==~==

Mako's face was surprisingly stern as he packed his books away, the usual good cheer that was generally so resplendent on him almost completely vanished. It wasn't as though he didn't have cause to be stern, though- for one, his lack of decorum from yesterday was still writhing under his skin like some parasite. He shouldn't have allowed the Yamamoto girl to needle him so. He'd almost rendered all of his hard work for naught, because of one hateful bitch--

Mako closed his eyes, breathing deeply. Now was not the time for name-calling, even in the privacy of his own mind. Especially if he expected to make up for yesterday's slip-up. I am a gentleman. I must present myself as such, no matter the stimulus that tries to get me to act otherwise. He decided that the next time he saw Akari-san, he would apologize profusely for his anger- perhaps throw some comment in about how he'd been having a bad day, or some rot like that. It wasn't too far from the truth.

Because if, again, Mako were being honest with himself, there was another thing lurking about that weighed heavily on him. That weighed heavily on everyone, in fact.

Another kidnapping. Harvester, I think they said his name was. Like the last victim, he didn't know the boy personally. But it still was a troubling development, regardless. Especially with how close together these two incidents had occurred.

Everyone says that we don't know for sure that it's a kidnapping, but what else do you call it? It's not like they're doing it to themselves.

Mako sighed, hitching up his backpack and pasting a semblance of good cheer as he left his room, toward the auditorium where the Drama Club was meeting. He supposed that all he could do was try and keep his mind occupied while the police or whomever sussed out the reasoning behind the latest disappearing act. And what better way to do such than by acting? Acting in a play. Acting like there wasn't anything wrong. Acting like he wasn't bothered by what was happening to this town.

Acting, it seemed, was something Mako Moritomi excelled at.

Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma High School: Agriculture Club | After School

At Utaha's comment toward her name, Kotori, rather than reply, just looked down at her hands; a little unsure what to do when someone just went a complimented her. Her suggestion toward playing Shiritori had barely gotten over before the boy had entered the room - and after Kotori's words, Utaha had followed on through; albeit with a brief delay due to her managing to catch her feet on something and land face first on the ground. Cringing at the most likely quite painful sight, Kotori was about to help the tall girl up when she already picked herself up; brushing the accident off as she did.

Keiko, who had remained at her place - possibly because there was no need to stand up after two had already done so, perhaps to escape the fate that had befallen Utaha - reaffirmed what had been said before phrasing the open-ended words of Utaha in a more direct question as to the boy's name. The Second Year introduced himself as Rui Shinichi from Class 2-1 before asking who it was that they were all waiting for - a pertinent question, no doubt. With a bow, Kotori returned the introduction "I'm Kotori Shirohane from Class 2-2," before answering the question - though her earlier assumption that he was an Agriculture Club member had turned out to be wrong on account of the Rui's words.

"We... I think we were all waiting for Harvester-senpai, but..." Kotori said, briefly glancing to the other two girls seeing as she wasn't sure if that was the case for them before trailing off - given the announcement earlier in the day, there was little doubt as to why.

16/4/2015 - Thursday - Agriculture Club Room, on the way to Manga Club Room

"Oh... Matthew Harvester right?", he asked, the kid he saw at the hospital the other day, that was Matthew. Didn't these girls get the announcement in homeroom...? He's missing right now... In any case, he wasn't done talking.

"I see, well I can tell you he won't be here today... Try... Try next week. I guarantee he'll be here then", what was he saying? He didn't know whether or not Matthew was going to be in the mirror world... But he felt it in his gut, Matthew was going to be there, he didn't have any basis for it, but that's what he felt.

"I must get going now, it was nice meeting you girls", he said, bowing slightly before leaving. As he walked the path towards the manga club room, he felt his phone vibrate. A message. He opened it up, and as he thought it was from Kazuki. There was an indication it was sent to Noboru and Kami as well.



"Hm... That has to be Matthew...", he muttered to himself. After a minute or so he was finally at the manga club room. He realized he was here because... Well, he didn't feel like Drama today. That was besides the point though, he just wanted to turn off for awhile... He stepped inside, and Akane seemed to have the same idea.

"Yo"

The new boy introduced himself as Rui of Class 2-1, the cute boy was the same age as her. Keiko smiled politely and waved him at him. Kotori spoke of how they were waiting for Matthew or another member of the club, the boy response rubbed her the wrong way, next week?
Before Keiko could say anything to the boy he left and walked down off. Keiko gave where the boy stood a quizzical look, suddenly her red flags were raised and suddenly she felt even more worried for Matthew safety. Maybe this young man has some connection to the missing teen.

She should keep an eye out for Rui, maybe she's over thinking this a little, if this feeling lingers she can ask Auntie where he lives and she can keep tabs on him. Well, she should get going, looks like nobody will be coming, she better say goodbye for now and maybe meet up with them soon.
"Whelp, I should be heading home, I don't think any members will be coming today, I see you guys next week, or anytime before if you guys want to meet up later!" Keiko said while getting up and grabbed her bag, and walk through the door, she made sure to do a small wave before she left.

She has to make sure she's only over-thinking this whole thing, that guy couldn't be involved, could he?

After School||April 16||Agriculture Club

"Oh, yes, it is nice to meet you, Rui-kun~! I am Utaha, class 3-2~! What'd you expect? You are all my cute underclassmen~!" Utaha said, taking the two girls and pushing them against her chest with joy. "I am so, so, soooo happy to meet cute underclassmen like you~! I'm sure we'll have lots of fun in the Agriculture club~!" Utaha said. Of course, it was a bit of an stretch right now, since it semeed that the Agriculture club had been cancelled for the day. Utaha tried her best to remain cheerful as always, though she was sure everyone else didn't feel all that cheerful about the fact of Matt disappearing.

Still, what Rui said. Well, it seemed like hopeful words more than anything. Just trying to be cheerful like her so that other people didn't feel bad, but she followed up with it. "Um~!" She nodded in agreement. "I'm sure Matty will be back soon enough, so we should just wait~" After that, the guy said he was leaving. Utaha simply started waving goodbye at him as he disappeared from the room.

"Well..." Utaha let go of the two girls and made her way to the door. It seemed they would get nothing out of standing there, and Utaha thought holding them in there anymore would just be being selfish. "Then, I'm going back to my house girls~! Take care on your way home~! It is dangerous out there lately!" Utaha said with a smile, and then walked away from there. Utaha too felt a bit bad, so she decided to just go back to her house and have some rest. She felt some kind of hole in her stomach, perhaps it was the worry she had over Matt's disappearance?

Rui Shinichi
16/4/2015 - Thursday > 19/4/2015 - Sunday

Rui swept through the rest of the week rather quickly, school went by somewhat fast, with Golden Week coming, everyone was already talking about what they were going to do on the week long break. Rui didn't have an idea of what to do, in fact it wasn't even really on his mind. He felt a sense of duty towards helping those who were trapped in the Mirror World, he didn't quite understand how they ended up there. Based on the last two, Noboru and now Matthew... They were nothing like his experience... In any case, it was Sunday now.

---

"The Kingdom... of Me...?", Noboru uttered, whether it was out of confusion or annoyance, it definitely felt rather... Arrogant. The party wasted no time arriving at the warehouse, and already ventured into the mirror. Soon they were standing before a fairly pleasant forest, with a big sign pointing inwards "To the Kingdom of Me!". According to the sign also, this was the "Forest of Beginnings". Megumi was already standing by with her Persona scanning ahead, before Rui, Noboru and Kami were going to step through.

"Now, before you all go in, I'd like to assign someone to call the shots. I will remain here to keep Megumi safe... So someone who is going in will be calling shots... Just so we have a unified group. I'd like to assign this duty to Rui, and Kami as his second, because you two are the most level-headed, and the most experienced out of us here excluding me and Megumi", the group nodded in agreement, and shortly afterwards, Megumi spoke up.

"Okay, I've finished scanning ahead... I can confirm there is a small town on the other side of this forest. I am getting a strong reading from there, so that's probably where our target is", she announced. That was the sign to go in, and so they did.

"Be careful in the forest, I'm getting a variety of readings, from very faint to bold, so it's likely the shadows here are able to hide too".

---

The mall was having a little event today in the central area. It appeared to be selling an assortment of arts and crafts equipment and materials, as well as fabrics. This little event really reminded you that Warakuma was still a fairly rural area, despite the urbanization. It was mostly mothers, grandmothers and school girls who would flock to make cute things, though there was an occasional embarrassed male. One in particular was not looking so embarrassed, in fact he probably had the most full bag there... He seemed to be middle-aged, short and well-kept hair, and an unchanging expression that showed perseverance. Based on what he was doing, this was probably relevant to his job... Maybe? At least that's what most figured.

In any case, here he was shopping. The clothing stores in the mall were having a sale on outing clothes due the up and coming Golden Week too, and a new fast store selling small electronics opened too.

Akane Hanazawa // Warakuma High // Manga Club
Thursday, April 16th, 2015
After School

As she turned the page, she the door swung open and Rui entered, announcing his arrival. "Hey" she said in response. Looking down at herself, she looked back at him. "Don't mind me, I just didn't feel like drawing. Hell, I don't feel like doing anything right now. Figured taking things easy and doing whatever once-in-awhile isn't bad at all." she finished with a yawn as she was stretching before leaning back.

"How about you?" From the looks of it, Akane guessed something might be weighting him down or something. Maybe some relaxing might do him good? "If you're not up to drawing, I've brought plenty of manga with me if interested." she smiled while holding up her school bag.

---

Akane Hanazawa // Warakuma Mall
Sunday, April 19th, 2015

Despite still being in the midsts of her self-imposed 'drawing ban' where she wouldn't write and would stay away from things doing with drawing. She thought she'd put that on hold and come and upgrade her drawing utensils and resupply on her art supplies. After hearing about the little event the mall was putting on, it's not like she could let this chance slip by, yea?

After loading up on art supplies, she began roaming around the mall looking for where to go next. Passing by a clothing store she stopped to look into the window. "Hmm, it is that time of year, After all." And I could use some new clothes... she thought as she looked down at her worn clothes. Looking from side to side, she slinked into the store.

April 19 2015, SUNDAY
Mid-day

“Oh my god,” a girl’s voice called, “Shoes.”

“Shoes,” Sato repeated.

The boy fell backwards until his shoulder blades hit the wall behind him, and he watched as Mika and some girl from her class fawned over the intense slashing on the pricing on the new shoes one of them had been wanting for weeks. He wasn’t even sure how he had gotten dragged into going shopping with Mika and her friend, but he had, and there was no way of backing out of it now. She had promised that she’d buy Sato something if he had went with them (for reasons he didn’t get), and seeing as there happened to be a new electronics store opening, there was no reason to not suffer through some shoe shopping for it.

When the girls disappeared into the clothing store, Sato begrudgingly followed them in, but just before he went in, he caught a glance of who he thought was Rokoru walking by. It didn’t matter though, and he was soon surrounded by various clothes and shoes and accessories. Girls and (significantly less) guys filled the store to the brim. The sales that were going on seemed to be boosting business well. The sales were probably the reason that Mika had decided to go there, and Sato grew increasingly confused on why he was there. He assumed most of the guys there were dragged there by their girlfriends due to the fact that there appeared to be only girls’ clothing in stock, and Sato was very far from romantically entangled with either girls.

After a while of waiting around, bored half to death, the girl he didn’t know threw a pair of shorts at his face. He unfolded them to reveal a pair of swimming shorts with a flame design down the right. “Try them on!” Mika encouraged, thrusting him into one of the changing rooms.

“W-wait, am I even allowed to—“ But the door slammed shut before he could even properly object. Sato looked at the shorts once more. There couldn’t be much harm in trying them on at least. And that’s what he did. He slipped his jeans off and the swim shorts on, and then exited to show them off to the girls. Both of them clapped, and Mika even let out a cheer. His arms flopped to his sides after. “So why am I trying on a lame pair of swim shorts?”

“Because!” A familiar voice exclaimed from behind him after an awkwardly long pause. Sato turned around on his heel to examine who it came from, and lo and behold, Rento and Yukiteru were standing there. The air Sato breathed suddenly felt like it was stale. He didn’t even know if they were allowed to wear nothing but what you’re trying on. “Golden Week!”

“Put some clothes on, freaks!” Mika laughed before throwing a shirt she was holding at them. Rento made a show of his shirtlessness before disappearing into the changing room and emerged a second later, adequately clothed. Yuki simply slid on his shirt in an instant.

Sato shifted his weight onto one hip. “So we—you guys—are going swimming for Golden Week?”

“We haven’t actually decided on a place yet, but it’s gonna be somewhere we can go swimming!” The girl said, bouncing up and down on her feet a bit.

“Isn’t it a little too cold to go swimming? Shouldn’t we save that for the summer or something?” Sato asked, looking down at the swimsuit he was wearing. He already had one from last year, but he supposed it couldn’t hurt to have another one. “I dunno if I’d like to go to the beach or whatever in April. Too soon.”

Mika looked slightly disgruntled, while Yukiteru nodded in agreement. The girl he didn’t know—though, after thinking about it, he was pretty sure she had told him her name at some point—looked briefly distraught before putting on a pouty face. “Fine then,” she said. “You don’t have to come!”

“N-no, I’d love to hang out with you guys, it’s just that this seems like it wouldn’t really work out. Maybe we can go to Tatsumi Port Island or something.” Before any of them could reply, he ducked into the changing room and slipped on his regular jeans. Rento and Yuki did the same, and they all went to the clerk to pay for them.

“Wouldn’t it be kinda expensive to go there? Last time I checked, we’re all pretty broke at the moment, ever since that Archery splurge we all went on.” Everybody except the girl Sato didn’t quite know nodded.

---

Rokoru found himself waiting around in the mall, somewhere near a bunch of stores he couldn’t care less about. He knew he wasn’t the most punctual guy around, and he dreaded being chewed out for being a couple minutes late, but it turned out to be Saya who was the one late. The boy stood rather awkwardly by some potted plant, his hands shoved into the pockets of the dull red pants he wore. He wore a black tank-top and his yellow-armed jacket, his face showing obvious signs of sleeplessness. After waiting for a bit longer, Rokoru flipped out his phone and checked for texts again. Nothing. Where was she?

Clack... Clack... Clack...

A pair of black heeled shoes tapped in a quick pace along the crowded streets of Warakuma Mall. The raven haired female, the owner of the said shoes, wore a simple, white sunday dress with a ribbon on the collar area, topped with a lavender, long sleeved cardigan. Both her arms were occupied with plastic bags full of fabrics of different variety and threads. With an accomplished, soft smile upon her half covered face, she thought to herself, "Goodness, these reasonably low priced sales will be the end of me. Or at least my savings from the part time."

Shizuka was not particularly in a tight position financially, in fact, her family is pretty well off considering the fact that they live in a city close to Tokyo where the cost of living is pretty high. That aside, she felt that spending for her hobbies, cosplay in particular, should be funded with the income she earned herself. After all, even her parents had no idea of her dressing up in colorful costumes and hair, and working in a place that was filled with people of that kind, her kind.

"While I'm here, I suppose I should also purchase buttons, ... zippers, ... laces, ...."

BUMP.

The contents of the plastic bags scattered onto the floor upon Shizuka's collision onto another girl who was half running and instinctively, Shizuka bowed apologetically and in a panicked tone, "A-Ah, apologies miss, I-I didn't see yo-..." Before she had the chance to fully apologize, the other girl and her female friend quickly left with a short "Sorry." towards a shop that seemed to be on a time limited crazy sale.

Left alone to pick up her fallen items, she shrugged and lightly sighed, kneeling down onto the ground to slowly pick them up. While doing so, she softly mumbled, "There are sales going on after all, I understand their reason for rushing away... Bu-But my view is hindered from my overgrown bangs, sh-should I cut them? ... No, it's the only way I can hide myself... Mumble... mumble..."

The Shopping District

The weekend came rather quickly. Alexei had been edgy this whole time. The kidnappings had made him a bit concerned about his sister. So he had talked about that at work and managed to get one of the co-workers, a site inspector, who was having low workload these days to go pick her up from school.

The class too, seemed a bit unnerved. Though, he didn't know Matt much but he was a cheerful and non-judgmental guy, someone who would hardly have any enemies. While, he had kept himself from carrying out his own little investigation with the disappearance, he held a gut feeling that it was connected to Noboru's.

Well, it was all quite something to make anyone uncomfortable but on the sunny side, the Golden Week was about to come and that means Elena and his mum needed a few new clothes. Quite conveniently, there was a big sale on so after doing his daily chores and having morning breakfast with his girls at the hospital, he took his sister for a surprise shopping.

--

In all her years that Elena had been aware of the family's situation, she had never seen her brother care about himself. He would never ever spend on himself if it could be avoided and he was quite a miser and spendthrift when it came to managing finances. Yet for her, he would even buy the stars if he could. Not even once had any of her requests been turned down, in many ways he was a doting father that she couldn't have.

So, as a thank you, she had been saving up her allowance that she was given weekly by him. She hardly needed things for herself, mostly her friends would share with her or other times she'd get it as gifts from thankful boys whom she helped talking with girls. Rather, among her circle she was no better than Alexei. She was quite a penny-pincher and mostly her expenses were very structured.

Though she didn't have the perseverance and sharpness of Alexei, she was very intelligent. Her grades always among the top three in her class and top tier among her peers.

As they turned the corner towards the shopping district, a wide smile appeared on her lips as realization dawned on her. It was discount day and she can surely get something good for her brother with all the savings that she had. Although, the gift was a tricky bit. She knew her brother very well, anything not well priced won't make him content and he would absolutely not get anything flashy or expensive. She also didn't want him to know that both she and his mother knew of his smoking habit and had planned to confront him when he wasn't as burdened as he was now.
He maintained his jiujitsu uniform rather well and he also kept most of the basic supplies up to date. So, it was difficult to get him something. He was also a rather private person so she knew that he won't be having many friends and those who are may not know much about him.

Meanwhile, Alexei was lost in his thoughts, imagining the beautiful dress he had seen at the store a few days back. If he was lucky, others may not have picked it up. Walking alongside his baby sister, he realized perhaps, for the first time, that she had grown a lot while he wasn't looking. Standing at around 5'10, she was rather tall for a 14 year old and with natural light auburn hair, she was quite a beauty.

As they hurried towards the clothes shop, they saw a pair of girls crash into another girl and spill her baggage. After a brief exchange, they had hurried off without helping the girl. Almost immediately, the brother-sister duo got down to help. Two pairs of hands, one long and slender and other large and rough, joining hers as they both folded clothes with surprising alacrity and packed in the bags.

A sweet concerned voice then asked the lady who was mumbling to herself as she frantically shoved clothes in the remaining bag
"I hope you are alright, Miss." Elena had raised her left and gently braced the girl's shoulder. While the girl may note that the other pair of hands just continued on expertly, folding the clothes neatly and putting into the bag with amazing speed along with other contents.

Noboru was packing up bags getting ready to leave and head home, when Leiko popped up and asked him about attending club. In truth he was planning to head home to rest and think about things. He didn't really feel like doing anything with other people at the moment, but he didn't really want catch heat from Leiko, so he nodded and assured her he'd be there. he'd attend at least one more anyway.



Noboru burst out with a yell and a jump. HELL YEAH! Let's go get some shit done! Show these shadows who the top dog is! You fuckin hear that shadows?! I'm coming for you! I'm gonna grind you into paste! Get fucking ready!"

Noboru checked his sports tape wrapped around his hand. The other day Aiko had given him tips on winning an easy fight. "Slip some sandpaper into the tape and give yourself the edge." Noboru wouldn't have ever done this in a fair fight against a human opponent. But these weren't humans. They were sub beings that deserved to be destroyed, absolutely eliminated from existence. To be erased. Noboru checked to make sure the sandpaper was nice and wedged in tight so it wouldn't slip loose while he was fighting. He wanted badly to rush into the forest, but he waited for the other two to be ready.

Eika Munashii - Warakuma Mall | 4/19

---

The insatiable rush to get to cheaper items served for little more than a headache for Eika. Uneventful days at school, a sickness to overcome in the meantime as she went to and fro between, and general aggravations that served to make her want to strangle half of the squeaking girls and gawking boys looking at the newest sale or latest trend. What to spend daddy's money on, hm? The analytical thoughts were disrupted, however, by the sound of someone actually apologizing in this hellish apocalypse of sales.

...?

A step to the side after Eika shoved a girl clearly out of her way by her face and promptly caused a harsh collision of at least four more people followed with her bending down to pick up one of the items that had dropped out of the bag of the girl on her knees. A small glance at it on either side and a single eyebrow raised up as she noted the familiarity. Hadn't she just seen this damn thing on the way in?... Eh. She'd hold it up with the expectation of dropping it into either the bag or the owner's hands before continuing on her way. But she just couldn't help but make one of those little comments she loved to create come out of the situation.

"If you plan on apologizing to anyone you bump into on a day like this, you're better off signing a death warrant. What's the point in being nice to someone more interested in trampling another person for a shirt that's ten dollars off? If you don't get up soon, they might actually carve your name into a tombstone here."

Akira Kirigakure // Warakuma Mall
Sunday, April 19th 2015

A Return to the mall. There wasn't many other things he could do to waste his time. It was a sunday and he didn't want to sit around the house all day, especially given how empty it usually is around this time. With his sister having long moved out and gotten a job and his parents work until late and all. He's not exactly all that great at cooking and honestly doesn't want to bother, so he came to the mall to get something to eat and possibly hit a movie. Maybe look around a bit.

But of course food comes first. Food of choice for today? Some pizza sounds good about now. Paying no attention in the least to his surroundings, moving along with the crowd, he unknowingly passes by Rokoru while on his way to the food court. After a few more minutes of walking and a yawn, he arrives at his destination and orders a large cheese pizza.

Thursday 16th April 2015- After-School

Leiko Hamada: Warakuma High-Class 2-1

Yamamoto's reply was affirmative, although there was a reluctance in his eyes and in the manner of his speech. Leiko couldn't exactly be sure what her classmate had gone through, but it wasn't really in her best interest to push him too hard in whatever mental state he was in. He had agreed to attend Club that day, and that was a victory in itself.

"Very well then, Yamamoto. Shall we?"

---

Warakuma High: Auditorium

Drama Club's activities that day were fairly standard fare. Some stretches to limber up the body, some vocal exercises and then delegating the members into groups for practicing a small section of a play. Leiko chose to hold back from any demonstrations that day, her fever lingering still from the day before. However, as she watched Dragunov belt off a rather strong performance, and Hashimoto concentrate intently on learning his lines, she couldn't help but feel better already.

She could make performers out of them yet.

---

Sunday 19th April 2015: Midday

Leiko Hamada: Warakuma Mall

"Ahhh, it's so busy here! I knew we should have come sooner..."

A tawny haired friend of Leiko's bemoaned their misfortunes as the small group wandered into one of the clothes stores, beholding the chaotic sight of middle aged women wrestling over a sweater, whilst a long formidable queue trailed outside the shop. Normally, Leiko would recoil at the thought of entering such a hostile environment as the Mall on a sale day, but she had heard enough about the event down in the complex to decide that the trip would be worth it for once.

Namely, the abundance of arts and crafts up for sale.

"Excuse me," she announced to her throng of female friends, acutely aware of their dwindling attentions as they eyed the trove of discounted fashion accessories furtively. "I'm just going to head to the crafts store for a little while. If you need to find me, I'll be there."

"Sure, Hamada-san! Ahhh, that bangle looks so cute!"

Whether or not they had absorbed the information didn't really matter to Leiko as she nodded slightly before taking her leave. It wasn't long before she weaved through the masses of people and finally into the decently crowded crafts store.

Her friends hadn't really questioned Leiko's sudden keen interest in attending the sale today, but if they had, there was a clear and simple answer: Props. The Drama Club was sorely lacking in resources, particularly in the vein of fabrics and tools, and having such a wide selection to choose from would certainly benefit her in the long run. Besides, Drama Club wasn't entirely about acting. Technical and labouring work was just as important as the performance itself, after all.

Leiko craned her head down at the presented selection, nodding approvingly as she inspected squares of fabric, before selecting several, varying in colours and textures. She would have to brush up on her sewing skills, although they were somewhat...lacking at the best of times. Maybe there was someone in the Club more interested in design? Bearing this thought in mind, Leiko hummed softly to herself as she packed away the rolls in her basket, but not before spotting an intriguing material tucked away up on one of the higher shelves. Leiko looked at her surroundings briefly to ask for a sales assistant to help her, but the staff appeared to be swamped with the demands of the other customers. Wistfully sighing and wishing she could take advantage of Saya's height (and speaking of, where was that girl today?) Leiko instead determined to reach for it herself.

Stretching her muscles as far as they would allow, Leiko balanced on the tips of her toes as her hand attempted to bat at the elusive fabric, but just as her fingertips graced it, her elbow accidentally knocked into one of the other craft materials, causing a fairly sturdy metal set of paints to tumble from their place on the shelf and knock her painfully in the back of her head. "Ouch! Damn it!" Leiko cursed, recoiling back as she rubbed the back of her head gingerly. Well, at least her friends hadn't been around to see that embarrassing little scene...

And lo and behold, that roll of material was still out of reach. Typical.

---

Saya Ueno: Ueno Residence

By all intents and purposes, today should have been considered as one of Saya's lucky breaks in life. Not only did she get to attend a massive sale clearance in the Mall, but she would get to do so in the company of the esteemed Club President of Archery himself: Rokoru Ishiara. Of course, she knew that he wasn't exactly there of his own volition (Saya was starry eyed, true, but not delusional), but he would be there with her for the day. Alone. Without any club members or pesky rivalries to get in the way of getting to know him better. And boy, did she want to get to know him better. Hundreds of questions and hypothetical scenarios had battered away at her within the past few days, and now she would finally get a chance to have some one-on-one with the man of her dreams. What could possibly go wrong?

The answer to that question was all too apparent as Saya woke up with bone-cracking yawn, and looked at her clock sluggishly.

The clock read 12:00.

The time that she was supposed to meet Rokoru-senpai, on the dot, at the Mall.

A piercing scream rang through the Ueno household, and by the time that her mother had raced up the stairs to investigate the situation, Saya was already halfway through a camisole blouse and jeans.

"Good Heavens Saya, what happened-?"

"How could this be happening? Howwww?!" Saya whined, oblivious to her mother's presence as she shoved a handful of cosmetics and a brush into her handbag before racing out the door faster than a bullet.

So much for her lucky break.

---

Saya Ueno: Warakuma Mall

Panting and wheezing, Saya had finally reached the Mall, miraculously managing to brush her hair in the process, although there was the unfortunate side-effect of being slightly windswept. But at least she had managed to make it by...30 minutes past the meeting time.

Crap.

Saya tried to hold down her nerves as she breathed in shakily, the air burning slightly through her lungs before she let out a deep exhale. She could do this. She could do this.

Summing up every ounce of courage she had, Saya turned the corner and saw Rokoru pacing around by some plants and checking his phone anxiously. He was on time. She was late. On a 'date' that she had arranged. This couldn't possibly go any worse.

"Ah...Ishiara-senpai!" Saya called out nervously, catching his attention with an overhead wave before quickly sprinting over to him. "I'm so sorry I'm late. Guess I slept through my alarm like an idiot. You're not mad, are you?" She shot him a wary smile as she brushed a wet strand of hair from her face. "I'll make it up to you! I'll buy you lunch or something. I mean, since you came out on a Sunday to help me and everything. And I was late, so..."

Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma High School: Agriculture Club | Wednesday, April 15 2015 - After School

Kotori - after getting over the surprise at Utaha's rather sudden displays of affection - nodded as Rui mentioned the missing boy's full name - that was indeed who they had been meaning to meet, though that had turned out to be a little impossible given his current state. Even so, there was always the possibility of another club member being present - at least, that's what Kotori had thought. At his further words, she looked at him a little surprised - it was a bit odd how he said it, but it seemed that he was trying to be optimistic. Either that, or he just assumed it would be much the same as it had been with Noboru and Matthew'd show up on his own a few days later. As he then announced that he was leaving, Kotori returned the bow; watching him leave before turning back to the girls in the room.

As if taking Rui's leave as a cue, both Keiko and Utaha stood up and announced that they would be going too; mirroring Kotori's thoughts at that moment. Giving a small bow to both of them together with a "Goodbye to you two too," Kotori picked her school bag up from beside the chair she'd sat down in, placing the application form inside as she did, before heading out of the club room and home thereafter.

Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma Mall | Sunday, April 19 2015

After having having spent most of the morning minding the shop - her mother had been out to talk with the local tools shop owner about how things were going and if there was anything new and the like - during which time she'd gotten her weekend's worth of homework done already, Kotori was told to spend some time outside - after all, there was a big sale going on and she should go and see if there was anything she liked. With those words, Kotori had headed to the mall - and indeed, there was no shortage of people about.

A little while later, Kotori emerged from a shop armed with two shopping bags and notably more out of breath than she'd expected to be - the sales really were something else, it seemed, and had attracted quite a number of customers. Searching - and by a stroke of good luck, actually finding - an empty bench, Kotori sat down and caught her breath for a moment, placing her shopping bags at her feet. Adjusting her glasses that had exhibited their usual habit of slipping ever so slightly out of their most comfortable position, she looked at the content of her bags - indeed, much like her mother had said, the sales were quite good.

Except that her mother hadn't quite been talking about the grocery store's sales on bread and vegetables which Kotori had taken advantage of and thus had to struggle to obtain between a veritable horde consisting mostly of housewives and the occasional overwhelmed male rather than the clothing store's customers of the day which were far closer to her own age. Still catching her breath after all that, Kotori glanced about the other mall-goers - who consisted of mostly unknown faces, ranging from an elderly couple over a mother and her two children to a number of fellow students, judging by their age, and even a businessman. Naturally, with so many about, the occasional accident wasn't all that surprising - such as a small group of girls that bumped into each other; unbeknownst to Kotori not quite willingly on account of another's involvement therein.

Either way though, she checked her watch and noticed that she still had some time - and remained seated, debating which stores she should check up on before heading home with her shopping.

Sitting in his room reading his play book, he could hear nothing but the sound of his own breathing. Which was sad considering he knew several helpers were working in the house today. Either they were messing around in which he wouldn't care about, or his house was that big that he couldn't hear anything from his room. After an hour of sitting in his room alone he put a book mark in the book and closed it shut. Placing the small book on his desk. He stood up from his chair and looked at the clock in his room. His face showed that he was annoyed, he still had most of the day left and he was already bored. So he decided he would go outside maybe something interesting would be happening. So he exited his room, walked down the long hallway and down the stairs in which he was stopped when a female halted him then started measuring him. He was then handed a piece of paper and was asked if he could go out and get these items. Nodding he walked out of his house in which reluctantly his chauffeur drove him to the mall, which would make many gossip as he left the car with an embarrassed look.

Well all he had to do was get the items and maybe something else for himself, so he told his driver he would call when he needed a ride and watched him drive off. Walking along the store he looked for the correct store and with a few minutes of searching he found the craft store. Walking in, he got a basket for the items, and began searching. It wasn't until the ninth item did he wonder why their tailor needed all this fabric for. Either his parents requested something, or she was running low. Or she ran low on the requested item, many thoughts ran through his head when a loud noise then rang. The voice behind the damn it was unmistakable as well. With a grin plastered on his face he walked towards the sound and saw Leiko and the paint that caused the word to be uttered from her mouth.

He saw her looking at a fabric out of her reach which made him chuckle as he walked over and grabbed it, before holding it out to Leiko with a smile. "Fancy meeting you here huh Leiko? Should be careful there, we need our precious president for drama club. So you can't afford getting a concussion now. Of course that would devastate me as well." Sieg spoke the last part with a wink before chuckling as he picked up the paint set which hit her, and looked at the tiny dent. "Damn, wouldn't be shocked if you did get a concussion."

Date: Sunday, April 19th
---
As the sun shone and the birds chirped signaling a brand new day, Ayano who was still in her bed, didn't even bother to get up. What would this day bring about? As she laid there in her sheets, the girl looked up at the ceiling with a blank expression in her face, it felt like she was asleep for a decade, was she hibernating? She thought to herself. Her mind refocused back to better things, she pushed her blankets away and got out of her bed, stretching a few as she stood up. Grabbing her cellphone that was on her bedside table, the girl began to flip through her messages, she could've sworn she got one from a friend of hers an hour ago or two...What time was it anyway? Looking at the top-right corner of her phone, the girl saw that it was already 10:00 in the morning, no surprise there. After checking the time the girl finally found the message and it read:

"Hey, Yan~ Did ya know the mall is having an event today? There's a huge assortment of stuff! Threads, fabrics, and other crafting items!
There's also a sale on clothes, you know so you don't always wear those same bleak shirts you wear everyday?

Ayano chuckled at the message, her sense of fashion never was colorful. Maybe it was high-time she deviated from the norm for once? At least she had something to do now. After having the usual breakfast talk with her family and gussying up after her bath, Ayano set out to the mall.
---

Jeez, her friend was right, there WAS some sort of happening at the mall, what she didn't mention was that the mall was packing. Seriously, the sheer amount of people made Ayano uncomfortable just being there. Her first instinct was to get out, but she was here to shop, right?

As soon as Ayano entered the boutique, she was overcome by a scent that wafted through her nose. "Ugh, smells like cheap perfume..." She said while trying to cover her nose and swaying her hand as if to make the smell go away. Eventually overcoming the scent, the young girl found herself browsing through an assortment of clothes. She wasn't looking for a specific one in particular, just one that would nudge her sense of fashion from 'Blank and Bleak' to something with a tad more color. Neon was out of the question though. Digging through the selections some more, she found in the corner of her eye something that stood out. Deciding that she's got nothing to lose, Ayano grabbed the shirt and unfolded it, getting a closer look. Hey, a shirt that actually had a design she liked! It featured a group shot of characters from a game she was playing, with the title being laid out in the center. A smile on her face, Ayano entered the changing room and tried it on, to her surprise, it actually fit! Feeling happy with her choice, Ayano paid for it instantly. New shirt in hand she exited the boutique. While walking along the confines of the mall, the girl suddenly got a text message, from the same friend who had texted her earlier.

"Oh, forgot to mention. There's this new electronics shop opening soon, might wanna check it out some time soon!"

An electronics shop, eh? Why they didn't open that sooner is beyond her reasoning, but once it opens, Ayano vows that she will set foot in it.

The mall was bustling today, it reminds her of the city, it was a nice change of pace. She always feels like people are staring at her clothes when she walks through town, it was well worn but today auntie got her first cheque which was large, larger than Keiko would expected. Auntie has given her a large amount of the money and she told Keiko to buy some new clothes and have fun. Which is what's she doing, Keiko missed how it feels to buy stuff that isn't to just survive. She has already bought five bags of clothes for herself, a bag for auntie and two pairs of shoes.

All this shopping has almost distracted her from what Rui said, Keiko learned where he lived, but she decided she was just over thinking his comment and just decided to go shopping instead of worrying for nothing, but she will still worried for Matthew he hasn't showed up yet. Maybe Matthew will like a flower for when he comes back. A welcome back gift for when he returns.

But these bags are getting heavy as she walked, and somebody just gotten into an accident, she should rest for a bit before that happens to her.
Keiko just dropped into the nearest bench, with a sigh of relief. Keiko placed her bags on the ground, it was getting warm.

Just as Shizuka was despairing at how much difficulty she was having to retrieve the fabrics with her dark tresses being on the way of her sight, two- no, three people generously came to assist the poor "half blind" girl. She felt embarrassed to have them gather up her belongings for her but very much appreciated the help nonetheless. Just when the other female who picked up one of the fabrics shoved one person and created a domino effect of people colliding, Shizuka flinched in shock and felt slightly guilty for the people involved.

While she quickly stuffed the last of her fabric back into a bag, a gentle hand placed itself upon her shoulder with a voice of concern. Her gaze averted from the plastic bag to the gorgeous, foreign female at her side, who she couldn't help but stare for a moment even if the other may not be able to tell. It wasn't Shizuka's first encounter with someone of a foreign origin but how she seemingly spoke fluent Japanese surprised her, that and she had to appreciate how attractive she was, which was perfect if she ever got around to cosplaying.

Snapping back to reality, the raven haired female flashed a faint smile and replied, "O-Oh, I'm quite alright... I-I apologize for the trouble, but thank you for your concern and I'm truly grateful for your assistance. And my, you and the other gentleman have quick hands, the mess was cleaned up in such a haste." Speaking of the male who assisted her, upon closer inspection, his face felt slightly familiar... Perhaps someone from school? It wasn't everyday you'd see a foreign student in a Japanese school, which tends to make them stand out whether in a positive or negative way.

Another female voice was speaking to Shizuka, to which her attention was given to. While what the other was telling her seemed like a warning, she supposed it was her way of being concerned for the apologetic girl. Taking her advice, she stood back on her feet and dusted herself before explaining, "Um... I-It's only polite to apologize to someone who you unintentionally bump onto, bu-but I suppose you're right. It was rather rude of her to, but accidents are prone on a day like this. I-... I'll be more careful, thank you miss."

"Ah! thank you, Onee-san!" said Elena with a blush from the compliment from the other girl. Though she was displeased by the rude interuption by the other girl, her features didn't convey a hint of her displeasure. She removed her hand from the girl's shoulder and continued after a pause.

"Oni-san here taught me the quick-fold. Well, I'm glad that you are alright. I'm Elena Dragunov. Do you need help with carrying the bags someplace? Maybe you can sit someplace and check if all the stuff is alright." she said cheerfully as Alexei looked at them. Standing to his towering height as everyone got up.

"You go on ahead and take a look, Kotchishka. I'll help her settle and join you." Alexei interrupted with his deep baritone. Giving the girl a full look to see if there were any injuries. Elena just nodded and bowed before she hopped towards the sale. Her objective was complete, with effectively making Alexei help the girl she could possibly look for a good gift for her brother.

"Should I carry those for you, Miss?" Alexei asked in a polite grumble.