2026-04-13: Headphone Wires and Tangled Feelings
- Log: 2026-04-13: Headphone Wires and Tangled Feelings
- Cast: Kasumi Yoshizawa, Fuuka Yamagishi
- Where: Iwatodai Strip Mall, Tatsumi Port Island
- OOC Date: April 13, 2026
- IC Date: October 24, 2012
- Summary: Kasumi meets Fuuka Yamagishi in a electronics store. They bond lightly over technology, getting into trouble with shadows, and their work in helping Kazusa Motojima.
<Pose Tracker> Kasumi Yoshizawa has posed.
It happens to be fairly rare to see a certain redheaded Shujin first year anywhere outside of Tokyo. It's rarer still, to see the same first year outwardly frustrated.
Today featured a gymnastics meet in Tatsumi Port Island. It was supposed to be a lower pressure event, one that Kasumi could win and gain back some much needed confidence. Unfortunately, Ms. Yoshizawa placed second. For someone who still holds dreams of Olympics gold, it just isn't good enough. Better luck next time, right?
Except... It also doesn't help that the Gymnastics club at Shujin has been tense. Kazusa Motojima is back to normal, which should be a relief... If everyone welcomed Motojima-senpai back so readily. Oosaka-senpai has not felt so great about the flip flopping, and it has landed on Kasumi to try and keep the peace.
If only that were the end of it. Tatsumi Port Island is a beautiful city, and the train ride in was truly breathtaking. Kasumi was really hoping to take in the sights for an afternoon. It could've proven to be truly rejuvenating.
Then, her earbuds, already on their last legs, snapped. So did Kasumi's patience with the day.
Finally, the lone Shujin first year finds herself in a strip mall's net cafe, staring blankly at a display of headphones in an electronics store, in an unfamiliar city, struggling to even read the print on the packages.
Please, Kami-sama! Send someone to save her!
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
Electronics stores are a frequent haunt of Fuuka's. Whether she's looking to make a purchase or is just browing to get ideas for later, this is where she feels in her element. ...It's a bit of a point of embarrassment sometimes, honestly, that she knows technology so well...
This one in particular is a common stop. They always have the latest in software releases, and they even sell computer accessories and audio equipment, too. The fact that it isn't far from the dorm, either, is also a plus.
And so as Kasumi finds herself browsing the shelves Fuuka, too, has found herself there as well. Her eyes track across a rack of CDs discerningly. ...She has a lot of these programs already, though, or the latest editions, she's heard, aren't as good as the previous.
She leaves them behind - and stops in her tracks, as she notices someone looking over the headphones display. The first thing she notices is her uniform. Shujin... It's not uncommon to see a Shujin student here, but it's not an everyday occurrence, either.
It takes her a second to put two and two together. That's right... there was a meet today, wasn't there? She isn't in any of the sports clubs, so it's just a matter of hearsay for her.
But still... wherever she's from, Fuuka recognizes that expression. The look of someone who's being overwhelmed by text. She wrestles with her instincts for a moment and, after a moment of hesitation, approaches.
"Um, excuse me..." Fuuka starts. "I'm sorry for intruding, but... Are you having trouble deciding? I'm somewhat experienced when it comes to picking out headphones..."
She's being modest. Audio equipment is where she got her start, she has a good eye for them by now.
<Pose Tracker> Kasumi Yoshizawa has posed.
As Fuuka answers Kasumi's prayers, she pokes her head up to see the teal haired girl. Wait... Teal hair, Gekkoukan student, a worried look? A look of recognition quickly crosses over Kasumi's face. "Oh, you're...?" She's about to put a name to the girl, but comes up utterly empty. "O-oh, I'm sorry, I don't think I know your name... But I saw you in Akihabara..." She says, eluding to seeing Motojima's studio.
Kasumi rises from her kneeling position, brushing her hands over the back of her plaid skirt. Though, now that they're next to each other, Kasumi's surprised to be taller by a couple inches. "Ye-yeah, I am... My earbuds broke today and... Well, I just don't know what's good." She brushes a hand through her long red ponytail to self-soothe. She lets out an awkward little laugh. "I'm utterly useless with technology, I'm afraid. Even my phone messes up on me. I don't know how Motojima-senpai does it..."
Oh!! That's right!! "Oh, I should've said this earlier..." Kasumi steps back for some clearance and offers a deep bow. "Thank you, by the way! For helping my Senpai, I mean. I really appreciate it."
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
Kasumi recognizes her - and when she mentions Akihabara, a flash of recognition crosses over Fuuka's face, too.
"Oh, yes. I remember you... I'm Fuuka Yamagishi. It's nice seeing you again." Fuuka greets with a small smile and a polite bow. She listens as Kasumi explains her predicament, and winces sympathetically.
"I'm sorry... It's awful when that happens when you're far away from home, isn't it?" Fuuka offers. Useless with technology... The sympathetic look remains. "It can be difficult sometimes..."
A sheepish look crosses her face as Kasumi takes a step back and offers a deep bow.
"Oh, um... You're welcome, but, you don't have to thank me." Fuuka assures. "I went through something similar, so... I wanted to help Motojima-san through it, too. Do you know how she's doing?"
They might not have gotten along very well at first, but that didn't change how she felt any.
She looks back to the headphones display, assessing them thoughtfully.
"The headphones second from the top on the right - I think those have the best audio quality for the price. But for affordability, the set two to the left of those aren't bad, either." Fuuka explains, pointing each of them out in turn. She pauses for a moment, thinks back, and then points out one final set."...But the ones with the best durability are right... here."
<Pose Tracker> Kasumi Yoshizawa has posed.
"It's good to meet you properly, Yamagishi-san." Kasumi says with a strained smile. The stress of the day still weighs heavy on her. "I'm Kasumi Yoshizawa. Motojima-senpai and I are in the gymnastics club together."
"It sure is..." To have such support offered by a stranger, it makes Kasumi smile a little easier. Though, that silver medal still weighs heavily inside her bag. If only it was the last of her troubles. "I was hoping to get to enjoy the sights, but this really put a downer on things."
Even if Fuuka says that... Well. Kasumi knows what Motojima-senpai is like. "Oh? You too... With that sort of personality change?" Kasumi guesses, making the wrong connection. She pauses. And guesses it'd be okay if it's another Persona user... "I did too. And it made me happy to see so many people pledge themselves to helping Motojima-senpai. Even if..." She trails off, and makes a sort of gesture that's meant to convey 'she is a little mean'.
Fuuka asks about how Motojima is doing. "Well... Waking back up a week before midterms wasn't very pleasant for her. Club has been tough for her it seems too. Her and Oosaka, Wakana-senpai... I don't really get what's going on, but I've had to fill in as Motojima-senpai partner lately..." It's honestly a little stressful, especially with Kasumi's own struggles with gymnastics.
Kasumi pauses, and debates whether it'd be okay to ask. "Um. Can I ask something? How do you and the...other Gekkoukan girl know Motojima-senpai?"
Fuuka explains, and Kasumi lets out a sigh of relief. She picks out the one with the best durability. Makes sense for her active lifestyle. "You're a lifesaver, Yamagishi-san! Thank you so much!" She does pause thoughtfully for a second. "Though, would you know of any headphones that won't get tangled up too? I sometimes like to listen to music while jogging."
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
Oh, gymnastics club... That makes sense. That would explain how she knew her.
"It's good to meet you too, Yoshizawa-san." Fuuka replies with a smile of her own. She can see how strained Kasumi's smile is. She can only imagine how much this has been weighing on her... and even then, she doesn't know the full story. "I'm sorry... I hope you'll still have a little time to look around."
Kasumi makes a connection - the wrong one, as it happens, but Fuuka can't blame her for making it.
"Oh, no... Not quite like that. I was... Trapped somewhere I couldn't escape on my own. If people hadn't come to help me, I don't know if I would... be here." Fuuka explains. "So... I was sympathetic. Even if Motojima-san was...you know, she still needed help."
She doesn't have to elaborate. They both know what she was like.
"Still... you too? I'm sorry..." She adds.
Kasumi explains how Kazusa has been doing, and... it's not entirely unexpected, but it's still unfortunate.
"It sounds like things have been difficult for her." She observes. Kazusa and Wakana... Fuuka thinks back.
"I think... I understand a little how Oosaka-san must be feeling. It's difficult to know how to feel, in a situation like this. There will be... a lot to work through for them both, I think." Fuuka considers. She couldn't help but compare the two of them to herself and Natsuki. If the pairs were reversed...
Kasumi asks how she knows her, though, and that's easy enough to answer.
"I can't speak for Kumamoto-san, but I ran into Motojima-san and Oosaka-san at the music store in Port Island's Paulownia Mall during an event." Fuuka explains. She doesn't elaborate on what kind, to spare Kazusa's reputation... even if that cat is a bit out of the bag by now. "And then, a little while after, I went to a convention the two of them happened to be going to, and we spoke again."
Her expression, which has been polite to this point, sours just a little.
"...I also met her father." Fuuka concludes with a frown. It can be assumed that went poorly.
Getting back to a topic she's good at discussing, though, picks her cheer up a little.
"You're welcome, Yoshizawa-san. I'm glad I could help." Fuuka replies with a smile - with turns thoughtful, as Kasumi poses another question. Headphones that won't get tangled... "For that... They make wireless headphones, but those tend to be more expensive. Let's see... Right here."
She points a set of them out.
"...But there are also cords made out of a material that's less prone to tangling that might be what you're looking for, too." She adds, pointing out another. "I think the sound quality of wired headphones tend to be better, but for your purposes, going wireless might be more convenient. It really comes down to your preferences..."
She pauses. ...She feels like she's rambling a little.
<Pose Tracker> Kasumi Yoshizawa has posed.
"Me too." Kasumi agrees, clutching the chosen headphones to her chest. "Is there anyplace in particular worth checking out, Yamagishi-san?" At the very least, it might serve as decent inspiration.
Kasumi nods gently, with sympathy. "It was very similar for me." She says. And it makes her feel awful all of a sudden. Like... She has this power that can help others, but she isn't using it often. Is that right? It's selfish...isn't it?
Kasumi shakes her head, putting aside the question of her joining the Phantom Thieves for another day, yet again.
"Yeah, it's...really the start of her troubles, it seems." Kasumi lets out a little sigh. It's a shame, truly. She desperately hopes that Kazusa and Wakana can make up...
Kasumi knows enough at this point to hazard a guess, though she lets it go unsaid for now. (The thought of Kazusa still being crabby with someone who knows her love of anime does make Kasumi giggle a little internally!) She follows along, nodding at the appropriate points. And the conversation turns to the girl's father... "So I've heard about him." Kasumi says. What is it like having a strained relationship with your family? Your blood? Kasumi's own father is a little overprotective, but... Well. It's tiny, comparatively. "I'm sorry that meeting went poorly."
The conversation turns back to the topic of headphones and. "Woah! There's actually wireless headphones? You really know so much, Yamagishi-san..." Kasumi marvels at the wonders of modern technology. She has to blink a little, and really focus to read the eyewatering price of the wireless headphones. "Maybe... Another time." She has to stifle an awkward laugh. "It's really good to know that these options exist though... Thank you so much, Yamagishi-san!" She says brightly.
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
Any place worth checking out... Another thoughtful look crosses Fuuka's face. She's lived here her whole life, so it's hard to think about what kind of places someone from outside might want to see.
"I don't think we have much... But the view of the sea from the Moonlight Bridge is incredible, and Paulownia Mall has a lot to offer. Naganaki Shrine is worth visiting too, I think." Fuuka considers. "...Oh, and for food... I'd recommend Wakatsu or Hagakure."
Fuuka nods as Kasumi confirms that her situation was similar.
"So many of us have been drawn into this, one way or another..." She replies. As for Kazusa... Fuuka nods. "...Yes."
She's heard about Kazusa's father, too, it seems.
"Thank you. I'm... not the one who had it worst, though." She replies. Kazusa was the one who suffered the most.
Kasumi compliments how much she knows and Fuuka laughs just a bit sheepishly.
"Technology is... something of a hobby of mine. Audio equipment, especially. So, um... I've picked up a few things." She admits. ...She can't blame her for now wanting to immediate pick up the wireless headphones at that price tag, though. "Mm-hm. There's a lot of good options for any kind of features you might want... even if it can make it hard to pick through all of them. You're welcome!"
<Pose Tracker> Kasumi Yoshizawa has posed.
Kasumi giggles lightly, recongizing the look. of someone pressed to think of interesting places to check out. "Thank you. I'll be sure to take a look." She says, making mental notes of the places mentioned. It's nice to get a local's perspective for sure.
Food...best hope they make triple servings.
"So many..." Kasumi repeats. "Honestly, I was...really surprised. Just how big the Persona world is. An entire reality outside of what's normal... Divided up into different kinds of..." Kasumi trails off with a laugh. "Honestly, it's a little overwhelming. It makes me feel small."
"Still! You use your new power to help others... That's really impressive." Don't talk about your nerves, don't talk about your nerves. ""...I should be doing more, too." Damnit.
"It's not a bad hobby to have! Though, I'm surprised a girl is into it." Wait, was that rude? That was rude! "Ah! I don't mean it's a bad thing! Uh... My head is just filled with gymnastics, so I might be a big jealous... It's really cool, trust me!" Kasumi panics, waves her hands in front of her, and ends off with a big sigh. She really messed that up, didn't she...
Suddenly, a ringtone starts playing. Kasumi recongizes it as her own, and grabs her phone from her bag to check who's calling. (Fuuka should note that her phone is busted up.) "Oh, it's my dad. Probably wondering how I placed..." She bites her lower lip a bit and claps her hands together in apology. It's a miracle the cracked screen survives it. "I'm sorry! I really should take this. Thank you so much for talking with me, Yamagishi-san. It really cheered me up. I hope we see each other again!" She smiles brightly, before stepping away.
"Hey dad! Sorry, I'm still in Tatsumi. Mm, I placed second..." She lets out a sigh as she disappears around the corner. "I'm okay. I'll be back home soon, okay?"