[h3][b]Sato Hashimoto[/b]
// [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpxpJFVz5BY]Warakuma Shopping District[/url][/h3]
	[color=red]”Thanks man, she would’ve killed me if she thought I was holding her up or some shit. Here,”[/color] Rokurou tossed the phone back over to Sato, who nearly fumbled the catch.

	[color=skyblue]”Are you late [i]for a date[/i], Rokurou? Come on.”[/color] Sato took a quick glance at his phone screen (for pretty much no reason, considering he wouldn’t just recognize the girl’s number) before slipping the device back into his pocket and returning his gaze to Rokurou’s tired-looking face. He briefly wondered if the teen still stood up until the middle of the night, but dropped the thought as he responded to his chiding.

	Rokurou scoffed. [color=red]”Are you surprised? Besides, when have you dated anyone? It’s not that big a deal, so cool your jets.”[/color] The boy threw the presumably empty can into the (wrong) trash before jogging off. Without even a good-bye. Sato let out a heavy sigh as he watched Rokurou run down the street, dodging house wives and other teens as he went. At least they didn’t seem to be on the worst of terms any more, though he supposed Rokurou still had a lot of growing up to do before they could repair their relationship. As he started his way back home, Sato considered fishing the can out of where Rokurou threw it and putting it into the proper bin, though he discarded the thought when he realized it wouldn’t exactly look very proper to do so.

[hr]
	The door made a loud creaking sound as Sato entered, alerting his mother of his entry. The slight woman peered around the corner to make sure it was Sato, and upon confirmed it was him, she slipped from behind the wall with a smile. [color=silver]”Welcome home, dear.”[/color] She greeted. Sato responded with a small smile as he handed the envelope off to his mother. [color=silver]”I hope they didn’t cause you any trouble there, honey. They seem to be awfully under-staffed there as of lately.”[/color]

	[color=skyblue]”Yeah, it was nothing bad. I cleaned some dishes to help out there and hung out with some friends after."[/color] Sato replied, slipping out of his shoes as he spoke. His mother gave him one of those warm ‘I’m glad you turned out so well’ smiles, and Sato had to stop himself from frowning. [color=skyblue]”Do you mind if I ask what the contents are, Mother?"[/color]

	[color=silver]”Oh, it’s nothing, no need to worry about it. Just something that Hoshikawa borrowed from me long ago.”[/color] Sato looked up at his mother’s face as she clenched the envelope in one hand. She looked the same as Rokurou; like they only fell asleep when the sun rose. He wanted to say something about his observation, but held his tongue, and instead slipped past the adult and started up the stairs. He stopped, however, when he felt a hand brush his shoulder. [color=silver]”You can talk to me about anything, honey.”[/color]

	[color=skyblue]”I’m fine, Mother. Really.”[/color] Sato gave her a warm look to reaffirm his point. He scooted upstairs, withdrawing into his room for the night, throwing off his coat and socks as he entered. Though, before he could close the door, he couldn’t help but hear his mother’s weak breathe of air over the silence of the house.

	[color=silver]”I’m not."[/color]

[hr]
[h3][b]Sato Hashimoto[/b]
// [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGbW44AEHeM]Kawaguchi[/url][/h3]
[b]APRIL 27 2015, MONDAY
Mid-day[/b]

	The four sat around a small table, facing out to the glass window and onto the lively streets. Sato, Mika, Rento, and Hitomi all came to Rento’s family’s restaurant for lunch after they’d gone shopping for an hour. They hadn’t bought much as they were still waiting to go out with Rento, who was doing a shift as a waiter, though Sato did purchase a new button-up shirt using some of the cash he had earned from yesterday’s ordeal. It was much snazzier than the white print (which displayed one of the kanji of his last name) tee he wore under his overshirt. The others wore similarly casual outfits.

	From behind the steam rising from his cup of tea, Sato watched the people on the streets pass by, only half participating in the conversation he was in. There didn’t seem like there was an awful lot to do that he was interested in, despite it being Golden Week. His family hadn’t planned any kind of trip or anything, so he opted to just enjoy the time off with his friends. Sato’s eyes lowered down to the plate of food in the center of the table, and he took an egg roll after a moment of consideration. The food wasn’t particularly amazing, but it was still pretty good. According to Hitomi, she was a regular at the restaurant ever since it opened and it didn’t take long before she and Rento were exchanging love-notes whenever Rento served her. Sato could see how they could fall for each other easily, considering they shared similar interests and were both rather attractive to boot. Though, Hitomi was a bit too muscular for Sato’s tastes. When he thought about it, he realized that he was the only one who wasn’t into all that track stuff out of his friend circle. Archery was just an exception for him.

	[color=yellow]”When’s your shift over again, Rento?”[/color] Hitomi asked. The lunch rush was almost over and Rento was just lazily wandering up and down the restaurant, looking for something to do, while sometimes stopping to talk to the group.

	[color=salmon]”I can pro’lly go ask my mom if I can get off work now,”[/color] Rento quickly replied before making his way to a weathered woman manning the store’s front. He pleaded his case with his mother for a bit until she gave a nod, and Rento went off into the back to presumably get changed. Sato turned back around in his seat to face the table again. Hitomi waited by the front door, and Mika was looking around the table in a similar fashion as himself. They met eyes briefly.

	[color=skyblue]”They seem like a very nice couple. You interested in dating yourself, Mika?”[/color] Sato asked, a slight smirk on his face. He took a sip out of his tea and set it back down as quietly as he could.

	[color=palegreen]”Oh shush, Sato. I know what you’re implying.”[/color] She playfully threw a napkin at him. He caught it before it could fall and set it back on the table. [color=palegreen]”I mean, Rokurou’s nice and all, but he’s not for me. I don’t care of him out of love. We’ve been friends since we were kids and I can’t just let him muck himself up now, can I? He’s already dating someone else anyways so it’s not like I could get him even if I wanted him.”[/color]

	Sato leaned back in his seat a bit, turning his gaze over to where Rento exited from. He and Hitomi briefly embraced before starting their way over to the table. [color=skyblue]”I wonder who she is though. I was figuring you would have known, considering you’re probably the most in-the-loop person I know.”[/color]

	[color=palegreen]”That’s an odd compliment,”[/color] Mika replied as she rose from her seat, pulling on a short denim jacket as she did so. She looked at the couple before looking back at Sato. [color=palegreen]”Shall we be going now?”[/color]