View source for 2026-07-17: Don't Be Shy, Belt It Out

*'''Log: Don't Be Shy, Belt It Out'''
*'''Cast:''' [[Niko Kirisaki]], [[Kurou Ryouhara]]
*'''Where:''' Paulownia Mall
*'''OOC Date:''' July 17, 2026
*'''IC Date:''' December 11, 2012
*'''Summary''': ''Niko tricks Kurou out of class for hangout purposes, in a way that would only work on him. In a spur of the moment decision, the hangout becomes a visit to Karaoke Bar Mandragora, where Niko expresses her emotions through song. This prompts a discussion on the nature of justice and... claw machines...? At least there surely could be no ulterior motives behind scheduling to meet again in two weeks' time...''

----

 (|============================== Paulownia Mall ==============================|)
 -======================================= Iwatodai City/Tatsumi Port Island ====-
 A great glass dome surrounds Paulownia Mall, its name displayed in great letters
 on its rim. Within this circular structure, made beautiful with water features, 
 the mall bustles. A central fountain pours out, eternally, surrounded by benches
 for weary shoppers; two more pools stand by the entrance, decorated by          
 well-trimmed hedges behind them. The brown patterning on the floor emphasises   
 the circular nature of this place, all carved to equal segments; pillars        
 surrounding the sides provide structure and guidance, separating each store from
 the other.                                                                      
                                                                                 
 And the shops one can find here are many. Game Parade is a popular arcade,      
 particularly amongst nearby Gekkoukan students, and its crane game has foiled   
 many a hopeful date. Kenneth Arnold offers music albums, while Mandragora       
 Karaoke Bar, up a flight of stairs nearby, offers live music experiences for    
 those who prefer active participation. Club Escapade is another great option for
 music-lovers, alongside those seeking Fortune-Telling services or looking for   
 shady informants -- but it's only open at night, and technically, it's only for 
 people who are over 18. Practically speaking, teenagers sometimes sneak in,     
 anyway... but curious teens ought to be careful, because a few shops over, one  
 can find the Tatsumi East Police Station. Chagall Cafe, at least, is both open  
 during the day and open to all ages! Aohige Pharmacy offers pharmaceuticals to  
 cure any ailment, while Be Blue V offers an eclectic variety of items and       
 treatments to improve one's health and wellbeing. Finally, Mayoido Antiques     
 offers unique weapons and armour for those who bring in supernatural            
 materials... and the proprietor seems to know more than she really ought to     
 about that world.                                                               

 <Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.
<poem>
A terrible tragedy and injustice has occurred. Niko Kirisaki... is bored. Not for lack of things to do, just for lack of specific things she feels like doing and the possibility of doing them right now. The mood has struck for wanting to hang out with people, but not just any people, and the people she wants to hang out with wouldn't be able to be here right now. It's just, the worst it's ever been.

She tried to settle for playing some games at Game Parade, but it wasn't sufficient distraction from what she would have preferred. In fact, it only made it worse. It kept making her think 'this game is nice and all, but it would've been nicer in two-player mode'. She sighs deeply as she exits the arcade, fishing out her phone. What are her options here?

Scrolling through her contact list, she stops as she hones in on one particular name. "Kurou-chan..." He'd have to be still at school right now. But what if...?

Niko can't help but snicker to herself as she hatches a plan. A plan that would have zero chance of working on anything else. But knowing what Kurou's like, and to what degree he's been going along with her so far... she just can't help herself from continually pushing her luck. The first text comes out without much thought put into it.

&gt; ugh i'm dying over here

Most people would not default to taking that literally. But if she doesn't clarify herself, Kurou just might. There is a crossroads here, where she could downplay it and just have some conversation over the phone... or, she could double down and see where that goes.

But let's be real, she was only ever going to pick one of those options.

&gt; niko kirisaki, 16, found tortured to death at paulownia mall
&gt; is what the news would say if they cared
&gt; if only someone would save me
&gt; but what are the odds of that
&gt; hint hint

There is no way, ''no way'' anyone would seriously take that as if her life were really in any actual danger, and this was a real cry for help. Except, perhaps, for Kurou. Last time, the misunderstanding through the phrasing of her texts was an accident. Now she is actively trying to trick him.

Has he learned anything from last time? Even if he did, could he take the risk to not come? And if he does, will he be upset, or will he fail to even realize what's going on? Come on Kurou, don't disappoint her now!

And so, if Kurou does indeed show up... he will find Niko standing at the crane game outside of the arcade, her latest attempt at obtaining a Jack Frost doll a failure at the last hurdle.

"Oh come ON! This thing is so rigged! Argh, this is torture!"

See, she wasn't lying about the torture.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Kurou Ryouhara has posed.
<poem>
Despite a number of harrowing and peculiar events in Kurou's life recently, he is, in fact, in school. It would be remiss of him to be unable to maintain an education and keep his grades up, and it isn't as if Kasu attendees and teachers are unused to one of their student body nursing minor injuries.

It also isn't unusual for them to be skirting the rules to do things like checking their messages. Akabane-san might need something at the hospital, or --

At the first text, Kurou launches up from his seat, bows to the teacher with a swift apology, and leaves without waiting to give anyone the chance to try and stop him. His eyes are on his phone while his senses hunt the periphery to navigate the halls, get to his locker, and get his shoes and belongings in order.

''Where?'' he does not have to ask, because Niko helpfully provides where her suffering is taking place.

&gt; omw

Not a single complete word to clarify himself. He must ''really'' be in urgency mode.

Unfortunately, there's little time to make preparations. Fortunately, Kurou is a shinobi, and he is always prepared for first aid and a fight. There does not seem yet anything amiss about the mall, supernaturally or otherwise. But there could be something going on in the back areas, or one of the shops, or in the basement...

... or at the... crane game...?

Kurou blinks once. Then twice. He wears his winter uniform with his vest thrown on over it, and his school bag carefully carried on only one shoulder. 

"Niko-chan...?" he greets carefully, but it really does sound more like a question, and soft spoken enough she might not even hear it before he makes his approach.

Either way, it's her only warning before he ''does'' approach, immediately inspecting her for signs of injury, exertion, or distress. His eyes scan the area swiftly before settling back on her, and his voice lowering.

"... Do we need to make a clean exit?"

He doesn't even get it yet...!

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.
<poem>
'But you still have to go to school today.' An eternal refrain for so many at this age. Not for Niko though. She's had her own recent adventures, involving Reapers, Hunters, Jokas, all that fun stuff. And you know what she did after each and every one of those harrowing battles? She ''slept in'', not getting up until she dang well felt like it. This may be the true source of her power.

Her power to deceive, too, can be strong, when she puts effort into it. She didn't exactly put zero effort into this either, she just tailored it to what she thought would work on Kurou. Yet even she wouldn't have guessed it would work THAT well. Would've given her a good laugh to see Kurou just bolting at the first vaguely worded text like that.

Immediately pocketing her phone and not looking at the response that was just about as immediate served a double purpose. Making it look as if she wasn't able to answer, and wanting to be surprised by the exact effect. Truly incredible, she'll conclude later.

For the moment, she is here, just casually standing outside the arcade, not having bothered to do anything about the mode of dress she's most known for. She must not get cold so quickly. Or... hurt so quickly? She looks absolutely fine.

She doesn't act any less typical, quickly turning at the sound of her name and giving a cheerful wave. "Kurou-chan, you made it! Thank you so much for saving me!" From boredom, she doesn't bother to clarify. Let him try to figure it out. Whatever it is he did, it seems to have made her happy, and isn't that what really counts?

Nodding a few times, she agrees, "Yeah, you're right, this place kinda blows." Looking about the mall, there really aren't a whole lot of other options she considers valid. Escapade isn't open yet, so that leaves... she grins, laying eyes on the establishment at the top of the stairs in the back.

"Y'know Kurou-chan, I think it's about time we get to know each other a little more. And I think I know just the way!" A way which, as Niko proceeds to demonstrate, leads directly up those stairs. There's only one thing up there. Even if unfamiliar, it's easily recognized as a Karaoke Bar due to the huge sign out front that says KARAOKE MANDRAGORA.

Now, Kurou, are you any closer to figuring out the mystery of what's going on here...?
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Kurou Ryouhara has posed.
<poem>
This is a truly terrifying power that would instill a sense of awe even in Kurou. Is it even one he's considered before himself...? 

What he should consider is deception. Certainly Kurou could be no stranger to it, nor one to using it himself if he leads a dangerous life. And yet, here he is, immediately. His breathing is carefully controlled to muffle the possible sound it may make, but there's no hiding that at this proximity how labored it is in his rush to get here.

Niko has a Persona herself, and frequents the kind of places where she'd have to learn either skill in fighting or avoiding fights altogether. And it isn't as if she looks like she can't handle herself, though Kurou knows appearances can be deceiving.

(Do you know what else can be deceiving, Kurou?!)

Her cheerful manner does not faze him, but nor does it bring him any relief. If the situation is precarious, it's best to act within typical expectations. "Right," he simply says of this place, and follows Niko's gaze to MANDRAGORA.

With a single, swift nod, Kurou agrees. "Let's go."

It would be an unassuming hiding place to wait out any dangerous elements she may be avoiding, and a good defensible position if it should pursue them there... if someone were even so bold to attempt it within the establishment in the first place.

Niko has exceptional instincts... perhaps, Kurou reflects with concern, ones forcibly honed.

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.
<poem>
There is often a measure of truth to be found in any deception. There is a way of reading Niko's texts that would be entirely accurate to the way she feels, deep down. All it takes is having the right context in mind.

Niko is not one to provide the proper context often, definitely not this one. Though she'd trust Kurou with the full truth more than most, words alone wouldn't do it justice. Some things cannot simply be told. They must be felt, and the proper conclusions drawn from there.

He probably has no idea that Niko's spur-of-the-moment intentions are found in that very area. Niko doesn't even believe that herself. Still, she wants to make an effort to reach out, to share something of herself, just to see what'll happen. Maybe it'll be nothing. But she can have fun with it, all the same.

Niko is quick to head inside Mandragora, rushing ahead a little. When Kurou enters, she can be heard talking to someone down the hall.

"...make an exception, for me?"

"You're putting me in a tough spot here, Niko-chan."

"I'll make up for it later! You know I'm good for it!"

"Egh, fine... you know the way."

Whatever that was all about, Kurou won't have to worry about the talking, Niko has already done all of what was required, motioning him over to one of the booths. Where, upon entering, Niko drops herself down on one of the colorful, soft-cushioned seats, motioning Kurou over to sit on the opposite side of the table.

The rooms here are pretty spacious, with room for seating many more people than just two... but the soundproofing could be better. Singing loudly while not caring what other people think could be a good way to build Courage! Not that either of these particular visitors is in dire need to have more of that. And they're not here to sing anyway, are they?

Yeah no, Niko's already started flipping through the available tracks. She is absolutely here to sing. If there were any doubts of that still, her words should remove those. "Nothing like a song to really put your feelings out there, don't you agree, Kurou-chan? I got a good one in mind, how about you?" And she is expecting him to sing, too?!

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Kurou Ryouhara has posed.
<poem>
What matters, at the end of the day, is the sincere truth that lies at the heart of things. Everything else is distraction.

Perhaps Kurou has the kind of insight to navigate the world this way.

Perhaps he has a different problem.

It's not the first time Kurou has seen Niko able to charm her way through a situation. A great skill to be sure, and one that, sadly, eludes him. Umie had said that about Ren, too... someone who was surrounded by friends. Is Niko like that? Kurou knows his strengths are in other areas, but maybe he relies too much on the kind of person who can see past where he is deficient...

There's no time for that kind of thinking now, though.

He follows Niko easily, with only a quick look over his shoulder for any unusual activity before entering to shut the door behind them.

Kurou presses his ear up against the door after it's shut. The soundproofing means they need to be careful, but it also means they have more warning if something happens. He then assesses the room while pulling a small wedge from his bag and shoving it under the door to keep it further blocked on their side. Yes, he could work with this, if the worst should happen, and satisfied, takes his seat as directed.

"Is there someone I need to keep an eye out for --"

Oh. She's already making use of the karaoke machine...

Kurou scratches his cheek. "Ah..." Given the lack of soundproofing, it would help keep them from being suspicious, but... He hadn't thought this far ahead. "... I am... not well versed in this kind of thing..."

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.
<poem>
Niko certainly has ways of getting her way. Kurou's being subjected to that right now, and she's pretty sure he still hasn't realized he's being played. Which isn't actually her preferred way of doing things. It's better when people are fully aware of what she's doing and choose to go along with it anyway.

Fighting is one way to win. But isn't it a much better way to win if you can convince people to stop trying to fight you?

This, though... this is just kind of making her feel bad. To see the way Kurou is still acting under a mistaken impression, which, to be fair, no one should still be operating under at this point. He's taking it all so seriously. All on her behalf. It's... nice, in a way. But also based on a (poorly veiled) lie. Hopefully, her plans from here can make up for it a little bit.

"...Kurou-chan." Niko points her finger to the menu card on the table, not to indicate any of the available refreshments, but to draw attention to Mandragora's slogan, which she speaks aloud for emphasis. "'Don't be shy, belt it out!' Trust me, it's the best way to communicate things that are... difficult to talk about." Her level of cheer only dropped for a short moment there, it's right back for the next sentence. "Lemme show you how it's done!"

Wasting no time, she takes up the cordless mike, and moves to put her back to the screen, not needing to look at the lyrics for what she has in mind. There's no real need to stand while singing, but she's choosing to anyway. Doesn't make sense to her any other way, when she's putting on a show for someone.

"How's your English?" she questions at the last possible moment. "That's what I vibe with for singing, so if you struggle with that, pay extra close attention, 'kay?" Leaving no room for objection, she queues up the track she selected.
</poem>

 <Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.
<poem>
BGM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoUeDQH2E5M

As an electric guitar leads in the song, Niko starts to sway side to side, easily settling into a groove. She smiles brightly, moving her right hand from one side to the other as if passing over an imaginary audience, in her mind consisting of many more than just one person. Right on cue, she casually leads in with the first verse.

<font color="#FF08E8">Grab the key, let's go out and have some fun
Have you ever seen such a perfect day?
What's in your mind? Let's do it, one by one
Have you ever thought such a day would come?</font>

The energy increases as she transitions into the second verse, then the third, pouring genuine feeling into it. She very much meant what she said - this is her way of laying out what she's all about, and she feels that these lyrics form a fitting summary of what that is.

<font color="#FF08E8">Time's up! Forget the theory
Start up the brand new story
Straight up and put it shortly
This is the way my life goes

Someone said I am such a foolish girl
Who cares? It's better than without a light
Sometimes I need someone to hold me tight
Explain to me what is justice, what is right?</font>

Niko meets Kurou's eyes, smile growing wider. She's enjoying all aspects of this, the singing as well as having him listen to it. But that was just the intro, the part where anyone could see how it applies to Niko. Except perhaps the last part, betraying a certain sense of vulnerability. Following the brief break, her expression abruptly turns more serious, slowly but surely letting a measure of frustration bleed into her singing for the next set of verses.

<font color="#FF08E8">Wait a minute, it's all been done before
How long it takes to do it all over again
What's in your hand? Now drop them, one by one
Have you ever thought such a day would come?

Shut up! You're so wordy
Forget about all those worries
Show me your smile, how charming
Go home and kiss your mommy!

Somehow I hate to see you lie and lie
I know how dumb I am but so are you
Sometimes I want to laugh and cry at once
Explain to me what is justice, what is right?</font>

An instrumental break provides the opening for Niko to do something Kurou's seen before. She starts to dance, eyes closed as she twirls about, looking lost in the melody. It also provides a moment to think about the two sets of verses, their similarities, their differences. If this is indeed what 'Niko is about', as she put it, her deeper feelings are on display here. If this is how she's choosing to share them, she's unlikely to elaborate. What you hear is what you get.

Perfectly in time, Niko is back in her previous position on cue, finishing out with a repeat of some of the earlier verses. The energy has reached its peak here, Niko raising the volume of her voice even higher, grasping the microphone with both hands and never opening her eyes throughout.

<font color="#FF08E8">Shut up! You're so wordy
Forget about all those worries
Show me your smile, how charming
Go home and kiss your mommy!

Someone said I am such a foolish girl
Who cares? It's better than without a light
Sometimes I need someone to hold me tight
Explain to me what is justice, what is right?

Somehow I hate to see you lie and lie
I know how dumb I am but so are you
Sometimes I want to laugh and cry at once
Explain to me what is justice, what is right?</font>

As the song finishes on a final guitar hit, Niko stretches her right arm forward, shouts "THANK YOU!" at the top of her lungs, then drops the mike on the floor. Only then does she open her eyes, her smile returning as she takes a bow.

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Kurou Ryouhara has posed.
<poem>
''No one should still be operating under at this point.'' At this point, Niko should really be absolved of any guilt. Unfortunately: Kurou. But this is his own sincerity, to take it this much to heart, and to act to make sure Niko receives the help she asked for.

...''is what the news would say if they cared''

Kurou cares.

Niko directs him to the menu. Or more to the point, its slogan. Belt it out. Difficult things. His brow furrows briefly. Is it possible singing is not all that different from dancing...? A voice is still part of the body... But if Niko is willing to demonstrate, that's more useful to him than speculation.

"All right," he promises. Pay extra close attention: the words are important, even if they're in a foreign language.

As Niko begins to 'belt it out', Kurou sits straight up. His eyes are just a fraction wider, as if it's necessary to hear more clearly. And his hands, steady on his lap, begin to twitch as his finger follows the rhythm.

Even if he's not fluent in English, there is so much in her expression and her tone beyond the words he catches. His finger freezes when she looks right at him, as if that smile was intense enough to pin him there. 

Things that are difficult to talk about...

After her song finishes, Kurou is quiet for a few extra seconds, as if still lost in the realm of his own thoughts with song and dance to interpret. He slams back into the present moment as the mike hits the floor, bringing his hands together in a quiet but rapid clapping: the very manifestation of pachi pachi.

It tapers as Kurou falls into thoughtful silence, until:

"'Justice,'" he says in English, before repeating in Japanese. "Justice." It seems for a dangerous moment that might be all he understood before he looks back up at Niko. "... Being true to yourself or how you feel... might be the most important kind of justice."

But that's difficult for both of them, isn't it? The conversation they had about how that was taken from them. Yet even now, Niko fights to still let what is 'Niko' shine through... Kurou's finger begins to tap his thigh again, feeling the song's rhythm resonate even in the wake of its ending.

His gaze lowers with his rumination. The voice he heard on the ship, the one Umie and Shiryuu said was not there, and should not be listened to... the one that told him it was too late to become unbroken... Why is he remembering it now...?

To 'laugh' and 'cry' all at once...

"... I see," he finally says, looking back up at her. "The kind of 'saving' Niko-chan needs... Oh."

Somehow ''now'' he gets that part...?!

"The claw machines are rigged," he confirms, several god damn minutes too late. "Claw strength varies each attempt. They are typically designed more like a lottery than a game of consistent skill."

That isn't even important anymore!!

... Except it is, because it meant he ignored her real problem in that moment.

Just like he wasn't able to see what she wanted saving from in the first place.

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.
<poem>
That kernel of truth is still there, in what Niko said in her texts. Sure, there are some who like her around, but she can't believe anybody would do much more than shrug and move on with their life should she die. Not after who she's become, anyway.

Kurou at least is among those who prefers her to be around, she can see that. Which makes sense. They do have a very important commonality, after all. Niko treasures people like that, as well.

Even if it doesn't stop her from messing with them, obviously. But that's done now, as far as she's concerned. That's another thing singing is good for. In the form of a song, she can't help but be honest. Emotions and impulses just happen, while she 'belts it out'. Even if they're a bit more up to interpretation. How will Kurou interpret them? They wouldn't be here if she wasn't curious to find out.

A hand goes to her hip, as she not-so-patiently waits for him to get to the point. Justice, justice, what about it? The answer visibly surprises her. "...You think so, huh? So, what follows is that it would be the greatest injustice to be made to feel forced into being untrue to yourself. Right?"

Clearly she isn't just making conversation, saying that. But she doesn't feel the need to press the point beyond that, either. It should be understood well enough from just that. Certainly between the two of them.

...She does wish he would follow his thoughts a little quicker, though. She really wants to go 'what, what do you see?!' well before Kurou makes it to the end of his train of thought. Though, when he does... it's not hard to tell from her expression that it completely derailed her own. He took it back to the claw machines?? It takes several long moments, before...

"Heh heh... hahaha, wow..." Her laughter is soft, and not without fondness. It sure isn't at all among the places she'd expected this could go. What can she say but, "Oh Kurou-chan, you are truly... something else."

She returns to her seat, letting herself drop down in it again, before making a casual gesture. "I know that. Many people do. And yet, claw machines are so popular still. That element of random chance makes it interesting, doesn't it? If you just had to get good at it to guarantee success, would the reward still mean anything?" She chuckles. "Doesn't mean it's not frustrating as hell, though. You try, and you try, and no matter how well you do... it could take forever until you finally get anything to show for it."

This might not entirely be about claw machines anymore. Maybe it never was.

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Kurou Ryouhara has posed.
<poem>
It is Kurou's own fault if he is particularly easy to mess with. And yet, even once he realizes it, he simply interprets it as having misunderstood something more important. If there is a deeper truth hidden in these types of things, perhaps he's not so wrong to think that way...

... Is a nice sentiment to have, but it means everyone still has to deal with Kurou being Kurou about everything either way.

The greatest injustice would be to be made to feel forced into being untrue to yourself.

"Yes," Kurou answers, without hesitation, even though it is a sentiment that requires no confirmation. But he must acknowledge it out loud, and clearly. Yes. It is.

If only his other thoughts were as quick to process and come out of his mouth for Niko's benefit. And then once he ''does'', he skips ahead several steps to claw machines, looking back at Niko like this is an entirely normal backtracking to do. Well, looking at Niko like he always does, actually. Which isn't entirely normal for its unchanging nature, when you get down to it.

Her laugh makes him straighten again. Oh. That's a different sound from the first time, and from other times, since...

He does not dislike it.

But what she says next surprises him, even if it does not show on that face of his. For random chance to make it interesting. Kurou looks down again. Slowly, he shakes his head as he struggles to swallow that thought.

"I'm... not so sure. The toys... they do not get to try. Again and again, the claw comes down. One finally gets taken... I don't think... it would feel like much a reward, to be chosen by chance."

They are almost certainly not talking about claw machines anymore.

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.
<poem>
And it's Kurou who'll have to deal with the fallout of having ditched in the middle of class. Don't count on Niko to even apologize for that. She won't lie about being sorry she got to enjoy herself today. At least Kurou goes to Kasu, where there tends to be a lot of adult apathy and peer respect in regards to ditching. So maybe it'll be ok...?

Easy agreement is reached on the matter of Justice, a topic on which there could be much debate. There needs to be none here. With this, everything that needed to be said has been. That alone would be enough to form an ironclad bond over.

Even though Kurou seemed to be losing the plot again from there. He's not wrong to notice a change in Niko's laugh, though. This wasn't her usual exuberant laugh, which usually happens when she's laughing at him. Can't exactly say it's laughing with him either, it's not as if Kurou does any laughing. It must be something else. What that something might be...

Well, that's probably not going to come up today, in any sort of direct manner. Especially not when Kurou gets deeper into the matter of claw machines, in a way which, yes, that sure does seem to be about something else. Niko's voice may have a sympathetic tone, but she won't sugarcoat her response to that.

"Makes it easier, doesn't it? To believe there has to be a reason for everything? But that's not how things work in this world. Anything can happen, for any or for no reason. That's why the system feels so broken - because it is, on purpose. Even if you know why, that doesn't make it right."

She leans back in her chair, and stares up to the ceiling. "Y'know what's unfair? I'm actually banned from using the strength tester machine at that place, the punching bag thing? It asked me to give it all I got, so I did. And I broke it."

She lowers her gaze back down, shrugging. "Just goes to show that nobody likes it when you're ''too'' good, when you stand out too much. The tallest tree catches the most wind, as they say. That's why sometimes, it's best to hold back a little, act a little weaker than you really are. Strength scares people, but everybody likes to see the underdog succeed, right?"

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Kurou Ryouhara has posed.
<poem>
There are many rules in this world, but the rule above the rest, Kurou believes, is that the only true rule is that you can do anything you choose if you're prepared to submit to the consequences. Niko texted him, and Kurou knew he would make that trade.

And there are some things Kurou holds tight in his heart. Everything else... we have to wonder if he ever knew the plot in the first place.

Even claw machines. Or not claw machines. And the different things luck and random chance means when it comes to players and prizes. He looks up again as Niko affirms that everything, in the end, is subject to the whims of luck.

It is not something that he can refute, because she speaks the truth: a harsh and brutal one, softened only by her tone.

"... Mm. It is like you said before... To try and try again..." Even if it's true. Even if it's a game you might never win. "Even if... another toy might have... been better."

He lifts back up as Niko has more unfairness to complain about. His head falls into a perplexed tilt. He picks up the mike, looking it over. 

"... If you did not sing like you did, because you thought it might scare me, because I am not as good at these things as you are..."

Kurou looks directly at Niko. "That is 'injustice'. I am glad you broke the machine, and I would be glad to see you break every machine of its kind."


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.
<poem>
An absolute truth indeed, which unfortunately plays into the favor of those with the power to ignore the consequences they should be due. Being entirely consequence-free... that, Niko isn't so much on board with. For problems like that, there's always Revenge Request. It helps to keep things fair.

Yet the sad reality is that the deck remains firmly stacked against fairness. It wouldn't do to lose sight of that through the wish that it were different. As always, change can only come slowly... unless you can break whatever mechanism is keeping the system in place.

Don't think that Niko didn't consider giving that claw machine a kick. It's just that it ultimately wouldn't have helped her succeed, in any way that mattered. If there even was a way that mattered, in that instance.

"That's the biggest joke of all. Plenty of people don't even care about what the toy is. All they really want is the satisfaction of getting something to show for their perseverance. Something they can own, even if they have no idea what to do with it." She shakes her head, then expresses her wish it weren't so with the simple words, "One could say that the system works as intended... but that doesn't make it right for the system to exist."

Some measure of amusement returns to her features when Kurou moves to pick up the microphone. It's exasperating sometimes, never being able to tell what he's thinking. But it's also the best part, to never be able to predict what he'll come up with next. Just before she can ask what he's planning to do with that...

Those next words stop her own cold. Truly, she never can predict what he'll end up saying. She chuckles, instead, unable to keep meeting Kurou's gaze as hers drifts to the ground. "...Well. I'm glad that... someone would cheer for me, as I tear everything down."

It feels like he wrested control of the conversation away from her. How'd he manage that, so suddenly, so easily? Niko can't let him get away with that. If that's how it is, she'll just have to push her luck further still.

Her eyes fly back up, meeting Kurou's with renewed vigor, and a mischievous twinkle. "Hey, Kurou-chan. I know I kinda put you on the spot here. So, I'm not gonna make you sing, that'd defeat the purpose anyway. Though, I would like to meet again soon, just in general. So how about we schedule something in advance? About two weeks from now or something?"

She puts a hand on her chin as if pensive, but she's already fully realized, "That'd be right around Christmas, wouldn't it? In that case... you doing anything on Christmas Eve?"

Anyone else would likely suspect Implications there, but Kurou... she really does enjoy Kurou's lack of awareness way too much, doesn't she? She can't help it, it just makes her want to see how much she can get away with.

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Kurou Ryouhara has posed.
<poem>
Unless you kick it at the right time to make the prize fall in your favor.

The biggest joke of all. Kurou blinks pointedly again, letting his mind chew on that thought. It didn't matter, as long as they got something to show for it.

"... I had not considered that perspective. Ah. And something like... not wanting to admit it isn't a good prize, after spending so much... But... being able to spend so much, that luck almost isn't a factor in the first place..."

There are layers to this horrible system, and the more he looks, the less he likes any of them. But how can you know how to break them if you do not know where and what they are?

But the microphone, and his words... Kurou's gaze is unrelenting, even as Niko's shies away.

"I would cheer. And I would help you."

Breaking the machine might be Niko's own strength, but in any other way she would tear it down, Kurou would not wish to merely stand back and watch. He has his own 'self' he will not make smaller, strange as that self may have become.

He does not realize the conversation is a battle, and that Niko seeks her own retribution.

"The problem is I do not know many songs... The lyrics may be provided, but the melody has to be known in advance."

If he had known, perhaps he could have trained for this. Perhaps he should listen to more music to memorize, just in case...? Niko has different mischief in mind. And Kurou's head falls into another tilt.

Two weeks. His face is utterly blank with obliviousness as Niko becomes pensive for dramatic effect, and then there is the slightest sharpening of his alertness when she reminds him that would be ''Christmas Eve''.

Does he get it? The implication? What this holiday and such inventions seem to mean...?

Kurou brings his fingers to his lips.

"... Strawberry..."

... No, he's just remembering the incoming seasonal cakes!

He shakes his head to snap himself out of it. "I have nothing planned. I will make the day available for you."


</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Niko Kirisaki has posed.
<poem>
If she were fully honest, Niko would have to admit that even she isn't fully sure anymore what that conversation ended up being about. Yet, there is a level on which understanding happens, all the same. Isn't that what truly matters, in the end? Kurou may not notice everything, but it feels to her like he notices the most important things.

Maybe not ALL of the important things. But that too may not be a bad thing. As long as she is supported, even assisted, in what needs to be done, she could hardly justify complaining.

That it was said so directly and in no uncertain terms, that's a little embarrassing. But even if she may need to retreat a little for it now, she won't lose in the end.

"It's fine, it's fine," she insists on the matter of song. "If you're gonna sing at any point, I'd want it to be meaningful. Skill aside, anyone can imitate a song. It only means something if you can use a song to tell a story, something that's important to you." Maybe not everyone would agree, but, "That's what I think."

Who knows what the future will bring? Maybe Kurou will surprise her one day. Quite unlike his reaction to her words to follow, which she was fully expecting. She can tell, she can just tell, that whatever he's thinking about in relation to Christmas Eve could never be what most people would land on.

And then he says the word 'strawberry'. "Wh--" She was just thinking about strawberry cake. Did he read her mind somehow? Or does he... does he actually think--

Niko's expression never quite makes it to dread before Kurou responds, in a way that... doesn't make her entirely sure what to think. But, as she mentally reminds herself, this is Kurou. There's no way she could ever match his thoughts if she tried. Her mental track doesn't recover instantly, but quickly enough for a proper response, at least.

"...Oh, that's, that's good! Great, even, yeah! Then, I'll be looking forward to it!"

</poem>
 <Pose Tracker> Kurou Ryouhara has posed.
<poem>
Kurou is a shinobi, and perhaps even in conversation, is difficult to catch while striking straight to the heart of certain aspects. ... Or that's a fun metaphor, but it could really all just be a fluke the way he struggles through conversation in his own way. He doesn't even realize it. It feels like they've discussed something important.

"A meaningful song..." Kurou echoes as he reflects on the thought. "I see. I do not have one like that." He recognizes, at least, that such a thing cannot be ''forced''. Even if he listened to songs with the intent of finding meaning it can obscure meaningfulness.

"If I find one someday, I will sing it to you."

He assuredly does not mean it to be a threat, but given the circumstances, it might, unfortunately, fall into the category regardless of his intent. Well, maybe it's fine. Maybe of all people, Niko could still be entertained even if disaster should result.

It's not a guarantee it would, anyway.

Strawberry, plucked right from Niko's thoughts --

Or just. His own associations with the season. He must have had one as a child, but he can't remember the taste. But he's seen them in the windows. Fluffy, strawberry cake...

"Then, we'll meet again, two weeks from now." 

'Two weeks' and not 'Christmas Eve', because it is only coincidentally Christmas Eve, right? He looks back at the microphone, and offers it forward. 

"Did you want to sing more? Or if you still want a Jack Frost doll, there are tricks to it..."

All of the tricks are illegal.

Such is often the case when the system is rigged.

</poem>

[[Category:Logs]]
[[Category:Season 1]]
[[Category:Season 1, Episode 2]]