[center][h1][color=black]T[/color]OTSUKA [color=black]R[/color]YUSEI
[color=black]戸[/color]塚 [color=black]竜[/color]星[/h1][/center]
[hr][right][color=gray]introduce a little pickle juice. upset the established order.
and everything becomes chaos.[/color][/right][hr]

[indent]Had Shiori not explained the situation to him the day prior, Ryusei might have had the same look of shock on his face as Shimizu did when the door slid open. As he stared down at his fellow transfer, he couldn't help but wonder why the hell she looked so baffled. Had her cousin not bothered to warn her he would be stopping by? He supposed it couldn't be helped. He tended to elicit negative reactions no matter where he went. At least she wasn't cowering behind the frame or threatening to call the cops or something, especially since he was sure she was privy to that god damn article in the paper. Thankfully, the awkward few seconds didn't linger, as the shorter girl processed what was going on.

[color=c0c0c0]"Thanks,"[/color] He muttered in response as the door slid closed. He could make out a few voices behind it, but he didn't care enough to eavesdrop. It was good enough to know that his partner for the day was on her way to meet him. The sooner they got this over with, the better. When the door opened a second time, he was greeted with a more familiar face. 

A face which caused him to fight back a grin. He wasn't the only one who agonized over what to wear, was he? Most girls his age wore at least a little makeup, that was true, but he hadn't caught as much as a hint on Shiori's face throughout the week. That absence made its presence now obvious, even for someone like him. Plus, she had gone out of her way to wear a skirt without the school forcing her. He wanted to make fun of her for it, honestly, but eventually decided against it. Hadn't he brooded over the idea of her doing the same to him just an hour or two prior?

[color=c0c0c0]"Hey. Don't worry about it, I don't mind."[/color] Her cousin wasn't exactly a priority of his in that moment. After working himself up on what to wear and how to present himself, he was relieved to see she had also put in a little work of her own. It deserved a comment of some kind.

[color=c0c0c0]"You look... nice"[/color] He eventually decided, his glower having softened just enough to impart some sincerity. He proceeded to lean to the side just a tad, as if to appraise her in her entirety, although he made no attempt to hide where his eyes went. It [i]was[/i] a much shorter skirt, after all.

[color=c0c0c0]"Real nice. I approve."[/color]

He couldn't fight back the devilish grin that tugged at his features if he tried at that crack, even if he was too tall to glance much more than a little thigh. Content that the very implication would fluster her good and proper, he decided to turn back towards the street, his hands finding their way into the pockets of his jacket. 

[color=c0c0c0]"Let's get going. I have no clue where this place is, so you'll have to lead the way."[/color][/indent]