2026-02-18: Leave No Stone Unturned

• Log: Leave No Stone Unturned
• Cast: Hyousuke Suzuki, Eikichi Mishina
• Where: Kasugayama High School
• OOC Date: 2026-02-18
• IC Date: Thu Sep 27
• Summary: After learning that Eikichi is Awakened and has no shortage of disdain for the Joker Killer, Hyousuke sets up a private meeting to bring him up to speed on what happened to Jun.

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<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.

Finding the Death Boss - or, at least, somebody that was willing to deliver a message to the Death Boss for him - hadn't been especially difficult for Hyousuke. What had been difficult was getting to the rooftop early enough that he could deny the space to anyone seeking to claim it for their lunch break. He was fairly certain that a wayward couple and some stranger looking to confess to their crush had given him the stink eye when he barged past them towards the door, but he didn't much care - it was hardly as if he had a stellar reputation to begin with, and his business was far more urgent.

He waited there, in full view of the door, not bothering to pick at his lunch. For the most part, he seemed to have recovered from the fight at the exhibition. What few wounds he'd suffered were little more than thin scabs and superficial marks, easily ignored by anyone evaluating his health, and easily brushed off by him without a hint of dishonesty. There were some signs of aching and exhaustion, be it the slight sluggishness of his blinks or his posture remaining slacker than it should have, but it had been a busy few days - even a good night's sleep could only do so much.

With him leaning languidly against a wall, his foot tapping impatiently and his fingers drumming over crossed arms, he waited for Eikichi to make his arrival. Hopefully they could let bygones be bygones - or, at the very least, put aside their differences until he'd said his piece.

<Pose Tracker> Eikichi Mishina has posed.

The Death Boss did love his time gazing out at the school yard from the roof. After some time, a group of delinquents make their way upstairs, headed by the blue haired leader himself. The group stops when they see Hyousuke waiting, blinking as if it was inconceivable that someone else would dare to be up here.

 Right before Shogo was about to say something, Eikichi raised his hand. "Looks like I got something guys. Let me handle it."

 Ken, Shogo and Takeshi blinked. Only Ken spoke up. "Right, lets go get something at the cafeteria...Boss needs ta handle somethin'."

 After a moment, it was just Eikichi standing on the roof with Hyousuke. "Somethin' on your mind. Suzuki?" He smiles confidently despite being unsure of how this could go.

<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.

Despite their earlier confrontation, Hyousuke was visibly relieved when he saw Eikichi arrive, the group notwithstanding. Part of it was him not having to drive away anyone else, of course - even he eventually grew tired of putting up a front to make the prospect seem more troubling than it was worth. The other part was that things seemed like they would go smoothly. Outwardly, at least, there seemed to be no animosity. At the very least, there was an understanding that the gravity of the situation outweighed any lingering feelings that hadn't been worked out by their shared mission the other night.

"It's about the Joker Killer." He said flatly, prying himself off of the wall so as to give his words their proper weight. It wouldn't do to appear like he didn't care, after all - especially when he very much did. "How much do you know about the art show that went down in Iwatadoi earlier?"

<Pose Tracker> Eikichi Mishina has posed.

Eikichi's smile fades when the Joker Killer is mentioned. He doesn't look angry so much as stern as he nods slowly. "Alright. Whats up?" He is eager to hear something about the guy who tried to kill him. The guy scaring people left and right with his stupid supernatural trick.

 The Death Boss listens and blinks when an art show was mentioned. "Something about him attacking one but not much. I couldn't get there in time." He cracks his neck as he thinks for a second. "Why?" He asks as he turns to look at Hyousuke again.

<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.

Hyousuke's expression grew a little darker as he tried to organise his thoughts on it. Even long after the event, things were still a blur - shouting, screaming, darkness, glinting steel and swinging fists, all coalesced into a churning mass of colours and noise. For a few moments, he appeared to be trying to concentrate, but spoke up eventually.
"That's about the gist of it. He showed up trying to do... something... to everyone there with a painting. He said he was trying to 'mark' them or something, and got real pissed when we kicked his ass too hard for him to pull it off."

It sounded like a victory. It sounded like whatever group had been there had managed to beat the Joker Killer into turning around and fleeing. Yet, he still bore a dark look, and those drumming fingers instead clutched at whatever he could latch them onto.
"Before he ran off, he tried to drag someone into the painting with him. But Kashihara-san was there as well, and he..." His jaw clenched. His grip tightened. His muscles tensed. The words refused to come out, despite how he'd already spoken them before. It was like the muscles in his throat clenched around them, forcing them to stay in place before he pushed past and spoke regardless. "...He told the Killer to take him instead. He... He took Kashihara-san...!"

<Pose Tracker> Eikichi Mishina has posed.

Eikichi watches Hyousuke saying nothing as he crosses his arms over his chest. He is certain whatever happened was bad but watching the punks face gave Eikichi some idea -how- bad.

 "Tch. Whatever he was doing it couldn't have been good.." Eikichi says, looking off the side of the roof to the courtyard below. What the hell does it mean to 'Mark' someone? Some kind of curse?

 Then the aftermath is spoken about. Eikichi takes in a sharp breath, feeling his teeth clench. He finally just snaps and punches the fence around the roof's ledge. The sound echos through the school, producing a brief silence as everything just stopped for a moment. Eikichi sighs, feeling his body deflate as the worry, shame, and everything just hits him. Damnit, the Joker killer took someone he should've been protecting. Damn him to hell.

 "Tch...So how are we getting him back? Let's go."

<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.

"We can't. Not yet."
Hyousuke spoke the words with no small degree of bitterness. He practically spat them out, and the very sound of them left a taste in his mouth that twitched his lips into an slight, trembling, snarl. "We don't know where he's taken him. We don't even know how he did it. I'm looking into it, and I've got some friends handling things too, but we..." Hyousuke glanced away. He couldn't bear to look Eikichi in the eye, and it took all he had to simply finish the thought.

"We've got nothing. No leads, no info, fucking NOTHING!" The outburst was not quite anger, though there was no denying that it was present. It was more a burst of frustration - a sudden venting of emotions that had been clawing at the surface, demanding to be released. "One of them though, they said... They said that the Joker Killer wouldn't kill them. Said he was obsessed with Kashihara-san for some reason, and he was gonna keep him alive until he got what he wanted. So that's gotta mean there's a link." It wasn't hope in his voice. It was desperation. "Maybe there's some place that's linking them both, or some history we can use as a clue. There's- there's gotta be SOMETHING we can use."

<Pose Tracker> Eikichi Mishina has posed.

Eikichi feels that bitterness too. He tenses as he is told there is nothing they can do. He raises his hand to punch the gate again but stops himself. There was really nothing they could do right now.

 All he feels is bitter anger that that smug asshole serial murderer had all the cards AGAIN. Just once, Eikichi would like to get the drop on the Joker Killer.

 "Right." Eikichi places a hand on his chin as he thinks. Something that would connect Jun and the Joker Killer. Eikichi thinks he sees something in his memory but before it manifests a piercing sting makes him lose it. He winces and shakes his head, letting the feeling pass for the moment. "I don't know...but we're gonna find him. I swear if that bastard hurts him, I'll make the Joker Killer wish he was dead."

<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.

Hyousuke opened his mouth a little, thinking to ask Eikichi if he was alright. The wince had not gone unnoticed, and seemed - to him - to have come out of nowhere. But the moment passed, and Hyousuke nodded firmly in agreement. A dark look still lingered in his features, but there was steel behind it too. Grim determination settled in, and it gave a firmness to his voice that stood in stark contrast to the wild and flailing frustration that'd come before.
"Not if I tear that piece of shit in two first." What he had intended to be something vaguely lighthearted to help ease the tension emerged as more than just a threat. It was a firm promise. "He's not getting away with this. We're gonna find him, and we're gonna *break* him."

<Pose Tracker> Eikichi Mishina has posed.

"Then there is no problem." Eikichi says, crossing his arms again as he watch Hyousuke. He feels like he understands the other punk a little better now. "For now, we just gotta keep on moving. Which means we're either going to find something to do or go crazy waiting for the day we get to knock that asshole's teeth out." He wants to find something else to focus on but it is easier said than done.

 Kashihara was practically a civilian. He didn't fight like everyone else. For him to sacrifice himself...it makes Eikichi feel a number of things. He just bottles up those feelings, needing to remain strong as the Boss of all Bosses.

<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.

"I don't know what we're supposed to do about this..." Hyousuke said, shaking his head at the admission. "I'm gonna talk with some people, see if they caught something I missed. If you want my advice? Talk to Uchida-san. I don't know if she's got any more ideas about what's going on than I do, but she probably has a better idea of where to start looking." Despite how quickly and easily he admitted it, it still pained him a little to give voice to the knowledge that he had vanishingly few options. Jaw tight and fingers drumming again, he looked out across the school, resisting the urge to kick something and vent his frustrations. "We're gonna get him back. No matter what it takes."

<Pose Tracker> Eikichi Mishina has posed.

"Uchida-san...Right I guess that's whole I'm talking too." Eikichi looks out at the school one last time. He notices Hyousuke's mood and sighs. He seems to be better at controlling those feelings...or hiding them at least. Finally, he places a hand on the other guy's shoulder and forces a smile. "You're right. We're getting him back. No doubt about it."

 Finally, he digs his hands into his pockets. "I'm gonna go see what I can find out. I'll be in touch." Eikichi starts for the door, wondering if he can actually detective up some clues.