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[IamanElfCollaborator]

Kanade simply stands up.

Mori feels the air around HIM lower a further ten degrees. But not much hate from Kanade. No, more....disappointment. Sadness. She doesn't want to do this. Whereas with him, it was anger, hers is more....resignation. As if she wanted a different conclusion.

"Interesting. You want my help, but want me to die in a fire. You want to collaborate with me, but demand I get out of your way. You brush aside any attempt at an olive branch because of whatever image of me you created in your head. I am not your enemy, Sawatari Mori, and I won't be, even if you want it so badly. But you want honesty, so I'll give it to you.

You're stuck in a past that was never yours or mine to begin with. You're interested in continuing an enmity that exists only in your head. You're blaming me for something my family did, that you and I were too young to even do anything about, because you feel powerless to change anything even when the option to do something is presented to you. You can't let go of a past that was never yours to begin with and write a future that belongs only to you, because you view yourself as some monster who does what nobody else feels they can but needs to be done. I'm not a villain and you're not one either. You're just a kid like me. You and I should be helping each other.

You're looking for a fight, and I get it. But I'm not your enemy no matter how much you want me to be. Your image of me is wrong. Maybe if you let yourself be honest with yourself like I told you to be, you'd know it, too.

Don't worry about rumours. Nobody will know what you or I said here. I'm not interested in making an enemy, unlike you."

Kanade picks up her bag and leaves without waiting for him to reply.

[Smoke Mirrors]

"There's that word again, 'want'," Mori stated to himself, "Why does everything think that I'm allowed to want things?"

He continued to sit there for a bit. Thinking.

"Oh, I like her." the voice he had been expecting finally decided to speak up, "She's right, you should be honest with yourself, Mori. Just accept it. You are nothing but an empty void desperately making up some unneeded grudge to satisfy your need to deny that you merely enjoy bringing suffering down on others. Abandon your delusions and just accept who you truly are."


"Shut up." he thought to himself, and for once, the voice obeyed.

He picked up his briefcase and walked out, handing a 1000 yen note to the maitre d' when he passed him, and walking back to his dorm in silence.

[Chevaleresse]

"He likes his reliable Nee-chan. He hasn't said anything about how he feels about Dad, and he definitely doesn't know about, well." She gestures to herself broadly. "Don't actually talk to 'im much. Honestly it pisses me off a little."

[IamanElfCollaborator]

Jin scratches his head.
"Maybe you should. Or you shouldn't. I dunno. I wish I could be more help to you, you know? Unless it's beatin' the shit out of somebody."

[Chevaleresse]

"Maybe. Don't worry about it. It's my life and I gotta deal with it. 'Less you fancy going to prison, I don't think beatin' the shit out of the problem is a good idea."

[SirAston]

Yui works parttime at July until the 500 yen cap is reached.

[IamanElfCollaborator]

Shiro
"Might be your life, but you don't gotta deal with it alone. If you figure any way I can help, don't hesitate to ask. Us street rats, we gotta watch out for each other."
Yui
Yui works a....mostly uneventful shift. She swears, however, that she spotted someone keeping a close eye on her at one point.

Spoiler: Activity Point Counter (click to show/hide)

Aika: 5/5
Akihiko: 5/5
Masaru: 5/5
Misa: 0/5
Mildred: 2/5
Mori: 3/5
Saya: 5/5
Shiro: 0/5
Yui: 0/5

Bonuses Accrued:
Shiro: +SKL, +MAG
Mori: +DEF, +15 Eva
Mildred: +SKL, +DEF, +10 Crit
Misa: +SKL, +SPD

Earnings:
Shiro: 200 yen
Misa: 300 yen
Yui: 500 yen

Items:

[Chevaleresse]

"Dunno if I'd call myself a real street rat, but. . . thanks."

[IamanElfCollaborator]

Later that night...
Akihiko sighed, rubbing his temples as he looked at the board before him, gazing at it as he sat on his bed, the sheets looking otherwise undisturbed.. He'd erected one in his room, hiding it behind his bed; he didn't want his parents to know what was going on. They were out of town for the moment, anyway; somewhere in Hokkaido right now, seeing some in-laws. Good for Akihiko; he had the house to himself for the moment.

Here was gathered every Akuma incident in the last two years; newspaper clippings, blog posts, everything. The victims before him were varied; one a few weeks ago was an office worker, one was a florist working in the old town, one was a student from Amamiya with no ties to Mishima, Sugiura, Kazami or Akutagawa. Added to the knowledge of the victims of the recent weeks, that still didn't tell him much. What relation did he have to someone like Akari? Or Honda to Sawatari? All he could tell was, in the last few weeks, the frequency of Akuma incidents had increased, and concentrated around Hermelin.

There was a lot of chaff to sort out. Kaijin incidents weren't the only thing odd; strange incidents happening to people in places like Wadanohara, Sendai, Mishima, nothing like to do with the Kaijin, and Akihiko was certain most of it was conspiracy nuts. But he couldn't dismiss it entirely. After all, not so long ago, he was convinced these Kaijin things weren't entirely real, until he became one.

The chaff wasn't helping him sort things out, however. Whoever the mysterious hooded Kaijin was, their choice of victim wasn't making much immediately apparent to him. It was scattershot, like he'd picked out his targets from a hat.

"Dammit. Maybe I'm missing something."

Maybe it was what they didn't share in common? Maybe it was a random spread of targets. That would fit the modus operandi; if all of these victims were different, whoever was the suspect must have been trying to keep themselves hidden by keeping a profile of their victims from being made. If that was the case, there had to be a purpose to all this; else, if it was just to satisfy their urges, why go to such length to target so many different people?

"I don't get it. What am I missing?"

A knock on his door shook him out of his reverie. The young detective stood up, opening the door to reveal a smiling Saya, grinning as she offered him some food in tupperware. She must've let herself in; not surprising, given Saya had a key to his place. He tried to suppress a smile.

"Hey, Saya."
"Hey, Akkun! I brought you some food. I know how you get when you're doing one of your cases."

She strolled into his room. It was a pretty large room, by local standards. There was a bed pushed up against the window on the opposite wall from the door, overlooking the street outside, plain white walls with a calendar and the board being the only decorations that adorned it. Next to the door, a simple cabinet and dresser adjacent to it held all of Akihiko's clothing, while a small desk and chair stood on the wall to the right, with Akihiko's school books, a computer and a notebook on it. On the wall facing the desk, a corkboard with some notes was stuck to the wall, including a note reminding Akihiko that he owed Kaname a favour. A small picture frame was propped up on the desk, a picture of Saya and Akihiko on it at the old town, Saya's cheeks turning red as her eyes brushed over it. A small pair of shelves were on one wall, carrying a few Kamen Rider figures and an old doll that Saya had once given him as a child as a gift. The room as a whole was somewhat cluttered, some mugs of coffee and case files strewn everywhere.

Akihiko sighed, taking the food sheepishly.
"Sorry. I don't mean to be a burden-"
"N-no, it's alright, Akkun! Besides, it's what friends are for. And....truth be told, it's been a while since I've seen you so fired up on something like this. You really missed chasing down a story, huh?"
She gestured to the board with all of Akihiko's clues on it as she sat next to Akihiko on his bed.
"I've been trying to puzzle out the suspect's MO. How they operate, who's likely to be next. Nothing's coming to mind."
Saya looked deep in thought for a minute.
"Well, Akkun....maybe it's time we....figured out how this whole Kaijin thing works, right? Like....maybe it's to do with that?"
"Could be. I suspect Mishima knows a lot about it; if my gut's right, she's Kazami's partner. But....given Sawatari hates her, we're gonna have the fight of our lives getting any info out of her with him around."
"Have you looked into it yourself?"

Akihiko nodded.
"A few local myths. I'll brief everyone once I can figure out who knows what. But....it doesn't explain his victim selection. It's just....I don't know. Maybe I'm looking at this all wrong."
He clenched his fists. He was normally good at picking up on things, but this hooded Kaijin bastard, he was evading Akihiko's attempts at figuring him out.
"....you'll figure this out, Akkun. I believe you can. Someone like you....you don't give up on getting justice for someone else. You never do."
She gently rubbed his back reassuringly.
"I'll help you, every step of the way."
"...you know, Honda has my back in a fight. And I don't think we'd make it through those Domains without the others. But....I don't think I'd be able to do this without you, Saya."
He exhales gently, before looking at the tupperware containers.
"How 'bout we eat, and then if you wouldn't mind, you be my sounding board for a few working theories I have? I want to make sure I'm making sense before I read the others in."
"Okay. But....for all the help I'm giving you.....you owe me a favour too, Akkun~ You need to help me fill a request at the Helper's Club."
"Who for?"
"Well...a few love letter deliveries, really."
Meanwhile, somewhere in Kaname-cho....
"Hm. Very interesting."

A young woman stood in the middle of her apartment, overlooking the waters over in Kaname Bay.

The apartment was large, with large, open windows extending from ceiling to floor, letting in the setting sun over the white sofas and chairs facing the widescreen television. Next to her was an ornate set of chairs and a table, a white tea pot with golden trimmings and a set of tea cups containing tea long since cooled. In front of her, a corkboard stood, with various clippings and notes. Images of Sawatari, Kasuga, Mishima and some other students were pinned to the board, connected by strings.

"...I wonder. What do they know?"

Maybe they were Kaijin. Maybe not. She couldn't know.

The young woman produced a photograph, approaching the corkboard and pinning it on. It was of a transfer form made to transfer a student to Hermelin. Not enough of the form was visible to see all of it, but enough for her. The name on the form was one Fuuka Yagami. Sweeping aside a strand of pink hair, the young woman attached another note to the bottom.

"Fuuka Yagami...we need to find you."

Mamiya Kaname, the "queen bee" of Amamiya, frowned, as she looked at the texts on her phone.

"Because someone already has."
Earlier....
Ms. Kurenai watched the news, as a story of an Akuma attack in Hermelin played out, with one of the students being held by police in connection and rumours of the White Knight making an appearance made their rounds. Sitting alone in the teacher's lounge of Hermelin, she sighed, sipping a cup of coffee.

Akuma attacks had been increasing lately. At first, it was once or twice a year. Now, it was multiple times a month.

Ms. Kurenai stared off outside, onto the Hermelin campus, with students heading about, huddled. She knew what they were likely talking about; the Kaijin.

She was worried. These were her students. Her charges. It was her job to protect them.
"...it's all happening again, like ten years ago. I have to do something. But....can I?"

It had been far too long.
Aika, Saya and Akihiko's work counters have been depleted and appropriate bonuses granted.

Spoiler: Activity Point Counter (click to show/hide)

Aika: 0/5
Akihiko: 0/5
Misa: 0/5
Mildred: 2/5
Mori: 3/5
Saya: 0/5
Shiro: 0/5
Yui: 0/5

Bonuses Accrued:
Shiro: +SKL, +MAG
Mori: +DEF, +15 Eva
Mildred: +SKL, +DEF, +10 Crit
Misa: +SKL, +SPD
Saya: +MAG, +SKL, +15 Eva
Akihiko: +STR, +SPD, +15 Hit

Earnings:
Shiro: 200 yen
Misa: 300 yen
Yui: 500 yen
Aika: 500 yen
Saya: 200 yen
Akihiko: 200 yen

Items:

[IamanElfCollaborator]

Chapter 3: Hunt for the Eighth God

~~Chapter Theme (Long Way)~~

One week has passed since the Akumas Spartoi and Shinigami assailed the grounds of Our Lady of Hermelin. Daiya Kaneko, the Akuma Spartoi, has since been released, and has retreated into himself as a recluse, his reputation ruined due to the rumours surrounding him. Otoya Miyazono, the Akuma Shinigami, has been discharged from the hospital, a renewed spring in his step due to rumours that his partner and alleged girlfriend, Kanna Sakurajima, has recently recovered from the illness that the gossip mill alleged plagued her. All the while, the Helper's Club continues its chase for the mysterious hooded Kaijin, the mastermind behind all of this....

Three years ago....
"Thank you, everyone, for all of your support!"

Today was an emotional moment for Afternoon as they stood in the Budokan, the very pinnacle of music venues. Any musician who wanted to lay claim to being anybody in Japan performed at the Budokan. Only a few other idol groups had ever had the honor of performing here before Afternoon, who had a fair claim to biggest idol group in all of Japan. The last echoes of their final song rang out over the sound of applause and cheering.

But this was also a sad day for some.

"Unfortunately, everybody, this will be my final concert."

A stillness fell upon the audience.

The group's frontman, Fuuka, stepped forward, taking the mic. She could feel all eyes on her. Fuuka Yagami was the best known idol of Afternoon; girls wanted to be her, boys wanted to be with her, her merch sales exceeded everyone else's by a significant margin, and, of course, she had genuine talent. She could sing, she could dance; music magazines suggested she could probably be popular outside of the idol arena, even in America. She looked to her sides as she approached, her unit mates holding back tears. This was it; the end of the road, the final curtain call.

But this was a necessary step.
"Today was my graduation."

The audience was hanging on to her every word. Fuuka's eyes, however, were not on them, but somewhere else. The corners, the darker parts of the venue. Searching.

"Performing here, today, at the Budokan, has been my dream for a very long time, ever since I was a kid. Even when I got into Afternoon, I never thought I could get so high; it was like a carp swimming up the waterfall. I never thought I'd be standing before all of you, like this."

From the side of the stage, their producer stood. He was an average man in a suit, a harsh face but a kind voice and personality; he'd personally mentored Fuuka. He gave her the thumbs up. She stifled a sigh of relief.

Good. He wasn't here. She picked herself up.

"I have to thank our producer, for giving me this opportunity. Without Hyodo-san, we would never have made it so far. I thank my fellow unit members, with whose support we all built Afternoon from the ground up, who stuck it through all the training and all the hard work we had to do. But most of all...."

She mustered a big smile, the biggest for her fans.

"All of you, thank you so much for your support! We would never have made it without you! Thank you all so much! Wherever I go, whatever I do, I will carry all of these fond memories!"

The audience let out a cheer, as Afternoon took their final bows.

Even as the emotions threatened to overflow, Fuuka could feel a single thought in the back of her head.

Was this the end of having to deal with him?
The present day...
Shiro, Akihiko and Mildred
"...you guys have any clue what this is about?"
"Beats me, man. I got the same message you guys did."
It was a nice Friday afternoon. Due to an accident taking down most of the school's computer systems, school was out for the day, with clubs starting early to take advantage.

Shiro, Akihiko and the others were outside, having received a text from a mysterious number to all meet a few blocks away from Amamiya, specifically at one of the local convenience stores.
....
Mori and Aika
The two of you find, in your shoe lockers, a simple envelope in sleek handwriting.

You two are roughly aware of what is inside it, even before you open it; an invite to Mamiya Kaname's apartment for a "tea party". Her tea parties, of course, while amazing - due to Mamiya's access to good tea and reputed baking skills - were not entirely social events. Mamiya had a reputation as a "queen bee" of sorts and an amateur detective; she would ply you for information, in exchange for favours from Mamiya.

You wonder, of course, what on earth Mamiya could want from you.
....
Saya, Riku, and the other members of the Helper's Club
"Hey, guys, do you know who left this request?"
Saya walks into the clubroom, holding up a weird request in her hand. She pores over it again.

"It said....whoever left this wants to talk and make a meeting with us half an hour from now and I found it twenty-five minutes ago. Did any of you see who left it here?"
//Everyone may post.

[Chevaleresse]

"Dunno. Maybe they're lookin' for some muscle." Shiro shrugged, somehow giving the distinct impression that she would have followed the statement up with a draw from her cigarette, if she had one, or smoked at all. "Whoever it is had better hurry it up, I have idiots to wrangle."

[Smoke Mirrors]

Mori stared at the letter, holding it with his thumb and pointer finger, as one would hold a bag of something they’d found in the back of their closet after searching for the source of a smell. He remembered the last time he’d received an invitation for tea with a popular girl from Amimiya.

”I think I should burn this one,” he sounded half dead, ”save myself another calamity.”

He stared at the eyeball sitting in his locker. It stared back.

The past week had not been kind. He’d gotten less and less sleep, down to about five minutes just the night before, but the nightmares were getting longer and longer, each minute stretched into hours, leaving his waking hours feeling more like dreams, between stretches of wandering black sands and tripping over corpses. Of course, his dreams were encroaching on reality more and more, with the hallucinations becoming more frequent and varied. He wasn’t just receiving text messages anymore, rather he’d started to get calls, speaking in the voices of the people whose bodies dotted his nightmares. The monstrous images weren’t confined to mirrors anymore either. When he’d turned on his sink last night to splash his face, embers had come out. Not to mention the various body parts…

The eyeball blinked at him, quite a wonder given it didn’t seem to have eyelids otherwise.

Unfortunately, he doubted Kaname would give him the mercy of discretion if he stood her up.

[SeriousConcentrate]

Mildred nodded at Shiro.

"Well, for three of us I'd say it has something to do with the low-level underground around here. I dunno what they'd drag YOU out here for if that's it, though, Kasuga."

"Anyway if it's someone that thinks they're luring 'rivals' into some sort of trap, they're gonna regret it pretty soon."

[Happerry]

Misa shakes her head. "I didn't see anyone drop anything off... It does seem like it could be the special sort of business, but maybe someone just wants to ask for something they don't want to write down? A lot of the stuff we've helped with, people would be embarrassed if there was written evidence they needed help with those things."

[IamanElfCollaborator]

The Street Group
"Probably not. But, they did have all of our phone numbers."
"Well, not many people who have mine. Just Honda, Kasuga, and-"

"Well, well. Kasuga, Honda, I'm not surprised you showed. Akutagawa, always nice to see you. But...I never thought Akari would give me the time of day."
Walking towards them was Mamiya Kaname, calmly eating out of a pot of noodles from the nearby convenience store. Jin waved at her.

"Kaname! Well, damn. You called us all in?"
"Yeah. Sorry for the mysterious messages. This was all on short notice."

She nods at Akihiko.
"Guess I'm calling your favour in a little earlier than you expected, huh?"
"I figured. Needed the info for an investigation I'm running, so if I had to do you a favour, I had to."
"Kasuga Akihiko taking on the Akuma, I heard. I knew you had courage but....I didn't expect you to pull something so daring."

Mamiya looks over to others, pausing briefly to slurp up a few more noodles.
"I hope I didn't trouble you all unduly with this. I genuinely wouldn't have done so if I didn't think I needed to."
The Helper's Club, about thirty minutes ago....
Just then, as Saya finishes speaking, someone knocks on the door.
"Wonder who that is?"

She opens the door, to reveal Mamiya, tilting her head.
"Is this a bad time? I can come back later, if you all are busy. I have a request, but....it's a very private and urgent one."