School Days [Mika/Open]

With classes going predictably well, Morikawa MIka was unencumbered by the usual stresses Shin'o Academy students deal with. Not even the so-called "special accelerated class" had provided any challenge for the young woman sitting alone in the Academy's courtyard. Every status update she had sent back home during her time here contained the same message for her parents: Everything is going well. Soon I will graduate. Goodbye.

These letters sent back and forth between herself and her parents was the limit of Mika's socialization here. After that angry student slapped her earlier in the school year, she had made a conscientious effort to avert her gaze and avoid other students. Even now the golden-eyed and -haired Shinigami-in-training sits alone eating lunch outside on a balmy day. If she thought about it more she might think she's lonely, but Mika's compartmentalization skills were second to none. Still, she let out a near-inaudible sigh as she took a moment from her rice.

Today is...quiet..

Rising above adversity was always Hiroe's sole strategy regarding the Shinoretsukin Academy. She had never been born from a noble class nor was she some prodigal talent like her fellow student Ajora. She was but a mere urchin from the Rukongai with dreams that certain students considered well beyond her station. Yet, she persevered. She showed all of them what she was capable of, turning her detractors into supporters.

Even some of those so lesser noble family students were singing her praise. Her next step was graduation. She had learned shikai, albeit immaturely, but that was only the beginning. The dreamer's eyes were set on the stars beyond. Bankai. Captaincy. Every single effort would be brought to bear to reach the highest realm of her talent imaginable. For now, though, she was hungry.

She placed in an order in the cafeteria for a nice pork bowl with rice and a refreshment in the form of a soda. After waiting a few minutes, her order had been prepared. Grabbing the bag, Hiroe decided to go outside to the courtyard for once. Gossiping with her friends sounded nice and all, but she wanted some time to reflect.

Stepping outside, Hiroe would tilt her head a bit, clearly surprised to see another student sitting out here. Hiroe squinted her eyes to make out the young woman's form. A fellow student, eh? She supposed she could talk to someone while they ate. Plus, she looked really lonely on a quiet day with good weather. Hiroe to the rescue!

"Hey there... I didn't know anyone else was eating outside beside me. My name is Hiroe. Hiroe Miyashiro. Mind if I join ya?"

Mika made slow work of her lunch. She was never a fast eater, and today she was no different. This wasn't because of her traditional upbringing either which emphasized slow and deliberate movements even during meals, Mika just doesn't eat much nor does she fall prey to hunger pangs. Given her child-like size, for her family this was hardly surprising. Even only halfway through her rice she was beginning to feel full, or at least full enough for a woman who had never gorged herself on food.

As she chewed a tiny bite of rice, Mika's thoughts went to her older sister. She and Mizu kept in touch through letters, but with how busy and conflicting their schedules had become she hadn't seen the elder Morikawa in a while. Mika looked up to her big sister who had managed to smash all expectations and become a high ranking officer in the Gotei United. Unfortunately, every time Mizu accomplished something new their parents' expectations of Mika only grew, much to the small blond's chagrin.

Mika's thoughts were interrupted by a sweet-sounding voice from a sweeter-looking woman. There was no shortage of gruff, angrily ambitious students in the Academy, so for someone to walk up to Mika and politely ask to join her was a bit surprising. Mika turned to Hiroe and, with raised eyebrows, responded in her own emotionless way "Um...sure....I'm Mika Morikawa."

A soft grin curved the woman's lips as she sat beside Mika. From the looks of it, she didn't appear to be the talkative type. It wasn't entirely surprising to Hiroe, either. There were social butterflies, and those who preferred to keep to themselves if they could help it. She appeared to fall into the latter category, but appearances could be deceiving, and they'd only just met. Maybe she could get her to open up with some old fashioned conversation. Digging into her pork bowl with a pair of chopsticks, Hiroe decided to drum up some commentary to fill the silence by asking Mika a rather simplistic question. It certainly wasn't much, of course, but it was the only one she had at the moment.

"Pleasure to meet you, Mika! So, what year are ya?"

Ever since the infamous slap, Mika had not interacted with many, if any, of her fellow Shin'o Academy students. She knew others found her abrasive, and while she did not particularly care what they think about her, she also was not really eager to be struck or yelled at again. I still do not understand why she was so upset...all I did was tell her the truth... thought Mika to herself as she recalled what happened to make her even more antisocial than she had been when she first entered the Academy.

Mika's thoughts were interrupted by Hiroe's question about her status in the Shinigami school. She answered the woman's question as emotionlessly as she had done before "I am a first year in the Special Accelerated course." It took Mika a few seconds before she remembered when asked a question like this by another student, the polite thing to do is to ask the same thing in kind "Um, I guess I should ask what year you are?"

"Special Accelerated Course, huh? I guess I'm in some pretty special company," Hiroe humored softly, her tone genuine in its praise as she took a moment to parse the information. She supposed those courses were typically reserved for prodigies and those who came from a class far above her own standing. Acknowledging that fact, Hiroe found herself curious about the woman's overall talents as a Shinigami. Her diminutive frame didn't particularly speak to Zanjutsu or Hakuda, so perhaps she was well versed in Kido? She could certainly pose those questions the more the conversation progresses, but for now, she'll respond to the woman's own inquiry.

"2nd Year. Pretty standard courses. I'm honestly a girl from the Rukongai with pretty big dreams of making it into the Gotei United. I've been eyeing seventh division once I graduate. What about you, Mika~?"

"Yes, you are." Mika said in response to Hiroe's compliment. In truth she did not mean this from a place of arrogance, despite how almost anyone else would take it. Mika is not a particularly mean-spirited person, and as a rule did not believe it was worth the effort to go out of her way to personally attack other people. In her eyes, being "special company" to this woman was just a statement of fact. She is special, and many others aren't. Understanding the distinction, in Mika's eyes, is important for setting expectations. After all, why should some potential-less weakling set their sights on a Captain rank when they could contribute more by being a pencil pusher?

"Seventh isn't a bad choice for average Shinigami. Assuming you graduate on time, I'm sure you'll be fine there." In Mika's experience average people do not like being called average, so she decided to add an addendum to her previous statements "Um, not that I think you are average. And I don't know which Division I'll join, none of them are really...all that interesting. Maybe the Eighth because my sister is in it, though that Division does not seem all that special."

Hiroe found Mika's initial answer amusing, chuckling softly in response to how matter of fact it came across. There was no discernible pomp to her tone from her observational point of view. She simply stated it as if it was a matter of course. It was hard to get a read on this woman so far, but she seemed sociable enough, which suited the fledgling Shinigami with a dream just fine. If Mika thought she had slightest the woman by calling her average, Hiroe immediately waved her hand to assuage her worries as she continued to enjoy her pork bowl. Hiroe was prideful, but she was no fool, either.

Up until now, after countless months of hard work, she really was the average Shinoretsujin academy student. There was no sugarcoating it. Her efforts were being recognized now, of course, but it took her a year to reach those heights. Even so, some would claim that learning one's Shikai in that period of time was a remarkable feat in and of itself. At the very least, it felt good that others were beginning to acknowledge her efforts now. Gazing at the diminutive woman with curious golden eyes, Hiroe posed a question.

"Hah? None of them are really that interesting? You must have really patrician tastes, Mika," she humored, chuckling with morsels of food dancing about her mouth. Swallowing it down, Hiroe maintained her curious gaze.

"I could certainly understand the First Division, but everything else? Man, all of them seem so exciting to me. There's the combat division. The Stealth Division. Realm Enforcement. The Earth Division. Kido Division... the possibilities are endless. For me, I think the seventh is special. One of my best friends is a member of that division, and honestly... the captain and vice captain? They're pretty fierce women in terms of martial prowess and overall capability. I think for where I want to go, they're exactly the type of company I'd want to be in."

The chuckling sound coming from Hiroe left a look of subtle confusion on Mika's face. She wasn't sure what was funny about what she had said, but also didn't plan on asking about it. Instead, she listened as the woman rattled off a list of Divisions and their specialties. The wide variance in specialization in the Gotei United certainly allowed for most budding Shinigami to find a place in it they could call home. Not Mika. The thought of joining any of them...bored her. Having to participate in group training and missions and meetings. Boring.

Working for fierce women didn't interest Mika. If it did, she would accept a position in the First Squad and call it a day so she could serve under the mighty Captain Commander. Now that was a woman she could respect. The squads Hiroe listed were much worse off in her opinion. The combat division is led by a geriatric, stealth division is led by a weirdo who by all accounts shouldn't be in the Gotei, and the Kido division's Captain is some shrimp who got by thanks to name recognition. Not to mention Realm Enforcement! Who would want to be stuck policing the Seireitei?? thought Mika to herself.

With all that in mind, maybe the Seventh wouldn't actually be so terrible. Sure, it isn't prestigious and probably didn't deserve her, but Mika wasn't remotely sold on the alternatives. "I guess being in the Seventh does have the advantage of more Living World incursions, which could be....fun. Maybe we will be in the same squad after all, Hiroe Miyashiro."

"Maybe we will. I certainly wouldn't seeing you around the barracks, Mika. And heck yeah! I'll be honest, part of my intrigue sure is rooted in pursuing missions on earth. Just imagining the vacations and clothing I can buy on my days off is enough to motivate me to keep working hard and finally graduate. I recently learned my Shikai, but I'm still not exactly a finished product in other areas."

Hiroe returned to filling her mouth with pork and rice while she thought of things to speak about with the small lady sitting beside her. She still couldn't get much of a proper read about her, but she seemed amicable enough. That meant something, right? Anyway, time to drum up more conversation. Oh, she supposed she could tell her about her recent trip to earth.

"Speaking of earth incursions, a friend of mine who works in a division allowed me to join her for a nice vacation on earth. Everything is really interesting there. The food, the clothing, the scenery... for someone like me whose only ever known life in the Rukongai and the Academy, it was like being transported to a dreamlike world. I ended up enjoying it so much that I didn't want to leave."