Bel: Created page with "'''Log: Reporter's Intuition''' '''Cast:''' Maya Amano, Ichika Kawase '''Where:''' 2xSlash, Aoba Ward, Sumaru City '''OOC Date:''' August 24, 2025 '''IC Date:''' June 30, 2012 '''Summary''': ''Ichika asks Maya to meet up and talk, and they do! It just so happens that Ichika also has some information Maya was looking for, while Maya sees a girl who wants an adult to talk to.'' ---- Maya Amano has posed. I'm finishing some work..."

2025-08-25T07:44:42Z

Created page with "*'''Log: Reporter's Intuition''' *'''Cast:''' Maya Amano, Ichika Kawase *'''Where:''' 2xSlash, Aoba Ward, Sumaru City *'''OOC Date:''' August 24, 2025 *'''IC Date:''' June 30, 2012 *'''Summary''': ''Ichika asks Maya to meet up and talk, and they do! It just so happens that Ichika also has some information Maya was looking for, while Maya sees a girl who wants an adult to talk to.'' ---- <Pose Tracker> Maya Amano has posed. <poem> I'm finishing some work..."

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*'''Log: Reporter's Intuition'''
*'''Cast:''' [[Maya Amano]], [[Ichika Kawase]]
*'''Where:''' 2xSlash, Aoba Ward, Sumaru City
*'''OOC Date:''' August 24, 2025
*'''IC Date:''' June 30, 2012
*'''Summary''': ''Ichika asks Maya to meet up and talk, and they do! It just so happens that Ichika also has some information Maya was looking for, while Maya sees a girl who wants an adult to talk to.''

----

<Pose Tracker> Maya Amano has posed.
<poem>
I'm finishing some work at Double Slash. Think you can meet me here?

Maya's fingers moved quickly across the face of her smartphone as she composed her message to Ichika. Even when she had a flip phone, her fingers moved efficiently across the number pad, stringing together characters with an almost robotic precision. It always surprised Maya's mother, who struggled to open the messaging app on her phone.

Maya didn't see what was that impressive about it. Her mom had grown protective of her after her father died and she wanted to make sure that she had easy access to Maya for check-ins. Maya had a pocket bell in elementary school and her first cell phone in junior high, so it only made sense that she'd adjust quickly to the new technology. Maya had found her mother's frequent check-ins exhausting at times, but now she was grateful for the experience. She could respond quickly to emails while having lunch or text leads while walking to the subway. If it weren't for that, she might be struggling with her phone just as much as Editor-in-Chief Mizuno.

She pressed the send button, then flipped her phone over and set it down on the table in front of her. Giving the tip of her thumb a little bite, Maya focused on the message board on the laptop screen in front of her.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
<poem>
>Yeah, ty

Ichika can indeed make it over to Aoba today. She is also very good with her phone, but that is not something that surprises her own mother. ...But there's a lot she doesn't know yet about Maya! And maybe she can find a little more out today, if she's lucky.

Ichika's changed out of her uniform when she shows up--dressed instead in a short dress with spiky boots and some jewelry. She walks into the cafe and looks around.

There--

"Amano-san?" Ichika asks, once she's closed the distance so she's not shouting across the room.

"Thanks for meeting with me."
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Maya Amano has posed.
<poem>
"Ichika-chan!" Maya snaps her laptop shut at the sound of Ichika's voice. She turns to greet her, a genuine smile blossoming on her face. "It's been awhile! You find this place okay? Or... lemme guess, you've been here before!"
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
<poem>
Ichika smiles back, because Maya's is kind of infectious. She's a little nervous, though; she ''did'' ask this cool, busy woman to take time out of her schedule to meet with her...

"It has. I really liked how the article turned out, by the way--I got a copy, showed it to my sister."

A pause. "Actually no," she admits. "But I found it OK anyway. It's pretty distinctive."
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Maya Amano has posed.
<poem>
"It was a top fan pick for last month!" Maya says with obvious pleasure. "Thanks, it couldn't have been a success without your help! Sit down and I'll order you a drink."
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
<poem>
A top fan pick! "That's... nice," Ichika decides, pleased too. After all, that means people liked her! "Then you're welcome," she says, hurrying along with the phrasing like it all comes out at once. But when Maya invites her to sit, Ichika finishes coming around and ''does'' take a seat. "I'm not interrupting anything important, right?"
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Maya Amano has posed.
<poem>
"Nothing that can't wait until tomorrow! Besides that, I need a break. I always told myself I'd do a good job of balancing work and home, but with my Joker Killer investigation, it's gotten harder to do that." Maya had a vested interest outside of work in investigating it, but that didn't mean that she didn't feel overwhelmed by the weight of it sometimes.

"What'd you want to ask?"
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
<poem>
Nothing that can't wait. Ichika is relieved to hear that, and it shows on her face. Still, the mention of the Joker Killer surprises and concerns her--Ichika blinks once, tilts her head. "You're looking into the Joker Killer?" she wonders. Maybe that's what she meant about harder stories...

"Oh. Right. Well..."

"I was sort of wondering... There were a few things but the first was--how'd you get into doing magazine stuff, anyway?"

"I mean, I... My grades aren't great," she admits. "And I've had a lot of stuff going on, and I go to ''that'' school, and... All that."

"But I was thinking, maybe that doesn't mean I should just give up in advance on doing... something."

"Sorry, that's probably too much information. I just meant: how'd you get started on magazines and stuff?"
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Maya Amano has posed.
<poem>
"Well, my dad was a reporter, so I was pretty interested in it from a young age." Maya rests her chin on her palm. "So when I was in high school, I talked with one of my dad's former co-workers about it and he told me to focus on my composition classes. Once I was in college, he helped me to get an internship at his magazine and that made it a lot easier for me to find work once I graduated."

So not all that dissimilar from what Ichika was doing now. "But... even if you're worried about your marks, what really makes a good journalist is passion for your topic. If you're not passionate, even if you're the best writer in the world, your readers will know and they won't enjoy it." Maya gives a firm nod of the head. "And no one at Kismat Publishing asked me for my high school transcript when I applied, so don't worry so much if your marks aren't high!"
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
<poem>
Composition... and an internship. Ichika nods, thinking about it. "I see. Yeah, that'd help, since... you mentioned your dad."

"Passion, huh?" Ichika replies. "I see. ...I'll keep that in mind. Thank you." But no one asked? "That's a relief, too. I had... a lot of stuff happen last year, so I got off track, and I just... never got back on."

"I like stuff like Coolest. I've never... gotten along so well with other girls," she prefaces her statement, "But it's nice to have stuff in common anyway. And the idea of contributing to stuff like that is... nice."

A pause. "...The Joker Killer's definitely not stuff like that," she admits, "But... I might have some news for you about him. They tried to cover it up, but he attacked someone at my school. I saw most of it."
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Maya Amano has posed.
<poem>
This was news to Maya Amano. Before she can respond to anything else Ichika said, she blurts out: "What? When?" She blindly gropes for her cell phone when she realizes that she has her laptop handy for a change.

"You mind if I take some notes?" she asks as she opens her laptop. "I know you may not know a lot, but even the smallest things can unexpectedly point you to big leads!" Another one of Maya Amano's Hot Reporting Tips!

</poem>
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
<poem>
Ichika notices that intent. It's clearly a big story for her. So if Ichika can help her out a little...

"Sure. Go for it." A pause. "Couple weeks ago. June 19th, I think? It was a tuesday..."

"Anyway, the guy was wearing a paper bag on his head. We heard a woman scream and went down to the basement." Pause. "...Never found her though. There was the Joker Killer, with a paper bag on his head, and some other people with him. He was after the Boss--I mean, Eikichi Mishina."

This much she can reveal without giving herself away. "A kid got seriously hurt... This girl with the Joker Killer had an axe? Atsushi Kazama. He's alive--he went to the hospital."

"...That's about it," she says. She can't exactly tell Maya about the Personas and stuff that were there, right?
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Maya Amano has posed.
<poem>
Maya typed furiously into the keyboard, catching Ichika's tip nearly word-for-word in her word processor. "Got it!" she exclaimed. She'd have to look into Atsuhi Kazama. Maybe she could find something online? Still, there was some info that Ichika could give her that probably couldn't be as easily gleaned from online about the victim. It had to be another classmate, right?

"The kid that was hurt... was he the kind of kid that people liked?" Probably the opposite if he was being targeted by the Joker Killer, but Maya was trying to be delicate here!
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
<poem>
"He wasn't particularly unpopular or anything," Ichika says of Kazama. "And it wasn't the Joker Killer who got him--it was this creepy gothic lolita girl with an axe. The Boss was the one the Joker Killer said he was there for."

"...A bunch of people managed to fight him off," she adds eventually, "But it was a close thing."

"I didn't think our school was the kind of place where people would try that, though. ...I mean, the school covered it up as 'gang violence' but that's just not true."
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Maya Amano has posed.
<poem>
Maya hums to herself as she takes a few notes. "If the Joker Killer's involved, it's definitely not gang violence!" But gang violence was probably a better line to feed the PTA than telling them their school had a serial killer and a gothic lolita visiting. "But who's 'The Boss'?" Was that their nickname for the principal?
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
<poem>
"Right," Ichika says. "The gangs don't usually use swords or axes, they just punch each other a lot. It's... a whole different level." She remembers all the blood. It makes her a little queasy to recall it.

"Oh, that's Eikichi Mishina," Itsuka says. "We call him the Death Boss, or just the Boss. It's because he's the leader at Kasugayama. ...Yeah, he's only a second-year, but he keeps people in line. Makes the school a better place."
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Maya Amano has posed.
<poem>
Eikichi Mishina... Where did she know that name from? Suddenly it clicked. "Oh, he's the head singer for that band, right?"
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
<poem>
"Oh, you've heard of Gas Chamber?" Ichika shouldn't be that surprised; Maya writes for Coolest, she'd probably have a finger on the pulse of a lot of this stuff...

"Right, he's the lead singer. Kind of the whole force behind it. ...Come to think, it wasn't that long after the concert that it happened..."
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Maya Amano has posed.
<poem>
Maya taps away on her laptop, then looks up. "Do you think the two of them are connected? Use your reporter's intuition!"
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
<poem>
Her reporter's intuition!! Maya is still giving her tips... Ichika thinks about it.

"Yeah," she says. "I dunno how long it takes the Joker Killer to strike, but if anybody had bad feelings about the Boss, the concert's when they really would've gotten worst. Maybe bad enough to try that rumor."
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Maya Amano has posed.
<poem>
Maya nods. "Can you think of anyone who might have something against him? A rival band? A rival boss?"
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
<poem>
"Hmmm..."

Ichika thinks about it, leaning back in her seat a little. She's getting into this! "There's the Storm Boss--he's been a problem lately, he wants to get strong people from other schools to challenge the Boss. But I dunno if he's willing to kill over it."

"There's the Student Council?" Ichika muses. "Some of them are OK, but some of them are really... not great. Like, there's this one guy on the council, uhhh... Inoue-san. He's really creepy. Like, the kind of guy who stares at you."

"...Sorry if that's not as much help; I know the student council gets mad and gives him trouble, but the only one I really know on the Council is Tomori-san... Tomori Jinushi. She knows a lot of gossip, so if anyone knows more it might be her. ...She only gives out stuff for trades, though."
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Maya Amano has posed.
<poem>
Type type type type type. The typing ends as quickly as it started and Maya shuts her laptop shut.

"No, you've totally saved my butt again! Editor-in-Chief Mizuno was asking for updates on my Joker Killer investigation. Now I've got something new to show her!" To say Maya is relieved would be an understatement; the last thing she wanted was to get chewed out by her boss again.

"But... your questions from earlier... it sounds like you're interested in being a reporter?"
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
<poem>
"Oh!" Ichika smiles slowly. "Great," she says. "Glad to help. ...And to be honest, I'm glad to get the real story out there. I don't know why they're covering it up, but I don't like it."

Her questions... Ichika nods, if hesitantly. "I kind of..."

"...Yeah. It sounds like something I could do. That I'd enjoy doing," she settles on, instead of explaining the insecurity behind it. "Meeting you made me really think about it. And I'm trying to think more of the future, you know?"
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Maya Amano has posed.
<poem>
Hmmm...! "If you want, I could probably get away with taking you to the office one day." But... "...but you'd probably have to cut school that day. Unless there's a School Founder's Day or something." Maya was fortunate enough to ''technically'' get the day off for most major holidays. "It might help you to figure out if it's something you'd really be interested in!" And it'd be a lot more fun than just talking about it.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
<poem>
"Really!?" Ichika sits up a little straighter. "Wow, that would be..." She opens her mouth and closes it. "I mean, I could... probably cut school. It's not that big a deal." Don't tell the cool adult you already do that a lot, Ichika. Smooth, nailed it. "I'd like that. Let me know when you have a good day, I guess!"
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Maya Amano has posed.
<poem>
"I'll text you!" Hopefully Editor-in-Chief Mizuno was feeling especially nice that day. "You have any other questions? Oops, we should get you that drink!" It had completely slipped Maya's mind.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
<poem>
"Thanks!" Ichika likes that idea. But, questions...? "Oh, nothing I should bug you with," Ichika says. "Oh yeah! Sure, I'll take one. Whatever's good."

A smile. "But thanks. I not only got the answers I was looking for, but I got to help out some, too, so... I feel pretty good about that."
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Maya Amano has posed.
<poem>
"You should feel good about that!" Maya says, giving Ichika a thumbs-up as she stood. "If I didn't have my dad to look up to, I don't know if I would have any idea what I'd want to do!"
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
<poem>
Ichika beams. "Cool," she says. "And yeah, I think that's great. I look up to Daddy, but..." A shake of her head. "I'm not that smart and I don't like blood," she says. "Since he's a doctor and all."

But Ichika will let Maya get to drink, and... maybe hang out a little longer if Maya doesn't have to go immediately.
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Maya Amano has posed.
<poem>
It takes a few minutes, but Maya returns with a Cafe Au Lait. And sure enough, the two of them talk long enough that Maya doesn't realize until one of the teen workers starts glaring daggers at them that she realizes it's closing time.

Something occurs to her while they chat, though. That maybe Ichika needs someone to talk to. Someone that isn't one of her teenage friends. So when they're about to part their separate ways, she takes the opportunity to make sure Ichika knows.

"If you ever need to chat, feel free to text me! It doesn't need to be about work, either!"
</poem>

<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
<poem>
Ichika tries not to get into anything heavy again, but she's in good spirits so that's not too hard. She asks a lot about Maya's work, and for her part mentions that she's seeing the same boyfriend she mentioned before later, maybe.

But Maya... may be right! Because when Maya offers--

"Really?" Ichika asks. "...Great. I will."
</poem>

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

2025-08-24: Reporter's Intuition - Revision history