[Log] Shinji and Akaya p 2/2

[pulltabshinji]

Who: Kirihara Akaya & Ibu Shinji
What: Writing on their song again, trying to record it and maybe breaking stuff.
When: before Kamio showed up, but after Shinji said he wanted to show Akaya a song.
Where: Shinji's room for a start, then at a studio upstairs
Rated: G
Note: And here's part two.

A while passed as they both stared at the machine.

“Nothing happened, huh...” Shinji stated blankly. “Maybe you really did kill it.”

Akaya scratched the back of his head. “Well, that’s not good.”

“Not exactly. It’s sort of bad. Quite a lot, I’d say.” Shinji glanced at Akaya. “What do we do about it?”

“Press buttons, hope something good happens, find someone to help out and re-record if we have to.” Akaya groaned at the thought of doing all that.

Shinji pressed a button up in the corner, and frowned as nothing happened. “I suppose we can keep track on which button we are at if we press in order?” He pressed another button but nothing happened.

“That works,” Akaya shrugged, pressing the next button. Again, nothing. “I think I might have erased it.”

“Seems like it.” Shinji nodded. He pressed the next button and sighed.

The song started playing and Akaya looked at the machine, shocked. “What button was that?”

Shinji pointed at one of the buttons. “That one, I think. I didn’t think it’d be there anymore, though. Well, supposedly, the button would, but the music on the other hand.”

“These things need to be better marked,” Akaya groaned. “But if it’s playing, that means it’s still around.”

“Most likely.” Shinji said. “It wouldn’t play otherwise, right?”

“Exactly,” Akaya nodded. He looked at the machine, trying to figure out what button would end their dilemma. Finally, he just sighed and said, “I give up.”

“That might be for the better. If we don’t, we might really end up killing it.” Shinji said. “I guess we’ll just have to ask someone for help next time we’re going to try this.”

“Next time, someone better be around when we go looking,” Akaya growled in agreement.

“Yeah. Or a real catastrophe might happen.” Shinji walked over to his guitar and picked it up. “What now, then?”

“Wanna just chill and jam?” Akaya suggested. He didn’t have anything better to do. “Or you think you want to work on your song?”

“While I should work on it, I don’t feel like it right now. So I suppose it’s the first alternative.” Shinji stated, sitting down on the floor and probing the guitar in his lap again.

Akaya grabbed his bass. “Any ideas on what you want it to sound like?” Two heads were better than one and it wasn’t like Akaya still had his own song to work on. Weird stroke of luck. He’d finished a song the day SevenLines had put out that announcement.

“Well, the beginning’s about what I have... It’s sort of slow...ish... I want it to be with a little more speed, and drums and stuff.. I have a bit of the refrain that way.. I could always play what I have, if you’d like to hear it.” Shinji stated, finding his notebook and flipping through it.

“Yeah, go ahead.” There was a difference in being told about a song and actually hearing it.

Shinji started playing on the guitar, then sang the few lines of the beginning that he had. “I realized the only one who can protect me when I close my eyes in the cold rain Is me There was no justice or dreams anywhere when truth was swaying in everyday.” Then he fell silent and continued to play, after a while getting to sing again. “More, feel me, knocking my movement against the violent wind Delivering to that mind which has started to perplex Then, keep in, the blue light which wraps around the cooled dreams.” After that, he fell silent and stilled his guitar, after having played a few other chords. “And that’s what I have.”

“I like it.” Akaya strummed his bass, letting it sound for a moment. “What’s got you so stuck?”

Shaking his head, Shinji sighed. “That’s what I don’t know. I had words and all when I started, then it just vanished on me. I can’t find them again.”

“You remember what you were thinking about?” Akaya strummed again. He was just trying to fill the quiet, not exactly liking it to be so quiet in the room and wanting to keep some sort of ongoing noise.

“...Road..” Shinji frowned. “Most likely something with a road. I think I was walking home from school or someplace when I thought about it.”

“Think going on another walk would help?” Akaya suggested, trying to be helpful.

“Might do. Might not. I haven’t tried.” Shinji shrugged.

“Well why not?” Akaya strummed his bass again. “Seems like that might be your problem.”

“Maybe. I guess I could try that.”

“You want to go on a walk now?” Akaya didn’t really feel like it but if Ibu wanted to go, he wasn’t going to hold the guy back from doing what he wanted.

Shrug. “I can do that anytime. Unless you want to get rid of me, I suppose. It’s getting sort of late. Or maybe not, but at least too late for talking walks.”

“If it gives you inspiration to finish your song...” Akaya rested his hand on the strings, quieting his instrument.

“Hmmm....” Shinji shrugged yet again. He didn’t feel up to it. “I’ll go tomorrow.” he decided. “I don’t have any classes then, anyway.”

“As long as you get it done before the deadline.” Because deadlines were so important to the SevenLines people.

“I know.” Shinji sighed. “If I don’t, I’ll get punished. I don’t want that happen. I don’t know what they’d do to me if I did.”

“They seem to be tailoring these punishments into the things we’d like the most,” Akaya scowled, thinking of his own punishment.

“That sarcasm?” Shinji asked. “At least you got someone you know, and not a crazy alien.”

“But it’s Sanada,” Akaya said, scowl deepening. “I’d rather take an alien over him...”

Shinji was silent for a moment as he thought that over. “I guess you’re right.” he finally said in agreement.

“I’m going to die on that date...” Akaya groaned, thinking about it. “Die...”

“Hopefully not. Sanada-san would probably still want you to be able to perform. We’d be one more member out from Pulltab if he killed you. I think you should be fine. Most likely. More or less. At least you’d be alive. If you need help getting patched up later, it’s alright with me if you come over to my room.”

Akaya nodded. “Have a good first aid kit ready,” he warned. Sanada was brutal and wouldn’t hold back at all.

“Got it.” Shinji nodded. “If I don’t have any in my room, I’ll go get one at the convenience store or someplace in time before your date.”

He shook his head. “Why Sanada of all people though?” Akaya asked, disbelief obvious in his voice.

“Because it was random? I placed in an entry too, but I suppose it wasn’t your day the day they decided who was supposed to win.” Shinji shrugged and reached over to ruffle Akaya’s hair. “Try to not get too badly hurt, though.”

“Oi,” Akaya ducked his head to avoid the hand. What was with people wanting to mess with his hair all the time? “It definitely wasn’t my day,” he agreed.

Shinji shook his head and ruffled Akaya’s hair anyway. “Most definitely not.” he agreed.

“Think we’re done here?” Akaya looked around, trying to think if there was anything else they needed to do and drew a blank.

“Well, unless you’ve figured out how to use the Equipment of Hell over there,” Shinji pointed at the machine they almost had destroyed once before. “then I guess not. Wanna do something else?”

“Not since the last time I looked at it,” Akaya shook his head. “Why, you want to do something?”

Shinji shrugged. “I suppose I mostly just don’t want to think about the deadline. As I said, it’s too late to go for a walk now.”

“Yeah, it is kinda late.” Not that Akaya minded walking around when it was dark out. He didn’t have a problem with that at all.

“Not time for bed yet, though.” Shinji murmured mostly to himself.

“Only for little kids,” Akaya scoffed in agreement.

“Yeah.” Shinji nodded and stretched to work out the kinks in his back.

Akaya strummed a little on his bass, nothing particular in mind. He was just trying to fill the quiet.

“So. You planning to do anything in particular before all this the 14th?” Shinji asked.

“Nothing so far,” Akaya admitted. “Just chill and relax, I guess.”

“That’s good too. I guess I’ll be busy until I finish my song.” Shinji said.

“So after you take your walk tomorrow,” Akaya grinned.

Shinji nodded. “Yeah. It seems like that’s what I’ll do. Walk and then work on the song. I hope I can figure this out soon. It’s not good to be late with the song, after all.”

“Yeah, don’t want the higher ups to yell at you.” No one had been late yet though Kikumaru had almost been for the first deadline. Akaya thought about it for a moment and added, “unless, of course, you want people angry with you.”

“I’ve seen how they react when they’re angry with someone.” Shinji eyed Akaya, thinking back to the interview that had caused Akaya to have to go on that date with Sanada. “So I think I’ll prefer getting the song in on time, rather than being late and making them angry at me.”

“Yeah, otherwise it’ll be the thing you’d dislike the most,” Akaya sighed loudly.

“I wonder what it is that I dislike the most, that they could do, though.” Shinji mused. “I’m not too fond of bathing in seawater because it’s so salty, but that’s a bit more.. unfit for now?”

“Kind of,” Akaya laughed. “Maybe they’ll just take away something.” Though again, as to what, he had no clue.

Shinji frowned. “Do you think the thought is amusing? I don’t know why, but everyone on my team think it’s weird that I dislike the sea, but I can’t really help it. And I won’t let them take anything from me, either.” He shrugged.

“Could be something that’s not physical, like your free time or something,” Akaya answered. “And it’s just kind of weird. I haven’t really met anyone whose disliked the sea before.”

“That wouldn’t be too entertaining.” Shinji agreed. “I’d rather not be stuck in the apartments all the time. I want to be able to go places, so yeah. And I don’t really dislike the sea in itself, just the salty water. I sort of wasn’t very lucky with it when I was a kid.”

“Almost drown or something?” Akaya asked. That’d explain a dislike of salt water and the sea.

Shinji nodded. “Yeah.” He plucked at the strings of his guitar. It wasn’t exactly pleasant memories to him.

“That sucks.” Akaya didn’t know what else to say. Really, what did you say when learning someone you knew almost drowned as a kid?

Shinji shrugged. “I wish I could say that it’s in the past, but I don’t really know if I can. While it’s several years ago already, I can’t seem to completely forget about it and stuff.” He really wished he could, though. It was not too entertaining the times the team went to the sea together and he just sat there watching while the others had fun in the water.

“You have any problems at pools or it just the ocean?” Akaya asked.

“It’s mainly any salt water. It’s sort of odd, I guess, but that’s how it is. I don’t know why, but I don’t have any problems with pools as long as the water’s not messed with. And I can’t have these things they sterialize wounds with close, either. It might be some sort of weird Thalassophobia or something... I don’t know.” He shook his head, more to himself than anything, then shrugged.

“Weird. So, it’s just the smell that really gets to you or something?” Akaya stretched his arms, making a face when he felt and heard his shoulder pop.

“I suppose that it’s that. I haven’t been able to figure it out. And I don’t think it’s anything to go to the shrink about. I doubt they’d be able to do something about it.” he pushed away some of his hair out of his face.

“As long as it’s not something that’s really taking away from your life, is it that big a deal?” Akaya had to wonder.

“I guess not.” Shinji agreed. “It’s just that it can take away some moments. Like going to the beach with the family or with friends.”

Akaya nodded. “I can see that.” Still, nothing much he or anyone else could do. It was Ibu’s problem and only Ibu could really help himself get over it. “There’s still other things you could do while at the beach though.” Like, build sand castles or something.

“I know.” Shinji sighed. “But it’s not everyones favorite activity. Most people I go with spend most of the time in the water, and while I know that it’s everyones choice, it can feel a little lonely sometimes.”

“Take a book or something?” Akaya suggested. He was one of those people who spent all their time in the water or doing something like playing volleyball. He had to be active when he was outside. Half the time he had to be active when he was inside.

Shinji couldn’t help but laugh at that. “That you of all would suggest something like that.” he said. “But yeah, I guess I could do that.” It would save a lot of emotional pain.

“I know, weird huh?” Akaya joined in the laughing. He barely ever read. It was just so boring, especially when he could be off actually doing something somewhere. “You really never thought of that before though?” It was kind of surprising. His sister took a book with her a lot of times and then sat under her umbrella reading while Akaya himself would be off swimming or surfing.

“Apparently.” Shinji said. He wondered why he hadn’t, and decided to bring one next time.

“It’s what my sister does whenever we go.” He shook his head. “I still don’t see the point because she sits under an umbrella and reads.” If you were going to go to the beach, why sit on the shore and read? It was different for someone like Ibu. The guy had a legitimate reason to not want to go in the water. But Akaya’s sister...well, she just didn’t want to get a tan.

Shinji nodded. “I see.” He slid his fingers along the a-string. “It don’t really make sense that I didn’t think of it, but I suppose I was thinking about other things. Thanks, Kirihara.”

“Eh, it’s really nothing,” Akaya shrugged. “Just a suggestion.”

Shinji blinked a couple of times as he looked at Akaya. It did mean a lot to him, it would really help him pass the time and he appreciated the suggestion. “But still.”

“Like I said, nothing special,” Akaya said, rolling his eyes. “I mean, it sucks for you to not have a good time when everyone else is having fun.”

An unusual silence filled the room for a moment.
"It is to me..." Shinji finally muttered. "Kirihara, just learn to accept a thanks when you get one, because even if it's not much to you, it might mean a lot to someone else."

“It’s weird though...” Akaya shook his head. “No one ever thanks me. I’m too much of a brat usually.”

“Never at all?” Shinji asked. “I mean, while you can be a brat, you’re not that bad. You do good things at least sometimes, right? Maybe not much, I wouldn’t know, but some time it must’ve happened, right?”

“Usually if I’m dong something good or nice, it’s because I already screwed up big time and am trying to apologize.” Akaya thought for a moment and nodded. “Yeah, because I’d only even do that to someone I cared about.”

Shinji hummed and felt a smile tug at his lips. “But that’s nice enough, isn’t it?” he stated. “Then that person’d know you care.”

He shrugged. “It’s whatever. I know I screw up plenty so...gotta find a way to make it up to people when I do.”

“If you say so.” Shinji nodded. It was good that Akaya tried to make up for his mistakes, he thought.

“Plus, if I didn’t,” Akaya shuddered, thinking about it, “I’d have ‘Mura-buchou after me. Don’t want that.”

Shinji gave a low chuckle and shook his head. “I guess so. Though I don’t know what Yukimura-san’d do to you, but if you say so.”

“He’s scary,” Akaya answered. “Scariest person in the world. Do not, and I repeat, do not get on his bad side.”

“I’ll remember that too.” He had been advised not to say Sanada date this and that person, too, so that was another thing to add to the ‘not-to-do’ list. “Though being afraid of ones own captain might not be the most idealistic thing.”

“Eh?” Akaya looked at Shinji, confused. “Why not?”

Shinji tilted his head and looked at Akaya with a raised eyebrow. “Is it entertaining to be scared of him, then?”

Akaya paled and shook his head. “Not at all.” ‘Mura-buchou was terrifying, not entertaining. Well, not unless he was slowly plotting the death of someone other than Akaya.

“So I’d say it’s not idealistic. Don’t you think so too? Why is he so scary, anyway? I’ve understood Sanada-san, because he can get both loud and violent, but what does Yukimura-san do?”

“‘Mura-buchou just smiles and says something that’ll ruin your whole life. Or he plots your doom.” Akaya shivered at the thought of what happened to those that earned the wrath of Yukimura Seiichi.

Humming in thought, Shinji nodded. “I don’t know any people like that besides Fuji-san, but I don’t really know him. I don’t really have anyone to compare with, though.”

“Believe me when I say it’s terrifying.” Akaya was serious too. His captain was the absolute scariest person he knew.

“Never said I didn’t believe you.” Shinji shrugged. He could recognize a serious expression when he saw one. He could also recognize a faked seriousness when he saw it, too.

The Rikkai boy nodded. “Good.” He liked Shinji. Guy really wasn’t that bad. It seemed fair to give him a warning.

Shinji nodded, then sat silent for a moment. “All the third years’ll graduate soon, won’t they.” he stated. “And we’ll become third years. I wonder how that’ll feel like.”

Akaya nodded. “It’s....” He couldn’t help the sad tone to his voice. “It’s going to be strange.” He was really attached to all his upperclassmen. He didn’t want them to leave.

“There’s all of the guys on your team, too. So I guess. At Fudomine, there’s only Tachibana-san leaving. But that’ll really be weird, too.” He sighed. “And then I’ll have to decide what school to go to after that. Kirihara, you’re staying at Rikkai, right?”

Akaya nodded. “Yeah.” There was no way he was leaving Rikkai. Too many friends and good memories and fun times. Rikkai was where he belonged. “What about you?”

“Not a clue where I’m going. Since Fudomine don’t have a high school and all. So someplace. I’ll have to look into what options I have.” Shinji shrugged.

“That sucks. You and your friends going to try and all go to the same place?” Akaya was lucky in that all his friends were planning on staying with Rikkai.

“We’ve decided to go where we want to. Of course it’d be fun if we all ended up on the same place, but since everyone live close they can still meet. As long as I’m here, I don’t know how much I’ll see them outside of school and practice... I don’t really know what to do, I hope I’ll figure it out until I’m supposed to choose school, otherwise I don’t know. “ With a sigh, Shinji leaned back with his hands flat on the floor as support.

“You’ll come up with something,” Akaya answered, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. “I mean, you pretty much have to.”

“True.” Shinji agreed. “My parents’ll have my neck if I don’t decide at an early period, so I have to decide soon. Be mature in front of my sisters and stuff.”

“Just find the place you like the best,” Akaya suggested. “The one where you think you’ll fit best.”

“Then I have to go around visiting different schools, I guess.” Shinji nodded. It was a good idea, after all.

“If that’s what you feel like doing.” It didn’t seem like a terrible idea, especially for someone like Ibu who didn’t know where he was going yet.

“That’s be the best to do though, right?” shifting, Shinji stretched.

Akaya shrugged. “Like I said, if that’s what you feel like doing.”

“I guessed.” Shinji huffed in amusement. “I guess I should try to get information as soon as possible.”

“Well, it’s not like you don’t have a little time,” Akaya pointed out.

Shinji sighed. “As I said before, I better get it sorted out soon because my parent’ll have my neck. Or skin me alive. Whichever. I’m the oldest, so I have to be a good example. Not that my sisters’re old enough to get things like that, but mah.”

“Guess being the youngest is lucky sometimes.” Akaya just had the pressure of being the only son.

“It sucks most of the time. My sisters’re alright as long as they’re not trying to use their hairstuff and makeup on me and stuff.” Never mind that it was the younger one who had those hair-things and the older the makeup. He shuddered and made a face. “And my parents tell me to behave and let them play.”

Akaya snorted, amused. “Thankfully my sister never bothered to try that kind of thing on me.”

“Lucky.” Shinji commented. “I have to let them, or they become damn annoying.”

He nodded. “My sister’s annoying but she’s about my age so...” Akaya laughed. “She’s annoying but not bad I guess.”

“So you have a sister?” Shinji asked. “Hmm..”

“She’s a little older. A third year at her own school thankfully.” Akaya didn’t know what he’d do if his sister went to Rikkai with him.

“...Not at Rikkai?” Actually, that was a little surprising. “I guess everyone don’t choose schools because of the convenience.”

“Nah, she’s at her own school. All-girls place that’s all about academics,” Akaya answered.

“All-girls school. Huh.” Shinji frowned. “I’ve actually never understood this with all-girls schools and all-boy schools. What’s the point in them, anyway?

Akaya shrugged. “No clue. But it means all her friends are girls and they’re really annoying when they come over.”

“Well, girls are weird.” Shinji frowned. “I don’t get how they work at all.”

“Her friends are like aliens,” Akaya tried explaining.

“Speaking of aliens, I don’t understand those either.” Shinji said, meaning the fangirls they had encountered.

“Yeah, they’re just weird. Kinda scary too.”

“If possible, one should stay away from them. But the business we’re in isn’t the best if one want to avoid fangirls, right?” Shinji shook his head.

Akaya nodded. “Besides, they’re also my sister’s friends,” he sighed. “Can’t exactly avoid them if she’s got the house full of them.”

“Make sure you don’t go visit when she has aliens over.”

“Kinda hard when she just randomly brings them over,” Akaya laughed. “But I’ve gotten good at dodging her friends.”

“Then that’s good, I guess.” Shinji said with a small chuckle. “Do you have them in school, too? I’ve noticed there are aliens at Fudomine. There probably are at Rikkai too, right?”

“Probably.” Akaya shrugged. “Dunno, spend most my time with my friends and try to avoid the aliens.”

“I had the luck to be in the same class as none of my friends this time around.” Shinji sighed. “It sometimes seems as if they did that arrangement on purpose.”

Akaya gave Ibu a look. “I’m never in the same class as my closest friends.” They were all a year older so he’d never have a chance to be in a class with them. But he had other friends in his class so at least there was that.

“Ah. Right. They’re all senpai.” Shinji nodded. “I don’t have very many of them at all. It’s just my team and An-chan.” He shrugged. “At least at school. Then there’s Kirihara and others here.” Not that he hung out with very many here either, but that was alright with him.

“Yeah. At least you’ve got a chance of being with your friends,” Akaya said, pushing bangs out of his face. “And yeah, they’re around at the apartments.” Which could go either way, good or bad, depending on the person.

Shinji raised an eyebrow at the expression Akaya made. “You’re thinking of Sanada-san and Yukimura-san. Maybe Niou-san too. At least your expression shows so.” He reached out and poked Akaya’s leg, which was about the only part of the other he could reach.

“They have their moments,” was all Akaya was willing to admit. He moved his leg and gave Ibu another look. “What was that for?”

Shinji chuckled. “No reason.” he said, turning back to his guitar. He glanced at the lines for their song, then shrugged.

Akaya kept giving Ibu the same look. “Fine, whatever,” he decided after he was ignored. “Not like I cared anyway.”

Shinji raised an eyebrow. "Maa maa, Kirihara." he said. "I'm not that much of a hard poker, anyway."

“I know that.” Obviously. He now even had first-hand knowledge of Ibu’s poking abilities. Still, Akaya frowned. “It’s just, everyone seems to like to poke me,” he whined. “Or play with my hair.” Or really, do anything that would annoy him. It’s like they all knew or something.

"For one," Shinji started to explain. "your hair is curly, which makes it perfectly pettable. Secondly," he shifted slightly to get a better view of his friend. "it's really soft."

Akaya stared at the other guy, a little weirded out. “Why do you care so much about my hair!?”

“I’m just stating what I’ve noticed. I though that maybe you wanted reasons why people play with your hair all the time, but I suppose not.” Shinji shrugged. “But that might be why.”

Akaya kept staring for a few moments longer. “I meant that rhetorically, not literally.”

“You didn’t say that though.” Shinji remarked. Really, if he didn’t want to have an answer, he should either say so or not ask at all.

He rolled his eyes. “Ibu, thought that was implied.”

Shinji shrugged. “Ah, is that so.”

“Apparently not,” Akaya muttered, shaking his head. When some curls flew into his face, he gave an annoyed growl and pushed them out of his eyes at least.

“So you have problems keeping your hair out of your eyes too, even though it’s not that long.” Shinji said, completely changing the subject without even noticing he did.

Akaya glared for the briefest of moments. “It’s annoying,” he admitted. Ibu was one of the few who could really share his pain.

“Yeah.” Tugging at his own hair lightly, Shinji sighed. “I suppose both of us’d need something to keep it out of our faces.”

The Rikkai second year shrugged. “It’s whatever,” he told the other. “I mean, it’s annoying but if I wanted it short, it’d be short.”

"True enough. I don't want to cut my hair either. It's comfortable like this. Except that it does get in the way sometimes."
Akaya shook his head. How did everything always manage to come back to hair? He laughed a little, the thought funny.

"Hn?" Shinji blinked in confusion, tilting his head to the side. "Somethign in particular that's entertaining?" he asked.

“It’s just, we always seem to talk about hair,” Akaya said between laughs. “It’s kind of funny is all.”

"Now that you mention it.." Shinji nodded. He hadn't given that much thought. "That's true. I wonder why. It might be for different reasons. Then again, it also might be without any reasons."

Akaya shook his head. “Or you’re just putting too much thought into this whole thing.”

"Maybe," Shinji shrugged. "maybe not. But thinking into things ain't always that wrong, though. I suppose that it might also be troublesome at times, but I like thinking, because it keeps the mind active."

Akaya raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, I guess. But there’s no need to obsess over things.”

"I don't think I said anything about obsessions, though. But I suppose some people would say that thinking about stuff a lot could mean being obsessed." Not that it mattered what other people thought. At least not to Shinji, but maybe Akaya cared.

Akaya just stared at Ibu. The guy rambled on and on. Way longer than necessary.

Shinji tilted his head to the side as he looked at Akaya. "Something wrong?"

“Nothing’s wrong,” Akaya answered. He just couldn’t believe someone could ramble on and on like Ibu could.

"Hmmm..." Shinji continued to gaze at Akaya. "Is that so. You looked like it, though, so I was wondering."

Akaya frowned. “Is something on my face?” He was wondering with the way Ibu kept staring at him.

"No." Shaking his head, Shinji couldn't help but chuckle. "Not at all."

Eyes narrowing, Akaya looked at Ibu warily. “You sure?” Otherwise, why would the guy keep staring?

"I'm sure." Shinji assured Akaya, picking at his guitars G-string. "If there was, I'd most likely tell you. The only thing one could say was on your face would be that sort of amusing expression."
Akaya waited a moment before nodding. “Okay then.”

"Hm?" Shinji glanced at him again, then shrugged it off. Oh well, putting that aside.. He looked down at his notebook and then jotted down some lines he might be able to use in some song later on. "On the topic of nothing, want to play a match some day?"

“Just don’t cry when you lose,” Akaya nodded, agreeing.

"We won't know how it ends until the end of the game." Shinji pointed out. "I won't give up til the last point, just so you know." And besides that, he didn't cry just because he lost a match against someone.

“I won’t either. But I never lose.” Well, except for all those times against Yukimura and Sanada and Yanagi. And that one time with Fuji. And that unofficial match against Echizen. But other than all those times...yeah, Kirihara Akaya never lost.

Shinji raised an eyebrow and hummed in response, not bothering to mention that he had seen the Seigaku-Rikkai match. "If you say so." he shrugged. "We'll see, won't we?" He also didn’t lose very ofthen. Besides in the Fudomine-Rikkai and the Shitenhouji-Fudomine matches, and against Echizen. “Speaking of Echizen-kun,” he said, not even bothering to wonder if he had talked before that about his losses or not. “he need to lose sometime.”

“Amen to that,” Akaya nodded in agreement. “He just got lucky against ‘Mura-buchou.” And that was all that was. There was no one good enough to beat ‘Mura-buchou without being super amazing or lucky. Echizen, as a bratty first year, fell under the lucky category.

"I don't think I have any arguments against that. I haven't played against him, but I suppose that you as his team-mates would know that best." Lucky, huh. "If he hadn't been switching hands, I would've won..." he muttered mostly to himself. "Daku, what was that about Nitou-ryuu, he just switches hands, it's not as if he used two rackets. If he had used two rackets, it would have been against the rules, sure, but unless he has two of them, it's not Nitou-ryuu..."

“Like I said, he got lucky.” After not, it wasn’t like everyone was gifted with being ambidextrous. Akaya knew. He’d tried learning to play with his off-hand. The results...less than spectacular to say the least.

"Then that kid has more luck than he is given credit for. Many of the players he has won against are really better than him." Again, that infuriating, so called Nitou-ryuu. He frowned in irritation at the thought of Echizen winning against people he should have lost against. "Does he have more luck than Sengoku-san has, then? I suppose that that might be the case."

Akaya shrugged. “Maybe. At least he isn’t all braggy about it though.” No, instead Echizen just gave you that cocky little smirk that made Akaya really want to knock it off his face.

"I'd prefer that he bragged..." Shinji muttered. "Not that I like it when people brag, but Echizen-kun can be really unnerving the way he is."

Akaya made a face. “Braggy people are annoying though.” Nevermind that he was a cocky brat himself. He could ignore anything that had to do with himself. Those same qualities in other people annoyed the hell out of him though.

"All people who think they're better than others can be annoying, though," Shinji pointed out, glancing towards Akaya for a moment.

Akaya shrugged. “When it’s true though...”

"There's a difference between truth and ones own opinions against oneself."

Holding his hands up in a gesture of peace, Akaya rolled his eyes. “Fine, fine. Whatever you say.”

Giving a small chuckle, Shinji smiled slightly.

“What’s with that chuckle?” Akaya raised an eyebrow and gave a hard stare.

"Nothing in particular, really." Shinji said, his lips quirking a little more upwards. "Anyway, who knows what'll happen during a match, anyway. ...I wonder if it'd be possible to convince Echizen-kun to... Kirihara, you play doubles, right? I know you're a singles player, as am I, but you know how to play doubles, right? Since I've seen you play doubles, you should at least know some parts, at least."

“I can play. Prefer singles but doubles isn’t bad if you’ve got a good partner.” Akaya nodded to the guitar Ibu held. “Ever going to get around to that song you mentioned before?”

Shinji nodded at that, then flipped through his notebook in search for the pages he had the song on. "I'm calling it Matryoshka. It's quite different from my usual songs, but so are a couple of others. I wanted to try something different, and it was a bit easier to do this type of songs, I noticed. I don't really know why, though." Then he finally found the correct pages, where the song was arranged on a loose paper. He had forgotten he had done that, but it was becasue Seven Lines wanted him to have it all at one place. How troublesome, really. It was much easier to have it where he wrote it down as he thought it up.

He handed Akaya the paper. "That's the lyrics. Shoud I play the music as well?" He shifted the guitar. "Though it's more data-made and a little tricky to play like this."

Akaya looked over the sheet, skimming through the lyrics. “Yeah, you can if you want,” he said, shrugging. “If it’d help and all.” Not like he had anything better to do anyway.

"Right. I'll do what I can like this, then. If you want to hear the computer version of the music, just tell me." Playing through the chords and singing along with it the best he could with this acoustic version, he was soon completely concentrated at it, and didn't notice anything else until he was finished playing the song. He looked up at Akaya. “How does it sound?"

“Not bad at all,” Akaya replied. Of course it would sound decent at least though. They were all good singers. Why else would they be in a music company as singers? “A little rough but probably just because it’s not the computer version you’ve been working on and are used to.”

"I can always send you the computer-file of it when I get back to my room." Shinji suggested. "Would you like to sing it as a duet with me?"

Akaya thought about it. “Let me hear the computer file before I decide,” he finally told the other guy. “Sound good?”

“I guess it does. You haven’t given an outright ‘no’ yet, at least.” Shinji was quite pleased with that response, actually. That ment that it at least wasn’t bad.

“Might as well wait for the full version before I decide,” Akaya answered, shrugging. “That way I have an idea of what it really sounds like.”

"I suppose that that's true. Then I'll make sure you get it. I'll mail it to you or something. Another option is that we go to my room after this and I'll play it to you right away. But that's up to Kirihara to decide. If he don't want to hear it in my room I'll send it in a mail, which'll be just as good, but it'd still be fastest to go listen to it right away." Shinji continued to mumble to himself, not having noticed he continued after he had mentioned 'the other option'.

Akaya gave Ibu a stare, looking like he couldn’t quite believe what all he was hearing. “Do you listen to yourself?” He asked after a moment, curious.

"Hm?" Shinji tilted his head to the side. "If I listen to myself? Of course I do. Don't most people listen to themselves? Why do you ask that? Ah, do you not listen to yourself, then? Maybe... but then again, most people tend to know what they say, as far as I know."

The Rikkai student glanced at the ceiling as if asking someone if this was really a conversation he was having. “I give up,” Akaya said, shaking his head.

Shinji blinked, confused. "Eh?" Give up to what?

“Trying to understand you,” Akaya answered. “I can’t do it.”

"Huuuhmm.. Shinji shrugged. "I see. I don't understand what's so difficult to understand about me, though."

The Rikkai boy just shook his head. “Not even going to touch that. Not going to try. No way at all.”

”If you say so. It was you who started talking about it, though, so I don't understand why you don't want to continue to talk about it. Then again, I suppose it doesn't really matter that much. But still, it'd be nice if people sometime in a while could finish talking about what they started talking about, but most people don't seem to like to do that with me. I don't understand people sometimes.”

Akaya just gave a long, loud groan and looked the ceiling as if asking, ‘why me?’

Shinji shook his head after having stared at Akaya for a while longer. ”Hn, I guess I'll send it to you, then.”

“You do that,” Akaya agreed. “And then I’ll get back to you after I’ve listened to it.”

Shinji nodded. "I'll do that, then." He closed his notebook, then opened it and scribbled down some words that popped into his head, before closing it again and pushing it back into his guitar case.

“Think of something?” Akaya asked, watching the other second year.

Shrugging, Shinji sat down properly on the floor again. "Maybe. Might be something I can use in the future. Might not be anything of use."

“One day, five years from now, you’ll discover and be all “oh hey!” and make something out of it,” Akaya said with a little chuckle.

"If I do, I'll tell you, then." Shinji smirked slightly. "And then you can say 'told you so' or something."

“Like I’d say something like that,” the Rikkai boy said sarcastically. Akaya would. He totally would do that though.

Shinji chuckled. ”If you say so, Kirihara.”

“I did say so,” Akaya replied, voice smug but face happy and grinning.

”And I heard that you did, so you don't have to worry about that.” Because Shinji only half knew how to hear sarcasm in a persons voice, but even though he hadn't heard it in Akaya's words, he knew Akaya well enough to at least know that he was the type who really would say 'I told you so' to someone.

“So, anything else or is this it?” Akaya asked, curious.

”Hmmm...” Shinji tilted his head backwards. ”Nooo, not that I know of at the moment, at least.”

Akaya nodded. “Then you send me that song, I’ll listen to it, and I’ll get back to you later.” He made a motion towards leaving.

”Sure. I will.” Shinji picked up his guitarcase and put in the guitar, then zipped the case closed.

Opening the door, Akaya stopped and looked back. “Catch you later then. You know where to find me.”

”Yeah.” Shinji nodded and followed Akaya out through the door. ”I should say the same, I guess? You know where to find me as well.”

Akaya just walked down the hallway, putting a hand up in acknowledgement.