Akira stared down into the mug, absently watching the cream as it slowly dissolved into the steaming coffee.

"Hey, kid. Hurry up and eat before the curry gets cold." The teen startled, glancing up at Sojiro for a moment, then down at the plate before him. It didn't look at all appealing, but he nodded anyways and reached to pick up the spoon.

"Thanks for the meal." Then, he proceeded to force the rice down, not particularly fond of the sickening gurgle his stomach made in retaliation. Sojiro merely raised an eyebrow at him, but ultimately said nothing. Once Akira cleaned off his plate, and the other man was satisfied, Akira grabbed his bag, swinging it over his shoulder as he all but bolted through the front door of the little coffee shop.

He squinted under the harsh glare of the sun, feeling his eyes burn under its intensity. It wasn't the worst he'd faced, thankfully, and it looked as though it may rain later. Akira let out a sigh of relief at the thought.

As it turned out, he didn't have to wait long at all. He'd nearly made it to the school entrance when, quite literally, the skies opened up, and the rain came pelting down. Akira had wanted nothing more than to stand in the street and bask in the feeling of the refreshing, cool droplets sliding down his face, but he knew he'd get chewed out later if he allowed his school bag to get soaked, so instead, he sighed and ducked under the awning of a store, hoping for the rain to let up long enough for him to make it to school.

It wasn't as if he cared much about his image. In fact, he'd been labelled as a delinquent many times in the past. He just didn't want to have to deal with getting lectured again, especially seeing as today was his first day.

It was such a pain.

Akira cursed himself mentally for forgetting his umbrella.

Maybe... today wouldn't be so horrible. Perhaps, if he was lucky, he'd be able to get through the day without too many problems. He scoffed. 'Unlikely'.

Akira sighed again, bracing himself for the long day ahead of him.