Ryuji Sakamoto

“Hmm? I don’t think anyone who’d stop to rescue a lost cat can be that bad. You were misguided, though… In the beginning, trying to coax it out like a dog. It was kind of funny, but cats get scared easily, so I thought you’d never get it out that way. I look after the cats in my neighborhood a lot, so…” Trailing off like this with a small shrug, Akira glanced over Ryuji again. Well, he had a certain delinquent appearance to him, that much was true. But it was just as true that he’d been trying to help someone rather than cause problems, at least on this evening, and that was the first impression Akira was left with.

“Anyways, don’t you think that looks can be deceiving? I transferred out here after an incident with a politician, and… long story short, my reputation precedes me with those familiar with the politician. So even if I try to keep a low profile, I get classmates keeping a wide berth around me and looking away. Even without knowing the whole story, they like to think they do, I guess. It doesn’t bother me that much, I’m just trying to keep my head down here. But how can I know someone’s whole story just by looking at them?”

For his own part, it seemed pointless to judge someone by superficial things like their looks or the front they put on for a public audience. What mattered truly was what lay within - that was, the heart’s desires. If someone was really a rotten delinquent, it was unlikely that they would go out of their way to help a lost soul they had no personal connection with. On the other hand, such an act just betrayed the person’s true nature. It was a selfless act, after all.

“Then that was just good luck, wasn’t it? Guess it would help more if a cat person came to help.” Ryuji had to say he was probably more of a dog person, even though he and his mother couldn’t afford a pet. Plus, that meant Akira took time out of his day to take care of animals that weren’t even his, and just as Akira was saying, he wouldn’t do that if he was a bad person.

“Hm?” The story about transferring seemed to ring some sort of bell with Ryuji, but he couldn’t figure out exactly how. He’d heard rumors of some transfer student, but he mostly ignored them, knowing that rumors often twist the story into something unrecognizable to those who know the truth. “Oh, so you transferred here with that kinda thing hanging over you?”

Then anger started to flare up as he thought about it a bit more.

elegantlazuli​:

Relief flickered across her face when the person actually stopped, but she had immediately resumed the straightened and refined stature she usually possessed. She turned her attention back to the consoles on display. “I’m quite new to things like this, so I was wondering what the best place for a beginner to start would be,” she answered, folding her arms over her chest. 

For that matter, with the children staying in her home while renovations were being done to the orphanage, it would be a good idea to invest in something like this to give them something to do. That also meant looking into games that would be good for them to play as well..

“Money is certainly no issue, but honestly, I’ve no idea where to start. Any advice would be much appreciated,” she smiled, turning to glance back at the male. “Game recommendations as well.”

Just from the way this lady carried herself and spoke, Ryuji could tell she was someone who was probably pretty well off. To be completely honest, Ryuji had no clue how he was supposed to talk to someone like that. Then again, if she was at a game store, then maybe she wasn’t as concerned with that kind of thing?

Oh well. Manners were never Ryuji’s forte to begin with.

“There’s a lot that goes into it... like handheld or not. You gonna be playing these games on the go, or just like at home as a hobby or somethin’?” He pointed to one of the handheld systems. “That one is better if you want to play while you’re out on the train or just not at home.” He moved to gesture to one of the pricier systems, one meant to be played on a TV. “That one is pretty solid for when you’re just playin’ in your free time at home.” Not that Ryuji owned one. He had just heard the other students talking about it.

Stepping closer and peering at the flyer in Ryuji’s hand, Akira certainly saw the resemblance there as well. Cats could look very similar, so just to be sure, he held the cat in his arms out next to the flyer and compared the two side-by-side. Identical. Satisfied with this, he drew the feline close to his chest once more and nodded.

“That’s certainly convenient. Okay, so let’s take the cat back to its home.” Going by the address on the flyer, it shouldn’t be too far. Most likely, the cat had squeezed out, gotten startled by something, and then scrambled into hiding. It definitely happened to plenty of indoor cats.

Although, all of this did just lead to a question springing up in Akira’s head. “So you… don’t even know the owner? So then, you were just helping this cat because you saw the flyer?” He had just met Ryuji and knew nothing of him, except that apparently he was the type of kind-hearted person to fetch people’s lost cats for them, but still it seemed odd. Well, more like a combination of the circumstances had led it to feel so odd. Regardless, if he really went out of his way for someone he didn’t even know like that… That was definitely commendable, and there was no way Ryuji could be a bad person.

“Hell yeah! Let’s go!” Ryuji had a pretty reasonable understanding of these streets, since it was a part of his usual route when he had gone jogging before school. It’d been some time, but he was confident he could find the address pretty easily, so he took it upon himself to take the lead.

The question Akira asked took Ryuji a bit off guard. “Huh? Well... I mean, yeah, I guess.” He sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. “If I had lost my pet, I’d be pretty upset about it, yeah?” Ryuji didn’t really feel the need to put up his delinquent facade around Akira, seeing as he had already seen Ryuji helping the cat just because he wanted to. Most people wouldn’t have even stopped to help Ryuji, so Akira was kind of strange in that regard, too.

Akira remained silently observant as Ryuji’s face contorted and changed in seemingly deep thought as he took in the deluge of information Akira had dumped onto him. Admittedly, it really was a lot to take in all at once, nevermind the fact that they were still essentially strangers to one another, and Akira could hardly blame him for the uncertainty.

So when the cloud of confusion lifted from Ryuji’s eyes, and he turned words of gratitude instead of fear onto him, Akira felt the tension in his body melt away as relief poured in. “They weren’t going to leave us alone otherwise, so they didn’t really give me a choice.” Issuing this weak rebuttal at Ryuji’s mention of a debt, Akira brought a hand up to rub the back of his neck, though he knew he could hardly refuse such an earnest offer. Besides, the cutting vitriol in his statement regarding the type of people they’d just dealt with resonated with Akira’s own deep-seated, analogous feelings.

Something, perhaps in Ryuji’s words, or his voice, or the ardent resolve burning in his eyes… Regardless of what it was, something plucked on his heartstrings, pulling the corners of his mouth up into a grin that flashed his teeth as he extended his hand to grasp onto Ryuji’s outstretched one.

“Okay… Ryuji-kun. You can just call me Akira then, as well.” Just like that, he accepted the offer, and then turned to look around their surroundings. Honestly, with all the commotion, doubtless the cat they had turned their sights on had been spooked, and he wondered if it was even still around. “So the cat…” Mumbling this, he stepped closer to the dumpster the cat had hidden itself behind previously and peered into the gap between the dumpster and the wall. Sure enough, he could just make out the small, huddled form of a cat there. The same cat.

Akira poured some of the treats from his pouch into his hand, scattered them out in front of the cat’s nose. Then, while the cat was distracted with eating this food, he lifted it up by the scruff of its neck, before adjusting its position in his arms to a more comfortable one for the cat as he drew it near his chest. Stroking the soft head with two fingers, he turned back to Ryuji.

“Do you know anything about who it might belong to?”

“Nice to meet ya, Akira!” Ryuji beamed at his new friend. There was still a lot Ryuji didn’t know about him, but they could get to that later. Eating together was a good bonding experience, so he would just ask the most pressing questions he had whenever they finished returning the cat to its owner and had ordered some udon.

Speaking of the cat, he just realized that he didn’t see it anymore. In the swirl of the unfamiliar concepts Ryuji found himself caught up in thanks to Akira saving him, he’d completely forgotten the reason he was in this area in the first place. He turned towards the dumpster as Akira was already sprinkling some treats on the ground, the cat inching its way out to eat them. Just as easily as he had lured the cat out, he scooped it up into his arms with little fight.

“Oh! Uh, not really... I just saw the flyers for it around town. I don’t know its owner personally or nothin’.” Ryuji reached into his pocket and pulled out one of the flyers he had kept since he intended to look for the cat today and needed it to verify the feline if he happened to find it. He unfolded it and showed it to Akira.

scheminggreen​:

Sukuna wasn’t completely oblivious to the fact that he was hogging the arcade machine he was currently playing on. Nor was he unaware that a group of people had gathered to watch his successes. It was possible they were both annoyed and impressed by him, but Sukuna didn’t care about that at all. That was plenty of people’s reaction to him in general, and so he couldn’t let himself be bothered by each and every one. He had never been like that, anyway.

As if there solely to break his focus, some guy’s voice cut through louder than the rest, complaining. Well, probably wasn’t an outright complaint, but Sukuna certainly took it like one. Briefly looking in the boy’s direction, Sukuna continued to rapidly press buttons on the machine, only to find that when he looked back, there was a ‘Game Over’ screen looking back at him. 

“Tch! You messed me up! What’s your problem?!”

The kid looked at him for a moment, and that slip in focus spelled the end of the boy’s game as the game over screen flashed in front of all the onlookers. The following outburst wasn’t something that surprised Ryuji at all, but it definitely got under his skin.

“My problem?! It’s not my fault you lost! What’s your deal, kid?!” Ryuji shot back, his hotheadedness getting the better of him and blocking out the logic that hey, this was someone significantly younger than Ryuji. Actually, yeah, he was younger! So why was this kid talking to him with that tone of voice? It wasn’t like Ryuji was even mean about it!

steelladynanase​:

“Ryuji then.” She was fine with just being called Kanako and so nodded her head in agreement. At his question relating to if she needed a body guard or not, Kanako tapped her chin in thought. “I would say… My life certainly would be a lot better if I had access to one..” It wasn’t a lie. If she ever had to go out she did normally have to dress in a way to hide her appearance though it was never to this extent. 

“I’ve never felt I needed to do it though..” Kanako stuffed her hands in her pockets and wiggled it a bit, making sure her wallet was still there and feeling the familiar weight and texture she hummed in approval. “Should we get going then? I was just thinking of heading to the one down the street. It’s small and close by so I don’t really need to carry that much.” She’d probably just stock up on mostly instant food because it was less weight and would last her a while. The less she needed to venture outside the better. 

She waited for Ryuji and then started off down the street but couldn’t help but try to glance at her surroundings subtly. No one was really paying them any mind. The hat and the mask weren’t really anything unusual, but the coat in this heat was suspect. If she were to be asked about it she could probably come up with an agreeable and logical response, but she didn’t think she needed to worry about that with Ryuji. So far he seemed to be able to read the situation and didn’t pry. 

Normally she probably would have been wary of his kindness but they were strolling through a very public area and venturing to an even more crowded store. It really took the edge off of her anxiety. “Is your leg doing better now? Try not to overdo it. If you need to rest let me know.” When they entered the store the first thing she did was point to a cart. “Do you want to try using that?” If he ended up suffering a cart could serve as a crutch in case of a dire situation. She hoped he wouldn’t think it was meddlesome but she believed whole heartedly in being prepared.

Kanako’s reponse made Ryuji a little curious. Her life would be better if she had one? That plus her appearance... was she some sort of celebrity avoiding paparazzi or something? Oh well. Ryuji didn’t care too much about celebrities, and it wasn’t really any of his business to begin with. All he knew was that Kanako was nice and needed help, and since she had helped him, he owed her.

Ryuji nodded as she explained her plan. “Sounds good to me. No reason to go to a different one, really. Not that I want to be walkin’ ‘round too much in this heat.” Going for a run was a different story, of course, but... Come to think of it, how was Kanako not overheating in that coat? She seemed okay for now, but Ryuji knew the dangers of heat exhaustion or even heat stroke. He’d just keep an eye on her once they left the air conditioning of the store. Maybe he should just accompany her back home, too, just to be safe.

Her concern for him continued once they entered the store. Ryuji really was unused to this sort of treatment from anyone besides his mom. “Oh, yeah, my leg is fine! Thanks for askin’, though. Sorry to worry ya.” He looked at the carts she pointed out.

@scheminggreen​

Ryuji was... pretty laid-back when it came to his studies, so he had plenty of free time most days. More than he needed to have, really, but no one expected anything out of him anyway, so who cares? He mostly just went between the movie theater and the arcade, and Ryuji decided to waste time at the latter today.

He’d played a few of the games, but he’d gotten tired of it after multiple plays. Maybe he should invite Akira here? But maybe he was busy. Akira seemed much more studious than Ryuji was, after all. As he held his phone and contemplating texting Akira, he noticed a few people beginning to gather at one of the machines, more than the usual amount of people who lingered around any one game.

Curious, Ryuji wandered over himself. He heard muttering, but he couldn’t really tell if the small crowd was irritated or impressed with this kid currently using the machine. Apparently he’d been on this one game for a while, but he was doing so well that people didn’t want to interrupt. Still, isn’t it kind of rude to hold up a line like that? He could just keep playing after other people had a turn.

steelladynanase​:

It felt refreshing to be thanked and also to talk to someone who wasn’t chasing her down and yelling her name or asking her to speak on things she didn’t want to speak on. She was surprised though that he was so receptive to her help despite her appearance, but she supposed beggars couldn’t be choosers. No one else had come to his aid though she guessed it had something to do with his appearance as well. Under normal circumstances, she might have even been a little wary of him, but he had immediately apologized when they’d bumped into each other so she didn’t feel too worried to be in his presence at all. 

“Huh..?” Karin’s lips parted into an o shape of surprise. It’s not that she would have found his company unwelcome but she had hardly expected someone to want to accompany her to the store. Her red eyes blinked rapidly in confusion behind her sunglasses and she couldn’t help but stare, studying him even as he introduced himself. “Oh, I’m sorry.” she quickly bowed her head in apology for just rudely staring, but then raised her head back up and smiled. 

“It’s nice to meet you… Ryuji-san.” She couldn’t quite discern his age so thought it best to just go with the most respectful honorific. “I’m Ka-” She froze up, her eyes widening at her near blunder, her mouth opening and closing a few times as she tried to think up some name. “Ka.. Kanako. Mm. Just Kanako.” In the end she ended up mashing her real name and stage name together.

Her smile was awkward for a moment and then she stood up, extending out her hand. “Mm, this might work out. If you need any help let me know and.. Let’s see.. You can act as my bodyguard.” The absurdity of someone who was struggling to move taking on the role of her bodyguard made her giggle, but she meant nothing by it, only that she’d feel much more reassured having someone with her who at least looked strong. “Oh, ah, not that you need to do anything, of course!! But I think I’d feel a lot better going to the store if you were with me.. Is that weird..?” In that sense, at least, it’d feel like they were helping each other and that neither one needed to feel indebted to the other. 

The reaction to his offer to accompany her was a little weird. Most of the time people stared at him when he wasn’t even doing anything, but it didn’t really matter too much since the girl--”Kanako” she called herself, but the hesitation made Ryuji a bit suspicious--immediately apologized. She was super polite, if nothing else, and it threw Ryuji off. He wasn’t used to people being so proper with someone like him.

“You can drop the honorific if ya want. I’m not that old, and I don’t really care ‘bout bein’ proper anyway. Just Ryuji is fine, really. Hope ya don’t mind if I just use Kanako.” It was probably a fake name, anyway, and it wasn’t like he could blame her. Given how she was dressed, she probably didn’t wanna be recognized, so if he used her real name, it’d probably be bad for her. So he didn’t mind.

“Bodyguard?” That was an interesting way to put it. “D’ya usually need one?” He tilted his head a little in confusion, but then quickly followed up his question. “I mean I don’t mind! Probably be the for the best. Most people won’t bother with someone like me.”

Relief washed over Akira as his gaze fixed on the blonde male. Thankfully, he looked to be unharmed, although it was clear from his wide-eyed gaze that the events which had unfolded before him had sparked due incredulity. It was to be expected, and truthfully, it wasn’t like Akira had been exactly itching to release his power like this. Regardless, it had turned out like this, but he’d not had much of a choice in the matter, and now he had a barrage of questions being flung at him.

This wasn’t very good for the quiet, unassuming front he’d been working so hard to keep as his primary image.

On the other hand, the awe he saw shimmering in those brown eyes as they gazed at him sent a thrill racing through his body.

Being backed into yet another corner like this, Akira could only give a nod of his head in acknowledgement of the other guy’s confusion before addressing his concerns.

“That was… the manifestation of the powers I received from my King. Its name is Arsène, and it fights with me wielding curse powers. As for me, my name is Akira Kurusu. I… don’t usually try to make things like this a habit. It was more like they didn’t leave much choice. Though it’d be nice if that guy follows through on his change.” He heaved a tired sigh as he said this and rubbed the back of his neck, before bringing his grey eyes to examine the blonde. “Are you okay?”

“Powers, huh?” So at least the guy--Akira--was okay, then. So what was all that blood? And where did it go? Did it burn up in the fire? Is that really how he has to use his powers? Curse powers? So did this king have other sorts of powers he could give out? Or did Akira just happen to be bestowed with curse? Questions upon questions upon questions continued to race through Ryuji’s mind, but honestly, all of the thinking was giving him an headache.

“Ughhh, this is just weird. Seriously.” Ryuji scratched at his head and frowned, but he decided to ditch all of the thinking for now. “Well, no matter what happened, ya still saved me. I owe ya one, man. Really. Guys like that who pick on people and hurt them just because they can really piss me off.” Ryuji kicked at the ground a little. “Oh shit, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Ryuji Sakamoto! Just call me Ryuji. Since you’re here, let’s go find the owner of this cat.” Ryuji smiled wide, another idea striking him. 

Clumsy | Ryuji and Anyone

Of course she noticed. She was overly conscious of everything going on around her these days. The tiniest movement always put her into fight or flight mode.. mainly flight. So when he winced and stumbled none of it escaped her gaze. She really.. really shouldn’t get involved. If anything him stumbling around like this would only lengthen her time outside exposed.

There was that nagging voice in the back of her head that just couldn’t leave him alone like this. Even if she was discovered and accosted by the media.. It would weigh too heavily on her conscious. Her body jerked, lunging forward to grab at the blonde man and steady him, her body like a crutch to keep him from falling over. “It’s not a bother.. Come. Let’s sit.”  She steadily walked him over to the bench, steadying him for the short trip since he’d made some headway there already and then eased him down. 

It was surprisingly hard work and she plopped down on the seat beside him. “Phew!” His body had been a bit heavy for her to manage but she somehow felt lighter. Doing something nice for someone was nice for once.. “You’ve got a bad leg, right?” Karin pressed on her sunglasses, pushing it so far up the bridge of her nose that she could feel her eyelashes rubbing against it each time she blinked. “Does it normally act up like this?” 

There was no harm in small talk while she rested, right? It felt like it had been forever since she could chat casually with someone like this. “I’m sorry I can’t be more help.. But if you want I can run to the store and grab you something for the pain? Though I’m not sure if over the counter medicine will help..” She wasn’t sure exactly what was wrong with him and didn’t know if it would help but there was no harm in offering. She had planned to go to the store anyways. 

Ryuji was grateful for this oddly dressed lady’s kindness. Not a lot of people wanted to associate with Ryuji thanks to his punisk appearance, but it wasn’t usually unwelcome when someone talked to him, assuming they weren’t chewing him out for something. When she asked about his leg, he nervously rubbed at the back of his neck.

“It does this sometimes, but mostly when I’m trying to run or I step on it wrong.” How it ended up like that was a long story that he probably shouldn’t get into with a complete stranger, he figured. “Guess I should’ve been more careful.”

When the girl offered to go to the store for him, he shook his head lightly. “It’s alright. You’ve done a lot already. Thank you!” Suddenly, an idea popped into his head. “Oh! But I do need to go grab something to eat from the store. I’m out of food at home...”

As a small, orange head poked out from behind the dumpster, a smile touched the corners of Akira’s mouth. Although hesitation and uncertainty still remained in the cat’s large yellow eyes, the promise of food did end up being enough to set its anxieties at ease enough for it to crawl further and further out. The cat’s fur looked far too smooth and soft for it to be an habitual alley-dweller, indicating that it was somebody’s escaped pet.

When the other male spoke up about flyers, Akira turned his gaze back from the cat to him. In response to the question, he shook his head before setting his eyes back onto the cat. “No, not mine, but we should return it to the owner.”

As he moved to grab the cat, however, a new, rough voice spoke up from behind him, raising the hairs on the back of Akira’s neck. He spun to face the approaching thugs, brow furrowing as he examined them. Four of them, closing in, and the leader’s eyes shone with a certain malicious intent that Akira couldn’t forget, and his mouth pulled down as anger bubbled in the pit of his stomach. The thugs’ faces remained unchanged during the exchange, and as the self-evident leader’s hand moved to his waist, the others followed suit.

Still, Akira did not balk, and instead stepped in front of the blonde-haired male, incidentally pushing the switchblade-wielding arm away, to come face-to-face with the leader. The hostility on the man’s face was unmistakable as he pulled his arm back to his chest, and the other three fanning out behind him drew blades of various lengths. Behind the round glasses that gave his face its unassuming and meek appearance, his grey eyes gleamed with resolve. Words didn’t seem to be working on them, as they’d long already decided the outcome of this encounter.

“We’re really not worth your time. If you’re just looking for some quick yen, you really won’t find it here. We’re just a couple of broke college kids.” Though he did doubt that the words would change their minds, since the blonde male’s similar pleas before him had fallen on deaf ears, Akira would rather avoid senseless violence if it was at all possible. And he did notice, there on the right, one of their faces lost that ironclad determination as hesitation flickered in. It was only short-lived, however, as the leader’s booming voice cut in.

“Sorry, but plead all you want, we’re not leaving until we have something to make you brats worth our time here! Even if it’s just the clothes on your back, we’re going to be taking everything you have!” At this, any remaining traces of hesitation in the other three vanished instantly as they nodded their heads along. Illuminated by the pale glow of the moon, Akira could see their muscles tensing as they poised to attack.

When Ryuji initially decided to try and do a good thing by reuniting someone with their pet, he hadn’t anticipated it being such an ordeal. Thugs, he could handle. Well, mentally, at least. He could understand the punches against his body. That was easy enough. Everything he had just witnessed? Absolutely nothing he’d ever experienced before could help him comprehend what had unfolded before his very eyes.

What was that big winged thing? There was blood all over this guy’s face, and then fire, and then the thug was coughing.... Ryuji’s head was too busy trying to wrap around this dark-haired guy’s deal to pay attention to the conversation between the thug and the student.

Whatever had transpired, it seemed... resolved now? The big thing with the wings and horns had vanished along with that weird golden glow and the man who was threatening them was alone and on the ground and scared. Ryuji couldn’t blame him, though, that thing was huge! And... kind of cool, honestly.

The guy who came to his aid turned to look at Ryuji, and he couldn’t really hold himself back. “Dude... what the hell was that?! How did you do that?! What did you even do?! Are you alright, man, there was blood everywhere, but now there’s not, but uh...” He slowed down in his rambling. He had one question at the front of his mind at the moment.

ryujiskullkamoto​:

Clumsy | Ryuji and Anyone

These days Karin had to sneak out of her hotel room and some days she couldn’t leave at all. At first there were a bunch of reporters crowded around the hotel and as much as the employees barred them from entering a few would slip in here and there and either pound on her door or skulk around in an attempt to catch sight of her. Regardless if they were hanging around or not, Karin made it a point to exit the hotel through the back. The employees were thankfully understanding and helpful of her situation though she did feel bad for putting them through all this. 

As she exited the alley and rounded the corner onto the sidewalk she roughly collided into a male’s shoulder. Now, normally Karin would just apologize but she made it a point not to linger too long. Even though she was dressed up quite suspiciously, her pig tails stuffed into a newsboy hat, black shades covering her eyes and one of those white medical masks fixed over her nose and mouth she knew it would attract it’s own attention, but at least no one would know who it was that was hiding. She knew it was probably smarter not to say anything and hurry on her way, but.. The guilt would overtake her and she’d had more than enough of dark thoughts seeping in.

“Oh, no.. It’s not your fault.. I wasn’t looking and..” Even through the dark lens she wore the pained expression on the blonde’s face nor the way he’d stumbled hadn’t eluded her. She was such a thin, petite girl that she couldn’t possibly imagine having done that much harm to someone, let alone this male. “You… Are you hurt?” Had she done this? She didn’t think she could bear it if someone else got hurt because of her.. There’s no way she could bring herself to leave him now.

“There’s a bench over there. Do you need help getting there? You didn’t look so good so I think you should rest..”

Ryuji had to admit that the person he had run into seemed... a bit weird, to say the least, but mostly in her attire. When she spoke, he determined she was actually pretty nice! She didn’t yell at him or anything, so that was a plus, odd appearance aside. 

“Oh, you noticed, huh?” Ryuji answered to her question, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. “I’m fine, really. Just got a bad leg that acts up sometimes.” He tried to laugh it off, but winced when he unconsciously shifted his weight from one leg to the other. “Damn...” he muttered under his breath. There really was no hiding it now.

Ryuji was still trying to get used to the large city of Shizume. He’d been living here for a bit, but it was still so large that he hadn’t learned where most things were, so there were days where he just wandered around to try and commit the streets, buildings, and other landmarks to memory.

He’d managed to wander into a completely new area to him, which was way more common than it probably should’ve been. But Ryuji enjoyed this sort of thing. It felt like a small adventure full of possibility, even if it was something as minor as going down a new street.

While he was taking in the sights, he took his eyes off of the sidewalk in front of him, and for a city as bustling as this one, that might not have been the best idea. He realized this only as he felt his shoulder slam into something, no doubt another person. 

“Ah!” Ryuji made a noise of surprise as he tried to step backwards and create space between him and the person he ran into, but he faltered a bit more than he thought. He stepped just the wrong way and a sharp pain shot through his leg, causing him to stumble hard, and he just barely caught himself before he fell to the ground.