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May. 3rd, 2014 03:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gekishaC H A R A C T E R;
NAME: Souji Okita
CANON:Hakuouki: SSL ~sweet school life~
POINT IN CANON: After the Valentine’s Day event, Okita-path.
AGE: 17
APPEARANCE: image one; image two
CANON HISTORY: As the wiki is pretty useless and the translation blog is sporadic and still in progress, I’ll summarize the basics of the main events, with the focus being from Okita’s path.
( THE PROLOGUE )
Much like the omake it’s based on, the prologue does it’s job to introduce the characters, and follows the same basic story. We meet first-year (and only female) Hakuou Academy student Chizuru Yukimura, waiting outside the house of childhood friend Heisuke Toudou… who is running late and overslept because he stayed up late the night before playing video games. While rushing to make it to the gate before the start of the school day, they encounter Souji Okita, a second year student and friend.
Upon arrival to the school gates, they’re met with disciplinary committee (or “public morals committee”) members Hajime Saitou (a second year student) and Kaoru Nagumo (a first year… and Chizuru’s twin brother), who are of course, displeased with their tardy classmates. And in Kaoru’s case, their closeness to his sister. Before settling the matter, Classical Japanese teacher Toshizou Hijikata arrives and attempts to mitigate the situation a bit… which loses some effect with Souji giving him a hard time.
The prologue goes on to show that things are just as one would expect in a high school, and further introduces the cast of characters. Gym teacher Harada Sanosuke, math teacher Shinpachi Nagakura, nurse Keisuke Sannan, nurse’s assistant (and second year student) Yamazaki Susumu, Student council president (and way too old to be a student, since he’s clearly close to Hijikata in age) Chikage Kazama… and his minions, fellow first year student Ryunosuke Ibuki, as well as principal Isami Kondou. It paints a pretty colorful picture of seeing characters from a tragic story being able to experience the mundane lives of many in modern day Japan.
( EXAM TIME )
Only a couple of months into the school year, a major exam is announced, along with the notice that those who score below a certain mark will face severe consequences. Knowing their teachers mean some serious business, they turn to their teachers for help (and in Shinpachi’s case, wearing glasses to look more scholarly). Hakuou Academy’s student body prepares to avoid such a fate. This includes Chizuru, who decides to stay behind and get some last minute studying the day before the exam.
The library is crowded, and with Souji around to be a bit mischievous, they take to the roof… where he ropes her into taking a selfie with him as the sun sets. She’s a bit surprised, and he’s way too proud of himself.
( SUMMER VACATION )
With some time off from school, Chizuru meets with her two best friends who go to nearby Shimabara Girl’s School — Sen and Kosuzu Suzuka. They grab some hamburgers for lunch, and decide that the summer weather would be a great time to go to the pool. After deciding what types of bathing suits to buy and doing some shopping, they part ways. On her way home, Chizuru runs into Souji…
Where he finds out Chizuru’s pool-going plans when she gets and e-mail from Sen in his presence. This seems to be with little fanfare… until late that night, when he sends out a mass e-mail to pretty much everyone, encouraging them to come along. This is met with a variety of reactions via e-mail, but a short while after the girls arrive at the pool, Souji, Saitou, Heisuke and Kazama all show up as well.
They make the best of it, playing around in the water: Souji takes pictures, Saitou naps on a pool float, Heisuke makes a lot of splashing down the slide. Eventually, the others show up, shenanigans ensue, and Sannan somehow manages to rope everyone into a massive water gun fight. When the pairs are decided, Chizuru ends up paired with Souji. When they win, he treats her to a drink at the poolside bar. And by drink, I mean one giant fruity drink in a huge glass with two straws. They talk there for a bit before reconvening with the group before heading back home.
( CULTURAL FESTIVAL )
Come the fall, it’s time for Hakuou Academy’s Cultural Festival. Despite her reluctance, Chizuru agrees to Ibuki’s idea for their class effort: A maid cafe. As the only girl in school, it’s his super genius idea to use that to their advantage as a draw…
Which does end up working out well. Souji comes to check things out, and after some grueling work as the only maid in the cafe, her fellow classmates give her a bit of a break. She ends up spending the afternoon with Souji, enjoying the festival in a pretty simple way. They look at the other efforts, have some sweets, and it ends up being a pretty rewarding experience for her.
( WINTER HOLIDAYS )
In lieu of the holiday practice of sharing gifts with the students normally held by Kondou, Hakuou Academy founder Kamo Serizawa makes an announcement over the loudspeaker that there will be a small party instead, open only to invited guests. This draws the ire of everybody — especially Souji, who especially dislikes the idea. Hijikata manages to work out a plan and finagle a way in for the group.
...By way of helping Ibuki to decorate the party space. This ends up being a success, with the group gathering to enjoy the festivities and exchange gifts. After some mingling and good times shared, Chizuru and Souji take their leave together. They have a talk, where Souji opens up a bit to her, and he proceeds to take her to see the nearby Christmas tree and lights set up for the holidays.
Come New Year’s, the two meet at the shrine, and after dealing with tradition, spend a bit more time together. Souji goes a bit directly for the skinship — giving Chizuru a kiss on the cheek as they walk, but never once explaining himself. This leaves her at a bit of an impasse, flustered by his behavior, unsure of whether or not he did so just to tease her… and of course, what her own feelings are with regards to this.
( VALENTINE’S DAY )
With Valentine’s day around the corner, Hakuou Academy has a bit of a dilemma on it’s hands. That dilemma is Chizuru being the only girl in school, and Kaoru being nothing short of an overprotective brother. As a result, he uses his committee position to implement some roadblocks — effectively keeping a search for all unnecessary items that could be used for Valentine’s Day. His plan is to keep Chizuru from giving chocolates or confessing to anyone in the student body.
That really doesn’t matter. Sen and Kosuzu use their Best Friend Influence to remind her that if she has someone she like, there’s nothing wrong with it. Kosuzu herself has plans to give chocolates to Ibuki, whom she’s been interested in since they met at the pool in the summer months. Chizuru steels herself and with some resolve, is determined to give her chocolates to the person she cares about most at all costs.
While trying to escape the obstacles set in place… and avoid Kaoru’s prying, she runs into Souji. After some teasing on his end, she manages to give him the chocolates, and despite his playfulness, takes the opportunity to admit his own feelings for her. While trying her chocolates a bit later, he manages to do just a bit more — make their relationship official, and get her to call him by a less formal name.
CANON PERSONALITY:
It’s important to note that the entirety of his personality is based on his original canon version. Because of the nature of the game, and it lacking in a lot of details, much of the motivations behind some of his personality traits isn’t explained with any reason in-game. I’ve written a lot (and then some) about his original canon personality in the past, which I link only as a means of acknowledging my understanding of his character and how it related to his SSL counterpart.
That being said, the Souji of this universe doesn’t have very many solid reasons for much of his behavior. He’s the product of a normal, modern day household, where something as simple as boredom can fuel his desire to mess with people. And he does that a lot. In fact, Souji is kind of a shit in that regard. Not having much to worry about in the grand scheme of things, he’s often the type to instigate at any turn, just to get a reaction from people. He’s quick to tease Chizuru, even when he knows that flustering her isn’t always the best course of action. He practically lives for agitating Hijikata… both directly and indirectly.
A lot of the time, he can seem like the typical troll. When he learned of Chizuru’s plans to go to the pool, he was quick to mass e-mail everyone they knew to interrupt the girls day, going as far as inviting teachers during summer vacation. He likes to take pictures of people in embarrassing situations, he pranks classmates with things like candy packaged with a skull and crossbones, and will assign emoticons to people based on the faces he thinks they make. It does come off as childish, and that’s definitely an apt way of describing him. He has a bit of an obsession of winning in kendo, and wanting to impress Kondou, which all falls under the same umbrella. Unlike his original counterpart, who acted this way as something of a coping and defense mechanism, nothing in SSL indicates that he’s this way. All of his problems come off as being typical first world problems, that of a suspiciously polite teenager who rebels in pretty harmless ways.
But despite this demeanor, there’s still much more to him than meets the eye. He does well in school, getting good grades in all but one class (and of course, the one taught by Hijikata is the culprit here, indicating that he does so purposely rather than the spoken reasoning of both not being good at the subject and having a crappy teacher), as well as being part of Hakuou Academy’s kendo club. His route’s epilogue indicated that these two factors were what led him to the college he go on to attend following his graduation, so it’s clear he doesn’t slack in that regard.
Kendo is one of the few things he takes very seriously, which is why he excels at it. He’s a top student, though not necessarily one who always does the best. He works hard to make instructor Kondou proud… and with good reason. Prior to Hakuou Academy’s opening, Kondou was his instructor at Shieikan, a dojo that has since closed — but one that’s dear to his heart. Souji wasn’t the only student there, joined by the likes of Saitou, Heisuke, and even Shinpachi and Harada. But unlike the others’ closeness to their instructor (and boss), he has a bit of a different relationship. To Souji, Kondou is something like an older brother, and someone he often relies on. For him, the fact that Kondou tends to rely on Hijikata for support more is one that draws a bit of ire and jealousy, which in turn, leads him to berate, tease, and generally try to make Hijikata’s life more difficult. Though it’s a way of acting out, there’s little doubt that Hijikata is also like a brother to him, and someone he has a great deal of respect for. While Souji refers to all of the other teacher as the school as “sensei,” Kondou and Hijikata both get the honorific of “-san” attached, which serves as a massive indicator throughout the game of how much more personal his relations are with them. It’s one of the few dynamics in the game that is explained and mirrors the original canon counterpart in a near identical manner.
Even with his jealousy in play, Souji’s still capable of looking out for others. When Chizuru comes to visit the kendo club, he’s the one most opposed and annoyed at the notion of making Chizuru their team manager. While Heisuke encourages, and other students seem to salivate at the idea of having a “really cute girl manager,” Souji thinks it best for her to not get involved. It’s protective, in it’s own way. There aren’t very many instances of Souji being serious without it relating to Kondou in some way, but that was one of them. He isn’t shown getting genuinely annoyed or angry, or even terribly upset much, which in some way, differs greatly from his historical counterpart.
But another way in which they match seems to be not always consciously understanding his own heart. It doesn’t take very much (or very long) for Souji to start liking Chizuru… he actively seeks her out to spend time with her during most of the game’s major events. But after his showing of affection on New Years, he goes without another word on the subject until Valentine’s Day. That’s a month and a half of leaving them both to stew on the matter, and when it’s first approached, Souji is quick to tell her his actions were a joke.
When they weren’t. His coping mechanisms still seem to default to acting like a shit, but it doesn’t take much of her own heartfelt actions for him to be able to admit his feelings for her. It’s not the most romantic, but he’s the type of person who can adjust quickly when he finally acknowledges his heart. Within the same day, he already formulates a way to make their relationship an official one… and one he’s proud to have and ready to let the rest of Hakuou Academy’s student body know about.
His relationship with the rest of the cast also manages to mirror his original self fairly well. It’s clear that outside of Kondou and Hijikata, he’s good friends with Saitou, and perhaps even closer with Heisuke, as they’re often seen together. He still antagonizes Yamazaki, Kaoru and Ibuki at most given opportunities (though with much less malice and intensity), and remains amiable with Harada and Shinpachi, able to tease freely but still maintaining a certain level of respect.
At the end of it all, his surface personality mirrors the original Hakuouki verse. But that is about where it ends, since he doesn’t have the same depth of trust issues, insecurities, and lingering sad childhoods. As it is, Souji Okita of the SSL-verse is just a teenager who acts like a teenager, is learning his place in the world… and still needing to grow up a bit. His epilogue scene shows that he’s capable of maturing a bit, but until that much time passes, he’s still going to tease and antagonize to the highest degree without a whole lot of motivation to do so.
POINT OF DEPARTURE: N/A
ABILITIES:
He’s fairly skilled with a sword as a top kendo student, but he’s still just that — and doesn’t have much experience in the way of handling an actual sword. He’s also got a good sense of timing with regards to comedic photography, and being a snarky jerk. But save for that, Souji’s a pretty average high school student.
INVENTORY;
His smartphone
His school backpack, which contains the following:
A notebook, math textbook, and pens
Phone charger
A box of valentine’s day chocolates
ANYTHING ELSE WE SHOULD KNOW? He’s a shit. Like, even more of a shit than his original counterpart, thanks to the gift of having nothing but first world problems.
S A M P L E S;
FIRST PERSON:
[souji’s fingers tapped against his deck as he held the phone to his ear with his free hand. ring. ring. ring.
when the call goes to voicemail, he considers hanging up, but elects not to, drawing in a breath to leave a message.]
Hijikata-saaaaaaan! If it’s this late and you’re not answering your phone, it can only mean one thing, right? That you’ve finally decided to get a clue and find a wife so you can move far away.
[pause. really, really long pause. and then.]
Ahahahhaha! I’m kidding, I’m kidding. The day that happens is probably the day hell freezes over, because no respectable woman wants to date a demon teacher who sucks at grading papers! [...and we get to the root of this call.]
It’s not very fair that you gave me such a poor mark on this haiku assignment, you know.
”Your breath is wretched
Stale cigarettes and coffee
You’re forever alone!”
You said it should be about something truthful we experience in our lives. So what’s the problem here…. It’s not any worse than some of the things I’ve seen you scribble in that notebook on your desk. Hijikata-san should call me back with a better explanation of this grading system, hmmm? I’ll. Be. Waiting!
[he hangs up, but within minutes, follows it up with an e-mail.]
⁀⊙﹏☉⁀
do you think this is the face kondou-san will make when he finds out your grading system is biased? (¬‿¬)THIRD PERSON:
When Chizuru agreed to go on a date with Souji (a real, official date, this time), and to Disney Land, no less, he was excited. Even if she’d adamantly made a preemptive refusal to wear a pair of couple’s Mouse Ears while they strolled the park, it didn’t bother him. For just a brief moment, his expression lit brightly. Laced with a child-like excitement and brimming with satisfaction, it was an expression that was almost entirely different from the Souji everyone had normally come to know. Very few ever saw this side of him; it was the same demeanor he carried when highly praised by Kondou during kendo lessons, the rare times he would babysit Mitsu’s kids, or when a friendly stray cat seemed to wander through his apartment complex seeking affection.
Chizuru may have caught a brief glimpse of this side of him the past, but far more subdued, and for an even briefer period of time. There’d surely be more in the future, but this was little more than a short-lived expression of what was to come… eventually.
It was a culmination of everything that had happened that afternoon, bubbling to the surface in a way Souji really just couldn’t contain. He played it cool and collected, and was even a bit demanding in getting an answer from Chizuru when she seemed as if she would falter in her Valentine’s confession… He had little doubt that she had feelings for him, of course. They’d been tugging at this for months, but there was little he wanted more than the chocolate she’d prepared — a tangible (and edible) symbol of the step forward they were both taking. But even playing it cool and collected didn’t really mitigate the ease he felt after not listening to his own heart very well for those past months.
There was just something about all of it that gave him fulfillment; instant gratification in a way he’d never had before. In a sense, Souji almost found it overwhelming to have these feelings. Even if he’d sought it out, in a sense, the idea of someone accepting him for who he was in a way that was so personal, so intimate… well, even Souji himself would need time to adjust to handling this right and believing he was really even worth the effort. That could be other issues, for other days, though. For now, he’d just try to absorb that it was happening at all.
When that moment had faded to a closed, it was a far more characteristic smile that quirked at the corners of his mouth. They held a genuine air to them, but yet still just a tad mischievous.
"Fine, fine, not in Disneyland. You won’t have to wear it there.” He placed the inflection of his words purposely to highlight that there was still intent to make him where it somewhere, though.
Chizuru didn’t yet need to know that he intended it for a more private space — for those times when they could just hang out and be themselves. Who wouldn’t want to see Chizuru doing her homework in Mouse ears, after all? It made Souji snicker to himself just a little as he shifted his touch, having pulled it away from Chizuru’s face in order to grab his hand and lace their fingers together.
NAME: Souji Okita
CANON:Hakuouki: SSL ~sweet school life~
POINT IN CANON: After the Valentine’s Day event, Okita-path.
AGE: 17
APPEARANCE: image one; image two
CANON HISTORY: As the wiki is pretty useless and the translation blog is sporadic and still in progress, I’ll summarize the basics of the main events, with the focus being from Okita’s path.
( THE PROLOGUE )
Upon arrival to the school gates, they’re met with disciplinary committee (or “public morals committee”) members Hajime Saitou (a second year student) and Kaoru Nagumo (a first year… and Chizuru’s twin brother), who are of course, displeased with their tardy classmates. And in Kaoru’s case, their closeness to his sister. Before settling the matter, Classical Japanese teacher Toshizou Hijikata arrives and attempts to mitigate the situation a bit… which loses some effect with Souji giving him a hard time.
The prologue goes on to show that things are just as one would expect in a high school, and further introduces the cast of characters. Gym teacher Harada Sanosuke, math teacher Shinpachi Nagakura, nurse Keisuke Sannan, nurse’s assistant (and second year student) Yamazaki Susumu, Student council president (and way too old to be a student, since he’s clearly close to Hijikata in age) Chikage Kazama… and his minions, fellow first year student Ryunosuke Ibuki, as well as principal Isami Kondou. It paints a pretty colorful picture of seeing characters from a tragic story being able to experience the mundane lives of many in modern day Japan.
( EXAM TIME )
The library is crowded, and with Souji around to be a bit mischievous, they take to the roof… where he ropes her into taking a selfie with him as the sun sets. She’s a bit surprised, and he’s way too proud of himself.
( SUMMER VACATION )
Where he finds out Chizuru’s pool-going plans when she gets and e-mail from Sen in his presence. This seems to be with little fanfare… until late that night, when he sends out a mass e-mail to pretty much everyone, encouraging them to come along. This is met with a variety of reactions via e-mail, but a short while after the girls arrive at the pool, Souji, Saitou, Heisuke and Kazama all show up as well.
They make the best of it, playing around in the water: Souji takes pictures, Saitou naps on a pool float, Heisuke makes a lot of splashing down the slide. Eventually, the others show up, shenanigans ensue, and Sannan somehow manages to rope everyone into a massive water gun fight. When the pairs are decided, Chizuru ends up paired with Souji. When they win, he treats her to a drink at the poolside bar. And by drink, I mean one giant fruity drink in a huge glass with two straws. They talk there for a bit before reconvening with the group before heading back home.
( CULTURAL FESTIVAL )
Which does end up working out well. Souji comes to check things out, and after some grueling work as the only maid in the cafe, her fellow classmates give her a bit of a break. She ends up spending the afternoon with Souji, enjoying the festival in a pretty simple way. They look at the other efforts, have some sweets, and it ends up being a pretty rewarding experience for her.
( WINTER HOLIDAYS )
...By way of helping Ibuki to decorate the party space. This ends up being a success, with the group gathering to enjoy the festivities and exchange gifts. After some mingling and good times shared, Chizuru and Souji take their leave together. They have a talk, where Souji opens up a bit to her, and he proceeds to take her to see the nearby Christmas tree and lights set up for the holidays.
Come New Year’s, the two meet at the shrine, and after dealing with tradition, spend a bit more time together. Souji goes a bit directly for the skinship — giving Chizuru a kiss on the cheek as they walk, but never once explaining himself. This leaves her at a bit of an impasse, flustered by his behavior, unsure of whether or not he did so just to tease her… and of course, what her own feelings are with regards to this.
( VALENTINE’S DAY )
That really doesn’t matter. Sen and Kosuzu use their Best Friend Influence to remind her that if she has someone she like, there’s nothing wrong with it. Kosuzu herself has plans to give chocolates to Ibuki, whom she’s been interested in since they met at the pool in the summer months. Chizuru steels herself and with some resolve, is determined to give her chocolates to the person she cares about most at all costs.
While trying to escape the obstacles set in place… and avoid Kaoru’s prying, she runs into Souji. After some teasing on his end, she manages to give him the chocolates, and despite his playfulness, takes the opportunity to admit his own feelings for her. While trying her chocolates a bit later, he manages to do just a bit more — make their relationship official, and get her to call him by a less formal name.
CANON PERSONALITY:
That being said, the Souji of this universe doesn’t have very many solid reasons for much of his behavior. He’s the product of a normal, modern day household, where something as simple as boredom can fuel his desire to mess with people. And he does that a lot. In fact, Souji is kind of a shit in that regard. Not having much to worry about in the grand scheme of things, he’s often the type to instigate at any turn, just to get a reaction from people. He’s quick to tease Chizuru, even when he knows that flustering her isn’t always the best course of action. He practically lives for agitating Hijikata… both directly and indirectly.
A lot of the time, he can seem like the typical troll. When he learned of Chizuru’s plans to go to the pool, he was quick to mass e-mail everyone they knew to interrupt the girls day, going as far as inviting teachers during summer vacation. He likes to take pictures of people in embarrassing situations, he pranks classmates with things like candy packaged with a skull and crossbones, and will assign emoticons to people based on the faces he thinks they make. It does come off as childish, and that’s definitely an apt way of describing him. He has a bit of an obsession of winning in kendo, and wanting to impress Kondou, which all falls under the same umbrella. Unlike his original counterpart, who acted this way as something of a coping and defense mechanism, nothing in SSL indicates that he’s this way. All of his problems come off as being typical first world problems, that of a suspiciously polite teenager who rebels in pretty harmless ways.
But despite this demeanor, there’s still much more to him than meets the eye. He does well in school, getting good grades in all but one class (and of course, the one taught by Hijikata is the culprit here, indicating that he does so purposely rather than the spoken reasoning of both not being good at the subject and having a crappy teacher), as well as being part of Hakuou Academy’s kendo club. His route’s epilogue indicated that these two factors were what led him to the college he go on to attend following his graduation, so it’s clear he doesn’t slack in that regard.
Kendo is one of the few things he takes very seriously, which is why he excels at it. He’s a top student, though not necessarily one who always does the best. He works hard to make instructor Kondou proud… and with good reason. Prior to Hakuou Academy’s opening, Kondou was his instructor at Shieikan, a dojo that has since closed — but one that’s dear to his heart. Souji wasn’t the only student there, joined by the likes of Saitou, Heisuke, and even Shinpachi and Harada. But unlike the others’ closeness to their instructor (and boss), he has a bit of a different relationship. To Souji, Kondou is something like an older brother, and someone he often relies on. For him, the fact that Kondou tends to rely on Hijikata for support more is one that draws a bit of ire and jealousy, which in turn, leads him to berate, tease, and generally try to make Hijikata’s life more difficult. Though it’s a way of acting out, there’s little doubt that Hijikata is also like a brother to him, and someone he has a great deal of respect for. While Souji refers to all of the other teacher as the school as “sensei,” Kondou and Hijikata both get the honorific of “-san” attached, which serves as a massive indicator throughout the game of how much more personal his relations are with them. It’s one of the few dynamics in the game that is explained and mirrors the original canon counterpart in a near identical manner.
Even with his jealousy in play, Souji’s still capable of looking out for others. When Chizuru comes to visit the kendo club, he’s the one most opposed and annoyed at the notion of making Chizuru their team manager. While Heisuke encourages, and other students seem to salivate at the idea of having a “really cute girl manager,” Souji thinks it best for her to not get involved. It’s protective, in it’s own way. There aren’t very many instances of Souji being serious without it relating to Kondou in some way, but that was one of them. He isn’t shown getting genuinely annoyed or angry, or even terribly upset much, which in some way, differs greatly from his historical counterpart.
But another way in which they match seems to be not always consciously understanding his own heart. It doesn’t take very much (or very long) for Souji to start liking Chizuru… he actively seeks her out to spend time with her during most of the game’s major events. But after his showing of affection on New Years, he goes without another word on the subject until Valentine’s Day. That’s a month and a half of leaving them both to stew on the matter, and when it’s first approached, Souji is quick to tell her his actions were a joke.
When they weren’t. His coping mechanisms still seem to default to acting like a shit, but it doesn’t take much of her own heartfelt actions for him to be able to admit his feelings for her. It’s not the most romantic, but he’s the type of person who can adjust quickly when he finally acknowledges his heart. Within the same day, he already formulates a way to make their relationship an official one… and one he’s proud to have and ready to let the rest of Hakuou Academy’s student body know about.
His relationship with the rest of the cast also manages to mirror his original self fairly well. It’s clear that outside of Kondou and Hijikata, he’s good friends with Saitou, and perhaps even closer with Heisuke, as they’re often seen together. He still antagonizes Yamazaki, Kaoru and Ibuki at most given opportunities (though with much less malice and intensity), and remains amiable with Harada and Shinpachi, able to tease freely but still maintaining a certain level of respect.
At the end of it all, his surface personality mirrors the original Hakuouki verse. But that is about where it ends, since he doesn’t have the same depth of trust issues, insecurities, and lingering sad childhoods. As it is, Souji Okita of the SSL-verse is just a teenager who acts like a teenager, is learning his place in the world… and still needing to grow up a bit. His epilogue scene shows that he’s capable of maturing a bit, but until that much time passes, he’s still going to tease and antagonize to the highest degree without a whole lot of motivation to do so.
POINT OF DEPARTURE: N/A
ABILITIES:
INVENTORY;
His school backpack, which contains the following:
A notebook, math textbook, and pens
Phone charger
A box of valentine’s day chocolates
ANYTHING ELSE WE SHOULD KNOW? He’s a shit. Like, even more of a shit than his original counterpart, thanks to the gift of having nothing but first world problems.
S A M P L E S;
FIRST PERSON:
when the call goes to voicemail, he considers hanging up, but elects not to, drawing in a breath to leave a message.]
Hijikata-saaaaaaan! If it’s this late and you’re not answering your phone, it can only mean one thing, right? That you’ve finally decided to get a clue and find a wife so you can move far away.
[pause. really, really long pause. and then.]
Ahahahhaha! I’m kidding, I’m kidding. The day that happens is probably the day hell freezes over, because no respectable woman wants to date a demon teacher who sucks at grading papers! [...and we get to the root of this call.]
It’s not very fair that you gave me such a poor mark on this haiku assignment, you know.
”Your breath is wretched
Stale cigarettes and coffee
You’re forever alone!”
You said it should be about something truthful we experience in our lives. So what’s the problem here…. It’s not any worse than some of the things I’ve seen you scribble in that notebook on your desk. Hijikata-san should call me back with a better explanation of this grading system, hmmm? I’ll. Be. Waiting!
[he hangs up, but within minutes, follows it up with an e-mail.]
⁀⊙﹏☉⁀
do you think this is the face kondou-san will make when he finds out your grading system is biased? (¬‿¬)THIRD PERSON:
Chizuru may have caught a brief glimpse of this side of him the past, but far more subdued, and for an even briefer period of time. There’d surely be more in the future, but this was little more than a short-lived expression of what was to come… eventually.
It was a culmination of everything that had happened that afternoon, bubbling to the surface in a way Souji really just couldn’t contain. He played it cool and collected, and was even a bit demanding in getting an answer from Chizuru when she seemed as if she would falter in her Valentine’s confession… He had little doubt that she had feelings for him, of course. They’d been tugging at this for months, but there was little he wanted more than the chocolate she’d prepared — a tangible (and edible) symbol of the step forward they were both taking. But even playing it cool and collected didn’t really mitigate the ease he felt after not listening to his own heart very well for those past months.
There was just something about all of it that gave him fulfillment; instant gratification in a way he’d never had before. In a sense, Souji almost found it overwhelming to have these feelings. Even if he’d sought it out, in a sense, the idea of someone accepting him for who he was in a way that was so personal, so intimate… well, even Souji himself would need time to adjust to handling this right and believing he was really even worth the effort. That could be other issues, for other days, though. For now, he’d just try to absorb that it was happening at all.
When that moment had faded to a closed, it was a far more characteristic smile that quirked at the corners of his mouth. They held a genuine air to them, but yet still just a tad mischievous.
"Fine, fine, not in Disneyland. You won’t have to wear it there.” He placed the inflection of his words purposely to highlight that there was still intent to make him where it somewhere, though.
Chizuru didn’t yet need to know that he intended it for a more private space — for those times when they could just hang out and be themselves. Who wouldn’t want to see Chizuru doing her homework in Mouse ears, after all? It made Souji snicker to himself just a little as he shifted his touch, having pulled it away from Chizuru’s face in order to grab his hand and lace their fingers together.
