[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/3ua3YY5.png[/img][/center][hr][hr][indent]Mizushima Murasame—that checked out. She wondered absently if he had been named [i]after[/i] his birth, once his folks had gotten a good look at him; she wondered [i]presently[/i] how in the fuck another freshman could get so big. Well, she knew [i]how[/i], but even by mutation standards, he had to be a freakish curveball. Like Hana-kun from elementary school, who had noses where he ought to have had eyes. And ears. And thumbs. Nothing where his nose would have been, though. 

Weird kid, [i]way[/i] into Bakugan. Saika guessed if he’d gotten to pick, he’d have wanted to be a giant shark instead. 

“[color=red]Freshman? No shit? Fuck yeah, awesome—same. I’m Saika,[/color]” she said, and held back both her family name, as well as the reflex to shake his hand. “[color=red]So you’re a city boy, huh? My family used to live around here before I was born, but I’m from Sado, so all this…[/color]” she gestured broadly to the tall buildings and the crowds. “[color=red]Not gonna lie, kinda messin’ with me. Don’t worry though, we’re going the right way—I think. Prob’ly. But hey, you know, even if we’re late what are they gonna do? I bet you could walk up there five hours from now and they’d let you in like you owned the place.[/color]”

The thought brought grin to her, but as fun as it might be to see Murasame scare the shit out of Ishin faculty, it was probably best not to push her luck on the first day. At least not that much. Not yet.

As they continued to walk, Saika noticed he was taking slower, more measured steps to match pace with her. Made sense, she was leading the way after all, but damned if she was gonna be the thing slowing them down. She began to take wider, longer steps, transitioning from a leisurely stroll into something akin to the sorts of power-lunging you found on videos to help old people exercise.

“[color=red]Sapporo’s a long way innit?[/color]” she asked, cleaning the last smears of iron off her teeth with her tongue and spitting them onto the grass. “[color=red]You shoot for UA and get stuck with Ishin? I hear that’s what happens to a lotta folks who wind up here.[/color]”[/indent]