2025-09-22: An Understanding Over Ramen
- Log: An Understanding Over Ramen
- Cast: Shinjiro Aragaki, Ichika Kawase
- Where: Izakaya Shiraishi, Kameya Alley, Sumaru
- OOC Date: September 22, 2025
- IC Date: July 15, 2012
- Summary: Shinjiro invites Ichika out for ramen and to talk shop after hitting Eiji's Palace a bit back, but the discussion becomes slightly more casual as he prefers to make sure she's doing okay.
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
After the events in Eiji's Palace, Shinjiro's unfortunately been too busy to touch base with anyone, having rejoined SEES and trying to deal with Myunghon's familial dangers. However, it never left his mind, and indeed, he needs to talk to Ichika. While there was tentatively some business to get to... the real important part was making sure she'd be safe after what they discovered.
So, he texted her, asking if she was busy and able to meet him at the izakaya, home to 'spy shit' as he often puts it.
Now, Shinjiro sits at Izakaya Shiraishi's tables, having ordered a banana ramen after finally trying it recently and surprisingly enjoying it. His real motive with it is to learn how to recreate it, and to do that he needs to eat it some more.
He's clad in a newer red coat and a newer beanie, both more or less identical to his ragged ones, as if he got new digs. He's also got a canned coffee he's nursing, waiting for Ichika.
He doesn't seem to be in the worst mood, but Shinjiro also doesn't appear to be in the best mood, either. Heavy is the heart most days as it is, especially when he ruminates.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Ichika has also had... things to do, since that set of events. Not 'rejoining SEES' level of things to do, of course. But a number of them. She had people to follow up with, things to settle...
She agreed to meet Shinjiro, and she's on time, showing up at the Izakaya and giving Ma'am a nod as she walks through to find Shinjiro's table. She looks him over--new coat and beanie...
But not different coat and beanie.
Along the way she asks for some yakitori, and then takes a seat next to Shinjiro. She gauges his mood.
"Hey," Ichika says. "You wanted to talk?"
Might as well get right to it. "Find anything new about your Joker Killer?"
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
Shinjiro allows Ichika to sit next to him, not really caring. He drums his fingers on the table until she's settled in, before turning towards her, shaking his head.
"Not much. We fought, actually. Sevens got attacked. They're covering it up, rumor bullshit I think, since a hole I put in the wall is missing now apparently. That, or they fixed it in the cover of night." He shrugs.
But, a pause. "I actually wanted to see how you were doing. I worked with the Ogre, but... what we learned in that Palace was dire. 'This is deep shit' levels of dire." He doesn't know how to tell her he fears for her safety, since he doesn't know her well, but the worrying expression might give it away anyways.
"But it's up to you if you want to hear me out. Otherwise, I can shut up."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"I see. The rumors said Sevens was safe... I guess not." A shake of her head. "Could be."
How she's doing. Ichika pauses at that, and Shinjiro may notice the tension that doesn't show--the way she immediately moves into a deep breath, calming herself before she has time to get all that not calm. ...Or not; it's kind of subtle.
But not that subtle.
"She filled me in," Ichika says quietly. "On what was there. What everybody saw."
"The 'real' one hasn't come after me since the concert," Ichika says. "...Last month."
"But I'll hear you out, sure."
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
"Nowhere's safe these days," Shinjiro sighs.
The calming breath to diffuse all tension immediately is noticed, because one of Shinjiro's traits is being observant and he's looking right at her. His features soften visibly, but his thoughts are as usual unreadable.
"I won't pry into any of the personal stuff we saw... but he's definitely going to come after you again. He sees you as a lynchpin in his life, the entire thing is about your hypothetical wedding. The way he sees other people..." He trails off.
But, there's a sigh. "But the worst part is that the version of him in there gave away the game. The crew I run with, we think he's assisting with human trafficking. We're trying to get the right data, something to destroy him, but it's not going to be easy, especially if it turns out he's working with certain people."
Shinjiro, however, takes a sip of his coffee, thinking briefly before speaking again. "But that's the dark, deep shit. How are you holding up? Staying safe?"
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Nowhere's safe: a cheery thought. Ichika looks down to the table for a few moments at that. She notices the softened features, but... It's hard not to notice that kind of look, in her position.
"If it's relevant it's relevant," Ichika shrugs about the personal stuff. But, "...But yeah."
"...Right," Ichika says, when Shinjiro mentions the human trafficking. "That's the impression I got, too, from... what Ogre told me." A pause. "He's got powerful backers. His dad is a big deal; i don't know why, but he was able to get the police to 'lose' evidence, blackball me from most schools for 'trying to ruin his son's reputation'..."
"Stuff like that. ...I've got some papers a buddy took from the Palace; I was going to give a copy to Yeo-san, see what they can come up with."
But her.
"...I'm..." % r
She shakes her head. "Feels wrong to say I'm fine," she admits. "But I'm fine. I'm living anyway. I've got Ogre to look out for me, and some others. ...But..."
"I don't like to spend a ton of time alone anyway, so that's fine."
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
"Your comfort matters more than the relevance," Shinjiro says firmly. "I'm not here to make you feel bad, I wanted to see what I could do to help further."
But, a sigh. "Yeah, sounds like him from what I can tell. We'll dig into his dad. Myunghon does good with that sort of data. My job is smashing things and cooking," he jokes slightly for levity at the last part. But it's true, too.
"...I know we don't know each other well, but your intel's helped me out. If you need anything, anything I can do to help, let me know, alright? Least I can do to repay the favor."
His banana ramen comes out soon after, since he's been waiting longer. Normally, he'd dig in, but they're still talking, so he'll wait. "You know, it was your rec that got me to try this. Trying to see if I can recreate it... no luck yet."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"...OK," Ichika answers after a moment to that firm statement. "Thanks."
"Heh," Ichika says. "Cooking's nice. What got you into it? Not exactly the usual tough-guy habit..."
Her intel, though? '...Thanks," Ichika says again. "But I..."
"I had a guy who wanted to rescue me from all this, and I had to tell him no. I'm glad for help, but I need to find my own way, too. That's important to me. ...Growth is like that, I guess."
"Yeah?" she asks. "She won't tell me how she makes it, and I haven't managed to recreate it, either. Always gets kinda soggy and weird when I try it."
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
Ichika gets a nod as she thanks him. But about the cooking... "Always been interested. Remember how I grew up in an orphanage? Well, the food was pretty decent, and I started asking about how to make it myself. When I got older, I practiced, and then when I left school, I got a part-time at Hagakure. That's where I learned all sorts of stuff." A pause. "It's not, but you gotta eat. Everyone could take the chance to learn some."
As she mentions that she doesn't want to be rescued, he nods again. "Oh, yeah, I agree with you there. I'm not in this to rescue anyone... but someone told me we're stronger together. I was lone wolfing it for a while and it just didn't work out for me."
BANANA RAMEN THO. "I'm wondering if it's magic bullshit. I don't know if that's a thing you can do to ramen but I've met talking peacocks, so, like." A long gesture of the hand. "It's possible. But I'll keep trying."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"That makes sense," Ichika says. "But yeah? At the ramen joint? That's cool." Lots of things to learn there. "...Well, you saw; I was gonna get married. I used to cook a lot for him and his friends... Do parties, and stuff. But it's my skill. I can do what I want with it. More 'home cook' than restaurant or anything, though."
A nod. "Cool," Ichika says. "...The trick is..."
"If somebody can hurt you, and somebody can rescue you, it's all them acting on you. ...You can't do anything yourself, and you're just stuck with what other people want for you. Whether that's good or bad."
"I agree, though. We're stronger together. ...Glad you got some friends to work with."
"Heh. Might be," Ichika admits. "But if anybody can pull it off for real, it's Ma'am. She's really amazing."
Pause. "The peacock is kinda weird," she admits, "But not that much weirder than all the rest of it. It's like, that might as well be a thing that happens, right?"
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
"Yeah, chef's a great guy," Shinjiro starts, before listening to where Ichika got her skills. He ruminates on the thoughts of 'cooking for him and his friends, do parties'. Eiji must have always seen her as some sort of tradwife bullshit... the thought of it incenses him, but he keeps his face level. "That's true. Hell, I heard you're teaching your sister. We share a dorm. She's not bad at it." Wait, doesn't he... not go to school?
About the trick, though, he thinks, and then nods. "Yeah. Independence is more important than safety in some ways. Gilded cage and all that." Though, then, about friends... "They're pretty great. Come down by the Cardboard Dragon if you ever need anything, Myunghon's the kindest person I know."
The Ma'am comment gets a nod, but the peacock... "You could hear him? You a Persona user too?" He asks, not suspicious or wary, more surprised.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"Cool," Ichika says again. It's kind of a filler word, but she means it; getting to learn from a real chef sounds nice. "Oh, yeah?" Ichika says. "Oh, so you're in that co-ed dorm," she says. "Yeah, she's got a good head for it. ...Of course, she's good at anything she tries." Ichika says more admiring than bitter about that, these days. "She's cool."
But, "Yeah. It's like that. Sometimes it's hard... You have to turn down stuff that's otherwise good, because it means you aren't standing on your own feet. ...I had to turn down a really good guy." The Cardboard Dragon. "Yeah, I like them, too. They're... really nice."
"Yep," Ichika says, and then she clarifies, "I can't fight without Ogre or anything, though. That's why I focus on information gathering for her and everybody. But yeah, I know the Dark Hour, Persona stuff... I learned some of it from the Cardboard Dragon, too."
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
"Yeah," Shinjiro says about the dorm. "She seems pretty nice. Dorm isn't some friend hangout zone or anything, but it's got some interesting people so far." A shrug, as he starts at his ramen. It's good again!
"...for a long time, I was turning down any sort of help. Lived on the street for a while, you've seen me there. Finally started taking some recently. I guess what I'm saying is that it's not an absolute, that sometimes we can be helped and others we can be strong by ourselves. Up to us to decide which, though."
"They're recovering smoothly, I think, though I worry about them," he says about Myunghon. He assumes Ichika knows about the attack if she's friends with Tsubasa.
But, Personas. "Makes sense. I've met a few people like that. Dark Side of Sumaru's a good source, too, always got fresh new stuff to learn about. Some of it's bullshit, though."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"Heh. Nah, it's a dorm," Ichika agrees. She doesn't know much about SEES, though--not even the name. But a dorm is a dorm. "Still surprised Gekkoukan's got a mixed dorm... But I guess not that surprised. It's a modern idea."
But Shinjiro explains. "Mm, yeah," she says. "That's rough... But I think you're right about that. It's just... It's gotta go both ways. ...It's hard to explain. But I think we're close enough to the same page there."
Myunghon! "Yeah," Ichika says, "It's brutal what happened... It's not right, either."
"Yeah," Ichika answers of her apparent Persona. "I've been on it some. Not a big internet girl, but I tried."
"Oh, but... You should know."
"Going after the intel we got's good, but... Ogre and I aren't going back to that Palace soon. ...He's too strong. Until we and everybody else get stronger... Going there just makes us liabilities."
"But when we can..."
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
"It's not an ordinary dorm," Shinjiro shrugs again. "But it's got a roof and beds and an expensive-ass kitchen so it's fine."
"No, I think I get you. Seems we've come to an understanding here," he smiles a little bit, trying to break the tension. He's got a nice smile.
Myunghon... "It's dealt with, more or less, as far as we can tell... but it's not the only risk we have. This business's all about danger."
Not a big internet girl? "Huh. I don't post much but sometimes I tip in."
Ichika tells him about the Palace. He nods. "Good idea. Guess we gotta go through the tutorial first. Lemme know when it's time, I'll be there."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"Nice." Kitchen! She doesn't know why it's not ordinary, though. That makes her tilt her head and wonder a little. But she doesn't ask, yet.
Instead, she smiles back. "...Cool," Ichika agrees, and he does. Ichika does too, as it happens, when it shows. "Guys... don't always understand, this kind of thing. But it seems like you do."
But dealt with. "Yeah," Ichika says. "Well, let me know if I can help out, I guess. I was thinking of going to see them later anyway."
Tip in. Hmm.
"All right," Ichika says, and her yakitori come up.
"...Will do. But I think I'm a little tired of the heavy stuff. Why don't we eat before it gets cold?"
<Pose Tracker> Shinjiro Aragaki has posed.
Shinjiro nods about understanding. If she says as much, he has no reason not to believe her... but her smile's pretty.
"Yeah, I will. ...maybe you and Ogre will be able to help us, who knows." Shinjiro shrugs. But Ichika's yakitori comes up, and he nods.
"Sure. Thanks for hearing me out." And then, food time!