The cheers from the crowd were not heard by Jatiri, so they, despite being quite loud, did not distract him. His focus on the screens was unbroken. What broke his focus eventually was a vibration in his pocket. The source of the vibration? His denreishinki. On it, a text from his captain gave him instructions, which caused him to leave the crowd to head toward a nearby tent. Leaving was an ordeal, as the area was packed with all sorts of people. A rather large man was jumping up and down, taking up too much space. An enraged man who was beginning to assume a fighting stance was arguing about the results of the games thus far with others. Another man, rejoicing, was unintentionally blocking Jatiri’s path. The silent shinigami did not want to have to say anything. He hoped the man would look over and get the idea to move out of the way on his own. Fortunately, he did, and Jatiri, going around people, continued on to the tent. There, he was to interview viewers of the games. Admittedly, he had never given an interview before. Would he do a good job? Different questions popped into his head. What specifically about the games should he ask? What does he want to know? What interested him? What interested others?
He took out a pen and a notepad and started scribbling. He was literally scribbling random lines. Shouldn’t he be coming up with interview questions? He was having a hard time with that for some reason, but resisting overthinking the process was his approach. Maybe if he didn’t try so hard to come up with questions, they would just come to him; they would fill pages of his notepad. Maybe not pages but at least a page, half a page. The whole top part was covered with some intricate design that could have been done by a toddler. The middle part was a list of ideas. Some he liked, others he crossed out. The bottom part of the page consisted of potential questions, which came from the ideas he jotted. Simple and to the point, many of the questions were to his liking. He read them a couple of times in his head with a look of satisfaction, selecting the ones he would use. Smiling, he, with his eyes on his notepad, was approaching the tent slowly so as to not bump into any passersby. He entered.
The far side had a chair meant for him; another chair was across from his. The corner of the tent contained a small brown table with a vase of colorful flowers on top. The center of the tent housed a nice patterned rug, which Jatiri kept looking at. That the lighting in the tent was adequate was what he thought about while he got to his seat and sat down; then, he thought about the interviews. How would he do? How were the other interviewers doing? Kazumi had done well as a commentator, so he didn’t doubt her ability to give good interviews. The captain too had done well as a commentator even while she had been fighting. She also had some experience with interviewing. He hoped to equal them. All that was left for him was waiting for someone to come in. It was only a matter of time before someone did.
It was not long before Signy Hoshi of the seventh entered. He waved at her awkwardly and glanced down at his notepad. Did he need it? Did he forget the questions? No, the ones he wanted to ask were still fresh in his mind. All he had to do was ask them. He straightened up in his chair and cleared his throat. Before proceeding, he wondered if he should do some sort of introduction. But nothing like that occurred. He went straight into the questions.
"Are you disappointed/elated because of that?"
"Definitely disappointed. Would have preferred to see all three in round two of the games."
With each question, he felt the atmosphere becoming less and less awkward. The lavender-eyed woman took her time responding and seemed to think her responses through. She seemed genuine. Jatiri appreciated that. Aside from Jatiri and her, there was someone else in the tent by the entrance. Jatiri had noticed the man there but said nothing about it, but, perhaps, he should have. That man was Ai Kanojo. He was just standing there, listening in. Jatiri figured Ai was waiting for a chance to be interviewed. Another person to interview? Jatiri was psyched.
"Have the games caused you to realize anything after watching the strongest of the Gotei Thirteen?"
"Realized that I should have joined the games. They looked like fun."
Jatiri nodded in agreement since he shared the same sentiment. The games could have been an excellent chance to test his abilities.
"That I am weak."
Perhaps the woman heard what Ai said, but the deaf shinigami with his eyes on her could not. No doubt Ai uttered something. That much Jatiri could tell but shrugged it off, as Ai left not long after commenting. It appeared an interview with him was not happening. Regardless, Jatiri continued interviewing the lavender-eyed, wait, no, amber-eyed woman? Jatiri ever-observant did not miss the change in her eye color. Should he say something about it? Part of him wanted to as he found it quite interesting. But don't, he thought and asked his last couple of questions instead. He noticed a difference in her as she responded to them. At the beginning of the interview, she had really given thought to her answers. Now, however, she was noticeably quicker with her responses. Not seeming to think much about them. But perhaps he was reading too much into things. As the interview came to an end, and as Signy was leaving, Jatiri bowed his head respectfully. He was pleased and not at all anxious. He sat back in his chair, thinking that if no one else came in soon, he might head back to watch the games and maybe partake in the festivities.