2025-09-30: What Seafood Helps
- Log: What Seafood Helps
- Cast: Minato Arisato, Ichika Kawase
- Where: Wakatsu Restaurant, Iwatodai
- OOC Date: September 30, 2025
- IC Date: Thu July 19, 2012
- Summary: Minato bets it all on the full seafood course. Ichika shows up to offer another point. They also talk Joker Killer!
<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.
OST: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GI2iuK4FDaE Persona 3 Reload - Crisis (P3R ver.)
Minato is doomed. There's nothing he can do now. Nowhere to run. He's cornered --
And death is coming --
No, wait.
Exams.
Exams are coming.
... we're going to leave the music right where it is, because there's honestly no greater crisis when you're sixteen.
In any case, with those exams staring Minato dead in the face, and his absolute failures to grasp the material... he has only one path available to him.
"Please save me," he addresses the staff at Wakatsu, humbly bowing his head.
"Oh, you're that mysterious boy from 2-F!" The girl behind the counter exclaims, clearly recognising him. (All that Charm paid off.) "Sure, come right on in! One seafood full course, coming right up...!"
Most students aren't quite so impressive... and several of them are trying to drag themselves from the pits of academic Hell with mere Prodigy Platters.
But Minato sits down at a booth -- a booth all to himself! -- with his full course of seafood, and cracks his chopsticks.
"Begin," he invokes, gravely, before the food starts disappearing into his ravenous maw.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Ichika Kawase is not doomed, and that disturbs her to her core. Earlier, she was at the police station. Then, she wasn't. Shuyo saw her to the train station after a brief chat because her mother called her... and has been fussing over her since she arrived back in Iwatodai. Apparently, her teacher called her mother.
...Ichika didn't really mind.
But being cared for gets a little exhausting sometimes, and Ichika also has to eat, so she went back out to the station. Maybe she'll do... something.
Maybe she'll try out the special at Wakatsu, since she's here.
Ichika, definitely no longer in her uniform, walks in in familiar battle armor; a green miniskirt, a full-length skull tanktop, thigh-highs, and boots. Jewelry. Stuff on her wrists. And of course, her makeup.
"...Hey," she says to the counter, and the girl behind it--
"Oh!"
Ichika is not a regular these days, but her overwhelming Charm stands out. ...Partly because she's a little scared of Ichika.
"I need your smartest food," Ichika says seriously to the girl at the counter, her expression flat, her eyes flashing.
"C-coming right up..."
While she's looking for a seat...
Minato may sense the DANGER approaching him before she arrives and suddenly sets her tray down at his booth. "Hey," Ichika Kawase says.
"Let me eat with you."
<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.
A spark catches at Minato's gaze, and his head snaps up. Something's coming--!!
It isn't a Shadow, though... it's something even worse.
A dangerous girl...
"You're already sitting down," Minato points out, when Ichika asks(?) to eat with him. "So it's fine."
Wait, does it become okay to just barge in if you have a firm handshake???
Apparently.
"So girls at Kasugayama dread exams, too..." Minato marvels, before he continues just absolutely fucking DESTROYING some prawns all tossed with lettuce and dressing on the side of his platter.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
A dangerous girl indeed.
"Cool," Ichika says. At least she didn't ask him to buy her dinner??? That's a thing that didn't happen.
But Minato marvels, and continues destroying his food. Ichika watches him for a moment. "..."
"Yeah," she says then. "Usually because I'm just going to do badly anyway, but I'm trying to do OK this time..."
"I'm thinking about taking the entrance exams." She's a third-year, after all.
She gets to eating. She's rather more delicate about it than Minato, despite her DELINQUENT LOOKS.
...She can talk in a minute. Food now. She's kind of ravenous after everything.
<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.
She probably could have gotten away with it, to be honest.
"Live strong," Minato prays for Ichika, serious as ever. "Strive hard."
His brain is apparently broken and stuck on sound bytes like that. Maybe he's just too hungry.
Chompchompchompchomp, the seafood disappears beneath his chopsticks, until -- rattle! They hit his empty plate.
Minato sits back, and reflects:
"Maybe seconds will save me..."
A moment of staring out into space later -- he ate too much food at once -- his attention orients on Ichika again. "Been a while," he remarks, mildly.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"Live strong..."
Ichika gets to eating. Chomp chomp. Her palte takes longer to empty, but eventually it happens. Sometime after, "I think you have to actually study after you eat it."
But as his attention orients, Ichika nods. "Yeah," she says distantly. "It has."
"You're pretty worried about your exams too, huh? You seem..." She considers. "You look smart," she settles on. "So I'm surprised."
"...But I've been busy. Haven't made it home that much." Since of course, Iwatodai remains home. "...But I did today, and... I had to get out of the house."
"What about you? Just out for exam help, or what?"
<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.
"Oh," Minato says, when Ichika points out the flaw in his genius plan.
"Darn."
You're sixteen, Minato, you can say 'damn'.
He shrugs a shoulder. "Sure," he agrees, vaguely, to his intelligence, "but my clubs keep me busy. I was so busy with them, the teachers announced exams were coming up, and, well..." He spreads his hands, before throwing them up as if unable to hold a great explosion.
"Complete devastation." Minato narrates, helpfully.
He tilts his head. "I heard things have been tough in Sumaru," he offers, sympathetically. "Must be hard to study." Not that Aoba is anywhere close to Hirasaka, but, well, the news is saying it's Hirasakan gangs.
(The news always says it's Hirasakan gangs...)
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Darn. "Heh."
But Minato mentions his clubs. "Oh. Must be nice," Ichika says. Complete devastation... "You guys have a newspaper club or whatever?"
She tries not to look obviously interested. But things have been tough... and, well...
"Thanks," Ichika says. Her hands, as it happens, are still a little bandaged; this might be more obvious now that she doesn't have so much food in her way.
"...Kinda yeah."
She looks distant. "They blame us in Hirasaka," she says. "But it's bullshit."
<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.
"Not that I know of," Minato admits. "I'm just on the Track team. And in Music Club. And on the Student Council. And some other stuff, too." Explaining the special extracurricular execution squad is a tough ask.
He has, in fact, noticed the bandages.
"They do seem to be fishing for an explanation. But if it was really a Hirasakan gang, you'd know about it, would you?" Minato asks. "Do all the leaders have a group chat, or..." Would that work? Could that work? Minato might be a genius --
Or an idiot.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"That's a lot," Ichika says. "I don't think that's a 'just'. ...We don't have that many clubs." Student Council, huh...? "You're a pretty busy guy."
But, they are fishing for it. "Yeah," she says, and then pauses. Ichika opens her mouth and closes it, when Minato asks his question. "You..."
She re-evaluates her earlier assessment about him looking smart.
"No," she says. "We don't get along that well. And anyway, the ones at the school are different from the ones just around the town..."
"But anyway it wasn't us." She sighs. "...Not that it stops them messing with us for it. I guess as long as they have someone to blame."
<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.
"That's true. But you could start one," Minato points out, as if the bones of Kasugayama could possibly support a school club.
What would they start, anyway? Gardening club???
Minato is a GOOD BOY who DOESN'T DO CRIMES and he just doesn't know that much about youth gangs, okay. "I thought it was more important to have a line of communication when you didn't get along," he points out, anyway. "Like how countries can contact each other to ask about their intentions and avert unnecessary war."
He pauses. "..."
He looks down at his plate.
"Hey, I think it's working. I remembered the stuff from politics class."
MINATO THAT IS NOT THE POINT.
"Still..." He frowns. "You're talking like you know who did it. So, what really happened?"
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"I guess," Ichika says.
He is a good boy. "Hm. That's smart," Ichika admits, "But it's not how it works. We mostly just have the unnecessary war, instead of... averting it." Pause. He does remember something from politics. "I guess?"
Still... she does, actually, and Ichika hesitates when Minato asks. "You won't believe me," sh e sighs. "The police didn't believe me, either. Had to spend a while in their stupid room..."
She looks glum, but says, "It was a serial killer. The Joker. He set stuff on fire and attacked people with his friends. That's why not all the people injured were just hurt in the fire. It wasn't trampling people or anything, it was them."
<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.
"Oh. So it's the point, but it's also unnecessary... that's very philosophical."
What an interesting way to put it.
Still... Minato frowns, when Ichika says who really did it. And a reasonable boy would discount her; if there were a serial killer, wouldn't the news want to talk about it constantly?
Except --
Minato's heard the rumours, too.
"Here," he says, opening up his phone and handing it over, with a video loaded up. "Check this out." It's a saved recording of a video...
... by the man who killed MightySasuke88.
"I'm not sure if it's still up," Minato explains. "But I followed his gaming videos, so I saw it as soon as it was uploaded. It's grim, but it doesn't seem faked, either... someone by that name really did have an obituary, too."
Minato's voice is as stoic as ever, but his gaze is steady. "So," he says, "I believe you."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"I didn't mean to be," Ichika admits of philosophical, as if the idea is vaguely disturbing. She doesn't do a lot of philosophy.
But...
"Mm?" The video. Ichika pales a little, looking at it. She watches, and...
"Wow," she says. "That's messed up." She's nice enough to try to moderate her language, here in Iwatodai. But it's a difficult effort.
His gaze is steady...
"Thanks," Ichika says. "That... helps."
"He and his friends attacked our school, too. That wasn't 'gang warfare', either."
She thinks about it a moment.
"...Hey," she says. "It makes me a little nauseous, but can you send me a copy of that recording?"
"...Maybe I can do some digging. Find some more stuff. Maybe then people will believe it."
<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.
"It isn't pleasant," Minato agrees, mildly.
... for all he describes it as unpleasant, though, he sure doesn't seem very shaken.
"Sure," he nods, taking his phone back and tapping at it. "I'll send it right through. Technically, I told Officer Kurosawa I'd deleted it after I went to show him, but... someone in my position needs to have proof about this sort of thing." Because... he's on the School Council???
Sure, let's go with that.
(And of course he went to the cops with it. Why wouldn't he? He's a good boy, look at his badge.)
"Just be careful. I'm still working through how to talk to everyone about a serial killer the media doesn't want to run constant coverage around... it's a dangerous situation." How is he supposed to address a threat which seems to be posed by a human?
"If someone kills and kills again, but no one believes he's killing... he's free to kill anyone he pleases."
It would be really nice if Minato would emote at any point during this conversation.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"You're... kinda hard to shake, huh?" It was charming, before. Now Ichika's not entirely sure what it is. On the one hand, it makes him seem reliable. On the other hand...
"Thanks," Ichika says. 'Officer Kurosawa'. "...Guess he must be nice, if you're giving him stuff." His position. "Huh. Is Student Council that hardcore at Gekkoukan?" she wonders.
It is at Kasugayama, sometimes. So that would track.
"Right," Ichika says. "The cops already picked me up once about this stuff..." she sighs. "It's dangerous. But that's what... journalism's for, right? To... expose dangerous stuff."
Pause. "Or something."
But no one believes it...
"Yeah, that's just it," Ichika says. "I wonder why they won't admit it's him, anyway?"
<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.
"Since it's a recording," Minato observes, "there's no one left to save. As of now, it's a memory."
Just another memory.
"He's reliable," Minato says, of Kurosawa. "... though I guess you might get a different impression." A glance to her outfit. He's nice enough not to, like, say it.
And is Student Council that hardcore? "Amongst other things."
That's way too ambiguous for this situation, Minato...
"You asked about Newspaper Club earlier," Minato realises, when Ichika mentions journalism. "You're interested in journalism?"
He drums his fingers on the table. "They don't want to cause a panic?" He wonders, first off. "Or... maybe the Joker Killer has a day job in the news room."
THE JOKER KILLER IS A JOURNALIST?!
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
No one left to save. Just a memory. Ichika shudders despite herself. "...Yeah," she says. "That's all, I guess."
That guy...
But Kurosawa is reliable. "...There's some decent ones," Ichika allows magnanimously. "But..." A shake of her head. "I guess we live different lives like that."
Other things? ...What other things?? Ichika opens her mouth and closes it again.
She did. "...Kinda yeah," Ichika says. "I mean, I figured I'd do stuff that was less creepy, but... This is important, huh?"
Panic? "Maybe, but 'youth gangs' is kind of panic-y." She frowns, vaguely offended at the notion that the Joker Killer has a day job as a journalist. It's a noble profession!
"I dunno," she says. "Maybe it's just convenient that they can blame whoever they want, and him killing people is 'acceptable cost' for that."
"...Sucks."
<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.
"I guess you'd have more trouble," Minato supposes, of the cops.
And of watching people die, apparently.
"It is," Minato says. "But things like these are supposed to be handled in the adult world... I thought. You know, people dying in real life..." As opposed to what, Minato? Video games???
(Or the Dark Hour.)
"Then again, I guess the adults aren't really handling it, either. Or... maybe I need to give Officer Kurosawa more time to work. I'm not sure how long these things take, but the video was only posted a few days ago." A ghost of a frown graces Minato's face, as he thinks.
... he doesn't know that as soon as the evidence was passed on to Sumaru PD, it 'disappeared'.
"Is it so they can blame anyone who was involved?" Minato wonders. "If you talk about it like that, it sounds like the Joker Killer's working on behalf of the police... I know you have reasons not to trust them, but that seems a little far-fetched."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Apparently. The adult world, though. "Yeah," Ichika says. "It's rough. But this stuff happens. People get hurt, people die... Just because we don't see it doesn't mean it doesn't happen. And it's important."
But the adults... "Yeah," Ichika says. But even Minato seems to frown about that. "The police won't help," Ichika is pretty sure.
But... Hmm. "Yeah," Ichika says, and then hesitates. "I dunno about that one," she admits. "They suck, but... like, they wouldn't actively kill people about it. I could believe they'd take advantage, but not that."
"Anyway you might find out, I guess. They're apparently following me around. ...Maybe not out here, though."
<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.
"A lot of things which people don't see are important," Minato agrees.
But... Ichika is sure the police won't help. "You've had a lot of trouble with them?" He asks, and, perhaps, means more than a leader of a girl gang expects to have with the police.
Still, she at least doesn't hate the cops enough to think they're actively in on it. "All right," Minato nods. "It would be pretty corrupt to take advantage of something like this, but that kind of thing does happen. I'm pretty sure it's somewhere in my history textbook."
Maybe he could use seconds after all...
He tilts his head, though. "That's fine," he remarks, still quite unshaken. "I already knew you were trouble. I like that about you."
Man, how is a guy this trusting in the systems of society and also this down to flirt with a criminal???
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
A lot of things...
"Yeah," Ichika says. "They didn't help me when I was in trouble. And today, they kept me in their stupid little room because I wouldn't rat someone out." He probably does mean more than that. "...It sucks."
But, "Yeah?" Ichika asks. "It probably is. It sounds like the kind of thing that would happen, anyway."
Corrupt. That's the word. Maybe, if she can find some proof...
But he's very unshaken. He gets her, though--Ichika blinks--and lights up a little when he flirts at her. She smiles, suddenly feeling a little brighter. "You did," she says.
"...You know," she says. "I could cause you a little more trouble. If you wanted."
<Pose Tracker> Minato Arisato has posed.
"I guess I can't blame you for not counting on them if they let you down," Minato says, thoughtful. As for not ratting someone out...
Well, he diplomatically doesn't comment on that one, because just from what he knows it's probably gang-related activities where the person accused really did do it.
"I guess systems fail sometimes," Minato shrugs, with the mien of someone who tries not to think about that too much.
And then --
His flirting worked?!
Minato actually looks surprised, for a second, before it passes, and he nods. "... I'm surprised that worked. Last time I used a line on someone, she wasn't all that interested."
Minato, you can't just explain that out loud, my guy.
Still, he nods. "... sure. Sounds good." Because, why wouldn't he? Yukari did shoot him down, and Ichika is hot.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"Yeah. It's cool they haven't done the same to you. I hope that stays true."
Minato seems like a nice boy. She doesn't want bad things to happen to him. ...And the fact that he doesn't comment on the other one might be a contributor to something good happening to him in a few minutes. But he's right, to her mind--systems do fail. "More than we'd like. ...But it's OK."
Because--
Ichika laughs happily. "Really?" she asks. "You're pretty smooth, you know. I think it's the whole calm and mysterious thing you've got going for you... I feel a little better talking to you, even about this stuff."
She wasn't that interested, huh? "Well, her loss."
Ichika's smile is warm, and a little sly. "Then let's get out of here. Maybe you can try another line on me and see how far you get."