Hisakawa Koukou - Hard Reset IC

[Calypso Major]

[fieldbox=Chiyo Imada, #fbceb1, solid, 10]

[November 4th, Noon / Downtown - Karakuri Mall]

"So... anyway. What did you two want to do here anyway?" Sagawa turned to Chiyo and Kyouko. "I was going to go to the game shop to pick up something, but I can do that on the way out. Got anything in mind to kill time?"

"Umm..." Chiyo couldn't answer the question, as the meat-bun loving girl continued on.

"I really don't know what people normally do for things like this, so I apologize Imada-chan. So I'm fine with whatever you're feeling like doing! Right? Kyou-chan?"

"Well, all I do is cry about the expensive stuff I'll never able to afford! ... and eat burgers."

Letting out a small laugh, the peach "Ah, I don't really remember the last time I was here, so--"

Hearing a familiar voice, Chiyo turned towards it--discovering Leo. "Leo-kun? Hi!"

"I see you're with...friends." He smiled at her. "Girls' day out?"

"Well, I was trying to find the copy store, but..." Motioning to the small satchel she was carrying, she grinned sheepishly. "I think I took the wrong bus, if we're going to be honest. But I found Sagawa-san and Kyouko-san as a result, and we're all hanging out!"

While it wasn't unusual to find a satchel on the peach, this specific one looked like it was years old, a series of astronomy and cooking related pins scattered on the navy-colored bag. Leo should be able to recognize it as her "serious" bag--something she wore often near the end of middle school. During that time, she carried a small journal, snacks, pepper-spray, and other various knick-knacks within it.

"It must be good to stop a threat to others."
"You should thank Sagawa and her plan, not me."
"I'm sure most will be glad it's over, if it is over."

The peach noticed the bandaged hand Leo used to cover a cough, along with his choice of words.

"Anyway, I was just getting this game-"

"Oh, you're hurt?!?" Walking over to him, she grabbed the hand in question lightly, lifting it so that she could inspect it a little bit--her gaze intense on the hand.

"I would ask what happened, but it seems that you have it medically under control--so I won't." Releasing him, the glasses girl decided not to bring up his theory on the hacker incident. Turning to Sagawa instead, she tried to take her mind off of things for a little bit.

"If you don't want to go to the game store right away, that's fine. I'm not too sure what I'd like to do though, so I'm alright with whatever. Sorry for the trouble."

While it's true she needed to visit the copy store, her aunt wasn't expecting her home until after dark anyhow--as she was going to post said copies up all over town. After all, that was what you did with missing person posters, wasn't it?
[/fieldbox]
@Ehb
@Skyswimsky
@Rithas

 

[RedArmyShogun]

[fieldbox= Ayame Sayato, maroon, solid]

November 4th, Noon || The TTC]

Gazing at Sayuri-chan, it was clear the girl wasn't taking this well. She was a gang member though, what did she thing this was, a nice little club, ambitions that the gangs and Yakuza alike harbored always got people killed. And there would be more bodies regardless of the Superiority Nyoko always felt she had.

"Iori-Chan.." Her old friend whispered, the two had grown apart over the years, but she did feel sorry for the girl, starting to offer an apology, but Nyoko cuts her off before she even gets the chance. Watching Nyoko's glance Ayame follows it briefly, some what appauled she girts her teeth, biting back a curse, bouncers from the looks of them. "If you don't want my he-"

"Don't ever mention it again in the TTC."

Shooting a glare full of anger, Ayame could not understand why she was being treated this way in all honesty. "The hell did you think I asked to do this outside!?" This was too much, she should have never came here, just wanted to offer the information and a warning, and here she was about to have bouncers to throw her out.

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Was that it, Sayato-san?"[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Glaring at the Red Panda leader, Ayame shakes her head side to side, angrily standing up from the table, holding her head with her right hand and taking a deep breath the stress induced headache had gotten that much more worse. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent] "Yes, there is something else. You wanted to ask about me on the radio, yeah? Well, you know something Nyoko..on days like these I really hate this stupid town, the Gangs and the Yakuza. I'm not here as I want to be, I'm not a Yakuza as I want to be, I've got no choice or say in the matter. You think I allow my grades to be shit on purpose, or that I'm doing all of this as I want to? That I want to sit in here, or watch those two heirs? What did you think I came here for eh!? How much do you know on the Gorilla-chan? Huh!?" [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]While her tone was loud and aggressive it didn't carry very far from the table, allowing the mood of the club to stay for the most part unchanged. While the situation was rather minor, it had only served to fill Ayame's wrathful nature. It was one thing if she was being asked to leave, but being given the sign that she needed to leave or else, that was a bit too much on top of all the other stress.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Then you have the damn nerve to just get ready to toss my ass out.. when I'm trying to keep some damn peace? Well fine, I'll see myself out.. Just, tell me when you need to deal with that other problem. I..I'll stay away from here and the student radio, there never were any choices. Good day." Not really explaining what that line meant, Ayame gets up from her chair giving a Japanese style bow. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Between her headache and now having more things to be pissed about, the body guard really needed a drink, headache pills, or both. Giving a verbal resignation from the student radio to hopefully keep herself and Nyoko from having any conflicts, and letting out a bit of an outburst to her situation seemed all that Ayame had intended to do.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent] Though the last bit of it all was highly irrational it seemed there was more to Ayame's situation than simply having joined the Yakuza. Making her way to leave, the dirty blonde didn't seem to have any cause or reason to stop, barring anyone else stopping her of course.[/BCOLOR]

[/fieldbox]

@Wen @☆ Mirai ☆

 

[Eru]

[fieldbox="Miyamoto Ryuu, #2feb83"]

[November 4th, Noon / Excalibur Arcade]

"Ha, sorry about that," Ryuu replied jovially. "I keep forgetting, Pratt. Don't hold it against me?"

As the pair made their way across the arcade floor, past games of all sizes and sounds, Ryuu explained a bit of his history with video games to Pratt in lowered tones.. "It's not like I had much else to do, growing up. I found out I enjoyed playing video games, since it was something I could do by myself; as I spent more time playing games, I gained all sorts of skills." He looked down at his hands for a moment as they walked. "I just... I still don't have enough."

A high-pitched buzzing noise shook Ryuu out of his thoughts. He looked up to see a familiar shape zooming past, near the ceiling. "Hey," Ryuu said, nudging Pratt. "Isn't that Mana's drone... Kazami?" He waved and watched as it moved quickly out of sight, apparently on another of Mana's strange missions, but then his attention was captured again by the sound of his name. Ryuu turned to see a trio of arcade-goers approaching himself and Pratt.

"Ryuu! Pratt! There's something we gotta show you!" The first-years looked oddly excited as they beckoned the boys over to a wall of arcade machines. Ryuu grabbed Pratt by the elbow before he could escape and walked over to follow the gamers. "C'mon, man, whatever this is, you're important to it too."

Ryuu stepped up to an arcade machine and peered at the screen. To his surprise, his name appeared on the current high-score listing. But, it wasn't just his name; there were a set of them. These were the names of the players who'd gotten the top three scores, reading downwards from first place:

RYU
AR
LAM​

"So... uh... what do you guys know about this?" Ryuu awkwardly asked the trio who'd called them over. "I've never even played this game."

"That's what we were going to ask you," one replied, pointing at the machine one row over. "That one seems to have Pratt's name on it."

Ryuu paused for a second, thinking. I've never been here before. There's probably many people who have a similar name to mine, too. So... why do I suddenly feel so anxious about this?

@ShiroKiyoshi
[/fieldbox]

 

[Navi]

[fieldbox=Sayuri Alexander, #fca7d2, solid]

[November 4th, Noon || The TTC]

This can't be real... This couldn't be real? Could it? Was Iori Nishimura actually dead? Different questions began swarming Sayuri's head, believing the worst has happened to the girl. But then again, it didn't make sense. Iori was a lieutenant to Nyoko of the Red Pandas. Being the lieutenant of the Red Pandas was like her second-in command to Nyoko. And Iori was no doubt strong, as is Kyoko Himura-another lieutenant of Nyoko's. Iori had no problem defending herself in a battle, yet here Sayoto Ayame was telling her and the straight-faced leader that the first pink haired second-in-command was dead. There was a possibility that Ayame was lying to both her and Nyoko, but that doesn't make sense. Why would Ayame lie about someone who died? That's the equivalent of someone claiming another was dead, and then it turned into one big disgusting joke. But Ayame wasn't like. Sayuri would know, she was once friends with her before they drifted apart.

Speaking of, she barely seemed to notice how Ayame felt bad for telling her about Iori "Likely" death. It seemed she was about to offer a apology, when her Stone-Faced Leader spoke up towards Ayame.

"Don't ever mention it again in the TTC."

Her leader's stared down the dirty blonde while Sayuri had receive a message from her

I wouldn't trust the information of a yakuza dog, Sayuri-san. They're all violence and force, with very little intelligence, as she so proudly demonstrates. We do not know for sure what happened with Iori-san yet, but I have heard this version of the truth. I don't want you to mention this to anyone else. I can look into that VR battle incident of yours.

She bit her lip when reading the Virtu-Ava part of her message. It seemed that Nyoko still remembers the incident. Then again, said incident happened only a few days ago. And said incident wasn't something she was proud of, especially since it was a case of disapporpriate retribution and there was a possibility the boys responsible were simply coming to apologize. But there's no was in telling how unless Sayuri had confronted them. Which she wasn't too sure on doing in the first place. They still were most likely angry at her for the out of nowhere curb-stomping battle, and they would probably seek revenge by returning the favor if she was one to speak with them again. Wouldn't be the first time something like that happened in her life.

---

A Yakuza Dog huh?

She looked over at Ayame, who was glaring, standing up from the table, and informing Nyoko with a aggressive and harsh tone in her voice. Despite it being slightly loud, she was surprised how the club's tone was unchanged despite the negative aura around Ayame who was furious with Nyoko. She then proceed to leave with a Japanese styled bow and walk away, Sayuri wanted to bid a kind farewell to the blonde, yet there was something that was holding her back from saying it. She remembered before she left how she wanted nothing to do with the Yakuza, Gangs, and the town itself. Yet she had no choice in the matter. She felt bad for her incredibly, yet she had left by now. Sayuri had then turned back to the unfinished message she intended to finish and send to Nyoko.

Yes, you're right. We still don't know for sure what happened for Nishimura-Chan. Yet I have a bad feeling about what Ayame-San had said. Nonetheless, I apologize for believing the worst when there's still a chance she might be alive. You can count on me on not informing anyone about this matter, albeit I never do such thing, especially if it's orders coming from you. I once again deeply apologize for the VR battle incident, additionally letting my abilities become negative from my mood at the time. Even though...

Her mind wandered off along with her eyes, finding them self staring at a nearby wall. Her memory tread back to what happened a few days ago, remembering how the entire event came to be.

She was in a rather foul mood over her most recent date with her boyfriend Ryuu Miyamoto was ruined-Yet Again. They were both having a lunch date on school grounds, but Sayuri never returned to said date primarily due to two boys approaching her and Ryuu and making no so subtle remarks at Sayuri and mocking Ryuu. They left quickly, but they had to return to class shortly afterwards. Sayuri was upset to say in the least. By the end of school, Ryuu had sent a message to Sayuri informing her not to confront the two boys and wait within the school for him. However, the pink haired girl didn't listen. She found and confronted the two same boys who were outside on school grounds. But Sayuri wasn't prepared on what was about to happen next. They decided to advance on her from the remarks they made earlier, almost successfully assaulting her. Thankfully she escaped, and made her way back to school to meet with Ryuu. When questioned, she lied about what the boys almost did to her. It was her fault for trying to confront them and didn't want Ryuu to be angry with her. The next day, she was in a very foul mood and kept to herself most of the day, including excusing herself from hanging out with Ryuu. She had left early after school where she ran into them again. They had attempted to approach her again, but this time Sayuri was prepared. She declared a Virtue-Ava Battle on them and curb stomped than with her battle actions, all of which were negative rather positive. While Nyoko wasn't there at the start, she was certainly there to see the end of the match-at least that's what Sayuri saw. And from what Sayuri knew, she had yet to hear the full story from Sayuri about how the Incident came to be.

She sighed and backtracked her words, she had no right to play the 'Not my Fault' card. It was her fault and thanks to her battle, those boys were hurt. She had no idea if they were alright in fact, they most likely weren't seeing how she didn't see them.

Nevermind. Forget what I just said, the 'Even though' part I mean. I'll see to it to keep Nishimura-Chan's fate under wraps. And I once again apologize for the VR battle incident that happened a few days ago. It won't happen again I swear.

Sending the message back to her leader, she sighed. "I apologize for not sending the message fast enough. I was looking back on the events that lead up to the incident. I suppose you'll bring the occurrence up now? Or did you have other things to attend to now that Ayame-San is gone?" She rubbed the back of her neck nervously with her left hand, looking towards Nyoko as her left hand fell back into her lap with her right.

What doesn't kill you makes a Fighter: @Wen
I'm not Afraid, I'm Not: @RedArmyShogun
[/fieldbox]

 

[Ehb]

[fieldbox= Mizunohara Sagawa, turquoise, solid]

[November 4th, Noon / Downtown - Karakuri Mall]

Sagawa's inquest about what to do next was met with more or less no results. Kyouko wasn't too much of the shopping type in the first place. Sagawa was a bit like that as well in a way. She'd only ever bother looking if she felt like she needed something, and even then it didn't take her long to find what she wanted. When it came to browsing the card shop however...

She was pretty sure Kyouko or Chiyo was interested in seeing her enthusiastically looking through boxes of trading cards, or watch her sit at a table playing with overpriced cardboard. In fact, that originally was her plan in the beginning, but Chiyo's insistence on tagging along and including Kyouko into the mix was not planned at all. She didn't have any kind of itinerary when it came towards hanging out with people who weren't overtly interested in Dueling Masters.

In the end, the sudden appearance of Leo Kane was what kept things from grinding to a halt then and there.


Chiyo was quick to greet Leo. From their exchange, it turned out them running into each other was a product of Chiyo needing to find a copy store. Sagawa could only guess that there wasn't any such copy store particularly close to where she lived. At least, within walking distance - which lead to her boarding a bus and.... riding it until she found one?

Isn't something like that easily found just by looking it up on the internet?

Sagawa mentally shook the thought aside.

"It must be good to stop a threat to others."
"You should thank Sagawa and her plan, not me."
"I'm sure most will be glad it's over, if it is over."

Leo Kane prodded the achievement with passive skepticism. But, it wasn't like she disagreed with him either. While what she did was able to stop one hacker, the possibility was high that that person wasn't just working alone.

"C'mon...! Suffer! I'm going to make you feel everything that you made our friends feel you Witch!"

Sagwa recalled the vengeful words the hacker made Liza say on their behalf.

What did she do?

Sagawa couldn't recall any time she did anything to anyone using her hacking skills. She had kept it a secret from everyone, even Michio and Kyouko didn't know the full extent of it what she was capable of until just recently. But, the hacker had gone so far as to involve the whole school just to get at her. There was just something incredibly unsettling about everything that had happened.

The reports of students from the school going missing also further deepened the mystery. What Leo was saying might as well be true. It wasn't over just yet.

"Anyway, I was just getting this game-"
"Oh, you're hurt?!?"

Sagawa couldn't tell what she was talking about until the she saw Chiyo inspecting Kane's bandaged hand.

"I would ask what happened, but it seems that you have it medically under control--so I won't." She concluded, turning to Sagawa. "If you don't want to go to the game store right away, that's fine. I'm not too sure what I'd like to do though, so I'm alright with whatever. Sorry for the trouble."

The unfortunate problem was that she really did want to go to the game store right away. She might still be able to enter today's tournament. But the line: You want to watch me play card games!? Didn't sound like an appropriate thing to say to someone who didn't know her yet.

In fact, Sagawa didn't really know Chiyo at all really. Nor could she say she even know Kyouko at all anymore either. Why was she going this far to be so considerate to them? Wasn't this whole setup of spontaneously hanging out with classmates who were otherwise strangers (save for Kyouko) entirely wrong?

But, Sagawa knew why.

I feel responsible for what happened to Iori-san. I wanted to brighten up her day a little by doing all this... but, I don't know her that well either. However... There is someone here who might have an idea.

Meekly, looked to Leo.

"Um... You're Kane-kun, right?"

Sagawa greeted the boy with one of the most chaotic reputations in school for the first time.

"If you not doing anything else beyond picking up a game, you can come along with us too if you want. Since Kyou-chan mentioned food, you want to come with us to the food court?" Sagawa then looked between the three of them as she elaborated. "Since Imada-chan has an errand, and the rest of us aren't really shopping, it makes the most sense to just get something to eat."

It was a good compromise.

Sagawa could leave Chiyo and Kyouko to their own devices after eating without coming off as inconsiderate by just ordering something light and finishing it off semi-quickly. Ultimately, she could just leave cheering up Chiyo for the rest of the day to Leo. It only made sense, didn't it? Leo could do a better job of Cheering Chiyo up than a stranger like herself could.

Kyouko looked like she felt she was dragged into this anyway, so she could at least subtly let her off without being mean about it either. This time around, she had to be more subtle about things. She didn't want to go through last week again.

Sagawa could just dump both of them off without any hard feelings.


"That should be fine... right?" Sagawa asked. Not only to Leo, but also Chiyo and Kyouko too.


Leo could feel the hesitation from Sagawa's words.

It was a guilty sort of hesitation.

@Rithas
@Skyswimsky
@Raven Haruka
[/fieldbox]

 

[RedArmyShogun]

Nozomi Yuri

[fieldbox= Ayame Sayato, maroon, solid]

[November 4th, Noon/Downtown]

Leaving the TTC uninterrupted in a storm, Ayame was more than a little pissed, in fact she was near furious. Unable to understand what she did wrong, given she warned Nyoko before she spoke, this all was unfair. Gritting her teeth it was likely as it wasn't meant to be, her problems only had two ways out of currently, and neither was that appealing.

"Tch fucking Panda's..." Punching the wall with her right fist, Ayame makes her way out of the alley quickly, putting her hands in her tracksuit, walking with head down. Letting out a sigh, this was aggravating. "Though..maybe I shouldn't have quit the show.. I just don't want her mad with me all the time..damnit.." Sighing a bit and mumbling curses, Ayame walks through the streets, without purpose or reason, just aiming to kill time and to relax a little.

That's when she looked up seeing someone up ahead that made her want to turn around and go some other way. She didn't want more work, but she had a duty to fulfill. Michio had requested this over her some days previously, but she had been caught up in other matters to do it till now. Right in front of her walking the street was Nozomi Yuri, there was no mistaking it, from the white hair and the looks, it had to be her. Never having meet or really ever have spoken to the girl, Aya sincerely hoped she didn't screw this up. Regardless it was sheer dumb luck she had ran into the girl, likely about her own errands.

Approaching the girl and bowing, Ayame takes her hands out of her pockets offering an introduction and stating why she was there;

"I'm Ayame Sayato, Here on behalf of Michio Kamijou. He may have mentioned me coming for his work? Your Nozomi Yuri-san Yes? Sorry to be coming to you like this with no warning, but seems we both are in the same place, same time..."

Hoping that this would work, she was somewhat curious what sort of personality Yuri had, raising her head she would feel very foolish if it wasn't her after all, but she at least remembered faces well.

"Anyways got a minuet?"

[/fieldbox]


@Ehb

 

[Rithas]

[fieldbox= Leo Kane, #666699, solid]

[November 4th, Noon / Downtown - Karakuri Mall]

"Oh, you're hurt?!?" Chiyo walked over to him, taking hold of his hand.

"Uh, err- It's fine, really."

"I would ask what happened, but it seems that you have it medically under control--so I won't."

"If you don't want to go to the game store right away, that's fine. I'm not too sure what I'd like to do though, so I'm alright with whatever. Sorry for the trouble." As Chiyo spoke to Sagawa, Leo gaze turned to her bag. Given the knowledge that she was goiing to the copy store, and the details surrounding people close to her. Leo could guess her motives.

He couldn't fault anyone for being slight on edge, or being motivated to take action.

"Um... You're Kane-kun, right?" His eyes slowly floated over to Sagawa. His head hurt.

Don't talk to me like that.

"That is correct"

"If you not doing anything else beyond picking up a game, you can come along with us too if you want. Since Kyou-chan mentioned food, you want to come with us to the food court?"

Giving away nothing, Leo simply listened.

"Since Imada-chan has an errand, and the rest of us aren't really shopping, it makes the most sense to just get something to eat."

Leo tilted his head slightly. Why, just getting something to eat wasn't much of a girl's day out now was it.

"That should be fine... right?"

"To pass them off to me so you can play a game in peace?" He said, smiling innocently.


"Hah...I jest, of course." Leo shrugged, seeming to skip past his own comment.

If the three of them meeting was all by chance. Then no doubt It was Chiyo who had suggested an impromptu hanging out. But none of them exactly had things that a group could do. The way they all left it to Sagawa to decide amused him. Or at least, it would of if it wasn't her.



He should let her leave.

Talking to her like this made him feel ill.


"I suppose getting some food wouldn't hurt."

He scratched his cheek. There was a nagging sensation in his brain. Ah, this was certainly a new situation. But he could use it to answer something. If he could steady his feeling of unwellness.

"Might even get to ask a question when we get our meals..."

@Raven Haruka @Ehb @Skyswimsky[/fieldbox]

 

[Luma]

[fieldbox=Kamei Mana, #ccffff, solid]

[November 4th, Noon / Downtown - Excalibur Arcade (Cafeteria)]

"Listen, Mana, I would love to tell you who it is, but they would appreciate it more if you didn't know. You won't do any good if you apologize to them. They're just like that."

Darn. Wow, Kira was just as secretive as she was. Truthfully, Mana had already guessed as much. After all, what would she say? "Heeeeey, remember that time I barged in on your kinky scene?" No; what she had said was mostly for the sake of pushing Kira to tell her....which she hadn't.

Suddenly Mana found a finger on her lips and an appropriate song pounding on her ears. She narrowed her eyes in a sarcastic 'unamused' look, before Kira quickly removed it. Opening a text file titled "Raptor's Ghost", Mana added a few more notes on the page that popped into her vision. Can't hide forever....

"'Kay, 'kay, I'll drop it for now. Guess it's not that important."

Kira caught Mana by surprise when she changed direction and danced into the cafeteria. Oh there it was. Between an arcade and her home system, Mana preferred her room, so she hadn't actually spent enough time at the arcade to realize there was a whole cafeteria inside. She'd thought Kira meant a nearby cafe. Crazy big, this place.

"So, I take it you're a red panda? What's that like? Hardwired… Uh, I mean, Nyoko invited me to the club. Is it fun?"

Giggling at the nickname, Mana grabbed a tray and browsed the available food, "Hardwired? Because of the radio show?" Mana pointed at a hashed potato patty cut in the shame of a Galaga spaceship. Very retro. "So that's why you know so much!"

Mana skipped over the desserts. Sugar cubes were better. "Thanks," she appreciated Kira for paying. Mana wasn't exactly poor, but every yen not spent on food was more money towards a new gadget or program. Walking over to a relatively secluded table, she laid down her plate, mostly full of fried food and veggies. Now a decent distance away from other people, Mana responded to Kira's questions quietly.

"I'm a panda, yes. Does that mean I get a cool nickname too?" She poked Kazami a few times with a smile, as if hinting that she wanted a drone-related nickname. "We're kinda like a family, 'kay? There's some ups and downs, but we mostly have each others' backs." Mana shoveled in a spoonful of peas and swallowed before speaking. "And it's a fun 'club'. Especially if you like Virtu-Ava. If you know so many pandas, why not take Hardwired's offer?"

Mana suddenly remembered something and quickly composed a text with her chip as she ate, sending it to Kyouko:

Ahoy captain! o7

I dunno if ye be busy, but with Iori missing, our admiral needs another lieutenant for a while. Mind putting my name in the hat when ye see her? Maybe with some good words too? Like: "Oh, that Mana's so dependable, I'd trust her with my beating heart if she hadn't already won it~!" Something like that.

By the way, don't believe what people are saying. Iori's strong, so she'll be back someday, 'kay? I really believe that, even if it's the sorta thing a Fool would say. So this is only temporary; until she gets back.

And uhh.... "arr"

@Wen
@Skyswimsky[/fieldbox]

 

[LowDefinition]

[fieldbox= Iwasawa Yuuki, #339966, solid]

[November 4th, Noon / Iwasawa's Residence]

Yuuki could see that Rei is crying, he doesn't know what to make of it. Is she glad that Yuuki wants to help? Does what Yuuki said earlier was just too sudden? Then he saw that Rei is smiling, although still crying.

"Th-thank you. I-I..." Could it be that the feelings were mutual all along? Yuuki started to feel really stupid for denying it if that were true... "I love you too."

It was true after all. A smile could be seen on Yuuki, he felt a lot of emotions going around him.

"Rei... I--" Yuuki was cut-off when Rei suddenly hug him. He was surprised at first, but he then embraced the hug. He was glad that he actually told his real feeling instead of denying it any further. It turns out that it was mutual.

"Thank you so much. Your help means so much to me. And... so do you. I hope that we can solve this quickly, so that you don't get harassed too."

"Of course... Let's do our best Rei."

Rei pulled away from the hug and asked Yuuki the question that would give him a hard time to answer. "What about Mika? Aren't you still dating her?"

Of course, he couldn't hurt Mika's feeling either. But... ". . . Hmm, the thing is... It's been a long time- by long time I mean around last 2 weeks, since I last talked with Mika. But I can't stab her in the back like this..."

"Um... Can this wait until I have a talk with her? I'll try to make a decision soon, don't do anything that'll make her hate you for this." Yuuki don't want to see both of his loved ones hate each other for his indecisiveness. If anything, he should be the one hated for this. It's already enough that Yuuki fought the other Yuuki because of his decision a long time ago.

"I know I might hurt one of you in my decision... So I'm going to say sorry in advance for what I decide later on about this... But know this, no matter what my decision is, I still love you..."
[/fieldbox]
@Karyra

 

[Ehb]

[fieldbox= , white, solid]
[November 4th, Noon / Downtown]

The hacker incident hadn't been resolved the way Yuri was anticipating, and unfortunately, the damage had already been done. There were students whom had gotten hurt, and others whom where now currently missing. All in all though, it seemed like whomever was responsible had something against Sagawa.

But ultimately, that was all they were able to get out of that person. They had died in the middle of questioning - or rather, by the way it happened, it seemed more like that they were disposed of.

People all over were getting hurt. That was completely unacceptable for Kokoro. To the point that she was thinking of appealing to her resources within the Mikado. It was a sign that things were getting out of hand, even for her. Once the Mikado got involved, it would only be a matter of time. The matter would get dealt with quickly enough. Kokoro had the influence to get it passed through... though it took her some time to decide to reach out for help.

Would that mean she'd have to go through hurting people again as well?


Suddenly, a voice brought her back into awareness.

"I'm Ayame Sayato..."

"Hm...?"

Yuri turned to see a blonde girl with a laid-back expression. Without a doubt, it was her.

"...Here on behalf of Michio Kamijou. He may have mentioned me coming for his work? Your Nozomi Yuri-san Yes? Sorry to be coming to you like this with no warning, but seems we both are in the same place, same time..."

"It would seem we are. Good afternoon, Sayoto-san." Yuri said as she bowed slightly, returning the formality.

"Anyways got a minuet?"

"A 'Minuet' you say? Is that some sort of musical instrument?" Yuri gently joked as she winked knowingly at Sayoto's little verbal slur. "Anyway, for Kamijou-san's work, I can't really talk about since much of it is in his inbox back in the school office. I actually wanted to see him personally. I heard about something happening to him last week that's had him feeling rather down. But, I haven't been able to sit down and talk with him about it personally, regrettably."

Yuri looked skywards, admiring how clear the sky was this Saturday.

"On a weekend looking this pleasant, it's probably best he keep his mind of things like work. So, please let him know that Myself and the rest of his Social Morals Teammates are there for him for whatever he needs."

Looking back to Sayato, Yuri put her hand over her heart and continued.

"Kamijou-san is very diligent; he's been dependable for us. So I want to be able to return his kindness when he's going through a rough time himself."

A couple of chatting ladies walked past the two girls' conversation. Reminding Sayoto this conversation was still out in public eyes.

@RedArmyShogun
[/fieldbox]

 

[Weracious]

[fieldbox= OSHIRO KIRA, #ffa938, solid]

[November 4th, Noon / Excalibur Arcade]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Hardwired? Because of the radio show?So [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]that's[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] why you know so much[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]!"[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Kira shook her head, as she grabbed a bunch of sweets to go along with the more traditional japanese food. Well, Hardwired was rather fitting for someone who spent a large portion of their time at school locked inside a radio studio which nobody else was allowed to enter.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Nah, not really. It's because of her anger issues. She's hardwired to self-destruct. What do you mean by 'know so much'?" Kira followed Mana to a table after paying for their food, putting her tray down on the other side of the table, so they were facing each other. There was so much food on it that was a little heavy for even Kira to carry. "I wanted to leave the student radio, and she lost her shit. It's not the only time I've seen her angry. She's kind of terrifying when she loses it."[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Kira wasn't normally scared by other students, or anyone for that matter, but Nyoko was bound to snap some day. It was like she had a timer written on her forehead, and when it went off Kira didn't want to be anywhere nearby. She'd heard stories about what Nyoko and that other girl had done to their fellow students when they were younger.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"I'm a panda, yes. Does that mean I get a cool nickname too?[/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]We're kinda like a family, 'kay? There's some ups and downs, but we mostly have each others' backs.[/BCOLOR] [BCOLOR=transparent]And it's a fun 'club'. Especially if you like Virtu-Ava. If you know so many pandas, why not take [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]Hardwired's [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]offer?"[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"I only give nicknames to girls which I flirt with, which I'm interested in romantically. They're more unique that way, until I end up using the same song for two of them at least, but that hasn't happened yet," Kira confessed, explaining why she was unlikely to give Mana a nickname any time soon, though she blushed a little as a few fitting names popped into her head. "A family sounds nice. I don't know. I didn't think I knew so many pandas, but I guess it's a superior option to getting involved with the… Nevermind."[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]She shouldn't mention the yakuza. Kira had had a lot of time to think about it in the hospital, and she felt sorry for Rei and Michio, but the yakuza was not to be taken lightly. It was better if she distanced herself from all of them, for her own sake. The fact that none of them seemed to care about her when she was in the hospital just made it an easier decision to make.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"I guess I should take her offer, but I'm kind of busy with everything else. You don't need to put in a set amount of hours or anything?" Kira asked, pausing, before blurting out: "Does Turbo Lover spend a lot of time at the TTC?"[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Wait, Mana didn't know who she meant when she used that nickname, and Kira's face took a much deeper shade of red. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"I mean, Kyouko. Heard you were friends or something."[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]She quickly stuffed her mouth with as much food as could fit, staring into the plate.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]@Luma [/BCOLOR]
[/fieldbox]

[fieldbox= , magenta, solid]

[BCOLOR=transparent][November 4th, Noon / The TTC][/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Ayame had no say where Nyoko held her meetings, and holding them outside the TTC was just silly. The other gangs were bound to be spying on them. There were back rooms inside, and if anything, she could have asked to go to one of them. Just laying all that information on the table was tactless and crude. She could have expressed herself in any number of ways, and she'd chosen the most brutish one.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Yes, there is something else. You wanted to ask about me on the radio, yeah? Well, you know something Nyoko..on days like these I really hate this stupid town, the Gangs and the Yakuza. I'm not here as I want to be, I'm not a Yakuza as I want to be, I've got no choice or say in the matter. You think I allow my grades to be shit on purpose, or that I'm doing all of this as I [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]want[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent] to? That I want to sit in here, or watch those two heirs? What did you think I came here for eh!? How much do you know on the Gorilla-chan? Huh!?"[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Nyoko knew a lot about Ayame, but information and facts about a person didn't necessarily reveal their thoughts and opinions. She had had to guess how Ayame felt about being part of the yakuza, and apparently, she'd been wrong. It'd seemed obvious that someone so brutish would love to be a member of the yakuza. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]She didn't really bat an eyelid when Ayame got up from the table, though the nearby bouncers got ready to pounce on her if she attacked Nyoko, or if Nyoko ordered them to deal with her. It was funny. Ayame wasn't being loud now, as if she suddenly cared what the other pandas knew, but she'd shown no such consideration a moment ago.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Then you have the damn nerve to just get ready to toss my ass out.. when I'm trying to keep some damn peace? Well fine, I'll see myself out.. Just, tell me when you need to deal with that other problem. I..I'll stay away from here and the student radio, there never were any choices. Good day."[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Nyoko wasn't going to stop Ayame. She'd gotten up from the table, and she was heading for the door. The brute was not worth Nyoko publicly losing face, especially since she thought Ayame was likely to do something stupid again when given the chance.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]She was a lot more blunt about leaving the student radio than Kira, who'd kind of snuck away in the night, but she seemed to think that Nyoko would just let her leave because they didn't get along. She was mistaken. Nyoko had a responsibility as a leader, even if her anger often got the better of her. The school would not take kindly to her pushing students she didn't like out of the club.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]You have to fill out the paperwork if you want to leave the student radio, Nyoko wrote in a message she sent to Ayame. It's a lot easier to join than to leave. I guess you're used to that by now.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]She hesitated for a moment, before she continued her message.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]There is always a choice. I don't imagine you'll listen to my advice though. Tell me, why did you join the Yakuza then?[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Ayame was probably long gone by now, but Nyoko could have two conversations at once. She turned to Sayuri next.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Yes, you're right. We still don't know for sure what happened for Nishimura-Chan. Yet I have a bad feeling about what Ayame-San had said. Nonetheless, I apologize for believing the worst when there's still a chance she might be alive. You can count on me on not informing anyone about this matter, albeit I never do such thing, especially if it's orders coming from you. I once again deeply apologize for the VR battle incident, additionally letting my abilities become negative from my mood at the time. Even though.. Nevermind. Forget what I just said, the 'Even though' part I mean. I'll see to it to keep Nishimura-Chan's fate under wraps. And I once again apologize for the VR battle incident that happened a few days ago. It won't happen again I swear.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Nyoko was glad that Sayuri promised to not tell anyone else. They needed to be told, eventually, but she might just tell them that Iori had gone on vacation. It was unlikely that anyone would believe that, and it was kind of like your parent telling you that your dead dog had been sent to live on a farm. However, Nyoko didn't want news of Iori's death spreading when she hadn't even seen a body yet. What if Iori returned, and she'd told everyone she was dead? [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"It doesn't really work like that," Nyoko said, speaking out loud. "You'd need to be a hacker to be able to affect the outcome of your VR battle abilities. They do not care about your mood. They really don't, so it has to be just another bug in the system. Somehow it's only you experiencing it though. You could go talk to Raptor if you wish."[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"I apologize for not sending the message fast enough. I was looking back on the events that lead up to the incident. I suppose you'll bring the occurrence up now? Or did you have other things to attend to now that Ayame-San is gone?"[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Nyoko hadn't even noticed, as she'd been preoccupied with the messages she'd sent to Ayame. It was a rather strange comment by Sayuri though. Did she just stop a conversation to think back to what happened days ago? Huh.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"I was going to take a walk before Sayato-san showed up. You're free to join me if you wish. Raptor hasn't really been outside in weeks, so we could try to drag her along. Then we could talk more about this peculiar incident of yours."[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]It wasn't like a bug was news to anyone, or only happened to the red pandas.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]@RedArmyShogun [/BCOLOR]@☆ Mirai ☆
[BCOLOR=transparent][/fieldbox][/BCOLOR]

 

[Accelerator]

[fieldbox= Kamijou Michio, plum, solid]

[November 4th, Noon / Downtown - Obato Castle, Training Hall]

Michio and Nichio

It was true that Ayatane Shigure pissed the silver-haired boy off with his haughty attitude and his comment with Sagawa. BUT THAT FUCKER IS MISSING THE POINT HERE. Who gave him the right to dictate what Michio thinks or feels towards Mizunohara? He was tossed aside like the weekend garbage despite everything he did for her? How could he still love someone who hurt him that much? Pursuing his feelings for her would have been a self-destructive notion. Ayatane Shigeru assumes that Michio is still significantly attached to her while he had explicitly claimed that he only considers her as an estranged friend nowadays. Plus, should he really be generalizing all of humanity so much? People don't change in a day, while given that it is a norm that applies to most people, most people don't have a second personality that helps them adapt to particularly stressful, threatening situations. And now he challenges Michio to a duel? To be considered a worthy rival?

If Kokoro Amane was not here, he would be laughing at how such self-entitled piece of shit this bastard was. How'd one grow up to be a walking piece of pride mixed with trash anyways? Well, since Amane was here, he needed to behave accordingly. Though that still leaves the fact that Ayatane Shigeru challenged him to a battle, a physical battle... a battle that relied on skill rather than chance.

Before Kamijou Kakeru became a salaryman, he was trained by his father, Kamijou Umebozou in multiple form of armed and hand-to-hand combat, back in the days when the Kamijou family still ran a dojo. Meanwhile, Minahoshi Asuho also hailed from a family of fighters, specializing particularly on Bajiquan. While they were against the idea of Michio taking on the idea of becoming the head of the Yakuza seriously, they recognized the dangers that their son would face ever since he was chosen as a potential heir. As a result, they imparted him with everything they knew of combat the moment it became known that he was chosen by the old man.

Rei Saionji may have the edge over him in terms of proper etiquette and politics within the Yakuza, but there is one thing that Rei could never hope to best him at. While he was lacking in knowledge in terms of operating the Yakuza as a boss, Kamijou Michio surpassed all other when it came to combat prowess. In fact, he would go as far as believe that he is one of the best fighters in Hisakawa, along with his friend Taigi. That's why he disliked battles of chance because the result was not up to one's own actions and decisions. That is the reason he avoided Virtu-Ava Battles if he could help it. And that is why when it comes to a physical fight, one that relied on skill instead of luck, Michio was confident he could at least match Ayatane Shigeru, if not completely wipe the floor with him.

Snapping his fingers, he chose to return to his default appearance as it would be impractical to make use of this form any longer than he needed to. It reminded him too much of Mizunohara Sagawa, specially when she helped him design this form. The main reason he chose to maintain his Virtu-Avatar's appearance was that he imagined it would be a close match what Nichio would look like if he had a physical form. He could rationalize Nichio's existence better when he at least has a basis for what he would like instead of letting him remain as merely a voice in his head.

"This punk's been pissing me off for quite a while now... but I know you want to beat his haughty ass by yourself. That's why I'll only step in should he be potentially stronger than you." Nichio said to the milk tea lover. Though of course, Only Michio would hear him.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Michio replied in his head.

"My, my... it seems you've cause Amane-sama some bit of distress with how rude you've been behaving, Ayatane Shigeru-san. Do you think of yourself as a worthy candidate by the way you've been behaving? Acting so rudely, disrespecting a fellow candidate, instigating a fight in front of Amane-sama all of a sudden, and even disregarding her feelings. My fault lies with my failure to realize my desire to lead the Mikado Family until recently, and my lack of discernment towards Amane-sama's plans. But your sin lies in your behavior."

Michio began to steel himself as he prepared for the fight ahead, he adjusted his clothes, including his gloves so as to ensure the wooden sword would not slip from his grasp at a critical moment.

"That said, I simply cannot refuse a challenge, so I'll apologize in advance for disregarding your wishes as well, Amane-sama. So allow me to entertain Ayatane-san for a little while. How long it goes on, I would like you to decide, Amane-sama" Facing Amane, he said those words with a pleasant expression, before regarding Shigeru with a serious expression.

"My my, I really wanted to avoid violent conflicts specially in a place where upper management surely is observing and assessing my every move. But I guess it can't be helped." The demonic social morals officer sighed in exasperation, seemingly having no real interest in having to fight all of a sudden.

And that is when it happened. If Ayatane Shigeru thought he had been fast enough in throwing the wooden sword towards Michio's feet, then he would be caught off guard with how quickly Michio picked up the sword, lunged at Shigeru, and performed a crushing downward strike with said sword all the while only using his right hand. Whether or not he manages to parry the strike with his own sword, Michio would stomp his left foot on top of Shigeru's own, deliver a sudden upward strike with his left palm that should connect to Shigeru's jaw, and would then be followed by Michio using his left elbow to strike Shigeru's windpipe. Techniques that one would normally not see in Kendo but is commonplace in Bajiquan, a style that takes the shortest route without any initial movement to damage the inside instead of the outside.

While some may call this cheating, and uncalled for, the silver haired scion still considers his actions as perfectly legal. In the first place, Shigeru did not explicitly state that the fight would only be centered on Kendo. And should this be a real life battle, and not merely a sparring session, one cannot force an opponent to conform to the style he or she is comfortable at. Any fool who would do that had practically given his opponent a valuable advantage. And he wasn't going to let an unknown like Ayatane Shigeru possess that advantage.

But in the event that Ayatane Shigeru proves too much for him, there was still that person that would act as his fail-safe.

(Note: I somehow forgot the original names I assigned for Michio's parents so I'm changing it here now since I'm too lazy to search the entire IC thread for it. I also used a different Fight OST this time since this isn't a Virtu-Ava fight.)

@Ehb

[/fieldbox]

 

[Ehb]

[fieldbox= , white, solid]
[November 4th, Noon / Downtown - Obato Castle, Training Hall]

Michio looked at Ayatane like a wild beast. As coolly as he tried to play it off, there was no way to hide his intentions, especially with how much the white haired-boy's face was contorting. Certainly, it seemed like Kokoro had brought in a Dog into the Castle Grounds. An honest creature, but prone to biting at things it didn't like.

There wasn't much respect to be had for a Dog.

"My, my... it seems you've cause Amane-sama some bit of distress with how rude you've been behaving, Ayatane Shigeru-san. Do you think of yourself as a worthy candidate by the way you've been behaving? Acting so rudely, disrespecting a fellow candidate, instigating a fight in front of Amane-sama all of a sudden, and even disregarding her feelings. My fault lies with my failure to realize my desire to lead the Mikado Family until recently, and my lack of discernment towards Amane-sama's plans. But your sin lies in your behavior."

Ayatane didn't reply. The whimsical looking boy simply stood there.

"That said, I simply cannot refuse a challenge, so I'll apologize in advance for disregarding your wishes as well, Amane-sama. So allow me to entertain Ayatane-san for a little while. How long it goes on, I would like you to decide, Amane-sama"

After apologizing to Kokoro, Michio turned to Ayatane, looking 'Serious'. Ayatane simply stood at the ready.

"My my, I really wanted to avoid violent conflicts specially in a place where upper management surely is observing and assessing my every move. But I guess it can't be helped."

Immediately... Not even waiting for an official 'go' sign, or Kokoro's response:
Michio lunged right at Ayatane. The ferocity of this rush was meant to be a sudden attack that would end it all.

( He's...! quite slow. )

The first strike... Michio curling his arm for a fierce downward strike, and several brutal blows that was to follow that, was completely nullified. Ayatane swing in a circle where he stood, and delivered a thrusting Kick. Michio, already locked in forward momentum, found that kick aimed one of his advancing thighs.

With his leg knocked backward.... he fell forward, and slid on past Ayatane against the polished wooden floor.

Michio's first attack was thrown aside, completely.


"...Have you even actually fought against someone before, Mishisho? Or at least, against someone who wasn't completely mediocre?"

Ayatane turned around to face Michio's behind, now splendidly displayed before him a few feet ahead. At this point, he was casually holding his training sword backward and put his other hand in his pocket. At this point, if it had been a real life or death battle, it would've already been over. Instead of letting Michio slide onward, all it took was one sword-stroke or thrust into his backside or neck, and it would've really been over - permanently.

"If that's the way you fight, then it's fine really. I hear you're really good at doing paperwork. So maybe you'd make a good secretary or something."


Michio had thought he had a good understanding of Ayatane's reaction time. But he didn't understand well enough. Michio couldn't catch him off guard that easily. It was like he had his intentions read through before he even started moving.

"Kamijou. It's over. Stand down." Michio didn't want to look at Kokoro directly. He knew he would only be met with an expression of pity.

It wasn't over until Michio set his sword aside on his own. Was this the place to stop? Or, should he try to take advantage of Ayatane's more casual looking posture?

@Accelerator
[/fieldbox]

 

[RedArmyShogun]

[fieldbox= Ayame Sayato, maroon, solid]

Wait, did I just say Minuet in place of Minute.. This is just like when I met Nyoko in the TTC... So what dangers lay in wait for me here..

"Ahhaha.. Ah Gomen Gomen (sorry sorry) ..I tend to do that when nervous...eh... How should I address you, Nozomi-san?" Wincing at her error previously, the Bodyguard turns her attention back to Yuri rather than her own mistake. Listening to her words as the white haired girl gazed up at the Sky, Ayame knew all too well what his issue had been.. No likely still was, debating on telling the girl about it, Ayame decides that's not the best course of action. Or at least not here like this.

"Ah that.. Yeah I know a little about it, would be best to get it from him. I've been trying to help him with that." Pausing to let out a sigh, it seemed it might have been better to walk the other way after all.

"I see with the work. I should have figured there would be no way to get it on a weekend." Sighing a bit she had hoped the girl had the notes electronically, but it seemed she was intent on seeing him, rather than passing the work on to a lackey like herself. It may have all been for nothing after all.


"On a weekend looking this pleasant, it's probably best he keep his mind of things like work. So, please let him know that Myself and the rest of his Social Morals Teammates are there for him for whatever he needs."

"Yeah it is rather nice today, I'll let him know that when I see him later today.."

Pausing to arch her eyebrows Ayame isn't sure how she forgotten such a thing, this girl was with the Social Morals, then more likely than not she knew just what the both of them were..though there was something else she felt to be missing about this girl.

Unless some members were ignorant of the fact, noticing a pair of women passing as the pair talked, Yuri offers some Praise for Michio, to which Ayame smiles slightly. "I think he tries to carry too much.. How about we head somewhere less.. Hmm public to talk?" Pondering for the best use of words, Ayame scratches her head with her right hand, before finishing, tilting her head to the side.

"Maybe some place quiet, I got a killer headache, maybe some vending machines around here. Plus I got a feeling you may have more to say. Course if I'm wrong, then I can leave. You got any suggestions?" If Yuri was involved with some of this, or had more to say, Ayame was offering a means to do so. Cursing her limited knowledge of Yuri, Ayame could only run off of hunches and guesswork, but if she knew Michio well it was reasonable to think more may be here than meets the eye..

"Ah.. Got a message.. Sorry. I'll follow if you got a place in mind.." With her gaze fixed to Yuri partly, Ayame's eyes dart from side to side, activating her messaging system. Nyoko? Letting out a slight growl it wouldn't hurt to at least read the message;

[BCOLOR=transparent]You have to fill out the paperwork if you want to leave the student radio, It's a lot easier to join than to leave. I guess you're used to that by now.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]There is always a choice. I don't imagine you'll listen to my advice though. Tell me, why did you join the Yakuza then?[/BCOLOR]

Bringing up a reply interface, she was a bit aggravated by the notion she would have to do paperwork to leave, but the next bit really got her attention. Being mindful of the hacking incident's and the possibility her data could be stolen the message is left fairly vague, and in spite of her anger, wasn't all that hostile in reply;

Paperwork? Seriously? Fine, I'll stay for now...or until I can look at that crap. Just forget what happened Earlier with that. And really? You want to know now? Hahaha.. someone in my family made a huge debt and ran, while signing me as part of the collateral. There may be ways out of it, but it would threaten my Family, plus I could be in need of a prosthetic finger or two when it's all said and done. This was the lesser of the two ways I was of use to them. What Advice could you possibly have..

Sending her reply Ayame turns her attention fully back on Yuri, half wondering if they would have ended up elsewhere, while her attention was divided.


[/fieldbox]

@Wen @Ehb

 

[Skyswimsky]

[fieldbox= Kyouko Himura, #3DA3C2, solid]

[November 4th, Noon / Downtown - Karakuri Mall]
"I'm not too sure what I'd like to do though"
"Since Imada-chan has an errand, and the rest of us aren't really shopping, it makes the most sense to just get something to eat."
"To pass them off to me so you can play a game in peace?"

This seemed... awkward. Kyouko was, luckily, by no means a mind-reader but Sagawa expressing herself of wanting to go to the game shop did speak for itself. Thinking about it, Kyouko wasn't even sure how close Chiyo and Sagawa were in the first place. Apparently, they weren't as close as the pirate initially assumed.

While Kyouko did not mind to eat out with them she was not entirely without purpose either. And that Leo was now joining them changed this from a pleasant time-waster to ... what exactly? A necessary evil? Was it? The sole reason Kyouko tagged along in the first place was because of Sagawa. Leaving her just like that was just... wrong.

Then again it was hard to buy something for her childhood friend if said friend were to be alongside the blonde. As for the flowers... well, Kyouko Himura would rather kill herself before being seen with a bunch of cheesy flowers. In fact the person the flowers were intended to would turn herself inside her grave if she'd know Kyouko would do something like that for her.

In the end, the direction that the entire conversation took and Leo were the final nail in the coffin for Kyouko to, more-or-less, excuse herself. The most important part was to make it to the Game Shop and buy that thing before Sagawa would get there. Her being busy eating with the other's couldn't have come any better.

*Beep*
It was then that Kyouko received a notification, a message, from a certain drone-lover. Giving it a quick glance Kyouko pondered how to respond but instead decided she would do so later.

"Well..." She cleared her throat as she concentrated back to matters at hand. Looking at Sagawa, the blonde still felt incredible guilty about leaving her behind. 'Never regret any decisions you make' Kyouko repeated to herself until she was motivated enough to pull through. "No reason to play pretend." A less friendly gaze was aimed at Leo, maybe she had more problems with him as he had with her. "With everything that happened recently I need some time for myself."

With those words Kyouko got closer to Sagawa before she patted the smaller girls head, getting closer to her to whisper. "I'm so-" 'Never regret any decisions you make' "I'll definitely make this up to you." Before finally distancing herself, ready to leave, as she spend some last words towards the Peach. "I'll leave my little Sagawa in your care!" If Leo decided to do anything weird while Kyouko was not around... .

@Ehb
@Raven Haruka
@Rithas
@Luma[/fieldbox]

 

[Calypso Major]

[fieldbox=Chiyo Imada, #fbceb1, solid, 10]

[November 4th, Noon / Downtown - Karakuri Mall]

"Since Imada-chan has an errand, and the rest of us aren't really shopping, it makes the most sense to just get something to eat." "That should be fine... right?"

"To pass them off to me so you can play a game in peace?"

Chiyo tilted her head, confused at what her friend was trying to accomplish.

"I suppose getting some food wouldn't hurt."

The peach straightened back up as Kyouko started to speak, shrugging off her doubts about Leo.

"I'll leave my little Sagawa in your care!"

"Ah...?" Chiyo blinked slowly, gears turning as she began to register what had just happened. It seemed she had interrupted Kyouko's day unintentionally, by dragging her here.

The realization that Sagawa might have been victim to the same fate dawned on the glasses girl.

"Oh. If you don't want to hang out today, Sagawa-san..." Chiyo trailed off slightly, before suddenly bowing in apology.

"My apologies, Sagawa-san. I already packed a lunch, so it seems like I'll have to politely decline your invitation. I have other things that need to be done today as well, so I'll be taking my leave like Kyouko-san."

Standing back up, she gave a grin to the girl in front of her. "We'll just have to meet again some other time, right? Before I go though..." She turned to the newest member of their small group. "Leo-kun, do you think I'll have to take another bus to get to the copy store? Maybe, if you're not busy, we can go there together?"
[/fieldbox]
@Ehb
@Rithas
@Skyswimsky

 

[Ehb]

[fieldbox= Mizunohara Sagawa, turquoise, solid]

[November 4th, Noon / Downtown - Karakuri Mall]

"I'm so-"
"I'll definitely make this up to you."

"What do you mean?"

Sagawa couldn't understand quite what the Pirate was getting at. However, suddenly:

"I'll leave my little Sagawa in your care!"
"My apologies, Sagawa-san. I already packed a lunch, so it seems like I'll have to politely decline your invitation. I have other things that need to be done today as well, so I'll be taking my leave like Kyouko-san."


Sagawa was surprised to see how effective the suggestion turned out to be.Though Leo seemed to plan to use the lunch for his own sort of agenda, Kyouko and Chiyo were willing to leave her be all on their own.

This was great! She could go to the game shop on her own and...

You're wrong!

Be able to enjoy the peace and quiet of being alone.

You're wrong!

Be able to free herself of all those other pesky distractions.

You're Wrong!
This isn't what I wanted!


This empty feeling...
I don't want this!

---

And then...

Kyouko and Chiyo felt a firm tug on the back of their clothes.

"I'm Sorry!"

With narrowed and moist eyes, the two turned to see Sagawa with a desperate hold onto the back of their clothes. That was strange, the impression was that she had things to do on her own. However, what she was implaying in what she was doing now were the complete opposites.

"I know I don't get people that much. I know that that I'm irrevocably self-centered and that I act like I want to be left alone..."
"But I hate that! I don't want to be left alone! Even if it's completely uncalled for me to say this after all that I've done. Even as selfishly as I've acted. Please let me say it for real!"

Letting go of them, Sagawa put both her hands over her chest. Struggling past her hesitation, she loudly proclaimed:

"Please be my friend! Himura-san! Imada-san!"

Standing rigidly, she forced out what she was holding herself back from saying.

"I don't know how to do it... but, I want to be the person who can support you and make you smile!"
"Even knowing that it stems from my own selfish sentiments... that's how I really feel!"

Sagawa's voice kept on cracking intermittently. Struggling not to start crying.

"It will happen for sure...! Even if I need to change myself!"



Sagawa's leg's wobbled a little before she collapsed into a kneeling position onto the ground. From her place there, she looked up at the expression of the peach and the pirate.

It was...



Ah...
I've really done it now.
Saying such embarrassing things out in public like this.
Judging by the way they're looking at me...
I've gone beyond being salvageable at this point.

Sagawa hung her head.

But it's fine.
At this point. I can be content that I was able to say how I felt in the end.

Slowly, she breathed in and out to calm down her swirling mind and thoughts.

I can just...
Stop trying now, right?

Not caring for how pathetic she looked anymore, Sagawa closed her eyes. A resigned smile formed on her lips..

This Fake life. I ultimately squandered it didn't I?
Being apathetic was always my style, wasn't it?

What was I ever hoping for?
How could I ever be a friend to anyone.


The passers by in the mall kept their distance. Moving along as if nothing out of the ordinary was going on. At least, nothing out of the ordinary that had anything to really do with them.

@Skyswimsky
@Raven Haruka
@Rithas

[/fieldbox]

---

[fieldbox= , white, solid]
[November 4th, Noon / Downtown]

"I think he tries to carry too much.. How about we head somewhere less.. Hmm public to talk?"

Yuri's head tilted in slight, mildly surprise.

"Maybe some place quiet, I got a killer headache, maybe some vending machines around here. Plus I got a feeling you may have
more to say. Course if I'm wrong, then I can leave. You got any suggestions?"

"Is that so? Well we could go ahead to..."

"Ah.. Got a message.. Sorry. I'll follow if you got a place in mind.."

"Oh, okay."

Ayame blindly following after Yuri and writing a message at the same time.

---

[November 4th, Noon / Hachi-Ou Park]

When Ayame returned to focus to the outside world, she was surpised where she and Yuri had ended up. Overgrown trees, tall weeds, save for a small area that looked like someone had tried to weed. The place was quaint and quiet. The sounds of the city were still there, but this place seemed to be shielded from the outside world.

Immediately, Ayame remembered this place as the abandoned Hachi-Ou Park. Located in one of the neighborhoods close to downtown.

The Ninja witnessed Yuri with her hands clasped together.

"Pardon the intrusion.... Saku-chan."


She turned around and greeted Ayame Sayoto once more.

"This place seems quiet and secluded enough. Unfortunately it doesn't have any working vending machines however."

A soft breeze purveyed through the trees in the park. Yuri put her hand up to her cheek, casually keeping her side fringes from blowing into her eyes.

"All the better though, that hangover should serve as a firm reminder not to go overboard with the alcohol. Sayoto-san."

Ayame found herself being lightly scolded. But, Yuri's words intrigued her. They weren't spoken in a formal tone either. Rather, it was more like those spoken in a more casual fashion. As if Yuri was talking to a friend.

[BCOLOR=transparent]@RedArmyShogun[/BCOLOR]
[/fieldbox]

 

[RedArmyShogun]

[fieldbox= Ayame Sayato, maroon, solid]

Regaining her barring and attention, Ayame immediately notices where she had been lead, Hachi-Ou Park. The place was still ran down and overgrown, tall grass, a few trees in need of trimming, a few bald grass spots here and there and playground equipment in need of restoration.

Noticing Yuri's gesture, she wondered who the Saku-chan was she mentioned.. Wait wasn't that one of the kids who died here. Feeling slightly uneasy about the fact that such a thing happened here, she offers her own formal bow, being a traditionalist she did have some form of superstition.

Glancing around as Yuri remarked on the area, Ayame gives a shrug, it's not like the girl was to blame for the state of the park, or the fact it had no vending machines. "Ehh don't worry about it,. I'll just buy a Yakisoba Bread after this. Ahahaha..nice place but, eh it's nothing. Oddly peaceful.."

As a sharp breeze cuts through Yuri places a hand up to her cheek keeping her fringes from blowing about in her eyes, while Ayame simply ignores it, her spikey hair swaying only a little.

"All the better though, that hangover should serve as a firm reminder not to go overboard with the alcohol. Sayoto-san."

"Hey I haven't drank anything today!.. It's just stress. Or is there something...no never mind." Pausing to consider the tone, did this girl know about her occasional drinking.. Is she joking.. With that look to her I don't believe she is..just who, or what is she. Considering the friendly tone, Ayame is lead to the only conclusion she can reach given the location and nature of Yuri's words.

"I doubt you brought me out here to kill me, and you're being pretty friendly. What is it you want from me Nozomi-san? Not to be rude, but most people don't just talk like this to me for fun, you also seem like a busy lady. Plus it's not like I'm high up the school's most liked list, Ninja Girl or Gorilla Chan are my nicknames after all.." Keeping a fairly neutral tone, the white haired girl had Ayame's attention, though she would prefer if it was a cut to the chase.. While she didn't sense or believe any danger was coming from Yuri there had to be some reason they came out here in this over grown park.

[/fieldbox]

@Ehb

 

[Skyswimsky]

[fieldbox= Kyouko Himura, #3DA3C2, solid]

[November 4th, Noon / Downtown - Karakuri Mall]
With 'that' taken care of Kyouko's next order of business was to swiftly reply to her First Mate, ultimately leading to Kyouko completely ignoring that Chiyo was dumping Sagawa too.

Arrr! Nah even givin' the dead time t' rest, jus' like a true pirate! I'll see wha' I can do. Something like 'Oh, that Mana's so dependable, I'd trust her with my scurvy heart if only she'd had a pirate hook!'

And yer right, only a Fool would spew such Foolish sentimental crap!

Stay Awesome Salty,
Yer Captain

With that message sent, Kyouko gave herself a satisfied sigh. Writing like that was, even up to this day, a challenge. Kyouko did appreciate her nestling's concerns but had to wonder - were enough people already aware of Kyouko having mended her relationship with Iori? Despite the certain discomfort the blonde felt in regards to the missing Maid the pirate couldn't deny she was actually worried.

"Tzch..." Kyouko was pissed at her own weakness. She hadn't even spend any quality time with Iori after they talked it through - so why couldn't she just stop caring? Kyouko was supposed to hate the Maid!

Regardless, with Mana also taken care of Kyouko was just about to be finally on her merry way when suddenly, Sagawa tugged her from behind.

"I'm Sorry!"

"...?" Annoyed at first for whoever dared to keep pestering Kyouko the blonde turned around with an annoyed glare which quickly changed into a mix of confusion and pity.

Seeing her little Sagawa break down like that nearly made Kyouko's heart break, too. For the meat-bun lover to do something so... not-Sagawa-like... just how miserably failed Kyouko to not have seen anything before? Or maybe the one-eyed girl just ignored any signs. Lying to herself for the sake of comfort.

Slowly, Kyouko was consumed by an overwhelming feeling of guilt. A feeling of guilt stemming from the sole fact that Kyouko Himura had been horrible enough to drive dear friend into such a corner. Even if she grew over herself.

This is wrong. I am sorry. I should be down there. Please forgive me. I am sorry. ... I am sorry. I am sorry. I am sorry. I am sorry. I am sorry. I am sorry.

Kyouko shot a short glance towards the Peach, tears rolling down her own face for reasons she did not want to could not explain.

"Sagawa-chan..." Kyouko murmured to herself before she extended a helping hand towards the girl on the ground. "Let's be friends!" Kyouko's tearful but happy smiling face said more than any of her words ever could in this moment.

@Ehb
@Raven Haruka
@Rithas
@Luma[/fieldbox]

 

[Karyra]

[fieldbox= Rei Saionji, Purple, solid]

[November 4th, Noon / Iwasawa's Residence]

"Of course... Let's do our best Rei."

". . . Hmm, the thing is... It's been a long time- by long time I mean around last 2 weeks, since I last talked with Mika. But I can't stab her in the back like this..."

A fair assessment. Rei moved back to give Yuuki some room to think. Come to think of it... how had it been since Rei had seen Mika around?

"Um... Can this wait until I have a talk with her? I'll try to make a decision soon, don't do anything that'll make her hate you for this."

Right. Rei didn't really want that either, but... decision?

"I know I might hurt one of you in my decision... So I'm going to say sorry in advance for what I decide later on about this... But know this, no matter what my decision is, I still love you..."

Ah. He loved Rei but... this confession probably wouldn't change anything, would it? He still loved Mika too, after all. It was nice to know that this wasn't one-sided but... he'd choose the girl that he'd been with for so long over Rei. She was stupid to hope for this. Rei stepped further away from Yuuki.

And just like that, Rei's smile became a mask. She was still smiling but her heart had quieted.

Chance always favored the ones who were kind, like Yuuki. Rei deadened her emotions and expected the worst, because after all, it was a waste of time. Once he found about her ties to the Yakuza...

Rei was silent, pretending to take a message.

"Ah, I just got a message from Ayame. She says that she needs to meet with something unrelated. I'll bring my bag to her. So... I'll see you in school later, then. Let me know what you decide."

Rei took her bag and turned to leave, "don't worry about hurting anyone, just do whatever you think would be best for you. If that isn't me... Don't worry. My heart's made of sterner stuff than you'd think. It hasn't broken yet, after all."

What a liar, Rei knew the second that Yuuki made his decision not to leave Mika, she'd have to contain it best as she could for the whole day. This would be fine. At least she had someone helping her with this sticker thing now, anyway.

@LowDefinition
[/fieldbox]