2026-07-14: A New Problem
- Log: A New Problem
- Cast: Kazusa Motojima, Kanae Fuyuki
- Where: Electric Town - Main
- OOC Date: July 14, 2026
- IC Date: Sunday, December 09, 2012
- Summary: Kanae has discovered that there's a new Homunculus, this time taking over Shinichi Nagisa, and reaches out out to Kazusa to let her know. They meet at Kazusa's studio and start discussing how they're going to tackle the problem.
(|=========================== Electric Town - Main ===========================|)
-========================================================= Tokyo/Akihabara ====-
A sacred place for otaku, not just within Japan but worldwide. Here, it's so
mainstream to be a geek that it circles back to being cool again. That is,
unless you harass the staff of the businesses here whose job requires them to be
a part of this culture, or the cosplayers who work so hard at their costumes
that it's practically a second job for them.
Arcades and gaming shops alternate with manga stores full of merch that's so
pricy as to make any broke fan envious. Collectors line the streets for the
chance to trade for the rarest gachapon finds. Maid cafes and popups with menus
designed to profit off the latest hits in the weekly manga collabs and/or old
favorites from two decades ago cater equally to tourists and locals alike.
Anywhere on earth may be a heaven or hell depending on who you are, but that may
be truer than most places for Akihabara.
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Here she is, in her studio again. It's... well, it's a good place to get out of her house and study. Especially since she's determined to make up for what happened at Midterms, even if it wasn't entirely her fault.
Even though the Homunculus is gone, it feels like she can't quite escape everything it did while it was here...
But today is also laundry day, and when she got the text from Kanae asking to meet, she replied quickly.
> Sure. I'm at my studio. Come over whenever.
The studio apartment itself is long, narrow,and tall, with exposed concrete and ducting, definitely 'industrial chic.' Kazusa rather likes it, not that she'd say as much.
Right now she's dressed way down in a baggy charcoal gray hoodie and sweatpants. The single round table by the kitchenette is currently covered in laundry. That Kazusa is folding. In the opposite corner, from her computer, there's some anime soundtracks playing.
<Pose Tracker> Kanae Fuyuki has posed.
Kanae didn't have a ton to say in text; she was pretty direct and to-the-point. She has news, after all--and...
She isn't that interested in going into detail, but she needs to warn someone, and in-person is the best for that. If it also means not being alone, that's fine, too.
Knock knock!
Kanae's here, dressed casually--nice top, jacket, skirt, sneakers. But her expression is a little furtive as she glances back and forth to ensure they're alone here.
When Kazusa invites her in...
"Hey," she says. "How's it going?"
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Kazusa, meanwhile, doesn't have a read on anything Kanae might be avoiding, at least by text, but she can guess it'd be serious.
But she's quick to respond when the door knocks. "Coming!" She does peek first, but then opens the door up. "Hey, Fuyuki-san." She studies Kanae for a moment and then steps back to let her in. "What's up?"
She shrugs a little. "Not much, just..." There's a little bit of a blush as she glances at the table. "... putting away laundry." She shrugs and tries to play it off. "But I was going to study after. Can I get you anything?"
<Pose Tracker> Kanae Fuyuki has posed.
Peek! Just Kanae.
"A lot," Kanae says, perhaps a little ominously. But she doesn't elaborate immediately, asking after Kazusa instead. Kanae glances to the table and shrugs. "It's OK," she says. "It's just laundry."
But studying... That's good. "Ah, you have... tea or coffee?" Kanae says, sounding a little less composed than she usually does.
Pause. "There's something I needed to tell you," she says. ...We can grab a drink or whatever first though, sure." She'd like to sit down, anyway.
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
'A lot.' Kazusa frowns. "Uh... okay." But it's just laundry. "I know, I just... whatever." She has complicated feelings about domesticity, thanks to her parents.
"Yeah, I have iced tea or canned coffee. Um--" She pauses, studying Kanae for a moment. "Just let me... one sec." Most of it's already sorted out, but she grabs the whole mess and tucks it away into the closet. She can sort out the rest later.
<Pose Tracker> Kanae Fuyuki has posed.
Kanae doesn't get it; her domesticity is more a matter of survival. If she doesn't do laundry, cook meals, and clean, nobody's going to do it for her living alone. That's been the case for a while.
But, "OK," she says. Pause. "Thanks." She takes a seat at a convenient place, and then says, "Canned coffee's fine."
Her body language is tight; arms crossed, looking at nothing in particular.
"...Shinichi Nagiaa's been replaced by a Homunculus."
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Kazusa's mother definitely has the expectation that Kazusa will be doing this for other people. Frankly, so does her father.
The nice wooden table has two nice wooden chairs, and they have cushions on them. Kazusa places a canned coffee down for Kanae, and then takes the other seat with her iced tea. She goes to open it and then freezes, going deathly still.
She stares and then lets out a flat "... what?"
<Pose Tracker> Kanae Fuyuki has posed.
Kanae herself expects to. But there's not really expectations on her about it.
Still, cushion chair, that's nice. Sitting up high like this isn't bad. Kanae goes for the coffee--if it's fancy she pulls the tab, but if it's regular she just opens it--and then delivers her news.
"Yes," Kanae says. "I met him. Talked to him. He's... Well, he's acting really different, and you can... 'sense' it, when you're interacting with one."
"We're going to have to do something about it, and soon."
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Beats the plain wooden chairs, at least. Kazusa has fancy ones, so there's a tab to pull.
Shinichi Nagisa. "... it must have just happened," she says, with a slow frown. "He's in my class. He's the class representative, in fact. He seemed... fine, on Saturday."
She studies Kanae for a moment. "... how is his homunculus acting? And, yes, we should. If he's trapped like I was..." Kazusa looks down for a moment, staring at her bottle as the memories come flooding back.
<Pose Tracker> Kanae Fuyuki has posed.
Tab!! then it'll be hot canned coffee. That's nice.
"Maybe," Kanae says. "But I saw him yesterday, and he was the Homunculus. After Tennis practice. I hadn't even been fighting with Isabeau that much..."
"He's not fine now."
"...Macho. Dominant. Asshole."
Is he trapped? "He must be," Kanae says distantly. "There's no reason to believe it works any differently than it has before. Which means... Threads and..."
"I should go to Roger-san too."
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
She hadn't even been fighting with Isabeau. Kazusa arches an eyebrow. "You two are always fighting."
"... Macho dominant asshole," she repeats. ".... yeah that really doesn't sound--" She cuts herself off and sighs, pressing the palm of her hand to her forehead to apply pressure. "... right, because that's the point. Duh."
"Threads and an eye," Kazusa replies. "We need to tell Roger-san." She pauses and her eyes shift to the side. "... I should probably apologize," she mutters to herself.
But then she looks to Kanae and studies her for a moment. "... you okay?"
<Pose Tracker> Kanae Fuyuki has posed.
"Usually," Kanae allows.
It doesn't sound like him because it's not him. Kanae doesn't answer that part--instead she confirms, threads and an Eye, and then Kazusa agrees about Roger. But, "...If you feel you should, you probably should."
"..."
"Not... really," she admits. "He spooked me pretty badly. He's a big guy, you know? And as a Homunculus..." She gestures.
"But that doesn't matter now. What matters is, we know our target. The Hunt is on."
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Kazusa keeps massaging her forehead for a moment longer. "Yeah, I... kind of blew up at him. I've just... been so on edge lately. Ugh."
And that was before she found out about the Homunculus.
He's a big guy. "... yeah, I guess he is." She just doesn't think about it normally, since that's not normally reflected in how he acts.
"The hunt... right. Yeah." Kazusa sighs and sits back, finally opening her iced tea to take a sip. "... you wanna talk about it?"
<Pose Tracker> Kanae Fuyuki has posed.
"I see." Blew up at him... "That's rough. Then yeah, definitely. He'll probably forgive you. He seems nice like this."
He is. It's hard for Kanae not to think about it; he's big, he was in her space..
"Mm. I'm going to Hunt the Homunculus," Kanae confirms. "I'll get whatever help I can, obviously--but..."
"he doesn't have a lot of friends," she says. "I'm not sure there's anyone with a bigger claim to help him. That's gonna make finding those Threads harder..."
Eventually, she answers the question. "..."
"He's 'interested' in me," Kanae says quietly. "Don't tell anybody, all right? If Touma-kun found out... he'd want to confront him. And he'd just get hurt."
"But that's why... I can't leave this alone, even if I wanted to."
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Kazusa sighs. "I should. I've just... had a lot on my mind lately. I'll... see if I can find him. Apparently he works as a mascot at the Giggolo Arcade, so..."
She'll get whatever help she can. "I'll help you," Kazusa says suddenly. "I-- I'm not his friend, but... I know what he's going through. I can't just--"
She looks down. "... I won't just stand by. He needs help. Nobody... nobody deserves to go through that."
She looks up. "'Interested'?" It takes her a moment to process but then she suddenly sits up straighter. "Oh. Fuyuki-san..." She's not sure what to say to that.
'If Touma-kun found out'
"No!" she says, a bit too suddenly and a bit too loud as she leans forward. She immediately backs off though. "Sorry, sorry, just..." She looks away. "... there's some things I should probably tell you."
<Pose Tracker> Kanae Fuyuki has posed.
"He does," Kanae confirms. "I've met him there. He really seems to like the job."
Kazusa agrees to help--and Kanae nods. "You can't, you won't. Both are good. Then, we'll do it together. With us, and Roger... that's three so far. That's not a bad start."
But 'interested'. Kanae glances away. But Kazusa--
"Huh?" Kanae starts. "...Okay," she says. "What do you want to tell me?"
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
"Three's a good start," Kazusa agrees. "... I'm guessing Fontaine-san will probably charge in by herself. There's a couple of other people I know that I could ask. One of them... has a Homunculus she needs help with, too... There's some kind of complication, but... maybe she'll help."
It's Kazusa's turn to be uncomfortable, and she sits back and crosses her arms, avoiding looking directly at Kanae. "When I was still... you know. Um. Roger-san came up to me--her, I mean, and... he tried to give me--like, me me--a message. About how I'd get to come out and play soon, and... well, you know how he talks."
She's quiet for a long moment. "... I think she figured out that Waka-chan gave up the Threads. She went and... and..." And now she's hugging herself. "... she threatened my friend. Not directly, but... she made it clear she knew."
She looks upset as she looks to Kanae. "Whatever it's like now, I think... if it feels threatened..." She lets that trail off.
<Pose Tracker> Kanae Fuyuki has posed.
"Probably," Kanae says. "I'm not planning to tell her, though." Kanae scowls.
But other people? "...OK. Then, that's good. The more of us the better, even if we can probably only move in small groups. ...I'm good at finding stuff. So maybe I can look into it."
Him. His family... It's risky, though. Kanae looks uncomfortable. Then, Kazusa starts explaining. "...And that's why you got so mad at him," Kanae puts together.
"....Well," she says, "Touma-kun doesn't have any special insight into him. He'd just get mad that someone was upsetting me. That's why I'm not going to tell him."
A look back to Kazusa. "But we're going to have to figure out where he's been, where he goes... What his family's like. Everything we can. So that we can find that Atelier."
"I hope you're ready to stalk a guy," Kanae says dryly. She doesn't laugh.
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
"No, but if she catches wind of it..." Kazusa frowns a little. "... actually, I've been meaning to ask you about something."
"He used to be on the Lacrosse team... but that was a while ago, so I don't know if they'd know anything..."
Kazusa sighs. "... yeah. I... he was in his mascot costume at the time, so I didn't recognize him at first. But when I figured it out..." She looks guiltily to the side. "I know he didn't mean for that to occur, but..."
No special insight, he'd just got upset. "... probably for the best."
She reflects for a moment. "I... don't know that much about him," she admits. "Um... when the Homunculus was still around, we sorted trash in the cafeteria together..." Kazusa frowns. "... he said he was thinking of getting into healthcare? So I guess becoming a doctor? I don't know if that helps."
She goes to take a sip of her tea and nearly chokes at Kanae's next line. "Wh-- what!? Why would you-- w-why would you say it like that?"
<Pose Tracker> Kanae Fuyuki has posed.
"Hm?"
But lacrosse. "That's a good start," Kanae things. And Roger... Well. "Yeah. I get why you'd be mad, but... At the same time, I'm pretty sure he didn't mean anything by it."
Still--
"I know some," Kanae says. "...He wants to be a nurse, not a doctor. He wants to take care of people. The Homunculus is like, the opposite of him in basically every way."
Then choke--
Kanae laughs for the first time since she met the Homunculus. "To see your face," she decides. "But it's what it is, you know? You stalk your target. Hunt, or be hunted. That's how it is with monsters."
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
"... So what's this about a girl you helped. I think her name was Himeki?"
"I know, I know, I just..." Kazusa sighs. "... I don't... really like bring that angry all the time." She pinches the bridge of her nose. "... something's got me worked up, and I don't know why."
She does know why, she's just in denial.
"... anyway. I'll apologize. And I told him, from now on... no tipping the Homunculus off. It's just... better that way."
She blinks and drops her hand, though. "A... nurse? Really? Wouldn't a doctor make more sense?"
To see her face. Kazusa huffs. "Great. Thanks." She shakes her head. "Fine, fine. I get what you're saying." She takes another sip of her tea. "... we can probably ask the people at Peacock Silk, too," she muses. "... whatever it is they're interested in."
<Pose Tracker> Kanae Fuyuki has posed.
"Oh... That's a long story. Sec."
Kanae puts a pin in that, continuing with the conversation for now. But, "Right. ...Anger issues. That's fair. I dunno what it is, but you know... it's fine."
"Yeah, that's best."
"...Doctors are more hands-off, apparently. Nurses do the hard work of caring. That's the impression I got, anyway."
"...But sure, we can check out Peacock Silk too. If they know... it's worth it."
A pause. "As for Himeki..."
"Well, you've probably seen her in the hall with me," Kanae says first. Himeki Itabashi, apparently Kanae's close friend. Just by how they interact. But back in March, something happened...
"She was overtaken by a supernatural problem. A Foraine, it was called. ...It was the reason she'd been acting so crazy for the past while. And she had been--talking to people about me... Spreading rumors. Not a Homunculus--something different. But..."
"It was a part of her. The Wild Hunt, they would've captured it, and left her without that 'part' for... who knows how long?"
"But I was able to find a way to help her return that 'part' of her to herself. And she was OK again."
"...Ever since, I've been hunting monsters."
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
"It's not fine," Kazusa insists, a bit sullenly. "I'm suppose to be... I'm trying to be a better person."
The difference between doctors and nurses. "... Huh. Well, the only other thing I guess I know about him is that... everybody else just makes him do all the things they don't want to do themselves, like the class chores." Kazusa winces a little. "I stopped doing that," she adds.
"A Foraine... okay." Kazusa listens, though. "... I think I remember that." So much has happened between then and now.
"... So they wanted to capture whatever this 'part' was, and you returned it to her, instead. I'm guessing the 'Wild Hunt' didn't appreciate that."
She knows Isabeau didn't, that's for sure.
"... so how was she after that? Did she just go back to being herself like she was before?"
<Pose Tracker> Kanae Fuyuki has posed.
"...All right." Kanae doesn't want to argue the point; if Kazusa wants to be a better person, that's good, right?
"I think I have enough to get started, anyway," Kanae says. "...Maybe. I hope his Homunculus doesn't keep volunteering, anyway. I don't... want to run into him again."
Pause. "That's good. It's pretty crappy to put everything on him just because people can."
A Foraine. "Yes."
"...I mean, they said it was the only way to save her--that by capturing her Shadow, trapped within, they'd stop the effects the Foraine was having on her. But..."
"...That's not the only way. I was able to talk her Shadow through it, after we defeated the Quarry--the monster hunting us."
"No, they didn't. I split ways from them. I don't like how they do things."
"She was... better," Kanae says. "We were able to talk things out, after that--the real Himeki and me. And now we're better friends than we were."
"Maybe some people would say I 'influenced' her, but... All I did was give her back what was hers. That's what I think, anyway."
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Kazusa's not sure what happens if she doesn't follow through with the change she pledged to do, but... no way does she want to go back, either.
"... volunteering? Is that what he was in such a rush to get to the other day...?" she muses to herself.
Kazusa shrugs a little. "... yeah, but... you know how Shujin is." She does, and she likes it less than she used to. Or at least, less than she used to claim to.
"Mmm. Well, if you can make peace with it rather than having to capture something and take it, I guess that sounds better?" Kazusa bites her lip a little. "... I don't know, though."
"... Fontain-san had some pretty strong opinions about how you did that when I talked to her. And about the supernatural affecting people. I don't think she likes the fact that I Awakened, or changed, but... I don't think there was any way of getting around changing in some way for me. Not after... everything I'd gone through in there."
Oh, right, she hasn't explained that part yet.
<Pose Tracker> Kanae Fuyuki has posed.
"Maybe." Kanae shrugs. But Shujin is like that. That's true. "Yeah, I do."
"It's fine," Kanae says. "You haven't seen it like I have. The point is, our job is more than just hunting the monster--it's saving the people we can. That's what we should be doing."
She's pretty sure of this--a certainty that doesn't come out from her often. Still...
"Isabeau's a..." She stops herself, and shakes her head. "She thinks her father's right about everything," Kanae settles on instead. "And yeah, he's a smart guy. But just because they're used to doing it one way doesn't mean that's the only way. I took responsibility for her."
"She probably doesn't," Kanae agrees. "...It must've been difficult," she says. "...Being trapped like that. You were in that cocoon thing, right?"
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Saving the people they can. "... right. I think I can agree with that."
But Isabeau and her father. "... yeah. I kind of noticed." She can't help but be concerned, but knows not every father is like hers.
... but acknowledging that makes her feel a little jealous, too.
She shrugs a little. "I don't know enough to know whose way was right," she admits. "... but if she's better off now, isn't that better?" But is it real or not, that's the question. Kazusa doesn't know.
"... yeah," she admits, of the Cocoon. "... I... while I was in there I was... bombarded, with all of my negative thoughts. All the time, nonstop." She shudders at the memory of it. "... Nagisa-san is probably going through the same thing right now."
<Pose Tracker> Kanae Fuyuki has posed.
Kanae notes agreement... and something else, about how she noticed Isabeau. Not every father is like hers, true. But Kanae isn't that familiar with having one at all. She shrugs. "They've got a great relationship, apparently."
It's fine.
"It's fine," Kanae says. "I know what's right. That's good enough for me. After it was done, we could talk it out. It didn't magically solve it or anything... but it seemed to... Help her."
But Kazusa was... "That sucks." Plain, but sympathetic. "I'm sorry. ...He probably is, yeah."
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
"So I hear," says Kazusa with a small shrug.
IT's fine.
"Well, if it actually heled her, then... that's good. I don't know if you can go through something like that and just... have everything go back to being the same after."
"It did," she agrees. "And, he is..." She considers her iced tea for a moment. "... I think we'll need to get through to him in the Cocoon to help him break out. You... you seem like you know him better than I do."
She's quiet for a long moment, and then she suddenly blurts out, "So what even is Fontaine-san's deal, anyway? Why does she have to be so-- her?" She doesn't know how to put it.
And if Kanae thinks Kazusa might be blushing a little she super definitely isn't. (Except she is.)
<Pose Tracker> Kanae Fuyuki has posed.
"Yeah, it did." Kanae says it with confidence. "...But that's true, too. Was getting her Shadow back what helped us bridge the gap, or was it going through something like that in the first place? I couldn't say. But I know I did the right thing."
And... Hm. Get through to him... "I see. Then that's all the more reason we need to learn about him."
Pause.
Blushing? Kanae spots it. But, "She wants everyone to hate her," Kanae says, and she says it without the venom she usually gives Isabeau. "I don't know why."
"It's working, though. The thing is..."
"She's worse off than any of us at school. But she refuses to acknowledge it, or let anyone help her. I wrote her off for that, but..."
She shakes her head. "I don't know. There's nothing I can do anyway."
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
"Mmm. Well. If we ever encounter one of these Foraine things I guess I'll get to see for myself. And then I'll be able to make up my own mind."
"... yeah, I guess you're right." She crosses her arms and frowns a little. "... he's in my class and I don't even know him that well..."
She wants everyone to hate her. Kazusa reflects on that for a moment. Pushing everyone away, putting up a wall...
... she told herself she was fine being the Demon Queen, once. Maybe Isabeau is 'fine' being the Witch, too.
She lets out an exasperated sigh, the moment of contemplation vanishing. "Well if she wanted to make me angry by hugging my Persona, it's working."
Kazusa nobody brought up the fight in Mementos. And you're still blushing.
<Pose Tracker> Kanae Fuyuki has posed.
"Right."
"There's lots of people in our class I don't know well. Don't feel bad about that." Kanae has opinions. "Feel bad about how you treat the ones you do know, if you want. But it's normal not to know 30 or so people that well."
Still...
Pause. "Hugging... Your Persona."
She pauses again.
"...Sorry," Kanae says, "But that was not a friendly hug. I'm pretty sure she stole your Persona's first kiss."
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Kazusa looks dour. "... then I'm still doing terribly. I haven't really... spoken to Waka-chan since I was freed. I... went to check on her, to make sure she was okay, but..." Kazusa looks away. "... she asked for space. And I'm trying really hard to give it to her."
She has a lot of fears surrounding that, but she's not ready to spill on those.
Kazusa freezes. Her eyes go wide, and her entire face is turning beet red. She opens her mouth to say something but nothing comes out.
This state persists for a few moments. Kazusa might have blue screened.
<Pose Tracker> Kanae Fuyuki has posed.
"...Mm." Wakana and Kazusa... Kanae remembers how close they seemed to be, before. How that's changed now. "I see. ...That's rough."
But Kazusa freezes, turns red, and says nothing. Kanae waits. ...and waits. and waits a little more.
Kanae reflects that Kazusa didn't go 'ew' or call it disgusting, but instead blushed about it.
"...It probably doesn't mean anything," Kanae follows up, a little awkward. "Just, she likes to shock people, so..."
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
She is definitely blushing. She seems to snap out of it though and tries to look at anything but Kanae. "She-- she couldn't have-- Mina was too busy biting her."
This might be persuasive except it reminds her even more about--
"Augh. Shocking people. Well, she's certainly--" Kazusa crosses her arms again. "She's certainly good at that. The nerve of that girl--"
<Pose Tracker> Kanae Fuyuki has posed.
"Oh, right. Well, it was that kind of thing, you know?" Kanae says. "An 'embrace'. It wasn't friendly."
Still... Shocking people. "She's good at it," Kanae agrees. "Maybe too good."
"...Anyway," she says, "Thanks for the coffee. It's pretty good. ...How about we start looking up hospitals in the area? We can figure out where to start looking for where he was volunteering."
<Pose Tracker> Kazusa Motojima has posed.
Kazusa huffs. "It was completely out of line. Just because Mina is a half-vampire doesn't give her any right to--" She quickly shakes her head. Nope, abort, abort.
"Sure, welcome," Kazusa says of the coffee. She takes a long, deep slow breath and then stands up. "... right. We can... start by searching on my computer."
<Pose Tracker> Kanae Fuyuki has posed.
"...?" Kanae tilts her head. "...What's being a... You know? Nevermind."
She focuses on the coffee, and then the search. "Sure," Kanae answers, and stands up from the place she was sitting before, walking over to the computer after she picks up one of the chairs as invited.
"I'll just sit over here. We might be able to narrow them down, but it's good to know what we're working with first."