Fandom Personan Rhapsody Campaign (Closed)

[NightMovez]

Kaaru let the girl step forward and confront her demons. He'd love to leave his spot and look around for the exit, maybe give the girl some privacy as she poured her heart out, but the danger wasn't completely gone. Not yet. He didn't want to spoil their moment of victory or scare anyone, but if the pink-haired girl said the wrong thing, if she didn't say her true feelings, the shadow could re-transform. It would become invigorated, healing swiftly and taking on a new- more dangerous form. He hadn't explained this to Souta yet, for very stupid and personal reasons, but fortunately it didn't seem like that would be a problem at this moment.

She spoke her true feelings and the persona dissipated, and they were safe. He let out a relieved sigh before finally sheathing his sword and relaxing his shoulders. "And thank god for that, I need a shower," he said in response to getting out of there. He walked over to where the shadow had sat and leaned down to grab the item that it had left behind, a pained groan escaping him as he knelt. The adrenaline was wearing off and everything hurt, but this was probably important. It had been for him and Souta.

He brushed some dirt from the scarf before turning to the two others. "Does this mean anything to you?" He asked, two sides of the cloth dangling from his hand as he offered it to the girl.

 

[the scourge]

Bug collapsed slightly into Souta as he helped her up. She was less fragile than she looked-and likely older-but she was still clearly shaken. "I dunno. My memory's all blurry." She managed, standing on her own once she was up, at least. She turned her head to Kaaru as he held out the scarf, a worn, dark green knit scarf, and as she reached out and took it, tears started to fall from her eyes.

"I... This... How did you find this..?" She choked out, staring at Kaaru, holding the scarf close to her chest. Her tears went from a few lone ones to full on crying after a moment. The emotional buildup of being trapped in here, of confronting her inner demons in front of strangers, and now this... "My dad... He gave this to me..." She managed to choke out, through her shoulders shaking as she cried. "He gave it to me as a gift a couple-a couple months before... And then I lost it when I moved and I thought it was gone forever..." She didn't finish her sentence about when she'd gotten it, but how much she was crying holding onto the accessory made it rather clear why it had so much sentiment attached. In some way or another, she'd lost her father, and Kaaru had just handed a little piece of her memory of him back to her.

"I just wanna go home." She whispered, holding the scarf tight with one arm and trying to rub at her eyes with the other. "I really wanna go home."

 

[Anne Boolean]

Bug's answer wasn't ideal. Upon hearing Kaaru's comment, the scent of Shadow guts suddenly became apparent to him.

"Me too..." he said with a grimace. Before getting clean, the question of how they would leave needed to be answered. The emotions weren't all out yet though, as when Kaaru held out what looked like a scarf to the girl, she broke down into tears.

Souta shifted in his stance as he watched, unsure of just how to comfort her. If the redhead had handed him the photograph right after rescuing him, he was certain he would have started bawling as well. Now that he had time to process his grief though, it felt miniscule compared to what the pink-haired girl had gone through, at least if his hunch was right.

"We... we understand..." the black-haired boy responded. "We've been through it too, and we're all going to make it out of this." If Bug didn't remember where her way in was, they would most likely have to go out the way they entered. The girl's Shadow had cleared their path at least halfway in, but after that, they'd have to navigate the natural maze and fight any Shadows they had missed. His eyes drifted to Kaaru. The groan his senpai had let out moments ago was a good indicator that some healing would do him good. Then again, even after that, and even with the energy the photograph seemed to give him, they would still be running on fumes.

"Can you help us retrace your steps?" he asked, turning to Bug once again. "We'll be out a lot quicker if we go the way you came in. We could really use your help searching for it."

 

[NightMovez]

"The uh...monster dropped it," The redhead stammered, mentioning shadows now would just be too confusing. That would come later, when she had calmed down. He'd give her options. Whether she wanted him to explain what was going on or not, whether she wanted to join them or not. Just as he had done for Souta.

He stood there as the girl cried, his heart aching for the poor girl. This kind of thing. No one should have to go through it. He'd give her a hug if they weren't strangers, but chose a simple three tap shoulder pat instead. "Yes, let's get you home," he said quietly, trying to reassure the girl that they would in fact get her home. Perhaps he should have stored the scarf and given it to her later. She had been through so much already, it was probably too much.

"It's probably somewhere around here. Real close," Kaaru said, poking his head through the trees. "They like to keep their prey close to it. At least that's how it's been so far." He walked around a bit before hearing a quiet whirring, one that was all too familiar at this point. He bent over with a hidden grimace as he opened a flap of the nearby tent's. Inside was a spinning blue and white circle, one of Kage's teleportals. It'd be familiar to anyone who played the actual game. "Found it," he looked back to the girl. "This should take us to where you were before you came here. Are you ready?" He said, hoping that wherever she was wasn't too public. If people saw three teenagers, some injured, popping out of a computer, they'd freak.

 

[the scourge]

Bug looked to the tent as Kaaru opened the tent, and clued in as she looked at it. Right, that made sense. She'd been fighting too hard to really think about how close or where that portal was. She wrapped the scarf around her neck-hopefully it would stay, when they exited this game-and nodded at Kaaru. "Y-yeah, I'm more than ready to go." She stammered. "But, um... I was playing in a school computer lab because I don't have my own computer... So we're gonna end up there." She admitted.

She stepped closer to the teleportal, but hesitated, looking towards the two boys. "Can... can one of you two go through first?" Bug asked, staring at the tent. "And, actually... I know you live down the hall from me, but who are either of you?" She asked again. "I'm Yamamoto Ichika." It would be... a bit cruel to everyone in the situation to introduce herself by the name she liked to use. After that insectoid monster that seemed to be some part of her... Calling herself Bug would be out of line.

 

[Anne Boolean]

Kaaru was correct in Souta's case as well in terms of the location of the exit, but he couldn't help but wonder why that was. If the Shadows didn't want them to leave, wouldn't it make more sense for them to lure them far away from where they came in? Either way, he wasn't complaining. In this case and the last, their decision would be to the group's benefit.

Like the others, he also tried searching. While Kaaru looked through the campsite, his eyes peered between the trees. The exit had looked like a teleportal in his own area. Perhaps it would look the same here as well. He stayed within the campfire's light though, still not having forgotten the eerie experience his senpai had relayed earlier. Fortunately, they wouldn't need to step through the trees to get to the exit, as Kaaru had found it in the camp's tent.

"It... fitting..." he responded, giving a slightly amused smile. Although he blinked when the girl mentioned the location she had come in from. "Do you know whether security's tight there after hours?"

His surprise continued when the pink-haired girl mentioned living in such close proximity to Kaaru. "It's too bad you weren't playing at home, then. At least one of us would have had a short trip." He let out a small chuckle. He would have needed to walk home in an unfamiliar city after dark. He still would, unless they happened to go the same school. "I'm Ishida Souta," he said with a smile. "Nice to meet you." Well, maybe it would have been nicer under different circumstances. "I... don't suppose you go to Mikkikoji High?"

 

[NightMovez]

"That...sucks." Kaaru sighed as he looked at the portal. It would have been nice if she was playing in her room. He wouldn't have had a long walk at all. And the sooner he could get this grime off of him, the better. He was so desperate, he might even just use the school showers.

He let Souta speak first before introducing himself as well. "Ah, right. Sorry for not introducing myself sooner. I don't have the best manners," he said with a nervous chuckle, still holding up the tent's flap. "I'm Katakiri Kaaru."

"We'll talk more once we're on the other side. I'm getting real tired of this place," he said truthfully as he shifted into the tent. "Guess I'll go through first since I'm already here. See ya on the other side."

The redhead reached out to the the portal, touching it with the tips of his fingers. At the gentle touch, it rippled into a beautiful mosaic of blue and white shades. It felt thick like liquid metal, but colder than ice. He stepped into it with a now inaudible gasp as he went between realms. The cold feeling was both refreshing and shocking, something that hadn't changed since the first time he stepped through one.

As if he had just blinked, Kaaru's scenery had completely changed. Long brown desks topped with computers, brown chairs neatly tucked underneath, one of which he immediately tripped on. He stumbled forward, somehow managing not to ram into the computer in front of him and not fall. A feat for sure.

He patted down his chest. Seeing the casual and much less tight clothes that he had been wearing before going into Kage: A tee with the album art of Kaaru's favorite Aoi-Hime album, AB-NEG, black jeans, and matching black sneakers with red detailing. When he got to the lower part of his torso, he winced. The injuries were still there, but at least they seemed to have closed.

He took a look around, taking in familiar surroundings. Guess she did go to Mikkikoji High after all.

 

[the scourge]

Bug watched as Kaaru stepped through, and with a deep breath, entered the teleportal herself. The shift in sensation was jarring, and if she had the ability to, she would have yelped. She instead simply stumbled through and came out on the other side... then promptly tripped over a chair herself and was not nearly as lucky as Kaaru, crashing to her hands and knees. "Owww..." She complained, straightening herself up and getting to her feet. She brushed off her uniform-which wasn't quite recognizable as such, since she was covered in dirt and had ditched her jacket before coming to the computer lab-and turned to look at Kaaru.

"Yeah, I know Ishida-san was... would that be Ishida-senpai?" She wondered aloud. "If you two go here too then you're not first years, so you're both my senpais... Well, I know it was Ishisa-senpai who asked, but I do go here. I'm in my first year." Bug bowed. The room was dark, and after she did so, she immediately ran her hand against the wall for the light switch.

She clicked it on once she found it, though she winced slightly at the sudden light-god, she'd hit her head bad in there-and then looked back to the computer she'd come in from. She had so many questions, so much to ask about what had happened, but more than anything...

"S-so I can go home now?" Her voice was hopeful as she asked. "I was trapped in there for a bit and I need to go take care of my bird and make sure my mom knows I'm not dead." She explained, finally letting herself smile a little. She'd gotten out-she'd gotten out. She could probably go home. Hopefully mom had remembered to feed Midori... She knew Kaito wouldn't. Bug had a feeling that her mom's scummy second husband was still cranky she'd used his money to buy herself a pet, especially a bird, ESPECIALLY a "pest" animal like Midori.

 

[Anne Boolean]

Souta watched as the others stepped through the portal before stepping through himself. He felt a shiver run down his spine as the cold of the doorway hit him. Unlike the other two, when he stepped back into the real world, he had managed to find good footing and didn't stumble... at least until a bright flash from the lights turning on startled him. He stumbled back, crashing into the desk that the computer they came through was on. Thankfully, no machinery was damaged. It took him a moment for his eyes to adjust. Still being new, Souta needed another second to scan his surroundings and realize where they were.

"This is the computer lab on the second floor, right?" he asked. His eyes then fell on Bug. "So we do go to the same school. That's pretty convenient." Now he at least knew how to get home. Hopefully the dark of night wouldn't make the streets too unfamiliar or seedy.

He gave an understanding smile at the girl's question. "I think that would be best for all of us," he said. Hopefully the school didn't have tight security after hours. He would also need to come up with an excuse for Hina about where he was and why he smelled as if he had gone dumpster diving. He wondered, if he told her he indeed went dumpster diving with friends, would she let it slide because it meant he was actually making friends? Either way, he had about a thirty minute walk home to think about it.

 

[NightMovez]

Kaaru was surprised when Ichika popped out of the computer right after him. He hadn't had a chance to move the chair yet, and she tripped right over it, almost face planting into the ground. He went to help her up, but she had already managed herself.

"Yeah, I'm a third year, Ishida-kun's in his second," he said in response to Ichika. So she was a first year? She was so short, he'd almost mistaken her for a middle schooler. Of course he wasn't gonna say that out loud.

It wasn't long before Souta popped out after them, almost succeeding in being the only graceful one of the three. They walked through the school, only narrowly avoiding a security guard before making their exit through the gym's doors. Good thing they were only locked from the outside. Probably a precaution in case anyone got trapped in the school at night.

They said a few parting words, and the three were off. Ichika and Kaaru together, Souta on his own. The redhead had invited them over to his own home, feeling bad for leaving his kouhai to walk home alone, but he had vehemently refused. Though Kaaru made sure he would call if he was in trouble, and text when he got home safe.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The Next Day - Sunday

The sound of thumping footsteps, a crash, children giggling, loud bleating. These were all sounds that caused Kaaru to stir from his slumber. He groaned loudly, but refused to open his eyes just yet. Anyone who wasn't used to having a pet goat in the house might have thought someone was breaking in or being murdered, but not this redhead. Because he did live with a pet goat. He was splayed out across his too-big bed. Face-up and on top of ruffled covers that he hadn't even bothered getting under last night. After taking a long, much needed, hot shower, he'd plopped down and fell asleep instantly.

He lazily lifted his arm before finally blinking his eyes open and looking at the ARMobile on his wrist, seeing that the time was a shocking 1:45pm. It was amazing that Chui and Aki had let him sleep for so long. That or he had just been dead asleep until now. He plopped his arm back down. "Message Ishida Souta," he said lazily, voice rough and deep from having just woken up. It was amazing the device still recognized the voice as his. "Lunch? Let's meet at Chairo Cafe...they've got good burgers." Short and forgetting to mention the important detail that he was going to invite Ichika as well. Definitely a text that was sent right when he woke up. He'd never been a morning person, no matter how many times in his life he had woken up early to get in a workout. "End message and send."

After a few minutes or more of waiting, he finally decided to roll out of bed and get ready. He slowly rummaged through his hangers before settling on a loose band tee, hoping it wouldn't scratch against his now closed wounds. It had a logo of a skull with more than half of its teeth cracked and falling out; Large letters spelling out EATING TEETH splayed across the top in a messy font. He threw a red flannel over it and shoved on some tight black jeans before leaving the room to wishing he hadn't.

Glass shards spilled across the floor near the once extravagant and large black leather couch; White stuffing poking out from it in more than a few places. Four children were running around chasing a teacup sized goat who seemed to be chomping on a red shoe.

"Having fun?" Kaaru said with a tone that was a mix between amusement and annoyance.

One of the children stopped in his tracks. "AH! Sorry to wake you Ru-onii. Chui stole Nito's shoe!" Aki exclaimed, laughing as he did so. One of the other boy's mentioned it wasn't funny, to which a girl responded yes it was. Kaaru laughed, the morning grime wearing off and his mood improving.

"He'll get tired eventually," the redhead lied, knowing that Chui never ran out of energy. "Just please don't step on the glass. Call Kaya-san to clean it up, please?"

"Kaaaay, have a nice day." the redheaded boy said as Kaaru tugged on some black boots adorned with red laces.

"You too. Call me if you need anything." Kaaru said as he waived and the elevator doors closed, taking him from the penthouse sweet where he lived to the floor Ichika was on. It was good that Aki had already invited his friends over, there was so much that him, Souta, and Ichika needed to talk about that Aki just couldn't here. But he would have felt bad for leaving his little brother all alone, despite how mature he tried to be.

Speaking of mature. The poor redhead felt like he was in the stone ages as he walked up to the pink-haired girl's door and knocked. He understood ARMs might be inaccessible to poorer folk (which Ichika wasn't since she lived in the same building as him), but the girl didn't even own a phone, or an email address. He felt like he was going crazy when he found these things out last night.

 

[Anne Boolean]

Souta regrettably had to return to his own place. As he walked, not only did anxieties about being mugged or snatched up while turning a corner come up in his mind, but so did a general sense of FOMO. He imagined the other two splitting for their individual apartments when they returned to their building, but the thought of spending more time with them on the walk back and spending more time with Kaaru during the night brought up a wistfulness within him. He had received texts from Hina asking where he was, though. Even though tomorrow was Sunday, and she would most likely be fine, thrilled even, with him sleeping over a friend's house, he didn't need more of the smug looks and teasing about him being cuffed up when she would find out it was Kaaru. His own mind raced with the implications as well. He had spent the night at his old friends' houses and they had done the same, but they had known each other years. Surely it had to be different, right?

As he expected, when he got home, Hina had some questions. The smell of Shadow guts on him only caused those to increase. He had decided to go with a more realistic excuse than dumpster diving and told Hina that they had done a lot of running and exercising. It seemed they were truly related though, as her next question was to clarify whether they had decided to workout at a landfill. Thankfully, she didn't press too much more on the topic though and instead asked about who he was spending time with. As expected, when she found out his senpai was there, a smirk spread across her face. She commented about Kaaru looking like the front man of a band she had seen posters of around the city every so often in the last few years before adding on how proud she was of Souta for, if not shacking up with a rock star then a guy who looks like one. He was, of course, left a silent, flustered mess before he just let out a defeated sigh and went about his night.

---

Like Kaaru, Souta had also gotten a hot shower in last night and slept like a log. He hadn't woken up nearly as late though, being up and ready around 10 AM. He had spent the rest of the morning and part of the afternoon hanging out with his sister. She had yet to get into Kage, so the two just watched TV. He normally would have urged her to play the game, but after learning what it was capable of, he instead prayed she never touched it.

"Melon!" he called at the TV.

"... Oranges?" the contestant of the game show being aired instead responded. There was a buzzer a moment later and both Souta and Hina let out a groan.

"Why would anyone have anything besides melon in the summer?! Oranges aren't even in season in the summer!" the woman exclaimed.

Souta let out a chuckle. "Yeah... they sure know how to pick 'em on this show," he said. "We'd totally win the jackpot if we were on."

Hina gave a smile. "The Ishidas bankrupting Klash of Kin. I like the sound of that. Adding that to the to-do list with seeing Courtney live. We need at least four people though, and I can guarantee Mom and Dad will find an excuse to flake out. I don't suppose one of your friends looks similar enough to us to pass?" A smirk then spread across her face. "They do allow significant others to be a part of the team, you know."

Souta's lips quivered as he averted his gaze. "Y-yeah?! Well, maybe you have a boyfriend to bring on! How 'bout that?!"

Hina let out a laugh. "I'm sure the guys at the firm would be thrilled to even pretend, but no. Anyway, are you hungry? We can order some takeout."

Souta gave a nod. "Sure, I could go for some-" He felt his ARM vibrate and his eyes drifted down to the watch's screen. It said he had a new message from Kaaru. He glanced at Hina, who was looking at him with an expectant smirk. Trying to hide it now would only encourage her more. With a sigh, he tapped the screen to reveal the message, blinking a bit at the contents. Lunch? This would be the first time they were hanging out outside of school, at least for non-Kage-related things. It was... honestly exciting.

"Sounds like you have a date~," Hina chided. "Go, have fun! I'll order something and save you some leftovers for dinner!"

Souta's brow furrowed as he once again found himself becoming flustered. "I-it's not-!"

His sister just punched playful in the arm. "I know, I know! I'm just joking! Seriously, though! Go have fun! I'm glad you're making friends, even if they like dumpster diving, for some reason."

He gave his sister a grateful smile. "Alright. Thanks, Hinee. I'll see you later." He stood up and went to his room to change out of his pajamas and into something more presentable. Presentable may have been a lax term for him though, as it was just a pair of grey sweatpants, a black T-shirt, and his signature white and purple tracksuit jacket. "Respond to Katakiri Kaaru. Sure. On my way. ... Running man emoji." After the message sent and he had stepped out of the apartment building, he set up the navigation on his ARM before starting to run. A burger certainly wouldn't help when it came to looking as good as his Kage character in its outfit.

Souta was not cut out for running. His legs were decently strong from dancing, but the bursts of energy for that were quick and intense. When it came to endurance, he was severely lacking and found himself getting winded pretty early on. On top of that, Hina's words lingered with him, and his mind wandered in terms of what this outing with the redhead could really be. Those thoughts caused his chest to tighten and restricted his breathing even more. Thankfully, Chairo wasn't all that far from his place. As pathetic as he seemed looking as if he may pass out from the twenty minute run, he made it to their destination in one piece.

 

[the scourge]

When the team had split, Bug had clung to Kaaru's arm the whole way back. Not out of any sort of fleeting schoolgirl crush-even while literally hanging onto one of his arms with both of hers, she still couldn't say she understood why the girls in her grade always freaked out about being so close to a boy-but because she was still nervous from everything that had happened, and also frigid. She was only in her uniform shirt, she didn't have her jacket, and she was shivering when she got home.

When she did get inside, and snuck to her room, she was relieved to finally be back-if a little embarassed she'd had to tell her senpai that not only did she lack an ARM or cell phone, she didn't have an email address either. Not embarassed enough to consider getting one, of course, but embarassed enough. She was too exhausted to even try and shower that night, though-she just changed into something more passable as pjamas than her uniform, and collapsed into bed.

-

Bug generally was a morning person. She didn't like staying up late, and she liked rising with the sun. Today was not the day for that-she slept in well past 10. Last night had been one of the roughest of her life, and even if her head felt a little better upon waking up she could feel it in every nook and cranny in her body. Still, she'd managed to wake up before noon. If she hadn't, mom might have worried... Or Kaito might have thrown a fit and demanded to know why she was always so difficult.

Her hand went to the scarf she'd folded on her nightstand the night before as she woke, and as she sat up, she gave the accesory a warm smile. That... thing had dropped it, huh? It was identical to the one she'd gotten years ago. Something about it made that whole experience less awful. That even though she'd had to go through that, she'd survived and come out of it with something she'd lost.

That was enough to motivate her to get out of bed. It was only 11 when she managed to get up-bad time for her, but enough to actually shower and get dressed. Faded jeans that were just a little too big on her-she was INTENDED to grow into them but she hadn't gotten any taller since middle school, so now the colour was fading and she still had to roll up the ends-a plain t-shirt and a hiking jacket. Maybe not the most stylish outfit, but practical, and normally she'd be packing up from a mini camping trip right now. Food and water for Midori was next-along with a bit of babytalking and time to fly around her room-and then trying to focus on schoolwork.

... She could not focus on schoolwork. She barely could on a good day, and too much was going on in her head now to even think about it. As the minutes ticked by, Bug found herself staring out the window away from her notes. Normally she'd be lost in some kind of daydream, but today... what had that place been? What had happened? What had she done that made that monster thank her and disappear? Was that really her true self like it had claimed?

But was getting sick of thinking about it all and was welcome for a distraction as she heard a knock. "I'll get it!" She yelled, racing to the door to unlock and open it. As it swung open, a grin broke out on her face. "Afternoon, Katakiri-senpai! What's up?" She asked, almost painfully casually for how they had met.

 

[NightMovez]

The redhead lifted his ARM as he waited, catching a message from Souta. Guess he was running there, which wasn't a bad idea by any means. It'd burn off the burgers and fries they were about to eat. It normally wasn't his choice of food, but he was ravished for something meaty and greasy. Nana would throw a fit if she knew, what with him being the poster boy for IMPulse and all. Fortunately, that wasn't the case anymore...

Yeah, fortunately.

He sighed, slumping his shoulders as he stared at the watch. Though when the door swung open, he straightened up. "Morning! Well, I guess it's not really morning anymore," Kaaru paused to yawn. "Afternoon then, I guess? I feel like I slept for 12 years."

"Anyway, I was wondering if you wanted to go grab a bite to eat at Chairo Cafe? It's not too far, and has some great burgers. Ishida-chan is on his way to the place already. Figured we could use it to...explain some things. If you'd like," he shifted his eyes and slightly tilted his head to the left and right, making sure no one was in the hallway. Then he glanced behind the pink-haired girl, making sure no one was in hearing distance. He lowered his voice just a bit just in case. His words would sound a bit odd if heard out of context. "But if you don't wanna know about what happened last night. If you'd rather just forget it, I can walk away now and never bother you again. You're choice."

 

[the scourge]

Bug's eyes lit up at the invitation. Okay, not her exact choice of food, generally-she wasn't a fan of red meat-but pushing that aside, her senpai was inviting her somewhere! Even if the stakes seemed high, even if that had been a terrifying experience... she wanted to know more, and she wanted to get to know Katakiri-senpai and Ishida-senpai better.

"Sure!" She smiled. "Hold on and lemme get my bird put away and my boots on. You can wait in the front hall if you want!" She invited him in, before booking it to her room. She got Midori into her cage-along with some cooing at the pigeon and apologies that she was going out and Midori had to be in her cage for a bit-and pulled her hiking boots off the mud mat in her room. Kaito had made his rules clear-they were not to be stored in sight of the door, and she had decided to oblige instead of fighting with him.

Bug arrived back at the front door after a minute, waving at Kaaru as she approached. "Just lemme get these on and we can go!" She smiled brightly, starting to tug her boots on. They were a little clunky, they were for protection on trails after all, not fashion, but she easily got them laced up. "Righty, ready to go, senpai!"

 

[NightMovez]

Kaaru half expected an 'alright, bye!' with a door shut in his face, but it was quite the opposite. Instead she invited him inside, leaving him to awkwardly wait in the front hall. It wasn't that the pink-haired girl had seemed like the person to do that, but after everything she had been through last night, Kaaru wouldn't have blamed her. In fact, he found how peppy she was being a bit odd. It was like everything she had said to him since he'd arrived ended with exclamation points. But he supposed everyone handled things differently.

"Yeah, no problem." He leaned against a nearby wall and tried not to be nosy and look around. So instead, he popped open a small screen from his ARMobile and browsed Memorandum, leaving a few replies here and there, before Ichika came back out of her room.

Kaaru glanced at the clunky and unstylish boots as she tugged them on, but paid them no further mine. He'd never been a stylish person himself, most of his wardrobe consisting of things that Nana picked out for him, so he didn't judge.

"Sweet!" He said as he tugged on the door and they began on their way.

"So, you probably saw this question coming, but you don't have an ARMobile, a phone, or an email," he stated facts as he pressed the down button on the elevator, an amused look on his face. Imagining how someone could survive like that in this day and age was pretty difficult. "What's up with that? Not a fan of tech?"

"How do you even listen to music?" Kaaru would be devastated if he couldn't listen to music, and couldn't imagine anyone living that way. You could tell so much about a person from the music they liked, see into their soul even.

 

[the scourge]

"I hate modern tech." Bug admitted, crossing her arms behind her back absentmindedly. "I'm not gonna carry around a tracking device that texts because someone might wanna contact me. I can't defend not having an email, though, I just don't like having one." She explained, adjusting her jacket around her shoulders.

"I... don't really listen to music." She admitted. "I have an mp3 player and earbuds that I use sometimes, but it's mostly nature asmr that I have downloaded. Music is fine, unless you're an asshole with a bluetooth speaker on a trail, but it's distracting, and I just daydream when I listen anyways so I'm not really listening." She had a solid feeling from Kaaru's expression as the two stepped out of the elevator on the bottom floor that he would have some opinions on what she'd just admitted to.

"What about you? What kind of music are you into, senpai?" She asked, quickly changing the subject.

 

[NightMovez]

"Tracking device?" The redhead chuckled. "Guess you're not wrong, but that can be useful sometimes. I'd flip if my little brother didn't keep his phone on him. Too afraid of him getting kidnapped." To be honest, he was surprised that Ichika herself hadn't been kidnapped. She was cute, small, and seemed pretty trusting. It wouldn't be hard for someone even weaker than himself. Kaaru would never, it was more that the senpai in him was worried for her.

He was about to say something else, but then she said the bit about not listening to music. Then he promptly shut his mouth, his face involuntarily shifting into a grimace for a few seconds before he forced it back to normal. Everyone was entitled to their own opinion and interests. Kaaru believed that, the moment was still very difficult for him to grasp. Music meant so much to him. "I...see," was all he said in response as he nervously itched a spot just above his collarbone.

The air around the two was awkward for a moment as they continued to walk, but thankfully Ichika decided to shift the discussion from her musical indifference. The topic that was brought next perking the redhead right up. "Oh, man, it's really hard to pick with all the good music in the world. It's much easier to talk about my favorite artists and bands than what kind I like." The boy further pulled the front of his open flannel shirt apart, revealing the logo on his band tee; The one with a skull and more than half of its teeth falling out. "This is merch from a band called Eating Teeth. They're one of my favorites, put a lot of power into whatever they play. You can just feel the raw emotions through the instruments." Kaaru formed a fist in front of him, squeezing it tight for emphasis. His smile was wide and his tone fond, he was clearly enjoying talking about this. "Aoi-Hime is also very good. I've never been a huge fan of idols, but her lyrics really just hit different. She sings about the dark parts, the things most idols are afraid to sing about. Tears might just be my favorite song of all time. I cry almost every time I hear it and-"

Kaaru stopped himself, realizing only now that they were almost at the cafe. All that was left to do was cross the street. His face turned a bit red and he gave a nervous laugh. "Wow, I just talked about music the entire way and you probably didn't even know what I was talking about, since you're not into that kinda stuff. I'm so sorry. It's something I'm really passionate about, so I just get carried away sometimes."

 

[the scourge]

Bug listened without comment as Kaaru started to talk. Music wasn't her thing, but it was clearly his, and she was content to listen to him speak as they walked. When they were across the street and he apologized, he earned himself a shake of the head from Bug. "No, no, it's interesting!" She smiled. "I like learning new things, senpai, and besides-I'm the same way about wildlife and if you hadn't started talking I might have just rambled about trees or scarab beetles the whole way here."

She hummed to herself as they crossed the street, and upon seeing Souta, broke into a run as she waved at him. "Ishida-senpai!" She grinned, as she hopped into a standing position in front of him with a grin. "I didn't get to tell you last night 'cuz you went home in a different direction but thank you for helping me out yesterday!" Her excitement was incredibly genuine and energy seemed to be seeping out of her a she rocked back and forth on her heels.

 

[NightMovez]

Kaaru was glad Bug didn't mind. She was completely different from some other girl he knew, kind and full of curiosity. "We'll have to talk about that next time," he said with a smile when bug mentioned trees and bugs. Although he wasn't the biggest fan of bugs, especially after last night, he wouldn't mind lending the girl an ear. Especially when he had already talked hers off.

They crossed the street and caught view of Souta. Kaaru waved, Ichika took off. He smiled at the pure excitement that she was radiating, even giving a chuckle as she did a little hop. Cute.

"Thanks for coming," he said as grabbed the seat across from the other boy. "Did you actually run here?" He asked with a grin, referencing their encounter yesterday and the running man emoji. "Hope that means you're feeling alright today. No broken bones, bruises?"

 

[Anne Boolean]

They weren't here, yet. Souta was thankful for that. He would be able to be doubled over while he was practically gasping for air without anyone noticing. Well, anyone except for the people who were already inside of the restaurant, the pedestrians who passed him by, and the passengers in vehicles who drove down the street. Shit. His chest tightened and his stomach twisted into knots as he felt all the people's eyes on him. He was sure he could almost hear their curious and mocking chatter under his heavy breathing.

The black-haired boy eventually did manage to catch his breath. Once he stood up straight, the first thing he did was look around and stare daggers into anyone who had eyes on him. Some took on a surprised, concerned expression upon seeing the aggressive face, while others just responded with confusion. Before he ended up fighting everyone at Chairo Cafe, a familiar voice caught his attention.

He turned, blinking at the sight of the pink-haired girl. "Oh... Yamamoto-chan!" He looked down to meet her gaze when she came to a stop in front of him. "What a coin-" Then a familiar redhead approached from behind her. "Senpai!" He glanced between the two. Oh. ... Oh. A mix of relief and disappointment washed over him. Guess Hina's teasing was a bit off the mark. Either way, he made his way inside the restaurant and grabbed a booth with the other two.

Souta let out a sheepish chuckle at the question. "I did," he responded. He would take the need for clarification to mean he didn't look completely disheveled or smell of sweat. Good. "Yeah. Thankfully, I've been mostly fine. I just slept like a log after yesterday, though. What about you two?" The injuries were worse for Kaaru, and it didn't seem his healing spells did much. And Bug... she looked a little battered and bruised yesterday, but hopefully she was okay today.

 

[NightMovez]

"Good, good. I'm okay, mostly. No running for me though." he smiled. He'd taken some painkillers before he left so it wasn't too bad, but any physical activity would probably be too much.

"We should try to take it easy if we can. It was pretty rough in there for all of us," he said as he grabbed one of the menus sitting upright in a basket against the wall. He handed one to Souta and Ichika as well. "You guys ever been here before? It's not super popular, but I like it. Even the vegan options are great."

"Not the healthiest for you, but sometimes you need something hearty. Especially after what we went through last night." Kaaru looked around. There was only one other group in the burger joint besides them, but they were pretty far away from the party. Perfect. "Though speaking of last night," he said as he leaned in a little closer. "I thought this would be a great time to explain last night to Yamamoto-chan. What do you think?" He asked Souta. Telling her wasn't just his decision after all. He had trusted Souta to become a part of his party, and if he thought it'd be better not to involve Ichika, then Kaaru would respect it.

 

[Anne Boolean]

"That's good to hear," Souta said with a small smile. "Hopefully you'll be back in running-man-emoji shape soon."

He took ahold of the menu, glancing it over as Kaaru continued speaking. "No, I haven't," he responded. This place looked local and not like a chain. He hadn't exactly stepped out of the house much since he moved. Whenever it came to food, it was always Hina showing him her favorite haunts. Maybe she wasn't a fan of Chairo, at least if she hadn't just overlooked it.

His brow furrowed as he scanned the items. As his senpai pointed out, they were certainly decadent. "Right," he said with an affirming smile, and yet he frantically search for the salads. If what they went through last night would be repeated, he'd need to tighten up. He looked up when Kaaru once again brought up yesterday's events, blinking when he saw the other was... closer.

The black-haired boy felt his face heat up and his chest tighten. He tried his best to focus on what the other was saying instead of how he had chosen to say it. "Um..." he cleared his throat, suddenly realizing how dry his mouth felt. "... here? There's so many people around..." he whispered back. Of course he wanted Bug to be filled in, but this hardly seemed like the place. "... well, I guess if we keep our voices down, we should be fine..."

 

[NightMovez]

"Don't be nervous Ishida-kun." Kaaru said as he leaned back. "There's hardly anyone in here, and they're more focused on their ARMs anyway." The redhead nodded his head towards the direction of the other group. They had a screen up in the middle of the table, reflected from one of their ARMs. It seemed like some kind of sports game, of which the group occasionally cheered over.

"Besides, worst case we say we're talking about some Wyverns and Caverns game we're running," Kaaru said just before the waitress arrived.

"Did I hear Wyverns and Caverns?!" She asked with excitement, brown eyes wide behind thin-rimmed glasses.

"You did," Kaaru smiled at the girl. "I'm running a custom campaign for my friends here." He gestured to the two others at the table. "You got a favorite pre-made campaign? My favorite's probably Craze Beyond the Wizardlight. The creative freedom it gives you is great and you can never go wrong with the Feywild, its a fun place."

The girl popped up on the balls of her feet and then back flat again, showing her excitement about the topic through body language alone. "Oh my gosh, yes! I love that campaign, but i think I prefer the structure of Into the Chasm. It's not very beginner friendly but I'm really into Hatecraftian monsters! The part where-" The girl continued on, describing some of the things that happened when her dm ran the campaign. Kaaru listened, responding to her words with some of his own. Though as the conversation started to go on a little too long, his responses shortened until the girl finally took a long enough break for him to speak.

"I'm having fun and am real sorry to interrupt, but I'm starving," Kaaru said with a nervous chuckle.

"Oh-oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! Are you ready to order?" She asked as she fumbled a notebook and a pen out of her apron.

"It's cool, I just haven't eaten all day." He said before putting in his order. She took the others too before skittering back to the kitchen, a slight flush on her face.

"Sorry about that. I probably shouldn't have asked about her favorite campaign," he said to the table, laughing nervously. Shutting off the friendly was a bit hard for him. "Anyway, Yamamoto-chan, if you'd like to hear them, I think we're ready to tell you the details about everything that happened last night."

 

[the scourge]

Bug was quiet during the conversation with the waitress-half because she was mostly off in her own little daydream, and half because she was watching Kaaru with awe. Senpai was ridiculously cool, with how he immediately got the conversation going. He was so smooth, socially, especially in comparison to herself. She had a feeling all her classmates, especially the girls, would be incredibly jealous the two were hanging out. Maybe this was what a crush felt like? No, she'd just met him, and looking at him... She didn't want to move closer to him, or even hold his hand. Maybe that was just how she worked, though?

No, no, she shook the thought out of her head. Why was she thinking about a crush, or a lack of one, right now?

"A-ah, right. Um. So." Bug leaned her head into her hand. "Before you tell me, I'm so sorry to tell you this now and not when I introduced myself-I go by Bug. As a name." She explained. "It was a nickname and now I like it a lot more than Ichika or my last name, so it's kinda my name. Feel free to call me that, or any variation. No, actually, please just do call me that or something close." She requested, smiling a little brighter once her explanation was finished. That had been pretty easy, and hopefully they'd take to it.

"Anyways, yeah, please tell me about... everything. I'm still super confused on what happened yesterday."

 

[Anne Boolean]

Souta blinked at Kaaru's words. "N-nervous...?" Had he really picked it up that easily? When the other continued about how everyone was on their devices, he let out a small sigh. "Right," he agreed with a nod after having a look himself. If his folks were around, they'd talk about how everyone was glued to screens these days, despite these clearly being holograms. "Yeah, you're right," he said with a nod.

"Caverns and Wyverns?" He had heard the term before, but never really had the chance to play. It came as a surprise that Kaaru knew about it. In his old town, it seemed like an interest someone would be ridiculed for. Maybe people in Memori were just more open-minded though, as the waitress who overheard them quickly chimed in.

The conversation went on for a lot longer than he expected. Realization hit Souta about just how hungry he was. Still, like Bug, he found it almost artful how easily his senpai could carry on a conversation with a stranger for so long. Unlike the other girl though, he wasn't evaluating his feelings for the redhead. Realization hit again, this time for a dismal truth. Unlike Bug, he did want to move in closer, he did want to hold his hand, he did want to listen to him talk about Caverns and Wyverns, or anything else for that matter, despite how little he knew about the topic.

No. No, no, no. Despite how much he didn't want to, he pulled his eyes away, instead focusing on the table in front of him. He couldn't go down this path again. It would be just like what happened with Ikeda-kun. Hina made jokes back then as well, and she might have been right about how compatible they were if Ikeda was like that too, but he was certain she wouldn't have joked like that again had she known what happened.

And this time, Souta may not be so lucky. He was well-aware of his tendency to blurt out whatever was on his mind. Here, though, people may not find it so absurd they would assume he was joking. People here may not find him so big and tough just because he spoke in an angry tone with a mean face and dropped some swear words. And here, he certainly hadn't out-sized Kaaru because he had hit his growth spurt early like had been the case with Ikeda and his goons.

"Um... just a side salad for me... I'm not feeling too hungry." He hadn't even needed to lie anymore.

Bug's request was enough to pull him out of his thoughts though, at least momentarily. "Bug?" he repeated, the disbelief apparent in his tone. "Um..." He wanted to know why, why someone would bestow such a nickname on a person and why someone would accept it, but he didn't want to pry. Souta imagined both he and Kaaru saw more of the girl than she was ready for last night, after all. "Okay. No problem," he said with a nod.

He figured maybe he should start the discussion off. He would need to stand on his own two feet and not rely as much on Kaaru at some point, after all, now maybe sooner rather than later.. "Um... well... you got sucked into the game," he said, although he figured that much would have been obvious. "That other you... your Shadow... it was created when you entered. Same with the forest we found you in. If you access the game now, it should still be there, but the Shadow won't be. There was actually a side quest that started when you went in as well, but since you're out now, it's over." As he reflected on his words, he couldn't help but feel they were garbled. Maybe he really should have just let his senpai do the talking.