It was quiet. 

And he loved it that way. 

Akihiro leaned against the emerald green park bench and smiled to himself, placing the rather large volume he had been perusing for the past hour or so to the side, patting the soft, leather-bound cover as he scanned his surroundings. Shiny Park was a rather gorgeous locale during the day and bustling with activity, which was fine when he wanted to hit the trails for a run with a fellow cardio enthusiast, but at night is when the park truly became shined(heh) as a refuge for his wearied mind. Sure there was the Mochavine or the Tiny Snowflake for casual hang-out spots, but for true solitude, Shiny park was a wonderful retreat. He made it a habit to visit this particular bench, which happened to be near the central entrance to the park, and lose himself in the deep mythos of his field. Gods and goddesses fought for power, humanity struggled against the forces of evil and governments were toppled in the name of liberty. The twenty four year old snorted a laugh as he ran a hand through his ash brown hair, ruffling it a bit as a slight itch afflicted his scalp. He could be accused of romanticizing his subject, but he knew that was made him such a hit at Shine City Academy. His students wrote glowing evaluations for him every semester he had taught an undergraduate course and his professors within his seminars were lauding his work due to the sheer passion and energy Akihiro dedicated to his studies. Yet, a threat loomed over his rather peaceful existence in Shine City. 

Life AFTER university. 

He shuddered at the thought, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back harder against the bench. Seven years of his life had been invested in this place. Great relationships had been built, intellectual discoveries had been made and he even got to see his younger sister develop, seeing as she too made the trip from the country to make a home in Shine City(well, the dorms of the academy anyway). With one year left in his program, the reality of entering a whole other...world was upon him. 

The knot that had been forming in his stomach disappeared as he felt a buzz from his pocket. Withdrawing his phone, he chuckled as he read a text from Sahiro, one of his trusted friends that had decided to try and crash Club Lush with no reference or contact to get in. The text simply read:

[b]Tried to lie my way in...almost got punched in the face. Always a next time![/b]

The tenacity with which Sahiro, and by extension Akihiro's other friends, pursued parties and risks was not a trait the teaching assistant shared. Besides not wanting to get seen by any of his students(or professors!) at an establishment that had "lush" in the title, he really had no desire to ingratiate himself into the "nightlife community" that so many on and off campus talked about. He had tried to "party" once, but ended up with a splitting headache the day after and had to issue a number of apologies for some of the things he had said(no, yelled) to everyone in the room. Never again would he indulge in that lifestyle. 

He uncrossed his arms and cracked open the tome once more. A few more minutes of reading and then it would be the hike back to the Academy...or so he hoped.