Equilibrium Equation

Kensei Tsukihama, an OC for Katawa Shoujo RP.

[pinkdrillsmikado]

Now, where were we? || Kensei and Misha

"Hmm~?" Misha glared at Kensei. "You’re telling me not worry about my figure~? Are you suggesting that I’m fat? Are you~!?" But as soon as she blew up in anger, she broke down with laughter. "Argh, d-dangit~. WAHAHA~!! Oh boy… Why is it so hard to act~?" Patting her own cheeks, she sighed. "Alright fine~, I admit that I’m kinda worried about me getting into shape. But that’s normal, right~?"

She’s visibly torn between wanting to go and wanting to stay; her face was strained with confusion. But in the end (and what seemed to be an eternity of constant fidgeting), she reluctantly nodded. “Okay fine~, let’s have lunch. And by lunch I mean dinner. But nothing overly filling, okay~?” She paused to think about a venue. “…Maybe we could try that ramen place over in the middle of town~? I’ve never been there before. It might be a good time to get lost on Sunday~, don’t you think?”

[tremulonimbus-blog]

Kensei shrunk back in his chair at Misha’s outrage. He must’ve touched a raw nerve, but Kensei didn’t think he was THAT on the mark! He was about to sputter out a stream of apologetic protestations when Misha’s anger abruptly disappated. “Oh man, you actually got me there!” Kensei laughed in relief. “Sheesh, I may have just lost a few weeks off my life there.” He sighed and relaxed.

Again, he watched Misha weigh her options. Seems like she couldn’t help but externalize her thought processes one way or another. When she had ultimately settled on Ramen, Kensei was nodding with enthusiastic agreement. “Sounds perfect!”

Once the pink storm had passed and they were safely on their way, Kensei found himself dwelling on something Misha had said. “You know…” he began hesitantly, considering her previous reaction, even if it was fake. “Before I wound up here, I used to be an athlete.” Wait, used to? He stilll was, being on the wheelchair track team. Whatever, Kensei didn’t bother to correct himself. “If you’re really concerned about keeping fit, I can coach you!”

[pinkdrillsmikado]

Now, where were we? || Misha and Kensei

[pinkdrillsmikado]

"But it does make sense if you think about it a little bit~." She thought about it. A little bit. Or maybe a lot. But she really did like teaching.

"More lunch~!?" she exclaimed, frowned, and took a peek at her stomach. "That’s three invitations in two weeks~! I don’t know if my stomach could take it~. On one hand, it’s food and a good time with Kencchan~." She held up one hand to demonstrate, and started lifting the other. "Then again, I’ve got a figure to watch for~. What do I do~?" She whined and started bouncing rapidly on the desk, pointing at Kensei once she finished running a tantrum. "You’ve really got me stuck between a rock and a hard place, you know~… Fine, I’m going." Flipping her frown upside-down, she jumped down from the teacher’s desk. "I’ve got nothing better to do anyway, so let’s do this~!"

[tremulonimbus-blog]

"Whoa now, I didn't know I was speaking to Ms. Popularity." Kensei emphasized his amazement, though he was genuinely impressed. The little display Misha had acted out during her deliberations was alarmingly cute, Kensei found himself deciding to let her finish without interruption.

"You know Misha, I don't think you have to worry about your girlish figure at all." Kensei noted, definitely not. Maybe she was self-conscious about being, what, a little heavier than Yamaku's average student? Or maybe it was nothing and just a turn of phrase, either way, it would be incredibly inappropriate for Kensei to assure Misha of her pleasant curviness and so he moved on. "But anyway, we don't HAVE to do lunch." He continued on their way out of the room. "We could do something else. What do you like to do in your off time? I still don't know the area around the school too well, so I'm a little dry on suggestions." He grinned sheepishly. "Sorry.

[unseeingelegance]

"I didn't mean to offend by paying, it's just a habit I suppose." Lilly was startled by Kensei's sudden shout, but she smiled calmly as she walked out of the cafe.

"Nevertheless, I shall look forward to your surprises."

[tremulonimbus-blog]

"Well then, onward to the park!" Kensei pivoted to wheel back towards where he'd first seen the place. Since Lilly knew the area well, he was fairly confident she would keep pace on her own. Even so, he started slow and checked behind him just to be certain.

"Y'know, I haven't been out for this long a walk in a while." Kensei mused. His voice nearly hitched at the word 'walk' out of dejected inaccuracy. He'd intended to say something else, something that was lost to the sudden introspection. Instead, the muted duet of Lilly's cane and Kensei's wheels held it's place.

"Hey, do you think I should still used that? 'Walk' I mean." he asked, with a genuinely curious tone. "It's not exactly accurate, but saying 'wheel' sounds too weird. I honestly don't know."

[pinkdrillsmikado]

Now, where were we? || Misha and Kensei

[pinkdrillsmikado]

"You’re probably right," she sighed. "Maybe it’s more of an experience thing~. You’d probably be as good as me at signing if you hang out with Shicchan a lot~." And for a second time, she sighed. Shizune didn’t seem to be around a lot these days. She’d rather sign all day and be with her and get tired of all the talking that they’ve been doing.

"You really think I’d make a good teacher~?" Misha asked, and she blushed slightly. "Thanks~… I’ve been wanting to try out how teaching feels like for some time now. I guess I finally get to find out~." She stopped and thought of some sort of compensation for her services to Kensei. "Hmm… I’ll say that teaching you is enough payment~. I don’t get to do this every day and it’s actually a refreshing experience~, now that I think of it. So we’re even~." Plastering her signature grin on her face, she steps down from the desk. "So we’re done for today~! If you want more tutorials, you can always approach me, mkay~?"

[tremulonimbus-blog]

Kensei crossed his arms, wearing a dissatisfied look.

"Well, now that's a cop out if I ever heard one." he teased. "You can't pay for something by getting the thing you're paying for, that doesn't make any sense!"

In actuality, Kensei sort of understood where Misha was coming from, but he wasn't about to allow it. Even if she didn't think so, Kensei owed her for taking the time to help him out. He was always to sort to repay kindness, occasionally extravagantly, and was determined to find a way.

"Nope, that won't do at all, no ma'am." Kensei shook his head. "I'm afraid you're going to have to allow me to treat you to lunch."

[pinkdrillsmikado]

Now, where were we? || Misha and Kensei

[pinkdrillsmikado]

"Aww c’mon," she groaned, "I haven’t even begun to teach~!" Her hands, brimming with energy and eagerness, wanted to keep on signing, but it seemed like her student already called it quits. "Mh’aww," she moaned again. "Fiiiine~. But don’t expect good grades from me~," she threatened jokingly.

Sitting on the teacher’s desk she crossed her legs and wiped her brow. After a moment’s pause, she realized that wiping her brow meant she was sweating. Sweating? How long was she standing there and teaching? She must’ve been absorbed by her passion for teaching sign that she didn’t notice the time flying. “I don’t know either,” Misha replied, making a malformed salute while shaking her head. Even then, she was signing while she talked. “It must be experience, I guess~.

[tremulonimbus-blog]

There was a strange excitement tugging at the corner of Kensei's mind. Misha's position reflected that of the beginning of many a teenage boy's teacher-fantasies, but that was neither here nor there and he let the thought fall tot he wayside. If anything, it signified how closely the role of teacher suited Misha in Kensei's mind.

"Well, you are signing almost all the time." he noted. Kensei flexed his hands and shook them out. Even using them more than most did not prepare Kensei's digits for the onslaught of signing. "But even so it's so much to take in!" Kensei groaned again.

"More than that though, you're a good teacher, Misha." his face quickly swapped from a furrowed brow to a warm smile. "You've been really patient with me, thank a lot for the help. What can I do to pay you back?"

[pinkdrillsmikado]

Now, where were we? || Misha and Kensei

[pinkdrillsmikado]

Despite Misha’s acting out of line, Kensei’s little angry charade brought a smile to her lips and she let out a small giggle. “You’re right~, I guess it was kinda silly of me to over react.”

Following Kensei closely into the room, Misha was about to start the lesson when his questions stopped her in her tracks. “Secret passages, huh~?” She paused and went into deep thought. “Y’know…” she replied, reaching into her school bag. “If I told you, I’m gonna have to kill you~.” And for dramatic effect, she pulled out from her bag a… stuffed bunny? “Death by cute~!” she yelled before chucking the bunny into Kensei’s lap. “WAHAHA~!!”

"Anyway, back to topic. Where should we start~?" Misha stopped to think for a while before deciding to begin with the basics. "I’m Misha~," she signed, making a downward pulling motion with her fingertips together before making an M sign near her mouth. "It’s nice to meet you~."

[tremulonimbus-blog]

"AAAGH! I am slain!" Kensei wailed in defeat as the plush rabbit bounced harmlessly into his lap. He would have continued the act, but Misha had switched gears instantly into tutoring.  Kensei sat the bunny upright while he listened and watched; he'd have to press Misha for school secrets another day.

Time march swiftly onward while the pair were practicing signing at each other. While he could interpret Misha's signs with little trouble, Kensei all too frequently flubbed signs or the order to make them. In short, he needed a lot of correction. Kensei's brain has run out of steam by the time they had completed roughly half of his assignments.

"Mercy." he pleaded wearily. "I think that's all I can take." Kensei's torso flopped unceremoniously onto the desk in front of him. He groaned in dismay. "I don't know how you do it." he asked without lifting his face from the table.

[tremulonimbus-blog]

[hey you probs dont remember me but i'm kimyono mun from the old group?]

{{I do remember! We almost had a thread going, haha, almost.}}

{{How's it going? I'm not in that new Yamaku group (yet!) but I'm more than happy to start a thread with you.}}

[unseeingelegance]

A bright smile spread across Lilly’s face at Kensei’s affirmation.

"Excellent. Shall we be off then?" She waved her free hand in the air to catch the attention of one of the wait staff. Upon hearing the approaching footsteps and quick greeting, Lilly nodded.

"Yes, will you add our meals to the Satou account please? I shall deliver your payment at the end of the month as usual."

"Can do, Lilly. No problem. You guys have a good afternoon." The waitress replied while clearing the table, shooting Kensei a smile and a wink in the process.

[tremulonimbus-blog]

Kensei's face flushed immediately. What was that wink for? Does she think we're... But wait-! Don't get the wrong idea, They were only- H-hang on now!

By the time Kensei had regathered his wits, he and Lilly were already on their way out the door. Lilly had paid for the meal without Kensei having even had a chance to offer! "Wait a second, you have a tab?" He blurted. "Wait, more than that, hey! You can't just straight up pay for a meal like that, a guy's got a code of honor to uphold after all!" Although he was protesting, Kensei's tone was light and friendly. Had he been with one of his guy friends back home, he might have jokingly  shoved them. This was Lilly, however, and that would be an absolutely horrible idea. Kensei would have to settle for mock indignation.

"Well, listen, I'm going to have to get you back for this you know. And when you least expect it too! POW!" The way he spoke suggested it was more of a threat than a promise. "Surprise treat! Or... something. I'll figure it out."

[pinkdrillsmikado]

Now, where were we? || Misha and Kensei

[pinkdrillsmikado]

Leading the way, Misha keeps her distinctive skip in her step, her happy disposition making itself known as she moves forward. She led the way without much too much of a fuss, and eventually she steered the both of them into the closest classroom to the library.

Realizing her lack of tact in front of a wheelchair-ridden student, she nibbled on a finger and mentally chastised herself. “Err… It’s not that I don’t like walking~,” she reasoned. “It’s just that too much of it gets tiring, especially when things get busy between me and Shicchan~. The Student Council never rest, you know~.”

[tremulonimbus-blog]

"Aw, I'm just teasing, Misha." Kensei reassured. "I don't think something like ''You're taking walking for granted, young miss!' Grump grump grump or anything like that." Kensei put on a deeply furrowed brow and stuffy tone for show, but smiled brightly immediately after. Getting all worked up over some faux pas like that just simply wasn't worth it to him. To Kensei, all that accomplished was making both parties feel bad.

Wheeling into the room, Kensei looked about and assessed the place. Being so far from the others, he figured this must be a lesser used classroom. It possessed the bare essentials for a classroom, but little else. Even the desks were more scare and widely spaced than usual. A short stack of unusual books clued him in, they were in Braille. The irony of studying Sign Language in a classroom for the blind did not go unnoticed.

"You two really are busy, though. I don't know how you manage it, some days I feel like at least one of you is everywhere I look." Kensei pondered openly. "Hey, are you guys using some kind of student-council-only secret passages?" He leaned in close, with a shifty eye out for eavesdroppers. "The secret is safe with me, you have my word."

[pinkdrillsmikado]

Now, where were we? || Misha and Kensei

[pinkdrillsmikado]

Misha sat back down on her table. Resting her arms on her knees and propping her cheeks against it, she kicked the air idly while waiting, nodding as she listened to Kensei’s every word as seriously as she would if she were considering what to eat in a fancy restaurant, which is to say, very seriously.

"All your suggestions sound nice, but I couldn’t imagine why we should go to the dorms~. They’re kinda far away. Relatively, I mean~. And I don’t want my feet to get hurt~.” Of course she was just complaining for no real reason. “The cafeteria’s too noisy, the gym too far, too, so I guess an empty classroom suit us juuuust~ fine.” Slinging her bag across her shoulder, she stands up and beckons to him. “C’mon. I know a perfect room~.” And she leads herself along, the excuse of “ladies first” already implanted in her head.

[tremulonimbus-blog]

"Because I can get out of my chair in my dorm." Kensei whined like a child, thankfully only to himself. Pushing that aside, he sighed a light-hearted sigh and pivoted to follow Misha to their destination. ...Come to think of it, if she already knew a perfect room, why didn't she just mention it in the first place?

That was just Misha, he guessed.

"Y'know, if you don't like walking too far you could always get yourself a wheelchair. Believe me, you'll never have to worry about achey feet again!" Kensei chuckled. "Oh, but your butt can get kinda sore sometimes, so I guess it's a tradeoff."

[pinkdrillsmikado]

Now, where were we? || Misha and Kensei

Minding her own business at the end of classes, Misha hums to herself while she packed her belongings into her schoolbag. She was about to get up and go out, too, when Kensei appears in her line of sight. “Oh hey Kencchan~. Whaddaya need~?”

"I sorta… less-than-passed a lot of my JSL assignments." 

"Oh man, that’s not good at all~!" Misha clicked her tongue on the roof of her mouth and frowned. "We can definitely work on that~. I’ll be more than willing to help you with JSL~!" Standing up, she gives Kensei a reassuring grin before twisting her body around to get out of her desk. "I would say that we should study at the library, but that seems like a silly idea~; I need to talk to teach you, but Yuuko’s been reprimanding me when I talk in there~. So I guess that’s out of the question…"

[tremulonimbus-blog]

"Thanks a lot, Misha!" Kensei bowed in his chair, extremely grateful to have the help of the girl who was probably the best JSL tutor in the school. With Misha's help, he might just survive this semester.

"I would say that we should study at the library, but that seems like a silly idea~; I need to talk to teach you, but Yuuko’s been reprimanding me when I talk in there~. So I guess that’s out of the question…"

"I can only imagine why..." Kensei mused internally. The notion also served as a reminder to turn his head very slightly to the right, something that helped in the case Misha got loud when talking, which was often.

"Well, there's always empty classrooms and club rooms right? Or..." Kensei went on to list whatever study locations came to mind. Unfortunately, having always been more athletically minded than academically, the list haphazardly included such places as the Gym. "...The cafeteria could work too, or the dorms? I dunno, it's up to you." He concluded. It was only in retrospect that the unintentional forwardness of the last item struck struck Kensei as he tensed up ever so slightly. If he was lucky, maybe she wouldn't have heard.

Unlikely.

[tremulonimbus-blog]

Hey Kensei~! Glad to see you up an kicking, so to speak. WAHAHA~!! You interested in joining a new Katawa Shoujo RP group?

{{I JUST realized that you answered my reply like, two weeks ago! I coulda sworn it wasn’t in my inbox when I checked earlier, that’s the only reason I hadn’t tried starting a thread sooner.}}

{{I sent an app in a while ago, but I remember seeing something the mod said along the lines of asks getting eaten by tumblr so I guess I should try again! In the meantime, I’m writing a starter for Misha right now :P}}

[unseeingelegance]

Lilly could feel the dejection in Kensei’s voice. It was a stark contrast to the easy confidence that it usually carried. Lilly frowned slightly. She hadn’t meant to make him feel bad, she was only voicing a concern.

"It’s alright. There’s plenty of safe areas in the park. I spend enough time there to know." Reaching across the table until she found his hand, Lilly held it tightly and smiled as best she could.

"I’m sure we can handle it. If you still want to go."

[tremulonimbus-blog]

Kensei's gaze had been cast to the window and so he hadn't noticed Lilly reaching across the table until he'd felt something warm fall across his hand. He looked first down, then up at Lilly's kind face. Her sentiment was enough to wash away Kensei's dismay.

"You know what? Yeah." He replied, and clasped his other hand over hers as well. With a smile of his own, he added "It'll be fine. Even if we don't go too far we can always sit on the grass and enjoy the sun." Kensei liked that idea, quietly basking in the sunlight with Lilly. He felt he could probably spend a few hours simply laying in the grass, hid head in Lilly's lap.

... Wait a second...

That would be wildly inappropriate! Kensei cringed. He desperately hoped the expression hadn't extended to his hands enough for Lilly to notice.

[unseeingelegance]

Lilly nodded as she sat down her now empty cup. “Oh, yes. A walk does sound nice.”

An concerned look suddenly crossed her face. “If I recall correctly, that park doesn’t have a very defined path. Do you think we would be alright?”

[tremulonimbus-blog]

"...Oh." Kensei was simultaneously ashamed and crestfallen, though he did his best to brush those thoughts aside. "I don't know. If it's just grass we should be fine, but if it's a little overgrown maybe it'd be better to avoid it." The last thing Kensei wanted to to wind up in another sort of accident with Lilly.

Kensei felt himself staring at a sharp, bold line. This was one of the lines that would forever separate Kensei from the rest of the world. Something this stupid, something as simple as an untrod path. Something so insignificant was able to break past Kensei's good humor and make him feel downright pathetic.

"I hadn't thought of that."

[unseeingelegance]

"Very well then." After running her fingers over the tabletop for a few seconds, Lilly found her phone and replaced it in her bag.

"I am sometimes slow to reply to my messages, but I will get back to you by the end of the day." She smiled warmly before sipping more of her tea.

[tremulonimbus-blog]

A silence fell and Kensei's gaze lifted from his empty cup to Lilly across the table. She always moved gracefully, but Lilly's table manners in particular were exceptionally refined. Kensei had thought such behavior existed only in books or movies, and so it was oddly entrancing to watch.

"So, uh..." he broke his own reverie. "I noticed a park across the street when we were on the way here. What do you think about checking it out when we're done here?"

[unseeingelegance]

Lilly smiled at Kensei. “That does make sense. I can’t very well walk around, yelling your name when I need you.”

After rummaging through her bag with her free hand, she finally produced her phone. Lilly pushed it across the table towards Kensei.

"It would be faster if your programmed the number yourself. Feel free to take my number as well."

[tremulonimbus-blog]

"Oh, yeah, sure!" Kensei stammered. He was always anxious when it came to exchanging numbers with a girl, even when at his most confident. There was something about it that got to him, like that it represented some invisible line in a friendship and was a sort of treasure. But now wasn't the time to wax on the significance of swapping numbers with a girl, Kensei expunged the thoughts with a sharp exhale and got to it.

"Okay, I'm in." He'd tried not to spy on who else's numbers Lilly had while he searched for hers in the phone's info. He was... mostly successful. 

A few clicks on his cell later Kensei was finished. He slid the phone back across to Lilly. "All set."  Kensei nodded. "If you ever call and I don't answer, leave a message. I'm not great about picking up sometimes." Depending on the situation, getting to his phone could be a pain. "But I always check my messages and call back right away."

[unseeingelegance]

"I don’t think I can refuse such an offer." Lilly said quietly. It was very generous for Kensei to offer his time in such a way and she was slightly taken aback. People didn’t volunteer for work very often.

"There isn’t much physical work involved actually. Mostly paperwork and occasional delivery of said paperwork. The student council president is obsessed with deadlines." There was a slight edge in Lilly’s voice as she finished her statement. She drank more of her tea, trying to allow her frustrations to slip away. Not that Kensei was a gossip, but lots of Yamaku students frequented The Shanghai. It wouldn’t do to have more rumors circulating about herself and Shizune due to circumstance. 

"Not very exciting, but I’ll be sure to seek your assistance when needed."

[tremulonimbus-blog]

The subtle sharpness in Lilly's voice when she mentioned Shizune did not go unnoticed. Kensei, having seen the blue maelstrom at work, assumed it was an ordinary reaction to Shizune's intimidating demeanor.

"Oh, I know. I'm in her class. She's got a demon inside her when it comes to work, I swear." Kensei snickered, then remembered something. He leaned across the table to whisper grimly into Lilly's ear.

"Actually, it's good we haven't used her name so far." Kensei scouted out his surroundings for effect, despite it being lost on Lilly. "They say that even though she's deaf, the student council president can hear someone speaking her name from miles away. It's one of the Great Mysteries of Yamaku High." Kensei pulled back and immediately fell back into his ordinary self.

"So yeah, hit me up anytime you need help. I, uhh..." Kensei was hit with a sudden wave of embarrassment. "I can give you my phone number. If you want it that is." A beat. "Y'know, so you can get in touch with me if you need help. Yeah."

Smooth.