Broken Windows Theory (Kansuke x Rui)

It was another slow day. Rui had slept through most of his mandatory community service again and work was yet to start. So he figured he could just wander around town again. Rui was actually impressed by the new graffiti he had located. In theory, Cadets were supposed to be remarkably law-abiding. And Rui certainly hadn't broken any new laws recently.

That being said, he didn't really feel like enforcing any actual laws. Was that part of his new duties? He didn't know. And he suspected not. And even if they were, he didn't really want anyone to know he was a Cadet. Cadets were like mini-celebrities. Known for their authority. That sounded awful. Power was only interested if nobody knew that you wielded. As a result, Rui was instead wearing the same red coat he had on the last time he was wandering around Suzie Q.

He really did...like the graffiti. He couldn't quite put his finger on why. At least not quite yet - he probably needed a little bit more time to consider his own artistic tastes. "Hm...I like it...but why?"

Perhaps it was the symbol he had inspired that drew Rui to the graffiti so. On the wall of the building, as if emerging from the cracks in cement, crawled a dozen bloodied cockroaches, each shell adorned with a tiny musical note, arranging into a rough simulacrum of a music sheet.

On his way to check to see how long it would be before it was removed, Kansuke stopped short of the alley when he spied the red coat. Loath was he to risk detection again, and so he lingered around the corner, watching. Waiting. Only when he spied Rui's familiar face did he feel safe enough to approach, and even then he did so with hood drawn up and hands in pockets. Ready to look unrecognizable. He wandered past, slow, deliberate. Making sure it was the bizarre young man before he spoke. "What do you think?"

Rui spun around to see an unidentifiable stranger approach him. He remembered him as the artist and Rui actually very quickly connected two-and-two together. An artist was asking him for input on a piece of art? Could he have been the one who did it? Rui liked it. Though even if he didn't like it, he would have given the same answer.

"Wow! I like, totally like it a lot! I used to play like, violin! It reminds me of sheet music! Or like a musician's mental breakdown. Very cool!"

Rui thought about it for a second, putting his finger on his cheek. Was he supposed to stop graffiti? As like a cadet. And did the man draw this? Well, he wasn't sure, but there was only one way to figure out.

"Oh, this might like sound weird, but did you like draw this or something?"

"Me? Nah," Kansuke shook his head, keeping his hands in his pockets. "I didn't draw this."

Technically, that was true. He'd drawn no stencils nor had he marked any particular lines on the wall to serve asw a guide. Now, if they'd asked is he had painted the graffiti, that would be a very different question to dodge. He relied on the technicality to give his lie some credence. "Just came across it, like you. Figured you'd have some thoughts. Most people do when they see art. They react. They think. S'pose that's the point of it..."