#𝙸𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚞𝚝𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚛 [ FOOL!ARCANA AU ]

[jesterofinaba]

Taiyaki wasn’t exactly the thing to give a university student, it was well known as a typical snack for kids, but from the little bits and pieces she’d gleamed from Adachi directly, and whatever Shirogane said was enough to paint a less than pleasant picture. 

Her family back in Osaka had sent one box too many, and while it was from her favorite store, Kei figured giving it to someone would be better than letting it grow stale after leaving it somewhere in her dorm room. Shirogane was planning to invite Adachi out for dinner at some fancy sushi place, and while she was invited—because she was Adachi’s friend (apparently) and his friend—but she declined because being the third wheel was less than optimal.

And Shirogane was Adachi’s best friend. University could be a soul sucking experience and letting those two have time to themselves was better than her sitting awkwardly off to the side, or them forcing themselves to remember that she existed and to include her in the conversation.

“Shirogane said today’s your birthday. It’s not much, but I wanted to do something, so here.” She handed the box of taiyaki over, mildly embarrassed and half wished she could have given him anything else, like... a book. Everyone liked books.

“It has a couple of different fillings, azuki, custard, chocolate, green tea. It’s from my favorite store, so I guess this makes it... vaguely special.” It implies thought was put into. Something from a favorite store, one she used to go to as a kid, it carries a positive connotation.

That she cared about Adachi, even if she didn't know if they were friends or just plain old acquaintances and—

Jesus.

“I better go now, take care and enjoy yourself today.”

adachi's birthday

Tohru was still figuring out how exactly to receive a birthday present, even after the ones he'd gotten from Seiji and his grandfather. Naturally, one was supposed to thank them, but besides that? That nuance was much harder, especially for someone like Tohru, who was still figuring out this entire "make bonds" thing.

Naturally, he's flummoxed when she hands him a box of taiyaki and gives him her reasoning why.

"Oh, hey, thanks." The surprise is evident in his tone. "I... actually really like this stuff."

It was true, for what that was worth - even though the filled pastries were deemed a kid's snack, they were enough to sate Tohru's sweet tooth, and even though he doesn't eat much, he'll ration them out so he eats them before they go stale.

Ishikawa-san seemed nice enough. Honestly, Tohru had the feeling that if they could melt the ice surrounding their interactions a tad, they had enough similarities that they should be able to get along. Apparently Seiji was great at finding introverted, wry people and trying to get them to stop being sticks in the mud. He had a feeling that when she leaves, she was going to go back into a quiet dorm by herself and stay there, and that gives him a little tug at his heart that he knows by know is an opportunity to make a Connection with someone.

Which makes him stick out his hand to stop her from leaving.

"Wait." He didn't even know what he was going to say next. "Listen, I know we don't really... hang out, only with Seiji. We're going to dinner tonight, and you're invited of course, but... why don't we go to a bookstore? Just you and me. We can get to know each other a little bit. That way it can be a little more comfy when we all three hang out, yeah?"

[jesterofinaba]

“If you thought you could get by this year without me noticing your birthday, you’re way too late for that!” Ever since he found out, Seiji always made sure to try and do something nice for Tohru every year. If his parents wouldn’t do so much as celebrate their kid’s birthday, then it was up to the friend to do something.

And he wanted to do something nice for the first best friend he ever had.

“You know that sushi restaurant in Ginza? Well, that’s where we’re going tonight!” If not for his background as a Shirogane, he wouldn’t have dreamed of stepping foot into Ginza, but Dad had approved. Besides, he’d seen high schoolers waltz up to this restaurant numerous times. Helped that this one was one of the more affordable, if a bit pricier ones. “We only live once, so don’t hold back. Pick whatever you want to eat!”

adachi's birthday

"I try to make you forget, but you're too dedicated to make sure I'm not a wet blanket that you'll take any excuse to make me do fun stuff."

Typical of Tohru's dry sense of humor, but the smile that he gives when Seiji eagerly invites him out betrays any sense of regret he might be pretending to have. Tohru's opened up a lot since befriending the young detective, even he had to admit it. If himself a year or two ago had seen him now, he would have been appalled, but he had to admit, it was nice getting to enjoy his youth instead of spending it all studying.

His gift being a dinner at a nice sushi restaurant in Ginza makes the teenager's eyes widen. His family wasn't lacking in funds, but they all never went out to eat in a restaurant together, and he really only had with Seiji. And since he wasn't used to it, every time it had surprised him.

He wants to protest, say it was too much money, but he knows Seiji would push it until they did it.

"I guess some eel roll does sound pretty good..." he concedes, a little shyly, but then smiles again and elbows his best friend. "It's still sappy of you to do it for me, you know. But if you're gonna be nice to me on my birthday... we should go see a movie afterward! There's a new spy flick out, and I'm sure it counts as future Shirogane detective training."

[jesterofinaba]

another niche au starter for @chibitantei​

It felt a little like balancing on a tightrope, spending time with Seiji instead of his usual routine of staying out of everyone’s way. Tohru was far used to trying his best to blend into the background when it came to social interactions, hiding in the library or immediately running back to his parents’ apartment as soon as the school day ended, no clubs or part-time job. As much as he’d like the money, his parents frowned upon it, so no minimum wage worker position for him.

Still, working with Shirogane Seiji on the last few school projects had made him say more at school than his previous efforts of only showing off his knowledge, cracking a few smiles here and there with a shy laugh and adjustment of his glasses. There was something that meant kind of like filling a void that Tohru hadn’t noticed was there before, having a companion - not a friend, not really, just a classmate or acquaintance. He wasn’t too loud, could keep up with Tohru’s intelligence. But still. They’d have to separate by the time they graduated, so it would be best if he didn’t get attached.

They’d worked on studying for an English exam at Tohru’s apartment last time, the library being full for the end-of-term exams, since he knew his parents wouldn’t be home for quite a while and they’d have a quiet place to work. The same applied now, and that meant Tohru could scrounge around the kitchen to see if there was anything they could get to eat, so he offers as they walk out of the classroom, Tohru shouldering his bag and looking behind him to see if anyone else was listening.

He didn’t really want to give any of their other classmates any more ammunition against the know-it-all wallflower.

“You know, Shirogane-kun,” He starts softly, satisfied with the amount of distance in his words, “we can go back to my parents’ place again today, if you want. It’d be quiet.”

[jesterofinaba]

🍺 to take my muse to a bar (college era fooldachi and seiji moment...)

platonic prompts - accepting!

"Listen, Seiji, I say this at the risk of you calling me a stick in the mud again, but should we really be going to a bar right now? It is a school night."

Adachi liked to think he'd lightened up considerably since his high school days, mostly thanks to Seiji befriending him and encouraging him to come out of his shell. He'd even made a few acquaintances while at Todai, studying together for exams and even hanging out once or twice with no academic goal at all.

Most often, that was with his closest friend Seiji, but there was still a part of him that wanted to perform well in school - better than everyone else, even. And that part of him hadn't even considered ever skipping a class or staying out late.

"And don't try telling me this is training for a detective life, Shirogane-kun."

[jesterofinaba]

🎬 to go to the movies with my muse (maybe fooldachi and seiji jk unless)

platonic prompts - accepting!

In a twist of fate not thought of by anyone, it was actually Tohru who suggested spending time together instead of Seiji, and to make it even more out of the ordinary, it wasn't academic-related. Since the two of them had been spending more and more time together, them doing things that wasn't studying wasn't irregular, but Tohru had always had the thin guise of maybe that something productive would be done, even if it hadn't been in recent weeks.

"-Listen, I've been looking forward to the release of this movie for months, and I... I think you'd like it."

The conversation had started out as just a mention of a detective movie coming out, but Tohru had a lot to say. He'd been rattling off details about the actors' reputations and the work of the director and cinematographer for the past few minutes, clearly passionate and knowledgeable about areas of the film. It wasn't something he'd ever really articulated to someone else, but now that he got started, it was hard to stop.

"So... the premiere's tonight, if you want to go?"

[jesterofinaba]

"Ever since you said 'bitches and whores' in front of Naoto, she keeps repeating it and asks if she can learn fun words from Mr. Adachi. We're no longer friends, Tohru. Also, you can't visit her anymore." — Seiji :pensive:

Unprompted Asks - Always Accepting!

"Seiji, you can't blame me, it was an accident! I didn't teach it to her on purpose, I just stubbed my toe-!

Maybe... she'll forget about it as she gets older...?"