2025-08-08: Game Night

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<Pose Tracker> Hazuki Nakao has posed.

The flagship Gigolo Arcade located in Akihabara is currently packed. The Ultimate Night Parade 4 Remix Lightning Edition launch party has begun, and as a popular Tokyo arcade, it's fairly busy. There'll be a casual tournament running throughout the event, as well as a raffle for prizes. There's also a snacks and drink counter set up specifically for the event.
Gamers from across the city have come to play the game, and it's said to be the 'best rendition' of the Night Parade franchise since the second game's many spinoffs. Revolving around yokai and their hunters, the fighting game is very popular.
Despite the amount of people, the crowds are pretty orderly. A big arcade setup has been done in the middle of the store for the tournament, and signups are free. There are also several other cabinets for the new game available in a 'take turns' basis. A couple of people are in cosplay, and it's pretty nice.
Hazuki Nakao, in her usual casual clothes, is a little gloomy, but not as much as she normally is. She's got a fake smile on her face, as she approaches another boy with short black hair and a t-shirt, standing near the refreshments center of the arcade. They're waiting for their match, of course, which is coming up soon. Her tone as she approaches him is very friendly, as if she knows him. Her accent is heavily English-tinted.
"Nakata-kun! Good luck in the match! One of us is going to win the whole thing for sure."
The boy, one Taro Nakata (a regular at this store), grimaces at this, not responding, almost like he's ignoring her. He doesn't leave, but he's clearly not in a good mood... something seems off about him.
Hazuki, for her part, falters. Does she notice he's ignoring her...? (of course she does). Her gloomy frown comes back on, as she pipes up again, "...I'll get us some drinks before our match," before heading to the refreshment center. He doesn't respond.
Hazuki is at least very noticeable while getting the drinks, the frown on her face obvious. "Did I do something wrong...?" she mutters, just audible enough to hear. 

<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.

        Myunghon came home really sad last night. Really, really sad. They wouldn't even really say why!! It's the saddest they've been in a long while. And thus, pawing at Shinobu in that kinda annoying way of theirs:
        "Naa... Shinobu-ssi, take me somewhere you'd go for fun... okay?"
        Who knows Myunghon was really good at puppy dog eye when they get like this?!?!?!
        ~*~
        Akihabara. It's kind of a long way from home. Myunghon kind of always dismissed it as Otaku Town, but they participate in contemporary fashion, do they not? Today they're here at (one of the) Gigolo Arcades. They used to be Seha Arcades, but then they got took over... and by the time the next mainline Persona game, they're gonna have to come up with a new fake name again... such is the cycle of brand victimship.
        It's a 'day off' for them, so they can't just keep wearing that suit and jacket of theirs, and so... and so...!!
        HENSHIN!! GAPPE FORME M!!
        Myunghon is here today in a... a... an XXL-size pale yellow aran sweater that has unceremonously turned into a sweater dress (despite it being summer), black leggings underneath, repurposed white Mary Janes, and a white coat that's also too large for them, such that their sleeves are flopping over the ends of their arms.
        They kinda look like they're ready for the bedroom. They have a purse slung over their shoulder. But undeniably, The Gap Moe aesthetic they're displaying is intense. The bandages are still there, of course.
        "H-hmmm... so this is a... game arcade?"
        They look like they're about to get swallowed at the entrance into the maw of a realm in which they might not be able to escape from any longer. It might not be untrue. "It's already quite crowded. What do you like playing here, Shinobu-ssi?"
        Their attention is drawn to the girl wondering what she did wrong. Oh, wasn't she the one from the Peacock Silk? That wasn't a very pleasant time for her. 

<Pose Tracker> Suzume Fukura has posed.

Suzume has had a busy few days. She's started her new training regimen... two of them, technically, as neither of the people who she talked to about it know about the other one.
But you're not supposed to work out *every* day. You've got to recover, too. And she likes video games, especially competitive ones, so she was definitely going to make the trip up to try the new edition.
As a result, Suzume's name is on the tournament list, Suzume's ticket is in the raffle, and Suzume is present, wearing a pair of black jeans and a boxy blue shirt. Unlike her usual 'baggy' outfit, this one isn't loose because it's too big, it's loose because that's the cut it is supposed to have. She actually looks sort of respectable!
Suzume has actually just had one of her matches, which she won with her usual aggressive style; much to her annoyance she's not exactly predicted to win overall but she certainly isn't going to go down easily either if she has anything to say about it.
At the moment she is over by the refreshment table herself because it's June in Japan, it's hot, and she wants some water. That's it. That's her whole story. She glances over at Hazuki as she approaches herself, recognizes her as another competitor at least, and gives a slight nod.
She does not wish her good luck though. She's saving that for herself. 

<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.

It's a launch event! And Ririka is psyched for it! She will be entering both the raffle and the tournament.
But she is also a bit tired, and had to pop an extra canned coffee or two to get her through the day. Why? Well, it might have to do with the fact that she stayed out late last night, and only got back to the dorm during Dark Hour. If asked, all she says is that she lost track of time skateboarding.
Totally not suspicious.
But now, at least, she's excited. If also nervous. Boy that's a lot of people. She takes a quick breath to center herself after stepping in. Boy that's a lot of people. Ririka sweeps her eyes across the store trying to orient herself. She's tall, and dressed in a light purple tank top, denim vest, cargo pants, and sneakers, with her hair half up in a ponytail and a leather bracelet on one wrist.
She finds the signup sheet, fills out her name and then immediately stiffles a yawn.
Okay, one more drink.
She wanders over to the refreshments, looking at what's on offer, and then glances at Hazuki. Quietly she asks, "... hey, everything okay?"
There's an awful lot of people here, and she doesn't quite hear Myunghon, but... she does Hear something, and blinks and glances over in Myunghon's general direction for a moment.
But Suzume's arrival distracts her. "Oh, Fukura-san. I should've known you'd be here, too. Have you gotten a chance to try the new game yet?" 

<Pose Tracker> Yukari Takeba has posed.

Akihabara, Tokyo.
Yukari Takeba does not usually come to Tokyo's Electric Town, it's just not her scene. Tonight though, she's here with one Beniho Igarashi who told her they were coming to a casual party. Usually Yukari would say no, but she'd been really mopey lately about her breakup with Reiya... so she decided to just go.
"Uhhh... what kind of party did you say this was again?" Asks Yukari, who's standing in a pink halter top, decorated with dots, with flared ankle skinny jeans, and a pair of white sandals.
"A launch party." Beniho answered mildly, as Yukari answered back, "Forrrrrr?" "A fighting game I'm rather fond of." Beniho answers again, "Whatttttt?" Yukari complains, "Why didn't you say anything?" "Well, because I didn't want to go to Tokyo alone and you didn't seem like the gamer type to me."
"I'm not... geez, Igarashi-chan... you really should have said something." "It'll just be for a few hours, please stay Takeba-chan." "Why should I though?"
"Well... it's hard enough to meet people as is and the gamer crowd is a little..." "Lemme guess, it's a room full of a bunch of sweaty awkward guys hitting on you constantly." "...Ah. You understand." "Sooo I'm here to bail you out if you encounter any trouble." Yukari sighs, "Greattttt." Beniho smiled apologetically, "I knew you'd understand. And besides... perhaps you'll meet someone yourself."
Lowering her voice, Yukari looked even more dubious than she suddenly sounded, "Somehow I really doubt that."
-=-=-
"UMI-BOZO! YUREI! NUE! KAPPA! NUE! GASHADORUKO! KITSUNE!" The game cabinet announces as Beniho scrolls through the selections to choose her favorite Youkai character for a warm up match, and Yukari watches her at a slight distance, arms crossed as she holds onto her bag tighter than usual.
A boy walks up to Yukari, and tries to ask casually, "Do you game?" "Not really." "Oh yeah? You here to watch your boyfriend play?" "Nope. Just one of my friends." "Oh yeah? Well the way I figure, you're the prettiest girl I've seen here-"
"And you thought I'd be flattered at you using a line like that comparing me to the other girls." "W-Well... I mean, you've got great-" She interrupted that one sharply, "Maybe quit while you're behind and I won't end up kneeing you in the groin and kicking you once you're on the floor."
As the boy finally walked away, bitterly muttering something about girls, Beniho looked Yukari's way, as she put on a very forced smile, waving a hand and drawling out, "Gooddddd luckkkkk!" Before she muttered, much more softly, "Sooooo glad you brought me here. What a fantastic afternoon this is turning out to be."
 
She's standing out here pretty openly, she just hasn't looked around to realize quite yet that people she knows are already around. 

<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.

It's devious. They always seem to pull that move when she's least expecting it. Shinobu has no defense against Puppy Dog Eye.
"...Alright. There was a place I was going to go. But I gotta warn you ahead of time - it's dangerous. One wrong move, and you might not make it back out. Be careful in there." Shinobu replies. That's right - Shinobu has plans to descend into a den of evil...
...The den of evil known as the arcade.
Shinobu arrives alongside Myunghon. She's in her usual outfit of a light jacket, a band logo t-shirt, and worn jeans - so for once, she actually fits right in.
"Yup. That's right." Shinobu confirms with a nod. "There's a big event going on today, so looks like it's really drawn a crowd..."
What does she like?
"Usually I come here to play a few rounds of Innocent Cog, but I'll play anything I can get a match in, really, maybe try my hand at the shooters." Shinobu comments with a shrug. "...Tonight, though, I'm aiming right for the new Night Parade."
Same as everyone, it seems - Shinobu moves to put herself on the sign-up lists.
Myunghon's attention is drawn to Hazuki - and that, in turn, causes her to follow their eye right to her. ...She frowns, massaging the back of her neck, and takes a step forward.
"...Hey, everything okay?" She asks. She isn't the only one, it seems. 

<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.

Arcades were not a new scene for Hyousuke. He'd been to them at least once, as some beanie-wearing stranger - as well as two people that didn't even go to the same school as him - could attest. However, while he'd heard tell of such events happening at them, this was clearly the first time that he'd been to one in person. Wide-eyed and walking slowly, he seemed to wander around the area in something of a haze, unsure of where he was supposed to go. If his flitting gaze was any indication, he didn't even seem to know where he was supposed to look.
Eventually, he managed to wander his way over to the signup booth. Despite the fact that he towered over a great many people in attendance, and looked to have wide enough shoulders to carry two of said attendees under his arms, Hyousuke bore a rather striking resemblance to a lost child. Blinking slowly, looking around with a mix of wonder and confusion writ clear on his face, and seeming a little hesitant about doing anything significant, he eventually managed to work up the willpower to mask it. Doubly so when the person on the other side of the desk noticed him, and asked if he was there to sign up for the tournament.
He wasn't sure why he'd said yes, nor why he'd signed anything. He didn't play the game - the only reason he was in attendance was because he had time to kill, and he'd finished his training that morning. However, he had been entered, and it was only a matter of time until it was his turn to take a spot.
"Just gotta get the hang of a new game before time's up." He said to himself, more thinking aloud than trying to address anyone. He kept it up, even as he stood in line for the new game. "Can't be that hard. 

<Pose Tracker> Reiya Aomori has posed.

Reiya Aomori does not play fighting games very seriously; he enjoys them on occasion, but mostly on his own. But Akihabara is a fun place to go, and he had had plans to attend this launch party already...
Unfortunately for him, the person with whom he made those plans kept them!! This could get awkward.
Reiya does not sign up to play, because that could lead to bad places, and he prefers to stay in the background regardless. He has not come in cosplay, instead dressed in his usual 'relatively nice' summer outfit, a thin dress shirt over a T-shirt and slacks. He is of course in light blues.
He notices a lot of things. Including... Merry-san.
He joins Suzume at the refreshment spot, also selecting some water. He doesn't join in asking Hazuki if everything's okay, because--
He sees Beniho crushing someone.
"..."
Reiya does not draw attention to himself. 

<Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.

Coming in fashionably late is somebody who absolutely does not look like the average arcade-goer. More like the kind of person you'd expect to run into if you blundered into the infamous alleyways at Port Island Station. Brightly dyed hair, dark eyeshadow and clothing... which is sparse enough to show off that she is also exceptionally well-toned, which you absolutely wouldn't get from just street fights. Especially at the young age that she still appears to be.
But if there were any doubts about whether she took a wrong turn and meant to visit the gym instead, she dispels those immediately with her loud proclamation upon entry.
"'Sup, my nerds! Niko in da house! Let's get this party started, y'all!"
She said 'otaku-tachi' just now - not meaning it to be derogatory, since after all, what does anyone come to Akihabara for? She too is here for the same thing everyone else is, although whether everyone will believe she isn't here to cause trouble is the question. Is the smile on her face enough to distract from the wild, street thuggish look she has going on? Not to mention, there is at least one non-NPC here who knows who she is, having met her before under less than pleasant circumstances.
However, her reputation at the arcade isn't actually bad. Not that she's been at this one very often, but... well, she stands out enough to have a reputation. The reputation of 'being a lot'. Which gives the average arcade-goer plenty of reason to look uncomfortable at her presence whether they know her or not. Even so, while she may be loud, and likes to be the center of attention, around these parts, she hasn't been nearly the amount of trouble she may appear to be at first glance.
She didn't sign up for the actual tournament, that's too much hassle. Instead, she heads for the cabinets meant for casual play, grinning as she flexes her palms. "Alright alright alright, who wants an ass-kicking?" She arrives just in time to catch the tail end of Yukari tearing a dude a new one, prompting high-pitched laughter as she jerks a thumb in that direction. "Not THAT guy, he's dead already! You all see that vicious murder? I love it!" 

<Pose Tracker> Hazuki Nakao has posed.

Myunghon is not noticed by Hazuki, yet, because she's too busy wallowing and looking at DRINKS, though she'd recognize them as well from the fair. Though, once Suzume comes up, she looks over to the other girl, nodding. "I saw your match! Good aggression... I wish you luck!"
Suzume, on the other hand, might recognize Hazuki as the Goddess of Tricks, one of the frontrunners for winning the tournament who is known for playing zoners, but also basically everyone. Who also just gave her a bit of her almighty luck, so perhaps Suzume's rankings will be better...
"Oh... I'm fine, thank you," Hazuki lies to Ririka, before turning her head to Taro. If Ririka follows, taking in his presence, she'll sense something. For her, it'll take the form of some sort of uncanny sound, a serious Wrongness surrounding the boy. Hazuki clearly doesn't seem to sense it. "You here to play?" she asks Ririka.
Yukari's placement might put her near Taro himself. If she herself looks in his gloomy direction, just staring at his phone, she'll feel a shiver, something very uncanny and odd about him. It's not quite as strong as what Ririka feels, but it's like he's... off.
As Hazuki grabs and purchases two energy drinks, Shinobu approaches. Looking over her, she responds with "Yeah... it's nothing." Another lie. People don't want to be burdened by your pain. She seems really gloomy, though.
Reiya is spotted by Hazuki while looking over to Shinobu. "Huh... lots of people came with friends." He's with that other girl, right?
But what does that say about Hazuki, who clearly is carrying *two* drinks, only one for herself?
Niko draws attention. This includes Taro, who makes a loud tch. What a disgrace, this person... that's what the look on his face reads. But also, that same uncanny vibe would come to Niko as well, that there was something *off* about this boy.
He steps over to Hazuki, moving to take the drink out of her hand. He doesn't even ask, though she quickly gives it to him instead of letting him snatch it. This will spread that same uncanny vibe to everyone nearby... but Reiya and Myunghon.
No, they will have the same feeling as Ririka, in their own way. Something is Wrong with Taro Nakata.
Hyousuke, meanwhile, gets signed up! He is now doomed to competition... 

<Pose Tracker> Suzume Fukura has posed.

"Yeah," Suzume responds to Ririka. "I'm in the tournament actually. I won a pools match." Though this is pretty casual as these things go, she means she hasn't had the *real* competition - just whoever she got matched with at random.
She glances toward Hazuki, thoughtfully. "I think the hard stuff's still coming up." Especially when she's addressed: "Same to you," Suzume replies. "I haven't seen your match yet." A beat. "In this." Does she recognize Hazuki? Does she know the legend? Maybe.
Suzume will never admit it, but she approves of Yukari's method of handling guys...
...given her response isn't actually that different. Boys that hit on Suzume often get elbowed. Or worse. The one advantage being short has given her is the ability to trivially elbow people in the gut.
But she's not going to call out to Yukari if she can help it. She looks a little stormy to see her here at all, really; this is much more Suzume's kind of place than hers, and she almost feels like she's being crowded in some way by seeing her here. Yukari came with someone else, but even so.
She grumpily opens up her water - "Oh," she says, spotting Reiya. "Hey. Didn't think you'd be at a place like this, but I guess it's time for everyone to show up." Suzume finally gets the cap off: "Did you enter?" That seems to be her number one question: is she going to have to fight Reiya? Or... e-fight him, anyway.
Niko barging in gets her attention. Suzume doesn't know her, but - "Damn," she blurts out - it just kind of slips free. Now that's confidence, she thinks to herself, with something almost like admiration. She takes a swig of water afterwards to cover. 

<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.

        "D-dangerous? I see. So you like an element of danger even when you're having fun, Shinobu-ssi..." Myunghon might be imagining something actually more dangerous, like a secret casino full of yakuza and the Kkangpae and even the Triads, an underground paradise full of tobacco smoke and the allure of bloodsport.
        That's one of the girls who came to the Cardboard Dragon, Suzume. It looks like they're competing. That would make sense... card games, video games, they're pretty adjacent interests, aren't they? And her friend... that was the one that they and Junpei were both protecting on that night. There's a sudden cold spike in their spine. Why are there so many people they recognise here in the crowd?
        Was everyone get ushered here into the same place by some invisible conspiracy? Rethink your steps, were you followed or influenced to go here in any way? The choice to go here was decided not by them, but by Shinobu. Is Shinobu compromised somehow?? No, that's extremely unlikely. Was there something in the route that they chose to go here? They only took the usual commuter train and switched to the Yamanote-sen... Yamanote-sen... Yama no Te... Night Parade... the Youkai fighting game... Youkai are often seen high up in the mountains. They switched at Shinagawa to take the counterclockwise Yamanote-sen here, passing by... the Takanawa Gateway, Tamachi, Hamatsucho... eight stations. EIGHT STATIONS!! The eighth month is August, and August has seven letters in their name, seven/eight?! Was something else going to happen on the night of the 7th of August?! Will there be another Full Moon during the Dark Hour--
        ... this mostly looks like Myunghon dissolving into another dissociative panic attack on the outside, but they suddenly snap out of it when they feel Ririka's ping upon their mind. This has the effect of them goldfishing their one eye as they look around and doesn't quite pick out the source of the supernatural ping, but it has them more on edge.
        With Shinobu entirely in her element, they're the one that sticks out like a sore thumb right now. "Ah, wait..." Myunghon listens to Shinobu explaining about the games she likes, but it all just seems to fly over their head. Innocent Cog? Night Parade?
        Oh-- and there's... there's Takeba. And the boy that was with her when Merry granted them the free skill cards, Reiya. Were they of any use in the end? It's a bit cringe, though, that boy trying to hit on Yukari... oh, right, teenagers are also often horny and want to get together with each other... ohhh... this is like high school all over again... navigating that bizarre and suffocating maze of admirers and secret letters left in the shoe lockers and confessionals behind the sakura tree and having to politely maintain kayfabe while not understanding why adolescent-age human beings think with their--
        No. No, Shinobu's here to take you out so you can have a good time, you can't keep dissociating!! Especially because Niko's in da house, and--
        SFX: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6j1syeNcgM
        Oh, Myunghon is really having an awful time, aren't they. Hazuki seems really down, but their attention's drawn to that Nakata-san that Hazuki was just talking to before. The heartbeat that echoes in their brain is loud enough to be like jackhammers for a second. Was this the same as Kaneshiro? No, they're not hearing a distorted echo in yellow... but was that an ironclad rule of manifesting a Palace, or did it differ from person to person?
        "I--I'll get you a drink, Shinobu-ssi, while you sign up?" 

<Pose Tracker> Yukari Takeba has posed.

"Ha." Is Yukari's chuckle, to Niko dragging the guy publically, "Honestly? He got off easy." Is her remark, which is a little funny if you think about her saying 'he's dead already'.
It's not Beniho who sees Reiya of course, it's Yukari, who's just staring his way. She's not really saying anything. More just trying to say don't bother her.
 
If her role is to help Beniho out of a jam if she gets hit on, then it's far easier to just be proactive about this.
 
But, her eyes flit away from him to look at Taro instead. "Huhhhh..." It's like the hairs on her arms are just standing up, just an idea that something is extremely wrong about him.
 
Reiya may watch her eyes following that guy, before she takes out her phone, and starts typing...
 
... Reiya's phone buzzes with a mail.
 
>hey rather than stare at igarashi-chan
there's something weird about that guy
strange vibes I dunno
 
If he follows her eyes, he'll see her staring straight at Taro, then she looks back at him, and is taken slightly aback by Suzume now standing next to Reiya.
 
"Are those two here together?" She asks herself quietly, somewhat surprised by the two just being here together. "... Well, I can see why she might be his type. Just hope Igarashi-chan doesn't see." She murmurs... just in time to look away and see Merry acting a little weird...
 
"Hmmm."
 
Now she really is starting to get worried. Why though? 

<Pose Tracker> Reiya Aomori has posed.

Niko does seem pretty confident, and she draws the eye very easily. Reiya glances at her, thoughtfully. It's easy to see her given that she comments on Yukari's... opponent.
But he does catch something else; as Taro shows up, he senses a dissonance, something incorrect about him. He seems unpleassant enough already, but there's more...
But Suzume notices him. "I enjoy games," Reiya answers. Then, "I didn't." Pause. "...My... ex-girlfriend entered. I thought it would be awkward..."
Confidence is nice. But text messages? Reiya manages to hear his alert tone even in the crowd, somehow. He pulls his phone and looks down. He reads the messages, and the only reason he doesn't scowl is that 1) she's right and 2) he's stoic enough to hide his feelings on that. Instead, he responds:
>Agreed. I'll watch him.
Reiya considers for a moment and looks back to Suzume. "Good luck with the competition," he offers, and drinks his water.
He doesn't make obvious the fact that he's shadowing Taro; there's always an excuse he might be at that particular place, whether it be commenting on someone's cosplay or looking at a screen or just drinking his water.
But Reiya is watching.
...This means he can see a lot of other people, too! But mostly Taro. 

<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.

Ririka hasn't quite noticed Yukari either, but she does frown as she hears someone walking behind her muttering. What got into that guy?
But someone else is interested in Hazuki, and Ririka looks, and blinks. She's clearly wracking her brain, trying to place it... "Did we meet... at the flower shop...?" she asks Shinobu, then snaps her fingers. "Shimizu-san, right?"
But there is someone tall that catches her attention--and given that she's 5'10", that's saying something. She frowns as she sees Hyousuke, frowning a bit. that was even further back but... it'll come to her... Oh. She only got his first name. Thaaaat's awkward. But still, she tries. "H-hey, Hyousuke-san, right?" She is very plainly wincing as she says that.
But it's that girl from the festival he met. ... Once. She got some dango.
But Niko enters, and shouts, and Ririka of course turns to look at her. And then does a double take. "What the--" She kind of pales, just a bit, and shoots a look to Suzume and Reiya. How does she convey 'that's a dangerous person I fought' in a crowded setting?
If only she could telepathically tell them...
But Hazuki says she's fine, and Ririka looks to her, nodding a little by reflex. She doesn't seem fine, but if she says she is... She does follow Hazuki's gaze, though, and once she spots Taro, she gasps a little.
What is that sound. It's... not like anything else she's encountered so far. She's stuck staring at Taro for a moment, before the question finally penetrates. "Hmm? O-oh, yeah, I just signed up," she says to Hazuki, before looking back to Taro. "Um... friend of yours...?"
Now she's really stressed, and struggling to maintain her cheer.
She looks to Suzume and nods. "Cool. I just signed up, too. How's the new game play so far...?" She's clearly distracted glancing back to Taro, though. 

<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.

"Something like that. It's not fun if it's easy." Shinobu replies to Myunghon. "...Well, I guess that depends, actually, but..."
She shrugs and leaves it at that, before looking toward Hazuki.
"'Nothing', huh." Shinobu replies as Hazuki says 'it's nothing', in a way that makes it clear she doesn't buy that at all.
She glances to the side, watching as Yukari mercilessly tears a boy to pieces. He probably deserved it. Then there's that loud girl, calling herself Niko... loud in more ways than one.
Shinobu looks toward Myunghon, who... really doesn't seem to be in their element here, unlike her. She massages the back of her neck. ...Was this a bad idea? Maybe she should've found somewhere else...
...Then again, it's not like she knows what else to do for fun.
Shinobu glances back toward Hazuki, then - right as Taro comes up to grab a drink. ...There's something weird about that guy. She can't place it, though - not in the way others around her can. So for now...
"Sure, thanks. Try not to get lost, alright?" Shinobu replies to Myunghon with a grateful nod. It might be good for them to have something to focus on that isn't video games...
Shinobu moves to sign up, then, then looks back toward Hazuki - and Ririka, who's also checked up on her.
"That's right." Shinobu confirms. "Kawase, right?"
She looks toward Hazuki.
"...How about you? You got a name?" She asks. Maybe engaging her in conversation will help. 

<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.

The line was far longer, and going far slower, than Hyousuke expected - and it showed. He still looked around, but rather than it being because of simple curiosity, it was because he was simply impatient and couldn't stop fidgeting. The tapping of his foot and drumming of his fingers was yet another symptom of that. Anyone that so much as glanced at him would have been able to tell that he didn't much care for being stuck in line for something he wasn't even sure he'd enjoy too much, so it should have surprised nobody when he broke off to find something else to do before the tournament started.
The thought of grabbing a beverage of some sort crossed his mind, and for a brief few moments, he looked around the area to see where he might get some. In his quest to find somewhere to get a drink, however, he found himself peering at an oddly familiar sight. He squinted at the stranger - someone rather tall, he noted - and tried to see if there was anything about them that he recognised. He couldn't make out much of their features at the angle he stood, and he was too far away to hear them over the din of the crowd - if they spoke at all - but their hair and height eventually caused something to click.
He strode towards the (hopefully) familiar face, angling and edging his way through the crowd with no small amount of difficulty. With how tightly-packed some pockets of people were, his frame made navigating an arduous task, and he found himself slowed significantly more than once. But, in time, he came to stand no more than a foot or two from Ririka and some others he had no recollection of. It was only then that he realised he might have intruded on something he wasn't supposed to be near, but it was too late for that. His mouth ran before his brain had even gotten in gear - he supposed it was only luck that she spoke before he did, and seemed at least vaguely receptive.
"Thats me!" He then realised he didn't quite remember her name, despite her calling him by his. She didnt seem to be comfortable doing so, but nevertheless, she remembered more than he did. In that split second after he'd finished speaking, Hyousuke's brain began to strain, the hamster wheel inside spinning so fast that those listening closely might have been able to hear a faint squeaking coming from his ears. He knew it began with an R - he was at least sixty-percent certain of it. Seventy, if he was feeling lucky. Then, in a moment of uncharacteristic cunning, he realised there was a way around it. "Good to see you again, Kawase-san! Im Suzuki. These guys your friends too? 

<Pose Tracker> Suzume Fukura has posed.

Suzume didn't spot Merry until just now, and she isn't going to bother her right now - but she does remind Suzume she wants to head back to the Cardboard Dragon, and not for a shopping trip with Hitomi this time.
"I didn't know you played much, so I wasn't really expecting you to," Suzume says in response to Reiya. "Ex-girlfriend though? Rough." She follows his gaze over to - oh. The one Yukari came with. They must be friends, she thinks to herself.
She elbows him, but gently, not in her anti-date-mode style. Which probably doesn't *disprove* Yukari's assumption about them. "Don't let her make it awkward," she says, vaguely aware that maybe he's not entirely over her but lacking any experience to say more than that. She puffs out a breath as anything else she might have said dies on the vine. "Well, whatever. But I'll take your luck. I'm gonna need it," she adds, with uncharacteristic... is that modesty, or just acknowledgement of fact?
She does follow his gaze over to Taro, though. Suzume doesn't know him as well, and she's already mentally off balance for several other reasons. He just seems like a bit of a weird kid to her, but you see a lot of weird kids at arcades. (After all, she's here, you could add if you were unkind.)
As Ririka is not telepathic, she fails to impart on Suzume exactly what's up. She seems surprised, though, especially after Suzume drew attention to Niko. "What?" Suzume asks, slightly on the defensive. "I'm just impressed she's wearing that. She's got guts. And abs." Do *I* have abs? Suzume thinks to herself. Not like THAT, granted, but...
...she doesn't want to think about that right now.
"Aaaanyway," Suzume is happy to follow the topic change. "Pretty well. Nice and snappy, you know? It's faster than some of the other versions. Works for me," given her aggression; Ririka has already seen her in action with her combos. "It's supposed to make it harder to turtle, I think, but they gave all the zoners new tricks too. Not looking forward to running into them." 

<Pose Tracker> Hazuki Nakao has posed.

"I think I'm up next..." Hazuki replies to Suzume. "Maybe we'll face each other!"
This causes Taro to frown sharper. "Yeah, right," he says with a swig of his drink.
Myunghon's dissociation gets a worried glance from Hazuki. "Are you alright?" She clearly is unawakened, having no resonance to speak of and not seeming to have any problem with Taro's presence at all.
...besides the fact he's being a dick, at least.
Reiya can follow Taro as he comes and goes, but he always seems to come back to Hazuki, like he has something he wants to say. He just doesn't say it. Instead... he grits his teeth. "This drink's crap. You should have gotten a better one."
"...sorry," Hazuki says, looking down at her compression gloves, clasping them together.
He moves as if he's going to step away again, allowing Hazuki to introduce herself. "Ah... I'm Hazuki." Long pause. Long, long pause.
"...Hazuki Nakao, sorry." She's lost in her thoughts, customs are hard for a foreign girl!
As Suzume describes the game... "Yeah. I'm a zoner main, so I'm excited. Yuki-Offa is my usual main, and she got huge buffs, so..."
And then, Hyousuke is called over! "Oh, a friend of yours? Hi there..." She clearly has an English-accented tone to how she speaks, but there's a sharp tinge of loneliness to her. It'd seem... her own friend(?) isn't treating her well. 

<Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.

Niko for one seems happy with all the eyes on her. Doesn't really matter to her whether the looks seem positive or not - though perhaps out of a certain feeling that she can't quite explain, Taro's is singled out. That look on his face... her response to that is... to wave at him, cheerfully. Did she completely fail to interpret what he was obviously thinking? Or is this mockery? Who ever knows what's going on in Niko's head.
Her eyes did also pass over Ririka... but she didn't react in any noticeable way. Maybe she failed to spot what should be a familiar face in the big crowd?
Having no particular reason to single anybody else out, she sticks to her own section of the arcade, making fingerguns at Yukari's reaction. "Oooh, right on, we got a girl who likes to give people a taste of hell, nice."
Aaaand that's about all the patience she has for her earlier question. "Aw come on, no takers? I was talking about kicking ass in the game, I wasn't really gonna kick anyone's ass. Probably not even if you beat me!" See, nothing to worry about, probably.
When nobody bites within a few seconds, she's quick to whirl back on Yukari. "How 'bout you? You play?" She doesn't look like she plays, so she continues on that assumption, "It's easy, you just mash buttons. Imagine you're smashing that dude's face in, it'll come natural." 

<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.

        "Y-yes... thank you," Myunghon admits to Hazuki. Come on, don't make it so obvious that people have to ask you if you're all right. That's inefficient and ineffective masking.
        In all truth, the choice to separate from Shinobu is probably not a good idea, since she was somewhat acting as their anchor before. But they're feeling bad about feeling bad and causing Shinobu to feel bad about her choice to take them here even though it was THEIR insistence that they take them somewhere fun.
        Myunghon shakes their head again, trying to take calming breaths as they catch Takeba's eye. They glance towards where Reiya was tailing Taro -- Reiya's great at his job, so it's not like he's being obvious, but Rumourmonger Merry is in the crime business and can spot a subtle tail when they need to -- because they get tailed often. So SEES noticed it too...? It wasn't just their senses.
        First, their actual task. This is an Arcade, so it's not like there's going to be a bar or anything, so off to the vending machines it is. Ker-chunk. Hopefully Shinobu's going to be fine with Muscle Tea. They'll stick with a Dr. Salt NEO for themself... sugar-free variant. This takes them on a roundabout path and they stop by Yukari.
        "Takeba-kun," they answer. They're looking a little... cuter, today, in their oversize sweaterdress and white coat combo, perhaps. It's a change from the lankiness of the suit and jacket. "I didn't know this was your kind of place." They say with all the paleness and bags under their eye that suggests they're having a bad time here too.
        This also ends up taking them near Niko, and they have a second look at her drip. "Oh, it's about mashing buttons...? That seems easy enough, I suppose," with the guilelessness that suggests they've never played a videogame in their life. "A friend took me here, but I've never played a videogame in my life." 

<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.

Ririka is trying to take in a lot right now, but she nods to Shinobu, and tries to offer a smile. "Yeah, that's me." She was the girl buying very sad flowers. (The flowers were fine, they were for a sad occasion.) "Did you make your delivery okay?" She means the very ambitious boquet Shinobu was picking up.
She quickly grabs an energy drink, pays, and then gets out of the line, to make room for other people. But as she steps away she's drumming her fingers rhythmically on her thigh as she steps away, and even hums to herself for a moment. (She's actually just mimicing the stage music from the closet arcade machine to her.)
But Hyousuke approaches--who, as far as Ririka can tell, isn't awakened, so that makes her predicament worse. But she forces a smile for Hyousuke, nodding. "Ririka Kawase, that's me. It's good to see you again, Suzuki-san." Finally. A last name!
"Oh, w-well, some of them I know from school, or I'm in the same dorm with them..." Friends might be a bit much for people she's only just met, for the most part.
She looks to Suzume as she mentions Niko. Guts. Certainly. Abs? Ririka can't help but look again... and she blushes as she very quickly looks away. "Um, yeah, she does."
The conversation change is a lifeline. "Snappy, huh? That's good, they put 'Lightning' in the title, after all... The new tricks should be interesting, though..."
Hazuki introduces herself. "Oh, Ririka Kawase... that... is your friend okay...?" He's not but she doesn't know how or why.
Hazuki then asks about Hyousuke. "W-well, we met at a festival a few weeks ago, so... I just though he might like seeing a familiar face."
She's really glad Niko seems to miss her, for the moment. That's helpful. But moving closer to her is... Myunghon.
She glancs between Myunghon and Niko. Maaaaaybe wait to try and talk to the person she noticed earlier. (That person being Myunghon. She doesn't want to talk to Niko.) 

<Pose Tracker> Yukari Takeba has posed.

Yeah that elbow nudge from Suzume to Reiya definitely makes Yukari think that, until Ririka comes over, and she considers the new information. It's possible Ririka might be so oblivious as to third wheel the pair, but it's just more likely they all came together now for another reason.
 
She's not approaching though, because she's here for Beniho - and if they're with Reiya... well, drawing Beniho's gaze that way could be disastrous to her night.
 
"You're really good at this... best match I've had in a long time." Beniho's first opponent has turned into an admirer, and is hanging out nearby her. Which is... distracting her, and not in a bad way that requires Yukari's intervention.
 
"I've just been enjoying this series for a long time."
 
She used to enjoy it with Reiya quite a lot... which is when Niko compliments Yukari again - Yukari looks Taro's way to keep track of him, but Reiya's on it.
 
It's not like he's going to gas the place, right?
 
"Me?" She looks back at her as if startled, "Oh I'm not here to play." But, Niko keeps going and asking, "Uhhhh. Welllll..."
 
And that's when Merry interjects, as Yukari takes a look at their outfit, "It's really not but..." She eyes Merry, as if she suspects Merry is really a gamer. After all they run a trading card store!!! Come on!
 
"Oh hey Merry-san ...You know what. How about you play Merry first? And... I'll just watch up close and see what it's like. Besides! I'm not sure I can imagine that..."
 
She smiles as if apologetic, before adding, "...I'm not really the kind of girl who aims for the face."
 
The face may leave a mark, but if she's hitting someone. She wants them to hurt. 

<Pose Tracker> Reiya Aomori has posed.

Reiya continues to watch Taro for the moment. He is being a dick! But why? Well, Reiya's not an expert on human behavior, so he can't exactly say that. It's a welcome distraction from what he was going to worry about anyway, and if he happens to be very good at shadowing someone, Yukari...
Well, don't worry about it.
He considers stepping in, but he's still observing. He notes the new people.
...He sees Yukari CRUELLY ABANDON Myunghon too. It's fine.
He sips his water, and stands behind another pair doing a competition fight. He pays enough attention that if someone asks he'll know what to say, but...
Mostly, watching that guy. 

<Pose Tracker> Suzume Fukura has posed.

Finally, someone she can just *talk* to about video games! "I run Bakeduo-neko," Suzume says, "and that's *not* a good matchup." For her, presumably. "But I guess we'll see if we run into each other."
She pauses a beat, then: "Suzume Fukura," she introduces herself. "Hey. I don't make it out to Akiba as much, but, you know. Special occasion and all." Which may be why Hazuki hasn't encountered her gaming before, if they move in some of the same circles.
When Hyousuke arrives, Suzume looks up. Again. "I shouldn't be surprised you're here at least," she says, having met him before. Well, she just introduced herself so she's not going to do it again. "Yeah, we're friends. Or at least dormmates, we're all from Gekkoukan."
Suzume gives Taro a *look* that ends in a scowl. "Don't be a dick," she says, dropping into otokorashi - a more direct mode of speaking that's usually associated with men (or boys), but in her case she uses it along with crude language. She almost says something else, but changes her mind at the last moment.
...because she wants to tease Ririka. It's okay to be a dick when she does it. (Also, she's not doing it to be mean.)
"How did you NOT notice?" she asks Ririka (and she's not being crude any more). "Did you spot someone else interesting? Who else is over there?" Suzume stands up on tiptoes in a vain attempt to see over the crowd - but Ririka has nine or ten inches of height on her, and is far better equipped to do so than Suzume ever would be. She drops back down to flat feet afterwards, having annoyed herself slightly.
"I should challenge her," Suzume decides, before checking her phone for the time. Does she have time before her next match? Probably... "Be right back," she says, before starting to pick her way across the arcade toward the arcade cabinet Niko's taken.
"Oi!" she calls, raising her voice. "If she's not up to it, *I'll* do it." Yukari's over there, but she figures she'll behave, and Suzume is not going to ignore the opportunity to maybe show her up. She is not aware that Yukari already spotted her and made some assumptions earlier, of course. Suzume doesn't really pay attention to that kind of thing. 

<Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.

Niko's pretty sure she can get a game out of Yukari, she can be very persuasive. But her train of thought is also very easily lost, to the point where, when Myunghon interjects, she's already forgotten about what she was in the middle of doing. Now this has become about teaching someone Videogames 101: The Science of Button Mashing.
"Well yeah! It's better to hit the buttons in a certain order, but you learn that as you go. Easy enough to beat down some punks who think they're hot shit with just mashing, they won't know how to fight back when what you're doing doesn't make any sense." That's been her experience, anyway.
Yukari graciously gives up her metaphorical seat, and Niko just goes with it. "Sure thing, let's play, uh, Merry? What's your last name, Christmas?" She laughs at her own joke.
Spotting a boy who's playing by himself, she grabs him by the collar and yanks him away from the machine, saying simply, "You were losing anyway, just save yourself some time." She meets his annoyed gaze with a bright smile. ...It's probably not that smile, but more the total package of Niko that makes him decide not to press the matter and slink off. Absolutely an understandable choice.
...Besides, she was right, the health bar difference in that match was about as great as it could possibly be without one being entirely empty. Her actions are totally sensible, they always are. She takes her position on the left, when--
"A New Challenger Appears!"
That wasn't the game, she just said that out loud. Turning to Suzume, she grins in approval, finally someone who actually seems into the games all the people here are supposed to be there for.
"Well then, what's it gonna be?" she asks Myunghon, who's suddenly been given a lifeline. "You wanna fight each other to decide who fights me?" Or that could happen. 

<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.

Taro returns to Hazuki. Shinobu watches him with a frown ...Seriously? Is that all he has to say?
"...What's your problem? Asshole." Shinobu mutters with a shake of her head. She isn't the only one who calls him out, either. She looks to Hazuki as she introduces herself. She forgets the customs, but it's fine - Shinobu tends to be lenient with that, since she intentionally drops a few of them herself.
"Nakao, got it. Shinobu Shimizu - nice to meet you." Shinobu replies with a nod. She glances toward Hyousuke, and then toward Suzume. ...A lot of these kids seem to know each other - looks like they all go to the same school. She wonders if they came here together on purpose, or if it just ended up that way.
Her and her sad flowers... She doesn't ask about them, figuring after the fact it might be a sensitive topic. Instead, she nods.
"Yeah, thanks. They got to the recipient alright. ....You alright, after that?" She replies. She doesn't say anything about what happened after. Client confidentiality and, after all, it isn't polite to speak ill of the socially dead.
She looks backs toward Hazuki, then, as she and Suzume talk mains.
"Really... Nukekubi main, here. I'm good with puppet characters." Shinobu comments. Managing the floating head is hard, but really helps keep the pressure on.
Suzume goes off to challenge someone... and if Shinobu were more perceptive, she might have realized the situation Myunghon's been put in.
...She'll remember you as you were, Myunghon... 

<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.

        Myunghon is about to admit to Yukari that this is also not *really* their scene when Yukari immediately reverses their social positions and they're stuck being left on the sacrificial platform to PLAY VIDEOGAMES. H-how did this get to this?! They were supposed to just get a drink for Shinobu and themself! Help, Shinobuuuu!! There's not an iota of guilt behind that apologetic smile! Yukari Takeba! Are you sure your arcana is not THE DEVIL?
        "H-huh? Me? I've never--"
        THE MASTER OF THE NIKO-NIKO KNEE
        VERSUS
        SOME LOSER WHO'S NEVER PLAYED A VIDEOGAME IN THEIR LIFE BEFORE
        But wait!
        INTERRUPT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9LV7mucpkA
        Here comes Suzume, off to challenge Niko!! Entirely in the position of a fake final boss who gets clowned and thrown off-screen before the UI even appears, Myunghon slinks away with a mildly grim face to Takeba for a moment. "Just Merry," Myunghon remarks with a glum look on their face to Niko. "Suzume-kun, you play Niko here. I don't know how to play videogames, so that's all right by me."
        Shinobu really wasn't exaggerating when she called this place a Den of Evil. Where did she go?? Heeelp... okay, step two, try to find a toilet to make your new best friend if you can't find Shinobu... 

<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.

Ririka might be trying to figure out a way to get the attention of her fellow SEES without spilling anything to the ordinary people around her, but... well, it might just risk the sppearance of third wheeling. Oh well.
But there's quite a bit to track here... and that's before you start adding in the supernatural layer to things. But Reiya seems to be watching Taro, like she is... so he noticed too, huh...? Or is he watching Taro because he's in a bad mood? Should she be worried about him doing something?
Suzume says they're dormmates from Gekkoukan to Hyousuke, and Ririka nods in agreement. "Yep! But like Fukura-san said, this is a special occasion, so..." Even if she didn't know everyone was going to be here.
She looks to Suzume as she drops into that cruder, more direct form of speech, and actually looks a little impressed... but then the teasing comes.
"N-no, I noticed her," she says with a glance to Niko and then back to Suzume. She lowers her voice. "I ran into her at Kasu on Tuesday." That was the day of the 'gang violence' (Joker Killer attack) and the 'improvised explosive' (land mind.) But she can't say all of that here, can she?
]
But Suzume moves to challenge her, and in a hushed whisper, Ririka tires to stall her. "W-w-wait-- Fukura-san..." Ah, crapbaskets.
She nods to Shinobu, who says the flowers got delivered. "That's good." But is she okay? "Oh, yeah, the gift went over well." She tries to say this with a cheerful smile, but it's a bit strained. (It actually did go well, relatively speaking. They're sitting in a vase next to a picture of her brother in her dorm room, but that's neither here nor there.) 

<Pose Tracker> Hazuki Nakao has posed.

Hazuki turns to Ririka as she asks if her friend is okay. When Taro's out of earshot... "I've never seen him act like this before..."
Taro, meanwhile, scowled back at Suzume, for sure.
Hazuki is soon called up by an organizer, who also brings Taro, still sipping his 'crap' energy drink.
They take their seats, Hazuki flexing her gloved fingers. "May the best one win."
"Whatever," Taro replies.
The match is between two skilled players, for sure. Taro knows how to play, and is playing a gimmick character, one who teleports. He knows what he's doing...
But Hazuki's just plain better. Yuki-Offa, with her long-range freezing, ends up reading most of his teleports - one of her new anti-airs catches him out of an aerial teleport, leading into a combo that lets her win the first match.
"It's okay, you might get the next one," she tries to reassure to a 'tch'.
He does not win a single other round. Hazuki decimates him, with people commenting around them.
"That's the Goddess of Tricks, alright, pulling off a brand new move!" "Nakao-san once again destroying the competition..." "Nakata-san really needs to step up his game."
As Hazuki takes the win, they move as if to shake hands, and...
Everything goes wrong.
"Screw this. I'm not shaking her hand," Taro says.
"Eh? Nakata-kun..." Hazuki says, confused deeply.
Taro laughs. "Nakata-kun, Nakata-kun, oh, right, like we're friends!"
Hazuki frowns deeply. She's stunned silent. "Aren't we...?"
Taro steps out of his seat, moving to the side, as the nearby crowd and a few organizers silently watch, unable to figure out what to say. There's a brief silence before he speaks again. "You just came into my damn life like a *loser*, thinking we were friends. We're nothing. You're just some freak of a foreigner who thinks just because she's from England or something that she can just do whatever she wants, because she's better than everyone else at the damn game or something."
Someone in the crowd finally speaks up. "Nakata-san, that's not cool! This isn't like you!"
"And what would you know about me? That I'm a clown? Haha funny? *Screw you*."
Taro moves to leave the arcade, leaving the vibe a bit...down (but also allowing the wrongness that certainly flared for a second to disappear). Hazuki seems like she's going to pursue, but ends up getting cold feet as she heads off into a corner. The organizers quickly huddle together, before calling a small break before the next match.
Hazuki, if one heads to the corner and looks closely enough, is starting to silently tear up. No one seems willing to check on her.
Maybe some of them think he's right. 

<Pose Tracker> Reiya Aomori has posed.

It's true; Reiya mostly played this series for Beniho. He still doesn't intervene on Taro's statements; a lot of other people have that covered. He considers Niko, explaining video games. He considers Suzume, challenging Niko. And Shinobu, checking on Hazuki. Myunghon, gloomy and trying to escape...
Ririka embarrassed over something.
And then the match.
That wrongness flares, but it's almost missable over the regular wrongness--his rudeness. But when Taro leaves...
So does Reiya. If anyone thinks to look for him, he simply won't be there anymore at the event.
He's followed Taro, instead. In the shadows. 

<Pose Tracker> Yukari Takeba has posed.

"Maybe. I think they're pretty festive." BETRAYAL! CRUEL BETRAYAL! CRY AND WAIL MERRY AS YOU FLASH BACK TO HIGH SCHOOL!
 
Didn't you know that all Teenage Girls have the potential to be the Devil inside of them? Even Philemon says so.
 
(Disclaimer: He says that of everyone)
 
Unfortunately Yukari completely misread the situation-!!! Oh no! And now she'll never know!
 
"Wait you really never have?"
 
Or maybe she'll learn immediately. There's a small frown on her features as she looks a little vaguely ashamed, "... Now I kinda feel bad. Oh well." She thought she was setting up Merry, known Card Shop Shark to hustle like it was a pool hall.
 
Instead she turns back to Suzume and manages to compose her expression, "Well... why don't you show me how it's done, Fukura-san?"
 
Yukari doesn't suspect she'll change her mind, she doesn't really like even the idea of gaming in this sense but...
 
... well she'd only make everyone mad if she spoke her 'true mind' on the subject of gaming herself.
 
"As you play... uhhhh..." She looks towards Niko, "What's your name again? Anyhow...I'll watch." 

<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.

        ... it's an unpleasant reflection, but Yukari's not incorrect in that this is all really reminding Myunghon of high school -- of being the Perfect Student, which meant an even more rigorous and unassailable mask by which no one can find out about your flaws. That mask was then refined onto the stage of university, then of corporate... and then they decided they didn't want to be that kind of person anymore.
        Myunghon doesn't know what became of that Perfect Student. Nothing about those years truly felt like living, only like being stranded on an alien planet with organisms that LOOKED adjacent to you, but all possessed a secret, special code that they didn't. In fact, now...
        Their attention is drawn to Hazuki again, as another match begins. Even never having played a videogame before, Night Parade is easy enough to follow basic things like 'one person is winning over the other'. That other person's attempts to get in are just being read by Hazuki. It's a one-sided dominance. Was this the kind of game play Shinobu liked?
        But after the match, there's an argument, and Myunghon visibly sours further. There it is. That secret code. That Hazuki didn't know what the secret code was, and another human being blew up on her. It happened all too frequently. They're still aware enough to see Reiya following Taro, and their eye turns towards Yukari.
        "... I don't think games are worth hurting other feelings over," Myunghon murmurs to Yukari. "I don't get it..."
        They move away again, and end up near Hazuki where she's moved to the corner. There's a pause, as they look around, and then--
        "Here."
        It's the Dr. Salt NEO. Maybe they should've given the Salty beverage to Taro, but he's gone now.
        "Hello again. I'm Myunghon." 

<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.

Ririka looks worriedly to Hazuki, as she tells her... "Really...? Well--" What can she even do? She doesn't know what this is. "I hope he'll be okay... Um..." Back to Hazuki. "... are you okay? Do you want to talk about it?"
'Whatever.' Ririka frowns. That's not very sportsmanlike...
... Goddess of Tricks is a cool title, though. But the match... yeah, it doesn't seem even close.
But then... Ririka draws in a sharp breath, as that wrongness just flares, bringing her free hand up to hold the side of her head for a moment. She doesn't even need to look at him to track his movement.
"What was that..." she mutters to herself, as her hand goes to tapping at her thigh again.
She's pretty sure she saw Reiya watching Taro earlier. She starts looking for him, to maybe ask him if he has any idea, but...
... that's weird. She could've sworn she saw him a second ago, before the match.
Okay. Maybe she can ask Yukari or Suzume... oh. they're still over near Niko. Okay. Time for Plan C.
... Right as soon as she figures out what that is. She gives Hyousuke an awkward smile. "I'm gonna go check on her..." And she starts making her way through the crowd, over to the corner Hazuki is in. "Hey, Nakao-san...?" What can she even say? "... You want some company?"
She looks to see... oh, the person she noticed earlier, Myunghon. "Oh, hello. I'm Ririka Kawase," she offers quietly, before turning her attention back to Hazuki. 

<Pose Tracker> Suzume Fukura has posed.

Niko's a Kasu High student, then, Suzume thinks, because if Ririka was actually worried about her walking into an ambush clearly she'd *say* something. "Relax," she calls back to her, "I'm good."
Boy is she going to be surprised later!
Myunghon is ABANDONING their PLACE - naw they're just not into video games. Which Suzume actually already knew, having talked a little bit about a retro game in front of them, way back when; she figured if Myunghon was here for any reason it was to see if they could get a cab for the Cardboard Dragon. Surely that would drive student traffic? (Probably not. This isn't the 90s anymore. But you never know...)
And Yukari certainly isn't playing. "Maybe I will," is her neutral response to Yukari. "I'm actually here for the tournament, so it never hurts to get some practice in, against..." Okay she doesn't know Niko's name either, and she's not looking close enough to read the bracelet. "...her," she settles on a moment later, after she looks Niko up and down once more again, a little more thoughtfully.
Which means Suzume slides in next to Niko as she clears the cabinet. "Generally you let them finish first," she says, before reaching into one of her expansive pockets for a coin to start up her side of the machine, then laces her fingers together and stretches them out to limber up her fingers.
Elsewhere in the arcade, there's a disturbance. Suzume is not in a position to go over there and do much with it but she does look up as she selects her character (yup, still Bakeduo-neko, the obligatory cat... though it's not a catgirl, it's two large two-tailed cats in a coat, like kids stacked on each other's shoulders). But she hears some of it, and she frowns, even as the supernatural tension vanishes and the regular tension amps up.
Suzume is... on edge about it and doesn't know why. She's lost track of Hazuki and she can't see her from here. "So I hope you don't mind if I kick your butt quick before my next game," she says. "I want to play the Goddess of Tricks."
At no point does she introduce herself to Niko. Though, Yukari did give her name, so close enough. 

<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.

Ririka says the gift went over well, and Shinobu nods.
"...That's good." Shinobu replies.
And soon enough, a match begins - between Hazuki and the boy from before. ...She's good, Shinobu notes. There's no wasted energy - no openings for Taro to exploit... She can tell he's skilled, too, but it's not even really a contest, in the end.
But after... Taro explodes at her.
"...What the hell?" Shinobu replies, shaking her head. Someone says it isn't like him - but this is the only version of him she's seen, so she can't say whether it is or not.
It leaves a bad taste in her mouth, and the way no one really steps up... Her mood's a little shot. Even if they kept the rounds going, she's not sure the energy would be right for her.
Massaging the back of her neck, she moves to follow Ririka as she goes to check up on Hazuki.
"...Hey." Shinobu greets. ...There's a mean glower on her face that might be intimidating, but it isn't directed at her. She looks up, though, toward Myunghon briefly.
"...Oh, hey, boss. Did you find everything alright?" She asks, before looking back toward Hazuki. Her expression softens, just a bit.
"...Need anything? I can go snag you a bite to go with the drink." She says, nodding toward Myunghon's offered soda. 

<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.

Hyousuke was, of course, entirely oblivious to the fact that there was something deeply wrong about the whole situation. He caught Ririka's blush, and suspected that there was something odd going on, but he couldn't sense anything that felt off in the same way that others in the group did. So, completely unaware that he had potentially stumbled into something of a minefield, he carried on with his part of the conversation, attention flitting to whoever decided to address him. He chose not to introduce himself again, though. They were all within earshot, and could ask him his name if they'd missed it the first time.
Dense as he was, Hyousuke wasn't entirely ignorant of everything that had been going on. Hazuki's tone, the red that was on Ririka's features - it all aroused at least a little suspicion. Alas, it wasn't enough to stop him barrelling through the conversation like a dog told to chase a ball through a pottery shop.
"Fukura?" He asked - not because he couldn't believe she'd shown up. Given the context of their last meeting, he might have been more surprised to find her elsewhere. He just had legitimate trouble remembering her name, and even slowed down a little near the end as if to make sure he got it just right.
"So are you guys in the tournament? I just entered, but I-" Before he could finish, he spotted one of their number leaving, presumably for a match. He blinked while watching Hazuki leave, remaining uncharacteristically quiet for a tense few seconds, before turning his attention back to the group. As interesting as the game looked, he had started to have second thoughts about entering. It wouldn't have just been a newbie being beaten by someone vastly more experienced, he hadn't ever played before in his entire life. It would be humiliation par excellence. Could he really stomach that in front of such a crowd?
Such thoughts were put to the side when he saw what else happened up on stage. He had no thoughts on the match, beyond knowing he'd never be able to match the two up there without a significant amount of practice. What actually caught him off guard was how Hazuki was treated. It didn't seem especially sporting - even two people that hated each other's guts would bow before and after sparring. It was a simple gesture, and refusing to do it... He couldn't help but clench his jaw a little on seeing it.
"I'll come with." Hyousuke stated bluntly, in response Ririka mentioning she was going to check on Hazuki. He was a total stranger, and wasn't sure how much he could realistically add to all of this. But he knew well how it felt to be alone in a time of need, and the thought of just standing around while he could do something about the situation at hand made him sick. Allowing Ririka to take point, he followed dutifully along, but made sure to keep a distance once they'd topped. He didn't know anyone there particularly well, and he worried that getting too close would only make things worse.
"We're here if you want to talk about it." He said. The statement was about as blunt as one could make it, but no less genuine for it. Moreover, his voice was softer than usual, and lowered to a notably gentler volume than normal. 

<Pose Tracker> Hazuki Nakao has posed.

Ririka, Hyousuke, Myunghon, and Shinobu check on Hazuki. As Myunghon introduces themselves (a first name?), Hazuki nods to them, looking at the soda before finally taking it. "...Hazuki. Thank you."
She cracks it open, taking a drink. "...salty."
Ririka is beckoned to come over. "I don't know what I did... it's like... he's a completely different person. A week or so ago he was just laughing, playing games, being everyone's friend, and then he just... became mean. Like the flip of a switch."
A pause.
"It's like... he changed overnight."
She takes another drink, wiping the tears out of her eyes. They immediately start building again. "...I'm gonna concede." She turns to Shinobu, shaking her head. "...I'm not hungry. Thank you.."
Reiya, meanwhile, follows Taro. For a while, it's boring. He's heading to the train station to head home, and he's completely and utterly average, stopping to tap at his phone or curse or buy a drink from a vending machine. But the longer Reiya follows him, reading his resonance, the worse it gets. It feels like...
This barely feels human. But he's flesh and blood, heart beating, skin sweating, like any other. It's like something's missing... but what?
Reiya's unfortunately not equipped to be able to find that out tonight. 

<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.

        N-not everything is about the Ultra Hustle, Suzume! ... well, maybe everything is about the Ultra Hustle. It's entirely possible they're just here to be entirely out fhteir element and be mortified at how cutthroat the fighting game world is...!!
        Shinobu *finally* convenes with them, though, and they're basically on the verge of tears as they limpet onto her side for a moment. "Shinobuuuu, it really was terrifying. This is every bit the Den of Evil you described this place as!!" They do, however, hand Shinobu her drink, one Muscle Tea.
        'Boss'... w-well, being Boss also means you can be needy and teary sometimes.
        Still, that distortion from before... their eye is on Ririka again as she approaches as well, and introduces herself. "Ah. Hello. I'm Myunghon Yeo. I'm... with my friend Shinobu here," they gesture towards her. Myunghon catches a look to Hyousuke as he offers his own concern, then looks back to Hazuki.
        Changed overnight, huh...
        There's a bit of a look to Shinobu, but they look far too tired to really be doing anything supernatural today. They take a deep breath, then: "Well, Hazuki-kun, I saw the game being played, and it looks like you were very skilled. I don't know anything about videogames, but my friend Shinobu here is an expert. Can you give me any tips on how to beat her?"
        Let's see if giving Hazuki an offramp towards a topic she's clearly passionate and has a lot of interest in will cheer her up, even if it was the same topic that caused the argument. 

<Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.

Myunghon tries to escape! Thankfully Niko is not a boss fight today, so this is an option. Especially since Niko really doesn't care who she fights. "It's cool, I get it," she says of the name 'just Merry'. "I prefer if people call me just Niko, too." Said with successive nods to Yukari and Suzume, having handily reintroduced herself in the process.
Niko's Lifehack #17: If you don't include your last name when introducing yourself, people will have to use your first name. It's one easy trick to force people to be on friendly terms with you!
"Oh he was finished," she responds to Suzume's assertion. "Everyone could see it." She was perfectly justified, so she's decided.
She seems pretty nonplussed about fighting someone who's in the tournament. No, what bother her more is that disturbance going on back there, causing her pause after tossing in her coin. "...Hang on a second." She looks over her shoulder, to see that guy from before making a scene. And yells in that general direction, "Hey, pipe down! People are trying to have fun over here!"
She has zero business telling anybody to pipe down. But hey, she's here for a game and she's got to hurry and pick a character before the timer runs out. It should surprise nobody that she picks Kurooni, the giant hulking brute character powerful in close quarters who lacks any ranged options.
She finds herself bothered, however, muttering to herself, "...What's that guy's problem?" Then she turns to Yukari. "Hey, Hell Girl." That's her name now. "I think your wisdom is needed over there, go teach her how to deal with guys who think they can push you around like that."
She'd do it, but her game's about to start. "Heh, well you're full of confidence. Don't think it'll be that easy!"
For someone who was going on about button-mashing, she clearly does know which buttons to hit in which order to get a killer combo going. But offense is all she really knows. As soon as her combo is broken, it's over, she can't defend against Suzume's counterattacks at all.
Niko is dead silent in the wake of the crushing defeat. She just kind of looks astonished. The way she suddenly turns on Suzume, there's a fleeting moment where one might wonder whether the fight is going to continue in the real world. However...
"Holy shit, how'd you DO that? Looks like you got plenty tricks of your own, you gotta teach me some!" 

<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.

Well, she was trying to say something to Suzume, but she can't just exactly declare loudly that Niko is a Persona User. ... Right?
... Well if she gets distracted by matches, maybe that'll keep Niko from doing anything else...
Ririka was blushing for totally normal and definitely not for any reason related to Niko's stupidly hot abs. But Hyousuke offers to come along, and Ririka nods. "Thanks." She'd asked if Hazuki wanted company, and apparently she's gotten a whole bunch of it.
She offers Shinobu a small smile as she offers to get a snack. That might help.
But Hazuki describes what's wrong with Taro... and how he just changed overnight. Is this some weird version of that Change of Heart phenomenon she was discussing with Yukari and Shizuka last week?
... She's never been near Madarama or Kamoshida, so she doesn't know what a change of heart feels like. But she knows Taro feels wrong, somehow.
"I don't know him that well, but... that does sound like something might be wrong. Did anything... out of the ordinary happen to him? Anything at all?" All the while she's still tapping on her thigh, to the beat of a different pieces of stage music.
Conceding... "Are you sure? It'd be a shake to let him ruin the evening for you..." she ventures, but... no, she gets it. She'd have a hard time recovering, too. (It's not as easy as pressing Down + B before you hit the ground, sadly.)
"It's... nice to meet you, Yeo-san." It's a pleasantry, but, well, the situation clearly isn't nice. Oh, but Myunghon's got a different strategy... Ririka didn't even think of that. That's a smart move. 

<Pose Tracker> Yukari Takeba has posed.

"Well... that makes two of us." Yukari says softly, out of earshot of Merry. Apparently the misunderstanding kinda sinking in. In a way it was misreading Merry themselves, not just in the moment but, in general.
"Well Niko. It's nice to meet you, I'm a second year at Gekkoukan High School. The name's Yukari Takeba."
Either way, she doesn't feel bad at all about sacrificing Suzume to Niko, especially since Suzume is apparently a competitive gamer, and Yukari simply doesn't want to game.
However Yukari finally does see the gathering around Hazuki. She heard a little commotion earlier at best, but now she's listening to the aftermath.
"Hmmm."
Niko indicates that Yukari should go talk to her, to tell her her wisdom. And after a glance towards Beniho, to make sure she's still having a good time talking to her admirer, "I just well might. Oh - no need to hold up on my account though."
Not that they were.
"You two have fun." And it sounds like they are? Maybe Suzume is pretty good at that, but Yukari isn't sure how she feels about that. Instead... she toys with sending a mail to Reiya, but decides no, she'd best not.
If he forgot to silence his phone, then it'd give him away.
Instead she walks over to Hazuki, giving Ririka a nod before checking with Hazuki. "Uh hey, weird question but... that friend of yours didn't like... say anything about hearing voices or anything before things changed right?" She cards her fingers through her hair, "I know I'm asking kinda out of nowhere but..."
Best to at least ask. If there's another weird Shadow out there like the kind that drew in Yamagishi's bullies... well... it's worth checking. 

<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.

Oh no, they're crying. Shinobu offers Myunghon a sympathetic look.
"Sorry, boss. Didn't realise it'd get this heated today. You okay?" She apologises, accepting the Muscle Tea. Myunghon gestures toward her to Ririka and Shinobu nods, offering Ririka's friend Hyousuke another quick nod of greeting before looking back toward Hazuki as she explains.
...So that person from the crowd was right. He usually isn't like that. A sudden change overnight...
Shinobu meets Myunghon's glance - but she's in much the same boat. She didn't go into this prepared for supernatural activity.
"...Geez. Sounds rough." Shinobu mutters. Hazuki says she isn't hungry, though, so she nods.
"Lemme know if that changes, then." She replies. She's a little at a loss for what else she can do to help, but she doesn't want to just leave her to it.
But Myunghon has a question that might help - and Yukari has a question about what might have actually happened... 

<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.

Changing overnight? Not something unheard of, he thought to himself, but it was equally possible that they'd simply been that way all along, and she'd not noticed it until everything came to a head. An experience he was all too familiar with, as the scar proved. Nevertheless, even someone as dense as him realised that voicing such a concern then and there was probably not the best idea, especially since he didn't exactly know what was going on. The best he could do was wait and see where the conversation led, and if there was any insight he could offer without seeming like a complete and utter prat.
It turned out to be the right decision, but for reasons Hyousuke hadn't expected. Yukari's mention of voices piqued his interest, and he blinked in surprise upon hearing it. Ririka's question was at least normal-sounding, given that a sudden shift in demeanour could also be attributed to strange happenings. But hearing things out of nowhere? Ever the unsubtle man, Hyousuke couldn't stop himself from glancing over at Yukari with a quizzical look painted across his face, even if he managed to remain silent throughout the whole ordeal. Perhaps he could ask Ririka about it later - or maybe Ichika. He didn't know either particularly well, but if they could shed light into what he felt he was missing... 

<Pose Tracker> Suzume Fukura has posed.

Don't worry, Ririka, Suzume noticed the abs too. She considered herself pretty athletic but she's having some *second thoughts*.
(Not that you could ever tell if Suzume has abs in what she wears. The boxy shirt may be more fashionable than the too-big baggy shirts she's frequently in, but it's still loose and long.)
"Niko-san," Suzume says, because she is *not* going straight to yobisute with someone she's met once. She might be direct, sometimes blunt, sometimes rude - but c'mon, there are limits. "And yeah. Suzume Fukura. I am, too." She doesn't have her Gekkoukan uniform on so it's the only way you'd know!
Suzume realizes where Yukari is going. "Hey," she says, before Yukari goes. "...Takeba-san. Tell her I'm looking forward to our match for me. I'll be back before she knows it." So Suzume did hear some of that... perhaps this is her way of reaching out.
But, well...
Suzume *is* a competitive gamer. (Suzume is just competitive in general.) That's why she's here, and she doesn't mind showing off a little bit - no. Scratch that. She *likes* showing off a little. She wants to show what she can do, even if it's as something as ultimately unimportant as a video game.
And so she's grinning after the match. Suzume has a grin that lights up her face; it's very different than her usual sullen expression. "Practice," she says, trying to sound mysterious, before she snickers. "Well, in the earlier versions anyway. I had a lot of time to spend at arcades."
Translation: 'I had a lot of time I didn't want to spend at home.'
"Plus," she adds, "I make some money this way." Because the Fukuras are not especially wealthy, and Suzume has to make her allowance stretch. "You did better than some people do, even in money matches." She sticks out her hand to shake with Niko. 

<Pose Tracker> Hazuki Nakao has posed.

"Please don't cry..." Hazuki tries to (weakly) reassure Myunghon, crying herself. But then, she finds a tactic to approach, well, two. "...isn't kun for boys?"
That makes her feel *really* dysphoric, all of a sudden, frowning as she touches her choker. Does she present as a -kun?! Oh no...
Myunghon asks Hazuki how to beat Shinobu, who Hazuki nods to once, letting it distract her instead of dwelling on that. "...she plays Nukekubi. Puppet character, so basically two characters at once. At your skill level... you probably won't win without training your fundamentals. Learn to block, learn to crouch, and learn what your buttons do. Once you've done that, learn what buttons link into each other, and look for exploits in her movements to take your turn. Learn your frames. Gotta keep your mental good, too, and learn to exploit hers." A pause. "Also, learn your wakeup DPs. Those are eventually *necessary*, I do them all the time."
Hazuki, you're just speaking a foreign language at this point.
Yukari approaches as Hazuki begins to answer about Taro. "...he lost an important tournament to me. He said it was fine, it was nothing, but the next day... it was like he flipped entirely."
A pause. As Yukari asks about hearing voices...
"Do you think this is a Change of Heart or something...? Scary... but aren't those supposed to make you *nicer*?"
She shakes her head. "I didn't notice anything... supernatural stuff shouldn't exist, right?" A pause. "My friend Tyler was telling me about ghosts... do you think he's haunted?"
Only one person that can be, at least. 

<Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.

Niko makes a noise of protest, close to a dog's whine, when her clear instruction of 'just Niko' isn't followed. People are so uptight! Does she have to show everybody how being friendly works? She'll do it, no fear.
But for the time being, she just nods at the introductions. There will be no last name coming from her (though Ririka may have heard Jin say it). And while Suzume may have made her assumptions, she also doesn't actually confirm where she goes to school. Judging from the way she looks, it's gotta be Kasu though, right? It's the only thing that makes sense.
As for what she calls after Yukari as parting greeting... well what else could it be but, "Give 'em Hell, Girl!" This label is totally sticking, knowing her name doesn't matter anymore.
As for Niko's competitive spirit... it's not there, really, she just plays to have fun. And good fights are fun, even when you lose. She's not broken up about that in the least. She's more disappointed by the advice.
"That's it, just practice? I was hoping there'd be actual tricks." She blinks, at the notion of making money doing this. "You can do that? Huh." That might be a motivator, judging from how seriously she seems to consider that one.
She mouths an 'oh' when she notices Suzume's outstretched hand. Then doesn't actually shake it, but slaps her palm against Suzume's, firmly. "Back atcha, good game, Suzu-chan."
See, that's how you do it. 

<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.

        There's definitely a lot of investigation happening here underneath the surface. The way Yukari and Ririka both inquire as to what happened -- did they hear voices? Myunghon now wonders what kind of awakenings or supernatural happenings Yukari's privy to now... were they inquiring about the voice they heard Kaneshiro speak, or another kind of voice?
        Trying to think too hard of work is overtaxing their limited state right now, though, and Myunghon just gently sidles over to Shinobu's side again. "Yes... I just wasn't ready for the everythingness. But I'm still glad you took me out today." ... doesn't that make it sound kind of like a date?
        Ayame and Reiko are going to kill them if they misunderstand. Why are misunderstandings the fundamental currency of human violence in all of known history? Still, they're glad for the company. Going here completely on their own would've just had them completely drowning. They never did it in their own high school period. A Perfect Student was always seen with cohorts of some sort. Was that why, much like wingmates in echelon formation?
        Speaking of which, FOX TWO, FOX TWO
        Myunghon pauses for a moment with that kind of terror again as Hazuki asks if -kun is for boys. They whirl around as panic jumps up their throat and gently reassures them, "No, no... I didn't mean to imply that at all. It's just a way for someone older to refer to you. But, why don't you tell me how you'd like to be addressed?"
        Missile evaded!! "O-oh, um--" Hazuki is literally giving them the round-start drive rush into standing fierce starter into FADC and calling Dr. Doom missiles and doing lightning loops and literally playing the Happy Birthday song on their assist with this terminology. Their pupil shrinks again as they look to Shinobu and goes 'HELP' in silence.
        "I--"
        wakeup DPs
        Myunghon looks flabbergasted and stunned. Did this teenage girl just tell them to get used to WAKEUP DPs??? "I-- goodness, what are you-- um-- I mean, not that I would shame, but surely... surely you would want to do everything the night before, not on a wakeup call... unless-- I suppose, I do understand some aftercare services do allow for that..."
        -poof-
        That was steam escaping from Myunghon's overheated brain. Yeah, they just went 0-2 and drowned in pools, Scarface-style, against Hazuki. 

<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.

Ririka offers Yukari a fleeting smile as she joins them, "Hey." Ririka had already asked if anything happened, but Yukari's got a more direct question. She gives Yukari a small nod. Good call.
Ririka would try to answer Hyousuke's question, but... she'd have to give him an incomplete picture, sadly.
It's okay, Suzume. It's perfectly normal to question your own athleticism when you take notice of another girl that way.
Just for boys? "No, older people use it for girls, too." She doesn't get the significance of touching the choker, but... well, she's gotten her own pushback for being into skateboarding.
But advice comes, and Ririka even finds herself making a few mental notes for later. She's nodding along.
And another answer. "An important tournament...?" She considers that. Did losing again just make it worse? "... I don't think it's anything you did, Nakao-san."
... That definitely sounds like Tyler. And who else would have an English name like that?
She looks to Myunghon. "Oh, no, it means something you do after you've been knocked down and then start getting up. There's a few frames where you're invincible, so you gotta use it to counterattack if your opponent is applying pressure." 

<Pose Tracker> Hazuki Nakao has posed.

"Oh, I didn't think Myunghon was that old?" Hazuki nods to Ririka, as if she understands everything.
Yes, that's a third attack on the Rumormonger in a minute!!! 

<Pose Tracker> Myunghon Yeo has posed.

        Oh, that's the sound of something you can't mend breaking.
        If you look the other way, Myunghon can be seen sitting in black and white in dramatic manga lines, slumped over their chair in that famous weary post-war boxer's pose... ah, Shinobu... tell the Koalas to be free... 

<Pose Tracker> Yukari Takeba has posed.

"Uh-?" Yukari recoils slightly at the idea it's a Change of Heart, "I really couldn't say. They didn't get a calling card, right?"
 
Yukari looks troubled, as she did consider that the Phantom Thieves could do that to a person. What if she was right?
 
Well, it wouldn't surprise her, but she was hoping things weren't that grim.
 
"Hmmm." She tries to consider the point of a tournament being lost that was important to her. "Huh!? Ghosts!?" She looks startled, before she deescalates the moment she hears who is responsible for that impression, "Iiiiii wouldn't really pay much attention to what Tyler-kun says, really. He kinda thinks everything is Ghosts."
 
Yukari glances back Niko and Suzume's way, and waves at being told to 'Give 'em Hell, Girl!'. She's definitely not imparting wisdom here.
 
But no one needs to know that.
 
Then again if Taro did walk back up to him right now she might actually step in.
 
Listening in for Ririka, she considers it all the more, "I don't really know what could change someone like that that quickly."
 
She finally concludes, still uncertain on the Change of Heart part, "You're sure nothing like big happened to him recently, that maybe he didn't want to tell you about? Like... a death in the family? Or... he found out he was moving to another prefecture?" 

<Pose Tracker> Shinobu Shimizu has posed.

"Yeah, the environment can be... a lot, especially if it's your first time." Shinobu replies, massaging her neck awkwardly. ...And if you don't know anything about video games, which she hasn't quite realised Myunghon doesn't yet. The Baestation III standing in the Cardboard Dragon should've been her first clue... She nods, though. "I'm glad, then."
...It does sound a little date-like, but Shinobu takes it in stride. She can deal with any misunderstandings later. ...Assuming Myunghon survives, which is becoming increasingly less certain.
She looks between Hazuki and Myunghon briefly. Shinobu makes a mental note - but then, Hazuki answers Myunghon's question. How to beat her in a video game...
Shinobu nods along to it. Hazuki knows her stuff, and it makes it clear that if they ever fought, she'd have her read pretty handily...
But, oh know. It might be easier enough for her to understand, but Myunghon is looking at her pleadingly. This might be too much slang, and then - a misunderstanding...
"Uh... what she said." Shinobu says, nodding toward Ririka. ...But it's too late - the finishing move is thrown.
...For the second time this night, Shinobu finds herself mourning Myunghon. She lowers her head in prayer. She'll pass on your final words to the Koalas, boss, don't worry...
But for now... Ghosts, huh? Shinobu looks between Hazuki and Yukari. She has a point - would a loss, even in a major tournament, change him that quickly? Shinobu frowns thoughtfully. 

<Pose Tracker> Suzume Fukura has posed.

From what Ririka said, Suzume is already assuming Niko is from Kasugayama; she hasn't really seen anything to change her mind on that!
"I mean, there are tricks, but I can't give away all my secrets," Suzume says, with another one of those grins.
"But here."
Suzume puts another coin in (her first one has run out; she timed out while she was talking) and picks Kurooni herself. Not a character she usually plays by preference - she likes faster characters, usually - but it's still in her general wheelhouse, it's a more offensive character than half the cast.
"Check this," she says, and demonstrates - admittedly against the computer, which on the first stage is kind of dumb - a particular trick: "If you do this jab and they stand and block instead of crouching block, do it again, even though it'll look like it bounces. It holds them in place long enough and you can get the command grab. It doesn't work on every character because some recover too fast, and if they know it's coming they can switch to crouching and duck it, but if they don't..."
"There's something else you can do if they crouch to duck, buuut, can't give away everything!" Suzume is in a good mood now, at least.
Until
'Suzu-chan'.
Suzume has a moment where her smile looks a little forced, but she - perhaps surprisingly - doesn't start complaining about it loudly. She accepts the palm-smack though. If she'd known she could get away with it she might have just gone for a fistbump to begin with.
"I gotta get back to the tournament though, if you're not around when they call you you're disqualified," Suzume says. "But if you want to play again sometime, I'm game. I mean, if you want to." A beat. "For now, though, later," Suzume says, as she steps away, tossing a wave over her shoulder after giving Niko a few more moments to respond.
She's on her way back toward the rest of the Gekkoukan group. Except... "Where'd Aomori-san go?" she asks, as she approaches. 

<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.

Oh no. She meant older, not old... poor Myunghon... and she wanted to talk to them, too...
Oh yeah, calling card... that'd definitely count as unusual. "Yeah, I don't think it's ghosts..." It's something, she just doesn't know what.
Yukari doesn't know what would happen. Ririka looks to her. Quietly she says, with certainty, "Something happened though..." It might sound like speculation, but... she's trying as subtly as she can to signal to Yukari that yes, something happened.
She's still tapping her fingertips rhtyhmically on her thigh as she contemplates what she does--and doesn't--know here.
Ririka will have to fill in Suzume later... but she shakes her head as Suzume rejoins them and asks about Reiya. "I'm not sure. I didn't notice him leave." 

<Pose Tracker> Hazuki Nakao has posed.

Hazuki winces at Myunghon's reaction. "...sorry, I wasn't thinking-"
Though, they ask address... "People back in London called me Ha-chan, but that's too informal here... I don't know?" She's not in the mood to figure out honorifics, so she shrugs.
Hazuki nods once to Yukari and Ririka. "...he's a good guy, though. Came to check on me after a hard time." Tyler is, at least. Taro...
"No, nothing. No one else heard anything, either. He goes to a different school from me, though, but... it really is weird."
Ririka reassures her, though, and Hazuki nods again. "I think... I just need a moment. I'll try to play. Can't stain my record, though... I'm unbeatable." A lopsided smile, a little crooked and forced.
She's gonna eventually get up and go back to her matches. She'll be fine.
Maybe. 

<Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.

Of course people who know tricks would be stingy about sharing them, that figures. But Suzume is kind enough to give Niko a little demo, and she's all over that. "Oh hell yeah, that's what I'm talking about. Good stuff!" Right up her alley - the offense part of things. If the assumption was that trying to teach her defense would be a waste of time, that is fair and correct. And repaying this with a lesson in Friendliness seems fair to her, you're welcome.
When Suzume excuses herself, she nods in understanding. "Yeah sure, go kick some ass! Rootin' for ya." She watches Suzume go, remaining where she is, seemingly in thought about something. Yeah, she could go over there and further involve herself in that matter... but should she?
Don't look now Ririka but Niko is looking directly at you
...And then she just turns around, calmly heading for the exit, leaving it entirely unclear what she was thinking just now. But playing only one game and then leaving, what is she up to...?
If that's what you thought, you're overestimating Niko - she rarely is up to anything, she just sort of does things.
However... she did end up overhearing something interesting back there, didn't she? A possible Change of Heart, huh... Jin seemed interested in that stuff. Maybe he'll praise her for letting him know about this! She can picture it now. 'Well Kirisaki, it appears you've bumbled your way into something useful, for once'. It's gonna be so great! 

<Pose Tracker> Yukari Takeba has posed.

"Hmm. Well alright." She says of Hazuki's description of Taro, like she's not entirely convinced there's just not something Hazuki doesn't know about him, "Uh - sorry, I kinda came out of nowhere. My name is Yukari Takeba. I'm a Second Year at Gekkoukan High. Over on Tatsumi Port Island."
 
...
 
"I don't know if it would make you feel any better but... Fukura-san told me to tell you they were really looking forward to a match with you."
 
Look, the idea that Suzume Fukura might not cheer up this girl as much as she thinks she might is a pretty strong impression in her mind.
 
Niko is now looking over directly at Ririka, and briefly Yukari considers shoving Ririka at Niko to block for her having to play a video game.
 
But no, she ends up leaving.
 
"Whew... that girl could come on pretty strong."
 
Like that's not always a bad thing, but she didn't come here to play games.
 
Eventually she returns to Beniho who's between matches, "Where's the guy you were with?" Yukari asks, as Beniho tells her, "He asked for my number."
 
"Oh... wow. That was fast." "I turned him down." "Really... huh?" "Hmmm." She stares at her in profile for a time, then...
 
"... you saw didn't you?"
 
There's a touch of sadness in Beniho's eyes, as she eventually nods slightly in affirmation, "Let's not dwell on that, I'd rather focus on the tournament."
 
"Rightttt..."

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