2026-05-26: A Face to the Name
- Log: 2026-05-26 A Face to the Name
- Cast: Fuuka Yamagishi, Ren Amamiya
- Where: Electric Town, Tokyo
- OOC Date: May 27, 2026
- IC Date: November 15, 2012
- Summary: While in Akihabara, Fuuka and Ren happen to run across each other. After chatting a while about video games and electronics, they introduce themselves and realize they already know each other.
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
It's Thursday afternoon, and school has let out for the day. Fuuka had plans today - she was originally going to go with Natsuki... but, she had to cancel. She encouraged her to get out and do something fun anyway, though, and so after some deliberation Fuuka decided to take a trip out to Tokyo. Akihabara, specifically.
While there are some electronics stores she frequents in Iwatodai, the variety isn't always as good as she likes. Here, though, she practically has her pick - and her choice today is a second-hand store nestled between a manga store and a net cafe.
"Excuse me..." Fuuka pardons herself as she enters, her eyes scanning the shelves. There's a lot on offer here - from video games, to audio equipment, and even spare parts. If you're looking for it, there's bound to be some form of bargain to find here.
She didn't come here with a plan in mind, though - so for now she takes to browsing the shelves. She stands out just a little in a place like this... though she's at least been trying to be okay with that lately.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Healing magic is wonderful. It can also only go so far. Though getting timely healing after getting sliced up by the Black Mask meant Ren could continue their daily life with a minimum of interruptions, they've still got some lingering aches and pains. They'll go away as Ren finishes healing up all the way, but until then... it's just as well that Futaba needs some time before she's willing to open her door.
Today, Ren also finds themself in Akihabara. Originally it was to check out electronics and get a better feel for the things a hacker like Futaba might like, but then they overheard a commotion in the Gigolo Arcade and found a kid who was blowing away the competition at Gun About. After watching that for a while and then introducing themself to 'The King,' they've left to get back to their original goal.
Which means that as Fuuka lets herself into the second-hand store, Ren enters just behind her. There are bigger stores around, to be sure, but this is way more affordable or them. They do shoot Fuuka a curious glance--she does seem out of place in a place like this--but she must have her reasons for being here. They don't bother her about them.
They also take to browsing the shelves. The nice thing about this place in particular is that they've got a bunch of retro games for the console they've got at their attic apartment. One of them is an early Drake Adventure title. Of course Ren knows about this series--who doesn't?--but the fact that they've heard their friends talk about it recently makes them stop and pick up the box to look it over.
Since they're caught up in that, when they move to one side to look over some of the other games, they bump into Fuuka. "Oh, sorry," they utter, looking up at her. "My fault. Are you okay?"
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
Fuuka hears another customer enter the store behind her, but she doesn't pay that too much mind at first. She's focused on the shelves, wandering between them curiously.
...Which means she doesn't Ren until it's too late, and... bump! Fuuka turns quickly.
"Oh, I'm sorry -" Fuuka apologizes reflexively - but they apologize too, causing her to pause. She hadn't expected that, but it's a pleasant surprise. Random encounters in stores don't always go so nicely. "It's alright, I'm okay. Are you?"
Her eyes stray to the box in Ren's hands.
"'Drake Adventure'..." Fuuka reads off. "...Oh, I started that one recently, myself."
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
It's unfortunately not a surprise to Ren that Fuuka apologizes even though they're the one who bumped into her. Not to judge by appearances, but she has the vibe of someone who reflexively apologizes for things, whether she's at fault or not. (Their mom is like that too, so they know that vibe well.) They raise their other hand palm-out. "I'm fine, don't worry about me."
They're willing to leave her alone after that, but then she looks at the cartridge box in their hand. They flip it around to look at it, then let her better see. "Oh, this one specifically? That's a funny coincidence." They pause in consideration. "Do you have any recommendations for other games for this console?"
She came in here for a reason--from a decent ways away, based on her Gekkoukan uniform. (There's a bit of a twinge in Ren's chest, but only a bit. They and Minako have been texting more of late, and they've come to accept that it really wouldn't have worked out between them anyway.) Maybe she's read-in on this sort of thing.
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
"That's good..." Fuuka replies, as Ren assures her they're fine. ...That suspicion might proven to be true, from the way she looks relieved when they say they're fine and tell her not to worry.
"Yes, it is." Fuuka admits with a small laugh and frowns thoughtfully, as they ask for recommendations. "I only recently got into it myself, but..."
She thinks it over for a moment.
"Last Saga is good, too. There are a few of those, and they're fairly similar to Drake Adventure... Oh, and the Epic of Zerta. ...But that one can be difficult if you aren't good at the combat." Fuuka suggests.
...She isn't. She likes the puzzles, though.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Ren smiles slightly at the recommendations. They've heard their friends talking about Last Saga too. "I haven't actually played a Drake Adventure game before, if you can believe it," they reply, looking over the game again. They gamed even before they came to Tokyo, but they tended towards puzzle games and action-adventure--something to solve, rather than combat to fight (though they don't dislike that). Now, well, beggars can't be choosers, and they're finding they enjoy these simple retro games. "I'll check out Last Saga if I like it."
They have heard it's famous for being story-heavy, and that does intrigue them. First things first, though.
They look again at Fuuka. Curiosity wins out now that they've started a conversation, so they wonder, "What brings you out all the way here from Port Island, by the way? If you don't mind my asking."
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
"I hadn't until recently myself, so... we're not that different," Fuuka replies with a smile. She's been making up for lost time. She nods, then, as they say they'll check out Last Saga. "Good idea."
And then, they ask what brings her all the way out here. It's a fair question, she supposes. She's already spoken on video games without any judgment, though... so she supposes, after a moment of deliberation, there's no reason to hide it.
"...I wanted to see what kind of spare electronic parts they had on sale," Fuuka explains. "Even the second-hand electronics stores in Port Island tend to only carry more mainstream items, so if I want to find anything rarer or more specialized, I have better odds here."
She does brace herself a bit for the reaction, though.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Ren returns that smile, then looks back at the wall of retro games. They can easily pick out an Epic of Zerta game, and they grab that too; that'll do them for now, at least as far as their personal interests go.
It turns out this girl is here because of her own personal interests, though--to the point that she had to come out this way because the specialized parts she wants just aren't available back home. Ren looks at her with wide eyes, but it's a thoughtful look rather than disbelieving.
"Oh yeah? So you're into computers?" they wonder. Like Futaba, huh... This is perfect--but as that thought strikes them, they realize they know so little about computers that they don't know what follow-up questions to make. They scratch the back of their neck. (They've had one--they had a household desktop back in their house in Inaba that they sometimes used for research and homework assignments--but they really only know the basics of how one functions.)
Oh well. Nothing for it but to try. "There's another girl I know who's into computers, but I don't know a ton about them myself. If I wanted to strike up a conversation about it, or learn more to understand what she's talking about if it comes up, what would you recommend?"
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
The reaction she gets isn't judgment, but instead, thoughtful. Fuuka will take that. It's better than the alternative.
"I am." She confirms with a nod. There's an awkward silence for a bit - but Ren does have a question for her. "Another girl...?"
That's a surprise - that's rare... She can't help but be a little curious, but she can sympathise with not knowing how to approach the topic. She considers the question for a moment.
"Mm, well, a lot of it would depend on what her specific area of interest is, if she's focused on hardware, software, or both, but... I think getting a baseline understanding would be a good step in the right direction." Fuuka replies. "There are some pretty good books to help people get up to speed. I could recommend some for you?"
A thoughtful look crosses her face, as she considers what to suggest next.
"For more specialized topics... there are websites that can help," she concludes.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Maybe one day, Futaba and Fuuka can meet up and talk shop--but first, Futaba needs to become able to leave her room without fear. That day should come soon, though. Ren promised.
They pick up on that awkwardness, and they can't blame her for it; they are a random guy asking this random girl questions after bumping into her. It might feel to her like they're leading up to try to hit on her. Even if it doesn't, she's got her own thing she's here for, and she might be too polite to tell them she needs to get back for it. Still, they did ask, and she's responding--they don't want to blow her off either, given that they're the one who engaged.
"That'd be great. The basics are fine for now, so whatever you recommend would be a big help." They retrieve their probation diary from their pocket after setting the games they picked up to one side, along with a pencil stub. They'll jot down the titles and authors Fuuka lists, then tuck it away.
"Thanks for the help; it was kind of you to humor me. I hope you find what you're looking for too," they say. "I'd offer to help back, but I'm sure you know more than me, so I'll leave you to it."
Then they grab the two games and start to head towards the register to check out. They'll of course still be around for a couple more moments, but they don't want to intrude on this girl's time more than they have. If she asks something of them, they won't blow her off, though.
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
Fuuka nods. The diary receives a brief glance, but she might be more surprised to see someone prepared to take pencil and paper notes than anything.
"Alright." Fuuka says. She recites a quick list, encompassing books of different skill levels so that Ren can pick and choose which ones seem more directly relevant.
"You're welcome. I hope it helps," Fuuka offers, and nods. "Thank you."
She offers them a small smile a their comment on offering help.
"I appreciate the sentiment, at least," she replies. Ren starts to turn toward the register while Fuuka starts toward the shelves with the parts she's interested in, though she pauses briefly.
She wonders, for a moment, if it would be a good idea to give out her name for a stranger... but it was a pleasant enough conversation, and so,
"Oh, I'm... Fuuka Yamagishi. It was nice talking with you." She offers - and then, after giving them time to respond, starts on her way once more.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Ren could of course also use the notes app on their phone, but they have to use their probation diary to write down what they do from day to day anyway. They may as well use it for things like this too. They give her a slight smile and a nod before they start to head off--but then Fuuka introduces herself, and there's a flutter of surprise in them as they half-turn to look at her wide-eyed.
"Oh--you're Yamagishi-san?" they utter. They turn back around to face her. "I'm Ren Amamiya. You and I have some friends in common. You're in the art club with Yusuke Kitagawa, and I used to date Minako Arisato." They offer her another slight smile. "I heard a bit about the trouble you were having earlier this year--Yusuke and Minako-chan were both worried about you. Good to see you're doing better now." They give her a little bow. "It was nice talking to you too, Yamagishi-san. Nice to have a face to place to the name, too."
<Pose Tracker> Fuuka Yamagishi has posed.
Her introduction is met with surprise - and that causes her to turn back around.
"Oh... yes." She confirms with a nod. She wonders why, at first - but then they explain. Recognition crosses her face.
"Oh, so you're Amamiya-san!" Fuuka replies. Fuuka offers a smile back - she knows about the break-up, but that doesn't seem to affect her reaction anyway. "Minako-chan's mentioned you before. It's nice to meet one of Kitagawa-san's friends, too."
They mention the trouble she was having earlier in the year, how Yusuke and Minako were both worried. They must mean... ...She's a little flattered that they remembered after all this time, even if she looks a little sheepish about it, too. Fuuka offers a bow of her own in return.
"Yes, I'm doing much better now, thank you..." Fuuka assures. A face to the name - yes, it's nice on her end, too. She was wondering what the Ren Minako told her about was like. "It is. Have a nice day, Amamiya-san."