2025-06-28: Brand New Days

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<Pose Tracker> Junes has posed.

OST: Honmaru Park: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTFcdItV41I

Saturday! Not only is the weather beautiful, but it's the start of the weekend, more or less--some schools and workplaces have the day off, while others have a half-day, but most everyone can anticipate a day off tomorrow. Today in particular, there's something exciting in store: the Sumaru Hyakumanzeki Festival, set up in Honmaru Park.

Located in a quiet part of Rengedai Ward, Honmark Park is nestled within a steep stone wall enclosure and filled with trees and oddly circular walking paths. The entrance, just past those walls, almost looks more like a temple than a park with its stone pathway, stone lanterns, and a few steps leading up to an oddly open stone fountain that pours water continuously around a rough-hewn (you guessed it) stone monument.

To the fountain's left is a cultivated pine tree, almost bonsai-like save that it's regular-sized. To the right is a wooden sign commemorating the park with the following message:

"Built in 1992 on the site of Sumaru Castle, where Kiyotada Sumaru ruled over this land during the Sengoku era. Tatsuzou Sudou of the prefectural assembly, along with many other generous donors, contributed to the construction fund."

To the left and right of the path leading there are fields of dirt on which manicured bushes, simple wooden benches, and a few trash cans are set. A bulletin board off to the side advertises today's festival, promising food, fireworks, and fun, but also notifying park-goers that afterwards, Honmaru Park will be closed down for renovations.

In other words, this is your last chance to enjoy this serene vista for the foreseen future. Make the most of it!

And there's plenty to make the most of. Later there is a PARADE with 16th-century costumes and much dancing, but right now there are booths set up with information (about history), festival foods (delicious yakitori with sauce on skewers; takoyaki, obviously, little fried balls with octopus, choco bananas... And more!), and many other ways to celebrate. There will be fireworks and more dancing well after the parade, into the evening and night.

A particular booth carrying dango on a stick currently happens to be short of line, which might be an opportunity. A man in old-style clothing, meanwhile, is talking about Kiyotada Sumaru!

...And the crowds are already talking. The festival is the main topic, of course, but it's easy to overhear--

"It's already been a month since that Grand Cross," a woman in yukata sighs. "And nothing even happened! We had to wait til now to have any excitement..."

"Oh, that kind of thing never really means anything. It's like that fortunetelling, Wang Long."

"But Wang Long is real! I checked compatibility with my boyfriend and it said we were great, and then he proposed!"

"Whoa, really? I mean--come on, that's coincidence!"

"Hey!" says a shorter girl. "Out of the way!" 

<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.

        There are:

        NORMAL PEOPLE, who are enjoying the festival in Honmaru Park, a mixture of residents and out-of-towners who're eager to see the last of this splendourous park before it's closed for a time for renovations. Children laughing as they beg their dads and moms for candied apples and takoyaki, some wearing plastic masks they've bought from a nearby vendor, filled with the urge of innocent sins for a generation anew. The park crier, who's very interested in speaking about the storied legend of Kiyotada Sumaru.

        Then there is:

        MYUNGHON YEO, who is enjoying the festival by... by... by....

        There is a suspicious pair of legs in dress pants floating down the river that flows by Honmaru Park, slightly crooked, somehow causing a slightly cartoonish looming noise as it passes by one of the near riverbanks and bumps against the small pier where attraction boats.

        "Mom, mom, what's that?" asks an innocent child, holding his yakitori skewer.

        "Don't look, dear. It must be a really unsightly person," her mom whispers in response.

        Myunghon Yeo is celebratring Hyakumanzeki by having exciting adventures... in DROWNING?? 

<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.

        Minato is dressed in a blue and white yukata, with circular patterns on its white underbelly; his sleeves are shorter than the womens', but he's all tied up nicely in an obi bow.

        He arrives with some of his co-conspirators from the dorm -- including the artistic Shizuka Kuroki, the gloomy Hitomi Mandai, the independent Yukari Takeba, and his LITTLE sister (A YEAR YOUNGER) Minako Arisato.

        Don't pay any attention to how his internal descriptions of one of those people is not like the others, it's fine.

        "... the park is closing," is what Minato notices, holding a boat filled with fake-octopus takoyaki. (That's right, she's running a stand here.) "For renovations."

        Is that really what's important here when a woman is drowning?

        No, that's probably normal.

<Pose Tracker> Ulala Serizawa has posed.

There's something wistful about losing a part of your childhood. When Ulala Serizawa was a kid, she'd play here with her family, going on picnics. But now, it's...

TIME FOR YUKATA?!

No, wait, now it's gone! But also time for yukata.

The woman with the bright red hair wears a black yukata covered in white and crimson flowers, bound together by a violet obi. She actually looks pretty conventionally 'pretty', and the colors match perfectly with her makeup, which has been tailored to the look.

She's currently got two containers of takoyaki in her hands, walking by the riverbed. Her roommate had to go find her phone she left behind, so Ulala is ALONE at the MEETING SPOT eating OCTOPUS.

..and then someone is drowning. Oh no!

"...oh, crap! I have to-" she starts, trying to rush over, until she remembers she's in a yukata and cannot actually jump in the river without RUINING IT.

Taking a few moments to consider, she sees a family using a long pole for some bizarre game kids play these days, so she walks over, and very politely asks to borrow the pole. After a few moments and some assurances, she walks back to the riverbed.

And starts poking Myunghon with a stick as she sets her takoyaki on a nearby bench. "Hey! Can you hear me?!" 

<Pose Tracker> Hitomi Mandai has posed.

 
Hitomi Mandai doesn't look particularly cheerful, some of which is from being pallid and a little bit doughy, and some of it was probably because she anticipates a Family Meeting after this, as an exciting way to spend a late Saturday evening. But that's a problem for future Hitomi.

Hitomi is wearing a yukata herself, although it looks a little aged - secondhand or inherited? Good question. The fabric is mostly white cotton with a red and blue pattern accented by crescents of purple where they overlap. No further embroidery. She also has a straw hat on top of her head, wide-brimmed and held in place with at least one hairpin.

Hitomi has two chicken skewers held in her hand between the fingers, like a languid Wolverine. The other is currently being eaten.

"... You can renovate a park? Isn't that landscaping?" Hitomi answers Minato's comment, before biting and pulling off a chunk of chicken. This keeps her from saying anything else. For now. 

<Pose Tracker> Suzume Fukura has posed.

Saturday!

It is not a day off for Suzume but it is also not a day that she feels particularly inclined to linger around school. Not that she ever does these days, but on a summer Saturday she *extremely* is not going to; the only way you could get her to stay around school today is the promise of air conditioning.

What? Gekkoukan has central air. It is, in Suzume's estimation, one of the best things about it.

But she has decided to spend time far away from Tatsumi Port City regardless. Today that means a festival, apparently; Suzume either didn't know or didn't pay attention to it before today, but on hearing about it, decided to drop in at least for a while.

"What do they even need to renovate a park for," Suzume says to herself, as she reads the sign. "Are some trees in the wrong place, or is it archaeology season again?"

Suzume does not dress up, either. No yukata for her, but she has also ditched her school uniform in favour of a baggy, fairly nondescript dark shirt and comfortable jeans. She looks... okay she looks like maybe she did some thrifting, and that's why it doesn't all fit her perfectly; she is, after all, quite short (especially when she's kind of slouching a little bit) and none of it is especially fashionable, though none of it is horrific either. It's just... plain. Uninteresting.

She has also not gone near the river and so misses that particular bit of drama. 

<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.

Minako Arisato is dressed in her kimono-- a green and pink floral pattern, over a light green base, and a pink wrap about the waist -- and with only some of the grace and poise that one might expect.

"Come on, Mandai-chan, Kuroki-chan," she says, looking back at them. "Let's see what we can find! Takeba-chan, any recommendations? I can't wait to come here and come back--"

'...the park is closing.'

Her red eyes blink. Minako's head whirls towards her (SLIGHTLY OLDER) brother. "Seriously?"

She deflates a little, just as Hitomi bites off a chunk of chicken. "Aw, that stinks...!"

<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.

        =====EARLIER=====
        "... Chick... tan?" Umie's eyes begin to cross as she listens to the young man's voice on the other end of the phone call.
        "Yeah! Like the English word 'Chic-kan'! It's the new mascot for this line of fried chicken they'ret tryin' out at Satomi Tadashi. Ever try 'em? It's really good."
        "... You know I moved about two months ago, right?" Umie sighs. "... It's because it's too small for everyone else, isn't it."
        "... You said it, not me. Please, please, I'll pay you extra, okay? No one wants to be caught dead in this thing. It's really cute, and you don't have to worry if that one guy comes around looking for you."
        Umie sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose. "So how much extra are we talking here?"

        ====NOW====
        "Cheep cheep. Cheep cheep."
        "I love you Chick-tan!! Mommy, can we get some Chick-tan!? I want to eat Chick-tan for dinner!!" A young boy squeals after his mom as after giving the macot an awkward hug.

        A round yellow squat... chick, appropriately proportioned for maximum cuteness (hence the screw-up on making it *too* short), waddles around in some fashion of a dance, numbly flapping its little fuzzy soft wings. Its wide beak is slightly open, providing a space for its occupant to peer through.

        Her old co-worker forgot to mention that it wasn't because Chick-tan is hideous or anything; while many people declined because the suit was made to be too small, and others due to it being far too cute, the fact of the matter is, it's... a little too warm for anyone to be wearing a mascot suit like this. The little A/C unit in the 'head' (the chick has no neck, it's almost like an elongated mochi ball than anything else.

        Twirling lazily around, Umie manages to catch sight of--

        Wait, is that heat exhaustion talking, or is that a lady drowning in the river?

        Umie awkwardly flaps her wings as she tries to call out. "There's a lady! In the river! Over there!!" She tries to point, but the mascot's 'wings' are not exactly designed for pointing. Pointing would be rude, after all.

         A hand eventually pops out of Chick-tan's mouth, like an eldritch worm, trying to point towards the river more directly. Children scream and begin to cry.

         At least she wore red nail polish today. Maybe that'll make it even more noticeable. 

<Pose Tracker> Sojiro Sakura has posed.

        The festival was alive and the smell of coffee and curry permeated the air. In a little booth off to the side of the main food route stands a middle age man surrounded by a few coffee pots on hot plates, a couple of rice cookers and a few slow cookers all steaming with life. The middle age man sports a kiss the cook apron as he looks a little perturbed while stirring what smells like curry. As he stirs he juggles a phone in the other hand, "Look I appreciate you wanting to help and I know I promised to wear this cooking apron but you could have asked before... Well that's because it is my lucky apron."

        Putting the ladle aside and covering the pot, Sojiro Sakura moves to stir and fluff the rice in the rice cookers. "I appreciate it, really, just maybe go easy on this old man's heart with surprises. " Who ever Sojiro is talking to is as good as anyone's guess but their conversation continues, "Yes I will find time to get some of the sweets. Wait what? A goldfish? No I am not getting a goldfish. If you wanted one you should have... Oh you mean for the store but well the store already has one alley cat hanging a... I just ...I ..." With a heavy sigh Sojiro adds, "Look maybe not a festival goldfish but we can talk about it another time. Yeah text if something is up. "

        Sojiro pockets the cell phone as he looks up towards those around him, and a heavy sigh once it is in his pocket. He looks up at said alley cat's adopted owner, who also had helped him setup the booth and get things going. "Look...um.." Sojiro seems like he is looking for the right words about something before just saying, " Thanks for the hand setting up and letting me get that call over with. Some of our regular customers are just really pushy. " Taking a step back he looks at the booth overall and nods his head in approval, "Overall looks like we got Mini-Le Blanc all set up." 

<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.

Some people dressed up nice for festivals. Yukatas, for one, didn't seem to be terribly uncommon, and Hyousuke had heard a few classmates were looking to buy a new set of threads specifically because they were attending. Lacking money, a sense of style or enough hair style into anything particularly different than usual, Hyousuke had decided to attend in the first clean t-shirt he managed to grab out of his wardrobe, and the least crumpled pair of jeans he could find laying around his room. The fact that he wore one of his nicer jackets to the event was, in his mind, enough of of an effort to constitute 'dressing up.'

Arriving on the scene, he saw no shortage of stalls and sights to attract his attention. He had to admit, the smell of fried food was enticing, and the games seemed like a fun diversion. But there were only two things that managed to hold his attention for long. The first was the chocolate bananas. As simple a concept as it was, he simply could not deny the fact that slathering decent-quality chocolate on anything was enough to elevate it beyond its basic taste. The second - and his biggest priority - was the dango.

Sweet, but not overly so. Fluffy, but with enough texture and firmness that one could enjoy the sensation of its taste flooding the mouth for a few moments, rather than simply feeling it evaporate. Paired with a cup of steaming tea, they were perfection shaped into little round morsels. Thus, it was no surprise to see the blonde all but charge towards the stall, eyes like a hawk's as he darted with surprising swiftness through the crowd. He only stopped when he reached the end of the line, but even then, his tapping foot and frenetic gazing made it clear he was impatient. 

<Pose Tracker> Masao Inaba has posed.

        There's a young adult man in a yukata - a faded orange-ish color - still wearing a smaller yellow beanie over his scalp like for all the world he is opposed to ever having his hair exposed.
 
        "I missed these," he says to himself as he's drinking a beer. "It ain't Mikage-cho, but..."
 
        He's running a stall that is advertising for Inaba Dry Cleaning along with an assortment of not terribly great candies, and his actual enthusiasm for this being 'low to nonexistent' is palpable. He's coasting entirely on the atmosphere, and knowing the parade route's going to take them alongside the street art he and about thirty others worked hard to create under a stringent time limit. A time limit made all the worse when there was a brief row with the city council over it.
 
        It's fun to reminisce. 

<Pose Tracker> Yukari Takeba has posed.

Notably, Yukari Takeba is a NORMAL PERSON and is going to enjoy the festival NORMALLY. She's not particularly invested in the historical part of the festival.

"I can't believe this place is still going on about him." She says, with a sigh, "Before a few years back, I'd swear no one ever talked about this... guy."

Is she going to say that she once lived here and how her opinions on the 'History Boom' may be colored by that checkered period of her life?

No.

Absolutely not, emotional honesty and Yukari Takeba are not friends.

Instead she's wearing a peach and white checkered Yukata, with simple yellow and crimson flowers on thin green stems decorate it, with a two toned yellow Obi. It holds a simple elegance, worn expertly a girl who also once lived in Kyoto.

She's not gonna talk about that either.

"Ever since, they found that stupid mummy years ago, they keep making such a big deal over it." Likewise, Yukari is enjoying Takoyaki, one toothpick at a time. Never contemplating how it's not real octopus. "Hm? Recommendations?" She looks at Minako, considering, "I remember the dango here was pretty good- and hey look, that line is real short."

She looks sideways at Hitomi, "Nah, it's probably just to fix up the areas they dug up. They went crazy seeing if they could find anything else." She does smile at her, "It's a relief you're both with us now Mandai-san, Kuroki-san. Arisato-chan and I were starting to get worried about the ratio of girls to boys at the dorm."

This will never ever be a problem again. Ever.

"Huh? What are you getting depressed about?" She says, turning to give Minako a critical look, and thus totally missing that someone is drowning, "It's a whole two cities away from the dorm! We're practically never going to come down this way."

...

... If only she knew.

<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.

        Ren Amamiya had been planning on coming to the Sumaru Hyakumanzeki Festival no matter what. He just hadn't been expecting to be here... working.
        
        Technically, Sojiro had asked him for help, not conscripted him into it. It's just that Ren hadn't been expecting it. He hadn't really pictured the gruff man as someone who... did festival booths, somehow? It's a new light.
        
        Ren is in an apron of his own. It's not nearly as cute as the one Sojiro is wearing. Ren doesn't comment on that, any more than he comments on Sojiro's phone conversation. He just finishes setting out the disposable cups and plates for the coffee and curry, then copying down the menu on the board hanging from the booth to hang up for customers.
        
        The alley cat might be lurking around nearby. For now, Ren simply nods to Sojiro as he thanks him, seemingly unruffled. He takes a step back to join him, looking over the booth as he slips his hands into his pockets. "Looks good," he agrees.
        
        "We better get inside," he then adds, looking around at all the people crowding around for the festivities. There's some shouting about someone in the river nearby? Is someone going for a swim? Weird, but okay. He heads behind the counter himself for the booth's first customers. 

<Pose Tracker> Julian Marlowe has posed.

Someone here sticks out like a sore thumb, being six feet tall as well as quite obviously a foreigner. One might think him a tourist... unless, of course, they happen to know that he is in fact an English teacher at Kasugayama High by the name of Julian Marlowe.

...Who just showed up at the festival in a suit, like he came here straight from work. Which could be, but isn't necessarily true. Some may have seen him in this park before on his off time, perhaps sitting on a bench with a newspaper, wearing a suit much like this one. It may simply be that the only times he doesn't wear one are when something else is more practical, such as when he's out on a jog. But that's a more common sight closer to his home, in Shibuya's Tomigaya district.

Regardless, unusual appearance aside, he's mingling just fine, if the fact that he was able to order some takoyaki in impeccable Japanese is any indication. For the moment, he's simply been taking in the sights with a placid smile, having never attended a festival like this before in his life.

Until his attention is drawn by the voices of children screaming in unison. Making his way over, he questions to no one in particular, "There there, what seems to be the matter?"

Between the hand sticking out of the... chicken mascot, and the legs sticking out the river, he is left scratching his head of already tousled blonde hair.

"I take this to mean that it is not in fact a regular festival occurance for limbs to be sticking out of places one wouldn't normally expect them to...?" 

<Pose Tracker> Katsuya Suou has posed.

        YESTERDAY

        The sole remaining yukata in his size had... a cat pattern.

        Katsuya Suou had, spent a long, long time staring at it, mentally debating himself about it. Wondering if there was some reason for this to be happening now of all times. In the end, though, he had no real choice in the matter: it was that, or try to dig out the old one in storage at his parents', and he had no assurances that would even fit anymore. Perhaps this is the wages of his not have attended a proper festival in a few years, or the upcoming one to have slipped his mind (not that he had assumed he would he would been able to attend, given the murders going on).

        But then things had, quite suddenly, changed.

        NOW

        Somehow, he's not sure that this is what Tani-san had meant by 'taking a rest'. His gaze sweeps the crowd, looking out for any trouble: you can take the police officer off the case, but certain habits don't die quite so easily. The sight of the person in the mascot costume gets his attention first off. That's odd, it's like they're trying to point towards the--

        He sees the problem moments after, and forgetting what he's wearing himself, breaks for the shoreline: he won't be the first one to get there. But it does mean that he, in time with a certain young women he'd met recently under quite dire circumstances, make the approach more or less jointly. He may well see her first:

        "Ah, Serizawa-kun?!"

        Katsuya Suou, a police detective with whom she is acquainted off late, is also here at the festival. When they'd met, he'd been all business and dressed for the part. So why is it that today, he's in a cat-print yukata...? 

<Pose Tracker> Eikichi Mishina has posed.

"So Boss, why we gotta accompany you to the festival?" Shogo, one of the punks in a oncoming group, asks the "boss".

"Yeah, no offense, ya ain't my type." Takeshi adds to the "boss".

 "Cuz we're a band and we gotta stick together!" Eikichi, the "Boss", says confidently as he gestures elegantly with his hand. "We gotta show off the brand! The Brand!" The brand appears to be a very ornate/gaudy yukata. It looks like something from the economic Bubble but the person wearing it was another story. Blue hair, white face makeup and black lipstick. Eikichi grins widely as he sways into the festival before pumping his fist. "Can't you feel that excitement?! Its exactly what Gas Chamber needs! Gorgeous day for gorgeous me!"

 "We need to practice!" The three punks chastise Eikichi as they look around.

"We will. Right now, it's brand!"

"Miyabi was too busy to come, huh, Eikichi?" Ken finally speaks up, prompting Eikichi to almost trip.

"Er...well...She had something come up with the Newspaper Club." Eikichi coughs once before pointing back at his friend. "Time for us guys to make some memories!" 

<Pose Tracker> Shizuka Kuroki has posed.

         Shizuka is wearing her own kimono, with an abstract pattern of green, white, and orange, with a full orange obi, her usual newsboy cap, and even less of the grace and poise that one might expect.
 
         "Jeez, I could never walk in this darn thing... Wait up a bit, Nako-chan!"
 
         Just as she's finally caught up without tripping, she hears Minato.
 
         "It's closing?! On a festival night? Doesn't make much sense to me..." She pops a takoyaki of her own in her mouth, holding the toothpick between her teeth. "Anyway, Yuka-chan's right. No use getting choked up over what we can't control. We're in Sumaru, so we might as well Suma-ile!" She waggles her eyebrows a bit, hoping the joke landed. 

<Pose Tracker> Yasuko Shinohara has posed.

Yasuko Shinohara, the cemetery keeper from Konan Ward, is dressed up in a cherryblossom-print vintage silk kimono inherited from her late grandmother (whom she never had the pleasure of meeting save through her grandfather's stories). Its bright whites and pinks contrast strikingly with her dull black hair and gloomy-yet-peaceful expression, and the light makeup she troubled herself to do today accentuates it further. Yet even as dressed-up as she is, she's enjoying the festival alone, strolling around the fringes of the park away from the crowds.

She chanced upon the pair of legs floating down the river, and walked alongside them for a time. Neither fretting for their owner's sake nor judging them for their lifestyle, she just quietly keeps them company until they reach their destination at the pier.

Yasuko bows in greeting when she encounters Ulala at the same point, already bearing a conveniently long pole that well exceeds the reach of Yasuko's hiking stick. They're already vaguely acquainted from the occasional encounters at the gym. The extra serving of takoyaki isn't lost on her.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Serizawa. Have you also taken an interest in this pair of floating legs? I have some reservations about fishing out an urban legend in the midst of a crowd, but... If you'd like to work together, I feel much more confident that we can apply any necessary violence without incident." 

<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.

Ririka might've passed up on this... but thankfully, a helpful (for once) form of meddling from her sister meant that she got cajoled into coming anyway. The offer to use her dorm, located in Sumaru and not Tatsumi, certainly helped. It's a bit akward to come all the way from Tatsumi dressed for a festival, after all.

And she is here today dressed elegantly in a traditional yukata. Ririka towers over most other woman (and some men) here at 178 cm (5'10"), but she still manages to move with grace. Her yukata is a warm, gentle cream color, decorated with light blue morning glories. A dark blue obi is wrapped around her waist to bring the look together. Her long brown-black hair has been carefully arranged into an elaborate bun, decorated with a single pale blue morning glory.

She's even managed a small smile as she arrives next to her sister. "Wow a lot of people came, huh?" she comments quietly to Ichika. There's a lot to take in, and one hand dangling by her side is absent-mindedly tapping along with the ambient music in the park. "What should we do first... food? After all that time getting ready I'm a bit hungry..."

She gives a wave to Minato, "Oh, Arisato-san. I didn't realize you'd be here too." They'd just spent the previous day hanging out, so she's surprised to see him again this soon, and so far away from Tatsumi to boot.

"I'm gonna go get a dango," Ririka says to Ichika, before heading to the booth Hyousuke was at. She gives him a polite smile as she goes to order for herself. 

<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.

If you've been by the goldfish-catching game today, you've probably seen Shinobu. If you went by the yakitori stand, you've probably seen her there, too.

...Actually, wasn't she just manning the shooting gallery a short while ago, too?

Being on the festival's emergency staff for when a stall finds themselves a little short-handed isn't the most lucrative job, but it does keep things interesting, at least. Right now, though, there isn't anyone who needs her help, so she's taken the opportunity to wander the festival herself - at least until someone calls her over again for an extra pair of hands.

She is, today, dressed in casual work clothes with an apron thrown over the top of it bearing the festival's logo. She's currently working her way through a yakitori skewer - taking advantage of free food for having helped out earlier.

...She pauses, though, looking up as she spots Chick-tan, the lovable festival mascot. She looks down at her skewer.

She looks up at Chick-tan again, and the limb that comes writhing out of its mouth. She looks down at her skewer again.

...She takes another bite anyway. She then, finally, follows the direction of the pointed hand toward the river. Shinobu squints. Isn't that...?

...Shinobu turns around pointedly, pretending not to know her. It's fine. Others are already moving in to help her, so she doesn't need to do anything.

...But, eventually, instinct wins out and she finishes off the last of her yakitori, marching her way over to the river - depositing the skewer in one of the designated receptacles along the way.

"Coming through." Shinobu announces roughly, barging her way through toward Myunghon. She wades into the river. It's fine. She can always change after. Inaba Dry Cleaning might find its services needed, though!

"You should probably find a better place to sleep." Shinobu notes. And, if they don't do anything to stop her, moves to try to help the legs - and their owner, of course - onto dry land. 

<Pose Tracker> Hitomi Mandai has posed.

 
Hitomi continues to chew philosophically as others express distress. Her head turns as a wafting scent of curry reaches her; but in this crowded realm, that scent (though strong and alluring) lacks the ability to simply engulf her and bear her forwards, like an American cartoon character smelling a fresh-baked pie.

Also she has food. *swallow*

"Mm," Hitomi answers Yukari. "Yeah... It was strange. They had shovels at the Donki and everything. I remember my father was like, hell, cheap shovels, until he saw the price." A beat or two passes, and she frowns, as if slowly tuning in. She looks to Shizuka. "Wait, are they closing it right NOW?"

Hitomi was clearly focusing on the chicken.

"That's messed up," Hitomi concludes. Her attention turns to the forward, and in particular towards Ririka as she advances into the area and addresses Minato. This gives her the time to finish off that yakitori skewer and pass off the other, distinctly reducing the odds of jabbing someone in the ass with them on accident. 

<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.

        "Landscaping..."

        Minato echoes Hitomi, considering the sign deeply. (This is a normal festival, so surely no one would be dying close by.)

        He hears someone else, though Suzume is speaking to herself.

        And Minato thinks of -- DRUMROLL, PLEASE -- a Joke.

        "They have to paint the trees a different colour," he says, to Suzume. "So they're ready for the next season."

        Please clap.

        ... ... ...

        Five seconds later, he realises it's weird to just turn around and talk to someone out of the blue. "Hi," he says, instead. "I'm Minato Arisato. This is my sister Minako," he tilts his octopus-boat towards her, "and our friends, Yukari Takeba, Shizuka Kuroki and Hitomi Mandai. We have opinions about the park closing too." He nods, his face flat. He is eminently serious. "It stinks."

        It just doesn't sound the same when he's saying it with his dispassionate voice, compared to all Minako's energy.

        Conveniently, though -- he introduced everyone just as Ririka came up to them! He turns to her, and nods. "Yo."

        He's quiet, for a moment.

        "They were digging themselves a hole..."

        A moment more.

        "No. It's closing tomorrow."

        (This, he says to Hitomi.)

        And then he turns to the dango stand, and starts walking, even though he's still eating his takoyaki as he goes.

<Pose Tracker> Junes has posed.

Nobody moves to help Myunghon Yeo among the crowd. A few kids line up, though. "Look, look!" they say. "Heeheehee!"

This is probably justice of some kind.

The line ahead of Hyousuke, meanwhile, is BLOCKED by GIRLS. The one girl is already getting the first two women out of the way though. She looks back at Hyousuke. "Ugh," she says, "Gossip. Can't stand it!" She's in a yukata, too, and doesn't seem to be bothered by Hyousuke's manner of dress. "So in the way."

But soon, it is her turn!! She takes her time. Hyousuke will have to WAIT another minute or so. As will.l.. YUKARI if she wants to get dango!!

The CHICKEN MASCOT gets a few more kids mobbing her. And a child looks up seriously at Julian. "It's not nice to make fun of our traditions, gaijin-san."

His mother makes a face like she just ate something sour and puts both hands on the child's shoulders. "Aahahah, I'm so sorry, he has quite a mouth..."

"Oh oh!" a child says, near Katsuya. "Someone's going to rescue her!"

"Awwwww...." the next child is disappointed.

But the next, "Mister, mister! Get her!"

But A CHALLENGER appears. Shinobu is coming through!! "Oooo," a child says. "Who's going to get her!?"

Masao gets a child looking for CANDY at his stall... She's short, and has stand on tiptoes. "Isn't most cleaning supposed to be dry?" she wonders.

The dango stand... looms!! 

<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.

Here with her sister is a DELINQUENT GIRL. Ichika Kawase is a vision with her bleached-blonde hair done up, though there's so much of it that it still cascades down her back. She's so tall that she towers over many here, at 180 cm--5'11"--and that's before her sandals. She is dressed in a pale brown yukata, decorated with beautiful patterns of hanashobu--Japanese iris, in purple with a bit of yellow. They represent good news, a gentle heart, and elegance... though her expression is not particularly gentle or heralding very good news. Her obi is a lighter purple, tied. She manages to tie together the traditional of her yukata and the unconventional of her bleached hair somehow... mostly by adopting a neutral expression bordering on a scowl that dares anyone to comment.

But she wanted to see her sister this time. She didn't even arrange to meet a boy to ditch her!

Family time matters.

"A lot," Ichika agrees with Ririka. "I'm pretty hungry, too..."

She eyes Masao for a moment--or more specifically, eyes his beer for a moment, ,and then looks at him too. "...Guess not everybody's happy to be here," she admits to Ririka. Then, she says, "Oh. Sec, I'll be right with you."

She waves at Eikichi and his bros. "Hey, Boss," she says. "Surprised you're not here with your girl instead of the band. Time to bond as guys, huh?" 

<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.

"It is pretty crazy that they found a mummy," Minako says, her nose wrinkling as she thinks about it. "You'd think they would be..." Her expression becomes distant. She tries to remember her history listens.

>Minako did not gain a point of Academics.

"...over in... Egypt or Arizona or whatever," she finishes a little lamely. "I guess every place needs a tourist thing, right?"

She looks at Hitomi, then, and starts to open her mouth. But then she hears her brother introduce her. Her head snaps back towards Minato, then to Suzume and Ririka, and she opens her mouth up. Then she closes it.

Then, the ever-present smile comes back on. "Minako Arisato!" she says. "It's great to meet you. It's nice out here, isn't it?."

After a second, with a blink, she looks back at Yukari. She laughs, both eyebrows lifting -- and then she laughs a little, before she looks at the ground, sheepishly. "It's just... sad when things are closed. Even if we don't come out here again..."

<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.

        That's right, Ulala Serizawa. If you leap into the river, that exquisite yukata you've wrung out more than the last paycheck to look dazzling in will be ruined. But fortunately, Ulala is a woman of means, and so sheborrows an enormously long pole and pokes... pokes...

        The crooked pair of legs starts to rotate in place like they're a 3D object. The comical noise has upgraded to one of comical gurgling, like an elementary teacher exaggeratedly gargling to show their charge how to rinse their mouth.

        For UMIE, she might not spot with Chick-tan's incredibly narrow cone of vision that a nearby child has seen the Eldritch Worm squirrel its way out of Chick-tan's mouth. The child's eyes widen slowly, as Chick-tan yells that there's a lady in the river. He looks that way for a moment, then back at the Horrible Hand with Red Nail Polish.

        TRAUMA INTERNALISED: Red-Hot Nails (trauma will mature in 7y 4M 13d)

        "I don't want to eat fried chicken anymore," begs the child quietly to her mom, looking up to Mr. Marlowe and wondering if this is supposed to just be a regular occurrence. His world has been shaken apart.

        Katsuya, adorned in beautiful cat-print regalia and ready to wow the socks off off single moms, arrives not terribly far behind Serizawa. Yasuko, the cemetery keeper, also arrives, even more exquisitely adorned than the regular festival-goer; surely an even more vintage kimono such as this shouldn't be exposed to the ravaging waters of the river beside Honmaru Park!

        Yasuko observes the pair of legs like they're a cryptid. The Mysterious Legs Demon that clamps, not unlike a crane game, making gurgling noises and threatening to swallow you down into the abyss...?! That would be a good Rumour. Especially now that the park is closing and people can't verify or unverify that any longer.

        It's only 3,000 yen away from being a problem for someone else. Isn't the rumour economy wonderful? We don't even charge you for GST.

        But regardless, the pair of legs DO clamp onto Ulala's pole, and then in a brief storm of fluttering, water-splashing, and activity--

        And then Shinobu, seemingly terribly *used* to all this, fishes A CREATURE out of the water.

        Shinobu's catch is a tall creature, some gangly 175cm, with sopping-wet pure-white hair; the creature has half her face covered in bandages, including a large, white thick piece of gauze stuck to their cheek. Their neck and arms are also similarly entirely covered in bandages. They're dressed in a remarkably sharp white dress shirt and black tie, as well as black dress pants and shoes, of a cut that Katsuya probably would approve, if he were still in dress.

        This is, in fact, justice, Junes.

        The tall person pauses as she gawks, seemingly vacant and empty-eyed at Ulala, at Yasuko... then to Katsuya, and Shinobu, and a little further back, Julian and Chick-tan.

        Then she doubles over and coughs out change from her mouth, coins clattering to the ground.

        BATTLE WON!

        Obtained:
         23 xp
         350 yen (but do you want to touch the mouth-coins...?)

        "Shinobu-ssi! And you're from the other day at the card store, Serizawa-san!" Myunghon exclaims brightly, her eye manic as she scans around and indeed confirms that she is at a festival. "I did arrive at the Hyakumanzeki Festival in time! The Magic River Teleportation Experiment was a complete and utter success!"

        The suspicious person literally pirouettes on one toe in place, so pleased with her success. Yua taught her that move. 

<Pose Tracker> Suzume Fukura has posed.

Suzume listens in because she is that kind of person. A bit about the archaeology, like she guessed; a bit about landscaping. A bit about the dorms, which isn't relevant to her and presumably never will be.

And then Minato attempts a joke. It really isn't very funny.

Suzume snorts, which seems rude, but if you know her better you'd know she was trying to muffle a snicker and not doing a very good job of it, because she appreciates a good bad joke and that was a very bad one, and thus a very good one. Even if she won't admit it.

"I know Mandai," Suzume says, a moment later. She actually recognizes, at least in a vague 'I have seen you around school' sort of way, most of them; Shizuka is the exception, but she's in the other year, so maybe that's not too surprising either. "Hey. You have better luck with books then cards?" This presumably makes sense to Hitomi, if nobody else.

Her hands end up in her pockets as people - Minako, anyway - look over at her, making their own introductions; her habitual slouch, which she had actually almost avoided for a few minutes, returns. "Fukura," she blurts out, a moment later. "Suzume Fukura." She is probably at least vaguely familiar as another second-year Gekkoukan student, though she has not been really invested in school this year, so more as a background figure than anything else. (She has a seat at the back of the room and she likes it there, thanks.)

Speaking of, she has apparently acquired a spot at the back of *this* group, too, if only to see about the dango. 

<Pose Tracker> Sojiro Sakura has posed.

        Sojiro nods his head at the mention of getting inside to work the booth and he just looks at all the people. How did he manage to get himself talked into such a thing? The conversation was a bit of a blur about it being for the community and tradition and favors and suddenly here he was alongside Ren, setting up a booth. All he can say is it should be good advertisement, if that was something he wanted.

        Just as he is about to step in, his phone buzzes and he doesn't even have to look to know it is the reminder about the sweets. With a sigh he looks around trying to figure out how to do everything before he looks at Ren. In his past life Sojiro never liked using the new kid as a gopher, but well that was then and this is now. Stepping into the booth he clears his throat to catch the young man's attention, " Actually I can manage things for now. I need you to do something else. "

        Reaching into his back pocket, Sojiro pulls out his wallet. "I need you to go get a sampling of as many sweets as you can that will make it back home in one piece. " Some paper money is handed over, "In exchange I suppose you could take your time getting back to the booth and keep whatever change is left. Oh and if you see a stuffed goldfish. " The look on Sojiro's face notes how awkward this is all to the man to ask the favor, but he didn't have much choice.

Side Quest: Acquire all the sweets.
        Mission: Acquire 1 of every sweets that can be stored, also if one is available a stuffed fish.
        Reward: Some spending money and free time. 

<Pose Tracker> Ann Takamaki has posed.

Festivals! Ann loves festivals! The atmosphere! The people! The fireworks! The chance to make use of her favorite yukatas!

And you can guarantee there's gonna all sorts of home-made sweets which is absolutely not 99% of the reason she loves festivals, no matter what you may have heard!

It's more like... 85%. Ninety tops. See? More reasonable!

Standing at the edge of the park entrance, Ann's blue eyes are big and wide with subdued delight as she takes in all the spectacle laid out before her. Her typical twintails have been eschewed for today in favor of doing up that thick, platinum mass of hair a stylishly messy stick-bun to help beat the heat; dressed in a simple but stylish rose-pink yukata, decorated with elegant white cloud designs that match the color of the wrap that binds its breezy comfort to her figure, Ann is swiftly making a mental checklist of stalls she wants - no, needs - to visit as she scopes the place out.

She's not a frequent visitor of Sumaru, generally speaking -- to say nothing of Hirasaka Ward. And she certainly doesn't know about any mummies. Mostly, she's here to support a friend. But looking at all this...

"It seems like a shame to shut this all down..." she murmurs to herself, pink sleeve rustling as she rubs her arm with her opposite hand. Even knowing it's being renovated, something about changing a tranquil place like this just feels...

She shakes off the glum with a very literal shake of her head. Now is not the time for doom and gloom. Now is the time for meat! And fireworks! And sweets! And friends! And sweets! Speaking of which--

"... where are they... --ah!" Spotting that certain booth in the distance, Ann beams a triumphant grin. And in two shakes of a lamb's tail--

It's just as Sojiro and Ren are finishing setting up that they get one of their first customers in the form of a familiar blue eyed, blonde-haired face.

"Looks like you're hard at work!" Ann calls out as she approaches, a grin so big it squeezes those blue eyes shut as she waves a hand in greeting.

"Did you see all the stuff they have here?? There's even someone doing a play by the river over there!"

Does Ann -- think the drowning is part of the festivities?

"I think it's Romeo & Juliet...?"

...

look if the contents of shakespeare's plays were worth knowing he would have written them tweet-length 

<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.

Hyousuke was of two minds, regarding the shortness of the dango stall's line. He was happy about it, as it meant that there was little competition - he could even return for seconds, should he so desire. but on the other hand, it meant that fewer people than he expected appreciated the subtleties of a well-crafted treat. Though he tried to maintain a neutral look regarding this, anyone observant enough would have been able to see the slight disappointment creep into his features, like a puppy that had just been told it was not allowed to chew a slipper.

This seemed to evaporate the second he was addressed. First, by a stranger flashing him a polite smile. To anyone else, it was little more than an acknowledgement of one's presence. To Hyousuke, Ririka was a sign that perhaps there were more like-minded people than he realised. Truly, it was a good day. Before he could strike up conversation about the qualities of dango, however, someone else - Myunghon - deigned to address him, and his attention turned to them in kind.
"Can't stand it." He said, perhaps a little more gruffly than he intended, but the looseness of his posture and the light shrug of his shoulders showed him to be nothing but casual. "Just enjoy the festival while you're there, am I right? Dango like this doesn't happen every day."

Not that he knew. He was a recent arrival, and wasn't at all familiar with the area or its food. Not that anyone else needed to know the specifics, of course. "Speaking of, it looks like they got more than just the usual. You got any recommendations?" it was entirely possible he was jsut seeing more flavours than were actually there, or was thinking of a different stall entirely. Nevertheless, it made for good conversation, he thought. 

<Pose Tracker> Yukari Takeba has posed.

There's a dotted line between Yukari's gaze and Shizuka's newboy cap. "Take that off." She sighs, and if Shizuka doesn't, she makes an attempt to snatch it away. "Why even wear a Yukata if you're gonna be weird about it?"

There's a sudden groan though at her pun, "Don't we deal with enough of that from the Chairman? Not you too."

Minako though? Yukari sighs at her statement about where they might have found it, "Well, you're half right." A beat. "I think." She's actually having to think about where Arizona is again, maybe.

Then- Minato, tells a joke - to someone standing nearby and Yukari actually chuckles, for a moment, then glares at him, "H-Hey, you can't come out of nowhere with something like that." It does bring a smile on her face, as he then introduces her.

"It's nice to meet you. Don't mind this guy, he marches to the beat of his own drum." She says to her, ceasing touching her Takoyaki for a moment, as she's not the type to eat and talk.

She nods at Hitomi, "It got pretty crazy back then. They had 'treasure hunters' from all over. I once saw a guy dressed up like you know - that Western movie star, thinking he was going to find the lost castle of Sumaru."

Then is that ANOTHER JOKE? Before she's even processed, he's hurrying up to walk with him, a feat which is more difficult in Geta, but not enough to slow her down. "Don't eat while you're walking, it's rude." She admonishes lightly, though she won't go so far as grabbing his arm unless he keeps doing it.

As they walk, Yukari contemplates Minako's comment, and eventually, "Yeah." She agrees, lightly, but qualifies it-

"At least it'll come back some day."

<Pose Tracker> Junes has posed.

The girl nods firmly to Hyousuke, and then gets her dango. Now, Hyousuke has a chacne to get his own--and then, SEES!!

And as it happens--it is incredible dango. Why is the line short? Is it cursed? Is there a rumor that the dango here will transport you to another world!?

...No, it's probably just happenstance. It's good dango though. 

<Pose Tracker> Ulala Serizawa has posed.

Ulala, trying to fish a person(?!) out of a river, is spotted by two acquaintances. One, who she knows from Magical Bullshit, and the other, who she knows from the gym. She'll have to be cautious how she speaks, other than-

"Ah... Detective-san! Shinohara-san! Please, we need to get them-"

Out of the river? Why aren't you wading in, Ulala? Are you that callous, that self-spoiled, to not get a yukata wet?

Before she can battle her mind's worries, someone else is wading through. Ulala moves aside, offering the pole forward as a leverage to get the person out of the water if Shinobu needs it.

"Here, I've got the pole, let's get them out of here..."

As Myunghon clamps onto the pole and is fished out, Ulala stares. She looks down at the coins. Her hand twitches. Does she...

No.

"Ah... the Cardboard Dragon owner... Seo-san... are you okay? Do you need to get to a doctor or something?"

She pauses. Myunghon *does* sell supernatural cards...

"...is that a real thing?" she stage whispers to Katsuya about River Teleportation. He's a detective, he'd know. 

<Pose Tracker> Masao Inaba has posed.

        Masao blinks and startles when a short child approaches the stall. "Whoa! A customer, hey--"
 
        Ah, shit, he thinks, does he have his apron on? No, he doesn't. He sets down the beer somewhere behind the stall. It's not like a little kid is going to go tell on his parents or anything like that, he reminds himself.
 
        "Welcome, welcome, that'll be 50 yen, and... uh, well, that's kinda true, but some clothes you can't wash in water," Mark explains, "so, uh, if your parents need somethin' like that cleaned, well... Inaba Dry Cleaning, over in Hirasaka," the exact address is muffled by the sounds of Ongoing Celebration.
 
        A hand goes to his hip as he shakes his head. "But nah, don't worry 'bout that, enjoy the festival..."
 
        Ichika looks to him. Wow, she's tall. (Masao "Mark" Inaba is also a short guy, hovering in the imperial 5'6" range).
 
        He returns to dealing with the child. If she's short of change, he'll just let her have a piece of candy on the house. 

<Pose Tracker> Hitomi Mandai has posed.

 
Minato drops a joke the way some people drop sick slogans. Hitomi tolerates this visibly. But it also means she looks where Minato is, and says "Oh, Fukura, hey," to Suzume with reasonable good cheer.

"That makes sense," Hitomi tells Minato. "Everyone's going to be busy Sunday anyway." She takes another bite of chicken afterwards. This may have been... counter-humor? That or the heat's getting to her. 

<Pose Tracker> Kasumi Yoshizawa has posed.

        Kasumi Yoshizawa walks quickly through the parking lot towards the park proper, her head glancing around quickly as she takes in the sights of the festival starting to get into full swing. She's carrying a stack of papers in one arm. She walks up quickly to where several people are setting up cameras and other recording equipment for what looks like a TV show. The name of which is emblazoned on the main set piece: 'Good Morning Japan'

        Kasumi walks up to one of the people setting up, an older gentleman with short black hair. She holds the stacks of papers out to him and says, "Here you are, dad!"

        Shinichi Yoshizawa, Director of the very TV show that is setting up here, takes them and smiles at his daughter, "Thank you, sweetie."

        Kasumi beams back happily at him. When she had heard that her father was coming to Honmaru Park in order to organize a segment for the show, Kasumi had asked to come along to help out. Though part of her also wanted to see the festival. It's only been a few months since they moved closer to Shujin Academy so she could attend. And to some degree she misses Sumaru...

        ... Even if there are some troubling memories here.

        But it's fine, as she loves helping her father with his work! That's why she's not wearing a yukata today, she didn't want to have it get messed up. Instead she's just in a white, long-sleeved blouse with some additional ruffles lining the front. As well as a knee-length red skirt and high-heeled boots.

        Shinichi glances around at the nearly complete looking set then says, "I think we're about ready now." He looks back at Kasumi and smiles, "Why don't you go enjoy the festival?"

        Kasumi nods enthusiastically, "Sure! But only if you'll come and enjoy it with me once you're finished with work."

        Shinichi chuckles and nods, "Very well." He studies Kasumi for a moment before saying, "I'm glad it seems you've been feeling better lately."

        Kasumi simply smiles as she assures him, "My last performance wasn't that bad. I'm not going to let it get me down!"

        Shinichi gives his daughter a bit of a closer look, seeming to consider something. But in the end he just smiles and agrees, "Yes, of course. I'm sure you'll do better next time! I'll see you later."

        Kasumi smiles and nods, walking off while waving to her father, "Do your best with the recording!" She starts to head into the festival proper, eyes looking around in wonder at the various stalls and displays that have been set up.

        One in particular seems to catch her by surprise, her eyes going wide for a moment. Though it's not the stall in particular, but one of the people manning it.

        With a smile on her face, Kasumi makes her way over to the Mini-Le Blanc, just as Ren is being sent out on errands and Ann arrives. Kasumi smiles at the former, excitedly saying, "Senpai! I didn't expect to run into you here." Meanwhile to the latter, Kasumi seems to recognise her as well, "-Ah. You're Takamaki-senpai, aren't you? I've seen you at school now and then." Kasumi bows, "I'm Kasumi Yoshizawa. A first year at Shujin. It's a pleasure to meet you!"

<Pose Tracker> Shizuka Kuroki has posed.

         "Nato-kun... Gettin' us all worried over nothin', huh? Better not make that a habit." She pops the toothpick from her mouth and taps the second year on the temple with it.
 
         And then she looks over to the younger with a sigh. "Yeah, but once they're done with renovations, it'll open again. And be even better than ever! That's at least something to be happy about, right?"
 
         And theeen she's introduced by Minato and turns to Suzume and Ririka with a bow. "Shizuka Kuroki! Third Year! At yer service!" Her cap starts to slide off her head and she jumps, pushing it back up as she stands, and holding it on her head as she steps away from Yukari.
 
         "I like this hat, Yuka-chan!" After a couple seconds, she realizes that she probably won't leave her alone until she addresses it, pulling it off with a defeated whimper. "I thought I looked cool." 

<Pose Tracker> Maya Amano has posed.

        "Ulala..."

        There was no sign of her. Maya had been sifting through the crowd of people at the festival, her eyes scanning for a familiar tuft of red hair. She should have stood out among the growing crowd, but there was no sign of her. It was probably to be expected -- the festival was way bigger than last year's! If she had known it was going to be this crowded, maybe she wouldn't have returned home to grab her phone. She could always have Ulala take pictures for the both of them, right?

        Still, one missing woman wasn't a problem -- not when Maya had her cell phone on her! She shifted her weight from one leg to the other as she retrieved her phone from the cinched bag that hung from her wrist. It was pink and white, patterned with a spectacular mix of flowers and butterflies in various matching colors. It was the same fabric that made up Maya's yukata.

        With a few taps of the phone, she selected Ulala's name from her list of contacts. There! There'd be no problem finding her now! 

<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.

Ririka nods to Ichika when she says she'll be right back.. "Take your time, I'll grab a dango for you." She pauses though, and watches Ichika approach Eikichi. "Boss, huh...?" she wonders quietly. Must be a Kasugayama thing.

She also gives Hitomi a nod as the other girl turns to face her. "And good afternoon to you, Mandai-san." Then she turns as she's addressed by Shizuka. "Oh, pleased to meet you, Kuroki-san. Ririka Kawase. I'm a second-year." 

<Pose Tracker> Eikichi Mishina has posed.

"Exactly, Kawase!" Eikichi grins and waves over to the other boss in his High School's eccentric delinquent hierarchy. "Looking good but as you can see you got some competition! OOO!" He quickly struck a pose as his gang looked awkwardly out of place but supportive.

 Eikichi makes his way over to the two Kawase sisters, placing a hand under his chin as he looks them over. "You rolling solo today, Kawase? Whose this?" He cranes his head as he looks at Ririka. "Yeah, the lady is doing Journalistic excellency so I'm giving the guys some bro time, ya know?" 

<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.

"Good to see you, Fukura-san!" Minako says, cheerfully and chipperly. She does a quick wave at her, looking her over for a second, and then she beams. She reaches down, and smooths out her kimono. "This is a nice festival, isn't it? I'm thinking about what food I want to get."

Then she gives a look towards Yukari. There is a beat -- a flicker of hesitation -- before she shine that warm smile onto her again. "Yeah," she says. "Some day. Just means we'll have to come back, right, Takeba-chan?"

She looks sideways at Shizuka -- and she flashes a smile at the third year. "Sorry, Kuroki-senpai," she says. "But... Takeba-chan is the expert on these matters. I have it on good authority~. I--"

She does a little twirl, and then a STEP. A fateful step.

She walks into a tall British man. Minako yelps into Julian Marlowe's back. "Wagh! S-Sorry! Sorry! You're--whoa, you're seriously tall--"

<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.

Hyousuke only bought the one stick of dango. He was sure that it was good - the gaze he fixed it with made that much clear. Anyone looking at him might have likened him to a hound glaring at a slab of raw, dripping, meat. No, his concerns were a matter of practicality - money, room in his stomach, and other such physical factors. It took him all he had to restrain himself and keep from devouring the entire stick in moments, so eager was he to taste this new locale's sweets, but there was still no small amount of force in the bite he took from the white ball at the top.

"...Good." He muttered, chewing slowly with widening eyes. "...This is really good." The second part of his remark was loud enough that the girl that had addressed him likely would have been able to hear it. Maybe not clearly, but enough that the gist of it was gotten across. Whatever she missed could have been filled in by watching him attack the rest of the topmost ball in a suspiciously dog-like fashion, regardless. The look of awe on his face only intensified when he washed it down with a long, slow, sip of tea, swallowed with surprising ease despite its heat. "Why'd I only come here when the place was closing? This dango's great!" 

<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.

        "Hm?" Ren blinks up at Sojiro, a look that seems more innocent than it is thanks to his thick-framed glasses. He's handed some pocket money and a sidequest. He considers how to react to this.
        
        - A stuffed goldfish?
        - All right.
        
        "All right," he chooses, because it's a bad idea to even accidentally needle the guy who is both your ride home and the one who decides if you have a place to sleep tonight or not. He stuffs the money in his pocket, undoes and sets aside the apron, and gives Sojiro a final nod. "I'll be back."
        
        But just as he's starting to leave, who should approach but Ann--and Kasumi? Ren blooms into a smile at the sight of both of them. "You're in luck. I've been sent on a sidequest to get some sweets," he tells Ann. "As many different kinds of sweets as I can."
        
        Obviously there is no better companion on such a sidequest than Ann Takamaki.
        
        A play, though? "Huh. I was wondering what that yelling was about," he muses. Did Romeo and Juliet have a drowning in it? "You're probably thinking of Hamlet."
        
        He turns his smile to Kasumi then. "Me neither. I probably should've. I figured this festival would have a lot of people, but I didn't think it'd be *this* many." He glances down the row at Masao's booth, where candies are being sold; then he tilts his head that way. "You want to come with, or d'you want some curry and coffee first?"
        
        He'd hate to immediately deprive Sojiro of some potential customers. 

<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.

"Heh," Ichika answers. She won't infringe too hard on Man Time, of course. But Eikichi's always fun when it's not fight time. "Thanks," she answers, and then grins. "Beautiful," she agrees. She thinks it's gaudy as hell--but in a good way, because she doesn't laugh and instead just smiles. Then the question...

"Cool, cool. I am. I'm meeting Gotou," the Spike Boss, "later, but right now it's family time. This is my sister, Ririka. She goes to Gekkoukan."

Then she looks at Hyousuke. "is it that good?" she wonders. "Hey, sis!" she calls. "Grab me two!" 

<Pose Tracker> Junes has posed.

The CHILD at Masao's stall says, "I'm thirsty, mister..." Oh no.

But he explains ddry cleaning. The address may be muffled, but she thinks about it for a second. "OK! Daddy says it's really important that Mom clean clothes more. But she always looks at him funny when he says that..."

"Oh, I only have..." The little girl only has 100 yen, which is less than 50 yen! ...Er, is it?

Ichika will be over in a few, incidentally. She uses that dry cleaner! 

<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.

        "Sorry," Minato says, to Shizuka, as she reprimands him for getting them all worked up about nothing. "I wasn't specific." He should really be more specific! For communication's sake!

        "Mummies aren't from Arizona," Minato insists, to his sister. "You're thinking of vampires. Vampires come from European places like Arizona."

        He says this with complete confidence.

        And this: "They'll open it again."

        He says these two things in very almost the exact same deadpan tone of voice, but at least Minako might be able to hear the difference. His reassurance is simpler than Shizuka's, but they're united in the effort, anyway.

        He blinks, though, as Yukari insists he can't come out of nowhere with a joke like that. "I didn't come out from nowhere," he points out. "I came here with everyone."

        That one wasn't a joke. Whether it's funnier than the one he deliberately made is an open question.

        He nods, to Suzume. "Fukura-san," he affirms. "I've seen you around." At the edges, anyway. ... he tends to pay more attention to the edges than the centre of most things.

        He hears Yukari say that eating while walking is rude, though, and q u i e t l y stops snacking on takoyaki as he ambles along.

        "What's on Sunday?" He asks Hitomi, head turning to her, blinking.

        Beat.

        "It is a cool hat." He says, to Shizuka. "But it isn't normal to wear one during a festival."

        He blinks, then, looking up and up to Julian.

        "Not everyone wears festival clothes," he supposes. "Hello, sir." He's polite! That's an adult!

<Pose Tracker> Katsuya Suou has posed.

        He pulls up short in that moment Serizawa and another couple of young ladies manage to, between them, produce a pole and work to try to fish the person out. Should all these children be watching, some part of him wonders. --He should call emergency services. He should dive in there himself, new (kitty-cat) yukata be damned! The owner of those legs might just be--

        ...alive?!

        Without the need for any police oversight or supervision, the person is fished free from the river. They've very much alive, in spite of Katsuya's worries!

SAVOIR-FAIRE: Look at that cut on the suit. Where do they shop?

        "Are you... alright?" he asks the person as they manage to look rather unwell and vacant, right before they cough up a mouthful (?) of coins (??). Poleaxed in that moment, all Katsuya can do is stare at them. He looks over at Ulala, helpless. "Do you... know this person, Serizawa-kun?" His attention jerks back to Myunghon. "She's right. We should call an ambulance. Or, at least take you to a clinic."

        Ulala whispers a question his way. He shakes his head, certain of this one fact in spite of... this. Well, in spite of everything, lately. "There is no such thing as 'Magic River Teleportation'." 

<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.

Ririka turns to look at Eikichi, as he inquires about her. Ichika introduces her, so she smiles and nods to Eikichi. "It's a pleasure to meet you." She grins at Ichiki as she asks for two. "Already on it!" 

<Pose Tracker> Eikichi Mishina has posed.

"Oh, nice. Nice to meet you, Kawase-san." The white faced "Boss" winks at Ririka before turning back to her sister. "Oh yeah? I guess the whole Kasu nation is gonna be out tonight. Hope it stays nice. I really don't want to let my hair down, heh." Eikichi chuckles as he lets his eyes wander the festival for a second. "Your sis seems nice. Nice place that Gekkoukan. Not really our type of joint though." 

<Pose Tracker> Julian Marlowe has posed.

Julian just stares doe-eyed at the child making some rather outrageous assumptions about him. He sure wasn't expecting that, leaving him at a complete loss. He recovers quickly when the boy's mother apologizes however, neatly bowing at the waist.

"That's quite alright ma'am, my apologies, I certainly meant no offense! And I'm positive neither did... 'Chick-tan', was it?"

This is fine. Even when that exceptionally strange bandaged person is fished out of the water, Julian just watches it all happen with a faint smile. He... might be taking the child's words as gospel and assuming that after all, this must all be part of festival traditions, somehow. He wouldn't want to show any further disrespect, now, would he? Ah yes, see, a 'Magic River Teleportation Experiment' does make it sound like it was all part of a show. As such, that is of course what he says, in English no less. "<Good show>!" ...Should he be applauding?

That thought goes right out the window when someone bumps into him. Though steady on his feet, he does drop his Takoyaki container - which may be empty at this point, but it wouldn't do to litter, so obviously he needs to pick that up before turning about, smiling gently. "No harm done, miss. I get that a lot." A pause. "The, er, tall comment, not so much the bumping into. But no harm done!"

Briefly scanning the group of SEES students, he bows his head in acknowledgement to the greetings he receives. "Good day to you." And quickly surmises, "Not from the local school, are you? I didn't realize festivals drew quite such a crowd." And, a bit more self-conscious, "I, ah, realize my attire isn't exactly the most appropriate. I mean no offense, I'm still rather new to the local culture." 

<Pose Tracker> Yasuko Shinohara has posed.

Yasuko, seeing that Myunghon is in need of neither resucitation nor funerary services just now, gives the other women space to fuss over her. Meanwhile, she manifests a handkerchief from her sleeve and uses it to scoop up the coins, polishing the river water and saliva off them with the corners, then holds them out in her palm until someone lays claim to them or else agrees to split the loot equally.

"Was this the teleportation fee? Ms. Yeo, you could have simply walked into the park for free. Be that as it may... Ms. Serizawa, Mr. Suou, Ms. Shimizu, were you perhaps meeting for a date just now? You could use this money to buy another takoyaki, it seems Ms. Serizawa could only carry two." 

<Pose Tracker> Yukari Takeba has posed.

There's a long-suffering sigh at 'I like this hat, Yuka-chan.' Minako does call her an expert, and thus she answers at first like an expert. "It's not like wearing a hat with a Yukata is forbidden or something. Just - that one?"

As she then just stares at her, "Really? Just accessorize with a cute hair pin or something. Don't wear something that Junpei-kun might grab out of a bargain bin and make a clown show out of hitting on girls with."

"I don't mean-" Yukari tries to correct Minato gently, "-I was just saying it's unusual for you."

Minako however, then runs into the tall British Man with a fateful twirl step, and, Yukari startles looking at him. "Oh no." Yukari gropes to remember her English, "A white guy. Um - I can handle this."

And she gathers herself-

"<I very sorry friend... was clumsy...>" She bows a little low, despite the Takoyaki. Oh no what's that word. It suddenly escapes her, "<... she try grinding with you.>"

She mixed up her words for 'dancing' and 'a dance' she heard recently some girls talking about.

Fortunately, "Oh! You speak Japanese!" She sighs, "That's a relief. Yeah sorry about that. Arisato-chan is just full of energy today."

<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.

        'You sure the person was drowning? No one seems to be taking you seriously at all.' A little voice at the back of Umie's mind cutely chides her for jumping to conclusions, distracting her from the few that did (if belatedly). Umie grumbles, sweat sticking her bangs to her forehead. "It wasn't the heat exhaustion," she mumbles under her breath, as a children mob her.

        She's not sure if children are more attracted to Chick-tan because of her hand dangling out, red fingernails and all, or if she's traumatized several children.

        Oh, there's someone going over th.... "Suou-san...?" Not that he'd 1. hear her because her voice is muffled in the suit, and 2. even if she was out of the suit, the last time Katsuya may have seen her, she hadn't dyed her hair. It's also... a very awkward time to do any chitchat.

        Umie can't exactly move; all she can manage, as Chick-tan's widely spaced eyes look to Julian, is say, ".... Uh...." The hand attempts to retract inside the mouth, but one of the children grasp on it.

        "It's a tongue! I got Chick-tan's tonguuuueee!"

        "Ghhh! Nononono, this thing isn't--"

        Chick-tan's perfectly oblong shape balances on one foot, then, slowly, like a redwood tree on stilts, it begins to topple over. "Ngh!!"

        The 'tongue' forces itself from the boy's hand, attempting to divert Chick-tans massive (well, not really) weight onto... oh no she doesn't have the strength score for this even if she *could* summon her Persona right now.

        It collapses, somehow, not on a child. At least it's holding its shape. The last Chick-tan model nearly ended in disaster when the motor keeping it inflated died out. This one will hold!!

        .... which means, attempting to turn, it settles on its delightfully pudgy stomach, the mascot is trapped.

        The children shall feast well, tonight, as two smaller children climb on Chick-tan's back. "yaaaaayyyy, Chick-tan, Chick-tan!"

        Umie swears she will ever try this brand, ever. 

<Pose Tracker> Suzume Fukura has posed.

Suzume gives a slight nod to Yukari and Shizuka (and Minato, once he recognizes her a bit more) once they've made their own introductions. If she has a comment on the hat, she doesn't voice it - but then again given her own style of dressing, she probably wouldn't.

"Some of the samurai stuff they pulled up was kind of cool," Suzume says. "Who knew you could find that in the middle of a city? But apparently it happens all the time. They were digging a subway in Rome and ran into an old marketplace nobody knew about." True! Suzume has a good memory for useless trivia.

Minako walks into someone's back. A big guy, though that's a lot of people here. Suzume doesn't, but she sizes him up anyway with a slight frown. That said, she's not wearing traditional clothes either, so he's not *entirely* alone.

"Be right back," she tells Hitomi, as she turns. Suzume detours from the other Gekkoukan group for one very specific reason: she saw chocolate bananas and her budget extends exactly enough for a chocolate banana. She knows this because she really wants one.

Don't worry, she'll catch back up later. (Or she won't and will wander off somewhere else, one of the two. It's not like she came here with them; they might prefer to not have her around.) 

<Pose Tracker> Hitomi Mandai has posed.

 
After some industrious chicken eating, along with a returned nod and polite smile to Ririka, Hitomi reaches up to slightly adjust the angle of her hat. Just a little.

Maybe there's some secret there.

"... I guess it didn't work, that's just when people go to the part, I guess," Hitomi tells Minato, a little louder. "It's kind of crazy here, huh?" But that's festivals for you! She thinks she saw someone spit up money over there, even if at this angle she does not parse Myunghon.

Her head turns afterwards, and tilts *up* slightly (a rare experience for Hitomi "Hasshakusama Jr." Mandai, let us tell you) as Julian address them. And rather eloquently. "Your Japanese is really good," she echoes Yukari afterwards, even as chaos ripples.

Suzume gets a single firm nod; Hitomi afterwards remains with the others but is, perhaps, easier to perceive than the average. 

<Pose Tracker> Ulala Serizawa has posed.

As Ulala is talking, her phone rings! SHE DID NOT GET WET so she can still answer her phone!

"One sec," she says, picking it up and swiping to answer.

"Ma-ya! Where are you? I'm near the river, but I kinda went out of ways... someone was, uh, using the river to teleport? Or something? So I helped pull them out."

She's still not sure if she believes it, but. She gestures to Katsuya a thumbs-up when he asks if she knows Myunghon. She sure does!

"Anyways, if you see Detective Suou and a few other people, that's where I am! He has a really cute yukata on, you'll recognize him!" Ulala, no.

Ulala pauses as she is asked if she's dating Katsuya. "This guy? Nah. He's too stuffy," she shakes her head. "This other one's for my roommate," she says, picking her food back up. 

<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.

Three simple words were enough to have Hyousuke turn to Ichika with quite the look of astonishment writ plain on his face. The only reason he hadn't immediately launched into a tirade was because of the fact that he still had a portion stuck between his teeth. While many would have regarded Hyousuke as a cad of some kind, even he had the good sense not to speak with his mouth full. That didn't stop him from beginning an impassioned (and largely unprompted) tirade about the virtues of good dango, however.

"It's more than just good." He said emphatically, looking her dead in the eye so as to make certain that he was getting through to her. "It's sweet, but it's not so sweet that it tastes sickly. Each dango on the stick's got its own unique flavour, but every one of them works so well with the sweetness of it and the tea that it... it feels like they're flowing into each other!" Metaphor was not his strong suit, if the great pause before the one he used was any indication. He did genuinely seem to enjoy the dango, though. If his words didn't get the message across, perhaps the sparkle in his eyes might. 

<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.

Ulala offers up the pole, and Shinobu accepts the help with a grateful nod.

"Thanks. Hold on tight." Shinobu replies with a nod. The leverage helps, especially once she's actually in the river. The water makes her clothes heavier, but with that she has no trouble going fishing. Myunghon is dragged out - and Shinobu squints at that she subsquently coughs out.

"You, uh... trying to make an offering to the riverperson or something...?" Shinobu asks, looking back toward Myunghon. She might be a little hard up for cash, but she's not that desperate. She leaves the mouth-coins where they are.

But Myunghon exclaims her greetings, and Shinobu nods back to her.

"You alright, boss?" Shinobu asks. She's not a current employee of the Cardboard Dragon - but after working there a few times, the name's stuck.

...Magic River Teleportation Experiment...?

Shinobu's brow furrows a moment. That's a new one even for her.

"...Yeah, it sure did. Great work." Shinobu says, in a tone that makes it hard to tell just how seriously she's taking that. The man in the cat-print yukata, though, says bluntly that there's no such thing as 'Magic River Teleportation'. Shinobu looks briefly at him, then back at Myunghon.

"...He's got a point, though. You need anything?" She asks her. She looks toward Yasuko, then.

"Uh, no, I don't know 'em. No offense, you two." Shinobu replies, with a shake of her head. Her name's already been offered, though, so she glances briefly toward the others. "...Shinobu Shimizu, by the way."

Maybe it's fitting that she'd show up to fish someone out of the river, considering. 

<Pose Tracker> Masao Inaba has posed.

        "Thirsty? Uhh... sorry, this stall doesn't sell that," the beanie-clad man shakes his head, as he sees the spare change being offered up.
 
        What sort of family stories did he just walk into? Hoo boy.
 
        "That's 100 yen. So," he checks his person, "you can have two if you want, or if you just want one, I'll give you this," a 50 yen coin, "in change."
 
        He's partially distracted now because he can see one of the mascots over yonder (hi, Chick-tan) taking a tumble, and there's murmuring about someone that was found in the river already. Wow, this is a happening night tonight, all right.
 
        "So, enjoy the festival out there, all right?" He tells the small child. 

<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.

Minako gives her brother a look -- and she starts to make a face at him. Then, though, she sighs. And there is a smile on her face; it's long-suffering, but it's joking, too. "Well. I'm glad for the clarification."

Then she laughs, cheerfully. Maybe she understood something from him that no one else did.

Then, though, she bumps into Julian. Her eyes widen as she sees the dropped takoyaki container. Minako grimaces, before she straightens her back out. She looks up at him -- and a smile comes across her face. "Thanks, Mister."

She says that in English. Then, she looks at Yukari -- she stares for a second at what she said, just a moment before he spoke in Japanese -- and looks back at Julian. "Don't worry," she says. "It's completely okay. Right, Takeba-san?"

She does a quick bow. It seems like the thing to do. "I'm Minako Arisato! And these are my friends, Yukari Takeba, Shizuka Kuroki, and Hitomi Mandai." Then, a glance at the blue-haired boy.

"And my brother, Minato Arisato," she says. "We're from Gekkoukan High! It's a pleasure, Mister."

<Pose Tracker> Maya Amano has posed.

        "A cute yukata?!" Maya exclaims. "I'll be right there!"

        Maya promptly hung up and stuffed the phone back into her bag, then stumbled in the direction of the river in her geta. 

<Pose Tracker> Yasuko Shinohara has posed.

Yasuko nods at Ulala's offhanded explanation. "My sympathy for being shot down, Mr. Suou, Ms. Shimizu. I hope the festival will lift your spirits." How cruel of Shimizu to say she doesn't know Ulala though! Even if it's true! 

<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.

Ririka's on it. And Eikichi winks. ...Ichika doesn't seem troubled by this. But then, she's not Ririka's older brother.

"Yeah!" she agrees. "I guess it's nice to get out for this kind of thing," she says. "But I don't figure there'll be trouble in a place this public. Maybe on the way back, tops." She wouldn't put it past Kyoka, after all.

Still, "She is. And... it is." A shake of her head. "Definitely not. But..." She glances over to the SEES crew--to Arisato Minato. "Got a lot of Gekkou High types here today. Go figure."

Then she turns back to Hyousuke--and actually smiles. "Yeah?" she asks. "It's cool to be so passionate. I'll make sure to savor it, in that case."

"Name's Kawase. Yours?"

It's nice to meet new people! A pause. "Oh, hey. Ririka-chan, bring me the dango over here, I wanna check something."

She nods to Eikichi, and moves to the dry cleaning candy booth next to the dango, and tells Masao, "You new at the shop?"

Well, questions him. "I haven't been back in a while, but it's where I usually get my dry cleaning done. Tell Inaba-san Kawase is sorry she's been a stranger, will you?" 

<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.

Eikichi says it's nice to meet her, and Ririka smiles politely. "You too, ah...?" She looks to Ichika for an introduction. All she's heard him addressed as is 'Boss' and she's definitely not calling him that.

But there's just a raised eyebrow at the wink. And shoots Ichika a look.

"And what type of joint do you think it is, I wonder...?" It's part genuine, part challenging, the way she asks it.

She catches that look Hyousuke is giving her sister, though, and looks to him. "Is something wrong?" This one is more polite, but... it might be less polite depending on the answer. "Surely you don't have a problem with me getting a dango for my sister, right?"

<Pose Tracker> Shizuka Kuroki has posed.

         "Aw, come on, it's nothing like Pei-kun's ratty old thing! I take care of mine, at least." She gingerly tucks the hat into her bag, ceding the victory to Yukari but one hundred percent intent on putting it back on when they were going back home.
 
         "Least someome here has taste," she responds to Minato.
 
         She immediately moves on when Minako bumps into the foreigner, turning to her kohai and offering her the rest of her own takoyaki. "Here, take mine. I wanna keep room for the dango anyway."
 
         "<I'm Shizuka Kuroki! Nice to meet you!>" She introduces herself to the foreign man in English, giving a soft nod of the head. 

<Pose Tracker> Masao Inaba has posed.

        "Eh?" Masao looks up from his dealings with the small child. "The shop? Oh, y'mean Inaba Dry Cleaning? Nah, that's my family's business. They opened it up over in the Hirasaka Ward a while back."
 
        He doesn't say from where.
 
        "I'm just running the booth tonight." He takes hold of a flier in offer to Ichika. "Candy's 50 yen a piece," he adds.
 
        "...Have you seen the art lined up over at," exact street name muffled, "yet?" A smile grows on his face. "You oughtta, if you haven't!" 

<Pose Tracker> Ann Takamaki has posed.

'A sidequest? Is this some kind of live action role play?' Ann wants to ask, which would raise very pertinent questions like, 'How do you know what a LARP is, Ann Takamaki?' and lead into a whole thing which no party involved may ever emotionally recover from, but FORTUNATELY--

"A sidequest? Is this some kind of -- wait, sweets!? Oh, heck yeah!"

~~~~o/` o/` o/`

Sweets save the day yet again!

Like they always do.

"You're just in luck, because I happen to have picked out the perfect stall route for sweets!" declares Ann. How did she already optimize a stall route already? And why does she look so proud of this?

The force of nature that is Ann on a Sweet Sweets Side Quest will not abide questions, however, as she continues on boldly, arms swinging from side to side with the momentum of her waist-wiggling excitement: "Heh heh! I think we should start with the dango stall over that way, because I heard they're just -amazing-, and--"

And before she can -really- get into it, an unfamiliar voice catches her notice. Blue eyes flutter out a blink as Ann turns in Kasumi's direction -just- in time for the younger Shujin student to address her directly. Her eyes widen a bit at the bow; Ann, uncertain of what to do in the face of such formality, awkwardly rubs the back of her head and then starts to stiffly offer a bow in return.

"It's nice to meet you, Yoshizawa-san--" she begins, gets halfway through the bow, and then halts. "--There's no reason to be so formal though!"

Kasumi Yoshizawa though, huh... that name sounds familiar...

"Oh!" Ann's expression. "You're the one everyone's been talking about, right? The gymnast! You two know each other, huh? Well, the more the merrier!"

She pauses to aside to Ren, "Wait, Hamlet? The Scottish Play? Isn't that bad luck?"

She's been to Europe, and she's an -extremely- talented actress.

She -obviously- is correct. 

<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.

        "Yeah," Minato agrees with Hitomi, easily. It is crazy around here. At least no one is dancing! Except for Minako, maybe? Maybe. And a monster by the river, but he still hasn't noticed that whole event. Myunghon is safe... FOR NOW.

        (Being fair, Yukari, Minato's a pretty unusual guy.)

        He blinks, though, staring at Yukari busting out her ENGLISH SKILLS. It's probably pretty good English, right? It sounds pretty good to him.

        And Suzume disappears while he's distracted by the massive foreigner!! He'll be mildly surprised by that when he realises she's gone now.

        He raises a hand in a wave, when Minako introduces him. "Nice to meet you. Don't worry, not everyone wears yukata to a festival around here, either. If you get one, just remember that men have shorter sleeves... people notice that."

        The Gekkoukan Bunch are very nice and cuddly compared to the Kasugayama Gangs. Minato is blissfully unaware of the gang politics going on between Eikichi and Ichika, too.

        He pauses, looking to Shizuka.

        "Iori-kun's hat is cool, too," he says, in that same deadpan tone.

        He does not offer his sister his takoyaki. Indeed, it's quickly disappearing down his gullet. This isn't the first or even third snack he's gotten today, either.

<Pose Tracker> Eikichi Mishina has posed.

Eikichi nods as Kawase responds. "Yeah, Kyoka is like that, huh?" He almost seems serious for a moment as his mind goes through the rolodex of punks in his head. "I really wanted to keep this Yukata nice though...Heh."

 "Give the Thorn boss my best." Eikichi waves as Ichika leaves and he heads back to his boys. The three are awkwardly looking around at the ladies. Eikichi smirks and shakes his head. "Alright guys, lets make some memories. Who wants Curry?!" 

<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.

        "In perfect health, Serizawa-san, and good sir!" Myunghon exclaims, despite generally having the pallor of not terribly good health. But she seems to be in incredible spirits, whether it's an act or not. It's rather hard to tell with this person. Ulala asks if it's a real thing, and Katsuya acts as the long arm of the Spirit of Anti-Imagination when he responds to her that there is no such thing as 'Magic River Teleportation'.

        "Tut tut tut! Sir, I can positively feel your skepticism from here, but what, if anything, would you call this successful experiment but the evidence of Magic River Teleportation?" Myunghon lectures with a tone that doesn't sound offended, just giddy and... suave, somehow.

        Ulala peels off to take a phone call, and the Cardboard Dragon owner's attention is on Yasuko, as she bravely takes the saliva-covered coins. Fortunately, she cleans them off with reasonable ease.

        FINANCES:
         -350 yen (Magic River Transportation is expensive. The Yamazaki-Rengedai line would only cost you 180 yen.)

        "Shinohara-san is correct. Suou-san! Let me posit to you the factual truth of teleportation."

        BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4mPHUWdgXY

        "You see, I was upriver, some twenty-five kilometres from here, and then I faithfully paid public transportation dues -- adjusted for inflation and including goods and services tax, mind you -- and then... voila! I leapt into the river like a graceful swan, closed my eyes and then..."

        Myunghon makes sparkly, kira-kira jazz hands gesture.

        "I was not at Yumezaki anymore! This is concrete proof! I have TELEPORTED here, where I have met you and the others, Suou-san!"

        Yasuko is correct that she could've just walked. But... but walking isn't very stylish, unless you're wearing stylish sports gear. And it's slow. Magic River Teleportation is fashionable. Isn't it?

        In the back, Chick-tan is getting swarmed by children, and Myunghon momentarily feels intense sympathy for the Eldritch Worm that's been trapped in the Coccoon of Consumerism.

        Where DOES she shop, though, Katsuya? The clothes are impeccably cut and have a designer flair to them, but they're definitely not in the best state of being right now, due to Magic River Teleportation. Another downside of that mode of travel.

        For Shinobu, though, she barely looks phased. Indeed, this kind of antic from Myunghon is just... Tuesday, for her. There's a more affectionate smile for her at the moment, and then she says, "Perhaps, Shinobu-ssi. Riverpeople have it hard in this economy too, you know."

        The tall, white-haired suspicious person brushes her shirt off and perks up. "Is that a Dry Cleaning station I spot over yonder! What a timely thing to have, now that I've been drenched in the waters of the Sanzu River!"

        You didn't go to the Sanzu River, Myunghon... Death isn't so cheap as to accept 350 yen for a crossing. 

<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.

"Hyousuke." He stated simply, returning Ichika's smile with one of his own. It was a small thing, a little thin and markedly less passionate than the one he'd worn during his little rant about dango, but genuine nonetheless. "Always a pleasure to meet someone that knows how to appreciate a good dango." Whether he was simply too dense to realise how atypical his greeting was, or if he simply didn't care, was up for debate. Nevertheless, he meant what he said, and took another sip to wash down the last of the second dango on the stick.

After swallowing, he made to make another comment, but was left with the words caught in his throat by someone else addressing him. He shook his head emphatically in response to Ririka, giving a short but clear message before he actually spoke.
"What? No, I want more people buying dangos. This stuff's great." Blunt as his answer was, he was nothing if not earnest. "You guys should get some tea to go with it too. The flavours are SO good when they mix, it's like-" This time, he managed to catch himself before he went on another tangent, and cleared his throat as if to interrupt himself. "It's real good. I'd recommend it." 

<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.

"It's fine," Ichika says to Eikichi. "She probably won't try anything." A pause. "Oh, this is Eikichi Mishina," Ichika says for Ririka's sake. "And will do!"

Then, Hyousuke. "Nice to meet you," she says, rote. But--"Oh!" Ichika says. "Sorry, I didn't know you were... her son, I guess? That's cool, a family business. It's important to support stuff like that."

But he's just running the booth, and Ichika will take the flier. "Sure, I'll take some candy," she says, and offers over fifty yen. It's polite to buy something if she's going to chat, and as delinquents go, Ichika is polite if you don't give her trouble.

"Thanks, nee-chan," Ichika says then of the dango, and will savor it in a moment, just as she said--

But first:

"Eh?" she asks Masao when he mentions the art. "Oh, that? Yeah! Whoever did it's really good. It's so... passionate. Like, you can tell whoever it is really wants to see people come together for the festival."

"I've got a buddy I'm gonna take to see it--They love that kind of thing."

A pause, as she looks to Hyousuke again. "Think I will. I got two, so I can try it both ways..." 

<Pose Tracker> Julian Marlowe has posed.

Julian does appreciate the attempt at communicating in his native language. But Yukari's is... well, it prompts a cough, and a "<Pardon?>" But thankfully that doesn't have to go any further than that.

"It's good to meet you all," he responds to Minako's formal introduction, bowing at the waist in a way one might expect a butler to. "Julian Marlowe, at your service." He chuckles, given that what he just heard, it would seem that it wouldn't hurt for him to be of some service, where it comes to the English language.

"Why thank you, young miss," he addresses Hitomi's praise for his pronunciation, "It is rather important in my line of work. I just so happen to teach English - and by the sounds of it, perhaps I should have a word with my colleague over at Gekkoukan," with a wink to Yukari. Of course he wouldn't put the blame for that poor showing on the student herself, as remiss as he would be not to call attention to it.

When the subject turns to yukatas, he mentally files what Minato tells him away, that's a good detail to be aware of. "Indeed? Thank you for the tip, <Mister> Arisato." He says it that way of habit, before explaining, "Ah, excuse me. I'm used to addressing the students like that, it keeps their mind on the subject, you see?"

He pauses, glancing behind him to the children having a field day with the fallen mascot. "...I believe 'Chick-tan' might be in need of assistance. Unless this too, is part of the show?" He's made the mistake before. 

<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.

Oh, so he was in favor of it. Ririka relaxes just a bit, then. "Oh, yeah, they are. I haven't had one in a while, and getting dressed up is a bit of work, not to mention the train ride oer here..." She smiles, pleasantly at Hyousuke. "Maybe I'll get some tea in a bit. Definitely once it gets a little chillier, though."

But Ichika provides the introduction, and Ririka calls, "Nice meeting you, Mishina-san!" to Eikichi as he leaves.

"Welcome!" Ririka says to Ichika, of the dango. 

<Pose Tracker> Masao Inaba has posed.

        The shorter man's face lights up more as Ichika heaps her praise. "Yeah! You get it! One of those pieces there was mine, even. The one with the bonfire and people around it, and the festival's name and everything." The one Ichika might have been thinking of! "Had to get up really early in the morning to get that done in time..." He's already had a day. What a day it was, coming up to here.
 
        "...I was hopin' I'd be able to just see everyone check it out myself, but," he shrugs, "is what it is, y'know. Hope your friend enjoys it too! And... well, y'know, everything."
 
        He knows the night's somewhat melancholy for some people who grew up here. Someone he met earlier in the morning talked about how much she liked playing in the park back then, and now they're going to close it down for renovations... 

<Pose Tracker> Kasumi Yoshizawa has posed.

        "A sidequest?" Kasumi leans to the side a little, glancing in Sojiro's direction. Is that Ren's father? No, Kasumi gets the feeling that's not right. But the man seems a little busy manning the stall so doesn't enquire right now.

        Instead she considers the offer for a moment, "Some curry does sound nice... But I think I'll bring my father here later to eat! I think I'd prefer to see the festival first so I'd be happy to join you."

        This time Kasumi looks at Ann, asking, "As long as I'm not intruding and that's alright with you, Takamaki-senpai?" Kasumi doesn't want to get between the two of them... Just in case this is a date.

        But it seems to be alright! Though Ann does ask Kasumi to not be so formal, to which Kasumi looks a little uncertain for a moment. But then smiles nonetheless, "I'll try and keep that in mind."

        As her gymnastics comes up, Kasumi's eyes shine, "Yes! That's me. And I've been helping Amamiya-senpai with some physical training that I've learned in my time."

        She tilts her head a little in confusion at the mention of Hamlet. Naturally she's heard of it, but classical plays are not something she's strong in...

        Still, with introductions out of the way, Kasumi asks the two, "Shall we get going? I'm excited to see the route Takamaki-senpai has come up with. It's very impressive that you were able to create it so quickly!" Clearly Kasumi enjoys sweets too. What girl doesn't?

<Pose Tracker> Yukari Takeba has posed.

"Righttttt. You sure you wanna die on that hill? Junpei-kun might take it as an invitation to ask you out."
 
Yukari does look mildly thoughtful as she looks away from Shizuka, "Though, there are worse things to base a relationship on than similar fashion sense."
 
Suddenly she considers if Shizuka might just be the scapegoat for women everywhere, sacrificed on the altar of 'being Junpei's girlfriend' in order to mature that guy up.
 
Nope, she can't do it. She can't let it happen.
 
'Iori-kun's hat is cool, too,'
 
"Not you too! Please don't get infected by this trend, Arisato-kun... I can't let it spread any further than this."

Minako stares at her, and Yukari's lips press together, at that stare, her eyes asking it all. 'What? Did I say something weird?'
 
And his 'Pardon'? She quickly tries to remember that word in her head and-
 
Oh no. It's every Japanese teen's worst nightmare, failing to speak English properly when called upon.
 
"R-Right! Everything's just fine. Completely okay. It's nice to meet you, Sir." She bows at him - and at his comment on having a word with his colleague, "Uh! No I'm sure that wouldn't be necessary!" She says, cheeks suddenly aflame with embarrassment. "I just, got mixed up when I thought I was being put on the spot... aha."
 
Ichika's comment to Minato though, "Does that bother you?" She asks, after a time, as if assessing the comment's tone.
 
It felt not quite neutral, but not quite hostile either, so she switched away from 'Do you have a problem like that?'
 
Yukari takes the opportunity to finish up her Takoyaki, at least, one bite at a time, carefully.
 
She is wearing a Yukata after all, so she has to be a little dainty about it. As Julian mentions the fallen mascot.
 
"Kids can be really cruel, huh?"
 
She comments, perhaps showing off her opinion on it not being part of the show. Notably though, having made that judgment.
 
She's consigning Chick-tan to being plucked.

<Pose Tracker> Katsuya Suou has posed.

        Just like that, the person -- Yeo, it seems -- impresses herself upon him, having heard his nay-saying!

        "Now, wait just a moment..." he tries to start, but there is no stopping the freight train that is Myunghon Yeo. She explains exactly how the trick was done, and...

        Katsuya is now beyond poleaxed. He has attained some zen-like state. Some place of polebardiched, if you will. "Is it not possible that you drifted downstream in the current?" he wonders aloud at a distance, unable to know if that's even the right place to argue against this sort of 'logic'.

        "Oh, are you here with someone else, Serizawa-kun?" Katsuya says, remarking in his own way on Yasuko's comment about 'being on a date'. He has not put together the concept that she's suggesting that they're all on a date together. Not, that is, until Ulala remarks accordingly:

        "That's... we are not..." he manages, on the back foot already as the pieces snap into place. Bewildered, he looks over at Ulala, her own comment finally sinking in. "I... see..."

        And then, Ulala's phone rings!

        "Is that-- ah, Amano-kun is here as well? That makes sense, you are both friends," he remarks, folding his arms over his chest. So Ulala also knows this... person who was in the river.
        Who definitely wasn't teleporting.

        But Ulala finishes up that call. If Katsuya thought that his sartorial decision would go unnoticed, he's proven catastrophically, categorically wrong. "This is-- it was the only one left in my size," he protests weakly. His shoulders slouch as if this were absolutely a crushing turn of events.

        So wounded by the fickle whims of fate, Katsuya does not, in the moment, overhear Umie (or realize who it is in the chicken mascot suit) which may be for the best, all told The situation is already strange and vaguely embarrassing enough without adding to the fact 'his younger brother's tutor is also here and dressed as a chicken' to the mix. Of course, now that this has been said, isn't it the universe's job to make it so...?

        Is that a dry-cleaning business over yonder. "I... maybe?" asks a Katsuya who might be wondering if he's in the right universe anymore at this point.

        Somewhere in the background, Umie is mobbed by children. Katsuya Suou, ace detective, does not notice. 

<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.

        Ren knew that'd be a winner with Ann. He'll have to thank Sojiro for enabling this later. ...Hopefully whoever was on the other end of that line will like Ann's choice of sweets too.
        
        "Great," he tells Ann. Her suggestion gets a thoughtful look. "Yeah? I was looking at that stand over there with the candies--" he nods over towards Masao's stand, "--but dango sounds good too. We can go around and get a bit of everything." Since that is, in fact, what he's supposed to be doing anyway.
        
        Here's where a certain fact comes out about Ren, though: he is not nearly as educated as those glasses make him look. He only knew about Hamlet vs. Romeo & Juliet vis-a-vis drowning because he enjoys reading and does so voraciously. When it comes to the nuances of those stories and others by Shakespeare as plays, i.e. the theatre culture around them, he is clueless.
        
        As such, he gives Ann a perplexed look. "...Maybe?"
        
        But Kasumi is on board with Curry Later, and she's certainly not intruding on him and Ann, so all talk of formality aside (and Ren does note that Kasumi looks a little ill at ease to be so familiar so immediately with Ann), it's time to move on. "Me too," he tells Kasumi as the three of them move on from Mini Leblanc. He smiles slightly and nods in confirmation as Kasumi explains to Ann the nature of their acquaintance. It's been nice getting back in shape with her help. "Do you have any sweets you like best?"
        
        Together, the three will head on over to the dango stand. There, once they're at the front of whatever line might be there, Ren will get two sticks of the skewered balls--one for himself (with his own money), and one for Sojiro's... contact (with Sojiro's money). He doesn't quite glance over at Hyousuke as he does, but he did certainly overhear him gushing over the dango as they passed by a moment ago.
        
        "Sounds like they're a real hit," he comments to Ann and Kasumi. 

<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.

"My brother is absolutely correct," Minako assures Julian, after his advice. Then, she looks sideways at him -- and gives her twin a thumbs-up.

Then, there's a glance at Shizuka -- she blinks at the third year -- and then that warm, bright smile is directed on her. "Kuroki-senpai... thank you!" She takes the takoyaki, and has a bite of the first ball. "Mm!"

Which means she has mouth full when Julian speaks to her. She chews -- quickly -- swallows with an 'ulp!' -- and then she exhales a sigh. "So formal!" She beams. Then, she looks at Chick-tan.

And at the children.

"Eeerrm--" She stares. "Maybe... we should step in?"

She looks at Yukari. "Or... maybe not? I'm not sure if I want to spoil the kids' fun."

<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.

Ichika hears Masao speak and--oh! "Oh," she says. "Yeah, that's exactly the one I was thinking about!" she says. "That's cool. Then I definitely need to get Tsubasa-kun over there before it's gone."

"I figured older guys didn't do that kind of thing anymore," she admits, "So it's cool that you do. Next time I drop by your mom's shop, if you're there, I'll tell you how they reacted. That work?"

A beat, "I'm Kawase, by the way. Ichika Kawase."

A smile. "Thanks, I will. Think i'm gonna get some coffee to go with these dango..."

But if Eikichi is going for CURRY, then Ichika will run into him again on her way over!! Because that's the direction she starts in.

"Ririka-chan," she says, "Is there anything you want to see other than food? I shouldn't eat too much before he gets here..."

It means she JUST MISSES the crew with Ren... but might get to see Sojiro instead!? The very tall girl, holding two sticks of dango, says, "That coffee smells great." 

<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.

He nodded firmly at Ririka's response, happy that the misunderstanding had been cleared up. The last thing he needed - especially on one of the few days his teacher had encouraged him to skip training - was to get into an argument. In fact, if the conversation was anything to go by, he'd found a couple of kindred spirits. Not as outwardly passionate, perhaps, but people that at least understood that good dango was to be appreciated as more than a simple festival snack.
"You guys know any other stalls that're good for sweets? I want to hit 'em up the lines get too long." He asked, directing it at neither Ririka nor Ichika in particular - in fact, given how his gaze drifted towards the chocobanana stand, it seemed like he might've been addressing anyone with a stall in mind for him to visit. Then, he blinked, and realised something before he returned his eyes to Ririka. "Ah, sorry, I never introduced myself to you, did I? I'm Hyousuke." 

<Pose Tracker> Junes has posed.

The children are just relentlessly going at that poor Chick-tan. A few adults have noticed, and because it's not their kids doing it, they start gossiping immediately.

"Sachi-chan!" A parent admonishes, and finally comes to bodily pick up one of the children messing with the poor mascot. The others have a choice: run away, or keep playing!? 

<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.

"It's lifting my pocketbook, at least. ...Guess the attractions are nice too, though." Shinobu replies matter-of-factly to Yasuko. She doesn't know if she should be that candid as emergency staff, but...

...Eh. It's fine.

Myunghon says she's in perfect health, and Shinobu looks a little relieved. It's hard to believe that, just looking at her - but Shinobu seems plenty willing to take her at her word.

"She's got you there." Shinobu points out, when Myunghon explains that her being here is evidence enough. Katsuya tries to put for a more reasonable explanation while Myunghon lays out the truth of the world, and Shinobu listens. There's no reaction on her face. This is fine.

"Too true." Shinobu agrees, as Myunghon points out that riverpeople have it hard, too. She nods, though, as Myunghon observes the Dry Cleaning station.

"Yeah. Inaba Dry Cleaning. I think they're advertising?" Shinobu replies. 

<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.

        Minato blinks, when Yukari despairs about the hat trend. "It's all right. I won't wear a hat." See? Easy!

        Though... she thinks Minato is staring for a different reason. Terrible!

        "Marlowe-sensei," Minato confirms, when he says he teaches English. "Where do you teach?"

        He stares at Chick-tan, though. One second passes. Two. Three...

        "Part-time jobs are really demanding sometimes."

        He says this as he puts another takoyaki into his mouth.

<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.

Ichika asks her if there's something she wants to do, and Ichika considers that. "Yeah, I don't want to load up on food too fast, either," she agrees, but for different reasons. "Maybe look at some of the booths on history... when the parades and dancing happen later I'll probably do that."

What she really means is, when the music gets going. Ririka is passionate, after all, but not quite for dango. She considers Hyousuke's question. "Sweets?" She considers. "Hey, nee-san, didn't you buy something sweet off that booth over there?" She indicates Masao's booth.

"Ririka Kawase," she says, in response to Hyousuke's introduction. "I'm a 2nd year at Gekkoukan. It's nice to meet you." 

<Pose Tracker> Sojiro Sakura has posed.

        The booth has became a big hit, people are walking out carrying cups and bowls of coffee and curry, or sometimes curry and coffee depending on their pick. The sign that looks like it was hastily scribbled only moments ago and put in front of the cash box seems to be helping to draw some the crowd ' PARENTS DRINK FREE'. If you squint even more hastily the sign also reads ' 1 small cup per parent '. Still Sojiro is some how not only managing the customers but chatting with one of the patrons of booth at the same time.

        At the mention of the smell of coffee Sojiro stops mid sentence and shouts to the newly arrived customers, "We have Blue Mountain, Guatamalan and Colombian roast. The Blue mountain is a bit rich, the Guatamalan is citrusy with a hint of chocolate taste to it, the Colombian is a bit nutty. Let me know what you want and if you want curry with it." Without another word Sojiro looks back to the elderly gentleman he was talking to .

        "No no, I would much prefer a nice smooth drive nowadays. Leave the speed to the young and reckless. " 

<Pose Tracker> Shizuka Kuroki has posed.

         Shizuka chuckles and gives Minako a pat on the back. "Yeah, it's no problem. Tako-ll you like!" She then turns to Yukari, narrowing her eyes and pointing at her. "And hey, don't even joke about that, you'll end up giving him ideas. Don't think I'm even his kinda girl anyway."
 
         She looks over to the poor Chick-tan and waves a hand dismissively to Minako. "'Salright. He knew the risks when he put on the mask. The kids'll get bored and his handler will pick him up." 

<Pose Tracker> Hitomi Mandai has posed.

 
Hitomi gives Julian her best big happy smile at his thanks. It has some anxiety in the eyes. He is, after all... foreign, however gently and eloquently.

"You know English?!" Hitomi blurts to Shizuka, eyes wide. As in, of course, she knows-knows it, not 'has passed mandatory exams which have induced some limited degree of English literacy.'

After this, she says, "I'm going over to that curry place... I have my phone if you wanna meet up and you can't find me." That's apparently more for the group's awareness, since she steps into the crowd afterwards. (The theatrical audience can easily track her in several establishing shots. This scene had a lot of director planning.)

Soon enough Hitomi is in the queue to get coffee at the Portable Leblanc. She is a full head height above the person directly in front of her. 

<Pose Tracker> Maya Amano has posed.

        "Ulala~~!"

        The sound of Maya's voice rings out as she hugs her roommate from behind. She sets her chin down on Ulala's shoulder, eyes scanning the area for some sign of a cute yukata.

        "Where's Katsuya-san?"

        There's a couple people nearby all adults (maybe about their age?), but one drenched. It's then that her eyes find their target. Maya lifts her chin from Ulala's shoulder.

        "Katsuya-san!" she calls out, beaming. "I love your yukata!" She's being 100% genuine here! Even though it doesn't look like something a hardboiled detective would wear, it suits him in some strange way!

        "Who are you friends?" Yukata thoroughly inspected for cuteness, Maya finally turns her attention to the others. 

<Pose Tracker> Masao Inaba has posed.

        "Art's my life! My passion! You gotta go with what speaks to you in life!" Masao says with pride that surpasses his mounting stresses and disappointments with the way the night was going to go. "...Yeah! If I ain't got my hands full that day, sure--"
 
        "I'm Inaba. Masao Inaba! I sign my work as 'Mark.'"
 
        "Maa-kun!" Calls the voice of someone who, to put it lightly, may well be the elemental personification of 'overly doting, borderline helicopter' parenting. Any further descriptions only seek to dilute this truth, so we're leaving the description at that. (One can infer this individual is in fact his mother, based on how he reacts.)
 
        "...Ah." The shorter adult flinches. "She's here..."
 
        "Where's your apron? How many fliers have you handed out? How much candy have you actually sold?" She berates and inquires in equal measure. "What's that I smell?"
 
        "S-Sorry," he bows profusely - this is embarrassing! In public! At his age! "Just been a busy night, and all--"
 
        "Come on, Maa-kun! It's your first festival since you came back home..."
 
        Oh, he's in for it now... 

<Pose Tracker> Yukari Takeba has posed.

"Good choice." Yukari indicates to Minato affirming to remain in the ranks of the hatless, "I think your headphones are enough of a statement about who you are on their own."

She then sideeyes Shizuka, "Are you kidding me?" She offers a tiny snort at her naivete, "His prerequisites for a girlfriend are: 'breathing'."

Yukari watches Chick-Tan get climbed on and relentlessly messed with, and Yukari says quietly to Minako, "I don't think so, but... it's not their fun I'm worried about."

She doesn't say much more, watching the proceedings. Parents not caring either. Until finally - one parent comes up and does. But that doesn't mean it's over, right?

Sucking in a breath at Minato's comment, she replies mildly, "Yeah." Then turns to Minako, "Let's not do anything that'll cause trouble though. Your Yukata is a rental right?" She suggests to Minako. "You can't afford a replacement fee."

<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.

        'Unless this too, is part of the show?' Umie hears Marlowe say.

        "N-no show!" she says to the ground, Chick-tan's stubby feet waving in the air. However, over the bloodthirsty screams of delighted little children, Umie's cries are not heard.

        'Maybe... we should step in?' says Minako.

        The legs kick more.

        'Or... maybe not?' The bird rocks more.

        A handler? A handler.

        All fight seeps out of Chick-tan. Ah, so that's what her *FORMER FOR A REASON NOW* co-worker forgot to mention.

        But.

        None of these actions is ever enough to dislodge the children, one may notice. In fact, when one almost slips off the roundish form, as soon as Umie registers it, the red nail polish'ed hand whips to try to support them from completely colliding with the ground.

        "Awww, mom!" protests Sachi, as one of his parents comes over to pick him up. "Chick-tan's so fun!"
        
        The other kids frown, slowly getting down from Chick-tan's horizontal aligned form.

        And slowly, with some rocking and maneuvering, props herself up.

        ".... C-Chick-tan needs your help, Cheep Cheep." Both for the children, and maybe any adults to hear.

        "WE NEED TO HELP CHICK-TAN!" The screams of the children echo, as they band together to help balance the mascot, creepy arm and all, back onto her, uh, feet. Umie raises one arm in celebration. 

<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.

        LOGIC? Katsuya dares propose the occam's razor approach that she simply floated down river.

        Such feeble and paltry LOGIC cannot possibly defeat the invincible and splendorous heavy cruiser that is Magic River Teleportation, can it not?

        But... oh, the boat is sinking already.
        The argument is already capsizing.
        The bilge-pumps of rebuttal are not displacing truth.
        Abandon the bulkheads, crew!
        The Captain must go down with the ship.

        "Suou-san, that argument... that argument is the kind that destroys Santa-san from children's lives," Myunghon expresses with incredibly overdone put-upon-ness.

        Myunghon does derive some amusement out of Yasuko's suggestion that Serizawa, he and this mysterious third person are a throuple, though. Oh, is there something there? Maya, however, swiftly arrives on screen, and the answer is immediately made clear-- aha!

        "Ah, you must be Amano-san! Let me thank you all properly for fishing me out of the river. I am Myunghon Yeo, owner of the Cardboard Dragon... but you might also sometimes know me as Rumourmonger Merry," she answers with terribly effortless aplomb, suddenly gaining ranks in refinement and grace where she was nattering about teleportation seconds before.

        She doesn't usually introduce herself as Rumourmonger Merry. But she had a feeling about Ulala, and how she was looking for Skill Cards to help with a 'Killer'... by extension, does that embroil Suou and Amano in further mystery? It's worth extending that courtesy, to widen her net of information.

        Myunghon looks back to Shinobu with a fond smile. "Can I treat you to something as well, Shinohara-san, Shinobu-ssi?" Even if Yasuko already looted her for money. 

<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.

"That's great," Ichika says, and while her voice is not the most effusive, it shows in her eyes better that she means it. That's some passion. And pride! "It's great when you have something like that," she says, though... does she have something like that?

Well, he introduces himself properly, so she doesn't dwell on that for the moment. Instead, "Cool. I'll remember it."

Then... Then Maa-kun. She realizes where it came from. And suddenly, as Masao is dealing with his mother--

Ichika has disappeared. Delinquent senses, activate!

Ichika's reasons for not loading up on food are weight mostly because she tracks that pretty carefully. It's fine. Still, "Sounds great. Yeah... I figure you'll be busy with the dancing, which is why I don't feel bad running off with him for a bit."

She has no argument for Hyousuke! She might go back and report on the coffee later. But speaking of the coffee, Sojiro mentions what he's got. She considers. "Hmmm..." She eyes her dango and then the coffee. "Hey," she says, not as rudely as she could. "I'd like some Guatemalan," she says. "No curry this time. Thanks."

But... driving, huh? "...Hm." She reflects, "Maybe I should get my license..." 

<Pose Tracker> Ulala Serizawa has posed.

"...that tracks?" Ulala says about river teleportation. She no longer believes it's magic, but call it whatever you want.

"You protest too much," she tells Katsuya, before brushing off Shinobu and Yasuko with a laugh and a bitter smile. "Being single's hard..."

Yasuko, though, gets a soft smile. "Thanks for the help, everyone." But as Maya arrives, embracing her in a hug, Ulala turns and pats her friend...

"Ma-ya! This is Shinohara-san and Shimizu-san," she waves to introduce each, "And of course you know..."

She gets a serene smile on her face.

"*Catsuya*-san, you said, right? I didn't know we were all on a first name basis yet... better than stuffy Detective-san, at least..!"

And then, Ulala stuffs a container of takoyaki into Maya's hands. "Eat, eat! Have you eaten since breakfast...?"

"Ah, Yeo-san! Thank you again for the... advice. I think we'll be able to beat that boss!" An awkward smile from Ulala. Yeah, she's bad at this. 

<Pose Tracker> Ann Takamaki has posed.

...Maybe?

"Huh," exhales Ann Takamaki, staring off towards that distant river. The cursed Scottish play, Hamlet.......

"I guess maybe that's why they were drowning, then."

Ann may've buried the lede here.

But the cursed play is no concern of -Ann's- right now, far away as she is. However troubled she might look about how daring someone is about courting doom like that, it quickly dissolves away into sunny cheer at the prospect of the Sweets Quest. "Alright! Let's goooo!" she enthuses, pumping a fist in sleeve-flapping triumph.

Soon enough, they're well on their way; there's a practical skip to Ann's step as she starts to outpace the trio -- only pausing as she considers how Kasumi knows Ren.

"Training, huh," she says, almost to herself, before clearing her throat. "Ah -- ha ha, I mean, that's a great idea! I've actually been thinking of doing some training, too! If Ryuji'd stop dodging my texts, anyway."

A dark glower is swiftly replaced as Ann pivots about, walking backwards so that she can face Kasumi and Ren and offer her encouraging smile.

"Don't cut this guy any slack, okay? It's like they say in America, 'no pain, no gain'!"

To the dangos they go; Ann orders a hanami dango, a tri-colored confection made with one traditional dango, one colored macha green, and the last, cherry blossom pink. She's plucking the first with a beaming "mmm~!" when Kasumi addresses her.

"Ohmigosh, it really -is- great--" she begins, before clearing her throat and offering a smug, eye-shutting grin. "Ha ha, a girl's gotta have some tricks up her sleeve! I clocked the best spots on my way to find Ren." She looks Ren's way and winks, nudging her head in the direction of Masao's stand. "The candies were actually next on my list!"

See? Ren's so close to sharing her same, sweet-toothed wavelength.

So close. 

<Pose Tracker> Julian Marlowe has posed.

Julian occasionally lets out a good-natured chuckle while the students converse amongst themselves. Even though he can't follow all of it, he just enjoys watching their interactions. And while he doesn't mean to analyze, he does do that as well, taking note of mannerisms, and what the way they speak to one another suggests about their interpersonal relationships. He can't help it, that too is part of his job - the part he hasn't spoken of.

And yes - formal to a fault. That's just how he is, no matter the language he speaks. Although really, dressed in that suit, and - probably the most striking detail - a monocle in his left eye, it probably would be more surprising if he didn't sound at least a little stuffy, even if he doesn't look particularly old.

"It's simple manners," is how he explains it to Minako, "I could hardly expect students' respect without extending the same courtesy." Proooobably not the quickest road to respect in Kasugayama High, but it's the road he's resolved to take. And given that, he bows his head to Yukari.

"Apologies for teasing you, <Miss> Takeba." He's already normalizing slipping in English. "Mistakes happen to the best us when under pressure, I quite understand."

To Minato, he makes a motion as if tipping a non-existent hat. "I also accept <Mister> Marlowe, turnabout is fair play after all. I teach here in Sumaru, at Kasugayama High."

He allows for a beat, as if to let it sink in, before, "I'm aware of the school's reputation and how I probably do not match whatever mental pictures you may have, but I assure you, I'm quite serious."

...No one seems about to help poor Chick-tan, though. Until she asks for it herself, and the children step in. Julian just watches the whole thing unfold with a fondness in his eyes. "Now isn't that lovely?" 

<Pose Tracker> Yasuko Shinohara has posed.

"Ah, so that's how it is..." Yasuko murmurs with a smile equal parts fond for Ulala and Maya and sympathetic for Katsuya.

She bows slightly to acknowledge Shinobu and Myunghon. "I'll be sure to visit your store another day, Ms. Yeo. For now, why don't you see to the dry cleaning before enjoying the rest of the festival? Spend this money on some warm food and drinks, unless your teleportation ritual demands that you forsake your claim on it." She holds out the handkerchief of now-dry coins. 

<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.

With introductions done, and a recommendation given, he nodded thoughtfully. In truth, he hadn't needed to think about his next course of action at all - the second she'd mentioned the words 'sweet' and 'booth,' little else mattered.
"Then that's where I'm headed!" He replied, a little more vigour creeping into his tone at the thought of being able to eat yet more sweets. But, before he darted off in search of the next great accompaniment to his tea, he decided to give Ririka a response in kind. "I'm a third year, at Kasugayama. Probably not much chance we'll meet again, but let me know how those dangos were if we do!"

With that, he gave a short wave, and took long steps away. There were so many stalls, and so little time - he had to make headway before the queuing began in earnest. 

<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.

"Oh no," Minako says immediately in response to Shizuka's pun. This may be a protest to existence. Then, she looks at Hitomi and she lifts a hand.

"Good luck, Mandai-chan!"

Then,she looks sideways at Yukari. Minako smiles -- straightens herself out -- and nods. If she is uncomfortable with the idea of not intervening, she hides it behind that smile. "You've got a point. Besides.. the parents are stepping--"

'WE NEED TO HELP CHICK-TAN.'

"Yeah, I'm good," Minako says.

She looks at Julian -- and then she smiles. Her eyes widen, though. He teaches at Kasugayama? Him? A--A refined gentleman, like this? Minako opens her mouth...

...considers...

...and then that warm smile returns. "I'm not going to judge based on their reputation," she says. "I think things like that are a lot more complicated than we'd expect them to be. Right?"

<Pose Tracker> Maya Amano has posed.

        "Thanks!" Maya happily takes the offering from Ulala and pries back the plastic cover over the takoyaki. Chewing on her first octopus ball, she watches as the group chatter back and forth, trying to remember where she knows 'The Cardboard Dragon' from. And then it comes to her!

        "Oh yeah, I've heard of it!" As Coolest writer and editor, she had to stay ahead of all of the breaking trends! "They say that your store has all the best deals, but there's some weird rumors keeping people away." That was an understatement -- the Cardboard Dragon was haunted, cursed, home to any number of cryptids and yokai, had a secret basement cafe where you could travel to the past... and that was only half of them. "You'll have to give me an exclusive interview!" 

<Pose Tracker> Sojiro Sakura has posed.

        Sojiro nods his head as he grabs a pot of coffee and pours it before he grabs a little tray with all the fixing for one to customize their cup of coffee. "One Guatamalan, " he says as he provides the cup of coffee and the tray. Moving over to the cash box he flips the key while looking back and rattling off a price. Once the transaction is complete he hovers for a moment to see how Ichika likes it.

        "Some people may say that a license is a luxury but I find the benefits definitely make it more than a luxury, I can't imagine how I would manage some things without it. I couldn't have my booth here without such a thing for example." Sojiro adds his two cents of small talk to his customer's' comments. 

<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.

        "Curry..." Minato echoes Hitomi, and looks forward, past her trajectory, to the stand. "Oh. It's advertised as 'Le Blanc.' I wonder if that's a restaurant."

        Perhaps a mystery for another day...

        He shakes his head, though, looking back to Yukari. "The earphones stay." Whatever statement they're making is apparently permanent. So, too, the old-school stick-style MP3 player.

        (Don't ask him how many AAA batteries he goes through with that thing.)

        Junpei's tastes in a girl he remains quiet about, because he isn't Junpei.

        Minato, for one, likes Shizuka's puns. He, too, is a jokester. He's great at jokes. But Chick-tan --

        "The children learned a valuable lesson today," he says, wearing the same bland face he's worn throughout this whole outing.

        He turns to Julian, then. "Kasugayama's reputation doesn't bother me," he says, and his open body language and lack of any kind of hitch or pause would indicate that he's being truthful about that.

<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.

Alas, Myunghon's logic is defeated. Shinobu does nothing to bail her out. It really is sink or swim.

There's a voice as another person arrives. 'Amano-san', judging from Myunghon's words. Shinobu steps aside to give her a little more space as she joins with her friends - at least, it seems those three know each other. She offers Maya a wave as Ulala introduces ehr nice.

"Nice meeting you... Amano-san, right?" Shinobu replies, going off of Myunghon's words. She looks to Katsuya. "And you're...?"

Ulala says that being single is hard, and Shinobu shrugs.

"It has its perks, too." Shinobu suggests.

Myunghon introduces herself properly, then - not just as Myunghon Yeo, but Rumourmonger Merry. That's a rare name to hear - at least, out in the open in a place like this. She doesn't seem surprised by it, though - nor at the mention of the Cardboard Dragon's 'weird rumors'.

Myunghon asks if she can treat her to something as well, and Shinobu massages the back of her neck.

"Sure, but... are you good for it?" She asks. Yasuko has a good point - there might be things she needs more right now than treating them. "What she said." 

<Pose Tracker> Kasumi Yoshizawa has posed.

        And they're off! Kasumi walks along at a fairly consistent pace, not quite as energetic as Ann. And as Ren asks her about specific sweets, Kasumi raises a finger to her chin in thought, "Mmmmm... I'm not really picky about sweets. Though I do try to keep them to a minimum as I have to be very careful about what I eat."

        But then she closes her eyes for a moment, tilting her head with a wistful smile, "Though, I can't say no to chocolates!"

        Kasumi opens her eyes again and looks at Ann as she brings up the training, "Yes!" Kasumi then giggles, "It was actually a surprise when he asked me. It's not something anyone has done before."

        Kasumi turns her head to look at Ren this time, "Plus, I wasn't aware of you being in any of the other sports clubs. So I didn't see it coming."

        Kasumi quickly raises her hands, "But that's okay! I don't mind training you anyway. It's a good thing to want to be in shape, regardless of what your hobbies are!"

        Looking back at Ann, Kasumi raises her hands into fists and pumps them, "Don't worry. I'll make sure he receives the full force of training that I can muster!" Poor Ren.

        The three proceed to get some dango, Kasumi paying for hers from the purse hanging around her shoulder. She takes a bite and a surprised look appears on her face as she raises a hand to cover her mouth, "Oh!" She then grins, "That is quite good!" She looks at Ren expectantly, waiting to see his own reaction as she agrees, "It seems their reputation is well deserved."

<Pose Tracker> Maya Amano has posed.

        "Maya Amano, at your service. If you hear anything about the hottest trends, be sure to give me a call." She offers Shinobu a card -- and anyone else who wants one for that matter! 

<Pose Tracker> Katsuya Suou has posed.

        He keeps a straight enough face, but...

        As Shinobu continues to apparently side with Myunghon, he finds himself increasingly feeling as if he's further adrift from shore. Is this the right universe? What side of the bed did he get up on this morning...? "Surely, you do not think...?" Katsuya asks aloud, perhaps in vain.

        He might have wanted to think harder about his clothing choices, to be quite frank, if he was thinking to apply things like 'logic' to the day before him.

        "What... what does 'Santa' have to do with any of this?" Katsuya asks of her. He's probably digging his own grave in even attempting to apply logic to this situation...

        And then, of course, Maya arrives. "Amano-kun?"

        A few things happen that cause his train of thought, such that it was, to come to a screeching halt. They're on a first-name basis now? 'Catsuya'-san?
        ...Amano loves his yukata?

        "Er, well," he manages, in spite of himself and everything. "That is--!" Forget adrift from shore. He's lost at sea...

        Somewhere in this, as Katsuya unravels, Myunghon properly introduces herself.

        Which means, as Shinobu prompts...!

        "Sergeant Katsuya Suou, Konan PD." There. Everything in the world is right and correct again. ...Never mind that he doesn't precisely look the part of a police detective, dressed like this. Some aspect of Katsuya's pride wilts a little bit more. At least his father can't see this...

        "'The Cardboard Dragon', is it...?" Now, were has he heard that before? 

<Pose Tracker> Shizuka Kuroki has posed.

         Shizuka snickers at Hitomi's amazement of her linguistic cunning. "Yeah, my dad does a lot of business with foreign art collectors, so I just kinda picked it up here and there."
 
         She taps her chin at the revelation that Mr. Marlowe taught at... Cuss High was what they called it? Yeah, not the best reputation "Maybe it's like a My Fair Lady situation. It takes class to teach class, after all."
 
         She side eyes Yukari. "Well... I guess you got a point there. Just don't put me out as the sacrificial lamb, eh?" 

<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.

"Eh heh... You know me too well, Ichika-chan," Ririka says of the dancing. "It's also just... nice getting out and getting some fresh air, too."

Hyousuke says there's not much cahnce they'll meet. "Well, my sister goes to Kasugayama and sometimes I come up and visit her, so we'll see." She smiles at the mention of the dango. "Will do. Have a good night." But she gives him a wave as he wanders off. 

<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.

Ichika is unware that she just met a SCHOOLMATE in Hyousuke!! Maybe they're not in the same class, that might be why she didn't recognize him immediately.

In the meantime, she's going to meet back up with her sister... after coffee!!

"Thanks," she says, handing over her cash--and then she sips the coffee immediately, seeing that expectation. "....Mm," she says. "You're right. Kinda citrusy. This is really good. I was expecting average coffee out of a stand..." She sounds impressed, even if that might be a rude way to put it.

"I think it'll go well with the dango after all."

But a pause. The license. "Hm. I guess that's true, you have to get your gear here somehow. I could use a car to go camping with..."

She steps to the side, to be out of the way of the LINE, but doesn't immediately move to go. Instead, she waves over Ririka. 

<Pose Tracker> Hitomi Mandai has posed.

 
Shuffle shuffle shuffle shuffle. Hitomi Mandai stands... on the rain-slick precipice... of deliciousness. She considers the curry for long moments, folding her arms in front of her and then looking over towards the coffee. Which means she is looking at Sojiro! And by extension, Ichika.

"Is the Blue Mountain in Guatemala?" Hitomi asks, cluelessly, as she squints at the little sign board. "What's the difference?" 

<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.

        Yasuko kindly returns the now-dried coins back into Myunghon's bandaged hands.

        There's a pause, as Myunghon gazes upon the cemetery-keeper with her one eye, gray in colour. Then, her eye softens in expression as she gives her a more genteel smile. "Why, maybe I'll do just that, Shinohara-san."

        Maya, however, speaks of how she's heard of the Cardboard Dragon! Myunghon lets out a coquettish gasp and places her long, spindly hand to her chest. "Amano-san, you've heard of our humble establishment? Goodness, but you do understand the little quirks and struggles of our business! Why, an interview would be just the thing...!!"

        Myunghon gives her what looks like a wink but... is it really a wink when you only have one working eye? "I was able to help your friend Serizawa-san with a little pinch of hers. Consider us a friendly neighbourhood service for anything else that ails you as well!"

        Oho. Amano loves his yukata. That's a fun reaction from Katsuya. Oh, there's a lot of fun to be had with this three...

        Indeed, Shinobu's been around her long enough that when she carts out the name 'Rumourmonger Merry', it's because Myunghon has a hunch. It doesn't always pan out, but when it doesn't, Rumourmonger Merry is just a gossip and a conspiracy theorist to the disinterested. But she thinks there's something here.

        Katsuya introduces himself properly, and Myunghon looks surprised for a moment. "Ah, my apologies for being so rude, Suou-san. But as a member of the Sumaru PD, don't you understand how important Santa-san is as Coppy-kun, your mascot? They possess the same important energy to the public you serve."

        Shinobu asks if she needs anything else, as Yasuko also did, but...

        "Don't you know, Shinobu-ssi, Shinohara-san?" Myunghon smirks. "They say an idiot can't catch a cold. Therefore, as Suou-san has defeated me in Great and Honorable Logic-Combat, I have been appointed King of the Fools, and become cold-impervious!"

        She lets out a sneeze a moment after. 

<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.

        "Yeah, maybe," Ren says to Ann, having assumed that she means they were pretending to drown. You know, acting. For the play.
        
        Th-that's what you meant, right, Ann??
        
        The trio heads to get dango! Ann comments on Kasumi and Ren's training! Ann muses about doing more training herself! Ren does not comment about Ryuji dodging her texts. Ann seems serious about it, but Ryuji also seems convinced that she'll flake out on it. The familiarity of long-time classmates, maybe.
        
        He glances away briefly, before giving both his friends a wry smile. "What she said," of not cutting him slack. He does sweat a little when Kasumi enthuasiastically agrees, but... that *is* what he wanted, genuinely. Like how it's nice to get back in shape, it'd be nice to be able to keep up with an(other) aspiring Olympic athlete. Even if that's not for him.
        
        Not anymore.
        
        He about to munch on the first ball of his dango when Ann elbows him. "Hmmm--you really did plan out the perfect route, then." He crooks a half-smile at Kasumi. Chocolates, huh? He'll remember that. That smile... fades somewhat as she calls him out on not being in any clubs, but when Kasumi raises her hands, he just gives her a little shrug. "Yeah," he agrees. It *is* good to want to be in shape. There will be no discussion of his hobbies.
        
        But this is probably just because he's suddenly taking a bite of and savoring his dango. At Kasumi's expectant/inquiring look, he gives her a firm nod of agreement. Good texture, good flavor... It really would go well with a cup of green tea. But then, Japanese sweets and green tea are just natural fits.
        
        As he chews, he tilts his head towards their next destination--he's got a lot of sweets to pick up before he can complete this mission. But Masao's mother is there at his booth now, embarrassing him, a fully grown adult...! How will he handle the approach of three teenagers at this most critical of moments?! 

<Pose Tracker> Yukari Takeba has posed.

She actually smiles as Minato says the earphones stay, "Good. I don't know what I'd think if I saw you without them." She tilts her neck and reveals, she actually still has on her choker... which she wears all the time.

As if telling him, 'I can relate to that too.' Or like Minako and her hairpin for that matter. It's just a part of who they are.

Which is when Shizuka somehow seems to read her mind!? A little nonplussed for a few seconds, she replies with, "So long as you have that hat?"

A beat.

"No promises."

Yukari nods at Minako as she replies, and 'WE NEED TO HELP CHICK-TAN!' Minako says she's good. "See? And this is why you're Co-Leader. Only good decisions." Minato notes the children learned a valuable lesson today, and Yukari replies with skepticism, "Did they though?"

She seems continually impressed by Julian, as he replies to Minako, seeming charmed, perhaps internally going 'What a guy.' What? She's young, she can have a light crush on foreign teachers that speak perfect Japanese, it's not like she'd ever act on it. She's not looking for that in anyone.

And when he turns to address her.

"Oh, that's alright. Honestly, given my English, it feels like I got off easy." She says to him politely, "I'd just never tried speaking it to someone who's actually from overseas before. I expect it was pretty terrible, especially to an English teacher."

At least she doesn't seem insulted by it. In fact she's a bit self-deprecating there, though she'd call it honest about her skills.

There is a small smile, and she bites her lip lightly, before turning to Minako, Shizuka and Hitomi again. "Interesting crowd here today, huh?" She's pretty sure Minako sees it too, so she comments about Julian's presence indirectly.

<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.

Ririka lagged behind Ichika for a moment, getting distracted by something playing in the distance. But she hurries to catch up to Ichika when she's waved over. "Hey, you know that guy we were talking to who was super into dango? He said he was a third year at your school." 

<Pose Tracker> Ulala Serizawa has posed.

As Myunghon and Katsuya react, Ulala still has that serene smile. "This is the power of magic... bringing people together!" It's called Persona but whatever.

Though, Ulala suddenly grabs Maya by the sleeve of her yukata as she spots a sign in the dimming crowd. "Ma-ya, Ma-ya, let's go get shaved ice! Before they sell out! I'm getting cherry..."

Ulala proceeds to wander off quickly, heading in the direction of the illustrious Shaved Ice! 

<Pose Tracker> Masao Inaba has posed.

        There is much mother-son fussing. In the span of time between the camera was settled on Masao and elsewhere along the festival, he's got his apron on, and the beer has been taken away. He's rubbing the back of his head as she finishes with the usual barrage of 'your father and I love you, Maa-kun' and all of that mess.
 
        He exhales like he's had to hold his breath through all of that, looking startled as others show up.
 
        "Eh?!" He says, to Ren and his friends. "Oh! Hey, welcome... welcome!" He repeats a second time, a little more enthusiastically, because he does not know what distance constitutes 'out of his mom's earshot' any more. He must've forgotten from his few years overseas.
 
        "Candy's 50 yen a piece, and... hey, if you or your folks got any need for dry cleaning, got some flyers for Inaba Dry Cleaning right here, at--"
 
        Yadda, yadda, yadda. The candy's not that great... 

<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.

Maya Amano. Shinobu nods, accepting her card. She takes a moment to look it over. She's not familiar with the magazine... but she pockets the card anyway. It never hurts to know more people.

Shinobu looks toward Katsuya, then, looking so lost. She shrugs.

"Why not?" She asks, to make things worse.

Things seem to settle, though, as he introduces himself. An officer? She wouldn't have guessed. Shinobu nods.

"Nice to meet you, officer." She replies.

Shinobu chuckles, then, as Myunghon marvels at how Maya's heard of her store. That kind of publicity could make a big difference, to be fair.

She looks toward Myunghon then, again - and is treated once more to another round of magnificent logic.

"Fair enough, Your Majesty." Shinobu says, accepting this on its face. Even though she sneezes immediately afterward. It's fine, probably. "Then I'll accept." 

<Pose Tracker> Maya Amano has posed.

        "Strawberry for me!" Maya chirped up. "Katsuya-san, you'd better not leave without me getting a photo of you!" She directed a jokingly menacing finger in his direction as she's pulled after Ulala, takoyaki tray in hand. 

<Pose Tracker> Sojiro Sakura has posed.

         "Anyone could setup a booth to serve coffee, " Sojiro says as he steps back to check the curry for the moment, "But I wouldn't be much of a cafe owner if I just served your run of the mill fast food coffee." There exists a bit of pride in Sojiro's voice as he responds to Ichika's comment.

        Then another customer calls out asking about the coffee and as Sojiro wipes the ladle clean and sets it back aside before turning back. "The blue mountain comes from Jamaica, Guatemalan comes from Guatemala obviously. If you want something rich I would suggest the blue mountain, a little sweeter I would go with the Guatemalan. Both though will pair well with the curry." Sojiro adds reassuring the other customers as well that he does in fact know his stuff. 

<Pose Tracker> Hitomi Mandai has posed.

 
Hitomi considers Sojiro's answer. "Oh... so it's like Boss Rainbow, huh? I don't think I want the curry... give me the Rainbow Mountain, though. Sorry, Blue Mountain," she concludes, as she gets out her money. 

<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.

        There is a sound, barely audible.

        'Chuggachuggahchkchkk kkkkkkkzzzzzzz...'

        ".... Sh--" There are children here, Umie. "I mean, uh. Cheep. Cheep, I must go."

        "noooo! Don't go, Chick-tan!" Two other kids have wandered off, but still, two hand on, with another new kid hanging on to Chick-tan's fuzzy yellow body.

        Umiesighs. Where are these children's parents?

        So this is how she'll die. Doing a favor for a guy who can't even be bothered to get a watcher for her. Or maybe, he just never thought about it.

        Minimum wage is a harsh, harsh mistress.
        
        Isn't that polite mask wearing a little thin right now? Why not air out your grievances a little? Give 'em a show.

        After some consideration, the arm wraps around and, not finding a proper zipper, stops.

        She considers, in the slowly heating suit.

        *RIPPP* The mouth rips open as young children run screaming everywhere.

        A short, blonde haired young woman emerges, wiping sweat from her forehead. "Sheesh... I was going to die in there... uh...."

        She looks up, red brown eyes focusing on a parent scooping up her crying child.

        "The A/C unit broke," she murmurs, deadpan, her eyes looking towards the two Arisatos, Yukari, and Marlowe. 

<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.

Ichika nods in appreciation for Sojiro's expertise. "Yeah, this is really a cut above. Thanks." For the coffee, that is. She looks over at Hitomi next, and nods her way in greeting. Another tall girl! "I went for sweeter," she explains, "Since..." She takes a bite of her dango to go with the coffee. Mmmmm.

She is thus chewing when Ririka speaks up. "Mm?" Ichika answers her about Hyousuke. "Hmm."

"Coffee and curry though, huh? I'd have saved room if I'd realized you were doing it." A look to Hitomi. "Rainbow..."

Hmm. 

<Pose Tracker> Yukari Takeba has posed.

Yukari looks straight at Chick-Tan's comment, then back at the rest of the SEES crew, and warns them, gravely.
 
"Nobody make a fried chicken pun."

<Pose Tracker> Ann Takamaki has posed.

Plus, I wasn't aware of you being in any other sports clubs. So I didn't see it coming.

"H-hahaha!" Ann suddenly blurts out a nervous laugh in a completely normal and casual way.

"I-I know, right?! It's so weird! He's just been talking nonstop about how he needs to get back in shape! For real!"

Ann Takamaki: exactly one (1) step above Ryuji Sakamoto in Professional Secret Keeping.

Fortunately, one step above is still one step over just loudly shouting about how you're a Phantom Thief in broad daylight, and -also- fortunately, Ann has festivities and sweets with which she can employ as daring distractions. Nodding in approval over Kasumi's merciless training regimen while blithely and more than a little ironically plopping yet more dango into her mouth (to keep from running it any further), Ann finds the first pivot point she can, which is--

"Oh, I -love- chocolate! Have you ever been to Million Sweets, Yoshizawa-san?? They have a chocolate-filled crepe that's -sooooo- good! We should go get some, sometime!"

Sweets, you are her savior. Her guiding light.

Which is why she is swift to move on to their next destination, eager to see just what candies the stall has to offer--

--only to find a grown-ass adult getting heckled by his mother like he's still in elementary school running a lemonade stand.

And this is where we find Ann Takamaki, one hand one her hip, the other holding her freshly-emptied dango stick balanced against her lower lip, her eyebrow arching to the exact intensity needed to match her forlorn expression, as if the second hand embarrassment were hitting her like directly, like a truck. Or a train. Or a cataclysmic, falling moon.

"..." Her expression blanches, just a bit, as she tilts her blue-eyed gaze towards Ren and Kasumi, then back to Masao.

"... why is it that being an adult never seems as great as they always say it is...?" mumbles Ann Takamaki,

"It just seriously looks like being a kid but with responsibilities..."

facing existential distress.

She'll let Ren handle the purchases on this one. She's...

She's got a lot to think about. 

<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.

"We should look it up, sometime, Minato," Minako says, with a glance at her brother. And if it's perhaps a little see-through -- that she's trying to make sure she finds a way to spend time with him -- well, there are worse things in this world.

She does glance at him, though, and blink when he says that the children learned a valuable lesson.

She laughs, though, when Yukari says this is why she is co-leader. Perhaps that is a little strange. "Mm-hm!" Then, there's a glance around. At Julian, yes, but also Myunghon, Shinobu, and everyone else in the distance. "All sorts of people out here. It's lively."

Then, she looks at Yukari. Minako bites her lip.

The wheel of destiny turns. Her lip trembles.

"What the cluck are you talking about, Takeba-chan?"

<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.

        That child from earlier, who has gazed upon the truth of red-hot nails and has denounced fried chicken, witnesses Chick-tan devolving into a blonde woman that peels out of the dessicating, deformed mess of what was once Chick-tan, draped in sweat, remarking that being within Chick-tan is like an experience not unlike death.

        TRAUMA ACCELERATED: The Chick's Shell was Smashed 

<Pose Tracker> Shizuka Kuroki has posed.

         Shizuka shrugs towards Yukari. "I'll be karaa-reful." 

<Pose Tracker> Julian Marlowe has posed.

To the revelation of where he teaches, well, Minako's reaction is about what Julian expected. She's polite about it, but it's clear enough that she finds it difficult to believe. "Perhaps not as complicated as you might think," he replies evenly. "It's simply where I thought my efforts would be best spent." If that's a little enigmatic... well, that's fine. That's a good impression to leave people with, in his opinion.

He then places a hand on his chin, giving Shizuka an appreciative look for the reference she made in response to this. "Oho. Familiar with My Fair Lady, are you? Good taste, good taste indeed. I would have made the comparison with To Sir, With Love myself, but the similarities are certainly there. Time will tell, I suppose."

To Minato's deadpan reaction, he can't quite manage to stifle a chuckle. "I'm not surprised," he's quick to respond. He may not have known this boy for very long, but from what he's seen so far, already he feels confident enough to say, "You're rather impressively unflappable, aren't you? Quite the opposite from your energetic sibling." He stops just short of saying 'you must get along famously'. That seems like a premature conclusion. Come now Julian, stop analyzing everyone you see, he mentally chides himself.

"Theory is all well and good, but having it put it into practice is another matter entirely," he agrees with Yukari. "No harm done though, I assure you. No good teacher would get on your case for something as minor as this." Somewhere, Terauchi-sensei sneezes.

Which is about when the conversation comes to a screeching halt, because of all the screeching children. Julian, for his part, just stares. Even if he understands Umie's plight, he also understand that... was perhaps not the best thing for the children to witness.

He doesn't make a chicken pun. He coughs, when Minako does. He wasn't masking a laugh. You can't prove anything. 

<Pose Tracker> Sojiro Sakura has posed.

        Again another cup of coffee is poured and quickly a tray of options to customize but the comment about Boss Rainbow doesn't go unnoticed by Sojiro. The look given would send chills down the toughest of souls, "That brew is only suitable for gansters and hoodlums, you wouldn't be a hoodlum now, would you?" Sojiro asks before he hears another order and turns back around as if nothing happened expecting his coffee to speak for itself.

        As he plates someone's curry he looks at Ichika, "Oh yes, a good rich coffee with apple curry is my preferred favorite, but at the shop we tend to have a wide variety of both. Even have some Hawaiian Kona if you are looking to taste some expensive coffee that isn't just over priced sugar that you find at any street corner." Sojiro takes a jab at a certain chain coffee shop as he hands another bowl of curry out. "We would certainly appreciate your patronage if you choose to visit the shop." 

<Pose Tracker> Yasuko Shinohara has posed.

With Ulala and Maya leaving to enjoy the festival, and the sopping-wet Myunghon and Shinobu making business plans, Yasuko feels awkward continuing to stand around. She might have a certain understanding with the police department, but a gloomy gravekeeper is the last person who should be trying to comfort Katsuya with an improvised date after being rejected by the lesbian roommates.

She bows to the group in general, not expecting to be paid attention to, then turns and trots off toward the fountain, aiming to appreciate as much of the park as she can before it passes into the unreachable beyond... 

<Pose Tracker> Yukari Takeba has posed.

Yukari Takeba looks at Minako, there's a slow blink then as Shizuka adds to that. "Hmm. No. I think I won't."
 
And promptly walks away.
 
In their mind's eye, a card wobbles, then goes upside down.
 
REVERSE! Lovers: Yukari Takeba
 
Oh no, you'll have to go through so much effort to fix this!
 
(No you won't.)

<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.

Ririka perks up, though, as she hears Ichika mention about coffee and curry. She looks to Sojiro. "How long do you think you'll have curry for? That might be something good to get on my way back to the dorm..."

She nods to Ichika though. "That's what he said. I didn't really get to ask him more about it before he wandered off in search of more sweets."

She does give a nod to Himoi to acknowledge a fellow student at her school, though. 

<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.

        Minato nods, to Minako. "Understood." He's very easy-going about being taken places... and it might not be immediately obvious that he wants to go find Le Blanc with her, too.

        Calmly, he looks to Julian, and nods.

        "Yes, sir. I am not a chicken. I don't need to flap."

        But Minato without earphones is like... like... like Chick-tan without a head!

        Speaking of which.

        "I guess the chicken came before the egg," Minato reflects, as Yukari leaves. "And if Takeba-san is leaving... perhaps that means she was the egg."

<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.

Hoodlums... Ichika glances to the side at that comment, a little nervousness there in her bearing for a moment. After all, that's her! But Ririka rescues her with a question, and then she looks at her sister for a moment. "I see. Well, I'll have to keep an eye out for him, then."

But Sojiro... "Apple.. I could really see that working, but I wouldn't have thought of it," she admits. "Well, I don't get out to where your address says much, but I'll have to come out anyway. I go through Tokyo to get home, anyway. Might be fun to try the expensive stuff if I'm making a day of it." 

<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.

"O-Oh, come on, Takeba-chan!" Minako complains after her. But, she lets her walk away. (Sometimes, you have to let her cool down.)

She sighs a little, and then she looks back at Julian. She blinks once -- but then, there's a smile again. "Best spent...? That's a good way to do it, I think," she says. "I hope it's worked out well for you so far, Mister Marlowe!"

She smles a bit brighter -- and then she looks at her brother. She is,for a moment, uncertain. Her head tilts to the side.

Then, she ends up giggling.

<Pose Tracker> Katsuya Suou has posed.

        To be fair, he's on leave at the moment (for reasons unrelated to yukata-connected crimes), but...

        "It is nice to meet you, too," he tells Shinobu seriously, as if all of that hadn't just happened, and as if he weren't dressed like... this.

        Is this really 'magic'? It feels more like a curse.

        "Well, yes, but," Katsuya tries to argue with Myunghon. 'Try' is, of course, the operative word here: how, with such ridiculous logic, is she continuing to run laps around him? He shakes his head, as if this is all too much for him (spoilers, it is). "I do not think..."

        There's where all this trouble started, Suou. Thinking.

        Maya, meanwhile, tells him that she'd like to get a photo of him dressed like that. He wants to say no! He wants to see if he can't escape in spite of what she says to him before his being dressed like this is captured for posterity somewhere! Instead, what he says to her is, "I, I see..."

        ...He's left there on the riverside with Myunghon and the others by Ulala and Maya...

        He turns his head in time to see Umie emerge from the remnants of the chick costume as children flee screaming, and immediately clocks her as Tatsuya's tutor. The two of them may well share a long, silent look with one another.
        And then, pretending he'd seen nothing, Katsuya looks away. 

<Pose Tracker> Sojiro Sakura has posed.

        Questions come and go, to the new person wanting to know how much curry he has, Sojiro answers, "Given the rate it is going ..." the cook trails off for a moment before he says, "Tell you what, I will set some aside for you if you promise to come back."

        Looking back at Ichika, " I absolutely understand not being in your neighborhood, but you never know. One finds themselves in the strangest places sometimes. " 

<Pose Tracker> Hitomi Mandai has posed.

 
Sojiro speaks of the nature of the coffee brew found in those friendly little cans. Hitomi's mouth hangs slightly open as she looks at the older man, blinking several times. She doesn't make a verbal reply. When she is served the coffee, she takes it, holding it in both hands -- her eyes cutting towards Ichika for a moment, before she raises it up to take a sip. Certainly no hardened criminal, Hitomi leaves the immediate area.

(She will probably link back up with people later. The echoes of this moment may resonate into the future... ... or not... hard to say) 

<Pose Tracker> Kasumi Yoshizawa has posed.

        The other two both agree with Ren's apparent desire to get into shape. Ann in particular mentions how vocal Ren seems to be about it! If the usually so very talkative Ren is bringing it up so much, then clearly it's important to him!

        Kasumi looks thoughtful, "Hmmm... I didn't realize it was that important to you." She nods in determination, her eyes shining brightly, "All right! If you are so dedicated to this then I'll have to do my best! I'll come up with a plan to improve your training."

        Poor Ren.

        "You're welcome to join in too if you would like, Takamaki-senpai!" Danger!

        But more seriously, Kasumi clearly isn't aware of the real reason for Ren's request. Nor does Ann's A+ acting seem to make her question it any further. Especially when Change of Subject is super effective.

        Kasumi shakes her head, "I haven't yet, but I've heard of it! I've been meaning to go. I would be very happy to go with you! I've heard they also have a chocolate mousse that is so incredibly rich it's like you're eating the very concept of luxury!" Kasumi sighs in desire at the thought.

        Kasumi quickly shakes herself from day-dreaming about chocolate as they arrive at the sweets stall. She simply smiles politely at the display between Masao and his mother. It's a little awkward, but she's not going to say anything! Instead she motions towards a bag of assorted candies, "I'll have one of these thank you. I think my father would enjoy it."

<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.

        Ren just barely holds back at grimace at Ann's Pro Acting. She is accidentally not that far off the mark, but he would like to go into the reason for that about as much as he'd like to loudly shout that he's a Phantom Thief in broad daylight. (Sorry, Ryuji--but maybe that's why they make a good friend-pair. Opposites attract?)
        
        At least Kasumi is such a straightforward person that she just believes it. It's an endearing quality, but Ren wonders if his glutes will survive the punishment.
        
        Out loud, he just says, "........Thanks."
        
        He simply turns around and starts walking off towards the sweets booth when Kasumi offers Ann training too. At least they've got chocolate to talk about instead. He has to admit: the mousse that Kasumi describes does sound incredible.
        
        He looks forward at the booth as Ann's sunny cheer gets deflated. It... is pretty painful to look at. It's even more painful with Ann's commentary on how unfortunate it must be to be an adult. A child with responsibilities, huh... It's hard to deny that impression with Masao's combined beanie-and-yukata look. Ren's expression is thus carefully neutral as the trio closes in on Mark, who turns his salesmanship back on. He's getting some coins out when--
        
        "Huh? Inaba?" he utters, actually taken aback. His eyes dart over to the fliers, but... different kanji, it turns out. A leaf instead of a feather. In other words, it's just a coincidence. He breathes out a soundless sigh, then, without explaining the reason for his reaction, hands over a 100 yen coin to Masao. "Two--no," he amends, spotting Ann out of the corner of his eye and adding another coin, "three, please."
        
        Maybe these candies aren't that good, but they're very cheap, and he appreciates that! He can treat his gloomy friend a little. At least Kasumi has herself (and her father, apparently) covered. There's still a lot of booths left to visit, and so little time before the parade begins... 

<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.

Ririka sees that look on Ichiak's face and gives her a gentle elbow nudge of emotional support. She said it yesterday: Ichika's not trouble. Not that kind of trouble, anyway.

"Apple sounds like it'd be good," she says contemplatively. "I bet with it warm it brings out all the flavor..." She glances to Ichika, pausing. "Well... I have to go through Tokyo to get to here, so..." She pauses for a moment, glancing aside a little. "... we could meet up there and hang out sometime?"

But she smiles to Sojiro, "You'd be willing to do that? Awesome!" She gets her wallet out. "Here, then let me pay for that now, and I'll definitely pick it up before I leave. It'll be nice to have something filling before I head out skateboarding."

Skateboarding after the festival? How long does she plan on staying out?? 

<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.

        Why is it that being an adult never seems as great as they always say it is?

        If Umie had overheard that, she'd wonder herself.

        'Nobody make a fried chicken pun.'
        'What the cluck are you talking about, Takeba-chan?'
        'I'll be karaa-reful.'
        And Marlowe politely stifles his reaction.

        Oh, those are good.

        Looking away with no response, Umie finds herself sharing a look with Katsuya. Well, he wouldn't recongize her anyway, with the dyed hair and... oh. Right.

        He's a detective.

        ... Ah, the person with bad luck is her, today, it seems, and she doesn't even sense it. 

<Pose Tracker> Masao Inaba has posed.

        Masao would be tickled pink to not be confused for a student for his height. (It's not his fault he only got another whole centimeter between his most memorable year of high school and now! He was already the shortest guy in his class...)
 
        "Yeah? Your father's got a sweet tooth, huh," Masao sounds a bit amused by that, "hey, sure, just 50 yen each... and here's a flyer for Inaba Dry Cleaners, too," he offers to Kasumi as the Expected Exchange happens.
 
        Some food items are really boosted by the atmosphere of the ongoing festival, the kind that maybe you normally wouldn't have on the regular. This candy... well. It is, at least, 'actually candy' which is a very low bar to clear, and only because the judges of what is 'candy' are being lenient to the point of international scandal about the sanctity of the definition of confectionary.
 
        Masao looks up as Ren seems taken aback by something. "Somethin' up? ...Three? Yeah, got ya, thanks," he says as he takes three coins, gives the candies, looks to the stack of fliers... and hands Ren three.
 
        "...I ain't gonna pry too much into it," he says to Ren, "but it looks like your friend there's having a rough time of it," he says of Ann. "...Y'know, there's a big ol' display of street art down at," actual street name gets muffled by cheering children enjoying the festivities, "check it out sometime tonight!"
 
        He smiles a smile there. Of course he wants people to notice the art! Especially his, but, they were all pretty awesome by his measure.
 
        "...Thanks for stoppin' by! Have a good one tonight."
 
        This night does mark the end of an old era for the park, but there's still time to have some fond memories of times that, inevitably, will go by. Whatever mask they've put on tonight, maybe there's room to get a smile on under there.

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