[IC] The True Self - Persona

[Sho Minazuki]

Rui Shinichi | Warakuma High After School - Manga Club Room
11/4/2015 Sat.

She seemed to be pretty carefree, though he felt that belied something far more dedicated. Regardless her question was earnest. If he had to think... What did he find himself drawing most...?

"Cute girls and cool things", he responded, after roughly a moment of thought. He went on quickly to say that 'cool things' meant anything stylish or cool to him, so what that could encompass was quite broad. After awhile his eyes wandered to the desk, and her work was laid there...

"So... What were you working on?" he inquired.

[I-Am-X]

Akane Hanazawa // Warakuma High - After School // Manga Club Room
April 11th, 2015

"Cute girls and cool things, huh?" She smiled. "Every work of art needs a few cute girls in it, I say." she laughed. "But that's the great thing about manga, bringing your imagination to life and creating new worlds and characters to live in them."

"Hmm? Following his eyes, she looked down at the manga she was working on. "Ah, Just a Supernatural post-apocalyptic type of manga centering around a kitsune girl." Akane's face brightens. "Can never go wrong with a strong and beautiful kitsune girl as the mc. Out of my love for kitsune and post-apocalyptic settings, I've never gotten around to doing them before so I always wanted to try, I figured I'd do a manga that had them both. But...." Her face looses the shine as she sighs. "I've been in a but of a slump lately and haven't been able to get much done."

[Sho Minazuki]

Rui Shinichi | Warakuma High After School - Manga Club Room
11/4/2015 Sat.

"Sounds somewhat aligned with what I'd look at...", it does sound interesting. He wondered how would it work, was a post-apocalyptic of a fantasy world? So a fantasy post-apocalyptic? There weren't many ways to fit a kitsune into the normal post-apocalyptic genre after all.

"Well, if you're in a slump, maybe a change of scenery once in awhile would help?", unless of course this was on some kind of deadline, but he had the feeling it wasn't. He wasn't sure where he was going with this, but based on her attitude, this slump has been going for a fair amount of time. Also the change of scenery was based on something he learned, which was that creating experiences required one to experience... It took him awhile to realize that some manga hiatuses were there for the authors to reinvigorate themselves and look for more experiences, or 'research'.

[Kissu]

School Nurse: Warakuma High- Nurse's Office

“Umm…sir? Those painkillers would do just fine. Someone is waiting for me…and I do not intend to make her wait.”

The young girl's quiet, but strained voice interrupted the nurse's search into his medicine cupboards, his face creasing into a disapproving frown at the emotion that was fraught in her simple words. "Sweetie, with all due respect, have you seen your face? You've been beaten black and blue, and you expect me just to send you on your way without a proper checkup?" The nurse clicked his tongue thoughtfully, appearing to debate internally on whether or not to appease the young girl's wishes, and ultimately, he decided to let her have her way as he handed her some bandages, a disinfectant swab and a box of painkillers. "Here you go, hon. Take care of yourself from now on, ok? Don't think that I haven't noticed you sneaking out of my office before." He crossed his toned arms with a look that was rife with concern as his eyes flickered to the various purpling bruises on her face. "Come find me next time you're in a bind. Now run along. I'm sure you don't want to keep your friend waiting."

---

Leiko Hamada

Leiko expected some kind of snarky, underhanded remark from Hashimoto, considering the way they had interacted thus far. Instead, he mildly surprised her by going the overtly polite route of offering to take her out as a gesture of goodwill for her persistent concern. He even went as far as brandishing her wallet to her, a typical indication that he was going to handle the cost of the outing. Honestly, it was almost laughable for someone like the richest girl in Warakuma, and Leiko did her best to keep her amusement at bay as she watched Hashimoto then make a swift exit from the room, lest the nurse have any other ideas of 'checking him over' again, no doubt. The nurse appeared busy with the dark haired girl, so Leiko felt it was intrusive to stand around and watch her check up when she didn't even know her. Still, it was strange that the girl looked so...beaten up. She hoped that it was merely the result of clumsy motor skills rather than the darker thoughts that flittered across her imagination.

Sparing one more searching glance at the girl, Leiko no longer paid it any mind as she followed Hashimoto out of the room, closing the office door behind her with a clicking sound. "As much as I appreciate the offer, Hashimoto-san, I'm afraid I'll have to decline," she finally answered with a wry smile in his direction, her eyes wandering to the clock mounted on the wall. "I have some Club President business to attend to, and I really can't delay it much further than I already have. Unless you have a keen interest in discussing classical literature, there really is nothing worth the repayment."

Leaving at that, Leiko assumed that the senior had better ideas on how to spend his time, and so she ended the conversation with a simple, dismissive wave before heading on her way.

Or at least, she would have gone on her way if not for the sudden tap on her shoulder. "Hmm?" Leiko turned her head in surprise and caught sight of a familiar female student with short, dark hair, her eyes meeting hers steadily whilst she asked a simple question.

"You're Leiko, right? Hamada Leiko? President of the Drama Club? Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?"

This girl looked familiar. Before entertaining her questions, Leiko's emerald eyes narrowed, reading the older student's features carefully. Wait, wasn't she the girl that had interrupted her conversation with Kaminari a few days ago? The strange blushing girl with the wooden sword?

"Ah. Well, indeed I am," Leiko answered her first question with an affirming nod, her expression somewhat curious. "And you're Kami-senpai's...friend." There was a strange inflection to the way that Leiko spoke that word, and the meaning was all too clear in her eyes even as her features remained perfectly straight. "Are you inquiring about joining the club? I'm afraid that auditions were on Tuesday, so it's too late to join right now." She pressed a finger to her lip in a thoughtful motion. "However, we may have some openings in May if you wish to wait until then..."

[XLegs]

Toma Tanaka - Shirohane Flower Shop

Kotori's mother took Toma's stupidity in stride, easily putting him at ease. He straightened himself out, going back to his comfortable smile.

The big guy gave his name, which surprised Toma. He glanced over, and realized he had to look up to meet the mountain's gaze, not something he was used to.

Jesus. He had never had to crane his neck to look up at someone. Not to mention that this Alexai was at least twice as wide as he was. Huh. It was almost enough to make a guy feel a little insecure. Getting over his momentary shock, he smiled and nodded as the boy revealed he was a third-year at Warakuma. He didn't seem like a bad guy, just a little scary.

"Thank you," Toma said with a bow - more casual and comfortable this time - as Kotori's mother permitted him to speak with Kotori. He looked at the girl and noticed she seemed a little uncomfortable. No doubt caused by his barging in. He surprised himself with how dumb he could be at times.

She stepped to him with a questioning 'Yes?'

He smiled softly at her. "Sorry about all that," he made sure to say, before getting to the point, smile fading from his face. "I'm not sure if you know him, but a kid in your year called Yamamoto Noboru didn't show up to school today. I was wondering if you've seen him at all today or anything." He paused, realizing he was sounding a little more... passionate about the situation than he would have liked. He relaxed himself before continuing.

"Though, uh, I couldn't tell you what he looks like. I've never actually seen him. His brother's in my class, and he's really worried that something bad's happened to the kid, so I sort of tagged along to help find him. We've been looking around for a while, with no luck."

He looked away, out the store's front windows, one hand in his pocket and the other running through his hair.

[XLegs]

[how 2 double post, a guide by xlegs]

[Takaru]

Tsubame Shirohane - Warakuma Shopping District: Shirohane Flowershop | After School

Tsubame couldn't help but smile at the scene before her - the kids these days were in such a hurry, it would seem. But then again, that was exactly what they should be after all, what with it being such an important time of their lives. After Alexei stated his name and class, confirming himself as a third year and therefore an upperclassman of her daughter just as Toma had before, Tsubame nodded for Kotori to help with whatever it was that the latter needed her help - though not without a small smile at the thought of a young man needing her daughter's help. Rather than amusedly watch the scene, however, she instead turned to face the other young man in search of help, having thanked her for her words from before.

As the young man decided to go with both what he believed to fit the intended of his gift and the meanings thereof, Tsubame nodded in encouragement - before he brought a pleasant surprise to her as he listed a number of flowers he wished the Ikebana to entail and even how. Usually, requests came with perhaps one or two specifics or just a general theme - it was always nice to know that there were some who gave it such thought. As he then explained his choice, a small smile came across Tsubame's face - not only for his words, but also the way he spoke them; the intended of his gift quite clearly meaning a lot to him, as evidenced by the subtle rub of his eyes that she pretended not to see.

"My, that's a nice choice," she said in agreement - not only because it was, but also because it meant that by stating his choices so, he also was unknowingly inserting the third criteria for a floral gift by choosing it by himself. He really did seem to have given this quite some thought, it seemed - even if it did leave her to wonder who exactly it was that he wanted to present this gift to and the circumstances behind it. However, she was not one to pry into the private matters of others and thus simply listened as Alexei then requested a delivery, if that could be arranged.

"A morning delivery? Certainly," Tsubame said with a nod and a smile before getting to a matter that her daughter had mentioned the other day. "By the way, you don't have to worry about the price. I'm sure that's something we can work out," she said, seeing as it was hardly something he could just easily bring up all by himself if he was already making a request - though she could also understand why Kotori had asked if there was anything they could do to help, seeing the young man's devotion to his family first hand.

"Is there anything else you'd like?" Tsubame then asked.

Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma Shopping District: Shirohane Flowershop | After School

The first thing Toma did as Kotori stepped closer was to apologise for his sudden appearance, eliciting a quick shake of her head to say that it wasn't a big deal. What then followed certainly wasn't what she had expected - she'd thought he was perhaps a little lost and had simply decided to ask someone familiar for direction. Instead, his easygoing smile dropped, instead being replaced by a serious expression that matched his words as he explained that a Second Year called Yamamoto Noboru was missing and asked whether she'd seen him.

Kotori's first response to simply blink questioningly - before things started to make sense. It took her a moment to recognise the name she'd heard the day before and to put a face to it in the form of the previously shirtless male would-be Idol Club member she'd met yesterday. What's more, he hadn't been at school - much like a Second Year she'd heard about but had assumed to simply be at home with a cold. If these two were one and the same, however, that theory fell flat given that Toma then went on to explain why he was looking for Noboru. If his brother was on the lookout, that would mean that he could hardly be lying in bed at home.

A worried expression came over Kotori's face at that realisation - she'd seen Noboru just yesterday and he'd seemed fine then. Had something happend after he'd left the MMA Club Members and herself on his own that afternoon? After a moment's pause following Toma's words, Kotori spoke up. "I haven't seen him today," she said, concern apparent in her voice. "But I just met him yesterday a-after school," she continued, briefly stumbling over her words as she remembered the exact circumstances of said meeting, before holding a hand to about chest height. "He's a bit short and, uhm, kind of fit-looking," Kotori explained, given that Toma not knowing how the person he was looking for actually looked probably making things a bit difficult for him and, unbeknownst to her, describing the person he'd actually seen her talking to the day before.

"We were going to go to a restaurant yesterday with three others from the MMA Club, but he left before we got there," she then said after thinking on the events of the previous day for a moment to make sure she got them in order; giving a quick glance over to Alexei as she mentioned the MMA Club of which he was a member. "Was he alright then?" she asked, given that she hardly knew the boy in question long enough to know if just leaving without a word was something he did regularly - though Toma would hardly know, too, perhaps he'd heard more from his brother.

[Haru Nyan]

Ayano: The Nurse's office
Just as she was about to inquire the whereabouts of the missing student, Ayano who was talking to Leiko was asked herself, saying if she wanted to join the club and whatnot.
The girl put her hands on her hips, "Not exactly...You know Noboru right? He auditioned for your club and well, word's gone out that he's disappeared. I wanted to ask you if you've known of his whereabouts?" Then the girl followed up with another question, "Before you say that you haven't seen anything or heard anything, do you know someone who might?" with her arms crossed, Ayano patiently waited for answers from Leiko. And for some odd reason, she can't shake off the feeling that she's done something to upset the girl, which itself makes Ayano upset herself.

[Diabolicalrhapsody]

Alexei

The elder Shirohane politely encouraged his choice and also mentioned about his request for a discount. His smile dropped and a serious expression took over, one of guilt. Here he was, asking for a favor by an artist and he was already planning of shortchanging their craft. He felt bad for being such a idiot but the kindness, it seemed ran in the family for the mother was as understanding as the daughter. She also said that morning deliveries won't be much trouble and that they could be arrange. With a warm smile she then asked for his request if he had more to say.

"I'm extremely grateful, Shirohane-dono." he said as he clutched both his hands in front of his chest and shook them slightly to show his gratitude along with a bow.

"I would just add a thing more. Please don't take this as an affront to your craft, just that I that mentally I found that the image fit with what I had in mind. So if you could please, while making the bouquet arrange the two carnations as such that to the viewer, the one on the right appears larger than the one on the left." he said politely, with his head still in a half bow. He felt that he was being a bit too finicky with the whole order and that he needed to restrain any further thoughts.

"I'll understand if you don't though, since you are more skilled in the art. Now, if mornings are no issue then please deliver them to this address." he said as he took out a card from his pocket. Initially he had planned to tell the patron of the place of delivery, but with more company he just couldn't bring himself to speak it. He fiddled in his other pocket for a pen and put down the address at the back of the card.

To, Dinara Dragunov-Tenjiro
Ward-2: Intensive Care Unit
Room Number - 7, Warakuma General Hospital

"Please deliver it to this address." he said, handing over the card to the elder woman. A bit of moisture developing in his eyes. He then looked about in his blazer pocket before taking out five crisp 10,000 yen notes and handing them over.

"Please take this as a token amount, I promise to settle accounts every month. Also, at the back is my contact number. I'll happily serve any of your needs for repairs and handyman jobs. Thank you." he said with a bow, waiting for elder Shirohane to allow him his leave.

[I-Am-X]

Akane Hanazawa // Warakuma High - After School // Manga Club Room
April 11th, 2015

"Mhm, It's surely a tricky mix..." She admitted. Not only the contents of the manga but the length as well. The lot of doujinshi ranges around 20 or so pages, some can get around 40-45 and others exceed 60-70 page one shots. Some mangakas even choose to do a 'series' in a variety of continuing ones. When she started working on this manga, she decided on a lengthy one-shot with hopes of a series but after starting off well, she hit a road block and hasn't progressed since.

A change of scenery, huh? "A change of scenery sounds really good about now." Stretching, she leans back in the chair. Though, I'm pretty limited to where I can go. Not like I can venture out of this place... "Cooping myself in the club room and my apartment doesn't help me much, that's for sure." she laughs. A break can probably do wonders...

[Pudding]

Warakuma Streets - Kami says 'Hello'

It was all a bit fast. The two boys ran one after the other in search of the missing Noboru. Chiaki thought it was kind of sweet that Noborus' brother was trying to look for him. Perhaps he wasn't such a nuisance after all... Regardless Chiaki didn't go after them to help, rather stayed to talk to the strange older boy that decided to suddenly join the discussion. Chiaki fiddled with one of her long drills, mumbling the boys name.

"Kamaniri... Kamaniri..." She repeated the name to herself, it sounded familiar... Where had she heard it from?
In a sudden burst of remembrance, Chiaki clapped her hands together!
"Ah! Yes, Sutoraiki-san! I know you! Rather, I know, of you. My cousin went to your birthday celebration... Or something of the sort, I helped decide on a gift for you."

Flicker some hair, Chiaki introduced herself.
"I'm Chiaki Nettu, a first year. Also a ... Friend of Noborus'. If you need help looking for him, I could assist I suppose... To be honest, if his brother is looking for him, something serious must have happened..."
Placing her hand on her cheek, Chiaki looked away.

"I'm new to town, I don't know the area really well... But I'm worried about him. Thats a good enough reason to look for a friend and fellow school mate, correct?"

Kamaniri Sutoraiki

[Sho Minazuki]

Rui Shinichi | Warakuma High After School - Manga Club Room
11/4/2015 Sat.

"Hmmm... Well, a Chagall Cafe opened up in the mall. It has a nice view of the city", he said. He passed by it when he was the mall any time he went shopping. It was on the second floor, and one entire side was all glass, so you can see clearly out into the city. A change of scenery, doesn't look reasonable to go too far either, so a cafe was perfect. He was considering the game center, or arcade, but that was more for leisure, rather than relaxation, which despite popular belief, is a little different.

"There don't seem to be any actual club activities now, so this is a good chance to go out for a bit", he continued.

[SwordfishKnight]

Aiko-Warakuma Mall

Aiko waited for Toma to finish up his inquisition. It was long, and deciding to be helpful, Aiko pulled out his phone. He dialed in Noboru's number, and called it up. No answer. It was time to call his parents. He dialed up the number and called them. He tried to explain his situation to his parents.

"Hello? Hi mom. I really need your help. I can't find Noboru. No. He's not at school. He never went. Yes I already checked there. No, he's not at the house. Do you actually care about this? Your own son is missing and you are making up excuses about why he's gone. Yes fine. I'll check. Bye."

"Goddamit!" Aiko threw his phone to the ground, watching the battery pop out and the screen go black. He huffed, angry about the whole ideal. Her own son was missing and she didn't give two shits about him. This was troublesome. He walked up to Toma, interrupting his questioning. Next to him was the girl that he had seen Noboru with yesterday.

"Hey. You. You were with Noboru yesterday. Did he seem kinda quiet or anything like that? Did you manage to see where he walked off to? I really need your help."

[XLegs]

Toma Tanaka - Shirohane Flower Shop

Toma listened to Kotori's response and vague description of the boy he was looking for for. He blinked in confusion when she held up her hand to demonstrate his height -- but then he remembered and glanced over at Alexai. If a high schooler could be as big as him, one could easily be as small as Kotori had described.

As he was expecting, she didn't know where Noboru was, but interestingly, she had been with him after school yesterday. He paused to scratch his neck and mull the new information over.

"Huh. Then you may have been one of the last people to see him. From the sound of it, he never went home last night." His eyes narrowed as he receded into his thoughts again.

He glanced over his shoulder, seeing Aiko was on busy talking on his phone. Looking back at Kotori, he leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice. "Did Yamamoto-kun seem... I don't know... distressed or anything? Like he'd have a reason to--" a cracking noise took him by surprise, cutting him off. Toma looked back over at Aiko to see the boy's cell on the ground.

In a huff, he came up to the two, and somewhat rudely questioned Kotori. Toma's brow furrowed as he stepped forward and placed his arm between the two. "Hey, Aiko," he said with the slightest growl. "I know you're frustrated, but there's no need to be forceful. Shirohane-san doesn't know any more than we do." He paused and glanced over at Kotori, before breathing out to release his tension. He turned fully towards her and addressed her far more softly.

"You mentioned MMA club members, Shirohane-san. Is it possible that any of them saw Yamamoto-kun after you did?" Right now, that seemed like their best lead -- it was better than running around town aimlessly, at least.

[I-Am-X]

Akane Hanazawa // Warakuma High - After School // Manga Club Room
April 11th, 2015

"The Mall, Huh?" She said absentmindedly as she looked out the window of the club room. Despite occasionally passing it, it's been quite some time since she actually been to the mall, so she wasn't aware of there being new shops. And the time she did go to the mall, she never did take the time to look out the windows and check the view.

"That's true, Comiket isn't for another 4 months, After all..." He was right, the club, outside of Comiket and other conventions and the like, doesn't conduct many, if any, other club activities. Choosing instead to devoting their time to working on/preparing material for the next convention. And doing so is pretty much all their club activities, the rest being prep for school events.

After thinking on it for a few minutes, as she sat there staring at her incomplete page, she stood up and started stretching. "You're right, it's a good chance. With Comiket in a matter of months, I need all the time I can manage to re-charge and put out something I can be proud of." She says as she begins packing her writing utensils and manuscript in her bag. I should probably first head to the local store and check up on any manga releases I might've missed this week due to working on my manga.

[Takaru]

Tsubame Shirohane - Warakuma Shopping District: Shirohane Flowershop | After School

Much as expected, it was troubling for the young man to ask about the matters of payment - that much was evident from the way his expression changed. Of course, it wasn't exactly her usual way to offer her services at a discout - but seeing the way it made him happy and the fact that she'd been asked by her daughter, Tsubame decided that it couldn't hurt to do it once in a while. After all, what could be better than a satisfied customer?

As he expressed a final wish after offering his gratitude, Tsubame had to stifle a chuckle - not out of malice or ridicule, but rather at the depth with which the Third Year Student thought about his gift; evidently wanting it to be the best it possibly could - knowing that it would be appreciated so made the previous worries disappear. "Oh, no, it's quite alright," she waved off as he then went on to say that it was up to her whether or not to follow the instructions he wished for - before taking out a small card on which he wrote down an address. Taking the card, Tsubame looked at it - as, for the briefest of moments, her usual cheerful smile fell and was replaced by a saddened expression. This, however, lasted only for a heartbeat; her normal smile returning before anyone could take notice.

"Of course," she said in reply to the request for delivery before the young man presented his payment - it seemed, much like Kotori had mentioned the day before, that he truly was intending for it to be a long-running gift. Taking the money with a bow and a "Thank you very much" in return, Tsubame gave a smile as he offered his services if there ever was the need. "Thank you. And no worries - I'm sure we can figure things out at a later time," she said, hoping to relieve the quite apparent financial worries of the earnest Alexei.

Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma Shopping District: Shirohane Flowershop | After School

Toma seemed to think on her description for a moment - before making note of the fact that she was, perhaps, one of the last to have seen the Noboru. "Oh," was all Kotori could say to that - unsure what exactly to make of it. Had she known at the time, she would have paid more attention or perhaps asked him - but now, a day later, she wasn't even sure about all the details of their meeting anymore. Toma, it seemed, was on a similar track of mind as he asked whether Noboru had seemed, in any way or form, distressed or the like - before being cut off by a noise from outside.

Kotori followed his gaze with her bespectacled own, even as she thought on the question - of course, he had seemed a bit distressed. But that was because of the whole Idol Club incident and he seemed to be quite alright as soon as they left the school building afterwards. Before she could say as much, however, the boy that had stood outside entered the shop; immediately stepping forward to address her. "Eh?" was Kotori's immediate reaction to this as he questioned her about Noboru; whether he'd seemed quiet, where he'd gone off to.

Yet again, before she could muster more than a surprised sound, she was interrupted; this time by Toma who stepped between the boy - another Third Year, Kotori now recognised - and attempted to diffuse his heated mood. Turning around, he then spoke to her; picking up on her previous mention of the MMA Club Members and asking whether they perhaps would know more. There was a brief pause as Kotori thought it over - even if uncomfortably so, seeing as she had the immediate attention of almost everyone pointed at her.

"Uhm... Yamamoto-san was a bit upset about the Idol Club, but not for long," she began, answering Toma's previous question first. "I... don't think he was quiet. He talked to me and the others," she continued with the Third Year's - Aiko, as Toma had called him - question; though she was unsure how Noboru normally was and what really constituted him being distressed or quiet. "I didn't see where he went, but he left us in town. We went to the restaurant together, so I don't think they could know much more," she said, before raising a hand to point over toward Alexei. "You could ask Dragunov-senpai yourself. He was there too," Kotori said - even as she silently apologised toward the Third Year for her attempt at directing the attention away from herself. Furthermore, it seemed that they, at least, knew him already, given the way they'd spoken - perhaps they really could tell the two more?

Tsubame Shirohane - Warakuma Shopping District: Shirohane Flowershop | After School

Just as she said her part to the tall Third Year Student, the shop's door opened up - and yet another Warakuma High Student entered; immediately heading toward Kotori and speaking to her. Tsubame's eyes narrowed at that - not as much his sudden appearance but rather the way he addressed her daughter. However, the other student stepped in between them and seemed to calm the situation at least somewhat - but Tsubame still kept an eye on the three as she turned back to face Alexei. "Would that be all?" she asked - though the smile she gave was just ever so slightly strained.

[Sho Minazuki]

Rui Shinichi | Warakuma High After School - Chagall Cafe, Mall
11/4/2015 Sat.

And so the two went on a brief trip for the mall. Akane made a quick stop over at the book store for a brief check on new releases before the two headed over to the cafe. Rui ordered a hot chocolate, he just didn't really like coffee. The view from the cafe was fairly nice. While it may not be the best out there, it had a pretty nice view of the city, you could see all the urban expansion happening towards the edge, and the amusement park was visible from here too. Looking in another direction you could see the path to school and amongst the buildings, the school itself. It wasn't very high up, but in a small town like this, second floor was high enough. He looked to Akane to see how this fared with her.

[Sen]

Sato Hashimoto // Warakuma High, Outside of the Nurse’s Office

It wasn’t long before Hamada followed him out of the room and back into the safe hallway, though he had mixed feelings about the rejection to his offer that she gave after. On one hand, he was both hungry and bored, and wouldn’t mind a female’s company to a restaurant for once. But… his wallet and mind said that it would’ve ended in disaster. There were plenty of fish in the sea to eat and even more things to do so Sato decided to react indifferently to the response, giving her a shrug to portray that feeling. She continued on to detail that she had business to attend to and that a lengthy discussion on classical literature— he didn’t doubt that it’d be about Shakespeare— would be the only adequate way to repay her.

Sato considered attempting to scrounge up his incredibly limited knowledge of “classical literature” and try to talk about it, but before he could even make up his mind about it, Hamada dismissed him with a heartless wave and started off in a direction opposite to him, but she stopped a little down the hall when a girl he didn’t recognize interrupted her to ask something that Sato couldn’t sufficiently hear. Sato assumed it to be another drama geek (which he himself was now branded as) inquiring about something in relation to the club, and he decided to leave before anyone else dragged him off to get manhandled by school staff, walking past the two girls to get back to the main building.

Though, just as he took a step past them, he caught an interesting bit from their conversation: “You know Noboru, right? He auditioned for your club, and well, word’s gone out that he’s disappeared.” It took him a moment to process the name, but Sato recalled Noboru as the short and fit guy that he had met a week ago. The guy had auditioned along side him and everyone else, and hadn’t done bad at all. The two didn’t necessarily click well but Noboru didn’t seem half-bad from the limited amount of time he had spent with him. There wasn’t any reason for Sato to care for some underclassman he barely knew though, so Sato merely took a few steps further away from the girls to avoid looking awfully suspicious as he churned the information in his head.

He decided to listen in on the girls’ conversation a bit further, looking at his phone as if someone texted him as a guise. The girl he didn’t know continued: “Before you say that you haven't seen anything or heard anything, do you know someone who might?” It only then struck him that the girl was trying to find answers from Hamada as she was one of the only people who would have a chance of knowing beyond Noboru’s family and close friends. It wasn’t like he could do anything about the situation anyway, so Sato shoved his phone back into his pocket before making his way to the main building, away from the two’s conversation.

The third-year stopped himself when he exited the front doors, letting out a long sigh as he looked at the gates for no reason. He didn’t feel like doing anything, but he didn’t want to not do anything. More likely he didn’t want to think about anything and instead just let off steam after the shitty day he went through. Classes were more boring than usual even though their day was shorter on Saturday, then he got socked by a friend, and Leiko Hamada dragged him off to the expectedly creepy nurse for a while. Unsure of what he wanted to do, Sato slid down the wall next to the doors until he was in a sitting position and pulled out his phone, idly checking social media, texts, and what not. He knew he had to leave school grounds soon but at least he could kill time and decide on what to do until then.

[Kissu]

Leiko Hamada: Warakuma High- Outside the Nurse's Office

The senior girl dispelled the notion of joining Leiko's club fairly quickly before getting into the heart of the matter- Noboru Yamamoto.

Leiko felt her face crease into a frown as the girl explained that the fellow second year had just 'disappeared' without a trace. It was true that Noboru was missing from class that day, and people that knew him suggested that it was a rare thing to occur, but wasn't the notion of him 'disappearing' a little overdramatic?

Leiko opened her mouth to suggest this to the strangely persistent girl, but she quickly beat her to the punch with yet another question, to Leiko's slight irritation.

If you're going to interrogate me, at least let me answer... Leiko bit her tongue at the sentiment that threatened to spill forth. The girl was already looking somewhat unnerved by her (hardly an anomaly when in the presence of Leiko Hamada of course,) and not to mention that the last time Leiko had seen her, she was carrying a wooden sword around school. Caution was probably wise in dealing with this girl.

"The last time I saw Yamamoto was yesterday, as soon as classes concluded for the day," Leiko began with a calm, controlled demeanour, carefully noting the nervous disposition of the girl before her. "He's not only in my club, but my class as well. I have no idea as to where he went after school however. After all, we're hardly friends," she shrugged noncommittally. "If you would like to speak to someone with a clearer idea of his whereabouts, I would suggest you speak to his older siblings." She recalled her somewhat unpleasant meeting with Aiko and Akari Yamamoto on Monday, and their disconcerting attempt to manipulate her treatment of Noboru within the Drama Club. She found them wholly unpleasant, but it was incredibly doubtful that they would not know where their brother was, at the very least. "If Yamamoto-kun has disappeared like you suggest, then I am confident they would be able to bring the matter to light." She folded her arms with a sense of finality. "Will that be all, Senpai?" She asked primly.

[I-Am-X]

Akane Hanazawa // Warakuma High - After School // Chagall Cafe, Mall
April 11th, 2015

Making a brief stop at the bookstore, Akane scurried over to the manga isle to check on what she may have missed. Since she's engrossed with her writing, she occasionally misses the chance to check new releases from other magazines. After grabbing a few magazines, she pays at the register and heads out of the store. Akane and Rui then went back on their way to the Mall.

Upon reaching the Cafe, Rui ordered himself a hot chocolate. Not being much of a fan of coffee, Akane decided to order the same, since they'd probably wouldn't take too kindly to a non-customer lounging about in their store. Gazing out the window, she took in the view. While not the best nor most breath-taking scene she's scene, it was still a relaxing feel. She could see the path to school, bunch of buildings and the school itself. Then her eyes stopped upon view of the Amusement Park.

Staring at it as she took a sip of her hot chocolate, Akane couldn't help but recall of the last time she was at one herself. It was her 7th birthday and she was there with her father, mother and older brother. It was also the last time her family was together in one place and the day everything changed.... As her relaxed smile faded from her face and was replaced with a darker one. With the loud sound of someone banging on a nearby table, she snapped back to reality and saw Rui's eyes on her.

In an instant her dark expression vanished and she smiled. "It's quite an relaxing view. I've always been engrossed in my reading and cooping myself up in my apartment or the club room that I never gotten a nice view of the town before. Also, all the stress didn't really help at all, so doing something like this is quite the relief. Much appreciated." She added in thanks as she closed her eyes as she took another sip of her hot chocolate. Been here for 2 years and I still don't know the place all the well. Maybe I need to get out more. she smiled as she rests her chin on her right palm and gazed out the window again.