Post #2713309 in Arc 4, a roleplay on RPG

Just as Kazuya mentioned it, the girl Akeno Furuya immediately went inside in order to try out the clothes he pointed out. He found it rather weird but quite interesting at the same time. He wasn't really the type who buys clothes on impulse. Following shortly after her, he busied himself with looking at the other merchandise on display while he waited for her to come out.

When she came out, it was almost like a different person stared at Kazuya. More than the clothes, he saw that she had chosen to accessorize a bit as well, particularly the pendant on her neck. Another thing was that she also swapped shoes, though it may be a bit difficult to see at a first glance.

"Hm! I like it. It's got quite a bit of character." Having said that, Kazuya approached her to also look in the mirror beside her. "While some people would say otherwise but image does matter. At the very least, you need to try to look like someone who needed to be taken seriously."

Hearing him say that made him laugh a bit. "It probably won't sound too appropriate coming from me though, with all the blunders and dumb decisions I make. But, until I told you about it, I bet you didn't expect this guy here to be such a klutz right? That's the thing with presentation. I mean, look at those--"

Kazuya pointed to a display on the men's formal wear showing a bunch of professional men in suits and ties. "They all looked "dolled" up and intimidating but really, they're just like me. I should know; I've gone to karaoke and manga cafes with people of that sort once. However, don't you agree that dressed like that, they just look so composed and confident?"

Checking his watch for the time, Kazuya noted that it was getting a bit late. Not dark but, a little past the time he was expected to arrive. "Well, I think we've tarried on long enough. Let us resume our adventure, Miss Akeno Furuya!" Kazuya struck a pose as if he was some cartographer pointing at an uncharted territory.

The ice cream shop Asagi lead Menou into wasn't anything particularly big or fancy. However, a lot of students their age frequent it thanks to its affordable prices and nice interior. Plus, the ice creams were good without needing to pay a premium.

"Hmm~ This is usually the best time to come around to this place. Come 5 or 6 in the afternoon, this place would be swarming with students. Order something like this banana split and you'll have to wait ten or fifteen minutes before it's served." Asagi explained in between spoonfuls of ice cream, happy as a lark while eating the frozen treat.

"Hey, hey! Don't you think it'll be great if the new Black Rose served ice cream too! That means we can snack on it anytime we want without having to go through the hassle of commuting here. Man, that would be quite a dream~" Asagi went on talking enthusiastically about it. "Ah! But since they're close to opening again that probably means they have their menu figured out. It probably wouldn't change for another two months."

Setting aside his ramblings, Asagi focuses his attention back on to Menou, hoping most of her anxiety had already melted away."Hey, Koizumi-san? How's the dorm life been for you? Any awesome, juicy experiences? Find a person you like? You can tell me! I probably don't look like it but, I'm quite a listener for stories!"

Kujo and Nagisa arrived shortly afterwards in order to check up on Aziz. Makoto decided it was best to leave it to them in the meantime, granted that the two were much closer to him than he was. He left Aziz's share of the chocolate down on the side table behind him as he went out for a bit to check up on the cleanup.

"Thanks man..." Aziz thanks the two who came over out of concern for him. "Damn, this is why my family thinks I'm gay you know? Getting all up in tears like this isn't really manly." Aziz manages a weak joke and laugh as he wiped his tears away with the sleeve of his shirt.

"I'll be fine so don't worry." Aziz assures the two as he took the chocolate given away by Makoto and rank it down. "I...may not be able to attend her vigil though. I'm not really brave enough to look at people in their coffins. Plus, I want to remember Wakaba-san when she was alive."

Makoto rejoined the two shortly while Aziz excused himself to write a small dedication for his departed friend. Listening in to their concerns, the reality of how much the string of recent incidents are casting an almost deathly mist over Castle City hit Makoto. When Nagisa voiced her misgivings over the school's stance, Makoto couldn't help but feel a little concerned.

Of course, he wanted to try and help with the investigations. If they could, he would've helped Aziz take the perpetrator down with their own hands. However, the reality is that it takes a lot of lengthy processes to pin down a suspect and they can't exactly just stake out places and ambush the perpetrator. Makoto silently cursed just how limited are the things they can do.

He realized he had yet to give Nagisa an answer when Kujo also echoes the same sentiment. Of course, he could've always placated them with the usual spiel the administration had been giving for the past two years since the killings started. However, he reckoned they'll be able to see through that lie nonetheless. There was no other option but to give them the truth.

No matter how disappointing it is.

"If I'm going to be totally honest here..." Makoto looked around to make sure no one from the council could hear him before continuing. "The school administration can't really do much. Wakaba-san was murdered at the 14th Avenue--way outside the school's jurisdiction. If anything, the local government's the one in charge of this. So don't blame the Institute for it." Before the two could lose their cool, Makoto thought it best to voice out the facts of this case now, at least, the ones he actually knows about.

"Though it looks notorious, the murders are all actually quite small scale. Two years ago, two girls were killed. Last year, there was only one victim. Wakaba-san's the fourth one this year. I'm not quite familiar with the earlier incidents since I wasn't part of the committee yet but, Kurogane did launch a full inquiry along with the police at one point. Their searches didn't turn up anything. This suspect's one slippery contender." Makoto explained. "While the body count is small, it is the notoriety of not being able to catch this suspect which is making us wary."

"Like trying to catch smoke with your bare hands."

Seki Kirihara arrived a little after that, informing Makoto of their meeting. He nodded in acknowledgement before turning back to the two. "Well, I can't promise any concrete results but we will do what we can with the limited faculties we have. If nothing else, please note that us in the student committee are doing everything we can--however limited our resources and faculties may be."

As he walked out, Makoto passed by Aziz who was near the center of the memorial.

"Yo, King-wannabe..." Aziz called out to him.

"Eh? What is it?" Makoto paused for a while to talk. Aziz awkwardly walks up to him.

"Just want to say thanks. For that dedication speech." Aziz holds a hand out to him. "I'm sure Wakaba-san liked the way you put it."

"I don't think she would--I mean, it wasn't exactly my best work to date. All those words were barely enough to do a person like her justice." Makoto sighed as he recalls writing it down on the spot. Nonetheless, he still shook hands with Aziz.

"Don't worry. I'm sure it was enough. I for one can't write something like that for her." With a smile, Aziz parted ways, heading back to where Kujo and Nagisa were. "Looking back on it now, maybe I should've written a letter with that CD as well..."

As he reached the two, Aziz was finally calm and composed enough again. "Hey...do you mind if we stop by the pizza parlor for a while? My parents told me it's not a good thing to go home directly after coming from a vigil like this."

Snippet #2713309

located in Unnamed City, a part of Arc 4, one of the many universes on RPG.

Setting

Characters Present

Footnotes