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2026-07-20: Best Laid Plans of Teenaged Minds

2026-07-21T14:00:09Z

Tex: Created page with "*'''Log: 2026-07-20: Best Laid Plans of Teenaged Minds''' *'''Cast:''' Yuuki Hoshizora, Misato Fushihara *'''Where:''' Lotus Plaza, Renegdai, Sumaru City *'''OOC Date:''' July 20, 2026 *'''IC Date:''' December 12, 2012 *'''Summary''': ''On the way home from school, Yuuki tells Misato she needs to go shopping. They make a plan to get the latest chapter of a certain manga, stealthily. From each other. When they both want it. Bonds are forged through shared bits and..."

*'''Log: 2026-07-20: Best Laid Plans of Teenaged Minds'''
*'''Cast:''' [[Yuuki Hoshizora]], [[Misato Fushihara]]
*'''Where:''' Lotus Plaza, Renegdai, Sumaru City
*'''OOC Date:''' July 20, 2026
*'''IC Date:''' December 12, 2012
*'''Summary''': ''On the way home from school, Yuuki tells Misato she needs to go shopping. They make a plan to get the latest chapter of a certain manga, stealthily. From each other. When they both want it. Bonds are forged through shared bits and manga.''

----

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
It is after school -- and before a planned midnight meeting -- and Yuuki and Misato are walking home together. Yuuki walks alongside the other girl, her bag swinging in her hand. They've taken to walking home together most days. It feels comfortable, now.

Even if, sometimes, Yuuki worries about the things she has to hide from her. She feels like she might be doing something wrong.

A distraction is in order, and as fate would have it, one is in order.

The latest chapter of a manga that she likes -- Blossom Under You -- is being released today. Thus, as they're starting down the street away from school, Yuuki looks up. She had seemed distracted; in her way, she makes a sudden declaration.

"I-I need to stop by a bookstore!"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Walking home... feels nice. It's a normal student activity for a girl who does very few of those, and it makes the walk home all the more bearable on the days when she doesn't have something else she can use to delay it.

Misato has her own worries, tucked away inside... she still wonders if it's right, engaging with her through both sides of her double life.

As it happens, she welcomes the distraction as Yuuki makes an announcement.

"Whoa, Hoshizora-san! That was sudden!" Misato gasps playfully. "Well... it's just a little out of our way, but there's one in the plaza nearby if you wanna make a detour. What's up?"
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Something about it sticks in the back of Yuuki's mind. She isn't sure what is going on, yet. But she noticed the reluctance in Misato, when they go home -- or the fact she is eager to visit. She doesn' seem to want to be home, and this makes Yuuki wonder.

But Misato has a way of not letting much show.

She looks up quickly and sharply, at the gasp. She flushes red, for a moment. "S-Sorry," she stammers. "I just--um... It occurred to me. There is..."

She considers. Does she admit that she wants to get the latest issue of a yuri manga? Misato saw the figure in her room, but she didn't seem to recognize it. Yuuki hesitates for a moment.

"...I-I wanted to grab a manga chapter releasing today," she says. "If it's any trouble, it can wait though..."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Misato sends Yuuki a reassuring smile as her face turns red.

"Nah, don't worry about it." She replies with a shake of her head as she apologizes. She listens as she starts to say something before hesitating - before saying that she wants to grab a chapter releasing today.

"Oh! Oh, yeah, today's when a lot of the new releases are coming out, huh?" Misato replies thoughtfully. She considers that for a moment, then shakes her head. "Nahhh, that's no trouble at all! I had a few I was wanting to pick up, myself. Let's go!"

She steps confidently in front to lead the way.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
"Y-yes, that's just so!" Yuuki says. Will she have the courage, though, to pick up Blossom Under You in front of Misato? She tries to think of other manga -- but draws a blank in the moment.

She nods, quickly. Then, she falls in behind Misato.

"Thanks," she adds. "I, um." She laughs sheepishly, scratching at her cheek with a slightly embarrassed look. "...I'm still learning where all of the places here are. Like bookstores."

A beat. Then, with something that approximates Misato's playfulness -- if not really there -- she adds: "F-Fortunately, I--um--have..."

She stammers.

"...a-a tour guide!"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Misato nods. A part of her is curious to see what, exactly, Yuuki wants to buy. She looks back, offering her a smile as she thanks her.

"It's no trouble." She assures with a shake of her head, then listens. It takes Yuuki some effort, but she stammers out a playful statement! Misato lets out a small, good-natured laugh, and beams.

"That's right!" She confirms. She clears her throat, letting her tone become clear and explanatory to replicate the cadence of a tour guide. She provides a sweeping gesture.

"If you look to your left, you'll see the shores of scenic Tanabata River... Isn't it beautiful?" She informs. And then, she performs another sweeping gesture. "And coming up just ahead... It's the Lotus Plaza Shopping Mall! Home to countless shopping and entertainment destinations... but the one we want is just a block away from that."

She pauses for a moment - and then bursts into laughter, unable to keep the act up any longer than that.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Yuuki smiles when Misato laughs. She isn't quite sure if her friend is just humoring her. But the thought counts, and then--

Yuuki's eyes widen. For just a moment, she has a confused look on her face. Then, though, it dawns on her. Misato is doing a bit! A bit that she started!

They're doing a bit... ''together''!

Yuuki clasps her hands together in front of herself, delightedly, and nods along. She mimics rapt attention -- but then Misato pauses. And she starts laughing. And that makes Yuuki's lip twitch.

Then she lifts a hand up, over her mouth. And finally, she starts laughing too.

And she stammers out, trying hard to breathe: "M-Misato-chan! C-Come on!"

That just slipped out. She'll realize momentarily.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Misato looks back to Yuuki. It seems like it takes her a moment - but she seems to appreciate it! And when she laughs, Yuuki laughs, too - it's enough that she actually has to stop for a moment to catch her own breath. She giggles, as Yuuki manages to stammer something out.

"What, want me to keep going~?" She replies with a wink - and then pauses, as she mentally retraces her steps.

'Misato-chan'... The significance isn't lost on her. She smiles.

"Does this mean I can call you 'Yuuki-chan'?" She asks, curious.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Yuuki giggles, sputtering out an answer that isn't quite yes or no to whether Misato should keep going. She doesn't quite have words for a moment.

She realizes at the same time Misato does. Then her eyes widen, and her cheeks turn red. "U-Um--" She looks to the side. "I. Um. I'm sorry, if I shouldn't have... um..."

A moment goes by. She turns to look back at Misato, still embarrassed. "...I-I'd like it, if you did! Um." She looks down, then. "But it's okay, if... if I'm presuming too much."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Yuuki's caught in the giggles... Misato smiles genuinely. ...It's nice to see her let herself cut loose. But - then Yuuki realises what she said and turns red... Ah, she didn't mean to embarrass her...

But when she still says that she'd like that, Misato's smile widens.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Yuuki-chan." Misato assures. "I'd like that, too. You can call me Misato-chan all you want!"

She laughs again.

"You've already invited me over to your place before, I think it's okay to drop the '-san's by now~." She adds with a wink.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Yuuki smiles, her cheeks still a little red. The assurance helps -- and she exhales, before she nods. "S-Sure... I'll do that, Misato-chan."

She then coughs, turning redder -- why did--why did pointing out that she invited Misato over make her embarrassed? She isn't sure, herself.

She laughs, finally. "Th-that's true. Um... I'm glad, though," she says. "And... um... you should come over again, sometime."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Misato's smile softens as Yuuki seems to get some confidence back, enough to agree with her.

"Great." She beams. ...Her tease, though, causes Yuuki to turn red. She must've struck a weak spot... But Yuuki laughs all the same, so no harm done.

And she even invites her over again!

"I'd love to!" Misato replies. She 'hm's to herself for a moment. "Maybe after we're done at the book store?"

She pauses and adds,

"Just as long that isn't too short of a notice, I mean!"
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
"Sure," Yuuki says. Even if she pauses for a moment. She is supposed to meet Magus at midnight. But, Misato wouldn't stay ''that'' late -- so it should be fine. "Besides... we'll have some books to read together!"

Then, she quickly shakes her head. "No, no, it's fine," she says. "I don't mind at all."

She looks ahead, at the street. "Should we get something to bring home, for dinner, too?"

It will be about that time -- and Yuuki doesn't have much to have to cook in the apartment.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>The promise might have slipped her mind, for a brief moment - in the face of the possibility of spending more time with with Yuuki...

Well, getting ready doesn't take long. Most of Magus's gear appears with her costume, it's just the miscellaneous supplies she needs to retrieve.

It'll be fine. She can let herself have this.

"Great~!" Misato beams, as Yuuki agrees - and laughs, with a nod. "Mm-hm! It'll be fun to share them!"

...Most of them, anyway. Sure, she saw the figure, but does Yuuki actually ''read'' Blossom Under You? If she doesn't, what would she think about that...? Well, she can deal with that when they get there...

For now, Yuuki makes a good point.

"Oh, yes, that'd be a good idea..." She considers thoughtfully. "Let's do that."

...She'll have to call her uncle to let her know she won't be back for dinner, but she can put ''that'' off for a bit longer.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
"Mm-hm."

Yuuki feels the same nervousness that Misato does -- doubting she reads Blossom Under You, and wondering what she would really think about it. But, the thought of getting to spend more time with her...

It's worth it, she decides. She can just buy a few manga, maybe, if she needs to cover up for it.

"Let's do that!" she says, as she walks along. "We can pick a place after the bookstore. I-If that's okay! I'm... sure something is nearby."

She bites her lip. Then, she smiles a little.

"...R-Right, miss tour guide?"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Misato looks pleased as Yuuki agrees. That'll be a nice change from reading alone.

"That's fine with me. I think that's a good idea." She agrees. She pauses for a moment as she catches that hesitation, and when Yuuki smiles, Misato grins.

"Why, yes, Miss Hoshizora!" She says, slipping right back into that tour guide act - with the addition of extra formality to reinforce the bit. "There are a wide variety of culinary experiences available at the Lotus Plaza. From restaurants to grocery stores, there are plenty of options to choose from. Though,"

She pauses dramatically for a moment.

"I hear the star of Bakery Pan-Pan is off of work today, so that might have to wait for another time. I'm sure she's doing something important with her time off." She caps it off with a wink.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
The resumption of the tour guide act -- even if it was expected this time -- gets a giggle out of Yuuki. She smiles and she listens, her head tilted to the side. "Is that so? Well, u-um..."

She trails off for a moment.

"...I hope she's having fun with whatever she is up to!" she declares, cheerfully. She does turn a little red at the wink -- but that is, perhaps, to be expected.

She does pause as she looks ahead, at the Lotus Plaza's stores. Her eyes light up as she spots one of the storefronts -- and she points. "Oh--oh, is that the bookstore, Misato-chan?"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Misato's joke gets a positive reaction, and she laughs as Yuuki makes her declaration.

"Don't worry. I believe she is." Misato replies with a smile. ...She really is. Being able to genuinely laugh and joke around with a friend... it's nice.

She looks up when Yuuki points out a particular.

"That's the one!" Misato confirms. She adjusts her course leading her over to it. She pushes the door open and steps aside to let her in. The employee at the counter looks up as they enter, but doesn't pay much more attention before going back to what they were doing.

It's a cozy enough store, with books and manga both. Keeping up with the times it caters to more recent releases, but there are still old gems here and there.

"Let's see... What're you looking for, Yuuki-chan? I need to pick up the latest chapter of Zweihander..." Misato asks. It's a good cover - she ''does'' need to pick that up, too... but it also means that she'll be in the area with Blossom Under You's magazine, too. It's flawless.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
"I-Is that so?" Yuuki asks. "Well... I'm glad."

She really is glad. Even if she knows she needs to work to become stronger, even if her focus must be on helping her parents, being here with a friend -- joking and having fun like this -- is something she missed sorely.

Then, Yuuki nods. She is quiet as she follows her. She starts trying to think of a scheme; Asteroiedes doesn't have a new chapter out. She will have to think of an excuse. Or, maybe...

They enter, and Misato asks a question. "Oh! Um--I think it's--" She glances in the direction of the magazines. "This way! I'll grab mine real quick?"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Misato's smile softens - even if the fact that she thinks so hurts a little, too. She doesn't let it show on her face - instead, the bookstore provides a convenient distraction.

She listens as Yuuki considers, and looks in the direction of the magazines.

...The same way she's going...

"Oh! Then we're going the same way!" Misato comments, her tone is bright. Okay, that's fine - she can think on the fly.

She starts that way - and on the first pass, she passes by Blossom Under You's magazine intentionally diverting her eyes and pretending she hadn't noticed it, heading toward Zweihander's first.

She takes it, looks around, then doubles back. ...It should be safe by now. She reaches out to claim it...!
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Yuuki -- for some reason -- laughs in a nervous way when Misato points out they're headed the same way. Her plan is falling apart. But, no, she can strategize.

"We are!"

She steps forward -- and then she sees Misato walk past Blossom Under You's magazine. Her eyes drift briefly to it. Then, as she steps aside, Yuuki announces something again.

"Oh, the latest chapter of..." Her nose wrinkles. Her tone is not enthused. "...One Beef is out."

With that brilliant cover in place, the way is clear for Yuuki to acquire the latest issue of Blossom Under You's magazine. She steps around the large table, with a large set of Shounen Bump. Then, she slips over to where the magazine she wants is. Her dark green eyes are laser-focused.

She has one goal. One mission.

She reaches a hand out -- and then her hand bumps into another hand. Yuuki turns her head, looking to see who was also going for the manga.

And then her face turns red, from chin to forehead.

"Aaaaaaaah."

</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Yuuki makes an announcement. It's not a very ''enthused'' announcement. But it's a convenient distraction all the same.

"Oh, is it?" Misato replies, curious. But she continues on, and then as she doubles back and reaches out...

...Bump.

"Oh, sorry -" Misato starts, then she looks over, and -

Ah. The rare(...or not so rare) Yuuki Hoshizora, Red Forme.

"...Oh, Yuuki-chan! Fancy seeing you here!" She comments brightly.

...They ''walked in together''. They have plans to ''leave together'', too. Some of her bluffs are impeccable.

This one isn't her best work.

She draws her hand back, drumming her fingers on the side of the shelf.

"Did... that one catch your eye, too? Which one's your favorite?" Misato ventures. ...Maybe it's a coincidence.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Yuuki stares at Misato, sputtering incoherently at her attempt to bluff her way out of this. They split up to get different things less than a minute ago! And she was getting Zweihander, the bloody medieval manga (with, yes, meaningful relationships between women but ''ANYWAYS'')! Yuuki keeps staring.

Her face is still red as a beet. Her fingers linger on the magazine. She looks at it. She considers the other titles.

She is not helped.

"...Y-You want this one too?" she asks. "Um. I--um. Which one is ''your'' favorite?"

She quirks an eyebrow. Then, she pulls it out, and turns it around -- where the cover has a wonderfully drawn picture of the two leads are leaning ''awfully'' close together.

Yuuki points at it, then points at Misato. Then, back at the cover.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Yuuki stares at Misato. Misato stares back. She's still trying to play it cool. But her attempt is defeated by that most ancient of weapons - 'no, you'. Her question is turned right back around on her...

...Misato laughs sheepishly. She considers her options... but much like Yuuki, she doesn't really find any good excuses. Yuuki points.

...Maybe there's only one real answer here.

"Iii've... actually been reading... Blossom Under You lately." Misato replies. ...If that makes things weird, or awkward... better to find out now, right? "It's, you know... ...I like it."
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Yuuki looks at Misato carefully. Her expression is screwed up. She feels tense and nervous, which shows in how she grips the magazine a little too tightly. She watches Misato as she explains.

She thought that might be the case, but she couldn't quite accept it -- ready to find out that Misato is reading something else in the magazine. Or...

Or something else that would leave her feeling awkward.

But, that isn't the case. She opens her mouth, then she closes it. "I-I... um... I do too," she says. She glances, sheepishly to the side. "That's what I came here to pick up today."

Her face is still red. "...It's really good."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Misato watches her carefully, in that moment. ...She's felt less tense during some of her excursions as Magus. She assesses her - but... Yuuki admits that she likes it too, and she feels some of that tension escape her.

"You do, huh...?" Misato comments. "...Me too. Partially, anyway..."

She smiles.

"...Yeah. Yeah, it is, huh?" She agrees. "I, um - I saw the figure in your room, but I didn't know if you... actually read it, or just thought the character was cute, you know?"

She laughs awkwardly.

"But... now we know! I'm glad we agree!"
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Yuuki relaxes a little. Even if she is left with other questions, now. She can't assume that means anything about Misato's preferences. But now...

Now, she has to wonder.

"I wondered if you saw it," Yuuki agrees. "I--um... I think the character is cute. But, um, I like the story a lot. And... um... the relationship is good, too."

She flushes again, then she looks back at Misato, and meets her eye. "M-Me too! Um--we could, um. Read it? When we get back to my place?"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Misato wonders if she caught her looking around... Well, that's good to know for next time. She nods along as Yuuki voices her opinion.

"I feel the same way. I guess... There's a lot I can sympathise with." Misato agrees. ...Is that too much? She doesn't want to get too personal with it, but...

When Yuuki meets her eye again, though, Misato smiles.

"That sounds great! Let's do that, then." She agrees. "That'll give us something to look forward to later!"
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Yuuki smiles -- and she wonders about that statement. She hesitates visibly, for a moment, before she says, "Me too."

She can't say too much more. Certainly not in public.

Besides, they have a plan -- and she really does want to see what happens in this chapter. "Y-Yes! Let's... um, let's check out and grab dinner, Misato-chan."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>It's fine to leave it at that. Especially in public. Admitting ''that'' much was hard enough. Yuuki agrees, and Misato nods. She's largely regained her composure, now, thanks to Yuuki feeling the same way about it.

"Yes! Let's go, Yuuki-chan~!" Misato agrees - and starts toward the counter.
</poem>

[[Category:Logs]]
[[Category:Season 1]]
[[Category:Season 1, Episode 2]]

2026-07-19: Two Lives

2026-07-21T13:56:42Z

Tex:

*'''Log: 2026-07-19: Two Lives'''
*'''Cast:''' [[Yuuki Hoshizora]], [[Misato Fushihara]]
*'''Where:''' Yumezaki, Sumaru City
*'''OOC Date:''' July 19, 2026
*'''IC Date:''' December 11, 2012
*'''Summary''': ''After [[2026-07-17: The Cat's Meow|saving Noriko]], Magus takes off on her own. Yuuki decides to give chase, which leads to a tense conversation and a dilemma for Magus.''

----

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Noriko is saved. The Taiwanese Mafia has been escaped, Scion and her allies retreated, and...

...Magus took off.

But Yuuki saw the masked girl leave. She hesitated for a second, because she remembers what Magus said: 'I tend to work alone.' That sticks with her; for a moment, Yuuki thinks about letting her leave without a word. But then...

Then she thinks of their conversation before, when they sparred. The hint of how Magus is too far gone, too hurt -- and that motivates her. She makes her excuses, and then she is off through Sumaru's streets.

She comes up a T-intersection, to a street that Magus is walking down. Yuuki looks at her from behind, her hands clasped together. And if it's like a different time that she stood down a street from Misato, the similarity is lost on Yuuki. She has her hands at her side. Her left hand balls, nervously, into a fist.

"Magus!" she calls out. "W-Wait!"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Noriko has been saved - at least as much as she can be, while the Joker Curse is still in play. That means Magus's job here is done. Once she saw her to the Velvet Room, she made to leave for the station, to retreat into Mementos while the lingering embers of her Will still cling to and cloak her form.

But, just as she thinks she's in the clear...

'Magus!' 'W-wait!'

Magus pauses in her tracks, draws in a breath. Yuuki... that stubborn streak of hers was something she noticed even on their first meeting, but she didn't think it'd drive her to follow her this far after the fight they both went through.

Magus turns to face her. Yuuki might be unaware of it, but the similarity is far too evident for her. That what might prompts her to ultimately reply, rather than continue on her way.

"Yuuki Hoshizora." Magus greets in turn. She stands up straight, her cloak draping around her. "Was there something you forgot?"
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
"No, I..."

For a moment, Yuuki hesitates. She freezes up for a second. Why did she chase after her? What did she plan to say to her? It feels lost for a moment, as she stares at Magus. She lifts the hand balled into a fist up, over her heart, and looks at Magus.

"...You left without saying goodbye. And I wanted to say..." She hesitates. Awkwardness fills her, for a moment. Then, Yuuki says, "...I think we worked well together, Magus."

She bites her lip. It feels like too much to say -- she feels foolish, like she shouldn't have bothered her with this. But she is already speaking, and she doesn't stop. Her voice gets a little quieter.

"And--and you did a good thing. To save someone. I... um." Yuuki's bright green eyes fall down onto the ground. "...I wanted to tell you that."

</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Yuuki hesitates, and Magus watches her intently. It might be hard to see them behind that mask, but she might feel her eyes on her all the same.

She's quiet for a moment, as Yuuki explains. ...Because she left without saying goodbye? That thought pushed her all this way? ...No, maybe there's more than that...

"...We're both talented. It's only natural." Magus replies - then hesitates for a moment before adding, "...You fought well."

She sees that hesitation on her face - shame, perhaps, on her face... And she freezes, when Yuuki finally lets out.

She did a good thing. She wanted to tell her that - enough to follow after her.

...Magus looks away for a moment, her expression turning complex. She hadn't really thought about it in those terms. And she certainly hadn't thought that anyone would ''notice''. It's not often that people say things like that to her face.

"...I just couldn't ignore someone who was so brazen to do something like that in broad daylight. That's all it is." Magus replies.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
A small smile crosses Yuuki's face at the compliment. She looks at Magus, watching her carefully. Looking at her lips, for any hint of a reaction -- and feeling the weight of those blue eyes on her, even from behind the mask. She feels ''seen'', in a way she isn't usually. The hand over her heart stays there, and she looks back.

She keeps looking, even as Magus looks away. She hears her reply, and it feels like a dismissal.

Yuuki has made herself change in many ways. She made herself surrender her hobbies; surrender her future; and surrender part of who she is. But there is a deeper transformation, too. She might have -- probably would, if she wasn't transformed right now -- accepted the statement.

She walks closer to Magus, her heart pounding in her chest.

"You did something good," Yuuki says, quietly. "It's not a little thing. You were..." She swallows, and then she breaks eye contact.

"...you were so ''dazzling''."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>As Yuuki felt her eyes on her, Magus can feel Yuuki watching, too. She expects it to be left at just that - she's said her piece, so she can leave whenever she's ready. But instead of departing, Yuuki walks closer.

A part of her thinks she should back away... but there's a stubborn side to ''her'', too, that refuses to cede ground.

Yuuki reiterates that she did something good, that it isn't a little thing. And says that she's -

Dazzling.

Magus freezes again. She, the one who always seems to have a plan or a strategy in mind...

...finds her mind completely blank. Dazzling? What does she mean by that?? That's - that's new.

"I-It's not something I plan to make a habit out of." She insists, trying to play it cool despite tripping over her words. She looks away again, as if to use her hood as a barrier between them.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Yuuki's green eyes widen as she sees Magus freeze up. She worries she said too much. Why did--why did she say that? It was stupid, it was too much, it was so ''stupid''--

But she is stubborn.

And her self-incrimination stops when Magus looks away. When she denies it, even as she trips over her own words. It is easier, she finds, to feel for someone else than it is to feel for herself.

"I know... I know the world is hard," Yuuki says. Her voice is quiet. "It's so hard that sometimes, I--I just want to scream. But..."

She quiets. She keeps looking at Magus, even if she has to look at the side of her hood rather than her face. She lifts a hand -- but she can't quite bring herself to reach out for Magus.

"...You can still make it a little better." She looks down, then. "For... for me, at least."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>The world is hard. So hard, that sometimes she wants to scream. Magus considers that. She thinks about days spent lying in bed, unable to work up the motivation to even move.

...It's a sentiment that she feels all too familiar with. Does she realise how deeply her words cut...? Magus is quiet for a moment.

Yuuki insists that she can make the world a little better. For her. ...For her.

...This feels... unfair. Uneven. Magus knows things about her that she shouldn't. Misato Fushihara knows things about her that ''she'' shouldn't.

...And as she told the Groom, there are few things she hates more than an uneven exchange. If she were a stronger person, she'd cut this off here and now.

...But she's not strong enough to deny herself one of the few relationships that has brought some manner of excitement into her life.

"I... suppose," Magus starts hesitantly. "I can at ''least'' make a habit of continuing our midnight meetings."
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Yuuki says it and then her face tightens up. If there is one thing that Yuuki hates to be, to show, it is vulnerability. It feels dangerously close to being that weak girl that her parents had to save. It feels dangerously close to being the weak girl that can't save her parents, now. But she said it, and it's out there.

And now--

Now, she is afraid of rejection. Afraid that Magus will walk away, and she won't have this connection that makes her push herself harder. This connection that means a lot to her.

She can't share this side of herself with Misato. She doesn't know who to turn to -- even Kazusa, she needs to be confident. She needs to be relaible.

Those hesitantly spoken words break through her fears, and anxiety's grip loosens on her heart. A little laugh of relieved tension bubbles up out of her.

"I... I'd like that," she says. "When we fight, whether it's sparring or side by side..." She looks at Magus and smiles, brighter than before. "...I feel like maybe I can be dazzling too."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Yuuki is much stronger than she is, Magus thinks. If there situations were reversed, she would have run away rather than confronting Yuuki.

She hears that small laugh, as Yuuki continues. And that smile...

...Of course she can be dazzling. She's so blinding it hurts, right now.

Magus takes a moment to put on her face again - that familiar, confident expression, before turning back around to face her.

"You were able to keep up with me. Have more confidence in yourself." Magus replies. "It was... an interesting change, fighting with you. I... look forward to doing it again."
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
When Magus turns, Yuuki looks at her face -- and sees that confident expression. It's a salve for her lingering anxiety. She still smiles; it's a little smaller than before. She nods her head in agreement, though. "I... um, I'll do that."

She squares her shoulders and puffs her chest out, subconsciously. "I--I'll look forward to that, too."

Because whether they spar or fight side-by-side, Yuuki can feel a certain spark; a certain electricity to it. Even now, she feels the lingering spark of their earlier efforts. She exhales.

She wishes they could spend longer together now. But she doesn't know how to suggest it -- or what to suggest they do. And still, she finds something to ask.

"...Can we spar tomorrow night?"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>"Good." Magus replies with a nod, as she says she'll have confidence in herself - as she says she'll look forward to it, too.

She watches her, to see if she has anything else to say... but she does, it seems, have a question. Tomorrow night... Magus takes a moment to think about that.

...She can't think of any reason why not.

"Very well. Tomorrow night it is. The location will be the site of our first duel." She decides with a nod.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
"Then..." Yuuki hesitates for a second. She feels a little crawling anxiety; a little fear that she might have been too much for Magus, that she might have said too much. She can't quite banish that fear.

"Tomorrow, at the usual place," she says. She smiles; it's more nervous this time.

"...I'm looking forward to it!"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Tomorrow, at the usual place. Magus confirms that with a nod. Yuuki is looking forward to it...

"...I am, too." She admits - and then turns away, as if to distract from that sudden sincerity. "Take care of yourself, Yuuki Hoshizora. I expect you to be in top form when next we meet."

...That's ''kind'' of like telling her to stay safe.
</poem>

[[Category:Logs]]
[[Category:Season 1]]
[[Category:Season 1, Episode 2]]

2026-07-19: Two Lives

2026-07-21T13:46:39Z

Tex: Created page with "*'''Log: 2026-07-19: Two Lives''' *'''Cast:''' Yuuki Hoshizora, Misato Fushihara *'''Where:''' Yumezaki, Sumaru City *'''OOC Date:''' July 19, 2026 *'''IC Date:''' December 12, 2012 *'''Summary''': ''After saving Noriko, Magus takes off on her own. Yuuki decides to give chase, which leads to a tense conversation and a dilemma for Magus.'' ---- <Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed. <poem> Noriko is saved. The Taiwanese Mafia has been escaped, Scion and her..."

*'''Log: 2026-07-19: Two Lives'''
*'''Cast:''' [[Yuuki Hoshizora]], [[Misato Fushihara]]
*'''Where:''' Yumezaki, Sumaru City
*'''OOC Date:''' July 19, 2026
*'''IC Date:''' December 12, 2012
*'''Summary''': ''After saving Noriko, Magus takes off on her own. Yuuki decides to give chase, which leads to a tense conversation and a dilemma for Magus.''

----

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Noriko is saved. The Taiwanese Mafia has been escaped, Scion and her allies retreated, and...

...Magus took off.

But Yuuki saw the masked girl leave. She hesitated for a second, because she remembers what Magus said: 'I tend to work alone.' That sticks with her; for a moment, Yuuki thinks about letting her leave without a word. But then...

Then she thinks of their conversation before, when they sparred. The hint of how Magus is too far gone, too hurt -- and that motivates her. She makes her excuses, and then she is off through Sumaru's streets.

She comes up a T-intersection, to a street that Magus is walking down. Yuuki looks at her from behind, her hands clasped together. And if it's like a different time that she stood down a street from Misato, the similarity is lost on Yuuki. She has her hands at her side. Her left hand balls, nervously, into a fist.

"Magus!" she calls out. "W-Wait!"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Noriko has been saved - at least as much as she can be, while the Joker Curse is still in play. That means Magus's job here is done. Once she saw her to the Velvet Room, she made to leave for the station, to retreat into Mementos while the lingering embers of her Will still cling to and cloak her form.

But, just as she thinks she's in the clear...

'Magus!' 'W-wait!'

Magus pauses in her tracks, draws in a breath. Yuuki... that stubborn streak of hers was something she noticed even on their first meeting, but she didn't think it'd drive her to follow her this far after the fight they both went through.

Magus turns to face her. Yuuki might be unaware of it, but the similarity is far too evident for her. That what might prompts her to ultimately reply, rather than continue on her way.

"Yuuki Hoshizora." Magus greets in turn. She stands up straight, her cloak draping around her. "Was there something you forgot?"
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
"No, I..."

For a moment, Yuuki hesitates. She freezes up for a second. Why did she chase after her? What did she plan to say to her? It feels lost for a moment, as she stares at Magus. She lifts the hand balled into a fist up, over her heart, and looks at Magus.

"...You left without saying goodbye. And I wanted to say..." She hesitates. Awkwardness fills her, for a moment. Then, Yuuki says, "...I think we worked well together, Magus."

She bites her lip. It feels like too much to say -- she feels foolish, like she shouldn't have bothered her with this. But she is already speaking, and she doesn't stop. Her voice gets a little quieter.

"And--and you did a good thing. To save someone. I... um." Yuuki's bright green eyes fall down onto the ground. "...I wanted to tell you that."

</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Yuuki hesitates, and Magus watches her intently. It might be hard to see them behind that mask, but she might feel her eyes on her all the same.

She's quiet for a moment, as Yuuki explains. ...Because she left without saying goodbye? That thought pushed her all this way? ...No, maybe there's more than that...

"...We're both talented. It's only natural." Magus replies - then hesitates for a moment before adding, "...You fought well."

She sees that hesitation on her face - shame, perhaps, on her face... And she freezes, when Yuuki finally lets out.

She did a good thing. She wanted to tell her that - enough to follow after her.

...Magus looks away for a moment, her expression turning complex. She hadn't really thought about it in those terms. And she certainly hadn't thought that anyone would ''notice''. It's not often that people say things like that to her face.

"...I just couldn't ignore someone who was so brazen to do something like that in broad daylight. That's all it is." Magus replies.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
A small smile crosses Yuuki's face at the compliment. She looks at Magus, watching her carefully. Looking at her lips, for any hint of a reaction -- and feeling the weight of those blue eyes on her, even from behind the mask. She feels ''seen'', in a way she isn't usually. The hand over her heart stays there, and she looks back.

She keeps looking, even as Magus looks away. She hears her reply, and it feels like a dismissal.

Yuuki has made herself change in many ways. She made herself surrender her hobbies; surrender her future; and surrender part of who she is. But there is a deeper transformation, too. She might have -- probably would, if she wasn't transformed right now -- accepted the statement.

She walks closer to Magus, her heart pounding in her chest.

"You did something good," Yuuki says, quietly. "It's not a little thing. You were..." She swallows, and then she breaks eye contact.

"...you were so ''dazzling''."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>As Yuuki felt her eyes on her, Magus can feel Yuuki watching, too. She expects it to be left at just that - she's said her piece, so she can leave whenever she's ready. But instead of departing, Yuuki walks closer.

A part of her thinks she should back away... but there's a stubborn side to ''her'', too, that refuses to cede ground.

Yuuki reiterates that she did something good, that it isn't a little thing. And says that she's -

Dazzling.

Magus freezes again. She, the one who always seems to have a plan or a strategy in mind...

...finds her mind completely blank. Dazzling? What does she mean by that?? That's - that's new.

"I-It's not something I plan to make a habit out of." She insists, trying to play it cool despite tripping over her words. She looks away again, as if to use her hood as a barrier between them.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Yuuki's green eyes widen as she sees Magus freeze up. She worries she said too much. Why did--why did she say that? It was stupid, it was too much, it was so ''stupid''--

But she is stubborn.

And her self-incrimination stops when Magus looks away. When she denies it, even as she trips over her own words. It is easier, she finds, to feel for someone else than it is to feel for herself.

"I know... I know the world is hard," Yuuki says. Her voice is quiet. "It's so hard that sometimes, I--I just want to scream. But..."

She quiets. She keeps looking at Magus, even if she has to look at the side of her hood rather than her face. She lifts a hand -- but she can't quite bring herself to reach out for Magus.

"...You can still make it a little better." She looks down, then. "For... for me, at least."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>The world is hard. So hard, that sometimes she wants to scream. Magus considers that. She thinks about days spent lying in bed, unable to work up the motivation to even move.

...It's a sentiment that she feels all too familiar with. Does she realise how deeply her words cut...? Magus is quiet for a moment.

Yuuki insists that she can make the world a little better. For her. ...For her.

...This feels... unfair. Uneven. Magus knows things about her that she shouldn't. Misato Fushihara knows things about her that ''she'' shouldn't.

...And as she told the Groom, there are few things she hates more than an uneven exchange. If she were a stronger person, she'd cut this off here and now.

...But she's not strong enough to deny herself one of the few relationships that has brought some manner of excitement into her life.

"I... suppose," Magus starts hesitantly. "I can at ''least'' make a habit of continuing our midnight meetings."
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Yuuki says it and then her face tightens up. If there is one thing that Yuuki hates to be, to show, it is vulnerability. It feels dangerously close to being that weak girl that her parents had to save. It feels dangerously close to being the weak girl that can't save her parents, now. But she said it, and it's out there.

And now--

Now, she is afraid of rejection. Afraid that Magus will walk away, and she won't have this connection that makes her push herself harder. This connection that means a lot to her.

She can't share this side of herself with Misato. She doesn't know who to turn to -- even Kazusa, she needs to be confident. She needs to be relaible.

Those hesitantly spoken words break through her fears, and anxiety's grip loosens on her heart. A little laugh of relieved tension bubbles up out of her.

"I... I'd like that," she says. "When we fight, whether it's sparring or side by side..." She looks at Magus and smiles, brighter than before. "...I feel like maybe I can be dazzling too."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Yuuki is much stronger than she is, Magus thinks. If there situations were reversed, she would have run away rather than confronting Yuuki.

She hears that small laugh, as Yuuki continues. And that smile...

...Of course she can be dazzling. She's so blinding it hurts, right now.

Magus takes a moment to put on her face again - that familiar, confident expression, before turning back around to face her.

"You were able to keep up with me. Have more confidence in yourself." Magus replies. "It was... an interesting change, fighting with you. I... look forward to doing it again."
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
When Magus turns, Yuuki looks at her face -- and sees that confident expression. It's a salve for her lingering anxiety. She still smiles; it's a little smaller than before. She nods her head in agreement, though. "I... um, I'll do that."

She squares her shoulders and puffs her chest out, subconsciously. "I--I'll look forward to that, too."

Because whether they spar or fight side-by-side, Yuuki can feel a certain spark; a certain electricity to it. Even now, she feels the lingering spark of their earlier efforts. She exhales.

She wishes they could spend longer together now. But she doesn't know how to suggest it -- or what to suggest they do. And still, she finds something to ask.

"...Can we spar tomorrow night?"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>"Good." Magus replies with a nod, as she says she'll have confidence in herself - as she says she'll look forward to it, too.

She watches her, to see if she has anything else to say... but she does, it seems, have a question. Tomorrow night... Magus takes a moment to think about that.

...She can't think of any reason why not.

"Very well. Tomorrow night it is. The location will be the site of our first duel." She decides with a nod.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
"Then..." Yuuki hesitates for a second. She feels a little crawling anxiety; a little fear that she might have been too much for Magus, that she might have said too much. She can't quite banish that fear.

"Tomorrow, at the usual place," she says. She smiles; it's more nervous this time.

"...I'm looking forward to it!"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Tomorrow, at the usual place. Magus confirms that with a nod. Yuuki is looking forward to it...

"...I am, too." She admits - and then turns away, as if to distract from that sudden sincerity. "Take care of yourself, Yuuki Hoshizora. I expect you to be in top form when next we meet."

...That's ''kind'' of like telling her to stay safe.
</poem>

[[Category:Logs]]
[[Category:Season 1]]
[[Category:Season 1, Episode 2]]

2026-07-12: Strategy Games and Other Common Interests

2026-07-21T13:38:47Z

Tex: Created page with "*'''Log: 2026-07-12: Strategy Games and Other Common Interests''' *'''Cast:''' Yuuki Hoshizora, Misato Fushihara *'''Where:''' Yuuki's (Borrowed) Apartment, Renegdai, Sumaru City *'''OOC Date:''' July 12, 2026 *'''IC Date:''' December 08, 2012 *'''Summary''': ''Yuuki invites Misato over to the apartment she is staying at, to hang out. They discover common interests -- and a few details about the other's inner lives, too.'' ---- <Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora..."

*'''Log: 2026-07-12: Strategy Games and Other Common Interests'''
*'''Cast:''' [[Yuuki Hoshizora]], [[Misato Fushihara]]
*'''Where:''' Yuuki's (Borrowed) Apartment, Renegdai, Sumaru City
*'''OOC Date:''' July 12, 2026
*'''IC Date:''' December 08, 2012
*'''Summary''': ''Yuuki invites Misato over to the apartment she is staying at, to hang out. They discover common interests -- and a few details about the other's inner lives, too.''

----

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
When they walked home together, for the first time (and have since), Misato told Yuuki to let her know if she was ever bored and wanted her to come over.

Yuuki is staying at Iori Hayabusa's apartment. A former Navigator who worked with her parents, he has an apartment in Sumaru -- but he tends to live out of a second apartment in Tokyo. That often leaves Yuuki alone, in an apartment that is nice... but rather plain.

As a second apartment, it is largely furnished with rather impersonal and cheap furniture; there are a few stock paintings on the walls. She spends a lot of time in her room.

And it is lonely. So, finally...

Misato's cell chimes on Saturday afternoon. A ding, then a second, for text messages from Yuuki.

> Fushihara-san.
> Are you busy? Do you want to come over?

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>It's Saturday. Misato doesn't have a shift at Bakery Pan-Pan today, so... ultimately, there's not much for her to do but go home. Which leads to her lying listlessly in bed, staring up at the ceiling. It's a normal for her.

And then, there's a ding from her phone. She contemplates ignoring it for a moment, and then digs it out -

It's from Yuuki.

Misato sits up.

> Hoshizora-san!

The message is accompanied with a bright, cheery emoticon.

> No, not at all! I was wondering what to do today, in fact... I'd love to~!

This one is accompanied with a musical note.

With motivation acquired, Misato hauls herself out of bed, hurrrying to make herself look presentable.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Yuuki blinks down at the cheery emoticon. She smiles, after a moment; leave it to Misato to be cheerful. Even if she did seem to hesitate the other day before the turn to go back to her house. There is something more to Misato Fushihara...

...She just doesn't know what it is yet.

> Great! I'll send a pin. Let me know when you're on the way over.

Yuuki, for her part, is already presentable -- but she makes her bed, pulls a chair into her bedroom, and looks over the scant decorations there. She is grateful, at least, for having a television and console in there.

But the anxiety that there won't be enough to do is already there.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>> Okay!

She picks up the pace, and takes a moment to consider her outfit. She usually dresses sporty, but if she's going over to a friend's house...

...What ''does'' she wear when visiting a friend? It feels like it's been ages since she's done that last...

...Eventually, she settles on a long-sleeved white t-shirt with yellow outlines of sunflowers on the right side for a nice asymmetric look, paired with black pants, a nice pair of shoes, and her hoodie tied about her waist like a skirt.

And of course, she has to have her ribbon.

> On my way~!

...And sure enough, Yuuki will, eventually, hear her apartment's bell ring.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Yuuki, for her part, is wearing a short-sleeved, pale yellow T-shirt and a blue skirt. And when the doorbell rings, she answers -- opening the door and looking at Misato. She has had friends over, but it has also been for awhile. So for half-a-second, she stares uncertainly.

Then her eyes are drawn to the ribbon. Then, Yuuki smiles.

"H-Hello, Fushihara-san," she says. "Um--please, come in."

She steps back, and the rather generically decorated apartment awaits. "I'm staying with Iori-san, but... he's out a lot. Um..."

She glances around. "...Is it okay if we hang out in my room?" she asks. "The rest of the place isn't really mine, so..."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Yuuki smiles, and Misato smiles back.

"Hello, Hoshizora-san~!" Misato greets brightly. "Thank you for having me!"

She steps inside as Yuuki invites her in, taking a moment to look around. It's generic - the kind of thing she'd expect from a place someone doesn't expect to return to often.

"Ah, I remember you mentioning that..." Misato comments, and then nods. "Yes, of course!"

She giggles.

"I'm curious to see it~."
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
The giggle -- and the way she says that -- makes Yuuki stutter. Her cheeks redden, and she turns. "R-Right, um... r-right. This way!"

There is a single hallway, leading to two rooms. One of them is closed; the other is ajar, but Misato can see that a small wooden sign has been added, which has "YUUKI HOSHIZORA" written on it.

She holds the door open.

It's a room that she has visibly only recently arrived in. There are a trio of mostly unpacked cardboard boxes, against one wall. Her desk has a laptop sitting on it; there is also a flatscreen TV on the wall, with a gaming console under it.

The walls have a trio of posters on them. All of them are somehow related to space exploration. One is a schematic of the space shuttle; another is a rocket launch; the third is an astronaut floating above the Earth. There is also a bookshelf, which has several books and manga on it. A few plushies and figures, and a couple of model rockets, can also be found.

Yuuki turns around to look at Misato. "I know it's... not much," she says. "I couldn't bring everything with me, unfortunately."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Misato follows right after her to the hallway. The closed door must be her parents' friend's room... She offers Yuuki a polite nod and steps inside, looking her room over. She hums cheerily to herself as she studies it, and then whirls around to offer Yuuki a smile and a shake of her head.

"It's okay, I understand." She assures. "Even so, it's very you~. I can tell what's important to you by what you've chosen to bring with you... I like it! Those figures are really cute, too..."

She considers the console, then.

"What kind of games do you like, Hoshizora-san?" She asks, curious.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
"Really?" Yuuki asks. "I suppose, um, I wear my interests on my sleeve." She smiles back at her, and then her eyes are drawn to the figures at her remark. She has a couple of very cartoon-like yokai figures; there are a couple of astronauts, of course. And, perhaps familiar to Misato, there is one of a girl in a school uniform with shoulder-length brown hair.

Misato might know that manga.

She looks at Misato, putting a hand to her chin. "Well... I like fighting games. I have a few of those. And I like strategy games, too--I've got the latest Nobunaga's Desire."

She scratches her cheek. "And RPG's, too. What about you? Do you play?"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>"Really!" Misato assures with a nod and a smile. Her eyes linger on that figure of a girl. She ''does'' know that manga. It's more of a surprise to her that ''Yuuki'' does...

...She considers her for a moment - and feels like the question of video games is a ''much'' safer topic, just in case she's off-base, so she holds her thoughts in for now.

"Fighting games always look fun, but it's hard for me to play things that require intricate inputs..." Misato admits. There's a spark in her eyes, though, when she mentions strategy games. Yuuki likes them too, huh...? That's a surprise. "Oh? Really? You do? Me too!"

She nods enthusiastically.

"I enjoy RPGs, too... oh, and puzzle games!" She says.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Yuuki catches Misato glance at the figure of that brown-haired girl. For a moment, she has a tiny spike of panic. Would Misato recognize it? Would she guess? Would--would that be a problem?

Fortunately, Misato decides on a safer topic.

"Oh, it's okay," she says, regarding fighting games. Even if it surprises her; the other girl seems sporty. Yuuki perks up, though, when she finds out that she likes strategy games, too.

"You do? Do you--um--do you ever do multiplayer?" Yuuki asks, a little hopefully.

Then, she smiles, clasping her hands in front of her. "What's your favorite puzzle game?"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Yuuki says it's okay, and Misato nods. A part of her feels a ''little'' bit of a regret about that... but, that's just a fact of life to her now. She's come to terms with that.

She can see the way Yuuki perks up when she she mentions that she, too, likes strategy games.

"I haven't know anyone else that plays them, so I haven't had the opportunity..." Misato admits with a shake of her head, and then smiles. "...But I wouldn't mind trying!"

As for puzzle games...

"I like all kinds, but... the one where you connect the colored slimes is pretty cute." Misato replies. "...Oh, and I like those games about the doctor and his assistant, too. It's fun to have a mystery tying them all together."
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
"Then we'll have to do it. They don't have couch co-op but..." Yuuki glances back at the closed laptop on her desk. "...We could do that online?"

Then, she smiles -- and tilts her head to the side. The doctor and his assistant... it takes her a moment, and Misato can see the gears turning in her head. Then, her eyes widen.

"That reminds me of a puzzle!" Yuuki declares. Then, she giggles, lifting a hand over her mouth. "I like that one, too. The characters are fun."

There is a moment's pause, as she walks -- without announcement, in that slightly odd way of hers -- to a box. She reaches inside, and pulls out a closed plastic case. The title reads: "POYO-POYO 4."

"This one?"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>"Mm-hm! I'm willing to give it a try." Misato agrees with a nod. There's a part of her that's eager to try. She's fought Yuuki before - even if she doesn't know that - but getting the chance to contend with her ''strategically''... It's intriguing.

She watches Yuuki for a moment, then, as the gears turn - and then! Misato claps her hands together.

"Yes!" She enthuses. "I'm glad you agree!"

That's not the only thing they share - Misato watches as Yuuki, without a word, moves to a box draws out a plastic case. Sure enough...

"That one!" Misato confirms. "We have a lot in common, huh?"

...It's... genuinely nice, to share her interests like this. That's a dangerous feeling.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
"Let's do that soon," Yuuki says, with more than a little excitement in her voice. She hasn't had someone to play with in awhile -- she hasn't ''wanted'' to play in awhile. And she hadn't kept up with her online friendships very well, either.

"Mm-hm. The doctor is charming," Yuuki says. She smiles, and she lowers the DVD case for the game -- even if she has an idea. She looks at Misato, her eyes blinking a couple of times.

"We do," she says. She hesitates for a moment. Does she really have the time to befriend this girl?

Is it neglecting her duty to her parents?

But...

Loneliness had been gripping her heart in a vice. And the smile on Misato's face makes it loosen a little more.

So, a little more quietly, Yuuki admits: "...I'm glad we do."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>"Let's!" Misato agrees. She can hear it in Yuuki's voice, too. She winks. "I hope I'll prove to be a worthy adversary~. Don't go easy on me!"

She laughs, then, and nods her agreement.

"Yes! He's fun, isn't he?" She agrees. She meets Yuuki's look, sees that hesitation... but doesn't push her.

"...Me too." She agrees.

...Even if it feels like she's just using her to ignore her own problems.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
"Don't worry," Yuuki says. And it may be familiar, even if she says it in a different tone. "I won't hold back."

She smiles, though -- and she nods in agreement. The puzzle-loving doctor ''is'' fun. And the way some of the stories are sad -- well, she likes that too.

"Mm." She lifts the game case up. Maybe she isn't sure if this is right, but it makes her feel better. "...Want to play? It has a versus mode."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>"Great." Misato replies, pleased. It ''is'' a familiar sentiment... but it's good to know her response is still the same, even for Misato Fushihara. The last thing she wants is to think Yuuki was holding back on her.

Yuuki lifts the game case up, and Misato nods.

"Sure!" She agrees. This is bound to be a more entertaining night than what she would have been doing otherwise...
</poem>

[[Category:Logs]]
[[Category:Season 1]]
[[Category:Season 1, Episode 2]]

2026-07-03: Walking Home

2026-07-04T21:37:11Z

Tex: Created page with "*'''Log: 2026-07-03: Walking Home''' *'''Cast:''' Yuuki Hoshizora, Misato Fushihara *'''Where: Renegdai, Sumaru City''' *'''OOC Date:''' July 03, 2026 *'''IC Date:''' December 04, 2012 *'''Summary''': ''Misato comes to Yuuki as she's preparing to leave for school. The two girls decide to walk home together, and talk about their lives. Friendship occurs!'' ---- <Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed. <poem> It is Tuesday afternoon and the school bell rang no..."

*'''Log: 2026-07-03: Walking Home'''
*'''Cast:''' [[Yuuki Hoshizora]], [[Misato Fushihara]]
*'''Where: Renegdai, Sumaru City'''
*'''OOC Date:''' July 03, 2026
*'''IC Date:''' December 04, 2012
*'''Summary''': ''Misato comes to Yuuki as she's preparing to leave for school. The two girls decide to walk home together, and talk about their lives. Friendship occurs!''

----

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
It is Tuesday afternoon and the school bell rang not so long ago. Yuuki is at her locker as she gets ready to leave for the day. If Misato has checked, she usually leaves shortly after school; she has yet to join any clubs, she doesn't know that many people, and she most often goes home by herself.

People sometimes talk about it, too. 'The new transfer student must be lonely,' the rumors sometimes go.

The teal-haired girl has her bag on the floor. She pulls on her tennis shoe onto her right foot, with a yank -- and then she leans down to pick up the brown, faux leather shoes that she wears while indoors.

She yawns, too. And Misato might well know why she is tired -- after all, she sometimes is up after midnight. Even if it has been a couple of days since that eventful sparring session.

She hasn't left ''yet'', though. And that, perhaps, presents an opportunity.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>The bell rings the end of the school day. Some days, Misato wishes the ticking of the clock would slow down. She doesn't really look ''forward'' to going home at the end of the day... but none of the clubs really hold her attention, either, so she lacks a solid excuse.

And so, Misato is at her locker, too, readying herself to go home.

She pauses for a moment, though, considering Yuuki. She's heard the rumors, of course. Misato absorbs gossip like a sponge - it's good to know what her fellow students are talking about, if only to make it easier to blend in. It seems like Yuuki hasn't made much progress in getting to know people...

And so, as Yuuki yawns, Misato slips up behind her.

"Long day?" Misato asks brightly. She can hazard a guess what she was up doing - but ''Misato'' shouldn't know that, so she doesn't bring it up. "Are you heading home, Hoshizora-san?"
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Suddenly, there is a Misato behind her.

Yuuki makes a squeak-like noise at the brightly asked question, then she does a quick turn around to look at her. Her eyes linger, for a moment, on that yellow ribbon. Her mouth opens, then closes again before she smiles.

"A... a little. I was up late, last night." She keeps herself from yawning again -- and then she remembers the last time she spoke to Misato one-on-one, when she... she got embarassed, and rambled in the bakery. She flushes a little.

"I--um. Yes," Yuuki says. "I was going to take off soon. I don't have a club today." A beat. "Or... or any day, actually... what about you, Fushihara-san?"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Misato beams as she's rewarded with a squeak. She offers Yuuki a smile, waiting for her train of thought to catch up.

"I know what that's like! Sometimes I stay up way too late reading..." Misato sympathises. ...It's not a lie, even if it ''is'' intentional misdirection - she really does do that, on the nights she doesn't go out to enjoy the Dark Hour atmosphere. ...Judging from that look, she guesses Yuuki remembers their last one-on-one encounter.

Yuuki doesn't have a club... That lines up with what she's gathered.

"Me either... I haven't really found one I liked." She admits with a shake of her head. "So, I'm just getting ready to head home. How about you, are you headed that way too?"
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Is she enjoying that reaction? Yuuki looks just a ''little'' flustered at the beam. But, she smiles, too.

"Oh? Um... what do you read?" Yuuki asks, her head tilted to the side. And if she dodges the implied question -- why she stayed up late -- then all the better. She couldn't tell Misato about Personas, Shadows, and the like.

"Mm," she murmurs. "I was in Astronomy Club in Choju. But... I don't think we have one. And I... well, I can't start one." And Misato might know why -- even if Yuuki doesn't know that she knows that. She looks at her. "So just dance, for now--"

She hesitates, then. Her eyes blink once, then again. "Oh! Um--yes, I was planning to."

She leans over to pick her bag up off the floor. "You... are too?"

Does she want to walk with her? Yuuki isn't sure.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>It's the obvious question, but Misato takes a second to think about it. She's just a ''little'' sheepish about her first answer - so she goes to her second instead.

"I like fantasy novels! Big, worldspanning adventures, heroes from meagre beginning toppling larger foes... Things like that." She replies. "Do you read?"

Astronomy Club... She thinks back to when they first met, and what she knows now... Yes, that makes sense.

"I see... It can be pretty difficult for a new student to get a club going, yeah... So we're both in the same boat." She replies consideringly. And she brightens once more when Yuuki confirms that she is, and asks if she is, too. "I am! In that case... Since we're going the same direction, do you want to walk home together?"
BBS: New BB message (9/5) posted to 'Character Announcements' by Pachinko Silver: OPEN: MAKI SONOMURA
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
"Oh, those sound fun. I like... um, science fiction. Especially hard science fiction. And books on science in general, too," Yuuki says. "I like manga too. My favorite..."

She hesitates for a second. She ends up giving her second favorite.

"...is Asteroeides. It's about a crew of debris removers in orbit, in the future."

There is a nod -- it ''is'' difficult for a new student to start a club. And so, Yuuki is happy to leave it at that. It is better than admitting to something painful. She spots the way that Misato brightens, which gets another small smile out of her. "Sure," she says. "That, um. That sounds nice. Do you need to stop by your locker, first?"

</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Science fiction - hard science fiction, especially, and books on science in general... Misato nods thoughtfully.

She doesn't actually know the difference. She'll have to look it up later, but she'll pretend she knows for now.

"Those sound really interesting, too!" Misato enthuses. "I ''do'' read some manga from time to time, too..."

'Asteroeides'... Misato combs her mind. Has she heard of that one before...? Either way, she makes note of it.

"Oh, that sounds interesting! I'll have to check it out sometime." She comments.

Yuuki agrees to walking home, though, and Misato looks pleased.

"Nope! I was just getting my stuff ready before I spotted you still here, so I'm already ready!" She replies, lifting up her bag.

...She finds she's actually kind of looking forward to this. It'll be nice to have something to do on the way home that isn't dreading it.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
The difference between hard and soft science fiction, once Misato learns, will probably not surprise her in the slightest. Yuuki is the sort of person who would be particular about realistic physics and the like.

Yuuki brightens, this time, at the mention that Misato might check Asteroeides out. Though, she realizes, she ''might'' just be saying that. "What about you? Um. Favorite book. Or manga, I mean."

She scratches her cheek, and then she looks at Misato's bag as she lifts it. She nods, shouldering her own bag; it has the patches of various space missions lovingly adhered to it, with the images of rockets -- and mission names in English, Japanese, Russian, and Chinese. "Right. In that case..."

She turns with a slightly-too-forceful spin -- covering awkwardness with determination -- and then she takes a few steps forward, towards the school doors with a serious expression on her face. "...Onward!"
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>What ''is'' her favorite...? She has to think about that. These days, she doesn't think about her favorites much... and the first one that comes to mind, similarly, she avoids bringing up in favor of...

"Hm... my favorite manga is probably... Zweihander? It's about an order of monster-slaying women..." Misato comments. "Oh, but... I'd recommend avoiding it if you're squeamish."

...It really seems at odds with Misato's bright and sunny image - but maybe it's the cheeriest ones who are able to delve into the darkest stuff and come out the other side.

It's interesting, the difference between their bags - Yuuki's is coated in reminders and memoirs of her interests, whereas Misato's is completely plain, black with bright yellow stripes.

"Onward!" Misato echoes, cheering brightly.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
"I've heard of it," Yuuki says. She is a ''little'' surprised -- it is rather dark, after all. She smiles, though. "It isn't quite what I expected, but... I heard it's really good. Maybe I'll check it out sometime. I'm not all that squeamish!"

She says it with that hint of stubborn pride that is a hallmark of everything Yuuki Hoshizora says and does.

She finds herself looking forward to it, too -- after all, even if that stubborn pride keeps her from admitting it, going home by herself on days without dance classes can feel lonely. Her bag sways behind her, next to the black-and-yellow bag of the other girl.

Onward!

Out the front doors and onto the sidewalk. Yuuki slows her march a little, and she glances sideways at Misato. She still doesn't know that much about her. "So, um..." She trails off, awkwardly. What should she say. "...where do you live, Fushihara-san? In... Renegdai, right...?"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>"Oh, you have?" Misato remarks with interest. "I like it! You might, too."

She's quietly amused by Yuuki's stubbornness. She should have expected nothing less from her, really.

Shouldering her backpack Misato heads out the front doors with Yuuki. She meets her sideways glance, offering her a smile as Yuuki trails off.

"Mm-hm, I do!" Misato confirms. "I live on... Well, actually, maybe it'd be easier to show you..."

She doesn't know if Yuuki has all of the street names down yet so instead she pulls out her phone, navigating to a map.

"Right around... here!" She points it out. "How about you, Hoshizora-san?"
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
"Mm-hm. I've read some fantasy and the like, too. I do like it," she says. Even if Yuuki tends to prefer science fiction, sometimes a fantastical world is fun -- and sometimes, something violent and dark is fun, too. She has enjoyed some rather dark science fiction, after all; things with body horror and the like.

There is a blink when Misato offers to show her where she lives. It is a smart move; Yuuki ''doesn't'' have the streets memorized. So often, she needs to pull her phone out and let the map app guide her.

"Oh, I'm not too far from you. I'm..." She reaches over Misato's hand, without thinking -- and ''really'' without thinking, she points to a location on Misato's phone, to an apartment building that is only two blocks away.

"I live here," Yuuki says. "With, um, a friend of my parents. While I stay here. Hayabusa-san. He is away on business a lot, though, so..."

She falls quiet, her finger hovering a little over the other girl's phone. "...I have the place to myself a lot."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>"I'm glad!" Misato beams. It is a nice change. Misato feels the same way. Even if it's something violent and dark... it only lasts for as long as she has her nose in the book. She can step away from that world whenever she wants.

Yuuki reaches over her hand and Misato is surprised at the sudden contact, but she doesn't flinch - instead, she looks over to take note of where she's pointing out.

"A friend of your parents?" Misato repeats. ...She knows Yuuki is looking for them. Ordinarily she'd want to avoid opening up that wound, though, but... someone who shouldn't know ''would'' ask that question. She looks toward Yuuki, considering her for a moment. The way she falls quiet... Her expression softens for a moment.

She can't help but feel sympathy for her - and a pang of guilt, too.

"...Well, if the house ever feels lonely... feel free to give me a call and I'll be right over! That's not a far walk." Misato offers with a bright smile. It might be notable that she offers to go over to her place rather than inviting her to her own.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Yuuki's hand stays over Misato's for a second, hovering over the phone. She catches the way Misato's expression softens a little -- the way that it's not the same bright smile that she is used to. She stares, for just a second, and then she brings her hand back quickly. She clasps them behind her back.

"Yeah," she says, a little quietly. "They're... um. They're overseas, for awhile. I miss them, but..."

The smile on her face is, for just a second, sad.

"...I hope I'll get to see them before long."

There is a moment of pause, then. Misato's bright smile is back -- and with an offer that takes her aback. "R-Really?" she asks. "I, um... thank you, Fushihara-san. I--um--I appreciate that..."

But she offered to come over, not to visit. Why is that?

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Overseas... So that's what she's going with. It's smart, Misato supposes - that wouldn't really draw any suspicion toward her.

...She feels another pang of guilt when she sees that sad smile.

"Well..." Misato starts, before offering her a small smile of her own. "I hope you get to see them soon, too. That must be difficult... but hang in there, okay? I'm sure they miss you, too."

Yuuki accepts her offer, though - and with that, the melancholy is stuffed back down once more.

"Great! In that case... here's my number!" Misato offers, navigating to her phone number next for Yuuki.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
The small smile gets Yuuki to look up, literally and metaphorically. Her eyes meet Misato's again. When she has transformed, they're a bright green, so bright that they almost sparkle. Like this, they're a dark green -- duller, but deeper, too. And the way her eyelids move, the way her cheeks scrunch up...

She is touched, and she can't quite hide it. She still tries.

But life in Sumaru has been lonely. Living in someone else's apartment, going to a new school, and being so focused on her parents has left her precious little time to make friends. She hasn't really tried, either, being so focused on it.

"Thanks, Fushihara-san." Her voice is quiet. "I... um."

Words fail her. And she feels a little well of shame in her stomach. She can't even express gratitude for this girl who seems steadfastly determined to not leave her alone. She swallows -- and then blinks. Then, she nods quickly, and fishes her phone out. She quickly starts adding Misato's information -- typing it out in hiragana. But then, true to form, she pauses.

"Can you give me the kanji for your name?" she asks. "I need my contacts to be listed in the right order. Oh, and I have to decide what categories to assign--"

Because, yes, Yuuki is ''that'' particular about how she organizes the contacts in her smartphone.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Yuuki's eyes meet Misato's. She doesn't mind them like this, either. She can see that Yuuki is touched... and a part of her is glad she feels that way.

"You're welcome." Misato replies, genuinely. And she waits as Yuuki works her way through her feelings, without pressuring her to continue any further... but then she pauses, as she asks a serious question.

...Oh, so she's ''that'' type of person. Maybe she should have expected her to be so meticulous...

"Oh, um... Sure! Here..." She says, listing it out.

'Misato', relating to truth and wisdom, and 'Fushihara', relating to hiding and investigating...
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Yuuki absolutely is that sort of person. She looks up at Misato and blinks, before she nods -- then she tilts her head. "Your names go together really well," she says. "Ah--um--I hope that's okay to say..."

She keeps typing them out. Both names, making sure she has the kanji right for both. Then, she pauses for a second. She opens up a list of categories, and she starts selecting them:

1. 'Friend'
2. 'Class 2-C'
3. 'Dance Class'
4. 'Local'
5. ...

She flushes, her cheeks turning pink, and she turns a little. But not enough -- Misato can see what she types out next:

5. 'Cute Ribbon'

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Yuuki compliments her name! Misato laughs.

"No no, it's fine! ...I think that's the first time someone's complimented by name, actually. So, thanks~!" She replies.

Yuuki inserts her name, and Misato takes note of the categories. 'Friend'...

...That's kind of nice, actually.

But then Yuuki turns. Misato does, of course, peek - and she beams privately as she sees the fifth category.

So, she really does think it's cute, huh...? She has enough mercy in her heart to pretend not to notice.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
The first time someone has complimented her name? Yuuki blinks. For a moment, she worries that she was weird.

"W-Well... I think so!" she declares, a little lamely.

And she has no idea that Misato peeked at her entering the fifth category. So she slides her phone back into her bag, turns to look back at Misato, and she smiles.

"Um, you can text me, too," she says. "If you want to."

She shoulders her bag -- and then she keeps walking. "I don't mind. If that's okay."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>"I'm glad. I like yours, too!" Misato replies. And Yuuki assures her that she can text ''her'', too, that she doesn't mind. Misato giggles.

"Hmm, you don't mind? Are you sure? Then... I'll keep in touch! No takebacks!" She replies brightly. "...But,"

Misato follows after Yuuki.

"...I'll try not to blow up your phone ''too'' often~." She assures with a wink.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
"You do?" Yuuki asks. "Hoshizora--" The name means 'Starry Skies,' as it happens. "--felt a little on point to me, given my hobbies..."

It's more than a hobby. And she doesn't reflect on whether her given name fits. Courage is something of a tricky concept for her, at the moment.

And besides, Misato is being cheerful and a ''lot''. But, not in a bad way. She flusters and looks to the side. "G-Good grief!" she stammers out. But, then she looks back at her.

"I won't hold it against you," she says. She pauses. "...if you have a dog or a cat, I want to see pictures. I miss Goro-kun a lot."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>"Maybe a little." Misato admits with a small laugh. "But it suits you! That's something to cherish."

Yuuki stammers out a good grief and Misato laughs again, offering her a smile.

"Good~!" She replies... and offers her a sympathetic look when she mentions how much she misses Goro-kun. A dog or a cat, huh... She hasn't really thought about pets before. If something happened, they'd be a potential weapon against her... She can't justify doing that to an animal. It's better that way, isn't it? "I see... I'm sorry. I'm afraid I don't... I have a houseplant, though! ...Buuut I know that's not the same thing."

She's quiet for a moment.

"...Do you want to talk about him?" She asks.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
"You think so...?"

It feeds that little conflict growing in Yuuki's heart. She needs to focus on saving her parents; she needs to keep the distractions away. But the way Misato likes it when she engages in those hobbies, the way she keeps poking her nose in, it makes her want to think of rockets and look up at the heavens again.

She looks ahead, thoughtfully. She listens, as Misato responds -- and she can't know the thought that goes through her mind. She turns to look at her. A smile crosses her face. "I'll still take pictures of your houseplant."

A beat, then Yuuki looks down. She nods -- she stops walking, to pull her phone back out.

She brings up a picture of a spotted, brown and white basset hound with floppy ears and drooping eyes. "This is Goro-kun," she says. "He couldn't come with me... Hayabusa-san wasn't sure he could have pets, and... and I didn't want to be a bother. So, he is staying with a friend of mom's, back in Choju."

She gets quiet, for a second. "He's a really sweet dog. I wish I could come home to him."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>"Mm-hm, I do!" Misato replies with a decisive nod. She smiles back, as Yuuki says she'll accept pictures of her houseplant. "Then I'll be sure to send you one as soon as I get home!"

Yuuki does want to talk about Goro-kun, though, and when she stops Misato moves in closer to look at the picture she pulls up. She looks at it - and lets out a genuine 'aww'.

Even Misato's heart, guarded as it is, is vulnerable to cute dogs...

"I love him, he's ''adorable''." She gushes, then looks up from the picture toward Yuuki herself. "...He looks like it. I'm sure you'll get to see him again soon..."

Yuuki... really is hurting, huh. Misato thinks about that quietly.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
"I'll look forward to it," Yuuki says, with a smile.

She looks at Misato with a little surprise at the 'aww,' and she beams at her for a moment. Even if she does miss her dog, having someone think he is cute is really pleasing. She smiles, looking back at the photo of Goro-kun. "I hope so. Maybe I can go visit..."

Loneliness has a way of sticking with her -- and something she can't quite escape. Or, even, talk about with most people. She looks at the photo for a moment, before she sighs and slides her phone back into her bag.

"I'm glad you think so," she says.

She smiles -- and then she resumes walking. It's only a little more before they come to a T-intersection. Yuuki's apartment is to the left; Misato's house is to the right. This is where they will have to part ways.

Yuuki looks ahead at the intersection, falling quiet as she does. It came too soon, she thinks.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Misato smiles back at her, and then nods.

"Maybe. Winter break is only a few a few weeks away." She points out. ...That also means so are ''Finals'', but she won't invoke that devil here. She smiles again as Yuuki remarks that she's glad - but soon, too soon, they're at the intersection. Misato looks to the right with a small frown. ...She's hesitant to end this here... and it looks like Yuuki isn't looking forward to it, either. ...But they can't put it off forever. Still...

"...Let's meet up again soon?" Misato suggests. Something for them both to look forward to, at least.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
"That's true... maybe I can visit Choju then," Yuuki says, quietly and thoughtfully. Already, she is starting to consider the logistics of it.

She stops before the intersection. She glances towards Misato, noticing that small frown. She thinks of the frown in dance class. There is more to Misato Fushihara than Yuuki understands. There are things she doesn't talk about.

At the suggestion, she nods. "I'd like that. Soon." She smiles, then she lifts a hand up, in a little wave.

She turns left, walking a few steps. But she slows to a stop. Yuuki stands there, looking down. Her eyes shut as she considers. Does she really want to leave it at 'soon?'

She turns around, teal hair swaying to the side. Her fingers are tight around the strap of her bag, and there's a determined look on her face. "Fushihara-san!" she calls out, louder than before, so Misato can hear her down the street.

"I want--I want to walk home with you tomorrow, too!"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>"Here's hoping!" Misato encourages. It seems like she could use it.

Misato doesn't realise that Yuuki has noticed her quiet frown, and it vanishes when Yuuki agrees to meet up again soon.

"Mm-hm!" She starts. "Well... Take care, Hoshizora-san."

She starts to turn and walk away - but then she hears Yuuki calling back to her. Surprise crosses her face. She turns, briefly overwhelmed by the force of her determination. That look on her face...

For a moment it's too overpowering - and then Misato smiles.

She still wants to meet up with her...

"...Okay! Then... I'll meet you at your locker again tomorrow, too." She replies.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Yuuki watches as Misato turns. Her expression is hard for Yuuki to read. There is a moment's pause, a moment of worry, where she isn't sure if she said the wrong thing -- or if she came on too strong. But then Misato smiles.

And Yuuki smiles, too.

"I'll see you there, tomorrow!" she calls back. "Take care, Fushihara-san!"

She lifts a hand from her bag, waving. Yuuki watches Misato for just a moment longer. Then, she turns, walking towards the apartment.

But this time, the smile doesn't leave her face.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Yuuki echoes her sentiments and when Yuuki waves, Misato waves back. She lingers for a moment, and then she turns to walk away.

Maybe she'll be able to face the rest of the night more easily... When was the last time she was genuinely looking forward to something, rather than doing it out of obligation...?

It... really is novel.
</poem>

[[Category:Logs]]
[[Category:Season 1]]
[[Category:Season 1, Episode 2]]

2026-07-02: Common Ground, Underground

2026-07-04T21:31:41Z

Tex: Created page with "*'''Log: 2026-07-02: Common Ground, Underground''' *'''Cast:''' Kazusa Motojima, Yuuki Hoshizora *'''Where:''' Mementos *'''OOC Date:''' July 02, 2026 *'''IC Date:''' December 03, 2012 *'''Summary''': ''Kazusa and Yuuki encounter each other in Mementos. While helping each other, they find out what they have in common -- including some unpleasant experiences with Ateliers in the past.'' ---- (|================ Monad - Mementos - Enter the Metaverse! ==========..."

*'''Log: 2026-07-02: Common Ground, Underground'''
*'''Cast:''' [[Kazusa Motojima]], [[Yuuki Hoshizora]]
*'''Where:''' Mementos
*'''OOC Date:''' July 02, 2026
*'''IC Date:''' December 03, 2012
*'''Summary''': ''Kazusa and Yuuki encounter each other in Mementos. While helping each other, they find out what they have in common -- including some unpleasant experiences with Ateliers in the past.''

----

(|================ Monad - Mementos - Enter the Metaverse! =================|)
-==== Round 1: Crush Hour - Challenge Level 1 ===============================-
| Approach Options: Guts or Proficiency |
| Conditions: Clumsy - Proficiency Down L1 and Scary - Guts Down L1 |
-==== Challenge =============================================================-

How did you get here? Was it through a mysterious app on your smartphone?
Was it testing the Mementos Rumor in a bathroom mirror? Or perhaps you
simply had the daring to pull a trigger in a train station.

Whatever the case may be, you're here now.

A sickening nausea in the pit of your stomach, as you see sinew and ichor
festooning signs that make no sense, turnstiles that mark the way down
escalators to the station below.

There's a train pulled in right now, and as several listless looking human
shadows step inside, the door slams shut, before pulling away at blinding
speed, vanishing into the devouring darkness ahead.

Persona Users who have been here may have been forewarned as to what will
happen next, as the moment the train pulls away

... the escalators are flooded with Shadows descending down to the platform,
a whole mob of them. You only have seconds to expertly navigate the throng-
before you are trampled underfoot, or crushed against the platform walls by
them.

Of course, you could always do something more daring to let them know to
give you a wide berth. They're Shadows of people

Do you field the risk of harming them?

(|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)

<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
<poem>
Kazusa doesn't really like this place. It's just... so weird. But as been pointed out to her recently... the money here spends, and it's a form of independence from her father. And sure it's, frankly, dangerous, but... what's a little danger when things at home feel so precarious anyway?

And it's not like she doesn't pass by several transit stops on her way home, so...

Kazusa appears into Mementos, her form shifting along with it. Long, pale blue hair, white-furred wolf ears and tail, a purple tunic, pleated skirts, and boots, stockings and siler bracers, and a cloack of stars wrapped around her.

She sighs as she takes in Mementos. She tries, for a moment, to reach some sort of bargain with it where it becomes normal.

... No, still weird. Oh well.

She sets forward--only to be greeted by a throng of shadows moving enmass, pouring out of a train and threatening to overwhelm her. "Ugh--''again''!?" Why does this happen every time?

On her belt is a pink whip and she snataches it off, flicking her hand out to snatch onto some errant piece of the ceiling. Up and hopefully over the heads of the Shadows she goes!
</poem>

MONAD: Kazusa Motojima has acted with Proficiency toward Crush Hour! Base!

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Up and over the heads of the Shadows she goes.

Kazusa lands -- a small handful of Shadows directly before her. But then, several of those Shadows suddenly ''shoot'' up at the ceiling. A well-targeted, quite precise Gry spell sends them flying into the ceiling. And as they fly away, they reveal a girl behind them.

Yuuki Hoshizora visibly uses Transmutation. That short hair of a bright blue shade, which leaves afterimages; the fanciful black and silver top; the ornate boots and gloves, they all speak to her sharing that source of power with Kazusa. She has a rapier out, back half-turned to the other girl.

She turns, her bright green eyes blink, and then she shakes her head. "Sorry," she says. "I didn't hear you coming."

She looks up at the ceiling, where the Shadows are stuck to it. "...That won't hold them for long. We should move."

</poem>
MONAD: Yuuki Hoshizora has acted with The Right Stuff toward Crush Hour! Amrita!

(|============================ Monad - Results =============================|)
-==== Crush Hour - Round 1 ==================================================-
Kazusa Motojima Proficiency Success
Proficiency Base Fatigue: 0 Morale: 1
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yuuki Hoshizora Guts Failure
The Right Stuff Amrita Fatigue: 1 Morale: 0
-============================ Party Conditions: =============================-
Starting Conditions: Clumsy-2 and Scary-2
Final Conditions: Clumsy-1 and Scary-1
-================================================= Party Result: Failure ====-
-==== Reach: 0/6 | | ===================================================-
(|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)

<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
<poem>
Kazusa's dismount has a graceful flourish, at least, though her eyes snap up at the Shadows looming over her. Her hand draws back, getting ready to summon her Persona--but she lets out a startled blink as the shadows suddenly fly ''up'' into the ceiling.

Her own eyes are silver, blinking widely in surprise as she catches sight of the other girl. "--huh?" The wolf ears on top of her head shoot up, also in surprise.

'That won't hold them for long.', she warns.

And indeed it doesn't-- they all start to fall before they can move, and Kazusa reacts on instinct--her hand flicks out, and she pulls Yuuki out of the way of the falling Shadows.

Unfortunately they're still surrounded, so it'll take some effort still to get out of the crowd.
</poem>

MONAD: Yuuki Hoshizora has drawn a new Challenge!

(|================ Monad - Mementos - Enter the Metaverse! =================|)
-==== Round 2: No Cover Points Here! - Challenge Level 1 ====================-
| Approach Options: Proficiency or Guts |
| Conditions: Clumsy - Proficiency Down L1, Clumsy - Proficiency Down L1, |
| Scary - Guts Down L1, and Scary - Guts Down L1 |
-==== Challenge =============================================================-

The walls have a pulse. You're sure of it. By the subtle rhythmic gyrations
of strands that web the floors to the walls. The tracks wind and twist into
odd shapes and bends that no railroad would ever tolerate as you walk.

And there are shapes in the dark.

Plodding bulbous behemoths, masks facing every which way, like several
shadows were stitched together into one singular horror.

Do you try to avoid them? Or rush them in the hopes of gaining an advantage.

(|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Yuuki yelps when this new girl grabs her, and they make their way out of the falling Shadows. It still takes some effort to push away from them; knocking Shadows away, before they keep rushing forward.

She looks around at the walls. She would ''swear'' they're pulsating, moving a little something is breathing. "Something is... very off about this place," she says. Then, she looks sideways at Kazusa.

"...I didn't introduce myself," she says. "Yuuki Hoshizora. I didn't expect to run into someone else. But... I think it's for the--"

She sees the shadows move. ''Then'', she sees the gigantic creature moving -- masks stitched together to form its body. She grits her teeth, hissing softly. "I think--if we move that way, and stick to the shadows, we can evade it. I'm not sure we want to take it with just two of us."

</poem>
MONAD: Yuuki Hoshizora has acted with Proficiency toward No Cover Points Here!! Base!

<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
<poem>
Kazusa catches her breath when they come to a rest, nodding at YUuuki. "Yeah... there's a ''lot'' of things off about this place." She gives the wall a dirty look. "... I try not to think about it too much."

She gives a short nod. "Kazusa Motojima." Motojima like the electronics and video game giant? Could be! "Tell me about it. I keep running into weird people here."

At least she finally met someone willing to use what she presumes is their real name.

She scowls too, when she catches sight of those Shadows. Look, she's even got tiny little wolf fangs! "... yeah. I'll follow your lead."
</poem>

MONAD: Kazusa Motojima has acted with Proficiency toward No Cover Points Here!! Base!

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
"Mm. Yeah," Yuuki agrees, her tone darker for a moment. "I don't like it. Especially knowing that it's real and not... a movie."

She shakes her head -- and then she glances at Kazusa, one eyebrow lifting. "W-Weird?" Does that include her? But then, she looks forward, and her expression becomes more thoughtful. "Motojima?"

A beat.

"Like... Night Parade?" she asks. She has played it before.

She falls quiet -- and then she steps into the Shadows. She motions Kazusa to follow after. And Yuuki, as it happens, is a natural at sneaking after a Shadow. She stops them a couple of times -- until it turns down one corner.

And they can proceed straight, in its wake.

She exhales. "That was close," she says. "Good work, Motojima-san."

</poem>
MONAD: Kazusa Motojima has drawn a new Challenge!

(|================ Monad - Mementos - Enter the Metaverse! =================|)
-==== Round 3: Nueeeeeee Not a Pop Quiz! - Challenge Level 2 ================-
| Approach Options: Academics or Understanding |
| Conditions: Clumsy - Proficiency Down L1, Hard - Understanding Down L1, |
| Scary - Guts Down L1, and Stupor - Academics Down L1 |
-==== Challenge =============================================================-

This floor is dark. For some reason the darkness makes the resonance here
hard to sense, even for a navigator.

You turn the corner and you see a shape in the dark, a Shadow dissolves from
a many masked behemoth into a Leonine creature with a vaguely ape-like face,
and a serpentine tail.

"Hey! You look like the type of person who just tromps around here thinking
they own the place! You probably don't even care about us! I'll let you go -
but only if you prove it!"

It holds up its hands, and an outline appears, showing a shadowy outline.

https://imgur.com/a/E0ojhEh

"Who is this!? Tell me! If you get wrong, then I'LL BE MAD!"

Oh no. There are very few clues to figure this one out.

Of course maybe the quiz is all meant to assess whether you care about him
and things like him, maybe if you see things from his perspective and show
you care, either through working out the problem to his satisfaction, or
understanding his point of view, he'll let you go.

(|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)

<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
<poem>
"Being a movie would make it more agreeable... then again, I don't know who'd dream some place like this up." She looks at Yuuki curiously. "... have you been here before?"

She catches that look, though, and instantly backtracks. "I-I mean, not you!" She might think it a little bit, but then again, she'd be weird, too.

She'd rather not go this alone, though, if she can help it.

'Like... Night Parade?' Kazusa pauses, and then sighs. "Yes. Like Night Parade." Beat. "... do... you play?"

"Whew," she says, when they finally get past the Shadow.

But they proceed--and then they're interrupted by a Shadow up is upset about people traipsing through. "Ugh. Like I'd ''want'' to own this place," she gripes. "But, ''fine''."

She only has a the outline, but luckily she knows silhouettes. Kazusa startes critiquing what she can of the outline and what might be conencted to it--and hazards a guess.
</poem>

MONAD: Kazusa Motojima has acted with Fashion Talk toward Nueeeeeee Not a Pop Quiz!! Smarts and Patra!

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
"A... couple of times, but... I've had some experience in Dark Hour and an Atelier, too," Yuuki says. She hesitates, her voice quiet for a second. It brings unpleasant thoughts to mind; thoughts about her parents, thoughts about why she is doing this. As she told Magus.

She needs to get stronger.

She smiles, a little, at the 'Not you!' And then, she nods. "Right. I--ah--" Does she play? "...Yes. Sometimes. Your family's company did very well with it."

She slows to a stop, after Kazusa. She stares at the outline offered by the Shadow, her expression screwing up. Then, she reaches behind her one-shoulder cloak...

...and pulls out a small ruler. She holds it up to the drawing. Then, she nods. "I think, based on the measurements and the ratio, it must be..."

</poem>
MONAD: That Approach doesn't match the challenge!
MONAD: That Approach is out of uses!
MONAD: Invalid approach.
MONAD: That Approach is out of uses!

MONAD: Yuuki Hoshizora has acted with Academics toward Nueeeeeee Not a Pop Quiz!! Base!

(|============================ Monad - Results =============================|)
-==== Nueeeeeee Not a Pop Quiz! - Round 3 ===================================-
Kazusa Motojima Academics Success
Fashion Talk Smarts and Patra Fatigue: 0 Morale: 3
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yuuki Hoshizora Academics Success
Academics Base Fatigue: 1 Morale: 2
-============================ Party Conditions: =============================-
Starting Conditions: Clumsy-1, Hard-2, Scary-1, and Stupor-2
Final Conditions: Stupor-1
-====================================== Party Result: Success: Reach Up! ====-
-==== Reach: 2/6 |== | ===================================================-
(|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)

<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
<poem>
"I've been here a couple of times. I've only been in the Dark Hour up late studying..." Kazusa glacnes away, her rexpression darkening. "... I've only been in one Atelier."

Hers, in fact. She doesn't like to talk about it much.

"... Yeah. The new version's pretty good." She has mixed feelings about her family's company. But she does genuinely enjoy the game.

But the two of them both hazard their guesses. The shadow seems to light up. "Yes! Correct! So you do care... be on your way, travelers!" It ambles off, and Kazusa lets out a sharp sigh.

"Well ''that'' just happened. Let's... get going before it decides to come back."
</poem>

MONAD: Yuuki Hoshizora has drawn a new Challenge!

(|================ Monad - Mementos - Enter the Metaverse! =================|)
-==== Round 4: Scaredy Cat... - Challenge Level 1 ===========================-
| Approach Options: Charm or Guts |
| Conditions: Annoying - Charm Down L2, Box - Add 1 Item/Money/Gear., Scary |
| - Guts Down L1, Shuffle - Draw 1 Minor Arcana., and Stupor - Academics |
| Down L1 |
-==== Challenge =============================================================-

These Nekomata gave you some trouble, but they're on the ropes now. That's
when-

"Wait! W-Wait let's talk! You want some treasure right? Well, I know where
to find proper lockpicks."

She's standing up straighter now, "Just agree to let me go, and I'll tell
you where to find them."

The way her eyes are darting around, it's clear she's looking for an opening
to escape, or catch you off guard and redouble her assault

But maybe there's a way to play this. Maybe you can get the lockpicks and
the treasure.

Maybe.

You're either gonna have to Charm or Intimidate them into cooperating
though.

(|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
"Mm. Yeah," Yuuki says. "I've... been trying to keep my skills sharp and get as much practice as she can."

She glances sideways at Kazusa, then, and she smiles. "Mm. It is," she says. "I'm not great at it, yet."

Fortunately, the Shadow lets them go. Yuuki nods to Kazusa -- and they keep moving along. But it's only a little further down the next passage when a pair of Nekomata leap at them -- and a few spells, a thrust of the rapier, and a well-place strike from Kazusa, and the two cat-like Shadows are sent sprawling.

"...well, I know where to find proper lockpicks!"

Yuuki's eyebrow twitches. Then she looks sideways at Kazusa. "...What do you think, Motojima-san?" she asks.

Her voice is sharp. And she is, as it happens, playing the 'bad cop' role. Whether Kazusa picks up on that, though, remains to be seen.

"Maybe we should just dispatch them, and be done with it."

</poem>
MONAD: Yuuki Hoshizora has acted with Guts toward Scaredy Cat...! Base!

<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
<poem>
"... Yeah. That's part of why I'm here too, I guess." The practice, that is.

"Mm." Kazusa studies Yuuki for a moment. There is so much she could say, about Night Parade... instead she just asks, "Do you have a main?"

Two Nekomata appear--and then there's a pitched battle! Kazusa stares at the two when they surrender, and glances sidelong to at Yuuki.

Just dispatch them... playing bad cop, eh? Well, Kazusa's not ''great'' at Good Cop, but...

She steps forward, smiling just a bit too sweetly. "... you know, I think it would be ''such'' a shame if we had to mess you up further... so why don't you lead us to these lockpicks, or I'm afraid I won't be able to stop my friend from doing something... unfortunate."

She's still kind of menacing when she's trying to play Good Cop. Oh, well.
</poem>

MONAD: Kazusa Motojima has acted with Demon Queen toward Scaredy Cat...! Patra and Efficient!

(|============================ Monad - Results =============================|)
-==== Scaredy Cat... - Round 4 ==============================================-
Kazusa Motojima Charm Success
Demon Queen Patra and Efficient Fatigue: 0 Morale: 4
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yuuki Hoshizora Guts Failure
Guts Base Fatigue: 2 Morale: 2
-============================ Party Conditions: =============================-
Starting Conditions: Annoying-2, Box-0, Scary-2, Shuffle: Sword-0, and
Stupor-1
Final Conditions: Annoying-1
-====================================== Party Result: Success: Reach Up! ====-
-==== Reach: 3/6 |=== | ===================================================-
-==== Loot So Far: ==========================================================-
Items: 1, Money: 0, Gear: 1
(|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
"You're trying to get stronger, too?" Yuuki asks. That makes her wonder: what would the reason for that be?

Then, though, she shakes her head. "N-Not yet. I haven't settled on one," she admits.

After the pitched battle...

The negotiations seem to go well at first. The Shadows look at Yuuki, then at Kazusa. And Yuuki gives a serious scowl, but it doesn't quite compare to the sweetly-worded threat. Kazusa's threat works...

"Aaaah! Spare us! Spare us! FLEE!"

...a little too well.

The Nekomata turn and high tail it. Their flight leaves a bit of dust in their wake -- but a gleam on the ground, too. Yuuki leans over, picking up what they dropped.

"Well," she declares. "We do have one lockpick at least..."

</poem>
MONAD: Kazusa Motojima has drawn a new Challenge!

(|================ Monad - Mementos - Enter the Metaverse! =================|)
-==== Round 5: Victim Blaming - Challenge Level 2 ===========================-
| Approach Options: Understanding or Guts |
| Conditions: Annoying - Charm Down L2, Boss - Add 1 Fatigue on failure., |
| Stony - Understanding Down L2, and Terrifying - Guts Down L2 |
-==== Challenge =============================================================-

You reach the subway platform! Ahead of you is a towering slab of black
stone, with red engravings etched into it, blocking the path deeper.

Unfortunately there's a Shadow here too.

The man's distortion warps the stagnant air around it, as it stands there,
obsessively mumbling to himself.

"Damn bitch. She wouldn't listen to me that's why I had to do it."

Is he talking about a murder in reality!?

But the man's Shadow looks up at your group, and his face turns into an
angry grimace.

"You're here to judge me!? ME? You're all the same - everyone of you
thinking useless trash like her is the victim."

You don't have long before he's going to transform - you can feel it in the
air, but you don't have much further to go either.

Maybe you can keep him calm long enough before he transforms into:
https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/megamitensei/images/c/c4/SMT_III_Oni_Compr
essed.png

Assuming, you want to. Many may not even desire to try and would prefer to
charge right in. Distracting him is of course an option!

OOC Note: This is not a target known to the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, and
thus would not have a calling card sent to him at this time. Killing him is
possible, if you're that persuasion of character, otherwise you'll have to
subdue him.

(|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)

<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
<poem>
"Or I guess just... getting used to all of... this," she says with a gesture, as if to indicate the everything. But she looks at Yuuki for a moment. "Stronger, huh...?"

No main yet, huh. "Mm. Well, I'm sure you'll find one if you play long enough. But it's not a bad idea to play multiple characters to get used to them anyway."

Kazusa sighs, as the Nakomata flee. "Well, at least we got ''one'' lockpick out of them..." She stiffly looks away for a moment. "... did I lay it on too thick...?" she wonders mostly to herself.

But at last, they reach the subway platform. "Oh thank--" Kazusa starts, but she pauses as a strange man is there.

A man mumbling very unsettling things. Kazusa feels a chill. Oh, no. Not some crazed psychopath again. As he transforms and starts to menace them, Kazusa glances to Yuuki. "... I don't like my chances of talking him down." A butterfly springs to life in front of her, and with a crack of her whip it disperses, summoning the half-nad-half form of the half-corrupted Mina Harker. "Mina! Use Grasping Eija!"

The Persona's left hand raises, and with a hiss she calls for a ahnd made of shadow to try and grasp the Shadow.

"Whatever we do, we can't kill it!"
</poem>

MONAD: Kazusa Motojima has acted with Guts toward Victim Blaming! Base!

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Yuuki nods -- but she doesn't elaborate, just yet. Being stronger is something she has put a lot of thought into, after the sparring session with Magus. She does smile, though, at the mention of finding a character.

"...Yeah," she says. "I'll keep at it untilo I find one."

She keeps moving with her. She pauses, as they reach the platform -- and then her eyes are on the man, mumbling such strange things. Such strange and... ''awful'' things.

"How--how horrible!"

Yuuki grits her teeth, and then she holds a hand out. A butterfly appears on it, too; it floats away.

The interlocking rings, gears, and gems of Galileo appear behind her. "Galileo!" she cries out. "Right--I won't kill it--"

She throws her hand out. A wave of gravitational force shoots out -- and then tries to bind the Shadow in place to the ground, with a shadowy sheen where the gravitational force grows stronger.

</poem>
MONAD: Yuuki Hoshizora has acted with Guts toward Victim Blaming! Base!

(|============================ Monad - Results =============================|)
-==== Victim Blaming - Round 5 ==============================================-
Kazusa Motojima Guts Failure
Guts Base Fatigue: 2 Morale: 4
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yuuki Hoshizora Guts Success
Guts Base Fatigue: 2 Morale: 4
-============================ Party Conditions: =============================-
Starting Conditions: Annoying-1, Boss-0, Stony-2, and Terrifying-2
Final Conditions: Stony-1 and Terrifying-1
-====================================== Party Result: Success: Reach Up! ====-
-==== Reach: 5/6 |=====| ===================================================-
-==== Loot So Far: ==========================================================-
Items: 1, Money: 0, Gear: 1
(|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)

(|================ Monad - Mementos - Enter the Metaverse! =================|)
-==== Round 6: Noone Ask What She Was Using As Paint - Challenge Level 1 ====-
| Approach Options: None |
| Conditions: Revelation - The best result. |
-==== Challenge =============================================================-

"Get the hell away from me!"

On your way back, you encounter a Shadow of a woman in her early 20's
wearing sweatpants, a sweatshirt, and athletic shoes at the station crouched
near a wall, who- flees upon seeing you? Leaping onto the tracks in a panic.

"You won't do that to me again! I won't let you!"

She flees into the dark past Shadows, one after another, the Metaverse
Shadows ignoring her, but not you. Eventually she's gone.

But upon coming back to the station, you see what she was crouched over,
graffiti'd onto the floor in dark ichor.

RUN IF YOU SEE
THE BLACK MA

She never finished, a character for maybe an S is almost there after, but
there's something thoroughly unsettling about a distorted Shadow coming all
the way up here to attempt to write a warning.

Even as you watch, the graffiti begins to vanish - becoming a blurred stain
on the platform, as Shadows trample over her warning without notice or care.

OOC Note: If you wish to attempt to find that Shadow again in the future or
investigate who she was in real life, then contact Penguin Sniper.

Final Loot: 1 Item and 1 Pieces of Gear!
(|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)

<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
<poem>
Kazusa has been doing her own thinking--but more along the lines if she can use her Awakening to work ''for'' her. And about how to wrest control of her life back from the (further) mess her Homunculus has made of it.

She'll keep at it until she finds one. "... good." Kazusa pauses, for a moment. She glances Yuuki's way for a moment before looking forward again. She seems to be hesitating for a moment before offering, "... if... you ever need someone to practice against..."

She doesn't ''quite'' get to making an offer, leaving herself an out, just in case.

This time, it's Yuuki's Gry spell that wins the day, pinning the Shadow down long enough for it to be subdued, while Mina's spell doesn't seem to find purchase. "Okay, let's get the heck out of here."

They move on, only to encounter the Shadow of a woman running. "Wha-- hey!" Kazusa stars forward as the woman's Shadow ''leaps on to the tracks'' and runs away. Kazusa takes off running. "You idiot! You're going to get yourself killed!"

Probably literally, if one of those weird subway trains hits her Shadow.

But there's no catching up to her, not with the other Shadows taking an interest, and Kazusa beats a hasty retreat back to safety. "Okay, is ''everybody'' crazy in this stupid place!?" Kazusa huffs angrily.

She scowls, glaring down at the writing, and then frowns. "Run if you see... The Black Ma...? Mas...? What in the world..." She glances to Yuuki. "Is a Black Ma some kind of... shadow or something?"
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
"Ah... I'll take you up on that," Yuuki says, with a nod of her head. She could stand to practice more.

And, besides... she hasn't met someone else who uses Transmutation before this. It would be good to learn more.

It's time to leave, though -- she nods at Kazusa, and follows after. The offending Shadow is left pinned -- and they make their escape. But, they're almost knocked aside by that fast moving Shadow. "Aah--"

Yuuki shakes her head to clear it, then glowers after the Shadow and her pursuers. "What ''was'' that?"

Then, she looks at the writing. Kazusa asks -- and then Yuuki leans in closer. "...I don't think it was finished," she says. "I see... an 'S' there. Or rather, the start of one."

She frowns. "Which doesn't answer anything."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
<poem>
Kazusa ''has'' met someone else who uses Transmutation, though she can't expect to know everyone who does. But she might talk about it, if asked.

Still, there's a small smile as Yuuki accepts her offer. "Alright," she says, trying to stay casual. "I main Kaguya-hime." The moon princess, who... uses a whip.

Don't think about the fact that Kazusa ''also'' has a whip.

"... but I'm familiar with most of the roster."

But there's a puzzle here, and as the writing starts to vanish Kazusa's hand goes to where her pocket would be to grab her phone-- but she's wearing a magical skirt now. "Shoot. I'll just have to remember it," she says with a frown.

"... whatever it was, she seemed pretty freaked out," Kazusa says as they get to safety, finally. Kazusa sits and sighs. "So, where'd you come in from? If you don't mind me asking."
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
"Ah, fitting," Yuuki says, with a smile. She ''did'' notice that they both use whips.

She frowns as the writing vanishes -- then she folds her arms. For a moment, she is fixated on the ''problem''. It makes something for her to work, in her mind. "Maybe... the key is to find out more about the Shadow."

She nods her head, and then she looks back at Kazusa. She leans against the wall; for a moment, she hesitates. "Renegdai, in Sumaru," she says. "I... transferred to Seven Sisters, recently. From Choju. What about you?"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
<poem>
They both use whips, and they definitely don't have more in common than that. (They definitely have more in common than that.)

Yuuki proposes learning more abou tthe Shadow. "Maybe... if we can find her again. The person she belongs to... could be anywhere. Where would we start looking?"

It's not like there are Persona users specialized in searching for things, right?

Yuuki shares, and so does Kazusa, after a moment. "My family lives in Shibuya. But I've been at Shujin since middle school." She studies Yuuki for a moment. Yuuki summoned her Persona the same way Kazusa does...

She's only met a couple of others that she knows is like that, but... they both seem like special cases.

Kazusa leans back, crossing one knee over the other. "... you summon your Persona the same way I do." She doesn't say anything more, just lets that thought hang in the air for a moment.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
"Maybe... we can see if we can find someone to help," Yuuki says. "With--um. Searching."

She knows about Navigators -- but the one she knows is an ex-Navigator, who no longer uses a Persona. She doesn't volunteer his help. She glances at Kazusa -- and her eyes blink, once, before she nods.

"Shujin, huh? I heard it can get intense." She hesitates for a moment, then, at the statement. Then, she nods.

"I found this power in an Atelier," she says. "It was... it was the one of someone I knew, in Choju, before I moved here."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
<poem>
""Yeah..." Kazusa frowns a little. "... I knew some Persona Users. I can ask around, see if any of them can help, or have more of an idea."

+"Yep. It kind of always is, honestly. But that's just... what it takes to be high-status." She's less in love with it--or at least, less inurred to it--than she used to be.

Kazusa looks at Yuuki for a long, hard moment. There's only one reason ''she'' knows of for going into someone's Atelier. "... were you able to help your friend?"

She doesn't bother to specify with what, or ask what the issue was.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
"Thanks," Yuuki says. "I'll... um. I'll see what I can find out, but I don't have a lot of contacts here, yet."

She looks up -- there's a blink, but then a nod of understanding. That is what it takes.

Her expression darkens at the question, and she glances downward. "...no," she concludes. "Not... not yet. I'm trying to do that, still."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
<poem>
"... I know some other people--well, at least one--who uses the same power you do. And..." Kazusa sighs a little. She doesn't understand Roger, but... he ''is'' the subject-matter expert. "... he's an expert in Ateliers."

She was tense when she asked that question, and she stays tense--tenses more--as she receives that answer. "... Then I'll help you," she says firmly. "... and I'll contact anybody else I can, too."

She stares at Yuuki for a long moment and then looks down, letting out a slow, controlled breath. "... the Atelier I awakened in was my own," she says simply. "... so I know what it's like."
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
"Really? I... um. I would like to meet him, some time," Yuuki says. She keeps her tone carefully neutral -- but there is still tension and worry that slips in. Her eyes glance downward.

"Thank you," she says. "It's... there are some complications, but--I can tell you later. And your friend. I... should get some notes together."

There is someone else in there -- but she hesitates to mention ''that''.

At Kazusa's admission, her eyes widen. Yuuki swallows, but then she nods her head. "I'm sorry," she says. "But... but, thank you. Even after going through that... I really appreciate that you'd help me."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
<poem>
"I'll get in touch with him. And... I'll give you my phone number, too, so we can stay in touch."

She finally stands. "You're welcome." One of those wolf ears flicks with curiosity at the mention of complications, but Kazusa keeps her face schooled. "We'll figure out the complications, then."

"Thanks. But it's ''because'' I went through that that I want to help. I can't just--stand by, and do nothing. Your friend..." Kazusa catches herself. She's not sure if it would help or not to describe what her friend is going through right now. "... nobody deserves to go through that," she finally settles on.
</poem>

[[Category:Logs]]
[[Category:Season 1]]
[[Category:Season 1, Episode 2]]

Fictional Pop Culture and Brands

2026-07-03T23:38:55Z

Tex: /* Books and Manga */

This is a non-exhaustive list of various in-universe pieces of pop culture, brands, celebrities, places, items, and so on. Entries may be added as we think of them or as they get ICly released. Players may add entries of their own, but please don't edit already existing entries. If you see something that you think is wrong or should be changed, please send a request to staff.

== Fashion ==

; Rosa Candida (Persona 2)
: A fashionable boutique in Sumaru City's Aoba Ward that sells a variety of stylish clothes and accessories. Rumor has it they also sell quality armor.

; Croco Fur (Persona 4)
: A clothing store in Okina City that offers a wide range of outfits and accessories, from bags to boots, swimsuits to Halloween costumes. Run by Reiko Osa, charismatic fashionista.

; Tsurukame Diamond (Persona 5)
: A jewelry store in the Shibuya Underground Mall.

; Furugi no Neuchi (Persona 5)
: A vintage clothing store in Kichijoji. The perfect place to do some thrifting or sell old, unwanted clothes.

; Adios Shoes (Persona 3)
: A cheap knock-off of a more popular brand; sold by Tanaka's Amazing Commodities. Say "goodbye" to your foes.

; Baipas (Persona 4)
: A brand of sports bags that's similar to Adidas, right up to the logo.

== Entertainment ==

=== Music ===

; Giga Macho CD (Persona 2)
: Hosts a big CD store, production studio, and flamboyant radio DJ wearing a red hoodie and shades known as 'Meteor Masa,' who hosts 'Meteor Masa to the Max.'

; Kenneth Arnold (Persona 3)
: A CD and DVD chain store that has a location within Paulownia Mall.

; Babel Records Music Store (Persona 5)
: A CD and DVD store in the Shibuya Underground Mall.

; Gas Chamber (Persona 2)
: The band of Kasugayama High's Leader, Eikichi Mishina, who is the lead singer. Not yet fully formed, as Eikichi is still scouting members... and getting the members he does have to learn how to play instruments. It's not a failure, it's pre-successful.

; Muses (Persona 2)
: A hot new three-member idol group that's been successfully hyped by their manager, Ginji Sasaki. Many people are very excited for their upcoming debut.

; Hug-My-Heart (Persona 5)
: Debut single by a boy band.

; 3SHINE
: An idol trio from the 90's known briefly for the bittersweet hit 「ＡＮＯＴＨＥＲ♩ＬＩＦＥ」, but disbanded in 2007 after the lead singer died in a car crash.

; Hatsune Kiku (Persona 4 Dancing All Night)
: The Vocaloid Virtual Idol is one of the most recognizable Japanese Pop Culture Icons of the past few years.

=== Video/Computer Games ===

; Groove On Fight (Persona 1)
: Atlus fighting game.

; Innocent Sin Online (Persona 3)
: A mysterious MMO that's been running for years, it tells a fictionalized larger than life version of the Innocent Story version with Tatsuya and Maya. How it came about in this world is a mystery. (Don't use this to establish knowing things about the Other Side. Just don't.)

; Condemnation of Witchcraft (Persona 3 - Original)
: The new biggest MMO that everyone is leaving Innocent Sin Online for due to all the gold farmers and dupers. Affectionately known as CoW by its fans, it's a game wherein the Holy Empire of Sturmward fights the Witch Queen and her coven of 'The Abhorred'. A PvE game with PvP elements.

; Game Parade Games
: House of the Deceased - A horror game with terrifying zombies. Raises Guts.
: Real Wheel Racing - An intense racing game. Raises the equipped Persona's agility.
: Print Club - A purikura-style booth. Raises charm.
: High School of Youth - Dating sim game. Raises Charm.
: You're the Answer - Quiz show-style arcade game. Raises Academics.
: Punch Boxer - Fighting Arcade game. Raises the equipped Persona's strength.
: Edgar's House of Fortunes - Fortune-telling tarot game. Raise the equipped Persona's Magic.
: Super Game Spaceshot - Space shooter.

; Computer Software
:Lessons in Etiquette - PC software for learning manners that will charm others.
:Virtual Diet - PC software for helping you attain a beautiful body via watching videos.
:Language Made Easy - PC Software for learning English through pictures and images.
:Animal Othello - PC software for children. Adults need courage to play this.
:TypinGhoul - PC software that requires courage to defeat zombies through typing.
:Muscle Boot Camp - PC Software for learning how to effectively strengthen your muscles.
:Mindful Boot Camp - PC Software for growing your mind through meditation.
:Umiushi Fan Book - For those who love beef bowls. Has a membership code for the official site.

; Photochop (Persona Q)
: Graphics editor that has become the most used digital art software in the world. Due to image manipulation that is then posted online becoming so ubiquitous, the program has popularized the slang term 'Photochopped' worldwide.

; Star Forneus (Persona 5)
: Retro console shooting game with a space theme.

; Super Bash Bros. (Persona 5)
: Long-running crossover Versus Battle game. 'Challenger Approaching!'

; Gambla Goemon (Persona 5)
: A game about a notorious thief who fell into the depths of hell… Demons make you gamble with games of chance to pass through gates in hell and move on to further challenges.

; Stray Sheep Dolls (Persona 5)
: A puzzle game about sheep. Now with more off-kilter gender commentary! Procreate or else!

; Featherman Seeker (Persona 5)
: A retro game based on the popular long-running tokusatsu show, Phoenix Rangers Featherman. It follows the story of Gray Pigeon and their mentor-guided training to acquire power that will rival the Phoenix Rangers.

; Matador <nowiki>re:fancio</nowiki> (Velvet Room MUSH - Original)
: A video game about a skeletal bullfighter who must find a way to fancy up his life. May or may not be looking for a nice candelabra.

; Drake Adventure (Velvet Room MUSH - Original)
: A massively popular and influential JRPG series, with cute monsters and a cartoonish medieval fantasy vibe. It is currently on its ninth entry.

; Last Saga (Velvet Room MUSH - Original)
: A series of games in which every entry is different from the last. Very popular.

; Night Parade (Velvet Room MUSH - Original)
: A classic fighting game series by the Motojima Corporation, known for its theme of supernatural yokai and their hunters as the fighters. Latest release is Ultimate Night Parade 4 Remix Lightning Edition.

; Stiletta (Velvet Room MUSH - Original)
: A much-beloved urban fantasy action-adventure game about a stylish succubus who fights to find her lost memories using her transforming hair and weaponized heels. Utterly fabulous. The hotly-anticipated sequel has recently been announced.

; The Epic of Zerta (Velvet Room MUSH - Original)
: An action roleplaying/puzzle game series centred around the Triangular Force, made up of the Angle of Strength, the Angle of Knowledge, and the Angle of Bravery. These games follow the hero, Tie, as he eternally saves Princess Zerta from the evil King Gammon. (In some entries, he's King Gammonturf. Using the wrong name can and has caused epic flame wars.)

; Tetraitis (Velvet Room MUSH - Original)
: A puzzle game where you need to match four blocks to clear them. Apparently, it was named because the creator was so feverishly invested in playing an alpha build he almost didn't finish the game at all.

=== Other Games ===
; Hammerstrike - War in the 42nd Millenium (Velvet Room MUSH - Original)
: A grimdark franchise originating from the west, centring around numerous spacefaring factions warring for control over the galaxy. While it started as a tabletop wargame using handpainted miniatures, a multitude of books, animations, and games have come out for it since its inception the late 1980s.

; Faerie<nowiki>:</nowiki> The Beckoning (Velvet Room MUSH - Original)
: A card game centred around lands, creatures, and magical spells, with a great amount of depth. The lore centres around the Seelie and Unseelie courts of the Fae and their various adventures. New card sets are released each year!

=== Books and Manga ===

; Bookworms (Persona 3)
: A small but robust bookstore in the Iwatodai Strip Mall, owned and run by an elderly married couple, Bunkichi and Mitsuko Kitamura.

; Taiheido Bookstore (Persona 5)
: A bookstore on Shibuya Central Street with shelves also available outside the entrance.

; Rubber-Armed Pitcher Hero (Persona 4)
: Sports shounen manga about baseball.

; Witch Detective (Persona 4)
: A ploddingly written romantic comedy manga about a girl on her first day of school in a new town. Vampires are involved.

; The Great Thief (Persona 5)
: The story of Arsène Lupin, greatest thief of all time.

; Zorro the Outlaw (Persona 5)
: The story of Zorro, the dashing masked vigilante.

; Pirate Legend (Persona 5)
: The story of Captain Kidd, a Scottish-American privateer.

; The Alluring Dancer (Persona 5)
: The story of Carmen, an opera about a seductive Romani woman.

; The Gallant Rogue (Persona 5)
: The story of Goemon Ishikawa, a legendary outlaw hero.

; Speed Reader (Persona 5)
: A book that gives the reader tips on how to read more quickly and efficiently.

;The Whimsy of Orange Streets (Velvet Room MUSH - Original)
:An older romantic comedy manga about a old fashioned high school student in a love triangle with two delinquents. Reading it might help you understand relationships better.

;Dragon Sphere X (Velvet Room MUSH - Original)
:A martial arts manga that takes inspiration from Journey to the West. Probably helps your Guts.

; Titanomachy (Velvet Room MUSH - Original)
: An enormously popular mecha franchise that draws heavily from Greek mythology for inspiration. Having been around for close to 30 years, it has spawned numerous films, anime, and manga series, as well as a plethora of different model kits.

'''Asteroeides (Velvet Room MUSH - Original)'''
:A hard science fiction manga about debris removers in Earth orbit, in the near future.

=== TV Shows ===

; Scarlet (Persona 5)
: DVD/Blu-Ray rental store. Has a very generous membership plan for students.

; Phoenix Ranger Featherman (Persona 2)
: Long-running tokusatsu franchise with tons of seasons, movies, and extensive merchandising. Much beloved by the Japanese youth.

; Tanaka's Amazing Commodities (Persona 3)
: A home shopping program hosted by Tanaka, who is also the CEO of the company. Its jingle: "Here comes Tanakaaaaa~ Over the airwaves to youuuuu~ Granter of your desires!" Sells a wide range of products, from high quality to possibly less-than-stellar knock-offs. Things go quick, so buy buy buy!

; Wraith (Persona 5)
: TV show about a woman who can speak to ghosts.

; The X-Folders (Persona 5)
: Sci-fi investigation TV show. The opening theme involves a spooky whistle.

; Bubbly Hills 90210 (Persona 5)
: A Western teen romantic drama TV show set in the ritzy upscale neighborhood of Bubbly Hills.

; ICU (Persona 5)
: Medical drama show about high stakes saves in the emergency ward.

; The Running Dead (Persona 5)
: Zombie drama about fast zombies. Humans in this drama are the real monsters.

; Mouse M.D. (Persona 5)
: A maverick rodent's medical heroics. Learn about true kindness.

; D. Housewives (Persona 5)
: Women's stories of love and passion.

; 31 (Persona 5)
: A writer and editor battle looming deadlines. Praised for its gutsy tension.

; Tee (Persona 5)
: A teacher helps revive a near defunct high school golf team.

; Not-so-hot Betsy (Persona 5)
: A TV show that tells the story of a homely girl who captivates people with her inner charm.

; Jail Break (Persona 5)
: A jailbreak TV drama.

; Fist of the Phantom Star (Persona 5)
: A post apocalyptic martial arts retro anime that codified a lot of Shounen tropes. Contains numerous beefy men rescuing beautiful women from their rivals.

;Yureka Six (Velvet Room MUSH - Original)
:An anime about growing up in a war torn world of robots, aliens, and flying skateboards. The main character starts off as rather childish but grows mature through facing the shortcomings of adults.

;Front Range (Velvet Room MUSH - Original)
: An American cartoon series set in Colorado. The story material is often topical to American events, usually obscene, and once in a while funny. Explaining episode plots sounds like gibberish. The Japanese fandom tends to focus on the BL potential of the male leads, all schoolchildren in a quiet mountain town. 
=== Movies ===

; Climax Theater (Persona 2)
: Sumaru City movie theater where rumors have made the films occasionally quite strange.

; Screen Shot (Persona 3)
: Movie theater chain throughout Japan.

; Friday in a certain day (Persona 3)
: A film starring Catherine Billey. Its tagline is, "Fans of a Dutch soccer team, Americans heading off to war are facing." Yes, just that.

; The more than dreamin (Persona 3)
: A film about an alien visitor.

; Detonator (Persona 3)
: Starring Sharon Waxman and Craig.S.Smith. Its tagline is, "A troubling trend for a Dutch." It's a film about boxing! (It references Lennox Lewis and Andrew Golata's boxing match.)

; Worst Detective (Persona 3)
: A film noir about a detective who is terrible at his job.

; Loan of the Rings (Persona 4)
: Fantasy epic film.

; Dumminator II (Persona 4)
: Film on… Why?

; Trial of the Dragon (Persona 4)
: Kung fu epic film.

; My Neighbor Dodoro (Persona 5 - Original)
: A classic heartwarming children's movie about two young sisters meeting a big yellow bird and having adventures together. Includes a cat that is also a large vehicle.

; Tanktop Millionaire (Persona 5)
: Movie about a scrappy kid who came from the slums to win big on a quiz show.

; The Cake Knight Rises (Persona 5)
: A cake-themed vigilante avenges a friend who was wronged by a psychopathic baker. It's a ridiculous film, but the protagonist's passion to fight for his friend is touching.

; Like a Dragon (Persona 5)
: Yakuza action film.

; Mes Miserables (Persona 5)
: Apparently just like the real work except with even more theological commentary. (A bishop is the antagonist rather than Javert.)

; Pach-Saw (Persona 5)
: Horror film involving an elephant and torture elements.

; Wild Max (Persona Q2)
: Post-Apocalyptic film series praised for its fight choreography in vehicles.

; [[SMILE (2012)]] (Velvet Room MUSH - Persona 2/Original)
: A slasher movie released at the end of August 2012, starring Junko Kurosu as the killer. Part crime movie, part suspense horror, part slasher, noted for its well executed twists in an otherwise kind of schlocky but fun slasher.

== Food and Drink ==

=== Vending Machine Beverages ===
; First Appeared in Persona 3
: Aguafeena - Extensively purified tap water.
: BauerBar - Keeps you going for 24 hours straight.
: Cielo Mist - Beverage imported from Jamaica.
: Cylon Tea - Comes in 12 different varieties.
: Definitely Lemonade - A fresh, lemon-based drink. A bit watery.
: Dr. Salt - Salty soda. Popular, but an acquired taste.
: Fountain Dew - A disturbingly yellow soft drink.
: Happiness Water - Water that tastes like happiness.
: Mad Bull - A mildly bitter beverage with a flavorful kick.
: Moonkist - Soda with the slogan, "Kist my full moon!"
: Nastea - Tea that tastes great, despite its name.
: SoBay - Popular tea often auctioned online.
: Starvicks - Famous coffee, mixed with cough syrup.
: 1UP - Soft drink coveted by old-school gamers.
: 4biotic Pack - A set of 4 probiotic drinks.

; First Appeared in Persona 4
: Dokudami Tea - An herbal tea good for detoxes.
: Dr. Salt NEO - An intensely carbonated beverage.
: Orange Smash - A refreshing citrus beverage.
: Second Maid - A cold beverage that got heated.
: TaP Soda - Old-fashioned fizzy beverage.

; First Appeared in Persona 5
: Arginade - Contains arginine.
: Chunky Potage - You can never drink all the kernels.
: Creature - A drink that blows away sleepiness.
: Durian-au-Lait - Made from the king of fruits.
: Earl Green - A blend of Eastern and Western tea.
: Joylent - Unsettlingly nutritious.
: Manta - Makes you want to dance all night.
: Muscle Tea - Popular tea often sold online.
: Oh! Shiruko - So good it makes you say, "Oh!"
: Udagawa Soda - Triple-filtered carbonated Shibuya water.
: Udagawa Water - Triple-filtered Shibuya river water.
: Ultimate Amazake - Makes you think you're drunk.
: Water of Rebirth - Blended with placenta.

=== Dining Out ===

; Peace Diner (Persona 1/Persona 2)
: Franchise that serves mostly fast food; there's a branch in Yumezaki's Yumezaki Center. Rumormonger Chikarin can be found here almost daily working on the Sevens school newspaper. The part timer at the register loves Japanese period dramas, and so talks like a ninja. Menu: Peace Burger, Chicken Sandwich, Grilled Burger, Peace Double Meat, Big Peace Burger, Fries, Peace Shake, Value Meal.

; Gatten Sushi (Persona 2)
: Popular sushi shop in Rengedai's Lotus Mall, run by the Mishina family. Head chef is Kankichi Mishina. It's the popular hangout of Rumormonger Kenta "Toro" Yokouchi, whose favorite sushi is the olive flounder fish fin, despite his nickname meaning Fatty Tuna. Menu: Tuna, Squid, Sweet Shrimp, Eel, Sea Urchin, Salmon Roe, Fish Fin, Fatty Tuna.

; Double Slash (Persona 2)
: Internet cafe in Aoba's Aoba Way that offers a surprisingly robust menu of drinks, snacks and even meals. The teenager who mans the counter is pretty lazy. Menu: Coffee, Cafe au Lait, Milk Tea, Herbal Tea, Double Sandwich, Pizza Toast, Spaghetti, Curry Rice.

; Jolly Roger (Persona 2)
: Pirate-themed restaurant in Konan's Seaside Mall. The rumormongering proprietor is sad and trades in rumors as a balm for the sea, to which he can no longer return. Menu: Coffee Blend, Tea Blend, Veggie Juice, Special Cocoa, Baked Apple Pie, Chocolate Cookie, Brown Rice Curry, Pirate’s Set.

; Clair De Lune (Persona 2)
: Classy French restaurant in Narumi's Hotel Pleiades, served by Garçon Soejima. May or may not also sell top-notch armor on the sly. Menu: Vichyssoise, Escabèche, Cassoulet, Brochette, Brandade, Bouillabaisse, Ballotine, Navarin.

; Wilduck Burger (Persona 3)
: A fast food burger chain with a location in the Iwatodai Strip Mall. The mainline item is the Mystery Burger for those with the Guts to try it.

; Hagakure Ramen (Persona 3)
: A ramen restaurant in the Iwatodai Strip Mall. Their mainline item, the Pork Ramen, is full of collagen to make the eater's skin silky smooth and Charming.

; Wakatsu Kitchen (Persona 3)
: A sushi restaurant in the Iwatodai Strip Mall. The seafood in their Prodigy Platter is healthy and full of omega-3s--the perfect brain food to help the Academically challenged.

; Yon-Germain Bakery (Persona 5)
: A small bakery located at the Ginza Line Gate at Shibuya Station. Perfect for when you need to grab a snack in between train transfers. Menu: Sandwich, Fruit Danish, Moist Katsu Bun (rainy day special), Melon Pan (summer-only; limited product).

; Bikkuri Boy (Persona 5)
: A spacious family diner located up a stairwell off Central Street in Shibuya. Practically deserted when it rains, so you can concentrate extra-well for study sessions in between meals. Menu: Hot Coffee (coffee with free refills), Surprise Sando (crayfish paste sandwich), Nostalgic Steak (salisbury steak like grandma made), Frui-Tea (tea made with lots of fruit), Totem Pole (tower of ice cream).

; Big Bang Burger (Persona 5)
: A fast food chain with a location on Shibuya Central Street that holds the Big Bang Challenge, wherein people can become a 2nd Mate, 1st Mate, or Captain by completing various stages. Menu: Big Bang Burger, Saturn Fries, Venus Salad (fruit salad), Earth Burger (seasonal spring offering with veggies), Moon Burger (seasonal autumn offering where the egg looks like the moon).

; Ore no Beko (Persona 5)
: Beef bowl restaurant on Shibuya Central Street. The beef part is pre-made so a worker only has to assemble and serve a bowl.

; Wilton Hotel (Persona 5)
: Upscale hotel chain with a location in Shibuya. Known for its high-priced gourmet buffet.

; Melty Donut (Persona 5)
: A donut franchise popular with cops, lawyers, and security guards.

; Katsuo Shokudo (Original)
: A mom-and-pop restaurant in Inaba, well-known to locals for its excellent food. Or it was, as with the declining Inaban economy, it finally had to close its doors in early 2010. The owner and primary cook, Hideji Aoki, moved away to the big city with his daughter Hibari.

=== Bars and Pubs ===

; Izakaya Shiraishi (Persona 2)
: An Izakaya bar in Hirasaka's Kameya Alley that absolutely doesn't serve ramen--except for banana ramen. Rumor has it the proprietress, Ma'am, is a former spy that can give tips on finding anyone. Hangout of Rumormonger Toku-san. Menu: Edamame, Yakitori, Sesame Chicken, Oden, Red Bean Gyoza, Banana Ramen, Beer, Sake.

; Parabellum (Persona 2)
: A noir-ish bar in Aoba's Aoba Way with an elderly gentleman barkeeper who makes firearms-themed cocktails. Rumor has it they also secretly sell weapons. Menu: Revolver, Double Action, Magnum, Bullet Core, Browning Power, Angel Trigger, Tilt Barrel, Derringer.

; Ebony (Persona 2)
: Classy bar in Narumi's Hotel Pleiades, run by a rumor-lovin' bartender who's as quick with a rumor or a story as she is with a cocktail. Menu: On the Rocks, Between the Sheets, Gimlet, Blue Lagoon, Green Eyes, Mockingbird, Angel's Kiss, Spritzer.

; Crossroads Bar (Persona 5)
: An adult entertainment bar in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The bartender and owner is Lala Escargot; the shop logo includes a snail. On top of wines, beers, and cocktails, there are a few snacks and non-alcoholic drinks available.

; Izakaya Nichinan (Original)
: An izakaya in Konan Ward. Known more for its beer selection than its food, it gets most of its business from younger office workers who live in the ward.

== Pharmacies and Convenience Stores ==

; Yin and Yang (Persona 1)
: Convenience store chain. They'll sell you medicine, and if you get friendly with the owner, they might let you see their collection of airsoft guns too. Yin and Yang stores operate in supernatural spaces, too -- and under those conditions, they'll sell you ''real'' weapons.

; Satomi Tadashi Pharmacy (Persona 1)
: Vibes less like they're gonna conquer the world, unlike the Sumaru City branch. Has an infectious theme song explaining what each item they sell does.

; Satomi Tadashi Pharmacy (Persona 2)
: Drugstore chain throughout Sumaru City. All the shopkeepers look the same, and are open about being sisters. Don't worry about the music overhead or why it has a different style in each store, just don't.

; Mayo Mart (Persona 4)
: A 24-hour konbini (Japanese convenience store) in Inaba.

; 777 (Persona 5)
: Convenience store chain with special sales on all days ending in 7. Pronounced 'Triple Seven.'

== Other Notable Shops ==

; GOLD Gym (Persona 2)
: Major gym workout chain with locations throughout the world.

; Kaori (Persona 2)
: Perfume and aromatherapy shop in Rengedai; scents that cleanse the soul, perhaps more literally than you'd think...

; Padparadscha (Persona 2)
: Jewelry store in Hotel Pleiades in Narumi.

; Rafflesia (Persona 3)
: Floral shop franchise throughout Japan; has various smaller branches everywhere. Sometimes includes services where they'll grow and nurture your plants for you.

; Junes Department Store (Persona 4)
: Department megastore chain. The jingle goes: 'Every day's great at your Junes!' A new store is presently being built in Inaba -- look forward to the grand opening!

; Moel Gas Station (Persona 4)
: A gas station chain where one can go to fuel up one’s vehicle. May or may not have a grey-haired gas station attendant, or job openings.

; Untouchable Airsoft Shop (Persona 5)
: A military-esque airsoft shop in a back alley off Shibuya Central Street. Although all their goods are models, the proprietor, Iwai, has a scary look.

; Electronics Superstore Akindo (Persona 5)
: A huge electronics store in Akihabara.

; De La Mancha (Inspired by Soul Hackers 2)
: Or just Mancha. A chain discount store that sells just about everything, from groceries to electronics to clothing. Notorious for overloaded shelves so they can offer more products. Very lucky shoppers may occasionally find a cognitively useful item buried in there, whether a consumable, equipment, or even a card!

== Services and Appointments ==

; Hiiragi Psychotherapy (Persona 2)
: Run by Dr. Reiko, located in Seaside Mall.

; Sumaru Genie (Persona 2)
: Fortune-teller based in Seaside Mall who goes by the same name as the store. Her fortunes stopped coming true after Wang Long fortune-telling rose into prominence.

; Time Castle (Persona 2)
: Clock shop run by the eclectic Time Count, a man who acts the part of a Victorian gentleman who gets a little intense sometimes. Offers Skill Card services.

; Tominaga Chiropractic (Persona 2)
: Run by Mr. Tomi, a bombastic chiropractor trained in the US who has a US-themed 'flair' to his personality. He utilizes his ultimate technique, the Gold Finger, to adjust any spine, satisfaction guaranteed.

== Housing ==

; Lunar Palace (Persona 2)
: Apartment complex chain; there's one such apartment building in Konan. Maya Amano, Ulala Serizawa, and Shiori Miyashiro live there.

== Famous People ==

; Eriko "Elly" Kirishima (Persona 1)
: Popular rising model. Her hobby is the occult and she gives no comment on any potential boyfriend situation.

; Hidehiko "Brown" Uesugi (Persona 1)
: Talk show host. He's known for his boisterous laughter and nonstop jokes.

; Junko Kurosu (Persona 2)
: Veteran actress who's been in the profession for decades. She doesn't get quite as many roles now that she's in her 40s with a son who's nearly an adult, but she's still going strong.

; President Tanaka (Persona 3)
: CEO of and host to a TV home shopping show every Sunday morning, both of which are called Tanaka's Amazing Commodities.

; Naoto Shirogane (Persona 4)
: The first Detective Prince, who comes from a famous detective family and has been solving crimes across the country for years from a very young age.

; Rise Kujikawa (Persona 4)
: A popular middle school-aged rookie idol who's appeared in a few commercials so far.

; Goro Akechi (Persona 5)
: The second Detective Prince, sometimes called the Second Coming of the Detective Prince. A rookie compared to Naoto Shirogane, but nonetheless a high schooler who solves crimes for the police and gets consulted all the time.

; Ann Takamaki (Persona 5)
: An exotically beautiful model of mixed Japanese, American, and Finnish descent.

; Mika (Persona 5)
: A budding model, just starting out in the industry.

; Suguru Kamoshida (Persona 5)
: A professional athlete who won the gold medal for volleyball in the 2008 Summer Olympics and was teaching gym at Shujin Academy until recently. He turned himself in for abusing his students after he received a strange calling card from someone(s) calling themselves the "Phantom Thieves of Hearts."

; Ichiryusai Madarame (Persona 5)
: A famous artist celebrated for his incredibly broad range of styles. He recently confessed that his "range" was actually plagiarized from his various students, again after receiving a strange calling card from the Phantom Thieves of Hearts.

; Subaru Amamiya (Persona 5 - Original)
: The soft-spoken and stern Mayor of Inaba, elected for four terms and presently trying for a fifth. He doesn't speak of [[Ren Amamiya|his son]] often. It's rumoured that he has greater politicial ambitions than being the Mayor of a small town. His wife Akira often acts as his unofficial assistant.

;Gozaburou "Zabu" Gessou (Velvet Room MUSH - Original)
:Talk show host and media personality. "Good Evening, Sumaru" is his show focusing on the weird rumors and happenings of Sumaru. He is also the son of a once influential political family whose patriarch died under mysterious circumstances.

[[Category: Setting]]

Fictional Pop Culture and Brands

2026-07-03T23:38:26Z

Tex: /* Books and Manga */

2026-06-26: Maybe It Really Is a Curse

2026-06-29T13:01:52Z

Tex: Created page with "*'''Log: 2026-06-26: Maybe It Really Is a Curse''' *'''Cast:''' Yuuki Hoshizora, Misato Fushihara *'''Where:''' Renegdai, Sumaru City *'''OOC Date:''' June 26, 2026 *'''IC Date:''' November 30, 2012 *'''Summary''': ''Yuuki and Magus meet up for a sparring match in Dark Hour. While sparring, they discuss why they're doing this -- and find both things in common and some very different motivations.'' ---- <Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed. <poem> When the..."

*'''Log: 2026-06-26: Maybe It Really Is a Curse'''
*'''Cast:''' [[Yuuki Hoshizora]], [[Misato Fushihara]]
*'''Where:''' Renegdai, Sumaru City
*'''OOC Date:''' June 26, 2026
*'''IC Date:''' November 30, 2012
*'''Summary''': ''Yuuki and Magus meet up for a sparring match in Dark Hour. While sparring, they discuss why they're doing this -- and find both things in common and some very different motivations.''

----

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
When they last met, Yuuki and Magus reached an agreement: they would meet in Renegdai in the same place in a week's time.

Yuuki has been anticipating it ever since then. She would hesitate to say that she is excited -- but that doesn't make it less true. She can say, and she can tell herself, that she wants to get stronger and it ends there. But, the truth is, somehow, Magus is so... ''intriguing''.

She says what comes to mind. She hides behind a mask, in more than one way.

But if she is excited, why is she also so nervous? She can hardly stand still -- and keeps glancing down the street, waiting for Magus to appear.

She arrived early, of course. Yuuki is leaning against a brick wall, with Dark Hour having just set in. She has already brought about her transformation -- a sleek black and silver top, sleeveless and cut short; her skirt and cape; and her bright blue hair. Bright green eyes peer out, as she waits.

And her left foot is tapping, a nervous fidget while she waits.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Misato found Yuuki Hoshizora interesting enough when she was just a transfer student with a rare, dedicated hobby. A break from the norm, like a rock tossed into a still pool. But the more she learned, the more she wanted to investigate. There's something mysterious and fascinating about her. She seems so focused and dedicated. Why did she move here? What is it that she feels she has to do? She wants to peel the mysteries away layer by layer to find out what ''really'' makes her tick.

It's been a while since she's felt so motivated by... ''anything''. She has to pursue this feeling while it still lasts.

...And it's that feeling that leads her to camp out in an alleyway not far from the agreed-upon location, staring intently at her watch and urging the hand to tick forward faster.

There's a voice in the back of her mind that questions - is Yuuki even going to show? She gave her word, but there's no reason for her to ''keep'' it. If anything, that'd almost be the smarter play... She's a stranger, hiding her face and her name.

She's the only one of them who ''needs'' this.

Slowly, the minute hand draws closer to twelve, and Misato holds her breath as it ticks over...

...and as the Dark Hour falls across the land, Magus emerges, making her way to her destination.

And sure enough, she arrives to see... that Yuuki is here, her transformed appearance shining bright against her dreary surroundings.

Magus exhales. ...Time to put her face back on.
Shehe steps out, her expression as confident as ever. The featureless porcelain half-mask conceals all but her mouth, and the hooded cloak obscures the rest of her.

"So... you're true to your word, Yuuki Hoshizora. How nice to see you again." Magus greets.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Yuuki's back straightens as Magus steps out. She turns to look at her, trying her best to look confident -- and maybe a little fearsome. She brushes some bright blue hair to the side; when she does, it makes her hair shimmer and it leaves faint afterimages in its wake. She looks at Magus, thoughtfully, for a moment.

"O-Of course I am," she says. "I wouldn't lie about that. Why would I do that?"

Her head tilts. Then, though, she nods.

"...You, too," she says. She hesitates as she looks Magus over for a moment. "I'm, um." There is a hint of nervousness in her voice, then.

"I'm ready when you are," she says.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Magus observes Yuuki as her stance shifts, picking herself up a bit.

"Why not?" Magus replies. "It costs you nothing. You had no reason not to."

To her, it sounds like the most logical thing. She can hear the nervousness in her voice... and she can hardly blame her for that. She says she's ready, though.

"Very well." Magus replies. From within her cloak she draws her saber and her parrying dagger before offering Yuuki a respectful bow.

"Do you have any ground rules you'd like to set before we begin?" Magus asks. "If not... I'm ready, too. Come at me whenever you'd like."
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
"I wouldn't do that. I don't want to lie," Yuuki says. She glances to the side for a moment -- then her eyes shift back towards Magus. "And... besides. I want to be stronger, too."

She cracks a small, brief smile at the bow. It's endearing, in a way. She draws out her rapier, lifting the blade in front of her in a salute to her opponent.

"We stop if one of us says to," she says. "And... no causing lasting harm, of course."

She tilts her head. "...I don't think we need a reward for the winner, but if you have an idea..."

</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Magus studies her for a moment. She doesn't want to lie, hm?

"How noble of you. I hope you can hold yourself to that." She replies, and pauses for a moment. Wanting to be stronger, though... "...That reasoning, I can understand."

She notes that smile, however brief - and notes, approvingly, when she echoes her gesture.

"That sounds reasonable." Magus agrees. They're just here to test each other, after all - they can take it ''seriously'', but that doesn't mean they need to wound each other. As for a reward...

"Hm. Well... this ''is'' only our first match. I imagine at this stage we'll largely be feeling each other out..." Magus considers. "Perhaps we'll save that for later down the line, once we're past the opening stages."
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
"I... I don't plan to stray from that," Yuuki says, her voice hesitating for a moment. Is there something about honesty -- or a lack thereof -- that bothers Magus? There are a lot of mysteries here. She wants to be stronger. But why?

Then, she nods. "All right," she agrees. And she notes what Magus says -- that there will be future matches. She exhales, trying to keep the fact she feels some satisfaction at hearing that from being too obvious. "That makes sense to me. Then... let's start!"

She takes a step back, then throws her hand out to one side.

"Galileo!"

Behind her, four rings of light appear. They solidify into clockwork rings; each with numerous gears tht connect them and make them interlock and rotate. Each has a crystal orb on it, glittering and catching the light as it moves. Her eyes are on Magus.

Waiting, but growing tense -- ready to strike.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Magus 'hm's to herself at that insistence - but whatever thought is running through her head, she doesn't voice it aloud. Instead, she nods back at Yuuki's agreement. She seems to accept that, even though she had decided it on her own...

"Indeed, let's." Misato agrees. Yuuki declares the beginning of the match - and as she calls upon her Persona, Magus follows suit. She grasps her mask, drawing upon its power.

"Nitocris." She entreats. For her, a woman in Egyptian royal garb appears, her bearing regal and self-assured. She eyes the battlefield carefully and so does Magus, taking in Yuuki's Persona as well as Yuuki herself. Sizing them both up, running calculations through her head -

- and then she lunges forward suddenly, swishing her saber toward Yuuki with a pair of quick, testing thrusts to gauge her reflexes.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Misato lunges forward. That saber thrusts out -- and Yuuki's saber swings out quickly to meet her blows. She beats them backward, sucking in a sharp breath.

Then, she pushes forward. She doesn't thrust with her rapier; instead, parrying the second of Magus's strike, she locks her blade into place. Galileo, behind her, spins around with a ''gleam'' in those four crystalline orbs. Yuuki reaches a hand out.

And she grabs Misato's forearm, for a second.

A second is all she needs. Suddenly, for both of them, gravity shifts. Instead of being drawn to the ground, they suddeny both fall towards the wall of the nearby building. Its bricks become the ground -- the street becomes a long, endless wall, and horizon is perpendicular. It might be disorienting.

Yuuki is used to it.

She does a quick spin, then she kicks at Misato's midsection.

"Hyah!"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Blade meets blade as Yuuki's rapier flashes out to meet hers. They're locked in a parry. The parrying dagger soon joins Magus's saber, crossing over it as she moves to try to overpower Yuuki -

- but Yuuki only needs a second. Before she can complete her motion, gravity ''shifts''. Magus's stomach lurches as they both fall - not down or up but toward what was, just a moment ago, the side.She lands, cat-like - but her body lurches at the new, jarring point of view. She noticed the way Yuuki had accelerated her own movement before, but she hadn't anticipated she could use it like ''this''.

This, however, is Yuuki's domain - the experience makes a difference. Before she can fully reorient herself Yuuki's foot slams into her midsection and knocks the wind out of her, sending her reeling back several steps. Her saber lashes out as she regains her footing - but it's not the blade one has to look out for, but the directed command.

Nitocris holds her hands out in front of her, and something begins to gather between them. She casts her hands outward and streams of water rush out toward Yuuki as Magus manages to straighten up(in a relative sense, that is).

"You're honest... but I see that doesn't mean you don't have tricks up your sleeves." She notes with an approving grin.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Water explodes out towards Yuuki. She ducks underneath one, then launches up over another, before a third catches her in the side. It sets her into a spin; she yelps, feet hitting the glass window of a convenience store. The rubber soles of her shoes squeak across it. She looks at Magus, her rapier pointed towards her.

She cracks a brief, small smile. "I was taught well. Shadows don't play fair... so I can't, either."

She launches forward. She goes into a leap, shooting straight forward, with her blade thrust at Magus.

When she gets closer, she finds herself speaking -- her expression serious, even as her own words take Yuuki by surprise. "Why do you want to get stronger?"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Magus watches Yuuki carefully as she recovers, eying the tip of her radar. She stands at the ready, saber and parrying dagger in front of her.

Yuuki smiles - and Magus grins.

"Is that so... Good. Then I won't restrain myself, either." She replies.

Yuuki launches forward and Magus crosses her blades to meet her, gritting her teeth as she tries to hold the rapier back.

"Hm... How to... ''put it''..." The words come out a little strained, from the exertion - and then she forces her blades to the side abruptly, trying to push the rapier away and Yuuki herself along with it.

And then, Nitocris snaps her fingers and the air ripples. Something, some illusory force, tries to take hold of Yuuki, casting visions before her eyes. One Magus dodges to her left, thrust with her dagger. One dodges to the right, swiping with her saber. One recoils back, and drops to her knees.

But only one is visible in the reflection of the glass underneath their feet, behind Yuuki. Saber and dagger both swing down in an X-shaped slash.

"It's not really a 'want'. It's a ''need''." Magus corrects. "I simply have to. There's something I have to do - something I have to see through. ...Sound familiar?"

Yuuki's own words, back from when they first encountered each other.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Their blades meet again. Sparks fly as the blades scrape along each other. Yuuki hears the exertion in her voice -- and then her rapier is thrown to the side. She makes a surprised noise, her feet stepping backward with an almost-clumsy stumble. She recovers, but not before the air ripples.

Her bright green eyes widen. She inhales, sharply. One Magus comes from her left -- and she side steps, before the dagger can touch her. One, to Yuuki's right, slashes with her saber -- and Yuuki's rapier swings in to catch it, but the mirage parts around her blade.

Another drops to her knees, before her -- and Yuuki freezes. Did she hurt--

Movement in the glass. "Wh--" She turns, quickly, and she brings up the rapier ''just'' in time. Saber and dagger strike into the blade with a loud ring of steel on steel, and Yuuki is pushed back -- against the street that is a wall behind her.

She looks at Magus over the crossed blades -- at the shape of her lips, at her eyes behind that mask, and she wonders who this girl is. She grits her teeth, with the strain of holding her blades back with her own.

"Yes," she agrees, quietly. "What is it, then? Someone you're trying to save? Or... or is it something else?"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Yuuki catches her blades. Steel scrapes against steel. It's Magus, now, who has the advantage. She meets Yuuki's eyes across their blades.

Yuuki remembers her own words. What is it, then? Magus wonders why ''that's'' where her mind goes too first - the idea is so far out of her mind, it's a bit surprising.

"...Oh, no. It's far too late for that." She replies with a shake of her head. She grins mirthlessly. "No... there's someone I'm trying to ''hurt'', is all."

She flourishes her parrying dagger, trying to catch the hilt of Yuuki's rapier in its curved guard to free up her saber before jabbing her saber forward.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
"Someone you want to hurt?" Yuuki replies, her voice hesitant. The idea makes her--it makes her sad, it surprises her, and it angers her. Did someone hurt her? Or is it something else?

She makes a surprised noise -- the basket hilt of her rapier is caught by Magus's parrying dagger, and her blade is thrown askance. The saber is thrust for her, and she can't quite find a way to dodge it. So she reaches out, briefly touching Magus's shoulder.

And then gravity shifts. Suddenly, Yuuki is falling towards her -- because the walls of the building on the other side of the street are now down, instead of up. Yuuki swings her sword, but to knock the saber aside.

Because she is falling, too.

She lands atop Magus, with a loud grunt. They're face-to-face and Yuuki stares down at her, with eyes that are wide and sincere, like they were in the bakery.

But unlike the bakery, they're worried.

"...You say it so easily, but--but it can't be easy, can it?"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>"That's right." Magus confirms.

The saber is thrust - and Yuuki reaches ''past'' it. Magus has seen what she can do now, but this close there's no room to pull back in time.

The world turns on its head once more. It happens too quickly for her to reorient herself. They fall together, and as they do Yuuki swings her rapier. Magus's saber is knocked aside - and when she lands with a grunt of her own, both from landing on the ground and from Yuuki landing on her, it goes clattering away out of her hand to the side.

Magus looks up - and she finds Yuuki staring down at her. Those eyes... She remembers them. She hadn't seen them from this close before, though.

...They're...

...No, she has to focus.

Still... in the face of that wide-eyed sincerity, she finds it difficult to stare into them for long. She looks away, her expression faltering as a hint of guilt creeps in.

"...Of course it can be." She insists - forces out. "...You just have to want it enough."
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
When the saber falls away, the rapier falls with it. They clatter across the metal garage door of a closed electronics shop -- blades laying crossed over each other, in an X-shape. Yuuki can't even spare a glance for them. She keeps looking at Magus.

Even when Misato looks away from her.

"Anything that makes you want it enough can't be easy," Yuuki insists, her expression screwing up. She is, after all, stubborn. Even if--

Even if it isn't her business.

Even if she isn't sure why she cares.

"...I'm trying to find my parents," she says, quieter. "And--and right now, if I find them... it won't be enough. I won't be enough. So I... I have to become stronger. I've got to burn away everything else, until..."

She is still pressed against Magus, still close to her, and those bright green eyes are still bearing down into her. "...Until I'm strong enough to have them back."

She swallows. "That's why I'm scared of cutting loose. That's why I'm doing this."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>The saber and rapier fall away - and she must've lost her dagger at some point in the scuffle, too. It's just the two of them here, now.

Magus looks away, but she can still feel Yuuki's eyes on her.

"It gets easier." Magus retorts, as Yuuki's stubborn streak rises to the surface again. She opens her mouth to follow up - and then Yuuki's words stab at her just as assuredly as her rapier did, causing whatever she was about to say to die in her throat.

She thought she'd prepared herself for everything. Hardened herself against the blades the world bared at her.

...But nothing, it seems, is more frightening than such open sincerity. She wanted to know what drove her, but now that that she's seen a peek of what lies within... She's terrified.

She has to become stronger. She has to burn away everything else.

...The words, the sentiment... is so familiar. Too familiar. That wound Yuuki feels... is all too much like her own, tearing at scars she thought had long since healed over.

She doesn't say anything for a moment.

"...Do you think you can do it? If you're afraid to cut loose..." Magus asks. She's usually not afraid to say what she thinks - but here, her voice is quiet.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Yuuki stares at Misato when she says that. But she doesn't question her more -- even if she isn't so sure that she believes that. She stares at her with those too-bright eyes.

And she flinches at the quiet from Magus, at her words. She can hear the quiet in her voice, a tone that's different than she heard before. She opens her mouth for a moment at the question. She almost says that she absolutely can do it.

Sincerity, though, is a sword that cuts both ways.

Yuuki turns her head, looking to the side. "I... I don't know," she says. "I'm trying so hard. But then I..." She hesitates.

"...I find things and I meet people, and I feel my resolve waver," she finishes quietly. "And I wonder if... if I've really become who I need to."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>It'd be easier if she insisted. Declared that yes, she thinks she could. But hearing Yuuki admit that she ''doesn't know'', even though she's trying so hard...

Magus swallows.

"...And who do you need to be, that's different than who you are now?" She asks. "Do you think that's enough? That if you push everything away, it'll make you stronger?"

Behind the mask, she shuts her eyes for a brief moment.

"...Maybe it really is a curse."
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
"I..."

Is it enough? Will she be stronger if she pushes everything else away? She keeps looking away, but she closes her eyes too. She feels a shudder go down her spine as she she contemplates that question. She doesn't like any of the answers she comes back with.

"...I don't know if it's enough. If it will make me stronger," she says. "But I know I couldn't forgive myself if I can't save them."

She blinks, then she looks back at Magus. Her green eyes are back on her, insistent and sincere.

"I wish it wasn't," she says very quietly. "I wish... I could still be the girl who looks up at the heavens and wants to go there. And I wish..."

She gets quiet. She whispers the next part. "...that the girl who saved me didn't have to want to hurt someone."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Magus listens. Yuuki doesn't know... but she couldn't forgive herself if she can't save them. She opens her eyes again, looking back up at those insistent eyes staring down at her. She sounds so... vulnerable, like this. Whispering her quiet wishes.

"...I wish it was that way, too." She replies. "...I wish it was that easy... but it isn't."

...It never is, as much as she might want it.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Yuuki is quiet, as Magus answers. She hears what she wishes for -- the sincerity that she is surprised to hear. The doubts that prove at odds with the masked, dashing figure. The words that her mask can't hide. At her side, just out of Magus's line of sight, she starts to lift her fingers -- then they curl.

Then, they fall back down to her side.

"...I know," she says. She is quiet for a moment more -- and then she steps back. She takes Magus's hand. "Step forward, when I do."

The direction of gravity shifts, but it's slower. Which gives Misato the strange feeling of stepping off the wall, then onto the street. The ground, once more, is the ground.

Her grip on Magus's hand lingers for just a second. "I, um." She glances to the side. "I... think I owe you another sparring session, don't I?"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>The silence hangs between them for a moment, and then Yuuki steps away. She takes Magus's hand and Magus freezes, for just a moment - but she nods, and when Yuuki steps forward, she follows suit.

Once again, she's back on solid ground. She reels, a little, and has to take a moment to stabilize herself.

...She feels a little awkward, now. She's acutely aware of how close they'd been. This certainly is a new experience - but she got more than she bargained for out of it.

"Ah..." She starts. She has to take a moment to realign her metaphorical mask.

"...You don't ''owe'' me anything." Magus insists... but hesitates for a moment. "...However, we do have a... mutual interest in getting stronger. So it might be... beneficial."
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
It starts to dawn on Yuuki, too, how close they were. Her hand pulls back -- and she nervously dusts off her skirt, before she looks back at Magus. She watches her realign herself -- and then she blinks, at the way that she says she doesn't owe her anything.

But...

She still seems interested. And somehow -- even though her heart felt heavy, still, with their conversation -- that agreement makes Yuuki's heart lift up a little. She smiles, the hand that was awkwardly at her side resting over her heart instead.

"Then... let's meet again, in another week?"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Magus steps back, letting her own hands return to the safety of her cloak. She's starting to feel back on center again. And Yuuki actually smiles a little, when she agrees. Magus smiles just slightly despite herself, too - but she forces that serious expression back on.

"Yes, that should be acceptable." She confirms. She starts to turn away, but she pauses. "...I'll see you then, Yuuki Hoshizora."
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Yuuki watches her turn. There is a moment of brief hesitation, even worry. Did she push her away? But then, she pauses.

She smiles a little more -- and then nods. "Mm. Until then, Magus."

She stays there, watching as the masked girl steps out of sight.

</poem>

[[Category:Logs]]
[[Category:Season 1]]
[[Category:Season 1, Episode 2]]

User:Tex

2026-06-23T18:01:39Z

Tex:

I'm Tex! I'm in EST and I generally get home around 5:00 p.m. Eastern time; on work nights, I usually need to wrap scenes up by 10:30 Eastern, too. Wednesdays and Thursdays are often bad for me, but I'm happy to RP other nights!

I'm also Iwatodai Station, a plot staffer here! I primarily run Persona 5 content, and help with Persona 3, but I might be pinch hitting with other themes' stuff as necessary.

Over at Dream Chasers MUSH, I'm Sheriff Star, Xiumei Klein, Redi Hayworth, and the others. At SRTMOO, I previously played Rena Lancaster. At BF, I played Lera Camry.

= Current Alts=
* [[Minako Arisato]]: Co-leader of SEES combat's team and a perfectly okay girl who is always smiling. :)
* [[Yuuki Hoshizora]]: An awkward, determined young lady with a love of astronomy and a single-minded determination to save her parents.
* [[Reiko Shimizu]]: A helpful police officer with no supernatural ability. She does her best. But will her best be good enough?
* [[Laurent Fontaine]]: A history professor and the leader of the veteran Persona User group, the [[Wild Hunt]].
* Iwatodai Station: A plot staffer and a train station. He might be renamed to an NPC in some scenes! He is a train station of many faces. Major NPCs I've played include:
*# [[Junya Kaneshiro]]: A crime boss in Shibuya.

2026-06-16: A Kind of Charming

2026-06-17T22:29:25Z

Tex: Created page with "*'''Log: 2026-06-16: A Kind of Charming''' *'''Cast:''' Misato Fushihara, Yuuki Hoshizora *'''Where:''' Bakery Pan-Pan, Renegdai, Sumaru City *'''OOC Date:''' June 16, 2026 *'''IC Date:''' November 25, 2012 *'''Summary''': ''As she promised, Yuuki stops by Bakery Pan-Pan to sample what Misato has baked.'' ---- <Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed. <poem>Location is important for any business. For that reason, Bakery Pan-Pan is located on a stretch not to..."

*'''Log: 2026-06-16: A Kind of Charming'''
*'''Cast:''' [[Misato Fushihara]], [[Yuuki Hoshizora]]
*'''Where:''' Bakery Pan-Pan, Renegdai, Sumaru City
*'''OOC Date:''' June 16, 2026
*'''IC Date:''' November 25, 2012
*'''Summary''': ''As she promised, Yuuki stops by Bakery Pan-Pan to sample what Misato has baked.''

----

<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Location is important for any business. For that reason, Bakery Pan-Pan is located on a stretch not too far from the Seven Sisters Schools, providing easy access for the students that make up a large portion of its customer base. If there's one thing they're good at, it's drawing attention - there are pastries displayed in the window to show off their goods, and the chalkboard next to the door advertising daily specials is held by a rendition of their mascot, a panda that appears to be made of dough.

The atmosphere inside is cozy - though the main intention is for customers to take their purchases with them on the go, there is still a small dining area with some tables and chairs set up. A board right next to it displays advertisements for upcoming local events as well as numbers one can call for help or support.

There are shelves set-up all over displaying ready-made baked goods of all shapes, sizes, and flavors, and what isn't on display might be on the menu, which also includes sandwiches made on their fresh bread and beverages such as coffee, milk, tea, and smoothies.

Also present - is one Misato Fushihara! She stands at the counter, wearing a white apron with the bakery's logo over her outfit. She's wearing a haircover, but that bright yellow ribbon tying her hair back is as present as ever.

She takes a moment to call something out to someone working in the back, out of view of the customers, before turning her attention ahead once more.

Naturally, the inside of the establishment smells ''incredible'', with the scent of fresh bread acting as a lure for customers.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
When Yuuki heard that Misato worked at Bakery Pan-Pan, she knew she had to visit. And as she arrives, she has to admit that the bakery catches the eye: the panda mascot, the display pastries, the cozy dining area and decor, and the shelves packed with goods. And, of course, the ''smells''. It smells delicious.

The bell over the door rings when Yuuki comes in, announcing a customer. She scans across the room, with that usual intent and serious expression on her face. But then her green eyes look at Misato.

And that ribbon, which makes her smile. Just briefly, just for a second. But then, she shifts her book bag, and walks -- practically marches -- up to the register.

She comes to a stop before Misato. She came here to see her, and suddenly she is very conscious of that, and it stops her in her tracks. So she stands in front of her classmate for five seconds.

Then, with that serious tone -- hiding innate nervousness, and not well -- she declares: "...Hi, Fushihara-san. I have come for bread."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>The bell rings. Misato looks to see who it is - and her expression hides subtle surprise when she spots Yuuki walking through the door.

...She really did come, just as she recommended. A part of her wasn't sure if she was just saying that.

"Hoshizora-san! It's good to see you!" She greets, putting on a bright smile. That smile doesn't budge for those five seconds as Yuuki stands there. She hears that serious tone... and the nervousness that it tries to hide. The smile doesn't budge at ''that'', either - though she does take note of it.

"Then you've come to the right place!" She replies, offering her a wink. "What catches your eye? We've got loads of options. If you've got any dietary restrictions, we can accomodate that, too."
BBS: New BB message (4/27) posted to 'Scene Announcements' by Scene System: Royal Reload
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
The unflinching, unblinking smile makes Yuuki freeze up just for a second longer. She looks at Misato, and then she exhales, slightly. Her cheeks turn just slightly pink at the wink -- it has the same effect on her from the day they first met and the school days in between. She nods, though.

"No dietary restrictions," she says. "Um... I suppose..."

She looks all around the room. But everything in Bakery Pan-Pan looks delicious. She lifts a finger, pressing it to her chin, as she looks about. Then, she looks back at Misato.

She hesitates. Then, with just a hint of trepidation, she asks, "Um... is there anything you prepared?"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Misato nods, filing that away for future reference. It'll be useful information. She leans forward for a moment, folding her arms in front of her as Yuuki looks about the room. And then Yuuki looks back.

Anything ''she's'' prepared...? She's flattered.

"Mm-hm, you betcha!" Misato confirms with a nod. "I think I mentioned sweets are my specialty? I've got melonpan and cookies out there, and I just put out a fresh batch of castella, too."

She gestures around the room.

"But if sweets aren't what you're looking for, I've got some loaves of rye and sourdough, too." She adds. "Just depends on what you've got your eye on."
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Yuuki looks back at Misato -- and there's a smile from her, as she seems pleased. She often seems pleased, Yuuki thinks -- but sRhe doesn't know if that is true. But, she thinks that Misato looks happy about it. She glances towards the melonpan and the cookies.

"I really like sweets," she admits. "I'm--uhm. I have a sweet tooth." She laughs, sheepishly. Her fingers come up to her hair, tugging lightly on a teal bang hanging down in front of her ear.

"Maybe... a slice of the melonpan?" she asks. "That sounds very good..."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>She likes sweets... Misato takes note of ''that'', too.

"In that case, I have a feeling we're gonna get along ''really'' well." She comments with a grin and another wink. "I like making them! It's nice, making stuff people enjoy. And nothing puts a smile on people's faces quite like sweets do."

...These days, though, it's more a convenient distraction than anything. It keeps her mind and her hands busy, gives her something to focus on. But she doesn't need to tell her ''that''.

She steps back from the counter.

"Melonpan it is, then! We've got a lot of different kinds. We've got filled ones with fruit, cream, or chocolate, we've got chocolate chip... I like the fruit ones the most." Misato explains.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
"You think so?" Yuuki asks. She pauses -- before she smiles, then there is a quick nod. "I like them a lot. I can't have as many as I'd like -- I need to make sure I'm in good shape..." Misato might know ''why'' now. "...but, um. If you make something... I would be happy to try it."

She watches Misato step back. She can't possibly guess that it's a distraction, too. She considers, instead, as Misato explains the kinds.

"Let's try... chocolate chip," she says. "I really like chocolate." She hesitates for a moment. Has she just talked about herself?

Did she mostly talk about rockets, last time?

She feels a spike of anxiety. Then, almost abruptly, Yuuki asks: "How long have you been baking, Fushihara-san!"

...It doesn't quite come out as a question.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>"I think so." Misato agrees. She listens intently as Yuuki continue. When she reiterates that she would be happy to try it if she makes something, though... Her expression softens somewhat.

"Gosh, Hoshizora-san, that's real flattering..." She comments. Showing a genuine interest in what she makes... even if, at least in Misato's eyes, there's a bit of self-interest there too. She laughs sympathetically, then.

"I definitely get having to hold yourself back, though. It's hard when they're so tempting... especially for the one who makes 'em." She does, in fact, have a good idea why it would be so much of a concern for her.

Yuuki makes a decision, and Misato nods.

"One chocolate-chip melonpan, coming right up~." Misato replies cheerily. She goes to fetch the requested item - but then, abruptly, Yuuki asks her a question. ...Of sorts - it's sharp and abrupt, causing her to pause.

They ''have'' mostly talked about Yuuki and her interests... and Misato was okay with that. ''Preferred'' it, even. Now that things have been turned around on her...

...She doesn't answer right away, as she retrieves the melonpan and packages it up.

"...Oh, about... five years now, maybe? No... a little less than that." Misato considers.

Five years... Her expression turns briefly melancholic - but that sunny smile returns just as quickly as it left as she returns to the counter, setting the melonpan out for Yuuki. True to its name, its a bun with a crunchy cookie checkerboard exterior reminiscent of a melon with a soft, fluffy interior... and, of course, this particular bun has been loaded with chocolate chips.

"The owner here has been real helpful... I get to take home whatever leftover ingredients we won't be able to use the next day, so that's been great for experimenting." Misato says.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
"W-Well... we're friends, and I. Um. Want to support you?" Yuuki phrases it like a question -- more like she isn't sure if it's okay to say. "...and, I suppose, I do get sweets out of it."

Her left foot scuffs the tile floor. She looks up -- and then she smiles when Misato says she has to hold back. "I can only imagine," she says. Then, she sighs. "Especially when they're freshly baked."

Yuuki poses her 'question.' She spots the way that Misato pauses -- the way that she turns away. How there is a melancholy look, however fleeting, before the sunny smile comes back. Yuuki feels a little, icy ball of dread forming in her stomach.

She takes the offered bread, and it takes her mind just a moment to catch up -- as Misato answers. "So... since you were little," she says.

Her smile is nervous. "The owner sounds nice," she say. "You... um... did your parents teach you, originally?"

Then, she looks back at the melonpan. Her eyes light up as she takes the checkerboard exterior and chocolate chip-filled interior in. She smiles, brighter than usual, as she looks back up at Misato. Even if she asked a difficult question, even if she felt so awkward and anxious before...

Now, she looks delighted.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Misato studies Yuuki thoughtfully for a moment. Does she really mean that? Or is she just saying it because it feels right to? ...It sounds like it isn't easy for her to say. Yuuki doesn't seem the type to say things just because...

...Not like ''her'', anyway.

"Mm. Well... then I appreciate the support~!" She replies, and laughs. "I end up with a lot of leftovers, so I hope you'll be ready."

She nods, gravely, when Yuuki sympathises.

"Especially then." She agrees.

There's no trace of that melancholy look now. One could almost think they imagined it - it certainly doesn't seem to suit her.

"Mm-hm." Misato confirms, as Yuuki summises. "He is. I owe him a lot, actually..."

Her parents, though...

"Nope. My mother was going to, but... she never got around to it, so I took it upon myself." Misato replies. She dances around it doesn't elaborate the 'why', keeps it simple enough - and then she lists off a price.

It's plenty affordable, even for a place in the vicinity of a school with a prestigue like Seven Sisters, especially on a student discount.

Misato is taken aback by that smile, though, almost a match for her own, as Yuuki looks upon the melonpan... She really ''does'' have a fondness for sweets.

...It's kind of charming, how much her expression shifted at the sight of it.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
There is a lot in Yuuki's expression. A tension to her shoulders and neck; a worried look on her face, like she said too much. It is sincere, but in the way someone being worried they said the wrong thing despite being genuine is sincere.

She nods, quickly, when Misato laughs. "I will be ready for this important mission!" she says, very seriously -- though a twitch at the corner of her lips says she is joking.

...A little.

"He sounds nice," she says, of the owner. And then, of Misato's mother--no, she moves past that quickly. Yuuki blinks. Maybe a--a distant mother, or... But, she seems cheerful. Enough that the moment of melancholy seems to almost be illusory.

The price is offered, and that successfully distracts Yuuki. "Oh, yes!" She reaches into her bag, pulls out the requisite amount of yen, and hands them over.

Then, she lifts her melonpan -- and takes a bite. A moment later, she sighs, closing her eyes. "Aaaah... that's so good, Fushihara-san!"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Is that... a joke? Misato can't help but smile. She seems pleased at getting a joke out of her.

"I'll hold you to it." Misato replies with a grin.

"Mm-hm, he is." She confirms with a nod. "He's used to taking on students, so the scheduling is pretty flexible, too..."

...Which is ''also'' convenient for one who moonlights as a masked vigilante. Not that she'd know anything about that.

Misato doesn't seem to be about to elaborate further just yet - and with the distraction successful, she doesn't need to. She accepts the offered pay, tallying it up before putting away.

"Thanks for your business!" She offers... but watching as Yuuki takes up the melonpan. She finds herself briefly tense, wondering what she'll think of it...

...but it turns out there was never anything to worry about. Even for someone like her, it's still a little nice to see someone enjoy something you made...

"I'm glad you liked it, Hoshizora-san." Misato replies with a smile.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Yuuki smiles when Misato grins at her. She must have caught onto the joke -- and that pleases her. She nods, then, about the schedule. That ''would'' be useful. If she ever gets a part-time job, she would want something about that.

But, there's her melonpan. She has a bite -- and she ''wants'' to eat it all right there. But, that would be a lot, and Misato is working. Even if...

Even if she wishes she could stay here a little longer.

"I really did," she says. "I--um. I should let you get back to work, Fushihara-san. But..." She smiles, a little nervously, again. "...I'll see you soon, right?"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Misato beams - and then nods, as Yuuki says she'll let her get back to work.

"Okay. It was nice to see you, Hoshizora-san." She offers - and meets that nervous smile with one of her own. "Of course. You know where to find me~!"

She winks again. They sit next to each other in class - she's hard to miss.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
That wink! That... that wink!

Yuuki's cheeks go red again, and she laughs in a way where it just bubbles out of her from nervousness. "I-It was nice to eat you too Fushihara-san I'm really looking forward to seeing the melonpan sitting next to me in class! B-B-Bye!"

One moment, there is a red-faced Yuuki there.

The next, there is a dotted outline where she used to be.

</poem>

[[Category:Logs]]
[[Category:Season 1]]
[[Category:Season 1, Episode 2]]

2026-06-13: I'm Looking Forward to It

2026-06-14T17:26:31Z

Tex:

*'''Log: 2026-06-13: I'm Looking Forward to It'''
*'''Cast:''' [[Yuuki Hoshizora]], [[Misato Fushihara]]
*'''Where:''' Renegdai, Sumaru City
*'''OOC Date:''' June 13, 2026
*'''IC Date:''' November 24, 2012
*'''Summary''': ''Yuuki is saved by a mysterious masked Persona User named Magus during Dark Hour. They talk about motivations -- and reach an agreement to meet again in the future. And Misato learns something new about this mysterious transfer student.''

----

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Dark Hour.

Yuuki Hoshizora knows it well. She heard about it when she was eleven; she experienced it several months ago, and was hurt by an attacking Shadow -- before her parents intervened. That makes her simultaneously cautious and eager. The fear of this liminal hour runs deep; she can sometimes feel the sheer weight of the Maya slamming into her, still, before she had any defense.

But, as the sickly green light dances off her rapier, she ''also'' feels a certain thrill in being able to fight the Shadows. She surges forward, quickly, and her sword slashes through a large Maya. It explodes apart into so much shadowstuff.

She looks different, but she is recognizable. A snug-fitting black top, bearing her midriff, with silver embroidery; a skirt; a flowing cape, attached to one shoulder. Boots and gloves, suited for a fight. Her sword, of course. And her teal hair is now a bright blue, with a sheen -- the product of Transmutation.

"Last one," she says, whirling on a larger, taller Shadow. It tilts its masked head. She holds a hand up; behind her, Galileo -- a clockwork construction with four gem orbs -- takes shape. Gravity begins to compress about the Shadow. But then it moves, unexpected, and shoots out a long limb. The Gry spell is broken, as the spear-arm slashes Yuuki's bare upper left arm, sending a splatter of blue onto the ground.

She hisses with pain, but then her eyes widen. The Shadow lifts its other arm, which forms into a point.

She makes a terrified gasp, as the lance-like arm ''shoots'' towards her.

</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>The Dark Hour.

The air is filled with a pervading aura of dread, like something inescapable hanging over you. It's tiring just to exist in this hour... but that dread helps make Misato feel alive. The Dark Hour is what it is - for it and the Shadows that blot into existence, there is no pretending, no hiding. It's almost refreshing.

And, more importantly, it gives her some free time to herself - she can get in and out of the house without risk of discovery. She doesn't mind sneaking out, but it gives her some peace of mind. That freedom is valuable.

Tonight, she stalks the green-lit streets as Magus - her dark purple hooded cloak obscuring her form, though the gold accenting stands out. Underneath it she wears a black button-up shirt with gold trim matching the cloak, alongside a pair of long, loose-fitting black pants and boots. A featureless porcelain mask conceals the top half of her face.

Usually, these walks are uneventful - she might encounter the occasional Shadow or have a run-in with a demon, but it's an easy enough distraction.

Tonight, though. Tonight she hears the sound of combat. The Shadows are restless. Some poor soul has drawn their attention. She isn't heartless - the moment she hears it, she diverts her course and picks up the pace. Soon enough, the sight of the battle comes into view.

Her eyes are drawn almost immediately to the girl. She can't help it. That bright, vibrant stands out against the dreary, washed-out green around her - she practically shines like a beacon against the night sky.

She finds herself curious, but the moment Yuuki finds herself on the back foot -

The cloaked figure rushes in. From within the depths of the cloak her parrying dagger is drawn from its sheath, raised to intercept that lance-like arm.

"Careful. Don't get overconfident just because there's only one left." Magus comments. As she struggles to hold the arm back with her parrying dagger, her free hand rises to her mask.

"Crush it, Nitocris." Magus calls. Behind her, a spectre appears - a woman of regal bearing in Egyptian royal garb. She waves a hand dismissively, and a wave of water surges forth toward the Shadow.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
The Shadow's spear-arm slashes along the dagger, sparks flying -- that blade is sharp, and it's like metal meets metal. Yuuki stares, with wide eyes, and it takes her mind a second to catch up to everything happening. She glances at her masked savior, her lips curving into a frown at her words.

"I wasn't--" Yuuki's protest is quick, almost snapped. It's different than the girl who she met; she has something to ''prove'' here. But Magus is quick to intervene offensively, too. She sucks in a sharp breath. After water goes flying at the Shadow, Yuuki cries out: "Galileo!"

The clockwork Persona takes form once more. The clockwork rings spin and turn, on their intricate gears. One of the gem spheres flashes; then, Yuuki ''shoots'' forward, gravity propelling her at the Shadow. The water strikes it, throwing it off balance. A moment later, she shoots past it, spins, and runs it through from behind.

Yuuki's feet skid to a stop as it bursts apart into another blast of shadowstuff. Yuuki's eyes -- and they're the same eyes that met Misato's before, just a ''bright'' green now -- look at the mask, trying to peer past to the eyes behind them. She hesitates for a second.

"...I-I had it," she says, with a look to the side. "But... thanks for the assist."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>She doesn't recognize her until she speaks up, but even that takes a second. The Yuuki here is a far cry from the Yuuki she met in the park - she's more assertive, and those eyes gleam bright green.

She thought she felt there was something to her that day, but to think Yuuki Hoshizora had a side like this to her...

How intriguing.

Her splash of water knocks the Shadow off-balance, and gravity propels Yuuki forward. Magus takes note of her technique, lowering her hand from her mask. She certainly seems to have recovered from the surprise quickly - to be able to launch into a maneuver like that so suddenly. She wouldn't have thought to use gravity that way. The Shadow is run through and, with a glance around to ensure there aren't more waiting in the... shadows, Magus straightens up, returning her parrying dagger to her cloak.

Bright green eyes meet masked blue ones. The shape of it obscures them - makes her difficult to read.

"I'm sure the Shadow thought the same, until my meddling... as much as they can 'think' anything." Magus replies with a smirk. "But ''you're'' the one still standing now, so... you're welcome."
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Yuuki watches the parrying dagger return to the cloak. She looks Magus up and down, and there is a moment's pause. A feeling like maybe she ''should'' know this person -- but it passes. The mask, the outfit... none of it is something that registers to Yuuki. She exhales, before she steps closer to her. The smirk warrants a brief frown.

She glances to the side, flustered at being called on it -- and maybe that isn't so different from the girl that she met in the park.

"All they care about is how they can hurt people," she says. Then, she glances back at Magus. She sucks a breath in, squares her shoulders, and meets her eyes. "I really would have had it. I'll never let these things get the better of me again."

A beat.

"Yuuki Hoshizora!" she says by way of introductions, her expression terribly serious -- and spoken with more than a little pride. "Second generation Persona User. And you're...?"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Magus catches that look, as Yuuki looks her up and down. She stands still - and does nothing to confirm or deny that she's someone she ought to know.

Yuuki looks away with a flustered look - and it might be that that confirms, no matter how different she might be, she's still her new classmate.

Magus meets Yuuki's eyes as she makes her declaration. 'Again', hm? Between that and what she said before...

"Ah, so it's personal, then." She notes. "Is that why you're out here? Satisfying a vendetta?"

If she had any suspicions she was mistaken, Yuuki dispels them by offering her name.

"You can call me Magus." She offers. It's obviously an alias - but perhaps that's no surprise. "...Second generation Persona User, hm? First time I've heard of that."
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
"More like... just proving I can handle this, now," Yuuki says. She looks back at Magus, her expression quite serious once again. Her lips purse for a moment as she regards her question. "It's not really a vendetta. I doubt the Shadows care one whit about my feelings regarding them, besides."

She blinks, then. She spots the code name -- but she heard something about that. Persona Users with masks, who take on a different name. It makes her wonder who this is, under the mask.

...Probably not someone she knows.

"My parents are, too," she says. "So... I have to live up to their name." She puts a hand over her heart, fingers curled into a fist. "What about you? Why are you doing this?"

She tilts her head. "Casting spells, maybe?"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Proving herself, hm?

"...Well, I suppose I can sympathise that. I'm no stranger to wanting to prove myself." Magus admits. She's no stranger to wanting to prove she's capable. She smirks, then, as Yuuki's lips purse. She seems pleased by the reaction. "As you said, the only thing they care about is hurting people. ...But a vendetta is really for ''you'', isn't it? They don't care about what the target feels about it."

Yuuki explains that her parents are Persona Users, too, so she has to live up to their name. That explains 'second generation'. She doesn't envy that level of responsibility, though.

"Ah. So it's a curse, then." She comments bluntly. As for herself... Magus smirks, when Yuuki suggests she's here to cast spells. "Something like that. Let's just say I'm interested in gaining power."

She shrugs.

"...And besides. There's something relaxing about being out late like this when there's no one else around, isn't there?"
</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
"That's..."

Vendettas are for the person carrying it. Yuuki's fingers curl a little into a ball at her side. "I just don't like the way it sounds. It sounds so... harsh. Or immature. Or..."

She sighs. She pauses -- then she blinks her eyes, and she frowns at the term 'curse.' "It isn't a curse!" she insists. "It's... it's just something that I have to do. And have to see through." She looks to the side. "It's not... it's not something ''bad''."

She looks back at Magus, though. Something... relaxing? She looks confused for a moment -- then she tilts her head. "I... I suppose. But, we're both here, aren't we? So... there is at least one other person around."

She remains stubborn, too, it seems.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Harsh or immature, hm? Maybe she's both of those things. But if she let herself worry too much about being viewed that way, she never would've been able to seize the strength to be where she is now. Magus's smirk doesn't fade.

"If you have to put it in a way you're more comfortable with, that's fine, too." She replies with a shrug.

She takes offense, though, to labeling her responsibility a curse. It's just something she has to do, has to see through - not something bad.

"Isn't it?" She asks - and then shrugs again. "I suppose ''you're'' the one carrying it. If that's how you feel, it's not my place to say. ...Just don't let it crush you."

Yuuki insists, too, that they're both here. There's at least one other person around. ...There's that stubborn streak. It's charming, in a way.

"...I suppose so, when you put it that way." She admits with a shrug. "You're far better company than the Shadows or the coffins, at least."

That's ''something'' like a compliment, at least.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
"It's not comfort. I just have to be better than that," Yuuki says. She looks up -- and she hesitates at the shrug. She takes a step closer, her hand coming back over my heart. "And I--I won't let it crush me! I have to be stronger. So I can do... so I can do what I have to."

She shakes her head, emphatically. "I can't let myself be distracted. Or I..."

She stops herself short. Admitting that she fears for her parents -- admitting they're trapped in that Atelier -- is too much. She bites her lip, but she keeps looking at Misato.

So when Magus says that she better company than the Shadows or the coffins, she can see the smile tug at the corners of her lips. She glances to the side, a little flustered.

"W-Well, I guess I'm... providing an argument. So I'm happy to be of service," she says. But she looks at Magus from the corner of her eye, at how she responds to that.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>She has to be better than that? Magus smirks.

"Do you, though? You should let yourself cut loose sometime. I think you'd enjoy it a lot more." She comments. Yuuki steps forward, though, a hand over her heart. Her passionate insistence... that gives Magus pause. She hasn't seen her ''nearly'' this passionate before... except perhaps when discussing approaches to improving her rocket. This feels a bit different than that, though - it feels like... scratching just at the surface of something. Something that Yuuki stops herself from admitting. Magus look away. It's hard to look her in the eye when she's like that. "...Well. Then I hope that resolve of yours holds out."

She looks back at Yuuki, though, at that flustered partial smile. That reaction seems to bring back some of her previous energy.

"My compliments. You ''do'' make a fine sparring partner." She replies. Verbal sparring, anyway.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Does she?

"It's--it's not about enjoying it," Yuuki says. "I don't... if I get distracted, then I could lose everything. I don't have time for--for letting myself do something frivolous!" She bites her lip again, looking at Magus as she looks away. Was it something she said, just then? She hesitates, and looks down herself.

But Magus seems to rebound. And she does look up again -- and a small smile plays across her lips.

"You're not bad, yourself," she says. She hesitates, before she ventures: "You... said you wanted to get stronger?"

She isn't sure if she is allowed to ask questions of someone who hides her face behind a mask. But, on the other hand, does not being allowed stop Yuuki?

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>...She's really quite driven, isn't she? Magus considers her for a moment. That just makes her all the more curious - curious to learn what it is lying under the surface that causes her to push herself so hard. The mysterious transfer student angle was already reason enough, but now...

"So that's what it is. You have a ''purpose''." Magus comments. ...They may be more alike than she thought - even if their approaches to it seem to vastly differ.

Yuuki managing a smile, though, and admitting that she isn't bad gets a small smile out of Magus, too.

"Why, thank you." She replies. A question... Is it allowed? Well, she doesn't see any harm in it. She nods. "That's right. That's my goal right now."
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
"Yes," Yuuki answers.

She lifts her chin. It's easier when she is being stubborn -- defiant, even. Rather than letting her doubts and fears showing. "I have a purpose, and I have to become... no. I've become the sort of person who can see it through." Her voice quiets. "No matter what I have to give up."

To protect the people she loves most.

When she sees the small smile on Magus's lips, hers lingers. It fades after a moment, though. "...If it would help..."

She glances away. Her pride keeps her from saying that she asks for herself, too.

"...We could spar more than verbally, sometimes," she says. "If you think it would be useful, for you goal."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Becoming the sort of person who can see it through, no matter what she has to give up... That takes determination. Magus considers her thoughtfully. What could it be that makes her willing to sacrifice so much?

"...Well then. Let's see how far that takes you." She decides. She wants to know more... but Yuuki seems to be playing her cards close to the chest right now. That's fine - she is, too, so it's only fair. Maybe Misato would have a better chance at getting her to open up, but she doesn't want to be pushy, either.

Yuuki's smile fades, though, and Magus watches her intently as it seems she's trying to figure out how to say something. And she laughs softly, when she makes her offer.

...She might see through the way she tries to say it in a way that keeps her pride intact.

"If you think you're up for it... than sure. After seeing you fight, I'm interested in seeing what you're capable of." Magus decides.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Yuuki stares back at Magus, as she says that. Her fingers are still balled into a fist at her side. And if she looks closely, Misato can see a slight tremble to that fist. She wonders, for a moment. Why does she care that this masked girl believe that she is so resolute, so determined in this?

Why is she worried that Magus will see something else in her?

She wishes, for a moment, that she could be someone else. That she could -- could just forget. Like she did with Misato, and she could smile and laugh, and it would be easy. She wishes she could see her.

But even when Dark Hour ends, it would be far too late for that.

She is distracted, for a moment, as she thinks of that -- but the laugh takes her out of it. She looks at Magus for a moment, and she gets a smile for a second. "...Of course I'm up for it," she says. "But... I'd be interested to see what you're capable of. And I'm curious..."

She tilts her head. A couple of locks of bright blue hair sway in front of her forehead, shining as they do. "...What it's like when you cut loose."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Magus watches Yuuki. She still has a fist clenched tight. That slight tremble... Magus notices it - but she doesn't call attention to it. She notices that distracted look, too - but eventually, she gets a smile.

Yuuki agrees - and then turns her statement back around ''her''.

Magus smirks. Now ''that's'' a fun response. It's like a direct challenge... She's always had a bit of a competitive streak - how can she not rise to it?

"Well, when you put it like that... Just name a time and place, Yuuki Hoshizora, and I'll be there." She says.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Yuuki's clenched fist relaxes, slowly, when Magus agrees to her suggestion -- or perhaps challenge. She lets herself smile, again.

It might be fun, she thinks. To see what she is really capable of. To see what Magus is capable of. And if that's also a distraction...

Well, sometimes, Yuuki is good at lying to herself.

"Let's say... a week from today, here. And at the same time," she says. After all, they would need to be during the Dark Hour -- or otherwise Mementos or one of the more dangerous parts of Sumaru. Her head tilts, her green eyes on those blue eyes behind the mask. "Do we have a deal, Magus?"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>"A week from today. Same time, same place." Magus repeats, to make certain she has everything down. She nods to herself, making a mental note. She's definitely not going to miss it. She nods her confirmation. "We have a deal."

A grin crosses her face.

"I'm looking forward to it."

...When was the last time she could honestly say she was looking forward to something...?
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Yuuki nods. She looks serious, for a moment. After all, this is an agreement to get better together -- to become stronger by practicing. It's--

She sees that grin.

A huff escapes her lips and she glances to the side, flustered once again. But, there is a small smile. "Good," she says. "B-Because... I'll give you everything I've got!"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>...Yuuki looks flustered again, but Magus sees that smile. She might hold herself a certain way, but a part of her seems to be enjoying this, too.

Still, saying she'll give her everything she's got... Magus can't exactly back down from that.

"I'd expect nothing less. Don't hold back on my account - I want to see it all." Magus confirms with a nod. "I'll see you then, Yuuki Hoshizora~."
</poem>

[[Category:Logs]]
[[Category:Season 1]]
[[Category:Season 1, Episode 2]]

2026-06-13: I'm Looking Forward to It

2026-06-14T14:46:16Z

Tex: Created page with "*'''Log: 2026-06-13: I'm Looking Forward to It''' *'''Cast:''' Yuuki Hoshizora, Misato Fushihara *'''Where:''' Renegdai, Sumaru City *'''OOC Date:''' June 13, 2026 *'''IC Date:''' November 24, 2012 *'''Summary''': ''Yuuki is saved by a mysterious masked Persona User named Magus during Dark Hour. They talk about motivations -- and reach an agreement to meet again in the future. And Misato learns something new about this mysterious transfer student.'' ---- <Pose..."

*'''Log: 2026-06-13: I'm Looking Forward to It'''
*'''Cast:''' [[Yuuki Hoshizora]], [[Misato Fushihara]]
*'''Where:''' Renegdai, Sumaru City
*'''OOC Date:''' June 13, 2026
*'''IC Date:''' November 24, 2012
*'''Summary''': ''Yuuki is saved by a mysterious masked Persona User named Magus during Dark Hour. They talk about motivations -- and reach an agreement to meet again in the future. And Misato learns something new about this mysterious transfer student.''

----

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Dark Hour.

Yuuki Hoshizora knows it well. She heard about it when she was eleven; she experienced it several months ago, and was hurt by an attacking Shadow -- before her parents intervened. That makes her simultaneously cautious and eager. The fear of this liminal hour runs deep; she can sometimes feel the sheer weight of the Maya slamming into her, still, before she had any defense.

But, as the sickly green light dances off her rapier, she ''also'' feels a certain thrill in being able to fight the Shadows. She surges forward, quickly, and her sword slashes through a large Maya. It explodes apart into so much shadowstuff.

She looks different, but she is recognizable. A snug-fitting black top, bearing her midriff, with silver embroidery; a skirt; a flowing cape, attached to one shoulder. Boots and gloves, suited for a fight. Her sword, of course. And her teal hair is now a bright blue, with a sheen -- the product of Transmutation.

"Last one," she says, whirling on a larger, taller Shadow. It tilts its masked head. She holds a hand up; behind her, Galileo -- a clockwork construction with four gem orbs -- takes shape. Gravity begins to compress about the Shadow. But then it moves, unexpected, and shoots out a long limb. The Gry spell is broken, as the spear-arm slashes Yuuki's bare upper left arm, sending a splatter of blue onto the ground.

She hisses with pain, but then her eyes widen. The Shadow lifts its other arm, which forms into a point.

She makes a terrified gasp, as the lance-like arm ''shoots'' towards her.

</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>The Dark Hour.

The air is filled with a pervading aura of dread, like something inescapable hanging over you. It's tiring just to exist in this hour... but that dread helps make Misato feel alive. The Dark Hour is what it is - for it and the Shadows that blot into existence, there is no pretending, no hiding. It's almost refreshing.

And, more importantly, it gives her some free time to herself - she can get in and out of the house without risk of discovery. She doesn't mind sneaking out, but it gives her some peace of mind. That freedom is valuable.

Tonight, she stalks the green-lit streets as Magus - her dark purple hooded cloak obscuring her form, though the gold accenting stands out. Underneath it she wears a black button-up shirt with gold trim matching the cloak, alongside a pair of long, loose-fitting black pants and boots. A featureless porcelain mask conceals the top half of her face.

Usually, these walks are uneventful - she might encounter the occasional Shadow or have a run-in with a demon, but it's an easy enough distraction.

Tonight, though. Tonight she hears the sound of combat. The Shadows are restless. Some poor soul has drawn their attention. She isn't heartless - the moment she hears it, she diverts her course and picks up the pace. Soon enough, the sight of the battle comes into view.

Her eyes are drawn almost immediately to the girl. She can't help it. That bright, vibrant stands out against the dreary, washed-out green around her - she practically shines like a beacon against the night sky.

She finds herself curious, but the moment Yuuki finds herself on the back foot -

The cloaked figure rushes in. From within the depths of the cloak her parrying dagger is drawn from its sheath, raised to intercept that lance-like arm.

"Careful. Don't get overconfident just because there's only one left." Magus comments. As she struggles to hold the arm back with her parrying dagger, her free hand rises to her mask.

"Crush it, Nitocris." Magus calls. Behind her, a spectre appears - a woman of regal bearing in Egyptian royal garb. She waves a hand dismissively, and a wave of water surges forth toward the Shadow.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
The Shadow's spear-arm slashes along the dagger, sparks flying -- that blade is sharp, and it's like metal meets metal. Yuuki stares, with wide eyes, and it takes her mind a second to catch up to everything happening. She glances at her masked savior, her lips curving into a frown at her words.

"I wasn't--" Yuuki's protest is quick, almost snapped. It's different than the girl who she met; she has something to ''prove'' here. But Magus is quick to intervene offensively, too. She sucks in a sharp breath. After water goes flying at the Shadow, Yuuki cries out: "Galileo!"

The clockwork Persona takes form once more. The clockwork rings spin and turn, on their intricate gears. One of the gem spheres flashes; then, Yuuki ''shoots'' forward, gravity propelling her at the Shadow. The water strikes it, throwing it off balance. A moment later, she shoots past it, spins, and runs it through from behind.

Yuuki's feet skid to a stop as it bursts apart into another blast of shadowstuff. Yuuki's eyes -- and they're the same eyes that met Misato's before, just a ''bright'' green now -- look at the mask, trying to peer past to the eyes behind them. She hesitates for a second.

"...I-I had it," she says, with a look to the side. "But... thanks for the assist."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>She doesn't recognize her until she speaks up, but even that takes a second. The Yuuki here is a far cry from the Yuuki she met in the park - she's more assertive, and those eyes gleam bright green.

She thought she felt there was something to her that day, but to think Yuuki Hoshizora had a side like this to her...

How intriguing.

Her splash of water knocks the Shadow off-balance, and gravity propels Yuuki forward. Magus takes note of her technique, lowering her hand from her mask. She certainly seems to have recovered from the surprise quickly - to be able to launch into a maneuver like that so suddenly. She wouldn't have thought to use gravity that way. The Shadow is run through and, with a glance around to ensure there aren't more waiting in the... shadows, Magus straightens up, returning her parrying dagger to her cloak.

Bright green eyes meet masked blue ones. The shape of it obscures them - makes her difficult to read.

"I'm sure the Shadow thought the same, until my meddling... as much as they can 'think' anything." Magus replies with a smirk. "But ''you're'' the one still standing now, so... you're welcome."
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Yuuki watches the parrying dagger return to the cloak. She looks Magus up and down, and there is a moment's pause. A feeling like maybe she ''should'' know this person -- but it passes. The mask, the outfit... none of it is something that registers to Yuuki. She exhales, before she steps closer to her. The smirk warrants a brief frown.

She glances to the side, flustered at being called on it -- and maybe that isn't so different from the girl that she met in the park.

"All they care about is how they can hurt people," she says. Then, she glances back at Magus. She sucks a breath in, squares her shoulders, and meets her eyes. "I really would have had it. I'll never let these things get the better of me again."

A beat.

"Yuuki Hoshizora!" she says by way of introductions, her expression terribly serious -- and spoken with more than a little pride. "Second generation Persona User. And you're...?"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Magus catches that look, as Yuuki looks her up and down. She stands still - and does nothing to confirm or deny that she's someone she ought to know.

Yuuki looks away with a flustered look - and it might be that that confirms, no matter how different she might be, she's still her new classmate.

Magus meets Yuuki's eyes as she makes her declaration. 'Again', hm? Between that and what she said before...

"Ah, so it's personal, then." She notes. "Is that why you're out here? Satisfying a vendetta?"

If she had any suspicions she was mistaken, Yuuki dispels them by offering her name.

"You can call me Magus." She offers. It's obviously an alias - but perhaps that's no surprise. "...Second generation Persona User, hm? First time I've heard of that."
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
"More like... just proving I can handle this, now," Yuuki says. She looks back at Magus, her expression quite serious once again. Her lips purse for a moment as she regards her question. "It's not really a vendetta. I doubt the Shadows care one whit about my feelings regarding them, besides."

She blinks, then. She spots the code name -- but she heard something about that. Persona Users with masks, who take on a different name. It makes her wonder who this is, under the mask.

...Probably not someone she knows.

"My parents are, too," she says. "So... I have to live up to their name." She puts a hand over her heart, fingers curled into a fist. "What about you? Why are you doing this?"

She tilts her head. "Casting spells, maybe?"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Proving herself, hm?

"...Well, I suppose I can sympathise that. I'm no stranger to wanting to prove myself." Magus admits. She's no stranger to wanting to prove she's capable. She smirks, then, as Yuuki's lips purse. She seems pleased by the reaction. "As you said, the only thing they care about is hurting people. ...But a vendetta is really for ''you'', isn't it? They don't care about what the target feels about it."

Yuuki explains that her parents are Persona Users, too, so she has to live up to their name. That explains 'second generation'. She doesn't envy that level of responsibility, though.

"Ah. So it's a curse, then." She comments bluntly. As for herself... Magus smirks, when Yuuki suggests she's here to cast spells. "Something like that. Let's just say I'm interested in gaining power."

She shrugs.

"...And besides. There's something relaxing about being out late like this when there's no one else around, isn't there?"

Last connect was from c-69-138-215-77.hsd1.md.comcast.net on Sat Jun 13 16:39:42 2026.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
"That's..."

Vendettas are for the person carrying it. Yuuki's fingers curl a little into a ball at her side. "I just don't like the way it sounds. It sounds so... harsh. Or immature. Or..."

She sighs. She pauses -- then she blinks her eyes, and she frowns at the term 'curse.' "It isn't a curse!" she insists. "It's... it's just something that I have to do. And have to see through." She looks to the side. "It's not... it's not something ''bad''."

She looks back at Magus, though. Something... relaxing? She looks confused for a moment -- then she tilts her head. "I... I suppose. But, we're both here, aren't we? So... there is at least one other person around."

She remains stubborn, too, it seems.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Harsh or immature, hm? Maybe she's both of those things. But if she let herself worry too much about being viewed that way, she never would've been able to seize the strength to be where she is now. Magus's smirk doesn't fade.

"If you have to put it in a way you're more comfortable with, that's fine, too." She replies with a shrug.

She takes offense, though, to labeling her responsibility a curse. It's just something she has to do, has to see through - not something bad.

"Isn't it?" She asks - and then shrugs again. "I suppose ''you're'' the one carrying it. If that's how you feel, it's not my place to say. ...Just don't let it crush you."

Yuuki insists, too, that they're both here. There's at least one other person around. ...There's that stubborn streak. It's charming, in a way.

"...I suppose so, when you put it that way." She admits with a shrug. "You're far better company than the Shadows or the coffins, at least."

That's ''something'' like a compliment, at least.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
"It's not comfort. I just have to be better than that," Yuuki says. She looks up -- and she hesitates at the shrug. She takes a step closer, her hand coming back over my heart. "And I--I won't let it crush me! I have to be stronger. So I can do... so I can do what I have to."

She shakes her head, emphatically. "I can't let myself be distracted. Or I..."

She stops herself short. Admitting that she fears for her parents -- admitting they're trapped in that Atelier -- is too much. She bites her lip, but she keeps looking at Misato.

So when Magus says that she better company than the Shadows or the coffins, she can see the smile tug at the corners of her lips. She glances to the side, a little flustered.

"W-Well, I guess I'm... providing an argument. So I'm happy to be of service," she says. But she looks at Magus from the corner of her eye, at how she responds to that.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>She has to be better than that? Magus smirks.

"Do you, though? You should let yourself cut loose sometime. I think you'd enjoy it a lot more." She comments. Yuuki steps forward, though, a hand over her heart. Her passionate insistence... that gives Magus pause. She hasn't seen her ''nearly'' this passionate before... except perhaps when discussing approaches to improving her rocket. This feels a bit different than that, though - it feels like... scratching just at the surface of something. Something that Yuuki stops herself from admitting. Magus look away. It's hard to look her in the eye when she's like that. "...Well. Then I hope that resolve of yours holds out."

She looks back at Yuuki, though, at that flustered partial smile. That reaction seems to bring back some of her previous energy.

"My compliments. You ''do'' make a fine sparring partner." She replies. Verbal sparring, anyway.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Does she?

"It's--it's not about enjoying it," Yuuki says. "I don't... if I get distracted, then I could lose everything. I don't have time for--for letting myself do something frivolous!" She bites her lip again, looking at Magus as she looks away. Was it something she said, just then? She hesitates, and looks down herself.

But Magus seems to rebound. And she does look up again -- and a small smile plays across her lips.

"You're not bad, yourself," she says. She hesitates, before she ventures: "You... said you wanted to get stronger?"

She isn't sure if she is allowed to ask questions of someone who hides her face behind a mask. But, on the other hand, does not being allowed stop Yuuki?

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>...She's really quite driven, isn't she? Magus considers her for a moment. That just makes her all the more curious - curious to learn what it is lying under the surface that causes her to push herself so hard. The mysterious transfer student angle was already reason enough, but now...

"So that's what it is. You have a ''purpose''." Magus comments. ...They may be more alike than she thought - even if their approaches to it seem to vastly differ.

Yuuki managing a smile, though, and admitting that she isn't bad gets a small smile out of Magus, too.

"Why, thank you." She replies. A question... Is it allowed? Well, she doesn't see any harm in it. She nods. "That's right. That's my goal right now."
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
"Yes," Yuuki answers.

She lifts her chin. It's easier when she is being stubborn -- defiant, even. Rather than letting her doubts and fears showing. "I have a purpose, and I have to become... no. I've become the sort of person who can see it through." Her voice quiets. "No matter what I have to give up."

To protect the people she loves most.

When she sees the small smile on Magus's lips, hers lingers. It fades after a moment, though. "...If it would help..."

She glances away. Her pride keeps her from saying that she asks for herself, too.

"...We could spar more than verbally, sometimes," she says. "If you think it would be useful, for you goal."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Becoming the sort of person who can see it through, no matter what she has to give up... That takes determination. Magus considers her thoughtfully. What could it be that makes her willing to sacrifice so much?

"...Well then. Let's see how far that takes you." She decides. She wants to know more... but Yuuki seems to be playing her cards close to the chest right now. That's fine - she is, too, so it's only fair. Maybe Misato would have a better chance at getting her to open up, but she doesn't want to be pushy, either.

Yuuki's smile fades, though, and Magus watches her intently as it seems she's trying to figure out how to say something. And she laughs softly, when she makes her offer.

...She might see through the way she tries to say it in a way that keeps her pride intact.

"If you think you're up for it... than sure. After seeing you fight, I'm interested in seeing what you're capable of." Magus decides.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Yuuki stares back at Magus, as she says that. Her fingers are still balled into a fist at her side. And if she looks closely, Misato can see a slight tremble to that fist. She wonders, for a moment. Why does she care that this masked girl believe that she is so resolute, so determined in this?

Why is she worried that Magus will see something else in her?

She wishes, for a moment, that she could be someone else. That she could -- could just forget. Like she did with Misato, and she could smile and laugh, and it would be easy. She wishes she could see her.

But even when Dark Hour ends, it would be far too late for that.

She is distracted, for a moment, as she thinks of that -- but the laugh takes her out of it. She looks at Magus for a moment, and she gets a smile for a second. "...Of course I'm up for it," she says. "But... I'd be interested to see what you're capable of. And I'm curious..."

She tilts her head. A couple of locks of bright blue hair sway in front of her forehead, shining as they do. "...What it's like when you cut loose."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Magus watches Yuuki. She still has a fist clenched tight. That slight tremble... Magus notices it - but she doesn't call attention to it. She notices that distracted look, too - but eventually, she gets a smile.

Yuuki agrees - and then turns her statement back around ''her''.

Magus smirks. Now ''that's'' a fun response. It's like a direct challenge... She's always had a bit of a competitive streak - how can she not rise to it?

"Well, when you put it like that... Just name a time and place, Yuuki Hoshizora, and I'll be there." She says.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Yuuki's clenched fist relaxes, slowly, when Magus agrees to her suggestion -- or perhaps challenge. She lets herself smile, again.

It might be fun, she thinks. To see what she is really capable of. To see what Magus is capable of. And if that's also a distraction...

Well, sometimes, Yuuki is good at lying to herself.

"Let's say... a week from today, here. And at the same time," she says. After all, they would need to be during the Dark Hour -- or otherwise Mementos or one of the more dangerous parts of Sumaru. Her head tilts, her green eyes on those blue eyes behind the mask. "Do we have a deal, Magus?"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>"A week from today. Same time, same place." Magus repeats, to make certain she has everything down. She nods to herself, making a mental note. She's definitely not going to miss it. She nods her confirmation. "We have a deal."

A grin crosses her face.

"I'm looking forward to it."

...When was the last time she could honestly say she was looking forward to something...?
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Yuuki nods. She looks serious, for a moment. After all, this is an agreement to get better together -- to become stronger by practicing. It's--

She sees that grin.

A huff escapes her lips and she glances to the side, flustered once again. But, there is a small smile. "Good," she says. "B-Because... I'll give you everything I've got!"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>...Yuuki looks flustered again, but Magus sees that smile. She might hold herself a certain way, but a part of her seems to be enjoying this, too.

Still, saying she'll give her everything she's got... Magus can't exactly back down from that.

"I'd expect nothing less. Don't hold back on my account - I want to see it all." Magus confirms with a nod. "I'll see you then, Yuuki Hoshizora~."
</poem>

[[Category:Logs]]
[[Category:Season 1]]
[[Category:Season 1, Episode 2]]

2026-06-07: A Spark of Excitement

2026-06-11T21:14:42Z

Tex:

*'''Log: 2026-06-07: A Spark of Excitement'''
*'''Cast:''' [[Yuuki Hoshizora]], [[Misato Fushihara]]
*'''Where:''' Renegdai Ward, Sumaru City
*'''OOC Date:''' June 07, 2026
*'''IC Date:''' November 21, 2012
*'''Summary''': ''Misato and Yuuki meet, discovering they're classmates before Yuuki has even started school. Misato also learns about a hobby that Yuuki wants to keep secret.''

----

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
It is a quiet day in Renegdai, not that far from Seven Sisters. Of course, today is Sunday; there aren't classes in session. But on the street running by the high school, there is a small urban park -- with a concrete wall blocking it off, there are really only trees visible. But the street also leads by apartment buildings, shops, and other place in the very heart of Sumaru City.

The little park tends to be the sort of quiet place that gets overlooked. Inside, it's peaceful, but being walled in -- well, people only go here if they want a nice, quiet place. Otherwise, people tend to pass right by.

Which makes it perfect for Yuuki Hoshizora's purposes. The park is currently empty, except for her. She has a dark blue jacket and skirt on. Her hairband is neatly set, and her green eyes are focused as she stands a distance away from what she has set-up. In the center of the park, there is a meter tall black and white rocket, with a little scaffolding setting it up.

She looks at it with focused green eyes. She holds a small remote in her hand. She counts down, quietly: "T-minus five, four, three, two..."

She presses the button on the remote. "...One."

There is a roaring ''THWOOM'', as the rocket shoots high into the air. And someone walking past can see it: a huge plume of white water vapor, which shoots after the rocket as it soars up into the sky -- above the wall and the buildings. And there, in the park, is a girl looking up.

Yuuki shields her eyes with her hand, her teal hair swaying in the wind, as she stares up after the rocket with a look of awe on her face. The quiet, intense transfer student -- who has a look of delight on her face, for once.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>It's Sunday, so class isn't in session. The bakery is open... but, she doesn't have a shift scheduled today. As a result, Misato Fushihara finds herself with not much to do today. As a result, that leaves her with not much to do. Go for a walk, maybe? Maybe she can angle toward the library.

That's just an idle thought, though - right now, she's walking rather aimlessly down the sidewalk. Her path takes her past the school...

...and as she passes it, she hears a ''THWOOM'', shattering the malaise that had fallen over her. Her attention caught, Misato looks in that directly - and spots ''something'' soaring high into the sky. ...Is that a rocket? It leaves a distinctive white trial through the clear blue sky.

She stares up at it, eyes wide in surprise. That isn't the sort of thing one sees everyday... She has to check this out. Maybe this is the kind of thing she was looking for.

She calculates the location the rocket must have launched from, and finds herself at a remote little park. And at its center... a girl, about her own age.

Putting on a bright smile, Misato offers a wave as she approaches. She's dressed in her usual bright colors - a yellow track jacket with white accenting over a white t-shirt and shorts, her hair tied back with a yellow ribbon.

Looking at her now, one could hardly tell the gloom that had been clinging to her just moments before.

"Wow, that must've gone up at least a few hundred feet..." Misato observes. "Was that yours?"
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
The rocket, for better or worse, wasn't built to stay together. It comes apart -- it's a gentle cloud of debris that is mostly dust as it falls apart. It vanishes into the midair, and then Yuuki sighs softly. She lowers the hand that shades her eyes -- and then she blinks. She realizes there is someone there, and she is ''talking'' to her, and she freezes up for a second.

A nervous smile comes to her face, for just a second. Yuuki's hand lowers, as she looks at this new girl. Her eyes linger, for a second, on that yellow ribbon.

"...Um, yes," she says. "I'm sorry if it disturbed you." She hesitates for a second, before she nods her head. "If I had the calculations right, it was 587 feet high." She motions to a pencil and paper next to her bag.

That bag has a few patches on it. One reads "ISS 29," another "Apollo 11," and another with Cyrillic. Yuuki opens her mouth, then she closes it. "I can probably get higher. If I got some better propellant and lightened the model's mass."

Her fingers come up to her teal hair. She hesitates for a second. "...I, um, I'm rambling, aren't I?"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>The rocket comes apart in a cloud of debris. Even good things aren't destined to last, Misato supposes. And then - the girl in front of her notices she's here. Misato offers her a cheerful wave, undeterred by the hint of nervousness in Yuuki's smile.

"Oh, no, I wasn't disturbed at all. If anything, I thought it was awfully exciting~!" She assures, with a nonchalant gesture, as if waving away the concerns. She pauses. 587 feet? "Wow, you even calculated it out?"

That's... genuinely impressive. She isn't familiar enough with rocketry to recognize the exact missions her patches display, but she can tell they're connected. Between that and the way she starts rambling about potential possibilities, it's clear this girl isn't someone who just threw a rocket together on a whim...

How interesting. She can't help but be intrigued.

"Not at all. I was just impressed you were able to figure that out so quickly!" Misato comments with a shake of her head, as Yuuki comments on her rambling. She doesn't seem bothered, at least. "Do you do this kinda thing often?"
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
After a moment, Yuuki smiles. There is still a faint embarrassment to it, before she nods her head. "Still, I'm sorry for the inconvenience."

The apology, perhaps, is insistent.

"Mm," she murmurs. "I did. The calculations are important. Today's wind threw it off a little, but I didn't want it to go into an airplane's path or too high. There's regulations and such. And--um--you have to calculate the mass of the rocket, the type of engine you're using, and the type of propellant to determine how high you can take that particular rocket..."

The notes on her notepad are quite complex. In fact, there are equations and mathematical formulas that go beyond the ones they usually do in class. She looks up at the now mostly evaporated sut cloud that used to be her rocket...

...then at the ribbon again...

...and finally Misato's eyes. "I... um. Yes. I like it a lot," she says. "I've done this since I was about eleven. I don't... really have the time for it I used to..." She pauses, then bites her lip. "...But when I saw a rocket for sale, I couldn't help myself."

</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>She's apologising again, Misato notes. It's almost like she's embarrassed she got caught. The last thing she wants to do is scare her off and miss out on an opportunity to see something like this again.

"Well... apology accepted, then! But it really wasn't an inconvenience~." She assures with a wink.

Yuuki continues, and Misato listens. She generally keeps up well in school, at least until not too long ago, but she can't begin to imagine the kind of calculations and considerations that'd require.

"Wow... I didn't realise it was so in-depth. I guess it makes sense you'd have to follow the code! It's kinda impressive you've got all that down." Misato considers. She isn't just saying that, either.

She follows Yuuki's eyes as they track everywhere else but her own until, finally, they meet.

She smiles, as she comments she likes it a lot - though there's a tinge of sadness to it when she says she doesn't really have time for it like she used to.

"Wow... I don't think I've stuck with any one thing since ''I'' was eleven." Misato comments. ...There's a specific reason for that, of course - but it's the sort of thing that's better to not go into with someone she's only just met.

"It sucks, doesn't it, when you've gotta put aside the things you like doing." She sympathises. ...She can relate to that. "I'm glad you got an opportunity to do it again, though! ...And I'm glad I got a chance to see it."
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
The wink makes Yuuki fluster. To the point, she almost sputters and glances to the side -- and her cheeks flush just slightly. "N-No, really, a loud rocket going off is... is very distracting, and..." She sighs, before she meets Misato's eyes again. She hesitates, still, for a moment.

"It is really impressive," she says. "Not... um. Not what I can do, but... all the advances made in rocketry. All the things that engineers figured out -- people like Goddard, Korolev, von Braun, it's... it's really something else."

But there is a flicker of hesitation. Even as Misato smiles at her, which sets her a little at ease. She... understands?

Except, no, she couldn't understand about her parents.

"I'm... um. I'm glad you did, too. Even though it ''was'' an inconvenience," she says, a little stubbornly. "It does suck, when you have to put something aside. But... sometimes, I suppose there's no choice."

Her green eyes fall to the ground, then. "Ah, sorry... that was a little much."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>"I ''was'' distracted," Misato admits. "But not from anything important. I've got nowhere I gotta be."

Yuuki admits that it's really impressive - but diverts it, instead, to the accomplishments of the engineers who came before her. She takes note of the names. She'll have to look them up later. Misato nods.

"Mm-hm. I can't imagine what it takes to get something down here all the way ''up there''." Misato replies with a shake of her head. "I think anyone who can figure that out must be pretty darn smart!"

...She's implicitly including Yuuki in this - but if she doesn't acknowledge it, she won't press it.

She smiles when Yuuki agrees she's glad she got to see it too - even though she ''does'' try to insist it was an inconvenience again. She's got a stubborn streak, huh...

Well, that's more interesting than if she just went along with everything, Misato supposes.

Yuuki agrees with her, too - and Misato didn't expect it to hit her ''quite'' that hard when she does. Subconsciously she shifts her weight to her left side, suddenly aware of how much she's been putting on her right.

"...Yeah." She agrees with a nod. The smile falters for only a moment before it's pasted back on.

"No, no, it's alright." She assures, with another dismissive wave.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
"Mm." Yuuki nods, eagerly. Though she catches the way that Misato compliments her -- and that prompts a blink. She hesitates for a second. "They are really smart... and, um. I suppose I do okay. Just... well, until I realized I can't do that--there's still a lot of ''up'' to go."

The mission patches on her bag -- showing rockets and space stations over starry vistas -- may suggest exactly how far she wishes (wished?) she could go.

The mood gets more somber, though. And Yuuki hesitates, for a moment, because she sees the way that the other girl shifts her weight. The way her smile falters. There is something there, she realizes. She hesitates, starting to open her mouth to say more--to ask, maybe--

But then Misato waves it off.

She hesitates for a moment, more. Then, she hesitates. "Ah--all right. Oh, um--" She sucks in a breath and squares her shoulders. "Yuuki Hoshizora! That's my name, I mean. I'm... um. I start at Seven Sisters tomorrow."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Misato smiles as Yuuki agrees with her with - though she catches the way she hesitates.

"Just 'okay', hm?" Misato considers - but she doesn't press further on that point. She shrugs. "Well... you have to start somewhere, right?"

She can guess at far up her ambitions might lie. They do always say to reach for the stars, she supposes...

There's a somber moment. Misato can tell things get awkward for a moment, and she wonders if she let things slip too much - but Yuuki seems to accept that. Smiles a bit wider - then pauses, when Yuuki lets out a name.

It takes her a second. She's starting at Seven Sisters...? Misato feels a spark of excitement.

"Hey, what luck! That's where I go to school. I'm Misato Fushihara. Nice to meet you!" Misato greets brightly. "Say, do you know what class you'll be in yet? I'm in 2-C, Watanabe-sensei's class. Maybe we'll be classmates!"
All channels have been gagged.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
"W-Well..." Yuuki hesitates. She still looks embarrassed -- but now there is a smile. At a point, the compliment can wear her down. "...I try my best, at least."

There is a moment's pause. She watches the gears turn in Misato's head; she sees the excitement build. And... and is it excitement about her? She hasn't had anyone excited about her in awhile.

Not since before she dropped out of Astronomy Club; not since she stopped talking to a lot of her friends. It feels nice.

It feels like something she doesn't deserve.

"It's nice to meet you, too, Fushihara-san," she says, with the more reserved tone -- but there is a small smile. "I'm... I'm actually in 2-C, too. So we'll be classmates. I didn't expect to meet one of my classmates before today."

A beat.

"I just moved here, actually." She pauses. "Um. Obviously, too..."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Misato looks pleased as Yuuki smiles and admits that she tries her best. She nods, satisfied by the response.

Yuuki echoes that it's nice to meet her, more reserved than her ever present(but not without effort) cheer. But, that's fine. And - she's in 2-C, too! Misato brightens.

"Oh, really! That's great news! I didn't expect to meet a new classmate, either... I guess we both get to be surprised." Misato replies. Yuuki explains that she just moved here - and admits that it might be obvious. Misato chuckles. "I guessed. Have you had any trouble finding your way around? If you're looking for anything, I might be able to point you in the right direction."
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Yuuki laughs a little. They both get to be surprised. "True enough," she says. "Maybe... um. Maybe don't mention the rocket to people," she says, a little lamely. "I don't want people to... that's something I just don't have a lot of time for."

She may not be here that long. After all, if -- no, no, ''when'' -- she finds that Atelier, she might well have to move back to Choju. Except... she doesn't have many friends there.

She gets quiet for a moment.

She has to shake her head, bringing herself back to reality. "...I haven't had a chance to find much. Or... much luck. I know where I'm staying and the school, but... the library, maybe? Um, places to eat...?" She hesitates.

"You haven't seen a blue and white minibus, have you?"

What?

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Misato smiles - but she considers what Yuuki says next. She looks at her for a moment. It feels a little like she's making excuses for herself... But she smiles, and offers another wink.

"Then it'll be our little secret~." She assures. Yuuki goes quiet and Misato waits until she brings herself back to reality. She 'hm's thoughtfully, then, as she considers what she asks about.

"The library isn't too far from here, actually - if you go a little ways... that way," She points. "You should start to see it."

"As for places to eat... There's a lot of good places in the Lotus Plaza... but if you ask ''me'', if you're looking for something to take home the best place to eat is probably Bakery Pan-Pan, in this district." Misato explains. She lets that hang in the air for a moment before adding, "I'm a little biased because I work there, though."

And then, before she can think of another question, Yuuki asks something ''else'' that brings her train of thought to a halt.

"Pardon?" She starts. A blue and white minibus...? She frowns thoughtfully. What could ''that'' be about? "I can't say that I have... but I haven't really been looking out for one, so I might just have overlooked it. What's it for?"
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
That ''wink''. That damn wink!

Yuuki's cheeks redden -- and there's a somewhat hasty glance to the side, as her fingers tug nervously on the lock of teal hair hanging down by her cheek. "R-Right," she stammers. "Just... just a little secret between... um... classmates."

She does look back at Misato, though, as she starts to explain. "Right," she says. "That way--and--um." She blinks at her. "Bakery Pan-Pan? Do you bake, Fushihara-san?" She hesitates, and her expression turns thoughtful -- curious, even. "I'll have to try it."

Her other question, though, threw a spanner in the works. Yuuki is quiet, as she listens to her answer. Though, it was a slim hope -- and it probably just confused Misato more than anything else. "Just a..." She trails off. "...just... curious. It's no big deal, don't worry about it."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>If Misato realises what she's done, it doesn't show on her face. She just looks pleased. There ''is'' something fun about sharing a secret with a (future) classmate...

She nods as Yuuki considers her directions.

"I do! I'm best at making sweets, but I make other things, too." Misato confirms. It's something to keep her busy. Sometimes she has a need to occupy her mind with something. "Definitely drop by sometime."

She considers Yuuki, though, as she tries to play that question off.

'No big deal'... Yeah right. There's definitely ''something'' there, but she can't tell ''what'' yet.

That's all the more intriguing to her.

"Mm... If you say so." Misato replies. "If I ''do'' see one, I'll let you know."

She'll definitely be keeping an eye out now.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Yuuki can't help but notice that Misato seems unflappable -- which is both confounding and endearing. She smiles, as the other girl confirms that she can bake both sweets and other things. And she is best with sweets!

"I like sweets. And... other things," she says. "But especially sweets."

She quiets down -- and wonders if what she said was obviously an excuse. Misato doesn't call her on it, at least, though. Yuuki swallows, but she nods when Misato says she will let her know. "Thanks, Fushihara-san."

She sighs a little, before she crouches down -- and takes the scaffolding for launching rockets. She starts folding it up. "Well... I should get this packed up and head back," she says. "But..."

She looks up at Misato. She finds herself smiling -- looking forward to school, for just a moment, when she had been dreading it. "...I'll see you tomorrow, right?"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Misato Fushihara has posed.
<poem>Misato laughs good-naturedly at that. If there's anything two people can bond over, no matter who they are, it's bound to be sweets.

"Me too." She agrees.

She nods, with Yuuki thanks her. She's sure that if she asked, she probably wouldn't get much more - so she doesn't press her on the 'why'. Yuuki begins to pack up, then - and when she smiles, Misato smiles back at her.

"Mm-hm. See you tomorrow, Hoshizora-san!" She echoes.
</poem>

[[Category:Logs]]
[[Category:Season 1]]
[[Category:Season 1, Episode 2]]

2026-06-10: The "Student Discount" at Peacock Silk

2026-06-11T21:14:07Z

Tex: Created page with "*'''Log: 2026-06-10: The "Student Discount" at Peacock Silk''' *'''Cast:''' Yuuki Hoshizora, Yanagi Nagisa, Saika Kikuchi *'''Where:''' Peacock Silk, Shimokitazawa, Tokyo *'''OOC Date:''' June 10, 2026 *'''IC Date:''' November 22, 2012 *'''Summary''': ''Yuuki visits Peacock Silk and meets Yanagi and Saika. They discuss matters of Ateliers, fashion, and spice.'' ---- <Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed. <poem> It's late afternoon on Sunday. Tomorrow,..."

*'''Log: 2026-06-10: The "Student Discount" at Peacock Silk'''
*'''Cast:''' [[Yuuki Hoshizora]], [[Yanagi Nagisa]], [[Saika Kikuchi]]
*'''Where:''' Peacock Silk, Shimokitazawa, Tokyo
*'''OOC Date:''' June 10, 2026
*'''IC Date:''' November 22, 2012
*'''Summary''': ''Yuuki visits Peacock Silk and meets Yanagi and Saika. They discuss matters of Ateliers, fashion, and spice.''

----

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
It's late afternoon on Sunday. Tomorrow, Yuuki Hoshizora starts school at Seven Sisters. Why, then, is she in Shimokitazawa?

She came to Peacock Silk to buy a few clothes. She could have gone to any number of outlets in Sumaru, but a few pictures of clothes they sell -- she was interested in fashion -- picqued her interest. And something about it had stuck in her mind; when she confirmed her plans to move into the area, she knew a visit was in order. Something, on a fundamental level, appeals to her.

Besides, she came with one large suitcase. She needs a few more outfits.

The door to the interior opens, with a soft clatter as it closes. Yuuki's eyes sweep across the room. She has a dark blue jacket and lighter blue skirt on; the teenager also has a bag adorned in space mission patches. They date from recent to older; the Apollo 11 patch features prominently. She looks about, before she takes a couple of plaintive steps inside.

"Hello...?"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Yanagi Nagisa has posed.
<poem>
No one answers Yuuki at first. Peacock Silk, being an independent boutique with an eccentric staff, does not take 'normal' hours, and does not necessarily advertise when they are and aren't open.

However, there is soft classical music playing from a radio deeper within, and slightly above it, someone is humming along. It's a cheery sort of sound coming from further within, just around the corner.

When Yuuki approaches, she'll find a young woman in a silver strappy dress with a poofy skirt and strings of faux pearls and more silver looping around the bodice. A long sheet of gauze drapes over her back and along her arms, and her shoes are set with silver ballerina-esque slippers. It is absolutely not late fall wear.

It is beautiful, though, and it matches her pale, ash-gray hair, falling in wavy cascades over her shoulders, kept in check only by a pair of mother-of-pearl hair clips on either side of her head. Although she's overall quite skinny, her calves are surprisingly... 'engorged' might be the best word for it. They certainly aren't ''muscular''.

This young woman, who also has lightly applied make-up and carries a polished walking cane with a strangely trigger-like handle, is currently messing with one of the store mannequins. She's setting it up so it's staring straight into the hallways and reaching out towards it... It'd be a hell of a scare for anyone just casually shopping.

As Yuuki approaches, the woman takes the mannequin's arm and has it wave at her. "Hello!" she intones in a playfully low voice. "Come closer, come closer, so I may tear your face off and make it my own~!"

A sort of Homunculus-esque statement, even as a joke, but maybe it's just a coincidence...?
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Yuuki had expected to find someone working the front. For a moment, she wonders if the store is actually open -- but she got in -- until she hears the music, with someone humming along. She starts walking, hand clutching the strap of her bookbag. She rounds the corner, and she pauses as she sees the young woman and her memorable outfit and hair the color of ash. She pauses, eyes briefly on the mannequin.

And the threat--

It reminds her of Murakami-sensei, and how he changed. Of the Homonculus that replaced him. Yuuki makes a half-squeak and takes a step back. Then, her expression screws up into a frown. "H-Honestly!" she stammers out.

"You... you could have given me a real fright," she says. "Um. Hi?"

She brushes some of her teal hair back and tries to act like she didn't get a reminder of an unfortunate event.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Yanagi Nagisa has posed.
<poem>
"Hohohoho~~" the woman makes the faceless mannequin laugh, comically deep, before giggling in a higher, more natural pitch. "That was the point!" she chirps.

In an ideal world, Yanagi would twirl around to greet Peacock Silk's latest potential customer. She instead slowly, carefully turns, her cane tup, tup, tupping as she goes. There is a stiffness to her motions that implies pain, but her smile is just as bright. (It's been a while since she saw Mr. Tomi last. She could stand to go for another Gold Finger special massage...)

"So what brings you here?" she wonders as if she hadn't just made Yuuki uncomfortable. (She knows she did. It just doesn't matter to her.) "Clothes? Shoes? Jewelry? Feel free to browse if you aren't here for anything in specific~"

Which is not an invitation that the employees of Peacock Silk necessarily give to just anyone. However, Yanagi can tell that Yuuki is a fellow Persona User, and therefore one of their preferred clientele.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
"I-I'm not sure what to say to that," Yuuki sighs.

She watches Yuuki move. There is a blink; she sees the stiffness, the implied pain, but she doesn't remark on that. She instead nods, quickly, at the question. "Yes. Um... I just moved into the town, for awhile. While my parents are... overseas," she says.

The lie is still new and she is still getting used to it.

"I didn't bring my full wardrobe. And--ah--I'd heard about Peacock Silk's clothes, and I'd like to get some more." She sighs. "Besides the school uniform..."

There is ''something'' about Yanagi. She can't say what -- and she hasn't been a Persona User long enough to realize that feeling comes when she meets another. She smiles, after a second, though. "And I love the designs here. I saw several pictures and had to see for myself."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Saika Kikuchi has posed.
<poem>
Yuuki says a key word and something awakens upstairs. (the key word was 'uniform' in this case)

STOMP STOMP STOMP STOMP STOMP STOMP STOMP

Wow it was *right* over her head. Except the stomping is moving away from her... phew! It fades more or less to the distance in the building. Maybe it's just an older building? It's definitely got a kinda classic look to it.

"oiiiiii" comes a sound from the back of the shop. "is it a student? tell 'em about the student discount!"

There's a student discount? Maybe it's worth staying this close to the mysterious realm of stomping and face-rending horror. Depends if it's over 10%.

What is emerging from that direction is a figure wearing...

... is that...

Is she wearing a comforter?

No! It's been sewn together and hemmed in at the arms to resemble something more like a very poufy parka. It's not even going down all that far - it stops at about the line of SAIKA KIKUCHI'S hip joints.

Yes! It is literally the kind of warm fluffy quilted surrounding comforter you would find around a kotatsu.

Underneath it she is wearing bike shorts and -- actually it's not possible to see her feet right now because she's behind the counter, potentially indicating there is a horror left unshown.

Sweeping around one puffy-clad arm, she gestures: "That bag is perfect, no notes. Welcome to Peacock Silk!!"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Yanagi Nagisa has posed.
<poem>
"Oh, I see," Yanagi says of Yuuki's home situation, taking it at face value. "Does that mean you live alone?" She smiles brightly. "Then that means you're free to do as you please!"

That's one way of looking at it, certainly.

"They are wonderful, aren't they? Tsumugi makes all the clothes--they're the owner here--" This is the point at which STOMP STOMP STOMP happens. Yanagi, without missing a beat, remarks, "Ah, and that's Saika! If you also want new shoes, you're in luck."

She only misses a beat when there is a call about the student discount; this prompts a confused look. "We had a student discount?" Tick... tick... tick... "Oh! ''That'' student discount!" she utters, raising her free hand to her mouth. She smiles brightly, tilting her head and squeezing her eyes shut. "Yes! We have a 'student' 'discount'!"

She is not winking with outrageous obviousness. She may as well be, though.

Saika makes the scene then! She looks incredibly comfortable and warm. Yanagi sighs wistfully at the sight of her. "That parka always looks ''so'' warm and comfortable..."

Her own outfit definitely does not look warm. She wears it nonetheless. In the world of haute couture, beauty is pain.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Yuuki turns her head. For a moment, she just ''stares'' at Saika. She knew this was a place of fashion. She is not sure how wearing a comforter -- no, it's more like a very enhanced winter coat? -- is fashion, but she decides the employees here would know better. Her mouth opens.

Then it closes.

Then she smiles at Saika. "Ah... thank you!" she says. "I've bought as many mission patches as I can. Though... not as many the last few months." She shakes her head. She looks back at Yanagi, then she shakes her head. "No, I'm staying with a friend of theirs for several months."

She looks at Saika, then, and her eyes light up. "Some shoes would be nice," she says. She pauses. "And I... er... can take a student discount, if it wouldn't be a problem...?"

A beat. "You said... someone named Tsumugi makes the clothes?"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Saika Kikuchi has posed.
<poem>
"Yeah, Tsumugi's role is kind of a little scope-variable," says Saika, making some dramatic hand gestures. "Because on the one hand they do do most of the work with fabric and the question becomes, at which point does it come from being ''textiles'' to being ''clothes,'' you know? I mean," here Saika pat-pats her comforter-shroud, "look at this, right? When did it become clothes?"

"You want one? I honestly should've asked," Saika asks Yanagi, beaming at her. But Yuuki is here and is a CUSTOMER, so the focus rests on her.

"Nice! Where'd you get 'em? Online? Science museums? Man," Saika muses, "I haven't been to a science museum since fourth grade. Didn't that one museum in Sumaru burn down the other day?" And then her expression lights up and Saika comes to walk around the counter and crouch down low to *look at Yuuki's feet*.

Or rather, the footwear she has on right now.

It is thus revealed that Saika is wearing 1460 Doc Martens boots with chrome spikes, neon-orange laces, and extra-thick platforms.

"I work with leather," she adds to Yuuki, looking up. "Which is a really good component for shoes obviously. I was actually dressing new hides most of the morning. So tell me what you're thinking as far as that goes," Saika concludes, which is also addressed to Yanagi, though that part might not be as obvious.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Yanagi Nagisa has posed.
<poem>
Yuuki doesn't know the half of what fashion can be. Perhaps one day, she'll scope the Met Gala and get enlightened. For now though, she's just looking for regular but stylish clothes--presumably.

"Oh?" Yanagi tilts her head the other way as she considers Yuuki's living-with-a-family-friend situation. "Hmmm..."

And then, when the topic of Tsumugi comes up and Saika elaborates, just like that, she drops it. It's hard to say if that's freedom or not.

She does brighten when Saika asks if she too wants a comforter coat. "Ooh! That ''would'' be nice. Not right now--this new dress is just too cute not to wear right away!--but later!"

When Yuuki and Saika discuss mission patches--something Yanagi knows basically nothing about--she tilts her head yet again the other way as she stares at Yuuki's bag. So this is the sort of thing Saika adores...

"I believe it was exploded," she remarks absently of the Aerospace Museum. She says this in such an offhanded way that it might take Yuuki a moment to fully absorb the comment. Leaving her work with the mannequin behind, she tup-tups over to her work station at the jewelry counter, leaving Yuuki and Saika to discuss footwear. It might've been addressed to Yanagi too, but of everything she's wearing right now, her slippers are the least problematic.

"So how do you intend on paying?" she wonders once she settles onto her seat and hangs her cane on the side of her station. "We take cash, of course, if there's anything your trade-ins don't cover, but we'll also take checks and cards."

...

'Trade-ins?' So Yuuki might be wondering.
</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
"Um..."

Saika raises a question that Yuuki hadn't given much thought to. She hasn't really considered the construction of clothing (besides spacesuits) in detail. Her face scrunches up for a second.

"...I'm not sure," she says. "Intent matters, right? On when something becomes clothes?" She pauses for a moment, then, and she smiles. "Some online, some from museum shops, and one from JAXA when I was--" And then Saika is inspecting her feet. (They're in regular brown faux leather shoes, suitable for going to school in.)

"Ah!"

It takes a second after her yelp to find her answer. "Erm--um--something... maybe... better than these? I'd like something that I can wear to school, but not so... normal." A pause. "And if they can have a little star or comet or something worked into the design, that would also be nice."

Yuuki knows what she likes.

She looks sideways at Yanagi. She frowns, then. "That was sad," she says, then. "All of the artifacts there, being destroyed. But... at least people got out, safely."

She looks back at Yanagi -- following as she walks back to the counter. "Well--I have some cash. I."

A beat.

"Erm. Trade-ins...?"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Saika Kikuchi has posed.
<poem>
"True," Saika concurs with Yanagi's assessment about her own dress. She turns her attention back to Yuuki's bag then, musing about it. "Ah, true," she agrees after. "Exploded. Foolish of me to confuse the two..."

After this she rises upwards. It's a slow movement, entirely from the legs, her back held perfectly straight as she r i s e s upwards, coming to her full not-that-astonishing height. At the mention of paying, Saika's eyes cut back towards Yanagi for a moment, then return forwards.

"Hmmm... yeah, stars," Saika muses, looking down at the shoes again. "Those are vegan leather, right? I mean I guess you're not going to call it that, that's just like the market name." Her eyes lift up towards Yuuki without raising her head. "You don't want leather? I can do work with that, I just need that yes or no. Leather or not to leath, that is the question."

Her lips purse for a moment at the question of all the ''stuff'' being destroyed. "I guess from one perspective you got all this irreplaceable history and stuff that's never going to happen again, because it's never going to *be* 1922 again, or whatever... but on the other hand, it means whatever's left is more precious. And on the other other hand," Saika tilts to the left five degrees, "We're makin' artifacts right now, right?"

"And yeah, you know," Saika adds, walking up to the counter more or less alongside Yuuki. "Stuff. Leftovers. Items. ''Materials''. You know?"

Saika looks at Yuuki and deliberately closes her left eye. Then opens it again. That was a wink.

"Ne," she adds then, "Yanagi, do you know if we have any of that cloth-of-gold stuff? I'm getting an idea for her piece already but it's gonna need some distinctive stuff..."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Yanagi Nagisa has posed.
<poem>
"Words matter!" Yanagi chirps at Saika.

Maybe it's sad that those artifacts got destroyed. Saika expresses her opinion on the matter eloquently, though, and Yanagi nods in agreement. "All things come to an end one day," she adds.

"Yes. You said you wanted the 'student' 'discount,' didn't you? Surely you have goods you've collected from ''that'' hour? Oh! Or did you not realize? We'll take those in place of money! It's part of our business," Yanagi says matter-of-factly, before she brightens. "Oooh! You said you just moved here, didn't you?" Swiveling her chair around to face Yuuki, she claps her hands and leans forward eagerly. "Do you by chance have a unique realm where you came from? If you have anything we've never seen before, we can give you an ''excellent'' value for it!"

The question of the cloth-of-gold gets a thoughtful hum out of her as she taps a finger on her cheek. "I ''thiiiink'' Tsumugi still has some in the back materials closet? I'm sure I saw some recently there, but Pernelle might have gotten into it... You know how he loves anything that glitters."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
"I... think so," Yuuki says, as regards to 'vegan leather.' "Fake leather. I'm fine with leather, these are just... um... they weren't very expensive. Something to hold me over, since school starts tomorrow." And she doubts that Saika can be finished ''that'' quickly.

She pauses at the reasoning about the museum. Yuuki considers it -- then she nods. "We... are, I suppose. And--well, what survived will be more precious. And there'll always be more things, too."

She looks at Saika, initially with a confused look. What are they talking about? But then, Yanagi talks about ''that'' hour and a 'unique' realm. Her parents discussing hunting for materials suddenly clicks into place. She blinks.

Then, she pulls out something odd from her bag: a quintet of glossy travel brochures. They show sweeping vistas at nighttime, with painterly vistas of the night sky... except they appear to be photographs, with hillsides that are something one would see in nature. The text is all nonsense; scribbles of something that looks like text.

"I found these in something called an Atelier," she says. Her tone becomes more serious -- almost solemn. "One in Chofu, before I came here."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Saika Kikuchi has posed.
<poem>
"But they're associated, right? They're cognate to each other," Saika tells Yanagi, "even if they're not exactly synonyms. Whenever you see a big exciting thing that makes you think 'explosion!' it's gotta be full of fire and smoke. Right?" Having emphasized this, she looks to Yuuki, "And explosions are what drive the internal combustion motors on which our modern lives rely!"

Saika turns a hand over. "But, we overlook a lot of other explosions. There's no fire if you're popping popcorn but that's a whole bunch of little explosions. A tire blowout! That's explosions too. Now I'm really making myself sound more and more ignorant, huh."

Is this normal?

After this, though, Saika leans on the counter and watches Yuuki. Who seems puzzled. This confusion on Yuuki's part seems to please Saika in some obscure way, although the slight smile on her lips doesn't really cross into unfriendly. This is not the only boutique in Shimokita where you get this sort of customer service.

Her eyes turn down when the 'paintings' come out.

Saika cranes her head to look in. She thinks of Van Gogh, but of course I would (thinks Saika) cuz I'm being basic as hell and I knew who Van Gogh was in MIDDLE school. Her lips purse for a moment at the scribbles. "Russian, maybe?" Saika guesses quietly, almost more to herself than seriously asking.

And then Yuuki explains the truth.

"Mind if I see one?" Saika says, holding out one hand - and while it comes at a sassy little flip of an angle, her fingers spread wide in anticipation, she doesn't reach for them. They are, after all, Yuuki's -- FOR NOW.

"Chofu, though, huh...?"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Yanagi Nagisa has posed.
<poem>
"Hmmm, that's true. When something explodes, it does usually burn too!" She taps her cheek, looking thoughtful. "Actually, is there ever a time when a building explodes that there isn't some burning involved too? Hmmm, maybe if it collapses on itself first..."

Saika brings up other explosions. She sits up straight. "Oh!! You think popcorn is an explosion? It's more of a 'pop' to me! That's why they call it popcorn! But I suppose it ''is'' popping so hard it turns inside out. Hmm, maybe that ''is'' a kind of explosion?" She shakes her head vigorously. "Not at all!! You're making me thing so many new things as always, Saika!"

Well, it's normal for Peacock Silk, anyway.

However, the instant Yuuki presents something she claims is from an Atelier, Yanagi grabs her cane and pushes her wheeled chair (distinct from a wheelchair) away from her desk with it. For all that she approaches without warning, though, she doesn't try to just take them either. She simply leans over them and their lovely pictures and gibberish text.

"Ooooh," she murmurs, looking them over. She pauses. She looks at Yuuki. She looks over at Saika.

"...Does this count as materials? I don't think I can turn travel brochures into jewelry..."

She leans back, though. It makes sense, given what she'd just told Yuuki, that she'd specify where the Atelier's Eye was, but more important is... "Whose Atelier is it?"
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Yuuki looks between the two women as they talk about the nature of explosions. She blinks a couple of times, not quite sure what to make of the exchange. This... really is a unique place, isn't it?

"The Shadows there had them. I found them after I defeated them, if... that counts," she says. Her nose wrinkles for a moment, before she looks at Yanagi.

She hesitates for a second.

"Satoru Murakami," she says. "He used to be a teacher in Chofu. But he... left. Or, rather, the Homunculus did. I've been looking for it."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Saika Kikuchi has posed.
<poem>
On popcorn, Saika smiles, with the air of the big sister. "It's tiny explosions," Saika says, with a little flip! of the first joint on her left ring finger. "Pop! Pop! But they add up, right?"

She tilts her head, looking at the brochures from some slightly different angles. "Hmmm... This is pretty hefty stock for something on gloss print... I have a couple of ideas you could do with 'em. Like you could do cutouts or put 'em on a cloche thing. Or like a puzzle mosaic. Or papier-mache."

With brochures??

"And there's always shreddin' for filler or various effects," Saika concludes. Her lips purse. She assesses Yuuki. Neither words, nor frowns, nor even smiles. It's a sober expression. No false energies.

And Yuuki is forthcoming. What does this bring from Saika? A slight nod.

"Atelier still there, to your knowledge?" she asks, and her voice is quieter, too. Though still quite focused.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Yanagi Nagisa has posed.
<poem>
It sure it! Welcome to your sexy new life, Yuuki. <3

"Hmmmm..." Yanagi touches her chin in thought. "Shadow drops normally ''would'' count, but..." However, Saika has a different angle on the brochures and shares some ideas on what they could use for them. She brightens. "Oh! I hadn't even thought of that! You're so smart, Saika!" Yay! "I'm so glad you have a use for them!" ...yay?

Look, it's not like there's a lot of use for papier-mâché in jewelry. Yanagi doesn't really get how one could use them for shoes or bags or other leather goods either, but if Saika does, so much the better for Yuuki!

When Yuuki explains that she got them from the Atelier of one Satoru Murakami, parasitized by a Homunculus, though, the mood does change. Yanagi's energy is always true to her, but this is a serious topic, and her expression is serious--before she smiles bracingly.

"You're in luck, then. We happen to be experts in dealing with Homunculi," she informs her with the matter-of-fact confidence of a professional. Yanagi nods to Saika and her question. "As long as the Homunculus hasn't fully taken over, there's still something that can be done." So professional!

Another deeply serious, deeply focused, ''deeply'' professional look at Yuuki.

"By the way, who are you?"
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
"I, um... suppose it is...?" Yuuki says to Saika, in regards to the way that popcorn is made of tiny explosions.

She does have a slightly disappointed expression at the fact the brochures might not be useful. She doesn't have much else. But Saika does, so she sighs with relief. "Thank you."

Then she glances at Yanagi. Her eyes widen -- but she nods. "I'm... um. I'm glad. I'd like to help Murakami-sensei. I'm... a former pupil."

There is more to it than that, but she keeps that part to herself.

Is the Atelier still there?

Her expression darkens for a moment. The girl doesn't quite make eye contact with either woman. "...Yeah. Sort of. The Atelier's--um, its... Eye was a broken down minibus. But..." She sighs. "...the Homonculus got it moving again. So I'm not sure where it is, now. It was seen in Sumaru, so I've been looking."

She looks back at Yanagi, at the question. She blinks -- then her eyes widen. "Oh--I'm sorry, where are my manners?" She does a short bow. "Yuuki Hoshizora."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Saika Kikuchi has posed.
<poem>
"There's tons of ways you can use basically everything," Saika says brightly. "You just have to get creative. They use every part of the buffalo in America!"

True in terms of time, questionable in terms of total buffalo throughput!

And kind of morbid. But then she nods along with what Yanagi is saying, and she smiles, and then Saika leans her head in at the end of it, because Yanagi really did drop what needed dropping at the end there. It's at this point that Yuuki might see that the smile is on a face that is not entirely Gentle.

Yuuki speaks her name. And then -- well no, reverse it. Yuuki expresses her purpose. THEN she expresses her name. When she speaks, and bows, Saika answers by bringing one hand up...

... to gently clap Yuuki on the shoulder. "That's the way," she says. "You've got a good heart with an outlook like that. And he must've been a pretty fuckin' sick teacher if you're giving this much of a fuck of him, right? Man, I wonder what he used to be like!" Then she glances at Yanagi, raising up her eyebrows -- maybe she doesn't Know.

"A minibus... this could be pretty aesthetic. Tell us about the situation in there. Tell you what, while I'm at it. You hungry?"

What a non-ominous statement.

"Anyway, I think these brochures are good for - hm -" She leans over to do some speculation with Yanagi, quietly, confidentially. Though you can only be so speculative. She seems to be estimating 'most but not all of the cost of the accessory, but about half for a main piece.'

Though she adds, "Like she said a moment ago, Saika Kikuchi. It's great to meet you."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Yanagi Nagisa has posed.
<poem>
"Oh my! How..." Yanagi searches for the word. She is a high school dropout; Saika and Tsumugi have both done much to help Yanagi expand her vocabulary, but sometimes you run into something you just don't know. "...good-at-using-everything that is!" She pauses. Case in point: "What's a buffalo?"

There's more to Yuuki's motivations, but just the part of being a former pupil of Murakami's makes Yanagi give her a distant sort of look. She doesn't say anything, though, and her expression soon shifts to thoughtful when Yuuki explains the Eye is--

"A ''minibus''? How novel! That would make it rather difficult to track down, wouldn't it?" She meets Saika's knowing look. "But it shouldn't be a problem if you already know it."

For Peacock Silk, it's literally no problem at all, but Yuuki doesn't need to know that. Yanagi is honest to an agonizing fault, but that doesn't mean she blurts out every secret that crosses her head--especially a big trade secret like that.

She nods along vigorously when Saika asks for more details about the Atelier. She leans in close to Saika, pushing her wheely-chair with her cane to help, as the two of them work out the price. Yanagi's input is 'I'm okay with whatever you decide because you're the one using it.' Most but not all of the price of an accessory and about half for a main piece is A-OK by her.

Then she leans back and smiles brightly again at Yuuki. "I'm Yanagi Nagisa! It's so interesting to meet you, Yuuki~ Tsumugi and Pernelle will be thrilled too!"

...even if how Tsumugi expresses being "thrilled" isn't what one would normally expect. Everyone in Peacock Silk is a weirdo like that.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Yuuki blinks again, but she nods. It takes her a second to remember what on earth a buffalo ''is'' -- but... she isn't sure what that means.

"A sort of... American cow, I think," Yuuki says. "It's really hairy, if I remember right."

Then, she frowns -- but nods. "Yeah... I'm seeing what I can find. I'll find it, sooner or later."

When Saika claps her on the shoulder, she blinks her eyes once. She smiles, for a moment. "Thank you," she says. "I--um... w-well, he was a good teacher, but I wouldn't want anyone--er, he was a really nice teacher but he had money problems. The Homonculus is, um, selling 'stargazing experiences' to rich people and quit his job."

She rubs between her eyes for a moment. "I could take some food. And... uh, I went in with two veteran Persona Users. Things went bad, and I escaped, but... they're still there." Her eyes turn down. "...So I want to rescue them, too."

She looks at Yanagi, then, and back at Saika. She smiles, though it's dampened. "It's good to meet you, too. And I'm...um, sure I'll meet Tsumugi-san and Pernelle-san some day too."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Saika Kikuchi has posed.
<poem>
"Mhm," Saika concurs, about Buffalo, when Yuuki speaks some knowledge. Back to Yanagi. "They're really shaggy and they've got a big hump on their front legs. Over them? They're really distinctive. There were American tribes that would live their whole lives hunting them on horseback! And before they had horses, on foot. Which kind of takes balls, I figure, even if I don't approve in specific, because if you've ever seen a cow, like."

Saika pauses.

"Bigger than you think," she concludes. "Bigger than you'd think."

One might wonder just how threatening a cow could be, given that they have, at most, been considered a threat in some kind of organized cow movement, where one might be trodden underfoot. But be ye warned, reader: if it could, a cow would eat you, and everyone you love.

Buffalos are cool though.

"'Stargazing experiences.'" Saika says, eyes widening. "Wow. That sounds really amazing. Like it's instructional, and educational, and it also sounds," her voice lowers in a way that Yuuki may hate, "''romantic,''" normal voice again, "so yeah, that's the kind of shit a Homunculus is going to do."

She must have decided it's time to swear. "You should tell us about the situation so we can put a plan together... hm, do you think we should try to call Tsumugi? I think at this point it's pretty preliminary," and now Saika is walking around the counter again, "and it kinda depends how hot the situation's gotten already... Anyway, hold on for a minute, alright?" she tells Yuuki.

Then she goes upstairs for a moment.

Upon returning, she has... a generously-chunked piece of okonomiyaki on a plate with a happy little star of creamy sauce on top! Along with a fork, a napkin, and a cup of tea!

The tea is black, not green, but still decent for 'stuff you'd get.'

The okonomiyaki is vegetarian (which isn't obvious) and has chopped Indian green chiles in it (which is going to be really obvious, depending on Yuuki's spice tolerance, though if she doesn't eat it Saika disposes of it pretty quickly).

"Sorry to change topic, but were you thinkin' shoes or something else?"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Yanagi Nagisa has posed.
<poem>
"Oh my goodness!! They sound so cute!!" Yanagi utters, splaying a hand over her mouth as her eyes sparkle and shine.

She is absolutely picturing something far closer to a Highland cow than a buffalo. She is absolutely not listening to the 'bigger than you'd think' part in a meaningful way. Bigger just means more to hug!

Money problems... So the Homunculus has become money-oriented. "Hmmmm," Yanagi murmurs thoughtfully. Saika's weigh-in on the topic gets a laugh out of her, breaking that soft sound of hers. However, she blinks when Yuuki shares that the Persona Users she went in with are still in the Atelier, though. "Oh my," she repeats, but somewhat more subdued. "How did that happen?"

Saika suggests maybe they should call Tsumugi. "Definitely. They'll want to know about this," she says firmly. "Pernelle too, but definitely Tsumugi." When she goes upstairs to fetch food, Yanagi smiles again at Yuuki. "Saika's a wonderful cook. You're in for a treat, probably," she gushes.

Don't worry about disposing of the spicy okonomiyaki, Saika. Yanagi will eat it--no matter how awful the spiciness might be. Now, it might rapidly take her out of the conversation, but at least Yuuki's not here for a piece of jewelry.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
Yuuki has only seen a couple of cows on a farm. Still, she nods; that field trip made an impression on her.

"Um, well, it's not that," Yuuki says. "There's... wine pairings. And you can pay extra for a guided meditation." Her eyebrow twitches a little at the mention of it being romantic -- and then she nods her head. She looks at Yanagi, and she hesitates. "I... was new to all of this, and they were trying to keep me safe. We got overwhelmed."

A guilty look crosses her face, then.

"If you can help... I would appreciate it," she says. "But I still have to find it."

She waits for a moment -- and then her yes widen at the okonomiyaki. "That smells delicious," she says. She takes it, but before she digs in, she nods. "Shoes," she says. "I can make up whatever difference there is."

Then she takes a bite of the okonomiyaki. Her eyes, a moment later, go wide.

"Hot," she stammers out, face turning red.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Saika Kikuchi has posed.
<poem>
"They are! I'll get you some pictures later," Saika tells Yanagi.

They are indeed cute. But don't touch 'em.......

But either way, the food is shared. Saika comes back down with the okonomiyaki and it seems she heard everything, because she's grimacing about the wine tastings in particular. "Trying to make some kind of fancy-ass spectacle out of watching the stars? Hmf."

"I mean you can make anything fancy," she asides to Yanagi. "Nothing is WRONG with fancy, but you know what I mean?"

Saika's eyes swing back to Yuuki then as she begins to dig in. She takes a bite - crisp! vegetable forwards! but savory! and oh yeah

there's the heat
it creeps up on you
coating your tongue and throat
bringing your sinuses to a misery of purifying flame!

Saika blinks a couple of times, and looks back to Yanagi. "Oh, she's not used to them." Back to Yuuki, "Deep breaths! I'm gonna get you a Yakult, that's better'n trying to drink the tea for it, don't slam it down! It's pretty hot, actual hot!"

Fortunately the yogurty beverage is not upstairs. It is handed forwards from inside of some dinky little minifridge in the back. (Secretly, this is where the overstock for the vending machine outside is kept.)

"I'll take a thousand off for putting you through that," Saika continues, "which means it's going to be" wow just about exactly half off! Big score?? And free... food...??

"Tell us about the other two," Saika continues. "Actually, lemme get some paper to take notes. They're probably fine but you're the one who's gonna have context on how they acted beforehand and you know, can't be too careful."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Yanagi Nagisa has posed.
<poem>
Yanagi has never been to a farm. One of these days. She sparkles even more at the promise of pictures. Buffalo are not Highland cows, but they're still plenty hairy, and there's room for cuteness there.

"Wine pairings?" she echoes Yuuki. It's clear from her tone and her blank expression that she has no idea what wine pairings have to do with stargazing. Her pink-painted lips purse when Yuuki says her companions got overwhelmed. She smiles in amusement when Saika tut-tuts the fanciness, though. "Oh, yes. Homunculi ruin everything, really," she replies conversationally. ...That might not be the point Saika was trying to make.

"Yes, but ''how'' did they get trapped in the Atelier?" she insists. "Were they dragged off by Humors somewhere deeper into the Atelier? How do you know they're trapped, anyhow, if ''you'' didn't get trapped?" It's a reasonable assumption if Yuuki hasn't seen them ever since, but to Yanagi's view, it's still an assumption. The devil of these details is not one she's inclined to ignore.

She shakes her head then. "You don't. If you already found it the first time, that's enough to enter the Atelier itself," she replies. "Of course, if you want to confront the Homunculus in the real world, that's another matter, but that isn't going to help save Satoru." Not 'Murakami-san,' not even 'Murakami,' but 'Satoru.'

Yuuki eats the spicy okonomiyaki. In a minute or two, Yanagi erupts in peals of laughter at the look on her face. She is only ''just'' tapering off by the time Saika returns with the Yakult, and wipes a few jovial tears away.

"Yes, yes, do tell us more," she says cheerily, still giggling in between sentences. "If they are indeed still inside, I ought to be able to track them down!"

To say nothing of Saika's implications.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
"Th-this is really hot," Yuuki answers what Saika tells her. She is fanning her mouth -- but when the yakult is offered, she takes it and drinks. There is a long, pleased sigh of relief then.

Saika asks for her to tell them about the other two. And for a moment, Yuuki is quiet -- considering -- and she finally speaks up. She doesn't lie, exactly. She omits. But the truth -- that these are her parents, that she is worried sick -- is too much to speak aloud right now.

Even to relative strangers who have, she thinks, been kind.

Because if she got them killed, how can she face that?

"Daisuke-san is a gardener," she says. "He... is a nice man. Kind, and he specializes in healing. Naoki-san--ah... she's taller and more imposing, sometimes boisterous..." She looks sheepish, but also wistful for a moment. "She runs in without thinking, a lot."

She looks at Yanagi, then, and considers her question. "We were close to the exit. There was a whole bunch of Shadows--they, um, they pushed me out. The last I saw, they were being overwhelmed. I... um, I was hurt, so I contacted someone I knew. When we got back... the minibus was gone, and there were tire marks."
Yuuki shakes her head. "...they're very experienced. I-I'm... sure they're fine. But I'd like to get back to them soon."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Saika Kikuchi has posed.
<poem>
Yanagi has the inside loop. She has to, doesn't she? Her mind's admirable. Saika looks at her, rather fondly, as she speaks. Her lips purse for a moment, even as Yuuki powers through. She takes a deep breath and lets it out, leaning against the doorjamb.

"Ahh," she says. "They married? They kinda sound married. Don't they sound married?" This to Yuuki.

"We can take a break from all this dark shit since I figure we ought to wait a minute, see if we catch Tsugumi or if Pernelle comes back in from flirting over in the Ginza." It may be notable here that Saika isn't just speaking rather casually, she is *not* using honorifics at all. It seems purposeful.

"So... here's something more concrete... gimme your shoe size," Saika says, walking around the counter once more. "Because ''shoes'' are tricky and we might be havin' to do some adjustments, but let's see if we can nail it the first time!"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Yanagi Nagisa has posed.
<poem>
Yuuki explains about Daisuke and Naoki, but does not remark on Murakami; Yanagi takes this to mean she does indeed need or want to confront the Homunculus in the real world first. People have personal reasons like that, it's fine. (If maybe Yuuki was so mentally wrapped up in discussing her parents' uncertain fate and being worried about them that she missed that part, well, Yanagi certainly couldn't tell.)

"Hmmm... I understand. It ''is'' troubling that even experienced Persona Users had trouble with this one." Yanagi shares a knowing look with Saika, though it soon turns nonplussed. "Do they? I suppose I wouldn't know."

Her romantic experience is entirely with someone who is as anti-marriage as one can get.

However, then her friend points out that they really should wait for Tsumugi and Pernelle before discussing this further, and she smiles. "You're right." She waves to Yuuki cheerily and pushes herself back to her station. "I'll leave you two to it, then. Take care, Yuuki~"
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed.
<poem>
"Ah... yes. They were absolutely married," Yuuki says, and she ''sighs'' in that way that only a teenager can sigh about a married couple. She pauses, though, and then she nods her head. She isn't sure why Tsumugi and Pernelle don't get honorifics, but... maybe they're just like that.

She blinks, then. "Less dark... yeah, let's do that," she says. She looks sideways at Yanagi and smiles. "Thank you, Nagisa-san."

Then, she looks at Saika. "So, I'm a size..."

</poem>

[[Category:Logs]]
[[Category:Season 1]]
[[Category:Season 1, Episode 2]]

2026-06-07: A Spark of Excitement

2026-06-08T19:07:29Z

Tex: Created page with "*'''Log: 2026-06-07: A Spark of Excitement''' *'''Cast:''' Yuuki Hoshizora, Misato Fushihara *'''Where:''' Renegdai Ward, Sumaru City *'''OOC Date:''' June 07, 2026 *'''IC Date:''' November 21, 2012 *'''Summary''': ''Misato and Yuuki meet, discovering they're classmates before Yuuki has even started school. Misato also learns about a hobby that Yuuki wants to keep secret.'' ---- <Pose Tracker> Yuuki Hoshizora has posed. <poem> It is a quiet day in Renegdai, n..."

2025-10-18: Twenty Questions

2025-10-20T16:17:47Z

Tex:

*'''Log: 2025-10-18: Twenty Questions'''
*'''Cast:''' [[Reiko Shimizu]], [[Tsumugi Kujaku]]
*'''Where:''' Peacock Silk, Tokyo
*'''OOC Date:''' October 18, 2025
*'''IC Date:''' July 28, 2012
*'''Summary''': ''Reiko goes to Peacock Silk in search of new clothes. Instead, she finds something and someone more than she expected... and something she isn't quite ready for.''

----

<Pose Tracker> Reiko Shimizu has posed.
<poem>
Reiko stops before Peacock Silk, having heard about it. She heard the clothes here are ''quite'' amazing. And the exterior, with the outline of a peacock and the Art-Nouveau decor, seems promising. She is off-duty today, and she is dressed accordingly. Her hair is down; she looks up, over the rims of her black glasses, at them. She has a light blue dress and a darker blue jacket on over it.

She has a bag over her shoulder. She sucks her breath in, then she nudges the door open -- and steps inside. She glances over the gleam of the wooden floor, the cash register, and all of the clothing on display. The jewels glitter in her eyes, and she looks at the outfits on display.

There's a soft exhale.

Then, a little more nervously, she calls out: "Ah, pardon me! Hello...?"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Tsumugi Kujaku has posed.
<poem>
The world of Peacock Silk unfolds before Reiko Shimizu to the serene piano melody of Erik Satie's Gymnopédie No. 1.

The music piped in through the store floor speakers provides the boutique's an almost melancholic, ephemeral ambiance as she explores. It's a fact that's only heightened by the initial impression that she may well be one of the only people in the store at the moment. The Silk's owners have a reputation for being eclectic: the hours they keep, and who keeps which, seems like a riddle to be solved than a standard to set your watch to. Some days they're all there - even the peacock! Some days, only a precious couple. And some days...

"Ara."

... There's only one.

The voice is low, but silken. It comes just off to Reiko's right: she only needs look to find the source, leaned against a nearby wall, a book labeled ''CANDIDE'' in one hand, supporting that reading arm palm-to-elbow with the other. Their outfit has a high feminine aesthetic to it today, all centered around the long, sleeveless high-necked gown dress they wear. Slit on one side, it starts the deepest, most abyssal black one could imagine at the neck -- but as the dress lowers, that black hue fades towards dark reds, to scarlets, then finally towards a fiery red towards its skirts, as if it was a recreation of a spark in the dark. Over this they wear a black long coat, accented in gold with a scarlet interior.

... The word 'wear', though, is doing a lot of heavy lifting, considering they only -actually wear the coat at one sleeve, leaving the entire coat half-hanging off and leaving their opposing, pale shoulder bare, the whole thing managing to stay draped on them thanks to the not-so-modern miracle of collar clasps.

Lips painted a dark ombre red part as vividly green eyes roll to regard Reiko beyond the brim of trendy black glasses.

They regards her in silence for five whole seconds, before,

"I know you. Don't I?" they wonder, calm but curious.

Do they?

They've certainly never met before now, at least.

And yet, Tsumugi Kujaku sounds so ineffably, nonchalantly certain of it.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Reiko Shimizu has posed.
<poem>
Reiko can't quite identify the music. But it sounds familiar, and that gives the sensation like she has been here before -- maybe like one of the games she plays. She heard a little about their reputation, and that she might be lucky she found them when they are open. She looks about, and then she blinks when she hears the voice.

She looks at them -- and then Reiko blinks. She blinks again, and there's a little nervous -- half awkward, half confident, and all flustered -- laugh. She can't help but take in the dress, with its smooth transition of colors. Her own dress feels plain in comparison.

She pats it out at the side, her eyes shifting up from Tsumugi's shoulders to her eyes. Her own green eyes are wide behind her glasses. "W-Well, I'd like to think I'd remember you," Reiko stammers to them, before she gets some composure. "But sometimes I'm accused of being scatterbrained."

She does a quick, polite bow.

"Reiko Shimizu. Um, unless you already knew that," she says. "Wait, even if you did know that, I'm still Reiko Shimizu." She laughs nervously again, the laugh bubbling up. "I like clothes?"

A beat.

"That's why I'm here," she says. "The clothes."

Reiko nods her head, and inside, she dies a little of embarrassment.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Tsumugi Kujaku has posed.
<poem>
''W-Well, I'd like to think I'd remember you.''

The well-worn spine of French satire snaps shut.

"No... that's not it."

It's sharp, the contrast between Reiko Shimizu's flustered, contradictory laugh and the cool detachment with which Tsumugi Kujaku receives it. It's not a judgmental look they regard Reiko with -- there's nothing inherently good or bad about the way those striking features scarcely shift in the wake of her stammered pronouncement. It's just... distant.

Like someone always just barely out of reach, no matter how far you stretch to cross that uncrossable distance.

In that much, it might be a relief, like all that nervousness just doesn't register to them, even as Reiko quietly dies inside. Instead, the sinuous roll of pale shoulders sees them slipping out of their wall lean as they regard Reiko with that bespectacled green gaze, distant but curious -- interested. In her. Tsumugi's hands clasp behind their back, book held between them, as they approach, the click of gold heels ringing throughout the store.

''Reiko Shimizu.''

Their head cans.

"Ah," they exhale. "Now I remember. You're one of the officers who brought in Junya Kaneshiro, aren't you?"

And the cool veneer of their expression breaks, with the hint of a red smile.

"Ara. Interesting. We have a celebrity in our midst."

It'd be easy to write off as teasing, especially with Reiko in the state she's in. And yet that professed interest seems compellingly sincere, too.

Whether that makes it better or worse for her embarrassment, well--

"What do you like about them?"

--at least she doesn't have to dwell on it -too- long before Tsumugi is smoothly moving on, the click-click-click of their heels sending them brushing past Reiko as they offer up that silken question on the way towards the tailoring work station just beyond, with an unspoken invitation for Reiko to follow - if she wants. They still haven't introduced themself, but, well.

"Clothes."

They have curiosity to sate, first.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Reiko Shimizu has posed.
<poem>
Candide snaps shut -- and Reiko's eyes are drifted to it. She blinks at the sudden declaration from Tsumugi, and the flustered look fades a little from Reiko's face. For a moment, as she seems to calm down for a second. At least, until Tsumugi approaches -- with the best of all possible worlds hidden behind their back. That makes Reiko fluster, again, if in a different way.

Even if there is some relief, at the fact that her nervousness hasn't made a fool of her. It takes more than one person to become a fool, after all.

Then, she blinks -- and there's a nod. And a hint of disappointment at the recognition of her role, minor as it was, in apprehending Junya Kaneshiro.

"O-Oh, I don't know about that," she says. "I didn't really ''do'' anything. He turned himself into us. It was... those Phantom Thieves, I suppose."

She isn't sure how they could have done it.

She does fluster again as Tsumigi smiles -- and brushes past her. Reiko pushes her glasses up, sighs a little, and then she turns after them. There's a rustle of her sky blue dress, and she peers after Tsumugi. She considers the question for a second.

"...W-Well..."

For another second, the superficial responses are considered. Then, they're dismissed. And Reiko doesn't stammer, but she speaks softly. "They say the clothes make the person," Reiko says. "And... well, most of the day, I have to wear a uniform. So that's what people see when they see me. Not that I have much choice about what I wear on duty. But... off duty, I like when I can wear something that says who I really am."

She follows them, towards the tailoring station.

"Rather than what I have to be," she finishes. Then, with a bit more of a stammer: "I-If that makes any sense at all."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Tsumugi Kujaku has posed.
<poem>
I didn't really do anything, Reiko insists.

It was the Phantom Thieves, in the end.

"The spotlight doesn't care who it points at or why," is Tsumugi's calm counter towards that disappointed resignation in the face of just why they recognize her.

"It only cares about what you do when it chooses to shine on you."

Whether Reiko embraces the spotlight, or shies away from it -- Tsumugi Kujaku seems to pass no judgment, either way.

Within their little atelier tucked away in the far corner of the store, Tsumugi sets their book down on their workstation before carrying on towards the reams of fabric just beyond. Silk, cotton, velvet -- and in so many arrays of colors, the selection is positively dizzying. And yet Tsumugi sifts through them like they know each like the back of their hand, even as Reiko offers up the answer to their question.

She could have answered a superficial reason.

That she doesn't, however, earns a brief pause and a look of approval over Tsumugi's shoulder before they return to their work.

Does it make sense? At all?

"Fashion is the means through which we can express ourselves to the world." The words come like a distant echo of Reiko's own -- a reinforcement of her own beliefs, as slender fingers dance an eloquent, confident dance through selections of fabric.

"People see what you wear, and society determines the person you are based on that fact. It's shorthand." They pull one ream half-out -- and then another. Another. And then...

"Fashion is a process of reinforcing the way the world sees you... or becoming how you want to be seen."

... each slides back into their proper place.

Tsumugi turns, then. Leaning against those shelves, fabric frames them like a wreathe of decadent luxury as that bright, intent stare settles on Reiko once more, eye to eye.

"Fashion can be the shackle. Or it can be the punch and hammer that breaks it."

Their head tilts.

"It's just a question of which one you want."

Does Reiko want to reinforce the way the world sees her?

... Or does she want it to see her as she wants to be seen?

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Reiko Shimizu has posed.
<poem>
Reiko's eyes blink when she hears their answer to that. A spotlight that shines on her, whether she intended it or not -- and that will shine down on her, regardless of whether she was really the one who brought in Junya Kaneshiro. "That... mm, I suppose you're right. I'm still... getting used to being recognized, I suppose."

She shakes her head. She follows after Tsumugi, and she looks at them -- and all the reams of fabric behind them. Clearly, they are a skilled tailor -- ''and'' they command a large selection.

She nods at the idea of it being shorthand. Her hand comes to the breast of her jacket; where, in a different jacket, her badge as a patrol officer would rest. Clothing is, indeed, a shorthand for what people would expect of her.

And it can be a shackle.

She hesitates. It almost feels like a betrayal, to admit that such clothes could be a shackle. And yet, there's other parts of her. She glances to the side, her green eyes cast down on the ground.

But then she looks back up at them. Her eyes meet Tsugumi's, not quite able to look away.

"I'd rather be seen as... me," she says. "Rather than shackled to who I'm expected to be." Her fingers fall away from where the badge should be, and slip down to her side.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Tsumugi Kujaku has posed.
<poem>
What does Reiko want?

Hesitation fills the air with silence, its only accompaniment those melancholic strains as Satie transitions nigh-seamlessly into Chopin's ''Nocturnes''. Tsumugi doesn't intrude on that silence; they don't push impatiently for the answer they wish for.

They just watch with quiet curiosity. In interest. In the process. In the answer. In Reiko.

I'd rather be seen as...

For a second time, that suggestion of a smile touches the corners of painstakingly-painted lips.

"Then I can make you that.

"You just need to see the mask that fits you, and take it."

It's a vague, abstract kind of statement... to anyone not in the know. A test, maybe -- but not one that lingers overly long before Tsumugi is moving from the luxurious, confident comfort of their position to approach Reiko once more. Their stride is languid in a way that makes the fiery skirts of their dress dance with every step, the -=CLICK=- of heels spaced few and far within their loping gait. One arm crossed over their stomach, the other elbow-perched upon their palm to better cup their chin, they draw closer towards Reiko's personal space... and then slowly, quietly circle around her with that same, scrutinizing stare, so intense and vivid it's almost as if it's looking right through her into the heart of who she is --

Who she ''could'' be.

"Hm."

They're behind Reiko when that contralto voice murmurs,

"Close your eyes, Reiko-san."

It's a request - command - that comes with casual confidence, coupled with the way they say Reiko's first name so lackadaisically it might as well not be a faux pas, but another recognition.

"I'm going to ask you some questions. I'd like you to answer them as quickly as possible. Don't think; just answer.

"Are you ready?"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Reiko Shimizu has posed.
<poem>
Reiko doesn't know much classical music -- but the effect, nonetheless, is not dulled by not knowing. It's recognizable; the fact she recognizes the music, but doesn't know it intimately only means she is focused on her thoughts. She looks at Tsumugi, watching the smile across their lips.

"A mask...?" Reiko asks. There is a blink. She hadn't thought of it as a mask. The deeper connotation -- no, that, she doesn't know. She hasn't learned of that world. Her sisters haven't told her about it.

Perhaps that is for the best, or perhaps she simply isn't ready yet.

She watches Tsumugi approach, and she tenses a little with their stride ''sounds'' -- and then tenses more as they begin to circle around, with those perceptive eyes.

And Reiko's own blink. "As quickly as possible?" she asks. Then, she nods. "Right, um--right. I can do that."

She exhales. A couple of seconds pass.

"Ready!"

</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Tsumugi Kujaku has posed.
<poem>

She doesn't know the significance of the mask. A soft "Ah," barely audible, escapes Tsumugi's lips. But it's fine.

''As quickly as possible?''

"As quickly as possible."

Not knowing isn't the same as lacking the potential to know.

The words echo at Reiko's back, reinforcing the idea. Tsumugi is more a presence felt than a sight seen, lingering just out of the periphery of Reiko's vision. The sound of their voice; the whisper-soft sound of silk on silk; the weight of their personal space, just beyond Reiko's.

It's a suggestion of presence, a weightlessness of their proximity that helps frames that first question the second Reiko's eyes close, and she announces, at the tail end of an exhale,

''Ready!''

"What's your name?"

There is a delay after that question. A healthy breadth of time in which Reiko -can- mull over a question already answered if she wants to.

"Your favorite color?"

The delay shrinks a little more, a few milliseconds of a moment lost yet still more than enough for Reiko to indulge in thought, despite the premise.

"Your favorite food?"

It shrinks again. And with every successive question

"Your favorite pastime?"

the time between the next

"What animal do you think is cutest?"

shrinks

"Scariest?"

a bit

"Your parents names?"

more

"The most appealing quality in a person?"

until
"The most annoying?"
there's no space at all.
"Do you follow the rules?" "Is there anyone you admire?" "What's your favorite book?" "Was that really your favorite color?" "Do you prefer tea or coffee?" "Do you care what others think of you?"

Until questions come so swiftly there's truly no time to think, and even then, perhaps, no time to answer out loud. Further and further, honing the answers towards a kneejerk reflex until--

"How do you want the world to see Reiko Shimizu?"

That last question comes.

Left to linger, along with its awaited answer.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Reiko Shimizu has posed.
<poem>

Reiko nods to Tsumugi's instruction. And she closes her eyes, too. She has always been good at following directions -- drilled into her by her parents, then at school, then in the Metropolitan Police Department. She does so here, with this person she has just met. And she feels their presence, ephemeral, even if she doesn't see it.

The questions come.

''What's your name?''

"Reiko Shimizu," she says. It's automatic. And yet--yet, she wonders, afterward. Why did they ask her that? She had already told them.

The questions begin coming more rapidly.

"Blue."
"My sister's chocolate chip cookies."
"Video games, uhm, RPG's--"
"...dogs!"
"Scariest--uh--um--boars?"
"Satsuki and Kenzou Shimizu..."

And faster, until she is giving answers the moment they stop talking -- and leaving Reiko breathless in the response.

"Sincerity."
"And--um--being controlling."
"Always..."
"My older sisters."
"The Stories of Ibis by Hiroshi Yamamoto."

That one comes /immediately/, with a certain passion. Then, it's back to fast replies.

"Maybe a light blue--"
"Tea, most days."
"W-Well yes--"

Her answers are fast, a kneejerk response, so she can't hesitate even when she wants to. But then the last question comes, and Reiko sucks a breath in. She hesitates for a second, but she has been wound up to reply quickly.

"Friendly, and kind, and--and creative," Reiko says. Her voice is quiet, almost a whisper. It trembles when she speaks. "And not... not having to hide who I care for. Or that I care at all. Even when it's inconvenient."
</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Tsumugi Kujaku has posed.
<poem>
There's moments within the tidal wave of inquiries that stand out. Moments where certain questions evoke certain responses that fascinate with the possibilities of why.

''The Stories of Ibis,'' the fire behind that instant claim, for example. The way her answer trails off just so about whether she always follows the rules. The simple fact that she follows -their- instructions at all.

The stammer to her voice as she says she cares what others think of her.

Interesting. She's interesting.

But the one that truly matters--

''Friendly, and kind, and--and creative.''

The one that inspires the tiniest tremor in her voice.

''And not... not having to hide who I care for.''

... Is the one the entire series of questions was meant to answer.

Tsumugi's voice is suffused with an underscore of approval beneath its placid exterior as they whisper,

"You can open your eyes now, Reiko-san."

... and that distant voice is suddenly so close Reiko can feel the warmth of it brush her left cheek.

By the time her eyes open, Tsumugi is once more entering her field of vision as they pull away from their position at her shoulder.

"I can make something for you," they say, simply, their tone once more so utterly disaffected. "We can take care of your measurements now, if you have the time to spare. Once I've started up a draft of the idea, you can decide how you'd like to proceed."

Just like that? Is it because of how she answered those questions?

Because of her position in the police department?

Or because the spotlight's choosing to shine on her now?

It's a question that lingers like it's waiting to be asked, yet Tsumugi doesn't elucidate on their own. They just settle themselves back onto the table of their work station, one long leg crossing over the other, seated like royalty on their throne as they say,

"I'm not sure you'll be ready for it by the time it's finished... but it'll be waiting for you, for when you are."

Their head tilts. Their black brows lift faintly, like a punctuated question.

"Do you want that?"

The only question that matters.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Reiko Shimizu has posed.
<poem>
That whisper brushes against Reiko's ear. That note of approval -- that's something she catches, something that makes her eyes widen a little bit as she hears it. And it makes her smile and makes her heart flutter -- that who she wants to be seems to have won over this mysterious tailor, even if just a little.

She opens her eyes, watching as Tsumugi walks in front of her. She looks at them -- and then blinks, at the shift in tone. "Oh--oh, yes, I have the time to spare," she says, and she flusters again.

Reiko hesitates for a second. "I--um--" She wants to ask so many questions. Why did they decide to do this? Was it something about the questions? Was it something else. "You're... sure? You want to make one, for me?"

She hesitates, though. Tsumugi asks her a question. And she senses a hidden meaning in what they asked -- that Reiko might not be ready for the outfit.

She swallows, then. But, she nods her head. "Yes." Her voice is caught, for a moment. Then, she affirms: "I want that."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Tsumugi Kujaku has posed.
<poem>
Are they sure?

"Yes," Tsumugi says, without hesitation, without second's thought.

"You fascinate me."

Like they could never be suffered to feel doubt about anything.

Their answer scarcely lingers in the air before they are chasing after that brazenly self-professed interest with that singular, important question, layered with meaning beyond the simplicity of what it says on the surface.

And when the answer comes...

"'Nothing happens if you just dream,'" they recite, a little line from the light novel Reiko so passionately claimed as her favorite. Green eyes hood.

"Good."

And with that, they slip off their perch, the soft -swffff- sound of chasing measurement tape following as they draw it up off the table alongside them.

"Then let's begin."

Ready to measure the framework of the Reiko Shimizu that Reiko Shimizu wants the world to see.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Reiko Shimizu has posed.
<poem>
"O-oh."

Reiko says that without hesitation or a second's thought -- but it's more of an awkward, non-verbal stammer. And her face turns flushed at that, but there is a small nod of her head to them. She glances at Tsumugi.

She breaks into a smile. "You've read it!" she says, energetically, her eyes lighting up. Reiko shifts a little -- but then Tsumugi slips off their seat, and comes forward with the measuring tape. And Reiko reminds herself that she does have something to attend to.

"R-Right, just tell me what you need to me to do."

She holds her arm up for them. She doesn't know if she will be ready for it, still.

But there's only one way to find out.

</poem>

[[Category:Logs]]
[[Category:Season 1]]
[[Category:Season 1, Episode 1]]

Eri Natsuhara

2025-10-20T16:16:01Z

Tex: /* NPC Relationships */

{| class="toccolours" style="width: 15%; float: right; margin-left:2em; margin-right:0em; margin-bottom:2em; text-align: left; font-size: %110" cellspacing="2"
|-
! style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" align="center" colspan="2" | '''Eri Natsuhara'''
|-
! colspan="2" align="center" | [[File:Eri_Profile.jpg|300px]]
|-
! style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font-size: 110%;" align="center" colspan="2" | '''IC Information'''
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Full Name:
| Eri Natsuhara (夏原恵利)
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |Arcana:
| Strength
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Gender:
| Female
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Age (Birthdate):
| 26 (August 19, 1985)
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Hair Colour:
| Auburn
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Eye Colour:
| Crimson
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Height:
| 5'4" /163 cm
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Residence:
| Akihabara, Tokyo
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Workplace:
| ''Akihabara Almost Daily''
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Job:
| Reporter and Editor
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Role:
| Chorus
|-
! style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font-size: 110%;" align="center" colspan="2" | '''OOC Information'''
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Source:
| Persona 5 Tactica
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Groups:
| None
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Player:
| [[User:Tex|Iwatodai Station]]
|-
|}

''NOTE: This page has spoilers for Chapter 3 and the ending of Persona 5 Tactica, particularly for the character of Toshiro Kasukabe.''

'''"I promise, I'll catch up to you one day."'''

Eri Natsuhara is the owner, editor, and primary reporter of a strange and eclectic newspaper in Akihbara Electric Town: the Akihabara Almost Daily. It publishes articles on lifestyle, technology, and curiosities in Tokyo. The Almost Daily has proved successful, but sometimes people call it rather light fare: it stays away from serious issues like politics, corruption, and the like. This bothers Eri more than she lets on, but she remains a popular voice in news about life and technology in Tokyo. She maintains an online personality, with loyal followers, though public appearances are rare. This is in part because of disability: she walks with a pronounced limp and the aid of a cane, and an eye patch. She is driven to make the Almost Daily one of the best newspapers in Tokyo, but she struggles with overprotective parents, who are still guarding her after a life-defining incident ten years ago.

= Background =
Eri Natsuhara was born in Tokyo on August 19, 1985. She came from a middle-class family; her parents, Shuichi and Ryoko Natsuhara, were kind and thoughtful... but also pushovers. They had a "turn the other cheek" philosophy to life: don't make waves, don't rock the boat, don't get in trouble. Thus, while Eri had a happy childhood, she also sometimes clashed with her parents because of a headstrong, stubborn personality... and a tendency to say what she thinks. Her mouth could often get ahead of her brain; her parents were constantly asking, pleading, and begging her to not make waves and keep to herself.

And Eri, because she loved them and wanted to make them happy, tried to do just that.

But in her first year of high school in Shujin Academy, she ran into trouble. She was accused of stealing something that belonged to another student. She couldn't even remember what it was, a couple of years later. The what was inconsequential, but the what happened shaped her future. Eri was promptly ostracized by her peers; the rumor mill at Shujin, ever vicious, turned on her. She was accused with little evidence. When she asked her parents, they told her the best thing to do was "wait for it to blow over." So she did that, and it only got worse. Her friends dropped her; they took her silence as an admission of guilt.

Finally, her homeroom teacher, Saito-sensei, talked to her. She told Eri words that would live with her for the rest of her life: "Silence in the face of injustice is complicity. If your guts tells you something's wrong, why not fight back?"

So Eri fought.

She found out who the real culprits were, through some clever (if amateur) detective work. Her classmates apologized to her, and the student who really did the theft got in trouble. But, Eri found, some things just couldn't be undone. Her friends weren't her friends anymore -- they were the people who doubted her. Her peers would always be the ones that abandoned her. And so, after a tearful discussion with her parents, Eri decided to transfer to Seven Sisters next year.

That spring, she tried to put her new philosophy into action. She went looking for problems, and she found them: Seven Sisters wasn't the cut-throat environment that Shujin was, socially, but bullying and people in need still happened. So Eri Natsuhara tried to find people to help. And in doing so, she found a kindred spirit: Toshiro Kasukabe, the son of a Diet member. He seemed meek, weak-willed, and the sort of person who could be walked all over -- he reminded her of her parents, sometimes -- but underneath that, she saw someone who also stood up to others. She first saw him stopping some punks from mugging a fellow student, and he took a beating in turn.

She was fascinated, so she sought him out. He was the student council president, despite being a first year. She started bringing students' problems to him -- and while he was exasperated, the two started working together. They reconciled friends who were fighting; they tracked down lost property; they once found someone's cat in a park at ten o'clock. They broke up fights, and Eri would drag Toshiro with him. He was exasperated with her -- and often claimed he was just keeping an eye on her -- while she liked to needle and poke at him, because he had the most torturous--excuse me, hilarious reactions. Eri was charmed, and they soon became fast friends.

Together, in 2002 and 2003, they made Seven Sisters into a nice school. But then, a new teacher -- Ichiro Nakabachi -- suddenly became Vice Principal. The quickness of his rise was suspect, and worse, a pall was cast over Seven Sisters that year. Nakabachi created a web of blackmail: by getting dirt on students and teachers, he used the threat of revealing that to make them act as informants. This guaranteed his meteoric rise, despite -- prior to that -- being a mediocre teacher at best. Students lived in fear of him and each other. Eri and Toshiro learned of this when another student, Yuri Kurano, came to them and told them what was happening.

Eri immediately ran off and confronted Nakabachi. It didn't work. But, with Toshiro's help -- and after some convincing -- they got Nakabachi's victims to all agree to come forward. Nakabachi was undone, and it seemed like they had won. He lost his job. Unfortunately, it didn't end there. He began to be harassed by students from the school -- and so did some of those who helped him -- and that began to break things down. In early 2003, one wintery evening, Nakabachi followed Eri and Toshiro into a train station. He had a nervous breakdown, and in a fit of self-pity and anger, he charged at Eri and pushed her off the platform. She fell, reaching her hand out for Toshiro. And then, there was the light of an oncoming train -- and then it hit her, and there was only blood and darkness.

She woke up days later in the hospital, forever changed. Her left leg was severely broken. She was wrapped in bandages from the trauma of the impact, with most of her ribs broken and severe bruising. She lost her right eye -- and half her face was bandaged to treat the wounds there.

[[File:Eri_Hospital.jpg|thumb|Eri in the hospital after the Nakabachi incident.]]

Eri grew depressed. Before that, she had been an athletic and energetic teenager. After that, the doctors were uncertain if she would ever walk again. Her parents went into an overprotective mode, and while they were frightened and loving, she was terrified that she might have brought it on herself. She received a small boost when Yuri came to visit, and thanked her; she could feel, at least, that she had done some good. But she felt exhausted as she considered the ways her life would change and the long road of physical therapy ahead of her. It was hard to not feel regretful and defeated.

When Toshiro visited her, Eri struggled. When he encouraged her, she had to admit that she couldn't keep fighting for something just. Toshiro was filled with guilt for what happened -- and Eri didn't blame him, but a part of her blamed herself. It was a part of herself that she thought she had quashed, when the theft incident happened, but that terrible thought reared back up. She finally pled with Toshiro to keep working for change, to not give up on the fight, and that one day, she would catch up with him. They parted, her words lingering with him, and his words lingering with her: she had to be able to reunite with him, some day, and that meant that she had to get better.

But after that, they didn't see each other much -- and that turned into "at all" after a few months. Toshiro was busy with the fallout at school and with his father. Eri was busy with physical therapy and rehabilitation. Distance let anxieties and doubts build; Toshiro grew to assume Eri blamed him for what happened, and Eri assumed that Toshiro blamed her for sticking her nose into things. It wasn't rational, but with her parents worrying and fretting over her, Eri couldn't quite shut those voices out.

It took over a year to receive the necessary surgeries and physical therapy, and she never fully recovered. Eri learned to walk with the help of a cane, but her left leg lacked the mobility to do more than a slow walk. She eventually got an eye patch for her right eye. She also wouldn't go back to Seven Sisters; she graduated through a program at her hospital, while she recovered.

When she was out -- it was a couple of months after graduation -- Eri had to decide what to do with her life. She still felt herself sliding into depression. She "recovered," but she didn't feel the same. Going outside and taking a walk was an ordeal and painful, still. The cane and the eye patch would draw stares. At first, Eri retreated into her room at her parents' house. But, Eri found an online community for people in a similar situation to her -- and she discovered a newfound love for electronics, and that let her begin to come out of her depression. She found a reason to make herself walk down to Akihabara, to buy parts for a computer that she wanted to build. She made and met friends who were into electronics.

By then, it was 2004, and Eri was just discovering that assistive technology was limited. She started researching it -- and found ways that electronics and modern appliances could make her life easier. When Eri was younger, she had been interested in being a journalist. The idea of challenging people in power terrified her, still, on some fundamental level. The idea of helping people like her -- and sharing her newfound enthusiasm -- appealed. Thus, after talking to her parents, she enrolled in college and majored in journalism. She still lived at home, and her parents had grown overprotective, but they supported her financially and helped her.

Eri graduated in 2008. With several friends, she decided to start a newspaper in Akihabara: the ''Akihabara Almost Daily'', a lifestyle newspaper that covers the latest electronics, culture, and local happenings. Eri, by virtue of her force of personality, became the editor. Her parents helped her with money. And, to her immense surprise, the Almost Daily became a hit. The quirky reporting, the irreverent coverage of local events ("Akihabara Unites to Discover That Afternoon Television Sucks"), and in-depth looks at new technologies, gadgets, and computers made it a hit. But, sometimes, Eri debated looking at something meatier -- at evidence of corruption, at a social injustice -- and then she froze up.

The Almost Daily gained a reputation for being a fun newspaper, but not one of substance. This bothers Eri, but she isn't ready to catch up to Toshiro yet.

[[File:Eri_Cane.jpg|thumb|Eri on a walk with her cane.]]

In late 2011, Eri undertook a large change: she finally moved out of her parents' house. The Almost Daily earns enough money to cover her expenses and then some, but her parents resisted the idea, convinced that she needed their help. Despite living away from home for almost six months, though, they won't quite let her try to live on her own. Her parents drop by frequently; they buy her groceries, they "help" without asking if Eri needs that help, and it leaves her without the sense of independence that she wants and has worked to provide for herself.

And after everything, Eri can't quite bring herself to tell them no. A little, traitorous part of her still whispers: maybe she got hurt because she fought back, and maybe Toshiro got hurt too because of that. So she accepts help that makes her feel like a child, and she struggles through every day, until she finds the will to do something about it.

==Season 1, Episode 1==
Forthcoming!

= Special Skills =
Eri is a woman in her twenties, with limited mobility and who has lost an eye. Nonetheless, she is an extremely talented writer and editor (though she prefers nonfiction). She also is very talented with electronics and computers, particularly building them. When she encounters a difficult situation, she has three approaches:

1. ''Helping is Job Number One'' (Understanding): If Eri sees someone in need, she gets to it and pitches in.

2. ''Turn Spirit into Strength'' (Guts): Eri thinks that her resolve and determination can overcome anything. Usually. And if she doesn't think this in a specific moment, this is what she goes back to.

3. ''Technology Opens Doors'' (Academics): Eri understands that looking at technology, and using it in innovative ways, can help solve logistical problems. And logical problems.

=Relationships=

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 75%; text-align: center;"
|-
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" | Name
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" | Address
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" | Arcana
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" | Social Link
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;"class="unsortable" | Info
|-
|[[Fuuka Yamagishi]]
|Yamagishi-kun
|3. Priestess
|☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''She's shy, but she's into electronics. That matters a lot.''
|-
|[[Ichika Kawase]]
|Kawase-kun
|14. Temperance
|☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''Love to see a kid who wants to be a reporter!''
|}

== NPC Relationships ==
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 75%; text-align: center;"
|-
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" | Name
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" | Arcana
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" | Social Link
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" class="unsortable" | Info
|-
|Toshiro Kasukabe
|Unknown
|★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|Her best friend from school. Someone she misses terribly. Someone she isn't ready to see again.
|}

= Soundtrack =
TBD

= Logs and Cutscenes =

==Season 1==

{{#dpl:
|category = logs&season 1
|linksto = {{PAGENAME}}
|ordermethod = title
|columns = 3
|rowcolformat=width=50%
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{{#dpl:
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}}

[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Adults]]
[[Category:Chorus]]

Eri Natsuhara

2025-10-20T01:30:57Z

Tex:

{| class="toccolours" style="width: 15%; float: right; margin-left:2em; margin-right:0em; margin-bottom:2em; text-align: left; font-size: %110" cellspacing="2"
|-
! style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" align="center" colspan="2" | '''Eri Natsuhara'''
|-
! colspan="2" align="center" | [[File:Eri_Profile.jpg|300px]]
|-
! style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font-size: 110%;" align="center" colspan="2" | '''IC Information'''
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Full Name:
| Eri Natsuhara (夏原恵利)
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |Arcana:
| Strength
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Gender:
| Female
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Age (Birthdate):
| 26 (August 19, 1985)
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Hair Colour:
| Auburn
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Eye Colour:
| Crimson
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Height:
| 5'4" /163 cm
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Residence:
| Akihabara, Tokyo
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Workplace:
| ''Akihabara Almost Daily''
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Job:
| Reporter and Editor
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Role:
| Chorus
|-
! style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font-size: 110%;" align="center" colspan="2" | '''OOC Information'''
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Source:
| Persona 5 Tactica
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Groups:
| None
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Player:
| [[User:Tex|Iwatodai Station]]
|-
|}

''NOTE: This page has spoilers for Chapter 3 and the ending of Persona 5 Tactica, particularly for the character of Toshiro Kusakabe.''

'''"I promise, I'll catch up to you one day."'''

Eri Natsuhara is the owner, editor, and primary reporter of a strange and eclectic newspaper in Akihbara Electric Town: the Akihabara Almost Daily. It publishes articles on lifestyle, technology, and curiosities in Tokyo. The Almost Daily has proved successful, but sometimes people call it rather light fare: it stays away from serious issues like politics, corruption, and the like. This bothers Eri more than she lets on, but she remains a popular voice in news about life and technology in Tokyo. She maintains an online personality, with loyal followers, though public appearances are rare. This is in part because of disability: she walks with a pronounced limp and the aid of a cane, and an eye patch. She is driven to make the Almost Daily one of the best newspapers in Tokyo, but she struggles with overprotective parents, who are still guarding her after a life-defining incident ten years ago.

= Background =
Eri Natsuhara was born in Tokyo on August 19, 1985. She came from a middle-class family; her parents, Shuichi and Ryoko Natsuhara, were kind and thoughtful... but also pushovers. They had a "turn the other cheek" philosophy to life: don't make waves, don't rock the boat, don't get in trouble. Thus, while Eri had a happy childhood, she also sometimes clashed with her parents because of a headstrong, stubborn personality... and a tendency to say what she thinks. Her mouth could often get ahead of her brain; her parents were constantly asking, pleading, and begging her to not make waves and keep to herself.

And Eri, because she loved them and wanted to make them happy, tried to do just that.

But in her first year of high school in Shujin Academy, she ran into trouble. She was accused of stealing something that belonged to another student. She couldn't even remember what it was, a couple of years later. The what was inconsequential, but the what happened shaped her future. Eri was promptly ostracized by her peers; the rumor mill at Shujin, ever vicious, turned on her. She was accused with little evidence. When she asked her parents, they told her the best thing to do was "wait for it to blow over." So she did that, and it only got worse. Her friends dropped her; they took her silence as an admission of guilt.

Finally, her homeroom teacher, Saito-sensei, talked to her. She told Eri words that would live with her for the rest of her life: "Silence in the face of injustice is complicity. If your guts tells you something's wrong, why not fight back?"

So Eri fought.

She found out who the real culprits were, through some clever (if amateur) detective work. Her classmates apologized to her, and the student who really did the theft got in trouble. But, Eri found, some things just couldn't be undone. Her friends weren't her friends anymore -- they were the people who doubted her. Her peers would always be the ones that abandoned her. And so, after a tearful discussion with her parents, Eri decided to transfer to Seven Sisters next year.

That spring, she tried to put her new philosophy into action. She went looking for problems, and she found them: Seven Sisters wasn't the cut-throat environment that Shujin was, socially, but bullying and people in need still happened. So Eri Natsuhara tried to find people to help. And in doing so, she found a kindred spirit: Toshiro Kasukabe, the son of a Diet member. He seemed meek, weak-willed, and the sort of person who could be walked all over -- he reminded her of her parents, sometimes -- but underneath that, she saw someone who also stood up to others. She first saw him stopping some punks from mugging a fellow student, and he took a beating in turn.

She was fascinated, so she sought him out. He was the student council president, despite being a first year. She started bringing students' problems to him -- and while he was exasperated, the two started working together. They reconciled friends who were fighting; they tracked down lost property; they once found someone's cat in a park at ten o'clock. They broke up fights, and Eri would drag Toshiro with him. He was exasperated with her -- and often claimed he was just keeping an eye on her -- while she liked to needle and poke at him, because he had the most torturous--excuse me, hilarious reactions. Eri was charmed, and they soon became fast friends.

Together, in 2002 and 2003, they made Seven Sisters into a nice school. But then, a new teacher -- Ichiro Nakabachi -- suddenly became Vice Principal. The quickness of his rise was suspect, and worse, a pall was cast over Seven Sisters that year. Nakabachi created a web of blackmail: by getting dirt on students and teachers, he used the threat of revealing that to make them act as informants. This guaranteed his meteoric rise, despite -- prior to that -- being a mediocre teacher at best. Students lived in fear of him and each other. Eri and Toshiro learned of this when another student, Yuri Kurano, came to them and told them what was happening.

Eri immediately ran off and confronted Nakabachi. It didn't work. But, with Toshiro's help -- and after some convincing -- they got Nakabachi's victims to all agree to come forward. Nakabachi was undone, and it seemed like they had won. He lost his job. Unfortunately, it didn't end there. He began to be harassed by students from the school -- and so did some of those who helped him -- and that began to break things down. In early 2003, one wintery evening, Nakabachi followed Eri and Toshiro into a train station. He had a nervous breakdown, and in a fit of self-pity and anger, he charged at Eri and pushed her off the platform. She fell, reaching her hand out for Toshiro. And then, there was the light of an oncoming train -- and then it hit her, and there was only blood and darkness.

She woke up days later in the hospital, forever changed. Her left leg was severely broken. She was wrapped in bandages from the trauma of the impact, with most of her ribs broken and severe bruising. She lost her right eye -- and half her face was bandaged to treat the wounds there.

[[File:Eri_Hospital.jpg|thumb|Eri in the hospital after the Nakabachi incident.]]

Eri grew depressed. Before that, she had been an athletic and energetic teenager. After that, the doctors were uncertain if she would ever walk again. Her parents went into an overprotective mode, and while they were frightened and loving, she was terrified that she might have brought it on herself. She received a small boost when Yuri came to visit, and thanked her; she could feel, at least, that she had done some good. But she felt exhausted as she considered the ways her life would change and the long road of physical therapy ahead of her. It was hard to not feel regretful and defeated.

When Toshiro visited her, Eri struggled. When he encouraged her, she had to admit that she couldn't keep fighting for something just. Toshiro was filled with guilt for what happened -- and Eri didn't blame him, but a part of her blamed herself. It was a part of herself that she thought she had quashed, when the theft incident happened, but that terrible thought reared back up. She finally pled with Toshiro to keep working for change, to not give up on the fight, and that one day, she would catch up with him. They parted, her words lingering with him, and his words lingering with her: she had to be able to reunite with him, some day, and that meant that she had to get better.

But after that, they didn't see each other much -- and that turned into "at all" after a few months. Toshiro was busy with the fallout at school and with his father. Eri was busy with physical therapy and rehabilitation. Distance let anxieties and doubts build; Toshiro grew to assume Eri blamed him for what happened, and Eri assumed that Toshiro blamed her for sticking her nose into things. It wasn't rational, but with her parents worrying and fretting over her, Eri couldn't quite shut those voices out.

It took over a year to receive the necessary surgeries and physical therapy, and she never fully recovered. Eri learned to walk with the help of a cane, but her left leg lacked the mobility to do more than a slow walk. She eventually got an eye patch for her right eye. She also wouldn't go back to Seven Sisters; she graduated through a program at her hospital, while she recovered.

When she was out -- it was a couple of months after graduation -- Eri had to decide what to do with her life. She still felt herself sliding into depression. She "recovered," but she didn't feel the same. Going outside and taking a walk was an ordeal and painful, still. The cane and the eye patch would draw stares. At first, Eri retreated into her room at her parents' house. But, Eri found an online community for people in a similar situation to her -- and she discovered a newfound love for electronics, and that let her begin to come out of her depression. She found a reason to make herself walk down to Akihabara, to buy parts for a computer that she wanted to build. She made and met friends who were into electronics.

By then, it was 2004, and Eri was just discovering that assistive technology was limited. She started researching it -- and found ways that electronics and modern appliances could make her life easier. When Eri was younger, she had been interested in being a journalist. The idea of challenging people in power terrified her, still, on some fundamental level. The idea of helping people like her -- and sharing her newfound enthusiasm -- appealed. Thus, after talking to her parents, she enrolled in college and majored in journalism. She still lived at home, and her parents had grown overprotective, but they supported her financially and helped her.

Eri graduated in 2008. With several friends, she decided to start a newspaper in Akihabara: the ''Akihabara Almost Daily'', a lifestyle newspaper that covers the latest electronics, culture, and local happenings. Eri, by virtue of her force of personality, became the editor. Her parents helped her with money. And, to her immense surprise, the Almost Daily became a hit. The quirky reporting, the irreverent coverage of local events ("Akihabara Unites to Discover That Afternoon Television Sucks"), and in-depth looks at new technologies, gadgets, and computers made it a hit. But, sometimes, Eri debated looking at something meatier -- at evidence of corruption, at a social injustice -- and then she froze up.

The Almost Daily gained a reputation for being a fun newspaper, but not one of substance. This bothers Eri, but she isn't ready to catch up to Toshiro yet.

[[File:Eri_Cane.jpg|thumb|Eri on a walk with her cane.]]

In late 2011, Eri undertook a large change: she finally moved out of her parents' house. The Almost Daily earns enough money to cover her expenses and then some, but her parents resisted the idea, convinced that she needed their help. Despite living away from home for almost six months, though, they won't quite let her try to live on her own. Her parents drop by frequently; they buy her groceries, they "help" without asking if Eri needs that help, and it leaves her without the sense of independence that she wants and has worked to provide for herself.

And after everything, Eri can't quite bring herself to tell them no. A little, traitorous part of her still whispers: maybe she got hurt because she fought back, and maybe Toshiro got hurt too because of that. So she accepts help that makes her feel like a child, and she struggles through every day, until she finds the will to do something about it.

==Season 1, Episode 1==
Forthcoming!

= Special Skills =
Eri is a woman in her twenties, with limited mobility and who has lost an eye. Nonetheless, she is an extremely talented writer and editor (though she prefers nonfiction). She also is very talented with electronics and computers, particularly building them. When she encounters a difficult situation, she has three approaches:

1. ''Helping is Job Number One'' (Understanding): If Eri sees someone in need, she gets to it and pitches in.

2. ''Turn Spirit into Strength'' (Guts): Eri thinks that her resolve and determination can overcome anything. Usually. And if she doesn't think this in a specific moment, this is what she goes back to.

3. ''Technology Opens Doors'' (Academics): Eri understands that looking at technology, and using it in innovative ways, can help solve logistical problems. And logical problems.

=Relationships=

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 75%; text-align: center;"
|-
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" | Name
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" | Address
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" | Arcana
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" | Social Link
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;"class="unsortable" | Info
|-
|[[Fuuka Yamagishi]]
|Yamagishi-kun
|3. Priestess
|☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''She's shy, but she's into electronics. That matters a lot.''
|-
|[[Ichika Kawase]]
|Kawase-kun
|14. Temperance
|☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''Love to see a kid who wants to be a reporter!''
|}

== NPC Relationships ==
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 75%; text-align: center;"
|-
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" | Name
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" | Arcana
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" | Social Link
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" class="unsortable" | Info
|-
|Toshiro Kusakabe
|Unknown
|★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|Her best friend from school. Someone she misses terribly. Someone she isn't ready to see again.
|}

= Soundtrack =
TBD

= Logs and Cutscenes =

==Season 1==

{{#dpl:
|category = logs&season 1
|linksto = {{PAGENAME}}
|ordermethod = title
|columns = 3
|rowcolformat=width=50%
|suppresserrors = yes
| addcategories = true
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[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Adults]]
[[Category:Chorus]]

Reiko Shimizu

2025-10-19T17:51:04Z

Tex: /* Relationships */

Minako Arisato

2025-10-19T17:47:27Z

Tex: /* Relationships */

{| class="toccolours" style="width: 15%; float: right; margin-left:2em; margin-right:0em; margin-bottom:2em; text-align: left; font-size: %110" cellspacing="2"
|-
! style="background:#ff99cc; border: 2px #cc0066 solid; font size: 110%;" align="center" colspan="2" | '''Minako Arisato'''
|-
! colspan="2" align="center" | [[File:Minako_Profile.jpg|300px]]
|-
! style="background:#ff99cc; border: 2px #cc0066 solid; font-size: 110%;" align="center" colspan="2" | '''IC Information'''
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Full Name:
| Minako Arisato (有里ミナコ)
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |Arcana:
|The Fool
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Gender:
| Female
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Age (Birthdate):
| 16 (January 1, 1996)
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Hair Colour:
| Red
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Eye Colour:
| Red
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Height:
| 5'3" /160 cm
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Residence:
| Iwatodai Dorm, Tatsumi Port Island
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Workplace:
| Gekkoukan High School
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Job:
| Second Year
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Role:
| Focus
|-
! style="background:#ff99cc; border: 2px #cc0066 solid; font-size: 110%;" align="center" colspan="2" | '''OOC Information'''
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Source:
| Persona 3
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Groups:
| [[SEES]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Player:
| [[User:Tex|Iwatodai Station]]
|-
|}

'''"Nothing's certain in this world! But... this problem won't solve itself." '''

Minako Arisato is a recent transfer to Gekkoukan High School, and no one is quite sure what to do with her. She seems the opposite of her twin brother, from the red-orange hair and eye color, to the cheerful and boisterous personality. She smiles at every person and problem she faces, from awkward social interactions with new classmates to the terrifying Shadows of the Dark Hour. Nothing seems to shake her, but that sunny smile and her ever-present headphones provide a mask for the pain of losing her parents in a terrible accident ten years ago. That mask, though, also makes her excel as a co-leader of SEES's field teams. She proves equally unflappable and steadfast on the battlefield, standing with her fellows in SEES.

= Background =
Minako Arisato was born on January 1, 1996. She was born only a few minutes after her twin brother, Minato, but he was (technically) born the previous day. Daisuke and Natsuki Arisato came from money, and enjoyed a comfortable life. For their first six years, the twins lived on Tatsumi Port Island. They didn't want for much, with kind parents who provided them with quality schooling and latest video game consoles and entertainment.

Ten years ago, this all came crashing down, in the terrible and mysterious disaster on Tatsumi Port Island. That night, the Arisatos were among the many cars in the series of terrible traffic accidents that occurred on the Moonlight Bridge. Minato was able to get out of the car. To this day, Minako doesn't realize what he saw or what happened to him.

Minako didn't get out of the car until after everything cleared up. Her mother had been in the backseat and she threw herself over Minako, until the car behind them impacted theirs. Its side view mirror flew through the back windshield and killed Natsuki instantly when it struck her head. She died atop Minako, who tried and tried to wake her mother up. She pleaded, she begged, and she sobbed. She screamed. She learned for the first time, but not the last, that her pleas could not stave off death.

Minako might have died there. She didn't know what to do and she started to smell gasoline. The car doors were smashed in on the sides. She was vaguely aware that her father's corpse was slumped over the steering wheel. But then, a voice spoke to her: "You don't want him to be alone, do you?" She attributed it to a hallucination, later. One thing proved real, though: her brother standing outside the car. Minako pushed her mother's body away, then she crawled out of the shattered back window. The gash on her thigh left a scar, but so did many things about that night. She reached Minato, though.

He wouldn't be alone, and that was something.

The next few weeks were a blur to Minako. The visceral trauma of crawling away from her mother's dead body, the loss of her father, and the injury on her leg made her dissociate quite literally. Therapists and counselors were in short supply, as family and attorneys debated how to handle matters. The question of the trust that held their late parents' wealth wasn't much of a question: the twins would receive that when they were legal adults at age twenty. The bigger question was who would take them. Their paternal grandparents, Takumi and Mariko, stepped in quickly. The twins relocated to Osaka to live with them, and left behind their friends and school in Port Island.

The next two years were not unhappy ones. Minako began to emerge from the sheer trauma of the event. Her grandparents and visiting family meant well, but they missed the way that she did not fully heal from the trauma. Minako learned to mask her sadness and loneliness by being cheerful and happy. It started as a child, as she learned that smiling and acting happy would not worry her grandmother and grandfather -- or make her brother withdraw from her.

Making herself act happier also led her to sometimes be happier, though that happiness was often fleeting. She became more outgoing in school than she had ever been. She became more curious and impulsive. She learned to slip into an Osaka accent like her school friend did. Even as a teenager, she can do it on demand.

When they were eight years old, though, their time in Osaka came to an end. Old age claimed Mariko's life; their grandfather, Takumi, was too old to care for two elementary schoolers. Minako watched with more understanding now as a mirror of the legal whirlwind of two years ago blew up. She learned to smile through sorrow and pain already; this was the test to prove that she learned that lesson. When her grandfather took them to the airport to move in with new relatives, he cried. Minako smiled and hugged him, and stay dry-eyed until the plane took off. She passed the test, she thought.

They moved in next with their maternal aunt and uncle, Haruto and Fuyuko Shiomi. They lived in Nagoya and both worked high paying but demanding jobs. They saw the children less frequently than was ideal, but they had a network of relatives to help. They also had the income to support the twins too. While Minako didn't get as close to them as she did her grandparents, she did have a good life there -- and made friends in school easily.

Minako did form a bond with her uncle, who had a similar temperament. He shared his love of alternative rock from the late 1980's and 1990's with Minako, and while she initially expressed interest to make Haruto happy, it soon became a genuine love that stayed with her.

Unfortunately, the Shiomis' marriage collapsed when the twins were twelve years old. The stress of high intensity jobs made for irreconcilable differences. They didn't quite have enough time for the twins together. Apart, they certainly didn't. The whirlwind of years past began to spin up again, and by now, Minako thought she knew the shape of it. She thought she knew how the winds of death and loss would batter her, the way only a twelve year old who hurt too much could. She was wrong. The family had tried to keep them together so far, but it finally broke down.

Minato was sent to live with their paternal uncle, Yoshirou Arisato, in Tokyo. Minato was sent to their maternal grandmother, Naomi Yuki, in Sapporo. At the airport, she tried for a repeat performance with her grandfather, and failed completely. Minako sobbed and couldn't manage to form the word "goodbye" to her brother before she had to board a flight to Sapporo.

Life in Sapporo was supposed to be miserable. Minako was so far away from her brother. She tried, but she couldn't bring herself to wallow in misery -- and make a grandmother who could be distant but still warm (and thus not unlike her brother) miserable by association. Minako, alone, began to fall back on her defense mechanisms: she smiled and laughed through the pain. She made new friends in a new school. She grew close to her grandmother. She could be bright, to cast shadows on how much she missed her brother, her parents, and the others that she had lost.

Life in Sapporo was agreeable with her. Minako found things she loved there of her own accord. Her grandmother was encouraging, but had slowed down in her old age. Left to her own devices, Minako found a love of colder weather -- and hiking in it. In school, she developed an athletic streak; she ended up active in the softball club.

She found herself having a life that she could be happy with, and she felt guilty for it. That life didn't have her brother in it as much as she wanted, which made that guilt fester.

The twins did have annual summer trips, though. In 2010, they took one to Osaka that was especially memorable. They still had things they could bond over -- their love of rock music, their shared love of video games (and how many Pokemon they had to trade after a year apart) -- but that summer in Osaka was special. They got to see old haunts from when they were kids, with memories dear to them both. They bought their MP3 players and headphones, matching in style but different in color. They had time together that Minako valued.

But it also reinforced the ways they changed. Minako realized her brother's life with their uncle Yoshirou was not a happy one. She also saw the way he'd become more withdrawn, more distant... and it contrasted with the way that she had become all the brighter, running hot instead of his running cold. Her guilt only magnified.

The next year, when they were 15, their maternal grandmother passed. Yoshirou's adult son, Naruhito Arisato, took Minako in. This was part of a scheme by Yoshirou and Naruhito to gain access to the twins' trust fund and drain it dry. Minako's cousin was utterly uninterested in her. Both twins lived in Sumaru that year, but Minako was enrolled in Seven Sisters instead of Shujin (like her brother) as part of a scheme to keep the twins in the dark about the plans to steal (through attorneys) their inheritance. By now, Minako knew how to smile through loss -- and she started at a new school with the same easy charm she had learned. She thought something strange was afoot, but she had no idea.

The Kirijo Group, thankfully, did. When Yoshirou and his son went to the bank with their lawyers to get access to the funds, Kirijo lawyers met them. They were sent home with a warning; the twins were both quickly transferred to Gekkoukan, given rooms in a dorm there, and would move back to Port Island, under the close eye and aegis of the Kirijo Group.

Minato moved first. Minako followed a few days later. She was due to arrive in the daytime on a fateful day: the same one that had a massive subway accident, caused by a "psychotic breakdown" incident. Minako was stuck on a train for hours and arrived in Port Island at 11:49 p.m. It felt as if reality was trying to delay the reunion with her brother -- and give her time to ponder the weight of returning to where her parents died. She smiled, dissociated, and did not ruminate on this.

On the walk to the dormitory in Iwatodai, everything suddenly changed. She rounded one corner and found the sky had turned green. Coffins were lying about the street; puddles of blood were lying on the ground. She smiled, dissociated, and did not ruminate on this.

She rounded a second corner and saw Iwatodai Dormitory. Out front, against the door, a wounded Akihiko Sanada was facing off against Shadows. This finally made Minako admit maybe something messed up was happening with Dark Hour. She shouted, dissociated, and then smashed a Shadow aside with her rolling luggage -- and leaped in front of Sanada. He dropped his Evoker, and some instinct took hold. She grabbed it, driven by some instinct, and put the Evoker to her temple.

A pull of the trigger and a burst of blue glass later, and her Persona, Linos, pushed back the wave of Shadows. She got Akihiko inside, handed him off to a baffled Mitsuru, and then promptly collapsed into Yukari's bed. Questions -- like what is Dark Hour, who these people are, and which room is hers -- could wait for tomorrow.

That night, Minako dreamed of intruding upon a strange boy with bright blue eyes, short hair, and prison-striped clothing. He was surprised to see her, yet not unhappy. He handed her a contract, which she signed, agreeing to take responsibility for her actions. Then, she entered the Velvet Room in her dreams: in an elevator going forever downward, Igor and Theodore explained the nature of Personas to her.
[[File:Minako and Minato S1E1.jpg|thumb|The twins, reunited at last!]]
When Minako awoke, there were explanations to give. She also had to apologize profusely to Yukari. She soon settled into a familiar pattern: establishing herself at a new school, making friends, and being her bright and sunny self to mask what was underneath. This time, though, something was different. This was not a new place for her -- little reminders of who the lost were everywhere. So, too, was the reminder of the brother she just got back.

But she had to wait, because he was out for days. She worried -- in a way that other members of SEES could see plainly -- though she tried to downplay it. When he awoke, it was a joyous reunion. Then she got to experience an everyday life with him being present, and she was grateful for that chance.

She received an explanation of the Dark Hour, SEES, and Tartarus. She joined without a second thought; if Minato was going to do it, so would Minako. After all, as she decided ten years ago, she couldn't let him be alone.

==Season 1, Episode 1==
Forthcoming!

= Persona =
[[File:Linos.jpg|left|thumb|200x200px|Linos, Minako's primary Persona.]]
As a Wild Card, Minako has access to a number of Personas. These are listed below.

'''Linos (Fool):''' The son of Calliope and Apollo, and brother to Orpheus. Linos proved to be an excellent musician, helping to restore harmony to music after the Muses gave a third string to the lyre. His skill with music prompted the jealousy of his father, though, and Apollo slew his son with his arrows. For Minako, Linos manifests a feminine form. She looks like a mechanical doll, with a faintly feminine shape; her body is made of shiny gold and silver, with a crimson scarf and long red hair. The most notable aspect is that a heart-shaped harp is attached to her back. She is a well-rounded Persona, capable of manifesting fierce magical nuclear flame, piercing strikes with phantom arrows and, and some ability to heal. That Linos appears similar to Orpheus, her brother's main Persona, is certainly not coincidental.

'''Pyro Jack (Magician):''' The famed Jack O'Lantern, he was an Irish farmer who persuaded Satan not to take him to hell. When he was refused entry into heaven, he wandered earth as a pumpkin-headed soul. He appears as a pumpkin-like head, wearing a blue robe and a blue hat. He commands both magical flame and abilities that debilitate Minako's opponents. He often says "Hee-ho!" Pyro Jack represents her cousin Naruhito. Naruhito is the Magician Arcana, but a failed one: he is overconfident, convinced of his importance, and unable to see the impact he has and the truth of the people he impacts. He tried to use the twin.
[[File:Mors.jpg|thumb|200x200px|Mors, a mysterious Persona that sometimes appears when Minako is present.]]
'''Valkyrie (Strength):''' "Choosers of the slain" in Norse lore. Armed with shining armor and swords, they look for brave warriors to take to Valhalla, so that they may fight in Ragnarok. Valkyrie appears as a golden-skinned woman with blonde hair and a winged mask, donning scale mail and carrying a lance. She rides atop a crimson horse, with a fiery red mane. She uses supportive magic and powerful slash attacks in battle. She represents Minako's grandmother, Naomi Yuki. Naomi was the Strength Arcana: an active hiker, who -- despite her advanced age, when Minako lived with her, helped Minako find her love of outdoors and exercise. She also supported Minako, reached her in a dark time in her life, and helped bring her out of her shell.

'''Mors (Death):''' A mysterious Persona, unlike Minako's others. She is the Roman version of the Greek God of Death, Thanatos. She is the personification of death itself, and in the Roman tradition, has feminine connotations. Mors commands powerful darkness and non-elemental magic, and has far greater power than other Personas in Minako's compendium. However, Minako cannot command when Mors comes, and she cannot -- in truth -- command Mors at all. Her similarity to a similar Persona that sometimes appears when her brother is nearby, Thanatos, is as mysterious as the origins and nature of Mors. '''Please note that Mors has not yet been summoned on game and no one knows about her; this information is here for OOC clarification.'''

= Special Skills =
Minako has the Wild Card. She can summon multiple Personas in battle. She also has unique connections to destiny and fate, in ways that have not fully been seen.

When Minako has to address a difficult situation, she has three particular approaches:

1. ''A Smile for Every Situation'' (Understanding): Minako is often lost in her own little world... but that helps her understand the world around her -- and the people in it. She might put headphones in to tune out the world, and she might close her heart off with a smile, but Minako is excellent at listening to people. She can't help but listen to people and understand them, to try to help.

2. ''Kindling Warmth'' (Charm): Minako is impulsive and takes initiative. And this helps her be charismatic and likeable, because Minako will rush into a situation -- and while she can bull right past others' feelings, she can also be forthright at the right moment and reach out exactly when she needs to. And, sometimes, she can get a laugh out of even the most closed off person.

3. ''Rushing In'' (Guts): When things are difficult, Minako tends to stand tall -- and she tends to be fearless. She doesn't hesitate to step into the line of fire and do what she needs to. And, of course, the fact she values her life less than the lives of those around her also helps.

=Relationships=

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 75%; text-align: center;"
|-
! scope="col" style="background:#ff99cc; border: 2px #cc0066 solid; font size: 110%;" | Name
! scope="col" style="background:#ff99cc; border: 2px #cc0066 solid; font size: 110%;" | Address
! scope="col" style="background:#ff99cc; border: 2px #cc0066 solid; font size: 110%;" | Arcana
! scope="col" style="background:#ff99cc; border: 2px #cc0066 solid; font size: 110%;" | Social Link
! scope="col" style="background:#ff99cc; border: 2px #cc0066 solid; font size: 110%;"class="unsortable" | Info
|-
|[[Minato Arisato]]
|Minato-kun
|0. Fool
|★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''"I'm happy you've figured things out. I'll keep you safe."''
|-
|[[Ren Amamiya]]
|Amamiya-san
|0. Fool
|★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''"I like you a lot. And I'm glad we can keep it from getting complicated."''
|-
|[[Fuuka Yamagishi]]
|Yamagishi-san
|2. Priestess
|★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''"We can be friends, right?"''
|-
|[[Mitsuru Kirijo]]
|Kirijo-senpai
|3. Empress
|☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''"I hope I can help, senpai!"''
|-
|[[Shinjiro Aragaki]]
|Aragaki-senpai
|5. Hierophant
|★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''"I've got your back, senpai. And... I'm worried about you."''
|-
|[[Yukari Takeba]]
|Takeba-chan
|6. Lovers
|★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''"Even if we make each other mad... we'll stick together, right?"''
|-
|[[Suzume Fukura]]
|Fukura-san
|7. Chariot
|☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''"I'm glad we helped you. I hope you don't feel like it's too much."''
|-
|[[Reiya Aomori]]
|Aomori-san
|9. Hermit
|★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''You're really straightforward. It's... a lot.''
|-
|[[Ririka Kawase]]
|Kawase-san
|12. Hanged Man
|☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''"Didn't expect you to be skateboarding in Dark Hour..."''
|-
|[[Hitomi Mandai]]
|Mandai-chan
|10. Fortune
|☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''"Don't worry! I've got your back."''
|-
|[[Julian Marlowe]]
|Marlowe-sensei
|10. Fortune
|☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''"A cool foreign teacher... if only he taught at Gekkoukan!"''
|-
|[[Shizuka Kuroki]]
|Kuroki-senpai
|18. Moon
|☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''"You seem pretty reliable, senpai. But the puns..."''
|}

== NPC Relationships ==

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 75%; text-align: center;"
|-
! scope="col" style="background:#ff99cc; border: 2px #cc0066 solid; font size: 110%;" | Name
! scope="col" style="background:#ff99cc; border: 2px #cc0066 solid; font size: 110%;" | Arcana
! scope="col" style="background:#ff99cc; border: 2px #cc0066 solid; font size: 110%;" | Social Link
! scope="col" style="background:#ff99cc; border: 2px #cc0066 solid; font size: 110%;"class="unsortable" | Info
|-
|Bunkichi and Mitsuko
|5. Hierophant
|★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|The owners of Bookworms; an old couple Minako befriended.
|-
|Rio Iwasaki
|7. Chariot
|★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|The head of the Gekkoukan's Sports Department and in Volleyball Club with Minako.
|}

= Soundtrack =

* '''Main Theme:''' "Moonlight Daydream," by Mosq, feat. xunreachable & Neptune_1313. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0nOj-HRWDQ
* '''Battle Theme 1:''' "Wiping All Out: Reload Arrange," arranged by Mosq. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7nPwYr9xs8
* '''Battle Theme 2:''' "Pull the Trigger," from Persona Q2: Shadow of the Labyrinth. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5O_jq1CSv0
* "Final Girl," by Chvrches. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzKlcX2BR6M

= Logs and Cutscenes =

==Season 1==

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[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Gekkoukan High School]]
[[Category:SEES]]
[[Category:Focus]]

Eri Natsuhara

2025-10-19T17:44:22Z

Tex: /* Relationships */

{| class="toccolours" style="width: 15%; float: right; margin-left:2em; margin-right:0em; margin-bottom:2em; text-align: left; font-size: %110" cellspacing="2"
|-
! style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" align="center" colspan="2" | '''Eri Natsuhara'''
|-
! colspan="2" align="center" | [[File:Eri_Profile.jpg|300px]]
|-
! style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font-size: 110%;" align="center" colspan="2" | '''IC Information'''
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Full Name:
| Eri Natsuhara (夏原恵利)
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |Arcana:
| Strength
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Gender:
| Female
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Age (Birthdate):
| 26 (August 19, 1985)
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Hair Colour:
| Auburn
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Eye Colour:
| Crimson
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Height:
| 5'4" /163 cm
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Residence:
| Akihabara, Tokyo
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Workplace:
| ''Akihabara Almost Daily''
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Job:
| Reporter and Editor
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Role:
| Chorus
|-
! style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font-size: 110%;" align="center" colspan="2" | '''OOC Information'''
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Source:
| Persona 5 Tactica
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Groups:
| None
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Player:
| [[User:Tex|Iwatodai Station]]
|-
|}

''NOTE: This page has spoilers for the Chapter 3 and the ending of Persona 5 Tactica, particularly for the character of Toshiro Kusakabe.''

'''"I promise, I'll catch up to you one day."'''

Eri Natsuhara is the owner, editor, and primary reporter of a strange and eclectic newspaper in Akihbara Electric Town: the Akihabara Almost Daily. It publishes articles on lifestyle, technology, and curiosities in Tokyo. The Almost Daily has proved successful, but sometimes people call it rather light fare: it stays away from serious issues like politics, corruption, and the like. This bothers Eri more than she lets on, but she remains a popular voice in news about life and technology in Tokyo. She maintains an online personality, with loyal followers, though public appearances are rare. This is in part because of disability: she walks with a pronounced limp and the aid of a cane, and an eye patch. She is driven to make the Almost Daily one of the best newspapers in Tokyo, but she struggles with overprotective parents, who are still guarding her after a life-defining incident ten years ago.

= Background =
Eri Natsuhara was born in Tokyo on August 19, 1985. She came from a middle-class family; her parents, Shuichi and Ryoko Natsuhara, were kind and thoughtful... but also pushovers. They had a "turn the other cheek" philosophy to life: don't make waves, don't rock the boat, don't get in trouble. Thus, while Eri had a happy childhood, she also sometimes clashed with her parents because of a headstrong, stubborn personality... and a tendency to say what she thinks. Her mouth could often get ahead of her brain; her parents were constantly asking, pleading, and begging her to not make waves and keep to herself.

And Eri, because she loved them and wanted to make them happy, tried to do just that.

But in her first year of high school in Shujin Academy, she ran into trouble. She was accused of stealing something that belonged to another student. She couldn't even remember what it was, a couple of years later. The what was inconsequential, but the what happened shaped her future. Eri was promptly ostracized by her peers; the rumor mill at Shujin, ever vicious, turned on her. She was accused with little evidence. When she asked her parents, they told her the best thing to do was "wait for it to blow over." So she did that, and it only got worse. Her friends dropped her; they took her silence as an admission of guilt.

Finally, her homeroom teacher, Saito-sensei, talked to her. She told Eri words that would live with her for the rest of her life: "Silence in the face of injustice is complicity. If your guts tells you something's wrong, why not fight back?"

So Eri fought.

She found out who the real culprits were, through some clever (if amateur) detective work. Her classmates apologized to her, and the student who really did the theft got in trouble. But, Eri found, some things just couldn't be undone. Her friends weren't her friends anymore -- they were the people who doubted her. Her peers would always be the ones that abandoned her. And so, after a tearful discussion with her parents, Eri decided to transfer to Seven Sisters next year.

That spring, she tried to put her new philosophy into action. She went looking for problems, and she found them: Seven Sisters wasn't the cut-throat environment that Shujin was, socially, but bullying and people in need still happened. So Eri Natsuhara tried to find people to help. And in doing so, she found a kindred spirit: Toshiro Kasukabe, the son of a Diet member. He seemed meek, weak-willed, and the sort of person who could be walked all over -- he reminded her of her parents, sometimes -- but underneath that, she saw someone who also stood up to others. She first saw him stopping some punks from mugging a fellow student, and he took a beating in turn.

She was fascinated, so she sought him out. He was the student council president, despite being a first year. She started bringing students' problems to him -- and while he was exasperated, the two started working together. They reconciled friends who were fighting; they tracked down lost property; they once found someone's cat in a park at ten o'clock. They broke up fights, and Eri would drag Toshiro with him. He was exasperated with her -- and often claimed he was just keeping an eye on her -- while she liked to needle and poke at him, because he had the most torturous--excuse me, hilarious reactions. Eri was charmed, and they soon became fast friends.

Together, in 2002 and 2003, they made Seven Sisters into a nice school. But then, a new teacher -- Ichiro Nakabachi -- suddenly became Vice Principal. The quickness of his rise was suspect, and worse, a pall was cast over Seven Sisters that year. Nakabachi created a web of blackmail: by getting dirt on students and teachers, he used the threat of revealing that to make them act as informants. This guaranteed his meteoric rise, despite -- prior to that -- being a mediocre teacher at best. Students lived in fear of him and each other. Eri and Toshiro learned of this when another student, Yuri Kurano, came to them and told them what was happening.

Eri immediately ran off and confronted Nakabachi. It didn't work. But, with Toshiro's help -- and after some convincing -- they got Nakabachi's victims to all agree to come forward. Nakabachi was undone, and it seemed like they had won. He lost his job. Unfortunately, it didn't end there. He began to be harassed by students from the school -- and so did some of those who helped him -- and that began to break things down. In early 2003, one wintery evening, Nakabachi followed Eri and Toshiro into a train station. He had a nervous breakdown, and in a fit of self-pity and anger, he charged at Eri and pushed her off the platform. She fell, reaching her hand out for Toshiro. And then, there was the light of an oncoming train -- and then it hit her, and there was only blood and darkness.

She woke up days later in the hospital, forever changed. Her left leg was severely broken. She was wrapped in bandages from the trauma of the impact, with most of her ribs broken and severe bruising. She lost her right eye -- and half her face was bandaged to treat the wounds there.

[[File:Eri_Hospital.jpg|thumb|Eri in the hospital after the Nakabachi incident.]]

Eri grew depressed. Before that, she had been an athletic and energetic teenager. After that, the doctors were uncertain if she would ever walk again. Her parents went into an overprotective mode, and while they were frightened and loving, she was terrified that she might have brought it on herself. She received a small boost when Yuri came to visit, and thanked her; she could feel, at least, that she had done some good. But she felt exhausted as she considered the ways her life would change and the long road of physical therapy ahead of her. It was hard to not feel regretful and defeated.

When Toshiro visited her, Eri struggled. When he encouraged her, she had to admit that she couldn't keep fighting for something just. Toshiro was filled with guilt for what happened -- and Eri didn't blame him, but a part of her blamed herself. It was a part of herself that she thought she had quashed, when the theft incident happened, but that terrible thought reared back up. She finally pled with Toshiro to keep working for change, to not give up on the fight, and that one day, she would catch up with him. They parted, her words lingering with him, and his words lingering with her: she had to be able to reunite with him, some day, and that meant that she had to get better.

But after that, they didn't see each other much -- and that turned into "at all" after a few months. Toshiro was busy with the fallout at school and with his father. Eri was busy with physical therapy and rehabilitation. Distance let anxieties and doubts build; Toshiro grew to assume Eri blamed him for what happened, and Eri assumed that Toshiro blamed her for sticking her nose into things. It wasn't rational, but with her parents worrying and fretting over her, Eri couldn't quite shut those voices out.

It took over a year to receive the necessary surgeries and physical therapy, and she never fully recovered. Eri learned to walk with the help of a cane, but her left leg lacked the mobility to do more than a slow walk. She eventually got an eye patch for her right eye. She also wouldn't go back to Seven Sisters; she graduated through a program at her hospital, while she recovered.

When she was out -- it was a couple of months after graduation -- Eri had to decide what to do with her life. She still felt herself sliding into depression. She "recovered," but she didn't feel the same. Going outside and taking a walk was an ordeal and painful, still. The cane and the eye patch would draw stares. At first, Eri retreated into her room at her parents' house. But, Eri found an online community for people in a similar situation to her -- and she discovered a newfound love for electronics, and that let her begin to come out of her depression. She found a reason to make herself walk down to Akihabara, to buy parts for a computer that she wanted to build. She made and met friends who were into electronics.

By then, it was 2004, and Eri was just discovering that assistive technology was limited. She started researching it -- and found ways that electronics and modern appliances could make her life easier. When Eri was younger, she had been interested in being a journalist. The idea of challenging people in power terrified her, still, on some fundamental level. The idea of helping people like her -- and sharing her newfound enthusiasm -- appealed. Thus, after talking to her parents, she enrolled in college and majored in journalism. She still lived at home, and her parents had grown overprotective, but they supported her financially and helped her.

Eri graduated in 2008. With several friends, she decided to start a newspaper in Akihabara: the ''Akihabara Almost Daily'', a lifestyle newspaper that covers the latest electronics, culture, and local happenings. Eri, by virtue of her force of personality, became the editor. Her parents helped her with money. And, to her immense surprise, the Almost Daily became a hit. The quirky reporting, the irreverent coverage of local events ("Akihabara Unites to Discover That Afternoon Television Sucks"), and in-depth looks at new technologies, gadgets, and computers made it a hit. But, sometimes, Eri debated looking at something meatier -- at evidence of corruption, at a social injustice -- and then she froze up.

The Almost Daily gained a reputation for being a fun newspaper, but not one of substance. This bothers Eri, but she isn't ready to catch up to Toshiro yet.

[[File:Eri_Cane.jpg|thumb|Eri on a walk with her cane.]]

In late 2011, Eri undertook a large change: she finally moved out of her parents' house. The Almost Daily earns enough money to cover her expenses and then some, but her parents resisted the idea, convinced that she needed their help. Despite living away from home for almost six months, though, they won't quite let her try to live on her own. Her parents drop by frequently; they buy her groceries, they "help" without asking if Eri needs that help, and it leaves her without the sense of independence that she wants and has worked to provide for herself.

And after everything, Eri can't quite bring herself to tell them no. A little, traitorous part of her still whispers: maybe she got hurt because she fought back, and maybe Toshiro got hurt too because of that. So she accepts help that makes her feel like a child, and she struggles through every day, until she finds the will to do something about it.

==Season 1, Episode 1==
Forthcoming!

= Special Skills =
Eri is a woman in her twenties, with limited mobility and who has lost an eye. Nonetheless, she is an extremely talented writer and editor (though she prefers nonfiction). She also is very talented with electronics and computers, particularly building them. When she encounters a difficult situation, she has three approaches:

1. ''Helping is Job Number One'' (Understanding): If Eri sees someone in need, she gets to it and pitches in.

2. ''Turn Spirit into Strength'' (Guts): Eri thinks that her resolve and determination can overcome anything. Usually. And if she doesn't think this in a specific moment, this is what she goes back to.

3. ''Technology Opens Doors'' (Academics): Eri understands that looking at technology, and using it in innovative ways, can help solve logistical problems. And logical problems.

=Relationships=

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 75%; text-align: center;"
|-
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" | Name
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" | Address
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" | Arcana
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" | Social Link
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;"class="unsortable" | Info
|-
|[[Fuuka Yamagishi]]
|Yamagishi-kun
|3. Priestess
|☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''She's shy, but she's into electronics. That matters a lot.''
|-
|[[Ichika Kawase]]
|Kawase-kun
|14. Temperance
|☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''Love to see a kid who wants to be a reporter!''
|}

== NPC Relationships ==
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 75%; text-align: center;"
|-
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" | Name
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" | Arcana
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" | Social Link
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" class="unsortable" | Info
|-
|Toshiro Kusakabe
|Unknown
|★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|Her best friend from school. Someone she misses terribly. Someone she isn't ready to see again.
|}

= Soundtrack =
TBD

= Logs and Cutscenes =

==Season 1==

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{{#dpl:
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[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Adults]]
[[Category:Chorus]]

2025-10-18: Twenty Questions

2025-10-19T17:37:20Z

Tex: Created page with "*'''Log: 2025-10-18: Twenty Questions''' *'''Cast:''' Reiko Shimizu, Tsumugi Kujaku *'''Where:''' Peacock Silver, Tokyo *'''OOC Date:''' October 18, 2025 *'''IC Date:''' July 28, 2012 *'''Summary''': ''Reiko goes to Peacock Silk in search of new clothes. Instead, she finds something and someone more than she expected... and something she isn't quite ready for.'' ---- <Pose Tracker> Reiko Shimizu has posed. <poem> Reiko stops before Peacock Silk, having heard..."

*'''Log: 2025-10-18: Twenty Questions'''
*'''Cast:''' [[Reiko Shimizu]], [[Tsumugi Kujaku]]
*'''Where:''' Peacock Silver, Tokyo
*'''OOC Date:''' October 18, 2025
*'''IC Date:''' July 28, 2012
*'''Summary''': ''Reiko goes to Peacock Silk in search of new clothes. Instead, she finds something and someone more than she expected... and something she isn't quite ready for.''

----

<Pose Tracker> Reiko Shimizu has posed.
<poem>
Reiko stops before Peacock Silk, having heard about it. She heard the clothes here are ''quite'' amazing. And the exterior, with the outline of a peacock and the Art-Nouveau decor, seems promising. She is off-duty today, and she is dressed accordingly. Her hair is down; she looks up, over the rims of her black glasses, at them. She has a light blue dress and a darker blue jacket on over it.

She has a bag over her shoulder. She sucks her breath in, then she nudges the door open -- and steps inside. She glances over the gleam of the wooden floor, the cash register, and all of the clothing on display. The jewels glitter in her eyes, and she looks at the outfits on display.

There's a soft exhale.

Then, a little more nervously, she calls out: "Ah, pardon me! Hello...?"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Tsumugi Kujaku has posed.
<poem>
The world of Peacock Silk unfolds before Reiko Shimizu to the serene piano melody of Erik Satie's Gymnopédie No. 1.

The music piped in through the store floor speakers provides the boutique's an almost melancholic, ephemeral ambiance as she explores. It's a fact that's only heightened by the initial impression that she may well be one of the only people in the store at the moment. The Silk's owners have a reputation for being eclectic: the hours they keep, and who keeps which, seems like a riddle to be solved than a standard to set your watch to. Some days they're all there - even the peacock! Some days, only a precious couple. And some days...

"Ara."

... There's only one.

The voice is low, but silken. It comes just off to Reiko's right: she only needs look to find the source, leaned against a nearby wall, a book labeled ''CANDIDE'' in one hand, supporting that reading arm palm-to-elbow with the other. Their outfit has a high feminine aesthetic to it today, all centered around the long, sleeveless high-necked gown dress they wear. Slit on one side, it starts the deepest, most abyssal black one could imagine at the neck -- but as the dress lowers, that black hue fades towards dark reds, to scarlets, then finally towards a fiery red towards its skirts, as if it was a recreation of a spark in the dark. Over this they wear a black long coat, accented in gold with a scarlet interior.

... The word 'wear', though, is doing a lot of heavy lifting, considering they only -actually wear the coat at one sleeve, leaving the entire coat half-hanging off and leaving their opposing, pale shoulder bare, the whole thing managing to stay draped on them thanks to the not-so-modern miracle of collar clasps.

Lips painted a dark ombre red part as vividly green eyes roll to regard Reiko beyond the brim of trendy black glasses.

They regards her in silence for five whole seconds, before,

"I know you. Don't I?" they wonder, calm but curious.

Do they?

They've certainly never met before now, at least.

And yet, Tsumugi Kujaku sounds so ineffably, nonchalantly certain of it.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Reiko Shimizu has posed.
<poem>
Reiko can't quite identify the music. But it sounds familiar, and that gives the sensation like she has been here before -- maybe like one of the games she plays. She heard a little about their reputation, and that she might be lucky she found them when they are open. She looks about, and then she blinks when she hears the voice.

She looks at them -- and then Reiko blinks. She blinks again, and there's a little nervous -- half awkward, half confident, and all flustered -- laugh. She can't help but take in the dress, with its smooth transition of colors. Her own dress feels plain in comparison.

She pats it out at the side, her eyes shifting up from Tsumugi's shoulders to her eyes. Her own green eyes are wide behind her glasses. "W-Well, I'd like to think I'd remember you," Reiko stammers to them, before she gets some composure. "But sometimes I'm accused of being scatterbrained."

She does a quick, polite bow.

"Reiko Shimizu. Um, unless you already knew that," she says. "Wait, even if you did know that, I'm still Reiko Shimizu." She laughs nervously again, the laugh bubbling up. "I like clothes?"

A beat.

"That's why I'm here," she says. "The clothes."

Reiko nods her head, and inside, she dies a little of embarrassment.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Tsumugi Kujaku has posed.
<poem>
''W-Well, I'd like to think I'd remember you.''

The well-worn spine of French satire snaps shut.

"No... that's not it."

It's sharp, the contrast between Reiko Shimizu's flustered, contradictory laugh and the cool detachment with which Tsumugi Kujaku receives it. It's not a judgmental look they regard Reiko with -- there's nothing inherently good or bad about the way those striking features scarcely shift in the wake of her stammered pronouncement. It's just... distant.

Like someone always just barely out of reach, no matter how far you stretch to cross that uncrossable distance.

In that much, it might be a relief, like all that nervousness just doesn't register to them, even as Reiko quietly dies inside. Instead, the sinuous roll of pale shoulders sees them slipping out of their wall lean as they regard Reiko with that bespectacled green gaze, distant but curious -- interested. In her. Tsumugi's hands clasp behind their back, book held between them, as they approach, the click of gold heels ringing throughout the store.

''Reiko Shimizu.''

Their head cans.

"Ah," they exhale. "Now I remember. You're one of the officers who brought in Junya Kaneshiro, aren't you?"

And the cool veneer of their expression breaks, with the hint of a red smile.

"Ara. Interesting. We have a celebrity in our midst."

It'd be easy to write off as teasing, especially with Reiko in the state she's in. And yet that professed interest seems compellingly sincere, too.

Whether that makes it better or worse for her embarrassment, well--

"What do you like about them?"

--at least she doesn't have to dwell on it -too- long before Tsumugi is smoothly moving on, the click-click-click of their heels sending them brushing past Reiko as they offer up that silken question on the way towards the tailoring work station just beyond, with an unspoken invitation for Reiko to follow - if she wants. They still haven't introduced themself, but, well.

"Clothes."

They have curiosity to sate, first.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Reiko Shimizu has posed.
<poem>
Candide snaps shut -- and Reiko's eyes are drifted to it. She blinks at the sudden declaration from Tsumugi, and the flustered look fades a little from Reiko's face. For a moment, as she seems to calm down for a second. At least, until Tsumugi approaches -- with the best of all possible worlds hidden behind their back. That makes Reiko fluster, again, if in a different way.

Even if there is some relief, at the fact that her nervousness hasn't made a fool of her. It takes more than one person to become a fool, after all.

Then, she blinks -- and there's a nod. And a hint of disappointment at the recognition of her role, minor as it was, in apprehending Junya Kaneshiro.

"O-Oh, I don't know about that," she says. "I didn't really ''do'' anything. He turned himself into us. It was... those Phantom Thieves, I suppose."

She isn't sure how they could have done it.

She does fluster again as Tsumigi smiles -- and brushes past her. Reiko pushes her glasses up, sighs a little, and then she turns after them. There's a rustle of her sky blue dress, and she peers after Tsumugi. She considers the question for a second.

"...W-Well..."

For another second, the superficial responses are considered. Then, they're dismissed. And Reiko doesn't stammer, but she speaks softly. "They say the clothes make the person," Reiko says. "And... well, most of the day, I have to wear a uniform. So that's what people see when they see me. Not that I have much choice about what I wear on duty. But... off duty, I like when I can wear something that says who I really am."

She follows them, towards the tailoring station.

"Rather than what I have to be," she finishes. Then, with a bit more of a stammer: "I-If that makes any sense at all."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Tsumugi Kujaku has posed.
<poem>
I didn't really do anything, Reiko insists.

It was the Phantom Thieves, in the end.

"The spotlight doesn't care who it points at or why," is Tsumugi's calm counter towards that disappointed resignation in the face of just why they recognize her.

"It only cares about what you do when it chooses to shine on you."

Whether Reiko embraces the spotlight, or shies away from it -- Tsumugi Kujaku seems to pass no judgment, either way.

Within their little atelier tucked away in the far corner of the store, Tsumugi sets their book down on their workstation before carrying on towards the reams of fabric just beyond. Silk, cotton, velvet -- and in so many arrays of colors, the selection is positively dizzying. And yet Tsumugi sifts through them like they know each like the back of their hand, even as Reiko offers up the answer to their question.

She could have answered a superficial reason.

That she doesn't, however, earns a brief pause and a look of approval over Tsumugi's shoulder before they return to their work.

Does it make sense? At all?

"Fashion is expression the means through which we can express ourselves to the world." The words come like a distant echo of Reiko's own -- a reinforcement of her own beliefs, as slender fingers dance an eloquent, confident dance through selections of fabric.

"People see what you wear, and society determines the person you are based on that fact. It's shorthand." They pull one ream half-out -- and then another. Another. And then...

"Fashion is a process of reinforcing the way the world sees you... or becoming how you want to be seen."

... each slides back into their proper place.

Tsumugi turns, then. Leaning against those shelves, fabric frames them like a wreathe of decadent luxury as that bright, intent stare settles on Reiko once more, eye to eye.

"Fashion can be the shackle. Or it can be the punch and hammer that breaks it."

Their head tilts.

"It's just a question of which one you want."

Does Reiko want to reinforce the way the world sees her?

... Or does she want it to see her as she wants to be seen?

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Reiko Shimizu has posed.
<poem>
Reiko's eyes blink when she hears their answer to that. A spotlight that shines on her, whether she intended it or not -- and that will shine down on her, regardless of whether she was really the one who brought in Junya Kaneshiro. "That... mm, I suppose you're right. I'm still... getting used to being recognized, I suppose."

She shakes her head. She follows after Tsumugi, and she looks at them -- and all the reams of fabric behind them. Clearly, they are a skilled tailor -- ''and'' they command a large selection.

She nods at the idea of it being shorthand. Her hand comes to the breast of her jacket; where, in a different jacket, her badge as a patrol officer would rest. Clothing is, indeed, a shorthand for what people would expect of her.

And it can be a shackle.

She hesitates. It almost feels like a betrayal, to admit that such clothes could be a shackle. And yet, there's other parts of her. She glances to the side, her green eyes cast down on the ground.

But then she looks back up at them. Her eyes meet Tsugumi's, not quite able to look away.

"I'd rather be seen as... me," she says. "Rather than shackled to who I'm expected to be." Her fingers fall away from where the badge should be, and slip down to her side.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Tsumugi Kujaku has posed.
<poem>
What does Reiko want?

Hesitation fills the air with silence, its only accompaniment those melancholic strains as Satie transitions nigh-seamlessly into Chopin's ''Nocturnes''. Tsumugi doesn't intrude on that silence; they don't push impatiently for the answer they wish for.

They just watch with quiet curiosity. In interest. In the process. In the answer. In Reiko.

I'd rather be seen as...

For a second time, that suggestion of a smile touches the corners of painstakingly-painted lips.

"Then I can make you that.

"You just need to see the mask that fits you, and take it."

It's a vague, abstract kind of statement... to anyone not in the know. A test, maybe -- but not one that lingers overly long before Tsumugi is moving from the luxurious, confident comfort of their position to approach Reiko once more. Their stride is languid in a way that makes the fiery skirts of their dress dance with every step, the -=CLICK=- of heels spaced few and far within their loping gait. One arm crossed over their stomach, the other elbow-perched upon their palm to better cup their chin, they draw closer towards Reiko's personal space... and then slowly, quietly circle around her with that same, scrutinizing stare, so intense and vivid it's almost as if it's looking right through her into the heart of who she is --

Who she ''could'' be.

"Hm."

They're behind Reiko when that contralto voice murmurs,

"Close your eyes, Reiko-san."

It's a request - command - that comes with casual confidence, coupled with the way they say Reiko's first name so lackadaisically it might as well not be a faux pas, but another recognition.

"I'm going to ask you some questions. I'd like you to answer them as quickly as possible. Don't think; just answer.

"Are you ready?"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Reiko Shimizu has posed.
<poem>
Reiko doesn't know much classical music -- but the effect, nonetheless, is not dulled by not knowing. It's recognizable; the fact she recognizes the music, but doesn't know it intimately only means she is focused on her thoughts. She looks at Tsumugi, watching the smile across their lips.

"A mask...?" Reiko asks. There is a blink. She hadn't thought of it as a mask. The deeper connotation -- no, that, she doesn't know. She hasn't learned of that world. Her sisters haven't told her about it.

Perhaps that is for the best, or perhaps she simply isn't ready yet.

She watches Tsumugi approach, and she tenses a little with their stride ''sounds'' -- and then tenses more as they begin to circle around, with those perceptive eyes.

And Reiko's own blink. "As quickly as possible?" she asks. Then, she nods. "Right, um--right. I can do that."

She exhales. A couple of seconds pass.

"Ready!"

Last connect was from c-69-138-215-77.hsd1.md.comcast.net on Sat Oct 18 15:04:23 2025.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Tsumugi Kujaku has posed.
<poem>
There's moments within the tidal wave of inquiries that stand out. Moments where certain questions evoke certain responses that fascinate with the possibilities of why.

''The Stories of Ibis,'' the fire behind that instant claim, for example. The way her answer trails off just so about whether she always follows the rules. The simple fact that she follows -their- instructions at all.

The stammer to her voice as she says she cares what others think of her.

Interesting. She's interesting.

But the one that truly matters--

''Friendly, and kind, and--and creative.''

The one that inspires the tiniest tremor in her voice.

''And not... not having to hide who I care for.''

... Is the one the entire series of questions was meant to answer.

Tsumugi's voice is suffused with an underscore of approval beneath its placid exterior as they whisper,

"You can open your eyes now, Reiko-san."

... and that distant voice is suddenly so close Reiko can feel the warmth of it brush her left cheek.

By the time her eyes open, Tsumugi is once more entering her field of vision as they pull away from their position at her shoulder.

"I can make something for you," they say, simply, their tone once more so utterly disaffected. "We can take care of your measurements now, if you have the time to spare. Once I've started up a draft of the idea, you can decide how you'd like to proceed."

Just like that? Is it because of how she answered those questions?

Because of her position in the police department?

Or because the spotlight's choosing to shine on her now?

It's a question that lingers like it's waiting to be asked, yet Tsumugi doesn't elucidate on their own. They just settle themselves back onto the table of their work station, one long leg crossing over the other, seated like royalty on their throne as they say,

"I'm not sure you'll be ready for it by the time it's finished... but it'll be waiting for you, for when you are."

Their head tilts. Their black brows lift faintly, like a punctuated question.

"Do you want that?"

The only question that matters.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Reiko Shimizu has posed.
<poem>
That whisper brushes against Reiko's ear. That note of approval -- that's something she catches, something that makes her eyes widen a little bit as she hears it. And it makes her smile and makes her heart flutter -- that who she wants to be seems to have won over this mysterious tailor, even if just a little.

She opens her eyes, watching as Tsumugi walks in front of her. She looks at them -- and then blinks, at the shift in tone. "Oh--oh, yes, I have the time to spare," she says, and she flusters again.

Reiko hesitates for a second. "I--um--" She wants to ask so many questions. Why did they decide to do this? Was it something about the questions? Was it something else. "You're... sure? You want to make one, for me?"

She hesitates, though. Tsumugi asks her a question. And she senses a hidden meaning in what they asked -- that Reiko might not be ready for the outfit.

She swallows, then. But, she nods her head. "Yes." Her voice is caught, for a moment. Then, she affirms: "I want that."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Tsumugi Kujaku has posed.
<poem>
Are they sure?

"Yes," Tsumugi says, without hesitation, without second's thought.

"You fascinate me."

Like they could never be suffered to feel doubt about anything.

Their answer scarcely lingers in the air before they are chasing after that brazenly self-professed interest with that singular, important question, layered with meaning beyond the simplicity of what it says on the surface.

And when the answer comes...

"'Nothing happens if you just dream,'" they recite, a little line from the light novel Reiko so passionately claimed as her favorite. Green eyes hood.

"Good."

And with that, they slip off their perch, the soft -swffff- sound of chasing measurement tape following as they draw it up off the table alongside them.

"Then let's begin."

Ready to measure the framework of the Reiko Shimizu that Reiko Shimizu wants the world to see.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Reiko Shimizu has posed.
<poem>
"O-oh."

Reiko says that without hesitation or a second's thought -- but it's more of an awkward, non-verbal stammer. And her face turns flushed at that, but there is a small nod of her head to them. She glances at Tsumugi.

She breaks into a smile. "You've read it!" she says, energetically, her eyes lighting up. Reiko shifts a little -- but then Tsumugi slips off their seat, and comes forward with the measuring tape. And Reiko reminds herself that she does have something to attend to.

"R-Right, just tell me what you need to me to do."

She holds her arm up for them. She doesn't know if she will be ready for it, still.

But there's only one way to find out.

</poem>

[[Category:Logs]]
[[Category:Season 1]]
[[Category:Season 1, Episode 1]]

2025-10-17: tHe GaRdEn GnOmE iS YoUr FrIeNd :)

2025-10-19T17:35:22Z

Tex: Created page with "*'''Log: 2025-10-17: tHe GaRdEn GnOmE iS YoUr FrIeNd :)''' *'''Cast:''' Minako Arisato, Shinjiro Aragaki, Suzume Fukura, Minato Arisato, Hitomi Mandai, Ririka Kawase, Moriko Kumamoto, Yukari Takeba, Fuuka Yamagishi, Shuji Ikutsuki *'''Where:''' Iwatodai Dormitory Rooftop, Port Island *'''OOC Date:''' October 17, 2025 *'''IC Date:''' July 27, 2012 *'''Summary''': ''Chairman Ikutsuki calls S.E.E.S. members to the roof during finals...."

*'''Log: 2025-10-17: tHe GaRdEn GnOmE iS YoUr FrIeNd :)'''
*'''Cast:''' [[Minako Arisato]], [[Shinjiro Aragaki]], [[Suzume Fukura]], [[Minato Arisato]], [[Hitomi Mandai]], [[Ririka Kawase]], [[Moriko Kumamoto]], [[Yukari Takeba]], [[Fuuka Yamagishi]], [[Shuji Ikutsuki]]
*'''Where:''' Iwatodai Dormitory Rooftop, Port Island
*'''OOC Date:''' October 17, 2025
*'''IC Date:''' July 27, 2012
*'''Summary''': ''Chairman Ikutsuki calls S.E.E.S. members to the roof during finals. He wants to unlock the power of rooftop gardening. Or, perhaps, play an absurd practical joke on everyone.''

----

<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
<poem>
It is Friday, and there is one last day of finals. At this point, most students' fate is decided. There is a single test left. And this evening...

Chairman Ikutsuki has called students at the dormitory to the roof -- unless they have studying -- and stands there, with a proud smile on his face. "Hello, everyone! I hope your exams are... ''growing'' well."

Amongst the crowd of SEES students, Minako Arisato blinks. She looks to the left, at her brother; she makes a confused expression. Normally, Ikutsuki's puns are obvious. But today, the Chairman seems off.

Well.

More off than usual.

"I've sown the seeds of something exciting!" Ikutsuki continues. Then, he steps aside -- and there's a row of a half-dozen planters. Filled with dirt and frames, there isn't anything growing in them. But there are bags of seeds and fertilizers, along with a few watering cans. "I thought it would help build team spirit -- and make delicious ingredients -- if we did some rooftop gardening."

He grins. "I can't wait to see what ''blooms'' from your efforts!"

"He did this for the puns," Minako says flatly. "He bought all of this just for the puns."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
<poem>Shinjiro is not... technically a real student. Yet(?). But, he is a member of the dorm, so he invited himself upstairs anyways. He's in his nice wolf-furred coat, and he's scowling at the puns as they're shared.

"We could throw him off the roof and say he fell," he asides towards Minako, though it's clearly a joke. Though, after a moment, he nods to Ikutsuki as he glances over the seeds, appreciative. "Cool. What herbs do we got in there?"

Yes, he's thinking about cooking! That's always his default. At the least, he's in a good mood.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Suzume Fukura has posed.
<poem>Suzume probably *should* be studying, but once again she has taken in as much knowledge as her brain can handle. If she reads any more her head will explode or something, and nobody, least of all her wants that.

(More likely she'd just get a headache.)

But the worst classes for her are done with, she's pretty sure she can manage, and reading any more will not help, so here she is.

If it was a class she'd be at the back of the group, but amongst a group of SEES students she needs to stand near the front or she'll never see anything but people's backs and shoulders, so she's up front, wearing a pair of jeans, the Hanshin Tigers T-shirt she likes with the mascot, and a scowl.

The scowl was for the final pun. She was okay before that.

"Herbs? I figured it was vegetables," Suzume says, though honestly she has no idea; what can you grow on a roof? She's never tried. "I guess herbs probably grow faster. And you don't need as many of them to be useful."
Yukari Takeba has arrived from Historia: The White Chronicle.
GRID: Yukari Takeba has joined Minako Arisato.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.
<poem>
"I think you mean this all stems from his desire to make a pun," Minato says, stabbing his sister effortlessly in the back.

Without even ACKNOWLEDGING that he just BETRAYED HER, Minato hoists up a bag of fertiliser. "Yamagishi-san taught me about pH levels, earlier. I think this helps bring that back into balance. Let's dig it in." He gets a trowel, and gets to tossing earth!

Better to focus on ''this'' than ''exams'', which Minato thinks he might be doing better in than he feared but ''don't jinx it, Minato.''

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Hitomi Mandai has posed.
<poem>
BEHOLD: Hitomi.

Hitomi looks kind of tired and frazzled but she sort of does that anyway, and she has cause now. She is clutching a reasonably cold bottle of oolong tea as if it were going to save her from the perilous promise of Ikutsuki. She stands behind at least one person more authoritative than her - Shinjiro! - and awaits their fate.

Which is work.

Hitomi lets out a sigh that might represent her soul escaping her body.

"I mean that's not actually very funny," Hitomi says, after Shinjiro's comment, though whether she's talking about Ikutsuki or the immediate counterargument is ambiguous. Rather than speak further, she guzzles her drink.

"... Yeah," she answers Minato. "They just keep sprouting up. So what are we growing, anyway...?"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
<poem>
Ririka is looking a little tired as she trudges up the stairs to the rooftop garden. She's been hitting the books pretty hard, since, mysteriously, she's had a lot of extra things on her plate for the past few months.

Funny how that works.

She just looks confused at the first pun and decides to just ignore it. "Good afternoon, Ikutsuki-san."

And then... the plan is revealed. Ririka stares at the planters, blinking. In a quiet voice she says, "... did we have to do this during finals week...?"

She looks to Shinjiro. "We should wait until after tomorrow, Aragaki-senpai. So it doesn't interrupt our last test."

She pauses, and then groans. "Arisato-san, don't encourage him."
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Moriko Kumamoto has posed.
<poem>Moriko is running a lot later than she'd like to be, getting to the roof. She looks... less than thrilled. She's still wearing her biker leathers, she's a bit tired looking and she's got a vibe about her that suggests it had been anger not too long before this.

Though with the others present, she slaps her hands to her face. Rubbing up and down with the gloves, then quickly stashes the gloves away and peels the coat off to wrap it around her waist before taking her seat. Looking neutral at the worst.

She at least missed the pun. "Sorry I'm late." Is her only excuse.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yukari Takeba has posed.
<poem>
"Why are we even up here?" Is Yukari's question, as she makes a face at the Chairman's question. She looks tired? Then again ''all'' of them are suffering some degree of mental exhaustion.

"Uh... huh?" She says, at his explanation, before sighing and agreeing with Minako.

"He totally did." Before she groans at Minato's pun, "Not you too... this is too much, the night before our last day of finals."

Before side eyeing Shinjiro. "... Maybe not that far. You could always just, dislocate his jaw or something." She's definitely joking right?

...
...
...

Well she's not clarifying that.

"Fine... though I feel like I should go down and get my notes first."

She's thinking of going over more English Vocab before tomorrow.

</poem>
AS: That armor (S.E.E.S.) doesn't match one on the list.
Huh? (Type "help" for help.)

<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
<poem>Finals... Fuuka's have been going better than she thought they would. She's cautiously optimistic! She's also a little tired... but it looks like she's going to have to get a little work in tonight, as they've all been called to the roof!

Fuuka does her best to smile politely, but she does look toward Minako.

"...Yes. It seems that way. Unfortunately, I'm not detecting any escape routes..." She says. It's mostly a joke.

Minato mentions pH levels, and Fuuka nods.

"Yes, it's very important. They can be pretty delicate." She says. She actually enjoys gardening - which is why she's soon up there and helping to prepare the pots. And on the subject of herbs and vegetables. "We could probably do both, depending on what we have..."

She politely declines to comment on inflicting harm onto the chairman.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
<poem>
"Arisato-chan, I'm wounded," Ikutsuki says. "Your remark has /thorns."

Minako groans, putting her hand over her face. "We could plead self defense," she sighs to Shinjiro.

Then, she ''whirls'' around to look at Minato. And then at Hitomi, her eyebrow twitching -- and with daggers in her eyes. "D-Don't encourage him!"

She looks at Yukari, then she sighs. "I feel like we've been betrayed, Takeba-chan."

She looks sideways at Fuuka, then. She smiles a little. "Yeah, that makes sense... we'll have to proceed carefully, then!"

That, too, might be a joke.

"We have an assortment!" Ikutsuki answers Shinjiro, with a smile. Then, he sighs. "As in, we have an assortment of herbs and vegetables--" A glance at Suzume. "--that we got as a bulk discount from the gardening section at a department store."

Then, he looks at Ririka. "You can wait if you'd prefer!" he says. "By all means, if you need to study..."

Then, he looks at Moriko, and smiles. "Not a problem!"

Minako looks after her brother. She sighs, then she rolls up her sleeves. She glances sideways at Fuuka, and then she nods. "So be careful of the pH," she says. "And... plant herbs ''and'' veggies?"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
<poem>Shinjiro waves a hand in apology to Hitomi, "Sorry." Though, he's definitely smiling at Ririka, Yukari, and Minako's followups.

As Minato encourages them to approach, though... Shinjiro closes in on the herbs and veggies to take a closer look, before moving over to help with the dirt. "I've got nothing better to do, so sure."

Though, there's a turn of the head back to Moriko. "You alright?" Did she get into a fight or something?

A pause, then he speaks again, generally. "I used to garden back at the orphanage with Aki. Been a while, though."
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Suzume Fukura has posed.
<poem>Everybody looks tired. That actually makes Suzume feel a bit better; it's not her underachieving, it sucks for everyone!

The fact that she had decided to try doesn't matter; you can't cram for exams entirely on the last week. Part of it's down to how much she was actually paying attention when she couldn't make herself care in class...

Suzume isn't going to encourage the puns but she hates them less than a lot of people do. She actually uses them herself to annoy people, but she's long ago decided that Ikutsuki overdoes them. You have to sneak them in when nobody is expecting one...

...so she doesn't join in with Minato and Hitomi, but over time there's a hint of amusement even if it never really comes all the way to the forefront. Minako's reaction is kind of funny, anyway.

"You can't study all night," Suzume says to Ririka and Yukari, "unless you want your brain to shut down. Plus, it stresses you out. I like to exercise in the middle to kinda reset everything... I guess this isn't really a workout, but maybe doing something with your hands does the same kinda thing?" She walks over to pick up one of the bags of seed, looking it over thoughtfully.

"I don't know anything about growing plants though," she admits, as she tosses it gently back onto the pile of seed packets and bags. "I guess we just read the instructions, unless someone already knows more about it." Which it sounds like some of them do, if they're talking about pH, something Suzume only remembers from chemistry.

She glances over when Shinjiro addresses Moriko. "Not that late," she says, in response to her.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.
<poem>
Minato silently lifts his hand to Hitomi for a ''high-five.'' "Sorry, sis. You left yourself wide open." And to Yukari, he says, quite dry: "Enduring trials will make us stronger on the road ahead." As if that excuses this behaviour during ''finals week!!''

He looks at Shinjiro, though, thoughtfully. "So that's how you handle things..." ... Minato, don't take the threat ''seriously!''

"If Yamagishi-san's encouraging both, we'll proceed forward with that insight," he decides. "Besides, if the herbs grow faster, we won't have to harvest it all at once. Fukura-san is right," he adds. "It won't disrupt the last day of finals to take a short break."

He does spare a long look to Moriko, though. "Can you help me with these beads?" He asks her, rather than directly asking what happened. They're... garden beads. They do something important, he's sure.

</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Hitomi Mandai has posed.
<poem>
Hitomi's answer to Minako is wordless, but can best be rendered as a moment of ':3' in reply. She finishes off the rest of her tea and closes it up, even as she exhales when it is revealed that these aren't like special organic french herbs that Mitsuru ordered from abroad, where they were delicately carried in velveteen cloths and gently serenaded by Aegean priestesses.

(Hitomi's impression of the religious situation in Europe is not very accurate.)

After this, though, she looks to Moriko. "... you're going to broil if you don't take some of that off, if you're not going fifty kilometers an hour or something," she says to her, before -- Minato is raising his hand?! After a second of clear dithering with a seasoning of panic, Hitomi brings her hand up.

*pap*

Well, it's a start. "I never did anything fancier than watering the garden with a hose, so I'm gonna need some direction if you don't want to just make all the gardener people do all the work," which, to Hitomi, seems like a reasonable thing to do, but this is School, so it probably isn't.

"How are we supposed to change the pH of dirt?" she asks... mostly-Suzume, but also-the-general-area.

Yukari Takeba (yukari) pages Minako Arisato and Minato Arisato: What if, Shuji bought a Gardening Gnome as part of the supplies? X)
Minato Arisato (minato) pages Yukari Takeba and Minako Arisato: absolutely
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yukari Takeba has posed.
<poem>
"... That is an option." She agrees with Minako on pleading self-defense, before the betrayal! There's an aggrieved sigh and a nod at Minako, "... Are these the Ides of July or something? Does July have Ides?"

She definitely doesn't remember that reference beyond the Ides of March. But Fuuka seems... into it? "You did strike me as a girl who'd be very into gardening."

Oddly, it sounds kind of complimentary? It's just Yukari isn't really that herself.

Suzume though offers her own take on studying, and... "... Maybe you and Sanada-senpai should study together. Sounds like you'd get along."

Does it sound like she's shipping it? Well, kinda, but she's not really. She just realizes he's big on working out.

But as others start to get into it, including Minako, who's soliciting advice from Fuuka... "Well I guess it can be considered a study break. Just, so long as we're not spending too much time."

Shinjiro though notes he's into gardening, and Yukari blinks, then thinks on it, "Huh... yeah I can picture it." Shinjiro just seems very... domestic!

And then rolling up her sleeves herself, "I think I'd better leave the actual planting part to you and Fuuka, Arisato-chan." As she then goes over to carry...

... Yukari's eyes linger on the pile of gardening supplies... before she then looks, around the corner of the landing where the supplies are, stops. Stares.

Stares longer.

"Actually you know what, I think I'd be better off joining in on the planting after all, make some space you two."

And swivels around to go back to the planters by Fuuka and Minako.

WHAT DID SHE SEE?

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
<poem>
Ririka lifts a hand to wave to Moriko as she comes in. "Hey, Kumamoto-san. We're just getting started. How's the bike today?"

She blinks at Yukari's suggestion. "... You know you're kind of hardcore sometimes, Takba-san?" Does Ririka sound impressed? ... Nah, must be a trick of the light.

She looks to Fuuka next. "Do you know a lot about gardening, Yamagishi-san?"

Ririka looks mighty tempted by the Chairman's offer to leave. "Welll..." But Suzume makes a good point, and she nods. "Yeaaaah, I guess the fresh air will do me some good." But that gets a curious look. "You exercise, huh...? That's cool. If I want to do something with my hands, it's usually piano or guitar." Shock of shocks, there.

Ririka rolls up her own sleeves next, looking over the materials. "So, where do we get started?" she asks, as an open question. "I'm with Fukura-san, I haven't really done this before. Though I bet my sister would like it." There is a cactus in her dorm now, after all.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
<poem>"Yes. I'll keep you informed." Fuuka replies to Minako - and then she laughs, just a little. Ikutsuki explains, then, that they have an assortment of herbs and vegetables. Fuuka nods thoughtfully, considering what they have.

She looks back to Minako, then - and Minato, too, as he comments on it.

"Yes. Growing a variety is actually healthy for a garden. It's good for the soil." Fuuka explains. "And, yes. It's important to maintain a healthy pH level... There are things we can add to the garden if it becomes uneven, though."

Yukari comments that she did seem like someone who would like gardening... and Ririka asks if she knows a lot about it. Fuuka feels just a ''little'' self-conscious all of a sudden - but the complimentary tone helps her power through it.

"Oh, yes. I like flowers, so... I did a lot of research to learn how to grow them." She explains. She made the flower arrangements displayed in her room herself! She nods to Suzume, too. "...I haven't had any opportunity to put that research to use until moving here, though. But... yes, I do know a little about it."

Shinjiro has some experience too, though! She looks his way.

"It's hard to imagine Sanada-senpai gardening..." Fuuka considers. "What was that like?"
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
<poem>
"You did?" Minako asks, giving Shinjiro a glance. She blinks with surprise -- she hadn't ''quite'' expected him to have gardened before. But, he does like to cook -- and it would be a chance for the freshest ingredients, wouldn't it? "What sorts of things did all of you grow?"

Then, she looks at her brother. She makes a face for a second, and then she shakes her head sharply. "You could have my back instead of strike at my weak point," she says with a sigh.

She looks at Yukari, then puts a finger to her chin. "I'm not sure. But it's the ides of ''something''. But sure, if you want--" She looks back at Fuuka, and she nods. "It sounds like you're the expert, Yamagishi-san! We'll be relying on your expert gardening skills! We--"

She blinks. Yukari is back.

"Su...ure?" she says. "Come on, Takeba-chan!"

Ikutsuki smiles -- and adjusts his collar. "Enjoy, everyone," he says. "I'll be downstairs!" he starts down the steps -- though he glances, then ''nods'' in the direction Yukari looked with such wide eyes.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
<poem>"We were just kids," Shinjiro starts when asked about him and Aki. "Grew tomatoes, carrots, stuff like that. Aki'd get into fights when he got pissed at the older kids for stealing our crops."

He's allowed to tell embarrassing stories about him!

"I guess it was nice? It's been a long time," he continues as he moves to dig.

A pause, as he looks to Minato. "Don't get any weird ideas." It's not false but it's not true either! He's not going to kill the chairman!!!
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Suzume Fukura has posed.
<poem>"Every month has Ides," Suzume says confidently (and correctly, this time). However, she cannot remember when in the month it is and so doesn't go so far as to agree that it is the Ides of July.

Which is good, because it's not. It's nearly the Kalends of August! You fool!! But Suzume's history notes do not include the ancient Roman calendar.

As for Akihiko? "He's third year," Suzume says, dismissively. "Different things to study. Anyway, I wouldn't want to bug him." She has absolutely studied with Junpei, though, once or twice - though she does a lot of her work by herself, or Hitomi, or otherwise with whoever is around. But even that's mostly quiet.

"And yeah." Suzume brightens, answering Ririka: "Doesn't have to be, like, a HARD workout. I don't go and practice with my tonfa every day or go out to the track or anything. Just get up and do something with something other than your brain for a bit. Like I said, it kind of resets things. Sometimes I play a game for a bit instead. Music would work too, I just don't play piano or anything."

For someone who doesn't like studying, is underachieving at school this year, and didn't seem to care about her exams much until she spoke to Mitsuru, she certainly seems to have opinions about studying...

Suzume looks over as Yukari decides to help plant. Huh, she thinks to herself. Did she see something? Is she expecting something? Or did she just decide that working with her hands would be good for her? But what she actually says is: "I'll go fill the watering cans. I don't want to get in anybody's way." And with Shinjiro and Minako and Fuuka, and now Yukari up there... well. She likes Fuuka, she likes Shinjiro and Minako quite a bit, but it's getting crowded up there.

She hefts four of the cans, two in a hand - they're easier to carry empty... wait, Hitomi asked her a question. "How would I know? Put something in it?" she guesses.
Yukari Takeba (yukari) pages Minako Arisato and Minato Arisato: Yukari realized she was in a horror film and decided she wanted to be the final girl.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.
<poem>
"How would you get better if I did that?" Minato wonders, blithely, to Minako. He listens carefully to Fuuka's sage advice, and to Hitomi, sagely replies: "With science." ... changing the pH levels, presumably. "Hmm... let's start by digging the compost into the soil. It's food for plants."

With a light pause, he adds: "Going for a run clears my head, too." Suzume and Akihiko aren't the only one, apparently!!

But Yukari piles in to help them, and Minato blinks, staring at her for a moment. "We're counting on you," he settles on, handing her a trowel too.

Dig, dig, dig!!

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Yukari Takeba has posed.
<poem>
"Uhhh thanks?" Yukari says, a little taken aback by Ririka's comment, and trying to decide what she means by 'Hard Core', "...Whatever that means."

Like she seems more confused by not understanding if it's a compliment or not in the moment.

"Huh. Like, looking stuff up online?" She asks of Fuuka's research, "Well, I hope you don't mind if we use you as a resource then."

Yukari does ''not'' indicate why she came back over to Minako and Fuuka to help with the gardening when she was ''about'' to help Minato.

Instead she takes a trowel from Minato- "Thanks. I won't let you down." And slowly joins in, digging, albeit more cautiously. Every so often, she looks back over her shoulder, to that same spot as earlier.

And there's absolutely no indication of what she saw. Though, given where she was standing, on the opposite side of the pile - with a view of the brick enclosure of the staircase back down...

... you'd kind of have to go over there, if you wanted to see it.

"So... what's our plan on, what to plant where?" She asks, casually.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Hitomi Mandai has posed.
<poem>
Oh, Fuuka grew flowers. "Do... flowers have different needs from herbs?" asks Hitomi. She pushes her glasses up her nose, continuing to, as of yet, contribute zero useful work.

Hitomi looks back to the abruptly re-appearing Yukari. She then looks past Yukari - if Yukari is preferring this to whatever happened THAT way, it must be something bad. Runaway horror-show? Attack by evil mutants? An unusually rude and uncouth dog? Hitomi can only guess.

Finally with some level of grim understanding, she gets rid of the oolong bottle and moves over towards the planting. She is given a trowel, which she holds in a manner much like if Minato (or someone) handed her a dagger.

It kind of is a dagger, if u think about it. a dagger for the *ground*

Hitomi circles around as she considers the question. "I guess it's just weird to think of putting like... acids or bases on soil, you know? Like wouldn't it melt? I suppose it wouldn't, but that's definitely pretty close to pollution."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Moriko Kumamoto has posed.
<poem>Moriko lifts her head and offers Ririka a wave, "Some weird otaku blew a tire out. Had to walk it home." She holds her hands up and mouths the word, 'Later' to Ririka before she goes any further. Whether it works or not, who knows.

Shinjiro's met with a nod and a thumbs up, "Fine enough." There probably was a fight between her 'ambience' and the overall vibe. "Later though." It's supposed to be a group activity. And she does want to talk about the details with people before just stating it!

She nods to Minato, pushing herself to her feet again with a bit of stiff movement, but it's fine. Looking at the beads. "I was.. not a gardner. What do we do with them?" She clearly doesn't know either. It's fine.

There is a laugh at the comment from Hitomi though, "Yeah. Yeah. You should see it even after. I'm going to go change in a moment." She just wanted to show up first. Because it didn't occur to her to do this in the reverse order. Oh well.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
<poem>
Fuuka mentions it's healthy to plant an assortment of things. "Oh yeah... didn't something like that come up once in class... crop rotation, or something?" Fuuka also explains she really likes flowers, and Ririka smiles a little despite being tired. "Hey, that's really cool. I'm glad you'll finally get to put it to good use, then."

Ririka pauses as Ikutsuki moves to just ''leave them to it''. "Hey--" She looks to everyone else. "Did he just call us all up here to plant stuff and then ''ditch'' us? During finals week?"

But that moment of irritation is momentarily forgotten as she looks to Suzume and grins. "You know, that makes sense. Sometimes when I'm feeling antsy I go mess around with my skateboard for a bit and it helps." She'd be more embarrassed about admitting to the skateboarding, but... well, people have already seen her on it.

Suzume goes to get the watering cans. "Want a hand with those?" Ririka offers. They'll get heavy when they're loaded up with water, after all.

Yukari says thanks, and Ririka just says, "Welcome." And then she's moving to go help with the watering cans and ''does not clarify''.

But she does pause, as Moriko explains. "That sucks... hope it's not too much of a hassle to replace." At least it wasn't a ''land mine'' this time. But Moriko motuhs 'later' and Ririka nods in agreement.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yukari Takeba has posed.
<poem>
As Suzume and Ririka head towards the stairs with the watering cans, they might catch something, partially obscured in their peripheral vision on the left side of the stairs, partially hidden.

Look closer.

Look ''closer''.

Horror Violin Screech - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TUeUL7EW9M

And you will see it there, watching. ''Watching''. Turned just at a diagonal like it's meant to be watching.

Always ''watching''.

It is the biggest, ugliest, garden gnome one has ever seen.

It's beady ceramic eyes full of malice, like it could be the monstrous villain of a horror film.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
<poem>They were just kids, growing vegetables... Fuuka thinks about it and there's a small, good-natured laugh when Shinjiro mentions Akihiko getting into fights over their stolen crops.

"That I can imagine... I'm glad your plants had someone protecting them." Fuuka replies. Yukari gets a nod, too.

"Yes, that's right... There's a lot of resources online. And anything I can't find there, I can learn what books to look for." Fuuka replies with a nod. Yukari and Minako both seem to be counting on her research, though, so... "Y-Yes, of course!"

Ririka gets a nod.

"Yes, that's important, too." Fuuka confirms.

Yukari asks what their plan is, and Fuuka considers that. She hadn't gotten that far...

"I think for us, it's probably fine as long as we clearly mark which is which, and everything's getting enough sun..." Fuuka considers, then nods toward Hitomi. "To a degree. Every plant has different needs. That's why it's important to be mindful of them."

She pauses then, to clarify.

"Oh, um... It's not ''acid'' acid. We wouldn't want to pour any directly on the soil. But it's always going to be a little acidic or basic, and managing it is important." She explains.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
<poem>
"It sounds nice," Minako tells Shinjiro, with a smile. "Gardening with friends... yeah, I think that's a memory I'd like." Which -- really -- they're doing now. Case in point, she is pushing seeds down into the dirt with her bare hands. She can just wash her hands later.

She looks sideways at her brother -- and then she sticks her tongue out at him. "I'm not shaving up skill beans or... whatever your games call it," she says, but that prompts a laugh from her.

Then, she looks back at Suzume. "That looks good, with the watering cans!" she says. Then, she looks at Yukari. She considers her question for a moment. Her eyes drift to Fuuka (an expert), Shinjiro (an expert), and Suzume (an expert, as per Hitomi Mandai). She starts to open her mouth.

She starts to say 'Vibes?'

But Fuuka comes to the rescue. Minako nods, quickly, after she explains the plan. "What Yamagishi-san said!"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Suzume Fukura has posed.
<poem>One day I'll get a bike like that, Suzume thinks to herself. Her pedal bike really isn't in the same class as Moriko's and she knows it. "Is that better or worse than having to walk it home during the Dark Hour?" she asks, before deciding, "No, it's definitely worse." You have to get a new tire after that!

But see, Minato gets it! She knew SOMEONE would. Admittedly, she expected it to be Shinjiro, but she's not objecting. "It's really just getting off your butt for a bit," she agrees. "Around the block or whatever helps."

And then... "Be right back," Suzume says, as she heads toward the stairs. Why?

Because there's no faucet on this floor, obviously. She can't fill the watering cans HERE. But she may as well lug them up; it's not like she knows anything about actually planting beyond what's on the seed packets - and it sounds like the actual gardeners all beat her there.

But Ririka offers to help... "I was just gonna make two trips back up if I had to, but if you want to, be my guest." Suzume passes over two of the cans, keeping the other two - right now they're pretty easy to carry, though as Ririka points out they will be a lot heavier when they're filled.

She gets partway there before -

"Gah!"

Suzume's voice gets squeaky when she gets surprised even though that's not her usual vocal tone at all. In a situation like this - where there's no actual danger, though it might take a moment to realize - it's more a funny quirk than anything else, as she visibly recoils from whatever she just saw as she reflexively brings up clenched fists, still clinging to watering cans like really, really awkward clubs to protect herself from...

From...

...

"What the crap is that," Suzume says, slowly lowering one of her hands. Her face reddens slightly as she realizes she has been jump-scared by statuary.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.
<poem>
"Slay the earth," Minato advises Moriko, with a straight face, as Hitomi demonstrates with a brandish.

He proceeds to demonstrate... digging the compost and everything through the soil! Hey! That's not slaying ''anyone!!''

"Yamagishi-san advised a mixture," Minato says, to Yukari, "so let's alternate the types." He pauses, looking between Hitomi, Moriko, and Yukari, as he adds: "... I wonder if the Chairman really brought all the supplies we'll need."

LIKE A HAUNTED HORROR GNOME?!

He proceeds to fix Minako with a serious expression, as he informs her: "You don't shave skill beans. You plant them." This is very important!!!

Minato is halfway through troweling a planter when he looks up, blinking. "... did you hear that?" Surely Suzume wouldn't make a sound like 'gah!'...

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Hitomi Mandai has posed.
<poem>
On the matter of Ikutsuki leaving them to do work: "Probably," Hitomi answers Ririka with a real 'what can you do?' kind of tone. She looks towards Moriko, who is also on team 'doesn't know what the hell to do with a plant,' and nods. This is the liberation of the hard working young women of the new Japan! (Terms and conditions apply.)

anyway:

"Oh... I mean I suppose you'd want to like mix it in with sand or something," Hitomi tells Fuuka. "So it's like one part acid and twenty part sand, and you'd want to mix it up really good. Is that the kind of thing you mean? Is that why -" Hitomi was ABOUT to ask something, but seems to have pulled up short.

*strange*. or perhaps worse... *teenaged.*

Then! A shout, an alarum! "What is it?" Hitomi shouts in the general direction of Suzume; she, perhaps, had no doubts even for a moment after she heard that horrified 'gah,' strangled like the hopes of the future!

After this she shrinks back down -- "So do I just make a hole and put the whole little block of dirt in it...?"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Yukari Takeba has posed.
<poem>
If Minako had said 'vibes' Yukari might have turned and gone, '... Yeah I figured.' But instead, Fuuka to the rescue! And she has an actual plan!

And she knows you don't actually pour ACID on plants! Look, this is why she's the navigator.

"Alright, well, whatever you want in this planter, I'll get the job done."

And then Suzume gets jump-scared by a gardening gnome.

Yukari sighs in that moment, "And there it is. I was trying to act like it didn't exist..."

She waves a trowel in that direction vaguely as Minato asks, "... Yeah, I heard it. You should uh, go save them or something."

A beat.

"They're definitely doomed without you." She deadpans, before turning back to her Planter.

She just can't get Shuji's ''knowing stare'' out of her mind.

"... I can't believe he actually spent money on that..." She murmurs.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Moriko Kumamoto has posed.
<poem>Moriko's not the most garden-y sort, but she does know a little bit about baking alive in the sun, replying to Fuuka, "We should find out if any need to get some shade too."

"Worse. I just had to wait for it to end to ride it out after. This one is going to have me riding trains again for a bit." She sounds less than thrilled.

"Slay the earth?" She sounds genuinely confused at this. "I guess I can shower later." She mostly states to herself, taking the beads. There might be some self-consciousness about moving in close. Oh well.

Hitomi is given a vaguely confused shrug as she gets that look and returns it. She's trying at least!

"Wait who's doomed with what?" She seems distracted enough at the best of times. The uh, recent events and being out of her elements certainly aren't helping. She does at least try to help!
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
<poem>
"Sure, why not?" Ririka says to Suzume. "Many hands, and all that, right?" She readily accepts two of the cans with a smile. She won't say it outright but she's also feeling a bit lost so far, but this is easy enough to do.

Surely, the walk downstairs to go refill some watering cans couldn't be fraught with any kind of peril, right? ... right??

And all it takes is a glimpse, a turn of the head, then a look-- and Ririka startles backwards away from it. "Waugh!" It is an entirely undignified sound. "What the--" She looks to Suzume. "... is... is that what I think it is?" She's kind of staring at it in disbelief.

Of all the... Ikutsuki invites them up to do all the work, then ditches them, and then... ''this''.

After she's had a moment to compose herself she mutters. "... maybe we can get a tarp and cover it up...?"
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
<poem>Gardening with friends... Fuuka smiles at that.

"It's a nice thought, isn't it? I'm" She agrees with Minako. ...Maybe the Chairman did do something good for them, after all. They wouldn't all be up here together if he hadn't called them up, and then they wouldn't have had this chance.

Minako agrees with her on the plan, and Minato suggests alternating them, and Fuuka nods.

"That's a good idea, yes." She agrees. She can provide some input on that - and Moriko suggests a good idea, too - checking to make sure which ones need shade. "Yes, that's true. Especially at this time of year..."

She considers Hitomi next, then. She's not really sure how to explain it.

"Um... Something like that - but it would already be ''in'' the soil... And not necessarily sand, it would depend on what you need..." She considers.

A scream! And then another! Fuuka pauses, looking up from the planter she's currently working on.

"...Is everything alright?" She asks. ...What did the Chairman ''do''...?
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
<poem>
"...Seriously?" Minako asks her brother, on the topic of skill beans.

Then, she looks at Fuuka -- and Minako considers this for a second. "So it's... a property of the soil? Like its, um, chemistry?"

Suzume yelps in a squeaky way. Minako blinks and turns her head in their direction -- her eyebrows furrow for a moment -- and then she frowns as Ririka backs up like that. "Yeah, I wonder what that was about..." She raises her voice, calling out: "Fukura-chan, Kawase-san, are you two okay over there?"

Then, she looks at Yukari and Fuuka. "Okay, now I gotta see this," she says. She stands up -- wipes her hand off on her uniform's skirt -- and stalks over towards the stairway. "What is--"

She sees the garden gnome from hell.

"KYAAAH!!"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Suzume Fukura has posed.
<poem>Suzume lets out a breath as her hands go all the way down. Her face is still red.

"Who put this here?" Suzume demands, raising her voice slightly.

Nobody up there sounds like they're laughing, which means it must be someone who isn't here today. Kirijo wouldn't be caught dead doing something so lowbrow, it's not Sanada or Aomori's style, Mori didn't strike her as the type, Gould would have put a Grim Reaper or a ghost or something, Amada is too polite and not really a member of SEES...

That leaves only three options: the Chairman, Shizuka, or Junpei. (Or her - it's a prank Suzume would think was hilarious if it happened to someone who wasn't her, and it's giving her ideas for later - but she knows she didn't do it.) Suzume knows which one she'd guess with no other information.

"IORI, if this your prank I'm going to get you back for it!" Suzume raises her voice enough to carry, in case he's hiding and watching and/or taking a picture of whoever found it. The Chairman has plenty of other ways to get on their nerves that she doesn't think leaving an anonymous garden gnome around is going to be his first pick (for starters, he's an adult!) She starts looking around as if she could catch someone at the SCENE OF THE CRIME.

To Ririka, she huffs, "If you want to tarp it, be my guest. I'm going to go get some water." And try to look less embarrassed! Especially as Minako comes over, her embarrassment rises. But at least Minako knows why now!
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.
<poem>
"Dead serious," Minato insists, to Minako.

"I think so," Minato assures Hitomi. "Trains... they're not as bad if you can travel with a friend." Minato has reasons beyond boredom to suggest a ''girl'' travel by train with ''company,'' of course. But Yukari suggests that that mysterious squeaky voice is ''doomed without Minato,'' and he nods, deeply serious. "Beginning rescue operation," he declares, handing his trowel off to Hitomi so she can ''dual wield.'' "I'll leave the shade quotients to you."

With that, Minato picks himself up and walks over to the sound of the screech, right behind Minako --

"Hold on!" Minato cries, as he rushes forward to protect his sister from --

"EYAGH,"

Oh no, it even got a boy...

Minato creeps forward, after that initial shock. "Iori-kun..." He invokes, gravely. "You got me. But I'll put your sins to rest."

He reaches out, and firmly grasps the gnome by the horrid little hat, turning it ''away'' from everyone.

"Fixed it," he declares.

You didn't fix anything, Minato! It's still RIGHT THERE!

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
<poem>Shinjiro pauses from his FERVENT DIGGING as there's screams over a garden gnome. Multiple.

Shinjiro sighs, pulls up, walks over right before Minato turns it around, and...

"...is this... a joke?" He's not freaked out, at least, but he DOESN'T LIKE IT.

"We could throw it off the roof and say it fell," he says, in the exact same tone as earlier.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Hitomi Mandai has posed.
<poem>
"Spent money on what?" Hitomi verbally-nudges Yukari. Her eyes turn back towards the terrifying nook when Ririka also screams, even if her terror seems less existential. That's probably down to what amount of air was in their lungs when they saw >IT<.

To Fuuka, though, Hitomi says, "I'll take your word for it... Oh, is it nitrogen? I remember nitrogen." This seems to fill her with certainty as she plunks a plant into the ground. Agriculture has been performed; the chain of generations is appeased.

For uncertain reasons, Hitomi frowns. She plants her spade in the ground (stab) and gets up with a squint, walking after Minato. Which means:

"bwaagh?!?"

"What the hell! Is that some kind of --" Hitomi protests. "Are we cursed?! Is this a curse now?? Nobody get near the side of the roof!" The sound of panic is discernibly subsiding throughout these emphatic statements, but it isn't wholly gone, either.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Yukari Takeba has posed.
<poem>
And then Minako screams-! And Minato undertakes his rescue operation and saves everyone! Then ''Hitomi'' yells about a curse! Then Shinjiro has a maybe existential crisis?

Listen to Yukari just hang her head, groan, take a deep breath, then...

"So Fuuka-chan... what herbs do you recommend for this one? I'm going to need your help to even figure out how many I can even plant..."

Yep, she's going to just try to ignore it. You see, Yukari Takeba...

... has realized she's in a horror film maybe.

And she wants to be the Final Girl.

And even if it's not that... she's doing her best to try and ignore it.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
<poem>Minako understands! Fuuka nods with a smile.

"Yes, that's right!" She confirms. Hitomi asks about nitrogen, and that gets a nod, as well. "Nitrogen is something different, but... you're correct. Nitrogen is very important for plants, too."

She hesitates for a moment.

"This is probably more than ''we'' need to know, but... it's, um. A fun detail." She concludes.

One by one they leave. And then they scream. Fuuka looks over toward Yukari, then looks back.

She's so curious - but perhaps a similar thought has entered her head, that this is how people die in horror movies...

"W-well, umm... Let's see..." She focuses on the seeds as she tries not to consider whatever horrible fate has befallen everyone else, considering them thoughtfully next to what they've already planted before offering Yukari one of the packets. "How about these? They're complementary and they'll look nice together, too."

...Wait, are they talking about curses now...?
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
<poem>
Ririka is also looking a bit embarassed as people are calling to check up on them. "Yeah, Yamasishi-san, Arisato-san. Uh, we were just... startled, is all." Is that a good thing to admit? What would be the ''dignified'' away to explain the lawn gnome?

"Everything's fine, just--" Too late, Minako came over to look, and Ririka winces as she yells. Well, at least she and Suzume aren't the only ones, now.

She's stil staring at it when she blinks. "Wait, did someone say 'rescue operation'...?" And another wince as the gnome from hell gets Minato, too. And another one as Hitomi shouts. Ririka shuffles the cans to one hand and rubs at her ear a little. "Alright, we've all seen it, let's stop shouting now..." she mutters.

She blinks as Suzume reaches her conclusion. "... you think Iori-san did this...?" That's not where her mind went, but... now she's considering it. "... but when woudl he have put it here? We all just got here..."

Minato has a solution, and Ririka can't help but shudder a little as she looks at the back of the gnome's head. "... I still can't stop thinking about its eyes."

She looks to Shinjiro as he repeats the suggestion. "... No I think this one might curse us or something."

"I'm... gonna go get water. And look for a spare tarp or a blanket or something for the gnome." Ririka turns and heads down the stairs, a little hurried because she just wants to get away from that thing.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
<poem>
"We might be!" Minako wails in response to Hitomi's question about a curse. Even Shinjiro is spooked. And Yukari--Yukari is taking it in stride...

...and so is Fuuka. She looks at the two of them, and then back at her brother. Ririka heads down the stairs.

And the brave co-leader of SEES scoots over sideways, and hides behind Shinjiro. "Gaaaaaaaaah..."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Suzume Fukura has posed.
<poem>Suzume has already gone downstairs, once she decided that she wasn't going to catch the culprit at the scene of the crime trying to take a picture of the people they caught or anything.

So when Ririka joins her, heading toward the sink: "I can't believe someone would do something like that!" Coming from her, who would probably be a prime suspect if she hadn't been the first one caught (Yukari wasn't caught), this is slightly rich. So she has to admit: "Props to them for getting it up here with nobody seeing, though." And that's true no matter WHO it was! They would have had to get it past every floor! And if SEES is now cursed, well, too bad.

...

"I wasn't afraid of it, though. Just startled. C'mon, let's get the water so they can actually plant things." Suzume figures you need water to plant a seed. That's how it works, right? Dirt, plant, water, go.
</poem>

[[Category:Logs]]
[[Category:Season 1]]
[[Category:Season 1, Episode 1]]

2025-10-15: Doom and Other Study Practices

2025-10-19T17:30:01Z

Tex: Created page with "*'''Log: 2025-10-15: Doom and Other Study Practices''' *'''Cast:''' Minako Arisato, Suzume Fukura *'''Where:''' Iwatodai Dormitory, Portl Island *'''OOC Date:''' October 15, 2025 *'''IC Date:''' July 26, 2012 *'''Summary''': ''While trying to study, Minako and Suzume discuss recent events and life -- and wonder about the true nature of Mitsuru Kirijo.'' ---- <Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed. <poem> "Uuuuugh.." It's with that low, groaning protest that..."

*'''Log: 2025-10-15: Doom and Other Study Practices'''
*'''Cast:''' [[Minako Arisato]], [[Suzume Fukura]]
*'''Where:''' Iwatodai Dormitory, Portl Island
*'''OOC Date:''' October 15, 2025
*'''IC Date:''' July 26, 2012
*'''Summary''': ''While trying to study, Minako and Suzume discuss recent events and life -- and wonder about the true nature of Mitsuru Kirijo.''

----

<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
<poem>
"Uuuuugh.."

It's with that low, groaning protest that Minako Arisato's studying comes to an end. She falls forward -- face-first -- and into the open notebook she has. It is after exams, which means that studying is onto the next one. The rather last-minute studying, at that.

And this one is in literature, a subject that Minako is rather unsure of.

"I'm doomed," she declares to the not-as-empty-as-expected lobby of Iwatodai dormitory.

The co-leader of SEES is many things. A dedicated student is not one of them.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Suzume Fukura has posed.
<poem>Last night, Suzume (along with several other members of SEES) went to Taro's Atelier in search of answers, or at least in an attempt to investigate. That she did it during exam time was... perhaps slightly inadvisable, but not as much as going to Tartarus would be - she hadn't had to stay up past midnight to do it.

But that means she has to get back on the exam train. Her worst subject (math) has already had its exam pass; her better subjects (English, history) are the ones upcoming, which means she (hopefully) is going to do better from here on out.

Still, she skipped her workout today to study a little more, Just In Case. She is coming down the stairs, having changed out of uniform and into her Hanshin Tigers T-shirt and a pair of jeans just in time to see Minako faceplant.

"Damn, I didn't think it was THAT bad," Suzume says, sympathetic. "Did Kirijo-senpai get to you too?" Suzume may be admitting she already spoke to her once about exams...
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
<poem>
"Not yet, but the wheels of destiny are in motion," Minako groans, still with her face inside her notebook. After a second, though, she sits up -- there's a bit of a 'sproing' to how she does so energetically. She lifts a hand in a wave. "It's the literature exam. I'm no good with that."

She hesitates for a second, noticing the Hanshin Tigers shirt -- nice mascot, good team, she thinks -- and then she cracks a smile. "What about you, Fukura-chan? How's your exams going? Especially with... that investigation you and the others did."

She heard about it, even if she didn't go.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Suzume Fukura has posed.
<poem>Suzume is a well-known (well, if you pay attention to that kind of thing) fan of the Tigers. She has occasionally put on a game on the television, which frequently also attracts wild Junpeis, but this isn't the first time she's shown up with the shirt either.

"Literature sucks," Suzume says, dropping her books on the across from Minako. "Not as bad as math at least, but I'm not gonna say I'm looking forward to it." How's she doing? "...Well, I'll be glad when I don't have to study any more." Suzume is not a horrible student, but she's not a great one either, and she's kind of dropped off this year. (It's not SEES related. She started to underachieve before that.)

She seats herself a moment later, falling into the seat with less grace than usual. "And I'd say 'don't ask about the investigation', but that just makes people more likely to ask, so... it was a circus. There were clowns. That is all."
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
<poem>
"Yeah. The older classics are ''hard'' and reading them takes forever," Minako says. She isn't a big fan of the more archaic literature -- or trying to figure out what it says, much less what the teachers and researchers think it says.

She looks up, then, and she cracks a smile. "Me too. We only have a little bit to go, right?"

She listens, though, to the explanation of the Atelier. That--''that'' is not what Minako expected from the Atelier. She isn't sure what she expected, really...

"Clowns? A circus?" she asks, dumbfounded. "Were, uh. Were they dangerous? That sounds creepy."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Suzume Fukura has posed.
<poem>Suzume is pretty sure the teachers are in on it and making up what you're supposed to learn from some of those books.

"I hope so. It's always guessing, what they want you to put down about the writing." Suzume leans back in her chair. Minako was one of the girls she didn't mind in SEES, though it's not like she knows her terribly well; she's friends with her brother, though, so there's a certain bit of... vague familiarity, in that she's seen the two of them together before. So she relaxes a bit, tilting the chair in a way that looks slightly dangerous...

...so she can reach into her bag she set down on the floor and pull out a can of Moonkist, which gets placed on the table. "Little bit," she says. "There were some carnival games, though they were rigged. A ride," she adds, a little grudgingly. She did not like the ride at all. "And a Humour - like a Shadow - at the middle. I want to look up the kinds, they reminded me of something Edogawa-sensei said." Well, that (sort of) explains the book she pulls out, which IS history, but is from the library - something about the Greeks.

"I'd be way happier if I got, like... extra credit for that. Or Mementos. Do you think I'd get it if I asked?" Suzume is not serious. How could she possibly ask? None of the teachers know about it!
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
<poem>
"Yeah... no kidding. It's all relative," Minako says with a sigh. She shifts a little in her seat -- and there's a moment of seeing how Suzume leans back in her chair. Is she about to tilt? No, she saves herself -- and she fetches that drink.

"That's intense," Minako says. A moment later, then she smiles brightly. This isn't unusual for her. "That sounds pretty intense. And weird. I'm used to places like Tartarus... and Mementos."

She shakes her head. Then, she blinks.

Minako laughs, sheepishly, and she tugs at her collar. "We~ell, I don't think you can ask. That stuff is super secret, you know?" she says. "Unless you ask... uh... indirectly. But you can't mention Mementos or this Atelier place. Edogawa-sensei doesn't know what that is."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Suzume Fukura has posed.
<poem>"I'm not *stupid*, I know I can't tell him," Suzume grumbles with a hint of sharpness in her voice, as she pulls out a SECOND book - this one the history she's actually supposed to be studying. Even she doesn't know which one she's going to spend her time with first, not yet.

Both of them end up stacked neatly next to her and she opens neither of them. "I'm still gonna investigate Mementos," she says. "If you want to come, you're welcome. But I'm not doing any of that tonight, obviously. It can wait until after we're done with exams."

A pause as she opens her can of soda. Then: "Speaking of, I heard if we do well, Ikutsuki-san might be planning something. But I dunno what it is. Have YOU heard anything? Or from Kirijo-senpai either." She wouldn't tell Suzume what she was planning and didn't know what Ikutsuki was, or claimed not to.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
<poem>
"Sorry, sorry... I just have to make sure," Minako says, holding up both hands -- showing the undersides of her palms -- and then shakes her head quickly.

"I definitely want to come," she says. "I'm curious about Mementos. I mean... after we found you and your friend there, and the handful of other times I've been. After exams, sure, but..."

She shakes her head. "I feel like there's something to it, somehow."

She doesn't explain more. Then, Minako blinks -- the question about the plans of Ikutsuki and Mitsuru gives her pause. She glances to the side, then she shakes her head. "I'm not sure... something post-exams, probably," she says. "They didn't mention anything to me, but--uh--they don't tell me everything."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Suzume Fukura has posed.
<poem>"C'mon, give me SOME credit..." Suzume huffs. "Relax. I wouldn't tell him. And even if I did, he wouldn't believe me - well. Actually of all the teachers, he might, I suppose. But I won't. You don't have to worry about *me*."

As for Mementos: "There's definitely something to it," Suzume agrees. "I volunteered to lead some groups to find out what we could. I'll let you know next time, since you're still interested. We didn't get much deeper, though I did get some stuff out of it... and Tartarus. I didn't know there was *treasure* in there like that."

They don't tell her everything... "Me neither. I kinda wish they would, but on the other hand I'm just as glad Kirijo-san doesn't spend too much time thinking about me. Brr. She makes me nervous and I don't know why." Because you misbehave, Suzume. That's why. "So not even our team leaders know... huh. I wonder..."
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
<poem>
"I'm glad," Minako says. "And I believe you!"

She tilts her head to the side -- and then she cracks a smile. "Yeah. The treasure is kind of weird--my brother says it's like a game, but I didn't play those," she says. She shakes her head, then. "I've found some neat stuff there. And... uh, stuff I could sell for extra yen?"

She shrugs.

"It was kind of weird, but neat," Minako says. "And--uh--yeah, she can be intense. But... I think she's a good person. She just doesn't let on much, and she can be... really intense." Minako laughs sheepishly.

"Whatever it is... I hope it's cool!"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Suzume Fukura has posed.
<poem>Suzume, who *does* play those, agrees, "Yeah, in a treasure chest and all. I would've been REALLY suspicious if I'd gotten, like, a suit of armour out... How would it know how big to make it, or what we could wear? I'm not gonna do anything in chain mail or anything. Or weapons - "

She pauses. "Well, I got my tonfa from Mementos, so maybe that one does happen." It's not like she had anything before them.

Suzume finally flips her book open. She doesn't really start to read it, though. "And the yen, yeah... I don't exactly have a LOT, so I'm not gonna complain about that. I made like five thousand yen the time we went down last, since we found a bunch of money... I could've bought a game with that."

A pause. "I didn't," she adds, hastily. "Just to be clear. But it would be nice. I can afford to get dinner out sometimes for the cost of Shadow bits. And yeah, it would be nice if it was something cool. Hitomi-chan guessed that it'd be, like, some cultural trip to a theatre or something, if Kirijo was interested."

Last connect was from c-69-138-215-77.hsd1.md.comcast.net on Wed Oct 15 14:48:13 2025.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
<poem>
"I'd take a weapon," Minako says. "But armor? Or clothes? That would just be sort of weird. Though... I guess, if it's a cognitive space, maybe it responds to what we're thinking or wanting? And then the armor just resizes itself?"

She scratches her cheek.

"That is weird, but maybe cool," she says. Then cracks a smile -- and she nods. "Yeah. I used it on some train tickets to Tokyo, coffee, and some shopping. No judgment here."

She hesitates, then, at what Hitomi guesses. Then, Minako nods. "You know, something kinda high-brow... that does sound like her."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Suzume Fukura has posed.
<poem>Suzume scowls at the thought. "I don't think I want my clothes to cognitively resize themselves," she says. "Well, maybe if I could just do it in my bedroom and make sure it stayed put... that'd be convenient if you need a weird size or something. ...though I'm fine. But I DEFINITELY don't want them to cognitively resize themselves if someone else is around! So I think I'll stick with weapons and stuff."

'Stuff', like the headband she's currently got from Tartarus. Some members of SEES have already seen it...

"I never liked shopping much," Suzume admits. "It's a lot of looking at things you can't afford, and then you just want them. Coffee's okay though. And Tokyo. I want to go to Tokyo again sometime soon, I haven't been in a while - just Sumaru. But I'm definitely not going until after exams."

That sounds like her... "Yeah, unfortunately it does," Suzume says, with a sigh. "I don't want to go to the theatre. That's like school."
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
<poem>
"I thought of it more like... you open the box, and it's magically the right size. But if it changes later, that'd be weird," Minako says, with a frown -- and then a shake of her head. "Weapons and stuff seems like the way to go."

She smiles, then. There is an understanding nod on the topic of shopping. "Yeah, shopping can be like that. Sometimes it's fun to see the ''really'' fancy stuff but wouldn't drop that kind of money -- or cool things I can afford, when I can afford them."

She sighs. "Yeah," she agrees. "Not until after exams... it's a shame, I wish I could." She tilts her head. "The theater could be fun, though. It depends on the show, I feel like."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Suzume Fukura has posed.
<poem>"See, I thought you meant it changed the way you wanted it," Suzume says. "Which sounds great, until SOMEONE thinks too hard on an operation and you have your very own armoured bikini. And while I've seen those in video games, you couldn't PAY me to wear one!"

She's flustered herself, somehow, and she takes a long drink before she says anything else. "Yeah, well. If you can afford them." Suzume's family is not wealthy - rather the opposite; by the standards of Gekkoukan, her family is on the poorer side. Her father is blue-collar. She seems to realize this - though it doesn't show in her current outfit, some of her clothes are a little shabby.

Suzume snorts. "Theatre's for rich boring people," she says. "Or literature class, which you already complained about. Now, if we were going to a movie..."
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
<poem>
"Yeah, we'd never have to do something like that in SEES!" Minako promises. The future, meanwhile, trembles.

Minako pauses, when Suzume says that. And while she has had difficulties in her life, money hasn't been one. Quite the opposite, her parents' money has been a source of conflict with her family. She smiles, after a moment.

"Sorry," she says. "I should have been more thoughtful."

Then, she laughs -- and there's a nod. "Yeah, that's true... I'd be curious to see what kind of plays. But... it's probably the boring kind, not the movie kind."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Suzume Fukura has posed.
<poem>Suzume's future remains uncharted.

"It's *fine*." Though despite her words, Suzume doesn't meet Minako's gaze for a few moments, looking down at her (now-opened) textbook instead. Though she's not really studying, sh ejust needs to put her eyes somewhere, and not at Minako, for a couple reasons.

She's happy to change the subject: "Yeah, like... what if it's in French? I don't speak French. I don't know why she uses it, ever, nobody understands what she's saying..." She lets out a breath. "Well, whatever. I guess we'll find out. Or enough people will do badly that we won't get whatever it is after all, if there even is anything."

She groans. "I just hope it's not because of me. I don't think I could TAKE that."
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
<poem>
Minako notes that glance downward. There is a pang of guilt... but she files it away. Something to know and learn better about, in the future.

"I'm not very good at French, admittedly..." She trails off for a moment. "...I think it might be a style thing? Or maybe if she grew up in Kagurazaka or something?"

The part of Tokyo that is, essentially, 'Little Paris.'

Minako sighs as Suzume raises the specter that one person could be at fault. And considering her notebook -- and the looming literature exam -- she screws her face up, then nods. "Only one thing for it, then... we better hit the books!"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Suzume Fukura has posed.
<poem>That's not even the entire reason Suzume avoids Minako's eyes for a few moments. BUt she's back to her usual reasonably good humour, at least, after a short period of time.

"I figured she got raised in some fancy place," Suzume says, because she frankly doesn't think a whole lot about Mitsuru and it was literally the first thing that came to mind. "Or here. Her family owns the school, anyway."

'We'd better hit the books...'

"Yeah, I guess," she says with a sigh, pushing aside her extracurricular reading - the bit on Greek philosophy. "I told her that I wouldn't be the one failing. And I know I don't have the worst grades," thanks Junpei, "but I'm not gonna drag the group down, at least."

"You mind if I stick around when I do? I'll behave." By which she means, 'not distract Minako too much'.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
<poem>
"Probably so," Minako says, with a nod. "Tutors, I bet."

She glances at the reading on Greek philosophy -- and then she looks back up and smiles. "Yeah." she says. "I don't want to, either. No way I'll be the worst, though!"

A beat, and then Minako adds: "Yeah, of course! I don't mind at all."

</poem>

[[Category:Logs]]
[[Category:Season 1]]
[[Category:Season 1, Episode 1]]

2025-10-10: Game Over, Sis, Game Over

2025-10-19T17:27:39Z

Tex: Created page with "*'''Log:''' 2025-10-10: Game Over, Sis, Game Over *'''Cast:''' Minato Arisato, Minako Arisato *'''Where:''' Iwatodai Dorm, Port Island *'''OOC Date:''' October 10, 2025 *'''IC Date:''' July 24, 2012 *'''Summary''': ''Minako and Minato catch up, even as they try to contend with studying for finals. The matter of Minako's not-quite-boyfriend comes up.'' ---- <Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed. <poem> The second day of exams has come and gone, and Minato..."

*'''Log:''' 2025-10-10: Game Over, Sis, Game Over
*'''Cast:''' [[Minato Arisato]], [[Minako Arisato]]
*'''Where:''' Iwatodai Dorm, Port Island
*'''OOC Date:''' October 10, 2025
*'''IC Date:''' July 24, 2012
*'''Summary''': ''Minako and Minato catch up, even as they try to contend with studying for finals. The matter of Minako's not-quite-boyfriend comes up.''

----

<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.
<poem>
The second day of exams has come and gone, and Minato is now sitting at the table at the dorms, scribbling down notes as if it's not two days too late to study.

"Mitosis... cell division which creates precisely the same amount of chromosomes in each cell..."

Minato groans as his head careens forward to thunk against his exercise book.

"... game over," he incants, gravely.

<RP> Ririka Kawase is interested in doing some manner of thing.
All channels have been gagged.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
<poem>
Minako hasn't been studying as much as she should. But she ''is'' looking at some reading material that she has been focused on, with a laser focus. It is on her phone; she is staring down at it with ''intent''.

While her notes on literature are, mostly, abandoned.

And she looks up at her brother and blinks when he speaks. She has that distracted tone of voice -- the one that says, 'I didn't quite follow what you meant' -- and she says a tried and true line:

"The game's hard, huh?"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.
<poem>
"The game of life... it's impossible..."

Oh no, Minato isn't playing a game, he's ''moody about existence.''

He pulls himself up with great effort -- Gry claim his bones! -- and looks to Minako, orienting on what ''she's'' looking at, instead.

"Phone... what's with the phone?"

Minato, you're going to make a horror from beyond crash through the window at this rate.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
<poem>
"It's possible if you just keep at it," Minako says, looking up at her brother. She directs a sunny smile right at him -- though, ''then'' she gets a bit of a crooked grin. "What's got you down? The exams? The forthcoming results of the exams? Both?"

She is trying to distract him. Naturally, it doesn't work. When he looks at her phone--

It has a text chain with someone.

--she ''quickly'' snatches it away, hiding it under her hand. "J-Just talking to someone, that's all, no big deal, totally easy-peasy, Minato-kun!"

Suzume Fukura has arrived from Historia: The White Chronicle.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.
<poem>
"Yes," Minato answers, like a mathematician. It's a very efficient answer.

But her phone has a ''text chain,'' and that's ''infinitely'' more fascinating than the biological processes behind how twins come to be.

"Suspicious..." He notes, fixing her with a suspicious ''expression,'' too. (Well, one third of a suspicious expression. God forbid he emote.)

"I understand my mission."

With that, he leaps upon Minako to wrestle her and try to get that phone.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
<poem>
"Life can be cruel and relentless," Minako says philosophically. And with a nod that she thinks looks quite sage.

She spots that expression. And it takes her a moment to register what that expression means. A moment too long, though Minako understands what it means before most would. She ''yelps'' and then she scrambles.

But it's too late. He leaps onto her; she tries to get the phone away, but Minato grabs it.

"Unhand me, villain!" she squawks.

Huh? (Type "help" for help.)
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.
<poem>
Minato wrassles!! And he is the superior wrassler, because he's ''bigger.'' Lo --

"Wha."

Minato is so surprised he even drops the T. (Coincidentally, up in his control room watching everything, Ikutsuki manages to spill his cup of tea. Oh no, it's everywhere! How unfor-tea-nate...) These text messages... are very...

The villain unhands Minako, staring at her, aghast.

"When were you going to tell me you had a boyfriend."

Yukari Takeba (yukari) pages Minato Arisato and Minako Arisato: May I watch from the bushes? +_+
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
<poem>
The conversation is, indeed, incriminating.

MINAKO: I bet you're going to ace chemistry, based on experience, Amamiya-san~ <3

REN: If I do, it'll be because you've been such a great study partner ;)

MINAKO: I'm a girl of many talents!

REN: Then I'll have to study harder to keep up...

REN: This is going to be such a long week

MINAKO: I know what you mean... just a little more tho rite?

REN: Yeah... I had a few good study sessions last week so I'm confident I won't fail, at least

REN: That probably doesn't sound very impressive. Can I say I'm confident I'll ace it instead?

MINAKO: You get one take-back a week. <3 But I'm confident in you!

MINAKO: I bet I ajhg5vj

REN: haha ty

REN: Everything OK?

Minako's face turns a bright red shade. She stares at him -- and at her phone in his hands. The last bit was typed as the struggle occurred. She sputters as she looks at him, then she points at him.

"He's not my boyfriend!" she insists. Squeaks, in fact. "Yet! He's not my boyfriend yet!"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.
<poem>
"Uh," Minato says, his own face a touch red, as he hands the phone back to Minako. "Your not boyfriend is worried about you."

...

...

...

He rubs at the back of his neck, looking over at the far wall. Wow look at that calendar! That's a great decoration! "... Amamiya-kun, huh... he's nice...?"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
<poem>
Minako snatches her phone back with the peevishness that only an aggrieved sibling, grabbing a stolen toy, can manage. She calms down after that, a little; her expression more mellow, though her face is red, and she looks to the side.

"Uh..."

She trails off, then. "...let me just tell him everything is fine."

MINAKO: yeah it's all gucchi! hey my brother needs something talk later okay? <3

Then she puts the phone down on the table. Screen down, as it happens, before she looks at him. "He's nice," she agrees. "Uh... I asked him out. He said he needs to think about it." She hesitates.

Then, a little quieter. "...sorry. I wasn't sure how to tell you."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.
<poem>
"N--no," Minato says, and ''stammers,'' because he's ''almost'' as embarrassed as Minako. (Pound for pound, she certainly wins this contest, though.) "I was a jerk. Didn't realise it was that big a deal."

He was just going to give his sister a hard time and he stumbled on her relationship drama?! What kind of teenage girl has that!!!

"S-so... you asked him, huh... that's pretty forward-thinking..." Minako's a modern girl for a modern era! "... he seemed like a good guy when I met him. Can see why you'd like him."

Minato sits himself back down in a chair, because boy, this is all a Lot. A touch haplessly, he asks, "... is this, uh... normal for you, or new, or..."

You know, when you've grown apart over years, at some point you don't actually ''know'' if your sister is used to dating or not.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
<poem>
"W-Well, I mean, normally it is stupid pictures or whatever," Minako says, with a sigh. She rubs her hand against her face -- and then she shakes her head.

"I, um. I--no, not really," she admits. Then, she sighs, and her shoulders slump. "Not ever before. I wasn't sure if I should ask him. If I was really--uh, if it was something I want to do. Go on dates."

She glances to the side. "But he's a good guy. He doesn't ''know'', but he was worried about Yamagishi," Minako adds. "And... um."

She exhales.

"I talked to Takeba-chan about it, a little," she says. "And I decided... I should ask, if I wanted, and... see how it feels. I wasn't really sure."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.
<poem>
"Yeah," Minato says, of the ''stupid pictures.'' "Like this."

He pulls his phone out of his pocket to show Minako what ''he'd'' most recently pulled up -- a cat draped over an armrest with English text declaring it to be some measure of ''train.''

Minato looks up very important things on his phone. It's only fair Minako get to see that, too.

Still... she hasn't, not really. "It's cool," he assures her. "I haven't done that much, either... though I guess someone decided I was their boyfriend once when I didn't even realise it. That was something." He ''might'' have made a girl cry just by uttering the words, 'not really'.

Anyway.

"But... it's normal, right? It can be good." Not that he'd have any idea how to even ''start'' explaining Ichika to his sister. Nope, ''Yukari'' can handle telling her that making out is great actually. "And it's not like you can't change your mind later."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
<poem>
"Train... cat?" Minako repeats, with her head tilted to the side in some manner of confusion. But she still smiles -- because after all, a picture of a cute cat is a picture of a cute cat.

She sighs, then, and she looks relieved. But she does blink at what he says. "That sounds like a really intense misunderstanding," Minako says. "Owch."

She scratches at the back of her head -- then she nods, once. "Yeah. That's true," she says. She smiles. "I can change my mind later. I mean--um. I hope.... I hope it works out. Sometimes I'm not sure if I'm..."

It sounds too awkward and too painful to admit the truth -- that maybe something broke after their parents, and she isn't cut out for this sort of thing. She smiles, instead, and then she laughs in a good-natured way.

"I'm kind of a ''lot'', sometimes, you know?" she finishes.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.
<poem>
"Train cat," Minato confirms straight-faced.

Still, he nods, still quite straight-faced. "Ouch," he agrees, mildly.

Minako's nervous about it, though. Minato can tell, even though she's laughing. "You're hard to pin down," he agrees, tone not shifting much at all. "But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try. It's about giving someone else the chance, too."

He's quiet, for a moment -- quieter than ''normal,'' that is.

"After we rescued Yamagishi-san, I had to shift my thinking," he admits. "I started to think there were things I wanted, not just things I had to do. Well, I realised I thought someone was interesting, so I tried asking her... in that case, she wasn't interested, but it wasn't bad to try. It was... still nervewracking, though."

He does not of course say just ''who'' he tried a line on, because she'd never forgive him, and he ''does'' at least want to be ''friends.''

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
<poem>
"I'm a fan," Minako decides on the subject of monorail cat.

She does blink -- and then she smiles a little when he says she is hard to pin down. Even if she winces. "Owch," she repeats. She stays quiet for a second, though, as she considers it -- and then she nods. "Yeah. I know I am. But... I guess I didn't think about it that way. Giving someone else the chance..."

She trails off, though. She blinks when Minato says that -- and she raises an eyebrow. She doesn't quite put together the other side of it -- the side that Yukari talked about.

But she can't quite imagine her brother and Yukari.

"Things you wanted...?" she repeats. "There's... I-I mean, it's always okay to want things. But--um--I get what you mean. Sometimes it's hard to feel like it's okay to want something." Or someone.

She hesitates. "It ''is'' nervewracking," she says. "And he didn't say no. It's just... up in the air. And I feel like I'm either waiting to do a crash landing or lift off, to be honest." She smiles, again, though it's a touch rueful. "But... I want him to be able to say no, too, if he wants."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.
<poem>
"Good," Minato nods, firmly.

And then he wounds his sister!! It's okay, Minako, he has to stab you so you can move forward with your life, this is normal.

He'd hang his head with a bell gong of sorrow if he knew that Minako couldn't even ''imagine'' him and Yukari, though. Luckily, Minato can't read minds!!

"Or have preferences," Minato agrees, on the heels of Minako's understanding, which is just, escalatingly dire. He doesn't dwell on that, though.

Because... she's ''waiting.'' And that's ''hard.'' "Arisatos are decisive," Minato points out, quite sure of himself. "But uncertainty is the opposite... it can be painful. We're people who do something, but sometimes, doing something doesn't solve anything... doing nothing is harder. You know, 'neutral action'. Neither moving away or towards." It's the hardest part of strategy to master... just don't ask Minato where he learned it unless you want to learn about video games.

"Try to trust him," Minato suggests, "though I get it's not that easy. If he's really a good guy, he won't be making you wait for no reason. All the action is happening on his end. And I think he's probably as nervous as you are."

Last connect was from c-69-138-215-77.hsd1.md.comcast.net on Fri Oct 10 15:33:38 2025.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
<poem>
Maybe, one day, it will feel second nature to her. One day.

Minako smiles. There's a slight nod at the remark about preferences -- something she has ''also'' struggled with -- and then her eyes light up a little. "We are decisive, aren't we?" she says. "Maybe it's why Kirijo-senpai gave this job to us."

She laughs a little. But, then, Minako nods at him. "You're right," she adds. "Doing nothing is harder. I never heard it put as neutral action, but... yeah." She falls quiet for a moment, then. Minako looks thoughtful, thinking back to Ren at the train station.

"...Yeah," she says, more softly. "I think he probably is. And I do trust him. Just... waiting, like you said. But... I just have to trust him." She looks back at her brother -- and Minako's expression turns thoughtful. Her smile is smarter.

"When did you go and grow up on me, and get so smart?" she asks.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.
<poem>
"Probably," Minato agrees. "That, and the power we have. We're more versatile than other members of SEES, so we can adapt our strategy to support any team we bring out."

But they ''are'' decisive, and doing nothing ''is'' hard. He's quite sure of that!!

(And that's why he phrases it in term of ''an'' action instead of ''no'' action.)

"It isn't easy," Minato says, and it's just as mild as anything else he's said, but he's ''trying'' to be supportive.

Then -- a smart smile!!! (How does one smile smartly? Mysteries of Minako.) Minato blinks, a third of surprise crossing over his features. "I grew up?" He asks, surprised. "I just put myself in your shoes, and considered the situation..."

No one tell him that he's supposed to be squeamish about empathising with girls at his age lest he be maligned as a ''giiiirl.''

"If it was me," he supposes, "I'd want to be doing ''something.'' So, come here." He taps at his exercise book. "I'm revising our science topics for tomorrow. We'll need a sound strategy to succeed."

RUN AWAY MINAKO HE'S TRYING TO MAKE YOU STUDY

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
<poem>
"The power is pretty useful, too," Minako admits, with a thoughtful look. Even if she cannot explain where it came from -- and the part about Igor and Theodore seems hard to believe. Certainly, no other Persona user has encountered such a thing that she knows of.

The smart smile becomes a smart laugh. "Mm-hm. You're... more insightful, I think, now that you're older. Or maybe not because of that," she says. "But... I guess it is that simple. As putting yourself in someone's shoes."

But why are other people not as good at it?

Then, his finger taps the exercise book. Minako's frown is certainly not smart. And she almost starts to run, but... but sometimes, letting your brother win is important.

"Fiiiiine," she sighs. She scoots over closer to him. "Theorycraft away, Minato-kun."

</poem>

[[Category:Logs]]
[[Category:Season 1]]
[[Category:Season 1, Episode 1]]

2025-09-12: Homemade Bentos and Matters of the Heart

2025-10-19T17:24:30Z

Tex: Created page with "*'''Log: 2025-09-12: Homemade Bentos and Matters of the Heart''' *'''Cast:''' Yukari Takeba, Minako Arisato *'''Where:''' Gekkoukan High School Roof, Port Island *'''OOC Date:''' September 12, 2025 *'''IC Date:''' July 10, 2012 *'''Summary''': ''Minako and Yukari meet for lunch on the roof. Matters of homemade lunches and boys come up.'' ---- <Pose Tracker> Yukari Takeba has posed. <poem> Let it not be said that even though Yukari Takeba eschews new connectio..."

*'''Log: 2025-09-12: Homemade Bentos and Matters of the Heart'''
*'''Cast:''' [[Yukari Takeba]], [[Minako Arisato]]
*'''Where:''' Gekkoukan High School Roof, Port Island
*'''OOC Date:''' September 12, 2025
*'''IC Date:''' July 10, 2012
*'''Summary''': ''Minako and Yukari meet for lunch on the roof. Matters of homemade lunches and boys come up.''

----

<Pose Tracker> Yukari Takeba has posed.
<poem>
Let it not be said that even though Yukari Takeba eschews new connections, that she can't be perfectly sociable! In fact, she even invited Minako to lunch on the roof.

It's pretty hot at this time of year, but with the wind turbines nearby and the sea breeze, it's rather pleasant today.

There's a lot of marble benches set in half circles up here, each one divided in the center and surrounded by planters, and Yukari's sat down on one.

"Ugh, promise not to say anything, alright?"

To which Yukari brings out...!!! A convenience store rice ball, with umeboshi. No wait! There's also a Pork cutlet? "I've been stuck on convenience store food ever since moving in to the dorm."

She says with a sheepish look, like she were embarrassed to invite her to lunch only to show her, "It's not like I can cook or anything with the kitchen still not even set up."

There's a deep sigh at that as she confesses to Minako, "It's why it's such a battle to keep the weight off right now..."

A pause and-!

"So, what's new with you? It's been a little while since we had the opportunity to do something like this."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
<poem>
"Fingers crossed and swear to die!" Minako says to Yukari, with a smile, when she sees Yukari's convenience store rice ball. She doesn't judge -- because her own bentos, while handmade, are a little lackluster -- and because she is happy to be invited out, besides. And a little surprised, too.

The hum of the wind turbines in the distance makes the background music, as Minako sits next to Yukari, and she unpacks her bento. She has some store-bought grilled chicken, some rice, and steamed broccoli in hers. It's functional -- not very artistic, and it reveals that Minako is a middling cook.

She looks sideways at Yukari. "I'm feeling the lack of a kitchen, too. In the pocketbook ''and'' the waistline." Not that she really has that much weight on; Minako is athletic as a rule, after all.

Then, she tilts her head. "Well..." She trails off. "...not a whole lot! Volleyball is working up to its meet. I'm studying English a little harder. I met with Amamiya-san and his guardian for dinner." Wait, what? She keeps talking. "And I've been visiting Bookworms more lately. That old couple is so nice, you know?"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Yukari Takeba has posed.
<poem>
"Not bad. Very healthy." Yukari says in approval, "Though now I wonder if you've been cooking for Sanada-senpai. Take a look in the freezer sometime and you'll know what I'm talking about."

Substitute the rice for egg, freeze it altogether and-!

Really, Yukari doesn't need to worry that much, as she's athletic too, not even to mention Tartarus runs...

... but someone concerned with fashion and beauty might be a little ''over-concerned'' with her weight.

"... Nice! Let me know when it is, I'll put it on my calendar."

Though what's next startles her, "Huh!?" But she just keeps talking like that was ''normal''!

"Wait back up a second there! You had ''dinner'' with this guy, and met his guardian? I thought you'd just met-!"

A beat.

"At... Bookworms, even. Didn't you say he lived in Tokyo?" It's not ''that'' far a trip, but it is a trip!

"Uhhh..." Yukari trails off as if there's no polite way to ask this, and she's flustered trying to figure out how, "... are you two, dating?"

Like she knew Minako MET him but like - there's a vast gulf between just meeting and meeting a guy's Guardian for dinner!!!

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
<poem>
"I--I'm a little scared to look now," Minako says, her expression shifting a little bit into a frown. She tilts her head to the side for a moment and tries to picture it -- and what she sees is a high protein health food explosion. Her nose wrinkles and then she shakes her head.

"W-We're not dating!" she says, with a sheepish laugh. "Not like that, it's just--you know, we hung out a few times and I texted to see if he wanted to hang out. And, uhm--"

She leans in. "His guardian owns a coffee shop. And it's always bugged me, what's ''actually'' in Pheromone Coffee?" she asks. "So I thought... you know... maybe he could tell me."

If it sounds like an excuse to hang out -- well, it just might be.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Yukari Takeba has posed.
<poem>
"You should be~" Yukari lilts, but she suspects Minako would have the good grace to at least not freeze her meals together like that.

Minako though says they're not, and Yukari squints subtly, "Uh-huh..."

That sure is a lot of excuses right away, trying to backpeddle away from the idea.

Then another, Re: Pheremone Coffee.

"... Okayyyyy."

She says, as a form of less 'active' listening, and more 'passive-sardonic' listening like 'I don't believe this for even a second."

"Buttttt you went all that way to have dinner with him. And said that part so casually, like it was nothing... if you're not dating..."

...

"Do you like... have a ''crush'' on the guy or something?"

It doesn't sound like she's looking down on it! Just, she's maybe a little startled at the speed this is going.

(And also how Minako could just fly past that comment with a straight face.)

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
<poem>
"I can be lazy, but... yeeuuggh," Minako says with a shake of her head. And a bit of a shudder. Something about food freezing together and fusing together, like some sort of horrible blob monster, makes her stomach turn. In fairness to Sanada-senpai, her imagination is partially to blame.

She looks back at Yukari -- and she makes a face at the 'passive-sardonic' listening. Then, she sighs, and she looks to the side for a second. She hesitates.

She had avoided thinking about this.

"I-I don't know," she admits. "I mean--maybe? I... um." She laughs, after a second. "It's... I don't know. It's hard to decide how I feel, or--"

She frowns. "...I don't know."

<RP> Myunghon Yeo says, "hmmmm!!"
<RP> Myunghon Yeo says, "i'd like to solicit for pickups"
<RP> Myunghon Yeo says, "meet local singles right here in hirasaka!!"
<RP> Ririka Kawase says, "I'm already doubling but have fun!"
All channels have been gagged.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Yukari Takeba has posed.
<poem>
It's actually interesting to Yukari. She feels like she could never date anyone that she didn't have a connection to... not that she's looking to date anyone!

So to see Minako dating like this, and not... knowing.

"Huh. Well there's nothing wrong with that, I guess."

And it actually turns out pretty okay, "Like, getting to know someone to figure out how you feel?"

She couldn't do that, but that's... normal? A way to live one's life?

It's strange to Yukari, how she gets along with these twins when neither of them are exactly normal people.

Minato is the weirdest guy she's ever met, and yet...

And Minako shifted from talking about eating dinner with a guy and his guardian like she would the weather... to being flustered at the implication it was something more...

... to now.

She could try to analyze, and peel back the layers but...

... she doesn't want to hurt her.

"But well... I guess, if it's hard, try telling me about him some? Who knows! It might help you figure things out... being able to talk it out."

She doesn't sound certain? But at least she's not promising on something she can't deliver.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
<poem>
"Kinda. Though, I--mean, I didn't think about dating. And... I don't think something is ''really'' a date unless both people think it is," Minako says. She looks down for a second. "It's just fun, and I was going with it, and... not thinking about it too hard."

She looks up. Then she tilts her head to the side. It's dodging the harder thing -- if it's ''really'' a crush, how she feels, or anything else. She considers for a second, then, before she looks back down.

This time, it's a thoughtful glance downward instead of reluctant.

"He's cool. Like -- the classic sort of cool, understated and nothing seems to faze him. But he's not aloof, either, and he's friendly," Minako says. "And he seems smart. I mean... we went to a bookstore, separately, and that's the second time we talked."

She shakes her head. "And he's a nice guy. He's hard to read, sometimes, but that's not bad. And it's..."

She considers. Should she say the truth? That it's nice having someone she can be close to that doesn't know about SEES, Dark Hour, her parents, or any of that? That Minako, selfishly, is just having fun with it ''because'' it isn't something so serious? It sounds horrible, when she puts it that way.

So she doesn't say that as such. Minako looks up at Yukari and she smiles. "...It's fun, you know? And simple."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Yukari Takeba has posed.
<poem>
"True... like, people thought I was dating your brother just because I walked to school with him one day."

She agrees with that much, it annoys her that the culture thinks a guy and a girl together ''must'' be dating in all occasions.

Like she ''belongs'' to him or something. No way!

But she can see that almost pensive expression on Minako... and part of Yukari wonders...

Does she think she even...

No get off of that line of thinking. It's not worth it. You'll just run circles around and round that thought when it's none of your business!

"Hmmm." Yukari considers Minako's description of Ren Amamiya, her own gaze unmoving from Minako's face.

"Well... when you put it that way... he does sound pretty great."

There's a question still nagging her, but she sets it aside. "Simple's good!" Yukari affirms, "Huh... well, he sounds nice enough. I guess it wouldn't be so bad to... hang out more and find out whether you're into him or not?"

A thought does occur to her, as she brings out her phone, flipping through her contacts, she finds a girl she met at an Archery Tournament from Shujin...

...

...

Is she actually considering ''vetting'' Minako's potential future boyfriend?

Well yes, actually?

"Well if you do decide to date him, you know I'll back you up, you know? I don't mind hanging out nearby the first few dates if he changed and became a handsy creep the moment you were going out."

And part of her worries that Minako might not... actually voice discomfort, if she were feeling some, because...

"You can never be too careful...! Not that I don't trust your judgement or anything just... you know. It's hard to know for sure, until you do."

Yeah no she's going to be going round and round this thought for a while.

Idly she chews on her rice ball.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
<poem>
"Oh, yeah... I've had people make assumptions about me like that, too," Minako says. She looks back at Yukari. "It's funny, you know? We're up here eating by ourselves. And no one would ever think..."

She trails off. She doesn't finish that -- and it's not like she would be interested in Yukari, like that -- but then she shakes her head. And it's a distraction (is it, really?) from the other topic at hand.

"Yeah," she says. "You're right. And it's not... you know. It's not ridiculous, the idea of me having a boyfriend."

She says it with a smile. She says it so cheerfully, so simply.

And it was absolutely something she wondered about, thought about, and worried about. And it's something she still does.

Answers are never easy.

Her eyes light up, at Yukari's offer. Then, she nods, and she looks happy with that. "Thanks, Takeba-chan. I trust him, but... you've got a point. It's best to be safe. We could have... a code, even, like, text the other and then we can call, right on cue, to help the other get out of a situation?"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Yukari Takeba has posed.
<poem>
"Huh!?" Yukari looks surprised at Minako saying that, "W-Well of course they wouldn't. We're just two girls, eating lunch."

Wait does Minako think that's the same as a boy ''and'' a girl eating lunch!?

Yukari doesn't process that thought, because she's used to the Arisatos being a little strange about their logical conclusions...

"Nah like, not ridiculous at all. Most girls are age are... looking for one even."

Just I didn't realize you might be!
Kinda stupid now that I think about it...

"And most guys are looking for a girlfriend. You know how many times I've been asked out?"

Pause.

"I can't actually answer that, I don't remember like half of them."

Yukari says as she leans back, lifting a palm in the air. Most girls would think it's a brag, but she's actually not. It's more like she's annoyed by it.

If she allowed herself to process the number, then she'd probably just be angry ''all the time''?

"Right exactly. You're our leader right? We have to look out for you! So I'd be happy to do that until you know for sure he's safe."

Bite, bite. How many guys ''had'' asked her out lately? ... Chew, chew. She actually tries to think, furrowing her brow and... she can only clearly remember one time.

And... she didn't mind that one so much?

"Huh... now that I think about it, the only one who's asked me out lately is..." She says it absently, but then, she seems startled, like she's remembering Minako's here with her, "Oh ah! Nobody! Don't even worry about it. Just some... guy trying a line."

And that guy just happened to be Minako's twin brother.

Cool Yukari, super smooth.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
<poem>
"Haa, yeah... sorry, I don't know why that occurred to me," Minako says, and it's almost the truth.

She looks at Yukari -- considers what she says -- and then she nods. Then, she cracks a smile as she says that, though she hesitates. She catches that way that Yukari seems like she is annoyed by it.

"It sucks," she says. "When people don't consider what you might want. And just think about they want. A lot of people our age want to date, but... that's not everyone, right?"

She hesitates for a second, though, and then she blinks -- and she turns her head to look back at Yukari. She lifts one eyebrow in a ''very'' skeptical look. And then she hesitates, for a second, as she considers it for a moment. "What, like, you didn't even know the guy's name?"

Minako never imagines who it ''really'' was.

"A total stranger? That's ''so'' weird," Minako says with a sigh. "It's like I was just saying!"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Yukari Takeba has posed.
<poem>
"You're so weird sometimes." Yukari says, almost affectionately, as she nudges Minako's side. Then...

"Yeah... well. I guess it's hard to know what I might want without getting to know me? So it's not like I have no sympathy. Or at least - I'd have more if most of them didn't jump right to 'I love you! Please go out with me!' just like that."

Yes she even mimics a guy's voice for that section. "Like if someone can say that while barely even knowing me... they can't really actually love me for me. They just love some ''idea'' of who I am."

...

She thinks it's fine! She has it covered...!

And then Minako asked something that causes her mind to blip into static before kicking back into high gear, like it's trying to catch up. "I mean - most of the time I don't know the guy's name! They really come out of nowhere."

But... she doesn't want to ''lie'' to her outright either. "But, not so much... this guy. Uhhh, I guess I thought he was picking up bad habits from someone else, or doing it on a dare from someone. You know the guys do that all the time? Dare someone to ask me out, like I'm some kind of challenge to conquer."

Come on Yukari! Think of a way out of this!

"... It wasn't even the worst line I'd ever heard but, you know, what does it matter anyway? Guys will be... guys."

Wait a second, is she, blushing a little?

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
<poem>
Minako laughs when Yukari nudges her in the side. She nudges her back, glances sideways at her. "Takeba-haaaaan~" she says, thickening up that Osaka accent for effect for just a moment. "I think you like me that way."

She glances sideways at Yukari -- and then she nods her head, with understanding. Then, she laughs at the impression, and covers her mouth with her hand. "That's... that's just sad, with those guys. They're just... they don't care that it's ''you''."

Minako gets asked out less. She is a transfer student and new. She is pretty, but she isn't quite Yukari's sort of pretty. And she can be a little -- okay, a lot -- intense.

It's been rare, so far.

She looks sideways at Yukari, and she considers for a second. Then, she nods. "Yeah," she says. "If it's not their idea."

But Yukari is blushing, a little.

"If you don't think he was sincere," Minako says, "then it's probably for the best that you shot him down, right?"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Yukari Takeba has posed.
<poem>
The use of that honorific in her Osakan accent, plus implying she's into her!? "Pfft... what the heck? As if." She says, now completely un-seriously given that all.

"I'm not into ''anyone'' right now, come on. Is this an Osaka thing? To make all kinds of those 'S-Class' jokes." She looks mildly exasperated, but she's smiling, "Don't make me the Tsukkomi in your rooftop Manzai act."

It's really not a competition anyway. And if it were, it's one Yukari would ''gladly'' not be winning, or even in the running for.

She just figures Minako gets asked out the normal amount - maybe a little more than that even because she's outgoing and really cute? Plus, a star on the Volleyball Team.

She thinks she's escaped, since Minako doesn't start with asking his name again, but then she looks sidelong, at her statement, "Huh!? I mean..."

Now she actually looks she's really thinking that one through, her expression almost contemplative but a little intense.

"... I guess he might have been? Uh... maybe. Look. It's hard to say. And like I said - I'm not looking for anyone to be my boyfriend right now."

But if she were?

Okay that thought bothers her.

Would she say yes, if she were looking right now?

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
<poem>
The joke about a Manzai routine prompts Minako to get the giggles. She laughs, shaking her head quickly. "Sorry, sorry," she says, "I'll spare you from such a fate, Takeba-chan."

She smiles at her -- and sits up a bit straighter, then puts her mostly-emptied bento box at her side, on that white, curving bench. Minako's crimson eyes turn to meet Yukari's, and she considers for a second.

That intense, thoughtful look is hard to look away from.

"No, that's... that's what important. Knowing what you want," Minako says. She falls quiet for a second. "Actually..."

And she is quiet for a second more.

"I envy you, Takeba-chan," she says. "Earlier... I wasn't totally honest. I don't know if I want a boyfriend. I--I mean, I tried to avoid thinking about it, really." She is quieter, then; it sounds lame to admit.

"...and I guess the only way to know is see where something goes," she says. "But... you seem like you know what you want."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Yukari Takeba has posed.
<poem>
"Sureeee you will." Yukari says, as if exasperated and enjoying herself simultaneously! It can be both!

But then Minako looks thoughtful, and Yukari gives her an expression as if to ask 'What is it?' without actually getting to the words, before Minako voices it.

And Yukari maybe holds her breath at being told she envies her, "You do?" As if surprised, before she confides what she was thinking earlier. It's... actually what Yukari was thinking, but...

... it went a step further than that. Several steps further. To whether Minako might just doing it because she is 'supposed to'. And whether she thinks she wouldn't know even if she did like him, because of... what's underneath that smile.

Yukari doesn't even know really all that's underneath it, just, a hint. Enough to guess.

"You do..." She trails off, as her expression becomes torn, but like she's trying hard to keep it neutral.

"I guess that's accurate. I know exactly what I want... and what I'm here to do."

It's just, if she feels lost, groping in the dark, like she has no idea how to get there, is it really an enviable position? If she has no idea how a person is supposed to live, much less herself, isn't it leading her on?

Isn't it making her seem like a more admirable person than she actually is?

"Well... I think it's okay not to know, really. Most people don't really know what they want out of life, right?"

...

"And even more people just lie to themselves about... thinking they know what they want, but they only want it because they think it's the way things are supposed to be."

Marriage? Kids? She doesn't want any of that! But most girls would instantly go 'Well duh, of course I'm getting married. Of course I'm having kids some day.' Because they're told they have to.

Because you're an outsider if you don't.

"I don't think it's wrong to date someone to figure out how you feel about them. And I don't think it's wrong either to just... hang out with them for the same reason."

She manages a thin smile at her, "I wish I had better advice to give you really, but I've never really gone out with anyone? Or hung out with a guy to figure out if I like him or anything."

Wait... is that really true?

DON'T THINK ABOUT IT!

"Either way, we can keep eating lunch together, and... well, I guess... I don't mind listening when you want to talk about how it's all coming along."

It's... a small step up, from when she couldn't be there for Minako before. Tiny Tiny little steps...

... but it's something?

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
<poem>
Minako laughs when Yukari seems exasperated, but in a good way.

But the conversation turns more serious. It's easy for Minako to see that what she said moved Yukari, but she doesn't know if it's a good or bad sort of moved. She watches, and she listens, even as Yukari tries to keep her voice neutral.

"Yeah," Minako agrees, quietly. She also knows what they're here to do. And Yukari ''did'' say she wants to protect her leader. She can't forget that.

"No, most... most people don't," Minako agrees quietly. "I don't. And sometimes it feels easy to say--y'know. Do what a girl is supposed to. Want what a girl is supposed to. But..."

Her eyes turn to meet Yukari's. "...Yeah. It's okay. It's good advice, and--I don't know if I want to date him. Or anyone," she says. "But... I don't mind spending time and seeing if I can figure it out."

Then, she cracks a smile -- and it's warm, and maybe it's not forced. "Thanks, Takeba-chan. I'll take you up on that. And... you know." She tilts her head, a little red hair swaying when she does.

"Same for you, okay? If you want."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Yukari Takeba has posed.
<poem>
"Yeah... everyone acts like, we're supposed to have it all planned out already. You have to be married by twenty five... kids before you're thirty."

She brushes a hand through her hair, "But that's not what I want. And when it's not, those things feel more like threats than goals?"

She thinks of her Mother, desperate to have a boyfriend - desperate to get remarried, thinking she has to settle for asshole after asshole because she's already over forty.

Because she has a kid.

What kind of life is that? Being trapped in the expectation that you ''need'' that.

"Yeah. I think that feels right. Just, go at your own pace alright? Don't get caught up in his. My guess is if you're thinking 'maybe' that he's probably at 'definitely' when it comes to wanting to date you."

Yukari has a pretty dim view of guys and their 'irresponsibility' in general, thank the guys who dated her Mom.

Also Junpei, but he's much less at fault!!! He's only like, 15% responsible at best.

"Then, let's keep meeting up here." She says, with a smile, "It's not like I have any other commitments around lunch time."

What she says though...

... Yukari looks off towards the turbines in the distance, past it towards the sea and wonders.

She would swear she was going to say 'Like that could ever happen' but it's like she suddenly gets this moment where she thinks, she might have already said that once.

Puzzled, she keeps looking out into the distance until that pervasive loneliness that thought brought to her fades away under the feeling of another thought entirely.

"I guess it could happen." She eventually replies, a hand brushing through her hair to tuck some of it back into place as the sea air causes it to blow backwards, "Maybe some day..."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
<poem>
"Yeah. And... that's a lot to commit to," Minako says. She looks sideways at Yukari, watching the way her fingers run through her hair -- and it gives her a moment's pause, as she thinks about that, and what Yukari says.

"It does," she agrees. "And like it's... a fallback, but like it's too easy. Or settling, somehow."

She shakes her head once.

Then, she gets a smile on her face -- and Minako tilts her head to the side. "Maybe so," she admits. "He's hard to read, but... I remember what you said, too."

She smiles more, then, when Yukari says they should keep getting lunch up here. Minako nods in agreement, then, and her feet swing on the bench as she does. "Sure," she says. "I'd like that a lot. My lunches are open, too."

She looks after Yukari's line of sight -- at the turbines, and then back at Yukari. Her smile fades while she watches, but Minako doesn't look unhappy. She watches the way the wind moves through her hair, the way her fingers do the same.

Then, quietly, Minako says, "Yeah. Maybe some day."

</poem>

[[Category:Logs]]
[[Category:Season 1]]
[[Category:Season 1, Episode 1]]

2025-09-10: Event Horizon

2025-10-19T17:21:15Z

Tex: Created page with "*'''Log: 2025-09-10: Event Horizon''' *'''Cast:''' Minako Arisato, Fuuka Yamagishi *'''Where:''' Iwatodai Dormitory, Port Island *'''OOC Date:''' September 10, 2025 *'''IC Date:''' July 09, 2012 *'''Summary''': ''In an effort to bond, Minako brings Fuuka a familiar movie to watch. Minako is ''not'' prepared. '' ---- <Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed. <poem> Minako told Fuuka that she wants to be friends. And, in the way of Minako Arisato and her efforts..."

*'''Log: 2025-09-10: Event Horizon'''
*'''Cast:''' [[Minako Arisato]], [[Fuuka Yamagishi]]
*'''Where:''' Iwatodai Dormitory, Port Island
*'''OOC Date:''' September 10, 2025
*'''IC Date:''' July 09, 2012
*'''Summary''': ''In an effort to bond, Minako brings Fuuka a familiar movie to watch. Minako is ''not'' prepared. ''

----

<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
<poem>
Minako told Fuuka that she wants to be friends. And, in the way of Minako Arisato and her efforts to live up to that, she dug up something that she hopes will help: a movie! It's one from the late 1990's, titled 'Redshift,' about a beleaguered spaceship that encountered a black hole.

And, supposedly, the crew finds it to be a gateway to hell.

She holds the DVD case up and beams, as she stands inside the common room of the Dorm. The redhead grins at Fuuka. "I'm not sure if you saw this... I never did, but I heard it's really cool."

A beat.

"And scary. It's supposed to be super scary." She hesitates. "So I thought... maybe we could watch it, since... uh. It'd be fun, right, Yamagishi-san?"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
<poem>Fuuka has been rather quiet about her own interests. She's been more inclined to go along with what others are talking about than bring up conversation topics of her own to try to fit in. As a result, one might be a little surprised to discover that Fuuka Yamagishi...

...actually ''really'' enjoys science fiction. It's one of her favorite genres. As such, she's seen Redshift before. Multiple times, in fact, in different languages. But is it really a normal thing for a girl her age to be interested in...? And so, when Minako displays the DVD case for her approval, several impulses war within her one after the other.

1. Pretend she's never seen it. ...Unlikely to work. When she doesn't react as expected at the climactic points, it might lead Minako to think she isn't enjoying the movie, and she doesn't want to disappoint her.

2. Gush about the movie's production and the remarkable work for the time that went into the special effects. ...No. She doesn't want to weird her out.

3., and the option that ultimately wins out...

"I've seen it before, yes..." Fuuka confirms with a nod. "But, um... It's really good. I'd love to watch it with you."

...She can't lie, she ''is'' kind of interested to see it again through the eyes of a first-timer.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
<poem>
Minako can't ''quite'' catch the mental conflict inside of Fuuka Yamagishi. Nor does she quite catch how much Fuuka loves Redshift -- even if she says that it's really good. That keeps Minako from deflating a little, since she thought she found a rare science fiction movie.*

* Minako, it's a famous cult classic, it's not rarely seen.

She smiles at Fuuka and nods her head, eagerly. "Sure!" she says. "I'll put it in, then!"

She grabs the remote, fiddles with the DVD player, and then she sits down on the sofa. When she does, she looks at Fuuka -- pausing as she considers. And, as it happens, she doesn't hit play yet.

"Should we get popcorn?"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
<poem>"Okay." Fuuka replies, returning Minako's smile with one of her own. Minako moves to insert the DVD and Fuuka is ''about'' to move to join her on the couch...

...at least until Minako brings up an important point.

Popcorn!

"Maybe we should. Popcorn is important part of sharing movies with friends." Fuuka replies, saying it as if reciting something she's read before. Which means she probably did. She pauses, though, as she considers another point. "...Do we have any in the dorm?"
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
<poem>
Minako cracks a smile when Fuuka says it almost ''formally''. Like she almost thinks, for a second, that Fuuka is telling a joke. But...

She seems serious.

"Let me check," Minako says, and she hops up and walks into the kitchen. A moment later, she pokes her head around the column. "We've got the microwaveable kind! I'll toss some in."

There is the sound of crinkled plastic being opened -- then the beeps of the microwave -- and then the tell-tale pops of the cooking popcorn. Minako puts a bowl down with a 'clink,' then she walks around the corner.

"It's almost like we're going to the movie theaters," she says. "When did you first see Redshift, anyways?"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
<poem>Minako goes to check, and Fuuka takes a seat. They ''do'' in fact have popcorn, as it happens, and it isn't long before the telltale sounds emanate from the kitchen.

"Almost. It's a little exciting." Fuuka agrees with a small laugh - and then considers the question. When did she first see it...? "A few years ago, I think. I'd heard a lot about it, and eventually got the chance when it showed up at the film festival."

Going in person was nervewracking, and she almost expected to be turned away at the door...
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
<poem>
"Mm-hm!" Minako agrees, with another cheerful smile. Those come awfully easy to her. "That sounds like fun. I heard the film festival in Iwatodai is really something. When I lived here before... ah, I was too little to really remember much about it. I think my parents went."

She shakes her head.

The microwave 'dings' -- and then she grabs the popcorn bag, tears it open, and pours it out into the large glass bowl. Then, she comes over and sits down, putting the bowl on the coffee table in front of them.

"Okay!" she says. "You ready? I'm excited. I heard it's really scary, too!"

This doesn't seem to bother Minako in the slightest.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
<poem>"It is. I always try to go at least one movie whenever it comes around." Fuuka replies. Minako was too little to remember it, though, when she lived here. Her parents... Fuuka offers her a small smile. "Then... We should go together, next time it's on. We can pick a few out."

There's a 'ding' and, soon enough, Minako returns with the bowl of popcorn.

"I'm ready. It is, but... I'm excited, too." Fuuka replies. Minako seems almost excited by the prospect of scariness... Well, that's a good energy to have for a movie like this. She's looking forward to her reactions.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
<poem>
"Do you like movies a lot, Yamagishi-san?" Minako asks. Then she blinks at the offer -- and there's a smile, and a quick nod of her head. "That would be great. I'd love to."

She nods her head, then, and looks serious. Minako lifts her left hand, makes a fist, and pumps it -- like she can pump herself up with that, too. Her eyes focus on the TV in front of them both...

...and she hits play.

At first, she follows along -- but it seems normal. A spaceship goes on a rescue mission for a ship at the edge of the solar system. The intrepid crew approaches that ship, the Redshift, which isn't responsive. But then, the first truly scary and tense moment comes:

When a crew member gets sucked into space without a helmet and their eyes ''explode''.

"Holy crap," Minako whispers, jaw agape.

Last connect was from c-69-138-215-77.hsd1.md.comcast.net on Wed Sep 10 15:29:29 2025.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
<poem>"I do. They're really interesting, like a peek into another world similar to our own, but just slightly different. I always find myself wondering about them..." Fuuka replies. Minako wants to go, though, and Fuuka smiles, feeling just a little proud of successfully asking to do something with a friend... even if that something is a while out yet.

Minako pumps herself up and Fuuka follows suit with her own serious look, turning back to face the television as she presses play.

She watches the screen intently, focusing on all the detail going into the movie. She remembers the events keenly, so she knows it's coming up.

But. Even though she knows, and even though her attention is partially on Minako to judge her reaction...

...She ''still'' jumps at ''that'' scene. Every time.

"It stuck with me for days the first time I saw it..." Fuuka comments with a sheepish laugh, her heart still pounding a little.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
<poem>
"Me, too," Minako says. "Movies are a good window into whole other lives. It's fun to think, 'What if I was there?'"

She may not have that with Redshift by the end.

Minako gasps, but she doesn't ''mind''. After all, she likes scary movies -- and getting scared is the whole point. She shakes her head a few times. "I bet. That was scary. And ''COOL''," she says. "You like scary stuff, huh?"

She grabs a handful of popcorn, and munches on it -- as the movie continues, the unfortunate repair-astronaut being rushed to medbay.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
<poem>"Mm-hm. I find myself wondering it's like - how everything in that world works." Fuuka agrees with a nod.

...Most of the time. Some, she's fine leaving as they are. ...Like this one.

Cool... It looks like she was right on the money.

"Sometimes. I have to be in the right mood for it, but... It can be nice to be scared from a... safe distance." She replies. Her capacity for scary media has definitely increased lately, though. "...And, it's always fascinating to think about how they pulled off the effects. How much thought must've gone into every frame."

The movie continues, and Fuuka joins Minako in taking popcorn.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
<poem>
"Mm-hm," Minako murmurs. It's different when things are really scary -- like Dark Hour -- and being scared in a controlled way is fun. She looks sideways at Fuuka for a second. "This was before computer graphics could do much, right? All... uh... make-up and stuff?"

She doesn't know the term 'practical effects.'

The movie continues. They investigate the Redshift -- and one crewmember is tragically caught in the gravity drive, and rendered catatonic. And then, the crew find a video of what happened.

It is, of course, the infamous and bloodiest scene in the movie. The Redshift's crew goes mad and murder each other -- the results of being dragged into a hellish dimension by their drive -- and it ends with the captain screaming in Latin (with the original actor, rather than the Japanese dub) while holding out his own eyes.

Minako makes a face, yelping in shock, and throwing some popcorn in a fight-or-''FIGHT'' response. The popcorn bounces off the television screen.

"Kyaaaah!" she yells. "H-How did they do that!? Oh my gosh--that was amazing!"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
<poem>"Yes. It's... very different, when it's right in front of you." Fuuka replies, and she nods. "Yes. CGI was in some use, but it was very expensive, especially if you wanted to make it look convincing. You'd have to use a lot of tricks, but mixing in some practical effects can do a lot to sell the illusion."

She's so caught up in it that she doesn't get a chance to think she might be over-explaining and spiral about it - especially when ''that'' scene happens.

She probably /really/ should not have been allowed into the theater! But that's what happens when your staff is often comprised of bored teenagers just looking for a paycheck and/or an increase in their social stats.

The popcorn is thrown, scattering everywhere. Fuuka laughs just a little - but she's still on edge, herself.

"It's... really impressive, isn't it? After you get over all the, um... Everything." Fuuka replies. "There might be a 'Making Of' feature on the DVD."
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
<poem>
"Mm-hm, I see what you mean. The effects wouldn't be the same," Minako says with a laugh.

She ''does'' wonder -- after she gets past the scare -- how old Fuuka was when she saw this. But, she seems like she came out fine! She laughs, and leans back into the sofa, as the movie keeps playing.

The finale is starting, even. But Minako glances sideways at Fuuka and nods. "Yeah, it's really impressive! I had no idea," she says. She considers. "You want to watch that next?"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
<poem>"They wouldn't be. ...They might have still been memorable for other reasons, though." Fuuka replies with a small laugh.

The film continues, and the finale begins.

Fuuka nods.

"Yes, let's." She agrees... and then pauses, considering the popcorn currently scattered across the floor.

"We should, um... probably clean up after the movie, first, before anyone else comes in..." She admits with a sheepish laugh.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
<poem>
"This is ''definitely'' memorable," Minako says, with another grin. She looks sideways at Fuuka, then, and she nods.

Though she considers her point for just a moment. Then, she nods again.

"Good point," she says. "Kirijo-senpai wouldn't be happy if we left popcorn all over the floor!"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
<poem>"Definitely..." Fuuka agrees with a sheepish laugh - and then, she nods.

"No, probably not..." She agrees. ...It's a scary thought, perhaps even more than the movie they're watching - and one she'd rather not learn the consequences of...
</poem>

[[Category:Logs]]
[[Category:Season 1]]
[[Category:Season 1, Episode 1]]

2025-10-10: Classic Gaming

2025-10-19T17:18:53Z

Tex: Created page with "*'''Log: 2025-10-10: Classic Gaming''' *'''Cast:''' Eri Natsuhara, Fuuka Yamagishi *'''Where:''' Akihabara Electric Town, Tokyo *'''OOC Date:''' October 10, 2025 *'''IC Date:''' July 24, 2012 *'''Summary''': ''Fuuka runs into Eri Natsuhara, and finds an adult with interests in common.'' ---- <Pose Tracker> Eri Natsuhara has posed. <poem> In Akihabara Electric Town, there are numerous stores. Junichi's Secondhand Electronics is one such store, known for an ele..."

*'''Log: 2025-10-10: Classic Gaming'''
*'''Cast:''' [[Eri Natsuhara]], [[Fuuka Yamagishi]]
*'''Where:''' Akihabara Electric Town, Tokyo
*'''OOC Date:''' October 10, 2025
*'''IC Date:''' July 24, 2012
*'''Summary''': ''Fuuka runs into Eri Natsuhara, and finds an adult with interests in common.''

----

<Pose Tracker> Eri Natsuhara has posed.
<poem>
In Akihabara Electric Town, there are numerous stores. Junichi's Secondhand Electronics is one such store, known for an electic mixture of different older electronics. It has game systems from an early era -- Gameboy Advances next to consoles from the 1990's -- and it has some older software, in cardboard boxes that have gotten faded by exposure to light.

And, standing before some of those older games -- they have fancy anime art, in a classic early 90's style -- is a woman in her mid-twenties. She has auburn hair, chin length and a little on the floofy side, and notably... she leans on a shiny red cane.

She is looking them over, while holding her phone in her other hand and writing with her thumb -- an app that lets her trace letters, and make them appear on her screen.

Eri Natsuhara looks focused, but she hums lightly as she does. "Hm, hm~" she murmurs. "What a great selection, I just need to get some pictures!"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
<poem>Exams are on - but they've been going well enough so far, so Fuuka has decided to treat herself with a day out. And a 'day out' for Fuuka can mean a number of things... but today, that means taking a trip over to Akihabara. Akihabara possesses a draw for any with a love for technology or modern media. Fuuka Yamagishi is no exception for this... but she lives in Iwatodai City, so opportunities to visit are slim. Before she moved into the dorms, she could barely have imagined it, but now she has both enough freedom and enough spare cash to make irresponsible technology purchases.

And so today, she browses the shelves of Junichi's Secondhand Electronics. There's always forgotten treasures of some kind to be uncovered here, and the fancy covers are always a delight to browse through. She's a little absorbed in that at the moment...

...And it's that that leads her to nearly wander in front of Eri - but she pulls herself back at the last second, realising that someone else is at the same shelf.

"Oh, I'm sorry..." Fuuka apologises quickly.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Eri Natsuhara has posed.
<poem>
Eri blinks when a teenager steps in front of her. She shuffles a little, even; her right foot stepping backward, then her left much more stiffly and with effort. She blinks her one good eye -- then she smiles at Fuuka, and shakes her head.

Her right eye is covered by an eyepatch; the leather straps around her head vanish inside of her hair, though.

"It's okay," she says. She looks at the boxes with the colorful, vintage art -- if a little faded, now -- and then back at Fuuka. Then, she smiles, and straightens up a little. "You looked excited. Do you like older games like this?"

She puts her phone down, at her side, for the moment. Her story can wait.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
<poem>Fuuka takes note of the eyepatch and the cane but she doesn't linger on them, instead focusing on Eri herself. Fuuka looks nervous and still just a little embarrassed at the near-miss - but when Eri smiles, she manages a small smile back.

"Oh, yes... I've always been interested in them, but until recently, I've only been able to look from afar." Fuuka replies. ...With the exception of emulation, but she's tactful enough not to bring that up in a random conversation with a stranger. "They're really something else up close, aren't they? You can feel the love what went into the presentation."

She pauses - and briefly wonders if that was maybe a bit too earnest. It's not strange for her to have an interest like that, is it...?
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Eri Natsuhara has posed.
<poem>
"Did you get your hands on an older console?" Eri asks, with her head tilted. "Those things are a ''bear'' to get working right. Especially with modern TV's. I mean, getting them to display right on high definition..."

She laughs a little. "But, that just makes it worth it. They really went all out on the presentation. And figuring out how to make it work, with older technology, when there were more limits!"

She nods her head. "That makes it even more interesting to me, since they're working with limitations that are hard to imagine with the modern consoles," she says.

If it's strange, it appears this older woman is just as strange.

She adjusts her stance a little; Eri relaxes a bit, as she glances at some of the boxes.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
<poem>Eri asks if she's gotten her hands on an older console, and Fuuka shakes her head.

"No, not yet. But I was hoping I might be able to find one. I have a little more time to spend on it now..." She explains. It's only a ''little'' bit of a lie - she only has that time now because she doesn't have her parents looking over her shoulder all the time. She nods, though, as Eri talks about the difficulty in getting them to work right, and enthuses about how it's difficult to get them to work right, but how it makes it worth it.

She... really knows her stuff, doesn't she...? It's impressive, honestly, that she can be so open about it...

"Yes... it's only data, but the signals are so vastly different that it makes it difficult to find something capable of converting them into the right format." Fuuka agrees, about the difficulty in getting an older console to work right. "But, you're right... It's incredible. They had so much less to work with, but they were able to accomplish so much. It's fascinating to read about all they did to pull every bit of performance out of what they had."
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Eri Natsuhara has posed.
<poem>
"That's important," Eri says. "This is a a good store for that, though. The prices are pretty good -- and Junichi will usually cut you a deal. Though, sometimes, you have to haggle. And--" She leans forward and winks with her one eye, conspiratorially.

"--you might have to needle him a little," she says. She backs up, then she laughs.

"It's okay, though. Once you have the converters and some practice, it gets to be second nature. And then you can see all sorts of amazing stuff," she says. "I didn't play some of these when they came out." She taps an MSX-era box, with one finger. "This one was before I got into electronics, but now I really like those smaller consoles. What they did to get performance out of it... and the ideas that didn't catch on, but were interesting anyways."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
<poem>"Yes, I've heard a lot of good things about this place... That's why I decided to come here." Fuuka replies with a nod. Haggling! And... She laughs, just a bit sheepishly, before admitting, "I'm... not very good at needling."

Eri offers her assurance, though, and Fuuka smiles.

"...Admittedly, I'm kind of looking forward to that. It's been a while since I've had any kind of big hardware project..." She admits. Figuring out how to actually make it all ''work'' is half the fun, in her mind - puzzling out a new system and making it work for her.

Her attention is drawn to the MSX-era box Eri taps.

"That one was before my time, too..." Fuuka comments. ...Literally - that box is probably older than ''she'' is. "...But I do find it very intriguing. It's a little inspiring. I think there's a lot to be taken from even the things that didn't work out."

Last connect was from c-69-138-215-77.hsd1.md.comcast.net on Fri Oct 10 15:33:44 2025.

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Eri Natsuhara has posed.
<poem>
"I'm a little ''too'' good at it," Eri says with a laugh and a puff of air from her lips, blowing up some of her auburn hair. "I guess it comes with being a journalist, though."

She looks at Fuuka, then, and she tilts her head to the side. She gets a curious look on her face. "I love a good hardware project," she says. "But they do take up time. And space. But... nothing makes me feel quite as accomplished as really getting into the guts of something!"

Eri beams, before she looks back at Fuuka -- and she smiles, before she nods. "Mm-hm. That's how people learn, right?" she asks. "So... what system do you think you'll start with?"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
<poem>That gets a small laugh out of Fuuka.

"I suppose that ''would'' be helpful..." She comments. "Are you, um... with any particular publication, or do you freelance?"

Fuuka sees that curious look. She nods her agreement as she says hardware projects take up time and space... and a genuine smile crosses her face.

"Mm-hm. When you look at something and can understand how it all fits together, and that moment when it all 'clicks' and watching it work for the first time... It's amazing, isn't it?" Fuuka agrees. It's rare for her to meet people who can really understand the sentiment, so it's difficult to express it... but it feels like Eri understands.

"Yes. Exactly." Fuuka agrees... and then considers for a moment longer. "I'm not sure yet... I ''do'' have a budget to consider, but maybe something with some good RPGs..."
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Eri Natsuhara has posed.
<poem>
"I'm with the Akihabara Almost Daily," Eri says. It comes out -- indeed -- almost daily. The occasional skipped day is part of her charm. She extends a hand. "Eri Natsuhara. Owner, editor, and reporter!"

It is, of course, a paper that covers electronics, computers, games, and lifestyle in Akihabara. Something of a smaller paper, but it has made a name for itself in the right hobby circles.

"It is. The first time I made something work... I won't forget that," she says, fondly. Then, she glances above the boxes -- at the consoles, with price tags next to them.

"In that case... I'd suggest either the SNES or the MSX. The MSX is more complicated, but it had some really amazing games. And the SNES is the golden age of RPG's, according to a lot of people."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
<poem>The Akihabara Almost Daily - there's a flash of recognition on Fuuka's face, which is confirmed when Eri introduces herself.

"Oh, it's nice to meet you, Natsuhara-san." Fuuka replies with a small. "I'm Fuuka Yamagishi. I think... I may actually be one of your subscribers."

She's been following it ever since her work got shared in some of the circles she runs in. It's been something of an inspiration.

The first time she made something work, though...

"I feel the same way - and all the little mistakes leading up to it." Fuuka agrees. Her smile is nostalgic, tinged with a bit of sadness as she thinks back to the days when she used to help her father assemble audio equipment. She doesn't dwell on it for long, though, as she considers Eri's suggestion.

Right now, something complicated is actually a little more appealing...

"I think I'll try the MSX, then..." She decides with a nod.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Eri Natsuhara has posed.
<poem>
"It's a pleasure, Yamagishi-kun! And I hope you like our work," Eri says, with another wink. She is something of a reclusive figure -- though with the cane and the eye patch, the reason might be obvious. She still looks proud, for a second. After all...

She reached someone Fuuka's age. That is a nice thought, after everything.

"Oh, yes," she says. "The mistakes are just a good story to tell! Static electricity," she adds, with a sigh. And a knowing sigh. Then, she looks at the shelves -- and she brightens up at the mention of the MSX.

"I think you'll have fun with it!" she says. "I recommend getting Zs III, too. It's a classic for a reason, and it's a great first game. You'll have to let me know how it goes, too, all right?"

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
<poem>"I do. I'm always looking forward to the next issue." Fuuka confirms with a nod. She certainly can't blame her for being reclusive. She's often that way, herself. In that way, they're alike - and it's just a little refreshing to know there's an adult who's interested in the same kind of things she is.

Static electricity... There's an embarrassed yet knowing laugh.

"Yes..." She agrees. It's the bane of everyone who works in electronics, waiting for them to let down their guard even the slightest amount.

She nods as Eri assures her she'll have fun with the MSX - and then a thoughtful expression crosses her face as she makes a game recommendation.

"Zs III... I've heard a lot about the series." Fuuka considers - and then, she nods. "Okay. I'll make that my first. I'll be sure to tell you how it goes."
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Eri Natsuhara has posed.
<poem>
"I'm so glad," Eri says, with a smile. Then, she waves around the store with her free hand. "I'm actually doing a special on this. It'll be in our next issue. Or... maybe the one after, depending how that goes."

She looks pleased when Fuuka likes her recommendation. Eri grins. "I'm looking forward to it!" she says. "And I should probably leave you to it, too." She reaches into her pocket, pulling out her smartphone.

"I need to get a few photographs of the place," she says. "But send me an email about how things went, will you? And maybe we can get coffee sometime and talk shop some more."

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
<poem>Oh, she's doing a special on the store...! Interest shines clear on Fuuka's face. Things make a lot of sense, now.

"Oh, really? Then I can't wait to see it." Fuuka replies. She nods, then, stepping away to give her space for taking pictures.

"Yes, of course." She replies. "I'd be happy to!"

Coffee and talking shop, hm?

"That sounds fun... I'm looking forward to it." Fuuka replies. She doesn't have a lot of people she can talk shop with face to face - it's a very different experience from doing so online.

"Alright, I'm going to go look for that... Take care, Natsuhara-san - it was nice meeting you!"

And with that she sets off, with a new mission.
</poem>

[[Category:Logs]]
[[Category:Season 1]]
[[Category:Season 1, Episode 1]]

Eri Natsuhara

2025-10-19T17:04:52Z

Tex:

{| class="toccolours" style="width: 15%; float: right; margin-left:2em; margin-right:0em; margin-bottom:2em; text-align: left; font-size: %110" cellspacing="2"
|-
! style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" align="center" colspan="2" | '''Eri Natsuhara'''
|-
! colspan="2" align="center" | [[File:Eri_Profile.jpg|300px]]
|-
! style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font-size: 110%;" align="center" colspan="2" | '''IC Information'''
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Full Name:
| Eri Natsuhara (夏原恵利)
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |Arcana:
| Strength
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Gender:
| Female
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Age (Birthdate):
| 26 (August 19, 1985)
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Hair Colour:
| Auburn
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Eye Colour:
| Crimson
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Height:
| 5'4" /163 cm
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Residence:
| Akihabara, Tokyo
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Workplace:
| ''Akihabara Almost Daily''
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Job:
| Reporter and Editor
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Role:
| Chorus
|-
! style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font-size: 110%;" align="center" colspan="2" | '''OOC Information'''
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Source:
| Persona 5 Tactica
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Groups:
| None
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Player:
| [[User:Tex|Iwatodai Station]]
|-
|}

''NOTE: This page has spoilers for the Chapter 3 and the ending of Persona 5 Tactica, particularly for the character of Toshiro Kusakabe.''

'''"I promise, I'll catch up to you one day."'''

Eri Natsuhara is the owner, editor, and primary reporter of a strange and eclectic newspaper in Akihbara Electric Town: the Akihabara Almost Daily. It publishes articles on lifestyle, technology, and curiosities in Tokyo. The Almost Daily has proved successful, but sometimes people call it rather light fare: it stays away from serious issues like politics, corruption, and the like. This bothers Eri more than she lets on, but she remains a popular voice in news about life and technology in Tokyo. She maintains an online personality, with loyal followers, though public appearances are rare. This is in part because of disability: she walks with a pronounced limp and the aid of a cane, and an eye patch. She is driven to make the Almost Daily one of the best newspapers in Tokyo, but she struggles with overprotective parents, who are still guarding her after a life-defining incident ten years ago.

= Background =
Eri Natsuhara was born in Tokyo on August 19, 1985. She came from a middle-class family; her parents, Shuichi and Ryoko Natsuhara, were kind and thoughtful... but also pushovers. They had a "turn the other cheek" philosophy to life: don't make waves, don't rock the boat, don't get in trouble. Thus, while Eri had a happy childhood, she also sometimes clashed with her parents because of a headstrong, stubborn personality... and a tendency to say what she thinks. Her mouth could often get ahead of her brain; her parents were constantly asking, pleading, and begging her to not make waves and keep to herself.

And Eri, because she loved them and wanted to make them happy, tried to do just that.

But in her first year of high school in Shujin Academy, she ran into trouble. She was accused of stealing something that belonged to another student. She couldn't even remember what it was, a couple of years later. The what was inconsequential, but the what happened shaped her future. Eri was promptly ostracized by her peers; the rumor mill at Shujin, ever vicious, turned on her. She was accused with little evidence. When she asked her parents, they told her the best thing to do was "wait for it to blow over." So she did that, and it only got worse. Her friends dropped her; they took her silence as an admission of guilt.

Finally, her homeroom teacher, Saito-sensei, talked to her. She told Eri words that would live with her for the rest of her life: "Silence in the face of injustice is complicity. If your guts tells you something's wrong, why not fight back?"

So Eri fought.

She found out who the real culprits were, through some clever (if amateur) detective work. Her classmates apologized to her, and the student who really did the theft got in trouble. But, Eri found, some things just couldn't be undone. Her friends weren't her friends anymore -- they were the people who doubted her. Her peers would always be the ones that abandoned her. And so, after a tearful discussion with her parents, Eri decided to transfer to Seven Sisters next year.

That spring, she tried to put her new philosophy into action. She went looking for problems, and she found them: Seven Sisters wasn't the cut-throat environment that Shujin was, socially, but bullying and people in need still happened. So Eri Natsuhara tried to find people to help. And in doing so, she found a kindred spirit: Toshiro Kasukabe, the son of a Diet member. He seemed meek, weak-willed, and the sort of person who could be walked all over -- he reminded her of her parents, sometimes -- but underneath that, she saw someone who also stood up to others. She first saw him stopping some punks from mugging a fellow student, and he took a beating in turn.

She was fascinated, so she sought him out. He was the student council president, despite being a first year. She started bringing students' problems to him -- and while he was exasperated, the two started working together. They reconciled friends who were fighting; they tracked down lost property; they once found someone's cat in a park at ten o'clock. They broke up fights, and Eri would drag Toshiro with him. He was exasperated with her -- and often claimed he was just keeping an eye on her -- while she liked to needle and poke at him, because he had the most torturous--excuse me, hilarious reactions. Eri was charmed, and they soon became fast friends.

Together, in 2002 and 2003, they made Seven Sisters into a nice school. But then, a new teacher -- Ichiro Nakabachi -- suddenly became Vice Principal. The quickness of his rise was suspect, and worse, a pall was cast over Seven Sisters that year. Nakabachi created a web of blackmail: by getting dirt on students and teachers, he used the threat of revealing that to make them act as informants. This guaranteed his meteoric rise, despite -- prior to that -- being a mediocre teacher at best. Students lived in fear of him and each other. Eri and Toshiro learned of this when another student, Yuri Kurano, came to them and told them what was happening.

Eri immediately ran off and confronted Nakabachi. It didn't work. But, with Toshiro's help -- and after some convincing -- they got Nakabachi's victims to all agree to come forward. Nakabachi was undone, and it seemed like they had won. He lost his job. Unfortunately, it didn't end there. He began to be harassed by students from the school -- and so did some of those who helped him -- and that began to break things down. In early 2003, one wintery evening, Nakabachi followed Eri and Toshiro into a train station. He had a nervous breakdown, and in a fit of self-pity and anger, he charged at Eri and pushed her off the platform. She fell, reaching her hand out for Toshiro. And then, there was the light of an oncoming train -- and then it hit her, and there was only blood and darkness.

She woke up days later in the hospital, forever changed. Her left leg was severely broken. She was wrapped in bandages from the trauma of the impact, with most of her ribs broken and severe bruising. She lost her right eye -- and half her face was bandaged to treat the wounds there.

[[File:Eri_Hospital.jpg|thumb|Eri in the hospital after the Nakabachi incident.]]

Eri grew depressed. Before that, she had been an athletic and energetic teenager. After that, the doctors were uncertain if she would ever walk again. Her parents went into an overprotective mode, and while they were frightened and loving, she was terrified that she might have brought it on herself. She received a small boost when Yuri came to visit, and thanked her; she could feel, at least, that she had done some good. But she felt exhausted as she considered the ways her life would change and the long road of physical therapy ahead of her. It was hard to not feel regretful and defeated.

When Toshiro visited her, Eri struggled. When he encouraged her, she had to admit that she couldn't keep fighting for something just. Toshiro was filled with guilt for what happened -- and Eri didn't blame him, but a part of her blamed herself. It was a part of herself that she thought she had quashed, when the theft incident happened, but that terrible thought reared back up. She finally pled with Toshiro to keep working for change, to not give up on the fight, and that one day, she would catch up with him. They parted, her words lingering with him, and his words lingering with her: she had to be able to reunite with him, some day, and that meant that she had to get better.

But after that, they didn't see each other much -- and that turned into "at all" after a few months. Toshiro was busy with the fallout at school and with his father. Eri was busy with physical therapy and rehabilitation. Distance let anxieties and doubts build; Toshiro grew to assume Eri blamed him for what happened, and Eri assumed that Toshiro blamed her for sticking her nose into things. It wasn't rational, but with her parents worrying and fretting over her, Eri couldn't quite shut those voices out.

It took over a year to receive the necessary surgeries and physical therapy, and she never fully recovered. Eri learned to walk with the help of a cane, but her left leg lacked the mobility to do more than a slow walk. She eventually got an eye patch for her right eye. She also wouldn't go back to Seven Sisters; she graduated through a program at her hospital, while she recovered.

When she was out -- it was a couple of months after graduation -- Eri had to decide what to do with her life. She still felt herself sliding into depression. She "recovered," but she didn't feel the same. Going outside and taking a walk was an ordeal and painful, still. The cane and the eye patch would draw stares. At first, Eri retreated into her room at her parents' house. But, Eri found an online community for people in a similar situation to her -- and she discovered a newfound love for electronics, and that let her begin to come out of her depression. She found a reason to make herself walk down to Akihabara, to buy parts for a computer that she wanted to build. She made and met friends who were into electronics.

By then, it was 2004, and Eri was just discovering that assistive technology was limited. She started researching it -- and found ways that electronics and modern appliances could make her life easier. When Eri was younger, she had been interested in being a journalist. The idea of challenging people in power terrified her, still, on some fundamental level. The idea of helping people like her -- and sharing her newfound enthusiasm -- appealed. Thus, after talking to her parents, she enrolled in college and majored in journalism. She still lived at home, and her parents had grown overprotective, but they supported her financially and helped her.

Eri graduated in 2008. With several friends, she decided to start a newspaper in Akihabara: the ''Akihabara Almost Daily'', a lifestyle newspaper that covers the latest electronics, culture, and local happenings. Eri, by virtue of her force of personality, became the editor. Her parents helped her with money. And, to her immense surprise, the Almost Daily became a hit. The quirky reporting, the irreverent coverage of local events ("Akihabara Unites to Discover That Afternoon Television Sucks"), and in-depth looks at new technologies, gadgets, and computers made it a hit. But, sometimes, Eri debated looking at something meatier -- at evidence of corruption, at a social injustice -- and then she froze up.

The Almost Daily gained a reputation for being a fun newspaper, but not one of substance. This bothers Eri, but she isn't ready to catch up to Toshiro yet.

[[File:Eri_Cane.jpg|thumb|Eri on a walk with her cane.]]

In late 2011, Eri undertook a large change: she finally moved out of her parents' house. The Almost Daily earns enough money to cover her expenses and then some, but her parents resisted the idea, convinced that she needed their help. Despite living away from home for almost six months, though, they won't quite let her try to live on her own. Her parents drop by frequently; they buy her groceries, they "help" without asking if Eri needs that help, and it leaves her without the sense of independence that she wants and has worked to provide for herself.

And after everything, Eri can't quite bring herself to tell them no. A little, traitorous part of her still whispers: maybe she got hurt because she fought back, and maybe Toshiro got hurt too because of that. So she accepts help that makes her feel like a child, and she struggles through every day, until she finds the will to do something about it.

==Season 1, Episode 1==
Forthcoming!

= Special Skills =
Eri is a woman in her twenties, with limited mobility and who has lost an eye. Nonetheless, she is an extremely talented writer and editor (though she prefers nonfiction). She also is very talented with electronics and computers, particularly building them. When she encounters a difficult situation, she has three approaches:

1. ''Helping is Job Number One'' (Understanding): If Eri sees someone in need, she gets to it and pitches in.

2. ''Turn Spirit into Strength'' (Guts): Eri thinks that her resolve and determination can overcome anything. Usually. And if she doesn't think this in a specific moment, this is what she goes back to.

3. ''Technology Opens Doors'' (Academics): Eri understands that looking at technology, and using it in innovative ways, can help solve logistical problems. And logical problems.

=Relationships=

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 75%; text-align: center;"
|-
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" | Name
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" | Address
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" | Arcana
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" | Social Link
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;"class="unsortable" | Info
|-
|[[Fuuka Yamagishi]]
|Yamagishi-kun
|3. Priestess
|☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''She's shy, but she's into electronics. That matters a lot.''
|-
|[[Ichika Kawase]]
|Kawase-kun
|15. Hanged Man
|☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''Love to see a kid who wants to be a reporter!''
|}

== NPC Relationships ==
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 75%; text-align: center;"
|-
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" | Name
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" | Arcana
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" | Social Link
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" class="unsortable" | Info
|-
|Toshiro Kusakabe
|Unknown
|★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|Her best friend from school. Someone she misses terribly. Someone she isn't ready to see again.
|}

= Soundtrack =
TBD

= Logs and Cutscenes =

==Season 1==

{{#dpl:
|category = logs&season 1
|linksto = {{PAGENAME}}
|ordermethod = title
|columns = 3
|rowcolformat=width=50%
|suppresserrors = yes
| addcategories = true
| mode = userformat
| format = ,,\n* [[%PAGE%]],
|noresultsheader=There are no logs on this wiki that {{PAGENAME}} participated in.
}}

{{#dpl:
|category = cutscenes&season 1
|linksto = {{PAGENAME}}
|ordermethod = title
|columns = 3
|rowcolformat=width=50%
|suppresserrors = yes
| addcategories = true
| mode = userformat
| format = ,,\n* [[%PAGE%]],
|noresultsheader=There are no cutscenes on this wiki that {{PAGENAME}} participated in.
}}

[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Adults]]
[[Category:Chorus]]

Eri Natsuhara

2025-10-19T17:03:45Z

Tex:

{| class="toccolours" style="width: 15%; float: right; margin-left:2em; margin-right:0em; margin-bottom:2em; text-align: left; font-size: %110" cellspacing="2"
|-
! style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" align="center" colspan="2" | '''Eri Natsuhara'''
|-
! colspan="2" align="center" | [[File:Eri_Profile.jpg|300px]]
|-
! style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font-size: 110%;" align="center" colspan="2" | '''IC Information'''
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Full Name:
| Eri Natsuhara (夏原恵利)
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |Arcana:
| Strength
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Gender:
| Female
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Age (Birthdate):
| 26 (August 19, 1985)
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Hair Colour:
| Auburn
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Eye Colour:
| Crimson
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Height:
| 5'4" /163 cm
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Residence:
| Akihabara, Tokyo
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Workplace:
| ''Akihabara Almost Daily''
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Job:
| Reporter and Editor
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Role:
| Chorus
|-
! style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font-size: 110%;" align="center" colspan="2" | '''OOC Information'''
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Source:
| Persona 5 Tactica
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Groups:
| None
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Player:
| [[User:Tex|Iwatodai Station]]
|-
|}

'''"I promise, I'll catch up to you one day."'''

Eri Natsuhara is the owner, editor, and primary reporter of a strange and eclectic newspaper in Akihbara Electric Town: the Akihabara Almost Daily. It publishes articles on lifestyle, technology, and curiosities in Tokyo. The Almost Daily has proved successful, but sometimes people call it rather light fare: it stays away from serious issues like politics, corruption, and the like. This bothers Eri more than she lets on, but she remains a popular voice in news about life and technology in Tokyo. She maintains an online personality, with loyal followers, though public appearances are rare. This is in part because of disability: she walks with a pronounced limp and the aid of a cane, and an eye patch. She is driven to make the Almost Daily one of the best newspapers in Tokyo, but she struggles with overprotective parents, who are still guarding her after a life-defining incident ten years ago.

= Background =
Eri Natsuhara was born in Tokyo on August 19, 1985. She came from a middle-class family; her parents, Shuichi and Ryoko Natsuhara, were kind and thoughtful... but also pushovers. They had a "turn the other cheek" philosophy to life: don't make waves, don't rock the boat, don't get in trouble. Thus, while Eri had a happy childhood, she also sometimes clashed with her parents because of a headstrong, stubborn personality... and a tendency to say what she thinks. Her mouth could often get ahead of her brain; her parents were constantly asking, pleading, and begging her to not make waves and keep to herself.

And Eri, because she loved them and wanted to make them happy, tried to do just that.

But in her first year of high school in Shujin Academy, she ran into trouble. She was accused of stealing something that belonged to another student. She couldn't even remember what it was, a couple of years later. The what was inconsequential, but the what happened shaped her future. Eri was promptly ostracized by her peers; the rumor mill at Shujin, ever vicious, turned on her. She was accused with little evidence. When she asked her parents, they told her the best thing to do was "wait for it to blow over." So she did that, and it only got worse. Her friends dropped her; they took her silence as an admission of guilt.

Finally, her homeroom teacher, Saito-sensei, talked to her. She told Eri words that would live with her for the rest of her life: "Silence in the face of injustice is complicity. If your guts tells you something's wrong, why not fight back?"

So Eri fought.

She found out who the real culprits were, through some clever (if amateur) detective work. Her classmates apologized to her, and the student who really did the theft got in trouble. But, Eri found, some things just couldn't be undone. Her friends weren't her friends anymore -- they were the people who doubted her. Her peers would always be the ones that abandoned her. And so, after a tearful discussion with her parents, Eri decided to transfer to Seven Sisters next year.

That spring, she tried to put her new philosophy into action. She went looking for problems, and she found them: Seven Sisters wasn't the cut-throat environment that Shujin was, socially, but bullying and people in need still happened. So Eri Natsuhara tried to find people to help. And in doing so, she found a kindred spirit: Toshiro Kasukabe, the son of a Diet member. He seemed meek, weak-willed, and the sort of person who could be walked all over -- he reminded her of her parents, sometimes -- but underneath that, she saw someone who also stood up to others. She first saw him stopping some punks from mugging a fellow student, and he took a beating in turn.

She was fascinated, so she sought him out. He was the student council president, despite being a first year. She started bringing students' problems to him -- and while he was exasperated, the two started working together. They reconciled friends who were fighting; they tracked down lost property; they once found someone's cat in a park at ten o'clock. They broke up fights, and Eri would drag Toshiro with him. He was exasperated with her -- and often claimed he was just keeping an eye on her -- while she liked to needle and poke at him, because he had the most torturous--excuse me, hilarious reactions. Eri was charmed, and they soon became fast friends.

Together, in 2002 and 2003, they made Seven Sisters into a nice school. But then, a new teacher -- Ichiro Nakabachi -- suddenly became Vice Principal. The quickness of his rise was suspect, and worse, a pall was cast over Seven Sisters that year. Nakabachi created a web of blackmail: by getting dirt on students and teachers, he used the threat of revealing that to make them act as informants. This guaranteed his meteoric rise, despite -- prior to that -- being a mediocre teacher at best. Students lived in fear of him and each other. Eri and Toshiro learned of this when another student, Yuri Kurano, came to them and told them what was happening.

Eri immediately ran off and confronted Nakabachi. It didn't work. But, with Toshiro's help -- and after some convincing -- they got Nakabachi's victims to all agree to come forward. Nakabachi was undone, and it seemed like they had won. He lost his job. Unfortunately, it didn't end there. He began to be harassed by students from the school -- and so did some of those who helped him -- and that began to break things down. In early 2003, one wintery evening, Nakabachi followed Eri and Toshiro into a train station. He had a nervous breakdown, and in a fit of self-pity and anger, he charged at Eri and pushed her off the platform. She fell, reaching her hand out for Toshiro. And then, there was the light of an oncoming train -- and then it hit her, and there was only blood and darkness.

She woke up days later in the hospital, forever changed. Her left leg was severely broken. She was wrapped in bandages from the trauma of the impact, with most of her ribs broken and severe bruising. She lost her right eye -- and half her face was bandaged to treat the wounds there.

[[File:Eri_Hospital.jpg|thumb|Eri in the hospital after the Nakabachi incident.]]

Eri grew depressed. Before that, she had been an athletic and energetic teenager. After that, the doctors were uncertain if she would ever walk again. Her parents went into an overprotective mode, and while they were frightened and loving, she was terrified that she might have brought it on herself. She received a small boost when Yuri came to visit, and thanked her; she could feel, at least, that she had done some good. But she felt exhausted as she considered the ways her life would change and the long road of physical therapy ahead of her. It was hard to not feel regretful and defeated.

When Toshiro visited her, Eri struggled. When he encouraged her, she had to admit that she couldn't keep fighting for something just. Toshiro was filled with guilt for what happened -- and Eri didn't blame him, but a part of her blamed herself. It was a part of herself that she thought she had quashed, when the theft incident happened, but that terrible thought reared back up. She finally pled with Toshiro to keep working for change, to not give up on the fight, and that one day, she would catch up with him. They parted, her words lingering with him, and his words lingering with her: she had to be able to reunite with him, some day, and that meant that she had to get better.

But after that, they didn't see each other much -- and that turned into "at all" after a few months. Toshiro was busy with the fallout at school and with his father. Eri was busy with physical therapy and rehabilitation. Distance let anxieties and doubts build; Toshiro grew to assume Eri blamed him for what happened, and Eri assumed that Toshiro blamed her for sticking her nose into things. It wasn't rational, but with her parents worrying and fretting over her, Eri couldn't quite shut those voices out.

It took over a year to receive the necessary surgeries and physical therapy, and she never fully recovered. Eri learned to walk with the help of a cane, but her left leg lacked the mobility to do more than a slow walk. She eventually got an eye patch for her right eye. She also wouldn't go back to Seven Sisters; she graduated through a program at her hospital, while she recovered.

When she was out -- it was a couple of months after graduation -- Eri had to decide what to do with her life. She still felt herself sliding into depression. She "recovered," but she didn't feel the same. Going outside and taking a walk was an ordeal and painful, still. The cane and the eye patch would draw stares. At first, Eri retreated into her room at her parents' house. But, Eri found an online community for people in a similar situation to her -- and she discovered a newfound love for electronics, and that let her begin to come out of her depression. She found a reason to make herself walk down to Akihabara, to buy parts for a computer that she wanted to build. She made and met friends who were into electronics.

By then, it was 2004, and Eri was just discovering that assistive technology was limited. She started researching it -- and found ways that electronics and modern appliances could make her life easier. When Eri was younger, she had been interested in being a journalist. The idea of challenging people in power terrified her, still, on some fundamental level. The idea of helping people like her -- and sharing her newfound enthusiasm -- appealed. Thus, after talking to her parents, she enrolled in college and majored in journalism. She still lived at home, and her parents had grown overprotective, but they supported her financially and helped her.

Eri graduated in 2008. With several friends, she decided to start a newspaper in Akihabara: the ''Akihabara Almost Daily'', a lifestyle newspaper that covers the latest electronics, culture, and local happenings. Eri, by virtue of her force of personality, became the editor. Her parents helped her with money. And, to her immense surprise, the Almost Daily became a hit. The quirky reporting, the irreverent coverage of local events ("Akihabara Unites to Discover That Afternoon Television Sucks"), and in-depth looks at new technologies, gadgets, and computers made it a hit. But, sometimes, Eri debated looking at something meatier -- at evidence of corruption, at a social injustice -- and then she froze up.

The Almost Daily gained a reputation for being a fun newspaper, but not one of substance. This bothers Eri, but she isn't ready to catch up to Toshiro yet.

[[File:Eri_Cane.jpg|thumb|Eri on a walk with her cane.]]

In late 2011, Eri undertook a large change: she finally moved out of her parents' house. The Almost Daily earns enough money to cover her expenses and then some, but her parents resisted the idea, convinced that she needed their help. Despite living away from home for almost six months, though, they won't quite let her try to live on her own. Her parents drop by frequently; they buy her groceries, they "help" without asking if Eri needs that help, and it leaves her without the sense of independence that she wants and has worked to provide for herself.

And after everything, Eri can't quite bring herself to tell them no. A little, traitorous part of her still whispers: maybe she got hurt because she fought back, and maybe Toshiro got hurt too because of that. So she accepts help that makes her feel like a child, and she struggles through every day, until she finds the will to do something about it.

==Season 1, Episode 1==
Forthcoming!

= Special Skills =
Eri is a woman in her twenties, with limited mobility and who has lost an eye. Nonetheless, she is an extremely talented writer and editor (though she prefers nonfiction). She also is very talented with electronics and computers, particularly building them. When she encounters a difficult situation, she has three approaches:

1. ''Helping is Job Number One'' (Understanding): If Eri sees someone in need, she gets to it and pitches in.

2. ''Turn Spirit into Strength'' (Guts): Eri thinks that her resolve and determination can overcome anything. Usually. And if she doesn't think this in a specific moment, this is what she goes back to.

3. ''Technology Opens Doors'' (Academics): Eri understands that looking at technology, and using it in innovative ways, can help solve logistical problems. And logical problems.

=Relationships=

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 75%; text-align: center;"
|-
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" | Name
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" | Address
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" | Arcana
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" | Social Link
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;"class="unsortable" | Info
|-
|[[Fuuka Yamagishi]]
|Yamagishi-kun
|3. Priestess
|☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''She's shy, but she's into electronics. That matters a lot.''
|-
|[[Ichika Kawase]]
|Kawase-kun
|15. Hanged Man
|☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''Love to see a kid who wants to be a reporter!''
|}

== NPC Relationships ==
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 75%; text-align: center;"
|-
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" | Name
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" | Arcana
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" | Social Link
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" class="unsortable" | Info
|-
|Toshiro Kusakabe
|Unknown
|★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|Her best friend from school. Someone she misses terribly. Someone she isn't ready to see again.
|}

= Soundtrack =
TBD

= Logs and Cutscenes =

==Season 1==

{{#dpl:
|category = logs&season 1
|linksto = {{PAGENAME}}
|ordermethod = title
|columns = 3
|rowcolformat=width=50%
|suppresserrors = yes
| addcategories = true
| mode = userformat
| format = ,,\n* [[%PAGE%]],
|noresultsheader=There are no logs on this wiki that {{PAGENAME}} participated in.
}}

{{#dpl:
|category = cutscenes&season 1
|linksto = {{PAGENAME}}
|ordermethod = title
|columns = 3
|rowcolformat=width=50%
|suppresserrors = yes
| addcategories = true
| mode = userformat
| format = ,,\n* [[%PAGE%]],
|noresultsheader=There are no cutscenes on this wiki that {{PAGENAME}} participated in.
}}

[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Adults]]
[[Category:Chorus]]

File:Eri Cane.jpg

2025-10-19T17:03:38Z

Tex:

File:Eri Hospital.jpg

2025-10-19T17:02:36Z

Tex:

File:Eri Profile.jpg

2025-10-19T17:01:01Z

Tex:

File:Eri Profile.webp

2025-10-19T16:58:31Z

Tex:

Eri Natsuhara

2025-10-19T16:51:24Z

Tex: /* NPC Relationships */

{| class="toccolours" style="width: 15%; float: right; margin-left:2em; margin-right:0em; margin-bottom:2em; text-align: left; font-size: %110" cellspacing="2"
|-
! style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" align="center" colspan="2" | '''Eri Natsuhara'''
|-
! colspan="2" align="center" |
|-
! style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font-size: 110%;" align="center" colspan="2" | '''IC Information'''
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Full Name:
| Eri Natsuhara (夏原恵利)
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |Arcana:
| Strength
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Gender:
| Female
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Age (Birthdate):
| 26 (August 19, 1985)
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Hair Colour:
| Auburn
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Eye Colour:
| Crimson
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Height:
| 5'4" /163 cm
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Residence:
| Akihabara, Tokyo
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Workplace:
| ''Akihabara Almost Daily''
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Job:
| Reporter and Editor
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Role:
| Chorus
|-
! style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font-size: 110%;" align="center" colspan="2" | '''OOC Information'''
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Source:
| Persona 5 Tactica
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Groups:
| None
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Player:
| [[User:Tex|Iwatodai Station]]
|-
|}

'''"I promise, I'll catch up to you one day."'''

Eri Natsuhara is the owner, editor, and primary reporter of a strange and eclectic newspaper in Akihbara Electric Town: the Akihabara Almost Daily. It publishes articles on lifestyle, technology, and curiosities in Tokyo. The Almost Daily has proved successful, but sometimes people call it rather light fare: it stays away from serious issues like politics, corruption, and the like. This bothers Eri more than she lets on, but she remains a popular voice in news about life and technology in Tokyo. She maintains an online personality, with loyal followers, though public appearances are rare. This is in part because of disability: she walks with a pronounced limp and the aid of a cane, and an eye patch. She is driven to make the Almost Daily one of the best newspapers in Tokyo, but she struggles with overprotective parents, who are still guarding her after a life-defining incident ten years ago.

= Background =
Eri Natsuhara was born in Tokyo on August 19, 1985. She came from a middle-class family; her parents, Shuichi and Ryoko Natsuhara, were kind and thoughtful... but also pushovers. They had a "turn the other cheek" philosophy to life: don't make waves, don't rock the boat, don't get in trouble. Thus, while Eri had a happy childhood, she also sometimes clashed with her parents because of a headstrong, stubborn personality... and a tendency to say what she thinks. Her mouth could often get ahead of her brain; her parents were constantly asking, pleading, and begging her to not make waves and keep to herself.

And Eri, because she loved them and wanted to make them happy, tried to do just that.

But in her first year of high school in Shujin Academy, she ran into trouble. She was accused of stealing something that belonged to another student. She couldn't even remember what it was, a couple of years later. The what was inconsequential, but the what happened shaped her future. Eri was promptly ostracized by her peers; the rumor mill at Shujin, ever vicious, turned on her. She was accused with little evidence. When she asked her parents, they told her the best thing to do was "wait for it to blow over." So she did that, and it only got worse. Her friends dropped her; they took her silence as an admission of guilt.

Finally, her homeroom teacher, Saito-sensei, talked to her. She told Eri words that would live with her for the rest of her life: "Silence in the face of injustice is complicity. If your guts tells you something's wrong, why not fight back?"

So Eri fought.

She found out who the real culprits were, through some clever (if amateur) detective work. Her classmates apologized to her, and the student who really did the theft got in trouble. But, Eri found, some things just couldn't be undone. Her friends weren't her friends anymore -- they were the people who doubted her. Her peers would always be the ones that abandoned her. And so, after a tearful discussion with her parents, Eri decided to transfer to Seven Sisters next year.

That spring, she tried to put her new philosophy into action. She went looking for problems, and she found them: Seven Sisters wasn't the cut-throat environment that Shujin was, socially, but bullying and people in need still happened. So Eri Natsuhara tried to find people to help. And in doing so, she found a kindred spirit: Toshiro Kasukabe, the son of a Diet member. He seemed meek, weak-willed, and the sort of person who could be walked all over -- he reminded her of her parents, sometimes -- but underneath that, she saw someone who also stood up to others. She first saw him stopping some punks from mugging a fellow student, and he took a beating in turn.

She was fascinated, so she sought him out. He was the student council president, despite being a first year. She started bringing students' problems to him -- and while he was exasperated, the two started working together. They reconciled friends who were fighting; they tracked down lost property; they once found someone's cat in a park at ten o'clock. They broke up fights, and Eri would drag Toshiro with him. He was exasperated with her -- and often claimed he was just keeping an eye on her -- while she liked to needle and poke at him, because he had the most torturous--excuse me, hilarious reactions. Eri was charmed, and they soon became fast friends.

Together, in 2002 and 2003, they made Seven Sisters into a nice school. But then, a new teacher -- Ichiro Nakabachi -- suddenly became Vice Principal. The quickness of his rise was suspect, and worse, a pall was cast over Seven Sisters that year. Nakabachi created a web of blackmail: by getting dirt on students and teachers, he used the threat of revealing that to make them act as informants. This guaranteed his meteoric rise, despite -- prior to that -- being a mediocre teacher at best. Students lived in fear of him and each other. Eri and Toshiro learned of this when another student, Yuri Kurano, came to them and told them what was happening.

Eri immediately ran off and confronted Nakabachi. It didn't work. But, with Toshiro's help -- and after some convincing -- they got Nakabachi's victims to all agree to come forward. Nakabachi was undone, and it seemed like they had won. He lost his job. Unfortunately, it didn't end there. He began to be harassed by students from the school -- and so did some of those who helped him -- and that began to break things down. In early 2003, one wintery evening, Nakabachi followed Eri and Toshiro into a train station. He had a nervous breakdown, and in a fit of self-pity and anger, he charged at Eri and pushed her off the platform. She fell, reaching her hand out for Toshiro. And then, there was the light of an oncoming train -- and then it hit her, and there was only blood and darkness.

She woke up days later in the hospital, forever changed. Her left leg was severely broken. She was wrapped in bandages from the trauma of the impact, with most of her ribs broken and severe bruising. She lost her right eye -- and half her face was bandaged to treat the wounds there.

Eri grew depressed. Before that, she had been an athletic and energetic teenager. After that, the doctors were uncertain if she would ever walk again. Her parents went into an overprotective mode, and while they were frightened and loving, she was terrified that she might have brought it on herself. She received a small boost when Yuri came to visit, and thanked her; she could feel, at least, that she had done some good. But she felt exhausted as she considered the ways her life would change and the long road of physical therapy ahead of her. It was hard to not feel regretful and defeated.

When Toshiro visited her, Eri struggled. When he encouraged her, she had to admit that she couldn't keep fighting for something just. Toshiro was filled with guilt for what happened -- and Eri didn't blame him, but a part of her blamed herself. It was a part of herself that she thought she had quashed, when the theft incident happened, but that terrible thought reared back up. She finally pled with Toshiro to keep working for change, to not give up on the fight, and that one day, she would catch up with him. They parted, her words lingering with him, and his words lingering with her: she had to be able to reunite with him, some day, and that meant that she had to get better.

But after that, they didn't see each other much -- and that turned into "at all" after a few months. Toshiro was busy with the fallout at school and with his father. Eri was busy with physical therapy and rehabilitation. Distance let anxieties and doubts build; Toshiro grew to assume Eri blamed him for what happened, and Eri assumed that Toshiro blamed her for sticking her nose into things. It wasn't rational, but with her parents worrying and fretting over her, Eri couldn't quite shut those voices out.

It took over a year to receive the necessary surgeries and physical therapy, and she never fully recovered. Eri learned to walk with the help of a cane, but her left leg lacked the mobility to do more than a slow walk. She eventually got an eye patch for her right eye. She also wouldn't go back to Seven Sisters; she graduated through a program at her hospital, while she recovered.

When she was out -- it was a couple of months after graduation -- Eri had to decide what to do with her life. She still felt herself sliding into depression. She "recovered," but she didn't feel the same. Going outside and taking a walk was an ordeal and painful, still. The cane and the eye patch would draw stares. At first, Eri retreated into her room at her parents' house. But, Eri found an online community for people in a similar situation to her -- and she discovered a newfound love for electronics, and that let her begin to come out of her depression. She found a reason to make herself walk down to Akihabara, to buy parts for a computer that she wanted to build. She made and met friends who were into electronics.

By then, it was 2004, and Eri was just discovering that assistive technology was limited. She started researching it -- and found ways that electronics and modern appliances could make her life easier. When Eri was younger, she had been interested in being a journalist. The idea of challenging people in power terrified her, still, on some fundamental level. The idea of helping people like her -- and sharing her newfound enthusiasm -- appealed. Thus, after talking to her parents, she enrolled in college and majored in journalism. She still lived at home, and her parents had grown overprotective, but they supported her financially and helped her.

Eri graduated in 2008. With several friends, she decided to start a newspaper in Akihabara: the ''Akihabara Almost Daily'', a lifestyle newspaper that covers the latest electronics, culture, and local happenings. Eri, by virtue of her force of personality, became the editor. Her parents helped her with money. And, to her immense surprise, the Almost Daily became a hit. The quirky reporting, the irreverent coverage of local events ("Akihabara Unites to Discover That Afternoon Television Sucks"), and in-depth looks at new technologies, gadgets, and computers made it a hit. But, sometimes, Eri debated looking at something meatier -- at evidence of corruption, at a social injustice -- and then she froze up.

The Almost Daily gained a reputation for being a fun newspaper, but not one of substance. This bothers Eri, but she isn't ready to catch up to Toshiro yet.

In late 2011, Eri undertook a large change: she finally moved out of her parents' house. The Almost Daily earns enough money to cover her expenses and then some, but her parents resisted the idea, convinced that she needed their help. Despite living away from home for almost six months, though, they won't quite let her try to live on her own. Her parents drop by frequently; they buy her groceries, they "help" without asking if Eri needs that help, and it leaves her without the sense of independence that she wants and has worked to provide for herself.

And after everything, Eri can't quite bring herself to tell them no. A little, traitorous part of her still whispers: maybe she got hurt because she fought back, and maybe Toshiro got hurt too because of that. So she accepts help that makes her feel like a child, and she struggles through every day, until she finds the will to do something about it.

==Season 1, Episode 1==
Forthcoming!

= Special Skills =
Eri is a woman in her twenties, with limited mobility and who has lost an eye. Nonetheless, she is an extremely talented writer and editor (though she prefers nonfiction). She also is very talented with electronics and computers, particularly building them. When she encounters a difficult situation, she has three approaches:

1. ''Helping is Job Number One'' (Understanding): If Eri sees someone in need, she gets to it and pitches in.

2. ''Turn Spirit into Strength'' (Guts): Eri thinks that her resolve and determination can overcome anything. Usually. And if she doesn't think this in a specific moment, this is what she goes back to.

3. ''Technology Opens Doors'' (Academics): Eri understands that looking at technology, and using it in innovative ways, can help solve logistical problems. And logical problems.

=Relationships=

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 75%; text-align: center;"
|-
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" | Name
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" | Address
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" | Arcana
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" | Social Link
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;"class="unsortable" | Info
|-
|[[Fuuka Yamagishi]]
|Yamagishi-kun
|3. Priestess
|☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''She's shy, but she's into electronics. That matters a lot.''
|-
|[[Ichika Kawase]]
|Kawase-kun
|15. Hanged Man
|☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''Love to see a kid who wants to be a reporter!''
|}

== NPC Relationships ==
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 75%; text-align: center;"
|-
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" | Name
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" | Arcana
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" | Social Link
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" class="unsortable" | Info
|-
|Toshiro Kusakabe
|Unknown
|★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|Her best friend from school. Someone she misses terribly. Someone she isn't ready to see again.
|}

= Soundtrack =
TBD

= Logs and Cutscenes =

==Season 1==

{{#dpl:
|category = logs&season 1
|linksto = {{PAGENAME}}
|ordermethod = title
|columns = 3
|rowcolformat=width=50%
|suppresserrors = yes
| addcategories = true
| mode = userformat
| format = ,,\n* [[%PAGE%]],
|noresultsheader=There are no logs on this wiki that {{PAGENAME}} participated in.
}}

{{#dpl:
|category = cutscenes&season 1
|linksto = {{PAGENAME}}
|ordermethod = title
|columns = 3
|rowcolformat=width=50%
|suppresserrors = yes
| addcategories = true
| mode = userformat
| format = ,,\n* [[%PAGE%]],
|noresultsheader=There are no cutscenes on this wiki that {{PAGENAME}} participated in.
}}

[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Adults]]
[[Category:Chorus]]

Eri Natsuhara

2025-10-19T16:50:51Z

Tex:

{| class="toccolours" style="width: 15%; float: right; margin-left:2em; margin-right:0em; margin-bottom:2em; text-align: left; font-size: %110" cellspacing="2"
|-
! style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" align="center" colspan="2" | '''Eri Natsuhara'''
|-
! colspan="2" align="center" |
|-
! style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font-size: 110%;" align="center" colspan="2" | '''IC Information'''
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Full Name:
| Eri Natsuhara (夏原恵利)
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |Arcana:
| Strength
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Gender:
| Female
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Age (Birthdate):
| 26 (August 19, 1985)
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Hair Colour:
| Auburn
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Eye Colour:
| Crimson
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Height:
| 5'4" /163 cm
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Residence:
| Akihabara, Tokyo
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Workplace:
| ''Akihabara Almost Daily''
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Job:
| Reporter and Editor
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Role:
| Chorus
|-
! style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font-size: 110%;" align="center" colspan="2" | '''OOC Information'''
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Source:
| Persona 5 Tactica
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Groups:
| None
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Player:
| [[User:Tex|Iwatodai Station]]
|-
|}

'''"I promise, I'll catch up to you one day."'''

Eri Natsuhara is the owner, editor, and primary reporter of a strange and eclectic newspaper in Akihbara Electric Town: the Akihabara Almost Daily. It publishes articles on lifestyle, technology, and curiosities in Tokyo. The Almost Daily has proved successful, but sometimes people call it rather light fare: it stays away from serious issues like politics, corruption, and the like. This bothers Eri more than she lets on, but she remains a popular voice in news about life and technology in Tokyo. She maintains an online personality, with loyal followers, though public appearances are rare. This is in part because of disability: she walks with a pronounced limp and the aid of a cane, and an eye patch. She is driven to make the Almost Daily one of the best newspapers in Tokyo, but she struggles with overprotective parents, who are still guarding her after a life-defining incident ten years ago.

= Background =
Eri Natsuhara was born in Tokyo on August 19, 1985. She came from a middle-class family; her parents, Shuichi and Ryoko Natsuhara, were kind and thoughtful... but also pushovers. They had a "turn the other cheek" philosophy to life: don't make waves, don't rock the boat, don't get in trouble. Thus, while Eri had a happy childhood, she also sometimes clashed with her parents because of a headstrong, stubborn personality... and a tendency to say what she thinks. Her mouth could often get ahead of her brain; her parents were constantly asking, pleading, and begging her to not make waves and keep to herself.

And Eri, because she loved them and wanted to make them happy, tried to do just that.

But in her first year of high school in Shujin Academy, she ran into trouble. She was accused of stealing something that belonged to another student. She couldn't even remember what it was, a couple of years later. The what was inconsequential, but the what happened shaped her future. Eri was promptly ostracized by her peers; the rumor mill at Shujin, ever vicious, turned on her. She was accused with little evidence. When she asked her parents, they told her the best thing to do was "wait for it to blow over." So she did that, and it only got worse. Her friends dropped her; they took her silence as an admission of guilt.

Finally, her homeroom teacher, Saito-sensei, talked to her. She told Eri words that would live with her for the rest of her life: "Silence in the face of injustice is complicity. If your guts tells you something's wrong, why not fight back?"

So Eri fought.

She found out who the real culprits were, through some clever (if amateur) detective work. Her classmates apologized to her, and the student who really did the theft got in trouble. But, Eri found, some things just couldn't be undone. Her friends weren't her friends anymore -- they were the people who doubted her. Her peers would always be the ones that abandoned her. And so, after a tearful discussion with her parents, Eri decided to transfer to Seven Sisters next year.

That spring, she tried to put her new philosophy into action. She went looking for problems, and she found them: Seven Sisters wasn't the cut-throat environment that Shujin was, socially, but bullying and people in need still happened. So Eri Natsuhara tried to find people to help. And in doing so, she found a kindred spirit: Toshiro Kasukabe, the son of a Diet member. He seemed meek, weak-willed, and the sort of person who could be walked all over -- he reminded her of her parents, sometimes -- but underneath that, she saw someone who also stood up to others. She first saw him stopping some punks from mugging a fellow student, and he took a beating in turn.

She was fascinated, so she sought him out. He was the student council president, despite being a first year. She started bringing students' problems to him -- and while he was exasperated, the two started working together. They reconciled friends who were fighting; they tracked down lost property; they once found someone's cat in a park at ten o'clock. They broke up fights, and Eri would drag Toshiro with him. He was exasperated with her -- and often claimed he was just keeping an eye on her -- while she liked to needle and poke at him, because he had the most torturous--excuse me, hilarious reactions. Eri was charmed, and they soon became fast friends.

Together, in 2002 and 2003, they made Seven Sisters into a nice school. But then, a new teacher -- Ichiro Nakabachi -- suddenly became Vice Principal. The quickness of his rise was suspect, and worse, a pall was cast over Seven Sisters that year. Nakabachi created a web of blackmail: by getting dirt on students and teachers, he used the threat of revealing that to make them act as informants. This guaranteed his meteoric rise, despite -- prior to that -- being a mediocre teacher at best. Students lived in fear of him and each other. Eri and Toshiro learned of this when another student, Yuri Kurano, came to them and told them what was happening.

Eri immediately ran off and confronted Nakabachi. It didn't work. But, with Toshiro's help -- and after some convincing -- they got Nakabachi's victims to all agree to come forward. Nakabachi was undone, and it seemed like they had won. He lost his job. Unfortunately, it didn't end there. He began to be harassed by students from the school -- and so did some of those who helped him -- and that began to break things down. In early 2003, one wintery evening, Nakabachi followed Eri and Toshiro into a train station. He had a nervous breakdown, and in a fit of self-pity and anger, he charged at Eri and pushed her off the platform. She fell, reaching her hand out for Toshiro. And then, there was the light of an oncoming train -- and then it hit her, and there was only blood and darkness.

She woke up days later in the hospital, forever changed. Her left leg was severely broken. She was wrapped in bandages from the trauma of the impact, with most of her ribs broken and severe bruising. She lost her right eye -- and half her face was bandaged to treat the wounds there.

Eri grew depressed. Before that, she had been an athletic and energetic teenager. After that, the doctors were uncertain if she would ever walk again. Her parents went into an overprotective mode, and while they were frightened and loving, she was terrified that she might have brought it on herself. She received a small boost when Yuri came to visit, and thanked her; she could feel, at least, that she had done some good. But she felt exhausted as she considered the ways her life would change and the long road of physical therapy ahead of her. It was hard to not feel regretful and defeated.

When Toshiro visited her, Eri struggled. When he encouraged her, she had to admit that she couldn't keep fighting for something just. Toshiro was filled with guilt for what happened -- and Eri didn't blame him, but a part of her blamed herself. It was a part of herself that she thought she had quashed, when the theft incident happened, but that terrible thought reared back up. She finally pled with Toshiro to keep working for change, to not give up on the fight, and that one day, she would catch up with him. They parted, her words lingering with him, and his words lingering with her: she had to be able to reunite with him, some day, and that meant that she had to get better.

But after that, they didn't see each other much -- and that turned into "at all" after a few months. Toshiro was busy with the fallout at school and with his father. Eri was busy with physical therapy and rehabilitation. Distance let anxieties and doubts build; Toshiro grew to assume Eri blamed him for what happened, and Eri assumed that Toshiro blamed her for sticking her nose into things. It wasn't rational, but with her parents worrying and fretting over her, Eri couldn't quite shut those voices out.

It took over a year to receive the necessary surgeries and physical therapy, and she never fully recovered. Eri learned to walk with the help of a cane, but her left leg lacked the mobility to do more than a slow walk. She eventually got an eye patch for her right eye. She also wouldn't go back to Seven Sisters; she graduated through a program at her hospital, while she recovered.

When she was out -- it was a couple of months after graduation -- Eri had to decide what to do with her life. She still felt herself sliding into depression. She "recovered," but she didn't feel the same. Going outside and taking a walk was an ordeal and painful, still. The cane and the eye patch would draw stares. At first, Eri retreated into her room at her parents' house. But, Eri found an online community for people in a similar situation to her -- and she discovered a newfound love for electronics, and that let her begin to come out of her depression. She found a reason to make herself walk down to Akihabara, to buy parts for a computer that she wanted to build. She made and met friends who were into electronics.

By then, it was 2004, and Eri was just discovering that assistive technology was limited. She started researching it -- and found ways that electronics and modern appliances could make her life easier. When Eri was younger, she had been interested in being a journalist. The idea of challenging people in power terrified her, still, on some fundamental level. The idea of helping people like her -- and sharing her newfound enthusiasm -- appealed. Thus, after talking to her parents, she enrolled in college and majored in journalism. She still lived at home, and her parents had grown overprotective, but they supported her financially and helped her.

Eri graduated in 2008. With several friends, she decided to start a newspaper in Akihabara: the ''Akihabara Almost Daily'', a lifestyle newspaper that covers the latest electronics, culture, and local happenings. Eri, by virtue of her force of personality, became the editor. Her parents helped her with money. And, to her immense surprise, the Almost Daily became a hit. The quirky reporting, the irreverent coverage of local events ("Akihabara Unites to Discover That Afternoon Television Sucks"), and in-depth looks at new technologies, gadgets, and computers made it a hit. But, sometimes, Eri debated looking at something meatier -- at evidence of corruption, at a social injustice -- and then she froze up.

The Almost Daily gained a reputation for being a fun newspaper, but not one of substance. This bothers Eri, but she isn't ready to catch up to Toshiro yet.

In late 2011, Eri undertook a large change: she finally moved out of her parents' house. The Almost Daily earns enough money to cover her expenses and then some, but her parents resisted the idea, convinced that she needed their help. Despite living away from home for almost six months, though, they won't quite let her try to live on her own. Her parents drop by frequently; they buy her groceries, they "help" without asking if Eri needs that help, and it leaves her without the sense of independence that she wants and has worked to provide for herself.

And after everything, Eri can't quite bring herself to tell them no. A little, traitorous part of her still whispers: maybe she got hurt because she fought back, and maybe Toshiro got hurt too because of that. So she accepts help that makes her feel like a child, and she struggles through every day, until she finds the will to do something about it.

==Season 1, Episode 1==
Forthcoming!

= Special Skills =
Eri is a woman in her twenties, with limited mobility and who has lost an eye. Nonetheless, she is an extremely talented writer and editor (though she prefers nonfiction). She also is very talented with electronics and computers, particularly building them. When she encounters a difficult situation, she has three approaches:

1. ''Helping is Job Number One'' (Understanding): If Eri sees someone in need, she gets to it and pitches in.

2. ''Turn Spirit into Strength'' (Guts): Eri thinks that her resolve and determination can overcome anything. Usually. And if she doesn't think this in a specific moment, this is what she goes back to.

3. ''Technology Opens Doors'' (Academics): Eri understands that looking at technology, and using it in innovative ways, can help solve logistical problems. And logical problems.

=Relationships=

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 75%; text-align: center;"
|-
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" | Name
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" | Address
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" | Arcana
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;" | Social Link
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #000000 solid; font size: 110%;"class="unsortable" | Info
|-
|[[Fuuka Yamagishi]]
|Yamagishi-kun
|3. Priestess
|☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''She's shy, but she's into electronics. That matters a lot.''
|-
|[[Ichika Kawase]]
|Kawase-kun
|15. Hanged Man
|☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''Love to see a kid who wants to be a reporter!''
|}

== NPC Relationships ==
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 75%; text-align: center;"
|-
! scope="col" style="background:#33965e; border: 2px #0d5668 solid; font size: 110%;" | Name
! scope="col" style="background:#33965e; border: 2px #0d5668 solid; font size: 110%;" | Arcana
! scope="col" style="background:#33965e; border: 2px #0d5668 solid; font size: 110%;" | Social Link
! scope="col" style="background:#33965e; border: 2px #0d5668 solid; font size: 110%;" class="unsortable" | Info
|-
|Toshiro Kusakabe
|Unknown
|★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|Her best friend from school. Someone she misses terribly. Someone she isn't ready to see again.
|}

= Soundtrack =
TBD

= Logs and Cutscenes =

==Season 1==

{{#dpl:
|category = logs&season 1
|linksto = {{PAGENAME}}
|ordermethod = title
|columns = 3
|rowcolformat=width=50%
|suppresserrors = yes
| addcategories = true
| mode = userformat
| format = ,,\n* [[%PAGE%]],
|noresultsheader=There are no logs on this wiki that {{PAGENAME}} participated in.
}}

{{#dpl:
|category = cutscenes&season 1
|linksto = {{PAGENAME}}
|ordermethod = title
|columns = 3
|rowcolformat=width=50%
|suppresserrors = yes
| addcategories = true
| mode = userformat
| format = ,,\n* [[%PAGE%]],
|noresultsheader=There are no cutscenes on this wiki that {{PAGENAME}} participated in.
}}

[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Adults]]
[[Category:Chorus]]

Eri Natsuhara

2025-10-19T16:50:02Z

Tex:

{| class="toccolours" style="width: 15%; float: right; margin-left:2em; margin-right:0em; margin-bottom:2em; text-align: left; font-size: %110" cellspacing="2"
|-
! style="background:#990000; border: 2px #0d5668 solid; font size: 110%;" align="center" colspan="2" | '''Eri Natsuhara'''
|-
! colspan="2" align="center" |
|-
! style="background:#990000; border: 2px #0d5668 solid; font-size: 110%;" align="center" colspan="2" | '''IC Information'''
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Full Name:
| Eri Natsuhara (夏原恵利)
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |Arcana:
| Strength
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Gender:
| Female
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Age (Birthdate):
| 26 (August 19, 1985)
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Hair Colour:
| Auburn
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Eye Colour:
| Crimson
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Height:
| 5'4" /163 cm
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Residence:
| Akihabara, Tokyo
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Workplace:
| ''Akihabara Almost Daily''
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Job:
| Reporter and Editor
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Role:
| Chorus
|-
! style="background:#990000; border: 2px #0d5668 solid; font-size: 110%;" align="center" colspan="2" | '''OOC Information'''
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Source:
| Persona 5 Tactica
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Groups:
| None
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Player:
| [[User:Tex|Iwatodai Station]]
|-
|}

'''"I promise, I'll catch up to you one day."'''

Eri Natsuhara is the owner, editor, and primary reporter of a strange and eclectic newspaper in Akihbara Electric Town: the Akihabara Almost Daily. It publishes articles on lifestyle, technology, and curiosities in Tokyo. The Almost Daily has proved successful, but sometimes people call it rather light fare: it stays away from serious issues like politics, corruption, and the like. This bothers Eri more than she lets on, but she remains a popular voice in news about life and technology in Tokyo. She maintains an online personality, with loyal followers, though public appearances are rare. This is in part because of disability: she walks with a pronounced limp and the aid of a cane, and an eye patch. She is driven to make the Almost Daily one of the best newspapers in Tokyo, but she struggles with overprotective parents, who are still guarding her after a life-defining incident ten years ago.

= Background =
Eri Natsuhara was born in Tokyo on August 19, 1985. She came from a middle-class family; her parents, Shuichi and Ryoko Natsuhara, were kind and thoughtful... but also pushovers. They had a "turn the other cheek" philosophy to life: don't make waves, don't rock the boat, don't get in trouble. Thus, while Eri had a happy childhood, she also sometimes clashed with her parents because of a headstrong, stubborn personality... and a tendency to say what she thinks. Her mouth could often get ahead of her brain; her parents were constantly asking, pleading, and begging her to not make waves and keep to herself.

And Eri, because she loved them and wanted to make them happy, tried to do just that.

But in her first year of high school in Shujin Academy, she ran into trouble. She was accused of stealing something that belonged to another student. She couldn't even remember what it was, a couple of years later. The what was inconsequential, but the what happened shaped her future. Eri was promptly ostracized by her peers; the rumor mill at Shujin, ever vicious, turned on her. She was accused with little evidence. When she asked her parents, they told her the best thing to do was "wait for it to blow over." So she did that, and it only got worse. Her friends dropped her; they took her silence as an admission of guilt.

Finally, her homeroom teacher, Saito-sensei, talked to her. She told Eri words that would live with her for the rest of her life: "Silence in the face of injustice is complicity. If your guts tells you something's wrong, why not fight back?"

So Eri fought.

She found out who the real culprits were, through some clever (if amateur) detective work. Her classmates apologized to her, and the student who really did the theft got in trouble. But, Eri found, some things just couldn't be undone. Her friends weren't her friends anymore -- they were the people who doubted her. Her peers would always be the ones that abandoned her. And so, after a tearful discussion with her parents, Eri decided to transfer to Seven Sisters next year.

That spring, she tried to put her new philosophy into action. She went looking for problems, and she found them: Seven Sisters wasn't the cut-throat environment that Shujin was, socially, but bullying and people in need still happened. So Eri Natsuhara tried to find people to help. And in doing so, she found a kindred spirit: Toshiro Kasukabe, the son of a Diet member. He seemed meek, weak-willed, and the sort of person who could be walked all over -- he reminded her of her parents, sometimes -- but underneath that, she saw someone who also stood up to others. She first saw him stopping some punks from mugging a fellow student, and he took a beating in turn.

She was fascinated, so she sought him out. He was the student council president, despite being a first year. She started bringing students' problems to him -- and while he was exasperated, the two started working together. They reconciled friends who were fighting; they tracked down lost property; they once found someone's cat in a park at ten o'clock. They broke up fights, and Eri would drag Toshiro with him. He was exasperated with her -- and often claimed he was just keeping an eye on her -- while she liked to needle and poke at him, because he had the most torturous--excuse me, hilarious reactions. Eri was charmed, and they soon became fast friends.

Together, in 2002 and 2003, they made Seven Sisters into a nice school. But then, a new teacher -- Ichiro Nakabachi -- suddenly became Vice Principal. The quickness of his rise was suspect, and worse, a pall was cast over Seven Sisters that year. Nakabachi created a web of blackmail: by getting dirt on students and teachers, he used the threat of revealing that to make them act as informants. This guaranteed his meteoric rise, despite -- prior to that -- being a mediocre teacher at best. Students lived in fear of him and each other. Eri and Toshiro learned of this when another student, Yuri Kurano, came to them and told them what was happening.

Eri immediately ran off and confronted Nakabachi. It didn't work. But, with Toshiro's help -- and after some convincing -- they got Nakabachi's victims to all agree to come forward. Nakabachi was undone, and it seemed like they had won. He lost his job. Unfortunately, it didn't end there. He began to be harassed by students from the school -- and so did some of those who helped him -- and that began to break things down. In early 2003, one wintery evening, Nakabachi followed Eri and Toshiro into a train station. He had a nervous breakdown, and in a fit of self-pity and anger, he charged at Eri and pushed her off the platform. She fell, reaching her hand out for Toshiro. And then, there was the light of an oncoming train -- and then it hit her, and there was only blood and darkness.

She woke up days later in the hospital, forever changed. Her left leg was severely broken. She was wrapped in bandages from the trauma of the impact, with most of her ribs broken and severe bruising. She lost her right eye -- and half her face was bandaged to treat the wounds there.

Eri grew depressed. Before that, she had been an athletic and energetic teenager. After that, the doctors were uncertain if she would ever walk again. Her parents went into an overprotective mode, and while they were frightened and loving, she was terrified that she might have brought it on herself. She received a small boost when Yuri came to visit, and thanked her; she could feel, at least, that she had done some good. But she felt exhausted as she considered the ways her life would change and the long road of physical therapy ahead of her. It was hard to not feel regretful and defeated.

When Toshiro visited her, Eri struggled. When he encouraged her, she had to admit that she couldn't keep fighting for something just. Toshiro was filled with guilt for what happened -- and Eri didn't blame him, but a part of her blamed herself. It was a part of herself that she thought she had quashed, when the theft incident happened, but that terrible thought reared back up. She finally pled with Toshiro to keep working for change, to not give up on the fight, and that one day, she would catch up with him. They parted, her words lingering with him, and his words lingering with her: she had to be able to reunite with him, some day, and that meant that she had to get better.

But after that, they didn't see each other much -- and that turned into "at all" after a few months. Toshiro was busy with the fallout at school and with his father. Eri was busy with physical therapy and rehabilitation. Distance let anxieties and doubts build; Toshiro grew to assume Eri blamed him for what happened, and Eri assumed that Toshiro blamed her for sticking her nose into things. It wasn't rational, but with her parents worrying and fretting over her, Eri couldn't quite shut those voices out.

It took over a year to receive the necessary surgeries and physical therapy, and she never fully recovered. Eri learned to walk with the help of a cane, but her left leg lacked the mobility to do more than a slow walk. She eventually got an eye patch for her right eye. She also wouldn't go back to Seven Sisters; she graduated through a program at her hospital, while she recovered.

When she was out -- it was a couple of months after graduation -- Eri had to decide what to do with her life. She still felt herself sliding into depression. She "recovered," but she didn't feel the same. Going outside and taking a walk was an ordeal and painful, still. The cane and the eye patch would draw stares. At first, Eri retreated into her room at her parents' house. But, Eri found an online community for people in a similar situation to her -- and she discovered a newfound love for electronics, and that let her begin to come out of her depression. She found a reason to make herself walk down to Akihabara, to buy parts for a computer that she wanted to build. She made and met friends who were into electronics.

By then, it was 2004, and Eri was just discovering that assistive technology was limited. She started researching it -- and found ways that electronics and modern appliances could make her life easier. When Eri was younger, she had been interested in being a journalist. The idea of challenging people in power terrified her, still, on some fundamental level. The idea of helping people like her -- and sharing her newfound enthusiasm -- appealed. Thus, after talking to her parents, she enrolled in college and majored in journalism. She still lived at home, and her parents had grown overprotective, but they supported her financially and helped her.

Eri graduated in 2008. With several friends, she decided to start a newspaper in Akihabara: the ''Akihabara Almost Daily'', a lifestyle newspaper that covers the latest electronics, culture, and local happenings. Eri, by virtue of her force of personality, became the editor. Her parents helped her with money. And, to her immense surprise, the Almost Daily became a hit. The quirky reporting, the irreverent coverage of local events ("Akihabara Unites to Discover That Afternoon Television Sucks"), and in-depth looks at new technologies, gadgets, and computers made it a hit. But, sometimes, Eri debated looking at something meatier -- at evidence of corruption, at a social injustice -- and then she froze up.

The Almost Daily gained a reputation for being a fun newspaper, but not one of substance. This bothers Eri, but she isn't ready to catch up to Toshiro yet.

In late 2011, Eri undertook a large change: she finally moved out of her parents' house. The Almost Daily earns enough money to cover her expenses and then some, but her parents resisted the idea, convinced that she needed their help. Despite living away from home for almost six months, though, they won't quite let her try to live on her own. Her parents drop by frequently; they buy her groceries, they "help" without asking if Eri needs that help, and it leaves her without the sense of independence that she wants and has worked to provide for herself.

And after everything, Eri can't quite bring herself to tell them no. A little, traitorous part of her still whispers: maybe she got hurt because she fought back, and maybe Toshiro got hurt too because of that. So she accepts help that makes her feel like a child, and she struggles through every day, until she finds the will to do something about it.

==Season 1, Episode 1==
Forthcoming!

= Special Skills =
Eri is a woman in her twenties, with limited mobility and who has lost an eye. Nonetheless, she is an extremely talented writer and editor (though she prefers nonfiction). She also is very talented with electronics and computers, particularly building them. When she encounters a difficult situation, she has three approaches:

1. ''Helping is Job Number One'' (Understanding): If Eri sees someone in need, she gets to it and pitches in.

2. ''Turn Spirit into Strength'' (Guts): Eri thinks that her resolve and determination can overcome anything. Usually. And if she doesn't think this in a specific moment, this is what she goes back to.

3. ''Technology Opens Doors'' (Academics): Eri understands that looking at technology, and using it in innovative ways, can help solve logistical problems. And logical problems.

=Relationships=

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 75%; text-align: center;"
|-
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #0d5668 solid; font size: 110%;" | Name
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #0d5668 solid; font size: 110%;" | Address
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #0d5668 solid; font size: 110%;" | Arcana
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #0d5668 solid; font size: 110%;" | Social Link
! scope="col" style="background:#990000; border: 2px #0d5668 solid; font size: 110%;"class="unsortable" | Info
|-
|[[Fuuka Yamagishi]]
|Yamagishi-kun
|3. Priestess
|☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''She's shy, but she's into electronics. That matters a lot.''
|-
|[[Ichika Kawase]]
|Kawase-kun
|15. Hanged Man
|☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''Love to see a kid who wants to be a reporter!''
|}

== NPC Relationships ==
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 75%; text-align: center;"
|-
! scope="col" style="background:#33965e; border: 2px #0d5668 solid; font size: 110%;" | Name
! scope="col" style="background:#33965e; border: 2px #0d5668 solid; font size: 110%;" | Arcana
! scope="col" style="background:#33965e; border: 2px #0d5668 solid; font size: 110%;" | Social Link
! scope="col" style="background:#33965e; border: 2px #0d5668 solid; font size: 110%;" class="unsortable" | Info
|-
|Toshiro Kusakabe
|Unknown
|★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|Her best friend from school. Someone she misses terribly. Someone she isn't ready to see again.
|}

= Soundtrack =
TBD

= Logs and Cutscenes =

==Season 1==

{{#dpl:
|category = logs&season 1
|linksto = {{PAGENAME}}
|ordermethod = title
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{{#dpl:
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[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Adults]]
[[Category:Chorus]]

Eri Natsuhara

2025-10-19T16:47:57Z

Tex: /* Relationships */

{| class="toccolours" style="width: 15%; float: right; margin-left:2em; margin-right:0em; margin-bottom:2em; text-align: left; font-size: %110" cellspacing="2"
|-
! style="background:#33965e; border: 2px #0d5668 solid; font size: 110%;" align="center" colspan="2" | '''Eri Natsuhara'''
|-
! colspan="2" align="center" |
|-
! style="background:#33965e; border: 2px #0d5668 solid; font-size: 110%;" align="center" colspan="2" | '''IC Information'''
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Full Name:
| Eri Natsuhara (夏原恵利)
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |Arcana:
| Strength
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Gender:
| Female
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Age (Birthdate):
| 26 (August 19, 1985)
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Hair Colour:
| Auburn
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Eye Colour:
| Crimson
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Height:
| 5'5" /165 cm
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Residence:
| Akihabara, Tokyo
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Workplace:
| ''Akihabara Almost Daily''
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Job:
| Reporter and Editor
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Role:
| Chorus
|-
! style="background:#33965e; border: 2px #0d5668 solid; font-size: 110%;" align="center" colspan="2" | '''OOC Information'''
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Source:
| Persona 5 Tactica
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Groups:
| None
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Player:
| [[User:Tex|Iwatodai Station]]
|-
|}

'''"I promise, I'll catch up to you one day."'''

Eri Natsuhara is the owner, editor, and primary reporter of a strange and eclectic newspaper in Akihbara Electric Town: the Akihabara Almost Daily. It publishes articles on lifestyle, technology, and curiosities in Tokyo. The Almost Daily has proved successful, but sometimes people call it rather light fare: it stays away from serious issues like politics, corruption, and the like. This bothers Eri more than she lets on, but she remains a popular voice in news about life and technology in Tokyo. She maintains an online personality, with loyal followers, though public appearances are rare. This is in part because of disability: she walks with a pronounced limp and the aid of a cane, and an eye patch. She is driven to make the Almost Daily one of the best newspapers in Tokyo, but she struggles with overprotective parents, who are still guarding her after a life-defining incident ten years ago.

= Background =
Eri Natsuhara was born in Tokyo on August 19, 1985. She came from a middle-class family; her parents, Shuichi and Ryoko Natsuhara, were kind and thoughtful... but also pushovers. They had a "turn the other cheek" philosophy to life: don't make waves, don't rock the boat, don't get in trouble. Thus, while Eri had a happy childhood, she also sometimes clashed with her parents because of a headstrong, stubborn personality... and a tendency to say what she thinks. Her mouth could often get ahead of her brain; her parents were constantly asking, pleading, and begging her to not make waves and keep to herself.

And Eri, because she loved them and wanted to make them happy, tried to do just that.

But in her first year of high school in Shujin Academy, she ran into trouble. She was accused of stealing something that belonged to another student. She couldn't even remember what it was, a couple of years later. The what was inconsequential, but the what happened shaped her future. Eri was promptly ostracized by her peers; the rumor mill at Shujin, ever vicious, turned on her. She was accused with little evidence. When she asked her parents, they told her the best thing to do was "wait for it to blow over." So she did that, and it only got worse. Her friends dropped her; they took her silence as an admission of guilt.

Finally, her homeroom teacher, Saito-sensei, talked to her. She told Eri words that would live with her for the rest of her life: "Silence in the face of injustice is complicity. If your guts tells you something's wrong, why not fight back?"

So Eri fought.

She found out who the real culprits were, through some clever (if amateur) detective work. Her classmates apologized to her, and the student who really did the theft got in trouble. But, Eri found, some things just couldn't be undone. Her friends weren't her friends anymore -- they were the people who doubted her. Her peers would always be the ones that abandoned her. And so, after a tearful discussion with her parents, Eri decided to transfer to Seven Sisters next year.

That spring, she tried to put her new philosophy into action. She went looking for problems, and she found them: Seven Sisters wasn't the cut-throat environment that Shujin was, socially, but bullying and people in need still happened. So Eri Natsuhara tried to find people to help. And in doing so, she found a kindred spirit: Toshiro Kasukabe, the son of a Diet member. He seemed meek, weak-willed, and the sort of person who could be walked all over -- he reminded her of her parents, sometimes -- but underneath that, she saw someone who also stood up to others. She first saw him stopping some punks from mugging a fellow student, and he took a beating in turn.

She was fascinated, so she sought him out. He was the student council president, despite being a first year. She started bringing students' problems to him -- and while he was exasperated, the two started working together. They reconciled friends who were fighting; they tracked down lost property; they once found someone's cat in a park at ten o'clock. They broke up fights, and Eri would drag Toshiro with him. He was exasperated with her -- and often claimed he was just keeping an eye on her -- while she liked to needle and poke at him, because he had the most torturous--excuse me, hilarious reactions. Eri was charmed, and they soon became fast friends.

Together, in 2002 and 2003, they made Seven Sisters into a nice school. But then, a new teacher -- Ichiro Nakabachi -- suddenly became Vice Principal. The quickness of his rise was suspect, and worse, a pall was cast over Seven Sisters that year. Nakabachi created a web of blackmail: by getting dirt on students and teachers, he used the threat of revealing that to make them act as informants. This guaranteed his meteoric rise, despite -- prior to that -- being a mediocre teacher at best. Students lived in fear of him and each other. Eri and Toshiro learned of this when another student, Yuri Kurano, came to them and told them what was happening.

Eri immediately ran off and confronted Nakabachi. It didn't work. But, with Toshiro's help -- and after some convincing -- they got Nakabachi's victims to all agree to come forward. Nakabachi was undone, and it seemed like they had won. He lost his job. Unfortunately, it didn't end there. He began to be harassed by students from the school -- and so did some of those who helped him -- and that began to break things down. In early 2003, one wintery evening, Nakabachi followed Eri and Toshiro into a train station. He had a nervous breakdown, and in a fit of self-pity and anger, he charged at Eri and pushed her off the platform. She fell, reaching her hand out for Toshiro. And then, there was the light of an oncoming train -- and then it hit her, and there was only blood and darkness.

She woke up days later in the hospital, forever changed. Her left leg was severely broken. She was wrapped in bandages from the trauma of the impact, with most of her ribs broken and severe bruising. She lost her right eye -- and half her face was bandaged to treat the wounds there.

Eri grew depressed. Before that, she had been an athletic and energetic teenager. After that, the doctors were uncertain if she would ever walk again. Her parents went into an overprotective mode, and while they were frightened and loving, she was terrified that she might have brought it on herself. She received a small boost when Yuri came to visit, and thanked her; she could feel, at least, that she had done some good. But she felt exhausted as she considered the ways her life would change and the long road of physical therapy ahead of her. It was hard to not feel regretful and defeated.

When Toshiro visited her, Eri struggled. When he encouraged her, she had to admit that she couldn't keep fighting for something just. Toshiro was filled with guilt for what happened -- and Eri didn't blame him, but a part of her blamed herself. It was a part of herself that she thought she had quashed, when the theft incident happened, but that terrible thought reared back up. She finally pled with Toshiro to keep working for change, to not give up on the fight, and that one day, she would catch up with him. They parted, her words lingering with him, and his words lingering with her: she had to be able to reunite with him, some day, and that meant that she had to get better.

But after that, they didn't see each other much -- and that turned into "at all" after a few months. Toshiro was busy with the fallout at school and with his father. Eri was busy with physical therapy and rehabilitation. Distance let anxieties and doubts build; Toshiro grew to assume Eri blamed him for what happened, and Eri assumed that Toshiro blamed her for sticking her nose into things. It wasn't rational, but with her parents worrying and fretting over her, Eri couldn't quite shut those voices out.

It took over a year to receive the necessary surgeries and physical therapy, and she never fully recovered. Eri learned to walk with the help of a cane, but her left leg lacked the mobility to do more than a slow walk. She eventually got an eye patch for her right eye. She also wouldn't go back to Seven Sisters; she graduated through a program at her hospital, while she recovered.

When she was out -- it was a couple of months after graduation -- Eri had to decide what to do with her life. She still felt herself sliding into depression. She "recovered," but she didn't feel the same. Going outside and taking a walk was an ordeal and painful, still. The cane and the eye patch would draw stares. At first, Eri retreated into her room at her parents' house. But, Eri found an online community for people in a similar situation to her -- and she discovered a newfound love for electronics, and that let her begin to come out of her depression. She found a reason to make herself walk down to Akihabara, to buy parts for a computer that she wanted to build. She made and met friends who were into electronics.

By then, it was 2004, and Eri was just discovering that assistive technology was limited. She started researching it -- and found ways that electronics and modern appliances could make her life easier. When Eri was younger, she had been interested in being a journalist. The idea of challenging people in power terrified her, still, on some fundamental level. The idea of helping people like her -- and sharing her newfound enthusiasm -- appealed. Thus, after talking to her parents, she enrolled in college and majored in journalism. She still lived at home, and her parents had grown overprotective, but they supported her financially and helped her.

Eri graduated in 2008. With several friends, she decided to start a newspaper in Akihabara: the ''Akihabara Almost Daily'', a lifestyle newspaper that covers the latest electronics, culture, and local happenings. Eri, by virtue of her force of personality, became the editor. Her parents helped her with money. And, to her immense surprise, the Almost Daily became a hit. The quirky reporting, the irreverent coverage of local events ("Akihabara Unites to Discover That Afternoon Television Sucks"), and in-depth looks at new technologies, gadgets, and computers made it a hit. But, sometimes, Eri debated looking at something meatier -- at evidence of corruption, at a social injustice -- and then she froze up.

The Almost Daily gained a reputation for being a fun newspaper, but not one of substance. This bothers Eri, but she isn't ready to catch up to Toshiro yet.

In late 2011, Eri undertook a large change: she finally moved out of her parents' house. The Almost Daily earns enough money to cover her expenses and then some, but her parents resisted the idea, convinced that she needed their help. Despite living away from home for almost six months, though, they won't quite let her try to live on her own. Her parents drop by frequently; they buy her groceries, they "help" without asking if Eri needs that help, and it leaves her without the sense of independence that she wants and has worked to provide for herself.

And after everything, Eri can't quite bring herself to tell them no. A little, traitorous part of her still whispers: maybe she got hurt because she fought back, and maybe Toshiro got hurt too because of that. So she accepts help that makes her feel like a child, and she struggles through every day, until she finds the will to do something about it.

==Season 1, Episode 1==
Forthcoming!

= Special Skills =
Eri is a woman in her twenties, with limited mobility and who has lost an eye. Nonetheless, she is an extremely talented writer and editor (though she prefers nonfiction). She also is very talented with electronics and computers, particularly building them. When she encounters a difficult situation, she has three approaches:

1. ''Helping is Job Number One'' (Understanding): If Eri sees someone in need, she gets to it and pitches in.

2. ''Turn Spirit into Strength'' (Guts): Eri thinks that her resolve and determination can overcome anything. Usually. And if she doesn't think this in a specific moment, this is what she goes back to.

3. ''Technology Opens Doors'' (Academics): Eri understands that looking at technology, and using it in innovative ways, can help solve logistical problems. And logical problems.

=Relationships=

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 75%; text-align: center;"
|-
! scope="col" style="background:#33965e; border: 2px #0d5668 solid; font size: 110%;" | Name
! scope="col" style="background:#33965e; border: 2px #0d5668 solid; font size: 110%;" | Address
! scope="col" style="background:#33965e; border: 2px #0d5668 solid; font size: 110%;" | Arcana
! scope="col" style="background:#33965e; border: 2px #0d5668 solid; font size: 110%;" | Social Link
! scope="col" style="background:#33965e; border: 2px #0d5668 solid; font size: 110%;"class="unsortable" | Info
|-
|[[Fuuka Yamagishi]]
|Yamagishi-kun
|3. Priestess
|☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''She's shy, but she's into electronics. That matters a lot.''
|-
|[[Ichika Kawase]]
|Kawase-kun
|15. Hanged Man
|☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''Love to see a kid who wants to be a reporter!''
|}

== NPC Relationships ==
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 75%; text-align: center;"
|-
! scope="col" style="background:#33965e; border: 2px #0d5668 solid; font size: 110%;" | Name
! scope="col" style="background:#33965e; border: 2px #0d5668 solid; font size: 110%;" | Arcana
! scope="col" style="background:#33965e; border: 2px #0d5668 solid; font size: 110%;" | Social Link
! scope="col" style="background:#33965e; border: 2px #0d5668 solid; font size: 110%;" class="unsortable" | Info
|-
|Toshiro Kusakabe
|Unknown
|★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|Her best friend from school. Someone she misses terribly. Someone she isn't ready to see again.
|}

= Soundtrack =
TBD

= Logs and Cutscenes =

==Season 1==

{{#dpl:
|category = logs&season 1
|linksto = {{PAGENAME}}
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[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Adults]]
[[Category:Chorus]]

Eri Natsuhara

2025-10-19T16:42:14Z

Tex: Created page with "{| class="toccolours" style="width: 15%; float: right; margin-left:2em; margin-right:0em; margin-bottom:2em; text-align: left; font-size: %110" cellspacing="2" |- ! style="background:#33965e; border: 2px #0d5668 solid; font size: 110%;" align="center" colspan="2" | '''Eri Natsuhara''' |- ! colspan="2" align="center" | |- ! style="background:#33965e; border: 2px #0d5668 solid; font-size: 110%;" align="center" colspan="2" | <span style="color:#..."

{| class="toccolours" style="width: 15%; float: right; margin-left:2em; margin-right:0em; margin-bottom:2em; text-align: left; font-size: %110" cellspacing="2"
|-
! style="background:#33965e; border: 2px #0d5668 solid; font size: 110%;" align="center" colspan="2" | '''Eri Natsuhara'''
|-
! colspan="2" align="center" |
|-
! style="background:#33965e; border: 2px #0d5668 solid; font-size: 110%;" align="center" colspan="2" | '''IC Information'''
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Full Name:
| Eri Natsuhara (夏原恵利)
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |Arcana:
| Strength
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Gender:
| Female
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Age (Birthdate):
| 26 (August 19, 1985)
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Hair Colour:
| Auburn
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Eye Colour:
| Crimson
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Height:
| 5'5" /165 cm
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Residence:
| Akihabara, Tokyo
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Workplace:
| ''Akihabara Almost Daily''
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Job:
| Reporter and Editor
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Role:
| Chorus
|-
! style="background:#33965e; border: 2px #0d5668 solid; font-size: 110%;" align="center" colspan="2" | '''OOC Information'''
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Source:
| Persona 5 Tactica
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Groups:
| None
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Player:
| [[User:Tex|Iwatodai Station]]
|-
|}

'''"Don't worry! Detective Shimizu is on the case to help you find your way to the right train!"'''

Reiko Shimizu is the youngest of three sisters. She is a twenty-three year-old police officer in Tokyo. She is friendly, cheerful, and helpful in the extreme. She is a junior detective, but can't quite shake her tendency to be a beat cop; she is just as likely to be giving directions in Shibuya and finding lost cats in Yongen-Jaya as she is to be on a case. This tendency to overwork is a source of consternation to her boss, Benkei Uchijima. Still, her cheerful nature and determined mindset make her popular on the force... if also their designated errand girl. Outside of work, she lives in a small apartment in Yongen-Jaya. She often goes to see her older sisters, Ayame and Shinobu, and sometimes can be found looking at bookstores throughout Tokyo.

= Background =
Eri Natsuhara was born in Tokyo on August 19, 1985. She came from a middle-class family; her parents, Shuichi and Ryoko Natsuhara, were kind and thoughtful... but also pushovers. They had a "turn the other cheek" philosophy to life: don't make waves, don't rock the boat, don't get in trouble. Thus, while Eri had a happy childhood, she also sometimes clashed with her parents because of a headstrong, stubborn personality... and a tendency to say what she thinks. Her mouth could often get ahead of her brain; her parents were constantly asking, pleading, and begging her to not make waves and keep to herself.

And Eri, because she loved them and wanted to make them happy, tried to do just that.

But in her first year of high school in Shujin Academy, she ran into trouble. She was accused of stealing something that belonged to another student. She couldn't even remember what it was, a couple of years later. The what was inconsequential, but the what happened shaped her future. Eri was promptly ostracized by her peers; the rumor mill at Shujin, ever vicious, turned on her. She was accused with little evidence. When she asked her parents, they told her the best thing to do was "wait for it to blow over." So she did that, and it only got worse. Her friends dropped her; they took her silence as an admission of guilt.

Finally, her homeroom teacher, Saito-sensei, talked to her. She told Eri words that would live with her for the rest of her life: "Silence in the face of injustice is complicity. If your guts tells you something's wrong, why not fight back?"

So Eri fought.

She found out who the real culprits were, through some clever (if amateur) detective work. Her classmates apologized to her, and the student who really did the theft got in trouble. But, Eri found, some things just couldn't be undone. Her friends weren't her friends anymore -- they were the people who doubted her. Her peers would always be the ones that abandoned her. And so, after a tearful discussion with her parents, Eri decided to transfer to Seven Sisters next year.

That spring, she tried to put her new philosophy into action. She went looking for problems, and she found them: Seven Sisters wasn't the cut-throat environment that Shujin was, socially, but bullying and people in need still happened. So Eri Natsuhara tried to find people to help. And in doing so, she found a kindred spirit: Toshiro Kasukabe, the son of a Diet member. He seemed meek, weak-willed, and the sort of person who could be walked all over -- he reminded her of her parents, sometimes -- but underneath that, she saw someone who also stood up to others. She first saw him stopping some punks from mugging a fellow student, and he took a beating in turn.

She was fascinated, so she sought him out. He was the student council president, despite being a first year. She started bringing students' problems to him -- and while he was exasperated, the two started working together. They reconciled friends who were fighting; they tracked down lost property; they once found someone's cat in a park at ten o'clock. They broke up fights, and Eri would drag Toshiro with him. He was exasperated with her -- and often claimed he was just keeping an eye on her -- while she liked to needle and poke at him, because he had the most torturous--excuse me, hilarious reactions. Eri was charmed, and they soon became fast friends.

Together, in 2002 and 2003, they made Seven Sisters into a nice school. But then, a new teacher -- Ichiro Nakabachi -- suddenly became Vice Principal. The quickness of his rise was suspect, and worse, a pall was cast over Seven Sisters that year. Nakabachi created a web of blackmail: by getting dirt on students and teachers, he used the threat of revealing that to make them act as informants. This guaranteed his meteoric rise, despite -- prior to that -- being a mediocre teacher at best. Students lived in fear of him and each other. Eri and Toshiro learned of this when another student, Yuri Kurano, came to them and told them what was happening.

Eri immediately ran off and confronted Nakabachi. It didn't work. But, with Toshiro's help -- and after some convincing -- they got Nakabachi's victims to all agree to come forward. Nakabachi was undone, and it seemed like they had won. He lost his job. Unfortunately, it didn't end there. He began to be harassed by students from the school -- and so did some of those who helped him -- and that began to break things down. In early 2003, one wintery evening, Nakabachi followed Eri and Toshiro into a train station. He had a nervous breakdown, and in a fit of self-pity and anger, he charged at Eri and pushed her off the platform. She fell, reaching her hand out for Toshiro. And then, there was the light of an oncoming train -- and then it hit her, and there was only blood and darkness.

She woke up days later in the hospital, forever changed. Her left leg was severely broken. She was wrapped in bandages from the trauma of the impact, with most of her ribs broken and severe bruising. She lost her right eye -- and half her face was bandaged to treat the wounds there.

Eri grew depressed. Before that, she had been an athletic and energetic teenager. After that, the doctors were uncertain if she would ever walk again. Her parents went into an overprotective mode, and while they were frightened and loving, she was terrified that she might have brought it on herself. She received a small boost when Yuri came to visit, and thanked her; she could feel, at least, that she had done some good. But she felt exhausted as she considered the ways her life would change and the long road of physical therapy ahead of her. It was hard to not feel regretful and defeated.

When Toshiro visited her, Eri struggled. When he encouraged her, she had to admit that she couldn't keep fighting for something just. Toshiro was filled with guilt for what happened -- and Eri didn't blame him, but a part of her blamed herself. It was a part of herself that she thought she had quashed, when the theft incident happened, but that terrible thought reared back up. She finally pled with Toshiro to keep working for change, to not give up on the fight, and that one day, she would catch up with him. They parted, her words lingering with him, and his words lingering with her: she had to be able to reunite with him, some day, and that meant that she had to get better.

But after that, they didn't see each other much -- and that turned into "at all" after a few months. Toshiro was busy with the fallout at school and with his father. Eri was busy with physical therapy and rehabilitation. Distance let anxieties and doubts build; Toshiro grew to assume Eri blamed him for what happened, and Eri assumed that Toshiro blamed her for sticking her nose into things. It wasn't rational, but with her parents worrying and fretting over her, Eri couldn't quite shut those voices out.

It took over a year to receive the necessary surgeries and physical therapy, and she never fully recovered. Eri learned to walk with the help of a cane, but her left leg lacked the mobility to do more than a slow walk. She eventually got an eye patch for her right eye. She also wouldn't go back to Seven Sisters; she graduated through a program at her hospital, while she recovered.

When she was out -- it was a couple of months after graduation -- Eri had to decide what to do with her life. She still felt herself sliding into depression. She "recovered," but she didn't feel the same. Going outside and taking a walk was an ordeal and painful, still. The cane and the eye patch would draw stares. At first, Eri retreated into her room at her parents' house. But, Eri found an online community for people in a similar situation to her -- and she discovered a newfound love for electronics, and that let her begin to come out of her depression. She found a reason to make herself walk down to Akihabara, to buy parts for a computer that she wanted to build. She made and met friends who were into electronics.

By then, it was 2004, and Eri was just discovering that assistive technology was limited. She started researching it -- and found ways that electronics and modern appliances could make her life easier. When Eri was younger, she had been interested in being a journalist. The idea of challenging people in power terrified her, still, on some fundamental level. The idea of helping people like her -- and sharing her newfound enthusiasm -- appealed. Thus, after talking to her parents, she enrolled in college and majored in journalism. She still lived at home, and her parents had grown overprotective, but they supported her financially and helped her.

Eri graduated in 2008. With several friends, she decided to start a newspaper in Akihabara: the ''Akihabara Almost Daily'', a lifestyle newspaper that covers the latest electronics, culture, and local happenings. Eri, by virtue of her force of personality, became the editor. Her parents helped her with money. And, to her immense surprise, the Almost Daily became a hit. The quirky reporting, the irreverent coverage of local events ("Akihabara Unites to Discover That Afternoon Television Sucks"), and in-depth looks at new technologies, gadgets, and computers made it a hit. But, sometimes, Eri debated looking at something meatier -- at evidence of corruption, at a social injustice -- and then she froze up.

The Almost Daily gained a reputation for being a fun newspaper, but not one of substance. This bothers Eri, but she isn't ready to catch up to Toshiro yet.

In late 2011, Eri undertook a large change: she finally moved out of her parents' house. The Almost Daily earns enough money to cover her expenses and then some, but her parents resisted the idea, convinced that she needed their help. Despite living away from home for almost six months, though, they won't quite let her try to live on her own. Her parents drop by frequently; they buy her groceries, they "help" without asking if Eri needs that help, and it leaves her without the sense of independence that she wants and has worked to provide for herself.

And after everything, Eri can't quite bring herself to tell them no. A little, traitorous part of her still whispers: maybe she got hurt because she fought back, and maybe Toshiro got hurt too because of that. So she accepts help that makes her feel like a child, and she struggles through every day, until she finds the will to do something about it.

==Season 1, Episode 1==
Forthcoming!

= Special Skills =
Eri is a woman in her twenties, with limited mobility and who has lost an eye. Nonetheless, she is an extremely talented writer and editor (though she prefers nonfiction). She also is very talented with electronics and computers, particularly building them. When she encounters a difficult situation, she has three approaches:

1. ''Helping is Job Number One'' (Understanding): If Eri sees someone in need, she gets to it and pitches in.

2. ''Turn Spirit into Strength'' (Guts): Eri thinks that her resolve and determination can overcome anything. Usually. And if she doesn't think this in a specific moment, this is what she goes back to.

3. ''Technology Opens Doors'' (Academics): Eri understands that looking at technology, and using it in innovative ways, can help solve logistical problems. And logical problems.

=Relationships=

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 75%; text-align: center;"
|-
! scope="col" style="background:#33965e; border: 2px #0d5668 solid; font size: 110%;" | Name
! scope="col" style="background:#33965e; border: 2px #0d5668 solid; font size: 110%;" | Address
! scope="col" style="background:#33965e; border: 2px #0d5668 solid; font size: 110%;" | Arcana
! scope="col" style="background:#33965e; border: 2px #0d5668 solid; font size: 110%;" | Social Link
! scope="col" style="background:#33965e; border: 2px #0d5668 solid; font size: 110%;"class="unsortable" | Info
|-
|[[Ichika Kawase]]
|Nee-chan
|12. Hanged Man
|☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''Nee-chan! I hope I don't cause trouble for you.''
|-
|[[Ayame Watanabe]]
|Onee-chan
|13. Death
|★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''Onee-chan! You're so reliable. I hope I can help, though!''
|-
|[[Myunghon Yeo]]
|Yeo-san
|15. Devil
|★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''Yeo-san... I'm curious. But I don't know if I should be...''
|-
|[[Tsubasa Seki]]
|Tsubasa-kun
|15. Devil
|★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''Don't worry, Tsubasa-kun. I've got your back.''
|}

== NPC Relationships ==
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 75%; text-align: center;"
|-
! scope="col" style="background:#33965e; border: 2px #0d5668 solid; font size: 110%;" | Name
! scope="col" style="background:#33965e; border: 2px #0d5668 solid; font size: 110%;" | Arcana
! scope="col" style="background:#33965e; border: 2px #0d5668 solid; font size: 110%;" | Social Link
! scope="col" style="background:#33965e; border: 2px #0d5668 solid; font size: 110%;" class="unsortable" | Info
|-
|Benkei Uchijima
|4. Emperor
|★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆
|Reiko's superior. He helped start her career and has connections.
|}

= Soundtrack =
TBD

= Logs and Cutscenes =

==Season 1==

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[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Adults]]
[[Category:Chorus]]

User:Tex

2025-10-19T16:31:57Z

Tex:

I'm Tex! I'm in EST and I generally get home around 5:00 p.m. Eastern time; on work nights, I usually need to wrap scenes up by 10:30 Eastern, too. Wednesdays and Thursdays are often bad for me, but I'm happy to RP other nights!

I'm also Iwatodai Station, a plot staffer here! I primarily run Persona 5 content, and help with Persona 3, but I might be pinch hitting with other themes' stuff as necessary.

Over at Dream Chasers MUSH, I'm Sheriff Star, Xiumei Klein, Redi Hayworth, and the others. At SRTMOO, I previously played Rena Lancaster. At BF, I played Lera Camry.

= Current Alts=
* [[Minako Arisato]]: Co-leader of SEES combat's team and a perfectly okay girl who is always smiling. :)
* [[Reiko Shimizu]]: A helpful police officer with no supernatural ability. She does her best. But will her best be good enough?
* [[Eri Natsuhara]]: The chief editor, reporter, and partial owner of the ''Akihabara Almost Daily'', a newspaper.
* Iwatodai Station: A plot staffer and a train station. He might be renamed to an NPC in some scenes! He is a train station of many faces. Major NPCs I've played include:
*# [[Junya Kaneshiro]]: A crime boss in Shibuya.

Minako Arisato

2025-09-08T21:58:31Z

Tex: /* Soundtrack */

{| class="toccolours" style="width: 15%; float: right; margin-left:2em; margin-right:0em; margin-bottom:2em; text-align: left; font-size: %110" cellspacing="2"
|-
! style="background:#ff99cc; border: 2px #cc0066 solid; font size: 110%;" align="center" colspan="2" | '''Minako Arisato'''
|-
! colspan="2" align="center" | [[File:Minako_Profile.jpg|300px]]
|-
! style="background:#ff99cc; border: 2px #cc0066 solid; font-size: 110%;" align="center" colspan="2" | '''IC Information'''
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Full Name:
| Minako Arisato (有里ミナコ)
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |Arcana:
|The Fool
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Gender:
| Female
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Age (Birthdate):
| 16 (January 1, 1996)
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Hair Colour:
| Red
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Eye Colour:
| Red
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Height:
| 5'3" /160 cm
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Residence:
| Iwatodai Dorm, Tatsumi Port Island
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Workplace:
| Gekkoukan High School
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Job:
| Second Year
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Role:
| Focus
|-
! style="background:#ff99cc; border: 2px #cc0066 solid; font-size: 110%;" align="center" colspan="2" | '''OOC Information'''
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Source:
| Persona 3
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Groups:
| [[SEES]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Player:
| [[User:Tex|Iwatodai Station]]
|-
|}

'''"Nothing's certain in this world! But... this problem won't solve itself." '''

Minako Arisato is a recent transfer to Gekkoukan High School, and no one is quite sure what to do with her. She seems the opposite of her twin brother, from the red-orange hair and eye color, to the cheerful and boisterous personality. She smiles at every person and problem she faces, from awkward social interactions with new classmates to the terrifying Shadows of the Dark Hour. Nothing seems to shake her, but that sunny smile and her ever-present headphones provide a mask for the pain of losing her parents in a terrible accident ten years ago. That mask, though, also makes her excel as a co-leader of SEES's field teams. She proves equally unflappable and steadfast on the battlefield, standing with her fellows in SEES.

= Background =
Minako Arisato was born on January 1, 1996. She was born only a few minutes after her twin brother, Minato, but he was (technically) born the previous day. Daisuke and Natsuki Arisato came from money, and enjoyed a comfortable life. For their first six years, the twins lived on Tatsumi Port Island. They didn't want for much, with kind parents who provided them with quality schooling and latest video game consoles and entertainment.

Ten years ago, this all came crashing down, in the terrible and mysterious disaster on Tatsumi Port Island. That night, the Arisatos were among the many cars in the series of terrible traffic accidents that occurred on the Moonlight Bridge. Minato was able to get out of the car. To this day, Minako doesn't realize what he saw or what happened to him.

Minako didn't get out of the car until after everything cleared up. Her mother had been in the backseat and she threw herself over Minako, until the car behind them impacted theirs. Its side view mirror flew through the back windshield and killed Natsuki instantly when it struck her head. She died atop Minako, who tried and tried to wake her mother up. She pleaded, she begged, and she sobbed. She screamed. She learned for the first time, but not the last, that her pleas could not stave off death.

Minako might have died there. She didn't know what to do and she started to smell gasoline. The car doors were smashed in on the sides. She was vaguely aware that her father's corpse was slumped over the steering wheel. But then, a voice spoke to her: "You don't want him to be alone, do you?" She attributed it to a hallucination, later. One thing proved real, though: her brother standing outside the car. Minako pushed her mother's body away, then she crawled out of the shattered back window. The gash on her thigh left a scar, but so did many things about that night. She reached Minato, though.

He wouldn't be alone, and that was something.

The next few weeks were a blur to Minako. The visceral trauma of crawling away from her mother's dead body, the loss of her father, and the injury on her leg made her dissociate quite literally. Therapists and counselors were in short supply, as family and attorneys debated how to handle matters. The question of the trust that held their late parents' wealth wasn't much of a question: the twins would receive that when they were legal adults at age twenty. The bigger question was who would take them. Their paternal grandparents, Takumi and Mariko, stepped in quickly. The twins relocated to Osaka to live with them, and left behind their friends and school in Port Island.

The next two years were not unhappy ones. Minako began to emerge from the sheer trauma of the event. Her grandparents and visiting family meant well, but they missed the way that she did not fully heal from the trauma. Minako learned to mask her sadness and loneliness by being cheerful and happy. It started as a child, as she learned that smiling and acting happy would not worry her grandmother and grandfather -- or make her brother withdraw from her.

Making herself act happier also led her to sometimes be happier, though that happiness was often fleeting. She became more outgoing in school than she had ever been. She became more curious and impulsive. She learned to slip into an Osaka accent like her school friend did. Even as a teenager, she can do it on demand.

When they were eight years old, though, their time in Osaka came to an end. Old age claimed Mariko's life; their grandfather, Takumi, was too old to care for two elementary schoolers. Minako watched with more understanding now as a mirror of the legal whirlwind of two years ago blew up. She learned to smile through sorrow and pain already; this was the test to prove that she learned that lesson. When her grandfather took them to the airport to move in with new relatives, he cried. Minako smiled and hugged him, and stay dry-eyed until the plane took off. She passed the test, she thought.

They moved in next with their maternal aunt and uncle, Haruto and Fuyuko Shiomi. They lived in Nagoya and both worked high paying but demanding jobs. They saw the children less frequently than was ideal, but they had a network of relatives to help. They also had the income to support the twins too. While Minako didn't get as close to them as she did her grandparents, she did have a good life there -- and made friends in school easily.

Minako did form a bond with her uncle, who had a similar temperament. He shared his love of alternative rock from the late 1980's and 1990's with Minako, and while she initially expressed interest to make Haruto happy, it soon became a genuine love that stayed with her.

Unfortunately, the Shiomis' marriage collapsed when the twins were twelve years old. The stress of high intensity jobs made for irreconcilable differences. They didn't quite have enough time for the twins together. Apart, they certainly didn't. The whirlwind of years past began to spin up again, and by now, Minako thought she knew the shape of it. She thought she knew how the winds of death and loss would batter her, the way only a twelve year old who hurt too much could. She was wrong. The family had tried to keep them together so far, but it finally broke down.

Minato was sent to live with their paternal uncle, Yoshirou Arisato, in Tokyo. Minato was sent to their maternal grandmother, Naomi Yuki, in Sapporo. At the airport, she tried for a repeat performance with her grandfather, and failed completely. Minako sobbed and couldn't manage to form the word "goodbye" to her brother before she had to board a flight to Sapporo.

Life in Sapporo was supposed to be miserable. Minako was so far away from her brother. She tried, but she couldn't bring herself to wallow in misery -- and make a grandmother who could be distant but still warm (and thus not unlike her brother) miserable by association. Minako, alone, began to fall back on her defense mechanisms: she smiled and laughed through the pain. She made new friends in a new school. She grew close to her grandmother. She could be bright, to cast shadows on how much she missed her brother, her parents, and the others that she had lost.

Life in Sapporo was agreeable with her. Minako found things she loved there of her own accord. Her grandmother was encouraging, but had slowed down in her old age. Left to her own devices, Minako found a love of colder weather -- and hiking in it. In school, she developed an athletic streak; she ended up active in the softball club.

She found herself having a life that she could be happy with, and she felt guilty for it. That life didn't have her brother in it as much as she wanted, which made that guilt fester.

The twins did have annual summer trips, though. In 2010, they took one to Osaka that was especially memorable. They still had things they could bond over -- their love of rock music, their shared love of video games (and how many Pokemon they had to trade after a year apart) -- but that summer in Osaka was special. They got to see old haunts from when they were kids, with memories dear to them both. They bought their MP3 players and headphones, matching in style but different in color. They had time together that Minako valued.

But it also reinforced the ways they changed. Minako realized her brother's life with their uncle Yoshirou was not a happy one. She also saw the way he'd become more withdrawn, more distant... and it contrasted with the way that she had become all the brighter, running hot instead of his running cold. Her guilt only magnified.

The next year, when they were 15, their maternal grandmother passed. Yoshirou's adult son, Naruhito Arisato, took Minako in. This was part of a scheme by Yoshirou and Naruhito to gain access to the twins' trust fund and drain it dry. Minako's cousin was utterly uninterested in her. Both twins lived in Sumaru that year, but Minako was enrolled in Seven Sisters instead of Shujin (like her brother) as part of a scheme to keep the twins in the dark about the plans to steal (through attorneys) their inheritance. By now, Minako knew how to smile through loss -- and she started at a new school with the same easy charm she had learned. She thought something strange was afoot, but she had no idea.

The Kirijo Group, thankfully, did. When Yoshirou and his son went to the bank with their lawyers to get access to the funds, Kirijo lawyers met them. They were sent home with a warning; the twins were both quickly transferred to Gekkoukan, given rooms in a dorm there, and would move back to Port Island, under the close eye and aegis of the Kirijo Group.

Minato moved first. Minako followed a few days later. She was due to arrive in the daytime on a fateful day: the same one that had a massive subway accident, caused by a "psychotic breakdown" incident. Minako was stuck on a train for hours and arrived in Port Island at 11:49 p.m. It felt as if reality was trying to delay the reunion with her brother -- and give her time to ponder the weight of returning to where her parents died. She smiled, dissociated, and did not ruminate on this.

On the walk to the dormitory in Iwatodai, everything suddenly changed. She rounded one corner and found the sky had turned green. Coffins were lying about the street; puddles of blood were lying on the ground. She smiled, dissociated, and did not ruminate on this.

She rounded a second corner and saw Iwatodai Dormitory. Out front, against the door, a wounded Akihiko Sanada was facing off against Shadows. This finally made Minako admit maybe something messed up was happening with Dark Hour. She shouted, dissociated, and then smashed a Shadow aside with her rolling luggage -- and leaped in front of Sanada. He dropped his Evoker, and some instinct took hold. She grabbed it, driven by some instinct, and put the Evoker to her temple.

A pull of the trigger and a burst of blue glass later, and her Persona, Linos, pushed back the wave of Shadows. She got Akihiko inside, handed him off to a baffled Mitsuru, and then promptly collapsed into Yukari's bed. Questions -- like what is Dark Hour, who these people are, and which room is hers -- could wait for tomorrow.

That night, Minako dreamed of intruding upon a strange boy with bright blue eyes, short hair, and prison-striped clothing. He was surprised to see her, yet not unhappy. He handed her a contract, which she signed, agreeing to take responsibility for her actions. Then, she entered the Velvet Room in her dreams: in an elevator going forever downward, Igor and Theodore explained the nature of Personas to her.
[[File:Minako and Minato S1E1.jpg|thumb|The twins, reunited at last!]]
When Minako awoke, there were explanations to give. She also had to apologize profusely to Yukari. She soon settled into a familiar pattern: establishing herself at a new school, making friends, and being her bright and sunny self to mask what was underneath. This time, though, something was different. This was not a new place for her -- little reminders of who the lost were everywhere. So, too, was the reminder of the brother she just got back.

But she had to wait, because he was out for days. She worried -- in a way that other members of SEES could see plainly -- though she tried to downplay it. When he awoke, it was a joyous reunion. Then she got to experience an everyday life with him being present, and she was grateful for that chance.

She received an explanation of the Dark Hour, SEES, and Tartarus. She joined without a second thought; if Minato was going to do it, so would Minako. After all, as she decided ten years ago, she couldn't let him be alone.

==Season 1, Episode 1==
Forthcoming!

= Persona =
[[File:Linos.jpg|left|thumb|200x200px|Linos, Minako's primary Persona.]]
As a Wild Card, Minako has access to a number of Personas. These are listed below.

'''Linos (Fool):''' The son of Calliope and Apollo, and brother to Orpheus. Linos proved to be an excellent musician, helping to restore harmony to music after the Muses gave a third string to the lyre. His skill with music prompted the jealousy of his father, though, and Apollo slew his son with his arrows. For Minako, Linos manifests a feminine form. She looks like a mechanical doll, with a faintly feminine shape; her body is made of shiny gold and silver, with a crimson scarf and long red hair. The most notable aspect is that a heart-shaped harp is attached to her back. She is a well-rounded Persona, capable of manifesting fierce magical nuclear flame, piercing strikes with phantom arrows and, and some ability to heal. That Linos appears similar to Orpheus, her brother's main Persona, is certainly not coincidental.

'''Pyro Jack (Magician):''' The famed Jack O'Lantern, he was an Irish farmer who persuaded Satan not to take him to hell. When he was refused entry into heaven, he wandered earth as a pumpkin-headed soul. He appears as a pumpkin-like head, wearing a blue robe and a blue hat. He commands both magical flame and abilities that debilitate Minako's opponents. He often says "Hee-ho!" Pyro Jack represents her cousin Naruhito. Naruhito is the Magician Arcana, but a failed one: he is overconfident, convinced of his importance, and unable to see the impact he has and the truth of the people he impacts. He tried to use the twin.
[[File:Mors.jpg|thumb|200x200px|Mors, a mysterious Persona that sometimes appears when Minako is present.]]
'''Valkyrie (Strength):''' "Choosers of the slain" in Norse lore. Armed with shining armor and swords, they look for brave warriors to take to Valhalla, so that they may fight in Ragnarok. Valkyrie appears as a golden-skinned woman with blonde hair and a winged mask, donning scale mail and carrying a lance. She rides atop a crimson horse, with a fiery red mane. She uses supportive magic and powerful slash attacks in battle. She represents Minako's grandmother, Naomi Yuki. Naomi was the Strength Arcana: an active hiker, who -- despite her advanced age, when Minako lived with her, helped Minako find her love of outdoors and exercise. She also supported Minako, reached her in a dark time in her life, and helped bring her out of her shell.

'''Mors (Death):''' A mysterious Persona, unlike Minako's others. She is the Roman version of the Greek God of Death, Thanatos. She is the personification of death itself, and in the Roman tradition, has feminine connotations. Mors commands powerful darkness and non-elemental magic, and has far greater power than other Personas in Minako's compendium. However, Minako cannot command when Mors comes, and she cannot -- in truth -- command Mors at all. Her similarity to a similar Persona that sometimes appears when her brother is nearby, Thanatos, is as mysterious as the origins and nature of Mors. '''Please note that Mors has not yet been summoned on game and no one knows about her; this information is here for OOC clarification.'''

= Special Skills =
Minako has the Wild Card. She can summon multiple Personas in battle. She also has unique connections to destiny and fate, in ways that have not fully been seen.

When Minako has to address a difficult situation, she has three particular approaches:

1. ''A Smile for Every Situation'' (Understanding): Minako is often lost in her own little world... but that helps her understand the world around her -- and the people in it. She might put headphones in to tune out the world, and she might close her heart off with a smile, but Minako is excellent at listening to people. She can't help but listen to people and understand them, to try to help.

2. ''Kindling Warmth'' (Charm): Minako is impulsive and takes initiative. And this helps her be charismatic and likeable, because Minako will rush into a situation -- and while she can bull right past others' feelings, she can also be forthright at the right moment and reach out exactly when she needs to. And, sometimes, she can get a laugh out of even the most closed off person.

3. ''Rushing In'' (Guts): When things are difficult, Minako tends to stand tall -- and she tends to be fearless. She doesn't hesitate to step into the line of fire and do what she needs to. And, of course, the fact she values her life less than the lives of those around her also helps.

=Relationships=

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 75%; text-align: center;"
|-
! scope="col" style="background:#ff99cc; border: 2px #cc0066 solid; font size: 110%;" | Name
! scope="col" style="background:#ff99cc; border: 2px #cc0066 solid; font size: 110%;" | Address
! scope="col" style="background:#ff99cc; border: 2px #cc0066 solid; font size: 110%;" | Arcana
! scope="col" style="background:#ff99cc; border: 2px #cc0066 solid; font size: 110%;" | Social Link
! scope="col" style="background:#ff99cc; border: 2px #cc0066 solid; font size: 110%;"class="unsortable" | Info
|-
|[[Minato Arisato]]
|Minato-kun
|0. Fool
|★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''"I'm glad you're in it... but I'm worried about you, too."''
|-
|[[Ren Amamiya]]
|Amamiya-san
|0. Fool
|★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''"We really seem to click. It almost scares me."''
|-
|[[Fuuka Yamagishi]]
|Yamagishi-san
|2. Priestess
|☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''"I'm glad we could save you."''
|-
|[[Mitsuru Kirijo]]
|Kirijo-senpai
|3. Empress
|☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''"I hope I can help, senpai!"''
|-
|[[Shinjiro Aragaki]]
|Aragaki-senpai
|5. Hierophant
|☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''"I'm curious about you. Why did you leave SEES?"''
|-
|[[Yukari Takeba]]
|Takeba-chan
|6. Lovers
|★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''"Even if we make each other mad... we'll stick together, right?"''
|-
|[[Suzume Fukura]]
|Fukura-san
|7. Chariot
|☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''"I'm glad we helped you. I hope you don't feel like it's too much."''
|-
|[[Reiya Aomori]]
|Aomori-san
|9. Hermit
|★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''You're really straightforward. It's... a lot.''
|-
|[[Ririka Kawase]]
|Kawase-san
|12. Hanged Man
|☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''"Didn't expect you to be skateboarding in Dark Hour..."''
|-
|[[Hitomi Mandai]]
|Mandai-chan
|10. Fortune
|☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''"Don't worry! I've got your back."''
|-
|[[Julian Marlowe]]
|Marlowe-sensei
|10. Fortune
|☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''"A cool foreign teacher... if only he taught at Gekkoukan!"''
|-
|[[Shizuka Kuroki]]
|Kuroki-senpai
|18. Moon
|☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''"You seem pretty reliable, senpai. But the puns..."''
|}

== NPC Relationships ==

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 75%; text-align: center;"
|-
! scope="col" style="background:#ff99cc; border: 2px #cc0066 solid; font size: 110%;" | Name
! scope="col" style="background:#ff99cc; border: 2px #cc0066 solid; font size: 110%;" | Arcana
! scope="col" style="background:#ff99cc; border: 2px #cc0066 solid; font size: 110%;" | Social Link
! scope="col" style="background:#ff99cc; border: 2px #cc0066 solid; font size: 110%;"class="unsortable" | Info
|-
|Bunkichi and Mitsuko
|5. Hierophant
|★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|The owners of Bookworms; an old couple Minako befriended.
|-
|Rio Iwasaki
|7. Chariot
|★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|The head of the Gekkoukan's Sports Department and in Volleyball Club with Minako.
|}

= Soundtrack =

* '''Main Theme:''' "Moonlight Daydream," by Mosq, feat. xunreachable & Neptune_1313. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0nOj-HRWDQ
* '''Battle Theme 1:''' "Wiping All Out: Reload Arrange," arranged by Mosq. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7nPwYr9xs8
* '''Battle Theme 2:''' "Pull the Trigger," from Persona Q2: Shadow of the Labyrinth. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5O_jq1CSv0
* "Final Girl," by Chvrches. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzKlcX2BR6M

= Logs and Cutscenes =

==Season 1==

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{{#dpl:
|category = cutscenes&season 1
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[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Gekkoukan High School]]
[[Category:SEES]]
[[Category:Focus]]

Reiko Shimizu

2025-09-07T00:04:53Z

Tex: /* Relationships */

Reiko Shimizu

2025-08-31T23:36:51Z

Tex: /* Relationships */

Minako Arisato

2025-08-31T23:34:49Z

Tex: /* Relationships */

{| class="toccolours" style="width: 15%; float: right; margin-left:2em; margin-right:0em; margin-bottom:2em; text-align: left; font-size: %110" cellspacing="2"
|-
! style="background:#ff99cc; border: 2px #cc0066 solid; font size: 110%;" align="center" colspan="2" | '''Minako Arisato'''
|-
! colspan="2" align="center" | [[File:Minako_Profile.jpg|300px]]
|-
! style="background:#ff99cc; border: 2px #cc0066 solid; font-size: 110%;" align="center" colspan="2" | '''IC Information'''
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Full Name:
| Minako Arisato (有里ミナコ)
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |Arcana:
|The Fool
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Gender:
| Female
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Age (Birthdate):
| 16 (January 1, 1996)
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Hair Colour:
| Red
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Eye Colour:
| Red
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Height:
| 5'3" /160 cm
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Residence:
| Iwatodai Dorm, Tatsumi Port Island
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Workplace:
| Gekkoukan High School
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Job:
| Second Year
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Role:
| Focus
|-
! style="background:#ff99cc; border: 2px #cc0066 solid; font-size: 110%;" align="center" colspan="2" | '''OOC Information'''
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Source:
| Persona 3
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Groups:
| [[SEES]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Player:
| [[User:Tex|Iwatodai Station]]
|-
|}

'''"Nothing's certain in this world! But... this problem won't solve itself." '''

Minako Arisato is a recent transfer to Gekkoukan High School, and no one is quite sure what to do with her. She seems the opposite of her twin brother, from the red-orange hair and eye color, to the cheerful and boisterous personality. She smiles at every person and problem she faces, from awkward social interactions with new classmates to the terrifying Shadows of the Dark Hour. Nothing seems to shake her, but that sunny smile and her ever-present headphones provide a mask for the pain of losing her parents in a terrible accident ten years ago. That mask, though, also makes her excel as a co-leader of SEES's field teams. She proves equally unflappable and steadfast on the battlefield, standing with her fellows in SEES.

= Background =
Minako Arisato was born on January 1, 1996. She was born only a few minutes after her twin brother, Minato, but he was (technically) born the previous day. Daisuke and Natsuki Arisato came from money, and enjoyed a comfortable life. For their first six years, the twins lived on Tatsumi Port Island. They didn't want for much, with kind parents who provided them with quality schooling and latest video game consoles and entertainment.

Ten years ago, this all came crashing down, in the terrible and mysterious disaster on Tatsumi Port Island. That night, the Arisatos were among the many cars in the series of terrible traffic accidents that occurred on the Moonlight Bridge. Minato was able to get out of the car. To this day, Minako doesn't realize what he saw or what happened to him.

Minako didn't get out of the car until after everything cleared up. Her mother had been in the backseat and she threw herself over Minako, until the car behind them impacted theirs. Its side view mirror flew through the back windshield and killed Natsuki instantly when it struck her head. She died atop Minako, who tried and tried to wake her mother up. She pleaded, she begged, and she sobbed. She screamed. She learned for the first time, but not the last, that her pleas could not stave off death.

Minako might have died there. She didn't know what to do and she started to smell gasoline. The car doors were smashed in on the sides. She was vaguely aware that her father's corpse was slumped over the steering wheel. But then, a voice spoke to her: "You don't want him to be alone, do you?" She attributed it to a hallucination, later. One thing proved real, though: her brother standing outside the car. Minako pushed her mother's body away, then she crawled out of the shattered back window. The gash on her thigh left a scar, but so did many things about that night. She reached Minato, though.

He wouldn't be alone, and that was something.

The next few weeks were a blur to Minako. The visceral trauma of crawling away from her mother's dead body, the loss of her father, and the injury on her leg made her dissociate quite literally. Therapists and counselors were in short supply, as family and attorneys debated how to handle matters. The question of the trust that held their late parents' wealth wasn't much of a question: the twins would receive that when they were legal adults at age twenty. The bigger question was who would take them. Their paternal grandparents, Takumi and Mariko, stepped in quickly. The twins relocated to Osaka to live with them, and left behind their friends and school in Port Island.

The next two years were not unhappy ones. Minako began to emerge from the sheer trauma of the event. Her grandparents and visiting family meant well, but they missed the way that she did not fully heal from the trauma. Minako learned to mask her sadness and loneliness by being cheerful and happy. It started as a child, as she learned that smiling and acting happy would not worry her grandmother and grandfather -- or make her brother withdraw from her.

Making herself act happier also led her to sometimes be happier, though that happiness was often fleeting. She became more outgoing in school than she had ever been. She became more curious and impulsive. She learned to slip into an Osaka accent like her school friend did. Even as a teenager, she can do it on demand.

When they were eight years old, though, their time in Osaka came to an end. Old age claimed Mariko's life; their grandfather, Takumi, was too old to care for two elementary schoolers. Minako watched with more understanding now as a mirror of the legal whirlwind of two years ago blew up. She learned to smile through sorrow and pain already; this was the test to prove that she learned that lesson. When her grandfather took them to the airport to move in with new relatives, he cried. Minako smiled and hugged him, and stay dry-eyed until the plane took off. She passed the test, she thought.

They moved in next with their maternal aunt and uncle, Haruto and Fuyuko Shiomi. They lived in Nagoya and both worked high paying but demanding jobs. They saw the children less frequently than was ideal, but they had a network of relatives to help. They also had the income to support the twins too. While Minako didn't get as close to them as she did her grandparents, she did have a good life there -- and made friends in school easily.

Minako did form a bond with her uncle, who had a similar temperament. He shared his love of alternative rock from the late 1980's and 1990's with Minako, and while she initially expressed interest to make Haruto happy, it soon became a genuine love that stayed with her.

Unfortunately, the Shiomis' marriage collapsed when the twins were twelve years old. The stress of high intensity jobs made for irreconcilable differences. They didn't quite have enough time for the twins together. Apart, they certainly didn't. The whirlwind of years past began to spin up again, and by now, Minako thought she knew the shape of it. She thought she knew how the winds of death and loss would batter her, the way only a twelve year old who hurt too much could. She was wrong. The family had tried to keep them together so far, but it finally broke down.

Minato was sent to live with their paternal uncle, Yoshirou Arisato, in Tokyo. Minato was sent to their maternal grandmother, Naomi Yuki, in Sapporo. At the airport, she tried for a repeat performance with her grandfather, and failed completely. Minako sobbed and couldn't manage to form the word "goodbye" to her brother before she had to board a flight to Sapporo.

Life in Sapporo was supposed to be miserable. Minako was so far away from her brother. She tried, but she couldn't bring herself to wallow in misery -- and make a grandmother who could be distant but still warm (and thus not unlike her brother) miserable by association. Minako, alone, began to fall back on her defense mechanisms: she smiled and laughed through the pain. She made new friends in a new school. She grew close to her grandmother. She could be bright, to cast shadows on how much she missed her brother, her parents, and the others that she had lost.

Life in Sapporo was agreeable with her. Minako found things she loved there of her own accord. Her grandmother was encouraging, but had slowed down in her old age. Left to her own devices, Minako found a love of colder weather -- and hiking in it. In school, she developed an athletic streak; she ended up active in the softball club.

She found herself having a life that she could be happy with, and she felt guilty for it. That life didn't have her brother in it as much as she wanted, which made that guilt fester.

The twins did have annual summer trips, though. In 2010, they took one to Osaka that was especially memorable. They still had things they could bond over -- their love of rock music, their shared love of video games (and how many Pokemon they had to trade after a year apart) -- but that summer in Osaka was special. They got to see old haunts from when they were kids, with memories dear to them both. They bought their MP3 players and headphones, matching in style but different in color. They had time together that Minako valued.

But it also reinforced the ways they changed. Minako realized her brother's life with their uncle Yoshirou was not a happy one. She also saw the way he'd become more withdrawn, more distant... and it contrasted with the way that she had become all the brighter, running hot instead of his running cold. Her guilt only magnified.

The next year, when they were 15, their maternal grandmother passed. Yoshirou's adult son, Naruhito Arisato, took Minako in. This was part of a scheme by Yoshirou and Naruhito to gain access to the twins' trust fund and drain it dry. Minako's cousin was utterly uninterested in her. Both twins lived in Sumaru that year, but Minako was enrolled in Seven Sisters instead of Shujin (like her brother) as part of a scheme to keep the twins in the dark about the plans to steal (through attorneys) their inheritance. By now, Minako knew how to smile through loss -- and she started at a new school with the same easy charm she had learned. She thought something strange was afoot, but she had no idea.

The Kirijo Group, thankfully, did. When Yoshirou and his son went to the bank with their lawyers to get access to the funds, Kirijo lawyers met them. They were sent home with a warning; the twins were both quickly transferred to Gekkoukan, given rooms in a dorm there, and would move back to Port Island, under the close eye and aegis of the Kirijo Group.

Minato moved first. Minako followed a few days later. She was due to arrive in the daytime on a fateful day: the same one that had a massive subway accident, caused by a "psychotic breakdown" incident. Minako was stuck on a train for hours and arrived in Port Island at 11:49 p.m. It felt as if reality was trying to delay the reunion with her brother -- and give her time to ponder the weight of returning to where her parents died. She smiled, dissociated, and did not ruminate on this.

On the walk to the dormitory in Iwatodai, everything suddenly changed. She rounded one corner and found the sky had turned green. Coffins were lying about the street; puddles of blood were lying on the ground. She smiled, dissociated, and did not ruminate on this.

She rounded a second corner and saw Iwatodai Dormitory. Out front, against the door, a wounded Akihiko Sanada was facing off against Shadows. This finally made Minako admit maybe something messed up was happening with Dark Hour. She shouted, dissociated, and then smashed a Shadow aside with her rolling luggage -- and leaped in front of Sanada. He dropped his Evoker, and some instinct took hold. She grabbed it, driven by some instinct, and put the Evoker to her temple.

A pull of the trigger and a burst of blue glass later, and her Persona, Linos, pushed back the wave of Shadows. She got Akihiko inside, handed him off to a baffled Mitsuru, and then promptly collapsed into Yukari's bed. Questions -- like what is Dark Hour, who these people are, and which room is hers -- could wait for tomorrow.

That night, Minako dreamed of intruding upon a strange boy with bright blue eyes, short hair, and prison-striped clothing. He was surprised to see her, yet not unhappy. He handed her a contract, which she signed, agreeing to take responsibility for her actions. Then, she entered the Velvet Room in her dreams: in an elevator going forever downward, Igor and Theodore explained the nature of Personas to her.
[[File:Minako and Minato S1E1.jpg|thumb|The twins, reunited at last!]]
When Minako awoke, there were explanations to give. She also had to apologize profusely to Yukari. She soon settled into a familiar pattern: establishing herself at a new school, making friends, and being her bright and sunny self to mask what was underneath. This time, though, something was different. This was not a new place for her -- little reminders of who the lost were everywhere. So, too, was the reminder of the brother she just got back.

But she had to wait, because he was out for days. She worried -- in a way that other members of SEES could see plainly -- though she tried to downplay it. When he awoke, it was a joyous reunion. Then she got to experience an everyday life with him being present, and she was grateful for that chance.

She received an explanation of the Dark Hour, SEES, and Tartarus. She joined without a second thought; if Minato was going to do it, so would Minako. After all, as she decided ten years ago, she couldn't let him be alone.

==Season 1, Episode 1==
Forthcoming!

= Persona =
[[File:Linos.jpg|left|thumb|200x200px|Linos, Minako's primary Persona.]]
As a Wild Card, Minako has access to a number of Personas. These are listed below.

'''Linos (Fool):''' The son of Calliope and Apollo, and brother to Orpheus. Linos proved to be an excellent musician, helping to restore harmony to music after the Muses gave a third string to the lyre. His skill with music prompted the jealousy of his father, though, and Apollo slew his son with his arrows. For Minako, Linos manifests a feminine form. She looks like a mechanical doll, with a faintly feminine shape; her body is made of shiny gold and silver, with a crimson scarf and long red hair. The most notable aspect is that a heart-shaped harp is attached to her back. She is a well-rounded Persona, capable of manifesting fierce magical nuclear flame, piercing strikes with phantom arrows and, and some ability to heal. That Linos appears similar to Orpheus, her brother's main Persona, is certainly not coincidental.

'''Pyro Jack (Magician):''' The famed Jack O'Lantern, he was an Irish farmer who persuaded Satan not to take him to hell. When he was refused entry into heaven, he wandered earth as a pumpkin-headed soul. He appears as a pumpkin-like head, wearing a blue robe and a blue hat. He commands both magical flame and abilities that debilitate Minako's opponents. He often says "Hee-ho!" Pyro Jack represents her cousin Naruhito. Naruhito is the Magician Arcana, but a failed one: he is overconfident, convinced of his importance, and unable to see the impact he has and the truth of the people he impacts. He tried to use the twin.
[[File:Mors.jpg|thumb|200x200px|Mors, a mysterious Persona that sometimes appears when Minako is present.]]
'''Valkyrie (Strength):''' "Choosers of the slain" in Norse lore. Armed with shining armor and swords, they look for brave warriors to take to Valhalla, so that they may fight in Ragnarok. Valkyrie appears as a golden-skinned woman with blonde hair and a winged mask, donning scale mail and carrying a lance. She rides atop a crimson horse, with a fiery red mane. She uses supportive magic and powerful slash attacks in battle. She represents Minako's grandmother, Naomi Yuki. Naomi was the Strength Arcana: an active hiker, who -- despite her advanced age, when Minako lived with her, helped Minako find her love of outdoors and exercise. She also supported Minako, reached her in a dark time in her life, and helped bring her out of her shell.

'''Mors (Death):''' A mysterious Persona, unlike Minako's others. She is the Roman version of the Greek God of Death, Thanatos. She is the personification of death itself, and in the Roman tradition, has feminine connotations. Mors commands powerful darkness and non-elemental magic, and has far greater power than other Personas in Minako's compendium. However, Minako cannot command when Mors comes, and she cannot -- in truth -- command Mors at all. Her similarity to a similar Persona that sometimes appears when her brother is nearby, Thanatos, is as mysterious as the origins and nature of Mors. '''Please note that Mors has not yet been summoned on game and no one knows about her; this information is here for OOC clarification.'''

= Special Skills =
Minako has the Wild Card. She can summon multiple Personas in battle. She also has unique connections to destiny and fate, in ways that have not fully been seen.

When Minako has to address a difficult situation, she has three particular approaches:

1. ''A Smile for Every Situation'' (Understanding): Minako is often lost in her own little world... but that helps her understand the world around her -- and the people in it. She might put headphones in to tune out the world, and she might close her heart off with a smile, but Minako is excellent at listening to people. She can't help but listen to people and understand them, to try to help.

2. ''Kindling Warmth'' (Charm): Minako is impulsive and takes initiative. And this helps her be charismatic and likeable, because Minako will rush into a situation -- and while she can bull right past others' feelings, she can also be forthright at the right moment and reach out exactly when she needs to. And, sometimes, she can get a laugh out of even the most closed off person.

3. ''Rushing In'' (Guts): When things are difficult, Minako tends to stand tall -- and she tends to be fearless. She doesn't hesitate to step into the line of fire and do what she needs to. And, of course, the fact she values her life less than the lives of those around her also helps.

=Relationships=

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 75%; text-align: center;"
|-
! scope="col" style="background:#ff99cc; border: 2px #cc0066 solid; font size: 110%;" | Name
! scope="col" style="background:#ff99cc; border: 2px #cc0066 solid; font size: 110%;" | Address
! scope="col" style="background:#ff99cc; border: 2px #cc0066 solid; font size: 110%;" | Arcana
! scope="col" style="background:#ff99cc; border: 2px #cc0066 solid; font size: 110%;" | Social Link
! scope="col" style="background:#ff99cc; border: 2px #cc0066 solid; font size: 110%;"class="unsortable" | Info
|-
|[[Minato Arisato]]
|Minato-kun
|0. Fool
|★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''"I'm glad you're in it... but I'm worried about you, too."''
|-
|[[Ren Amamiya]]
|Amamiya-san
|0. Fool
|★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''"We really seem to click. It almost scares me."''
|-
|[[Fuuka Yamagishi]]
|Yamagishi-san
|2. Priestess
|☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''"I'm glad we could save you."''
|-
|[[Mitsuru Kirijo]]
|Kirijo-senpai
|3. Empress
|☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''"I hope I can help, senpai!"''
|-
|[[Shinjiro Aragaki]]
|Aragaki-senpai
|5. Hierophant
|☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''"I'm curious about you. Why did you leave SEES?"''
|-
|[[Yukari Takeba]]
|Takeba-chan
|6. Lovers
|★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''"Even if we make each other mad... we'll stick together, right?"''
|-
|[[Suzume Fukura]]
|Fukura-san
|7. Chariot
|☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''"I'm glad we helped you. I hope you don't feel like it's too much."''
|-
|[[Reiya Aomori]]
|Aomori-san
|9. Hermit
|★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''You're really straightforward. It's... a lot.''
|-
|[[Ririka Kawase]]
|Kawase-san
|12. Hanged Man
|☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''"Didn't expect you to be skateboarding in Dark Hour..."''
|-
|[[Hitomi Mandai]]
|Mandai-chan
|10. Fortune
|☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''"Don't worry! I've got your back."''
|-
|[[Julian Marlowe]]
|Marlowe-sensei
|10. Fortune
|☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''"A cool foreign teacher... if only he taught at Gekkoukan!"''
|-
|[[Shizuka Kuroki]]
|Kuroki-senpai
|18. Moon
|☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''"You seem pretty reliable, senpai. But the puns..."''
|}

== NPC Relationships ==

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 75%; text-align: center;"
|-
! scope="col" style="background:#ff99cc; border: 2px #cc0066 solid; font size: 110%;" | Name
! scope="col" style="background:#ff99cc; border: 2px #cc0066 solid; font size: 110%;" | Arcana
! scope="col" style="background:#ff99cc; border: 2px #cc0066 solid; font size: 110%;" | Social Link
! scope="col" style="background:#ff99cc; border: 2px #cc0066 solid; font size: 110%;"class="unsortable" | Info
|-
|Bunkichi and Mitsuko
|5. Hierophant
|★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|The owners of Bookworms; an old couple Minako befriended.
|-
|Rio Iwasaki
|7. Chariot
|★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|The head of the Gekkoukan's Sports Department and in Volleyball Club with Minako.
|}

= Soundtrack =

* '''Main Theme:''' "Moonlight Daydream," by Mosq, feat. xunreachable & Neptune_1313. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0nOj-HRWDQ
* '''Battle Theme 1:''' "Wiping All Out: Reload Arrange," arranged by Mosq. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7nPwYr9xs8
* '''Battle Theme 2:''' "Pull the Trigger," from Persona Q2: Shadow of the Labyrinth. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5O_jq1CSv0

= Logs and Cutscenes =

==Season 1==

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|noresultsheader=There are no logs on this wiki that {{PAGENAME}} participated in.
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{{#dpl:
|category = cutscenes&season 1
|linksto = {{PAGENAME}}
|ordermethod = title
|columns = 3
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[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Gekkoukan High School]]
[[Category:SEES]]
[[Category:Focus]]

Junya Kaneshiro

2025-08-31T23:02:47Z

Tex: /* Season 1, Episode 1 */

2025-08-31: Her Place in This World

2025-08-31T17:53:45Z

Tex: Created page with "*'''Cutscene: 2025-08-31: Her Place in This World''' *'''Cast:''' Minako Arisato *'''Where:''' Tatsumi Port Island *'''OOC Date:''' August 31, 2025 *'''IC Date:''' <The IC date.> (Can be found with +checkdate if you aren't sure what it is for the OOC date.) *'''Summary''': ''After the SEES operation to rescue Fuuka Yamagishi, Minako pays a visit to her parents' graves. She finds she doesn't have the words she needed... and never did.'' ---- "Hey, Mom. Hey, Dad." M..."

*'''Cutscene: 2025-08-31: Her Place in This World'''
*'''Cast:''' [[Minako Arisato]]
*'''Where:''' Tatsumi Port Island
*'''OOC Date:''' August 31, 2025
*'''IC Date:''' <The IC date.> (Can be found with +checkdate if you aren't sure what it is for the OOC date.)
*'''Summary''': ''After the SEES operation to rescue Fuuka Yamagishi, Minako pays a visit to her parents' graves. She finds she doesn't have the words she needed... and never did.''

----

"Hey, Mom. Hey, Dad."

Minako stood before the gravestone, hands tight around the leather strap of her bag. Standing there in her Gekkoukan uniform, looking at the gravestone, she tried to think of what to say. Her knuckles whitened as she tried to find some words. She didn't come to the small cemetery on Tatsumi Port Island often. She liked to tell herself that was because she lived so far away from Port Island, but when she lived in Sumaru, it wasn't ''that'' long of a train ride away. She liked to tell herself that it was because she was busy with school, but she somehow always managed to be busy on her breaks. She liked to tell herself that it was busy because of SEES's work, but they had saved Yamagishi-san and things evened out.

The names on the smooth, polished gravestone looked back at her like an accusation: DAISUKE ARISATO and NATSUKI ARISATO.

The redheaded girl swallowed. She came alone, not quite knowing how to navigate having her brother here. She needed to do this alone, she told herself. But the truth was, Minako wasn't sure what she was supposed to do or say. Looking at the gravestone, it proved impossible for Minako to think of anything other than the last time that she saw them. Her father slumped lifelessly over the steering well, and his neck at a terrible angle. Her mother, who threw herself over Minako, and the way shrapnel had embedded into her back. Minako closed her eyes, like it could banish the remembered sights.

It felt like such a betrayal. They had been kind, loving parents. They deserved to be remembered for their smiles, for everything they did for her, and for their love. But those memories felt distant and empty, like they were on the verge of slipping away from her. What could she say to them, to try to make that right?

"Minato-kun is... he's doing better," she said. "He..."

The words fell apart. They took care of her -- her mother had thrown herself over Minako, so she could live -- and she was supposed to protect her brother and help him. But in the end, even if she had encouraged him to stay behind, he came to their rescue in Tartarus. He was moving ahead with his life -- hurt, maybe, but he could let those feelings show. She had to keep them inside. She smiled down at the grave stone.

"...he's all right."

She finished lamely and then looked down. She tried to think of what else to say. "I've made friends, maybe," she said. The qualifier felt so pathetic to voice aloud. "Amamiya-san. And Takeba-chan. They're..." But how could she encapsulate that? And could she really call them friends? She tried to imagine her parents meeting either of them. It came up blank -- like a canvas she couldn't fill in. Her words came more automatically, than out of any real sentiment. "...I think you'd like them."

Her smile faded as she looked down at their names. Her fingers curled tighter around the strap of her bookbag, until her knuckles whitened.

"We saved Yamagishi-san," she said quietly. "I thought it might... it might pay it forward. What you did for me, Mom." She hesitated for a second. "I tried to do my best. I said I--I don't want to look away again. The way I..." The way she kept looking away from the both of them and what it meant for her life. She couldn't voice those words, though. The thought that she did this for her dead parents, rather than it being the right thing to do. After everything she said to Takeba, to Yamagishi, to everyone, it felt like a betrayal of them and herself. It felt like a betrayal of Yamagishi. Saving her should have been about saving ''her.'' Her eyes squeezed shut.

She knew what her mother's sacrifice meant. Why she must have died, and what it meant for Minako Arisato. She knew her place in the world, and it felt heavier under grey and cloudy skies that promised rain that wouldn't come.

"...I'm sorry. I'll look after him," she said. "I'll look after all of them. You can count on me."

[[Category:Cutscenes]]
[[Category:Season 1]]
[[Category:Season 1, Episode 1]]

2025-08-27: Kaneshiro's Confession

2025-08-27T22:26:12Z

Tex: Created page with "*'''Cutscene: 2025-08-27: Kaneshiro's Confession''' *'''Cast:''' Junya Kaneshiro, Reiko Shimizu *'''Where:''' Shibuya, Tokyo *'''OOC Date:''' August 27, 2025 *'''IC Date:'''July 2, 2025 *'''Summary''': ''Kaneshiro turns himself in and confesses to his crimes. Reiko is one of the police who brings him in.'' ---- "We're coming to you live today from Shibuya!" Reiko glances sideways at the reporter, who -- somehow -- pushed past the police line to try to get the..."

*'''Cutscene: 2025-08-27: Kaneshiro's Confession'''
*'''Cast:''' [[Junya Kaneshiro]], [[Reiko Shimizu]]
*'''Where:''' Shibuya, Tokyo
*'''OOC Date:''' August 27, 2025
*'''IC Date:'''July 2, 2025
*'''Summary''': ''Kaneshiro turns himself in and confesses to his crimes. Reiko is one of the police who brings him in.''

----

"We're coming to you live today from Shibuya!"

Reiko glances sideways at the reporter, who -- somehow -- pushed past the police line to try to get the scoop. Along with her boss, Detective Benkei Uchijima, she has been escorting Junya Kaneshiro. Even though he turned himself in, the Yakuza boss looks like hell. His hair is unwashed and greasy, his white coat stained, and bags are under his eyes. Reiko freezes up for a moment at the camera.

"Please step back," she says, trying to not let the nervousness show on her face. Myunghon told her that she might need to arrest him after getting evidence. She never dreamed that would come from Kaneshiro turning himself in. "We're escorting the suspect to the courthouse, and a statement will--"

Kaneshiro turns, not quite pulling his arm from her grasp. But he turns to look at the camera. His eyes are reddened. "I did it. All of it." His voice is shaken. Apologetic. "Forcing minors into working for us, through blackmail, bribes to seize property in Hirasaka. All of it! It was me. And I'm so sorry."

The reporter pushes a microphone towards him. That gets Reiko's green eyes to go wide behind her glasses. "Kaneshiro-san," he says. "Can you confirm that the Phantom Thieves--"

"All right, that's enough." Benkei Uchijima -- a short but solidly built man -- pushes the microphone away. "The suspect isn't available for a media appearance, folks."

Reiko smiles, apologetically, as her boss hauls Kaneshiro forward. "Please direct all questions to Prosecutor Niijima's office!" she says. "There will be a press conference later!"

The reporter sighs, turning back to the camera. "As you can see, Junya Kaneshiro turned himself into the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department today. It's widely believed this is the result of the Phantom Thieves, much like the Madarame Incident. We're going back to more coverage now, as our analysts look at what happened, and..."

[[Category:Cutscenes]]
[[Category:Season 1]]
[[Category:Season 1, Episode 1]]

Minako Arisato

2025-07-22T00:58:18Z

Tex:

{| class="toccolours" style="width: 15%; float: right; margin-left:2em; margin-right:0em; margin-bottom:2em; text-align: left; font-size: %110" cellspacing="2"
|-
! style="background:#ff99cc; border: 2px #cc0066 solid; font size: 110%;" align="center" colspan="2" | '''Minako Arisato'''
|-
! colspan="2" align="center" | [[File:Minako_Profile.jpg|300px]]
|-
! style="background:#ff99cc; border: 2px #cc0066 solid; font-size: 110%;" align="center" colspan="2" | '''IC Information'''
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Full Name:
| Minako Arisato (有里ミナコ)
|-
! style="text-align: left;" |Arcana:
|The Fool
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Gender:
| Female
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Age (Birthdate):
| 16 (January 1, 1996)
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Hair Colour:
| Red
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Eye Colour:
| Red
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Height:
| 5'3" /160 cm
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Residence:
| Iwatodai Dorm, Tatsumi Port Island
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Workplace:
| Gekkoukan High School
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Job:
| Second Year
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Role:
| Focus
|-
! style="background:#ff99cc; border: 2px #cc0066 solid; font-size: 110%;" align="center" colspan="2" | '''OOC Information'''
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Source:
| Persona 3
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Groups:
| [[SEES]]
|-
! style="text-align:left" | Player:
| [[User:Tex|Iwatodai Station]]
|-
|}

'''"Nothing's certain in this world! But... this problem won't solve itself." '''

Minako Arisato is a recent transfer to Gekkoukan High School, and no one is quite sure what to do with her. She seems the opposite of her twin brother, from the red-orange hair and eye color, to the cheerful and boisterous personality. She smiles at every person and problem she faces, from awkward social interactions with new classmates to the terrifying Shadows of the Dark Hour. Nothing seems to shake her, but that sunny smile and her ever-present headphones provide a mask for the pain of losing her parents in a terrible accident ten years ago. That mask, though, also makes her excel as a co-leader of SEES's field teams. She proves equally unflappable and steadfast on the battlefield, standing with her fellows in SEES.

= Background =
Minako Arisato was born on January 1, 1996. She was born only a few minutes after her twin brother, Minato, but he was (technically) born the previous day. Daisuke and Natsuki Arisato came from money, and enjoyed a comfortable life. For their first six years, the twins lived on Tatsumi Port Island. They didn't want for much, with kind parents who provided them with quality schooling and latest video game consoles and entertainment.

Ten years ago, this all came crashing down, in the terrible and mysterious disaster on Tatsumi Port Island. That night, the Arisatos were among the many cars in the series of terrible traffic accidents that occurred on the Moonlight Bridge. Minato was able to get out of the car. To this day, Minako doesn't realize what he saw or what happened to him.

Minako didn't get out of the car until after everything cleared up. Her mother had been in the backseat and she threw herself over Minako, until the car behind them impacted theirs. Its side view mirror flew through the back windshield and killed Natsuki instantly when it struck her head. She died atop Minako, who tried and tried to wake her mother up. She pleaded, she begged, and she sobbed. She screamed. She learned for the first time, but not the last, that her pleas could not stave off death.

Minako might have died there. She didn't know what to do and she started to smell gasoline. The car doors were smashed in on the sides. She was vaguely aware that her father's corpse was slumped over the steering wheel. But then, a voice spoke to her: "You don't want him to be alone, do you?" She attributed it to a hallucination, later. One thing proved real, though: her brother standing outside the car. Minako pushed her mother's body away, then she crawled out of the shattered back window. The gash on her thigh left a scar, but so did many things about that night. She reached Minato, though.

He wouldn't be alone, and that was something.

The next few weeks were a blur to Minako. The visceral trauma of crawling away from her mother's dead body, the loss of her father, and the injury on her leg made her dissociate quite literally. Therapists and counselors were in short supply, as family and attorneys debated how to handle matters. The question of the trust that held their late parents' wealth wasn't much of a question: the twins would receive that when they were legal adults at age twenty. The bigger question was who would take them. Their paternal grandparents, Takumi and Mariko, stepped in quickly. The twins relocated to Osaka to live with them, and left behind their friends and school in Port Island.

The next two years were not unhappy ones. Minako began to emerge from the sheer trauma of the event. Her grandparents and visiting family meant well, but they missed the way that she did not fully heal from the trauma. Minako learned to mask her sadness and loneliness by being cheerful and happy. It started as a child, as she learned that smiling and acting happy would not worry her grandmother and grandfather -- or make her brother withdraw from her.

Making herself act happier also led her to sometimes be happier, though that happiness was often fleeting. She became more outgoing in school than she had ever been. She became more curious and impulsive. She learned to slip into an Osaka accent like her school friend did. Even as a teenager, she can do it on demand.

When they were eight years old, though, their time in Osaka came to an end. Old age claimed Mariko's life; their grandfather, Takumi, was too old to care for two elementary schoolers. Minako watched with more understanding now as a mirror of the legal whirlwind of two years ago blew up. She learned to smile through sorrow and pain already; this was the test to prove that she learned that lesson. When her grandfather took them to the airport to move in with new relatives, he cried. Minako smiled and hugged him, and stay dry-eyed until the plane took off. She passed the test, she thought.

They moved in next with their maternal aunt and uncle, Haruto and Fuyuko Shiomi. They lived in Nagoya and both worked high paying but demanding jobs. They saw the children less frequently than was ideal, but they had a network of relatives to help. They also had the income to support the twins too. While Minako didn't get as close to them as she did her grandparents, she did have a good life there -- and made friends in school easily.

Minako did form a bond with her uncle, who had a similar temperament. He shared his love of alternative rock from the late 1980's and 1990's with Minako, and while she initially expressed interest to make Haruto happy, it soon became a genuine love that stayed with her.

Unfortunately, the Shiomis' marriage collapsed when the twins were twelve years old. The stress of high intensity jobs made for irreconcilable differences. They didn't quite have enough time for the twins together. Apart, they certainly didn't. The whirlwind of years past began to spin up again, and by now, Minako thought she knew the shape of it. She thought she knew how the winds of death and loss would batter her, the way only a twelve year old who hurt too much could. She was wrong. The family had tried to keep them together so far, but it finally broke down.

Minato was sent to live with their paternal uncle, Yoshirou Arisato, in Tokyo. Minato was sent to their maternal grandmother, Naomi Yuki, in Sapporo. At the airport, she tried for a repeat performance with her grandfather, and failed completely. Minako sobbed and couldn't manage to form the word "goodbye" to her brother before she had to board a flight to Sapporo.

Life in Sapporo was supposed to be miserable. Minako was so far away from her brother. She tried, but she couldn't bring herself to wallow in misery -- and make a grandmother who could be distant but still warm (and thus not unlike her brother) miserable by association. Minako, alone, began to fall back on her defense mechanisms: she smiled and laughed through the pain. She made new friends in a new school. She grew close to her grandmother. She could be bright, to cast shadows on how much she missed her brother, her parents, and the others that she had lost.

Life in Sapporo was agreeable with her. Minako found things she loved there of her own accord. Her grandmother was encouraging, but had slowed down in her old age. Left to her own devices, Minako found a love of colder weather -- and hiking in it. In school, she developed an athletic streak; she ended up active in the softball club.

She found herself having a life that she could be happy with, and she felt guilty for it. That life didn't have her brother in it as much as she wanted, which made that guilt fester.

The twins did have annual summer trips, though. In 2010, they took one to Osaka that was especially memorable. They still had things they could bond over -- their love of rock music, their shared love of video games (and how many Pokemon they had to trade after a year apart) -- but that summer in Osaka was special. They got to see old haunts from when they were kids, with memories dear to them both. They bought their MP3 players and headphones, matching in style but different in color. They had time together that Minako valued.

But it also reinforced the ways they changed. Minako realized her brother's life with their uncle Yoshirou was not a happy one. She also saw the way he'd become more withdrawn, more distant... and it contrasted with the way that she had become all the brighter, running hot instead of his running cold. Her guilt only magnified.

The next year, when they were 15, their maternal grandmother passed. Yoshirou's adult son, Naruhito Arisato, took Minako in. This was part of a scheme by Yoshirou and Naruhito to gain access to the twins' trust fund and drain it dry. Minako's cousin was utterly uninterested in her. Both twins lived in Sumaru that year, but Minako was enrolled in Seven Sisters instead of Shujin (like her brother) as part of a scheme to keep the twins in the dark about the plans to steal (through attorneys) their inheritance. By now, Minako knew how to smile through loss -- and she started at a new school with the same easy charm she had learned. She thought something strange was afoot, but she had no idea.

The Kirijo Group, thankfully, did. When Yoshirou and his son went to the bank with their lawyers to get access to the funds, Kirijo lawyers met them. They were sent home with a warning; the twins were both quickly transferred to Gekkoukan, given rooms in a dorm there, and would move back to Port Island, under the close eye and aegis of the Kirijo Group.

Minato moved first. Minako followed a few days later. She was due to arrive in the daytime on a fateful day: the same one that had a massive subway accident, caused by a "psychotic breakdown" incident. Minako was stuck on a train for hours and arrived in Port Island at 11:49 p.m. It felt as if reality was trying to delay the reunion with her brother -- and give her time to ponder the weight of returning to where her parents died. She smiled, dissociated, and did not ruminate on this.

On the walk to the dormitory in Iwatodai, everything suddenly changed. She rounded one corner and found the sky had turned green. Coffins were lying about the street; puddles of blood were lying on the ground. She smiled, dissociated, and did not ruminate on this.

She rounded a second corner and saw Iwatodai Dormitory. Out front, against the door, a wounded Akihiko Sanada was facing off against Shadows. This finally made Minako admit maybe something messed up was happening with Dark Hour. She shouted, dissociated, and then smashed a Shadow aside with her rolling luggage -- and leaped in front of Sanada. He dropped his Evoker, and some instinct took hold. She grabbed it, driven by some instinct, and put the Evoker to her temple.

A pull of the trigger and a burst of blue glass later, and her Persona, Linos, pushed back the wave of Shadows. She got Akihiko inside, handed him off to a baffled Mitsuru, and then promptly collapsed into Yukari's bed. Questions -- like what is Dark Hour, who these people are, and which room is hers -- could wait for tomorrow.

That night, Minako dreamed of intruding upon a strange boy with bright blue eyes, short hair, and prison-striped clothing. He was surprised to see her, yet not unhappy. He handed her a contract, which she signed, agreeing to take responsibility for her actions. Then, she entered the Velvet Room in her dreams: in an elevator going forever downward, Igor and Theodore explained the nature of Personas to her.
[[File:Minako and Minato S1E1.jpg|thumb|The twins, reunited at last!]]
When Minako awoke, there were explanations to give. She also had to apologize profusely to Yukari. She soon settled into a familiar pattern: establishing herself at a new school, making friends, and being her bright and sunny self to mask what was underneath. This time, though, something was different. This was not a new place for her -- little reminders of who the lost were everywhere. So, too, was the reminder of the brother she just got back.

But she had to wait, because he was out for days. She worried -- in a way that other members of SEES could see plainly -- though she tried to downplay it. When he awoke, it was a joyous reunion. Then she got to experience an everyday life with him being present, and she was grateful for that chance.

She received an explanation of the Dark Hour, SEES, and Tartarus. She joined without a second thought; if Minato was going to do it, so would Minako. After all, as she decided ten years ago, she couldn't let him be alone.

==Season 1, Episode 1==
Forthcoming!

= Persona =
[[File:Linos.jpg|left|thumb|200x200px|Linos, Minako's primary Persona.]]
As a Wild Card, Minako has access to a number of Personas. These are listed below.

'''Linos (Fool):''' The son of Calliope and Apollo, and brother to Orpheus. Linos proved to be an excellent musician, helping to restore harmony to music after the Muses gave a third string to the lyre. His skill with music prompted the jealousy of his father, though, and Apollo slew his son with his arrows. For Minako, Linos manifests a feminine form. She looks like a mechanical doll, with a faintly feminine shape; her body is made of shiny gold and silver, with a crimson scarf and long red hair. The most notable aspect is that a heart-shaped harp is attached to her back. She is a well-rounded Persona, capable of manifesting fierce magical nuclear flame, piercing strikes with phantom arrows and, and some ability to heal. That Linos appears similar to Orpheus, her brother's main Persona, is certainly not coincidental.

'''Pyro Jack (Magician):''' The famed Jack O'Lantern, he was an Irish farmer who persuaded Satan not to take him to hell. When he was refused entry into heaven, he wandered earth as a pumpkin-headed soul. He appears as a pumpkin-like head, wearing a blue robe and a blue hat. He commands both magical flame and abilities that debilitate Minako's opponents. He often says "Hee-ho!" Pyro Jack represents her cousin Naruhito. Naruhito is the Magician Arcana, but a failed one: he is overconfident, convinced of his importance, and unable to see the impact he has and the truth of the people he impacts. He tried to use the twin.
[[File:Mors.jpg|thumb|200x200px|Mors, a mysterious Persona that sometimes appears when Minako is present.]]
'''Valkyrie (Strength):''' "Choosers of the slain" in Norse lore. Armed with shining armor and swords, they look for brave warriors to take to Valhalla, so that they may fight in Ragnarok. Valkyrie appears as a golden-skinned woman with blonde hair and a winged mask, donning scale mail and carrying a lance. She rides atop a crimson horse, with a fiery red mane. She uses supportive magic and powerful slash attacks in battle. She represents Minako's grandmother, Naomi Yuki. Naomi was the Strength Arcana: an active hiker, who -- despite her advanced age, when Minako lived with her, helped Minako find her love of outdoors and exercise. She also supported Minako, reached her in a dark time in her life, and helped bring her out of her shell.

'''Mors (Death):''' A mysterious Persona, unlike Minako's others. She is the Roman version of the Greek God of Death, Thanatos. She is the personification of death itself, and in the Roman tradition, has feminine connotations. Mors commands powerful darkness and non-elemental magic, and has far greater power than other Personas in Minako's compendium. However, Minako cannot command when Mors comes, and she cannot -- in truth -- command Mors at all. Her similarity to a similar Persona that sometimes appears when her brother is nearby, Thanatos, is as mysterious as the origins and nature of Mors. '''Please note that Mors has not yet been summoned on game and no one knows about her; this information is here for OOC clarification.'''

= Special Skills =
Minako has the Wild Card. She can summon multiple Personas in battle. She also has unique connections to destiny and fate, in ways that have not fully been seen.

When Minako has to address a difficult situation, she has three particular approaches:

1. ''A Smile for Every Situation'' (Understanding): Minako is often lost in her own little world... but that helps her understand the world around her -- and the people in it. She might put headphones in to tune out the world, and she might close her heart off with a smile, but Minako is excellent at listening to people. She can't help but listen to people and understand them, to try to help.

2. ''Kindling Warmth'' (Charm): Minako is impulsive and takes initiative. And this helps her be charismatic and likeable, because Minako will rush into a situation -- and while she can bull right past others' feelings, she can also be forthright at the right moment and reach out exactly when she needs to. And, sometimes, she can get a laugh out of even the most closed off person.

3. ''Rushing In'' (Guts): When things are difficult, Minako tends to stand tall -- and she tends to be fearless. She doesn't hesitate to step into the line of fire and do what she needs to. And, of course, the fact she values her life less than the lives of those around her also helps.

=Relationships=

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 75%; text-align: center;"
|-
! scope="col" style="background:#ff99cc; border: 2px #cc0066 solid; font size: 110%;" | Name
! scope="col" style="background:#ff99cc; border: 2px #cc0066 solid; font size: 110%;" | Address
! scope="col" style="background:#ff99cc; border: 2px #cc0066 solid; font size: 110%;" | Arcana
! scope="col" style="background:#ff99cc; border: 2px #cc0066 solid; font size: 110%;" | Social Link
! scope="col" style="background:#ff99cc; border: 2px #cc0066 solid; font size: 110%;"class="unsortable" | Info
|-
|[[Minato Arisato]]
|Minato-kun
|0. Fool
|★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''"You'll never be alone. But I'm not your younger sister!"''
|-
|[[Ren Amamiya]]
|Amamiya-san
|0. Fool
|☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''"The curry and coffee was delicious."''
|-
|[[Yukari Takeba]]
|Takeba-chan
|6. Lovers
|★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''"I wish I understood you... because I like you. Even when you're mean."''
|-
|[[Suzume Fukura]]
|Fukura-san
|7. Chariot
|☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''"I'm glad we helped you. I hope you don't feel like it's too much."''
|-
|[[Ririka Kawase]]
|Kawase-san
|12. Hanged Man
|☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''"Didn't expect you to be skateboarding in Dark Hour..."''
|-
|[[Hitomi Mandai]]
|Mandai-chan
|10. Fortune
|☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''"Don't worry! I've got your back."''
|-
|[[Julian Marlowe]]
|Marlowe-sensei
|10. Fortune
|☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''"A cool foreign teacher... if only he taught at Gekkoukan!"''
|-
|[[Shizuka Kuroki]]
|Kuroki-senpai
|18. Moon
|☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|''"You seem pretty reliable, senpai. But the puns..."''
|}

== NPC Relationships ==

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width: 75%; text-align: center;"
|-
! scope="col" style="background:#ff99cc; border: 2px #cc0066 solid; font size: 110%;" | Name
! scope="col" style="background:#ff99cc; border: 2px #cc0066 solid; font size: 110%;" | Arcana
! scope="col" style="background:#ff99cc; border: 2px #cc0066 solid; font size: 110%;" | Social Link
! scope="col" style="background:#ff99cc; border: 2px #cc0066 solid; font size: 110%;"class="unsortable" | Info
|-
|Rio Iwasaki
|7. Chariot
|★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
|The head of the Gekkoukan's Sports Department and in Volleyball Club with Minako.
|}

= Soundtrack =

* '''Main Theme:''' "Moonlight Daydream," by Mosq, feat. xunreachable & Neptune_1313. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0nOj-HRWDQ
* '''Battle Theme 1:''' "Wiping All Out: Reload Arrange," arranged by Mosq. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7nPwYr9xs8
* '''Battle Theme 2:''' "Pull the Trigger," from Persona Q2: Shadow of the Labyrinth. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5O_jq1CSv0

= Logs and Cutscenes =

==Season 1==

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{{#dpl:
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[[Category:Characters]]
[[Category:Gekkoukan High School]]
[[Category:SEES]]
[[Category:Focus]]

Reiko Shimizu

2025-07-14T22:37:40Z

Tex: /* Relationships */