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[adzi]

"Well, then..."

Ryuuji stood on the Player 2 side and inserted a coin. The acreen blared "NEW CHALLENGER GET IN" loudly.

"I wonder how your Lithuanian karateka will hold up to Lie Meiling's Bajiquan... Lithuanian character? That's rare. What will be next, Peruvian Taekwondo master?"

[Sirus]

Kenji's expression shifted.

: "Oh right, I've heard of that. I don't know why idol managers give a damn about what a bunch of creepy NEETs think." The third-year sipped from a can of his preferred energy drink. When he put the can back down, his normal smile was back.

: "So you can't be seen dating, huh. Is that what we're doing now?"

[SirAston]

For his part, Sekizawa immediately found a Road Rage machine and hopped on the motorcycle-like controller for player one. As far as he was concerned, this was good practice for when he got one of his own, and he liked the fact the machine even went so far as to have a high-powered fan to simulate the wind against him as he drove.

After a while of fake-riding into the fake-sunset while fake-wind is blowing through Sekizawa's real hair, an unknown student in casual clothes approaches the Road Rage machine.

"Yeah, the machine's great, isn't it? Mind if I hop in as P2?"

[SeriousConcentrate]

"Sure, but watch out - I'm just as good with a bat in this game as I am in real life."

Of course, one of the major draws of Road Rage was that you could pick up weapons and smack the other riders on the course around, potentially knocking them off of their bikes and making them lose ground as they had to get back up, get back on their bikes, and pick up speed once more.

"Sekizawa, Kishibe High, Class 2-B. You are?"

[SirAston]

"Oh, I do like a challenge, Sekizawa-kun."

The token for the second player slot got inserted and the student sat on the replica of a bike, his "character" selection falling on the model known for its good acceleration and top speed but terrible stats for taking curves and withstanding hits before falling down. Definitely not a bike for amateurs.

"Jinno, Yamagishi High, Class 3-B. Considering you hang out with him, you probably have heard of me."

His virtual avatar picked up a chain, known for its low power but high range.

"Don't worry, this is not some bullshit test of your skills, or me trying to convince you to abandon him."
"Right now, we're just two men wanting to have fun playing games. Unless you prefer it otherwise..."

Jun'ichi closes in on Tatsuya from behind.

Jun'ichi Jinno Theme: Hunting (Digital Devil Saga 1)

[SeriousConcentrate]

"Ah, so you're the guy Hashimoto was talking about. Here to feel us out?"

Sekizawa leaned back slightly in his 'controller', causing his character to pop a wheelie as he hit a straightaway for a speed boost. His own bike model was a top-tier pick, if a little hard to get used to due to the combination of its' heavy weight, average control, and low acceleration; however, it had the highest top speed of all the choices and the second-highest durability. It was definitely one that required some skill to get the most out of, but it could be used offensively by ramming other drivers, making it a choice for aggressive players.

"I don't know what the deal between you and Souban is, but I'm just here to get strong and keep the peace. The last year was the first time I could actually sit back and focus on the baseball club, and I had a stellar year. Another two like it and I'm going to be scouted by a team for sure."

[Gaterhyme]

Though big movers and shakers were revealing themselves elsewhere, in some places life seemed to go on as usual:

"I'm home," Nonoka called out as she slipped out of her shoes, and listened for a response.

"... Still at work." She might still be at work too, if she wasn't in between jobs at the moment.

Nonoka padded over to the refrigerator on slippered feet, opening it and frowning when the light flickered on and off. She set several of the leftover bento boxes she had on the shelves. For a moment, she considered leaving one on the table, but since she didn't know when her dad would be back, she couldn't risk it going bad. He would probably know to look in the fridge if he was too tired to prepare a late meal. Or too drunk, but that rarely happened, even though she was old enough to take care of herself now.

"Could have just gone straight to the arcade if his work's going to be that way," she grumbled, with no real bite to her tone. She pounded on the plastic of the refrigerator light with her palm. It just flickered more. She gave up. Might as well leave before she made it worse, and if she wanted to make it in time to catch any action at the arcade.

But since she was home anyway...

"I guess this isn't really a big thing anymore these days." She was in the other room now, opening another of the leftover bento. With a pair of chopsticks she took one of the tonkatsu and placed it on a plate at the little shrine. "That's why I never asked dad how you're supposed to do this. But it's okay if I just talk, right, since it was a big day?"

"Dad says you used to like tonkatsu, so maybe that's why it's my favorite. I met the Souban today and fed him some, but that was because he was faking getting knocked down. I don't think I'd give the Souban tonkatsu otherwise even if he had his picture on a shrine. Especially if he wasn't dead. I fought a lot of people today too, just like dad used to do, but with his hands instead of chopsticks and by hitting people instead of feeding the people hitting people." She paused, for effect, or just to catch her train of thought. "So, um, I guess I'm doing big things. If you want to give me some sort of daughter blessing, I'd take it. And if you're not going to eat the tonkatsu, or if it's a physical-spiritual thing where you can just take the essence, save the rest for dad, okay?... He still misses you sometimes, so I think it'd be nice."

Nonoka stood, waited for a moment as if for a response, then picked up the rest of the bento boxes (just in case) and left the apartment, closing and locking the door behind her. Outside, the air was crisp on her face. She hurried down a flight of stairs, slung herself onto her bike, and was gone into the night.

[cronos5010]

After spending a little too long on taking in the arcade's sights, Yumiko heads off to buy some tokens, and figure out what seemed interesting enough to try out for her first time.

After a moment of Yumiko idling around, she got approached by an overweight student, his hair colored, his posture less than ideal, an odor that is noticable, yet not aggressively so. His speech is somewhat mumbled and reserved, just loud enough to be audible against the noisy arcade backdrop. His aura of anxiety is obvious even to the casual observer.

"... Y-y... seem lost... Can I-I-I help? N-n-n-n-need any recommen-recom-recommendations for g-games?"

Yumiko's nose instictively wrinkles as she notices the poor excuse for a man approaching her, and she takes a slight step back the moment he started to get a little too close for comfort.
: "No thanks, I already know what I want to play. I'm just trying to find the machine for... Urban Combatter IIV: Ultra Omegaman Initial Finish."

[kj1225]

"Well, then..."

Ryuuji stood on the Player 2 side and inserted a coin. The acreen blared "NEW CHALLENGER GET IN" loudly.

"I wonder how your Lithuanian karateka will hold up to Lie Meiling's Bajiquan... Lithuanian character? That's rare. What will be next, Peruvian Taekwondo master?"

Tomomi smirked in amusement at the thought, trying to find the words to continue with Ryuuji's comment. He failed, of course. He never was much for conversations even if it was a topic he enjoyed. At least, not with people he'd known for only a few hours. After a few moments thinking, the time was over and the match was starting, causing the glasses wearing man to frown slightly. As the announcer counts down though, he quietly sighs and instead uses his hands to talk. Namely, opening up with a small combo. Nothing crazy, just feeling out how Ryuuji would play the match and get an idea of his strategy going forward.

[SirAston]

"Ah, so you're the guy Hashimoto was talking about. Here to feel us out?"

"Hashimoto..."
"Heh. He's quite the blockhead, but his loyalty to his friends is very admiring."
"A shame that his friends are now on two sides of an upcoming war..."

"I don't know what the deal between you and Souban is, but I'm just here to get strong and keep the peace. The last year was the first time I could actually sit back and focus on the baseball club, and I had a stellar year. Another two like it and I'm going to be scouted by a team for sure."

"Yeah, I've seen a game or two between our schools. You're pretty good, I do hope that you'll be taken."
"After all, a city known for its many delinquents rarely gets scouted by the big leagues. Too many opportunities like yours have been lost in the past because of that..."
"Oh, but I don't want to ruin your evening by talking about delinquent politics. Tonight is a night of fun."

Jun'ichi was now driving parallel to Tatsuya in Road Rage. Using the chain's reach to his advantage, he began striking the latter, carefully shifting sideways whenever Tatsuya approached to maintain his superior attack range. The moment Tatsuya aimed to ram him, Jun'ichi hit the brakes, turned to the other side and accelerated to be next to the baseball player again, continuing his attacks. Only in tight corners there was a moment of relief where Jun'ichi deliberately moved behind Tatsuya, being mindful about a sudden break.
Chain Harassing, an advanced tactic of high-acceleration bikes in this game.

: "No thanks, I already know what I want to play. I'm just trying to find the machine for... Urban Combatter IIV: Ultra Omegaman Initial Finish."

The man seemed to relax a bit in response and pointed in a direction.

"Ah, yeah. Tha-that one's in the Mil-Millenium Classics sec-section back there. Dunny why since it's the most recent ver-version of UC, but it's there, sitting there like a-a-a hidden gem. Have fun!"

And with that, the man moved on, looking around for a moment before approaching a sad-looking kid in front of a claw machine, giving him a handful of tokens.

Indeed, in the "Millenium Classics" section, there it was... Urban Combatant IV: Omega Champion Final.

[AzyWng]

With pretty much everyone else seemingly occupied, Susumu figured he might as well go for what he'd been thinking of heading to the whole time. Making sure no-one was looking, he headed to one of the rhythm games, inserted a coin, and picked out a track at random. Just something to help clear his head.

Well, that, and it was pretty fun, too.

[SeriousConcentrate]

Sekizawa grimaced and leaned, evading a third chain strike, then came in close for a quick swing of his bat.

"Just makes the story better. A kid from Kishibe who could have been a hoodlum like so many others, but instead made something of himself and became a star player? That's a modern-day fairy tale, something for kids to look up to and strive for."

Although he missed the first swing, he pressed the assault, using his bike's slightly better maneuverability to stay on Jun'ichi and keep attacking. His bat may have had less strength and reach than the chain, but with its' fast speed, as long as he kept close he could force his opponent to defend instead of knocking him from his bike. He just had to stay aggressive.

"So what about you? Why do you want the Souban title?"

[SirAston]

"Yeah, that would be a cool story indeed. Can already imagine our town's headlines. 'Delinquent Batter Turned Honest Pro!' 'The Kishibe Tengus' Greatest Pride!' Good stuff like that."

It was the last curve before the end of the race. Jun'ichi had pulled behind Tatsuya in previous curves as a curve was obviously the domain of heavyweights, but this time, as the curve was coming to a close, he suddenly popped up next to Tatsuya's bike and, uncaring for any kind of retaliation, made a simultaneous chain attack and ram, two attacks at once that would certainly slow down even heavier bikes down a bit.

"As for the Why... Because spineless assholes like him need to learn a lesson!"

After that attack, he started accelerating as fast as possible the moment he got out of the curve, trying to get as much of a headstart as possible while Tatsuya's bike was still somewhat slowed down. It was obvious that Jun'ichi was banking on passing the goal line before his opponent could accelerate fast enough to make us of his superior top speed.


As the idol and the president were having fun together at O-don's, a lonely figure was passing by the window, taking a fateful peek at it before realising who were currently eating there. That teenager immediately jumped away from the window, his body beginning to shiver lightly and his breathing becoming slightly heavier.

"Oh boy... Oh boy oh boy oh boy... It really is her! In the flesh! Azusa-chaaaan~ ... Haaah, I know we're going to the same school, but still, I thought I'd personally meet Rina-chan before her... Ahaha... Seeing her being so innocent, being so... herself... Am I allowed to just barge in, asking for an autograph? I don't want to come off as rude in front of Azusa-chan... But she's a delinquent by heart, isn't she? Maybe a bit of rudeness is something she wouldn't mind... Haaah... Should I... Should I not...?"

[cronos5010]

: "No thanks, I already know what I want to play. I'm just trying to find the machine for... Urban Combatter IIV: Ultra Omegaman Initial Finish."

The man seemed to relax a bit in response and pointed in a direction.

"Ah, yeah. Tha-that one's in the Mil-Millenium Classics sec-section back there. Dunny why since it's the most recent ver-version of UC, but it's there, sitting there like a-a-a hidden gem. Have fun!"

And with that, the man moved on, looking around for a moment before approaching a sad-looking kid in front of a claw machine, giving him a handful of tokens.

Indeed, in the "Millenium Classics" section, there it was... Urban Combatant IV: Omega Champion Final.

Perhaps a little surprised after the offputting man simply... helped her and moved on without doing anything particularly creepy, Yumiko simply stopped to say.
: "Thanks, you too."

Before she went off to the classics section, and attempted to figure out how... any of this game works really, outside of putting the token inside of the slot at least.

[Gaterhyme]

Nonoka did eventually make it to the arcade.

"Get him, classmate! Pressure him until he makes a mistake!"

And seemed to be taking turns appearing on both sides of a certain Steel Grip machine that Tomomi and Ryuuji were using, cheering both on alternately.

"Don't let him get you, Ryuuji! Keep your guard up and counter!"