Bread to Break - SotVD

[banthesun]

Despite not talking as much as Tsubaki had been, Kyoko still felt like she was being left behind finishing her meal. They'd probably have to head back to school soon, but it'd be really rude to leave leftovers at Tsubaki's aunt's shop!

Kyoko made a mental note that Tsubaki had a brother too, before responding to her question.

"Hmm, I guess there's shopping, and a few shows I like watching?" It sounded a bit weak, but Kyoko wasn't quite sure what to say. It was hardly the most exciting set of interests around, even to her. She tried to turn the question around. "I dunno, what kind of stuff are you into?"

Ugh, I really hope she doesn't just say 'training'...

[Mokou-tan]

"Take your time eating. It wouldn't be good to rush, you might choke. We'll make it to class on time." Tsubaki grinned as she spoke, truly believing that to be the case.

"I enjoy camping, fishing, hunting, rock climbing and evening out fights. I read more than I watch shows and I can play music with a leaf."

[banthesun]

Kyoko felt embarrassed that Tsubaki had been able to sense her concern about her food. "It is good!" she hurriedly replied. She'd have to take Tsubaki's advice about how long they had, she'd been doing this much longer than Kyoko had, after all!

"Wow, you can list out your hobbies as if it was an interview! Kyoko laughed. "You're joking about the fights though, right?"

[Mokou-tan]

Tsubaki let out a slightly bothered sounding sigh and shook her head. "If you saw three people beating a single person, would you just walk by? You likely aren't strong enough to take three people, so that would be the smart option. Would you go and get help? By the time it got there, it may be too late. I'm foolish enough to step in and strong enough to help out."

[banthesun]

"Aren't the police meant to handle things like that? It's dangerous for a schoolgirl to do something like that! I mean, it sounds like something crazy out of a manga!" Kyoko protested.

But I guess Tsubaki already considered stuff like that...

She gave a worried frown. "It's just... I don't know, I just don't understand this...

[Mokou-tan]

"The police have a response time. They aren't everywhere at once. If I'm already there, I'm faster. And, I'm not just a schoolgirl. I'm the Tiger of the Extended Martial Arts Club and their former president." Tsubaki gives off a bit of pride in her speech, happy with her title that the other members had given her.

"Of course you wouldn't understand. We're both rather different. You're a smart girl with useful talents. On the other hand, all I'm greatly talented in is fighting. It's who I am." Tsubaki smiles as she speaks, obviously not bothered by the differences between them. "If you still think it's too dangerous for me, you can stop by my club after school. I've got a duel today, after all."

[banthesun]

Kyoko's immediate reaction to being told she clearly wouldn't understand was annoyance, despite how flattering and humble Tsubaki was being. It still felt dismissive, despite how polite Tsubaki was being to her. But if Tsubaki was going to be so polite, Kyoko couldn't allow herself to be rude in return. She kept her face neutral, up until the point where Tsubaki mentioned a duel.

"What, this doesn't have anything to do with those rumours, does it?" Kyoko asked, her upset being forced out of her mind by images of Tsubaki coming alone to a fight with a whole band of boys.

[Mokou-tan]

"The duel? Not this time. The only creature that can stand on even ground with a Tiger is a Dragon. Sadly, said Dragon hasn't been able to gain a decisive victory. She's pretty good, though. If it was people with a problem with me, they tend to come in groups of three to seven and like to attempt a surprise attack. Cowards would never formally challenge me." Tsubaki gives a little chuckle as her eyes seem to gleam. "Credit where it's due, it's a good tactic for dealing with an opponent that would normally overwhelm you. Not that I'll let them win. Then the rumors get a little worse and sometimes someone challenges me because they value titles like 'strongest' and such."

[banthesun]

"Okay, sorry, but now I really don't understand..." Kyoko took another mouthful of her soba while she tried to process what Tsubaki had said.

"You have people just attacking you? Uh, that kinda sounds like a really dangerous life..." Everything Tsubaki had said so far made her sound like a hero, but now Kyoko wondered if she was just involved in voilent stuff.

"Oh wait, you mentioned 'dragon-chan' earlier, is that what you're talking about?"

[Mokou-tan]

"Yup, she wanted to try and get a victory today. She's also the one who I called and asked about whether it was okay for us to leave the school or not. The people just attacking me tend to be the types of guys who picked on someone weaker and got a bothered when a girl is the one who beat them senseless and want revenge." Tsubaki leans back in her seat, balancing it on the back two legs. "It's only dangerous if I lose. I won't lose."

[banthesun]

"You sound really confident about that." Kyoko wasn't sure if she was concerned or impressed. "You really don't worry about things like that?"

Kyoko was worrying about other things, however. There wasn't much left on her plate now, but she was starting to feel nervous about how much time they'd spent away from the school. Perhaps the servings had indeed been too generous.

"Are you sure we don't have to head back soon?" she asked.

[Mokou-tan]

"Worrying can lead to mistakes. Mistakes can lead to regrets. I'd rather not have regrets." After finishing her words on that subject she begins to pay her aunt, who tries to refuse the money. "I don't care if I'm family, I'm also a customer and I'll pay like one. It was pretty good this time, too." The woman gives a slightly-defeated smile then hands Tsubaki an envelope.

"Eh? I'll make sure my father gets it." The little warrior returns to the table Kyoko is at and smiles. "There, we can leave whenever you're ready to. Don't wanna be late, after all."

[banthesun]

Tsubaki doesn't have regrets? Wow...

As Tsubaki goes to pay, Kyoko quickly tries to finish off what's left on her plate. The meal had been a lot more than she'd intended for lunch, and she was too full to clear her plate completely. As she gets up to leave, she gives a bow to Tsubaki's aunt.

"Sorry I wasn't able to get through it all, it was really good though!" She turns to Tsubaki. "Do we need to hurry?"

[Mokou-tan]

"Me? No, I have English next, which means I'm finding a place to nap. You? That depends, it's a 4 minute walk there, so can you navigate the school to your class in 6?" Tsubaki smiled as she started out the door. "If the answer is no, we may need to run."

[banthesun]

Uh, I should be able to get to class in that time, so I guess we don't have to run..."

The revelation that Tsubaki was intending to skip her next class made Kyoko a little nervous, and she started to wonder if she'd lied about it being okay for them to leave the school during lunch time. She wouldn't have gone somewhere her family would know about if it was though, right?

"Uh, so you're going to find somewhere to nap?" Kyoko asked, making awkward conversation, and in part wondering where they were going to split up.

[Mokou-tan]

"Yeah. I need to reach my class after that though, so I'll probably sleep on the roof again. Oh, and Kyoko..." Tsubaki gives a kind smile to her walking partner. "You probably shouldn't spend much time around me at school. I have a bad reputation, so I think it'd be best if it didn't spread to you as well. If anyone bugs you about today, just say I bullied you into buying me lunch or something. They'll probably believe it and then nobody will associate me with you in a way that would be bad for you."

[banthesun]

"That- that doesn't seem right!"

Kyoko just didn't know what to think. Tsubaki apparently was going round getting in fights and skipping classes, so it seemed clear she was some kind of troublemaker. But here she was telling Kyoko to blame her for them hanging out. That and she'd been the one to offer to get her lunch when she'd needed it. Just what was going on with this girl?

"I can't just lie like that!" Kyoko protested. "You're the one who bought me lunch!"

[Mokou-tan]

"Now, now." Tsubaki holds a finger up to her lips. "A lot of the people here already have a poor view of me. If it gets worse, it's no big deal, I can take it. On the other hand, if the view is that you're my friend because I took you out to lunch, you're now the friend of someone people don't want to be around. The association would be bad for you, so I'm telling you it's alright to say it was the reverse and it was forced. You're a good girl, so I'm sure you'll make a lot of friends. You might not if you're tainted by my reputation."

[banthesun]

Feeling like she would have to go through with this, Kyoko looked away and muttered "Sorry...

This feels really wrong. So much of that stuff she talked about sounded scary, but she was still really nice. And now she's doing this for me...

"Uh, thanks for the lunch, Tsubaki. I will need to pay you back for this some time."

Kyoko was determined about that, she definitely didn't want Tsubaki's favour to go unrepaid.

[Mokou-tan]

"Don't worry about it. Seriously, I just fed you and gave you some advice. It's what anyone would do. Anyway, if you're lucky, nobody would bother you about it." Tsubaki steps into an alleyway shortly before the school. "This is where we part. Don't get into any trouble. If you can't help it though, I'll try and solve it." Tsubaki waved as she started down the alleyway, planning to show up to school a little later to avoid causing Kyoko trouble.