"Pardon the intrusion," Jun said as he slipped into the room. Noticing Minako's delicate proceedings, he leaned into the balls of his feet and padded lightly into the establishment, going about in a way that suggested he was familiar with taking soft steps. Junichi moved towards the couch attached to the wall but didn't sit down, lingering far enough to be casual but close enough that his and Sakura's 5" friend could grant them permission to sit if she wanted to. Since he was figuratively hovering, he was able to watch as Minako sank onto the pouf, looking close to fanning herself with excitement.

"Do you like it?" the boy teased, easily being able to tell that the painter adored her new abode. Considering her talent and the knowledge of artistic mediums she had displayed so far, Minako seemed to enjoy creativity of all forms -- and her enthusiasm was contagious!

Junichi regarded the bedroom.

The yellow accents were very nice, he saw, and the brown and black blends were pleasing to the eye when combined with the fresh white of the duvet, walls and curtains. He admired the bed's backing as well, tilting his head curiously at the art pieces mounted on and in the wooden... whatever it was. 



'Hm.'

Minako looked over to Sakura, who had answered.

"I know, right? I'm so excited to be a part of this." she responded. "It's a little daunting, but the feeling of having a life where everyone respects you... it's the stuff of dreams, but these ones are actually coming true!" she said, before checking the drawers. "Huh. It's empty... I guess I should have assumed and all, since we brought luggage, but I was wondering if something could have been there." she said. 

"We ended up receiving a lot of money for agreeing to go on this whole retreat thing, and I'm sure the program might be something that challenges even honor students like us... but so far I feel like we're the ones who are getting the long end of the stick." she mused, before a thought entered her mind.

"Hey... um, have you two seen any staff around here? I mean, I'm sure somebody must be running this place, as everything looks recently refurbished and such... but, isn't it somewhat odd that we've seen only two other human beings in the flesh? It's a nice place, but that meal couldn't have been made by only one or two people. Where are the cooks? The cleaning staff? They're obviously here, but... where?"

She looked to Jun. "See something over there?"

Sakura jolts slightly, having zoned out a bit while looking at the hourglass-vase sculpture thing. Art always confused her; she just doesn’t understand how it’s supposed to make you feel happy or sad or angry. It just looks like a bunch of pretty stuff to her. Maybe she can get Minako to explain stuff like that to her at some point. “Me? Um…” She has to think about it for a second. She always feels a year older or younger than the age she actually is, and by the time she can remember her age, she’s a year older. “I’m 16, I think. I mean, no, I’m 16, definitely. Yes.” That was the worst thing that has come out of your mouth in your whole life that was a total embarrassment please never speak again. Sakura averts her eyes and wills herself to stop blushing. They… probably didn’t even notice? Nope, nope, I don't think they could have not noticed. 
“Anyways, how old are you guys?” She inquires. Please let us pretend that I did not just forget my own age wow that was bad. “And what year are you in? I’m a first year.”

The news of Junichi being younger than her makes Sakura perk up. Ohoho, so, I’m the adult here, eh? “Aww, I remember when I was fifteen! It feels like forever ago…” More like a few months, but whatever. “Anyways, since I’m older than you, if you need any help, I’m here for you.” Sakura teases, smiling mischievously. She’s happy she met Junichi- he seems like the type of person she can tease without accidentally offending them. The age difference is a godsend; without it, Sakura would probably end up dipping into her supply of lame pick up lines because, you know, lame pick up lines are the best way to save yourself from an awkward situation. Kind of.

“I haven’t visited many high schools either- and the ones I did were mostly for debate meets, so I didn’t really have an opportunity to poke around.” Except for all those times I got lost on my way to the bathroom, but that’s beside the point. “And this place really is like a castle, isn’t it? It’s like something a princess would live in!” Glancing over at Minako, Sakura smiles slightly. She definitely looks like a princess. And Junichi could totally pull off being a prince. And I could be… The, uh, joker. Maybe. They have pretty cool hats.

"I'm sixteen, a first year as well." answered Minako. "The statue there reminds me of some of the carvings I've seen in modern exhibits. While I'm not very big on modern art in terms of abstractness, I will confess that I admire sculptors. Clay, metal and glass can be fickle mediums." she admitted.

"Ehehe... should he have to call us 'senpai'?" asked Minako jokingly towards Sakura, smiling. Having someone cool-headed and more responsible in the group was very beneficial to her composure, and Sakura in particular seemed to be a reliable type of girl. "A princess, eh? You seem like the regal types." she told the both of them. "From what I know, this place is often nicknamed 'Half-Moon Castle' by the people who have stayed. From the outside, you'd never assume even a mansion could possibly be this large! I can't wait to see your rooms, too..." she stated. "Don't worry, though! You can definitely just call me Minako. My friends call me Micchan, so I don't mind that either." she said, before blushing and laughing sheepishly.

"Ehehe... don't you give me any 'm'lady', you poser!" she replied with a teasing laugh.

Minako was feeling her trepidation dissipate. While she was a perfectionist (and often a nervous one at that), this place had the boon of being nearly flawless. She was at ease, here.

"Another question... do you two have any hobbies? Outside of your talent, there have got to be things you do for fun!"

Junichi straightened but kept the noble voice: "Look at this; all of us, First Years and friends. Fate has smiled kindly on me today."

He laughed then, but dropped the ruse when he remembered that a certain LARPer wouldn't appreciate a similar tone being taken so jokingly. Come to think of it, Ishin was older as well, wasn't he? 'I guess a lot of people here are my seniors. Huh, I hadn't really considered it.'
Mock wounded, Jun placed a hand on his chest and shook his head. "Oh Micchan... You're the first to call me a poser, though."
Sakura sure liked basketball, that much was certain! He grinned as he watched her talk about it, remembering the hobby for future reference. The castle didn't have a basketball court (...did it?), but Hope's Peak might have boasted some hoops that they could at least improvise around. Junichi wasn't very good at sports himself, but he was willing to try if he had people to play with.

Encouraged by Sakura, Jun contemplated his non-talent-related past times. He hummed. "I wouldn't say that I'm the outdoors-y type, but I do enjoy swimming and camping. I'm a hopeless at drawing, but at least we've got you to cover me, Minako! Speaking of, what are your interests?"
Recalling the Lawyer's question, he gave his answer: "And of course you can call me Junichi-kun...



... Sakura-senpai!"

Although her cheeks flush slightly, Sakura grins. It’s nice being called senpai- the underclassmen in my middle school never called me that! Probably because I was shorter than most of them, but still! Not my fault everyone else is a giant.




Whoa, Micchan’s been to other countries?! So cool! Sakura looks at the painter with admiration. Sakura’s family wasn’t really the go-on-trips type; they were more of an occasionally-speak-to-each-other-when-necessary kind of family and a few hours in a car or a train or a plane just didn’t work well with that atmosphere. “That’s so cool, Micchan~” Sakura murmurs softly to herself. Save the ambushing her with questions for later, Sakura!




Sakura has to think back to remember who Kobayashi and Calhoun are; she tried to pay attention during introductions, she really did, but she was so gosh darn hungry. She supposes the two girls did seem a bit self-absorbed… but, that seemed to make sense with their talents- Ultimate Student Council President and Ultimate Prima Donna. The mention of a courtyard and possibly a blacktop and possibly a basketball hoop erases any thoughts of people from Sakura’s mind. “If there’s a blacktop and a basketball hoop, we should definitely play some time! Maybe we can get everyone to join in- that would be so fun, don’t you think?” Until I injure myself horribly, but, hey, worth it!