2025-11-29: Pulling at Threads
- Log: Pulling at Threads
- Cast: Makoto Niijima, Kazusa Motojima
- Where: Jinbocho Booktown, Chidoya, Tokyo
- OOC Date: November 29, 2025
- IC Date: Saturday, August 18, 2012 (Morning)
- Summary: Makoto's pleasant morning shopping for books is interrupted by the arrival of Kazusa. The two of them get into a discussion of reputation, and things get... tense.
<Pose Tracker> Makoto Niijima has posed.
It's hot Saturday Morning, and the bookshops of Jinbocho Booktown have been open for about an hour. For those willing the brave the morning heat, the many antique bookstores are yours to explore.
Makoto Niijima is one of those willing, dressed in her usual casual outfit- a white blouse, black capri leggings and brown loafers. She's been here... about an hour, to be honest. It's a morning without plans, without homework, without class, without cram school. A morning entirely to herself. So she's spending it in one of her favourite places, scouring the shelves for out of print classics, having saved her allowance (and some of her mementos money) to find something old and interesting.
Indeed, she's just emerging from one store, with a few of her finds carefully secured in a bag- a couple of honkaku novels she never had a chance to read, and a fascinating looking old English language horror novel about a vampire. But she still can justify a few more purchases with her budget, and apart from 'Carmilla', the English book, she'll be able to get through the other novels pretty quickly.
She takes a few seconds in the sun to work out which store she'll head to next, making sure not to block the crowd. She's got plenty of time, and doesn't have to rush, after all.
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Kazusa has also been shopping in the area, as it turns out--though she came early not to brave the heat but to potentially to beat the crowds. What she's seeking isn't entirely fiction, either... she's hoping to find some books detailing some hostorical fashion trends in older periods of Japan. It's a bit of a niche topic, and she has a few lies ready for if anybody seems her with them.
She's dressed in skinny black jeans and a pink halter tgop with a ruffled front. Her black hair is back in a ponytail, and she's got a pair of shades perched on the edge of her nose, and a small black (designer) backpack. (Okay so it's all designer.)
And she's currently walking down the street, bag in one hand, and a new model (Motojima-branded) phone in the other, checking an app. And she looks up just in time to see--
"Oh. Niijima-senpai." Behind the shades purple eyes look Makoto over critically.. "... imagine running into you here."
BBS: New BB message (4/49) posted to 'Scene Announcements' by Scene System: PARRY IT!
<Pose Tracker> Makoto Niijima has posed.
To be fair, Makoto didn't really expect to encounter someone else on her shopping trip. It wasn't really the sort of place she expected any of her friends to go to- though maybe it would be worth offering to invite them out sometime. Maybe she could save Yusuke some money by convincing him to buy second hand...
(It doesn't occur to her that he would gravitate to the most expensive out of print art books.)
But that's a digression, and doesn't really deal with the matter at hand- which is, recognized by one of her kouhai!
Makoto blinks for a few seconds, before returning the greeting. "Good morning, Motojima-san." Makoto responds, politely as ever. 'Imagine running into you here' is not the response she expected. Ann seems to think Kazusa's okay, but Makoto's never been... great at interacting with classmates outside the Student Council. "I admit, I didn't expect to run into any other Shujin students this early in the morning."
And then. The awkwardness starts to set in. Makoto tries to work out what to say here, what she should do. "Do you come to Jinbocho often?"
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Kazusa might have also been perusing some art books. Not that she would ever admit it out loud, of course. (At least money isn't really her issue.)
Kazusa is great at talking to people.*
* Well, he's more confident about it, at the very least. YMMV about the actual experience.
"Neither did I." Kazusa plucks her shades off her nose and then hangs it off the neckline of her top. She seems to waiting for Makoto to say something, which might not be helped by her intense stare.
"Only if I need something here I can't find elsewhere." But she doesn't say what that is. "What are you doing here?"
<Pose Tracker> Makoto Niijima has posed.
Ah, stone wall to stone wall communication. The easiest and most forthright communication style there is.
Makoto definitely feels like she's under scrutiny, with the intensity of the stare. And she knows the student body doesn't have the highest opinion of her- but Kazusa is also a high academic achiever, and maybe there's some common ground there?
Though, apparently, Kazusa seems to be here out of need rather than want.
"Oh, I had the morning off and thought I'd find some new reading." She holds up her bag, weighed with books, as explanation. "I don't have room for a lot of hobbies, but I like to read. And well, you can find things in Jinbocho that you're not likely to find anywhere else."
So, basically, for fun. She's here for fun.
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Kazusa's reputation isn't exactly great, either, though she doesn't have the respnosibility of running the student council like Makoto does. She can still count on wealth and status to garner some kind of following.
And also just willing to be mean.
"New books to read, huh...?" Kazusa gives a thin, not very kind smile, "I suppose even our hard-working student council president deserves a break every once in a while."
"... you know, I'm surprised you had time to come here. You seem to have picked up a rather... interesting friend group recently. For someone with your... reputation for hard, diligent work--" That of being the staff's lackey. "--I find it very surprising you'd spend time with the likes of Sakamoto-san or Amamiya-san."
<Pose Tracker> Makoto Niijima has posed.
For good or ill, Makoto doesn't know that much about Shujin's Demon Queen- the Student Council is *very* insular, after all. She's only barely aware of her own reputation as the Robotic President, to be honest.
(Also if people knew about who she was in the metaverse, Kazusa might struggle to hold that reputation.)
There's a definite mismatch between what Kazusa is saying, and the expression on her face in a way that Makoto still struggles to deal with. She's got lots of practice giving the right response, but it's harder to do that with her peers. She doesn't really understand the expected responses the way she does adults.
"I mean, everyone does sometimes, right?"
She can feel herself cringe internally. This felt like a misstep.
Which is when she gets rather caught in the sights of Kazusa's more direct questioning, and Makoto blinks a few times. "Ah, well..." Makoto definitely seems on the back foot now, not expecting to be interrogated. "I guess... things kind of worked out that way. Sakamoto-kun and Amamiya-kun aren't bad people." There's another slow pause. "Honestly, we didn't start interacting by choice, but... I guess reputations can be misleading."
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Kazusa wouldn't be particularly bothered by Makoto not being that aware of her reputation... but she would be very surprised to find out Makoto's alter-ego.
Everybody does, but yes, that was definitely the wrong thing to say. Kazusa arches an eyebrow at that, which might validate that internal cringe.
"'Kind of worked out that way'? Kiiiind of a leap to go from the staff's lackey to being friendly with the guy that hit a teacher, isn't it?" Not by choice. "Uh huh. You know, I actually find that more believable."
A soft scoff. "Your reputation is everything, you know. I find it hard to believe their reputations could be so misleading, so please, senpai, would you care to enlighten me?"
<Pose Tracker> Makoto Niijima has posed.
Kazusa strikes at Makotos friendship and the look she receives in respond is... flat. Somewhat cold, really. "Well. If you want to go that, the reputation of Suguru Kamoshida-" Notably, not Kamoshida-sensei- "was that he was a good teacher. In reality, he was a child abuser and a sexual predator who drove a student to attempt suicide." Makoto gives Kazusa a rather resolute look, and it's like the tone of the conversation has shifted. This is no longer a conversation, after all- it's debate.
"How valuable was Kamoshida's reputation when it all came to light? Consider how much Shujin's reputation fell afterwards too. If reputation is everything, it's a frail thing, built on uneasy foundation. Relying on reputation alone puts you in hazardous, weak position, if you can't back it up."
Makoto gives Kazusa a look. "Reputation is a shield, but it can be a cage too. It can tie your hands when you need to act. So I'd ask you back- what's more important, your reputation, or your actions?"
It's strange. There's something *forceful* in Makoto's eyes, as if Kazusa threw down a challenge.
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Even the flat look is telling, though. It means Kazusa's struck a nerve, which is... interesting, for someone claiming not to have been brought together with them freely.
But Kazusa frowns as Makoto brings up Kamoshida. That is... an ugly subject, to grossly understate the magnitude of what happened. But still, that shift... makes this more interesting.
Kazusa puts one hand on her hip as she listens, the other hand lifted to casually inspect her nails. "My reputation is founded on my actions. My exam scores, my success in the Rhythmic Gymnastics club... I work very hard for my reputation."
She drops her hand to look at Makoto directly. "... but if we're speaking of actions, then, tell me, esteemed Student Council President... what about your actions while all that was happening at the school, hmm?"
<Pose Tracker> Makoto Niijima has posed.
Kazusa's response has a bit of pushback, but Makoto seems... ready? Or at least... prepared for this line of inquiry.
She simply nods at Kazusa's response. "Part of it is. But some of your reputation is based on your family name, much like Haru. I work for my grades- but my reputation among the faculty was partly due to my own action, partly due to my inaction, and partly due to the impact my sister left on them before I was ever a student at Shujin Academy." She knows that too well, when Principal Kobayakawa dragged Sae in to compare her to Makoto. "I'd even imagine some of it comes from my family's history as police officers. Our actions are only a portion of our reputation- lots of it is simply how other perceive us." She looks directly at Kazusa again, as if to take more to her arguement. "Did you know that until I turned eighteen, I was a Shonen 2nd Dan Black Belt in Aikido, Motojima-san? Most people aren't. Right now I'm unranked, and will be until the end of September, until I can take my grading again, simply because I am a year older. If you just look at my rank, you'd think I was completely unskilled- but I have been practicing Yoshinkan Aikido since I was a kid. Do you think my Aikido practice has ever been taking into account when people consider my reputation?"
And it's clear, then, that Kazusa hits a nerve- but rather than get defensive, she acknowledges it. "I was too afraid for my reputation to act, even though the rumours about Kamoshida had been going around the school for ages. He was considered the most powerful person in the school, and I felt that my university recommendation and future was based entirely on not rocking the boat." Makoto lets out a sigh. "And as a result, I enabled his abuse. So did every adult and teacher who covered for him. I thought reputation was the most important thing in the world. I am partly to blame for Suzui-san's suicide attempt, moreso than almost any other student. I failed her, and I failed many other students."
Perhaps Ann had forgiven her, but Makoto hadn't forgiven herself. "Maybe if I had acted, nothing would have changed. Or maybe something would have. We'll never know. I only know that I have to keep going with that on my conscience. I let myself be caged by my reputation, rather than following my sense of justice. I don't plan on giving into that weakness ever again. Even if my reputation suffers for it. Any reputation built on defending injustice and allowing people to be hurt is worse than worthless anyway."
Okay, that's not arguing on facts anymore- but Johanna wouldn't let her say anything else. "Staff lackey, cold hearted student president... think what you want about me, Motojima-san. I'll act in accordance with my conscience, and we'll see the direction my reputation goes. My bet is that I'll be less popular than ever- and I'm okay with that."
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
There is a flicker of... something on Kazusa's face as Makoto mentions her family name, but she quickly composes herself. "I can't help it if my family is a household name," she declares in a lofty, off-handed manner. On the one hand, that seems like a brag...
... but on the other hand, she really can't control that, can she? She'll never admit it, but maybe some part of her does understand some of Makoto's points about how certain external factors can affect your reptuation.
But there is a surprised blink as Makoto claims... "Wait, really?" She scrutinizes Makoto again, looking for signs she's joking or lying. "... there's no way. You wouldn't catch me doing something like that." Because she cares about her reputation too much.
But Kazusa just blinks as Makoto... fesses up to her inaction. She's a bit stunned, looking at her senpai, and not quite sure where to go from there. Maybe she was expecting more pushback. That critical eye studies Makoto for a few long, silent moents as she processes all of that.
"Good luck with that, Niijima-senpai. I'm sure the world will respond so well to your conscience. But none of that explains how you got wrapped up with Sakamoto-san and Amamiya-san. Because we know what their actions are."
<Pose Tracker> Makoto Niijima has posed.
Makoto nods simply as Kazusa states that. "You can't. And it means your reputation will always be influenced by the choices of your family- or your family's company. We can manipulate, but we can't control it."
"It was something my dad taught my sister and I, and we kept at it after his death." Makoto explains, flatly. "Both for exercise and self defence. It's honestly pretty good for fitness and discipline." There's nothing to hint that Makoto is lying- if anything, she's not telling Kazusa every single detail.
'My dad was murdered by a sex trafficking gang he was pursuing' tends to kill a conversation.
Kazusa seems to have been totally thrown for a loop by Makoto's honesty... but it's true. She wants to do better by the students of Shujin- and part of that is admitting she failed them, and then backing that up with her actions.
"We'll see." That's her simple, straightforward response to Kazusa's bitter response. But still, Kazusa keeps pressing on that, and Makoto frowns. Kazusa seems stuck on that point, in fact. "...Why does the reason they're my friends matter to you so much, Motojima-san?"
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Kazusa's not overly concerned with the reputation of her family's company, or even her family at large--really, she spends most of her time preoccupied with one family member in particular. She does give an easy roll of her shoulders. "I guess I have to give you that one," she says, unbothered. It's pretty true, even she can admit that.
But Makoto's father... Her relationship with her own father is... not great. Not that she would admit that out loud to just anyone. If Makoto's father wanted to teach her... but martial arts...
She'd never hear the end of that if her father caught her pursuing that.
"... Hmm. How nice for you, then."
Another shrug of her shoulders. "It doesn't." Except it kind of does. It only started with a curiosity about why Kasumi was hanging out with Ren--since Kasumi's performance is of interest to her. The rest is just... pulling the thread. "Just an idle curiosity."
<Pose Tracker> Makoto Niijima has posed.
'How nice for you, then.'
That seems to sting, possibly more than Kazusa intended. Like it struck something deep in Makoto. "It would be nicer if he hadn't been murdered."
That is spoken with such venom, such harshness, that Makoto is a little surprised it came from herself. There's so much deeper hurt below that, and Makoto's not comfortable with it. She's really not comfortable with the roiling underneath those feelings. She doesn't talk about this with anyone anymore, except Sis. And Sis...
Sis gets so angry that Makoto shuts down in fear.
"I see," Makoto says, and her voice is full of an anger that feels like it could explode violently at any second. "Then you won't mind if I don't indulge you, Motojima-san. I only have so much time for my morning off before I have to go back home and clean the apartment, do my cram school prep, and cook dinner for the only family I have left. Have a good day, Motojima-san."
Makoto doesn't give her a chance to respond, and starts speed walking towards the next store she had in mind, slipping into an alley. If Kazusa wants to follow her, she'd have to be fast- and even if she is, Makoto is intent on losing her, and knows Jinbocho almost as well as her own home.
Enough time to try and shove all those painful feelings down again, so she can cope.
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Kazusa hadn't meant much of anything by that statement. If anything she was trying to dismiss some of her own feelings, not prod at Makoto's. And yet, in the end...
The next statement comes out with venom, and Kazusa flinches back a little from the intensity. She stammers for a moment, at a loss for words.
What do you even say to something like that?
It's enough to get her to take a half-step back, as if she suddenly remembered that claim to black belt mastery. But that hesitance gives Makoto plenty of time to make a clean break. And Kazusa doesn't bother pursuing.
She shuffles off to the side, out of the way of the sidewalk, as she tries to process her own thoughts. After a few moments she pulls her phone out to find the store she had been headed to, trying to ignore her own unease and focus on the task at hand.
Those books weren't going to buy themselves, after all.