2025-07-08: Directions
- Log: Directions
- Cast: Ichika Kawase, Haru Okumura
- Where: Paulownia Mall, Port Island, Iwatodai City
- OOC Date: July 08, 2025
- IC Date: June 06, 2012
- Summary: Ichika is stood up at the mall, but it works out: Haru is in need of guidance around the mall. A conversation ensues that neither expected.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
It's a lovely day at Paulownia Mall, especially if you like rain. Ichika could go either way on it, and that's why she's still inside the mall rather than out of doors. As far as approachability goes, Ichika Kawase's is not typically that high. That might be different today, though. She is dressed not in her typical delinquent gear but in a lovely outfit of draping yellow top (sleeveless), a short black skirt, and translucent yellow stockings into knee-high black boots. She stands out even more for being as tall as she is, 180cm or nearly six feet tall, even without heels. And of course, bracelets and jewelry and dark makeup, along with very long bleached hair.
Still, the day stretches on, and while it's obviously cloudy what with all the rain, the mall is in good swing. However...
Most people at the mall are already in the shops or huddled up talking to each other, excepting the Apathy Syndrome patient by the central fountain, who is talking to no one at all. A couple of housewives gossip; a few kids chatter.
The only one on her own for the moment is one Ichika Kawase, the aforementioned girl in yellow, who is messing with her phone by the bench. She happens to lower it and look into nothing in particular just now.
<Pose Tracker> Haru Okumura has posed.
Normally, Haru wouldn't be anywhere near Tatsumi Port Island, considering how out of the way it is from Shujin Academy, and how she tends to be driven home from school. Today, however, considering the family has other business to attend to - an important meeting Mr. Okumura must attend to, Haru was told she's on her own today. Not one to complain about such inconveniences, Haru took it as an opportunity to see more of the world out of her own little pocket, and made it a day trip to Port Island after tending to the school garden.
After some walking around, and the help of a handy umbrella she remembered to pack for school, Haru made her way to the mall. Really, she was most interested in checking out the Chagall Cafe - a chain that you don't often see around the urban centers of Tokyo. But while it's not a particularly large mall, shopping by herself is a rather rare novelty for Haru - and her sense of direction isn't the greatest, either. That just means the only way forward is to ask for some help, right?
And so, a girl in a Shujin uniform with a sleeveless purple blouse overtop approaches Ichika, seemingly unbothered by either her height or bleached hair. Haru can be bold and decisive about such things when she needs to be - and besides, she looks like she could be a student, too. "Hello there," The girl greets her. "I'm terribly sorry to interrupt, but could you guide me to the cafe?" She smiles, albeit a little awkwardly. "I may be a little lost." A Shujin student all the way out here is not a common sight, so it may be no wonder.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
It's normal enough for Ichika; she has family here, after all, and a few friends. But what is less normal is being approached by someone who seems... nice. So Ichika looks to Haru with a little surprise at first, though it fades into something more thoughtful after she notices the uniform. The teacher had been talking about Shujin, and then so had...
"Hey," Ichika greets her in return, nodding back reasonably politely. "It's not a problem," she clarifies first, because she was interrupted from doing... nothing.
"It can be tricky to find it--the shops all look the same if you're not used to it."
"But it's over here." Ichika pushes off the wall and starts towards the cafe, pausing long enough for Haru to fall into line with her. "That's a yes," she makes sure is obvious. "Chagall. It's a nice place. ...Though..."
"You're pretty far from school," she says. "I know Chagall's good, but is it 'travel that far from Tokyo' good?"
<Pose Tracker> Haru Okumura has posed.
Haru is a little relieved the person she approached for directions is so understanding - after all, there are a lot of people who would rather not be interrupted from doing nothing. "Indeed... it was a little awkward to have accidentally walked into the beauty salon instead." Haru agrees, when Ichika explains a lot of the shops look the same from the outside. "I have to say, there's a lot of unique shops in this mall compared to Shibuya, even if the selection isn't as large..." She adds, mostly just to make small talk so they don't walk in silence.
Haru glances over where Ichika is pointing, and the aroma of coffee starts to become more apparent. "So that's where it was! Thank you very much... miss." Haru bows courteously - if not with some hesitation, considering she doesn't know Ichika's name or preferred honorific. "Yes, I've heard good things about the chain. But I suppose it does seem strange to come all this way for it..." Haru shakes her head, briefly glancing at the small population of the 'Lost' wandering the mall. Ever since awakening to Milady, she's become more attentive to them. Still, she tries to keep her focus on her conversation with Ichika.
"Perhaps it's just because it's different. It can be tiring to try the same things all the time, isn't it?" She answers. "Besides... I've heard their coffee contains special pheromones that are meant to make you more charming and popular. Do you believe that?" Haru asks, with a bit of a giggle. "Of course, it's probably not true... but it's an interesting way of marketing it, is it not?" She takes a step closer to the cafe as Ichika pauses to wait for her. She just hopes she isn't coming off as too eccentric or off-putting, but it's rare she gets the chance to speak her mind about this sort of thing.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Ichika could have been mean about it. ...But old habits die hard; she wasn't always the delinquent type. And it's thanks to someone being friendly at this mall that she...
Well. "Heh, that's a difference," she says. "Though you wouldn't be out of place." Small talk! There are a lot of unique shops...
"You're welcome," Ichika says, and considers for a moment--but doesn't introduce herself immediately. Instead she says, "An excuse to travel is an excuse to travel," Ichika suggests, without asking why Haru would need such a thing. "...A little unsettling, huh?" she says of the Lost. "There's a lot of them here in Port Island. It's sad... but they're harmless to anyone else."
A pause. Special pheromones! Ichika laughs a little. "I did feel more charming last time I went," she admits. "I do like it." She pauses, then. "...My name's Ichika," she says. "Ichika Kawase. Do you mind if I join you? I was going to go here myself, but I was stood up. If you'd rather go alone, that's fine though."
<Pose Tracker> Haru Okumura has posed.
"Maybe I should give it a try next time I stop by the mall..." Haru considers, of the beauty salon. "It sounds like a nice way to unwind and relax a little, doesn't it?" She smiles a little, as they walk, nodding about having an excuse to travel. "I'm not currently in any clubs or teams for Shujin," Haru starts, and perhaps it's not difficult to understand why after the school's most recent scandal, "so I have to make my own excuses." She is being truthful about that, even if her own situation is a bit more complicated.
She nods more slowly when Ichika motions to the Lost. "I heard on the news that it's some type of mental health epidemic... Apathy Syndrome, is it?" Haru frowns. The way the Lost act - or rather, don't act at all - reminds her a little of how she felt the first time she experienced the Dark Hour, even if she can't say for sure if it's connected. She decides it's best not to bring up anything supernatural, though. "It's just terrible... I just hope there is some way for them to become themselves again." She agrees.
"Is that so? Maybe that's how it works... if you drink it expecting to feel more charming, you become just a little more confident in yourself, the same way you expect to feel better after drinking a health drink with plenty of nutrients..." Personally, Haru finds the psychology behind that sort of thing to be really interesting. "Either way, it's nice to meet you, Ichika-san." Haru smiles. "You can just call me Haru!" She adds in turn, though she notably omits any surname. "I wouldn't mind some company," Haru says, and approaches the line to order. "How do you take your coffee? I'm happy to order for the both of us." Is this girl just THAT nice, or is she super loaded?
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"It does," Ichika agrees. She likes that sort of thing, though. "But to do my hair this way I do it at home, usually." She gestures up; the bleach. Beauty salons are less likely to want to do it the delinquent way. Still, "Oh, yeah?" She can imagine reasons for that. The volleyball teacher... Hmm. "I'm not at my school either," Ichika answers instead.
And the Lost, well... "That's right," Ichika says. "It's been going on for a while now. ...Some people with it have gotten better lately, but the cases started rising again after that. My dad's a doctor, but... he doesn't know anything about why it happens, either." A shake of her head.
"That is kind of funny, huh? So because I expect it, it works? The power of positive thinking, I guess. I don't usually go in for that, but maybe."
Ichika-san! And a given name out of Haru, too. If she doesn't want to share her last name, that's fine; Ichika only gives her an extra moment's glance and a 'hm'. "Haru-san, then." She walks with Haru to the line, and says, "One order would be faster... But you don't have to pay for us both." It's polite not to accept immediately--and Ichika is used to being the one paying in her friend circle anyway.
"I like it black usually, though. That way you can taste the flavor of the beans more. I love sweets, but milk and sugar gets in the way of the coffee for me."
<Pose Tracker> Haru Okumura has posed.
"Your hair is rather unique," Haru nods. "I quite like it!" Bleached blonde hair is rather strongly discouraged in Shujin's extremely conformist culture, and Haru's heard that even a naturally blonde underclassman was given a hard time by her teachers, but she's not personally one to judge. "Though personally, I'm happy with the way my hair is, even if the curls are rather difficult to manage at times..." As for school, she decides it's better not to mention Kamoshida. Instead... "Oh, where do you attend? If you're from this area, I imagine Gekkoukan?" She doesn't pry into why she might be skipping school.
Haru frowns as Ichika gives more of an explanation of The Lost. So it is possibly to recover, but then only more take their place... "That's troubling..." She agrees. On the other hand... "It's said people with a more optimistic outlook are more likely to be happy with their lives. Though... considering how many people are developing this 'Apathy Syndrome', perhaps that may be easier said than done for many people." Admittedly, she had a certain amount of pessimism towards her own life, considering the life she was resigned for - but now, it may just be possible to change that...
Normally, Haru would be fine with just omitting the honorific in her name altogether. But considering they've just met, and she used the same for Ichika, she doesn't protest the '-san'. "Please don't worry about it... just consider it thanks for helping me find my way around, okay?" Haru offers, shuffling some cash out of her purse - 1000 yen for two cups of the signature 'Pheromone Blend'.
"Apparently, my grandfather used to say the same... he used to run a cafe himself, actually." Haru nods, about how black coffee better brings out the flavor of the blend. Maybe that gives a little extra context as to why she went on a whole day trip just for some coffee. "It's hard to get used to the bitter taste, but I'd like to give it a try as well."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
She likes it? Ichika can't conceal being a little surprised at that. Surprised, but pleased. She smiles. "Hmm. Well, your style suits you. Maybe that's because you're happy with it; confidence can do that." A pause. "Ah..."
She knows that it might end the conversation, but she doesn't want to lie. "Kasugayama High," Ichika answers. "My sister goes to Gekkoukan, though--my family lives here. So I still make it out here fairly often."
She will, if not stopped, continue though. "Definitely easier said than done," Ichika agrees. "...I'm not a big optimist myself. But it's nice when I see other people who are."
"If you insist," Ichika allows, and smiles. "I'll do that." She will accept it when Haru seems so set on it.
But her grandfather? Hmmm. "Oh," she says. "That's cool. I wonder what that's like?" She smiles back. "It does take some getting used to," she admits, "Especially if you have a sweet tooth. The trick is to focus on what it is, its unique attributes, instead of just that it's the opposite of sweet." Pause. "Well, that works for me, anyway. I didn't start drinking it like that until I got into cooking more..."
<Pose Tracker> Haru Okumura has posed.
"Why, thank you. And yes, perhaps that's it..." Haru gives Ichika a reserved smile. "Sometimes, I worry wearing something over my uniform top would stand out too much at a school like Shujin, but thankfully, no one has given me a hard time about it..." Perhaps because the teachers are busy giving the new transfer with a criminal record a hard time, and the other students have better things to worry about.
As for Ichika's school... "Ah, Kasugayama? I've heard it's a... rather unique school, if I'm not mistaken." There's an awkward politeness to the way Haru says, it but it doesn't end the conversation. She's always been told that Kasugayama students are nothing but trouble, but Ichika's been nothing but nice to her. Why should that kindness be worth any less because of the circumstances life has handed her?
"...I feel the same, honestly." Haru nods, slowly, about not being much of an optimist. "We're always hearing stories on the news about corruption across the world, but it's hard to feel like any of us can change it by ourselves, isn't it?" Haru shakes her head. "At the same time, everyone at my school has been talking about the 'Phantom Thieves', and their promise to change people's hearts..." It all sounded like a story straight out of TV, like the tokusatsu heroines she used to watch, but now that she's seen Mementos with her own eyes - and her own fiance's Shadow, maybe there really is something to it. "If such a thing is really possible, I wonder what the world would look like?"
As Ichika accepts Haru's offer, they make it to the front of the line, and in the short order of a few minutes, they both have black coffee in hand. "That's what I'd like to find out one day..." Haru nods, considering her dream about one day opening her own cafe - something she may never get the chance to. "I do like sweets from time to time... but it's important to have a richer flavour profile, isn't it?" Haru keeps Ichika's words about coffee and cooking in mind. She really knows a lot, doesn't she? "Besides, the bitter taste of coffee pairs well with something sweet on the side too."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"...I understand, I think." Ichika stands out less the way she wears her uniform now, at a place like Kasugayama. "But that's good. I hate it when people get down on others for how they like to show themselves."
Unique! "...The fact that you can say that instead of running off is nice," Ichika answers. "Though I guess you wouldn't want to leave the coffee." She smiles faintly. "It's pretty unique. But we don't bite." She reconsiders. "Some of us don't bite."
But Haru feels the same? That endears her a little to Ichika. "It is," she agrees. "The guilty go unpunished all the time. And people are left to pick up the pieces." But... "I've been hearing about them lately too," Ichika says. "Is it true that they got justice for that teacher, that Kamoshida?" she wonders. "...Well, I guess you might not know. You're just at the school. But that's what I heard."
Ichika tilts her head. "I don't know," she admits. "It'd be so different from what we have now that I have trouble imagining it."
Black coffee! The Pheromone Coffee is indeed delicious, though whether it raises their Charm is something Haru will have to find out for herself. "I hope you can, then," Ichika says. "It's nice... having something to look to, like that."
"Right," Ichika agrees. "An adult's palate should be able to handle multiple kinds of flavors. We're not there yet... but we will be, soon enough." A beat, "And you're right! I think so, too. Contrast... it's good that way."
<Pose Tracker> Haru Okumura has posed.
"I feel the same way... it's a shame individuality is so frowned upon at times." Haru nods, even if she doesn't quite understand the different culture in Kasugayama. "I didn't feel I had anything to be scared of," Haru smiles, when Ichika says some of them don't bite. "You had to go out of your way to help me, after all." There's a slight laugh. "Though, the coffee is important too."
"They go unpunished because they know there's no one who will even try to stop them... I wonder what they would do if that changes." Haru frowns, thinking of her own fiance - and how powerless she feels when she was with him - and how good it felt to fight back even against a Shadow version of him.
"Well... they brought in some kind of 'calling card' the day before he confessed, so it seems likely it's at least linked to them somehow." Haru explains, about Kamoshida. "Who knows what they could have written for him to confess to such terrible crimes?" Admittedly, even she didn't know everything that was going on before the confession - she never had much to do with the volleyball team.
Haru frowns, when Ichika says she has no idea what a world without the corruption they know would even look like. Unfortunately, she doesn't have much of an answer for her, either, so she just takes a good, long sip of her coffee while it's still warm. "There's something about a nice cup of coffee on a rainy day, isn't there?" She comments, considering Ichika's words about her dream. "If I could inspire feelings like that with a blend of my own... I would be happy with that." For now, expanding her pallete is the best thing she can do.
"Sooner than it seems... it's hard to believe my eighteenth birthday is only six months away. And not long after that... graduation." Haru admits, with a stark frown, before her expression turns more neutral again. "Are you a third year as well, then?"
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Individuality in general... a Shujin student who looks for individuality is at least notable, if not necessarily rare. Ichika laughs a little. "I guess I did," she admits. "...I was so surprised that you'd approached me that I didn't think to be grumpy. But then, girls should help each other out, I think. When we can."
"...Mm. It's hard, though. When trying means you might be the one taken down instead, because of how much power they have." She thinks of someone, too. ...But she doesn't explain any more than she preses for Haru's frowning moment.
Instead, "Hmm... That's kind of stylish," she says. "Showing you're not too afraid of being caught to leave something like that." A pause. "Yeah, I have no idea. It's cool, though."
Ichika sips her coffee, too. "There is," Ichika agrees. But that's what Haru wants? "...That's a nice dream," Ichika says, though she said something similar a moment ago. She looks a little distant for a moment--but there's a sweetness to that dream, even if her own lack feels bitter.
"Oh, so?" Ichika asks. "Mine was last month," she answers. "I'm a third year, like you. ...Graduation..." She sighs. Her expression isn't quite a frown, but she does definitely look a little lost thinking about it. "Well, at lest we have more time before then, right? Time for coffee on rainy days."
<Pose Tracker> Haru Okumura has posed.
As much as Haru finds it important for people to express herself, she doesn't try to stand out more than she needs to herself. At the same time, she'd rather people know her as Haru than as Ms. Okumura.
"I'm glad it worked out that way," Haru replies, with a bit of a laugh. It's strange that they've managed to get along this well, considering how different they are, but in a way, that's made this little trip more than worth it. "We're much better off helping each other out than pushing each other away," Haru agrees, about girls being there for each other.
"Mhm... I don't believe it's the victims' fault, but I think it's a shame that there is such a high cost to speaking out..." For someone with the delinquent lifestyle, Ichika has quite a strong sense of justice, Haru thinks - but maybe that comes more naturally to them, after all. "It almost reminded me of those tokusatsu heroes and heroines I always used to watch when I was little," Haru considers, about the Phantom Thieves. "...Part of me really does admire being able to do something like that."
"Maybe it's just that... a dream." Haru admits, about running a coffee shop. After all, her family has different priorities for her. "But I think it's nice to dream while we still can." Another sip of coffee. "Do you have a dream, Ichika-san?" She pauses, only to notice Ichika's expression turn just a little more distant.
"I see..." Haru nods, noting that Ichika doesn't really seem all that happy about graduation. "Mhm, all we can do is make the most of it... like we are right now." Coffee on rainy days...!
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
It would definitely be different, knowing Haru as that Ms. Okumura first.
Ichika laughs, too. "Right. Me, too." Not that she's likely to run into Haru again by chance, but it's still nice. "Agreed." She thinks of the other day, with Takeba, and shakes her head. "Definitely agreed."
A shame... That's a good way to put it, Ichika thinks. "Right. ...It's hard to be brave, in a situation like that." She doesn't explain her sense of justice, but she does brighten at the mention of the tokusatsu types. "Oh, you were into those?" she asks. "That's fun. ...My brother was, too." A pause. "I think I do, too. Admire it, I mean. ...At the same time, I don't think I could just leave things to people like that, either."
A dream. Ichika understands the difficulty in having dreams, of course--but it's a little surprising that Haru does, too. "It is," she agrees quietly--but then shakes her head. "Not really," Ichika says. "I used to, but..." She shakes her head.
"...But that's gloomy talk, and gloomy talk is bad for digestion, or something. Let's enjoy the coffee, instead. ...Make the most of it, like you say."
<Pose Tracker> Haru Okumura has posed.
Haru doesn't know the context of what Ichika dealt with, but she does know that there are lots of girls who would rather see each other as competition, so she gives her a sympathetic nod.
It's hard to be brave in a situation like that... Haru thinks back to the night in Mementos, when she felt so.. exhilarated to be given the power to fight even a fake version of her fiance. That were it not for the social cost of doing it, it's how she truly feels... "Even if you're someone strong enough to stand up for others, it can truly be difficult to stand up for yourself." She agrees. "Ehe, I was. Featherman Ranger has always been popular. hasn't it? But my favourite was always this one about a beautiful girl in a mask..." She reminisces, with a bit of a dreamy expression.
Though her expression straightens again at the reality of the Phantom Thieves. "I suppose you're right. We don't know very much about them, after all... I wouldn't want to place my trust in people who don't know what they want to do." She looks into the ripples of her coffee, as Ichika explains she doesn't have a dream anymore. "...If nothing else, I hope you can find a new one someday." Haru offers, before the conversation gets hopelessly gloomy on her own end.
"It is good coffee. Are you feeling more charming already?" Haru laughs. Perhaps she is - it's not every day she meets someone new like this.