A WHITE LIE

¥ ∫∫ “have we?” kunikazu stands a little straighter, tone growing colder as the seconds pass.  “who are you to tell us anything about what we’re doing?  i don’t recognize you as someone who works with my associates––i have a hard time believing you.” he glares at the young man before him, takes in the weapon in his hand.  shido could have easily found another to manipulate into joining his cause.  “what do you gain from this?  do you just feel better about yourself?”

For better or worse, the leader's talkative. So many words, little questions, finger pointing, when all you mean is a simple no. Ueno's being baited, or so he thinks, but no matter — his focus lays with the barrel of his gun. Big of a vigilante to call him self-righteous.

"He said he wanted to change." It's a guess, but a safe one. That's what they all do. Fear makes you say the damnedest things. "This is enough."

Treasure is the important part. At the end of the tunnel, past the man's shoulder, with his little accomplice. Lost cause, and yet they stand, and Ueno's almost ready to start making circles in approach. What would happen should the Treasure fall into his hands? He doesn't know, and so remains frozen in place, waiting.

Waiting for an excuse.

looking up at the boy again, Mitsuru felt the two corners of her mouth raising ever so slightly, the shadow of a courteous smile appearing on her pale visage. no matter the time, he was willing to give her a hand – he still was. an admirable choice, the student council did benefit of many privileges, after all, they were the proxy, at times, students could  ‘ use ‘  to get closer professionally speaking, to teachers. which was nice, understandable even: college or even working choices did mainly depend on grades and what teachers did think of you.

         «  I do appreciate it lots. You can remain for as long as you so desire.  »

a sigh, then Mitsuru left her spot in front of the metallic cupboard - all her file holders in her hands finally disappearing, in the piece of furniture. who could have said it would have been this hard from the very start ?  despite her already serious commitment as captain of the fencing club, now that she was the legit President of the council, she needed to make sure to find the best way to conciliate her responsibilities the best she could; and be available, in there, inside the council room, for any younger student’s aid and help. especially now, during the first weeks of actual and serious academic activities. 

she glanced back, for a brief instant at the boy, as her hands moved to brush off a bit of dust from her black skirt.

         «  Yet, I owe you one. I’d been here till midnight without your help, it’s true.  »    

"Is that allowed?"

An innocent question, asked with idle curiosity while examining a piece of lined paper (just somebody's English notes). Students staying past closing hours, as late as midnight? Surely even the Student Council's reach couldn't extend so far.

Unless... Ah, of course. Kirijo. His eyes stopped on a "vernal equinox". President's family all but owned Gekkoukan; she must've possessed enough authority to do anything she wanted. Which made her request for help all the more odd, come to think of it, — she didn't have to lift a finger for this, much less shoulder the entire workload almost by herself.

In any case, it was silly to ask the most powerful person in the school what was allowed and what wasn't. The paper went to the rest of the junk.

"Uh. Nevermind. I hope you won't have to do more work alone in the future, Senpai."

Head inclined in an abashed bow, Narukami took in the surrounding room one more time. It was neater now — obviously; that had been the whole point — but not pristine. Like an artisan who finds imperfections in his work immediately after finishing it, he set out to do some touch-up. A couple of chairs evened out here, a stapler put away there — they were minuscule things, not worth the attention, but he hadn't been dismissed outright, and walking out without proper permission would be, well, rude.

"I don't need any favors, or..."

When he agreed to help, compensation was far from being at the forefront of his mind. His standing with the teachers hardly held any weight when he would be gone come the end of the term.

♔  MARIN  KARIN  hit  @solivagantis

         «  It’s been so kind of you to help me with this paperwork, Narukami… »

the sun was setting. a quick glance from the student council room to the window and orange-colored sky would have been enough to tell. the silent corridors, the lack of sounds of either footsteps around or chit-chat of particularly lively students. a first-year had decided to stay, indulge in the library for more than needed or asked of class hours. Mitsuru had felt a bit bad in asking him a favour, to help her clean up the mess of the previous morning… she had just been elected president but no one had remained there to help her with the mess elections had caused.

soon enough, she would have given her speech to the school auditorium. she needed to think it through her words, in front of the audience. she had thought the help of a younger student, which had mildly accepted to give the  senpai  a hand, would have made her save some time, yet– she looked at her wristwatch.

         «  But it is late. Your parents may be worried, I don’t want to cause you troubles.  »  

"As students, it's our duty to help the Student Council."

There was a number of papers still in Narukami's hands, unused ballots and no longer relevant permissions to be put away. After evening the sheets out on the edge of a table, he added them to one of the equally neat paperwork stacks they'd accumulated in the hours passed. Discard, renew, keep; discard, renew, keep.

In truth, he hadn't expected this errand would take so long. The assumed cleaning duty had turned out to be quite different from what you'd have suspected: binders and paperclips instead of mops and washcloths. Perhaps someone more kinetic would have felt cheated; he'd hesitantly admit this was preferable. Soon after starting, the comforting lull of monotone work had him lost somewhere in-between hushed rustles of paper and soft clicks of cabinets.

Almost before he'd known it, amber had begun to spill across the desktops.

And now the time was near the mark when anyone unrelated to staff had long since left school and transit grew crowded with adults eager to get back home. President's concern was sound, though fortunately his guardians weren't going to be a problem.

¥ ∫∫ the gunshot does not hurt much, but it is enough to make kunikazu flinch and straighten up in indignance, and he turns to try and find the perpetrator.  he feels goro step up behind him, rage radiating off of the younger man.  he has to subtly hold goro back from stepping up and summoning loki to pummel the bastard into the ground.

       “come on,” the young man hisses.  “he shot you unprovoked!”

       “not now,” kunikazu mutters.  “let’s at least see what he wants.  you keep a guard on the treasure.” he looks down to make eye contact and sure goro actually does as told, and once goro sets his jaw and falls back, he steps forward to address their attacker. 

       “why?  does it hold significance to you?” kunikazu asks, voice cordial but cold.  “was this shadow someone you knew?  if so, we’ll gladly give you the treasure.”

The hitch in action lasts for all but half a minute, but it's enough to blink away the blind spot in his eyes. None of the conversation on the other end of the tunnel reaches him — too quiet, too far away. He can hazard a guess. The smaller person steps back, guard duty; bigger forward, talking. Leader, Ueno decides before reaching for the sword on his belt. His aim sways, settles on the underling. It's a trickier target, but he doesn't need precision. Only noise.

"Leave it. "

The lacquered wood of saya is cool underneath his fingers, and he presses up on the guard so the blade sits freer in its bed. Whoever they are, it's clear what these people came here to do. The odds of swaying them into standing down are slim. This one's a lost cause.

The only reason he had come to Japan in the first place, after being, once again, losing his scholarship in a school in France was because there had been an offer extended, he had caught many eyes in the past few years, if only mostly due to the fact he at competed in not only the Youth Olympics, but the Summer as well. In the world of modern archery he had a name for himself, and even in those divisions that still prefered recurve bows he was well known. Maybe there had been a hope he would break into Kyūdō? For all he really knew even being allowed to practice here might have ended up being some kind of under the table deal.

Oh well. He got to practice, and he was slightly clued into a new part of the artform, even if he had no real desire to learn it completely. Time might change that, who knew?

As for the scholarship itself… he did have experience with agriculture, but it was hardly worth a scholarship. Growing up his village had been very secluded and untrusting of outsiders, so a lot of what was used there was locally grown. Every family had their own vegetable garden, and he had grown up around hunters, having been on a few hunts of his own. However it wasn’t something he did much of these days, and the shift to using rifles was something that left a bad taste in his mouth. Guns just seemed… crude. Lacked an artform.

It seemed the older male was quite happy with his acceptance, however, now that he thought a little more about it, Seta seemed… quite young to be holding a position of power in a company like the Kirijo Group. Quite possibly he was an intermediary for someone else, or, just happened to be extremely good at what he did… there was also the chance he knew someone in a high place or was a family member too, Oran supposed. Giving a polite nod to the mention about a meeting, he would lean forwards slightly, taking a note of the restaurant map that had been shown, digging into his own pocket to dig out his own phone. Not something that they were supposed to have on them while training, but Oran had always gotten away with it. He did not let himself be distracted by it while training, other times however…

Punching in the name of the restaurant and seeing a duplicate of the map pop up on his own screen, it would once again be pocketed, turning back to Seta with a small hum. “That place is fine…” He hoped. If savings had to be dug into then, savings had to be dug into. There was no point screwing over this chance. 

“Today is fine, tomorrow is fine too. Whichever works best for you.” Normally, he didn’t finish training until Kato-sensei told him he needed to lock up for the night, but he could leave early for this. It wasn’t as if he really had a social life anyways. “I can get out of here around eight.”

He could do it the proper way and insist for the client to decide place and time. But he had a feeling if he did, they'd be stuck in a cycle of polite rejections and "No, you"s until someone's patience ran out. Better get on with it to avoid the red tape. Quick, to the point, effective. What's another cut corner?

"I believe tomorrow would be most convenient. The offer came through on quite a short notice, after all. A staff member will be on duty at the entrance. Just inform her you've come from me, and she will show you to the table." A slight pause broke his spiel up as he considered the time. Far from ideal, but... "Eight is, ah, a bit late, but you shouldn't have any trouble if you keep to populated areas." Foreign, tall, athletic — it would be easy to mistake Iverson for an adult. More than that, Narukami wasn't even sure if people were getting detained over broken curfew anymore. It had to be more trouble than it's worth. "However, we are willing to talk to your school faculty and provide you with a day off, if that is more preferable."

"Whatever you decide, it can be changed at a moment's notice."

As fast as he did with the phone, he produced a thin, rectangular piece of firm paper and offered it to Iverson, Japanese side up. A business card, its design simplistic as ever, black on white, with little in way of decoration apart from Kirijo's everpresent business motto.

"Two in Harmony Surpasses One in Perfection" Kirijo Group Seta Souji Public Relations Coordinator

Along with contact information: local big office's address, phone numbers, fax, e-mail, everything you might expect. Technically, they weren't supposed to give out the last one to outsiders — for internal use only — but a genuine corporate e-mail was bound to lend him some level of legitimacy.

"Please don't hesitate to contact me for any reason whatsoever."

Judging by the lack of reaction, Iverson didn't care for all the rules of proper business conduct Narukami's broken in this little chat alone. Or, more likely, didn't know the procedure that went into these things. Not unexpected from a foreigner and a teenager, and lucky for Narukami as well, but put in perspective... Beyond obvious evidence of technical skill and basic profiling, there wasn't much he knew about Iverson. In this line of work, certain traits were a detriment. If Iverson were gullible, Narukami would have to pass him up. Or work it out of him.

Only time could tell.

“Oooh~ Is that so~ Someone’s in a good mood today.”

“Good! Good answer~”

"Did. You. Miss. Me."

Recoil kicks deep in his shoulder first, before any sound can catch up. For a moment, he thinks he's gone deaf.

Then, a cascade of echoes breaks throughout the tunnel.

The man at the other end lurches forward with the sudden impact as the bullet connects. In the dimness of the tunnel, his figure is amorphous, wrapped in a coat and drowned in shadows. The only source of light is the Treasure at his side, a burning kernel of someone's soul waiting to be taken away. It brands itself onto the back of Narukami's eyes.

More movement — a slender figure, impossible to make out. Behind the blinding afterimage in his sight, the darkness is impenetrable. His finger unwinds on the trigger: he has no idea who these people are. Phantom Thieves never go in twos.

There are train tracks at his sides. No cover. Two unknown enemies.

It'll take a couple of seconds to swap his USP out for the Evoker.

"Step away from the Treasure."

He's loud. His voice chases the gunshot down the tunnel, clear and unbroken. Steel and ice, he sounds like a professional, like someone who's done this a thousand times before.

“Yosuke…”

           shoulders may relax but ikki’s face still has a tinge of discomfort in it  .  usually  ,  they’re able to handle this  ,  but with the lack of boss around  –  or any of their friends  ,  there’s no distraction for the one in front of them to use  .  all attention on ikki  ,  and yet  .  and yet  .                                  ❛ oh  ,  truly  ?  i’m sure if you were to one day dye it  ,  the colour would be amazing  .  ah  —  sorry  ,  is that strange  ?  ❜

           truth be told  ?  neither is ikki  .  they only truly know how to make what boss has taught them  ,  but  –  a stronger cup of coffee should be easy  ,  right  ?  ikki casts memory back to that morning’s roast  ,  it was harrar  ,  which  …  will have to do  ,  because ikki  TRULY  doesn’t want to risk messing up some proper beans  –  or worse  ,   making a bad cup of coffee  !                                  ❛ okay  …!  it’ll be a few minutes  ,  but in the meantime  ,  i can turn on the tv if you’d like to watch something  ?  ❜

           there’s no radio  ,  or anything like that  ,  but ikki hasn’t exactly noticed until  …  right now  .  hm  .  maybe they’ll bring it up with boss  ,  offer help to get something installed  .  it’s only fair  ,  since they’re living here too  ,  right ?

           a smile tips at their lips  ,  before ikki takes that step over  ,  to turn attention to siphons  ,  to mugs just under the counter  .

The answer comes quick — potential employers would disagree — but he holds it when the kid stumbles over his words. Then silence is the answer instead, a shake of his head and vague suggestion of a gesture to wave the remark off. Is he flattered? Bashful? A bit of both, but the reaction good-natured nonetheless. The minute smile on his face tells as much.

More than anything else, this shows their company is still uneasy, despite all attempts at reassurance. How bothersome. He only needs to know what Adachi said about him, trivial as it most likely is. Redirection is the obvious solution here, before conversation leaves the subject completely, but of course, it's not that simple. His initial nonchalance might've been too much.

"No need; the rain's nice on its own. I doubt we'll hear anything new at this time anyway."

Another layer of formality thinly dresses his speech — a subtler change in tone, just enough to put a hair of distance between them. No, making such a shift organic is not feasible. He likes to believe he's become proficient at appearing inoffensive over the years, but there are limits. When coming from a stranger, casual curiosity turns into nosiness. Nobody needs that.

There's little to do but wait now. Let the kid go at his own pace, choose his own boundaries. Give him a way out, should he want to have some space risk-free.

"Unless there's something worth seeing? I'm more of a late night TV guy myself, I'll admit."

Something is bound to turn up. Patience is considered virtuous for a reason.

              ❝  DO  I  HAVE  A  REASON  TO  BE ?  ❞         he’s  not .  he  just  wants  to  be  certain .   trust   is  a  thin  thread  between  them ,  burnt  and  frayed  on  adachi’s  end .  there  is  no  trust ;  he  thinks  that   narukami   will  tire  of  this  and  open  his  mouth .  it’s  just  a  matter  of  time .   he  only  wants  to  figure  out  when ,  and  what   precaution   to  take  in  turn . 

but  for  now ,   adachi  would  grin .   paper - thin ,  falsely  sweet .   a  reminder  of  what  has  been  chosen ,  as  much  as  he’d  get  a  chance  to  spit  it   back   in  his  face .   but  maybe  it’s  not !    maybe   he  means  it .  narukami  would  get  to  figure  that  one  out . 

❝  i’m  just  curious ,  that’s  all .   i  haven’t  seen  much  of   anyone   lately .  it  makes  you   wonder   what  everyone’s  been  up  to ,  doesn’t  it ?    hey ,  do  they   think   they  have  a  culprit  yet ?   are  they  still  hanging  on  namatame  ?  ❞ 

"Right." He doesn't believe it, not for a second. Adachi's his old self again, all casual friendliness and easy grins (what a powerplay! he's very impressed, honest!), and the lack of transparency says it all. "You know Teddie? The blond, foreign-looking kid. He's run away. We're searching. I put everything else on hold for now."

Ultimately, trust is irrelevant here. Their partnership had always been a circumstantial one. In a few months' time they'll go their separate ways and never think of one another again. Two strangers, the only connection between them a small, dying town, invisible among thousands just like it.

Because what else is there for them? More guessing games and bad jokes? Candid, empty threats? Childish things like these are better left behind. Stuffed in a box, taped shut, and shoved into the corner of his mind, together with the rest of Inaba. Where they belong.

           they suppose they should feel less foolish now  ,  right  ?  a correct assumption  ,  and they haven’t seem to run the patron back out of the cafe  ,  so it should be something good  .  still  ,  lingering wonder remains  ,  and ikki straightens up their back  ,  to look more presentable  ,  as a barista of this fine establishment  !!            …  or  ,  that’s what futaba says  ,  anyway  .

           narukami sits down at the bar  ,  and ikki almost wishes that he’d stay by the door  .  less obvious of their discomfort  ,  then  .

                                 ❛ oh  ,  it really isn’t a lot  …  he talked to me a little about the place he worked before  .  ❜            they think it a nice save  ,  something to slide into thinks a little easier  .                                  ❛ but i only figured it was  YOU  because of your hair  —  not that there’s anything wrong with it  ,  it’s just uncommon  —  ❜

           oh  ,  well  ,  or ikki can do that  ,  too  .  jeez  ,  they’re not really cut out for this  ,  are they  ?  how embarrassing  !!

                                 ❛ …  anyway  ,  can i offer you a coffee  ?  boss has been teaching me very well  ,  so i think you’ll enjoy a cup  !  ❜

Not a minute in, and the kid looks about ready to bolt. That's an awful lot of panic over an acquaintance of an acquaintance. He'd chalk it up to anxiety, but barista seems a poor choice of occupation for someone who's too nervous to talk to customers. Curious.

For now, he levels himself, drops his shoulders. It makes him look smaller, less intimidating. Like a herbivore guy, he was told once. That works. Herbivores are safe. "No, it's alright. I get that a lot. Not dyed, in case you were wondering."

Might be something, might be nothing. It's too early to say.

"Ah, well." His attention shifts away from the kid, and with that, a note of uncertainty enters his voice. "I'm no connoisseur..." An understatement for sure. Rows of jars line the shelves — various kinds of beans, presumably — and as he reads the labels he can't help but feel a little out of his depth. There's obviously nuance here, but it's lost on him. Blue Mountain, Harar, Java... How different can they be anyway? Caffeine is caffeine.

              ❝   YOU  KNOW ,  IF  YOU KEEP  MAKING  THAT     face ,   it’ll  get  stuck . ❞    which  is  the   least   of  his  problems ,  isn’t it ?   narukami  has  landed  himself  in  the   worst   of  predicaments .  by  himself ,  no  less ,   no  guiding  or  pushing  needed .  a  fact  that  adachi  is  too  cheery  about .   his  own  choice .  his  own  grave .      ❝  besides ,  it’s  not   my   fault  we’re  here .   shirogane's   getting  a  little  too  close  for  comfort .  you  haven’t  said  anything ,  have  you ? ❞

@solivagantis​      /       really  old  starter  call 

"Paranoid?"

Always. Shirogane's back to working long nights, and there are only so many people who fit her profile. Leave her without any support for a little longer and she'll start pointing fingers. It's defiance, he thinks.

First stage of grief.

If you only account for thoughts, Adachi isn’t too far off-base. The option is there, in case things go south — turn around with his tail between his legs and come crawling back to the Team. He's had a lapse in judgment (didn't want to accept it), made a terrible mistake (thought he could fix it). His word against Adachi’s; they'd all believe him. Leader privileges.

But for now—

"I won't tell. You can stop asking."

@solivagantis​ hit that  ♡  !!

                                 ❛  ah  …  one moment  ,  please  —  ❜            the gentle pitter  –  patter of rain outside brings a touch of life outside the tiny cafe  ,  and ikki pushes up off the counter top  ,  having previously had their eyes on the tv  .  it could be said that the wisp of grey hair is what brought their curiosity  .  that  –  and the fact that sojiro isn’t here  ,  and adachi isn’t supposed to come for another two hours  .                                  ❛ is it possible that you are narukami  ?  ❜

           yikes  ,  they sound so creepy  !  maybe this is what tohru intended  ,  for ikki to embarrass themselves before they even properly get introduced  .                                  ❛ adachi tohru’s mentioned you  ,  is all   .  i’m sorry if i am wrong  .  ❜

He's caught off-guard by the sound of his own name right in the doorway, with his damp jacket halfway down his arms. Has he been here before? No, it can't be, but the kid manning the counter is quickwitted enough to backpedal an inch.

Backpedal straight into...

"That is my name. Small world, huh." Full of coincidences.

Like how despite the rain, minus the barista, the cafe is empty, perfect for talking. A little more fussing with his clothes, and he's claimed a chair in front of the bar. The place seems nice enough. Charming is the word.

"Adachi, then? It's strange to hear I'm being talked about."

hOLY ShIT U DID IT

Still missing ‘Q’, ‘R’, ‘V’, ‘X’ and ‘Z’, but other than that, yES I ‘EFFIN DID

@generalkuma

HoLY

@theholylight

He actually says it directly now lol