A Fateful Encounter on Route...

School was out not too long ago, and Kazuya couldn't help but feel that he could never quite enjoy the busy hustle and bustle of this part of town; admittedly, he never liked it back in his home land, either, and tried as best he could to not have to deal with all the noise and crowds that moved from place to place.

Admittedly, he had never liked the fact that everyone seemed to want to move at the same time of day--in particular, after he had got off from the chore that was school. Thankfully, he was off today, and didn't have to go work at the large supermarket in the area, so he was free to spend his spare time relaxing.

Thing was, now that he was so free, he wasn't entirely sure how he would spend his time.

He did know, however, that he had no intention to spend his time going home, because there was even less to do there, than there was to do anywhere else, for the most part.

Eventually, he settled on the idea of heading towards one of the restaurants in the area, realizing that he didn't exactly spend much of his money on his paychecks--just enough to by things around the house, and his day made enough money that he didn't ask his son for much--so he actually had a pretty good amount to spend, despite his fairly humble attire; the gakuran he was legitimately given for free, back when he still lived in the far east. Or, at least, on of the set.

The shirt he wore underneath--long sleeved, black, and bearing a sleek design--was actually more expensive, and did set him back more than he cared to admit; naturally, it even looked very expensive, but it was likely no one wanted to try their luck with someone as tall as him, who obviously carried himself in a way that said he had little fucks to give, and probably shouldn't be fucked with.

Eventually, he settled on a traditional Japanese restaurant--the sort that, he found, was actually quite popular in American society, even if they didn't typically serve actual fully Japanese dishes--and entered, find that, in fact, he had misjudged the place; the smell of actual udon and a torrent of other familiar smells assaulted him, causing him to actually exit quickly, unsure whether or not he should get used to it; the only thing this place did was remind him of his mother, who he actually missed considerably during his time in the States, no matter how short that actually was.

"...Yikes. I didn't even know such a place was 'round here," he said, his words light with his far eastern accent, even if his pronunciation was technically correct when taking into account dialect. He seemed to have to consider just whether or not he actually wanted to eat in such a place that was so memorable, and so he had to decide if this was really worth it.

He cast his eyes around the area, taking in the view, before leaning against the side wall.

"...Kid, ya know that loitering here is illegal, right?" and older asian man said, looking at the boy closely--hesitantly--before nodding at the sign next to Leo.

Leo looked up, reading the "No loitering' sign beside the place, before raising a brow and nodding; he had to look pretty suspicious, too, dressed in a gakuran in a place that didn't require it for school. And to a man this old, of course he would see him as a delinquent, with that dyed hair of his.

"...Yea, ok, pops. I'll be sure to make a decision real quick," he said, almost muttering, before the man nodded and entered.

"...Be quick about it. I hope you aren't one of those youths who have been giving me trouble...coming in and skipping out without paying a tab."

Ah yes, it was James's last day of work last week. He'd saved up $10,000 last year, the vast majority of which was made up from tips. His swift and polite service, along with bad financial situation meant the owner of the store took care of him. The store specialised in selling imported Asian food, mainly Japanese food. The man who owned the store also owned a Japanese restaurant, he allowed James to eat there on work nights as a treat. 

James was polite enough to always order the cheaper food that would be filling, like donburi or ramen with no sides. He knew he could order them if he wanted to, but he was paid well for the role and he'd feel bad to take advantage of the kindness given to him.

He guessed he'd need to take up work again later, but he ate modestly and had no other expense apart from rent, a bit on utilities and his shower soaps. He had to admit though, he'd miss eating all the nice food daily but he had plans. He wanted to get stronger and improve his already very good grades.

Speaking of grades and food, James had just finished school. He'd stopped behind a few minutes to help tidy up, his science teacher was cute and she was very appreciative of the fact James was ahead of his peers when it came to the subject. She didn't mind if James took a nap in class as long as he was subtle about it, not only that but she even let him take time out if he was needed at the nurses's office.

Once he was done he started to jog, not home but to the restaurant. He had one last meal and the owner had made James promise to order a drink and at least two sides plus a dessert. James didn't want to accept, but he knew he'd risk offending the man. He already knew what he'd probably order, yaki udon with miso soup, mushroom onigiri, a fruit juice and banana katsu for dessert. The thought of that glorious food was making James hungry.

He noticed a big guy outside the restaurant, the guy was in his class so he recognised him. Now he thought about it, the guy looked strong, and he was Japanese given the accent being similar to the owner's. That meant he might know martial arts, James was presumptuous in that he assumed most Japanese people learned some form of martial arts.

James stopped by the entrance and introduced himself in the usual way "Konnichiwa" he'd picked up a few words of Japanese and he tried to use them, it always made the owner smile. His accent was actually quite good but not perfect, it comes from working with somebody who speaks the language properly.

James thought briefly, he had savings and this would be as good a time as any to ask questions and possibly gain knowledge "It's okay, Leo's a friend from my class. I've been meaning to meet up with him to ask a few questions. I'll pay for his lunch so you don't have to worry about him dashing" he knew it happened and the man was probably worried about it, rightfully so. He wondered if the guy would go along with it, he did intend to talk to him and this was probably the best chance. He'd probably have to explain budget limits when they got inside, James figured he'd be willing to go up to $30.

A relatively uninteresting day, as usual.

After speaking with the owner, he went back to leaning against the wall, noticing some kid moving towards the restaurant. And, upon approaching, he seemed to shoot him glances--and stares--that went on far longer than he was actually comfortable with; why was this guy staring at him with so much interest?

Was he homo? Was he into dudes, and looking for a nice, big, strong guy to be his knight in shining armor?

...Seriously? There was no way he wanted to deal with the guy, if that was the case; he was not, personally, into dudes, and wouldn't want things to get misconstrued to anyone...even if this guy seemed to know the owner.

Actually, that fact may just make it worse.

If the guy was homo--and the boss did, indeed, know him--then if they were seen talking to much together, it would definitely make things awkward, much to the tall jap's displeasure.

And then he spoke, saying one word that caused Leo to cringe; Konnichiwa? Really? Where exactly did he think he was? Leo's eyes narrowed, and he shot a glance towards the male, trying to decide how he was going to act, before his gaze settled on the 'boss', and he realized the man actually saw this as amusing. He smiled, but had he thought the man was adorable, and good at trying, or was he laughing at the fact that this kid was basically trying to speak their language in a place that didn't even require it.

Leo started laughing--loudly--a hand over his eyes.

And then the kid spoke again, and he couldn't help but stare at the two, as he mentioned them being friends. Wait...'friends'? There was no way he could let the owner get the wrong impression; especially if the kid had actually said he'd buy him lunch; that just gave the impression he wanted to avoid, above all else.

"Uhhh...? What? Nah man, I don't even know this kid," Kazuya shurgged, looking at this kid like he was a complete stranger...which he was. He didn't exactly have any fears of being thrown out or the like, considering he actually had quite a bit of extra cash to throw at the establishment. And, to prove that, he took out his wallet, flashing the one hundred dollar notes before the owner, showing that he was more than capable of paying his own way. "...Though this guy sure has an active imagination. I'll...eat in a minute, once I figure out his deal," he said, honestly this time, before stowing away his wallet again, and turning to the male.

The owner looked, as it was, pleasantly surprised.

Kazuya, shrugged his shoulders, then, turning to peer at the other male expectantly. "...Kinda' weird for ya' to come over here and claim we know each other," he said, offhandedly, before giving the boy a cool stare. "...'Specially when you assume I aint got the cash to pay my way. Very rude, man," he said, arching a brow, in expectancy of an answer.