"Yo! I heard from Kirika. You did a great job and for that, I give you my thanks. And of course--" Mitsuru answered the door and upon seeing Hotaru, he already expected what she could be there for. He hands over her compensation for the job which he kept in a brown envelope.
"Don't worry about the other guy. We'll talk things through with him. Go on and use it to have fun or something."
"Kanade-san huh? Haven't really talked to her much but I guess she seemed like an interesting sort huh?" Asagi was of course, surprised that Meno likes another girl like her. Then again, it wasn't because he found it unnatural but more of the fact that he found it difficult to tell at a quick glance. Of course, Menou informed him that she wasn't ready to confess just yet and about waiting to be a better person first. Asagi just smiled.
"Well of course not! You can't just walk up to a random stranger and tell them you love them and expect them to love you back right off the bat! Believe me, last time I did that I got hit squarely in the face like BAM!" Asagi made a slight punching gesture as he recalled that memory.
"I don't really think you can be "the perfect match" for anyone though. I mean, you know? The whole soulmates thing? You have to compliment each other, kind of like magnets. In a way, it's that imperfection which makes the love between couples so interesting! Of course, I can't say it's the same with everyone..." Asagi rambled on a bit before scooping up the last of his ice cream. Menou mentioned something about how some ice cream cost almost an arm and a leg in some places. Asagi laughed at the new information.
"Really? Hahaha!!! Well, I'm not that meticulous for iced treats but I suppose there's a reason why. Doesn't mean we have to agree with it though ahaha!!!" Asagi jokes around.
"Well, if you want to approach people; not just Kanade-san but people in general, you have to work on your social skills first. You don't have to be some cool cat in town to do that--look at me! I get by well just by being my usual silly self~" As he said that, Asagi happily waved to a young couple who passed by and waved back. "I suppose a little more confidence won't hurt though so tell me--!" Asagi leaned a little closer towards Menou, maintaining eye contact with her.
"What are you taking up right now? You're from St. Gabriel's right?"
As he was heading out, Akeno told him that she hadn't paid for the clothes yet so he paused to wait for her to finish the transaction first. She didn't wear the new set at once though, probably to avoid soiling them, Kazuya thought.
As expected, it needed Akeno to remind Kazuya that he hasn't even introduced himself properly. He scratches his head sheepishly while laughing at that realization. Should he had been around, Kazuya was sure his father would've given him a proper talk on introducing himself to others.
"My name's Kazuya. Tamashiro Kazuya but feel free to just call me Kazu. My last name's a little too long and my other nickname's a little too...eh..." Kazuya lets her use his usual nickname and he then followed her throughout the walk back, making lots of redundant small talk along the way.
As the two neared the dorm, Kazuya was able to make out a...rather conspicuous building looming ahead, along with a smaller building almost beside it nearing completion. Kazuya reckoned it must be the building his new employer was talking about.
"Whoah! So it really is close!" Kazuya gasped in amazement. He reckoned the walk back barely even took an hour. "Oh! And I guess that means this smaller place is the Black Rose huh? Come on!" Now it was Kazuya's turn to lead Akeno into the under construction establishment.
They passed by a couple of workers and electricians but it didn't seem like he knew any of them. With that, Kazuya thought it best to call out to his new employer.
"Oi!!! Anyone order anything?!" He called out. A little while later, some footsteps was heard from one room in the building.
"So you managed to find the bowls? You work faster than I--huh?" Expecting the weird lizard guy, Kirika was a little surprised to see Kazuya here so early.
"Yo! Found the place at last!" Kazuya greets her. Kirika merely gave her a good look over until her eyes fell on the girl beside him.
"You're not Cel." Though she shared the floor with the other girls, Kirika doesn't really see them often to engrave a name to associate with the faces she may have seen everyday.
"Nope. This is Akeno-chan! A student of Partisan Rose and my new friend!" Kazuya introduces her, placing both hands on Akeno's shoulders. "Cel-san was busy so I had to ask another dormer to accompany me in finding the place."
"Really now?" Kirika walked over to them, her eyes looking over at Akeno. "Just for this incident,I would like to apologize for any inconvenience he caused you."
"Hey, what do you mean by that? Akeno-chan said she had fun walking around with me. Right Akeno-chan?" Kazuya flashes Akeno his usual carefree grin. "Now then, what should I do today?"
Wordlessly, Kirika picks up a piece of bond paper containing printed words of some sort. Kazuya took it with one hand and read it. "This is...a menu?"
Kirika nodded. "Do you still recall how to make any of those?"
"Leave it to me!" Kazuya replied with much enthusiasm. "Just give me the right supplies and appliances and I'll whip it up in a heartbeat! Ah...but, your place doesn't look too hot for brewing right now though."
"I've left the brewing and mixing devices upstairs. We can still use the old Black Rose."
"Is that so? Well let's go then!" Kazuya urges the two ladies along though he was immediately stopped by Kirika tugging at his sleeve, her eyes still looking down on the floor. "Huh? What's wrong?"
"You haven't introduced me..." Kirika muttered softly it almost seemed like a whisper. "You haven't introduced me...to her."
"Ah! Right, right!" Again, the realization struck Kazuya and he immediately clears his throat as he stood between the two girls.
"Ahem! Kirika-san, this is Akeno-chan! My new friend from the same school." He introduced Akeno to Kirika first as he didn't really know much about her to properly do so yet.
"Akeno-chan, this is Kirika Katsuragi. She's an old friend of mine from when we were younger and from the way you see it now, my new employer. I hope you get along. Hm!" Taking both their hands, he clasped them together, nodding to himself in contentment. He was sure that if his father had been around, he would've surely been proud with how he introduced them.
"Thanks guys." Aziz thanks both as he let out a sigh. He turned to look at Nagisa with a weak smile. "Thanks Makinami. Don't worry, I'm buying." He placed a soft hand on her shoulder before leading the two out of the memorial hall.
Due to the recent incident encountered, the Kurogane Student Council was called in a meeting in order to talk about some possible countermeasures they can implement. Leading the discussions was a young woman with long black hair, gazing worriedly at the tabloid right in front of her.
"Murder on 14th Avenue. Wakaba-san makes what? The third victim now?" The girl asked around, heavy silence settling in the room.
"Fourth." Makoto corrected it.
"This is concerning." The girl rubbed her temples. "14th Avenue is way beyond our jurisdiction. At this point, I don't think the board can even do anything about it either."
"Seriously though, is it even our problem at this point? Why not just leave it to the law-enforcing body? Incompetent as they are, they should at least have found a lead by now." Another male piped up. Compared to the worried stances and expressions on the rest of the members, he seemed rather relaxed, propping his feet up on the table.
"Normally we would've written off Wakaba-san's death as just a stroke of bad luck and a coincidence." Makoto turned to face the man, their eyes meeting with each other's. "The problem is--almost everyone that was murdered in question here are all students of this institution."
"The Iron Killer. That's what people have been labeling him on the forums."
"Ugh...I don't really like reading on those forums." Seki Kirihara groaned. "The people there are quite nasty when it comes to their comments. Saying things like us Kurogane students deserve it and that the killer should chase after this student next..."
"They can only do that because they're anonymous online. Don't let it get to you too much, Seki-san." The other girl assures her before turning back to the others. "Going back on topic, I'm considering proposing the daylight savings time to the board again so the students can at least head home early."
"I don't think that can work though. Most students will probably just use it to go to malls or the arcade instead of heading straight home. Plus, it won't benefit the students who have evening classes." Makoto opposes the idea.
"Still, having at least a temporary countermeasure is better than not having anything right?" Seki tries to convince Makoto otherwise.
"No. People will just say we're only buying time. Not that our assessment matters at this point though. However, I just heard of talks about how the various gangs are all riled up since they knew some of the victims. We also need a means to address that."
"This situation got out of hand way too fast." The other girl sighed as she tried to think of something.
"If it even was within our hands to begin with. For one, even if we were to come up with an idea, do you think the board will just allow us to implement it? These folks are more concerned with their public image rather than the safety of their own students!" The relaxed man points out.
"Taichi-san, you aren't really helping!" Seki was quick to call him out.
"Like hell I do! Unlike some of you guys, I only won cause I'm popular. Hell do I know about implementing policies." With a grin, he turns to face the girl seated at the head of the table. "I'm merely the negotiator for your ideas and proposals. Isn't that right, President Kazenari?"
Kazenari merely ignored his remark and turned to Makoto. "You said the gangs are all up in arms over the incident. Would you happen to know anything about them Itsuna-kun?"
"I might. But what exactly are you planning Kazenari-san?"
Kazenari was able to let out a small, determined smile. "I may just have an idea."
