「???」

Rantaro spots a random girl and can’t react fast enough before she walks away.

                        “ it’s …  uh.  nice to m - meet you,  ryuichi. ’

                        ever the polite one,  he gave a very small smile.  kojiro wasn’t the smartest in social situations.  “ um,  i know i’ve seen you around.  but not very often.  do …  you do anything else besides school that keeps you busy or something? ”

Ryuichi's brows furrowed. Was this supposed to be some sort of interrogation?

Good work, as always. One could always rely on Miu’s gadgets being high quality, just like one could rely on her being a stupid pig. That’s what he’d say out loud, but he knew she had a smart head sitting on her shoulders. Either way, after a mostly sleepless night, he was now scouring the school grounds for a nice spot to test it in. With the device in his hands and a smile plastered across his face, he spun on his heels when he heard his name.

Snap!

“ This one’s going to my cringe compilation! ”, he announced, after a sudden flash of blinding light. The metal device in his hand rattled quietly and soon, a printed picture appeared out of the slot of the makeshift polaroid. Once he had jiggled it around with a funny wobbling sound to let the air do it’s job, he presented the picture to Rantarou.

“ Ya like it? ”

Rantaro blinked once, and then again. When his vision returned, he was back in big brother mode. He was about to scold Kokichi for his antics when the photo presented to him caught his attention. His attention was then quickly drawn to the crude device Kokichi held in his hand.

“I think I get that,” she hummed thoughtfully. Even if it’s an unusual situation, most people would respect the rules of a library. Except maybe Iruma-san. It was fairly out of the way, unlikely to be disturbed by others. And there was much to think about.

“That’s not a bad idea!” she clasped her hands together. Wait, actually… Her arms folded across her chest.

“Oh, but… do you think you can read these books, Amami-kun? Lots of them are in languages I’ve never even seen before.”

“Huh, that’s good point.” He paused. “It would totally suck if the secret to my talent was written in another language, but it does make sense. Somehow, I feel like that’s exactly what the mastermind would do...”

There was a chance he didn’t even have a talent, and he couldn’t overlook that, but then why give him amnesia? He thought, surely, there must be a reason for that. And if some of the books were written in another language, then maybe there was a reason for that, too.

                        he noticed ryuichi’s expression,  and was almost tempted to just shut up and slink off to the side as he always did  –  but then the other boy spoke again,  and he blinked twice.  his name?  when was the last time someone wanted to know that?

                       “ it’s,  uh,  okazaki.  kojiro.  what’s yours? ”

"Ryuichi.” Kojiro... The name didn’t ring a bell. Not that it should’ve anyway, he never stuck around long enough to make acquaintances; Attending class on a regular basis had always been optional as far as he cared.

                       “ w – wait,  really? ”

                       that was something of a compliment for kojiro;  he often thought of himself as pretty forgettable and unnoticeable.  ( part of that was on purpose. )

                        “ i mean,  um,  i recognize your hair.  i think we’re in the same year. ”

Intrigued, Ryuichi closed his book and rested it on his shoulder. There was still a hint of doubt in his eyes. This guy probably just heard a rumor or something and got curious, he thought.

The forecast didn’t call for rain, but by the looks of it, it wouldn’t give any time soon. A couple sheets of newspaper were all he had to shield himself, but the girl standing before him seems to have gotten the worst of it.From where he stood, he could see the way her body shook slightly and the goosebumps on her arms. He folded the newspaper into a square and said, “It’s really coming down, isn’t it?”

                                               @roranta  //   pregame starter call

                        “ o – oh,  i’m sorry … ! ”

                         he stammers and steps to the side,   holding his books close to his chest as though they were a shield.  he’d been lost in thought,  not fully aware that he was standing in the way,  and his cheeks have flared up a bright red.

                         “ oh …  i think i’ve seen you around. ”

Lowering the book in his hands, Ryuichi peered down at the smaller boy before him and raised an eyebrow.