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[fieldbox=Chiyo Imada, #fbceb1, solid, 10]
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[October 22nd, Afternoon / Hisakawa Academy, Main School Building, First Floor Social Morals Office]

Chiyo smiled at Sagawa's agreement to her request, not expecting the sudden notification that popped up less than a minute later. Putting the number into her phone, she went to quickly type up a response text.
o(^.^o) (o^.^)o
This is your number, right?
It's me, Chiyo~
"Then, I'll be going on ahead."

Looking back up, the peach didn't have the time to say farewell before her new contact had disappeared. Deflating a little bit, she quickly sent the text.

"Well, I guess I can call that a bit of progress Imada-san. 'C+' ."

Similar to a sparring dummy bouncing back, she was quickly back in her normal spirits once more. It was only a minor improvement, but nonetheless Chiyo smiled back at her. "Thanks, Nozomi-san."

"Ah, if you don't mind me saying: You had a step-sister... Hayata Umeko-san..."

~I want some background music for this nonsense, sue me~


But just as quickly as it had appeared, the smile disappeared- instead leaving nothing more than a flat-lined mouth and apprehension in the eyes of the peach.

"You should probably ask Ren if you have any questi-"
"No.. I apologize. It's nothing."

Chiyo paused, staring as Yuri glanced away from her. Hearing the echoes of Sagawa's footsteps, she thought about what she could do. Familiar with this specific situation, she knows she should just brush the odd remark to the back of her mind and follow Sagawa out. It hasn't been the first time people have asked about her- though even then, she had never talked about her step-sister.

A flash of guilt hit Chiyo hard, transferring to her face for a split second as she gripped the side of her uniform tightly. That's right, Ren was always the one who answered those questions-- she was the only one who was tolerated out of the two, after all-- just like Chiyo was the only one who held a stupid grudge against her, hurt by the sudden division the blue-haired girl had created between the once tight-knit trio.

Quickly erasing the expression off of her face, she wondered why Yuri bothered to bring her up so suddenly. Suddenly, she let out a soft sigh. "You don't need to apologize, Nozomi-san. I just wasn't expecting you to bring up my step-sister so suddenly...sorry." Chiyo's voice, although the only noise currently in the room, appeared to be milder than usual. "Although, I guess I can't blame you for being curious- Ren's currently not here at the moment, so I'll have to do." Chiyo shifted her weight back into her heels, looking down at the ground as she did so.

"What would you like to know, Nozomi-san? You didn't know her very well in middle school, as far as I know...do you wish to know how she acted when we were close?" A soft, mocking smile crossed her lips- though it was gone so quickly that Yuri might have considered it a trick of the lighting. "Nah, if it was that ordinary, you would've waited for Ren before asking, right?"

"...Do you want to know why I don't talk about her anymore? Why we will never get along with one another?" Chiyo's words, although relatively pleasant, held a sardonic undertone behind them. Very few people have ever seen the peach appear so... desolate, but that was only because few people were ever close enough back then-- in that last year of middle school-- to take notice in the sudden change, as far as Chiyo was concerned.

Though, even considering that, this was probably the first time Yuri had ever witnessed such a negative response from her. Perhaps it was concerning, but then again...Yuri should have expected such a reaction to occur the moment she introduced the subject.

"Oh, wait, the answer's pretty obvious, sorry." A snide laugh escaped her lips, a harsh sound filling the empty air before Chiyo suddenly looked up. "Nonetheless, what would you like to know, Nozomi-san?" Repeating the question, she had suddenly lost that snark in her voice, returning once more to the more normal, well-received meekness that Yuri should be more familiar with.

"Please don't try to back out now, either. You won't hurt my feelings anyhow, it's not like you were the one responsible for her death."
[/fieldbox]
@Ehb
 
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[fieldbox= Rei Saionji, Purple, solid]
SaionjiIco_zpsebvey9kd.jpeg

[October 22nd, Afternoon / Ramen Shop, City]

“First off, Raaaaay...”

Crap. Kira was angry. Stopped eating angry.

“Pretty much every great musician’s that’s ever lived is dead by now, or will die. No matter whether it’s rock, or classical music, or some other genre. It doesn’t mean they should be allowed to be forgotten or not listened to after their deaths. That’s just… forget it.”

Should she say something to apologize? Crap.

“Secondly…”

Rei was suddenly interested in her ramen, eating as much to fill her mouth so that she wouldn't say something stupid and give her proper time to respond to her friend and maybe apologize.

“It’s going nowhere. It’s been going nowhere since my contact with Summer Nights ended... love doesn’t matter, Rei.”

Well said by someone who was trying to deny their feelings. Kira was probably lonely, but Rei got the feeling there was more there than that but she'd already touched a nerve so she let it slide. but life would be a lot easier without love, Rei noted and silently nodded at the latter comment while continuing to eat.

“Fame, fortune and rock n’ roll. That’s all I’m going to need. What about…”

The sentence trailed off. But Rei knew that Kira was lonely but sadly, Rei was pretty sure she was straight. the only pretty sure was because she was going after the most girly looking guy ever. She wouldn't admit it, but girly guys were cute but... girls were just different. Rei couldn't pin it down, but somehow she just wasn't interested like Kira was.

“I really don’t play as many games as I used too, my parents really did a number on that waste of time with the dancing classes. One of the few great things they’ve done.”

When Kira finished, Rei finished chewing and then replied, trying to maintain a calm and logical sort of thought process. She'd let herself run away with herself and ended up doing the same thing Kira had done earlier.

"Mmm, mostly they're easy to turn on and off. Something to do that's not thinking about my mother, but you've got music to do that for you. So I won't be angry if you're not as big of a dork when it comes to games. But I kind of earned that bit of anger, after all, I don't know if anyone on the music creation staff for this game is dead or not." Rei smiled, it was small, but it was more than some students had ever seen. This was fun, a rare moment stolen from her everyday life. Even if it meant that she'd irritated her friend earlier. Games were easy to turn on and off more than just the gaming device. Games had easier to clear standards and tricks. Characters that defied their fate or did something amazing. Their lives meant something other than just the tracks of the story, but Rei sometimes couldn't bring herself to finish certain games, just unable to leave certain characters behind.

"Also sorry, I do wish that I had time to listen to music, but my mother would throw a fit if I was listening to it. Can you imagine someone like me trying to sing in butchered English? I only know the one song, 'Burning Love' I think? Only one that managed to stick..."

A scary Yakuza indeed. Somehow, Elvis was very low on the intimidation scale in terms of music. Plus, she was certain that somehow Yakuza didn't solve their problems with a song and dance routine. If they did, then Rei would probably be a better dancer than Kira. Not singer though... "My grades are too lousy for me to understand it, much less sing it. Plus, I'm a little tone deaf..."

"So maybe don't recruit me for your fam-" Rei tried to ignore yet another text message fluttering in. Sometimes she wished she could turn off her dumb chip. She flicked through the message and then discarded it.

"Ah sorry. My mother is really anxious today for some reason. Probably something new. I'm still eating though, so I guess we'll have to delay going home for a bit. That is, if you don't mind."

@God Empress Wen
[/fieldbox]
 
[fieldbox= OSHIRO KIRA, #ffa938, solid]
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[October 22nd, Afternoon / Ramen Shop]

She hated herself at the moment. This self-pity was disgusting. It wasn’t her. There was no reason to put it on display for anyone, not even Rei. They may be best friends, but she clearly couldn’t understand Kira. Maybe she’d been able to once, but it might be better to accept that was long ago, for her own sake.

So she was the token lesbian in school, but Kira had no intention of staying in this town her entire life. That was the whole point with her obsessive pursuit of the drums, and rock n’ roll! Screw them all! Hehe…

"Mmm, mostly they're easy to turn on and off. Something to do that's not thinking about my mother, but you've got music to do that for you. So I won't be angry if you're not as big of a dork when it comes to games. But I kind of earned that bit of anger, after all, I don't know if anyone on the music creation staff for this game is dead or not."

“I’ve never actually thought about your mother...” Kira said, raising an eyebrow at Rei, while shoving more ramen into her mouth. She made an effort to chew slowly, and with her mouth open, then she swallowed. “Why would I have?”

There was an inappropriate joke here which occurred to her, but while she was more than willing to take out her current anger on Rei she should probably refrain from spouting nonsense she couldn’t take back. Even if they fought now, or some other time, she wouldn’t want to lose her. Then she’d only have guys as friend, and she’d cement her status as a token lesbian even further. A tomboy? No, that wasn’t her.

She was a girl, but as far as she was concerned there wasn’t that much difference between her and her male friends. She got along great with both Michiou and Abe. She never felt like they treated her like a girl. Some individuals may be more masculine than others, and some may be more feminine, but it’d be wrong to make such an offensive blanket statement that they were all a certain very specific way based on their gender and nothing else.

She missed Rei’s smile, as she was too caught up in her own thoughts, staring at the cars passing by.

"Also sorry, I do wish that I had time to listen to music, but my mother would throw a fit if I was listening to it. Can you imagine someone like me trying to sing in butchered English? I only know the one song, 'Burning Love' I think? Only one that managed to stick..."

“It’s fine,” Kira said, continuing to stare out the window, pushing down another thought she’d pushed down a hundred times before. This time it wasn’t about love. It was just the regular old denial of a flickering thought that didn’t want to leave her alone. “And I’d rather not imagine that, no.” She laughed, but the melancholy cut her, so she stopped. “It’s a great song. One of my favourites, but every Elvis song is special. I think it was the first song she showed me, when...”

Kira got something in her eye, and put the chopstick down to wipe it away. Truly fucking pathetic. She didn’t feel like eating, yet a minute later she was right back at it. She wasn’t the type of person that would comfort eat. No, this was so she could drum until her arms were sore and she fell asleep. She wouldn’t do it for anyone else than herself. She’d do it in the hopes that one day things would be like they were meant to be. It was a long way from home.

"My grades are too lousy for me to understand it, much less sing it. Plus, I'm a little tone deaf..."

“Never getting anywhere with that attitude,” Kira mumbled to herself, but Rei didn’t want to go anywhere. She wanted to stay here for the rest of her life as a leader of the yakuza. She’d doubtlessly deny it, yet it would be so easy to get up and leave.

A simple question, and Kira would run away with her. Dumb as she was, but then she sat here when she had no reason to other than to entertain Rei. She could have lied to her mother for her. Oh yeah, we totally spent all those hours together doing that. Then again, if she didn’t take time for Rei they were bound to drift apart. It was so blatantly obvious to her that it hurt.

"So maybe don't recruit me for your fam-"

Don’t recruit her for her what? There were only two words she could think of that began with those letters, yet neither seemed to make any sense in the context.

"Ah sorry. My mother is really anxious today for some reason. Probably something new. I'm still eating though, so I guess we'll have to delay going home for a bit. That is, if you don't mind."

Yeah, why not? It wasn’t like Kira had a life herself. She wasn’t even sure what was bothering her at the moment. She didn’t mind sitting here for hours. There was a nagging feeling that had attached itself to her like a leech and wouldn’t go away.

“Of course, I’ll sit here longer than you if that helps,” Kira joked, and turned on her music again. There was a certain song she wanted to hear, which reminded her of the last days with Summer Nights. “Might listen to some music though.”

The headphones around her neck began to play Affection by Cigarettes After Sex. She loved this singer. Her voice was unique, and deep, and attractive. It made Kira doubt her own singing even more, but it wasn’t like she had much faith in it to begin with. If someone ever complimented her, she was bound to compare herself to greater artists, and ignore any positive encouragement.

@Karyra
[/fieldbox]
 
[fieldbox=Nishimura Iori, #ffb8da, solid]
Iori%20Ico_zpsn6mn1uok.jpeg


[October 22nd, Afternoon / Hisakawa Academy, Indoor Basketball Court]

"Of course they do. The 'bug' causing all of these running-into-a-wall shenanigans isn't a bug at all."

The maid gasped when she heard that voice. It was the last person that Ionia wants to meet right now.

"...that bug is actually a manufactured anomaly being caused by someone illegally accessing the school systems. In other words, a 'hacker.' Whoever the perpetrator was - Mizunohara Sagawa's signature was plainly left on the malicious code they injected."

The pink haired girl bit her lips as Kokoro walked past by Yuuki, while explaining the circumstances. Then she stopped, standing right between with the downed maid and Kane.

"What a wretched looking avatar. But, I suppose it's only fitting for someone like you, Leo. So. you fought this girl in a battle. Now that you've won, and now that she's incapable of moving, it certainly looks like a serious pinch for this girl. You even have the Kimura-kun of all epeople standing over there to shoot all of what's going to happen with his camera."

Ionia simply frowned and merely observed the situation.

"Truly, you certainly do your best when it comes to thoroughly disgusting me, don't you, Leo?"

The maid noticed that Kokoro has some kind of unexplained grudge against Kane ever since from the beginning. But most of the time, Ionia stayed out of it and it settled on its own. Then...

"I'm going to take the collective silence as an admission of guilt, then?"

It was barely few seconds and Kokoro decided to push them on for a proper explanation. The maid knows that if she does not do anything right now, chances are Kane is going to get the short end of the stick. As much as Ionia hates him and his uncontrolled mouth, she does not want him to get punished whereas it was her fault dragging him into the Virtu-Ava battle at the first place. Seeing that Kokoro probably witnessed everything prior to her entrance, lying to her is probably not going to work as well.

With a determined face, the maid turned to Kokoro.

"I was the one who forced him into this." She said with firm tone. "I needed to teach him a lesson that he should be mindful about his words and actions."

Ionia felt that she began regaining control of her lower half of her body. Should everything goes well, she could stand up within next few moments.

@Ehb
@Rithas
@ERode
[/fieldbox]

[fieldbox=, #00ddff, solid]

[October 22nd, Afternoon / Hisakawa Academy, Main School Building, First Floor, Outside Social Morals Office]

A white haired girl with a white cap approached the entrance of the Social Morals Office. The short girl noticed that the door was not closed securely. As a result, she could hear Yuri conversing, presumably with another Social Morals member. Even so, she decided to extend her hand and knock on the door to announce her appearance. However...

"...You had a step-sister... Hayata Umeko-san..."

She lets out a quick gasp and turned her head down, obscuring most of her face with her sailor hat. She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists, before leaving the hallway moments later.[/fieldbox][/hr]
 
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[fieldbox= Leo Kane, #666699, Solid]

Leo%20Real%20Ico_zpse7dt3sqd.jpg


[October 22nd, Afternoon / Indoor Basketball Court]

The Virtu-Ava battle raged on. An abundance of clones and mist smashed against each other. Leo rested his head in his hand as it repeated. The luck continued to run straight through the middle. Till at last, A large ethereal hand emerged from the mist. Laughs could be heard as it loomed over the court. "I think it's time we end this" Leo finally commented as the hand smashed down on Iori. Winning him the battle.

Iori collapsed, the side-effect of losing. The broken system showing it's flaws once again.

“Right-o Leo, now that you can properly bask in the afterglow of your victory, let’s see…yeah, she got taken in at the end, and apparently the Nozomi Yuri wanted to talk to her. And well, it’s probably related more to personality shenanigans than the glitching issue, from what I heard. Got ushered out with Kamijou afterwards, cause Yuri didn’t want to deal with the Whitest Knight of Hisakawa when she starts treating Sagawa as a problem student.” Yuuki finally replied to his question after the battle.

"I see..." His eyes glancing to the side, his hand ran itself into his pocket. He had figured as much, she was the most obvious culprit. Humorous as it was that the Social Morals continued to use the excuse of personality issues.

Still, the little meeting would no doubt gather rumours. It didn't take much to connect some dots to see that it was connected towards the bug. Whether the dots actually existed didn't matter. A feeling of irritation welled up in him.

They protected her....they...

He grasped something in his pocket. He wondered if he could find a way to push-

"'She starts treating Sagawa as a problem student'? Who said that?! Don't tell me that people are suspecting her as the culprit of the recent strings of wall-hitting issue?!" Leo shot a look at Iori, still on the floor. He strained to keep the vague smile.


"Well-"
"Of course they do. The 'bug' causing all of these running-into-a-wall shenanigans isn't a bug at all."

Leo froze.

"...that bug is actually a manufactured anomaly being caused by someone illegally accessing the school systems. In other words, a 'hacker.' Whoever the perpetrator was - Mizunohara Sagawa's signature was plainly left on the malicious code they injected."

His stomach started to twist. The words hit him, but he didn't bother to sort what they actually meant. Or rather, he wasn't able to.

"But, never mind any of that. I'm seeing two people who are doing something particularly illegal on school grounds right in front of me."

His conscious snapped back momentarily to realise the situation. Cursing the circumstances, Leo eyes glanced to the other two, pursing his lips in thought. Kokoro finally stopped between him and Iori. His eyes firmly on the floor, he slowly brought his hands out of his pockets.

"What a wretched looking avatar."

"Hah..."

"But, I suppose it's only fitting for someone like you, Leo. So. you fought this girl in a battle. Now that you've won, and now that she's incapable of moving, it certainly looks like a serious pinch for this girl. You even have the Kimura-kun of all people standing over there to shoot all of what's going to happen with his camera."

She turned to face him at the same time that he finally looked up.

"Truly, you certainly do your best when it comes to thoroughly disgusting me, don't you, Leo?"

Grasping his right hand with his other, He couldn't help but grimace.

I didn't...

Certainly she was going straight for the accusation. Not expected. But she couldn't jump for it with the other two here. At least, not at that exact moment.

Please just...

He didn't realise he had been biting his lip till he tasted blood. Trying his best to block off that unsettling yet almost natural feeling that clung to him. Leo tried to settle himself.

"I'm going to take the collective silence as an admission of guilt, then?" He let the silence run on for a little bit. Given what he knew, the first person to speak would be-

"I was the one who forced him into this." His eyes floated over to the girl still collapsed on the ground. "I needed to teach him a lesson that he should be mindful about his words and actions." His emerald green eyes stayed on Iori for a second.

Thanks. Fool.

Looking back to Kokoro, He sighed. "There seems to be a misunderstanding here." Sounding rather matter-of-fact, Leo continued. "Iori led me here and then suddenly confronted me with a battle. As you would know, There was no way for me to stop it. Whatever her reason was, you're grievances should be with her." He gave a slight sigh. Shooting a glance towards Yuuki, Leo smiled innocently at Kokoro.

"Kimura's presence here is merely a coincidence. Alas, it could be of been anyone in his place. A unfortunate wanderer, I suppose." Not like that would deter her from twisting it against him.

He ran a finger across his lip in apparent thought.. "One has to wonder how Iori got in here...I mean, leading me here to a secluluded place to 'illegally' attack me." The casual tone of voice Leo used was unfitting of the claim he had just use.

The message that one could potentially take from his words was, I'm the poor victim here, so please, bother someone else.

Blowing out his cheeks, Leo finished his little explanation. "Well, Surely you can see the reality now. You can talk with Iori or such, but I really have places to be and everything. I'm certain you see it fit to let me and Kimura go, we really haven't done anything wrong so~ unless you have something else I really need to get somewhere. I'm sure you'll understand..."

He tapped his foot, hesitant to move. Given Iori's confession, it would be largely difficult for Kokoro to keep him for solely that reason. The dangerous part was that Kokoro could probably somehow just do that. Or some other bullshit reason really. With Yuuki as witness, it wasn't like she could just outright punish him without a valid reason.



@Ehb @Miya @ERode[/fieldbox]
 
[fieldbox=, white, solid]
[October 22nd, Afternoon / Hisakawa Academy, Main School Building, First Floor Social Morals Office]

"You don't need to apologize, Nozomi-san. I just wasn't expecting you to bring up my step-sister so suddenly...sorry."
"Although, I guess I can't blame you for being curious- Ren's currently not here at the moment, so I'll have to do."


There was something Yuri wanted to confirm for herself.

Seeing Chiyo's reaction, after such an optimistic outcome, was regrettable. But ultimately, due to her un-amiable relationship with her other sister, this was the only time to bring it up. It was apparent beforehand that touching on something like this would be rough. It would've been rough in any scenario. But ultimately, Yuri had came to the conclusion that now was the time to clear up this fact about the peach.

If she had done so previously - just bringing it up out of the blue after pulling her aside, Chiyo would've outright disavowed anything else she had to say. Even so, this sort of reaction was unsettling.

"What would you like to know, Nozomi-san? You didn't know her very well in middle school, as far as I know...do you wish to know how she acted when we were close?"

A strange acting peach continued.

"Nah, if it was that ordinary, you would've waited for Ren before asking, right?"
"...Do you want to know why I don't talk about her anymore? Why we will never get along with one another?"


Finally, Yuri turned her face to look directly at Chiyo once more.

"Oh, wait, the answer's pretty obvious, sorry."

She laughed. Maliciously. The obvious answer was that Umeko Hayata was no longer of this world.

Even Yuri, despite being stalwart in suppressing her immediate emotions, couldn't help but react. Her eyes widened at seeing the peach say this. This just wasn't like her.


"Nonetheless, what would you like to know, Nozomi-san?"

Just as suddenly, Imada Chiyo's voice returned to sounding polite. Like in normally did.


"Imada-san, I'm just say-..."
"Please don't try to back out now, either. You won't hurt my feelings anyhow, it's not like you were the one responsible for her death."


But, despite it sounding back to normal, that thing, that seemed to compel Imada Chiyo to react in such as way was still there

"..."

She fought back her first urge. To disengage and put things aside. Yuri was thrown off guard here. Just as suddenly as she had brought it up, she had come to discover something about Chiyo that she wasn't aware of. No, that was the wrong way of putting it. Yuri was fully aware that she took a step with Imada that she had never done before.

To find out whether her intentions were misguided or not. Whether Imada Chiyo thought any differently as opposed to Kokoro. Yuri had to talk to Chiyo about it rather than rely on Ren to make things work due to being the sister.

But, asking that of Ren was unreasonable to as well. Ren and Chiyo didn't get along that well either. Forcing them to talk about something like this was too cruel. If she wanted to go this far, then it was Yuri's responsibility to see it through.

"I wasn't going to ask you anything, Imada-san." Yuri began.

"I was merely about to say something as a compliment, but... I realized in the middle of saying it that it was something rather crass of me to say."

Smiling bashfully, Yuri appeared apologetic. Nonetheless, she was intent on explaining herself fully.

"The president, and her really helped a whole lot of people back in middle school. While everyone always thinks of Kokoro when they remember the 'Second Lunch Period Club,' I know that all of them worked really hard."

"I think, I wanted to say... that both you and her have the same kind of kindness towards people. Umeko-san, as I remember, preferred taking the direct route in things. She wasn't the type doddle on things - and, I think that made her honest. She won over lots of people with that sort of honesty."

Looking off to the side again, Yuri finished.

"I just thought, how charming it was to think of that part of her still living on in you, Imada-san. Maybe, with with, you might be able to help Sagawa-chan just like your sister did for all those people back then. Umeko-san, The President... all of them did the things that we do without being paid a single yen. Just out of the kindness of their own hearts. Even now, I admire what they've done."

Deep down, Yuri hoped that Imada would get along with Sagawa. Working with troubled personalities wasn't something Chiyo, even as a Social Morals Member, wasn't supposed do. Even with the flimsy hope that Chiyo Imada could replicate the exploits of her deceased step-sister, Yuri was prepared for the distinct possibility of a complete collapse of whatever Chiyo Imada accomplishes with Sagawa in the future.

"I guess I just ended up offending you by bringing it up. I'm terribly sorry, Imada-san. I'll be more careful next time." Yuri apologized.

The corner's of Yuri's lips dipped into a frown as she found herself unintentionally reminded of her own step-sister. Of course, Mizuki was gone now. But if those positions were switched, she probably would've acted just as inconvenienced as Chiyo did right now if someone tried to ask her about Yuri.


The peach could feel that there was more to this than a simple misplaced compliment. But, there was also this distinct sense that she had just been judged, and set aside. Was it because she was reacting so negatively to Umeko being mentioned? Was, whatever Yuri had going on related to her?

It was ultimately up to Chiyo to decide whether she wanted to reopen that topic of her sister that had been put away after the funeral. As far as she and Ren knew, Umeko had died in a terrible accident. But, beyond that, they had no idea what had happened. Leo never said a word about what had happened to anyone, as did Kokoro or anyone else who was close to her.

She had simply died, and there was no explanation for what the terrible accident actually was. Chiyo and Ren never even got to see her at the very end - as their parents had her cremated and had her remains buried away without any special services. Truly, Umeko's death was wrapped up as quietly as possible. So what place did Yuri, a fellow student at her high school, have to bring her up?

Umeko didn't even live with Ren and Chiyo back then, either. She had been banished from the main house after causing an accident. Of course, Chiyo didn't remember anything about that either. When she tried to ask. Ren kept her mouth sealed on that topic as well, as if she was obligated to do so.

Imada Chiyo was kept in the dark about everything.

@Raven Haruka
@Miya
@Rithas

[/fieldbox]



[fieldbox= , white, solid]
[October 22nd, Afternoon / Indoor Basketball Court]


"I was the one who forced him into this."
"I needed to teach him a lesson that he should be mindful about his words and actions."

"Oh... is that so?"

Kokoro's voice - absent of any enthusiasm - exclaimed at Iori's explanation.

"There seems to be a misunderstanding here."
"Iori led me here and then suddenly confronted me with a battle. As you would know, There was no way for me to stop it. Whatever her reason was, you're grievances should be with her."


He smiled at Kokoro, wearing a look that insisted he was free of blame.

"Kimura's presence here is merely a coincidence. Alas, it could be of been anyone in his place. A unfortunate wanderer, I suppose."

Scratch that, he was insisting both he AND the School's resident Voyeur were free of blame.

"One has to wonder how Iori got in here...I mean, leading me here to a secluluded place to 'illegally' attack me." Leo examined the situation, finger quizzically on his lip as he explained. Painting himself as an unfortunate victim.

"Well, Surely you can see the reality now. You can talk with Iori or such, but I really have places to be and everything. I'm certain you see it fit to let me and Kimura go, we really haven't done anything wrong so~ unless you have something else I really need to
get somewhere. I'm sure you'll understand..."

"I guess you are right. Kimura isn't doing anything wrong by standing and watching. Still..."

Kokoro walked right up to Leo. She held out her hand, and pushed against his lower lip. She inspected the red bloodstain now on her fingertip. Inspiring an expression of amusement.

"I'm flattered." She said as she poked Leo's cheek, and ran it across, leaving a faint red 'L' on his cheek. "I didn't know that you'd react so strongly just from lying right in my face."

Wiping her hand off on her skirt, Kokoro explained her accusation.

"Not that you care about them, but the rules do say that having the virtu-ava battle app installed on your chip is basically the same as admitting you engage in such actions. You might as well have showed me a rag and a bottle of chloroform, and told me you were just using it for a harmless science project."

Guilty of possession.

Even though Leo wasn't the one whom had initiated it, possession the Virtu-Ava Battle App was Illegal on it's own. As Iori was demonstrating, forcing a student in to submission was something the School-board was sorely against. Since someone could take advantage of the downed student - the App was outlawed.

Maybe, if the world was entirely safe and peaceful, the school would be more lenient. But, the norm of these days was to err on the side of caution - to minimize the chance of something terrible from occurring.

Leo was plainly in the wrong based on that technicality.


"Since you're in such a hurry... and considering Iori losing a battle she instigated is more or less a lesson in itself, I guess I can go ahead and condense the stern lecture into just one thing." A faint smile formed on Kokoro's face. "A special service, considering it really wasn't your fault this time."


[ Extreme Student Misconduct Detected. ]

Leo heard the automated school intercom voice playing in his head. No doubt interfacing with his chip. That could have only meant...!

[ Pacifying Subject. ]


"Don't be like that Umeko-chan! If you join our Club, I'll show you just how charming... Kane-kun can be!!!"

A girl with long black hair enthusiastically presented a nerby male student. It was like she was standing in front of an expensive sports car someone just won.

"...What? Did you just call out that name because he was the only student here?"

"Nope. It's just cuz, I want you to see it too, Ume-chan. Everyone is worth knowing - cuz, everyone has their own form of charm!"



This wasn't her.

That person wasn't her anymore.

He could only lament over his own misfortune.



Leo Kane's body dropped onto the ground like wooden plank. The tips of his fingers twitched uncontrollably. It didn't last long though. After a few moments, Leo Kane was able to return to his senses. Feeling the involuntary spasms of his body subsiding.

Kokoro crossed her arms, and began to make her way out of the gym. She was visibly disappointed that Leo didn't so much as scream after having his chip simulate being electrically shocked. Though it was to be expected. At some point he would start gaining a resistance - or at least temperance to it.

"In conclusion, both of you will uninstall that illegal app immediately. You wouldn't have to worry about being attacked in the first place if you didn't have it - Leo."


Everyone said that it was unwise to go against the student council president. And... everyone knows that her least favorite person in the school was none other than Leo Kane. Still, seeing it first hand - this was something beyond being considered 'least favorite'.

Kimura and Iori felt the heavy air subside as Kokoro's footsteps echoed further and further away down the hall. Leaving an uneasy silence between the three that remained.

@Rithas
@Miya
@ERode

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[fieldbox=Yuuki Kimura, LightSkyBlue, solid]
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[October 22nd, Afternoon / Hisakawa Academy, School Campus, Indoor Basketball Court]
The voice alone sent a chill up his spine, his heart rate accelerating as that raven-haired individual walked past. When did she get there? How did he not hear her open the doors? Those were heavy doors that made a notorious clack-crack whenever they were open, so he did he miss that at all? And…how did she know to come here, at such an inopportune time?

Yuuki did not move an inch as Kokoro strode past him, an aura that was less icy and more sadistic as she did that horrible thing that all people in power love to do: draw negative conclusions out of neutral circumstances. Virtu-Ava battles were illegal, of course, but they can be refused by either side. And it was a battle of chance, so it was pretty much just a 50/50 chance that the result would be favourable.

All things considered, most of what Kokoro said was clearly meant to paint Leo as the bad guy here…but Yuuki held his tongue. He didn’t want any part in this. He just wanted to shrink into the background and not say a word until this mistress of pain got her fill and went off.

Hisakawwa, after all, was a truly unfair school environment, with a couple of students having a ridiculous amount of power over their peers.

Yuuki’s blue eyes flickered to Leo. Tension was clear on the normally infallible youth’s face, enough that he was drawing blood. The atmosphere had changed severely. It was just a game before, but with the addition of a single individual, everything had taken a darker turn. There was history here, a story between Kokoro and Leo. But the voyeur did not know, and as Iori and Leo explained the circumstances, he simply watched.

He was reliable. He was friendly. He offered to help and he did things others didn’t want to do. But for all that…he was still a coward who just smiled.

Iori spoke the truth. Leo covered for him. And Yuuki watched, his blue eyes glassy.

He watched as Leo collapsed before the authoritarian power of the student council, an electrical shock in the brain bringing down the gray-haired youth. Watched as Kokoro walked off without another glance. Watched watched watched watched watched.

And then, he let out a sigh.

His heart pounded. His blood roared. His jaw tightened.

But Yuuki Kimura smiled, laughed, and said, “Well shit. Iori, can you stand now? I’m willing to try, but I don’t think I can carry both of you out of the gym. Not with these gloriously flabby arms of mine.”

“Anyways, wanna hit up that bubble tea place downtown today, you two? After that…exceptional encounter, drinks on me. Maybe food as well. Gotta get some comfort food after this, eh?”


He laughed. He made light of the situation. He made his generous offer. Because he was an outsider, and that was all he could do.
@Miya
@Rithas
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[fieldbox=Chiyo Imada, #fbceb1, solid, 10]
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[October 22nd, Afternoon / Hisakawa Academy, Main School Building, First Floor Social Morals Office]

"I wasn't going to ask you anything, Imada-san.".

"I was merely about to say something as a compliment, but... I realized in the middle of saying it that it was something rather crass of me to say."
Don't lie, Nozomi-san.

Chiyo could only stare at Yuri, face surprisingly stoic as she explained herself.

"The president, and her really helped a whole lot of people back in middle school. While everyone always thinks of Kokoro when they remember the 'Second Lunch Period Club,' I know that all of them worked really hard."

Ah, that's right. Kokoro Amane, President of the Student Council, and former member of that infamous club. Thinking back now, Chiyo remembered seeing the dark-haired girl with her step-sister occasionally-- most of the time wearing an expression one would seldom see on her today.

"I think, I wanted to say... that both you and her have the same kind of kindness towards people. Umeko-san, as I remember, preferred taking the direct route in things. She wasn't the type doddle on things - and, I think that made her honest. She won over lots of people with that sort of honesty."

Honesty...?
...Yeah, right.


Within the thoughts and opinions of the peach, the case that was Umeko Hayata was nothing more than one big lemon drop. That is to say, it was sweet at first, but now it's nothing more than a bunch of memories that bring about a sour taste.

The day they found out about Umeko's death appeared in her mind, but was just as quickly rejected. The fact that Chiyo's big sister- somebody who often prided herself on the fact that she was at least smarter than Chiyo- had died in a horrible accident...

It was also just as much a lie as what Yuri was saying right now.

It didn't help that all of her family decided to keep their youngest in the dark about this information. Sure, Chiyo has realized that they probably didn't want to worsen any possible damage...but even Ren had decided to-?

Chiyo moved her arms to the front, gripping her wrist tightly with one hand. Her thoughts were interrupted by Yuri's continuation.

"I just thought, how charming it was to think of that part of her still living on in you, Imada-san."

Don't say that.

"Maybe, you might be able to help Sagawa-chan just like your sister did for all those people back then. Umeko-san, The President... all of them did the things that we do without being paid a single yen. Just out of the kindness of their own hearts. Even now, I admire what they've done."

Please, stop-

Chiyo couldn't help but wonder, what kind of point was Yuri trying to make? Surely, by bringing up this hazardous subject, there was originally something worthwhile behind it?

"I guess I just ended up offending you by bringing it up. I'm terribly sorry, Imada-san. I'll be more careful next time." Yuri apologized, and for a few moments past that, nothing happened.

It was obvious that what was heard just now, was both a statement and a request.

Becoming friends with Sagawa...of course Chiyo would love to do that. Unfortunately, Sagawa seemed to think otherwise, but Chiyo believed that Sagawa is,deep down, a wonderful person. But, it would also be a lie to say that she was doing this solely for the sake of Sagawa.

Friendship...what really lies behind that word? Is it really something as complicated as the meat-bun loving student makes it seem, or is there something more to that...?

Chiyo wanted to discover the answer herself- no, she wanted to prove Mizunohara wrong. In a way, it was completely selfish, but it wasn't like she was doing this just for the sake of saying 'Yeah, Sagawa-san's my friend!'. Her real reasons...were complicated and confusing, but yet all the same sincere in nature.

But enough of that, that wasn't the original purpose behind these thoughts. Looking down towards the floor, a familiar wave of emotion washed over the peach. It felt almost like she was just judged, like her actions and words were right now forever set in the stone mind of Yuri Nozomi.

No...I don't want that.

Chiyo's voice, although soft as usual, seemed to carry a sharp undertone when she finally spoke.

"Nozomi-san, everything you said just now..."

What I really want is-!

"It's a lie." Cautiously, she looked back up at whom she was speaking to. "While I'm sure that you meant it from the bottom of your heart, I just can't believe you would bring up something like this just to make a comment like that."

"I'm sorry for sounding so harsh, but you couldn't possibly have made a more worse excuse." A big breath, and suddenly her words took an impassionate turn.

"I'm tired of being left out of the loop, Nozomi-san! It seems that everybody I love has a habit of keeping secrets from me, and I don't wish for that to happen with you, too! I know I'm slow, and dumb, and usually need to be told multiple times before understanding just what it is people want me to do...but I like to think I always try my best! I try to do what needs to, but at the same time, I try to do what I feel is the right thing."

"Brushing this off, ignoring the fact that everything about this conversation is practically screaming weird...I can't do it."

I'm tired of being in the dark, so please-

"So please, tell me the truth! My step-sister, Umeko-chan...what do you need to know about her? What does she have to do with all of this?"
[/fieldbox]
@Ehb
 
[fieldbox= Kamijou Michio, plum, solid]
MichioIcopeg_zps8txoshd1.jpg


[October 22nd, Afternoon / Hisakawa Academy, Main Gate]

One could immediately tell how awe-struck Michio was when he heard Misheru preach him about what he can do and what he should do. As someone who is normally the one delivering the sermons, he wasn't used to be on the receiving end. However, hearing Misheru voice out her thoughts undoubtedly made it clear what Michi should have been doing from the very start. Instead of merely spoiling her, it was obvious that he needed to use his time to conduct his own investigation. It would be a lot more helpful to Sagawa if the perpetrator would be brought to justice as soon as possible rather than Michio merely act as a pillar of support for her.

"Yes, thanks to what Tachibana-san had said, I now realize the course of action I should have taken from the very start. How could I not have realized this any sooner? It's clear to me now that the best thing I could do right now is to identify the true culprit and apprehend him or her as soon as possible. And I have to agree with her opinion that people who think they pull off a perfect crime have the tendency to get reckless. I have to keep an eye out for any suspicious people I might encounter inside and near the school. I also can't do this alone so I might have to ask for help when the time comes."

Michio started murmuring in a determined manner how he would begin truly helping Sagawa. By the time he had finished contemplating on the current situation, he noticed that Tachibana Misheru had already left with the person she had been waiting for, who unsurprisingly turned out to be his new friend, Keoni-san.

No sooner upon realizing he was left alone to his own devices that he heard a familiar voice calling out to him.

"Yo, Kamijou-kun."

Even if he hadn't turned around, there was no mistaking Sagawa Mizunohara's voice. In fact, even if the two were in the middle of a loud party, Michio was sure he would still be able to discern her voice despite the commotion. Being friends with her for a good chunk of his childhood must have been quite a contributing factor to that. That, and he's also developed feelings for his childhood friend over the years they've been together.

Since she was already here, it seems that Nozomi had already finished talking to Sagawa with whatever it was she wanted to discuss with her. He was considering asking her what Nozomi specifically told her or if the white-haired girl gave her a hard time but voted against it altogether. There must have been a good reason why his fellow Social Morals Officer was going through great lengths to keep the conversation a secret.

"That was Tachibana-san, right? What were you guys talking about?" Sagawa said with a hint of jealousy in her voice.

Apparently, Nozomi had very dastardly timing too as she somehow ended her talk with the tech whiz of Hisakawa just in time for her to see him talking with the redhead. While he was glad to see Sagawa getting jealous of him talking to another girl, that also meant that she was in a slightly worse mood than he anticipated so he had to do his best to cheer her up rather than add to her problems.

"Well, Sagami, I caught Tachibana-san running in the hallways on my way out earlier so I had to reprimand her, specially when you don't know when you'd end up accidentally crashing into a wall. She told me she'd be careful next time and she'll try not to do it again before leaving with Keoni-san." Michio explained nonchalantly to his childhood friend.

He had a mischievous grin on his face after he had referred to Sagawa by the nickname he had given her back when they were in middle school. He came up with it shortly after Sagawa decided to call him Mi-kun. In retaliation, he combined parts of her first name and surname to form the nickname, "Sagami" which turned out to sound like quite a cute nickname for her. She was si embarrassed with the nickname at the time that she demanded that they both only use them when they were alone together, or at least when none of the people who knew them were around to hear it. Since she somehow forgot about that agreement, he figured he'd refer to her by the nickname for the rest of the day.

It was strange though. He had left out the part where Misheru gave him her two cents on what he should do to really help Sagawa. He wasn't exactly lying but he had only told his friend the partial truth. He simply didn't want Sagawa to know that he'll be conducting his own investigation since he didn't want to needlessly add to her worries.

"Anyway, sorry to keep you waiting. You know, if you have work, you don't need to wait on me." Sagawa said.

"And miss the chance of walking you home? Nope. Luckily, my shift starts a bit later than usual this time so I still have plenty of time before I even consider running late for work. In the meantime though, how about grabbing a bite to eat before going home? Tachibana-san recommended the ramen shop by the train station that also happens to serve meat buns. It's my treat too, Sagami." Offered the silver haired boy with an enthusiastic smile on his face.

[/fieldbox]

@Ehb
 
[fieldbox= Rei Saionji, Purple, solid]
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[October 22nd, Afternoon / Ramen Shop, City]


“I’ve never actually thought about your mother.. Why would I have?”

"Right... why would you? She... doesn't have much a presence in other people's lives."

Rei looked at her ramen, wanting it eat it but at the same time not feeling hungry anymore. She felt empty in a different way, now. But she'd let Kira go on about the song without interrupting.

“It’s a great song. One of my favourites, but every Elvis song is special. I think it was the first song she showed me, when...”

Well, at least Rei wasn't the only one thinking about things that hurt, but Kira was the only one who was crying, Rei just felt like she needed to remove useless things like emotions. They just got in the way when she needed to focus on her task. Kira was a musician, they were supposed to be emotional.

“Never getting anywhere with that attitude,” Kira said.

Right. Rei wasn't getting anywhere. Or going anywhere either. Yet... if she didn't then Michio, and even Sawaga would have to take up this mantle. When high school ended she'd have no one anyway, so maybe it was best to let her fade away in their memories. Let everyone else have the happy ever after so that she could say she did something good for once in her life.

Of course, she doubted anyone else would see it that way. If it wasn't her it'd be someone else, and knowing how content he was with his life and that he was just working off a debt it wouldn't be right if she let her childhood friend take this mantle. It wouldn't be right to put this burden on anyone else except her, because over the years it had become so normal. Plus... her mother was so happy when Rei had been announced as heir. Was it so bad to eliminate her wants and dreams for others?

Wasn't that a hero? Someone who sacrificed themselves to protect others from an undeserved fate? Rei thought so, and so she couldn't divert from this path or she'd be nothing but a coward. A coward who inflicted something terrible on someone else so she could have her head in the stars.

“Of course, I’ll sit here longer than you if that helps,” Kira said, and Rei was jolted out of her wandering thoughts. “Might listen to some music though.”

"When aren't you listening to music?" Rei gave a weary smirk, the only sign it was a joke. "Hey. When you leave this town..."

Rei didn't know what to say to add to that to soften the request. No, it could wait until later. They had time.

"Make sure you give American music a run for their money."

@God Empress Wen
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[fieldbox= OSHIRO KIRA, #ffa938, solid]
KiraIco_zps0i8a8dmx.jpeg


[BCOLOR=#000000][October 22nd, Afternoon / Ramen Shop][/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=#000000]"Hey. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=#000000]When you leave this town… Make sure you give American music a run for their money."[/BCOLOR]

“Rei, there are countries other than America that produce rock music. Maybe you didn’t know. You’re not a rocker, so I won’t hold it against you. Lots of my favourite bands come from the UK though, like Iron Maiden and The Rolling Stones. ACDC is from Australia,” Kira said, and shook her head. “Either way, I swear to give them all a run for their money.” She put her hand over her heart and smiled, as she thought it might look more dramatic.

Enough with the crying, she had a bowl of ramen to finish! She had to do her best to herald in the future, and that included eating.

The past was the past, and no matter how much someone might revisit it, it would never change. Misfortune should stay in her past. The friends and the lover she’d once had may not mesh well at all with her current lifestyle. She’d wanted to think that Summer Nights was everything she wanted in another woman, but then, she’d left her. A first love never went away. It simply hurt less with time. Two years was nothing for the token lesbian who couldn't find a girlfriend.

Kira shouldn’t dwell on those who no longer valued her; not when she had Rei, or Michio, or other friends she might not have met yet. How desperate would that have made her?

But then she did linger where she shouldn’t, and it only brought pain and bitterness. It would never be any different. Her focus had to lie elsewhere.

She was torn out off the bowl of ramen by the unmistakable sound of the instrumental version of Hardwired. It was the song she’d set as a message tone for that girl. Why was she sending messages to her...? She opened the interface to her chip in front of her, but nobody else could see her version.

Her interface had colourful music notes in the edges, and a bunch of links to websites with music videos, or rock news. At least this girl wasn’t calling her. Kira might have ignored her. There was a picture of a bunch of tangled cables on a floor in the text message. They seemed eerily familiar. Hardwired had only sent a single word, and she’d censored it too. It reminded her of curse words in comics.

Kira turned her interface off. She may have caused that mess, but it was problems for another day. Likely tomorrow.

“I’m sorry if I ruined the mood with my own sour mood, or presence, or I mean, eh…” Kira put more food into her mouth, as the song switched to Nothing’s Gonna Hurt You Baby, by the same incredible voice as before. It made her giggle. “My music. It just makes me forget everything, and takes me somewhere else. Maybe my head’s in the clouds, but when wasn’t it? All those hobbies... Music makes life easier, makes it worth it. I’m always gonna cherish these days though, just wasting my time here, and I’m totally gonna blame you if I don’t reach the stars.”

It was a sincere joke, and she didn’t want Rei to think she would hold this against her. Not really. It was in her nature to rush from one thing to the other, and forget that sometimes the present mattered too. She grinned at her, gave her a thumbs up, before opening her soda and drinking. She wanted to believe that she would go to any lengths for her, and wished she was better at conveying that, yet there were doubts that she had to deny. She'd failed right then, right now. Welcomed the doubts into her mind because they seemed like they belonged there. Maybe they did, but in a way it was its own form of surrender. She wouldn't go easy into the night. She'd be riding the Rock N' Roll Train!

@Karyra

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[fieldbox=, white, solid]
[October 22nd, Afternoon / Hisakawa Academy, Main School Building, First Floor Social Morals Office]

"Nozomi-san, everything you said just now..."

"...?"

"It's a lie."
"While I'm sure that you meant it from the bottom of your heart, I just can't believe you would bring up something like this just to make a comment like that."


So, she saw through that then?

Yuri continued to listen to the peach as she laid out her disbelief that Yuri's comment was only a shallow and ill thought out compliment.

"I'm sorry for sounding so harsh, but you couldn't possibly have made a more worse excuse."

She breathed in, and then...

"I'm tired of being left out of the loop, Nozomi-san! It seems that everybody I love has a habit of keeping secrets from me, and I don't wish for that to happen with you, too! I know I'm slow, and dumb, and usually need to be told multiple times before understanding just what it is people want me to do...but I like to think I always try my best! I try to do what needs to, but at the same time, I try to do what I feel is the right thing."

"Brushing this off, ignoring the fact that everything about this conversation is practically screaming weird...I can't do it."

Nozomi Couldn't argue with that. Indeed, there wasn't any real way to properly bring out such a loaded and heavy subject as Umeko Hayata's death. Especially for someone who was considered family.

"So please, tell me the truth! My step-sister, Umeko-chan...what do you need to know about her? What does she have to do with all of this?"

Chan.
That was all Yuri Nozome Needed to hear. Slowly reacting, she smiled.

"You called her by... 'Chan' just now, right?"

There was no indication that Chiyo Imada was in any way close to her deceased sister.

In fact, based on what Yuri had seen thus far. Her relationship with Ren... the fact that Umeko and Ren shared the same mother. It simply seemed like, Imada Chiyo was, without a doubt, just another step-sibling in that trio. Imada Chiyo was kept in the dark... simply because none of this concerned her.

The answer was just that simple.


"Did you know I had a step-sister. Imada-san? We didn't get along with each other that all that much either."

A dreadful feeling came over Chiyo. A feeling that she had just set something into stone without realizing it. Regardless, she listened on to what was bout to be something unpleasant.

"Her name was Mizuki Ishida."

Looking directly at Chiyo, past her thick rimmed glasses, directly at her eyes, Yuri spoke in a solemn and melancholy tone. Laying bare something she seldom told to anyone else.

"I was accepted into a big family along with my other sister. But, Mizuki-nee didn't like me, no matter how much I tried to get her to accept me. I tried really, really hard, since it made my mother sad to see us not getting along. But, no matter what I did, she just seemed set on hating me."

So, even Yuri, despite her appearances, had misfortune in her life. Or maybe it was something like this that made her stronger? Such thoughts creeped into the peach's mind.

"Even when i did good things, she'd tried to spin them as something bad in front of her friends. Even, so, I pretended that everything was okay, I put on a show making it look like I didn't ever notice how hostile she was towards me. I did that so mother wouldn't have to worry about it."

"But... one day... our parents were no longer there, and we were all left on our own. The only people we had to look towards were people who were good friends with step-father - Mizuki-nee's father. They said that they'd take care of us in our parents' stead. On the day that they came to pick us up, Mizuki-nee pointed at both me and my sister and said: "I don't know who those people are. So don't you dare let them come along.""

Yuri could still remember it. Her sister and herself clinging her sister's skirt. Crying and begging to not be left on their own.

"When we begged her to let as go with her, she smiled. It was the first time I had ever seen a smile on her that was so wide and pronounced. When I asked her why, she only responded by laughing."

Again, Yuri turned her face, breaking her locked stare with Chiyo.

"In the end, our step-brother stepped in and was able to clear things up. Certainly... if he hadn't been there... I can... only imagine what terrible things would've happened afterward."


A terrible sister. If anything, that was what Chiyo was able to glean off of as the most important part of this story. Still, what did this have to do with her?

Chiyo's memories of Umeko were full of holes. Fragmented. Even now, Chiyo would occasionally dream and see bits and peices of spending time with Umeko. But they were all lost and out of context. As if they were all in a disjointed pile in her memory that she subconsciously tried to pick through when asleep.

Chiyo could not remember much of anything when she recovered from the accident. She woke up in a hospital bed, and had bandages on her head. Chronologically, she woke up just days after Umeko had been forced to leave the house due to causing that accident. Beyond that fact - Chiyo couldn't remember who 'Umeko' was beyond a step-sister who was banished from the main house. She had forgotten about the remarriage, she forgot Umeko and Ren moving in. In the end, roughly a whole year's worth of memory was permanently lost to her after she fully recovered.

When she tried to ask the adults, they casually brushed it aside. When she asked Ren, she refused to answer. And when she asked Umeko...



"...Step-Sister? I have no idea what you're talking about."



Outright denial.

From that, it was easy to simply presume they all didn't get along.


"Based on what I heard from other students, it sounded like you didn't get along all that well with Umeko-san. Since that appears to be the case... there isn't any reason for me to tell you anything. Since you all didn't get along, I can only guess that everyone decided to avoid the topic of Umeko around you for your own sake. So that you'd accept and forget about what happened - and move onward."

What if that really was the case? If, before the accident... the two really didn't get along well? Was she just being foolish in worrying about something that was being kept from her for her own good? She never really had to know exactly what had happened. Everyone around her acted like they were supposed to. Her parent's avoided the topic of the accident since it was Umeko's fault. Ren was distant to Chiyo because she shared the same mother with Umeko and detested her being ousted. And Umeko refused to even acknowledge her because...


Because... she was a terrible sister.
Terrible because she was abandoned by her family.
Terrible because she abandoned her family.

Umeko threw aside her sister, Ren.
And she also tossed aside Chiyo.

The peach, who could only see how the story ended could only conclude that they didn't like each other.


Yuri's eyes narrowed.

Her words were enough to get a response out of Chiyo. She read the peach without the latter even uttering a single word.

"...If that's really the way you feel. Then you have no business with anything else I had to say about her anymore. Your assignment is to help Mizunohara find the culprit behind the hacking. Nothing else."

Yuri's tone changed drastically. A moment ago, she had been speaking kindly and understandingly, but now, her voice locked Chiyo out of any way of moving forward. No doubt, she had been watching while Chiyo was lost in thought. She couldn't tiptoe around her thoughts about Umeko. Doing so was only making Yuri go to negative conclusions. But, even so...


"Jajaaan! Here Chi-chan! Look! I used me allowance to buy a glasses repair kit. Ren told me they broke yesterday, but Look! I fixed them right up!"

Wearing a wide grin, a younng girl with light green hair held a pair of glasses

"There! One set of star shape glasses good to go!"

....why?

"Because I'm your big sister now. So, if you have any problems, you can talk to me, okay? Being family means, you don't ever have to be alone. Even if father says we're step-sisters, that doesn't make you any less important than Ren, you know?"

The childish and energetic looking girl put her hands over her heart, immediately commanding a more sincere aura.

"So to me, both of you are... Irreplaceable."


But that was just one dream. One fragment of memory that Chiyo was unsure of. Was it a real memory? Or was it just a fanciful wish? How did Chiyo really feel about Umeko Hayata? Was there really an Umeko who was like that to her back then?

"There was probably a good reason that you don't remember her. So, please just forget what I said. I've already talked with Ren about it... and she'll be able to handle it herself just fine. I wouldn't want to force you to do something... You don't want to get into. Just as how I will never want to look to Mizuki-Nee for help if I ever got into trouble."

This was Yuri's way of being kind. After seeing Chiyo react so negatively about her sister being brought up, it was obvious that revealing anything more would only be detrimental.

Yuri bowed apologetically.

"Please forgive me for bringing up something so painful, Imada-san - and for anything that I've said that was rude. I should've realized that, if your family was keeping quiet about it, that I had no place to try to break that procedure." Looking back up, Yuri faced Chiyo again. her face was soft and pleasant - just like always. A pearly mask that was hiding a part of Yuri that was too painful to let other people see.

"Despite all that, have a good rest of your day, Imada-san. I'll see you tomorrow."

Politely, Yuri urged Chiyo to be on her way. She tapped a pile of papers on top of the desk to straighten them out, no doubt paperwork that had to be done at home since the office had to soon be locked up for the day.

@Raven Haruka
[/fieldbox]



[fieldbox= Mizunohara Sagawa, turquoise, solid]
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[October 22nd, Late-Afternoon / Hisakawa Academy, Main Gate]

"And miss the chance of walking you home? Nope. Luckily, my shift starts a bit later than usual this time so I still have plenty of time before I even consider running late for work. In the meantime though, how about grabbing a bite to eat before going home? Tachibana-san recommended the ramen shop by the train station that also happens to serve meat buns. It's my treat too, Sagami."

*CHOP!*

The side of Mizunohara's palm sliced ineffectually into the boy's forehead. At this point, such a response was in the same league as muscle memory. It was certainly unfair that Michio couldn't get away with such a reaction when she called him Mi-kun in public, on account of being a boy. The whole double-standards paradox is certainly a wholly one sided institution.

"That's what you get for acting so brazen today." Sagawa pulled back her chopping hand as she lectured him. "You should be careful Mi-kun... people might think you're a weirdo when you go and make a big scene like that."

Putting her hands behind her back, Sagawa's expression shifted into turning warm. On account of...

"...But, since you're being so generous today, I'll let you off easy." She said, smiling. "Let's go, then?"

...

As the two left the school, Sagawa spotted the redhead and her apologizing companion walking off in another direction.

"Hmph. The Vice-President is a real dork, isn't he?"



[October 22nd, Early-Evening / Ramen Shop, City]

Standing in line together, Sagawa looked around the cozy looking restaurant. She could see students from the school - even ones from their own class, chatting away.

"I've seen this place a whole bunch of times going to and from school. I'm kind of ashamed that I haven't even visited once... But, you said that this place serves good meatbuns, right? I want one of those!" With another customer served, the line moved forward. With this, Sagawa pulled out her wallet from her skirt pocket. "Since you're covering food, I'll pay for the drinks. Did you want to get a coffee, Michio-kun?"

Despite what Michio had said, in the end, Sagawa was uncomfortable with having him pay for everything. Her impression of his wallet was one that was always on the verge of being emptied out all the time considering he was always helping out with his parents' expenses.

So it only seemed fair to help pay. Considering the money she made from her job didn't go to anything else except savings and snacks.

"Today was a bit stressful so... I think I'll go ahead and let the extra soda pass by~." She said as she shifted through her wallet. At a glance, Michio found disheartening evidence that Sagawa's 'disposable income' was currently beating out the contents of his own wallet. She was certainly being considerate to everything save for his pride.

@Accelerator
@Andy
@Karyra
@God Empress Wen
[/fieldbox]
 
[fieldbox= Lisa Yamagawa, #fbc786, solid]
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October 22nd, Afternoon / A random street, on her way home.
As Lisa walked back home, her thoughts kept going back to Yura. The words he said... Did he think that was the best decision? She knew he had hid it with a smile, but she guessed that he was hurt by her response. Honestly, the poor girl didn't know what to do or who to go to concerning this dilemma. Not her mother, she started the whole thing. And certainly not to her friends, who she felt like would tease her about the situation.

The girl let out another sigh, and action she had been doing for quite some time as she walked towards her home. She just wanted to remain friends with him, but she didn't want to hurt his feelings like she did whenever she acted up. But how could she not react in that manner? It frightened her, being in a committed relationship that was forced upon her. And so she continued to act flustered and lost, unable to respond in a kind manner to the situation.

Perhaps it would be best to apologize to Yura in this situation. But she would have no idea what to say to him with this matter, other than "sorry." And how would he react? Like he always did, with his kind personality? She didn't know. "I just...want to remain friends with him..." she murmured to herself as she let out another sigh. She glanced up at the sky and put her forefingers and thumbs together in a rectangular shape, closing one eye as she gazed upon it through the shape she made with her fingers. It was a beautiful day, one where she shouldn't be having these kinds of thoughts.

Once she stared at the sky long enough, she dropped her hands to her side and stared up ahead. She was nearly there, just a bit more to go before she reached home. "...I need to apologize to him." The girl rummaged through her bag to find her cellphone, letting out a satisfied "Ah!" when she felt it. Pulling it out, she swiped the screen and went straight to the number pad. Her thumb hovered over the buttons, trembling a little as she tried to push herself into talking to him. ...Now or never... she thought to herself before beginning to dial his cellphone number. She put it close to her ear as it rang. "Hello? Yura?" she asked, "Hey, I'm sorry for how I've been acting lately. It's just...well, life issues I guess."

@Weisenhart

[/fieldbox]
 
[fieldbox=Chiyo Imada, #fbceb1, solid, 10]
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[October 22nd, Afternoon / Hisakawa Academy, Main School Building, First Floor Social Morals Office]

"You called her by... 'Chan' just now, right?"

Ah, she did it again, didn't she?

Chiyo blinked in surprise- she hadn't called Umeko by 'chan' since...

Since...?

"Did you know I had a step-sister, Imada-san? We didn't get along with each other that all that much either."

"Her name was Mizuki Ishida."


A feeling of dread began to settle in Chiyo's stomach, and as the other girl in front of her continued on with her story, she could only stare in shock at the seemingly horrible actions of this Mizuki character.

"In the end, our step-brother stepped in and was able to clear things up. Certainly... if he hadn't been there... I can... only imagine what terrible things would've happened afterward."

Chiyo understood that Yuri was painting the picture of Mizuki being a terrible sister, and to a certain extent, she agreed that the stranger's actions were indeed wrong. But, something within the story had struck a chord within the girl's memories.

"I don't know who those people are. So don't you dare let them come along."
[ "...Step-Sister? I have no idea what you're talking about." ]

That's right, Chiyo still had issues discerning whether the girl was honestly telling the truth or not. Her memories concerning the eldest child of her family were...confusing, to say the least. She couldn't remember anything before waking up in that hospital room.

She couldn't remember the face of the woman who had labeled herself as Chiyo's "step-mom".
She couldn't remember when there had all of a sudden been another girl her age living with her.
She couldn't remember a year's worth of moments, nor was expected to according to the doctors.

Instead, she was just told that there had been another child, but she was kicked out due to an unfortunate incident. The only information that she had discovered was the name 'Umeko'...which surprisingly enough had been the same name of a student in her grade.

A student that flat-out denied having ever known Chiyo... a student who had died shortly after this incident.

The only thing that cemented the fact that she had been related was when her family had suddenly taken responsibility of the body, cremating it and not letting the girls have a look at it before the ashes were stored away somewhere.

Really, Chiyo didn't even know if she had ever truly hated Umeko, her 'beloved step-sister'.

She had just assumed that she didn't like her because of the way Ren had distanced herself, and the fact that the girl with light green hair decided that she had nothing to do with the peach. With their reactions, Chiyo assumed that her relationship with them must have been the cause.

"Based on what I heard from other students, it sounded like you didn't get along all that well with Umeko-san. Since that appears to be the case... there isn't any reason for me to tell you anything. Since you all didn't get along, I can only guess that everyone decided to avoid the topic of Umeko around you for your own sake. So that you'd accept and forget about what happened - and move onward."

At that last remark, Chiyo had to repress a scornful laugh.

'Accept and forget'... that must be the rule when it came to anything that concerned herself, huh?

...


"...If that's really the way you feel. Then you have no business with anything else I had to say about her anymore. Your assignment is to help Mizunohara find the culprit behind the hacking. Nothing else."

Chiyo flinched at the sharp tone Yuri had suddenly taken, her words going from understanding to demanding in an instant.

"There was probably a good reason that you don't remember her. So, please just forget what I said. I've already talked with Ren about it... and she'll be able to handle it herself just fine. I wouldn't want to force you to do something... You don't want to get into. Just as how I will never want to look to Mizuki-Nee for help if I ever got into trouble."

[ "Because I'm your big sister now. So, if you have any problems, you can talk to me, okay? Being family means, you don't ever have to be alone. Even if father says we're step-sisters, that doesn't make you any less important than Ren, you know?"

"So to me, both of you are... Irreplaceable." ]

...it was a mistake, wasn't it? Whatever had lead to Umeko's banishment from the household, Chiyo had always believed that it was an accident of sorts, deep down. Especially after her death, Chiyo could never truly bring herself to say the words "I never loved her".

It was as if, subconsciously, some part of her had grasped onto the hope that the two step-sisters would make up.

"Please forgive me for bringing up something so painful, Imada-san - and for anything that I've said that was rude. I should've realized that, if your family was keeping quiet about it, that I had no place to try to break that procedure."

"..."

"Despite all that, have a good rest of your day, Imada-san. I'll see you tomorrow."

With those words, it was clear that Yuri was done talking with Chiyo. By reacting as she had, she had lead the other to negative conclusions, which left no other choice but to once again leave the peach in the dark.

'For her own good, Chiyo mustn't know anything concerning this incident.'

Even now, while outside of the main house, it seems that her family's will stays strong. Now that she had brought up painful memories for Yuri, it seemed that the best course of action was to leave the white-haired girl in peace. However...

"I wouldn't want to force you to do something... You don't want to get into."

"...if your family was keeping quiet about it, that I had no place to try to break that procedure."

Those words...they made Chiyo nauseous.

At the very least, she had to point out this to Yuri, before leaving.

"...I don't understand." Chiyo's response was blunt, which was somewhat ironic considering all the speeches she had given out within this short frame of time.

"You say I don't want to know...but didn't I just say the opposite not to long ago? As for my family...well, what they're doing is no better than what you're doing right now, I guess."

Deciding what I want, without thinking about my own opinions and desires.

"...I take it that everything said here today will be kept just between us, right?" Chiyo sure hoped so, or at least, she hoped that Yuri would take the hint and keep what she was about to reveal secret.

"...You probably already know about the incident that resulted in Umeko's banishment from our house, right?" A rhetorical question, but still Chiyo paused for a moment. Knowing Yuri, she probably already knew everything Chiyo was about to say...but she wasn't sure. This was just for clarification.

"Well, whatever it was, it took about a year's worth of memories from my life. Recipes, Schoolwork, People...I forgot it all. When I went home, you could probably imagine how surprised I was to find out that there was suddenly this woman, calling herself my "step-mom" and introducing her daughter to me...again."

"Said daughter wasn't thrilled with my company, apparently, so I assumed we must not have had a great relationship from the very beginning. And when I overheard Ren-san questioning my parents on why they had to send away her sister, you could probably imagine my confusion too. Eventually, I learned about the existence called 'Umeko'...my step-sister who was banished a few days before I had woken up from the hospital."

"I wanted to get to know her, so I tried to do some research. Eventually, I found her, a girl named Umeko Hayata, and approached her. Certainly, if I wasn't on very good terms with Ren, at least Umeko could explain why? Or, maybe I was close with her?" Even now, a spark of hope laid underneath those words, Chiyo's face slowly began to brighten as she told her story.

Then, her expression fell. "I'm sure you know how I felt when the response I got was: "...Step-Sister? I have no idea what you're talking about." "

"...After that, she became just as-- no, even more distant than Ren-san. And in response...I kept my distance. I tried to respect their wishes, and tried to make other friends. When people asked me about Umeko-san, I said I wasn't on the best terms with her- and eventually, I guess all that lying began to affect me, as well."

The peach broke her gaze with Yuri, instead focusing on how wonderfully built the floor was.

"I started to become vexed whenever she was mentioned- though, now that I think about it, none of those feelings were ever truly aimed at her. I guess, if anyone, it would have been myself I was angry at. I couldn't do anything but watch as my 'sisters' grew farther and farther away. I couldn't fix it, either...how could you fix something, if you didn't know the problem first?"

During the time period directly after the incident, those who knew Chiyo from childhood would have noticed the sudden amnesia. To those who she befriended in middle school...they probably assumed that it was just her forgetful personality. After all, she had specifically asked the school not to make her condition public knowledge.

"Though, maybe if I had decided to step up, push my family a bit harder for information...maybe Umeko wouldn't have died like she did." Right now, Chiyo's voice was small, doubts and hopes conflicting each other in their own way. Maybe, if she had approached Umeko, and tried harder to befriend her- they would have had a different outcome.

Maybe, if she was more assertive, she could have made a difference.

"Ah, sorry Nozomi-san, I went off on a small tangent there." Chiyo laughed, awkwardly placing a smile on her face.

"I guess what I'm saying is that I really do want to help, and I'd love to know what my step-sister has to do with all of this, but..."

She glanced at the door, hesitating for a moment before giving a small nod, turning to look back at Yuri. Her gaze was filled with conviction.

"I can't force you to tell me anything, so I'll only ask one last time. Please, Nozomi-san, is there anything I need to know about...Umeko-san."
[/fieldbox]

@Ehb
 
[fieldbox=Keoni Noxi, gold, solid]
nBDLLdk.png

[October 22nd, Afternoon / Hisakawa Academy, Main Gates]

Keoni had kept his head down in an apology for quite a bit as he waited for Micheru to scold him for being late or..do something. However he knew just as much that she could do nothing and instead would let him just sweat about it and casually throw a few digs at him here and there about it. That was the thing with Micheru..she had her ways to get back at you..which was why Keoni tried to not give her reasons to get upset at him.

When she didn't address him right away he did give a slight pause when she addressed Michio instead. What had he asked her? What had she told him? Was it something he should know as the student council member? Or was it strictly one of those..moral committee need to know things? He personally had no issues with the moral committee..except when his friend Yuuki Kimura got involved in one of his schemes and the Moral committee cracked down on him and he had to come to his friends rescue. He had lost track of how many times a situation like that had happened. But still..that was one thing about the Morals committee that Keoni had issues with. They were both technically in charge of keeping the school in a decent stature and ensure that the student body got along and behaved..they should be working together. Yet more often then not he found that he and the other student council members were kept in the dark about most things going on in the school yet the Moral committee often knew what was happening..not to mention he had never once met the student council president..which made it only that much stranger. Rest assured though..eventually Keoni would get to the bottom of all of this and figure out what was going on in this school.

He was torn from his thoughts by the comment Micheru made about him being late and couldn't help but wince before he looked up to see her starting to walk away. He mentally cursed once again before he looked at Michio and gave him a quick nod of the head "Sorry Michio..we'll have to catch up later..right now I've got to..figure out how I'm going to make this up to Micheru" With that he hurried after Micheru..although he did catch up after only a few strides.

When Micheru started to comment on what she would be doing and dropped the casual question at the end of it Keoni couldn't help but give a small smile. Yep..he figured he was going to get this..half silent treatment half sarcastic remark treatment for a bit. "I'll join you Micheru. I wanted to get some things from the bookstore as well..I think my favorite author just released a new book and I'd like to pick up a copy if it's available..and to make it up to you for being late. I'll buy you dinner at the Ramen shop. Does that sound fair?" While he knew that this technically wasn't a date he did kinda feel like it was one in a way..although he knew that, that would probably never happen..Micheru didn't like him in that way and he didn't want to ruin the friendship he had with her by admitting to her how he felt..it was best if he just kept his feelings buried and just..enjoy spending time with her like he did.[/fieldbox]

@Makomin @Accelerator
 
[fieldbox= Iwasawa Yuuki, #339966, solid]
s6078.jpg


[October 22nd, Afternoon / Hisakawa Academy , Main Gate]

Where is she... Yuuki muttered as he continued looking around for Mika. Still waiting for a reply message from Mika to know where she is or probably the fact that she may have already went home without him. He kept waiting and waiting, watching the students pass by him. After some few moments, he decided to walk around the school instead of just waiting by the gate.



[October 22nd, Late Afternoon / Hisakawa Academy , School Campus , Indoor Basketball Court]

Yuuki kept walking around, thinking that he might find Mika somewhere. But when he arrived at the gym... He saw a downed Iori, a downed Leo, and also the other Yuuki. Yuuki thought that the three of them probably have some kind of a Virtu-Ava fight and that somehow the other Yuuki won.

"Huh, I thought you disliked Virtu-Ava battle stuffs..." Yuuki said, announcing his presence and oblivious to the fact of what happened earlier before his arrival.
"And here you are, standing victorious over these two poor souls." Yuuki continued on, trying to rile the other Yuuki up with his comment.
"Or are you going to say you're not doing this?" Yuuki looked at the other Yuuki with a disinterested look.

Recently, both Yuukis had a confrontation over the fact that this Yuuki chose to date Mika over Rei. The confrontation could escalate into a fistfight if Rei didn't break it up. What happened afterwards was both Yuukis trying to avoid each other. Even if they were together, Yuuki would always say some cynical remarks about the other Yuuki to rile him up. Of course it was to no avail as the other Yuuki would just ignore his remarks. But how would this other Yuuki responds to the comments now?

@Rithas @Miya @ERode

[/hr][/fieldbox]
 
[fieldbox= Leo Kane, #666699 , solid]

Leo%20Real%20Ico_zpse7dt3sqd.jpg


[October 22nd, Afternoon / Indoor Basketball Court]

"I guess you are right. Kimura isn't doing anything wrong by standing and watching. Still..." Leo could only watch as she walked up and pressed her finger against his lip. Inspecting the bloodstain with a sense of amusement. Only a little puzzled, Leo had the familiar feeling of resignation setting in.

"I'm flattered." He simply blinked as she poked his cheek, leaving a faint mark with his blood presumably."I didn't know that you'd react so strongly just from lying right in my face."

Ah, here we go.

"Not that you care about them, but the rules do say that having the virtu-ava battle app installed on your chip is basically the same as admitting you engage in such actions. You might as well have showed me a rag and a bottle of chloroform, and told me you were just using it for a harmless science project."

There was something called presumption of innocence, but there was really no point. The process had already started. Sure he had the app, not on purpose. He had just never...bothered to remove it.

The school did go hard on it though, because of course that was the dangerous thing to worry about. Nothing else.

"Since you're in such a hurry... and considering Iori losing a battle she instigated is more or less a lesson in itself, I guess I can go ahead and condense the stern lecture into just one thing. A special service, considering it really wasn't your fault this time."

[ Extreme Student Misconduct Detected. ]

He closed his eyes. The knowledge of the inevitable, and the knowledge of his fate. The same thing really. The constant fact that he couldn't go anything to stop it. The only thing shown to him was,

That it didn't have to be like this.

[ Pacifying Subject. ]

And just like that he hit the ground.


"And then I-...I woke up and..."


"In conclusion, both of you will uninstall that illegal app immediately. You wouldn't have to worry about being attacked in the first place if you didn't have it - Leo." Were the words Kokoro left them with. Leo, of course, was still flat on the ground. For a small moment, perhaps he could just lay there. Not that he had a choice of course, it would take a moment to be able to stand.

“Well shit. Iori, can you stand now? I’m willing to try, but I don’t think I can carry both of you out of the gym. Not with these gloriously flabby arms of mine. Anyways, wanna hit up that bubble tea place downtown today, you two? After that…exceptional encounter, drinks on me. Maybe food as well. Gotta get some comfort food after this, eh?" Yuuki spoke, breaking the silence that had settled over the group. A short laugh. Predictably trying to put what just happened under the rug.

He tapped the wooden floor, still face down. He could only mumble his thoughts, "Her signature huh...." A thin smile spread in amusement.

"Huh, I thought you disliked Virtu-Ava battle stuffs..."
Leo raised his head to see the source of the other voice, not that he needed to. He already knew who it was. Yuuki Iwasawa. Another childhood friend. How very quaint.

"And here you are, standing victorious over these two poor souls." Leo pushed himself up, wobbling slightly. The world distorted a little bit.

"Or are you going to say you're not doing this?"

Leo looked directly at Iwasawa with a dark look in his eyes. A rare sight for most to see. "Please, please- I'd rather you have your little showdown to see who is the superior Yuuki sometime that isn't right now." He wiped the blood off his face. Glancing between the two Yuuki's, Leo reminded himself to really settle on two nicknames for situations like these.

One day he would fully go with 'Forever Single' and 'It's Complicated'. But for some reason he felt like that might not be well received.

"Trust me, he didn't down either of us. No, this was caused by plain idiocy. Well, that and a she-demon. Such is the way of youth, I suppose." Leo finally formed back to a smug smirk. "And what did I say about assuming? It makes an ass out of...uh...you I guess." He turned his head to Kimura. "Paying for everything is your mistake, but sure, I'll take it." Unless a third person wanted to assault him today. Which at this point would come to no surprise.


"But when you're broke and homeless remember that you offered to pay." He grinned. "But really, if I stand in this court any longer an actual tiger is going to come out of the seats and maul me to death." Leo rather speedily walked out of the court building. He exhaled a sigh of relief as the feeling of actual wind hit him.


@ERode @Miya @LowDefinition[/fieldbox]
 
[fieldbox=Nishimura Iori, #ffb8da, solid]
Iori%20Ico_zpsn6mn1uok.jpeg


[October 22nd, Afternoon / Hisakawa Academy, Indoor Basketball Court]

"Oh... is that so?"

Ionia's expression slowly turned into troubled smile, hoping that Kokoro would believe her as Kane continued on with his side of explanation. It also looked like the overpowering student council president was buying into their words.

However, it did not work. The maid simply went dumbfounded as the incident unfolded in front of her, with Kane ended up being incapacitated. Ionia bared her teeth, fully knowing that was a VR job.

"In conclusion, both of you will uninstall that illegal app immediately. You wouldn't have to worry about being attacked in the first place if you didn't have it - Leo."

And those are the last words of Kokoro Amane before she left. The maid stared at the ceiling of the basketball court, waiting the facts to sink in.

“Well shit. Iori, can you stand now? I’m willing to try, but I don’t think I can carry both of you out of the gym. Not with these gloriously flabby arms of mine.” Kimura chimed in.

“Anyways, wanna hit up that bubble tea place downtown today, you two? After that…exceptional encounter, drinks on me. Maybe food as well. Gotta get some comfort food after this, eh?”

After letting out a sigh, Ionia turned to Kane, hoping that he could respond first thanks to Kokoro's shock and awe appearance. She heard about rumors Kokoro hating Kane, but she would never realized that it was that much of a hatred. Then...

"Huh, I thought you disliked Virtu-Ava battle stuffs..."

The maid raised her eyebrows and turned towards the direction of the familiar feminine voice. It was undoubtedly Iwasawa. Despite that Kimura and Iwasawa has the same name in terms of pronunciation, Ionia find it quite easily to identify them as she called Iwasawa Yuki-chan back in the middle school days and his/her appearance. Iwasawa continued on, apparently not knowing the disaster that happened beforehand.

Kane was already up by then, and once again working his antics at Iwasawa, explaining the situation and made his way out from the court.

"Sorry Student Council President-chan, but I'm sure as hell not going to uninstall that Virtu-Ava app!" The maid spoke in a firm tone as she got up to her feet in a modest manner. "Because it's both my way of living and source of income!"

Then she turned to Iwasawa, in attempt to greet him. "Hello Iwasawa-kun. It's been a while."

As for Kimura's offer...

"Since Kane's going, why not?" She responded nonchalantly.

With that being said, the maid made her way out from the basketball court...

@Rithas
@ERode
@LowDefinition[/fieldbox]
 
[fieldbox=Yuuki Kimura, LightSkyBlue, solid]
YuukiBIco_zpsdzeekkfv.jpeg

[October 22nd, Afternoon / Hisakawa Academy, School Campus, Indoor Basketball Court]
What…what exactly was he seeing there? At an unexpected voice from behind him sounded, Yuuki turned to see the boy-girl he had broken up with some time back, and wasn’t wholly certain how he should read that disinterested expression on his-her face. If Iwasawa didn’t care, why was he talking? They weren’t on friendly terms anymore, and Yuuki had always been closer with Rei than him anyways.

Well, the deadfish definitely wasn’t with him, and Rei wasn’t with him either, so…

Yuuki smiled and shrugged. Was he really that lonely?

“Why do y-”

"Please, please- I'd rather you have your little showdown to see who is the superior Yuuki sometime that isn't right now."

As Leo shakily stood up, Yuuki rushed up to help him, offering the silver-haired youth a shoulder, before blinking. A dark smudge came off as Leo wiped something off his face, and those blue eyes widened briefly, before flickering from the trap to the maid.

No one had noticed yet and, as Leo explained everything, Yuuki pulled out a blue, checkered handkerchief from his pockets and passed it over to him. Hopefully it was just a nose bleed from falling face-first. Hopefully it wasn’t anything else. Maybe they should check with the nurse after all, but how the hell were they going to explain this? ‘Oh, the student council president is a bitch and hates Leo’s guts, so she just electrocuted him for no reason’?

Still, Leo was either pretending to be tough, or he was fine after all, and Yuuki returned his grin, slapping him on the back. “Hey now,” he replied, “I said ‘maybe’ to food, you know? If you do something like try to get me to pay for the waitress…well, good luck with that. And please, an actual tiger? With your misfortune, it’d probably be a lightning from a clear blue sky.”

…Yuuki narrowed his eyes. Bad choice of words there. But Leo either didn’t mind or didn’t notice, leaving the gym first. Turning back to Iori with that same smile, he flashed her a thumbs-up as his grin turned cheeky. “Oh, what’s this? ‘Defeat means friendship’, Iori? Nice, nice! Just, you know, dark alleys instead of school property and all. Or maybe a private place like a karaoke booth.”

He chose to ignore what she had said before that, about her ‘source of income’. Not his place to ask. Just his place to help.

Following after his two friends, Yuuki turned back to Iwasawa right as he reached the double-doors of the gym, as if remembering the trap’s presence once more. “By the way, you need me for something, Iwasawa-kun? Looking for something, perhaps?” he asked, the warmth fading from his eyes, “Because if you do, go find a Socials Moral Officer instead.”

Just call her, you dense motherfucker.

And, just like that, Yuuki left, jogging to catch up with the others.
[/fieldbox]
 
[fieldbox= Rei Saionji, Purple, solid]
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[October 22nd, Late-Afternoon / Ramen Shop, City]

“Rei, there are countries other than America that produce rock music. Maybe you didn’t know. You’re not a rocker, so I won’t hold it against you. Lots of my favourite bands come from the UK though, like Iron Maiden and The Rolling Stones. ACDC is from Australia."

But wasn't Elvis American? And Rock and Roll in general? No, no she meant to make Kira feel better and she put her foot in her mouth again. Crap.

“Either way, I swear to give them all a run for their money.”

Kira's smile and hand over her heart helped ease Rei fear of messing up again. This conversation was already bad enough that she didn't necessarily want to make things worse and her friend angry again. This was all working out nicely though, Kira wasn't mad and the conversation was easy again.

“I’m sorry if I ruined the mood with my own sour mood, or presence, or I mean, eh… My music. It just makes me forget everything, and takes me somewhere else. Maybe my head’s in the clouds, but when wasn’t it? All those hobbies... Music makes life easier, makes it worth it. I’m always gonna cherish these days though, just wasting my time here, and I’m totally gonna blame you if I don’t reach the stars.”

"Given the thousands of miles between us and the actual stars, it might be impossible... but I'll try." Rei gave a wry smile to indicate the joke. "Haha, well... you make your dream and I'll make mine. And I plan on cherishing them as well, regardless of anything that happens."

Ah. A lie. Her dream died in middle school. Rei had only threads of her dream haunt her, facts and knowledge that she probably should have forgotten. She couldn't be this selfish to hold on to this dream... but maybe at least until the end of High School, she could keep it in her memory.

"I've seen this place a whole bunch of times going to and from school. I'm kind of ashamed that I haven't even visited once... But, you said that this place serves good meatbuns, right? I want one of those!"

What? That was-

Rei turned to see Michio and Sagawa entering the ramen shop. Rei only just managed to hold onto her chopsticks and not drop her jaw in surprise. This wasn't good. She wondered if Micho would come over or Sagawa would bother them. Rei watched the short scene play out, looking away from Kira to monitor her yakuza competitor silently. Plus, Sagawa was in a strangely good mood for some who had gotten hauled away by Social Morals officers earlier...

@God Empress Wen
@Accelerator
@Ehb
@Andy
@Ithinkthat'severyoneconfirmedpostedintheramenshopsofar​
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