2025-07-04: A Lost Soul
- Log: A Lost Soul
- Cast: Chika Ueda, Shinjiro Aragaki, Myunghon Yeo, Eikichi Mishina, Yua Ooshiro, Umie Akabane, Julian Marlowe, Morgana
- Where: Peace Diner, Yumezaki Ward, Sumaru City
- OOC Date: July 04, 2025
- IC Date: June 14, 2012
- Summary: The Rumourmonger, Chikarin, heard something interesting about Gekkoukan: a second-year, Fuuka Yamagishi, has gone missing. This is a social scene which will help connect non-SEES characters with the plot Monad, Infiltrating Gekkoukan. This scene ICly takes place the day before Battle Royale. (Morgana is cameo'ed by Ren Amamiya.)
<Pose Tracker> Chika Ueda has posed.
The Peace Diner in Yumezaki is a happening place. ...But not too happening at this hour, leaving room for the various rumor-seekers to attend Rumormonger Chikrain's court.
They say she's a reporter for Sevens' newspaper--but that she really wants to grow up to go professional, and is in it for the experience. She has the Sevens uniform on, and the green ribbon of a first year student. This is where she hangs out...
And today she has information! For free, even.
Well, not totally free. Someone is buying Chikarin a Peace Burger.
For now though: the fast food joint has a couple of booths devoted to this endeavor, with Chikarin seated at a table nearby. She's waiting for more to arrive before she goes into her information, but chatting amiably with someone in the meantime. It might be you!
At the counter, the strange girl who speaks like a ninja will take orders and hand out food. It's bright colors, delicious smells, and tasty drinks all around.
Chikarin was here early. It's like she lives here. And how will she be recognized? That's easy. Her dyed blue hair is very distinctive, with a couple of braids that have colorful feathers in them. She has carefully kept eyebrows and a little beauty mark below her right eye. She's energetic, cheerful, and.... comes off a little scatterbrained.
But her information? Top-notch, so they say.
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
Shinjiro Aragaki, dressed in his WINTER COAT DURING THE SUMMER, is one of the first ones here. There's a reason for that. He's sitting at Chikarin's 'court' so to speak, though isn't chatting much, and is not paying for the burger (he already did something helpful!)
This is because he has a large fry and a chocolate shake. He doesn't go in for cold often, but he's craving the flavor, and it's worth literal chills.
Every so often, he considers dipping a fry in the shake. He hears they DO THAT in the States and thinks it might actually work really well. But... his Guts is just below max in such a public setting, so he decides not to...
Perhaps even the fearless have their limits.
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
Myunghon is an old friend of Chikarin's, as this point -- 'old', as far as Rumourmongers go, anyway -- and Rumourmongers have to support each other in times of need... and in times of information exchange. They like the girl -- there's a certain GUSTO to Chikarin's attitude that makes them think she'll really make it far. Myunghon has already ordered by the time people arrive, and they are... are...
They are doing some horrible crimes to that high stool next to Chikarin, squatting on it with the power of their god-ankles. How does that not terribly strain them? Aren't you the adult here, Myunghon? Aren't you embarrassed?
No, because once you take a look at what they're eating they have--
Is that a soup bowl of... soda in front of them? That is a soup bowl of soda in front of them.
There are lots of things floating in it.
It's... Peace Fries.
Myunghon lifts one of the thoroughly soda-soggy fries with their index and thumb like they want to get as few of their digits on it as possible and slowly lowers it into their mouth from above. It's a repugnant, disgusting, inhuman ritual.
Myunghon is committing War Crimes on Peace Fries.
Are Rumourmongers all weirdos???
<Pose Tracker> Eikichi Mishina has posed.
Eikichi knows of Chika. He dates someone in her club after all. He just doesn't know her WELL. So lets see how this goes.
The blue hair punk wanders into Peace Diner, familiar with the establishment as well. He comes here after school every so often to write some lyrics in the booth over in the back. Today, he was on business, which is why he came after band practice in order to find out this info.
"Hey there, Ueda." The white faced punk grins, giving a peace sign. "Whats going on?" He looks around the restaurant before looking back at Ueda.
"Take it you want a burger or something, yeah?" He was informed to buy her a burger by his better half. It was the only way he was paying money for....one of those. YECK. He hides his disgust for greasey burgers well but man you don't want to get him started.
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ooshiro has posed.
Yua will buy Chikarin a burger. This... is within her power. One might wonder whether far more might be in her power, given she was dropped off nearby by a chauffeur, but she's not telling.
If she is rich, though, she's definitely one of those quirky rich women. Dressed in a light and breathable dancer's leotard with a sheer black skirt, her arms and legs all bare, dark teal hair all done up nicely in a bun which does nothing to obscure the black eyepatch over the left side of her tanned face -- she looks like she was meant to head out to the Tokyo Ballet instead of to this.
She looks to Myunghon, with her single, critical crimson eye.
"Myucchi," she says, crossing her arms in an 'X' across her chest, palms angled up.
"Please stop torturing the food. I am going to order you normal food and I pray and do beseech you please to eat it like I've shown you."
Thus, the ballerina goes up to the counter with weightless steps to order more fries for Myunghon. And,
"Would anyone else like anything?" She asks, as she goes.
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
Of course all rumourmongers are weirdos. It has to do with storing all that information in the same head, or just...
Delicious, delicious food. Which everyone is here to eat.
They don't have rumormongers in Shibuya, really. Not like they have here, so Umie finds herself with an excuse to 'have' to go to Peace Diner for the latest goss.
Katsuya's words to her have given her a reason to look closer into the matter of Sumaru City once again, despite her earlier wanting to put it all behind her. It's not because of the dead principal, oh no. It's *everything* she's tried to ignore up until now. So She'll just so happen to be here, not paying for Chika's meal because she doesn't want to give herself away. She'll listen, situating herself at a table nearby, while enjoying her loaded fries and milkshake.
(It's not because she needs bus fare to get back to Shibuya. No, not at all.)
(It is.)
Umie eyes the chip of bare nail on her fingernails as she scoops a french fry, with a healthy helping of cheese, to her mouth. .... Damn it, she just painted them.
Her eyes travel towards the familiar coat of Shinjiro. Interesting. He wears a coat here too. She sits back, confident in her anonymity. No one here knows her, so no one will know she's interested. *Perfect*.
<Pose Tracker> Julian Marlowe has posed.
Julian Marlowe doesn't tend to frequent what most would call 'happening' places... certainly not those that serve fast food. He certainly doesn't look like he would, always in a fancy suit, with an old-fashioned monocle in his eye. Wouldn't suit that gentlemanly image at all. If he has to be at a fast food restaurant, he will order a bottle of water and nothing else.
Of course, he's not here just because he wanted some water. He's here for the information. Lurking at the Dark Side of Sumaru has consequences that he hadn't quite foreseen: once you catch wind of certain rumors, you may find them impossible to ignore. The disappearance of a student is absolutely one of those things. He's learned the hard way of the sort of things that may cause such disappearances to happen... and he can't have on his conscience what might happen if nothing is done about it.
But none present are likely to have any idea why Kasugayama's English teacher slash guidance counselor would possibly be here. He's made no effort to be at all clandestine about it - he just sashays right on over to where the 'action' is, as it were, perfectly calm as always, wearing an easy smile.
"Good day. I trust we're all here for the same reason, then?"
His gaze passes over those present. He doesn't know Shinjiro, and doesn't notice Umie, but...
"<Mister> Mishina, <Miss> Ooshino. What a surprise to see you here." He's only briefly met Yua's acquaintance in passing, not objecting and perhaps even approving of what she's attempting to do at this school. And of course he knows the Death Boss. He's on The List. One day. And finally... he looks towards the bandaged individual. He may not know Myunghon by name, but by reputation. ...the reputation of nearly drowning the other day, that is.
"Are you quite alright? You--"
He loses his train of thought entirely, witnessing FOOD CRIME. Is this Social Link already reversed...?
<Pose Tracker> Morgana has posed.
Peace Diner has a second floor. One can tell this easily by glancing down the hallway past the register counter; there are stairs there.
Peace Diner's second floor is off-limits. One can tell this easily by the sign that says at much.
So if one wanted to listen in on this information session, coming down from upstairs would be the ideal way to go. Too bad no one can just hop up the side of a building, come in through a window cracked open in deference to the summer heat, and sneak down the stairs.
No one human, anyway.
Whiskers come slightly into view as a white-muzzled black cat peeks around the corner. Its vividly blue eyes are intent on the conversation, almost as though it were actively listening in. But it can't be, right? It's just a cat.
Morgana would yell a lot if anyone actually said that, but fortunately he's over here being stealthy. Pay no attention to the definitely-not-a-cat, everyone.
<Pose Tracker> Eikichi Mishina has posed.
"Oh hey, teach. Everything ok?" He waves slightly to Julian Sensei, wondering what he's doing here. He then spots Yua and his eyes widen. "Sensei?! Why are you here?!....sure I'll have a salad low fat dressing if you're really buying!" To think his dance teacher is here also?! Yes there is clearly a difference to how he addresses both of them.
He turns back to Chika, wondering why the world was surrounding him today.
Wait wasn't that the guy from his show in the winter coat?
"I'm confused as to whats happening here. Is this for TV? Get my good side! Oh just kidding, Both sides are HAWT!"
<Pose Tracker> Chika Ueda has posed.
Chikarin doesn't bother Shinjiro for casual conversation--she already got a lot out of him. "Ahahah," Chikarin answers Myunghon's food crimes meanwhile. "You're so weird, auntie." Definitely an 'old' friend.
Peace sign back to Eikichi. "Sure do," Chika says to Eikichi. "Nice to see you, Mishina-san. Though..." She considers Yua too. "One get the burger, one get the fries. That'll be just fine."
A beat, "But I'm surprised you're willing to even touch the burger, Michel..."
Wink. She knows things!
She says nothing about Yua's coming down on Myunghon. She's too busy being amused--and watching the newcomers. Like Umie! Who isn't a 'newcomer' at all. She's just listening... Right?
"Ooh," she says. "Teachers even." A grin to Julian. "Well-dressed, no less."
A beat, and then, "Yes, you're here to hear the scoop! And that... iiis..."
She leans in. "There's a second-year at Gekkoukan High missing. Now, you might ask, Chikarin: what's so weird about that? Girls go places all the time!"
"...But she's not the first, and the ones before her showed up at the school gates, catatonic. They say Apathy Syndrome's in play."
"But the latest is that this girl has been missing before any of them--that not only is she missing, but her spirit is dragging the girls after her to their doom..."
"But you want more than just what's going around. You want the real deal."
"So I'll tell you: this girl is named Fuuka Yamagishi, and she may still be alive--but only maybe. I've had it confirmed," she says, not looking at Shinjiro, "That she was in the gym when night fell--and that her stuff is still at home. She didn't run away."
"...But you might've heard that Gekkoukan has some weird things going on. And the rumor goes... that time flows differently at Gekkoukan High at night. You see... she's been missing for weeks, not days."
"And the other? It's true." A beat, "But you'll have to give me some intel before I reveal the rest. Something interesting."
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
There can be nothing more weird than whatever the fuck Myunghon is doing, as Shinjiro glances at them. His hand moves. He puts a fry in the softserve and pops it in his mouth.
Oh damn, that's actually pretty good?
"...why," he suddenly asks them, though it's unclear what he's asking at first. "Does it make you feel alive?"
The Death Boss gets a respectful nod. Shinjiro knows he's one to respect...
Yua asks if anyone wants anything. Shinjiro has eaten today, but... he'll be hungry later, and cold burger is Fine if needed. He pulls out some money of his wallet, sliding it across the table. "Peace Burger with cheese. Thanks."
He's not accepting favors, especially from a TEACHER. But if she's already ordering...
Umie gets brushed by in notice; even paranoid Shinjiro hasn't caught on to her yet. Julian, however, is recognized with his AURA OF ADULT and simply given a nod and a one-word response. "Probably."
When Chikarin speaks her facts, Shinjiro just nods; after all, he gave her a lot of it. He sighs when the 'time flows differently' is mentioned, but his body language tells all - tension, knowing how Bad this is. Of course, he has more intel that he could give Chikarin to keep talking.
He doesn't speak up.
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
Myunghon largely remains quiet to let Chikarin do her THING. Their eye (singular eye) is largely on the Diner. Myunghon looks to Shinjiro and quietly leans in his direction and whispers: "Do it. No one will notice. My crime is greater." But at the very least, Shinjiro does go for it! Myunghon is so proud.
The Kasu High student in the bold makeup... feels like they've heard of them before. One of the Bosses? Myunghon isn't entirely up to scratch on which one, though. They're always shifting around... it's mostly Gumiho complaining about which Boss she lost to in a fight.
Their reverie is entirely disrupted when an Angelic Voice speaks upon them from above like the End-Times, and their pupil shrinks considerably and their eye-bags intensify as they turn and stare and--
Yua Ooshiro!
"Ah," they mutely emote, still with a soggy fry on their tongue. "But... but I think this is... delicious, Yuarin," they say, suddenly with the tone of a naughty boy rather than an adult rumourmonger. "Also, I'm not hungry."
So the crimes weren't even for sustenance?!?! Innocent Fries, sacrificed upon the Lake of Soda, for naught?!
Their eye scans back to the room. Umie is not someone they know, of course, her guise of anonymity is safe here up until she reaches for a french fry and reveals some of that painted fingernail, with a bit of chip on it--
Myunghon's eye dinnerplates as a sudden surge of Past hits them like a freight truck. Fireworks. Candied apples. Magic River Teleportation. Eleven secret herbs and spices. Finger... lickin'...
"Chick-tan," they suddenly gasp, as if having stumbled upon the secret to an ancient conspiracy.
The gentlemanly Julian Marlowe greets himself with that impeccable savoir-faire, inquring as to whether they're here for the 'same reason'. Hmm... this is quite the eclectic mixture of people who have come to be interested in the 'same reason'. It seems that he recognises them from the other day, from Honmaru Park.
Myunghon has a smile as they catch onto how they address other people, then speaks, in remarkably fluent ENGLISH: "<Quite all right, sir. Thank you for your concern. May I have the pleasure of knowing your name?>"
The white-haired individual is dressed in their usual dress shirt-and-tie combo, with pressed black dress pants and shoes and a long suit jacket slung ontop their shoulders; they'd look pretty chic, all things considered, but somehow, just being own on their person, even formal dresswear somehow looks... Sadder. Just a bit. In their presence.
Myunghon spots the cat for a moment, but ultimately, 'tis some a cat, knocking at their burger-door! Only this and nothing more. They're convinced they could be more Cat than said Cat, if they were given the opportunity. Besides, Chikarin's about to speak up and--
AUNTIE.
AuntieAuntieAuntieAuntieAuntieAuntieAuntieAuntieAuntieAuntie
Myunghon instantly starts sweating and their eyes unfocus even more than when Yua first caught them in the red-handed act of foodcriming. Still, Chikarin is a friend, and friends are allowed to horribly wound you and cause trauma you'll saddle for the rest of your life. That's the true essence of friendship. Even while they're having a dissociative panic attack, though, the details of the case still filter into their ear, because their Brain is everything that they are, and if that even shuts down, then they are truly nothing.
"Time flows differently... and like a river... history repeats..." Myunghon sounds like they're a thousand miles away. "A pattern within a pattern within Apathy Syndrome..."
Their eye twitches further and they're even further away. Chikarin demands more information, and their body, as if on autopilot, slips a piece of paper her way. "Here's one just for you. If you order three Teri-tama Peace Burgers at th
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
"Here's one just for you. If you order three Teri-tama Peace Burgers at the Aoba Shopping Centre and speak the magic word..."
A pause.
"The rest of that intel is dependent on the rest of your intel, Chika-dear."
This is how rumourmongers play.
<Pose Tracker> Eikichi Mishina has posed.
Eikichi listens to the intel, nodding his head as if he understands. He gets about thirty-forty percent of it. Basically a girl is missing due to something something time travel. He cracks his neck, getting a glint in his eyes. "Well, I've done dumber things than snoop into that ritzy school for less. I just need to figure out some intel that would be valuable...How about Gas Chamber is the greatest band on earth!" Eikichi says with a cheesey grin, almost seeming to believe that it would work.
Eikichi looks at the Eccentric guy who just gave intel about Peace Burger, sighing. "I hope its that they are veggie burgers or something."
[OOC] Chika Ueda says, "No need to bluray out your others though"
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ooshiro has posed.
Morgana is safely hidden by the fact that no one looks up, and Umie is perfectly anonymous, too! Especially as Yua sights Julian, the final boss of Kasuyagama. A psychologist targeting children... how nefarious.
Probably more nefarious than her, right? Right.
... don't tell her that Julian in his suit and Yua in her leotard are equally weird, she might wither away and die on the spot.
"<Mister Marlowe, she is fine,>" Yua jumps to Myunghon's defence, immediately, accidentally slipping into (remarkably quite good) English in the process. She can't help it! She hears English, she responds in English. It's probably not the first time this has happened around Julian. "<There is no need to take notes on her.>"
Beat.
"Ah," Yua returns to Japanese, a little self-effacing, as she taps a finger to the side of her face. "I heard someone here knew something about an incident on one of the campuses I teach at, Mishina-kun," she explains, and even though he is a student, she affords him a polite tone anyway. Perhaps some teachers would insist on pulling rank, but Yua doesn't feel any particular need to.
And that someone who knows... is Chika! Yua buys that salad and two burgers, alongside two servings of fries. One goes to Eikichi, then next to Chika and Shinjiro -- though she leaves his yen on the table, and insists, "It isn't out of my way." The serving of fries she places in front of Myunghon. "I'm watching you," she says, under her breath, to the recipient of her final delivery. "You mustn't corrupt the youth. And you must eat." She SAW Shinjiro transgressing his fries like that. ... and she can guess that Myunghon might not have been eating properly.
Yua then takes her own fries, and sits next to Myunghon. Delicately, she places one to her mouth. Nibble, nibble, nomph. She's even elegant as she eats fries...
"I heard about the girls who fell to Apathy Syndrome," she says, frowning. "But when I went to ask their homeroom teacher... he said that the girl who was missing was just sick. Even so, the next week I attended to Gekkoukan, I checked the attendance records, and still she was absent..." She pauses, glancing to Myunghon for guidance, before she looks back to Chika. "... is that the kind of thing you mean, when you ask about intelligence? Or... should I tell you that there's a marvellous production of Swan Lake presently being shown at the Aoba Classical Theatre? I went to see it just the other day, it was truly moving..."
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
"..." Oh, well, there goes that. While Umie recognizes Shinjiro from her Experiment at Kasguayama (wherein she just went in disguise to see if her cloaking abilities are working correctly (sorry to use you as a test subject, Shinjiro), *she* recognizes Julian, from... That Day. And _so does Myunghon_. Damn it, how could Umie forget the person who almost drowned!
The cursed name passes through Myunghon's lips, fixing the blonde young woman in place. "Gh....." Undeniable proof; the culprit for devastating the childhoods of many children... it's none other than the girl with the same color of nail polish!
'... that time flows differently at Gekkoukan High at night'.
A girl, all alone, during the Dark Hour. Defenseless, likely. If she's awakened to a Persona, she might have a chance, but...
Umie's stomach twists with that stab of dreaded empathy.
Time to produce... her ace.
Umie produces... a bracelet. Kumihimo one, full of bright colors. She tries to *not* look at Myunghon as she gets up, the bracelet dangling from one finger as a small offering.
"These used to be all the rage a few years ago. I heard a person who wears one of these on the day of their exam will ace it. Something about confidence in one's self..." She notes all the teachers(?) in the room, and amends. "You'll still have to study, of course. Luck can only count for so much, nowadays."
Umie might as well add to the pot. There's no use in acting innocent now, and...
If it's true, and if she's still alive, there's someone out there who could use help.
<Pose Tracker> Julian Marlowe has posed.
Julian bows gracefully at Chikarin's address. "Why thank you. I do try." ...He avoids a direct form of address. This is his first experience dealing with rumormongers directly. Especially with others here, it might be best to observe how this goes while actively avoiding saying anything that might be some sort of faux-pas. And, in the process, try to get some idea about the angle the others present have here. Always attempting to analyze... never giving away too much of what be believes to have noticed.
There's something gratifying, however, about Eikichi's reaction. At least, one particular aspect of it. The difference in the amount of surprise on open display when compared to the new teacher. This could be a sign that the students are warming up to him! "Just fine, thank you. I do hope your practice for the upcoming show is going well." And he knows about that, as well! Of course he does. What's important to the students is important for him to know. This is not as nefarious as it might sound at all.
Though there was the brief risk of his monocle popping when bad food is made is even worse, being addressed in his native language seems to cause all of Julian's impending distress to instantly melt away. "<My word, such flawless English from you both! I should quite like to meet your teachers!"> And, added for Myunghon's benefit, "<Julian Marlowe.>" ...that's the same in both languages, he's just making it sound EXTRA BRITISH. "<Pleasure to meet your acquaintance.>"
He clears his throat then, self-correcting. "My apologies, I didn't mean to be rude by not speaking the native language. We're not in class, after all... though perhaps I just got some ideas for an upcoming test." He laughs, so that was probably a joke. Probably.
While he seems to be enjoying just conversing about nothing in particular, that's not why they're actually here though, is it? He strokes his chin as he listens to the information being shared, a grave expression on his face. "So it's true... there is foul play at work, of a supernatural nature, no less." He's never been to see what Gekkoukan is like at night. That's going to be a fun discovery.
"...A Kasugayama student was involved in a similar incident last month, in fact. The 'Mementos dare' is apparently quite real, and quite dangerous. Thankfully, that matter was resolved without a tragic conclusion."
That's... part of what he knows. He doesn't suppose that counts of intel of use to a rumormonger, but he can't chip in much more than that. Not without giving away more than he'd like to. As for Umie's stepping forward to add her own information...
"Noted. I, for one, would not treat such as an illegal tool. Thank you for your contribution, <Miss> Chick-tan."
He says it so matter-of-factly... maybe it was a mistake not to just do an introduction.
<Pose Tracker> Chika Ueda has posed.
"So, the dance teacher is interested in the performance at Aoba..." Chikarin considers it, and shakes her head. "Nah, it doesn't have that 'pop' a good rumor needs. I might check it out anyway, though. The other part though--confirmation--that's good. That's real good."
Myunghon's sweat is glorious. And history repeats...
"Ooh," she says. "That one's interesting," she says. "All right, all right, it'll do," she says to Myunghon--but not without listening to everyone else.
"It's not!" she chimes helpfully to Eichiki. Not valuable? Or not veggie burgers? It's hard to say. She grins at him though. "But if you want to save her, that's what you'll have to do. Break in."
Umie produces a bracelet! "Hmmm..." Chikarin considers the bracelet. "If you still have to study, then people might not be interested," she admits. "On the other hand, students are always looking for good luck charms. What makes this one special?"
Chikarin laughs like a pirate at Julian addressing Umie as Chick-tan.
"But hmmm. The Mementos dare has spread as far as Kasugayama... That's good to know for sure."
"So OK. The deal is this: there's a secret labyrinth hidden at Gekkoukan High School. It only appears at midnight."
"My sources tell me she was stuck in the gym overnight... and ended up in this secret labyrinth. Because of the time thing, she might even still be alive. I hope so! There's a big ghost story about her," her nose wrinkles, "But don't put any stock in that. It's this 'Fuuka Yamagishi', all right."
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
Myunghon spares another glance Shinjiro's way. It's very subtle, but the way he tenses when she speaks of the gym and how Gekkoukan High has anomalies according to time... is that tension from familiarity? Or from a similar case? A different rumour? The possibilities spider-web out. It's not pertinent right now. Another data point to consume. Plot the courses, devour the data, come to the conclusion...
There's a snicker at Eikichi about veggie burgers. Oh, would it really be a juicy rumour if it were just veggie burgers? What if it's... the Impossible Burger! Oh no, they could really do some damage in Sumaru if they pass a rumour about convincingly meat-like veggie patties. You see, the vegetable patty in Peace Burger is actually... Ooh, possibilities... a Rumour Demon could get spawned out of this...
They are shredded right back to reality when Yua insists that they're fine -- in English! Myunghon does think Yua's English sounds quite pretty. Personally, though, they kind of hate English -- it's the language of the corporate world for them, so it's tainted in that regard. Still.
Yua's ultimatum that she's watching them has Myunghon shrinking down one size again, and in one frame cut, you could positively see cat-ears flopping down and losing energy as Yua admonishes them on their eating habits. "Okay, Yua-rin." It's incredible how docile Myunghon suddenly gets when Yua is lecturing them.
Myunghon does experimentally try an un-War-Crimed fry, munching a few for good measure. "It's... hot. And crunchy."
Yua's submission about Swan Lake has their interest, though. "Oh, that's right, that's where you went. I should go see it myself... it was a ballet, wasn't it?"
If Myunghon has correctly fingered Umie for who she is on the day she committed those devastating crimes, though, they aren't acting on it. No, they seem to simply luxuriate in marinating in the fact that that perpetrator Chick-tan is here, and that is another data-point, and thus, the amalgamation of the ruination of children contributing to this rumour of the exam-acing Kumihimo bracelet all congeals into...
"Koalas," Myunghon suddenly blurts out to themself again. Why is it always Koalas?! They want some Koala March crackers... tch. They should get some later.
In the years Yua has known Myunghon, Koala March crackers are the only consistent thing that Myunghon seems to continually reach for, but infuriatingly, not because of their nutritional content -- there's something in the way they stack that fascinates them.
Speaking English does seem to mollify Julian, and he compliments them on their language skills -- and wonders about their teachers. Though Myunghon did learn English at Seven Sisters, the excellence in their English really was forged by *capital*. And that's not a topic that they really want to launch into a full blown rant at this time. "<A pleasure, Professor Marlowe.>"
But Julian does speak Japanese quite well! There is a faint, distant chuckle at his ideas for a test. "An English teacher, I assume? Between you and Yua-rin, teachers have it so hard nowadays, with having to find missing students in evil places..." He speaks of the Mementos dare, and how there were victims there too. It's too late to gatekeep that particular rumour...
A secret labyrinth? Now that piques Myunghon's interest. Only at midnight...
"Now Chikarin, when you say 'at midnight'..." Myunghon pauses, glancing around. No, actually, Chikarin herself might not be aware of the Dark Hour -- for her, it might pass by just in the blink of an eye like nothing happened. They never confirmed that Chikarin was Awakened. Fuuka Yamagishi. So that's the name of the victim this time...
"Mmm..."
Myunghon makes cromching sounds from where they're forcefully feeding themselves fries, to make Yua less worried.
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
"They do this in America," Shinjiro notes to Yua as she ADMONISHES MYUNGHON for his food crime. That is an excuse, right? Right???
Though, something Myunghon says gets him to twitch his own eye. "Don't waste food."
But once the burger is in front of him, he grumbles. It's hot. It was paid for with someone else's money. If he eats it cold, that's a disrespect. He 'tchs' for no apparent reason, which may seem like being ungrateful as he pockets his money and opens it up and takes a bite.
Umie steps in with a bracelet, and Shinjiro finally takes stock of her. He doesn't recognize her, though he glances at her bracelet.
And then, Chikarin gives the final piece of the puzzle. "Ah. She's in-" he doesn't say it aloud, but it's *clear* he knows what's going on.
He takes a long moment to breathe. If that girl is in there, she's good as dead unless someone rescues her. SEES will likely go... but can they be sure to get her? Akihiko has new kouhais, sure, but those are clearly greenhorn rookies, if they've even got the Potential and are in SEES.
"I'll get anyone who wants to get into the school through there for the monetary value of a ramen bowl," he finally says. "Shinjiro Aragaki, third year."
Is he... a Gekkoukan student? Yua wouldn't have seen him, but if she's seen his file, she'd know he's *truant* and has been in school for a very minimal amount of days over the last few years.
"But I'll make one thing clear. Once you're inside, I'm not risking my life with you."
Eikichi Mishina says, "Just fine, Teach!" Eikichi gives Julian a thumbs up. "We're really coming together I think. We got the look down I think." He really doesn't mind the English professor since he seems to care more than most of the Kasu High faculty. That said, Yua is an ARTIST and that's what Eikichi lives for. Her teachings have given him more comfort with his body and that means something. Meanwhile, Eikichi is bad at English besides the cool things he does know.
"Thank you for the meal!" Eikichi accepts the salad and casually picks at it with a plastic fork.
He drops the fork when he's told that "It's not!", clutching his face like that famous screaming painting. "OH MY GOD!" Which was he reacting to? Noone could say as both have meaning to him.
He immediately drops the act when he hears about the secret labyrinth. So this was what happened to the missing girl. Sounds like his kind of danger especially because of his secret power no one else had. "Alright...So break into the school and find the girl in tower. If she's alive, I wanna meet this badass. Maybe she can join my band."
He hears Shinjiro's offer and smirks. "I'll get that for ya. Anyone else in on this crazy fight or just me?""
<Pose Tracker> Eikichi Mishina has posed.
"Just fine, Teach!" Eikichi gives Julian a thumbs up. "We're really coming together I think. We got the look down I think." He really doesn't mind the English professor since he seems to care more than most of the Kasu High faculty. That said, Yua is an ARTIST and that's what Eikichi lives for. Her teachings have given him more comfort with his body and that means something. Meanwhile, Eikichi is bad at English besides the cool things he does know.
"Thank you for the meal!" Eikichi accepts the salad and casually picks at it with a plastic fork.
He drops the fork when he's told that "It's not!", clutching his face like that famous screaming painting. "OH MY GOD!" Which was he reacting to? Noone could say as both have meaning to him.
He immediately drops the act when he hears about the secret labyrinth. So this was what happened to the missing girl. Sounds like his kind of danger especially because of his secret power no one else had. "Alright...So break into the school and find the girl in tower. If she's alive, I wanna meet this badass. Maybe she can join my band."
He hears Shinjiro's offer and smirks. "I'll get that for ya. Anyone else in on this crazy fight or just me?"
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ooshiro has posed.
Yua looks to Umie, when she steps forward. Her own nails are painted in a lovely orchid shade, long and just a little too perfect. "Oh, that's so fashionable!" She smiles, warmly. "Why not wear a token to bolster yourself? There are many mysteries in this world." See? The teacher's fine with it.
"My teacher? No, I'm Okinawan," Yua tells Julian, when he asks who her teacher is. (And while she's still polite, she's a little frostier, to him, for some reason.) She pauses, looking him over. ... he doesn't look like a soldier, so he might not get the cultural subtext. "There are many Americans in Okinawa," she explains, though she doesn't quite explain why, "so it is easy to practice the language." And that might explain why she doesn't sound terribly British when she speaks English. No... she sounds the other way.
Still... Gekkoukan turns into something 'else', at night.
... that's true. The Powers that Be might be more interested in what they can get done in the city when everyone is occupied with their coffins, but Yua isn't blind in /both/ eyes. She's seen the tower.
"It is!" Yua agrees, to Myunghon, smiling to them. They lower their voice a little, conspiratorily, as they share: "I was reading your book before then... I got up to the heroine having her first date. Ah, I'm not seeing anyone like that right now... but it's conceivable one day I'd go on a date with a lucky fellow, isn't it?" It's really not, but Yua has a public image to maintain.
(And, well, it's not like she lied. She's not seeing anyone 'like that,' because the woman in the novel is being romanced by a man.)
"Ah -- to be clear, no one sent me here to take care of this," she adds, to Myunghon, and she's speaking twice over to them again. 'No one' obviously refers to the faculty of Gekkoukan... but Myunghon is aware of the other people she reports to, too. "It just concerned me on a personal level, you see."
Also concerning: Myunghon's food safety and consumption. But Yua is satisfied by her attempts to be Normal. She eats her own chip in a very normal way, too. And then she looks to Shinjiro, and points out: "They do very many things wrong in America."
She looks at him a little more closely, as well, when she hears his name. "Aragaki-kun," she commits his appearance to memory. "I should quite like to speak with you when you are free." Why is the Jaws theme playing suddenly? No reason.
"But it could be quite damaging to your futures to break in," she points out. "So I will arrange for you to be attending to a chore for me, Aragaki-kun. It is best if you have permission to be in school so late in the day... and I am sure I can arrange some cleaning which could plausibly take longer than expected, even with those you might ask to help you from other schools." Here, she looks to Eikichi, before returning her attention to Shinjiro. "You may still face questioning, of course, but I do not wish for any of you to face punishment for your concern over Yamagishi-kun."
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
".... It's... Umie. Umie... Akabane," the short young woman mumbles, under her breath, to Julian. Then, with some effort, she adds, "<It is good too meet you, Mr. Marlowe.>"
Her English is... well, what would be expected of a Seven Sisters graduate, at least.
The teachers Julian and Yua bolster Umie's rumor at least, but as Umie moves to add justification, Shinjiro makes that interjection.
He may know this person.
Shinjiro makes his offer. Umie knows he'd be a good person to have around with demons. The same'd have to naturally follow in the Dark Hour.
"...."
She can justify it. Her actual mask needs a ways to go, just yet.
"I need enough to get back to Shibuya," she says, as she places the coins next to Shinjiro. ".... Beyond that..." Umie continues, as she brushes by Shinjiro her voice low to keep it from being overheard by most of the others. "You'll have to accept my thanks, for helping me that night."
She then raises her voice, as she turns around. "I got another one for you, Chikarin. This guy just reminded me. There's a statue, in Kasugayama High, that moves at night, hoping to find any truant students. The statue of the late Ishihiko Ishida." She looks aglance, casually. "Or so I'm told."
<Pose Tracker> Julian Marlowe has posed.
Aha, so the food crimes originated in America. Julian will remember this piece of bonus information, and put the blame there where it duly belongs. They indeed do many things wrong in America. And so, everyone that engaged in it today has escaped his judgement... this time.
"Fuuka Yamagishi... and a secret labyrinth at midnight," he quietly repeats the information to himself, before nodding. "Very well then. Thank you for the information." No need to go into detail about what he plans to do about it. He doesn't know those gathered here THAT well... as such, best to keep one's cards close to their chest, until he's learned more.
And with that, his disposition goes right back to the previous well-mannered, low-key cheer. "Indeed I do teach English," he confirms to Myunghon. "Though of my jobs, I consider the counseling side to be more crucial, considering the... environment." Best to just keep that one vague. And to not confirm or deny his involvement in any previous incidents.
Even if he couldn't claim to be aware of all that's going on there, just by the way Yua said it, he knows enough to prompt him to bow deeply at the waist. "I meant no offense, of course. It was my error to make assumptions regarding your personal circumstances." He really should know better. No one would probably guess exactly why his Japanese is so good, either.
He won't make that mistake again with Umie, just chuckling amicably at the introduction he was not-so-subtly trying to coax out of her. And sticking with Japanese this time in the response. "A pleasure to officially meet your acquaintance as well, <Miss> Akabane." Ok so he still can't shake that particular habit instead of just using suffixes like a normal person.
Shinjiro speaking up marks the first time that Julian looks at him for an extended amount of time, appraisingly. "Offering to help, <Mister> Aragaki? That's mighty kind of you." Quite unlike the way you choose present yourself, he thinks, but doesn't say. And considering Eikichi is making his plans rather clear, and Yua going along with it... he clears his throat.
"As we have established, I am a teacher. And as a teacher... I cannot condone any students putting themselves in danger. Hearing all this, I would be required to step in, and ensure they are kept from going to Gekkoukan at night."
He pauses for only a fraction of a second before continuing, "IF I had heard it. Thus, if anyone asks... I think we can all agree that I was never here, can we not?"
See? He's the cool teacher. We don't need rumors for this, it's a fact.
<Pose Tracker> Chika Ueda has posed.
It's very interesting to Chika Ueno that Myunghon responds this way to Yua. That's good to know. What could it mean? Chikarin's mind spins with the possibilities.
Koalas, though. They do stack...
'Midnight'. Chikarin tilts her head at Myunghon. "Hmmmm?" she wonders. Shinjiro is just as interesting a moment later--for the value of a ramen bowl... He'll get them in.
"And it may be a risk," Chikarin says. "Most people who go to Gekkoukan at night don't come out the same. ...Obviously I'm not going!"
Umie introduces herself. And she has a rumor! "Ooh," Chikarin says. "A moving statue... Man, Kasugayama sure does see a lot of trouble, doesn't it?"
"Oh well. Would you say the statue is really powerful or really weak?"
She internalizes the rest of the data, too. Yua being Okinawan; Eikichi's potential new bandmate...
"Oh, yeah," Chikarin says. "Obviously I never saw any of you about it," she agrees with Julian amiably. "Zip zip, that's me. ...Nobody needs to know where I learn the things I do."
A wink. "...But it'd be nice to be able to tell the story of Kasugayama's Death Boss coming to Gekkoukan students' rescue. I think that one would really take off. Especially if a <Mister> Aragaki were involved too..."
She grins. "Anyway," Chikarin says, "I'm gonna eat my burger now. You guys can think about what you want to do with the info as you like. I just provide it."
But 'no one' sent Yua... Hmm!!
"But hey, sensei," she says, looking to Yua. "Don't neglect Sevens! We like to dance still, too!"
Then: it's chow time. Though if someone wants to get her some Koala crackers... that would be acceptable.
<Pose Tracker> Eikichi Mishina has posed.
"Eh. It wouldn't be the first time I was caught in a school over night. You teachers probably shouldn't know about that though...So trust me. I'm good with whatever so long as we get that badass girl out safely." Eikichi cracks his neck again, looking a little more determined than goofy all of a sudden.
"Huh but I jus---oh! Heh. Thanks, Teach." He smiles, flashing another thumbs up as he strikes a pose. "OH YES! Lets GO BABY!"
He does however make an aside to Chika before she begins that burger. "Hey...Spread that rumor about the Death Boss coming to the Rescue. That's good publicity for the band." He says in a low voice so that the teachers didn't know his brilliant marketing strategy.
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
Myunghon looks to Shinjiro for a longer moment. This *is* more than just a passing curiousity for him. He knows of whatever this Fuuka has been embroiled in. It's certainly very interesting, but... hmm, the 'monetary value of a ramen bowl'. That could have a lot of meanings! You could purchase a ramen bowl at Daiso for only 100 yen! That's far lower than what he's socially suggesting is the price of a hot bowl of ramen from Shiraishi Ramen... "Hmm... I might take you up on that, Aragaki-kun."
"Mmmm. Well, Yua-rin and <Sir> Marlowe have excuses, they are teachers. If I am spotted trespassing onto a school one hour away from here, however, just think of all the SCANDAL! They would call me a social deviant--" Myunghon, most everyone already thinks you're a social deviant, "--or a leech upon society!" Myunghon, they're already also calling you that. "¡Dios mío!"
We're going to run out of symbols running through all the romance languages.
Their attention is fixed on Yua introducing herself as Okinawan.
For what feels like a long time, but only a blink to the others in the Peace Diner, Myunghon is washed away by Past again, and they are standing in the Seven Sisters courtyard. The spring thaw has given way to flowers. Myunghon was Myorei Yukichi then, and very definitively a she, and a conventionally packaged she in the way people expect a she to be, so that they can be in awe of she.
Yua is Okinawan. The confidence in which she introduces herself is something that Myunghon will never forget, who never introduces herself as Zainichi -- because, like Officer Ishiba and many others, people are extremely prone to discrimination. Hide who you are, and pass as Japanese, Seiichirou would say, often. Then you can leverage *power* over them. The right identity is power. Culture, too, is a mask...
Or it is learned helplessness.
"Oh, Yuarin, I am glad you enjoyed it," Myunghon remarks, understanding the little woven doublespeak behind the heroine on a date, and thus shapes her language to make it sound like she enjoyed the novel, when they clearly mean the *date*. "The heroine is very lucky to have such a gallant presence in her life."
Myunghon appears very dispassionate when they're consuming food the Normal way. Like food is... some kind of entertainment for them. They always want to be playing with their food. How old are you, Myunghon?
Chick-tan shares the story of the moving statues that catch truant students. There's a shiver from Myunghon as the story takes her far away again. Moving statues... "When we were at school, the rumours were about how the anatomy puppet from the infirmary ran on its own during the night. School rumours sure are moving fast... Hanako-san on the Toilet better put videos on Hee-ho Douga if she wants to remain relevant."
"All right. The rest of that rumour is... the magic word is 'Vegan underpants'. They say the burger they'll give you instead of three teri-tama burgers... will change your life forever."
A pause.
"Ah, so you're the Death Boss? I wasn't sure which one you were," Myunghon ruminates at Eikichi.
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
Shinjiro considers Yua's words, but he definitely internally hears the Jaws theme as she wants to speak with him. He deserved that, but...
The girl's life comes first.
Though, he grits his teeth a bit when she mentions his future. That doesn't seem to process in his decision factor whatsoever.
Eikichi and Myunghon get a nod, and Umie pays up. He chooses not to count it, in case it's wrong, only after he recognizes her voice. She helped him get the bag... so he won't care if she's short a bit.
He doesn't reveal her secret.
"Fine," he tells Yua. "To both. I'd rather none of them get in trouble for helping her."
What does that say about himself, though?
He's going to quietly eat his food now. That is it for Shinjiro for today... a new time block will begin soon.
<Pose Tracker> Yua Ooshiro has posed.
"Eh? A statue's doing my work?" Yua blinks, looking to Umie. "Is that why Kasuyagama didn't have any outreach programs before I came around?" No, Yua. It's because no one cares about Kasuyagama. But sure, it's because they had a statue, let's go with that.
Wait. Teachers are supposed to not help students do crimes. Internal Yua screams, 'AAAAAAAAAAAA,' as Julian wink-wink-nudge-nudges about this very fact.
HE'S GOING TO REALISE SHE'S A FRAUD WITH HIS EVIL PSYCHOLOGY POWERS!
External Yua manages to keep her cool, though. "Well, I'm sure the labyrinth is something of a metaphor," she 'guesses', "but given they're determined to search for her, it is better to make sure their good intentions do not see them punished, no?" F--flawless. Her cover is impeccable. And if she sounds a little more tense, responding to Julian... maybe that's normal. She's been a little cooler to him than to everyone else since she got here! It must just be Teacher Politics.
Totally just -- teacher politics. See? It's reasonable for her to want to help them, when Eikichi already has a rap sheet.
"Don't worry!" She adds, smiling to Chikarin. "I've a day to attend Sevens, too! You are welcome to join one of my classes, if you like." Not right now, though. Right now she's eating burger.
She smiles, too, to Myunghon. "Gallant as the King himself," she agrees with them. ... they've probably heard that nickname for Miho, too. But what kind of King is a woman? Again: her cover is flawless.
(She knows that they can't introduce themself the way Yua can... but maybe there's a little hope in seeing her do it.)
Shinjiro would rather none of 'them' get in trouble, though... Yua looks to him, with concern, but she won't press him for now. She knows it's a terrible environment for it.
Instead, she turns to Myunghon, and says: "Mishina-kun is very responsible in his school. He uses his popularity to keep order and provide a positive role model for his fellow students! I have not encountered a single student attempting to smoke a cigarette on Kasuyagama's grounds, did you know? All because he has insisted it is not good to do! It's very impressive."
He's also a gang boss, but this is not about that. Youth crime really isn't the kind of thing Yua is excessively concerned about.
You know, so long as they don't stumble into anything worse.
<Pose Tracker> Julian Marlowe has posed.
Julian chuckles when Eikichi openly speaks of things 'teachers shouldn't know about' in his presence. He'll consider that a sign of trust. "Then I suppose it's a good thing I was never here to hear you say any of that." He really is cool with just letting students do what they want, so long as no one gets hurt. But he has to keep up appearances in some manner.
If nothing else, his calm exterior remains intact - if Julian's noticed anything 'off' about Yua, there's nothing that outwardly changed to show any indication of it. "But of course," he replies evenly. "We all do what we can, in our own ways... my only hope is that the truth of the matter will be clearly seen by all."
OH NO HE'S HINTING THAT HE KNOWS THE TRUTH IT'S SO OVER
Except that's really not what he meant by that. What he does mean... perhaps he means to demonstrate in his following actions, nodding in the general direction of those present, and raising a hand.
"Well then. I hope to hear good news in regards to the missing student. I bid you good day."
And with that, he turns to head for the exit. So is he leaving the matter to the others that are here right now, or...? Regardless, he does appear to be leaving, and not about to offer any explanations as to why he came here today. Perhaps he was satisfied with what he heard, and this is just how it needs to be for him. To move out of the way of those who might change fate for the better.
It's fine, if that's what people think. There's no need to tell anyone about a certain 'friend' of his who might decide to get involved...
<Pose Tracker> Eikichi Mishina has posed.
Eikichi turns to look that Myunghon and strikes a pose, hand under his chin. "That's moi! What can I do for ya?" He isn't sure of what to make of this man just yet. "Change your life you say? I doubt that if it's the usual greasy food a lot of people stomach."
He hears Ooshiro Sensei's summary of him and he doesn't have the heart to tell her how he does that. All those broken noses and blood spilt was probably not the world she existed in. Then again? Art was hardcore at times. "I do my best. Heh..." He finds a moment to take a fork of his salad, munching quietly as he listens to some of the stuff going on around them. "Mmph-So anyway...I guess I won't be going to Gekkoukan..." He pokes as his salad again and takes another bite.
"Yeah it's a good thing you're not here, teach...By the way can I get an extension on tomorrow homework?"
<Pose Tracker> Julian Marlowe has posed.
Julian laughs pleasantly as he puts his hand on the door, calling back without looking over his shoulder, "Come now, <Mister> Mishina. The Death Boss has to set a proper example, wouldn't you say?"
He may like to think he's the cool teacher, but he is still a teacher.
<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.
Myunghon positively feels her nerves bulging as they sense the inner tension inside of Yua. It's an innocent suggestion from Julian, one that means nothing in the grand scheme of things, but Myunghon has become hypercalibrated by the way Yua reacts to Should-Nots... ... but, it doesn't look like they have to intervene right now.
The King was looking quite good," Myunghon does affirm to Yua, because Miho is almost always a positive topic, regardless. "It's going to be so soon, isn't it? I want to read the chapter with the coronation, too, but..." Myunghon pauses, because they're getting lost in the reeds of doublespeak. What they meant was 'I want to see Miho competing at the Olympics'.
They really don't need to hide Miho like she's a legendary wildebeest. But it's fun to speak in tongues like this.
But Eikichi poses for them, and Yua affirms just how amazing he is! "<<Wouaow*!>> Incredible, Mishina-kun, you strike the Delinquency out of people so hard you're a well-oiled Machine of Linquency!"
* << >> denotes French.
... ... ... what is this person on about??
"That was where I heard your title from. A few students do speak about the 'Death Boss' at my shop, the Cardboard Dragon, not far away from Kasu High. Behind the Sakanoue Building." That's basically two blocks down... there's rumour of a book and card game store.
There's a more relaxed smirk from this white-haired person. "If you need any info, feel free to stop by. Rumourmonger Merry will cut you a good deal."