To the Beat of the Heart Drum (Retsu and Wing)

W

Wingshadow

Guest
The intense beams of light glared intently upon the sidewalk, casting a thick, transparent haze of mugginess upon the entire town. Sweat clung to the undersides of her arms and her forehead, exposed from having pulled her hair back and affixed it with a yellow band which had practically become a permanent feature. Her gait was slow and somewhat uneasy as the sunbeams quickly drained what little endurance she had under such conditions. On the opposite side of the street sat young couples, huddled beneath the shade of umbrellas and wide-brimmed hats while chatting in hushed tones and suppressed giggles.

Summer, the season of matured romance, was more of an abrupt sock to the head considering her own single, unattached situation. Mio and Mugi had little trouble finding boyfriends, of course, as they had both drawn quite a lot of attention even while in high school. Even Yui found a charming young man who was willing to accompany her to practically every sweet shop in the area. Although they were still closely-nit friends it was apparent that however kind and understanding the boys in question where, it left her feeling awkward. Just how was she supposed to respond when they swapped stories about dating hot spots and weekend getaways? What was she supposed to say when Yui insistently sent pictures of herself and half-eaten slices of cake with her boyfriend beside her? The thought alone made her footsteps fall just a bit heavier.

Turning the last corner toward the convenience store, she walked past the automatic doors and headed straight toward the freezer section, pressing her forehead against the cool surface and staring at the cups of ice cream on the other side of the pane. With a sigh, she took a step back and opened the door before reaching in and picking up two cups, one vanilla and one chocolate, before turning toward the cashier. She set them down onto the counter then set down her purse to fumble about for some bills to pay for her purchases, and upon collecting the required amount finally looked up toward the young man before him for the first time.

In an instant, his soft blonde locks and gentle smile made it hard for her to tear her eyes away.
 
Being stuck behind the counter was the last thing he wanted to do, and this was such a slow area, that he was just sitting there and waiting for potential customers to enter and buy something. It didn't help that he didn't have many friends as he was not a native of these lands.

Alyx Jefferson Shale. He was born in the United States, and had a rather fun life growing up. His parents would spoil him to a certain degree so he didn't become rotten, he was somewhat popular in all twelve years of schooling that he had, and had enjoyed his life all together. It wasn't until a friend of is, who was a major otaku, invited him over to his house. He thought it was just going to be them playing games or something, and it was just that, but he would discover his first and only true desire on that day. When he arrived at his friend's house, there was music playing throughout the entire house as he had installed stereos that were connected to his computer speakers in all the rooms of the house. He liked music, and had a massive iTunes playlist with songs of all genres. On this particular day, he was playing Japanese pop, and Alyx had never heard such music before. Just something about it drew him in, and he asked what was playing "Hey Jake, what kind of music is this?" he asked, as he followed him down to his basement.

"The current song? Um...I think this is Mr. Taxi by Girl Generation, but they share so many songs with another group called SNSD that I can't even be sure," Alyx honestly didn't quite care who made the song, and he had an amazing time both playing games with Jake, and listening to all the songs that played through the speakers. He went home that night, and started looking up the songs that had played on YouTube, and listened to them again as well as all the related videos that dealt with Japanese pop. It was there that he clicked on a video that looked like it was taken from a mobile phone. It was a video of five Japanese girls who looked like they were at some school playing at some sort of concert. It was uploaded recently, and he figured that he would watch it. Surprisingly, those five girls were amazingly talented, and he found that he rather enjoyed their playing despite not being able to understand a word that they said.

One thing led to the next, and those YouTube videos inspired him to want to actually learn Japanese, and perhaps traveling their. He only had about a month left until spring break at his university, and decided to see if his school allowed studying abroad. In the meantime, he constantly studied the Japanese language, and was getting quite good at being able to at least get by out in the city. About a week before spring break, he approached his adviser, and asked if the school had a program that allowed students to study abroad, and was excited to find out that they did. He asked if it was possible that he could that he could go to Japan to go to school there, and was once again excited to find that was possible. It would just take them a few days to find a family there that would be willing to take them into their house, or to see if there was a hostel there that had room.

Alyx spent the entire duration of his spring break learning to read, write, and speak Japanese. He could now function quite well in everyday life in Japan, but wouldn't quite call himself an expert by any means.

And now time shifts to the present. His school had found him a hostel, and he was rooming with two other people. Two females both from New Zealand, and were here to study abroad as well. Thankfully, they spoke English as well, so there was no language barrier between them, but they did like to speak in Japanese together just to help make sure they didn't mess up anything.

As the girl came up to the counter, a brief flashback occurred, and it was the time he saw someone just like her performing at some school concert, and then it occurred to him. She was the drummer in the video! There was no doubt in his mind that it was her because that yellow hairband of hers gave it away instantly. Still, he didn't want to sound like a creep "Is there something I can help you with, ma'am?" he asked, noting how she was looking at him and that she had two tubs of ice-cream. Which he took and scanned without her answering "That will be two hundred forty seven yen."
 
"Two hundred forty-seven yen?" Ristu's eyes were still a bit hazy and her words came out somewhat mumbled as she repeated the price of her purchase, but her mind was somewhere completely different as evidenced by her right hand which had grasped his sleeve, "Are you sure? Selling out for so cheap-" She blinked twice, cutting herself off mid-sentence upon realizing how awkward her momentary lapse in judgement had made the situation.

Making a quick attempt at remedying the situation she followed up with a quick backhand to his shoulder, "I-i-it was a joke! I felt compelled by your captivating foreign eyes to make a joke!" Folding her hands behind her head along with her signature grin, she laughed nervously. Why did she feel like she had just made things even worse? The convenience store was completely empty other than the young man before him and herself, so she wasn't causing any trouble for the establishment, but the way she prolonged her opportunity to simply look at him made it painfully obvious that she had lost interest in the ice cream. Quickly slapping down two hundred yen bills and a fifty yen coin, she scooped up her ice cream into her arms and made a beeline toward the exit-
 
Ritsu's "joke" made him blush as it was so sudden and her hand was holding on to his sleeve. He had no idea why she was doing this, but was glad that she at least recognized what she was doing. She gave him a quick backhand on the shoulder of the sleeve she was holding on, and tried to defuse the awkward situation between the two with saying that it was merely a joke; however, he blushed even further when she told him that he had captivating foreign eyes, and must of realized that because a nervous laugh was echoing through the empty convenience store.

Still, he couldn't quite help, but notice how cute she looked. Both when she was just staring at him, and how she was nervously trying to make things less awkward. He even remember thinking the same about her when he saw that video of her on YouTube, but never actually thought that they would meet in person, or at all for that matter. So he just couldn't let her leave the store without at least getting to know her for a bit. Just as she was about to leave, he extended his hand out into the universal sign for stop "Wait!" he walked around the counter to approach her, and gave her his best smile. Though a blush was still on his cheeks "My name is Alyx Shale," he told her, accidentally using the American way to give someone your name.
 
She froze and turned back toward Alyx, her jaw practically creaking as she gave him a stiff introduction, "I-I'm Tainaka Ritsu- I mean, I'm Ritsu Tainaka, a first-year collage student at the nearby girl's collage. I'm 148 cm tall, blood-type B, and I play the drums with my friends as a part of our band. Pleased to meet you." She extended her left hand and set down the vanilla ice cream tub back onto the counter, accompanying her action with a brief bow as if she had presented him an offering in exchange for letting her leave with her pride at least somewhat in-tact. "H-here, its on the house... I mean, have this one on me."

Was talking with boys always this terrifying? Sure, it was almost entirely her own fault that she had gotten into such a situation, but it still didn't make her feel any better acknowledging it. She smiled once again, while her tension, the redness of her cheeks, and the enduring heat of the midday sun combined and increased the amount of sweat streaming down her face.
 
Alyx took hold of her hand gently and shook hands with the very same girl that he had seen on YouTube. It felt so weird to be talking to her face-to-face, and honestly wondered if this was just a dream to taunt him in a sense. It would look weird if he suddenly pinched himself, so he just rolled with everything "Well, I don't think I needed to know how tall you are, or your blood-type, but...thanks?" he chuckled in an attempt to lighten the tension between the two "Anyway, it is nice to meet you, Tainaka-san, and don't worry about giving me your name in the way I would understand. I have studied the Japanese language quite vigorously, so I understand that your culture gives their family name first, and then your given name," He said, letting go of her hand. Alyx wondered if it would be okay if he told her that he saw on her a YouTube video with her same group of friends, and was really debating on whether or not that would seem creepy.

He figured it would mean no harm as long as she knew that he wasn't stalking her or anything "I thought that was you. I remember watching a YouTube video of you and your friends playing at some concert. It looked like it was at a school, and you guys had a lot of people in attendance at that concert," she probably had other things to do, but he really wished that he could spend more time with her "Ahem, I gotta get back to my job, but maybe I will see you around sometime," he bowed in her direction before putting the tub of ice-cream back in the freezer since his boss would have a hissy fit if she found out he was eating inventory. Alyx watched as she left the store, and sighed once he was sure that Ritsu was out of ear-shot. He knew that they would probably never cross paths again, and it saddened him to know such things.

He chuckled through, as this thought ran through his headWell, at least I can make this the moment I got my first crush in Japan.
 
"You've seen my videos on YouTube? I knew I should have petitioned harder for copyright on our songs," Ritsu rubbed her chin while glancing to the side, "Its good to know that we are getting better visibility, though. I mean, I was starting to wonder if anyone outside our school even knew about us. We went to England during our senior trip and we ended up doing a gig for another Japanese band since they couldn't tell us apart."

"Yeah, I'll see you around," she smiled and gave him a pleasant wave before heading back out into the scorching summer heat armed with only one tub of ice cream. Yet, she felt a bit different... A bubbly sort of sensation huddled tightly within her chest and her hips swung slightly along with her thin arms. She knew well enough that a hot foreign guy like him probably already had a girlfriend back in America waiting for him, but it didn't hurt to dream, did it?

Ritsu had no way of knowing how much things would change for her after that fateful meeting... Or how differently things would turn out from how she imagined them to be.
 
Alyx wished he had a girlfriend. As much as he was kinda popular back in high-school and at his university. None of the women really interested him. It wasn't that he didn't feel an attraction to women, otherwise he would not be blushing in Ritsu's presence, but none of them really seemed to catch his eye. Ritsu, on the other hand, had a certain air about her that just drew him towards her. It was the same feeling that he had gotten when he visited Jake's and he was playing Japanese pop. Still, he sighed once more as that one encounter would be the last they ever had...unless..."I-I'm Tainaka Ritsu- I mean, I'm Ritsu Tainaka, a first-year collage student at the nearby girl's college." He remembered her saying that when they introduced themselves to each other, and looked out the small window next to him. Lo and behold, there was indeed what looked like a university close by. It could of just been a different one, but it was the only one he could remember that was close by. She probably lived in the dorms there, so he couldn't go and visit her there unless he was a relative.

If only she was at his university, then it would make things so much more easier. It was co-ed, and the students and faculty seemed to accept him quite well. He wasn't the only foreigner there as well, so that was probably helping him out a bit. Hours passed by with the same slow day, but his shift was finally over as the graveyard working came in the door "Today was quite slow. I doubt you are going to get many customers today, Yuijo," Yuijo was a fellow worker of his, a classmate of his, and his first friend that he made while in Japan. They just seemed to easily connect with each other, and it was almost like they were twins with a different mother.

"Great...Hey, we still up for going to the arcade tomorrow?" Yuijo asked, as they swapped spots.

Alyx opened the door, but stopped to answer him "Of course, dude. I have school in the morning, but my entire afternoon is free after that," he said goodbye to his friend before heading on back to his hostel room. The two girls from New Zealand were already there, and they giggled as he entered the door. It confused him, and something compelled him to ask "Whats so funny?"

They both giggled once more, and the girl named Addison spoke up "Someone at our school has a crush on you."

Then it hit him. These two were attending the same all-women university as Ritsu, and that had to be her "Wait, does she always have on a yellow hairband, and is her name Tainaka Ritsu?" Addison nodded to both those questions "Addison, Alysha, can either one of you please ask her to meet me at the cafe this afternoon?" he was going to totally blow off Yuijo, but he was an understanding guy, and always told Alyx that he was going to try and find a girl for him, so he wasn't lonely during his time here.

Both girls just looked at each other, and gave him teasing smirks "We can...but it will cost you~!"

Alyx sighed, and pulled out 500 yen to give to them. They giggled again, but Alyx knew they would do as he asked with their payment now in their hands. So he decided to just head off to bed, and get as much sleep as possible.

The next day, he had butterflies in his stomach the entire day, and was having a hard time focusing on his classes. As all he could think about was Ritsu, and if she would accept his offer for a date. He wished that he could do it in person, but he didn't know his school, nor was he sure they would ever meet again out and about. Thankfully, he didn't get in trouble, and immediately headed for the cafe that he told Addison and Alysha to tell Ritsu to meet him at.
 
The sticks in her hands rapped, tapped, and crashed across the drum set, the controlled cacophony resounding and echoing throughout the empty room. A single bead of sweat slid down her broad forehead and across her cheek, until it reached the tip of her chin. Her gently shut eyelids had a certain glisten to them, her body's motions in perfect unison in time with the internal tune which rang out within her very soul. As her part came to an end and she waved toward the invisible crowds before her, her focus was not upon the roaring applause, but upon the blonde-haired young man who stood in the third row from the stage, his heart-felt smile and simple greeting echoing amid the mute hoards all around them.

In reality, Ritsu sat slack-armed with her shoulders rolled forward and her fingers lightly grasping her drum sticks and her cheek resting against the large drum before her while a slight hint of blush graced her cheeks and a silly grin spread across her lips. It had been a mere three days since their last meeting, but during that short time she had already begun delving deeper and deeper into her fantasies concerning the ominous Alyx. She had never really taken romance very seriously before, as the subject had primarily been used as a source of comedy or suspicion concerning Mio's weekly routine. You never knew for sure if she was hiding a secret boyfriend from the rest of them or not, after all. Calling Ritsu's reaction a mere crush may have been a bit of an understatement.

In any case, the two girls from New Zealand had learned Ritsu's secret from a rather unlikely source: Ritsu herself. She had made it no secret that she was interested in Alyx, as she scarcely missed an opportunity to ask virtually everyone she knew if they had any information on the foreign young man who worked part-time at the nearby convenience store. It was rather unsettling how quickly she had transformed from romance being a source of envy and a damper on her usual upbeat mood, to a source of drive to her entire collage life. Ritsu was never one to do something in a half-hearted manner, after all. To say the least, when Addison and Alysha approached her it did not take much effort at all to convince her to meet up with Alyx again.

Ritsu walked somewhat stiffly toward the small outdoor cafe with umbrellas that she had passed by on her way to the convenience store. She wore a dark green shirt that hung just past her waist and black tights, with small yellow shoes that fit snugly. Instead of her usual yellow headband, she wore a black one instead along with a touch of crimson lipstick. Sure, it was awkward as heck to be asked out via a third party, but she wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. It didn't take her long to spot him seated at one of the tables and she made her way over without much trouble other than her own hesitation.

"Y-yo!" she waved toward Alyx and gave him her best smile, "So, we meet again..."
 
Alyx took his seat at the outdoor area of the cafe as he waited for Ritsu's arrival. While Addison and Alysha did force him to pay them before they would ask Ritsu out for him, he knew that they were going to be true to their word. He had only known them for about a month now, but they were honest girls despite being so bubbly and almost absent-minded. Suddenly, he felt his phone vibrating in his pockets, and didn't even had to check to know that it was Yuijo. Nevertheless, he pulled out his phone and read his text 'Where are you, Alyx? I'm waiting at the arcade for you.' Like stated earlier, Yuijo had constantly said that he would find a girl for Alyx during his time here, so he was sure to understand him as he responded back 'Sorry, Yuijo. I kinda have an...outing with a girl I met yesterday, but I promise that we will definitely hang out tomorrow for sure," he didn't get a text message back, but figured it was for the best as he saw Ritsu approaching the cafe. Upon looking at her, his eyes were instantly drawn to the crimson lipstick that she had on, and he felt that attraction meter shoot way up. He loved it when women wore lipstick or nail polish, and seeing her wearing lipstick made a shiver go throughout his entire body.

She sat down, and he almost fit bad that he wasn't as nice looking as her. Sure, it was just the lipstick that made her look nice, but he should of at least cleaned himself up, or perhaps put on a bit of cologne. Oddly enough, he gave her the same smile that she saw in her day dream as she sat down "That we do," he had told the waiter who had come to him when he first arrived there to wait to take his order as she was expecting someone else to come. Seeing that he was now with a girl, the waiter approached the two "Hello! What shall I get for you two today?" he asked.

"Just give me a straight black coffee," Alyx told him, and when Ritsu made her order, the waiter said he would be back with their orders soon before leaving the two alone. Alyx thought that he should explain why he asked those two girls to ask her out for him, so he didn't think that he was super shy or something "I know this is nothing to be sorry about, but I'm sorry I didn't ask you to come here in person. You said you went to an all girls university, and I doubt they allow guys to enter the school unless I was your father or brother, and just visiting you. So I had my hostel roommates ask for me as I thought it would be the easiest way instead of having to wait until you came back to that convenience store," hopefully, if things went well, he could get her number, and could just call or text her if he wanted to set up an outing with her. He really didn't want to use the word date, or do anything that might give it away that he was testing to see if they could possibly be on a date. He wanted to be sure that they would be able to hit it off well, but would be more than welcome to turn this into a date if things did go well.

The waiter came back with their orders, and handed Alyx his coffee and Ritsu her order "Is there anything else?" he asked, but Alyx told him no, and the waiter once came said goodbye.

It would be a silent sort of outing without something to talk about, and decided that her band would be a perfect conversation starter "So, you are in a band with your friends, right? What are you guys called?"
 
Ritsu ordered an orange spice tea before turning her attention to Alyx who sat across from her at the round glass table, "You could have just asked them for my cell phone number, you know? If you didn't want to do that, you could have just sneaked onto the collage campus anyway in order to see me. I mean, that would be pretty exciting, don't you think so?" She nodded to herself quietly as the conversation drifted off a bit, unaware that she had essentially informed him that she wouldn't mind giving him her cell phone number in order to set up future outings. Her ears perked up slightly when he mentioned her band, however.

"We are the light music club, also known as Afternoon Tea Time," Ritsu said dramatically, her arms whirling in the air in an imitation of her actions during a performance, followed by a wink, "I'm the drummer, Ritsu Tainaka." She laughed, clearly pleased with herself, "But I'm surprised you didn't know all of that already since you saw our performance on Youtube, right? That's basic knowledge for a fan... So, which of ours songs is your favorite?"
 
Alyx chuckled when she said that he could of just snuck on to the campus, but even he wasn't that bold. He didn't even want to know what they would do if a boy was found sneaking on to an all-girl's college campus. Plus, it would be pretty hard to do considering everyone has their own class schedules, and he would most likely be caught by some random girl roaming outside. The conversation sort of drifted after that, but instantly picked up once he mentioned Ritsu's band. It must be one of her favorite things to talk about as she instantly perked up, and went a on tangent about it. He did chuckle when she said what the band's name was as it so weird "Actually, I didn't know who you were until now. When I first watched that video, I couldn't speak or read a lick of Japanese, so all I knew about you girls was that you looked like you were playing at some kind of school festival, and that the song title was fuwa fuwa time. After that, I felt inspired to learn your language, and that is the reason why I am sitting in front of you today."

Since they were a band, one would assume that they had some CDs of their songs recorded, or at least MP3s stored on their computers "But I would love to hear some of your other songs if you have them on a CD, or MP3s of them. I could also maybe attend one of your concerts if you are planning on playing at a live house sometime soon."
 
"Ah, I was an inspiration for greatness! Feel free to thank me, Alyx. Feel free to thank me, world!" Ritsu leaned back in her chair and spread her arms toward the sky, as if bathing in the glory they had bestowed upon her, before resuming a more normal stance and simply carrying on the conversation, "Sure, we usually make recordings of our best songs on cassette tapes or CD's. I could bring a few for you, but don't tell anyone or I might get in trouble with our agent." They didn't actually have an agent, of course, but (in her own estimation at least) made her sound more professional to say they did.

She then decided to turn the conversation back to him, "What about you? Do you have any interesting club activities? I know you work part-time, and that by itself is pretty amazing. Do you know how hard it is to get a job around here? Especially since you are a foreigner. You must know people in order to pull that off."
 
Alyx laughed as Ritsu leaned back in her chair, and looked like she was basking in the glory of being an inspiration. He could tell that he would enjoy spending time with her, and was still snickering a little as she resumed normality and said that she could bring some recordings to him "That would be great, Tainaka-san," he said, still using her family name and the title san because he wasn't quite sure if he could use her given name yet "Though, something tells me a group of school girls who formed a band for their music club wouldn't exactly have an agent," he said, chuckling in order to let her know that he wasn't trying to be mean with that statement.

When the conversation turned to him, he too perked up as he hadn't gotten the chance to tell her anything about him besides his name "Well, back home I was the co-founder of my school's gaming club. We have lost a lot of members recently, and we are trying to get some members back, so we don't become forced to drop. Here, I haven't found any clubs that interest me quite yet, but I am still searching. As for my job, it wasn't really hard. I know that it is normally hard for foreigners like me to get jobs here, but the lady that owns that convenience store was extremely nice. I noticed a now hiring sign in her window, and she seemed to of taken pity on me and gave me the job. Plus, a friend of mine from the university I attend, Risamo Yuijo, put in a good word for me as well," he took a sip of his coffee, and felt bummed that it was nearly come. Either he was really thirsty, or he was just gulping it down because all he could focus on was Ritsu.

"How about hobbies? Have you got any hobbies?" it was small talk material, but small talk always led to conversations, and they were hitting it off quite well. He was probably even going to try asking her for her number after it was time to leave since she did basically hint that she would be okay with it.
 
"What are you talking about? I am the agent..." Ritsu pulled out a pair of black sunglasses and perched them on the end of her nose while glancing over the rims, "Can't you tell? Don't I look like agent material to you? I might like look the part, but I am one of the shrewdish agents out there! Shrewdish is a word, right? Don't say we don't have an agent, because I would know... Since I am the agent." Ritsu's grin and cheerful tone made it perfectly clear that she was simply fooling around with him, while slightly turning her body to give him subtly flirtatious poses to enjoy.

"Oh, so guys in America form those sorts of clubs there, too. I can sort of understand the appeal, because when you finish a game or have a really great performance it fills you with a sense of accomplishment. Personally, I like doing things I can enjoy with my friends, and it would be great if you can find something like that here, too," Ritsu nodded, crossing her arms in front of her modest chest, "I really can't offer any recommendations, since we don't go to the same college, but I'm sure there is probably a gaming club at your school as well, or at least a computer club."

"Me? Well, between club activities and studying I really don't do much else," she admitted a bit sheepishly, "Yui, Mio, Mugi, and even Asusa have all found boyfriends so we really don't hang out as much as we used to over the weekends. Perhaps its partially because I'm a bit jealous, but I feel sort of awkward around them when they start talking about that sort of stuff. You know what I mean?"
 
Alyx laughed again as Ritsu thought herself to be her band's agent. He didn't say anything this time, but he had a feeling that someone like her would be a bad agent "I am sure that shrewdish could be a word if you made it into one. Pretty sure that people will think you are crazy if you start making up words," all this time, Ritsu had been the one making him laugh, and he felt bad for that. He remembered reading somewhere online that it was important to make the girl laugh, but he didn't know how quite true that was. He never fully trusted online dating tips, and only read it because Yuijo forced him to in an attempt to "Help you score some chicks," as said by Yuijo himself.

Now Alyx gave a chuckle as she commented on how even guys in America made gaming clubs "Why wouldn't we? Video games are an international past-time, and lots of people make clubs for their favorite past-time. Hell, there is even a coin collectors club at my school back home, and all they do is trade coins, and mingle with each other," he hadn't really seen any gaming club meetings at his university, but he wouldn't mind joining it if there was one. From what he saw, there were a bunch of nerd-esque types in the school, so he wouldn't be surprised if there was one and they were just hiding from him "Perhaps, but I haven't found one yet, so either my school doesn't have, or they are damn good at hiding from me."

The next topic was about her hobbies, but it quickly changed to, what he assumed, be her friends love lives, and her being all alone while having to deal with hearing about their love lives "I do know what you mean. Yuijo constantly has his girlfriend over at his house whenever I visit, and they are always kissing, hugging, and just flirting with each other. It sickens me to have to watch it, and they even constantly tell me that they are going to find a girlfriend for me. I go along with it to be nice, but I can find my own girlfriend. I mean, I don't think I am the sexiest man on the face of this planet, but I like to believe that I am at least a somewhat handsome man," he looked past Ritsu to find another girl might of been interested in him, and quickly looked away as she noticed he was looking at her "Considering I have gotten a few stares from some other female customers already."
 
"Oh, so you're already flattering yourself with your own popularity?" Ritsu tilted her head back slightly, "Not exactly the best course of action when there is an attractive, single woman right in front of you... But, do go on. Exactly how many high school and collage girls hit on you on a regular basis? You must have pretty strict standards if you haven't gotten a girlfriend yet." Her playful jabs contained a hint of flirtatious flavor as she spoke. Fishing for hints as to what sort of girl he liked without straight-up asking, she was showing more clear signs of interest as she leaned forward and took another sip of her tea.

"I have my own sense of taste, too," she ventured to offer her own in order to clue him in, "I'd like my boyfriend to be someone who knows what they want out of life... Someone who isn't afraid to put himself out there for what he wants and not back down. Of course, being cute helps, too." She folded her hands behind her head and smiled, "Perhaps you know someone who is cool like that? Preferably single."
 
Ritsu was definitely turning out to be his kind of girl. Alyx wasn't a fan of the girly girls and ones who thought a man should be someone who was tough and rugged so they could protect her. Not that he wouldn't protect his girlfriend if some guy was trying to hit on her, or making her feel uncomfortable, but she should be able to take care of herself. Combine that with her uncanny ability to be able to tease him well, and her sort of cool air around her, and he has a very attractive woman on his hands. Just to keep this going, he decided to jab back at her "How many? Wow, I can't even remember how many there were. If I had to kiss, then I would say someone around twenty or thirty," obviously, that was an absolutely ridiculous number, so if she seriously thought that he wasn't joking then there had to be something wrong with her "Maybe I do, maybe I don't. I am more of a fan of the kind of girls that don't expect their man to protect them twenty seven. I mean, they really should take care of themselves, and only need a man's help when things get too much for them. I also would love a woman who doesn't take things seriously, and is just really fun-loving in general," he said, hinting the some kind of signs to her.

Could this be classified as a date? I mean, we are kinda flirting with each, and we both seem to be getting along fantastic. Alyx took another look at Ritsu, and gave a small smile There is no doubt in my mind that she is the perfect woman for me. I will court her, and make her mine. as she asked if he knew anyone that sounded like, he turned his head to the side and scratched his chin to make it look like he was in deep thought "Do I know anybody with those traits...? Now that you mention it, I have a friend back in America like that. I think he would be more than happy to get to know you. Careful though, he likes to ask girls for their numbers if they seem interested in him, and it kinda goes like this. So, Ritsu, mind if I get your digits?" he asked, both using it as a joke, but also hoping she played along and actually gave him her number.
 
"That many? I suppose American women aren't as independent as they let on if they don't reach your standards, hm?" Ritsu verbally played along, but given the skeptical look in her eye it was clear that she didn't actually believe such an absurdly high figure. She pondered his words for some time, draining the last of her tea in one gulp as she had neglected the now only moderately-warm liquid during their conversation. Resting her head against her left hand, she reached down with her right and drew out her cell phone, flipping it open and pressing a few buttons silently before closing it and looking back up at the young man across the table from her. A knowing smile spread across her lips as she realized his true purpose. They had both been subtly (or perhaps not so subtly) hitting on each other for some time now...

"Digets means fingers in English, right?" Ritsu smirked, wiggling the fingers of her left hand while still perching her head atop her palm, "Well, you can't have my fingers, but I'll send you my number if you send me yours. You wouldn't believe how frustrating it is to give someone your number without receiving theirs as well, leaving you to wait endlessly for a ring that never comes..."

Her eyes turned away and her cheeks burned a slightly reddish hue, "At least, that's what I've heard... You wouldn't keep a girl waiting, would you?" She glanced back up at him, the twinkle in her eye granting him a momentary glimpse just before she held her phone up toward his face, her number clearly printed on the screen. Her heart pounded away against her ribcage like an earnest inmate against the confines of her cell, demanding to be let free of the tight bindings which prevented her from leaping forth. What was this overwhelming feeling of helplessness and need? Was this the sensation all of her friends had experienced? It was wonderful and terrible at the same time, rendering simply breathing a rather difficult task.
 
Alyx gave her a confused look after she asked if digits meant fingers in English, but figured she want to know the the truth "It does, but it is also a slang word for a phone number there as well," it wasn't hard to figure out that Ritsu knew that he was asking for her number as he saw that she had done something with her phone. It was too short in order to send a text, and she definitely wasn't checking the time because you should only need to press one button, or just open the phone in order for it to display the time "You are right. Normally, I only give my cell phone number to the friends that I make, but we always exchange both of our numbers. That way, we can make sure that the other is in our phone."

Alyx chuckled as Ritsu's cheeks blushed and she turned her eyes away from him. He was about to respond to her when her phone was suddenly thrust into his face, and it actually made him jump a little. It was brushed off with another chuckle, and he moved her hand back slightly "I am going to assume that this is your first time giving a guy your phone number. Well then, I am glad you chose me, Ritsu," he went into his contacts after taking out his phone, and entered her name and number, and saved it before displaying his number to her.

This wasn't exactly his first time giving a number to a girl before as he had lots of friends that were girls, but it was his first time giving his number to one he was romantically interested in. It felt like there were hundreds of butterflies running wild in his stomach, but it felt oddly welcome by him. Alyx embraced such feelings, and wanted nothing more than to let them grow and expand. Once his schooling was done, he wondered if he could live here in Japan with Ritsu, and maybe start a family with her. He had seen other foreigners like him out and about, but never saw any of them with a Japanese girlfriend or boyfriend. He supposed there were probably some couples like that here, but he wanted to imagine that Ritsu and him were a first.

The phone was placed back in his pocket after she finished inputting his number to her phone, and a warm smile was on his face "Thank you so much for coming here, Ritsu. I promise that all future outings will not be done with a third party," he chuckled before looking up at the sky, and checking his phone. He had set it to display the time both in America, and Japan just for some fun, and it was starting to get late in Japan. He really didn't want their time to end just yet, so he wondered if she would be alright with him walking with her back to the university "So, do you mind if I walk you back to your university? I may not be able to actually walk you to your dorm, but I can at least take you to the front gate."
 
In response to his assumption, Ritsu simply puffed out her cheeks slightly in mild irritation, as he had clearly hit upon the truth. It wasn't that she didn't get along with guys or that she never had a crush on a guy before. This was simply the first time a decient guy had shown any amount of genuine interest in her. She felt so nervous that she found it hard to even hold the phone still while he took down the number. With hessitent fingers, she entered his number as well, and after a few uneasy glances she finally mustered up the determination to reply, "O-o-oh, is that so? Sure, you can walk me back to the campus if you want to."

She didn't even notice the gradually dimming sunlight in the distance, or the burnt orange color it painted on the caramel-coated clouds. Quickly withdrawing her phone and depositing it back into her pocket, she stood up stiffly and walked beside him, shoulders slightly raised while casting conspicuous sideways glances toward the Alyx. Her thoughts had already turned to their next date together. Yes, she thought of it as a date, even though they were not officially going out, yet. Why did they need to make it official, anyway? In fact, what did "making it official" even mean in the first place? It wasn't like they were getting married, with a family registry, signatures, stamps, and everything. They had just met, for goodness sake! Yet, in all her life, she couldn't think of a more pleasant yet at the same time more stifling, position than beside Alyx. Perhaps the awkwardness would fade over time...

"I'm sorry, you paid my tab, didn't you?" she sighed, releasing some of her pent-up tension at the same time, "I'll pay next time we go out, alright?" Her words, of course, implied that this would not be their last outing together. "I'm sure you can't afford to splurge like that on a regular basis on a part-time salary." She could see his hand by his side, swaying slightly as they walked, but resisted the urge to reach out and take it. Going too fast on a first date would just make her appear desperate, after all, and the last thing she wanted him to think of her as was needy and desperate. Even as they neared the campus gates, she was already looking forward to spending more time with him.
 
Alyx loved just be able to walk next to Ritsu, and continue joking around with her. It felt so right and wonderful that he wished this day was not coming to an end. He wanted to spend more time with her, and have the best day of their lives together, but two simple human beings could only do so much before getting tired "Don't worry about it. I may have a part-time job, but the exchange rate here for the US dollar is quite good. So I have a couple hundred dollars stored away in a safe at my hostel room if I ever need money quick," her hand was swaying beside her, and he very nearly reached out to take seize of it, and hold her hand as they walked together to her university; however, it would just be moving too fast. Sure, they made a lot of good progress in moving forth with their budding relationship, but this was only their first date.

Sadly, they reached the campus gates, and it was time to depart "I really did have a great time, Ritsu. I promise that I will text you tomorrow, and we can either just talk, or perhaps set up another..." his voice trailed off as he really didn't want to say date, but oh so wanted to say date at the same time. His mind was so conflicted with his emotions, and knew that it would be even harder to get this off his chest if he ignored things, and pushed them down "Date," he smiled at her, and his hand grabbed hold of hers as a gentle kiss was bestowed on the back of her hand. It made him feel good inside to do that, and felt like a huge load was taken off his shoulders. Her hand was let go as he bowed to her before saying his goodbyes, and telling her goodnight before going back to the hostel.

The butterflies in his stomach came back, and he pulled out his phone to call Yuijo. Alyx knew that he would not stop asking how his date went when they met up tomorrow, so he called him just so he wouldn't ask. Needless to say, Yuijo was ecstatic to hear that his American friend had gotten his first Japanese girlfriend, and that he better get to meet her sometime.

The next day, he did go to the arcade with Yuijo as he had promised that he would, but was also texting Ritsu at the same time. Somehow, he was able to still allow himself to have a wonderful time at the arcade with Yuijo, and still be able to text his romantic interest. Yuijo even played into it as well as he constantly tried to sneak peeks what at he was sending her "If you think I am sending her lovey dovey stuff, then you better get your mind out of the gutter. We only gave each other our number yesterday," he told to him the first time he tried doing it. Another date was set up where Ritsu would show him around the city a little since he only knew the area around his hostel, and the area around his place of work. He told her that he would be waiting for her at the campus gates, and was already there by the time he sent the text to her.
 
Before she could affirm her own wish to go on another date with Alyx, Ritsu could only give him a confused yet pleased glance as he took her hand and planted a kiss on the back. When he released her, she could only stare at him as he turned to leave. If the pressure within her had been building up before, it now threatened to explode. She somehow mustered the strength to smile and wave before making her way back toward the dorm, a tired yet bubbly smirk spread across her lips.

For the rest of the afternoon, Ritsu merely floated along on auto pilot, not even noticing that her ramen noodles were still mostly hard before biting into them. It hardly put a damper on her mood. Even if aliens invaded the earth in the next ten minutes it wouldn't have soured her excitement. She had no doubt left in her mind that her ship had finally come in. The rush carried her far into the night, the flames within her roaring ever brighter and driving away any possible thought for sleep. Throughout her drum practice session, her hands whirled with excitement and anticipation, welcoming the new day with open arms, as with it would come new opportunities. She did, of course, eventually calm down and get some sleep, but not before sending quick text messages to her friends concerning the latest development in her life.

VVRRRRIIINNNG

Ritsu's phone chimed, indicating that she had received yet another text from her boyfriend. Her fingers tapped a quick reply before sending a message in reply, informing him that she had already taken a tour of most of the city, but that she would be pleased to look over everything again just in case she missed something "magical". Her feet, shod in white indoor shoes, were already turned toward the shoe lockers as she pocketed her phone and quickly slipped into her outdoor shoes. She ran through the doors toward the front gate, her book bag swinging in time with her stride as she quickly picked out Alyx's form leaning against the wall which ran around the campus perimeter. She stopped a few feet in front of him and bent down slightly as if to see him from a better angle.

"Hey, there," she greeted him warmly, "You could have just waited... I dunno... Ten seconds?"
 
((Do you want to make the intro and outro songs of both seasons canon?))

Alyx gave a light chuckle as Ritsu approached him, and said that he could of just waited ten seconds longer "What? I can't wait for you at campus gates? Besides, I really wanted you to show me around the city. Considering this is your hometown, then I knew you would be the only one who could give me a tour. Yuijo is another option, but I don't really trust him to give me an accurate tour," he told her, giving another chuckle. That urge to take hold of her hand came back, but he pushed that down as well. While they had already have one date, he still felt like that was too fast; however, he would be more than willing to do it if Ritsu was bold enough to take hold of his hand. 

Nevertheless, he started walking towards the city. Eager to have Ritsu show him around the city, and perhaps show him a couple hot spots or two. Considering her personality, he figured she might even know a dance club or two, but would rather save those for later dates. Suddenly, as they were walking, Alyx was reminded of the fact that she was going to let him listen to the cassette tapes of her and her club's band "Oh, I just now remembered. Did you bring those cassette tapes of your band's songs? I can listen to them after you finish with the tour."
 
((Well, the songs from the opening/ending exist, but not the TV show centered around After School Tea Time))

"Oh, then clearly I am not the only one who could show you around... I'm just the only one you want to show you around," Ritsu corrected him, tapping him on the nose before slipping beside him to show him around town, "And that's perfectly fine with me." She began by leading toward the outdoor mall/market where students and housewives alike gathered to pick up a few things to prepare supper. Ritsu, of course, had no interest in cabbages or sausages, but instead walked straight up to one of the vendors and ordered two taiyaki. Before he could protest, she held out his share and after taking a single bite she began to ease up a bit more around him.

"Of course," Ritsu grinned, reaching into her bag and pulling out two cassettes which she held in front of his face, "I have some of our best stuff on here, so prepare to be blown away!"
 
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