Status
Not open for further replies.
[fieldbox= Narita Taigi, Grey, solid]
taigiico-jpeg.123017


[October 30th, Midday/ Hisakawa Academy, Main School Building, Second Floor Hallways]

“…?”

Taigi’s plan was to return to the classroom and just wait till lunch ended.

Was his plan.

Instead, he found himself crouching down and picking up a key on the floor as he was walking to his classroom. When he took a closer look at the item in his hand, he realized it wasn’t just any old key, but the key to the roof. There was nothing on the key that blatantly screamed its identity, but he knew from prior experience. When he went to the teacher’s lounge, there was a key rack with labels and he kept a note on what the rooftop key looked like. It was a small wish of his to someday access the roof and pretend to be one of those main characters from the anime and manga he was so fond of.

Now, he had a chance on doing so.

Looking all around him and hoping nobody saw him, Taigi pocketed the key and headed towards the roof.

[School Rooftop]

The roof wasn’t as he expected. It was dirtier than he imagined it to be, but it made sense. The roof was off limits, so what need was there to clean it? There weren’t any benches either, for the same reason. Annoyed at the dissonance between real life and fiction, he grumbled briefly before noticing a ladder that led to the top of the roof access. He went towards it and gripped his hands on the rungs as he went up.

He kicked a spot several times to get rid of any large debris before he laid himself down on it, his arms behind his head in a familiar pose that many characters did when looking up at the sky. Taigi chuckled to himself, closed his eyes, and enjoyed the gentle breeze.

It didn’t last for long though, as he heard the door to the roof open. Startled, his eyes shot open and he fell into a minor state of panic. He calmed down once he realized his current position. He was on top of the roof access, but his body was obscured from sight by a large structure. Its purpose was unknown to him, but it was a common sight on roof accesses. He strained his ears, hoping that a teacher didn’t follow him.

“We’re here. This way, no one will hear us. Not even Amane-san.”

It took him a second before he recognized Sagawa’s voice.

(“She isn’t alone.”)

Though he couldn’t see anything from where he was, it didn’t take a genius to realize Sagawa wasn’t by herself from the words she used. Unless she was crazy.

Taigi had a brief thought on interrupting and announcing his presence, but Sagawa’s voice cut that off.

"I've spent the entire past week recovering, since my chip was removed. But, I suppose that was pretty obvious enough from seeing me in class today, right? The adults supposed that, without it, I wouldn't cause trouble for our classmates anymore."

Well, it seemed that Taigi’s earlier guess at Sagawa’s chip being disabled was nearly spot on. It bothered him though; he had wanted his chip removed but they wouldn’t let him. And here this girl got hers removed with no apparent health problems. Were they lying to him or…?

Sagawa continued to speak, and Taigi listened in.



[/hr][/hr]
Taigi didn’t move even after the two left. There was so much to digest, to sink in. He grit his teeth in frustration. All this time his friend Michio had been enduring and struggling.

And all this time, Taigi didn’t notice.

It was vexing. And one thing in particular bothered him; though it wasn’t the most depressing part of the dialogue, it troubled him the most. When Michio mentioned the most treasured memories of his childhood, Taigi was absent.

He slapped his cheeks once and got up.

So what if he wasn’t mentioned? They were still friends damnit, and wasn’t that what was most important? His plan was set. Lisa’s and Yukitani’s situations would have to be put off for now.[/fieldbox]

[fieldbox= Narita Taigi, Grey, solid]
taigiico-jpeg.123017


[October 30th, Afternoon / Hisakawa Academy, Main School Building, Class 2-A]

When class ended for the day, Taigi immediately got up to see Michio leaving the classroom in haste.

[Outside Teacher's Lounge]

Slinging his backpack over his shoulder, he went out not as fast as Michio did, but enough to see and follow where he went. The purple haired male had entered the teacher’s lounge, probably for some business. Taigi walked over there and waited outside. When Michio eventually came back out, Taigi raised a hand in greeting.

“Yo. Let’s go eat. My treat.”

Taigi’s tone and body language seemed normal to strangers, but friends were a different story. It was evident that this wasn’t a suggestion or question, but an order. Unless Michio’s work schedule changed from the last time they talked about it, his work wouldn’t start till much later today. Therefore, it was a perfect opportunity for Taigi to have a lengthy conversation with his friend.

@Accelerator[/fieldbox]
 
[fieldbox=Chiyo Imada, #fbceb1, solid, 10]
Chiyo%20Ico%20Real_zpscbxdv0hl.jpg

[October 30th, Midday / Hisakawa Academy, Main School Building, Class 2-A]

"I guessed you rubbed off on her, huh Chiyo-chan? That's Ayaka-chan alright. Leading by example...."

Chiyo smiled as she observed Ayaka's interaction with Sagawa, glad that Sagawa was back--and already less alienated than before, even if only one more person began to talk with her. Though, didn't the turquoise-haired girl usually take notes with her VR chip?

Why would she-?

...Well, Chiyo needed to speak with her anyhow. There must've been a valid reason for the other girl to not respond to any of her messages.

Also, there was the lunchbox filled with meatbuns to be given!

- - -

A few more minutes into lunch, the peach noticed Sagawa standing up, a silent indication to follow her being communicated. Iori seemed to have no issues doing so, already on the move and going on ahead before Chiyo could grab her stuff.

However, as she was just about to follow her maid, the girl couldn't help but hesitate- pausing to glance at Michio. He would probably want to meet her first, and considering what was at stake-

"Imada-san, I'll go and talk to Sagawa-chan first. When I'm done, I'll send you a message so you can follow suit. Don't worry. I still have a lot of stuff to deal with so I'll try to make it quick and just catch up with her more when I walk her home later."

"...Ah, alright. Tell Mizunohara-san I said hello, please."

And with that, she sat back down and continued to eat a bit more-- observing the classmates around her a little bit more sharply as she did so.

Now that Sagawa's back, the hacker should try to make a move...after all, he or she seemed to want to frame her in the first place--so that means they would want her gone, no?

Ah, I'll have to ask Sagawa-san about this later...


[October 30th, Afternoon / Hisakawa Academy, Outside Main School Building]

The rest of the day passed mostly uneventfully, with only the exception of the rumors spreading around school.

The rumors about Sagawa's chip having been removed, that is.

As for Chiyo, she was currently thinking about what to do next. For the past week, she had been looking into the glitches going on within the main school building- with Iori there to help her, of course. Obviously, the peach understood little to nothing about coding, so it was difficult to progress at all during the week.

Since Sagawa had just returned, Chiyo told Iori at lunch that they wouldn't be doing anything after school today, and that she was free to do as she wished.

But, Lisa hasn't been to school since that day either...

A sigh escaped the peach's lips.

Not only has she been out of contact with Sagawa, but she hasn't been able to get a hold of Lisa, either. Naturally, Chiyo assumed that she was just recovering from whatever trauma being hacked into causes. But now, it's been a full week. Not even Lisa's parents were giving Chiyo any replies, other than the fact that Lisa wouldn't be coming to school the day after Sagawa was declared to be a hacker.

Hah...too many things are happening at once.

Taking a seat on a nearby bench, Chiyo set her bag down beside her, before taking out a small bottle of chemicals. Unscrewing the cap of it, the glasses girl revealed the mysterious mixture to be bubbles, as she blew into the wand molded into the cap.

Small clear spheres floated through the air, bringing a soft smile to her lips.

Fun.
[/fieldbox]
@AnybodyReally
@BUBBLES!!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
[fieldbox="Tachibana Misheru, red, solid"]
MisheruIcojpeg_zps9xmeq64y.jpg


[October 30th, Afternoon / Hisakawa Academy, Main School Building, Class 2-A]

“Heh, you might end up regretting that....”

"I think I will too but then again, I regret many of my decisions."

Misheru placed her hands on the table before grinning at Kira Oshiro. She started it, might as well finish it. The redhead then looked to the other redhead, not really fazed by her closeness anymore. If she were to be honest, she would admit that the first few times Kira did this to her after a long time, she felt a bit embarrassed. Not flustered, just embarrassed at the fact that another girl was in close proximity as a boyfriend/ girlfriend is.

“I’m a drummer, not a singer,”
“What kind of drummer would I be if I knew how to sing!?”
“I just keep the beat, keep the beat,”


"You'd be a useless one, wouldn't you?", she raised an eyebrow to herself. From all she had read before, people who played an instrument should at least be aware of the keys they were playing. She didn't know how drumming work but she indeed knew that if the lead singer or someone of significance in the group were to yell at Kira to play a C-sharp, the female would have to do so. Besides, it wasn't as though recognising the keys was all about memorising. One had to know how it sounded and sometimes that required humming, if not singing.

She was about to say something else when the other female decided to head towards their date destination right away.

"Well, if you really have a voice that deafening, I would hit you with the microphone, rest assured." she replied as she continued following the other female.

[/fieldbox]

@Wen
 
[fieldbox= OSHIRO KIRA, #ffa938, solid]
0ulFT22.jpg


[BCOLOR=#000000][October 30th, Afternoon / Hisakawa Academy][/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Well, if you really have a voice that deafening, I would hit you with the microphone, rest assured."[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]”I’m lucky you are so feminine and soft then.” Kira teased, squeezing Misheru’s hand in her own, running her thumb along the back of it. Maybe I won't get a concussion.[/BCOLOR]

She hoped she wouldn't get physical, and that it was a joke. There was no reason for them to fight. They could accept this would lead nowhere, go seperate ways once more in life.

[BCOLOR=transparent]As she lead Misheru through the corridors of the school, down the stairs and outside, Kira got the nagging feeling that she was in a bit of a bind. She’d used her usual ammunition a bit too early.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]When they got outside, a taxi was already waiting for them. Kira wasn’t one to waste time, especially not in this scenario with Mish-san, so she’d ordered a driver with her chip. Her bicycle would have to stay at the school, and she might have to walk tomorrow, but it might be worth it as long as they didn’t have a terrible date.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]If they did, well, people were bound to have seen them leaving school together. Win-win scenario for her as long as she kept adding fuel to the rumours. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]“I don’t imagine you would like to ride on my bike, and this way we’ll get there faster so I can make a total fool of myself for your entertainment,” Kira said, winking. “When you ditch me for my terrible singing, I’ll still have time to get home to practice drumming!”[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Her aching arms would strongly disagree with the sentiment, as would the nurse, but it wasn’t that important. Maybe she could convince her parents to buy prosthetic arms for her instead. Hi-tech stuff, so she could become an even greater drummer. First she’d have to chop off her arms though, and she didn’t like the idea of such intense pain.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]“After you,” Kira said, letting go off Misheru’s hand, opening the door to the car. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Once Misheru had climbed into the taxi, Kira got in as well. Kira told the female driver where they wanted to go, before rolling up the partition so they couldn’t see each other and scooting closer to The Devil In Disguise. She stopped halfway, wondering if she should continue like she had, or if she should give Misheru a chance to prove how utterly uninterested she was in being remotely close to The Rock N’ Roll Queen. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]She sighed, running a hand through her hair. It wasn’t quite right to keep rushing forward like a train without breaks at every instance. She’d already been told how Misheru felt nothing for her, so she might as well consider this a last ditch effort.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Knowing that, she should do her best to come off as charming, even if she was just awkward.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Kira turned on a song by one of her favourite female singers, moving closer to Mish-san so their legs touched, as the car drove away from school.[/BCOLOR]

Play ►

Whispered something in your ear~

[BCOLOR=transparent]“Do you like this voice?” Kira asked, swaying back and forth. “It’s nothing like mine, but I am curious what you sound like when you sing instead of talk. Is it beautiful? Do you sound like I imagine when...”[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]She shouldn't end that sentence, unless she was aiming to get slapped again, like when she'd kissed her.[/BCOLOR]

@Makomin

[/fieldbox]
 
Last edited by a moderator:
[fieldbox= Leo Kane, #666699, Solid]


Leo%20Real%20Ico_zpse7dt3sqd.jpg


[October 30th, Afternoon / Hisakawa Academy, Outside Main School Building]

Leo spent the rest of the day napping in his seat. Though for some reason that only made him more tired. The only thing the nap had achieved had been his second goal which was to pass the day. He had occasionally looked up and listened to see if anyone died. But it seemed there was nothing worthy to note, aside from perhaps a strange atmosphere.

Rubbing his hands on his face. He stood outside, wondering if the best option would be to just go home.

Looking around, he spotted the familiar peach hair of his friend. She was sitting on the bench, minding her own buisness. He began to walk over,

"Ow..." He flinched, more out of suprise then actualy pain. Something had stung his eye. Bringing his hand to his eye, he saw with his other currently usuable eye that there were bubbles floating in the air. The bubbles, were of course, originating from Chiyo. He wondered if she did this purely out of boredom or if this was a serious past time of hers that she preferred over other things.

Tactically dodging the onslaught of bubbles. Leo somehow made it over to the bench with both of his eyes still in use. "Hey." He said, sitting down on the bench.

He wondered what Chiyo felt about the recent revelations of today. With the spreading romour that Sagawa had her chip removed basically confirming it. Though one could guess that Chiyo was still on a quest to aid Sagawa.

He looked over to her. If, he could find the words, he could convince her. To stop it, stop trying to be a hero.

But he valued the peace too much right now, so he merely yawned.

"These days really drag on sometimes." For some, eventful. But he ftalt that sometimes there was periods of time where he began to think he was off in a coma.

"Say Chiyo, have you found anything in your little...investigation?" He was suprised at the words coming out of his mouth given what he was thinking.

@Raven Haruka[/fieldbox]
 
[fieldbox=Chiyo Imada, #fbceb1, solid, 10]
Chiyo%20Ico%20Real_zpscbxdv0hl.jpg

[October 30th, Afternoon / Hisakawa Academy, Outside Main School Building]

The girl's gaze became transfixed onto some unknown location, a result of intense thinking.

So, if Sagawa-san's back- that must mean something bad is going to happen...probably. Maybe not though, depending on how much the hacker actually wanted to get rid of her. Oh! I should probably try to contact Lisa-chan again today...though maybe not. I wouldn't want to be-

"Hey."

Shaken from her thoughts, Chiyo smiled at the boy who sat down beside her.

"Leo-kun! Hi."

For once, her friend didn't have a comeback right away, instead maintaining the silence for a few moments- before yawning.

"These days really drag on sometimes."

"Ah, did you not get enough sleep last night?" Indeed, the peach had noticed said boy sleeping during class earlier on today--a result of her people-watching during lunch, no doubt. She blew another set of bubbles, before offhandedly teasing, "You know, you probably shouldn't sleep during school. It's not very healthy to become nocturnal--and I would know!"

Giggling at her own joke, she stopped abruptly when Leo began to speak.

"Say Chiyo, have you found anything in your little...investigation?"

"Ah, the investigation?"

How could she describe her progress to Leo...how could she describe that her endeavors have been completely useless in this scenario? No progress has been made whatsoever- and the longer this went on, the more stressed Chiyo became.

What if the hacker only wanted to frame Sagawa in order to get her out of the way, so he or she could wreak havoc in school? What if the hacker already knew what Chiyo and Iori were up to, and was just biding their time to strike? What if they strike not against the duo, but against their friends- like with Lisa? Except this time, there would be no Sagawa to the rescue...

As she thought, Chiyo turned back to the bubbles in the air. She set the open bottle of chemicals beside her, the cap loose and just resting on top of the small container- before her hands began to fiddle with one another.

"Say, Leo-kun...how long has it been since we became friends? It was in middle school...right? You were...I mean, I was..." Chiyo trailed off, her gaze becoming far-off as she concentrated on remembering.

"...oh, it was after she left, wasn't it?"

Thinking out loud, that was one thought she didn't mean to let out. Quickly turning to face Leo, she tried to back her way out.

"Ah, sorry, I mean...never mind. Anyhow, about the investigation, it's..." Trailing off, the peach let out a small sigh in defeat.

"...that's not really what you wanted to talk to me about, was it?"
I might as well just go for it...what's the worse that could happen?
"You don't seem to care much about Sagawa Mizunohara, if I'm assuming right...did something unpleasant transpire between the two of you?"

Changing the subject seemed to be the best solution to this, though it didn't really do anything to lift the heaviness around Chiyo's thoughts, sadly. Patiently waiting for an answer, she put her hands in her lap, gripping the two together tightly.
[/fieldbox]
@Rithas
@Others
@AttackOfTheBubbles
 
[fieldbox= Mizunohara Sagawa, turquoise, solid]
Sagawa%20Ico_zpspkldzqsy.jpg

[October 30th, Afternoon / Hisakawa Academy, Main School Building, Class 2-A]

"Before I agree with your requests, there's something I would like to ask..."
"What happens if the hacker gets you first?"

A conflicted expression came upon the meat-bun lover's face. That was right, even without her chip she wasn't entirely safe from the hacker using VR projections on the school's equipment. Iori was certainly informed about how it all worked.

"I know that you're now chipless, but it doesn't mean that the hacker wouldn't turn the other VR technologies in this school upside down to get rid of you. Or the hacker has someone helping him or her out and this someone could get you too, most likely in a physical manner."

"That's..." Towards that, Sagawa genuinely didn't have an answer for.

"Unless you have a plan to keep yourself alive while trying to solve the incident alone..."
"I don't think I can agree to your wishes. However..."
"There's Option C. I remove my VR chip and I join you in your efforts while keeping Chiyo away."

"Are you serious?"

Iori chuckled at the amusing idea.

"No Virtu-Ava Battle means bummer. If I have a choice however, I will stay away from the whole VR chip thing at the first place."

A whole week, and even after having time to think about it. Even after seeing the 'results' of what could happen - and Iori still insisted on helping.

Sagawa shook her head dismissively.

"Are you a idiot? Removing your chip just because you want to help? That's absolutely ridiculous..."

Sagawa acknowledged it as a joke. But, in a way, she also seemed to be scolding the maid for even coming up with the idea at all.

"You only will have yourself to blame if it all goes wrong later on. But, provided you do keep Imada-san out of all this, then fine."

Suddenly, Mizunohara raised her arm. For the first time, she reached out to someone else.

"Let's work together, then."

[/fieldbox]



[fieldbox= Mizunohara Sagawa, turquoise, solid]
[October 30th, Afternoon / Hisakawa Academy, Main School Building, First Floor Hallways]

Like being the leader of a party, Mizunohara more or less dictated where they went. Iori to her was like the mysterious ninja character who always mysteriously popped up whenever it was convenient, but was secretly following the hero around the entire time. Now, having the Maid followi9ng just a couple steps behind was... unnerving at best.

Unable to bear it much longer, Sagawa turned around, facing the maid behind her.

"Just because I explained it all does not mean we can just go trying it out right away you know? Doing things like that on my own chip was one thing, but trying to get yours to run programs that I've written isn't like sending you an email and having you paste some code. We're, going to have to work things out one-on-one a couple of times. That will probably take a couple of afternoons to do."

Sagawa crossed her arms and closed her eyes as she began to semi think aloud.

"i have to set up an environment on your chip to be able to run trhe code I send you. I'll have to get you up to speed with running said code. We'll have to back up your entire chip's firmware just in case something goes wrong... Ah. On that thought, be sure to back up whatever personal files or other apps you might have. You're going to have to make room on that chip for all of the stuff we're going to have to set up."

She dropped her arms and looked up to Iori.

"Nishimura-san. You do realize that working with me means that your chip will become something fundamentally different than the ones the rest of the students and normal people use, right? For example, for one, in order to even run something like a word processor or browsing the itnernet, you'll have to key in the command to actually make it, run, rather than the cheery an easy looking button interface you're used, right? But-"

Gruinning to herself proudly, she began to move to more positive aspects..

"Having a chip Operating System that works like a Hackers has it's pluses, for example, when you go to a website, you can skip all of those super annoyi-,,,-"

Midsentance, she felt a presence behind them. UP until now, they had been walking down the now empty hallway and classrooms, but someone had just turned a corner. The bad thing was, Sagawa hadn't noticed it until just now.

A tall girl. Blonde. But the biggest giveaway was the eye-patch.

"...Kyou-chan."

Turning somewhat, Sagawa's eyes met with her other childhood friends'. It was somewhat ironic, that they'd all run into each other again, just like during lunch. But, an avalanches of changes had gone on between then and now. There was a worry that Kyouko had caught on to the sudden change in Michio after lunch. Or...

"Kyou-chan. How much of that did you just hear just now?"



For the pirate, there were certainly a couple of ways to go forward. She could do as Sagawa had hoped, and just focus on Iori like before, so she could casually throw them at each other and slither her way out of school for the day. There was also the blatantly apparent fact that something happened after Sagawa and Michio left to talk to one another earlier.

But... Right now, Sagawa was becoming more and more of a stranger. They were supposed be childhood friends, but in the past week, and just now, Kyouko was finding that there were more things going on with her than she had originally thought. For as much as Kyouko regarded her and Sagawa as being childhood friends, since middle school, it's seemed like that all they've done is drift further and further apart.

If Sagawa was ever asked 'Are you and Kyouko Friends', it was entirely possible she'd say something like:

"Well, we kinda used to be friends, I guess. It really wasn't anything though."

That was the state of their friendship at this point in time, irrelevant. But right now, after making enemies with Kokoro Amane, Sagawa needed help more than ever. It was finally a chance for Kyouko to pay Sagawa back for back then. Someone who helped her become who she is now.

Juggling those sentiment, the Pirate responded:

@Miya
@Skyswimsky
@_Anyone
[/fieldbox]
 
[fieldbox= Kamijou Michio, plum, solid]

MichioIcopeg_zps8txoshd1.jpg


[October 30th, Midday/ Hisakawa Academy, Main School Building, School Rooftop]

"A Psychopath huh? Damn, that hurt quite a bit. You really are not the type to mince words, huh?" Betraying what he had just muttered, the grin of someone pushed at the very edge of madness was present in Michio's face. Despite everything that just happened, despite his plans, his hopes and his dreams being wiped out in one fell swoop, he still had the audacity to direct a smile at the sky.

He had lost. That much was a fact. But he only lost a battle, not the entire war. And he managed to lose that battle by bringing about a satisfying conclusion that nobody could have predicted. The things he said to her, the madness that seemed to have overtaken his senses and better judgment a while ago, the hurtful way he regarded Sagawa Mizunohara was not the result of him losing control. It was a purposeful way to bring about a conclusion wherein Sagawa would want to sever their ties and forget about him without turning back and having regrets. If that was the conclusion she really wanted, if she really did want to end their relationship right then and there because she thought it was the best for both of them, then he would at least assure her that it would not end in some melodramatic, half-assed way that she'll come to regret in the future.

Sure it hurt, sure he didn't want their friendship to end, but it is what she wanted, and even at the very end, he would not deny her of that which she desired.

"A wise man once said, 'the whole world's going to hurt you, you just need to find out those worth suffering for'"

Still, what remained true was the re-awakening of Michio's repressed side. Though instead of letting it take over, he ensured that he would merge it with his own to bring about a satisfying change. It would be the combination of his current personality and his suppressed shadow that he would use to achieve his goal. With a future with Mizunohara-san no longer viable, he could finally focus on achieving the one goal remaining for him. The one goal that would bring about his greatest victory over the cruel machinations of misfortune and fate.

While Sagawa's revelation about his purpose as nothing more than competition for Rei Saionji had deterred him quite a bit, it did little to change the result, if ever he would be the one to come out on top. Even if Sagawa had decided to cut ties with him, he would still ensure that her name is cleared and her chip returned to her, though he would still ask Kokoro Amane if she ever did issue such an order. Unlike before, he cannot act rashly. He knew very well now the consequences of hasty actions so he needed to approach this in a calm, collected manner.

Then there's his family's debt of course. It would be convenient if he could erase it entirely once he becomes boss but that might become his undoing. So, he figured removing gradual amounts of it in a period of intervals until he manages to remove at the very least half of it, or at most, three-quarters, would do wonders for his struggling parents, and would prevent anyone from accusing him of abusing his power.

Finally, regarding his relationship with Rei Saionji. He always knew that she wanted to work in a field involving the stars and heavenly bodies, ever since she was a child. An astronomer or an astronaut perhaps? By becoming the Boss, he could potentially free her of the shackles the darkness had ensnared her ever since middle school. Though in the event that she still wants to enter the dark world that has gotten hold of her, he could offer her a high position at the very least, perhaps as a personal adviser or his second-in-command. Whatever the case, he was determined to salvage their friendship. Before this whole mess started, she had been a very great friend after all.

Finally, as boss, he could watch over his other friends and ensure they all lead decent lives at the very least by ensuring their safety. He will never allow anyone of them to fall victim to the darkness.

With all these plans in mind, Kamijou Michio had basically put an end to his resistance to the darkness. Rather, he was ready to accept it and turn it to his advantage.

"Well, that's enough breaks for today. I still have the remaining paperwork to sort out. It's a good thing tonight's shift is at Kazama-san's place. I could take it easy, even if it's just for tonight."

With that said, Michio returned inside the Main Building to finish his remaining responsibilities for the day.

Of course, he needed to keep up appearances since by now, the entire goddamn school seems to know what happened at the rooftop, or just rumors of it at the very least. And since he was still genuinely hurt after what had happened earlier it wasn't hard wearing the mask of someone who had lost everything he cared about. The tired, forlorn expression on his face was convincing enough to make people think that he had truly suffered the worst defeat he had ever experienced. Though that may be true, he strangely was starting to adapt to it quite nicely, contrary to what his expression gave off.

[October 30th, Midday/ Hisakawa Academy, Main School Building, Second Floor, Classroom 2-A]

"And that's done. I just have to give all these stacks to Takahashi-sensei at the Teacher's Lounge and I'm home free. Though mom and dad won't be around until tomorrow morning so I have the house all to myself, huh? Guess I'll be marathoning that anime Taigi-kun recommended me a week ago during his absence."

Michio suddenly found himself in a rare situation wherein he has a lot of time in his hands. Normally he'd be like a faithful dog seeking Sagawa Mizunohara once he was finished with whatever work the Social Morals Committee has in store for him for the day. That, or he'd go straight home to receive training on the rare days his father would get back home early for work. But things were different now. He can no longer remain friends with Sagawa, and his parents were busy with work.

He had also admittedly neglected spending time with some of his friends in favor of remaining beside Sagawa this whole time that he couldn't help but be ashamed of the way he had been acting. Perhaps he really was unhealthily obsessed with her. At the very least, he wanted to change that first. He wanted to spend more time with the likes of Yura, and Kira, and also Taigi-kun. Ever since his absence a week ago, he didn't have the chance to talk to him how he had been doing. All they managed to talk about where anime recommendations, who the best girl of each show was, and potential alternate jogging routes.

"That's right, Taigi-kun should have already returned today. Tch. I must have failed to notice him in class when I saw that she returned today as well. Gee. What a great friend am I, huh?" He mused sarcastically as made a makeshift binder out of some scrap paper and stapling it together before placing it around the bundled stacks, conveniently binding them together in place.

He would also need someone to rely on if he ever wanted to become the next boss. With the possibility of the odds really becoming stacked against him from the get-go, he needed an ally, somebody he could trust. But he couldn't involve people outside of the Yakuza. He was determined to protect them from the darkness after all. Besides, even if he has all these objectives in mind, he still had not figured out how to make them a reality. The idea of being the Yakuza boss was novel and all but he had only recently gotten serious with the training while Rei had undoubtedly been serious with the prospect of becoming the boss the moment the old man told them about it. It was clear she is already at an advantage.

Then, there's the issue of his mental and emotional stability. Despite everything that happened, part of him still didn't want to accept the fact that Sagawa wanted to do nothing with him anymore. Despite how much he was trying to act calm and composed, he knew that he was still an emotional wreck. That needed to be resolved first before he could finally focus on ensuring his seat as the Boss.

Thinking back, there was only one person he could call out for help. And since she's already involved in this goddamn mess, she'd be the perfect person to help him piece himself back together.

With a flick of his fingers, he activated his virtual HUD and selected the message function. He then used the virtual keyboard to type in a message to that certain person.


To: Ayame

Subject: Tonight's Shift

Ayame-chan, I'll be working at old man Kazama's bar tonight. I was hoping you could drop by later. You never know when a bar fight could break out at that place based from experience, so I'd appreciate it if you could come.

Thanks.

- Michio

Of course, Michio was perfectly capable of handling his own at this point. His father ensured that there was at least one aspect of his training that he would not forsake.... his combat training. After all, being a Yakuza Heir basically means having a bull's eye and a sticky note that read "Hit me" plastered at your head and back respectively. He just sent that message since he wanted to have her company.

After sending the message, he grabbed the two stacks of paperwork from his desk and proceeded to the Teacher's Lounge to drop them off at Takahashi-sensei's desk.

[October 30th, Afternoon/ Hisakawa Academy, Main School Building, Outside of Teacher's Lounge]

Just as he had exited the Teacher's Lounge, Michio found Taigi lying in waylay, and suddenly offering him to eat somewhere with him. Though he knew enough that it wasn't an offer because that entailed that he had the option to refuse. He knew the black haired guy long enough to know what he meant. Though if he was acting this way, then Michio had even more reason to be ashamed of himself. There he was, his other childhood friend which he had neglected due to his apparent obsession with Sagawa, yet still willing to offer him dinner.


"I'm sorry for not talking to you the whole day, Taigi-kun. I seem to be out of it all day, what with Sagawa-chan returning from school after over a week of absence after all. I also decided not to tell you about the shit that's been happening while you were gone since I didn't want to worry you or anything. Again, I'm sorry for failing to regard you until now. And i guess I'll be taking you up on your offer." Michio replied.

The silver-haired boy could do nothing but sigh and smile, giving in to Taigi's request. After all, he couldn't very well refuse two things, the request of a childhood friend, and the chance to get some free food. besides, this was a wonderful opportunity to not only pass the time by, but also spend time with a childhood friend other than the meat bun lover, not like he would be able to do that again anyway.

@RedArmyShogun @Illin

[/fieldbox]
 
Last edited:
[fieldbox="Tachibana Misheru, red, solid"]
MisheruIcojpeg_zps9xmeq64y.jpg


[October 30th, Afternoon / Hisakawa Academy, Front Gates]

It was extremely fast. One moment they were running down the flight of stairs and the next they were already in a taxi.

She couldn't help but feel that every subtle, or not so subtle in Kira's case, was almost a questioning affirmation from the other redhead whether what Misheru Tachibana had said earlier was true or not. Whether she could hit the iron once again even though it was starting to gradually lose heat. Whether moulding it into something else was possible.

Misheru Tachibana knew that Kira Oshiro was not a desperate woman in love, let alone now with all the conundrum and confirmation from her. But Kira had always been a hopeless romantic. Well, a very rough hopeless romantic. The kind that believed very physical action spoke more than words and questions.

Well, unless they were song lyrics.

"That's a pity actually. Considering a bike ride would be more romantic in a rock and roll style. That is if you are gunning for that," Misheru said as she entered the back of the taxi. "And don't worry, if your singing was horrible, I'd just suggest we leave for an artsy cafe or something. Even though I don't look like it, I still appreciate effort," she continued before giving Kira a sincere smile. Something she doesn't give that often, considering she doesn't have too many people to look forward to, especially considering what the rock and roll female had just gone through.

The female noted that the other redhead had scooted closer to her side and their legs were even touching. Normally, Misheru didn't have a problem with physical contact- whether female or male for that matter, as long as it was not intentionally done for wrong intentions. The redhead had grown up with quite a few friends of hers that she would describe as more 'touchy' rather than 'conservative'. But then again, conservative was a strong word. In the case of Kira Oshiro, she would do the same but the other female saw her as a love interest until recently.

Or at least she thinks she does.

"Too close, Kira. Normally I wouldn't care but I have no interest in a romance with yourself," she said, picking the right words as she suddenly felt like this was walking on ice. "As for the voice, I think it's nice, just a tad bit morbid," Misheru answered blatantly before continuing, "My voice is not bad nor is it good. I'd say it's mediocre.".

[/fieldbox]

@Wen
 
[fieldbox= OSHIRO KIRA, #ffa938, solid]
0ulFT22.jpg


[BCOLOR=#000000][October 30th, Afternoon / Hisakawa Academy][/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]That's a pity actually. Considering a bike ride would be more romantic in a rock and roll style.[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]"[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]Too close, Kira. Normally I wouldn't care but I have no interest in a romance with yourself[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent],"[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Contrary statements, which just made her wonder which one was the truth. A bike ride wasn’t particularly rock either. It was clear Misheru had no idea what she was talking about, especially when she commented on one of Kira’s favourite singers.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]“You’ve got something between your teeth,” Kira said, as Misheru smiled at her. “Might wanna, uh, fix that.”[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Kira moved away from Misheru to the other side of the car, as far as she could get, leaning her head against the window to stare at the buildings they passed. It wasn’t that she had a problem doing something with The Devil In Disguise to get over this rivalry of theirs, but she’d agreed to go on a date without feeling the need to mention how they were doing this as… who knows what. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]She got the urge to send a message to Hardwired of all people, asking what she should do. Kira didn’t want to sing karaoke with a stranger, or even former friend. It was too personal and embarrassing. Instead, she decided to send a message to Rei with her chip. Nyoko would lose it if she contacted her again today. She’d tried to set her up with her friend after all. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Hey Raaaaaaaay,[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]I’m bored~ How are you doing!? We haven’t really done much together the last week, so we should fix that soon! [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]If I don't want to do something with someone, but kind of already possibly agreed to it, what should I do?[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Love, KiraKira[/BCOLOR]


[BCOLOR=transparent]Maybe she was being rude, but it wasn’t like Misheru could tell that she was sending messages to other people. To an outsider it would appear she was staring out the window, smiling to herself.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Besides, it was highly unlikely that Misheru would start a conversation or anything herself, so Kira had to have someone to talk to. Straight girls were just passive and unresponsive like that. They never had to take any initiative, so they were about as useful and interesting as porcelain figures when it came down to it, with the exception of Rei. Maybe that's why she was her only female friend. [/BCOLOR]


@Makomin @Karyra

[/fieldbox]
 
Last edited by a moderator:
[fieldbox= Kyouko Himura, #3DA3C2, solid]


[October 30th, Midday / Hisakawa Academy - Hallway]

Kyouko shrugged, 'hanging out after school' would have included going shopping anyways. With or without Iori. Ultimately though, the maid made it a lot harder than Kyouko liked too - which was exactly why Iori was, in the end, still a Fool.
Seriously, they more-or-less knew each other already for a long time: just not in a positive sense. Did this girl really had to pull out the 'build up friendship points first' card? "Yeah, yeah, whatever you say Nishimura...chan." Kyouko just replied in a teasing voice, though, it was obvious the pirate was really, really, annoyed. In the end, they were still too different, what exactly was Nyoko thinking?

...
[October 30th, Afternoon / Hisakawa Academy - Class 2-A]
School finally ended, and Kyouko was still annoyed. While she had been as peaceful as possible, she had been a tad furious inside. The small talk they had only made the crude girl realize that Iori, was, well, Iori. Still, Kyouko told herself, as so often, to move forward. Unless she'd kidnap the maid and drug her into eternal submission things had to go at that Fool's pace.

Then, there was also the subject of Michio and Sagawa. While she didn't even really try to stop the both of them disappearing earlier; Kyouko was still curious, and his behaviour made apparent that something happened. Kyouko could only shudder on the thought that the obsessed Fool had done anything to her beloved Sagawa. In the end, the pirate wasn't too sure why she didn't just close in on him and give him a peace of her mind in a way she hasn't done in a very long time... . Was it because of the weird fear she felt in regards to Sagawa? Even Kyouko could feel a certain distance between Sagawa and herself; and being the type of person to tackle things head on it made her ultimately really insecure about taking any action at all. In the end, the eye-patch simply kept sitting on her chair.

In the end, not feeling particually rushed today, as she was already pretty set on what to buy for Sagawa in hopes to repair what was broken, Kyouko just kept listening to music on one earbud while listening to her surroundings with the other.

First, there was the way how Kira and Mishy-chan seemed uncomfortable close, and while Kyouko couldn't make out too much details, her ears picked up on one particular word: Date.

... What? A simple term. So much emotions. With her imagination going wild the pirate totally failed to pick up anything else around the room; including the conversation between the maid, who was suggesting high treason against Nyoko, and the crippled Sagawa.

No. Right now, Kyouko's mind was set only on those two entirely. Sure, maybe it was all just a big misunderstanding but her 'apparent-straight' childhood friend with the pirate's first crush?! Anyone would think the worst there! Even the scenery when Nyoko and Kira were chained together suddenly made 'click'. After all Misheru was around then too.

It hurt, it really hurt. It was like somebody had ripped out Kyouko's heart and was now dinning on it, slowly cutting it into smaller pieces while making sure to chew on each piece throughly.

In fact, a single tear rolled down her cheek while an empty smile played on her face. Just... why? There was no way the pirate would, or should, care, no? Kira was just, well, Kira. And Mishy-chan was Mishy-chan. Her best childhood friend and a stranger who was not a Fool. There was no way in hell the one-eye would ever admit to the feelings of love. In her opinion, it was a weird sign of weakness in a cold and harsh world. "Fuck me." She murmured rather loud before standing up and leaving the room with her belongings without any particular destination.
[October 30th, Afternoon / Hisakawa Academy - Main School Building - First Floor Hallways]

Kyouko wasn't aware of how much time passed until she calmed down, standing just around some random corner. It was at least not until the blonde heard the sounds of footsteps approaching and an all too familiar voice talking: Sagawa.

The meat-bun lover's rather long speech had given Kyouko enough openings to just run away: but she didn't. No. Kyouko kept standing there. Listening. A uncertain feeling that if she was about to turn her back now she wouldn't even need to bother buying the now chipless childhood friend anything anyways.

"Urgh.." Still, while eavesdropping was okay in a certain sense, it was totally going against the pirates principles if it was about a friend dear to her. Just how far was Kyouko from the sky? No. It did not matter. Only weaklings would stop climbing, but the pirate was not one of them. What did it matter if she hadn't kept in touch with Sagawa the past weeks? What did it matter if she had been out of the loop? It was like she was torn inside, shunning Iori for making it so hard and yet thinking at the same time no different from the maid. No. Kyouko refused to believe that. Even if she had not been with Sagawa for over 5 years, she treasured the tiny-sister-that-could more than anything. No more self-absorbed excuses. Kyouko turned the corner.

"...Kyou-chan."

Yes, the one and only. The awesome, slightly teary-faced, Kyouko Himura that would move mountain's just for Sagawa to enjoy the sunlight.

"Kyou-chan. How much of that did you just hear just now?"

"Everything." Kyouko replied bluntly, before adding. "I will help you." A decision Kyouko had just made seconds ago. Still, doing things the complete Kyouko-way would probably turn out not okay, thus, the pirate continued. "I am not talking about making those idiotic Fools shutting up about spilling their retarded nonsense about you." Denying Sagawa the apologetic excuse of a 'You are already helping me, Kyou-chan.'

"No." Kyouko now put her fist up in the air in a rather special manner, something she had not done since her hospitalization, followed by letting her arm down to directly point at the meat-bun lover. "I want to become your Knight in Shining Armour. And, even if you should cast me aside, I will continue to protect and strike down all your foes." While a first for Iori, the way Kyouko spoke was easily recognizable for Sagawa Just how she used to be years ago, when their friendship was stronger than ever.

The fact that through helping Sagawa she would also get closer to Iori and thus prevent Yuki from becoming a lieutenant did not even cross her mind in this moment.

@Ehb
@Miya
@_CHUUNIGESTILLBESTGENRE
[/hr][/hr][/fieldbox]

[/hr]
 
  • Love
Reactions: 1 person
[fieldbox= Leo Kane, #666699 , solid]

Leo%20Real%20Ico_zpse7dt3sqd.jpg


[October 30th, Afternoon / Hisakawa Academy, Outside Main School Building]

"Ah, the investigation?"

Chiyo seemed quiet for a moment, which led Leo to believe that the investigation hadn't been a wild success just yet. He wasn't suprised. It wasn't like anyone seemed to be making ground-breaking progress even if they had a large amount of knowledge on the workings of the chip.

"Say, Leo-kun...how long has it been since we became friends?"

"???" Leo was caught by suprise by Chiyo's sudden question. He felt his body tense up. "It was in middle school...right? You were...I mean, I was..."

"...oh, it was after she left, wasn't it?"

He looked away, the unpleasent feeling swirled.

"Ah, sorry, I mean...never mind. Anyhow, about the investigation, it's..." She sighed. He tilted his head subtly, she clearly wanted to say something but...

"...that's not really what you wanted to talk to me about, was it?"

"Huh?"

"You don't seem to care much about Sagawa Mizunohara, if I'm assuming right...did something unpleasant transpire between the two of you?"


Leo closed his eyes. His mouth forming into a frown. It was rare to see, but he was visibly irritated. This zipping between uncomfortable topics was beginning to annoy him. He took a deep breath.

No matter the truth of the situation, He had to wonder if she was thinking this just from the fact that he gave the possiblity of Sagawa being the hacker. It seemed unjust to jump to him having some sort of personal agenda.

His mind flickered between brushing it off or actually continuing with her question.

"Maybe I don't care much for her..." He flexed his hand. "It doesn't matter does it?" He smiled, bitterly.

Change it.

"Is this because I talked up during that whole Lisa commotion?" His body relaxed, ready to change the focus.

...

The terrible taste of his lies made him sigh. Going down that route had a high chance of Chiyo leaving with an growing sense of curiousity he wouldn't be able to control.

He scratched his cheek, looking off somewhere else.

He would never make her understand.

"You barely know Sagawa. Yet, you're doing this. Putting yourself in danger" He gave a warm grin, contrasting his words.

"She doesn't deserve it."


@Raven Haruka[/fieldbox]
 
[fieldbox= Ayame Sayato, maroon, solid]

rlK7Hhw.jpg

[October 30th, Afternoon / Hisakawa Academy - Hallway]

Humming to herself Ayame was a bit thankful the rest of the day seemingly went without incident, though it seems from the rumors she heard that was not quite the case. In fact judging by some glances it seemed a group of students were using the Japanese tradition of covering mouths and whispering rather than using there chips. Commendable.

"Yare Yare, drama, drama.. should do like one of the aniki said, hold a few people by there feet over the roof top..Opps I shouldn't be thinking aloud, I still haven't had arm day, ahaha." Seemingly purposefully saying this to a group of students who were looking in her own direction with whispers, the group hushes up quickly.

"Ara ara, good day."

Arms folded behind her head Ayame continues her tune happy that the day was coming to a close.. There was still the issue of Rei to resolve, but Ayame had another card in play to aid with this, a card neither of the two prospective heirs knew about, while her seniors knew of it, they pretty much allowed this act of trickery to playout.

Speaking of there was still t-; Before her thought can finish Ayame feels the sensation of a notice, not one, but two. Stoping her hum Ayame's eyes dart to the side causing the message to show as text within her field of vision

We should do radio again! If you want my help, come to the Twilight Theatre Club after class - Nyoko. (Bring the baby if you want.)
"Heh" Snorting slightly at the note, the lack of a signature didn't matter much, but the mention of bringing a baby threw her for a loop to begin with. While she didn't have much in the way of book smarts, Ayame did have street smarts. It was likely Rei made her own attempt to contact Nyoko, and was likely ignored or rebuffed. If Rei was whinny with her demand then calling her a baby would make sense. More so when this was the situation she had wanted to talk to Nyoko about to begin with.

Ara ara, the show was fun, I'll think about it. Will be there, Baby will come if baby wants..

Sending the simple reply Ayame contacts Rei sending a terse message that was to the point.

Rei-san, may have found a helping hand to your problem, meet me in fron of the Twilight Theatre Club after class ~ Ayame.
With that out of the way it was now time for the 2nd message, this one from Michio, it was written more like a letter than a text..
To: Ayame

Subject: Tonight's Shift

Ayame-chan, I'll be working at old man Kazama's bar tonight. I was hoping you could drop by later. You never know when a bar fight could break out at that place based from experience, so I'd appreciate it if you could come.

Thanks.

- Michio
Reading the message over, it seemed maybe there was something to those rumors for her to be asked over. Thinking over her schedule for the day she didn't have to work, and she rather doubted Rei would want her company, more so if she knew her little secret. And also as she had a feeling with Rei being called the Baby, that Nyoko was going to be difficult. Though they needed this meeting. She also needed to stop by the main office to make her report. Figuring the time up a meeting at the bar wouldn't be too difficult.

Ah nice to see you aren't harmed, haven't came to see you today Michio-san.

Yeah sure, I'll help with some beatings if you want, rather sleep but that's not too bad. I wouldn't worry too much about it though, mostly just middle aged idiots more likely to trip over there feet than not. Least they never try and offer me compensated dating. Would have to make sure they did more than trip, pigs. Just don't get busy without me. ~ Ayame.

Finishing with that message Ayame half wondered if another would come her way, seeing as that wasn't the case the Yakuza bodyguard switches her hum for a whistle, with a tired and blank look to her face the chirpy tune seems oddly misplaced. Half pondering to send a message to her other set of eyes, Ayame brushes the thought aside, he knew to contact her if anything happened, for now he was the unseen face in the background, watching who she couldn't during the school day. Erasing both messages it was nice being able to wander the halls like this for now.

[/fieldbox]

@Wen @Accelerator @Karyra
 
Last edited:
[fieldbox=Chiyo Imada, #fbceb1, solid, 10]
Chiyo%20Ico%20Real_zpscbxdv0hl.jpg

[October 30th, Afternoon / Hisakawa Academy, Outside Main School Building]

Almost immediately after asking, Chiyo began to regret ever bringing the subject up. Even with good intentions, it's common that nobody enjoys bad memories being brought up.

Her smile dropped, "Ah, so that's..." It was hard to conceal the disappointment in her voice, even if she was expecting something along those lines to have happened.

"Maybe I don't care much for her..."
"It doesn't matter does it?"

"..."
"Is this because I talked up during that whole Lisa commotion?"

Abruptly, Chiyo began shaking her head in denial. "No, no- it's not because of that. I was just-" She stopped midsentence, guilt crossing her features as she turned her head away, instead staring at the ground beneath their feet.

"You barely know Sagawa. Yet, you're doing this. Putting yourself in danger"

Turning back to face him, the peach couldn't help but become confused at his expression. Why is he...?

"She doesn't deserve it."

What exactly happened, in order to make him like this?

"That's extremely unfair, Leo-kun!" Chiyo objected, "I understand that the two of you don't necessarily agree with one another-- and I understand that bringing something like that up out of nowhere isn't the right thing...but to say that she doesn't deserve any help?!?"

The glasses girl found herself a bit more flushed than she'd like, her tone more grating than usual. Her hands formed into fists on her lap--by now, Leo should have realized just what exactly he had caused. For once, it was Chiyo who was snapping back, instead of calmly taking it like she should.

"You out of all these people should understand her situation the most, Leo-kun! As I'm sure you notice, not many people in school are on the best of terms with you! You....you're just lucky enough to have those few who do stand alongside you--people who actually care whether or not you were in a fight, or try to cheer you up when you feel down. People who are there to help remind you when-"

She stopped, pausing for a moment before shaking her head.

"I can't believe you, I can't believe all of you! Everyone seems to have this horrible outlook on Mizunohara-san-- saying she's a witch, and that she would love to see every single one of us writhe in agony. I understand that she doesn't socialize nearly as much as the rest of us, that she doesn't enjoy having loads of friends...but that doesn't make her a monster, now does it?"

Glaring at the boy before her, she continued, "So, before you try to paint her as a monster to me- take a look at what the rest of this school is really like...and keep away from the selfish mindset that believes that by her personal pain, things will be better for the world."

A few moments of silence passed, giving Chiyo the time to turn away and calm herself down a bit. Taking another breath, she tried to make amends with her friend- face turning up to the sky as she spoke.

"Sorry about that, Leo-kun...I guess you could say this past week has been a bit stressful. But I still stand by my words."

She looked at Leo, conviction and resolution written all over her face. "I'm not here to play the hero, and I'm willing to admit, my reasons for doing this are completely and utterly selfish." Standing up, she made sure to pack her bubble mixture in her bag, before giving a small bow in apology to Leo.

"I guess you could say that I'm trying to replace...no, that's only a partial truth. I apologize, Leo-kun."
[/fieldbox]
@Rithas
@TriedToChangeTheSubject,EndedUpApologizing:ADayInTheLifeOfChiyo
 
[fieldbox= Leo Kane, #666699, solid]

Leo%20Real%20Ico_zpse7dt3sqd.jpg


[October 30th, Afternoon / Hisakawa Academy, Outside Main School Building]

"That's extremely unfair, Leo-kun!"

Leo looked down, the expected reply.

"I understand that the two of you don't necessarily agree with one another-- and I understand that bringing something like that up out of nowhere isn't the right thing...but to say that she doesn't deserve any help?!?"

Oh, so that's how it is.

It seemed he had stirred Chiyo into a passionate speech.

"You out of all these people should understand her situation the most, Leo-kun! As I'm sure you notice, not many people in school are on the best of terms with you! You....you're just lucky enough to have those few who do stand alongside you--people who actually care whether or not you were in a fight, or try to cheer you up when you feel down. People who are there to help remind you when-"

He rubbed his scar.

Trying to push some sort of opinion that he should be the one to understand. His teeth gnashed at his lips in frustration.

"I can't believe you, I can't believe all of you! Everyone seems to have this horrible outlook on Mizunohara-san-- saying she's a witch, and that she would love to see every single one of us writhe in agony. I understand that she doesn't socialize nearly as much as the rest of us, that she doesn't enjoy having loads of friends...but that doesn't make her a monster, now does it?"

"Hah"

The flaw that seemed common in Chiyo's reasoning was that it she immeditally jumped to any one on the opposite side having some extreme view.

"So, before you try to paint her as a monster to me- take a look at what the rest of this school is really like...and keep away from the selfish mindset that believes that by her personal pain, things will be better for the world."

It would be better for him.

He looked back at her as it seemed she was finishing up her tirade.

"Sorry about that, Leo-kun...I guess you could say this past week has been a bit stressful. But I still stand by my words. I'm not here to play the hero, and I'm willing to admit, my reasons for doing this are completely and utterly selfish."

"I guess you could say that I'm trying to replace...no, that's only a partial truth. I apologize, Leo-kun."

"Ah."

His brows furrowed in thought.

"You apologize?"

He laughed.

"You can't just apologize like that."


He wanted to say how stupid it was to say everything she felt and then cut off with a sorry. That was basically like saying something then running away. Worse, saying that she still stood by her words. What was the point of saying sorry then? Did she think that she would magically avoid any negative consequences from her words?

You never even listened to what I had to say.

Deep breath, he didn't need to care about it Nothing had changed. It was all fine.

They were friends.

"Stressful week eh? I see"

Blind trust for Sagawa over him.

Over him

"I take the investigation's not doing well then is it." His gaze remained fixed on her, thinking.

Tapping his fingers on his knees, He sighed. "Sagawa's back with her chip removed. She cannot directly hack or be hacked. Whether this will stop future attacks is unknown. The hacker's motive fixiating on Sagawa is likely."

"Perhaps the Hacker wants to ruin Sagawa first."

"If that's true. The investigation getting close to finding out the real identity of the hacker would cause an attack. But the best way to catch the Hacker would be for another attack to happen."

"Which means someone has to be the unfortunate victim."



"Just don't let it be you Chiyo."

He got up from his seat. Looking away from Chiyo, he stretched.

"Also..."

He turned to face her. The recent minutes of the conversation had made his expression rather sombre.

"Why do you mention..." Leo trailed off, thinking about certain things were like ripping at the stiches of old wounds.

"Her?"


@Raven Haruka[/fieldbox]
 
[fieldbox= Rei Saionji, Purple, solid]
SaionjiIco_zpsebvey9kd.jpeg

[October 30th, Afternoon / Hisakawa Academy, Main School Building, Vending Machine]

Rei pushed the button for coffee too harshly, and she knew that the second she'd finished doing so. She leaned against the machine, fists on either side as if it were holding her there. She felt trapped. Stuck. She needed to do something, anything better to get something done. Rei wasn't living up to her mother's expectations, she knew it. If she was losing her head over this stupid incident like this... she'd let Michio fall into darkness. Rei needed to accept the darkness so that he'd be fine.

But with the whole thing with him acting odd after the roof event, she suspected that Sagawa would cut ties with him. The reason was unknown, but that was who she was. Sagawa just avoided people and hurting them wasn't possible if she never let them in. If she was rejecting Michio...

Rei hit the machine, loud enough to cause the nearby students wandering around stop and stare. Rei shot them a nasty stare and they all turned back to their business, quickly walking away from the machine, and any who were in line for it quickly elected to go somewhere else for food.

Rei cursed at Nyoko's lack of a reply. She was losing her gentle touch when it came to dealing with the Red Panda leader and she'd probably lost any good will she'd gained with her. Rei wanted to scream, loudly and without a care about what others would say. Hell, she'd already lost her reputation for being cool-headed just now, probably.

A message appeared on Rei's chip.

Hey Raaaaaaaay,

I’m bored~ How are you doing!? We haven’t really done much together the last week, so we should fix that soon!

If I don't want to do something with someone, but kind of already possibly agreed to it, what should I do?

Love, KiraKira

Kira... Rei tried to write, carefully trying to word through her clouded and emotional mind. She.... Rei didn't really want to lose Kira just yet, like her hugging close a stuffed animal from her youth, or an old blanket. She just couldn't let go of Kira yet.

Hey.

I'm doing fine. Can't say I'm up to much today outside of Mom's training. Although she's been more tyrannical lately. She took away my shogi board.

Well, what did you agree to? And how badly do you not want to do it? Worst case, I can always come help make it less bad. But... overall if you've agreed to something, then you have to honor it. No matter how much you don't want to.

Rei

She had to honor it, no matter what. Rei figured her face back into a mask, and then marched back into a comfortable place to think. She needed to collect herself and her thoughts. God, she was so tired, it made everything that much harder, but she needed a moment to rest and think. Her mother started her barrage of messages, and Rei replied with a simple "I will do it tomorrow, because I am too tired to think in a logical manner".

Rei-san, may have found a helping hand to your problem, meet me in fron of the Twilight Theatre Club after class ~ Ayame.

I will go. Don't waste my time with this, because I am too tired to be tolerant of any more failures. Where do you want to meet up before leaving, assuming you're still in the building.

Rei sighed and sent it. She should probably delete all her messages from Ayame, too. For now though, they didn't really say much about anything important, so Rei left them for deleting later. For now, Rei would go in search of a bench to sit down on.

@anyonenear @RedArmyShogun @Wen
[/fieldbox]
 
Last edited:
[fieldbox=Chiyo Imada, #fbceb1, solid, 10]
Chiyo%20Ico%20Real_zpscbxdv0hl.jpg

[October 30th, Afternoon / Hisakawa Academy, Outside Main School Building]

"You can't just apologize like that."

Tense shoulders loosened up at the sound of Leo's laughter, a confirmation that the two students here were indeed still "friends".

"I take the investigation's not doing well then is it." A small flinch from Chiyo confirmed this fact, as it probably hadn't gone unnoticed by her friend. "Sagawa's back with her chip removed. She cannot directly hack or be hacked. Whether this will stop future attacks is unknown. The hacker's motive fixating on Sagawa is likely."

"Perhaps the Hacker wants to ruin Sagawa first."

"If that's true. The investigation getting close to finding out the real identity of the hacker would cause an attack. But the best way to catch the Hacker would be for another attack to happen."

"That would be--"

"Which means someone has to be the unfortunate victim."

"--?" Chiyo's head tilted to the side.

"Just don't let it be you Chiyo."

"...I wish." But, before she could elaborate on such a statement, Leo stood up, turning to face her with an expression unbefitting of his personality.

"Why do you mention..."
"Her?"


"...Oh." Automatically, the peach's hand grasped her arm, eyes shifting away from the stare of her friend. "Well, that is to say...ah, I didn't really want to talk about this with you. It's not fair, it's not right, it's not...what friends do...?" Trailing off, Chiyo tried to answer-- only ending up with some suspicious question.

"I just...want a reason to hate her? Ah, no, that can't be right--I just...really wish I knew exactly what conspired that year, you know? What exactly was it...it can't be because of our familial relations, right? I just..." A small sigh, "Oh, never mind. Honestly, trying to explain my reasons behind this...it doesn't matter, I'll try to be more careful with my words from now on."

"Oh, and it'd be nice if I was the one the hacker attacked. There's really not much they could do except injure me--perhaps even kill me, if possible. Though, I don't think many would enjoy that..."

An abrupt change of topic, Chiyo tried to bury that social mistake she had made--even with the melancholic look on her face.

"Ah, but I doubt it would happen anyhow. This hacker seems to want to target people who are specifically close to Sagawa-san...oh!" Finally turning to face Leo, the peach grinned recklessly. "What if I started saying that me and Sagawa-san are actually starting to become good friends? Maybe, if I could get her in on it, we could arrange fake meetings and start talking during lunch more often...that would catch a lot of attention--maybe you could start a rumor that Sagawa-san's teaching me coding lessons too! That way, the hacker will surely start to think of me as some sort of threat...right?"
[/fieldbox]
@Rithas
 
[fieldbox= Narita Taigi, Grey, solid]
taigiico-jpeg.123017


[October 30th, Afternoon/ Hisakawa Academy, Main School Building, Outside of Teacher's Lounge]

Taigi raised an eyebrow when Michio said “shit”, nonplussed. Not that he was offended by it, but more because his friend actually used the word. Then again with what he went through, Taigi would have been surprised if Michio was perfectly composed. Still, another surprising fact was that Michio actually apologized for not telling Taigi about the events that transpired. It was a minor thing amidst all the chaos, but not unwelcome.

Realizing he hadn’t responded to him yet, Taigi coughed.

“Cheh, it’s not like I wanted to talk to you or anything.”

Right after he said those words, Taigi made a disgusted expression.

“God that sounded gross. I was trying to be funny there but right after I felt physically ill.”

He smirked and continued.

“Anyways, as long as you realize it. Come on.”

As they walked, Taigi started to talk about mundane topics, like a certain anime's flaws. He tried not to surreptitiously ogle at any attractive women they passed by.

Key word: tried.

[Kanesaka]

The walk to the place wasn't far from Hisakawa, taking about 15 minutes. It wasn’t the most luxurious one in the world, but not some run-down place either; it was one of the most expensive and delectable restaurants around Hisakawa. Kanesaka wasn’t the one Taigi wanted to go to; that one required reservations to be made at least a month in advance, no matter how much yen one waved in front of the owners’ faces. Also it was out of town and with Michio’s job it wasn’t a suitable option. Nonetheless, Kanesaka was a respectable establishment. Yes this restaurant was still pricey, but price was not the issue right now. His friend’s health was, and he was hoping this delicious meal could provide relief to that. If Taigi knew Michio though, his friend would be troubled eating the food if he saw the price tag. Fortunately, this place was one where the prices weren’t displayed freely. And, while walking to the place, Taigi had confirmed his reservation on the phone and placed his order, along with other things. During the conversation he took some distance from Michio, so that his words wouldn’t be overheard unless the latter made a conscious effort. In any case, the food would be more or less ready by the time they arrived.

It was a traditionally-styled sushi restaurant. The décor was quaint, nothing that hinted at the cost or quality of the fare. It had a wet bar and various small dining rooms. Some were currently occupied, hinted by the voices coming from behind the shoji. What was most important to him was the washitsu style room. His previous phone conversation with the owner had already confirmed its availability.

He headed to it, passing by the host who acknowledged his presence with a nod, opened the door and went in. After taking a seat on one of mats in the room, Taigi took in a deep breath. The place smelled as good as always, the fragrance of flowers not being too overpowering, but just enough to be noticed. Taigi suspected there was more to the cause than the floral arrangement (the flowers this time were wisteria, he noted) on one end of the room, but never cared enough to find out. A table was present in the center of the room near the mats, with plates of wasabi, gari, shoyu, chopsticks, a pitcher of water, glasses, and oshibori on it. Other than that, the room was quite nondescript. Looks were deceiving though. One important feature of the room was that it was soundproofed. Quite a feat to Taigi, since he wouldn’t have even realized it without the owner telling him about it and testing it out himself. In any case, it was a good place to hold a conversation without the fear of being overheard. He held no illusions about it being perfectly secure from just that; electronic bugs didn’t care about soundproofed walls after all. But that led to the next feature of the room. There was nowhere in the room where a bug could be placed and hidden without causing obvious damage to the room itself. And from what he garnered from the locals and the Internet, the owner was not a fan of yakuza, even going so far as to refuse service to friends of yakuza. Fortunately, it seemed children and teenagers were exempt from the owner’s ire, a fact that he was made aware of during the phone conversation. In any case, Taigi could have some measure of relief that the yakuza didn’t have their fingers in here. The final thing that made him feel relatively safe here was that the owner had almost a religious obsession with the sanctity of the room. Some times when Taigi came, he could see the owner with some other man inspecting the room with various tools. But even with all these factors, it was far from a SCIF. If he wanted true privacy, he would have invited Michio to his home. But he was operating under the assumption that the conversation between Sagawa and Michio was already known to Kokoro. Though Sagawa seemed confident that Kokoro didn’t have devices on the roof, Taigi didn’t share that confidence. Why bug everywhere but the roof? It didn’t make sense to him.

Still, even if the restaurant didn’t have this room, he would have eaten here with Michio regardless. The purpose was to give him a good meal and talk; the room and all the other details were just nice bonuses.

All that was left to do was wait for their food, omakase for two. Normally the sushi would come out as they ate, but this time the food would be served all at once. Not because it was Kanesaka’s policy, but because Taigi found it irritating to have men coming and going. It was a personal preference of his to just have it all at once. Sure, it might have resulted in less fresh sushi. But it also resulted in more things to pick and choose from instead of eating one type then going onto a different one. And from the times he had been here before, there wasn’t any noticeable decline in quality in the two serving methods so he opted for this unconventional method.

It didn’t take long. Not even a minute had passed before several men came in holding platters that held many colorful varieties of sushi and left only to come back with more. The amount was so much that there was no more room on the moderately sized table and some had to be placed on the floor. Finally, the owner himself arrived and Taigi stood to meet and greet the man. After that, Taigi reached into his pocket to fish out his wallet and hand the man his credit card. The owner took it, gave a glance and smile at Michio, then withdrew from the room, closing the door behind him.

When the owner left, Taigi used the oshibori and picked up his chopsticks. He looked at Michio with a small smile on his face.

“Let’s eat.”

Taigi normally wasn’t prone to talk when eating, but wouldn’t hesitate to respond if spoken to. It’s just that any detailed responses were absent and replaced with simple ones for the obvious reason that he was more interested in eating the food before it lost its freshness than talking.



[/hr][/hr]

He set down his chopsticks and let out a small sigh of satisfaction. It went without saying that the sushi was delicious. Though it seemed that there was too much for the two of them to finish, they had managed to clear all of the platters. Taigi idly noted that he got a bit more food than he expected from the standard omakase course. Not that he complained; as a matter of fact he was still feeling a little peckish. But that was more due to his irregular eating habits than the restaurant being reserved with the quantity. Still, the knowledge of it got him to wondering about several possibilities before he shook them all off in favor of getting to the point of this whole meal.

“Pretty good ain’t it? Bet you never knew such a place existed nearby. Room is soundproof too.”

Taigi had a grin on his face while he spoke those words, but that faded away and was replaced with a more serious expression.

“Well enough pussyfooting. You might be wondering what’s the occasion. I’ll be straight with you: I overheard your conversation you had with Mizunohara-san.”

Taigi was briefly tempted to keep the fact that he eavesdropped a secret. If it was a mere stranger or acquaintance, he may have done so. But Michio wasn’t either of those.

“Somebody dropped the key to the roof and seeing an opportunity I took it. You know how I’ve expressed my desire before about it. Ah, I returned the key later so don’t worry about that. Anyways, I thought about revealing myself but as Mizunohara-san continued to speak the thought of it just vanished. I’m sorry for that. Take this meal as my way of apologizing. And to try and cheer you up. And…”

He reached out across the table and slowly placed a hand on top of Michio’s, a gesture born out of concern. Taigi looked at Michio with determined eyes.

“I want to let you know that I’m here for you man. I know I’m not the most reliable guy. But sometimes it helps to have a second person’s perspective on things.”

He removed his hand from Michio’s, and used it to take a drink of water. Then he continued.

“I’m probably not being entirely fair about this. So I should ask you before continuing. After all, the issue is not about what I want to do, but you. What do you want me to do? What are you going to do?

@Accelerator[/fieldbox]
 
[fieldbox= Mizunohara Sagawa, turquoise, solid]
Sagawa%20Ico_zpspkldzqsy.jpg

[October 30th, Afternoon / Hisakawa Academy - Main School Building - First Floor Hallways]

"Everything."
"
I will help you."


"What?"

"I am not talking about making those idiotic Fools shutting up about spilling their retarded nonsense about you."
"No."


The pirate raised her fist into the air heroically. Sagawa remembered her doing this a long time ago. The gesture was still as befuddling as it ever was.

"I want to become your Knight in Shining Armour. And, even if you should cast me aside, I will continue to protect and strike down all your foes."

Where did all of this come out all of a sudden. The teary eyed pirate went from zero to hero with a single sky-high fist pump into the air. Back then, when they were kids, using brute force was enough to solve some problems that kids worried about. But, this was high school. You couldn't just punch a bully in the face and get a happy ending. On the contrary, that was one of the worst ways you could go about trying to solve such a problem.

( I wonder... does Kyouko-chan being a part of this schools Virtu-Ava gang protect her more than Michio or Liza? No. It doesn't matter. Kyou-chan might end up being manipulated to hurt herself even without using her chip against her. ) She thought to herself.

Even so, Sagawa knew that the pirate wouldn't take no as an answer. Michio did take after that part of her, after all. Kyouko was a harder person to dissuade when she was like this. But, to go through that again. There wasn't any way she wanted to have to repeat that scene again within the same day.

There was one thing that Kyouko couldn't ignore, however.

Sagawa put her hand to her hip. Classic princess fashion.

"Fine, then, Kyou-chan. I'll let you become my knight on one condition." Sagawa, in a confident and animated gesture, pointed at Kyouko. Internally, Kyouko felt a nostalgic part of herself light up. The side of Sagawa that only she and Michio knew of.

"To be my champion, you have to be better than anyone else. As a princess like myself, It's only natural, right?"

( I'm sorry. Michio. )

"A champion has to be stronger than anyone else, and smarter than anyone else. To decide which one of you is more worthy, we'll have a challenge right here and now!"

The maid, at this moment, realized she had been roped into this little contest. She couldn't quite process what was going on, but she went along with it anyway.

Sagawa put her hand to her chin.

"Let's see." After pondering a moment, she nodded. "A challange of the mind: A riddle! Ready?"

After pausing for an unnecessary period of time, Sagawa let loose her challenge:

"What can be seen through, but doesn't look?"


Kyouko absolutely hated this riddle.

Sagawa was being mean for even bringing it up. The last time she tried answering this, all it got her was the humiliation of being being laughed at by Michio. And in the end, she never even found out what the answer was supposed be!

SDagawa wasn't feeling confortable reverting back like this either. This sort of nonsense was about as bad as whatever Kira and Misheru were doing earlier today. Utterly immature and disgusting to look at. However, this was the only way Sagawa could try to take a soft approach with Kyouko. A way to softly say no. Because, certainly, The maid would probably be able to figure this out faster, right? At least, that's what Sagawa was thinking.

At this moment, it was a race to see who could come up with the right answer first... The first person to speak was:

@Miya
@Skyswimsky
@_Anyone
[/fieldbox]
 
[fieldbox= Kyouko Himura, #3DA3C2, solid]

[October 30th, Afternoon / Hisakawa Academy - Main School Building - First Floor Hallways]

"A champion has to be stronger than anyone else, and smarter than anyone else. To decide which one of you is more worthy, we'll have a challenge right here and now!"

Yes! That was exactly what Kyouko was talking about. The blonde knew that her childhood-friend would understand just how serious she was! Though, on second thought, talking about a challenge and 'one of the two' being 'more' worthy seemed rather...weird?

"A challange of the mind: A riddle! Ready?"

Great. Just great. Just when exactly did they get there? While she wasn't about to back down from any challenge, the situation itself was quite weird and, in a sense, rather evil from Sagawa. The one-eye had heard them talking before, she was also aware of how much 'better' of a friend the maid had been in comparison to Kyouko in the past few weeks... or even months.

But Kyouko was the kind of girl that would embrace someone with the same amount of affection regardless if she had seen that someone just a day ago or if 10 years passed. While the girl did not dwell on the past and there were a lot of memories, she'd rather not admit to have, she also strongly believed that true friendship could survive anything. That was also one of the reasons why Kyouko Himura felt herself, ultimately, so alone.

Regardless, as much as Kyouko hated riddles, back then just as much as now, she was ready for anything. She had to be victorious. Losing was simply not an option. Even if it meant to break the fragile bond she had just managed to build with Iori. As much as she hated it, that dear person inside the hospital thaught her that going ahead without making sacrifices was just stupid and wishful thinking. Sagawa was more important to her than the entirety of the Red Pandas.

Silently, Kyouko waited.

"What can be seen through, but doesn't look?"

"..." Great. This again. Somewhere, it hurt. Sagawa really did not want her help, huh? Kyouko remembered vividly.

Apart from riddles being annoying it was even one of those that could have thousand of answers. Something plain like a mirror or anything out of glass, really. Or a deeper meaning having to do with people. While the blonde would never admit she wasn't the wisest or smartest, she stood still true to her heart, and even after all this time she still believed that 'Lies' was the right answer. But... she got laughed at, apparently wrong. So if there was one advantage, the pirate knew that 'Lies' had to be incorrect.

Kyouko became unsure as she managed to irritate herself just through that weird pressure and one simple answer. If it came down to it, the more time passed, Iori would surely come up with the right answer. Still, Kyouko wasn't like she used to be and if there was anything on her side, it was, in the end, still her gut feelings and going at the speed of light.

The blonde opened her mouth just to close it again. If there was another answer she could accept, one that was more downright-to-earth. Believing that anything too deep would be wrong, it simply had to be that one. "A Telescope." A telescope to watch the stars that she so endlessly desired.

The blonde simply had to trust her childhood friend, even if she was capable of manipulating them both on her whim, she could only hope this was enough of a sign that she had grown up. If she were to fail here, then... .


@Ehb
@Miya
@_SCREEEEEE[/fieldbox]
 
Status
Not open for further replies.