.  Anyone would have after an hour.

“Alright.”  Bento said, giving him an exasperated look.  “Repeat back to me the directions so I can make sure that you got ‘em down.”

Once he recited the exact thing Bento had said back to her, Bento let out a longer sigh.  “That’s the problem with you kids these days.  Ya don’t listen.  I told you to turn right at the last intersection, not left.”

She had absolutely told him to go left.

“Ok.  You go up four blocks from here.  Take a left.  Go two blocks and take another left.  After three blocks, you need to turn right.  Ok?”  As she spoke, she gestured with her hands.  Those directions would, at least put him in the right general area of the cake shop.  “Now… This place.  It looks like it could just be any old house.  I was just there this morning and I was wondering why it was so hard to find… you aren’t the only one having difficulty with it.  The owner ordered their sign too late and then the company didn’t ship it in time.  So there’s nothing that looks like this should be a business.  But that’s alright.  You can just walk right on in and sit down at the kitchen table.  They’re really friendly.”

Bento gave a kind smile to Okuyasu and patted him on the shoulder.  “I hope you enjoy your cake!”

Part of her wanted to follow him, at a safe distance of course, just to watch what would happen.  But she had things to do and had already started walking away.  Maybe she’d read about it on social media later.  Or maybe see it on the news.

kids? what the fuck. she looked younger than he did. damn, if she wasn’t wearing adult clothing, then he would have mistaken her for a kid.  he was dumb. that’s for sure, but he was in no way a FOOL.  he was a little suspicious of her now. ---and he had every right to be.  he gritted his teeth, keeping himself from blurting out his thoughts in front of this girl. he knows what it looks like to have someone  of his appearance, hassle a young woman.

The Kotozume child stared in silence albeit visibly amused. Why was she like this? At least ten or fifteen seconds after the other party’s repressed flattery towards her, she finally spoke.       ❝ … Oh, that’s it?  ❞    Classic.

god. this girl has no mercy. she’s gonna make him cry already. he can feel the tears overwhelming him. --HE’S GOTTA FIGHT IT.

‘ that’s it? ---listen, lady.  i get that you’re pretty, and you’re use to hearing it alot from men. but a guy like me, it takes a lot of guts for me to say something like that...’

Bento was just minding her own business, trying to get from the station to her hotel when a teenager approached her.  He looked like trouble from his haircut down to his sloppy school uniform.  Bento tried walking away before he could reach her, but he was too fast.  Turning around, she gave him an exasperated look.

“What is it?  This?”  Bento looked at the paper.  Unfortunately for the boy, she wasn’t familiar with his town.  Even if she had been, it’s not like she would have given him correct directions anyways.  If she screwed him over to start, maybe he would leave her alone the next time he saw her in passing.

“Oh.  That place.  It’s just a few blocks away.  Go two blocks up, then turn left.  You’ll go another two blocks in that direction.  Then, turn left again.  In like two or three blocks you’ll be there!”  She said with a smile and waved to him.

That’ll teach him… he’ll be going in circles…

what. he was SURE he was closer than that, but if this girl lived in this town, then she knew better. he was sure to write down her directions, and he hadn’t put the pieces together that she was DUPING him or that the directions let him in a CIRCLE. ‘ thank you... ’

he spends the next hour just walking around like a dumb fuck, and just whines up back where he started. WHAT THE HELL?

coincidentally, he ends up running into the same chick from before. he recognized her because she looks like a nerd.