[IC] Shin Megami Tensei: Persona

[Obscene Symphony]

_{April 9th—Morning}

---

Apparently her timing had been good—Naomi-san’s reply came just before the assembly began, so rather than replying, Emi sat back in her seat, content to listen. She couldn’t claim to be interested in much the teachers or Principal said; once upon a time the renovations might have intrigued her, but whether her months at home had numbed her to such trivial excitements or the newfound guilt in the back of her mind simply took precedent, she found it hard to care about them beyond any possible changes to the floor plan. Even then, at this rate, if she could get back and forth from her locker and her classrooms, she’d probably be content. She had better things to do with her time now than tag every extracurricular room and trace out the building in her head.

So, as the staff droned on, Emi’s mind was cursed to wander, a twist forming in her stomach as she waited for Nakano Sakuya to finally take the stage. The two of them had never really been “friends”, that much was true enough. Emi knew Sakuya through student council, and of course, she’d been close with her older brother, Reiji. But they’d never interacted much outside of an official capacity. But what sort of excuse was that? It wasn’t one; she should have reached out to her after her brother disappeared, especially knowing the two of them were on their own. Goodness, her father in prison and her brother missing? Sakuya must have been a wreck; much more of one than Emi had any right to be. But rather than check on her, maybe offering a shoulder to cry on or some kind words about her brother, she’d just shut herself away from everyone and everything, convinced that somehow she must have been the only one hurting. Emi had to make it up to her—if Nakano would even welcome the effort.

All the more reason Emi had no right to feel the way she did when Nakano took the stage.

It was probably terrible, but she couldn’t help it; when Nakano’s voice finally rang out from the microphone, her very first reaction was indignance. Logically, she knew that Nakano ascended her position as student council president perfectly legitimately, but all the logic in the world couldn’t stop the tears pricking at the corners of Emi’s eyes. No matter what she told herself, all she could think was that it should be Hanami up there addressing the school, giving words of wisdom and encouragement with all the life and energy she brought to everything she did. There’d be no somber words with Hanami at the mic, no stoic proverbs, and certainly no heavy condolences. She’d have livened up the gym effortlessly, and carried that same joy and optimism through all year long. Right up until her speech at graduation.

This just wasn’t right.

She seemed to forget herself, brought out of her reverie only when a warm tear splashed onto her hand. Emi gasped, doing her best to swallow the lump in her throat as she fished for a tissue to dry her face. Goodness, she expected returning to school without her friends to be rough, but maybe she hadn’t given the challenge enough credence if she was just losing it like this in front of everyone. But what was the alternative, going back home to mope for another five months? No! There was work to be done! Not only that, but fate had been so kind as to give her a direction; this was meant to be, she knew it. She had to stop thinking of her friends as dead and gone—they weren’t. They couldn’t be. And that was all the more reason she had to face up to Nakano and everyone else she’d forgotten in her cloud of grief.

It wasn’t until she had to unfold her cane again that Emi realized how tightly she’d been gripping it, her knuckles creaking as she uncurled them. She stood on shaky legs, but thankfully, each step and tap of her cane grew more steady as she went, and by the time she’d navigated to her new homeroom, she was feeling a little more sure of herself. Or, maybe she was just more determined. Whatever it was, she was grateful for it; it wouldn’t do to crumple into tears on her first day back.

Finally making it to her homeroom, Emi slid into the nearest desk to the door, which had expectedly been reserved for her. Closer to the door meant fewer obstacles to navigate, after all. She checked the seat out of habit and slung her bag over the back, folding her cane back up once she was seated. Judging by the “vibe” of the room—she really wasn’t sure what else to call that feeling her Persona had given her, but it surely came in handy—as well as the ambient noise, she guessed she was probably one of the first to arrive—not surprising, given her hasty exit from the gym after her little episode. Students were steadily filing in, though, most of whom she either didn’t know or only knew in passing. They were a bit harder to make out than those she knew well, but she still kept tabs on the door, waiting for Nakano Sakuya to arrive.

After a few minutes, she did just that, and Emi stood in her seat, offering a small bow. “Nakano-san, is that you?” she asked. She was vaguely aware of someone walking nearby, toward the front of the class, if only because it was a little weird. Whatever, didn’t matter.

“That was a beautiful address you gave,” Emi continued, her voice a little choked by emotion even now. “Your tribute to Hanami-chan was…” she had to pause a moment to swallow the lump in her throat, her hand over her mouth. “It’s just… thank you, for mentioning her. For mentioning all of them. It’s comforting to know that not everyone wants to forget.”

Emi was vaguely aware of some chatter starting up in the room, but she paid it no mind, searching for the right words. “Nakano-san, forgive me if I’m a little too forward, but I wanted to offer my condolences. And an apology.” She drew a long breath, closing her eyes. As much as her conscience screamed to get on with it, admitting wrongdoing was still never easy, and she struggled against her emotions and the room’s distractions to put the words together.

“I know this should probably wait, but I just wanted to say… I mean, you know I’m frie— was friends with your brother, and I can’t imagi— okay what is going on?” Emi turned sharply toward the rest of the room, where the ambient chatter had swelled to an abnormal volume. She could hardly hear herself think, dammit! She turned sheepishly back to Nakano, more than a little flustered, and gestured to the room. “I’m sorry, but do you know what has them so riled up?”

---

_{@Hero @psych0pomp}

[Hero]

---

The dark haired girl let out a sigh of relief, standing from her seat at the first opportunity. If she managed to get away before any of the adults could reach her, she could probably avoid any additional lectures. If he was going to saddle her with pointless tasks and thought she wouldn't retaliate, then he had another thing coming. Truthfully, she would have liked to say more, but she had drawn enough ire as it was. Her point was now known publicly, and further aggravating Taniguchi wouldn't get her anywhere.

Taking a hold of her bag, Sakuya mapped out her escape, only to get interrupted. Naomi Oka, the vice president, had stopped her with a greeting. She wasn't overly familiar with her but considering that they'd be working together moving forward, it was nice to see she took her duties seriously. Now that she thought about it, however, she realized that she knew nothing of Naomi. The shuffle after Natsuhime's disappearance had given way to some new and old faces, as well. Today would be a good time for a meet-and-greet and to better prepare herself for the year. She'd have to squeeze in looking after the transfer student when she got her chance.

In the meantime, Sakuya would focus on getting through the day. "Good morning, Naomi," Sakuya returned the greeting. "I appreciate the initiative. We'll be meeting in the council room after school to get a jump on the new year. It's a little sudden, but I'd appreciate it if everyone could make it. I'll make sure an announcement is made so everyone can make it."

As much as she wanted to continue the conversation, however, she knew staying in one place for too long would attract the vice principal's attention. "Why don't we get going? I believe we're in the same class this year." She sincerely hoped Naomi wouldn't think she was trying to blow her off since the last thing she wanted to be was rude.

Hoping Naomi would follow her lead, Sakuya made the walk to class 3-B. It looked like their teacher had yet to arrive, albeit the rest of their class was slowly filtering in. As she turned to make an additional comment to Naomi, she was greeted by a quiet voice. To her surprise, Ueno Emiha was the one that had called out to her. They hadn't spoken since last year, understandably, but it wasn't unpleasant. At least someone was on the same page as her, though she was much closer to the rest of the group than Sakuya was.

That said, Sakuya was so focused on hearing Ueno out that it wasn't until she brought up the chatter that she noticed that the room was louder than usual. Excitement all around, all focused on the same thing: the board up at the front of the class. There was some writing decorated with what looked like a butterfly, though she wasn't entirely sure why it was causing such a fuss. Sakuya hadn't given it any notice until now, and apparently, that was a mistake. Her eyes widened as she read it, indignation gripping her for a moment.

Looking around the room, she noticed how quickly most pretended to look away, as if they weren't just talking about her. The last thing she wanted to do was to cause a scene, but she couldn't exactly just let it happen without doing something. Taking in a deep breath to calm herself down, she took her phone out as she walked over to the writing, taking the eraser in her free hand and snapping a quick picture. Another thing to add to her quickly growing to-do list. Vigorously erasing the writing, she replaced the eraser before returning to Ueno, her mood soured.

"Some writing on the board has everyone's attention," She explained to the girl. "It would seem someone thinks it's funny to accuse me of causing the disappearances as a power grab. That said, they're ill informed if they think my house is a place to look."

_{@Entityx@psych0pomp@Obscene Symphony}

[RiverMaiden]

---

| April 9th, 2018 | Hintori Highschool - Gymnasium |

---

The school assembly started about as expected: long speeches, empty platitudes, pointless words. Yori didn't pay attention, eyes sweeping across the faces of the people in her year instead, lingering minutely on faces she recognized in passing before they continued to move along.

When she was seemingly satisfied with what she saw, the green-haired girl rummaged through her bag to pull out a notebook, the pages flipped open to a list of various points she'd reach throughout the day. In the top right corner, multiple club names were scratched out with only the Cooking and Horticulture Clubs punctuated with question marks and the 'Archery Club' circled in red. At the bottom left was a schedule in faded ink, as if written a year prior, a couple of timestamps written in after her club time referring to various groceries she needed to buy along with three crudely drawn figures dancing beneath.

Most of her time spent was within her notebook, slashing off completed tasks with a red pen while jotting down new ones in blue, the beginnings of a smile on her face as she underlined 'new ball for Kenji?'. It wasn't until she heard the name 'Nakano Sakuya' that she looked up to the stage once more. Though her gaze glossed over in the first half, similar to most of her fellow students throughout most of the assembly, it refocused as the missing students were mentioned.

Reflexively, as she did not look away from Nakano's lonesome figure, Yori's grip tightened, with only the audible crumple of the paper sheets stopping her from crushing it as she pulled her eyes away from the podium. Instead, they stared at the three little drawings within the pages of her notebook, eyebrows brought together. When the unceremonious ending to the assembly came, she was one of the last to leave, lost in her own world until a fellow student bumped into her stiff figure.

---

| April 9th, 2018 | Hintori Highschool - Classroom 2-A |

---

Yori entered her classroom silently, at least half of the students already in a seat that they wanted for the year. She looked over the front row seats, most of them taken, before finally settling on the one farthest from the door, next to the window. Her trip to her new seat was uneventful, with no one attempting to speak with her as she settled in.

She had glanced over at a group talking among themselves, catching hints of it being about a third year, but Yori quickly looked away and down at her flip phone as one of them noticed her gaze. With the teacher not present yet, she opened up the one game she had on it, the sound thankfully muted before she had begun moving a little snake with her phone's buttons to consume the small, pixelated fruits that randomly appeared on the screen.

[Entityx]

April 9th- Morning

---

As she suspected, Nakano-san was going to have a student council meeting after school today. She was the kind of person to plan ahead and immediately start working towards her goals. Although she did agree with her it was a little sudden for most people, Oka had already expected it. Nakano-san then began to start walking towards their classroom.

They were indeed in the same class this year. As they made their way to class 3-B, she watched as other students talked amongst themselves in the hallways as they walked by. Some of them seemed to have been careful around the student council duo, some smiling a bit excitedly as they walked by, and others were laughing. It was the first day so it was expected that people would have their ideas of how they felt they should feel about the student council, but something about this mixed bag made her feel uneasy.

She understood the ones that seemed excited and maybe even the ones that were a bit nervous but she was cautious about the ones that were laughing. Oka continued to walk quietly beside her, still observing their surroundings. They’d finally made it to their classroom when they were stopped by an emotional Ueno-san who’d been doing her best to keep it together as she spoke of her missing friends. As she continued on speaking with her, Oka noticed that the classroom was getting a bit out of control. Ueno-san’s voice was drowned out by the loud chatter amongst the students there.

It was then that she noticed the writing on the board. She read it aloud in her mind then immediately shot a glance at the students in the class who’d begun to quiet down as Nakano-san took a photo of the picture before clearing away the obscene message. Oka couldn’t believe that they would think such a thing about her. Did they really all think this through? Her own brother was missing as well, had they thought of that? The only thing a person gained when becoming student council president in the midst of several scandals was more problems. Again, Oka always thought her as admirable while the rest of them were too selfish to see it or take on the responsibility themselves.

Oka bit her tongue, choosing not to lose her cool here of all times. She’d done very well not to let anyone get to her. She could only imagine what else Nakano-san was bound to endure for the rest of the school year if people were already spreading foolish rumors like this. Instead of addressing the students, she waited for Nakano-san to return to where she and Ueno-san had been standing near the entrance. ”It may be best to continue your conversation later. We should quickly get to our seats so as not to cause more of a stir. We shouldn’t give them any more of a reason to talk.” And with that, Oka went to her desk in the middle row but near the window. She sighed, knowing full well the uneasy feeling she’d had was not going to go away anytime soon.

---

@Hero@psych0pomp@Obscene Symphony

[Hero]

---

Coming to a halt, there was a tiny gasp as the blonde girl fell to her knees. As she struggled to catch her breath, she looked back at her companion. Somehow, Reiji still stood strong, unphased by the numerous injuries peppering his skin. Granted, the bags under his eyes were much worse than hers, but he looked much more alert than she was. And of course, he wasn't the one currently on the ground.

He knelt down to Mineri, offering her a hand. She took it gratefully, making an effort to pull herself up, but her legs wouldn't budge. She let go of his hand, shaking her head. "I think--I think this is where you leave me," She told him. "My legs won't move anymore. I can maybe buy you a little time, but...this is it for me."

His eyes widened considerably, though he made sure to take her hand again as he stood. "We're getting out of here," He said firmly, pulling her up. "Come on, Ikeru. Lean on me."

"I can't," Her voice cracked as she shook her head. "I couldn't save anyone else, but...you can go find Emi and that boy. If you just drag me along, she's going to catch up to us."

Reiji ignored her as he heaved her up as best as he could. "And if Lilith catches you, she's going to get stronger," He muttered, forcing the girl to go along with him. "Come on, stop it with that sort of thinking. You have to fight it."

"Reiji--" Her protest died in her throat as her eye turned yellow, letting out a cry of pain as she clutched her head.

As Reiji was about to pull her up again, a haunting melody filled the halls, causing the pair to freeze. Without a moment's hesitation, the boy knelt down and scooped the girl up, breaking into a sprint. He ignored her protests as he ran, following the thin, glowing white line on the floor. The girl's vision was swimming, the pain in her eye spreading to her head. Was this how it felt like for Hanami, too? They didn't know what to do for her at the time, their spells useless. Admittedly, her guilt wasn't helping things, and she could feel her body slowly losing what little energy she had left.

They came to a halt, with Reiji buckling down and hitting the floor. Before she could question it, she noticed the tendril wrapped around his leg. "No--no--no--Reiji!" She tried to get up, her arms shaking. However, before she could do anything, her body froze as both her eyes shined yellow, causing her to clutch her head.

Reiji slammed his sword into the ground, hanging on to prevent himself from getting dragged away. "Ikeru! Ikeru, can you hear me?!" He yelled, unable to reach the writhing girl. Unfortunately, he knew it was over now--his own grip was weakening, and even if he miraculously held on, he was pretty sure the demon would catch up with them any moment now.

He looked over to his left, the mirror shining at him. He couldn't help but feel it was mocking them at this point. But he'd be damned if he was going to let Makoto's sacrifice be in vain. With his free hand, he held his palm out, a flame forming a blue card in his hand. "Masamune!" He called, a figure clad in samurai armor appearing. "Get her through the mirror!"

The Persona sheathed its blade, following its command without hesitation. As it picked up the writhing girl, the tendril wrapped itself around Reiji's chest, pulling him harder. That demon really did love to play with its prey, didn't it? He wasn't going to go down without a fight, but he made sure to keep all his focus on Masamune. As it stopped before the mirror, he could see Mineri open her eyes, looking at him. She said something he couldn't catch, but there wasn't time for clarification as Masamune dropped her through.

The white line on the floor faded as the mirror blackened, and with a flash, it disappeared. Masamune came and cut him loose, waiting as Reiji got to his feet. The mirror disappeared just like it did when Ueno was pushed through. The rules must change whenever Lilith was around. That, or she had some sort of power that prevented them from leaving. Either way, Mineri was through, and he had nothing that would slow him down. He beckoned to his Persona, and together, the pair left the way they came.

---

Clapping her hands as she walked into the classroom, the homeroom teacher of class 2-A had presented herself. A soft, kind woman, she dressed conservatively with a yellow turtleneck and a pair of slacks, her brown hair in two braids. She stopped at the side of the smartboard, turning it on and revealing a name already written in.

"Good morning and welcome, everyone," She greeted them all warmly, placing a laptop on the small podium. "I am Momoji Aya, and I'll be your homeroom teacher this morning. I'm very excited to meet each and every one of you today. Now, I know we have a new transfer student here, so we'll give him a chance to introduce himself once I take attendance. Today will be easy, but tomorrow the real work begins!"

---

The chattering in the third year classroom all but died down the second a clicking pair of heels was heard. The teacher strode in without looking at anyone, focused more on settling herself in first. Her long, wavy hair pointed in nearly every direction but she didn't seem to care. She was sharply dressed, a pair of glasses adorning her face. Once she deemed herself ready, she turned on the smartboard and took a dry erase marker in hand, writing her name down.

"I'm Suzuki Keiko. As you are all third years, I expect few issues here," She stated, leveling a look on the class. "Don't go tripping over the finish line."

---

---

The first day of class went off without a hitch. Considering a majority of the material was introductory, it was easy to let the mind wander. Once the dismissal bell rang, however, the school's mood quickly turned lively. Students were eager to catch up with one another, already changing out of their shoes and leaving. The more dedicated club members had decided to get a jump on recruitment, and an assortment of flyers already hanging on the school's bulletin board with promises of fun. Principal Wada stood near the board, his usual grouchy scowl on his face, though he returned most students' greetings cordially enough.

Sakuya herself already had a task, choosing to keep her head down for most of the day. She was still in disbelief that people actually believed that writing--if she was a self-conscious person, the constant staring might have actually bothered her. But she wasn't about to let some dumb rumor get in the way of her duties. While she had already informed both Naomi and Ueno of the meeting, she ended up enlisting the help of another student to find Kinoshita for her while she hurried to the transfer student's homeroom. An introduction and casual offer for help would be satisfactory; it wasn't like he was some helpless child. Unless he was, then that would make things more complicated.

Among the class of second years, only one stood out as unknown to her. This would make her job easier at least. Approaching the second year, Sakuya stopped next to his desk. "Are you Hoshino?" She asked him. "My name is Nakano Sakuya, I'm a third-year here. I thought it'd be a good idea to introduce myself to you just in case you had any questions or needed help with anything."

---

[Asura]

HOSHINO NORIAKI

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx D A T E April 9th 2018 L O C A T I O N Hinotori Highschool T A G S @Hero@WXer

The chimes that signified day's end were like music to Noriaki's ears. An easy first day, no doubt meant to help ease the students back into their routine. He had certainly been removed from the daily grind longer than his classmates and their brief spring interlude, so he took the easy material and lax pacing as a mercy. It did give him time to ruminate, though, and nothing good ever came from him having time to chew on his thoughts without distraction. Fortunately, he at least had the assurance of after school socialization to look forward to. That, and what the hell he was going to do with that cat. It was gonna need a name to go with the collar. Maybe it would come to him in time. Unfortunately, he didn't have much of a chance to engage in that promised fraternization. As he packed up his bag with his minimal belongings, he spotted an approaching figure in his peripheral vision. He half expected it to be Asakura, but the voice that announced its arrival was far from that of his chatty neighbor. As he looked up, he locked eyes with a none-the-less familiar face. One with a rather rhetorical question, considering his status as the only new student in class. "I am." He might not have been the most academically gifted, but it would have taken a moron not to remember Nakano Sakuya—she had just taken the stage for a speech only a few hours beforehand. It seemed as though she was worried about him. A sweet sentiment, honestly, and one he was sure most transfer students would be happy about. Having a kindly senpai go out of their way to meet him at his homeroom on the first day, offering to answer his questions and help with any problems he might have had. But Noriaki couldn't be happy with that. Why would she be going out of her way like this? If he needed help, he had a homeroom teacher, or any number of fellow 2nd years to ask. She was the president of the student council, who undoubtedly had other things to be doing. That in and of itself was a rhetorical question. He knew why. "If I needed any help, I'd have asked for it. I don't need a minder." His icy blue gaze sharpened as he rose from his chair, more hostile than he had any right to be in this circumstance. But he knew why she was there. If anybody in the school—barring the staff—was going to have access to his record, it would be the council. She probably read through it and figured she would come and scope out the new delinquent herself. Make sure he wasn't getting up to any trouble under the pretext of being a helpful senior, as opposed to keeping tabs on a "problem case" like him. It pissed him off. "'Sides, I got plans after school. Is that all you wanted to say, Senpai?" There was a testiness to his tone, but he did his best not to show his displeasure. No need to go making enemies right away. Of course, he was never very good at subtlety.

[Hero]

---

The new student was certainly guarded. Sakuya could've been amused if she wasn't already in a bad mood, but her patience was already wearing thin. Was he testing her? She had no way of knowing what the source of the hostility could be. Perhaps he had issues with authority and Taniguchi thought she would be the best one to approach him. That sounded reasonable, but she wasn't sure, she was never good at guessing what people were like without knowing anything about them. Alternatively, he had already heard of her and decided that he wanted nothing to do with her following him around.

Would word have spread that quickly, though? He didn't seem that sociable--unless her classmates were determined to make sure everyone heard about that writing. It'd be impressive if it was put to some actual good use instead of being used for slander. Sakuya tried to see what she could get out of his expression, but aside from a very strong feeling of disdain, she was clueless. How did Natsuhime just walk up to anyone? Then again, the girl was much more charming and charismatic. Being charming and cute and nice was not one of Sakuya's strong points.

So be it.

The third year did let out a tiny sigh as she placed her hand on her hip. "Fair enough. I don't necessarily have the time to babysit anyone," She replied cooly, deciding to keep a level head as she brushed her hair off her shoulders. "I'll make sure to check up on you periodically to make sure you're adjusting properly. Hinotori is a place for learning and becoming a proper member of society, so I expect you'll do the same and not cause any trouble for anyone."

_@Asura

[WXer]

---

As Miss Momoji ended her opening address to the class, Kazuyoshi took the opportunity to start dozing off. Barely responsive, he had narrowly missed the first attendance prompt before wildly raising his hand in order to catch his teacher's attention from the back. "I'm here, that's me - Asakura." he would state in a drowsy voice, suppressing a yawn with his hands afterwards. At least his name was near the top of the list and he could go back to skulking behind Noriaki's seated figure. Kazu had hoped that being hidden out of sight would lead to him being called on less but this did not exempt him from class participation at all. He even began to suspect that their new homeroom teacher had started to single him out for passage recitals in order to shake the lethargy out of him. To her credit, Kazu was wide awake by the time lunch time rolled around though his mind was now filled with details of class syllabi.

The day was pleasant enough that spending their free hour in the classroom was simply unacceptable. So, Kazu would grab his lunchbox and sprint to the roof the moment Miss Momoji would dismiss them as he wasn't about to test her patience twice in one day. The sea of students that flooded the hallways did not deter him from making his journey, bumping into the unsuspecting and stubborn without even looking them in the eye. After all, he was still one of the young kings of Hinotori high, right? To his dismay though, his lunch was not fit for royalty as it was cold hardboiled eggs and soggy toast. Certainly a sharp departure from the bento boxes that Ayane-chi would prepare for the both of them.

After consuming his lunch alone and then cloud gazing for a few minutes more, Kazuyoshi would make the reluctant trudge back to the classroom. As he arrived back at his seat, Kazu had a few choice words for his new acquaintance. "Aight, you're not ditching me next time. If I'm gonna be sucking eggs on the roof, might as well be with you next to me." His seatmate definitely had a level-headed response to that which Kazu merely shrugged off. At least they were in the home stretch now and they can finally leave this day behind them. After a few more introductory material readings, they were finally done. However, before they could leave to actually go enjoy their lives, the queen of discipline and good manners had coerced his good friend Noriaki into an interrogation.

Though the young lad's spirit wanted to meet the she-devil head on with energetic bravado, the body was unable. Sluggishly, Kazu stood up and leaned against the nearby classroom wall as Noriaki handled himself. Quite impressive of him to not stumble against Sakuya, Kazu had thought. Wanting to capitalize on this, he would walk towards the pair and once again put his arm around Noriaki's shoulder while locking his sleep-deprived eyes to those of their school president. "Senpai, I'm gonna need you to stop hitting on my good friend Noriaki here." he would state with a callous smirk. "'Sides, I got him. Gonna show him around the area and have a good time, yeah?"

[Asura]

HOSHINO NORIAKI

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx D A T E April 9th 2018 L O C A T I O N Hinotori Highschool T A G S @Hero@WXer

There was a brief, beautiful moment where Noriaki felt relief. It had seemed the president was of a similar mind, that her time was better spent on her duties than trailing after him like a glorified keeper. But then she did that thing stuck-up girls like her tended to do—she opened her mouth again. The words that followed dispelled that brief notion of deescalation. Adjusting properly? A place to become a "proper member of society"? As if to imply he wasn't already one. She stood there, lording his past over him, and expected him to not cause trouble for anyone? There was going to be a hell of a lot of trouble for someone if she decided she could just run her mouth like that in front of him, as if some flimsy council position would intimidate him into compliance. His features hardened further, and he could feel the anger welling up in his chest as he looked at Nakano and her cool, indifferent expression. But he stopped it before it came spilling out. New school. New start. First day. Try to have a good time. Don't make enemies. Don't give them more of a reason. The turmoil within him managed to keep him from saying the worst of what he thought of this concerned senpai, but it didn't dull the growing animosity he felt. All it did was deaden it to a more acceptable level. He slapped his hand down on his desk, just a tad harder than he intended, and used it to lean forward. An act meant to shorten the difference in height between them, so he could lock eyes directly with her, his pale blue orbs full of equal parts willfulness and contempt. "We'll see." Perhaps there was some favor left on the teen's side. Before things could escalate too much further, a recognizable voice decided to interject. He barely had time to return to his full height before an arm was slung over his shoulder. It seemed like his chatty neighbor had decided to try cutting the tension with a joke. Or he was simply so dense that he didn't pick up on the hostility in the first place—it was hard to tell with Asakura. "Kyoto girls sure got a weird way of flirtin'." He cracked in return, though with far less mirth than Asakura had bothered with.

[Obscene Symphony]

_{April 9th—Morning}

---

Fortunately, Nakano didn’t take poorly to Emi’s attempted apology - or, if she did, she didn’t say so. In fact, she didn’t say anything; Emi grew a little nervous that she’d said something wrong as Nakano seemed to walk away. She was only gone a moment, however, bringing news back with her that took Emi from nervous to furious.

"Some writing on the board has everyone's attention. It would seem someone thinks it's funny to accuse me of causing the disappearances as a power grab. That said, they're ill informed if they think my house is a place to look."

“Wha--!” Emi was cut off by her own shock, gripping the edges of her desk. What on earth would possess someone to write something so foul?! And so ignorant at that! Nakano’s own brother was presumed dead, her own house a pile of ashes, and someone had the nerve to say she was to blame?! Emi sorely wished she could summon Euryphaessa outside of the mirror, if only to identify the culprit and knock some sense into them. Despite what Nakano said about a power grab, she doubted it was anyone on the student council; they’d all been fond of Hanami, they’d never besmirch her memory by leveling some garbage accusation at her successor. Good - it would save Emi the embarrassment of chewing out one of her fellow council members.

Suzuki-sensei arrived before Emi had the chance to say more, and reluctantly she sank back into her seat, fuming. Nakano may have been willing to let the slight go, but Emi wasn’t nearly so forgiving.

---

The day passed fretfully for Emi. It was a good thing the material was mostly old news, because she wasn’t sure she caught even half of it, preoccupied as she was. Even hours later, that message on the board still bothered her. That it was probably some throwaway shitbaggery meant nothing to her; the flagrant disrespect to a girl who’d lost her brother a mere five months ago was maddening enough to have Emi fidgeting in her seat, her mind always wandering back to that awful message no matter how hard she tried to redirect it. And that was another thing! Not only had whoever written that taken a totally unwarranted shot at Nakano (and all of Emi’s missing friends, as far as she was concerned) but now it had her so worked up that she couldn’t even focus on what actually mattered: figuring out what happened to them in the first place.

By the time the bell rang for lunch, Emi all but tore out of the room, food forgotten as she hovered around the doorway in the hall. She didn’t bother asking Nakano - she would have mentioned it if she saw who wrote that message - but waited until someone else she recognized made their way out, stopping them with a gentle tug on their sleeve.

“Miura-san, is that you?” she asked rhetorically, “Did you happen to see who wrote that awful message on the board this morning?”

“Oh, uh…” Miura hummed, thinking a moment before snapping his fingers. “Oh yeah, duh, that’s that Ito chick that got into so much trouble last year. I think she landed someone in the hospital or something. Remember?”

Emi tapped her finger to her cheek, thinking. “Ito… Maki?” she asked, “The one who used to do all that stuff with spray paint?” She wrinkled her nose in distaste. Obviously that sort of vandalism wasn’t much to her, but she did remember one time when the awful fumes of spray paint hung around the second-floor girls’ bathroom for weeks. “What’s her problem with Nakano-san?”

“Beats me. What’s her problem with anybody?” Miura asked back, sounding exasperated. “Anyway, I gotta go. It’s good to see you back, by the way,” he added sheepishly, “I’m, uh…”

Emi held up a hand, offering Miura a smile. “Thank you,” she told him, releasing him from the no-doubt uncomfortable duty of stumbling condolences. Besides, if anyone deserved them, it was Nakano. “Enjoy your lunch.”

---

Ito Maki. Emi couldn’t claim that she kept up with gossip that much, especially after going dark for the past several months, but somehow gossip had a way of making its way to her and the name did ring a bell. General delinquent, hung out with a rough crowd, something about a boyfriend she was crazy over… it wasn’t much, and it was probably outdated, but it was enough for her to start differentiating her from the rest. So, she spent the duration of class after lunch flexing a muscle she hadn’t used in some time, actively probing out the room with… man, she needed a name for that funny extra sense Euryphaessa gave her. Whatever it was, it wasn’t nearly as strong here as it was in the mirror, but it was enough to start distinguishing between her classmates - like distinguishing different voices on a crappy radio. Not knowing Ito well combined with being out of practice made the process lengthy, but by the end of it she was fairly confident she’d pinpointed Ito to somewhere in the back of the class. At the very least, she’d get someone close enough to her to do the trick.

She sighed sadly, feeling drained. In times like these she’d usually nudge Hanami or Makoto and jokingly ask if she was hot or cold. Of course, if they were still here, there’d be no reason to be looking.

The end-of-day bell was a blessing, but this time Emi hung back, gathering what few things she had out - a recording device and a water bottle - and slowly packing them away as her classmates filed out. Predictably, the one she thought was Ito Maki stayed back as well, taking her own time. Probably wanting to avoid the crowds or something, if she was in the habit of stirring up shit. Then again, why cause a stir if you were just going to avoid the reaction? Seemed counterintuitive, but it didn’t matter; Emi didn’t have much energy left for deciphering the behaviour of delinquents.

She stayed in her seat until only she and Ito remained, piping up as she felt the other girl walking past her desk towards the door.

“Excuse me, could you help me please?” Emi asked innocently, flashing her folded cane for effect. She chuckled quietly, tucking a stray hair behind her ear in feigned embarrassment. “I just need a little help finding the student council room; I’d usually make my way myself, but these new renovations have me all turned around.”

---

_@psych0pomp

[Hero]

---

The sudden slam threw Sakuya off guard, eyes widening a touch. What was with this reaction? Was Hoshino really this averse to being told to do the bare minimum and keep out of trouble? A part of her thought that maybe there was some unknown misunderstanding or something. The rational thing to do would be to have a calm conversation and get to the bottom of it. However, even if that was the case, she didn't appreciate his action or his word. If he was trying to intimidate her, he was going to have to do a better job than that. She absolutely refused to back down, her glare matching his in intensity as her violet eyes locked onto his blue ones.

The tension all but evaporated as a third person joined the conversation--actually, he didn't so much join as he did barrel through, going so far as to sling an arm around Hoshino. Asakura Kazuyoshi was his name if she remembered correctly, though she couldn't say his face was one of comfort, especially with that stupid line. Who in their right mind would think she was trying to flirt? Was he that dense? It was absolutely ridiculous, further fueling the flames of her temper, but she managed to bite down the first response that came to mind. Even so, however, if looks could kill, she was pretty sure they'd both be on the floor.

"Your service is appreciated," Sakuya replied dryly, eyeing the other boy warily. "I expect you'll be on your best behavior this year, too, Asakura." She wasn't a stranger to his recklessness, either.

A tiny beep put a stop to anything else she wanted to say as she glanced down at her watch. Right, the meeting. The reminder actually served to calm her down greatly, albeit she wasn't going to just walk away without saying anything. Straightening up, Sakuya leveled a stern look on the pair. "Regardless of your guidance, it wouldn't do to abandon a new student. I'll be checking up on you once in a while to make sure you're acclimating properly. If there is any indication of the contrary, I'll make sure to step in," She reiterated, eyes landing on Hoshino again.

_@Asura@WXer

[WXer]

---

The ice queen's gaze was just as chilling as her stonecold heart. At least that's what Kazu thought as he momentarily froze when Sakuya had locked her eyes on him. "Y-you too..." he managed to mutter as a reply to her scolding. "I"ll, uh, see you at the gates when you two are done talking." he would softly speak to Noriaki, averting his sight to the ground and walking sheepishly away. Upon reaching the doorway he would turn around in a dramatic fashion with wide eyes while making an X mark with both arms, trying to non-verbally warn Noriaki while the student council president couldn't see the cheeky slacker behind her. It wasn't a good idea at all to be on the prez's radar, transfer student or not. While Kazu wasn't superstitious before, that Taoist booklet that kept him company in the hospital certainly spoke of curses and those vicious school rumours circulating around definitely had something about Sakuya catching the eye of harbingers of misfortune. At least, that's what he thinks he heard during the assembly earlier while half asleep.

Outstandingly, Noriaki was not fazed at all. Kazu definitely needed to ask him how he did that later on. For now though, would go on ahead of his new friend and head to their agreed upon meeting area. While not as crowded as earlier, the school was still bustling with activity as people headed to the school clubs. Unfortunately, the promisingly talented Asakura was still not cleared to play sports otherwise he would have signed up to be the star ace of any Hinotori High sports team that would be lucky to have him. At least an element of suspense is still there for the spectators, he supposed. These thoughts of splendour would whisk him away to the entrance of the school before he knew it.

However, Kazu still didn't know where to take Noriaki and, in his pursuit of not trying to expend more effort than he had to, he had decided to leave it to his companion. "So, where exactly are we headed broski? I mean, where do you want to go... Brain's really pre-occupied, y'know?" he would ask once Noriaki would arrive.

[Scribe of Thoth]

_{April 9th - After School}

---

An unflattering noise escaped Daigo's mouth as the bell jolted him fully awake, thankfully masked by the chime itself and the rustling of students packing their things to leave for the day. His eyes were open, but in that last five minutes, he definitely wasn't all there mentally. On a whim, he checked his face with the front camera of his phone. There was a red splotch on the boy's cheek where his palm had been supporting his otherwise drooping head, and at some point between the last time he looked at the board and now, his head had slipped against his hand enough to push his glasses up at an awkward angle that probably made it obvious he was napping. Great start. At least Momoji-sensei hadn't called him out on it. Not that the ginger's school performance really bothered him much; he certainly wasn't planning on applying to any colleges. His dad had even suggested he drop out before high school. Still, it was embarrassing; he looked like Asakura sleeping in class.

It wasn't like he had to rush home anymore, with how little time he seemed to spend in the kitchen these days, so Daigo was free to take his time and languidly rise from his seat into a catlike stretch. A soft, tired hum accompanied the movement and ended with a nonchalant clearing of his throat as he tilted his crooked glasses back into place. Nakano-senpai oddly enough came into focus, though her business down in the second year classrooms became quickly apparent as she made a beeline for the transfer student. Nice of her to welcome him personally, he guessed. Though, as Daigo turned his attention back to packing up his things, the bits of the conversation he managed to overhear weren't exactly welcoming. Nakano sounded... terse. Sure, he'd heard she kinda had a stick up her butt, but why approach someone just to nag? Then somehow flirting got brought up. He wasn't quite sure how it worked, but he was pretty sure no one outside of anime for tsundere fetishists flirted like that. This was uncomfortable.

As if he needed any more reason to vacate the area, the sudden bang was definitely the biggest hint. Daigo winced at the harsh noise, sending nervous glances between his bag and the escalating conversation across the room. The nervous tapping of his foot quickened with his haste to pack up and leave, and hearing Nakano say something that sounded like she was about to end the conversation sent Daigo hurriedly powerwalking out of the room.

"'Scuse me," He muttered as he slipped past Asakura during the other boy's air traffic controller impersonation. Daigo sure hoped the new kid got the message, whatever it was. Or was he the aggressor there, Daigo couldn't even tell. Maybe both of them were bad news.

He didn't slow his pace until he made it down to the first floor, far from Nakano's new regime of terror. The bulletin board caught his eye for once, full of club advertisements and first day announcements they'd doubtlessly heard in homeroom already. Maybe something to do after school would be nice, since he wasn't working as much. Normally, Daigo would never take a lull in work as enough of a constant in his life to consider a club, but with the way things had been going recently...

Daigo shook his head to dispel any lingering thoughts. No, the restaurant was always his highest priority, he couldn't afford to put extracurriculars on top of that. Besides, if he couldn't even stay awake in school, he doubted a club was going to interest him. To his great shame, he grabbed a flier for the cooking club anyway. It sort of like... studying for his job. Or at least that's how he justified it to himself. The fiery-haired boy stuffed the partially-crumpled paper into his pocket like he was hiding illicit drugs rather than a folded piece of paper and trudged toward the door to change his shoes.

---

@Wxer_ish

[Asura]

HOSHINO NORIAKI

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx D A T E April 9th 2018 L O C A T I O N Hinotori Highschool T A G S @Hero@WXer

For all the good Asakura's appearance did in easing tensions, it seemed his mouthy classmate didn't quite have the mettle to stand up to the president's animosity. It might have done Noriaki some good to take after his example, on account of his lack of familiarity with the school's dynamic. Maybe she was some kind of force to be reckoned with. But it was too late to back down now—he was done with bowing to the whims of haughty authority figures. The arm that had been slung over his shoulder retreated almost quickly as it had arrived, and with it so did his classmate. As he watched the indigo haired boy engage in some charade-like signaling, Noriaki decided it was probably best to head off. Seemed as though the ice queen had her own business to attend to, after coming to foul his mood even further. "If you wanna spend time with me so badly, there's a lot of better ways to do it. Like makin' me lunch." He fired back, figuring it was the easiest way to dig under her skin, especially with how she seemed to bristle at the accusation of flirtation. The teen slung his bag over his shoulder after his quip, making his way towards the door that Asakura had just hurried through. He held a hand up in farewell, leaving a parting shot in his wake. "Make sure to add kaarage." Then he was gone. It didn't take Noriaki long to make his way through the halls and downstairs, his lack of experience with the layout made up for by the haste of his exit. He didn't wanna keep his companion waiting too long, and frankly, didn't wanna spend all day locked in a staring contest with some stuck-up bitch. The bustle around the school's entrance was a little harder to wade through, especially with club members thrusting flyers here and there and the dozens gathering around the notice board for similar missives. He half expected to be headhunted for one of the sports teams, tall, athletic type that he was. He was lucky to have escaped such a fate. It was too soon to think about that kind of thing. Better to just push it out of his mind for now. Leave the past in the past. After exchanging his slippers for the familiar comfort of his shoes, the transfer student made his way out towards the main gates, catching sight of his tired-looking associate. It seemed as though he had paid all the attention to Noriaki's words as he did in class—very little. Still, he couldn't exactly fault the guy. His own mind had been preoccupied with less-than-pleasant events for the majority of the day. "Already told you I need to hit up a pet store. You really ought to get more sleep, forgetting that so quickly."

[Lord Orgasmo]

April 9th. Speaking with:@Hero

---

As the chimes signaling the end of the school day rang out across the school, a near immediate sense of liveliness began to manifest. Genki sat back in his chair as he waited for the flood of students to funnel through the door. He learned his lesson last year after trying to go with the swarm. After the initial torrent of students, Genki got up, grabbed his backpack, and headed through the door.

He debated heading straight home. He didn't really have much to do today, and he could probably spend the rest of the day goofing off. But on the other hand, his grandparents would probably just have him do a bunch of chores around the house, or worse, yardwork. Mowing the lawn was already going to be a bitch and a half, the last thing he wanted to do was spend time pulling weeds or watering plants. He could think of only one way to avoid such a fate: after school activities.

Thinking back to earlier in the day, he recalled his standing on the clubs. Occult was a big no-no. The prospect of learning to play an instrument in the music club was certainly tempting, but the loud noise at school would drive him mad, and the practice at home would likely do the same to his grandparents. Sports... no. Then there was the Cooking Club. All things considered, it didn't seem that bad. It would be a nice life skill to have, and eating good food is never a bad thing. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea. He pulled out his phone and sent a quick message to his grandparents.

"Going to check out a club for after school stuff. Going to be late getting home." He received a text back from his grandfather almost immediately. "ok". Genki sighed before whispering to himself. "Not even capitalized. At least he was quick about it." Another ping alerted him to a text from his grandmother. "Be sure to tell us all about it when you get home!" At least she seemed somewhat excited about it. Probably glad that he was doing something other than lazing about.

Not knowing where the Cooking Club was, he descended the stairs to the first floor to look at the map containing the layout of the school, likely for first year students, and probably to clarify things after the renovations. Looks like the Cooking Club meets on the... third floor. Genki's shoulders slumper forward. "[Ah, fuck,] I'm going to have climb all those stairs again aren't I?" Was it really worth it? To climb the seven thousand steps to the third floor after climbing all the way down? Well, just about anything was better than menial chores and yard work back home. It was time to make the trip.

After the most arduous minute and twenty three seconds of his life, Genki's foot hit the final step, and he found himself at the third floor. "Guh... I am not looking forward to being a third year." He approached the room to the Cooking Club and looked inside. It certainly looked like a place to do cooking given all the equipment laying around. One girl looked significantly more like she knew what she was doing. She even had an apron on. He took a few quick steps towards her. "Uh... are you the Cooking Club leader? I was looking to join up. This'll be my first time joining a club, and this one seemed pretty good compared to some of the others. My name's Mori, Genki, but I usually go by Genki."

[Entityx]

April 9th- Afternoon

---

Aside from the issues during homeroom, the day went by rather quickly without much of a hitch. Oka began to gather her things from her desk. From the corner of her eye, she could see some female students waiting for her outside of the classroom. No doubt, it was their usual ritual. It was the first day of school and they wanted to have a chance at speaking with her.

As she stood from her seat, she noticed Ueno-san gathering her things along with...Ito Maki was it? Oka couldn’t imagine why the two of them would still be in the classroom but still it made her curious. Ito Maki was the last person she wanted to be associated with considering her reputation as of late. Oka wasn’t sure what had been going on or what she had particularly done, but she had heard plenty of things from the other girls in the school. It hadn’t really mattered to her, because as long as the girl wasn’t causing any trouble or made more work for her she had no reason to step in.

Oka made her way outside of the classroom where the other students had been waiting for her. ”Senpai~” One of the girls clutched her books tightly to her chest, pouting her lips. The other two stood next to her, mimicking the same face. Same girls, different year. It was always interesting to see these girls pandering after her when many of the other students kept their distance and admired from afar.

“Good afternoon ladies, can I help you all with something?” Oka responded coolly, offering her peers a light smile.

“We were just wondering if you were going to be having Kendo practice this afternoon,” One of the girls spoke up with a smile. All three of them looked up to her expectantly.

“Ah, no actually.” Oka responded and the girls seemed to get excited, invading her space a bit more. One of them elbowed the girl with the books. She shot them a glance before looking back to Oka.

“Then, that must mean maybe you’re free to come to karaoke with us this afternoon? I-I mean to celebrate the start of the new year.” She smiled.

“Ah, no. Sorry ladies. I have a Student Council meeting this afternoon.” Oka offered an apologetic smile, thankful that she always managed to have an excuse to not hang out with these girls. They had pursued her ever since they'd entered High school during her second year. Oka’s popularity amongst the students had gone up simply because A: she gave off an enigmatic aura because she never associated with any particular crowd and B: she was an upstanding student. If you combine the two, that’s a recipe for any high school student to be admired. Of course, there were other small details such as the fact that her father was the vice president of a large company and the fact that she was fairly well-off.

She felt like she was being treated like one of those characters in those games she had secretly played. It was hard to interact with other people like this; it made her feel overwhelmed at times.

Still, the girls accepted her response without much more push. It wasn’t out of the norm for her to be so busy but that never stopped them from trying at every chance they got. “That’s too bad.” She replied, looking a bit somber. The other two girls sighed. “One day we’ll get you to come out with us. Maybe next time. See you later, senpai!” She scurried off with the two girls and watched as they stuck closely together, chattering and giggling to themselves.

Oka turned the opposite direction and began to head to the student council room, feeling her body begin to relax again. “Don’t count on it.” The raven haired girl mumbled to herself. It wasn’t too far that she had to walk and when she’d arrived, she realized that she was the first one there. She thought nothing of it and sat her things in one of the chairs before peering out the window to look outside. There, she watched as the other students went home for the day. She wondered what Nakano-san would be discussing with them today.

[RiverMaiden]

---

| April 9th, 2018 | Hintori Highschool - Classroom 2-A |

---

As the bell rang to signal the end of the school day, Yori stretched out of her hunched position over her desk until her bones audibly popped, notebook pages filled to the brim with notes detailing everything mentioned in class. From the boring minutiae of a lesson to an off-handed comment Momoji-sensei made about eggs being better with ketchup, anything spoken by her teachers was recorded in writing. A natural occurrence when you wrote down what was heard without thinking about what it meant.

Her things packed away, Yori took a second to glance around the classroom, noting the groups that came together to socialize with class finished for the day. Friends who knew each other from the previous year clumped together seamlessly, newcomers who were in different classes last year and loners left the classroom the first chance they got, whether to go to their respective clubs or find old friends somewhere else.

The only outliers were the third year who spoke on stage earlier that morning, Nakano-san, the transfer student, Hoshino-san, and a popular boy from last year, Asakura-san. A strange trio, all burdened by rumors that Yori couldn't help but overhear throughout the day. It wasn't like people were attempting to hide them, after all. A familiar itch arrived the longer she stared at them, hand twitching by her side as she took a step toward them.

Then she looked at the clock, noticed the time, and walked out of the classroom. There wasn't enough time in the day to waste on rumors alone.

---

| April 9th, 2018 | Hintori Highschool - Third Floor |@Hero|

---

It didn't take long for Yori to reach her destination, with only a single flight of stairs between her classroom and the clubroom she had looked for. Clutched in her hand was a flyer, one of the few in the school, for the Archery Club that somehow still existed in Hinotori High. It was simple for her to reach out to the door and grab the handle, but Yori visibly hesitated for a good, long moment before she opened it.

But as the interior of the club room was revealed, her shoulders sunk down, her grip slackened. Once again, Sasaki Yori was back, not where she needed to be, but where she wanted to be. A home away from home, of sorts.

Though the room was familiar, not all the people were, and so she looked around for the person that was. It was the familiar name on the pamphlet that led her back, knowing that the previous captain was gone, but understanding that the new one could be trusted. When she spotted her, Yori approached with a respectful bow, only to greet the new captain of the Archery Club with a simple, "Kogoro-senpai. Good Afternoon."

[WXer]

---

While Noriaki definitely had a point regarding Kazuyoshi's lack of sleep, the newcomer to Hinotori high was about to be told the truth of and by the accompanying brash buck that was his classmate. "I hear ya, but I'm telling you now that sleep ain't gonna be changing me much by tomorrow." Kazu would state in the most serious tone he's spoken in today while fiddling away on his phone. The city of Kyoto wasn't lacking in shopping locations but Kazu hasn't exactly visited the kind of store Noriaki was looking for. Luckily, a quick scan on the web would tell him that there were indeed a few choices in the nearby commercial district. Putting his phone back in his pocket, Kazu would start walking towards the direction of their desired destination. "Alright, we're taking a shortcut. Don't mind the stench though, that's just Kyoto's charm, yeah?"

The metropole native would guide his countryside comrade through a mini-maze of the concrete jungle. The pair would cut through seldom-used footpaths, back roads, and narrow alleyways while avoiding the gaze of the homeowners of the private properties they were trespassing on. Along the way, Kazu tried to make small talk though only question really stood out. "So, not a lot of people can stand up to the prez like you did... How'd you do that? Y'know, not be fazed by authority figures. Gods know I can't even look Ayane's parents in the eyes..." Kazu asked, in a more playful jest. While this was definitely quite forward to ask, Kazu's curiosity beat out the reservations he had when they first met.

Eventually, after a few instances of being lost due to unforeseen route closures, they would reach the nucleus of the nearby shopping district. The flashy neon lights that illuminated the night were currently dimmed but the various employees assigned to greeting duty outside their stores more than made up for making the area pop out. Some were dressed as gothic maids, some in colourful uniforms with random English words plastered all over, and one was even in a strangely pristine mascot costume that seemed to be a cross between a dog and an acorn. "Think that dog-a-corn sells what you're looking for?" he would ask in the same sombre tone from their earlier departure.

---

@Asura

[Scribe of Thoth]

_{April 9th - After School}

---

The cooking club pamphlet he'd grabbed earlier was practically burning a hole in his pocket. Daigo had read and reread it at least twice now, considered tossing it in just about every trash can he passed along his walk home, and taken it in and out of his pocket countless times. He could only focus on the people walking in his vicinity for so long before his attention span wavered, and eavesdropping was never his strong suit to begin with, even when he needed a distraction. It felt like a weird betrayal to even consider joining, but at the same time, he wanted to turn around and march back to school just to catch the last bits of the first club meeting. Instead, he defaulted to mindlessly fidgeting with his phone in an effort to push the issue out of mind.

As Daigo veered past the shopping district, a familiar duo crossed into his peripheral vision that caused the boy to outright stop and do a double-take. Did... Did Asakura and the new kid have clones or something? He definitely saw them turn off the main road a while ago and head toward... nowhere. Some random residential backroads. He figured one of their houses must've been that way, but apparently they'd simply taken the most convoluted route possible into the heart of town. Daigo was half-convinced the road he saw them take didn't even lead here! Did they just hop every fence they could find on the way? That had to be illegal or something.

Kazuyoshi must've been playing a prank on the new kid; leading him on a wild goose chase through town to get him lost the next time he tried navigating on his own. It was none of his business, but Daigo figured he should say something. Being outright accusatory was probably too mean, since Asakura very well could have had an upstanding reason for travelling that way. Maybe there was a cool park that way or something. Still, even without all the rumors flying around, he wasn't exactly a model citizen that could do no harm; a dumb prank definitely sounded in-character for him. Besides, Daigo wanted to see Kyoto's newest resident for himself before word about his confrontation with Nakano-senpai got out and the inevitable rumor mill colored his opinion.

The redhead ducked out of the stream of foot traffic and casually approached the two while they were oogling the pet store. Again, Asakura didn't really seem the type to go in and pet the kitties. They were either laughing at the mascot or Hoshino decided he hadn't been rude enough for one day and needed some puppies to kick. His business or not, it was enough to get the boy's mind racing with curiosity and increasingly stupid theories about what Asakura was dragging the new kid into.

"Hey, didn't I see you two turn off back by, uh... that dry cleaner the Takemuras own? Is there something down there I don't know about?" He asked with a curious tilt of his head. Daigo hardly waited for an answer before his gaze came to rest solely on Hoshino and inquisitiveness overpowered his manners, "Oh, and welcome to Kyoto! I'd talk your ear off about the local food, but I'm sure you probably have a good idea already if you're from Osaka - you said that in class earlier, right? I mean, you sound like you're from Osaka. I think we get all our crab from down there, actually... Um, either way, I hope you're enjoying yourself here!" The boy seemed to barely stop for a breath while he prattled on.

---

@Wxer@Asura

[psych0pomp]

| 𝖣𝖠𝖳𝖤 : 9 APRIL 2018 | 𝖨𝖭𝖳𝖤𝖱𝖠𝖢𝖳𝖨𝖮𝖭𝖲 : UENO EMI-WHO? | 𝖫𝖮𝖢𝖠𝖳𝖨𝖮𝖭 : HINOTORI HIGH |

Maki scrunched her toes in the uwabaki, allowing her anxiety to flow through them. She tried not to watch too intently at the front board as members of the student council filed in, along with Nakano. She wasn't trying to look pleased with herself as everyone’s feathers were ruffled. The president wiped it off quickly and went about her business—poised. Maki didn’t expect it to go any other way. Honestly, she’d hoped that there would be a scene, but she knew that there was more control in the third year than most. Oh well. It wasn’t as if this wouldn’t come back around to Maki. She knew better. She also didn’t give a fuck. This would be old news by the end of the day.

The day passed without much fanfare or circumstance. She spent it sitting alone at her desk, working off and on at assignments. Maki wasn’t an idiot. She was just a shitty student. Most of the time, though, she just drew in the margins of her notes. Fantastical sketches of a world far different than this one. Tall buildings, wreathed in inked darkness with a speckling of light from windows—akin to stars. This scene grew and grew until she started to draw the veins of the world underneath. No longer was it picturesque, beautiful buildings bleeding into a beautiful skyline, but instead became more rudimentary. The jagged lines pressed hard into the paper. They were sinister in both their intent and design. Maki had zoned out so much when she’d reached that part of the drawing she barely noticed others were filing out of the room. It was the end of the day. She capped her pen and got her things in order. Her toes bumped against the tips of her slippers once again. A jolt of panic shot right up her spine.

The beginning of the day seemed so far away. The opening ceremony had bled easily into her school day. Maki had only broken away for lunch. She had a hidden spot at the crook of a hall as it turned by the window. The lip was a little uneven and protruded out. Maki may not have noticed had she not decided to do a frame of reference drawing on the corner. After that, she became somewhat enamored with its small imperfection. So, she sat her lunch on that ledge and ate, watching the trees outside. Not to let anyone think that this was a peaceful moment, she wore her headphones. Her music screamed in her ears. It was her moment of solace and nothing more. Maki had even turned off her notifications.

It’d made her forget about her “date” after school. As Maki packed her things, she needed to find a way to handle that. She wasn't too keen on fleeing, as her reputation was already garbage, but she knew Funai wouldn’t be alone. She didn’t outright expect the other girl to beat the living shit out of her, but she knew whatever waited wasn’t going to be great. Maybe Maki could monopolize on that rumor of putting someone in the hospital? She had enough personality to pull it off. Just continue to act fucking crazy, that might do it.

Maki had made up her mind on the plan as her thoughts screeched to a halt. She’d been slow to leave, her planning like mud in the treads of her shoes. Maki was halfway through putting her headphones on when the voice interrupted the silence of the room. Ueno Emiha, if Maki guessed. She didn’t know much about her beyond what everyone else did. She was blind—see cane for reference—, and she was friends with the other student council members that were third years. Was she also on the student council? Maki narrowed her eyes in thought. Why would Ueno ask me for help? Her eyes narrowed further, becoming green slits against her dark eyeshadow.

“Look, I don’t give a flying fuck where the student council room is, especially after these renovations. So, it’d just be the blind leading the blind—figuratively and then literally.” She placed a hand on her hip. “So, I think you can manage. How about I believe that you can get there on your own? Cheer you forward? Goooo… Ueno.” The inflection in her voice wasn’t at all uplifting.

"Now if you'll excuse me," Maki said, trying to push past her.

| 𝖳𝖠𝖦(𝖲) : @Obscene Symphony |