Fandom ( it takes all the stars to align ) ••• starfallen.txt & redrobinwing

[starfallen.txt]

IF TOMORROW NEVER COMES
and i could still breathe and survive ー

"Haha, yeah," Hoshiko grinned, even giggled a bit herself as she held the plastic bird tightly in her hand. Now she really regretted not bringing a small bag or something. Plus, who would even make a school uniform without including pockets in the skirts? What kind of madman would do that?

Eh, whatever. She can deal with just holding it everywhere.

"Well, it's your turn. Where do you wanna go next?" she asked, tilting her head. She definitely looked more relaxed than before, now that they had spent more time together.

 

[Redrobinwing]

It seemed like Hoshiko was enjoying herself, which was good. She was giggling, talking a lot, and looked like she had relaxed a lot since they first met up. Hisao was glad; it seemed like it was rare for her to be comfortable in a public place. Plus, she looked nice when she smiled. Much better than when she was trying to hide from everyone around her.

He thought about what he wanted to do. They could try another game, but it seemed like lines were getting longer and longer as more and more people came to the festival. It wouldn't be very fun to have to wait in line, but if they waited, the lines might have gotten even longer. It was a tough decision, but his stomach seemed to give him the answer. A low growl came from his tummy again, reminding him that he hadn't eaten anything for breakfast. A slight tinge of red came to his cheeks when he heard it. "Food sounds like a good idea."

 

[starfallen.txt]

IF TOMORROW NEVER COMES
and i could still breathe and survive ー

Hoshiko barely heard the growling of his stomach over the noises of the festival, laughing a little bit again. "Food does sound nice," she replied, smiling. It was past noon now, and she didn't exactly have breakfast, either.

"Your choice, though. Where do you wanna eat?" she asked, hiding her arms behind her back in an unconscious attenpt to look cute. There were a few stands to eat at, all of which sold their own designated food - though there were some who sold an assortment of food stuff. "I'm okay with pretty much anything."

 

[Redrobinwing]

"Hm..." Looking around at the food stalls, there were plenty of places to eat with tons of different choices. Dumplings, ramen, and even some barbeque were all being served by students. It was really a tough choice, made even harder by the fact that Hoshiko left it entirely up to him. The smell of one in particular, though, caught Hisao's attention. He turned slightly to see a rather simple-looking stall, with few decorations and with a good amount of people at it. The sign said it served ramen, and it seemed to be rather popular with the people who were eating there. "Does ramen sound good?" Truth be told, he hadn't had good food in a while, mostly sandwiches and cafeteria food. He was craving something that wasn't either cold or dull, and ramen seemed like the best option to avoid both of those things. "If not, we can go somewhere else."

 

[starfallen.txt]

IF TOMORROW NEVER COMES
and i could still breathe and survive ー

Ramen sounded nice, though there was a nagging feeling in the back of Hoshiko's consciousness. What if she couldn't afford paying him back? Maybe he wouldn't mind if she didn't pay him back, but at the same time...

It was probably best not to think about it now. She was having fun, and she didn't want to ruin it with her worries. So Hoshiko nodded, giving the taller boy a little smile.

"Sure, ramen sounds great."

(Yeah, maybe it was a good thing she attended the festival.)

 

[Redrobinwing]

Hisao was glad to see her smile, especially since it seemed to be becoming a much more common sight. He had to wonder if she was like this when she was with her other friends too; it certainly seemed like it when he saw her with Mana at the track. She looked better when she smiled, it contrasted the nervous attitude she frequently held.

Once she confirmed that ramen was indeed a good choice, he lead them to the booth. It had a fair number of seats open, with some small tables that could fit roughly two people each. The menu was surprisingly extensive, and at first it was kind of hard for him to choose. Some of the beef options looked really good, but so did the pork. In the end he went with the latter. "I'll have the miso soup with pork, and a soda." He payed, and then moved aside to let Hoshiko order whatever she felt like.

 

[starfallen.txt]

IF TOMORROW NEVER COMES
and i could still breathe and survive ー

Hoshiko stared at the menu for a moment. There were quite a few options, and she found herself unable to choose as well. Deciding to just go with a combination of the last time she had ramen, she said, "Shio with beef, and some extra egg. And just some water, I guess."

It felt nice to not be a nervous wreck in public for once. Maybe it was because she was with someone she knew, or maybe because she had just grown comfortable around Hisao so quickly, but it felt nice still. Mana would be proud of her if she saw this right now.

"Thanks for paying for me, by the way. I'll try to pay you back." She gave Hisao a tiny smile.

 

[Redrobinwing]

Hisao waved her off. "Don't worry about it." They were able to find seats pretty easily, bringing along a plastic number to signify their order. The place was busier than it had been when he first saw it; tables were filling up quickly, and the students who were acting as waiters and waitresses were working hard to satisfy their customers. He noticed one of them was missing a leg, and felt a bit of guilt for letting them serve him. It must have been tough, especially since things were so hectic. Still, he figured that it was probably best just to let them do their thing.

Once they sat down, he smiled to Hoshiko. "What sort of music do you like to play, Hoshiko?" He actually wasn't too sure what type of guitar she played, either. He didn't know very much about music, but he knew that there were electric and acoustic guitars, and that there were a lot of different companies that made them too. Silently, he hoped that she would keep her description simple so he could understand it.

 

[starfallen.txt]

IF TOMORROW NEVER COMES
and i could still breathe and survive ー

"It... depends, really. I play an acoustic guitar, and I play whatever fits the mood, really." She shrugged, leaning against the back of the chair. Come to think, maybe it would be nice to invite Hisao over to watch her practice some time. It would be a nice change compared to her usual solo practices, but would it be too weird? Even Mana herself had never seen her practice, and if she ever found out that Hoshiko invited Hisao over and not her, then...

Hoshiko decided not to think about it.

"Maybe..." Well, she was really about to do it anyways, huh? Damn, Hoshiko. "Maybe we can hang out some time? I can practice too, if you wanna listen." There was the faintest of blushes on her face, and she really hoped Hisao wouldn't notice. She was already nervous enough as it is.

 

[Redrobinwing]

"That's cool." Hoshiko definitely seemed like an acoustic guitar sort of person. Hisao couldn't exactly put his finger on why though, it was just something about her that gave him that impression. Maybe it was her shy demeanor; electric guitar seemed like a more outgoing instrument, if that made sense.

Hisao nodded in response to her question. "Yeah, I'd like to hang out again. It'd be cool to hear you practice, too." He seemed oblivious to any awkward implications or undertones that the proposal held. Their food came right as he gave his answer, delivered by a young blonde woman. He thanked her for the food and accepted the bowl she placed onto the table. "Did you have a specific time in mind?"

 

[starfallen.txt]

IF TOMORROW NEVER COMES
and i could still breathe and survive ー

Hoshiko smiled at the waitress - man, she wondered how people could stand working out in the sun during a festival. Maybe it was because she was just naturally lazy, but she can't imagine herself doing this kind of thing. Either way, she gently took her own bowl, dragging it so that it was in front of her. "Well, I'm... pretty much always free after school," she replied, still blushing a little bit. "Usually up on the roof, if you know the way up there."

She grabbed the wooden chopsticks that came with their ramen, taking about a second or two to snap it apart. It wasn't a perfect split, but it'll do. "Or, um, whenever you're free would work too."

 

[Redrobinwing]

The roof, huh? He knew it that some students hung out there, but he'd never really been himself. He'd always preferred the lunch room, or the shady spot where he met Ran and Miu. It'd be kind of cool though, to get to hear some music with a good view of the campus. Hisao smiled as he separated his chopsticks. "Yeah, that sounds nice actually. Maybe I could see you practice during lunch sometime too. If you want to, of course." Maybe it was just his stomach talking, but music, with a nice view, and some food sounded awesome.

Once the ramen had cooled down a bit, Hisao grabbed some noodles and ate them. For ramen made by students in a stall, they tasted surprisingly good. Part of it was probably just his hunger, but the taste was actually well measured, and the consistency of everything was nearly perfect. He tried to avoid eating like a slob, especially since he was eating with someone.

 

[starfallen.txt]

IF TOMORROW NEVER COMES
and i could still breathe and survive ー

"During lunch sounds nice, too," Hoshiko commented, smiling as she gently stirred her ramen to cool it down faster. She usually doesn't stick around during lunch, since that was usually where a pair of girls eat, but maybe she could make an exception... Maybe it wouldn't be as weird if she had Hisao with her.

She lifted up her left hand, resting her left elbow against the table and leaning on her hand. "Tomorrow at lunch, then? You can invite some other people too, if you want to," she added. Spending time alone with Hisao would be nice, but maybe it'd just be better if there was someone else with them.

And she was so close to spending time alone with someone she was starting to like. Dammit, Hoshiko.

 

[Redrobinwing]

Hisao was a bit thrown off by her suggestion to bring other people. He wouldn't have exactly minded inviting others, but he wanted to get to know Hoshiko a bit better one on one rather than in a group. Plus, he still didn't have a lot of good friends at the school. His only option would be his roommate, which would have probably ended in disaster. Bringing more people might have made Hoshiko more nervous too, which was something he was really trying to avoid. He still wanted to go though. "Tomorrow at lunch sounds good. Maybe I could come after school another time, too."

Hisao finished his ramen pretty quickly. He almost started to drink the broth, but stopped himself when he realized Hoshiko wasn't even halfway done with her food. Swallowing down a bit of embarrassment, he simply sipped on his soda a bit while his friend finished her dinner.

 

[starfallen.txt]

IF TOMORROW NEVER COMES
and i could still breathe and survive ー

Hoshiko nodded, continuing to eat her noodles. Usually she would be scarfing this down in almost record time, but she didn't want to seem rude in front of Hisao. "I'm okay with you dropping by after school, too. I'm pretty much always on the roof." She smiled a little bit, soon finishing up her ramen as well. They still had time to go around the festival and hang out more, it looked like, but the lines were starting to get pretty long. She wanted to spend more time with him, but she wasn't sure if he wanted to wait in any lines.

"...That was some good ramen, huh?" she said, a little bit nervously, before sighing. "Sorry. I don't have anything else to say."

 

[Redrobinwing]

"Okay cool. Lunch for sure tomorrow, and maybe after school." Hisao leaned back in his chair slightly, relaxing a bit now that they'd made plans. Things felt a little more casual too, now that Hoshiko didn't seem quite as nervous. He sipped his soda while she finished her food, looking around the festival and making a mental note of which lines were getting long and which ones weren't growing too much in length. There was one more game he wanted to try, and it didn't look too busy, so he figured that once she'd finished her meal, they'd go and have a try at it.

Hoshiko's voice turned his attention towards her. He was about to respond in agreement with her statement, but he stopped when she admitted to having little to say. It made him feel a little bad, though he didn't know why. Almost guilty in a way, even though he hadn't known her for that long. She seemed to be getting a little nervous again. "No, don't worry, that was a normal thing to say. The ramen was pretty good." Once the words came out, he did feel a little awkward, but he decided to push through it once again. "Is it cool if we go do one more game?"

 

[starfallen.txt]

IF TOMORROW NEVER COMES
and i could still breathe and survive ー

Hoshiko looked a bit more relieved when he told her it was okay. Sure, maybe it was a bit embarrassing in a way, but at least Hisao let her know that it was okay. At least then she wouldn't quietly tell herself that she did something wrong. (But that probably won't stop the memory from popping up in the future and giving her intense second-hand embarrassment all over again.)

"Another game would be nice, yeah," Hoshiko admitted, smiling. To be honest, she kinda didn't want the day to be over yet. It actually felt nice spending time with another person. Or maybe it was just nice to spend time with Hisao? Hm. She took her plastic cup of water and started to drink from it, almost downing the whole thing in one go. "Ahh, alright. I'm perfectly hydrated and ready to go! What's the game you wanna try?" she asked, standing up from her chair. The awkwardness she held just a moment ago was gone now, it seemed.

 

[Redrobinwing]

Hisao smiled at her enthusiasm. It seemed like Hoshiko was back to getting over her nervousness again, and he hoped they'd be able to keep it from coming back. He stood up with her, grabbing his soda and drinking the rest of it before pointing to the stall he was interested in. "That one." It was a simple ring toss game, one in which the targets were all soda bottles. The only reason he wanted to do it was because, one, it'd be easy, and two, he was really good at ring toss games. The line was short as well, which made it a perfect, easy game to end the day on. "Is that okay with you?" He didn't want to railroad her after all; if she didn't want to play, or wanted to try another game, that'd be fine too.

 

[starfallen.txt]

IF TOMORROW NEVER COMES
and i could still breathe and survive ー

Ah, ring toss. From the looks of it, it seemed like a game where all you had to do was to throw a ring and hope it ends up around a soda bottle. This was Hoshiko's first time playing this game also, and she already knew she was gonna be horrendously bad at it. Lack of depth perception is gonna be a bitch. Despite that, though, she nodded, an excited grin still on her face. "Yeah, sure! Just a warning, though, I miiight be really bad at this." She laughed a little bit, starting to make her way towards the line. She was already ready for the embarrassment she was going to get for being horribly bad at this game, it seemed like.

 

[Redrobinwing]

Hisao laughed her comment off. "Nah, I'm sure you'll do well." What he failed to consider was her lack of depth perception, which probably meant she really would have a tough time playing the game. Nonetheless, he ignorantly walked towards the line with a bit of excitement in his step. As one of the shorter lines at the festival, they only had a couple of minutes to wait. While they did, he attempted conversation again. "Have you visited anyone who has been working at the festival?" Come to think of it, he hadn't seen anyone he knew. Mai was supposed to have a decent part in setting up the festival, and yet she was nowhere to be seen. A few other students that he'd met were supposed to be working too, so it was a little odd that they hadn't seen anyone.

 

[starfallen.txt]

IF TOMORROW NEVER COMES
and i could still breathe and survive ー

Oh, yeah, I think Mana's working in a stall around this time. Or maybe it was Airi, I'm not really sure..." Hoshiko went silent then, trying to remember who it was exactly that was supposed to be working right now. It might be Airi, she did mention something about working for the festival the last time she talked to her. Mana seemed more likely, though...

Hoshiko didn't notice how quickly the line was going by until it was their turn to play. It was then that she finally remembered who it was that was working on the festival. "Oh, yeah, it was Airi!" she finally said, grinning to herself.

"What about me?" the familiar voice piped up, and before either Hoshiko or Hisao could react, the jacket-clad girl was already in front of them, smiling. "Oh, Hoshiko, you did end up coming! That's awesome!" She then looked up at Hisao, raising an eyebrow. It was interesting how Hoshiko was here with him, but she decided not to comment on it. For now, at least.

"Hey, Hisao. You here to play?" she asked, tilting her head.

 

[Redrobinwing]

Mana and Airi both seemed like cool people, Hisao was fine if either of them were the one who was working. He had to wonder who Hoshiko was closer to. If he were to guess, it seemed like she was a bit closer with Mana overall, which made sense. Mana seemed confident and friendly, a good foil to Hoshiko's nervous personality. She probably helped out a lot when her friend got nervous in social situations because of that. Actually, it might be a good idea to ask her about that... Afterall, if Hisao did end up getting closer to Hoshiko, he would want to help her come out of her shell a bit, and maybe Mana had some experience with that.

It ended up being Airi who was working the stall, which was cool. He casually waved to her in greeting. "Hey Airi. Yes, we both wanted to play." He pulled out his wallet and placed money on the stall's counter, a smiling growing on his face as his excitement started to build up.

 

[starfallen.txt]

IF TOMORROW NEVER COMES
and i could still breathe and survive ー

Airi took the money, placing it inside a little metal box. She gathered up the rings from the previous players, placing them in front of the two of them. Three rings each. "Go wild," she said, grinning.

Hoshiko took one of the rings, holding it for a second. The bottles looked... pretty far away. But they might also be closer than she thought. But still, they seemed a fair distance away, so...

She looked like she was about to throw it for a second, but instead decided to wuss out. "You can go first, Hisao."

 

[Redrobinwing]

Hisao had already picked up his rings and was already planning his throws; which bottle to aim for, how much power he'd put into each throw, and whether or not he should focus on the closer bottles or the further ones. He focused entirely on the game, so much so that he almost didn't hear Hoshiko when she spoke up. "Yeah, sure, I'll give it a shot." Once he was given permission to throw, his eyes narrowed slightly as he carefully searched for the best bottle. There was one, not too close but not too far, that was perfect in range and seperation from every other bottle around it. His grip around the ring he held tightened, then softened as he found the perfect grip for his throw. Once he was ready, Hisao pulled back, then whipped his arm out and threw the ring.

It nearly pegged Airi in the chest, missing her by only a few inches and hitting part of the stall instead. Hisao's eyes went wide and his cheeks turned a deep crimson from his throw, realizing that he might have gotten a bit too excited for the game. He was silent for a while, saying nothing as he stepped aside to let Hoshiko have a chance at throwing.

 

[starfallen.txt]

IF TOMORROW NEVER COMES
and i could still breathe and survive ー

Hoshiko nodded, taking a deep breath to calm herself down for a bit. She was probably taking this game way too seriously to be internally panicking this much.

She looked at the bottles for a second. Should she go for the nearer ones or the farther ones? It helped that the bottles were kind of close to each other; she can kinda tell which ones were farther. How far, though... Hoshiko gripped the ring, before deciding to just say screw it and throwing it towards the nearest bottle.

It ended up hitting the back wall of the stand, bouncing right off and missing a bottle entirely. Hoshiko stared, before covering her face with her hands in embarrassment. "Oh my god." She started laughing a bit. "You can't possibly do worse than that."

Airi was giggling as well. "Geez, you two. At this point you're gonna end up smashing one of the bottles instead." Despite that, she didn't seem to mind. She moved to stand at the very edge of the stall, though, just in case. "Two rings left each!"