[b]Toma Tanaka - May 3rd | Shinza Shopping Square - Yoshida Book Café[/b]

Toma gave a small laugh at the woman's words. [color=f26522]"I'll keep that offer in mind, then. I'm also a third year at Warakuma, Tanaka Toma,"[/color] he said with a slight bow. He went to continue the conversation, but stopped himself, remembering that he was a waiter and had a job to do. [color=f26522]"So I'm sure I'll see you around. Let me know if you need anything else, Himura-san."[/color] With that, he went off. 

Finding himself with a moment to spare, he brought Jun's receipt to the two boys that had apparently been following her around. He stepped up to them with a bright smile plastered on his face, laying the piece of paper in front of them as he reached through the pouch full of money he wore to make change. The two stared at it for a moment, glancing up to him in confusion.

"This isn't ours--" one of them began, but was swiftly cut off by Toma.

[color=f26522]"Wow, it sure is nice of you guys to pay for such an expensive meal. I'm impressed,"[/color] he began, upbeat like nothing was amiss. [color=f26522]"But usually, at least where I come from, guys sit [i]with[/i] the girls they're taking out, not staring at them from across the room."[/color] He shrugged his shoulders, containing himself as the two glanced back and forth between Jun, himself, and the receipt. [color=f26522]"Whatever works for you, though, I guess."[/color]

"What the [i]fuck!?[/i]" one of them said as they jumped out of their seat. 

The other boy, perhaps being the smarter of the two, immediately stood up and put his hand on his friends shoulder, motioning towards the door with his head. "Come on, let's just go," he said, pulling on the other.

[color=f26522]"Hm, you aren't paying for the lady? And you aren't ordering anything for yourselves?"[/color] Toma continued, ever patronizing. [color=f26522]"A shame. Please come again when you have the chance!"[/color]

The door closed behind them, and Toma looked over at Jun, a mock look of confusion on his face as he exaggeratedly shrugged his shoulders again.

[hr]

Later on, after the impressive crowd in the store had gone and Toma was getting ready to head home, he turned to Alexei and his sister. 

[color=f26522]"Thank you both for the help, I would've had some trouble taking care of the store myself today,"[/color] he said gratefully, before reaching into his pocket and pulling out the 5,000 yen tip that had been left on the counter earlier. [color=f26522]"Here you go, Miss, one of the customers you served left this,"[/color] he said with an easy smile as he held it out to the younger female.

After changing into his regular clothes, he gave a short good-bye and was off.

[hr]

The good mood Toma had been in thanks to the nice day he'd had had been ruined the moment he stepped back into his house. He found his mother on the couch, having a crying fit -- something that occurred every now and again since Taiki had passed. Keeping himself smiling despite the cloud that had formed over his head, he comforted her as best he could, and had gotten her off to her room to sleep. All while his father hid away behind his office door, working the night away.

Toma spent the next hours staring at his computer, trying and failing to get his mind off his mother's breakdown and Taiki. Hearing his stomach growl, he got up and tip-toed down the stairs, both his parents now asleep given the late hour. He opened the fridge and stared inside, looking for anything easy to eat.

The boy's eyes stopped on a pack of beer, tucked away in the back-corner of the fridge. He had never drank alcohol alone, just for the sake of drinking it. But the urge to do so was taking hold of him right now. He looked over his shoulder slowly, for no real reason.

'Drink his sorrows away.' Apparently he could do that with alcohol. But he had no sorrow to get rid of. He wasn't like his parents, who were unable to get over Taiki's death and dealing with it in their own, stupid ways. He was stronger than them. He had no sorrow. At least not enough to want to drink it away. 

So, if asked, he wouldn't be able to answer why he was taking a sip of the cheap beer.

He only realized after the second sip what he was doing. Anger and disgust immediately flared up inside him, his brow furrowing violently. He whipped through the kitchen and out the front door, yelling into the night as he tossed the nearly-full can. It hit the tree in his front yard heavily, bouncing off and spinning wildly in the air before landing on the ground. As the liquid spilled out, Toma walked up to it with heavy steps, raising his foot and bringing his heel down on the can as hard as he could, again and again, panting out in fury every time.

Long after the aluminum had been completely flattened into the ground, Toma relented, backing off and using the tree to balance himself as his anger receded, crushing guilt taking its place. He may have only taken two sips, but he had thought about drinking himself into a coma, like a pathetic, disgusting, worthless alcoholic. Like a weak person. 

And he had no idea why he had considered it; he had no sorrow.

[hr]

The first day back at school hadn't been the greatest. Toma had foregone any sort of sleep the night before or breakfast in the morning, and upon arriving at school, had quickly learned about Chiaki and had realized he had completely missed a kidnapping, much to his irritation. He did his best to focus during class, but of course had a hard time in his condition. A small consolation was that his right hand was now usable for writing notes again.

When classes were done, Toma decided that enough was enough -- he absolutely had to find out more about the kidnappings. He had to find one of the ones who had been victims of the incidents, and it didn't matter if it was Noboru, Hamada, Harvester, or this Chiaki girl. After a moment's deliberation, he decided to head to the library -- due to exams, many students would be spending time studying there, making it somewhat likely that he could find one of the kidnapping victims.

Before that, he made his way to his Track club, spinning a tale for Arata to explain why he had to leave early. After a little while, he left the field and changed.

A few minutes later, the red-haired boy was stalking around the library, keeping an eye out for any of the people he was looking for. What caught his attention, however, was a muffled crashing noise.

Blinking in confusion as he looked around, Toma stepped around a large shelf of books and poked his head into the aisle, spotting the boy who had spilled his coffee the day before getting up off the ground and picking up several books that had presumably fallen. Huh. This guy appeared to be a little clumsy.

Toma stepped down into the aisle. [color=f26522]"You seem to be a little accident-prone,"[/color] he said, amused, as he crouched down to grab some of the books. The red-haired boy quickly looked over the other as he stood up, before turning to the shelf and eyeing the books, figuring out where they went. [color=f26522]"You look okay, but I'll ask anyway,"[/color] he said with a small smile and raised eyebrows, glancing at the third-year student and shelving a book.