[IC] Shin Megami Tensei: Persona

[Hero]

---

---

The Cooking Club's room was absolutely pristine, with every countertop and stove polished and shined to the point where if the sun pointed into the room, it could potentially blind a person. Its size was impressive and it boasted several top-of-the-line stoves, ovens, and a variety of different mixers. Pots and pans hung from above, almost making the place feel like a restaurant's kitchen, and a few cabinets lined up the opposite wall. Despite its size, however, it was remarkedly empty.

Only two people currently occupied the room and were huddled together over the only stovetop that was currently turned on. One was the girl that Genki had take note of. She stood tall, a hand on her forehead as an expression of exasperation pained her. The other was a boy who looked younger and on the verge of either bursting into hysterics or a rant, it was hard to tell. But there was a passion burning in his eyes as he watched the pot eagerly, hands itching to lift the pot.

At the sound of Genki's voice, however, the two looked over at him. After properly hearing what he had to say, the boy continued to watch the stove as the girl approached him, bearing a grin. "Nice to meet you, Mori Genki-san," Her voice was light and airy as she spoke, fitting her appearance. "I'm Mizuame Rin. You can just call me Linda."

Pausing for a moment, she threw a glare over the boy's way. "That's Kaito. I'm really glad you showed up, I was starting to think Kaito forgot to put up the recruitment posters!" She told him cheerfully.

At the sound of his name, the brunet threw an offended look at the pair. "After going through all the work of making them, of course I was going to put them up!" He replied, pouting.

Linda motioned for Genki to follow her as she returned to Kaito's side. "Actually, a lot of the members of the Cooking Club graduated last year, so I was a little worried about our numbers. There were only two second years last year, and Kaito here is a first year whose brother I know," She explained. "So now it's just the two of us. Now the three of us! All we need is one or two members and we'll get funding for the year!"

---

_{@Lord Orgasmo}

---

The Student Council Room wasn't much different from before with the exception of a noticeable polish. There was a whiteboard set up on one wall with a projector hanging from above and desks arranged in a square. While there were nameplates with markers behind them, they had nothing on them yet. On one side of the whiteboard, however, there was a list of names and positions written down in neat handwriting.

The door of the student council room slid open and a male student slipped in. He jumped in place as he spotted Oka, letting out a small laugh as he realized how silly he looked. Taking a seat at the table, he took out a small bag from his backpack before placing it on the ground next to him. As he unzipped the bag, the shine of a camera lens poked out. Once he was satisfied, he closed the bag and pushed it over to his right, giving Oka his full attention.

"Good afternoon, senpai!" He greeted her. "I'm Kinoshita Sora, a first year. I'll be the council's secretary this year."

---

_@Entityx

---

The Archery Clubroom was as active as ever, with a majority of its members fawning over the new room. A majority of the equipment was stored safely in one corner of the room, but the new targets had been laid out already. Despite the excitement, however, there was some anxiety rolling around coming from the younger members.

Standing closest to the wall was the captain that Yori addressed. There wasn't much that was remarkable appearance-wise, but everyone in the club and even some outside of it knew that she wasn't someone to trifle with. She had been the number two of the club ever since she arrived in her first year and knew how to help lead the members. It was only natural that she was gifted the title of captain, so it didn't come as much of a surprise to anyone. That said, however, even she looked a little concerned, though it was promptly shelved as she was greeted.

"Welcome back, Sasaki," She greeted her cordially, lighting up. After a few seconds, however, she let out a small sigh. "I'm not sure if you've heard, but there's been some rumors that our funding is getting cut. If it's true, we're not going to be able to support as many people as we'd like."

_@RiverMaiden

---

[Asura]

HOSHINO NORIAKI

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx D A T E April 9th 2018 L O C A T I O N Commercial Kyoto T A G S @Scribe of Thoth@WXer

"I hear ya, but I'm telling you now that sleep ain't gonna be changing me much by tomorrow." Noriaki resisted the urge to roll his eyes at Asakura's statement. The bags beneath his eyes seemed to tell a much different story. But he wasn't going to push the issue—it seemed as though his usually chipper classmate had something more damning than a lack of sleep weighing on his mind, and he didn't care to go digging through other people's personal affairs. Especially not after his little run in with the council's president. Finally getting a move on was a welcome change in to the lingering quiet that had accompanied the tonal change, and the follow-up that Asakura had for him did finally earn an eye roll. The kid from Kyoto was going to tell him about urban charm? Their journey through the streets of the city certainly made him question his companion's city slicking. He half expected the route to be so convoluted on purpose, as some kind of dumb joke to pull on the new kid. Maybe Kyoto was just old, and lacking the intuitive design of modernity in its layout. Maybe Kazu just didn't know where the hell they were going. He was poking away at his phone curiously before they set off. For the sake of politeness, Noriaki kept his thoughts to himself; hopping a few fences and ducking through an alleyway or two wasn't an issue for someone like him. If nothing else, his host kept the small talk flowing, although the lighthearted bantering took at least one turn towards the more serious. "Experience, I guess," Noriaki answered vaguely, "Besides, she wasn't just there to greet a new student. She was there to throw something in my face. Some kinda power play. I hate that kinda backhanded shit. Pisses me the fuck off." If his expletives didn't key off his irritation, then the venom in his voice would have. Maybe it would ward off any follow up questions. He certainly didn't want to talk about his record or the queen bitch waving it over his head anymore than he already had to. Their arrival in the shopping district proper gave him a convenient excuse to gloss over the topic regardless. It was no Tennoji, but the bustling commercial plaza seemed like it would get the job done. "Man, do I look like I'm familiar with what the hell a dog-a-corn sells? Could be corndogs for all I know. You're the native, can't you—" His griping was cut off shortly thereafter, as they were approached by a member of the ever shifting crowd. He had half a mind to tell whatever street hawker had interrupted him off until he caught sight of just who it was; a fellow Hinotori student, based off the uniform, and one he remembered at that. It was hard to miss the kid's shock of messy ginger hair, especially when you shared a homeroom. Even if you could miss his hair, it sure as hell seemed hard to miss his mouth. The excitable youth talked on and on, the majority of it directed at Noriaki himself. Not a surprise, of course. He had spent a sizable portion of lunch answering the questions of curious peers, some of which weren't even in his class. There was a short pause after some mention of crab, and Noriaki seized the initiative before his classmate went rambling any further. "Uh, thanks, I guess? It's been pretty alright, so far." He didn't exactly want to be rude to someone welcoming him to the city, but he had pressing matters to attend. Matters that this particular fellow might have been able to help him with, if his knowledge of local dry cleaners was anything to go by. "You happen to know what the hell that thing sells?" He asked, hiking a thumb over his shoulder to gesture towards the seed-shaped dog costume, "'Cause I need cat food and a litter box, as appealing as deep fried hotdogs might sound right now."

[Hero]

---

Spending time together? Lunch? Kaarage?! What in the world was wrong with this guy? There wasn't even time to come up with a proper retort as Hoshino made his swift exit, leaving Sakuya fuming. Idiot. He was an idiot! She absolutely hated that his stupid comment managed to hit her hard enough to stun her to silence. And she was supposed to look after him, what an absolute joke! Her initial assumption had been right on the money, at the very least, even if she was less than pleased at the outcome. Did she look like some sort of beguiled housewife?!

After a few seconds, however, it was apparent that any lingering students were definitely staring at her. Gripping her bag tightly, she spun on her heel and marched out of the room, biting down hard on her tongue to prevent herself from lashing out at anyone. This was so stupid, all that fuss for an idiot. No, that wasn't what she was really mad at. She felt completely embarrassed by the entire interaction, there were about a dozen different ways she could have handled it better. And of course, that spectacle in the second years' classroom would be quick to spread. So much for keeping her head low.

Noticing the vice principal a distance ahead, Sakuya stopped in her tracks. He kept looking around, and she assumed he was looking for her. Ducking into the girls' bathroom, she placed her bag down as she approached the sink, deciding to wash her face. As she checked her reflection, she noticed that she looked upset. Of all the sorry expressions she had to have, why did she have to look upset? Did what the stupid transfer student have to say really bother her that much?

Tearing her gaze away, she stared down at the running water. "Idiot," She muttered under her breath as she turned the faucets off. Whining about it wouldn't accomplish anything, she would just have to be more careful moving forward. It didn't matter how it started, it was all about how it finished, after all. At least, that was what Reiji used to tell her. Which meant she was going to have to make sure to handle the transfer student. She wasn't about to let him think he could walk all over her like that.

She was much more determined as she dried her face off, poking her head out to the hallway. The coast was clear, so it was one less thing to worry about, at least.

"Nakano-san."

Sakuya held back the groan in her throat as she looked over to who called out her name, meeting the gaze of one displeased Yamamoto Kenta. While most people were quick to dismiss the bespectacled stickler, those that were in the know were all too aware of how much influence he had. The Yamamoto family was well known even outside of Kyoto, and the decision for one of their sons to attend Hinotori had been nothing short of a blessing; there had been multiple generous donations every year he had attended. To be fair, he typically kept to himself and wouldn't necessarily laud his position over overs. However, whenever he did decide to stick his nose somewhere, it was never a good thing.

Sakuya put on a more neutral expression as she stopped in place. "Good afternoon, Yamamoto-san," She replied.

"If you have a moment, I'd like to speak with you about something," He said, getting right to it.

"I'm gathering the council for something. If it isn't urgent, I'm happy to hear you out tomorrow," She told him.

"I wouldn't say urgent, but it is important," He paused for a moment, looking her over. "You look more mature now, like a spring flower that's finally blossomed."

Sakuya blinked slowly, her head trying to process what she just heard. First Hoshino, now this. She naively assumed she wasn't the type to draw male attention, but she supposed at the very least she should have expected it from Yamamoto. He was probably just being nice, she felt like she lost too much weight the past few months. "I'm...glad you think so," She replied, if only because she honestly had no idea what to even say to that. "Is that all?"

"Ah, no. Actually, maybe I'll take you up on that offer for tomorrow," He thought about it for a moment. "I assume you're aware of the increase in delinquency. It's bad enough poor Mochizuki-san ended up hospitalized, but it's important that they are stomped out sooner than later."

"Mochizuki Ayane? But her accident was..." Sakuya stopped herself, shaking her head. It wasn't any of her business to spread personal information around. "I believe you're mistaken that the two are connected, but I'm in full agreement. I'll come up with something sooner than later."

"Good! Though it really is a shame that poor Mochizuki was the one to suffer. Though I'll be honest, I don't think I would have cared as much if it had been Asakura," He admitted.

Sakuya resisted the urge to roll her eyes, though she did let out a sigh. Asakura did seem like he had come out of it none the worse for wear, but she wasn't going to go making assumptions. "You shouldn't say that, it's a terrible incident nonetheless," She stated.

"Don't tell me you actually care? Asakura was basically the ringleader of that little crew," Yamamoto scoffed.

While she had no strong feelings on the matter, Yamamoto was starting to annoy her. Placing her hand on her hip, she raised an eyebrow at him. "Your only interest lies in Mochizuki. As always, whenever there's a girl involved, suddenly you're right there," Sakuya replied without missing a beat. "Funny, I never took you as the type to pine over girls who had boyfriends."

"What--That's ridiculous," He snapped, much to her satisfaction. He quickly recovered, however, an odd expression on his face as his lips curved into a smirk. "And I never took you as the jealous type, Nakano-san."

Sakuya let out a hollow laugh, the smile on her face never quite reaching her eyes. Whatever little patience she had in her reservoir was already scraping the bottom, her temper flaring up again. Instead of outright yelling, however, she made sure this time she was the one in control of the situation. "I'd sooner watch you choke on your million yen bento lunch," She told him happily, flipping her hair over her shoulder as she walked past him. "Now, if you'll excuse me, my members are likely waiting for me."

She heard some grumbling behind her but chose to focus on continuing her walk, checking her watch. Hm, she wasted too much time with him, if he was going to approach her with more nonsense then she was going to have to be harsh from the start. Being stricter and more assertive was usually the way to go, anyway. With that in mind, she opened the door to the student council room, happy to see two members already there. She was certain Ueno-san would join them soon enough.

"Good afternoon," She greeted them both.

_@Entityx

[Scribe of Thoth]

_{April 9th - After School}

---

Huh, not only did Hoshino pet cats, he owned one. Apparently not for very long, though, or he would've already owned a litter box. Maybe his old place didn't allow pets. Wait, wouldn't he have just bought all the cat stuff along with the cat? Oh, of course, it was like those animes where the angry delinquent secretly feeds stray cats in the rain to reveal to the audience that he wasn't such a bad guy. Come to think of it, Daigo really had no proof Hoshino was a delinquent, or even an unpleasant person. Sure, he was hanging out with Asakura, but that didn't mean anything; he was too new to be already involved in schoolyard politics. His little spat with Nakano-senpai was hardly damning either, since she kind of started it. Daigo hadn't seen him be mean to anyone else during the day either.

Then again, this guy was in the heart of the veritable culinary capital of Japan and craving a corn dog of all things. One had to either be some manner of villain or a complete philistine to do that. He could excuse that behavior from some Tokyo-born idiot but an Osaka native should know better.

Focus, Daigo, focus. He didn't ask for dining recommendations.

"I think that's a pet store. Or... was it the gardening store?" Daigo mused to himself, "No, no, that's down the street. Yeah, definitely the pet store. See, they got those scratching post tree thingies." The boy made a loose gesture toward the open door of the shop in question as a woman stepped outside, beyond which a glimpse of elaborate and probably overpriced cat trees were visible. "If you can't find it there, there's a supermarket around the corner that probably has all that stuff too." The ginger kept himself all smiles and animated gestures, even going so far as to rock back and forth on his heels restlessly while he spoke. He seemed genuinely happy to help; whatever previous anxiety he'd derived from the crumpled up paper in his pocket was gone, replaced with the same exuberance one might find in a customer service training video that framed the job as a pleasure rather than an obligation.

Daigo turned back toward the other student present and raised himself up on his tiptoes playfully. "What about you, Asakura-kun, you in the market for a dog now or just being neighborly?" He seriously didn't even know where to buy cat food? Maybe Kazuyoshi wasn't playing a prank and had genuinely gotten lost. That had to be embarrassing in front of the guy from out of town. Daigo didn't really trust anyone from Asakura's clique, but he'd probably assigned ill intentions to both him and Hoshino unfairly at this point. Unless the dark-haired boy just wanted to recruit another freakishly tall kid into his circle and resigned to follow Hoshino around until he did.

---

@Wxer@Asura

[Lord Orgasmo]

April 9th. Speaking with:@Hero

---

So most of the club members were third years huh? Guess that made some sense. Just go to the club that's on the same floor, rather than run around the school. And it looked like there weren't too many participants for the club yet, but it was only the first day. "Well, hey, it's only the first day, I'm sure there'll be more people here soon. So anyways, Linda, what days are we meeting up on? I usually don't have too much going on, so I should be here most days."

Genki's eyes darted over to the only other person in the room as he talked. Kaito. He looked a little like himself. Granted, you could find a lot of brown haired boys that looked a little like him, Genki thought. He didn't exactly stand out. Another thing Genki noticed is that he looked almost... tired? Or he had some sort of freaky eyeliner going on. But to each his own, he supposed. He certainly wasn't the strongest looking person he'd ever seen.

Then there was Rin, er, Linda. She seemed nice enough, and seemed to enjoy what she was doing. Or rather, going to be doing. While Genki certainly had the thought to give a once-over of her appearance, he decided that would likely make a poor first impression. Though he'd have to say, she'd probably be able to rock a pair of vanity specs. Just seems like she would look better with glasses. Of course, he'd never say that out loud.

As his words winded down, during his second talking to with Linda, another thought crossed his mind: recruitment posters. He had seen several in the halls, but none of them seemed to be for the Cooking Club. Either his new associate Kaito really did forget to put them up, or they weren't very attention grabbing. He'd have to pay more attention on his way out for the posters, and maybe say something tomorrow if there was a lack of them.

Just as he finished speaking, he opened his mouth once more. "Oh! One more thing, how long does this last? My grandparents don't want me out too late. I guess they're afraid I'll join a gang or something. Either that or I'll eat without them." The gang part he'd never do, but as for eating without them, weeeelllll... There's a really nice takoyaki stall that comes around sometimes. He could certainly be convinced.

[Entityx]

April 9th- Afternoon

---

It wasn’t before long that the door slid open and another student entered. Oka turned her attention away from the departing students and focused on him for a moment, paying close attention to his bag. She noticed for a split second a camera lens before he put it away and set the bag off to the side. Oka turned back around and silently opened up the window to let in the cool breeze. Once satisfied, she never took her place at one of the desks and instead remained by the window.

As he introduced himself, she remained internally cautious while still offering a polite smile. “Good afternoon, Kinoshita-san. You may very well already know me, but for the sake of introductions I’m Naomi Oka. This year I’m acting as Vice President.” She paused for a brief moment, choosing her words carefully. “I know that at times Student Council work can be a bit overwhelming for first years. But don’t worry, your senpais are here to help guide you if you have any issues.” Oka continued, casually.
.
It wasn’t long after Sora had arrived that Sakuya had then arrived as well. “Ah, Good afternoon Nakano-san. You seem to be a popular, busy little bee on the very first day of school.” Oka casually lifted her wrist to check her watch as if to look at the time. She was obviously teasing the President for her tardiness. It wasn’t like Sakuya to be late; but she could only assume that either the Principal or the Vice Principal were trying to be the puppet masters to Sakuya’s actions.

Now all that was left was for Emi to arrive. No doubt, Emi was getting herself into something she had no business. She recalled Emi staying back in class with It Maki, someone Oka just knew she had nothing in common with. She knew their conversation was most certainly not going to be about the weather. Oka would have to tease Emi as well for delaying them.

---

@Hero

[WXer]

---

Before he could explain the advertising genius of acorns being used to adorn a Dachshund body costume, a random bystander had interrupted their conversation. He looked quite familiar to Kazuyoshi but he couldn't quite put his finger on it until the lad started going on about food. "Oh, it's Hinari-kun. You know cutting through old man Takemura's place is the fastest way to get here... Also, if it's Mister Takemura asking, then no we've never even heard of him." Kazuyoshi had a feeling that Daigo was the kind of kid to actually enjoy talking to adults, specially taking pleasure in snitching on cool kids such as himself. Who else would bother listening to a rant about crabs, after all, aside from the elderly who probably have nothing else going on for them. Luckily, Noriaki was the target of his focus as they continued their conversation about cats and corndogs. Damn, could he go for a sweet batter-dipped, deepfried sausage with mustard on top right about now.

Just as he was about to further indulge in his fantasy, Kazuyoshi would be pulled from the verge of his daydream departure as Daigo proceeded to ask about dogs that weren't on sticks or sauced to perfection. "Uh, no on the dogs but I'm not gonna let some schmuck salesman upsell Noriaki useless merch. Osakan accents smell like blood to those sharks." While this was the preferred reasoning formed by his conscious mind, the feeling of being wanted company was his true longing. Luckily, Noriaki was strangely approachable and accommodating. Perhaps his magnetism was what also caused their classmate to join in on their discussion. Taking a risk on his hunch, Kazuyoshi would extend the olive branch to Daigo.

"So since you're like the expert on boring stuff like this, wanna help me ward off those sales sharks?" he would state with masking bravado, secretly hoping their bespectacled peer would accept. As much as he'd like to, Kazu couldn't possibly just talk to Noriaki for the rest of his high school life. Perhaps it was time to expand his horizons and include others unlike himself within his social circle. The price to pay for this, unfortunately, might be listening to hours upon hours about how there's multiple ways to serve crabs and the accompanying side dishes that complement its flavor and texture. He really just wanted a corndog right about now.

[Obscene Symphony]

_{April 9th—Afternoon}

---

Ito seemed to hesitate a second before replying, but when she finally did, Emi’s eyebrows rose in mild surprise. Wow, edgy on all fronts, wasn’t she? Emi didn’t exactly go out of her way to take advantage of the certain… leeway her disability gave her, but it was a rare thing indeed for a stranger to outright refuse to help her if she asked, and so rudely at that. She had to wonder what was behind that; did she recognize her, and expect some backlash for her writing on the board? Maybe. Or maybe she was just an equal-opportunity asshole—it didn’t matter much to Emi.

After a second’s hesitation, Emi offered a soft smile in the other girl’s direction, chuckling quietly as she unfolded her cane. “That’s fair enough I suppose,” she replied sweetly, counting the clicks of her cane until she knew it was fully extended. “I suppose I shouldn’t assume, I can see why a non-member wouldn’t be familiar with the student council room. I’m sorry to bother you. I do have one more question though, before you go.”

Without warning, Emi jabbed the tip of her cane into the door frame with a satisfying clack, barring Ito from leaving. Friendly expression evaporating, she narrowed her eyes in the other girl’s direction, her sightless gaze carrying with it an uncharacteristic coldness.

“Just exactly what the hell is your problem?” She snapped, her tone sharper than even she herself was used to. An unfamiliar spike of adrenaline coursed through her—she never used to be this confrontational, but the words flowed out of her like water, and in her mood, she was content to go with the flow.

“Listen, I don’t care if you’re jealous or if you chafe under authority or whatever the fuck your problem is, but you will not blacken my friends’ memory with your disgusting lies,” Emi continued, her tone low and full of venom. She jabbed a finger at Ito, brandishing it like a knife. “And if you must spread filth to make it through the day, try educating yourself a little first. Nakano-san’s brother was one of the casualties of those fires. Her own goddamn house was one of the ones that burned down. Reiji-san was my friend; so were the rest of them. Do you even know their names? Or does smearing their memory mean so little to you that you didn’t even bother to learn them?!”

Emi’s voice broke at the end, her moment of courage giving way to a much more familiar wave of sorrow. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she finally stopped holding Ito at finger-point to cover her mouth before it twisted into an ugly frown. Dammit, why now?! She never used to get this emotional, she thought she’d come to terms with things at least enough to say her friends’ names without breaking into tears!

“Leave the dead out of your petty jealous schemes,” Emi warned, voice a little quieter, but still sharp enough to get her point across. She let her cane drop, leveling Ito’s direction with her best glare before turning to gather the rest of her things so she could get the hell out of this girl’s disgusting aura already.

---

_@psych0pomp

[Asura]

HOSHINO NORIAKI

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx D A T E April 9th 2018 L O C A T I O N Commercial Kyoto T A G S @Scribe of Thoth@WXer

Noriaki scratched at his chin as the bubbly ginger pointed out the sampling of stock one could glance through the door. He supposed it was a dumb question in hindsight, what with the storefront itself not too far away, but it didn't seem to bother the redhead. He watched with mild interest as the boy—whose surname was Hinari, as Kazuyoshi had just reminded him—stood on the tips of his toes and decided to question his guide instead. It was hard to tell whether or not that was just one of the animated lad's eccentricities, or if it was to compensate for the height difference between the two. Regardless of the reasoning, his prompting seemed to drag the azure-haired youth out of his daydreaming. Something Noriaki quickly came to curse. Why the hell was it that whenever Asakura opened his mouth, something dumb had to come out along with the rest? "The fuck are we, in the Meiji era? It's a pet store, not a bazaar. I'll be in and out in five minutes," he interjected, although the salesmen and their nefarious ways weren't what poked at his nerve, "And I do not have an accent—Osaka is literally a twenty minute train ride south." Content that he had defended himself and his home, Noriaki stuffed his hands into his pockets and began to trudge his way through the assembled shoppers, towards his destination and its bizarre mascot. In spite of his protests, he fully expected his overly forward guide to follow along, and with how pleased to help he seemed, Hinari would probably be on their heels as well. That might have been something of a blessing, in truth. Maybe one of them could explain what the hell no-clumping litter was and why he wouldn't want it to clump up in the first place. Wasn't that the whole point?

[RiverMaiden]

---

| April 9th, 2018 | Hintori Highschool - Archery Club |@Hero|

---

Yori furrowed her brows as Kogoro explained the club's situation, arms crossed and lips drawn into the beginnings of a frown. "That's unfortunate."

What she saw as 'unfortunate' about the captain's statement, however, was up to debate. During the previous year, when Yori had first joined the club, she was known for her bossy behavior despite being one of the newest members. Admonishing others for the smallest of mistakes, giving direction when none was needed, and generally just being at odds not only with her fellow newcomers but her seniors as well. Though the green-haired sophomore mellowed out a little by the time the year ended, it wouldn't be inaccurate to assume that the green-haired girl cared more about the club itself potentially closing down rather than possessing any concern about the recruitment of new club members.

"At least the club's still standing. It could've been worse," Yori asserted a second later as her eyes roamed the clubroom, darting around as if looking for something in particular. Her cerulean pair hardened as they sighted someone, who clearly never picked up a bow in their life, began plucking at the bowstring of one of the few bows on a rack, but her gaze softened once more as they returned to look toward the captain. "Well, I'm glad you kept it running in spite of the circumstances, Kogoro-senpai."

She then moved to stretch, dominant arm extended while the other supported it, beginning to walk around the room. "Do you still have the bow I used to use? I forgot to take it with me last year.

[Scribe of Thoth]

_{April 9th - After School}

---

Daigo found it a bit hard to believe that the proprietor of a pet store would have much luck aggressively peddling their wares. Most tourists, if one could even call Osakans that, would fall for cheap souveniers and food, not pet beds and squeaky toys. Was Asakura playing another prank? And since he'd gotten an invitation to join them, did that mean the joke was at his expense now? Well, the ginger still hadn't properly introduced himself to Hoshino, and it wasn't like he had anything better to do. Worst case scenario was that his mind would be taken off less pleasant matters for a bit while he trailed after the cool kids. Or they'd call him a loser and ditch him, but that scenario was neither worth dwelling on nor anything he wasn't prepared for.

"Yeah, sure, I'll be the muscle," Daigo agreed facetiously as he glanced between the two much larger teens. Surely anyone Kazuyoshi couldn't fend off would hardly be cowed by him. Which again begged the question of why he had been invited along in the first place. Maybe that was just Asakura's way of introducing the new kid to everyone, or Daigo really was walking into the setup for an elaborate prank. The nearsighted boy was pretty sure none of Asakura's friend group would even give him the time of day normally, so Daigo's theory about his hunt for tall people to recruit had apparently been debunked. The blue-haired boy himself wasn't exactly mean, though, so maybe he really was just performing an innocent act of friendliness.

"You have a liiiittle bit of an accent," The redhead muttered in response to Noriaki's admonition as the other boy turned away to purchase his litter box. Daigo ducked and weaved through the stream of pedestrians with completely unnecessary dramatic flair in his effort to catch up with Noriaki and engage him in conversation again. "I'm Daigo, by the way. Hinari Daigo. So, uh, other than this, what were you guys doing today?" Unless they outright told him to go away, he'd probably be tagging along for the remainder of Asakura's patented Trespasser's Guide to Kyoto. It was probably smart to get an idea of what exactly he was participating in before he was in too deep and ended up arrested or drunk or arrested and drunk or whatever kind of mayhem Kazuyoshi got into in his spare time. At the very least, Daigo could give them a couple suggestions that beat corndogs if they got hungry. He didn't even know where to get a corndog around here, and it was a feat for any facet of the culinary world in this area to evade him. Though, any place that actually served corndogs was probably beneath his notice to begin with.

Seriously. Corndogs. The audacity of some people.

---

@Wxer@Asura

[psych0pomp]

| 𝖣𝖠𝖳𝖤 : 9 APRIL 2018 | 𝖨𝖭𝖳𝖤𝖱𝖠𝖢𝖳𝖨𝖮𝖭𝖲 : EMI-WHO? ► CUSTOMERS | 𝖫𝖮𝖢𝖠𝖳𝖨𝖮𝖭 : HINOTORI HIGH ► YAMADA-BUCHOU'S STORE |

Maki assumed that Ueno was done. She was already fishing her headphones out of her bag and trying to figure out how to do deal with Funai. Maybe I could use Ueno as a human shield? She chuckled at that thought, not expecting the blind girl to register the expression. Grabbing her headphones, she almost had them on her ears when Ueno went to ask her another question. Maki was just fine to ignore her and push on. Yet, she was caught off guard as the cane forcefully blocked her escape. The wheels in Maki’s mind spun like tires on ice. What the fuck is going on here? She turned her attention to Ueno, slipping her headphones back into her bag. Fine, the blind girl had her attention.

What Maki didn’t expect was the viciousness in Ueno’s return. She knew that the other was close to the Nakano and the student council, but apparently she didn't know the extent of it. Ueno was now coming at her like a diminutive guard dog. She may have not had a bark, but her bite was something fierce. And Maki let her snap away. If anything, it was delightful to see the shy, sweet Ueno get mean.

The cane lowered and Ueno turned away from her, but not after her emotions whelmed into a wave that lapped into silence and obvious disgust. The glare wasn’t lost on Maki. She paused, allowing her thoughts to culminate into something more solid. She wanted to snap back, but all that vitriol had been sapped out by Ueno’s sincerity. “You’re a good friend,” she said. “Look at you, fighting the good fight for Nakano. You know no one should be big enough idiots to believe that shit. I don’t believe it. It was a stupid move, and you’re calling me out for it. Good job. For real this time.” She started to walk out of the classroom before stopping. “And I didn’t forget those that died. It’s just easier to deal with living. They haven’t stopped being assholes, yet.”

Maki started walking again. “And you’re too cute, Ueno-chan, to still be hung up on Nakano’s brother. Find yourself a third year and settle down.” She laughed, having exited the room, but still loud enough to be heard from the hall. “Or a second year. I hear that class is filled with idiots.”

Maki passed the gate of the school and headed to work. Her headphones managed to migrate to the bottom of her bag in that short time with Ueno, but Maki rescued them from a horrible fate of getting wrapped up in the spiral of her notebook. Unfortunately, that entire debacle caused her attention to fixate on her headphones. It was stupid, but it was a way that she could swallow the guilt down. Honestly, she shouldn’t have let Ueno get to her. Honestly… she should have been paying better attention.

Maki felt the shadow of Funai before she heard the other’s voice. ”And look at that, you’re right on time.” She was surrounded by her friends, a mixture of students from the school. Usually, they would just heckle her, but they were in a mood today. The start of the school was bound to bring out the aggression in anyone.

”I guess your two brain cells are still saying that this is a good idea? Woo. Look at you. All big and tough, ganging up on me. Awe, do your friends have to record?” Maki glanced over at the phone cameras that were currently filming her. “After this, are you all are going to work on your amateur orgy movie?” She then made a very lewd gesture involving her hand and shoving her tongue into her cheek.

Funai fumed. ”You think you’re soooooo clever? I know about that shit you did to Nakano-san. So, this ass whooping isn’t just for me. It’s for her too.“

”She going to be your porn too? Because—“ was all Maki got out before the fist connected.

Maki rested her cheek on the cool surface of the counter of the convenience store. She’d applied makeup to hide the red, which definitely blossom into purple, but that didn’t stop the pain. Funai had done a good job avoiding doing anything that Maki’s parents could fly into a rage about. Only a couple of punches before she and her gang were laughing too hard to proceed. Maki hadn’t gone down entirely like a bitch, though. She’d slapped Funai’s phone out of her hand and crushed it underneath her own boot. That was before she got out of there, flipping her off the entire time. It was the small things…

Maki had to admit there were fewer ding ding dings now.

She pulled up the sleeve of her jacket, having changed out of her uniform once she'd gotten there. Honestly, working at the convenience store wasn't hard, but she didn't want to give customers any more fuel for conversation. So, she switched out of it and into something more comfortable. Though, the outfit was a far cry from less of a conversation piece. Her hair was loose from its ponytail, and she was using it as a way to further cover the damage.

The door ringed as someone entered. "Welcome," she said, her face still smushed against the counter but her tone forcefully cheerful. Maki did at least try at work because her boss wasn't one of the enflamed dicks in her life. So, she'd give him that courtesy.

| 𝖳𝖠𝖦(𝖲) : @Obscene Symphony |

[Hero]

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Linda listened intently as Genki spoke, making sure to absorb everything he said. While he spoke, Kaito focused on the pot as he brought out a small, wooden box. Sliding it open, he plucked out what looked like a tiny seasoning shaker out, taking the lid off the pot and sprinkling its contents in. Placing it back respectfully, he hummed quietly to himself, though he looked over at the pair once Genki finished speaking.

"I'm hoping for at least three times a week starting on Tuesdays--with this week as an exception to focus on recruitment, of course," Linda finally spoke, holding up three fingers. "How long we end up staying varies depending on what dish we end up tackling, but we usually make enough for people to take home. That said, though, we won't be recognized as an official club until we get at least four members. So if you know anyone, try to drag them down here when you get a chance."

Kaito looked up from his cooking, his mouth agape. "Drag them down--Senpai, is that really a good idea?" He asked nervously.

"They'll all come running at the chance to have such a cute kouhai," She replied cheerfully as she slapped Kaito's shoulder.

"Shouldn't you use yourself as a recruitment tactic...?" He grumbled.

Linda ignored him, turning back to Genki. "Although, I'll probably be here every single day, so if you wanna learn something new or just need someplace to hangout, you'll always find me here!" She informed him.

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@Lord Orgasmo

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Anzu let out a small sigh, scratching her cheek. "It stands for now," She grumbled, though she ended up walking a little faster to end up in front of Yori. "If Natsuhime-san was president, I wouldn't be so worried. Instead, we get stuck with Hinotori's Tyrant. I don't doubt that if there's another budget review that we'll end up getting slashed further. Never mind that we reach nationals yearly, but if the Tyrant doesn't approve, well..."

Ansu stopped before a locker, entering a combination--she made no effort to hide what she was doing, clearly showing it off so Yori could access it herself in the future. "Supposedly we're supposed to be getting some modern bows in the future, but I really feel like they're missing the point of a traditional archery club," She said as she opened the lock, carefully sliding the locker open. Each bow was marked and in its place, with a blank sticker on the locker's wall.

Rummaging through her pockets, she pulled out a marker, offering it to Yori. "Here," She offered. After a few seconds, she looked over to the other members still chatting. "If morale gets brought down, I'm afraid it'll have an affect on people."

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@RiverMaiden

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"I'll be counting on your support!" Sora gave Oka a small bow of the head, though he straightened up considerably once Sakuya walked in. The girl looked less than pleased, albeit she gave off an air of professionalism as she stopped next to the boy. "Ah--Nakano-san, thank you again for choosing me." He said, bowing his head once more.

Sakuya stopped in front of a seat, placing her bag down before sitting. "I heard good things from Hinotori Middle School's counselor. I was surprised you had an interest in serving on the council, I was sure you'd rather be in the Photography Club or on the school's newspaper team," She said as she brought out a small notebook and pen, her hand already working on writing down a few bullet points.

"Oh, I got the okay from Otsuka-senpai--I'll be prioritizing this, of course," He hastily explained.

Sakuya nodded in response, putting her pen down as Oka spoke. For a second, she seemed like she wanted to say something, staying quiet. "Busy is right," She eventually replied, folding her hands together as she rested her chin on them. "We've got our work cut out for us this year. Vice Principal Taniguchi has stressed the importance of cracking down on the rising delinquency for one, and for another, the budget changes have gotten the clubs all up in arms. We're probably going to have to support Ueno-san in her area to keep us from falling behind."

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@Entityx

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[Asura]

HOSHINO NORIAKI

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx D A T E April 9th 2018 L O C A T I O N Commercial Kyoto T A G S @Scribe of Thoth@WXer@psych0pomp

Noriaki resisted the urge to bristle at Daigo's quietly muttered statement. Of all the places for people to claim he had an accent, fucking Kyoto? If he wanted to take shit for the way he talked, he would have moved to Tokyo and dealt with all those urbanites up in Kanto. An ironic thing to internally fuss over, considering his current preoccupation in crowd navigation. It seemed as though the ginger youth—for all his lack of height—managed to follow along just fine, even going as far as to introduce himself more properly. "Hoshino Noriaki. Nice to meet you." The teen responded succinctly as he passed the so-called Dog-a-Corn, pausing in front of the pet shop doors as his companion posed a question. In all honesty, he didn't have any further plans aside from this, and it certainly didn't seem like Asakura had anywhere impressive to show him back when they discussed plans in class. He thought on it for a second or two, before an avian display inside the store proper caught his eye and became his muse. "You guys like chicken?" The shopping Noriaki had to do was mercifully quick, impatient as he tended to be. A litter box and accompanying scoop, some actual liter, a food bowl, a couple of cans of some godforsaken fish concoction and a collar. He had also splurged on a couple of cat bow-ties, but he tried to keep those out of sight of his companions—he didn't need Asakura lecturing him on being up-sold on accessories. A cat deserved to be dapper and he wasn't going to let somebody who shared a hair color with blueberries scold him on that. But thoughts of fancy cats were far from his mind as the group approached their destination: FamilyMart. It was a bit like the blind leading the sighted, the new kid dragging the natives to an eatery, but Noriaki had always liked the chicken they sold. Besides, he didn't have much to snack on back at the house anyway, so it was an investment in both his present and future hunger. The typical ring greeted the group as Noriaki forged ahead, and the clerk piped up with more forced enthusiasm than expected for someone of her posture. Not like he cared. "Yo," He greeted out of equally expected politeness, before peering over his shoulder towards his fellow classmates, "I'm telling you guys, you buy some curry bread and smack a hunk famichiki right in the middle of it. Best chicken sandwich you're gonna get from a konbini." He spoke with all the authority that years of being a ravenous, semi-broke student athlete could lend one in regards to cheap convenience store fare. Whether or not they believed him mattered little—he had bread to procure, and chicken to inspect. He didn't want to end up with one of the dry pieces from the front, and the counter-faced cashier certainly didn't instill him with confidence when it came to choosing a juicy one.

[Lord Orgasmo]

April 9th. Speaking with:

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Three days a week, starting on Tuesdays. Well that certainly seemed like a good enough deal to him. Learn to cook and get out of housework? Not to mention the supposed free food. Hopefully their first dish would be something simple like egg-fried rice. Mmm... egg-fried rice... Genki blinked twice as he suddenly snapped back to reality, realizing he didn't quite hear the ending of Linda's statement. But, being too afraid to ask what she said, Genki simply said "Got it." Genki raised his hand, making an "OK" sign with his fingers. "I'll see you later, then! Gotta get home and help out aroundthe house." and with a wave headed out the door. They both seemed nice enough. Maybe this would be better than he thought.

As Genki walked down the third floor halls, he reminded himself to look for recruitment posters. The third floor had plenty, just as many as anyone else's club. On the second floor, after a quick scout, revealed more, but less than there were upstairs, getting somewhat overshadowed by the other posters. And on the first floor, there were even less, once more being overshadowed. Guess they ran short on paper. Oh well. Maybe he'd mention something about it to Linda tomorrow. Swapping out his shoes at the entrance, he began tge walk home.

The walk home was as uneventful as it was short, and before he knew it, he found himself back at his grandparents house. The front door swung open on surprisingly well oiled hinges, something his grandfather was responsible for. He had always hated squeaky doors for some reason or another. At first, Genki was greeted only by his grandmother, who quickly revealed that his grandfather had gone out to get batteries for the smoke alarm. "Wait we have a smoke alarm? Since when?" Genki's grandmother laughed as she pointed to a spot above the cupboards, hidden out of plain view, to several wires sticking out of the wall, where tge smoke alarm was once attached. Apparently they had it for years. It was certainly news to him.

They both sat on the couch as Genki was asked to explain his first day. There wasn't too much that was special, other than the new auditorium and him joining the Cooking Club. He did his best to try to make the story somewhat interesting, though he began to think that his grandmother was merely asking out of politeness. A little awkward, but it wasn't anything unusual.

At last Genki's grandfather came through the door, clutching a half-eaten dorayaki and a case of batteries. Great, now Genki was hungry for dorayaki. Maybe they'd learn how to make them in the club? His grandfather would surely appreciate that. But, at the request of his grandfather, Genki would then go to help replace tge batteries of the smoke alarms hidden throughout the house. He had to say, some of then were hidden fairly well. Just out if sight, but easily accessible if you needed to get to it.

The rest of the day went by like many others. A couple of around-the-house chores, and a little TV in the living room quickly led to dinner time, which then transitioned to night, and eventually, bedtime. Going to sleep at ten was a lite earlier than Genki was used to, but he also needed to get up a little earlier too. Genki sighed as he crawled into bed thinking about tomorrow. Things were just getting started, and he had quite the journey ahead. Not only would he have to survive another school year, he'd have to do after school stuff as well. Though at least that part had the potential to be fun. At least Golden Week wasn't too far away. Genki then closed his eyes and let sleep take him.

[Obscene Symphony]

_{April 9th—Afternoon}

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Emi inwardly scoffed at Ito’s sudden sincerity, rolling her eyes as she slung her bag over her shoulder. As expected, she didn’t seem to take any of what she said seriously. Emi didn’t know if Ito was trying to cover her tracks or make herself out to be innocent or what, but she didn’t buy it. Didn’t forget ‘those that died’, huh? Ito never knew them to begin with, she had no place commenting on them in any respect. That last little quip was the icing on the cake, and Emi made an inward promise that she’d be bringing all hell to bear on Ito if she ever heard her utter a word about her missing friends again.

Ito’s little parting remarks were beneath contempt; all the more frustrating, then, that they still brought a fresh tear to Emi’s eye, a pit in her stomach over that tasteless remark about Reiji-san. Ha, she thought bitterly, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue, shows how much you know.

Shaking her head, Emi finally straightened, insisting to herself that she pull herself together. She’d had more than enough time for grieving, and it was all the less appropriate now, given the new evidence she’d uncovered. Her friends wouldn’t want her moping while there was still work to be done in saving them!

Of course, she had responsibilities to take care of before she could dive into that—and that was assuming she even knew where to start. Ugh. Two taps of a button on the side of her phone made it read out the time; great, she was already late for her council meeting. She touched her eyes gently, noting how warm and puffy they felt; great, it would be clear to everyone on the council as soon as she walked in that she’d been crying. She wasn’t sure what they expected for her first day back to a place loaded with so many memories of her missing friends, but still, it wouldn’t do to show up to her first meeting looking like a wreck.

Taking a deep breath, Emi brandished her cane and took off out of the classroom, making her way to the bathroom—fortunately it seemed all the rooms were in the same places as before—to splash some cold water on her face before making a beeline to the student council room. She didn’t know if that would be enough to erase the evidence of her little breakdown, but it was going to have to do—either way, she’d have a few choice words ready for anyone who felt the need to comment on it.

A fresh new braille nameplate next to the door told her she’d found the right room, and after one last breath to steel herself, Emi pushed inside, painting an apologetic smile on her face as she entered.

“Hi, sorry I’m late! The renovations have me all turned around,” she greeted, recycling her former excuse before anyone had the chance to call her out on it. She scanned the room with her leftover Persona knack as she spoke, trying to figure out just how many people she’d embarrassed herself in front of. Seemed like three: Naomi-san, Nakano-san—crap, it wasn’t a good look to arrive after the President—and a third person she didn’t recognize. Inching forward, she found a few desks situated near the middle of the room; hopefully they were reusing the square formation from before.

“Is there a specific seat for me, or should I just choose one?” she asked the room, folding up her cane. Tucking it into her bag, she added cheerfully, “And who’s our new member?”

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_{@Hero @Entityx}

[WXer]

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The shopping experience for Kazuyoshi had been reminiscent of the ones he used to take with his now estranged social circle. That is to say he spent the majority of his time there lifelessly staring at his phone, looking at old text messages while waiting for the digital clock to slowly tick up towards the next hour. The main difference, of course, was that each passing minute usually brought a new brick to the roads of conversation for the popular punk but this has since reached a dead end since his summertime faux pas. It felt odd to not be suffering from sensory overload via SMS smalltalk, even after months of experiencing effective isolation in a hospital ward. Taking its place were now the mundane yet sincere conversations of three men buying cat litter and their late afternoon itinerary, of which he had not thought about until asked just then and there. Though, Kazu did beam in delight at the question Noriaki posed.

Yes, he did indeed love chicken.

However, his companion's choice of convenience store did flare up the signature snark that Noriaki should come to expect. "Bro I really don't wanna say it because I respect you, yeah? But the best konbini chicken? Definitely Lawson's, for sure." he would state, ripping off the paper cover from the greasy chicken filet he had just bought. Though he had just protested against it, one wouldn't be able to tell based on the vigour that Kazu had just started chewing with. Within a few bites, the deepfried delicacy had been decisively devoured. At the suggestion of Noriaki, he had also made a second transaction for a second piece of chicken along with curry bread but also with a neon green energy drink that definitely looked like something Kazuyoshi would enjoy unironically.

"I'll humour you but I'm telling ya this: Lawson's all day, all the way. Back me up here Daigo, you're the good food dude." He had turned to Daigo with a glare patiently awaiting for approval. Surely, he knew his fried chicken.

[Scribe of Thoth]

_{April 9th - After School}

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Best chicken sandwich from a konbini, huh? Noriaki had sounded way too confident in that for the subject at hand. What about chicken from an establishment that had some meager smidgeon of pride in their cuisine? It was a step up from corndogs at least, but as Daigo stared at the row of crispy filets in the heated display, he couldn't say it looked particularly amazing. Maybe it'd suffice in a hurry, but during a mundane day with literally thousands of superior options all around them, it was nothing special. Getting something else was tempting, but convenience store yakitori or instant soba would probably taste even worse with the knowledge he could get the real thing two blocks down. Then again, even something as mundane as a KFC would probably oust famichiki any day.

"Itadakimasu..." He mumbled halfheartedly as his eyes shifted between the two purchased items in his hands. Daigo had no qualms with curry bread; it was simple and hard to mess up. But stuffing low-quality poultry that had probably been sitting out long enough to turn the meat into desiccated shards in the middle seemed like a good way to both make a mess and ruin perfectly good curry. It was nice that someone had acknowledged his insight in the culinary arts, but Kazuyoshi asking his 'expert' opinion at this point was basically a slap in the face. He couldn't have done that ten minutes ago when they passed by the best karaage in town? It was too late to even whine about that, now that they all had food in their hands. With no other options, Daigo took a bite of the famichiki.

It certainly wasn't as dry as he'd expected, though the ginger wagered most of the moisture came from grease rather than truly juicy meat. Likewise, the texture wasn't superb but it was less of a travesty than the redhead had anticipated. He definitely saw the appeal of the bread to soak up some of that grease, though. After the first bite, Daigo tore the bread in his other hand open with his teeth and forced the slab of meat inside the curry-filled pocket as best he could. It did solve the dryness issue a bit, but the boy didn't see how the culinary creation in his hands was an improvement over eating the curry bread on its own and foregoing the chicken entirely. Still, the second bite was a definite improvement over the first, if only because the curry drowned out the other flavors. He could certainly see how an unrefined palate would confuse that for decent chicken.

"FamilyMart certainly has more visual appeal in their food, at least externally," Daigo mused as he swept his eyes over the display, "and in terms of ingredient quality, I think they're about the same." He swore he saw advertisements about higher quality food they were trying to market, but Daigo had never really paid them much mind. A konbini was for prepackaged crap or food that one would have to actively try to mess up, not 'freshly' made chicken. Still, from his limited knowledge of their respective menus, he had to say he'd enjoyed Lawson's karaage more than whatever the thing in his hand was.

"I assume you guys are only talking about flavor, though." Like the uncultured animals they were. "Neither one's great, but if I had to pick one, I gotta say Lawson's. Sorry Hoshino-kun." The ginger shrugged at the conclusion of his longwinded critique. Hopefully that would satisfy Asakura enough to stop glaring at him, because even though Daigo was determined to die on his hill of konbini chicken tasting like crap, the pressure was there regardless.

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@Wxer@Asura

[Entityx]

April 9th- Afternoon

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Sora was definitely a spirited first year, wasn’t he? They all seem to be full of so much energy when they first arrive. Oka immediately thought back of earlier this morning and the ruckus that followed after seeing the writing on the board about the President. With the way that the students were behaving, she wondered how long before the spirit in him began to fade.

Nakano-san interrupted her thoughts as she mentioned his positive marks from Hinotori Middle school and mentioned his likely interest in the Photography Club or the school’s newspaper team. “Ah, makes sense as to why you have that camera.” Oka remarked, finally taking a seat across from Nakano-san. Nakano-san had continued to mention what was on the menu for the Student Council. Of course Vice Principal Taniguchi was focused on delinquency in the school as if they were police officers or something.They were just a group of students.

Oka tried her best to hide the irritation on her face and instead sighed. She went on about the club budget and of course, Emiha would be needing some support. “It does indeed seem as though the Student Council will be pretty busy this year.” Of course the budgets were tight with these new renovations.

Much to her dismay. So much for an easy final year.

It was fine though, she was sure her father would be happy to hear how involved the Student Council is and their efforts to ‘reform the school.’ She was sure.

It was shortly after Sakuya’s brief message that Ueno-san arrived. Oka distinctively checked behind her, of course, to not see Ito Maki behind her. What could they have possibly spoken about when she left? Unfortunately she wasn’t able to catch even a whiff of it before she was interrupted by the second years. Oh well, seems like Ueno-san had made it in one piece. “Glad you could make it too Ueno-san.” Oka continued the trend she had started with Nakano-san.“It seems like we must have two busy bees this year.”Oka gave a half smile. She then continued. “The fourth person here is our kouhai, Kinoshita Sora, a first year. Nakano-san chose him to be our secretary. She also mentioned that we have a lot of work ahead of us this year.” Her hazel hues rest on Nakano-san again, waiting for her to elaborate more.

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@Obscene Symphony@Hero

[RiverMaiden]

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| April 9th, 2018 | Hintori Highschool - Archery Club |@Hero|

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Following the archery club captain to the lockers, Yori intently eyed Anzu's hands as her senpai fiddled with the lock. She muttered the combination under her breath multiple times as if committing the numbers to memory, only stopping when she spoke directly to the other girl. "You'd think getting composite bows on top of the wooden ones we already have would be redundant and cut into the budget even deeper, but the advisors must not think so."

With a roll of her eyes, whether that be at the lack of forethought from those in charge of funding or at Anzu's insistence at keeping morale high among the new members, Yori's hand hovered over each of the bows until reaching the furthest to the left. Ordered by height, she had managed to pull out one the largest of the bows they had in stock, sporting two feet and then some over the diminutive sophomore.

"If the newbies can't handle little issues like a lack of funding, they clearly don't have the nerve needed to do well in this club anyway," Yori expressed, just before she exhaled from the force needed to string her bow. Though the bending of the wooden limbs looked like they were dangerously close to snapping, the green-hared girl didn't even hesitate as she looped and tied the bowstring on the side she hadn't done it for yet. "But ignoring them for a moment, what did you mean by 'Tyrant'? I don't think I've ever heard about that moniker before."

With a hefty sigh and a look of pride at her now strung bow, Yori shouldered the longbow as she looked toward her senpai, eyes alight with something that wasn't mere curiosity.