[SS] The Ballad of the Oddities

Eh? Why is this being pushed onto Tsuru? Ehhhhh?

Tsuru looks between Oda and Minako, clearly unable to keep up with the situation. Suddenly KY-senpai was paying? No, Kuramoto-nee-san was paying? No, the other person was paying? Or did her offer not cover Kuramoto-nee-san and himself, because Kuramoto-nee-san had insisted on covering his and her share already?

And wait, in the first place, wasn't the offer just for a drink? Why is it becoming a full lunch, suddenly!?

"Ah... Eto.... Eh...Uhhhhh"

Before Tsuru is able to align his thoughts, he has already found himself led off to a nearby ramen stand, as if his stuttering was taken to be assent. The result is him sitting on a stool that's rather too large for him, staring blankly at the menu as his brain attempts to catch up to what is going on.

The fact that the boy is not particularly hungry doesn't help him much, either. Well, on the bright side, the curtains around the stall should give Kuramoto-nee-san some much needed shade.

"Ahh.... Err.... Milk, please..."

Tsuru places his order in a small voice. He doesn't mean to be insulting by not ordering ramen at a ramen stall, he just doesn't want to burden Minako with paying for a dish he isn't going to eat!

His choice of drink only serves to show that he still wishes to one day outgrow his grade-school appearance.

Minako was impressed with the work Judgement-sama had done. He put Trouble-san into checkmate, and was able to diffuse the situation quickly. Perhaps her little tirade was for nothing after all. Mina blushed in shame, as she was ushered towards a ramen stand. Usually she didn't eat at places like this. Not that she didn't want to, but because her parents always said that she needed to maintain decorum. Where she went, what she did, and even where she ate! That was the price for being Tokiwadai, in her parent's eyes.

"Finally, a shaded place." Minako thought as she took a seat next to Hakusho-kun. Perhaps she could relax, now that she didn't feel so exposed to many people. Mina scanned the menu, excitedly. The prices were cheap... really cheap! And the smells emanating from the stand had her mouth watering already. She was surprised when all Hakusho-kun ordered was milk. She looked at him briefly, with the question in her eyes, but decided not to say anything. She busied herself ordering the first two things she saw. "I'll have... uhm... gyōza ramen..." Mina closed her menu "And ... an iced green tea, with honey... Please." She cast her eyes down towards the table as she spoke to her lunch mates.

"I'm sorry... I didn't introduce myself." Mina said softly, as she laid her hands into her lap. "I'm Kuramoto Minako. Please forgive my lapse of manners." The Tokiwadai girl smiled as she brought her gaze up to the others. "I figured... you would wish to know... who you dined with." Her finger caught a strand of hair, below the table, and she twirled it nervously.

Despite her offer, Kita still had the feeling that there was some bad blood left to clean. So, during the group's trip to lunch, she wore a proud smile to hide a long and thoughtful conversation with herself. A conversation that involved a lot of self-criticism about her trick's performance. When they arrived to a simple ramen stand, she had thought away any sort of appetite. Even the smell of fresh ramen wasn't enough to bring any of it back. She didn't even order a drink, but instead pulled the deck of cards out of her bag as soon as she sat down.

She had no intention of spending her time eating away her problems. Rather, she wanted to sit idly by, distracting herself by constantly shuffling the deck in her hand while listening to the other three talk. She already knew several things just by listening. The one seemingly named "Tsuru" only ordered milk in his seemingly typical shy voice. Meanwhile, the girl ordered some ramen and tea before directing her attention back to the group, both hands in her lap. "I'm sorry...I didn't introduce myself. I'm Kuramoto Minako. Please forgive my lapse of manners. I figured...you would wish to know...who you dined with." Kita chuckled a bit. "She's a bit weird, talking about a lapse of manners." 

Gathering the cards back to their neat order, Kita turned to Minako with a smile. "Pleasure to meet you Kuramoto Minako. I don't remember at what point you and Tsuru, I think your name is, came into our little..." She waved her hands a bit trying to think of a good word, before snapping her fingers. "Skirmish. Either way, since we are introducing one another, my name is Kita Tsukiko." She turned back forward, as her smile faded and she continued shuffling the deck. "I'd seal the greetings like I usually do, but I know you're still not too happy with me, so I won't force the issue." She gave the cards one last riffle before bridging them and sighing lightly. "Perhaps we can start on a new foot. I like making fun of people, I'll be the first to admit it, but I don't do it to be an ass. I just get bored out of my mind and I like the occasional trick. Keeps me from going nuts on dreary Sundays like this." She turned to Minako, and the rest of the group, and smiled lightly, another conversation starting in her head. "Hopefully that has some effect. Probably won't though..."

It was no imagination that Oda was in a world of his own, that is how it seemed as he playfully enjoyed the reality that someone was buying him lunch. But the Judgement member was great at player poker and he can adjust his facial expressions to suit the situation. You see the young judgement was listening into the conversation on the other side of the stand.

It was a conversation about some sort of concert and the owner was explaining that he had nothing broken. He didn't really understand what the two together really meant but the sudden playing of music, low enough that you couldn't hear unless you were deliberately listening in. His nervous centres when into overdrive as suddenly what seemed out of character the judgement member suddenly smacked the counter-side. He wasn't sure how the others would react to this sudden aggressive smack but he clearly was under stress as he slightly sweated as if he been struggling against something.

"Enough... Sorry, excuse me... We like to order please!" Oda had demanded trying to apply his smack on the counter side as any attempt to grab the stand owner's attention who been stuck for some time seemingly debating with other customers not even ordering. It was a tad rude but Oda didn't seem to see that as a concern.

His quick outburst had sent the owner apologising while coming to their side as the customers who had debated with the owner stopped any music playing and decided to leave. Seeing this chance Oda stood up slightly as the owner of the stand approached them.

"I'll like the beef ramen please and some water." Oda said as he also passed along the orders the others wanted though the lack of order from Kita bothered him. "I'll be back, just going to check on something." Oda said getting fully out of his seat passing them he tapped Kita on the shoulder. "You can't have fun while you're hungry." Oda said leaving the three on the stand as he went after those customers who had left.

The young judgement kid had left, the stand owner had suddenly sighed with relief after thinking he was about to get a complaint. Though he didn't feel like he was out of the woods yet, not able to understand what happened he felt motivated to argue with those customers from earlier. So once again even after the judgement member had left he bowed to apologise to the three who remained.

"Drinks are on the house, though can I confirm your order." the owner said looking over what he had written on the notepad from what the Judgement member said. He noticed two didn't actually order any food and glanced at them both waiting for a response.

"Oh... Are... Are we introducing ourselves? Ano... I... I am... H.. Hakusho Tsuru, S... Sakugawa Middle School, Y.. Year one..."

Tsuru feels the need to add his school and year to his introduction, for reasons that should be fairly obvious. That is to say, he looks a bit small for a middle schooler, even a first year. Okay, a lot small. The point is, it's really important to him that people treat him like a middle schooler, and not a grade schooler! Really! Important!

"Eto... It is nice to meet you?

Tsuru wishes his milk would come so he could bury himself in it and have an excuse to not talk.

That said, as KY-senpai gets up to, as he says, "check on something," the stall owner is staring at Tsuru expectantly. It's obviously because the boy has only ordered a drink. "Err.. No, I'm... Not... Hungry..." Tsuru's voice gets quieter as he speaks, trailing off towards the end. He's not good at situations like this!

How long will KY-Senpai be in the toilet, anyways!? (After all, what else could "checking on something" be, but a euphemism for doing ones business?)

"Nice to meet you." Minako said shyly, as she continued to play with the strand of hair. "I-I see. So... you were trying to have fun." Mina said softly as she considered this. It was true Kita never did anything truly harmful, mischievous absolutely but not dangerous. "Dreary?" Mina looked up at the sky, there wasn't a storm cloud up there. Perhaps she meant boring rather than a comment about the weather. Mina blushed slightly at her own naivety, she wished her drink would hurry up. She needed something to occupy her attention, so that she didn't seem so... stupid! "I'm not... upset with you." Mina said slowly, turning towards Kita. "Tsukiko-San, it's true your timing was in poor taste. But I don't hold grudges or ill will. Life is too short, right?" Minako smiled brightly before she jumped and her attention snapped towards Oda, as he slammed his hands on the counter.

"Oh... my..." Mina whispered softly, casting her eyes down towards her own lap, where she twirled her hair faster and faster. Before she could say anything the Judgement member was off. Something told her that there was business to be done. She noted Oda's earlier lack of energy and lethargy, but now he seemed focused and determined. "I er... had iced green tea, with honey. And a gyōza ramen." Mina blushed. She wished someone else would order food, she didn't want to be the only one with a bowl, it made her feel like a pig.

Perhaps she should take another initiative? The first one about asking Hakusho-kun for a drink seemed to work out rather well. "Can I also add... an order of dumplings, to my bill, for everyone to share." Mina hoped that it would work in her favor, rather than everyone thinking she was just a food hog. Unfortunately she didn't hear Tsuru's comment, as his voice seemed to get silent as Oda walked away. She looked at her two companions, "I... don't like to eat alone. Judgement-sama is gone, and you... only ordered drinks." She blushed as she stared back down towards the ground once again.

As the newcomers introduced one another, Kita almost breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed as though she made an impression very quickly and with so few words. She listened as Minako replied to her every thought, even addressing when Kita said "dreary" instead of "boring", which was an intentional word swap. She would have replied, had Oda not smacked the counter loudly and suddenly. Her head snapped in his direction, first looking at his hands, which were resting on the table. Her attention was then grabbed by his face, which had completely changed from the calm, slightly delusional boy she had known from the first part of her afternoon. Now, his face was sweaty and looked like he had gone straight into fight or flight mode. She was concerned, and slightly curious, but to try to keep a calmer atmosphere, she figured she would smile lightly and begin to put her cards away.

She watched as Oda got up and spoke to the owner. "I'll be back, just going to check on something." He then proceeded to pass by Kita, tapping her on the shoulder and saying "You can't have fun while you're hungry," and walking away. Kita watched him go, at first ignoring the owner. She was starting to get hungry, but she wasn't hungry for food. She felt like she was dying to know what he was going after, especially after a sudden mood swing like that. When the owner's words finally caught her attention, she turned to the owner, tapped the counter twice, and spoke. "I'm good for right now, as I just remembered that I needed to check on something too. Thank you though." Kita then got up and turned to the two newcomers, who were shyly minding their own business. She smiled, casually waved once with two fingers extended, and calmly walked after Oda while glimpsing every so often at anyone around her. "You leave me oh so curious, only to put so little effort into calmly ditching me. That is not a trick I fall for very easily!"

However, she quickly realized that Oda was probably going to look behind him to make sure that he wasn't being followed too closely. So, she walked at an angle from him and made sure to keep her distance, all while trying to look as disconnected from him as possible. On the outside she still had her light smile with a seemingly distracted gaze. Yet, on the inside, she was filled with a focused, burning need to know what Oda was planning.

Confused and dazed the dog of Judgement stumbled a bit as he walked away from the stand. Thinking he was out of sight, the boy hurried to a nearby tree in the park. He stumbled against it using it to hold himself up. Taking a deep breath, Oda used this coping mechanism to get a grip on his mental situation. "Why can't I stop hearing her voice?" Oda said who knew he didn't exactly hear it more than his memories of that voice singing seems to have lingering effects, the brain remembers the pitch and words of the song he had heard more than once.

While he didn't understand it, the dog theorised that if he listens to anymore, he might not be able to control himself.

Shrugging this aside from sheer will alone, the boy stood back up who all this time had those students that argued with that ramen stand owner in his sights. Taking this chance the dog approached the girls who seemed to be having a sort of argument with each other. It was a meeting that took place, too far from Kita to hear but she could see and it was a sight to behold. Oda literally had to keep the two girls from tearing at each others throat, holding them back it took a few minutes for things to calm down and a few more for them to simply part ways.

Well, Oda did who had headed back towards the direction of the ramen stand. His stomach heading the drive to return to Utopia which was basically anything that had food and this point the smell of ramen had drifted far enough to bring the dog running back. But what was the point of this diversion? Even though Oda had left the girls they remained sitting on the bench seemingly in a process of trying to forgive each other.

Elsewhere though back at the Ramen stand, the owner's gamble to get the kids to buy more food had seemingly failed. While happy the Judgement boy had made the full order and so did the Tokiwadai girl he was dismayed by the other two. The little kid got free milk while the other girl had just ran away after the judgement lad.

While he was dismayed he couldn't take back his word and sorted out their drinks straight away, giving out the water, milk and ice tea he would start working on the two bowls of ramen ordered.

Tsuru relaxes quite visibly once the girl leaves to... Well, it's not polite to think it out loud, is it? Still, Tsuru isn't very good with people like her and KY-senpai, so being left alone with the quiet Kuramoto-nee-san is a relief.

Well, other than the mild chill he feels from across the bar when he reaffirms his lack of hunger... It's not his fault! He never intended to eat in the first place!

The implied pressure nearly crushes the boy, and only crippling social anxiety keeps him from blurting out an order.

To try and take his mind off of things, the small boy attempts to strike up a conversation with his only remaining companion.

"A... Ano, Kuramoto-nee-san... I... Is this really okay? I.. I mean, you, err... Had offered a drink... T... There's no need to go this far..."

Why was everyone leaving? Mina wondered to herself as she noticed Kita bolt from the table as well. Was Kita's something different than Judgement-sama's? Or was it the same? Or was their something they had to do together---oh my! A slight blush crept on Mina's face as she blinked rapidly. No no. Calm down. She told herself, as she felt her face go back to normal. Perhaps there wasn't a something to check on at all. Perhaps they thought she was too strange, or boring. Perhaps she was the something that they didn't need to check on, but get away from.

Minako jumped slightly as the Ramen owner came back their drinks. She said her thanks, but the guy was gone before she could even finish her comment. Oh... maybe there was something about her that people in this district didn't like. Was it because she was Tokiwadai? Should she wear normal clothes next time? Mina sank into her chair in slight defeat, as she stirred the tea absentmindedly. When Hakusho-kun's voice pulled her out of her minor depressed state. "Yes..." She said looking up from her tea. "It... It's fine. No problem." She smiled encouragingly at Tsuru, before sadness broke into her smile once again. "Hakusho-kun... Why did... they leave? Did I Do something wrong?" Her voice quivered slightly, as she took a small sip of the tea. The quality of the honey was sub-par, but the tea itself wasn't half bad! At least it was cold. Then again, it was a Ramen Stand, not a Tea Shop.

After following for some time, Kita saw Oda hurry over to a tree before resting against it, almost like he was in a panic. While concerning, she watched from a distance as Oda seemingly pulled himself before quickly approaching two girls, who looked like they were about to have at it. She watched as he helped calm them down. Unfortunately, not only did Oda leave, but they started to separate, which put Kita at a crossroads. Follow Oda back and perhaps attempt to sweet talk some information out of the guy, or talk to one of the girls and hope to come out in one piece? Conflicted, but on a timer, she grumbled and started walking after the closest of the two girls.

As Kita got close, she composed herself, threw on the friendliest smile she could, and spoke. "Excuse me, miss! Sorry to bother you, but I saw that you were with a good friend of mine and that you were fighting with another girl. I just wanted to make sure you were alright." She wanted to get answers about what they were arguing about, but nothing was gonna happen if she started off on the wrong foot.

"Excuse me, miss! Sorry to bother you, but I saw that you were with a good friend of mine and that you were fighting with another girl. I just wanted to make sure you were alright." Kita asked who asked seemingly different girls in how they acted. "We're alright, it just.. we started fighting suddenly, and I can't remember why." one girl said as the other looked at her phone which was on a music player and spoke out.

"It was like someone was encouraging us to fight. And he helped put a stop to it." she explained as she thought about what they were doing before the incident. And if they spoke together the once warring girls had spoken in union. "Have you ever been to a concert?"

Meanwhile back towards the Raman stand, Oda had finally returned. And there were many reasons why he returned, but there was no doubt probably in anyone's mind why he managed to return without help. The roaring flames of the cooker, the bubbling sound of heated water and the wonderful smell of freshly cooked ramen. The dog of judgement had returned silently to his seat without any story to tell of his little adventure. Glancing only briefly towards the seat which Kita had once sat before turning his attention back to the owner of the stand. His art in preparing ramen was very refined, the cooker he used was rather small but very advanced. It was what you would expect of a standard stove in everyday homes, but this one was produced for mobility, and probably the original intention was to provide 'excellent quality cooking equipment for armies in the field'. This was done on the idea that a successful army is one led by its stomach and quality cooking equipment along with ingredients always lead to quality food.

Picking up his glass of water, the judgement drank slowly as if trying to relieve his stress. While he still seemed uneasy, the boy had seemed much more lively than his previous outburst. Which made him seem a pretty odd, but a paying customer was everything.

"This smells really great," Oda said stretching his arms out, "I can't wait!" he continued.

Tsuru sipped his milk, not nearly sharing the high-class girl's concern about their companions. Or rather, he was enjoying the peace and quiet, something he doubted he would get with those two around... Especially KY-senpai.

That said, it seemed Kuramoto-san was worried about it being her fault... As if that could be possible! A nice girl like that, who would even help someone as weak as Tsuru... How could she possibly be at fault!

Apparently, Tsuru was so accustomed to staring at his own feet, that he failed to recognize the very obvious Tokiwadai uniform on his companion. If he had... Maybe he wouldn't be so certain that she was unjustly accused (by herself.)

"N... No, surely... It's just... You know?" Tsuru said, completely unconvincingly as he tried to explain what he thought the other two were up to... Without actually using the "T" word.

Fortunately, KY-senpai returned to interrupt Tsuru's stammering and Kuramoto's doubts. There! Problem solved! Tsuru returned to his drink, although he knew full well it wouldn't make him any taller...

Minako felt her gaze fall back to her cup. "Yeah... maybe..." Mina shifted nervously. Was she that much of an outsider here? Perhaps Tsuru came only because he felt he needed to... you know... to be polite. Slowly Minako's mind twisted further and further into the clutches of despair. However, within her preoccupied state she failed to notice Oda's return. She didn't even notice him sit down. She was so far gone that it wasn't until he spoke that she jerked back to reality! "Oh!" Mina gasped as she jumped in surprise, nearly knocking over her cup. Thankfully she caught it, and trying to focus on the coldness to help her slow her racing heart.

"You... startled me... I'm sorry." Mina mumbled "Guess I was... daydreaming again." With a sigh, she took another drink from the glass, and noticed how terrible the honey actually was. Perhaps spilling her tea would have been a blessing in disguise? No, she chided herself no matter how bad it was, it would be worse manners to spill it. "Yeah... it does smell good." Mina's stomach flipped in nervous bouts, she no longer felt hungry. "I... ordered a bit much..." She mumbled as she focused on a bead of condensation slowly sliding down the glass. "Perhaps you... would... eat some of it?"

Shifting again within her chair, she felt the wind pick up. Soon a thick curtain of hair blocked her face from view. She was grateful for her long hair, because in embarrassing situations, she could hide from the view of others. Especially when she blushed. She needed this break from everyone, it was a brief reprieve of her own thoughts. "So... uhm..." Minako said softly as she brushed the hair back away from her face. "Is everything... okay?"

Upon approaching the girls, Kita listened to one as the other pulled out her phone, which looked to be set to play music. The first girl replied: "We're alright, it just...we started fighting suddenly, and I can't remember why." Turning to the second girl, Kita was a little intrigued by what she heard. "It was like someone was encouraging us to fight. And he helped put a stop to it." Then, to Kita's surprise, the girls spoke in unison. "Have you ever been to a concert?" Kita needed to take a bit to process what she had just heard and seen. This would usually be the time where she would crack a joke, but that question and its rather creepy presentation told her that this was something different. Something important. Instead, she just let her curiosity drive her responses.

"I haven't been to a concert...I'm glad you're alright, but I have a few questions about the past few minutes." Kita looked around to see if Oda was about to come back before continuing. "Before he came to intervene, I saw my friend walk away in a bit of a sweat, almost as if he was about to start panicking. Something tells me that whatever is happening here could be related. If you can tell me anything, anything at all about the feelings you two described, perhaps it can put me on the right track." Kita's gaze went from girl to girl as she thought about where to start. "Maybe I can start by asking why you asked if I had been to a concert? Just seems like an unnatural question after what had just happened..." 

Oda had a one track mind when he was hungry, so the humble judgement member is forgivingly dense in many situations. But spooking the student from Tokiwadai had surely caught his intention, though catching his attention doesn't translate to him understanding what happened. Unless someone carefully spelt out the issue to him when it comes to socialising misunderstanding or misconceptions he just wouldn't get it.

"Is everything... okay?" Minako asked softly to which Oda's eyebrows rose from this sudden and what should be an obvious question. To him at least to what he wanted them to know everything is fine and nothing is wrong. The dog of judgement seems to underestimate other's ability to read the situation. Though his attention would reveal its true colours as the food is finally given to those who had ordered. "Everything is f-ineee!" Oda said in excitement who gives his thanks before eating with joy. It was clear to anyone watching at how quickly he was eating that the boy has been hungry. Though he stopped eating once enough to speak "Is there something wrong?" Oda asked them both before returning to eating, but he was still listening carefully.

---

Kita Tsukiko

"Maybe I can start by asking why you asked if I had been to a concert? Just seems like an unnatural question after what had just happened..."  Kita asked and the girls looked towards each other remembering a warning by the Judgement member who previously helped them. But one of them answered clearly in a way that seemed awfully creepy but considering what it was creepy was synonymous with many urban legends.

"There exists a secret musical concert somewhere within the city. Apparently, it's supposed to be the greatest show you will ever experience! But the only way you're to get invited is by playing a particular radio station within the distance of a 'damaged' machine," The girl said saying the legend out word by word before holding up the music player they originally had causing the problem and continued.

"If you haven't got a radio app then you can use ours, but considering what Judgement-san had said I'd rather not listen to it again. So you might want to use some headphones," the girl explained as the other went further.

"He said that music is the cause of the irrational behaviour. Though I don't understand how I rather not stir the pot," the second girl said seemingly declared she lost interest in the legend. She seemed somewhat uncomfortable with the other thing, but the other girl declared thinking Kita might not believe them to listen to it herself. "Go ahead and listen if you don't believe us, the radio station is set on the device just press the connect on the screen," she explained.

Kita listened carefully as one of the girls replied. "There exists a secret musical concert somewhere within the city. Apparently, it's supposed to be the greatest show you will ever experience! But the only way you're to get invited is by playing a particular radio station within the distance of a 'damaged' machine." The girl held up her music player before the girls continuing, taking turns telling their story. "If you haven't got a radio app, then you can use ours, but considering what Judgement-san had said I'd rather not listen to it again. So, you might want to use some headphones. He said that music is the cause of the irrational behavior. Though, I don't understand how I rather not stir the pot. Go ahead and listen if you don't believe us, the radio station is set on the device just press the connect on the screen."

Kita looked carefully at the music player and thought hard. "On the one hand, I have some evidence suggesting that the music is the source, based on what I've seen from them. On the other hand..." She looked at the ground, thinking for a good few seconds. She wanted to see what the music was, but at the same time she knew that it could have consequences. Dire consequences. But, her curiosity was burning her. She wanted to know. HAD to know. So, with timid hands, she grabbed her headphones. "Well, bad thing I have some headphones on me." She took the music player from the girl's hand and put on her headphones. She took a deep breath and plugged in her headphones.

What played wasn't what she normally hears. It was soft and melodic, almost hypnotic. As she listened, the song's lyrics began to ring through her ears. Kita listened on and on, trying to pay attention to the rhythm and instruments, but her thoughts inadvertently turned towards the voice, which was speaking a language she could not understand. Even still, it was almost like a siren's call. Kita put a hand to her temple, trying to fight a headache that she was feeling. She wanted to take the headphones off. She wanted to get rid of the voice, as it kept whispering its unintelligible prattle. But, against every fiber of her being, she kept listening. The voice grew louder as she continued hearing the music, and anger seethed in her heart. She could feel the loss of control as she grabbed her head with both hands, almost like an attempt to physically pull the voice out of her mind. "Get out...get out of my goddamn head!" She fell to her knees as the anger reached painful levels. She tilted her head back and shouted into the open air, a plea to anything and everything: "Get...OUT!"

The music heard through her ears had a mixed effect on different people. The two girls who once was exposed to this music had become witnesses to a first-hand experience of seeing someone else being degraded down by it. For them, it was something that almost happened so quickly that it seemed natural to them that they just fell out with each other without understanding why.

For Oda it was a different affair the boy though seemed to have effectively struggled against the feelings this enchanting music had encouraged. But he clearly had been suffering from it, showing that struggling against what was happening took a mental toll.

And for Kita the reaction was horrifying to witness at least for the girls who leapt towards them as she struggled against the music. One attempted to hold Kita still as the other girl turned the radio app off before pulling the headphones out of the device.

And then suddenly a slap across Kita's face by one of the girls, had lead to a confusing response.

"Sorry, just.. well you're alright now? The shock should help yo-- I'm sorry it should've helped." one girl said who had slapped Kita the point of it was to imply a shock that will knock her out of her state. But she wasn't entirely sure if this worked and only waited for a response.

Kita didn't see the girls get up as she suffered through the cacophony. As she struggled against something holding her arms, the music suddenly disappeared, immediately followed by a loud smack.

What was pain between her ears became pain on her cheek as the girl front of her slapped her, partially bringing Kita back to reality. Even still, she didn't say a word as she tried to recover from what she had just experienced and only after catching her breath did she realize that she was being talked to. "Sorry, just...well you're alright now? The shock should help yo-- I'm sorry it should've helped." Kita looked at the girl in front of her with horrified eyes before attempting to regain her composure.

"Yeah...yeah I'm alright...I just...I just don't know what the hell was happening to me." She put a hand on her temple as the headache started subsiding. "I'm guessing that I'm not getting my invitation in the mail though." She tried chuckling but she was too shaken by the music, so she chuckled twice and sighed deeply. "I suppose that I need to keep listening, but I don't want to go through that again." She thought for a bit before continuing. "Something needs to be done about this. If this music keeps going, more people could suffer through that hell." 

Kita looked from the girl to the music player, which was still on that radio station, before looking back up at the girl, giving her music player back, and slowly standing up. "I would follow Judgement-san's advice. Keep away from...whatever that station is. For now, I need to have a word with him. I'm sure he's starting to get worried about me anyway." She started to head back to the stand before turning around when she remembered something. "Also...thanks a lot for helping me." She smiled lightly as she turned back around and walked back while setting a radio app to download on her phone.

She came back to the stand quickly and scanned each chair for Oda before finding him eating. "Of course," she whispered to herself as she approached the group, specifically honing in on the Judgement boy, patting his shoulder, and saying clearly for the whole group to hear: "Oda, we need to talk."

Tsuru doesn't answer Oda- Mostly because he doesn't actually think Oda is talking to him. In this situation, KY-senpai would surely be directing that question to Kuramoto-Nee-san, right!? Tsuru already explained that the reason he's not eating is that he's not hungry! And Tsuru knows he told KY-senpai about his genetic frailty which is the casue of his lacking appetite. There's no need to say it all over again.

Just because he's weak, doesn't mean he's looking for sympathy, after all.

Soon after, the last member of their impromptu food group returned. Tsuru might have, once again, paid more attention to his drink- However, upon hearing her serious tone, he put down his drink. It left a pale white milk mustache on his face, which drippied down slightly as he looked between the two.

"D... Did something happen?" The boy asks meekly, although he almost instantly regrets it. Whatever happened to not getting involved!

Minako couldn't help her eyes cast down as the food was placed before her. The dumplings smelled rather good, but her stomach twisted in knots. It wasn't the same nervousness as before, it was a nervousness as if something bad was going to happen. The raven-haired Tokiwadai girl shifted in her seat, as she dunked a dumpling in some sauce before gracefully taking a bite. For a moment her worries were forgotten as the dumpling seemed to melt in her mouth. The flavors of ginger, garlic, green onion, and the soy sauce danced upon her tongue. She took a sip of her tea and cleared her throat. She needed to focus on the nagging feeling in her gut, rather than filling it!

"Well... it's just that..." Mina ran her hand through her hair, as she thought carefully on how to approach the subject. She felt her gaze meet Oda's, her eyes narrowed infinitesimally. He seemed to be hiding something! "You ran off, under unusual circumstances. A few moments later so did Tsukiko-San." Minako shifted again, her eyes focused upon the table. Before she could muster up the courage to speak once again, Kita had suddenly appeared at their table. She patted his shoulder, it seemed like such a familiar gesture. Minako's face turned a slight rosy hue. Perhaps her bad feeling was wrong, maybe Kita ran off after Judgement-Sama!

Almost as suddenly as Kita appeared Hakusho-Kun spoke again, asking if something had happened. Minako focused on her Dumpling Ramen, and put some in her mouth, to stop herself from blurting out something embarrassing. She knew something had happened, why else would two people run off after each other? Then a few brief moments flashed before her own eyes. The playfulness of Kita with Oda, the seemingly friendly banter back and forth, and finally the touching. How could she have been so blind?! Were Kita and Oda... involved?! The realization struck so suddenly by surprise she almost choked on her food, before grabbing a napkin and covering her mouth. "Excuse me, it... uh... was a bit hotter than I thought." Minako said softly, as she took another drink of her tea, trying to wash down the remnants of the dumpling that had almost lodged itself into her throat.

Oda has interacted with more than one Tokiwadai girl, not only is there some in Judgement but you see those who aren't afraid to leave the school garden on a daily basis. But Kuramoto really exposed a small window in the bubble like society that is Tokiwadai School and the School garden in general. How she interacted and acted has thrown off Oda at every turn, his roughish behaviour and not totally defined gentleman must be pure torture for the poor girl.

However, this moment he couldn't help but feel that Kuramoto made a huge misunderstanding about him and Kita.

"Just make sure you blow on it first." Oda said regarding the dumplings. Oda was content he had finished his ramen in the most inelegant style, but he was at least respectful giving thanks for the food even after being bothered by Kita.

"I don't know what you're thinking, just doing what I usually do and stop trouble when I see it. Sometimes its best to prevent a situation from getting worse as you save a lot of hassle? No?" Oda said casually explaining without caring so much by who heard it. You can tell this guy was truly used to talking confidently without issue.

"Even though for some of us we have just met, if you guys get in trouble I will find it hard to abandon you all. And that feeling extends to anyone who has a cry for help even through song." Oda said who look at Kita directly in that moment. He wasn't the brightest dog in the bunch, but he can put two and two together.

While Kita had acknowledged Minako's and Tsuru's existence, she was too focused on attempting to get Oda's attention. However, she wasn't ready when Oda first continued eating before replying to her inquiry with a rather cryptic reply before looking directly at her. At first, she was confused, but the mention of song made her realize that he at least had an idea. An idea that she had followed him and became exposed to whatever that station had to offer.

"Well, aren't you a smart one," she replied, irritation palpable in her voice. "You can be subtle and smooth with your words all you want, but since you have an idea of what I want to talk about, how about you tell me what you plan on doing about this?" Kita pulled her phone out of her pocket, opened the radio app while keeping the phone on silent, and showed it to Oda. "I'm sure, after all, that you have some kind of idea, right?" Kita crossed her arms, a little frustrated that Oda is being so calm in this situation. "Or, would you rather eat while things boil over a little more?" Her mind was racing as she was preparing for a potential argument. After all, while Oda was with Judgement, his current attitude did not exactly make Kita confident. She hoped showing him the radio would change that.

Tsuru looks between Kita and Oda, unsure of what is going on. His question was thoroughly ignored- Well, what else could be expected? No one would bother answering the question of a person so wholeheartedly useless as Tsuru... Still, as much as he'd not wanted to get involved, being ignored like that still managed to make his heart sink...

And for all of Oda's words, Tsuru can't help but wonder if being abandoned might be better for his health. The events of the shopping mall are still fresh, after all, and more than slightly traumatic.

Minako watched carefully as Kita seemed to flash her phone towards Oda. She couldn't see the screen, but knew whatever was going on had something to do with whatever was on that phone. Perhaps there was something more than what she had originally thought. She looked at Tsuru, almost sensing him withdrawing into some proverbial shell. Everyone had seemed to completely ignore him! She felt a flare of anger well up inside of her.

Most girls of her upbringing would use their status and power to demand answers. To know what was going on. Mina wanted to slam her cup down, to gain the attention of everyone at the table, but she didn't. You catch more flies with honey, than vinegar. Gracefully, Mina set the glass upon the table. She put her elbow on the table, draping her chin thoughtfully into her palm. "I know what you mean Judgement-sama" She said softly, as her eyes hardened in determination, yet a sweet smile was displayed upon her face. "I mean, if there was something you were having trouble with, I bet Hakusho-kun and I would be more than willing to assist you."

Her heart hammered nervously in her chest. He could write them all off, saying Judgement investigations were strictly for members of Judgement. However, Oda himself said that he would want to help them if they were ever in trouble. Playing the 'friends help each other out' card seemed like a low blow, but it was necessary. All for the greater good, at least that is how Minako saw the situation.