2025-12-23: A Pact
- Log: A Pact
- Cast: Ichika Kawase, Ririka Kawase
- Where: Ichika's new Car, A Hill in Iwatodai
- OOC Date: December 23, 2025
- IC Date: Wednesday, August 29, 2012 (Evening)
- Summary: Ichika's got a new CAR, and she and Ririka have a lot to talk about. They go for a ride to get away from the house, and talk about Eiji, Toshiaki's apparent murder, and dreams for the future.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Ichika has been all over today; she's definitely getting her parent's moneys' worth out of this car. How does she pay for gas? Well... she's going to spend some time in Mementos upcoming, probably. That's not a problem.
But on her way back into Iwatodai, she reached out to her sister, and thus, they had a short adventure of their own in Iwatodai City. Now, they're parked on a nice hill, having eaten earlier. (No food in the car yet, sorry), before Ichika goes to take her back by her dorm.
Because...
"...So we've got stuff to talk about," Ichika says finally, after she puts the car in park. The car itself is a nice black minivan, with light-beige seats and gray interior. There's a GPS and map on the center console! It's got air conditioning. And...
Ichika figured they could use somewhere away from their parents for a bit.
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
Ririka was all in for Car Adventures, because getting your own set of wheels is an exciting milestone! (Even if Ichika isn't allowing food in the car yet, which, fair.)
But however excited she is for Car Adventures, there is still a current of unease running beneath her thoughts. She's dressed casually in a light jacket, t-shirt, skirt, and sneakers.
She looks out at the view from the hill and nods, fingers tapping on the arm rest. (She yanks her hand back when she accidentally hits the control for the door lock, though.)
"... yeah. We do." She looks to Ichika, wondering just how to broach the bigger topic, and wondering if Ogre's already told her what Eiji said. But she doesn't start there; instead, she asks, "... so. I know we couldn't talk yesterday while getting ready for the festival, but... how are you doing with... everything?"
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Car Adventures! Ichika, as it happens, is a pretty good driver. It is exciting, too. SHe's pretty excited. But she's dressed in cargo pants and tanktop layers, and looks out on the hill.
Door lock!
"...I'm pretty good," Ichika says. "Sevens asked me back. But I'm not going."
"And I mean... Eiji's in jail now. So it's over, right?"
"Mission success, and all that."
"I think... things look bright, you know?"
"How about you? Ogre told me... it was pretty rough."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
The news that Svens asked her back is a little surprising to Ririka. "Wait, just like that?" She makes a skeptical face. "I know he confessed, but..." She nods, though, as Ichika says she's not going back. "Okay."
So it's over, right? "... yeah. He's not going to be hurting anyone else."
Riji's threat is over, but... not all the questions have been answered.
But she manages a smile for Ichika as she says things seem bright. "I'm glad."
Ririka shrugs. "It was... I mean... it was pretty messed up." Ririka starts tapping on her thigh. "But... I mean.." She takes a deep breath. "I dunno. We took him down, so... I can stop thinking about him, right?"
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"Yep, just like that," Ichika says. "Reinstatement, the whole thing. But... I'm not into it. Not after what happened."
But he confessed, and, "He's not," Ichika agrees. "But..." While things seem bright, Ririka is still tapping on her thigh. "That's the idea," Ichika says. "I think we can. But... some stuff he said..."
"I wanna talk more about the future and stuff," Ichika says. "That'll be good. I've got a lot to say. But... there's something I didn't expect, too."
"What he said about our brother."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
"Yeah, I don't blame you for not wanting to go back," Ririka says. "You sticking with Kasu, then?"
She's not about to ask about Gekkoukan. She knows Ririka's reasons for not going there.
To be fair, tapping on her thigh isn't so unusual for Ririka. But it does tend to mean she's a bit stressed... or just distracted.
Ichika's future. "That'd be nice. I know you've been worried about that..."
Ririka takes a long, deep, slow breath. It saves her the awkwardness of bringing it up, at least. "So Ogre told you about that."
"I'm still..." She's still tapping, her free hand runs through her hair for a moment. "... I'm still trying to come to terms with what he said about Toshi-nii."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"Yeah," Ichika says, and is glad she doesn't have to explain her many reasons not to go back to Sevens. "I am. ...I mean, Takeba asked if I was gonna transfer 'back' to Gekkoukan, like she thought I went there... but even if I wanted to, I don't think they'd take me mid-year. And I don't. I want to stay with my friends. With my crew. ...With Tsubasa."
But it would be nice, and--
Less nice. Ichika, with her shorter hair, is turned to look at Ririka. "Mm-hm."
"Yeah..."
"I've been thinking about it. It means... someone did it, on purpose. And it had to do with Daddy... Or at least, 'if Daddy was more connected, it wouldn't have happened'."
"I don't know what it means. I'm not even half-prepared to deal with it. ...But there it is."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
Presumably there are other schools, but... Ririka nods, though she winces at the mention of Takeba. "Iiii hope I didn't say anything to give her the impression that you used to go there."
Friends, crew, and... Tsubasa. "Yeah, I kinda figured." She looks to Ichika and manages a little bit of a smile. "... I hope you and Seki-san had fun last night." At the festival, that is.
"... yeah. I keep wondering about that, too."
Ririka falls silent for a long while, staring off somewhere past the horizon. Quietly, she admits, "... it's... kind of almost all I can think about," she admits. "... someone killed him, a-and..." Her voice is a little shaky, but she gives a small shake of her head, trying not to say more.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"Nah," Ichika says. "She just assumed, I think, because our parents live here. ...And like, I mean... we did in middle school, so..."
She smiles, after that. "We did," Ichika says. "Thanks for giving us the space. It went... really great. But uh--I hope you had fun, too! Kumamoto seemed to be having a nice time."
But wondering...
"We have to find out who," Ichika says simply. "That's all there is to it."
"...I guess is what I want to say. It makes things feel simple. But that's easier said than done. And how do we do that?"
"I don't know. But I know I'll be looking."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
"Yeah, that's true... I guess it's an easy conslusion to come to."
Ririka looks to Ichika and smiles. "I'm glad you guys had a good time. And I did. I won a little Shiba Inu plushie I wanna give to Koro-chan. We hung out with Suzuki-san, too and another of my classmates."
IT's easier said than done. "... yeah. I'm... I'm gonna be looking too. I want to get to the bottom of this."
Something bubbles up. "It's just not fair," she bursts out. "I spent two years trying to get over him being gone and now I find out he was murdered and I just... I'm angry, and sad, and confused, and we can't even tell our parents, and--"
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"Yeah."
"Oh, cool. Koro-chan?" she wonders. "Glad you have so many friends at school. That's really good."
Ichika reaches out to put a hand on Ririka's. "Hey," she says. "You're not alone. You've got me, and those friends of yours."
"...But no, it's not fair. It's... It's messed up. And I didn't have any idea. But it explains..."
"It explains why it was so strange. Why it was so awful."
"...But we can't, huh? They wouldn't understand. Not without..."
"Not without proof."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
"You know, Koromaru? The dog at the shrine? I thought he'd like it to keep him company..." Ririka nods about friends. "... yeah. I'm glad, too."
Ririka grows still when Ichika places a hand on hers, and she tries to calm herself. "... Yeah. I know. I just..."
"... real messed up..." she agrees in a small voice.
And why it was so strange. Ririka silently nods, looking down at her lap. It was strange, wasn't it? And having the context now, it's bringing up all kinds of feelings from back then she's not prepared to deal with.
"... yeah. We can't even tell them how we found out, since..." 'The Shadow version of Eiji Kamiya told us in his supernatural palace' is kind of a tough line to swallow.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"Oh, that Koro-chan!" Ichika brightens. "I didn't know you were friends with him."
Real messed up, though. It is. and IChika thinks it's strange, obviously; she saw it happen, saw him... freak out, or something, and then all. She suppressed it pretty well at the time, but...
"Right," Ichika says. "So we need to find out who did it..."
"And we need to find out how."
"And then we need to find the proof."
"And then we take whoever did it down. If we can get the proof, we do it by the law. If we can't..."
"We find another way."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
"Some of us wanted to look out for him a bit, since..." Well, his owner died. "... you know. But with school starting up again, we won't have as much time, so..."
Ririka might've left out the part where Koromru's a Persona User and also a member of SEES.
Find out who, and the how, and proof... "... and why," Ririka says. "I... I want to know why someone w3ould do this."
Ririka looks to Ichika and nods. "Right. Whoever did it, we'll take them down together. For nii-chan."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"Yeah. ...Well, I hope you can. I see him at the shrine... He's a good boy, I think."
But Ririka has left out a part that would be weird for Ichika anyway. She doesn't know much about SEES... though it might be a problem eventually. After all, SEES and the Phantom Thieves may not see eye-to-eye...
"Yeah," Ichika says. "We'll find out why, too."
"We damn well will."
Ichika sighs. "...So, yeah," she says. "I'm not sure what else I can say about that..."
"But we know this has been going on for at least that long, now, right?"
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
"Yeah, he really is. He's.. got a strong protective instinct too, I think." Meaning, he has a Persona. Not that... Ririka knows how to say that, or how she found out.
SEES ad the PTs... No, they probably won't. But Ririka personally might be more sympathetic.
"... Yeah. Two years..."
... which reminds her of just what's coming up in September, but that's a pain she shoves aside for the moment. She can only handle so much.
She sighs. "... I'm not sure where to start, though."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
A dog with a Persona??? Totally implausible. Morgana's not a cat, don't worry about it.
September. Soon.
"That's OK," Ichika says. "...I think I've got a lead, anyway. I can't say much more, but... Some rumors i'm following up on. If I come up with something more tangible I'll tell you, OK?"
Ichika squeezes Ririka's hand. "Until then remember you sitill have to live, too, OK?"
"I'm... Well, that's important to me lately. You can guess why."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
If a robot and a peacock can have a Persona, why not a dog? Or... even a Shadow in the shape of a cartoon pig mascot?
Ririka has no idea how any of those work.
"Soe rumors, huh? ... alright. But let me know. I need to follow up on some stuff, too, so I might start asking around."
Ririka turns her hand over so she can give Ichika's hand a squeeze. "... right. I'll try. To remember, that is."
Ririka nods, looking to Ichika. "I bet... so, nee-san, you got any plans for your future now?"
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"Sure," Ichika says. "Do what you can. I'll do the same."
It's especially important to keep Ririka out of trouble now; if someone's doing these Shutdowns...
Well. She smiles back, at the squeeze of her hand, and considers that instead.
"Yeah!" she says. "Well... I've got a lot of hopes, more than exactly plans. But some plans, too. Like... I think I want to be a reporter? I'm not entirely sure; I might find I just want to focus on being a mom, when the time comes."
"But it'd be cool, to be able to do something like that. And after Eiji, I kinda... I wanna have options."
"But things are going great with Ryuji-kun and Tsubasa. Like..."
"Well, i don't want to jinx it. But it's going great. Maybe really great."
"Point is, I think... I have a future, you know...? That's the big thing."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
"I'll let you know if I come up with anything." And she's got SEES to call on for help, too.
Which... she might want to read them in on the news. But... she also needs more time to process it.
Sorry, Ichika. Ririka's not about to keep out of trouble on this one.
"Hopes are good, too," Ririka says, trying to shift to being more cheerful. "I bet being a reporter would be cool." Being a mom. "That'd be cool, too."
"If you ever wanna talk about the options sometime, lemme know."
Ryuji and Tsubasa. "That's great! I barely got to talk to Sakamoto-san at the concert, I'd love to get to know him better, since he's so important to you."
There's a smile at Ichika thinking she has a future. "Yeah... that's kinda huge, huh?"
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"Thanks," Ichika says.
It's fine; neither is Ichika. They can deal with that when the time comes.
"Yeah!" she agrees. "This really cool reporter, Maya Amano... she made me think of it. And I've met a couple others, since. She might be able to get me to visit her workplace sometime? See what it's all like. That'd be cool. And like, everybody thinks about the big stories... but I like the small stories, too. The ones about people."
"Hey, totally," Ichika says. "I know I want to be a mom. Like... Well, you know about that," she says. "But circumstances might not let me do that right off. So... it's good to have other things to do too, right?"
"Oh, you did? Cool!" A smile. "Yeah. He's... He's really great."
"I guess what I really want is one big house where I can have my husband and my Tsubasa all together. Sounds nice, right?"
"...But yeah. You don't have to think ahead so much yet, you're only a second-year, but..."
"You've got a lot ahead of you too. Like how well your concert went! It was great."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
"Yeah, I remember you mentioning her. So she wants to get you a tour? That's really cool!" Ririka is finding it easier to smile as they shift to happier topics. "If you've got someone who knows how it's like, that's gonna be really helpful."
"Yeah, I know about that... and I'm still gonna write you a bazllion lullabies for you to sing to your kids." She nods. "Yeah, it's good to have options."
"One big house for..." Ririka laughs a little, reaching over to playfully shove Ichika. "Geeze. You're out here running with two boyfriends while I haven't even been on a date in two years." For reasons.
"... But yeah. That does sound nice."
Ririka shrugs a little. "I might only be a second-year, but... I mean, there's still a lot of directions my music could go, you know?"
"Thanks, though. I'm glad you liked it. And it seems like a lot of people had a good time, too."
"But speaking of the future..." Ririka looks out to the view over the hill. "I've been thinking about telling Mom and Dad, but... I dunno. What if they..." She trails off, unable to finish that thought.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"Yeah!" Ichika answers, and smiles back. "It will. And she's great, like--already helping me hone my 'reporter's instincts'."
A bazillion lullabies. Ichika beams. "Great," she says. "You'll have to do some of the singing, too! I'm definitely gonna ask you to watch them."
Ririka shoves and Ichika laughs. "Technically, Tsubasa's not a boy! We're going with 'partner!' That's what we decided. Boyfriend and partner. ...Maybe one day I'll update those."
She doesn't want to jinx it, though.
"Right?" she asks. "I dunno what it all looks like yet, but Tsubasa wants to help out. Be part of my kids' lives, not just 'the friend.'"
But... "That's true," Ichika says. "I just mean... You don't have to decide yet. You don't ahve to do entrance exams and stuff."
But those are coming up for Ichika all right... Eventually.
She smiles. And then she looks more serious. "I think they'll be OK with it," Ichika says. "Maybe a little worried, since... if you live it outright, society might give you some trouble."
"But I think they'll support you. They have me, right?"
"I'll be there, if you want. With you."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
"Oh yeah?" She says of reporters' instincts. "That's awesome. If you ever need an interview with an up and coming rock star..." she says with a playful tease.
"You got it. I'd love to!"
"I knoiw, I know, I didn't mean it like that." But 'Partner'! "Oooh, that's a good word to use. Then, running around with your boyfriend and your partner."
"Aww, that's really cool of them."
"That's true... finals for spring were hard enough with... everything going on," Ririka says with a sigh. She still got good marks, but... they definitely took a little bit of a hit.
"Them worrying is... one of the things I'm nervous about," Ririka admits softly. "But every time Mom asks me if anybody's asked me out recently, it just gets... more and more awkward. I can only tell her I'm too busy so many times..."
And then that just makes them worry about her overworking herself again... (which to be fair, she kind of is.)
Living it outright. "I know, but... I mean. It'd suck not to be me, you know...?" She gives Ichika a vulnerable look.
"I know they have, I just... I feel like they expect certain things from me, and... I'm pretty sure this isn't one of them."
But she nods as Ichika offers to be there. "That... would be a huge help. I'd really appreciate it. Thanks, nee-san."
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"Haha, cool. I'll keep it in mind."
Ichika grins. And of course, talking about her future children usually makes her happy. But talking about her current partners does, too. "Yeah!" she says. "Since I can't call them my boyfriend, so... Partner. We are. We're all on the same team."
And it is cool. "It's like, they're not gonna have their own, so..." She gestures.
But spring finals. Ichika did pretty well--for Ichika, anyway. "Right," she says. "It's hard."
"...Ah, yeah... You do tend to try to take everything on yourself. So they probably worry about that already."
"it would," Ichika agrees. "So I support you. Just means i'll be there with you when there's trouble. Right?"
Certain... things.... "Maybe so," she says. "But I'll back you up."
'You're welcome. ...We're sisters. I want that to count for something."
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
Ririka likes seeing Ichika happy. "Yeah, it just kinda slipped out, sorry. But I'll remember 'partner'."
"Ohhh, yeah, I see. But... that's really cool if you're all on the same page about that."
A light flush colors Ririka's cheeks as Ichika makes that observation. "I mean... I can't let anybody down, you know?"
Ririka nods. "... Right, thanks. And I've always got your back, too, right?"
Ririka takes a deep breath. "Yeah, for sure. And... thanks. It's not so scary knowing you'll be there, too. And maybe after I finally tell them... you can introduce me to some of these girls you've mentioned?"
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
"Nah, it's cool. They're a guy, so... it's reasonable to think 'boyfriend'. It's just, I'm trying to be... sensitive to how they feel. And it's not the same. If it were the same, I might not want all the things i want. ...But they said I should be selfish sometime... so I'm doing it."
All on the same page? "Yeah," Ichika says. "Ryuji-kun seems open to it all... But you know." She winks. "He's getting a lot out of it."
It's a joke, but Ichika really does speak of him fondly. And Tsubasa, too. As for Ririka herself, though: "I know. But you don't have to do it alone. Remember that."
"Right. I know."
"...Sure," Ichiks says. "I can do that. I'll make sure to get you the good ones, though--not the ones who'll just take you to bed and ignore you the next day. Somebody sweet... That's who I want to introduce my sister to, if anybody."
"...OK. ready to go home?"
<Pose Tracker> Ririka Kawase has posed.
Ririka nods. "It's important to me to be sensitive, too, you know? That's important to me, since... you know."
Ririka grins a little at getting a lot out of it. "Free babysitting?" she says, with a grin.
"I'll... try to remember thatg. Promise." Follow-through is another matter.
The ones who'll... Ririka pauses, and her face turns a bright red. "... Iiiii..." She glances away from Ichika, out the window. "... I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about that before, buuut..."
She rubs at the back of her neck some. "... maaaaye I'd better start off with 'sweet'," she admits in a small voice.
Ririka nods, her face still red. "Yeah. I think so. This has been a really good talk."