[IC] Shin Megami Tensei: Persona

[Hero]

---

---

The door on the far side wall opened, the sound of a few clicks punctuated with the last one signaling that whoever was coming through had missed the receiver of the phone a few times. Once he finished, the man stepped out and held the door, likely to prevent it from just slamming against the hinges. He was generally unremarkable with a mess of black hair and dark eyes blankly staring ahead, albeit he was definitely on the paler side. Unlike Maki, he wore a black polo and slacks, a nametag pinned to his left lapel reading the name Yamada Taro with a capitalized 'MANAGER' sitting underneath.

Right before the door closed, the phone rang again. Taro took a step backward to pick the phone up, only to place it back where it was before fully stepping out again. He approached Maki with a few papers in hand, though he noticed the trio of kids gathered around. "Welcome," He gave them a brief greeting before focusing on Maki. "Jirou won't be coming in anytime soon, said he ended up somewhere bad and ended up getting shot in the leg. If you want the extra hours, they're yours. But I'm going to need an extra pair of hands or two in the meantime," He stated as he let himself out of the cashier's area.

He placed down a 'help wanted' advertisement on the counter, smoothing it out. "I'd prefer a full-timer, but it'll probably be easier with more bodies," He mused out loud, hand scratching his neck and revealing the tip of what looked like a tattoo as he scratched, though once he stopped, it was easily hidden by his collar.

---

@Asura@WXer@Scribe of Thoth@psych0pomp

---

Sora smiled sheepishly at Oka's comment, albeit he wisely chose to stow his gear away to avoid distractions. He chose to listen as she spoke, though before he could contribute, the last member they waited for arrived. He perked up considerably at Oka's introduction of him, bowing his head to Emi. "Ah...nice to meet you," He stated, moving to stand, though he saw that was pointless as he noticed that there was an empty seat across from him.

"Sit wherever, Ueno-san. This is just a casual meeting for us to touch base," Sakuya stated as she pulled the seat next to hers back. "I was just saying that the Vice Principal has asked that we assist with the rise in delinquency and briefly touched on budgetary changes. They're significant enough that the club leaders are aware that there are going to be some unwanted changes."

Taking a page filled with braille, she slid it over to Emi. "It's precisely around forty percent across the board. We do have the option of shifting some from lesser needed clubs and those that don't have enough members that'll probably end up disqualified, but this is what it looks like for now," She explained, looking at her own notes. "It's not too surprising considering how expensive the renovations were, but I mistakenly assumed that it wouldn't be this much."

"Forty percent? That's a lot," Sora said, surprised. "Mmm...it could just be that we're just unlucky this year?"

---

@Obscene Symphony@Entityx

---

Anzu let out a giggle of agreement--she was glad to see she wasn't the only one that had seen the new bows as redundant. She did, however, lose a little bit of her smile at Yori's comment. While it was a little comforting to see not too much had changed, she was all too aware of how much she chafed with the other members. However, Yori's question completely flipped a switch in Anzu, the older girl openly rolling her eyes.

"I'm actually a little shocked she's only infamous in our grade. All the third years know that Hinotori's Tyrant is Nakano Sakuya," Anzu huffed. "I've had the misfortune of being in the same class as that bossy know-it-all three years straight--she was always our class leader and now she's the council president. Unlike Natsuhime-san, she's completely rigid and never compromises. She used to clash a lot with uh..." She trailed off, trying to remember.

"...with...ugh, I don't remember who," She shook her head, but returned to her angry rant right away. "Anyway, it doesn't matter. Giving someone who's so obviously power-hungry a position of power is a terrible mistake, and if I can't convince her to cut us some slack, we'll probably be in trouble."

---

@RiverMaiden

---

---

[psych0pomp]

| 𝖣𝖠𝖳𝖤 : 9 APRIL 2018 | 𝖨𝖭𝖳𝖤𝖱𝖠𝖢𝖳𝖨𝖮𝖭𝖲 : 3 IDIOTS & HER BOSS | 𝖫𝖮𝖢𝖠𝖳𝖨𝖮𝖭 : FAMILY MART |

Maki pulled her head up from the counter after the people entered. She needed to look somewhat presentable, and honestly, her cheek was starting to hurt as the flat surface warmed. Whoever entered only got a second of her glance as she walked her index and middle fingers over to a magazine on the counter and dragged it to her. Honestly, she didn’t give a shit about what was in it. The pictures would more than take her mind off the eternal buzz of the lights overhead and the light conversation of what sounded like idiots.

She looked up once they’d come to the counter with their orders. She’d tried to deter the customers away from the food in the display cases, but Yamada-san didn’t appreciate her intent to not sell items in the store. Fine, if they wanted that much yellow in their diet, they can have it. So, she joylessly fetched their food—they really wanted that chicken—and rang them up. Maki disposed of her gloves and washed her hands before going back to her magazine. She hadn’t worked there long, but she did abide by the standards of cleanliness if only for her own sanity.

A flip of the magazine page later, and the door to the manager’s office opened. There was an awkward scramble as Maki yanked the pullover hoodie off to reveal a horrible blue shirt with the teal line down it and a name tag that read “Ito.” That all aside, her bottom half was far from what would be appropriate in this setting, but she was far from leaving the counter. She was using this time to “study.”

Maki ran a hand through her hair and attempted to look professional, the husk of her outfit on the ground next to her, as Yamada-san approached. Her face went from “all-star employee” to “are you fucking kidding me” at his news. She didn’t mind the extra shifts, but she would not enjoy training Jirou’s replacement. “Thanks for letting me know. I’m as excited at that prospect as I would be to receive a tracheotomy with a spoon.” Her tone was flat.

When Yamada-san exited her space, she pushed the magazine back in front of her. She only half-paid attention as he placed the “help wanted” sign up. ”I hope whoever it is, is better with a GPS than Jirou was. I’m still not one-hundred percent sure he came in last time with both his kidneys.”

Maki then realized that her boss hadn’t been talking to her. She used that time to look him over once again. She’d caught the tattoo before. It had led her imagination down a slippery slope in regards to what his past might have looked like. He didn’t seem to have a girlfriend or boyfriend. Or at least they never showed up to the job when she was around, which would be a primo time for them to claim their prize. Especially considering the gaggle of college girls that liked to stand in the corner and ogle him loudly on certain days. If Maki was his girlfriend, which was gross to even imagine, she’d never let that fly. But maybe they weren’t insecure. Maybe they knew they had Yamada-san in the bag? Damn. That was some confidence.

Her eyes slipped to the three boys critiquing the product the store sold and labeled as “chicken.” They looked familiar, especially the one with blue hair, but she didn’t know them well. Maki considered if she’d make a show of being their girlfriend if she was dating one of them. She shuddered. She’d try that mental experiment out on some hotter dudes that weren’t in the process of orally servicing chicken. Shiro had never been into critiquing food. He ate his noodles fast and without discussing their flavor palette. Wait—had she been the equivalent of noodles to him?

Nope. Not having that thought. Back to the magazine, Maki.

| 𝖳𝖠𝖦(𝖲) : @Hero @Asura @WXer @Scribe of Thoth |

[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 @Hero@Scribe of Thoth@WXer@psych0pomp

It was a great relief that for all her disinterest, the clerk seemed to ring the group up with a sense of expediency. It was probably just so she could go back to flicking through some trashy rag or another, but it didn't matter to Noriaki. All that mattered to him was the greasy slab of boneless meat inside the wrapping he held, and the bread with which to sandwich it. He tore through plastic and paper alike with his teeth, and hastily assembled his mid-afternoon delight before the group even had a chance to leave the store. The payoff was heavenly, and as he bit through soft dough and crunchy chicken, he was privy to perhaps the one time he had been truly relieved since leaving home earlier that morning. The humble famichiki sandwich had been his reprieve after way too many long, arduous practices. A reward for a day of hardworking, shared with friends now lost to him, where he could sate his hunger and laugh away whatever woes the coaches and upperclassmen had caused among like minded individuals. It had been months since he could relish in the familiar comfort of its taste, and it seemed that the fellows that had accompanied him had also tucked in during his reverie. But they did not share his bliss. Like Senators to Caesar, they drove their dissenting opinions into his brief moment of happiness until it all bled away from him like an Emperor betrayed. Gripping his precious sandwich in one hand, he placed his other on the edge of the counter, leaning towards the duo with animosity in his eyes entirely unwarranted by the critique of a simple piece of convenience store chicken. "You're both disgraces to your uniforms." Noriaki told them as if it was plainly obvious fact, and he was its arbiter. It was all he could do not to launch into a tirade against these Lawson's apologists, and their preference for overpriced, over-breaded garbage. It was warranted, absolutely, but it was inevitable that Noriaki would become a regular at this location, and he didn't want to start a scene here. Especially not in front of the manager, who had apparently materialized while he was enjoying his brief walk down memory lane. The presence of the older man gave him an excuse to redirect his anger to something more productive. Leaning on the counter as he was, he couldn't help but notice the help wanted sign that had just been smoothed out before him. He scanned it with icy eyes, pondering for a few seconds. He certainly could do with the money; the Hoshino family was not an especially wealthy one, and the pet store trip had burnt into what meager savings from birthdays and holidays he called his own. Usually, a part-time job would have cut into his baseball practice, but that wouldn't be a problem any longer, as bitter as that thought was to him. It would be good to have something to spend his afternoons doing. Might even impress that pin-headed parole officer. "I'll do it," He suddenly piped, straightening up so he could look the manager in the face, "I'll take the job." Hopefully the cashier wouldn't make good on her promise of an impromptu throat surgery.

[Hero]

---

---

"If you have to do a tracheotomy, a knife should be preferable to a spoon," Taro replied nonchalantly, glancing at his watch. "Though you're right about Jirou, I'm pretty sure he'd struggle to pour water out of a boot with the instructions on the heel."

He let out a small sigh, slowly shaking his head. Jirou was a good guy, but his antics probably made things harder in hindsight. Ito probably wouldn't be the only one happy to hear he was gone. He had his two full-timers covering the graveyard and morning shifts, so if he stepped in to help during the afternoon and evening, he figured he could fill in the holes with a few part-timers. It'd be a rough time until he got some help, but he figured most of the locals were patient enough to suffer through one cashier for a while.

The thought didn't go too far as he was approached by one of the schoolboys he had greeted previously. The flyer had done the trick in record time, it seemed. He turned to face the kid fully, giving him a quick look. He didn't look like he'd struggle with merchandise and not dumb enough to get into the alcohol all at once, so it was a start.

"It's twelve hundred yen an hour. Flexible schedule--come in whenever you feel like getting paid. Ito here's pretty good at setting things up," He jabbed a thumb Maki's way. "You look like you've got a decent head on your shoulders. Just don't go eating the inventory and you should be fine."

He paused for a second, scratching his chin. "...you move here recently?" He suddenly asked, but as quickly as he did, he ended up dismissing it. "Not that it matters. I just tend to at least recognize everyone that comes in, though your face is new."

---

@Asura@WXer@Scribe of Thoth@psych0pomp

---

[WXer]

---

As his culinary cultured companion declared his verdict, Kazuyoshi could not help but do a single thunderous clap followed by a fist pump to celebrate this triumph of gentlemanly debate. His victory antics would be cut short though as his elbow would hit the counter top edge right behind him as his arm came back down, making him drop the second piece of fried gold that he had just bought. Tears would well up in his eyes as the tragedy unfolded before him. That, and his elbow really hurts.

The shock from the impact luckily subsided soon after, assuring Kazu that his old wounds didn't open once more. Reaching out for the dropped famichiki karē sando, one couldn't really tell if dirt had gotten on it as the combination of fried yellow and overseasoned orange camouflaged any ground contaminants. The temptation was there to take another bite but a sense of queasiness had started within Kazu, whether caused by his stomach or his mind remained a mystery to him. With a sigh, he had reluctantly arrived to the conclusion of throwing it to the bin at the same time as Noriaki called him a disgrace.

"I know!" Kazu exclaimed in exasperated agreement, slowly trudging towards the bin with his head down. Though as the curry sauce started leaking on his hand, the blue-haired punk picked up the pace and dunked the remains of his food with a force only achieved with disdain. Not wanting to feel or smell regret on his hand, Kazu would grab a packet of antibacterial wipes on display along with the rest of the sanitation products that the convenience store carried. Just as he went back to the counter in order to ring up his purchase, Kazu would hear the succinct declaration of seeking employment by Noriaki.

"This your plan on blocking us from visiting Lawson's next time, bro?" Kazu stated in the playfully arrogant tone he regularly annoyed people with. Before Noriaki could react though, Kazu would turn to to the totally not familiar cashier with the item he had picked up earlier. "Excuse me miss, I would like to purchase this with cash." he would state with a more respectful manner, ending with a slight bow. The cadence and mannerism were night and day but one can only imagine if Kazu does it on purpose.

---

@Asura@psych0pomp@Scribe of Thoth

[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 @Hero@Scribe of Thoth@WXer@psych0pomp

Noriaki stood stoic as his would-be boss looked him over. It wasn't a very long appraisal, in truth, and that was something the teen took in stride. As the older gentleman listed off the benefits of the job, he mowed them over in his head. It didn't exactly pay much, but it was also a part time job ringing up drinks and stocking shelves, so he wasn't going to be making a fortune any time soon. The flexibility of the schedule was nice, though he didn't foresee himself doing much after school to begin with. Especially not to a godforsaken Lawson's with the shitty chicken apologists that had been accompanying him. "Yeah, I did," Noriaki answered nonchalantly when questioned on his recent arrival, "I just got here this week." He briefly cast a gaze over towards Asakura, glaring at the teen who had the nerve to both imply his employment was ruse to get them away from crap food and throw away a perfectly fine sandwich in his presence. He was starting to understand why the man spent his lunch on the roof sucking on eggs alone. But his irrational irritation aside, the former athlete had more pressing matters at hand. Namely, locking down this job. "When do you want me to start? Or is there like, paperwork I gotta fill out first?"

[Scribe of Thoth]

_{April 9th - After School}

---

Ah, yes, Hoshino had to lead them not only to crappy konbini food, but quite possibly the sketchiest store in town. Unless 'shot in the leg' and 'missing kidney' were euphemisms for something, which judging by the look of the manager, Daigo doubted. The only disgrace to his uniform here was allowing himself to be led inside in the first place. Not only that, but Noriaki seemed so unfazed by the whole display that he actively sought employment there. Was this the norm in Osaka or something? Daigo had always viewed it as a charming city with excellent food, yet here before him was this neanderthal that ate FamilyMart grease patties inbetween shifts at an embezzlement scheme. What kind of place hired a teenager on the spot like that if they weren't planning to pin some crime on him? Not even an interview - hell, this guy didn't even know his name yet! At this rate, Hoshino would be moving drugs for the yakuza by the end of the week.

"Can we get real food next time?" Daigo whined at Kazu's mention of Lawson's rather than dare voice his opinions about the integrity of the establishment with the scary manager present. That was hardly an improvement. If this type of venture happened again, he was absolutely putting his foot down the moment they were in the vicinity of passable cuisine. Then again, any reputable establishment would probably kick them out; he swore Asakura looked like he was about to keep eating that floor-seasoned chicken he'd accidentally dropped. The act didn't do any favors to the appeal of the half-finished sandwich in Daigo's hand either. One look past the crispy false promises of flavor peddled by the breaded outer facade revealed nothing but greasy despair and low-quality meat.

"And no, Lawson's is not real food either," He specified before anyone got the wrong idea. Asakura seemed to think he was on Team Lawson with him, which had troubling implications if he thought a Hinari would ever consider that trash a quality meal. "That store even sits in full view of the best karaage stand in this half of town. It's insult to injury, mocking your bad decision through the window like that." Daigo faked a shudder and devoured the rest of his sandwich in as few bites as possible. Nothing worth savoring there. After the boy finished, he went to push his glasses up on instinct, only to end up with an oily smear at the bottom of one of the lenses from the leftover chicken grease on his fingers. Even from beyond the grave, the famichiki taunted him. Daigo begrudingly granted the poor excuse for a meal a final resting place in his revered stomach, among culinary achievements no mere konbini food could ever match, and it reciprocated with only spite and malice.

"I hate this place," Daigo mumbled, mostly to himself.

---

@Wxer@Asura@psych0pomp

[Entityx]

[Entityx]

April 9th- Afternoon

---

Forty percent?

How was the rest of the school supposed to function with such large cuts? It seems the adults in the situation didn’t take into consideration it’s students. They were mighty focused on presentation. Delinquency was sure to spike if there were going to be issues even stabilizing the clubs. If some were to be given up, then they’re going to have tons of students with too much time on their hands after school. They’d also run into the problem of if they did cut some clubs, what were they going to be? It was definitely a delicate situation that was placed on the Student Council, one that Oka was not too keen about.

But Oka knew that it would be very difficult to keep all the clubs with such small budgets.

“This is only a thought as of right now, but if we were to get rid of a club to help with the budget, which would it be?”Oka presented the question to her club members. If they had to resort to it, maybe they could randomly choose. If they were really pressed to impress the administration, they would focus on the clubs that garnered notoriety or truly benefited the school. Oka tried to think of how her father would likely make a decision like this. She was sure he would pick the latter option. It was the most logical, of course. Her father was always an enthusiast of Herbert Spencer’s take on social Darwinism: ‘Survival of the Fittest.’

She knew this option would evoke a negative response from her peers and likely lower her relationship points with them. Dammit Oka! This wasn’t the time to think of this in terms of Otome games!

---

@Hero@Obscene Symphony

[Obscene Symphony]

_{April 9th—Afternoon}

---

Emi took a seat in the chair Nakano pulled out, doing her best to push down the feeling of wrongness that it was Nakano and not Hanami-chan sitting next to her. That was uncalled for, and she had to learn to focus again. Fortunately, Nakano didn’t give her much time to stew, launching into a brief overview of the meeting agenda in short order.

At the mention of “a rise in delinquency”, though, Nakano got Emi’s full attention. It was only an offhand mention, but it struck the same chord inside her as the song from the dream had before. It was a posh way to put it, but a rise in agitation among the students was a cause for concern—though not in the way the Vice Principal probably thought. No, she and her friends had seen this before; agitation localized in such a specific area used to be how they would track down activity inside the mirror.

A spike of excitement struck her: could this be the same phenomenon? Another clue to lead her to her friends? She made a mental note to keep a proverbial eye out for any of the same signs they used to search for; agitation around school, needless confrontation, a buildup of anger—

Emi almost gasped, biting down hard on her tongue to stop herself. Was that the source of Ito’s little stunt? The girl said herself, there wasn’t much reasoning behind that message on the board. Could it have been Shadow activity that tipped her over? She’d have to keep a close eye on Ito going forward; she needed to make sure this really was an out-of-the-ordinary event, and not that she was just an angry girl who lashed out at authority or other such teenage nonsense. But even if it was Shadow activity riling everyone up, what could be done?

The thought deflated Emi, her moment of optimism fading into familiar discouragement. Shadows were nothing to be trifled with, and even as a full team, she and her friends had often had their hands full with them. What could she possibly hope to do alone? Her skills as a Navigator were important, but they were only useful with her friends’ firepower to back her up. Alone, she could only watch and struggle as Shadows closed in around her.

Alone, she was useless.

“This is only a thought as of right now, but if we were to get rid of a club to help with the budget, which would it be?”

Emi was torn from her thoughts by Naomi’s voice, accompanied by a very much unwelcome suggestion. Blinking, Emi turned in the direction of her voice, doing her best to aim a warning glare in her general direction.

“We will not be cutting any clubs,” she stated, leaving little room for discussion. Reaching for the as-yet neglected form Nakano apparently slid in front of her, Emi gave it a quick once-over with her fingers, chewing on her lip for a second in thought.

“There are always ways to stretch funds,” she continued, a little more measured than before. “Kinoshita-kun, I’ll need a meeting with as many of the club presidents as we can get at once. Preferably all of them. Once I have a more detailed understanding of what they need and when they need it, I can probably figure out a way to get the new budget to fit.”

Going over the braille form more carefully, Emi wasn’t entirely sure if her declaration was correct, but she’d stand by it nonetheless. If they started cutting clubs because of attendance, the Choir Club was as good as dead, and the Cooking Club not far behind, if memory served. Not to mention the Kendo Club, the basketball team… ugh, fine, she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t looking to preserve the former interests of her friends, but she wasn’t going to budge.

---

_{@Hero @Entityx}

[Hero]

---

The room you awaken in is draped in a swathe of deep blue. It appears to be a luxurious train cart, a variety of cushioned seats on either side. You swear you can hear what sounds like music coming from all around you, though there are no speakers that you can see. The train feels like it is moving, though several curtains block the outside view. Any attempt at removing them is blocked, and a single wooden door decorated in an odd insignia appearing to be a mask. For some reason, it looks familiar, but you vaguely remember that it wasn't nearly as blue as it was now. Without realizing it, however, your hand is reaching out towards the handle. As your hand is just about to touch the doorknob, a voice calls out to you.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room."

The voice is decidedly male and coming from behind you; standing next to a small, wooden desk with a quill and paper on it is a young man dressed entirely in rich, blue clothes and platinum blonde hair with golden eyes gives you a warm smile, a large book residing in one hand with his other hand raised to his chest as he bows to you. You vaguely remember his name: William. As he straightens, his smile is much warmer than before.

"I have some wonderful news. The previous denizen of the stage has made it to your world," He informs you politely with a subtle relief in his eyes. "While the details remain unclear, it is certain now that hope is not yet lost. As I was bound to serve them as well, it is comforting to see them persevere. But that is not why you have come, is it?"

William taps the paper on the desk. "The corruption of that world has started to seep into your own. You are duty-bound to stop it but worry not. Multiple people have signed contracts much like yourself, and thus fate will work to bring you together," He assures you. "Tomorrow, you will find one another and be led to the Reflected World. But fear not, for you have the power to purify the corrupted land. While Lilith ever lurks and plants her seeds of destruction, you have the flames of rebirth on your side. The Arcana is the means by which all is revealed."

He bows his head once more. "We will meet again, I am sure. Until then, take care of yourself."

---

Hinotori High School
Kyoto Prefecture
_{APRIL 10TH, 2018
CLOUDY DAY}

---

"Ugh, this is why I don't trust the weatherman! He said it would be sunny all week!"

"It looks like it's gonna pour any second. I totally forgot my umbrella, too..."

The general grumbling escalated as the school day came to an end. Despite the soul-sucking drain of school, no one was quite eager to leave just yet. Thick, gray clouds covered the entire sky, a stark contrast from the previously sunny morning. Thunder rolled off in the distance, signaling a storm. Some students debated whether to leave now or wait it out, unsure of just how much it would rain. Some club leaders had decided to make things easier by canceling sessions, though others insisted the storm would pass by the time they finished. Regardless, it was universally agreed that the sudden weather change was downright weird.

Unfortunately, the weather wasn't the only thing that was weird. The gym had been closed off without explanation, with a myriad of rumors circling around as to why. Some say a random cat had trapped itself in there, others claim there had been faulty wiring that had caused a panic in the staff, but the truth was much less exciting. A few students had poked their heads in and had seen one of the floor-length mirrors on the wall had fallen and shattered, and so it was left until some professionals would come to dispose of and replace the broken mirror. Still, the truth did little to deter the rumors.

Meanwhile, a majority of the faculty had gathered to meet. While they would be otherwise indisposed, Sakuya was all too pleased to get to kendo practice. There would be a council meeting today, but she wouldn't be surprised if no one ended up showing up--the weather was looking pretty bad and she wouldn't blame anyone for deciding to go home. Personally, she was hoping to catch a certain someone before they left the building, but she wasn't sure if she'd catch the girl. It wasn't a total loss, as she had happened to catch Sanada-san and had gotten herself a shinai to take home. While taking out equipment from the gym normally wasn't allowed, apparently, they had planned to get rid of it, and she was all too happy to take it off their hands.

With bag and shinai in hand, Sakuya left the council room and ascended the stairs. Day two was going much better than day one, and she was actually happy--no, not happy per se, but being genuinely untroubled was a relief. Ueno-san's determination to save all the clubs and get through the financial crisis was a massive relief. While everyone would be stretched thin, it was better than the alternative. She was glad her council was serious, with Kinoshita already working to find a good day to collect all the club leaders for a meeting. One less thing to worry about, she supposed.

As she climbed, she spotted a pair of students a little too close to one another. She really wished she had a hose or something to spray them, but she figured telling them to knock it off would at least get them to relocate somewhere she wouldn't have to see them. Once she got closer, however, she noticed it was less of a makeout session than she had initially assumed.

"I said, let go!" The girl made an attempt to pull back her arm, wincing as the boy's grip tightened.

To Sakuya's shock, Yamamoto was the one keeping her there, a look of anger on his face. "I'm not finished talking to you yet," He insisted.

Their conversation yesterday immediately came to mind, and without hesitation, Sakuya approached the pair, clearing her throat loudly. The two froze, with Yamamoto loosening his grip. The girl slipped out and away, stumbling as she held the rail. "I--I have to go," She muttered, hastily taking her leave without another word.

Yamamoto looked ready to chase her down until Sakuya stepped into his line of sight. She was surprised to see the complete look of fury etched on his face, his eyes outright glaring daggers at her. It was a little unsettling if she was being honest, but his actions were inexcusable regardless of what happened.

With that in mind, she regained her footing. "Harassment is inexcusable," She reprimanded him. "Whatever happened, you shouldn't--"

"What, is it suddenly a crime to talk to someone?" He snapped, cutting her off.

"Conversations happen with words, not by grabbing someone's arm," She replied cooly. "Whatever the case may be, it would've reflected poorly on you had a teacher seen."

Scoffing, Yamamoto raised a hand to his head. "You're overreacting and sticking your nose where it doesn't belong," He grumbled. After taking in a deep breath, he seemed to have calmed himself down somewhat, leveling a look at the girl. "You said you didn't have time yesterday, but can I assume you have time today to talk?"

She would rather stick pencils in her ears, but that is indeed what she stated yesterday. Despite clearly knowing that there would be nothing positive about this conversation, Sakuya ended up nodding. "What is it that you wanted to talk about?"

"I'm a little concerned with how you're going to be handling your position going forward."

For the love of all that is holy, why? No, she had no one to blame but herself for this. "That concern seems to be misplaced considering I hadn't had the chance to actually do anything yet," She couldn't help her dry response.

"True. But I was speaking of your father," Yamamoto said. "I don't believe there are many who would know about it, but I believe his trial is coming up. How would it reflect upon the school if people were aware a criminal's daughter was Student Council President without earning the position?"

This was the absolute last thing she wanted to talk to anyone about, let alone this pompous idiot. Still, it was bound to come out sooner than later, so maybe dealing with it once and for all would settle the matter. A naive thought, for sure, but it was worth an effort. "Get to the point. Are you asking for my resignation?" She outright asked.

Fortunately, for whatever reason, Yamamoto was completely calm now. "No, no...the school has suffered enough change. But I would like to make an offer."

"An offer," She repeated in disbelief.

"Don't act so high and mighty, your reputation is already in shambles," He cut her off again, raising his voice as he took a step closer. "The truth of the matter is you're no better than--no, you're the absolute bottom of the barrel. Someone like you doesn't deserve to be here, you're nothing but a stain on the otherwise perfect reputation Hinotori has!"

To his credit, Sakuya was completely speechless. Had he lost his marbles? She would've laughed if it wasn't for the terrifying look of anger on his face. Unfortunately for him, he wasn't the only one angry. Snapping her mouth shut, she leveled her own glare at him. "What are you, stupid? Don't waste my time with such nonsense," She had enough of the conversation, turning around and descending the steps. No way was she sticking around--he looked about ready to do something reckless.

---

Stretching out its limbs, the cat let out a soft mewl of happiness. Sitting on the shoe lockers, it stared down at the many students. Most students ignored it, though the few that approached it were widely unsuccessful at getting it down. Its mismatched eyes and blonde coat indicated that it wasn't a stray, or at least it was a little smarter than most. The way it kept searching people's faces made it seem like it was looking for someone, though it lacked any collar to indicate who it belonged to. Occasionally, it would look up and stare at the ceiling, but otherwise stayed put.

---

[Asura]

HOSHINO NORIAKI

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx D A T E April 10th 2018 L O C A T I O N Hinotori Highschool T A G S @WXer

The chiming of the school's intercom announced an end to the day's toil, and it prompted Noriaki to snap out of his absentminded daydreaming and into a stretch. The last few hours of the school day were always hard to focus during, and the way the sky seemed to darken with rolling clouds and the low rumble of distant thunder had only further muddled his mind. He hadn't the forethought to bring an umbrella to school, having been fooled into believing the clear morning skies, so it was almost assured he was going to get soaked after leaving the building. The manager over at FamilyMart had insisted he come in the following afternoon to finalize all the bullshit paperwork required, so he was doomed even if he had wanted to sprint through the unfamiliar streets of Kyoto to beat the rain home. He had half a mind to do it anyway—despite his purchases the day before, he hadn't gotten around to actually broaching the idea of keeping a cat around the house to his mother. He had spirited the little fluff out of the house before she got home again, confident he would be fine with the weather as sunny as it was. Now Noriaki could only hope the feline could find adequate cover until he could make it back to collect him. Ruminating on the misfortune of the day wasn't going to get him anywhere, though. He summoned the strength to rise from his seat, haphazardly sweeping what few supplies littered his desk into his bag. He swung it over his arm, turning to the blue-haired teen behind him. "Gonna go do job shit at FamilyMart today. Don't wait around for me." He told the closest thing to a "friend" he had made in his two days at Hinotori, figuring the clingy teen would want to do something after class regardless of the poor weather. Giving him notice was the least he could do, and even then, he couldn't say for sure that would even discourage Asakura from following him. What was for sure was that Noriaki didn't intend to dally around for a response, and no sooner than he had said the words did his feet start him off in the direction of the door. The crowds in the halls weren't as frantic as usual—he imagined a number of the student body were either biding their time to see whether or not the rain would come, or simply wishing to wait it out on campus. Their lack of initiative was one small blessing on an otherwise shitty day. It made his job of getting to the lockers early all the easier.

[Entityx]

April 10th- Afternoon

---

The second day had come to a close. Today was certainly an improvement from the first. Oka supposed that some of the students had started to settle back into school life. As she gathered her things to prepare to leave, she could hear the grumblings of the students about the weather. For sure, the weather change had been a bit strange. Oka had always taken extra care to be prepared today so today was definitely odd. They were promised sunny skies all week. Oh well, there was nothing she could do now.

She supposed even the weather man could be wrong sometimes.

Oka debated on whether it would be worth it to go to the Student Council or if she would go to kendo instead. She grabbed her bag and quickly looked around the classroom. She was hoping to catch Ueno-san before she left. She thought back on her interaction with Ueno-san. Her response to the possibility of disbanding one of the clubs to support the rest was to be expected. Ueno-san did have close relationships with a few individuals that were part of some of the clubs. It was simply a suggestion, but it definitely gave her the feeling that Ueno-san was a pretty emotional person when it came to people in her life.

It was difficult at times for Oka to think of things that way. She had no real connections with anyone at the school afterall. That evening when she got home from school her father had actually been home waiting for her. It was a rare occurrence for him to have dinner with her, so she assumed that day he must have had some interest in her first day of school. It was her first year as Vice President of the Student Council. He started their evening by going on about how he had wished she had worked harder to become the President and that the Vice President position was merely second place. He then continued by asking what their tasks were for the year and then they spoke about the club situation.

Her father of course, stated the optimal route. It was just as she’d expected. When she told him what the club had actually decided on, he remained silent. She took his silence as displeasure. Their night then ended with him reminding her to keep a positive representation of their family and how important it was to him for her to get into the best University. Of course, as always, Oka did not argue and simply complied with his request.

Oka sighed as she relived the night prior. First she had Ueno-san likely thinking that she didn’t care while also having her father put the pressure on her to produce noteworthy results during her final year. It was completely exhausting. How was she supposed to please both parties?

Still, she hated the thought of there being any animosity because of her comment so it probably was best to try to smooth things over with her perhaps? Oka hadn’t planned on going to Student Council and had finally settled on kendo as her best option to release some pent up energy. She made her way to Ueno-san’s desk and cleared her throat in order to make her presence known.

“Ueno-san, I’m glad I could catch you. I just wanted to...apologize for yesterday. I didn’t mean to come off as insensitive. I was just throwing out potential options. I am grateful that you have taken up the mantle to try and work with the club members. If there’s anything I can do to assist, please let me know.” Oka as genuine in her statement. She definitely wasn’t trying to make waves with anyone.

---

@Obscene Symphony

[Scribe of Thoth]

_{April 10th - After School}

---

Well, the weather certainly put a stop to any plans Daigo had that afternoon. He'd intended to stop by the Cooking Club room and at least see what was up after no small amount of painstaking deliberation the night before, but Daigo certainly wasn't going to risk getting soaked over an experience that he may not even enjoy. He'd probably be anxious to the point of nausea afterward regardless; no need to make the experience even more unpleasant. Hoshino took off the moment class let out, probably on account of the weather as well, so an encore of their afterschool adventure from the day before was off the table even if Daigo had an indoor activity in mind. Would they even want to? Asakura had made it sound like that wasn't a one time thing yesterday, but maybe that was just how popular kids were.

Jeez, he sounded like such a loser.

No use dwelling on it now. The obnoxiously bright yellow hoodie he kept stuffed under his uniform in the winter months was hardly a proper defense against the rain, but at least he was a slight step above most of the student body. He wondered how hard it would be to stuff an umbrella in a shoe locker in case another freak storm came through. Still, better to get home sooner rather than later and possibly avoid the downpour if at all possible. Daigo exited the classroom with a bouncy, frantic haste; weaving through the mass of kids eager to outrun the weather was a challenge, but he was small enough and slippery enough to bypass any traffic jams while mumbling apologies like an anxious machine gun. And of course, right when he was almost home free, a couple tall kids had decided to huddle around his locker for some reason, with a few shorter girls lingering close behind. Fortunately, the assembled roadblocks all had their attention focused on the ceiling for some reason, so Daigo figured he could slip in subtly rather than ask the intimidating giants to move and get told to fuck off or something.

"Um. 'Scuse me," Daigo muttered while he squeezed inbetween the gathered onlookers, who gave up on their endeavor shortly after with the knowledge that they were in people's way. Once their looming heads were out of view, the ginger finally managed a peek upward at whatever had caused such a ruckus. A cat! A kitty cat! Probably a stray that snuck in through an open door somewhere. Though, it wasn't any neighborhood cat he recognized. The heterochromia was unique enough, but Daigo was pretty certain he'd never seen that particular shade of yellow on any type of cat's eyeball ever. That must've been the source of the gym closure rumor he'd heard. If everyone kept trying to mess with it, it was never gonna come down; the thing was probably scared. Still, it looked pretty calm, even looking around like it had a purpose. The head was too small to be a boy, maybe she had lost one of her kittens in here and was on the hunt.

"Here kitty, they left, wanna come down?" The boy cooed as he fiddled with his locker, followed by a tsking noise to attract the feline's attention further. "They're gonna catch you eventually if you don't jump, y'know."

---

[Hero]

---

---

The faculty meeting was generic and dull as always. A return to form meant relearning the same things they normally did every year with little variation. Despite the shiny new coat slapped onto the building, it was painfully superficial and a topic most of the adults had the wisdom to avoid talking about too much. The excess of wealth thrown around felt largely unneeded, but with a majority of the structural issues solved with a bulldozer, there wasn't much point in complaining too much.

Eventually, there was a brief lull, and several teachers grouped up to have separate discussions. Suzuki let out a tiny sigh, rubbing her temples as she took advantage of the break and looked over her lesson plans. She would have liked to skip the meeting altogether--she swore these things could be summed up and better retained in an email--but working together as a team after a tumultuous end was what it was all about. At the very least the media stopped coming around, even if she was sure that the mother of one of the victims of the case was bound to pop up sooner or later. Not that she blamed her; closure was difficult to attain and the police reports did little to convince her of her daughter's fate.

At that point Taniguchi approached her, taking the open seat next to hers. "I was hoping to speak with you a moment, Suzuki-san," He spoke apologetically but went straight to his point. "I heard about the mishap that occurred in your homeroom. yesterday."

"Ito Maki's graffiti?" She asked.

"You already know the culprit?"

"Nakano-san's not very popular, but the students recognized Ito was in the wrong this time," She replied, closing her notebook. "Some of them quietly informed me of what happened since the evidence was gone. I was planning to bring this up to you and Wada afterward."

"I appreciate the initiative," He replied. "The things young people do...it was a shame, I was told Ito's talents would have put her on a good path. But a rotten apple spoils the bunch."

"Pushing back too hard could also result in good intentions backfiring," She pointed out. "I was considering referring her to Counselor Miyamoto, but I'm not sure how effective that would be."

Taniguchi fell silent as he watched Suzuki for a moment. After some contemplation, he shifting forward in his seat. "It's shown that having good peers to surround the troublemaker proves to be a good thing. Why not have her join Nakano's council?" He asked.

Suzuki's eyebrows shot up. That sounded like a terrible idea. For one, such a punishment would more likely result in sabotage than anything. And for another, it was up to them to correct Ito's behavior, wasn't it? "The council isn't a disciplinary committee," She said slowly. "I've heard you've placed Hoshino Noriaki under her care as well. You'd have her look after two problem children?"

"Hoshino?" A nearby Momoji overheard the conversation, stepping before the pair. "Hoshino hasn't shown any troublesome behaviors, why is Nakano looking after him?"

"Because Nakano is an exemplary student and a good influence," Taniguchi sighed.

Suzuki narrowed her eyes at the man. "Pushing problem children onto Nakano would harm more than help," She said. "Not to mention with Nakano Hiroshi's trial coming up..."

"Besides, Asakura Kazuyoshi has been looking after Hoshino," Momoji said. "I saw them together yesterday at a pet store."

"That's arguably worse," Taniguchi sighed, shaking his head. "Asakura's accident has drawn ire to us as well. Putting him along with the other two under Nakano's care--"

"With all due respect, Vice Principal, why are you pawning off responsibility onto a teenager instead of letting the adults handle it?" Suzuki couldn't help but cut him off. "You expect someone who should be thinking about her future and getting ready for college to take care of three unruly students?"

"They're not unruly," Momoji frowned. "But I agree."

Letting out a sigh, Taniguchi stood from his seat. "Ladies, there are times where you have to prioritize. The three of them need to be set straight one way or another. At the very least, we know Ito and Asakura have been problems in the past. Nakano will continue to look after Hoshino, and the other two will be called here so we can let them know how they're to act going forward."

They were running around in circles, it would seem. Suzuki let out a sigh of annoyance, shaking her head as the vice principal walked away towards the loudspeaker. "I can't believe this..." She muttered, crossing her arms.

"Attention. Ito Maki and Asakura Kazuyoshi, please report to the faculty room," The announcement rang out through the entire school, much to Suzuki's annoyance.

Momoji also let out a sigh. "I don't know why he's doing this," She said, dismayed. "If you punish students for something they haven't done, what does that say about us?"

Suzuki didn't have an answer for that, unfortunately.

---

@WXer@psych0pomp

---

The cat looked down at the boy calling to it, tail slowly curling as she stretched her limbs out. Peeking over the edge of the lockers, she stared at her own reflection in his glasses. She watched his movement for a moment, ears perked and alert, but evidently decided he had a point. Hopping down and landing seamlessly on her feet, she wrapped herself around his legs, looking up at him.

As Noriaki stopped at his locker, however, the cat immediately took notice of him, letting out a rather loud meow as she made a beeline towards him. She nuzzled his legs, stepping between them and tangling herself around them. She meowed repeatedly, looking up at him.

---

@Scribe of Thoth@Asura

---

[Asura]

HOSHINO NORIAKI

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx D A T E April 10th 2018 L O C A T I O N Hinotori Highschool T A G S @Hero@Scribe of Thoth

It became apparent to Noriaki that even the other grades had been struck with the same lethargy the 2nd years had been hit with—the first floor lockers were surprisingly underpopulated. Usually there was a rush of students looking to free themselves from academia, or at least find respite in their clubs. The drive to escape the building certainly wasn't lost on him, though. Showing up early for work based appointments made a good impression, and after his little spat with the school's council president the day prior, he was sorely in need of them. Such was his rush that he scarcely noticed the cluster of boys and girls around one locker in particular. It undoubtedly contributed to the expediency with which he arrived at his own, and that concerned him more than whatever they were gawking at. Until the source of their excitement made itself his problem. A loud mrrrow not unlike the ones that woke him up that morning caught his attention, and he peered away from his shoes just in time to see a feline hurriedly making its way towards him. At first he was almost impressed, having thought it was his own, but the little guy back home was a mite bit whiter than this one and a little bigger to boot. Stranger or not, it seemed to like him quite a bit, as he soon found it winding itself around his legs in its attempts to rub up against him. "I'm really popular with you guys lately, huh?," He asked rhetorically as he bent down to get a better look at it, "Not that I mind. Always liked cats." It certainly didn't look like any stray he had ever seen—it was too clean on closer inspection, with its soft yellow coat being the result of pigment rather than stains. He also couldn't help but notice its eyes. He was pretty sure having different colored eyes was common among some dog breeds, but he had never seen them on a cat before. What was worse, they seemed weirdly familiar to him, but he couldn't quite place it. He extended a hand, figuring it wanted to give him a good sniff before he tried making contact. If all went well, a good chin scratching would follow. "What's a pretty lil' thing like you doing in a place like this? You don't have a collar, but you look too well fed to be from the streets."

[Scribe of Thoth]

_{April 10th - After School}

---

Huh, Daigo managed to get her attention. More than the basketball lineup that had assembled in front of his locker earlier had done, anyway. He paused in his efforts to open his locker as he looked up at the cat, offering slow, exaggerated blinks to the feline while her interest was still captivated by his face. To his surprise, it seemed like he'd coaxed the cat down somehow, and Daigo let out a delighted gasp as she began rubbing against his legs. See? All they had to do was stop messing with her.

"Aw, good girl," The boy lilted. He was about to bend down and pet the thing, but once on the floor, the cat apparently found her quarry. The ginger's gaze followed her trail as she let out a sharp meow and darted off, expecting to see a kitten huddled under one of the lockers at the end of her path. Confusingly, the kitty had only decided Hoshino's calves were a better surface to brush against. Sure, it wasn't that odd for a cat to seek attention from multiple people on a whim, but she didn't have to look so excited to ditch him...

The only explanation here was that Hoshino actually was the bad boy that was secretly good with animals. That, or he smelled like her kitten somehow. He did say he was popular with cats lately, so maybe he ran into it earlier. Maybe both - Daigo could help the handsome new kid with a hidden soft spot for cats reunite a mother and her kittens and Hoshino would bashfully ask Daigo not to tell anyone and- okay, this was unrealistic, he wasn't a girl. He had weird enough dreams about sharply-dressed mystery gentlemen at night, he didn't need more dumb fantasies in his head.

"Aw, she likes you!" Daigo abandoned his locker and made his way over to crouch down next to Noriaki and the cat. "I think she's looking for her kittens though, did you see another cat on the way here?"

---

@Asura

[psych0pomp]

| 𝖣𝖠𝖳𝖤 : 10 APRIL 2018 | 𝖨𝖭𝖳𝖤𝖱𝖠𝖢𝖳𝖨𝖮𝖭𝖲 : FACULTY | 𝖫𝖮𝖢𝖠𝖳𝖨𝖮𝖭 : HINOTORI HIGH |

Maki wasn’t usually turned away by people’s hostile nature. If anything, she goaded it on like stirring embers in a fire. Today, on the other hand, it seemed more out of control than usual. The group chat that usually had its fun needling her and her actions had turned in on itself. The infighting was amusing. Maki learned a lot of things about a lot of people, and they’d all seemed to have forgotten about her. Well, everyone but Funai. She’d planted herself at the gate to Hinotori High with a shit-eating grin plastered on her face that was usually only allowed for comic book villains. Maki had avoided her by using the morning rush to her advantage. She didn’t think she’d get afforded that same luxury on the way out.

So, today she’d kept her head down and let the cauldron of animosity brew around her. Maki had figured that her stunt from yesterday had all but been forgotten when she heard her name over the intercom. She’d spent the better part of her classes looking over Ueno and Nakano. The blind girl’s words had still rung in her head today. That’d been mixed with thoughts of her new coworker, Fried Chicken McFucker. It was the second day, and already the status quo had been ejected into space to suffocate and die. The cherry on top of that shit sundae was now her academic walk of shame. Maki wasn’t an idiot. She knew why. She also knew that if she tried to get out of it, whatever hamstringed punishment they’d decided for her was only going to get worse. As it stood, Maki was hoping that she wouldn’t be cleaning out a dead racoon from inside the gym walls—or whatever had caused it to shut down.

She threw her bag over her shoulder and made her way down the hall. At least she wasn’t going to be alone in all of this. Not that she knew who the other victim would be. He wasn’t in her class, and so that meant she didn’t give a shit. But maybe he’d be taller than her, and she could use him as a human shield.

Maki approached the faculty door knocked, bowed, straightened, and then pushed a piece of hair away from her face.
”I was summoned to eat ass. I mean meet after class?” She flashed a smile that was painted in bright purple lipstick.

| 𝖳𝖠𝖦(𝖲) : @Hero@WXer |

[Lord Orgasmo]

April 10th. Speaking with: @Scribe of Thoth @Asura

---

Genki snapped back to reality as the bells began to toll, signaling the end of the day. Was it really over already? He guessed that when your brain is set on autopilot for a mostly monotonous lecture, it was bound to happen. It was only the second day after all. Nothing quite so special yet. But what was special was the apparent rainstorm. After the students funneled out of the classroom, he stepped over to the window to look outside. Yep, those were some full-looking rainclouds, there. At least it was just a rainstorm and not a full on thunderstorm. A little rain never hurt, but galeforce winds and lightning strikes certainly could.

As he exited the room and headed down the hall towards the stairs, Genki suddenly remembered the Cooking Club. They had apparently canceled today due to the weather, but Genki wasn't even sure they had enough members yet. He then remembered the posters, and how there were very few on the first floor. Maybe he should talk to Linda about that.

No longer dreading the flight of stairs, Genki's ascent was significantly less dramatic and tiring. Upon reaching the top, he looked for the room to the club, which, thankfully, had the door open, and the various cooking equipment was on full display, allowing for easy identification. He could just see Linda behind the frame of the door. She appeared to be holding several papers.

From the short conversation he had with her, apparently she found out the hard way yesterday that the first was nearly bereft of posters, and the second floor wasn't too well off either. Eventually Genki decided it would make a good impression if he were to help out, and he offered to get the first floor and she could get the second floor. Linda accepted quickly, and handed him half a dozen posters. Now to make the trip back down.

Fortunately, going down the stairs isn't nearly as difficult as going up them. He then remembered something about the gym. It had been closed off, and people started making dumb rumors like a ghost was haunting the place, or they had trapped a cat in there. Who traps a cat in a gymnasium? The thing would probably get itself killed. From what he had heard, a bunch of mirrors broke in there and they were waiting for a cleaning crew to come clean it up professionally. That certainly sounded the most realistic, but why did they have a bunch of mirrors in there in the first place? Whatever.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, he took an immediate left, towards a few of the other posters, found a nice blank space, and slapped a poster on the wall, next to the others, but just far enough to make it stand out. He continued down the hall to the very end, looking for some prime real estate for a poster. Finding another open spot, he stuck another poster on the wall. Two down, four to go. He turned around and headed towards the opposite end of the hall.

Upon reaching the center of the hall, near the stairs and lockers. And the gym. As he turned towards the locker, he quickly realized there was little space for a poster there. But he also saw two boys playing with something. The short redheaded boy seemed to be playing with something moving, while the boy in the hoodie watched. Upon moving closer, a loud meow revealed the thing there were messing with was a cat! "Oh shit, a cat. Did they really have one in the gym?" Genki set the four remaining posters on top of the lockers for the moment. And stepped over to the cat and the boys. He looked down at the cat. "You think it belongs to someone? I don't see a collar, but I don't know many cats that like wearing one."

[RiverMaiden]

---

| April 10th, 2018 | Hintori Highschool - School Entrance |@Scribe of Thoth@Asura@Lord Orgasmo|

---

The closing bell's chime signaled Yori to close her books and stow them away in her bag, quickly moving to exit the classroom as the hallways began to fill with students departing for home. With many clubs being closed for the day, the Archery Club included, most of the student body surged toward the bottom floor exit.

The usual cacophony of voices that filled the school hallways was accompanied by the faint growl of thunder in the distance, a potential downpour building in the skies above as dark, ominous clouds slowly yet surely rolled toward the school. Yori stopped for a moment by one of the many windows to watch, her eyes glazed over as they stared unfocused at the rain clouds overhead. She waited for a long moment as if attempting to catch the first glimpse of water droplets falling from the sky, but eventually moved on, either bored or tired of waiting for an event that wouldn't happen until later in the future.

Mind still visibly wandering, it wasn't until she bumped into a stalled student that she noticed what was going on near the school entrance. A crowd had gathered around the shoe lockers, blocking the way for the students who had come from the upper floors or were just late in leaving their classrooms. Nothing too surprising in the current situation, as there were more students in the "Going Home club" than there were usually, but a certain scene within the commotion had caught her eye.

A familiar face, kneeling down next to a small yellow cat that seemed to be nuzzling his legs. Though her face scrunched up at first, her features eventually softened when a name was attributed to that face. Hoshino Noriaki. The transfer student. A memory unbidden came to her mind, of a strange, unlikely trio in her classroom. Yet again, a trio formed once more with him at the center, albeit slightly less interesting compared to the former.

The itching returned, only this time she had no reason to ignore it. With her club closed and her siblings still at school, she had no pressing matters to pull her away. She headed to her own locker first, to switch her school shoes for her outdoor ones, before moving to approach her classmates. Momentarily rifling through the contents of her bag, she pulled out a notebook as she glanced at the cat between the three boys, quickly writing down 'swing by pet store; live bait for Ku-chan' in bold red ink.

"Are you a magnet, Hoshino-san?" Blunt, abrupt, Yori hadn't given her words even a moment of consideration before speaking them, addressing the transfer student directly without even using the cat as a pretense. "This is the second time I've seen other students gathering around you. Is it only because you're new here, or just a coincidence?"