A few other students were loitering about too, some with juice boxes in hand, just chilling, while others were on their phones, gossiping. Making his way towards the front gate, he suddenly paused, turning to the side as a lone teen stood, staring into the sky.
Fists clenched and expression firm, Zack Lee looked quite solemn and poetic at this moment. Of course, this was completely ruined when he looked down and saw the person standing next to him.
"What do you want…?" Strangely enough, Zack was not immediately hostile and instead seemed more docile than before. The punch must have knocked something into the guy. Takeo couldn't really tell how the boxer was feeling, but he figured it was probably some salty thoughts.
"Nothing bro. I'll just say…. Don't be salty about being taken out in a single blow." Takeo smirked, before waving his hand. "I mean actually, you should. I made it a little excessively humiliating. My bad, really, my bad... You haven't been training much, right? Those jabs of yours are somewhat solid and can take down any average thug, but won't be enough for….. Some monsters.
"I'm not encouraging you to fight if you don't want to, just pointing something out. And one more piece of advice... There's a savageness to you, Zack Lee, that I think even you don't know the full depths of. While most would say that keeping calm is the best way to go, for one-track minds like yourself, sometimes giving in and completely harnessing that can…. Pack quite the punch So don't restrain yourself all the time. Maybe then, you shall understand."
Lameness burst throughout the air around Takeo, he waved behind his back, turning and walking away. Zack Lee was an interesting character. He was a loser of sorts that had shown quite some growth during the series.
Being the wise senior classman he was, it was natural to help out the poor kids, right? If he was as unpredictable as the story had shown, Zack would definitely derive something from that cringey overdramatic speech.
But besides the tang of embarrassment on his tongue, everything else was nice. Ishii Takeo was feeling good. Still, in a state of euphoria, Takeo walked about the field, pacing randomly. Meeting Zack here was simply a coincidence, he honestly didn't know why he decided to come outside.
The rest of lunch passed along, and soon, the school day followed. The bell rang once again, and Takeo bustled out of the classroom with the rest of the students, all eager for the coming weekend. Of course, they still had to study a little for a few upcoming tests.
He made his way across the grass field before he noticed someone waving to him out of the corner of his eyes. Mary Kim, Vin Jin, and a few other people. He walked on over, nodding.
Mary was dressed once again in a tank top, this one grey in color that let loose some cleavage. She wore a black designer hoodie over that, along with a pair of tight-fitting skinny jeans. That patterned-violet bandanna was once again tied in her wavy blonde hair, and that infectious smile of hers was plastered across her face.
Vin Jin seemed less happy about his arrival. Dressed in a pair of rough denim jeans and a loose black t-shirt that hung across his body loosely, one could faintly see his bulging biceps and other muscles. A wrinkle-filled expression adorned his face as Takeo slapped him on the back in greeting.
Behind them, three other individuals stood, laughing and joking along. Mary and Takeo high-fived each other, and the teen girl began introducing a few other students.
"Takeo! I wanna introduce a few people to you~"
Her long finger pointed to the first of the lot, who waved back. She was a pretty girl, with pale skin and a high cheekbone. Her body was slim and subtle, with a small waist and a perky bosom. Her eyebrows were thin and delicate, and pink lipstick was painted across her dainty lips. She had large almond-shaped eyes an onyx color and wore a short skirt and a cream-colored top.
"Clover Baek. Second-Year. I'm from the Fashion Department~ " Introducing herself in a light voice, she smiled sweetly, and Takeo had a good first impression of her.
The second individual was a tall teen dressed much like Vin Jin. Tall and overly skinny like a twig, he wore a cool black hoodie and a pair of loose ripped jeans. His face was sharp and jutting, with a long crow-like nose and beady coffee-brown eyes. He had a subtle smirk on his face.
"My name is Cho Young-Il! 1st Year. Vocal Department." Flashing a grin from his bright white teeth, he snapped his fingers.
Last of all was a bubbly girl. She had curly bleach-blonde hair much like Mary's that came down to her lower nape, much like a certain city-pop star. She had smooth rosy skin with a tinge of blush to it. Her figure was curvy and attractive, and her face, small and beautiful. She had large starry eyes, emerald green, and a small non-distinct nose. Her lips were luscious and moderately sized, and her eyebrows thin and curved.
"Hi~ I'm Kae Young~ But you can call me Emilia! I'm a Second-Year from the Beauty Department!" Reaching out, Emilia grasped Takeo's hands, shaking them vigorously.
(A/N: These three characters aren't really relevant.)
Nodding, Takeo introduced himself too. "Hello, I'm Ishii Takeo, from Sendai. Nice to meet you all~" Clapping his hands together, he turned back to Mary, who was fussing over Clover's hair.
"Oh! I almost forgot! We're going down to Seoul, you wanna come?" Mary suddenly burst forwards, staring up at Takeo cutely.
"Hm. As long as I don't have to carry anything." Takeo agreed after a bit of consideration. If he were to go home, there wouldn't be much to do, so he might as well chill out and socialize with people.
Mary nodded happily, and the group soon made their way down the street. They were headed toward one of Seoul's many shopping areas. Making their way across the street, Takeo watched a crowd of motorcycles speeding about.
He, being a social butterfly of sorts, had quickly gotten to know everyone. Currently, they were all debating over red pandas. Conversations around here could turn pretty weird in seconds.
"Red Pandas are related to raccoons! Isn't that so cool!? Amazing, right?" As if he had spoken a holy gospel, Cho Young-Il scratched his head, attempting to act slick in front of the girls.
"Do they eat bamboo?" Edging the Vocal Department kid on, Clover asked curiously, in her light floaty voice .
"Yes! They are pandas after all! Got these furry paws and bushy tails!" Cho Young-Il, obviously extremely happy with his closeness to people of the opposite gender, went on stating many obvious facts, while everyone else nodded along awkwardly. "I've been to the Eastern Himalayas and seen a bunch!" Stars in his eyes, Young-il gave a dramatic thumbs up.
Takeo patted him on the back in approval. At least, he thought the guy was just trying to lamely get the attention of the girls, but now it seemed that Cho Young-Il truly had some appreciation for such a magnificent species.
Vin Jin seemed a little disgruntled over his underling's behavior as he gave Young-Il a murderous glare under those sunglasses, causing the latter to shrink back in fear. Emilia and Clover glanced in sympathy before everyone decided to ignore the sunglasses and go on to another conversation.
Young-Il, a great lover of animals, pondered for a second, before he turned to Takeo, surprisingly. "You're from Japan, right? Capybara!"
"....."
"...."
"Pardon me….?" Takeo, not understanding this dramatic statement, scratched his head.
"Japan has a lot of Capybaras, right? They're the largest and cutest rodent species on Earth, and hail from the tropical forests of South America! Commonly seen in Hot Spring videos!" Young-Il's grin widened as he began to spew out many facts about the adorable animal.
(A/N: Capybara Hot Spring Videos are supreme.)
As the Vocal Department Freshman began to go on about their eating habits, Mary Kim nudged Takeo's shoulder. "Psst….. Why are we talking about rodents?"
Expecting something more serious, Takeo simply shrugged. "Just leave him be. He's quite the man of culture. You don't meet someone every day who is this knowledgeable about animals. Who knows, he could become the next Charles Darwin."