The ride home was long, but it gave Hamuko the time to think about what she needed. What she had to find... could she find it in ten days? Checking on her phone, there was no indication that an explosion in a lab run by the Kirijo Group ever existed... hell, most explosions were completely unrelated accidents according to the internet.
And supposedly, none of them had been fatal.
That's strange. But ALL of this is strange. Tomorrow, she'd set off for the Port Island, and maybe...
The train stopped, dropping her off at her station. She doesn't take a lot of time like usual, either getting some groceries for dinner or going out to eat - tonight she hurries right to the convenience store to grab a sandwich and start chowing down, pulling out her phone to plug her next appointment in her calendar, to check which lines lead to Tatsumi Port Island, to double check if she can find that old military base or if she has to hoof it and try to track it on foot, to--
Oh.
Slowing to a stop, and... looking at the number she'd collected earlier.
After a moment of thought, Hamuko texted him.
☆ヾ(*´▽｀)ﾉ Sorry for the late text but I'M HOOOOOME! I'll be in town on the 15th and totally free till 3pm LMK if you still wanna meet up!
Despite her cheerful texting as she walked, Hamuko's expression was set in her thought. I just need to find proof that SEES was real. I have to find an Evoker or something like that. Or maybe, just maybe, I can find Aigis. A literal anti-Shadow weapon proves I'm right.
Maruki had buried himself in an old, dust-laden book, something from the classics section that had long since been forgotten by the rest of the world. The kind of book that sat idly on a shelf for years, waiting for a reader who might never come.
He had liked the idea of that. A story no one bothered to read anymore.
But even as his eyes traced over the words, his mind wasn’t truly there. Not completely.
So when his phone buzzed against the desk, the sound cut through the stagnant silence like a razor’s edge.
His head snapped toward it.
And then—he stilled.
The notification on his screen was unmistakable.
Arisato: 1 New Message.
His fingers twitched. He could unlock it, open it, read it immediately. It would be so easy.
But instead, he exhaled slowly, deliberately, and pointedly put the phone back down.
His status would show online. That much was inevitable.
She would see that he had been there, that he could have responded instantly—but didn’t.
Let her sit with that.
Let her wonder.
He picked the book back up, but the words meant even less than before.
He wasn't really reading.
His mind was elsewhere, spiraling through the ever-tightening corridors of his own thoughts.
Arisato.
Thirty minutes passed before he finally allowed himself to pick up the phone again.
He kept his response measured, neutral.
Glad you made it home safely. And noted—I'll see what I can do. You sure you want to spend part of your free day with a middle aged weirdo like me?
You must have better options than that.
...Or are you just that determined to prove your flirting skills aren’t rusty?
Thirty minutes was plenty of time - Hamuko got home, scarfed down her dinner, and had set to scouring the internet for any sign of things how they used to be. Manual inputs of sites, trying to follow dead links, anything - she took a note down to check the library once those were turning up blank, archived newspapers might...
Shibusawa: 3 new messages
Hamuko saw the note flashing after her phone buzzed, but refocused for the moment. Investigate the Kirijo Group. Go to Gekkoukan?
And tonight, she would wait for midnight. Fuck, if she was going to try and wait for the Dark Hour, she better at least be armed - Hamuko got up and searched her apartment, searching the boxes that she never unpacked, sighing as she eventually only found her can of mace and picking out a kitchen knife she would be willing to sacrifice. She'd have to find some kind of useful implement if she re-encountered the supernatural...
Turning over the knife in her hand about half an hour later, restlessly fidgeting and listening to music pounding in her ears through her old favorite headphones from high school... these cute headphones that Fuuka had touched up for her, made even more high quality and standard.
Let it go, let it out, let it go, let it out Take a deep breath, deep breath (Deep breath, deep breath) Lay low, lay high, lay low, lay high Until you feel the vibes, now touch the sky
A little more than an hour to midnight... the Dark Hour hadn't reappeared in the entirety of the strange six months she 'remembered' things from before, but now that she was aware, she had to cross it off the list.
Finally, Hamuko reached for her phone, still tapping her foot to the beat and carefully holding the knife against the back of the phone to not drop either as she typed back.
It can be both!!! And even if there were more options I would be ruthless anyway Life is short!! Hit on cute boys!!!!
Should I look up movies that day? Or you're maybe aware of that area better than me, is there something fun like a good restaurant or karaoke bar? I'm down for whatever!
Welp, it seemed she was back to being busy again. Maruki had already set aside his phone and went back to reading, his foot bouncing on the floor as he counted the minutes with each tick of the clock and the easy papery sighs of the book. Usually one would think barely reading one chapter in a span of a 30 minutes was already too damn slow but it was in those moments that he found himself going slowly to savour each aspect of a book. Annotating it. Analysing it. Reviewing it. It helped him pass the time.
When he heard her ping again this time it was a more at ease. Just 5 minutes after-! Totally normal.
Though her text itself...
Cute.
Huh.
A breath hitched in his throat, and he exhaled through his nose, pressing his fist lightly against his lips, as though physically stopping himself from entertaining whatever that feeling was. He was at least a decade older than her—so how did she find him remotely cute?
...Well. That was something to shove deep into the back of his mind and never think about again.
He cleared his throat, shaking his head and focusing instead on the actual contents of her message. A hang-out. A casual day out with her, a chance to make her stay just a little longer.
The movies sounded like a safe option.
It had been a while since he last went to one, but there was a kind of escapism in it that suited him. To sit in the dark, lose himself in a world someone else had crafted—yes, that was something he could work with.
Movies sound good. I haven't really been to a cinema hall in ages though-! I swear if they ask me to get rid of my snacks...
Years, really. It had been years since he's watched movies with anyone. Between the research and the counselling sessions he never really found the time to dwelve into something romantic.
A movie was a good start—casual, low stakes, just two people watching something thought-provoking together. But after?
He couldn’t just leave it there.
He had to make sure she lingered a little longer, had to make sure she wasn’t too eager to leave.
Somewhere relaxing. Somewhere engaging. Somewhere that aligned with his reality.
That said, if you’re free after the movie, there’s an aquarium at Shinagawa I’ve been meaning to check out. I hear it’s a lovely spot from other students—something about the way the jellyfish are displayed, it’s supposed to be kind of mesmerizing. They have a really big Penguin exhibit there too :D
For the first time this evening, Hamuko's thoughts broke away from her plan. She stared down at the reply text, blinking a little in surprise.
An... aquarium.
Hah! Something about that shouldn't feel so surprising, but it was... a shockingly cute date idea. And unlike a lot of art, she'd noticed, the animals and nature all seemed untouched.
"Shibusawa... did you notice that too?" she asked, a warmth and relief spreading in her heart. Maybe he only subconsciously realized it, that animals were all the same. That they were charming, and pretty, epitomizing life in its strangeness and beauty. She laughed to herself - of course, she could just as easily be reading way too much into it. But...
It felt right.
꒰⁎˃ ॢꇴ ॢ˂⁎꒱➴ෆ⃛ AQUARIUM!!!! YES that sounds AMAZING I haven't been to one in forever!!
For a moment Maruki felt a pit in his stomach. Was he...too forward? Maybe he shouldn't have assumed more than he could have handled but-
Ah.
Guess there will be a new experience for either of us in store then :) And hey, if the conversation dries up, at least the fish will be good company. They don’t seem to have many complaints about their lives. Maybe we could learn a thing or two.
Now I am just left with the horrifying image of a fish having legs in my head but you know what? They probably make better use of them then the drunkards who end up walking around with one shoe haha
They just steal the shoes because they can't bear the cost of losing their voice :' I suppose their greed would be justified.
[She was a little silly, Takuto couldn't help but feel his lips pull up a little. I miss that.]
No need to worry on that front. I indulged myself and got one of the latest models just recently. So, worst case scenario, I’ll just take the pictures for you.
Besides, I am the taller one here. Might as well put the vantage point to good use—unless you plan on bringing a step stool?
Maruki's fingers hovered over the keyboard, his lips quirking into something dangerously close to an actual smile.
He almost typed something else—something gentler, something teasing to match her playful energy. But the warmth tugging at his chest left him vulnerable, cracked open just a sliver too wide.
His thumb froze over the screen.
For a second—just a fraction of a second—his mind wandered.
Rumi.
He could still feel the weight of her against him, the way she'd fit so perfectly when she'd curl up close without a second thought. She used to joke about how it was easier to elbow him because of their height difference and he always tended to tease her about it. Even laughing about how her size had nothing to do with her strength that he could never match upto.
He’d meant that.
His smile faded, the moment slipping between his fingers like sand.
You shouldn’t be letting this happen.
The walls he'd carefully built around himself creaked faintly—just faintly—as something warm and human began to seep through.
It was taking a few minutes for him to respond. Distracted, maybe? But the glint of the knife as she adjusted it and the phone in her hand caught her eye again. She glanced at the time on her screen.
Midnight was closer. Not by much, but it was coming closer.
Howling with you? Now that’s an interesting proposal.
I’m not entirely convinced getting escorted out of the aquarium for unsettling the aquatic life would be a great way to end the evening, though.
That said—there is some psychological merit to it. Vocal expression as an emotional release is actually quite common. Yelling into the void, primal screaming therapy... Even crying functions similarly.
So, theoretically, howling could be beneficial.
But I do wonder—would it be more effective in solitude, or do you think it’s the shared experience that makes it therapeutic?
Okay, THAT has her laughing out loud. This guy - was he a councilor or something? A therapist? Or has he just been in the weeds with research so long he can't help himself?
The way he kind of info dumps about anything he knows is cute.
THE SHARED EXPERIENCE FOR SURE!!!!
Like yes sometimes you have to cry and scream and confront the thing you're running from and that is important for healing
But it IS better with other people. Because then you aren't alone, then you both are singing out your hearts and harmonizing even with different voices.
People—broken people—cling to pain as much as they seek to escape it. Trauma binds them together, but it doesn’t always heal them. If anything, it deepens the wounds, makes them sharper, more inescapable.
There’s a reason why shared suffering often feels like understanding. People are drawn to those who echo their pain, but that doesn’t mean they’ve found true harmony. More often than not, they’re just feeding into the cycle—mistaking the resonance of their wounds for something restorative.
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no subject
And supposedly, none of them had been fatal.
That's strange. But ALL of this is strange. Tomorrow, she'd set off for the Port Island, and maybe...
The train stopped, dropping her off at her station. She doesn't take a lot of time like usual, either getting some groceries for dinner or going out to eat - tonight she hurries right to the convenience store to grab a sandwich and start chowing down, pulling out her phone to plug her next appointment in her calendar, to check which lines lead to Tatsumi Port Island, to double check if she can find that old military base or if she has to hoof it and try to track it on foot, to--
Oh.
Slowing to a stop, and... looking at the number she'd collected earlier.
After a moment of thought, Hamuko texted him.
☆ヾ(*´▽｀)ﾉ
Sorry for the late text but I'M HOOOOOME!
I'll be in town on the 15th and totally free till 3pm
LMK if you still wanna meet up!
Despite her cheerful texting as she walked, Hamuko's expression was set in her thought. I just need to find proof that SEES was real. I have to find an Evoker or something like that. Or maybe, just maybe, I can find Aigis. A literal anti-Shadow weapon proves I'm right.
no subject
He had liked the idea of that. A story no one bothered to read anymore.
But even as his eyes traced over the words, his mind wasn’t truly there. Not completely.
So when his phone buzzed against the desk, the sound cut through the stagnant silence like a razor’s edge.
His head snapped toward it.
And then—he stilled.
The notification on his screen was unmistakable.
Arisato: 1 New Message.
His fingers twitched. He could unlock it, open it, read it immediately. It would be so easy.
But instead, he exhaled slowly, deliberately, and pointedly put the phone back down.
His status would show online. That much was inevitable.
She would see that he had been there, that he could have responded instantly—but didn’t.
Let her sit with that.
Let her wonder.
He picked the book back up, but the words meant even less than before.
He wasn't really reading.
His mind was elsewhere, spiraling through the ever-tightening corridors of his own thoughts.
Arisato.
Thirty minutes passed before he finally allowed himself to pick up the phone again.
He kept his response measured, neutral.
Glad you made it home safely. And noted—I'll see what I can do. You sure you want to spend part of your free day with a middle aged weirdo like me?
You must have better options than that.
...Or are you just that determined to prove your flirting skills aren’t rusty?
no subject
Shibusawa: 3 new messages
Hamuko saw the note flashing after her phone buzzed, but refocused for the moment. Investigate the Kirijo Group. Go to Gekkoukan?
And tonight, she would wait for midnight. Fuck, if she was going to try and wait for the Dark Hour, she better at least be armed - Hamuko got up and searched her apartment, searching the boxes that she never unpacked, sighing as she eventually only found her can of mace and picking out a kitchen knife she would be willing to sacrifice. She'd have to find some kind of useful implement if she re-encountered the supernatural...
Turning over the knife in her hand about half an hour later, restlessly fidgeting and listening to music pounding in her ears through her old favorite headphones from high school... these cute headphones that Fuuka had touched up for her, made even more high quality and standard.
Let it go, let it out, let it go, let it out
Take a deep breath, deep breath
(Deep breath, deep breath)
Lay low, lay high, lay low, lay high
Until you feel the vibes, now touch the sky
A little more than an hour to midnight... the Dark Hour hadn't reappeared in the entirety of the strange six months she 'remembered' things from before, but now that she was aware, she had to cross it off the list.
Finally, Hamuko reached for her phone, still tapping her foot to the beat and carefully holding the knife against the back of the phone to not drop either as she typed back.
It can be both!!!
And even if there were more options I would be ruthless anyway
Life is short!! Hit on cute boys!!!!
Should I look up movies that day? Or you're maybe aware of that area better than me, is there something fun like a good restaurant or karaoke bar? I'm down for whatever!
1/2
When he heard her ping again this time it was a more at ease. Just 5 minutes after-! Totally normal.
Though her text itself...
Cute.
Huh.
A breath hitched in his throat, and he exhaled through his nose, pressing his fist lightly against his lips, as though physically stopping himself from entertaining whatever that feeling was. He was at least a decade older than her—so how did she find him remotely cute?
...Well. That was something to shove deep into the back of his mind and never think about again.
He cleared his throat, shaking his head and focusing instead on the actual contents of her message. A hang-out. A casual day out with her, a chance to make her stay just a little longer.
The movies sounded like a safe option.
It had been a while since he last went to one, but there was a kind of escapism in it that suited him. To sit in the dark, lose himself in a world someone else had crafted—yes, that was something he could work with.
no subject
Movies sound good. I haven't really been to a cinema hall in ages though-! I swear if they ask me to get rid of my snacks...
Years, really. It had been years since he's watched movies with anyone. Between the research and the counselling sessions he never really found the time to dwelve into something romantic.
A movie was a good start—casual, low stakes, just two people watching something thought-provoking together. But after?
He couldn’t just leave it there.
He had to make sure she lingered a little longer, had to make sure she wasn’t too eager to leave.
Somewhere relaxing. Somewhere engaging. Somewhere that aligned with his reality.
That said, if you’re free after the movie, there’s an aquarium at Shinagawa I’ve been meaning to check out. I hear it’s a lovely spot from other students—something about the way the jellyfish are displayed, it’s supposed to be kind of mesmerizing. They have a really big Penguin exhibit there too :D
no subject
An... aquarium.
Hah! Something about that shouldn't feel so surprising, but it was... a shockingly cute date idea. And unlike a lot of art, she'd noticed, the animals and nature all seemed untouched.
"Shibusawa... did you notice that too?" she asked, a warmth and relief spreading in her heart. Maybe he only subconsciously realized it, that animals were all the same. That they were charming, and pretty, epitomizing life in its strangeness and beauty. She laughed to herself - of course, she could just as easily be reading way too much into it. But...
It felt right.
꒰⁎˃ ॢꇴ ॢ˂⁎꒱➴ෆ⃛
AQUARIUM!!!!
YES that sounds AMAZING I haven't been to one in forever!!
no subject
Ah.
Guess there will be a new experience for either of us in store then :)
And hey, if the conversation dries up, at least the fish will be good company.
They don’t seem to have many complaints about their lives. Maybe we could learn a thing or two.
no subject
You don't know that!!
Think of all the crazy fish gossip we're missing out on!!!!
1/2
About what?
That there's plenty of fish in the sea?
2/2
no subject
You really had to fish for that one huh?
no subject
I am not falling for that bait. Oldest trick in the book.
[and hits send without even realizing what he just typed]
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...does he have to make it a problem?]
...I should probably not be trusted with fishing I will be so honest with you
Used to do it when I was young and somehow I never got a fish.
A shoe though?
I tended to get those a lot.
no subject
Do you think the fish steal them because they're jealous they don't have feet?
Like the little mermaid!!
no subject
They probably make better use of them then the drunkards who end up walking around with one shoe haha
They just steal the shoes because they can't bear the cost of losing their voice :' I suppose their greed would be justified.
no subject
Let the fish have em!!
I'm all excited about the aquarium, I'll have to actually get a nice camera
My smartphone is deceptively cheap so the camera sucks
no subject
I miss that.]No need to worry on that front. I indulged myself and got one of the latest models just recently.
So, worst case scenario, I’ll just take the pictures for you.
Besides, I am the taller one here.
Might as well put the vantage point to good use—unless you plan on bringing a step stool?
no subject
Smaller and easier to hug close.
But don't underestimate me bc of my height!! I'm ferocious. Like a wolf!!
1/2
He almost typed something else—something gentler, something teasing to match her playful energy. But the warmth tugging at his chest left him vulnerable, cracked open just a sliver too wide.
His thumb froze over the screen.
For a second—just a fraction of a second—his mind wandered.
Rumi.
He could still feel the weight of her against him, the way she'd fit so perfectly when she'd curl up close without a second thought. She used to joke about how it was easier to elbow him because of their height difference and he always tended to tease her about it. Even laughing about how her size had nothing to do with her strength that he could never match upto.
He’d meant that.
His smile faded, the moment slipping between his fingers like sand.
You shouldn’t be letting this happen.
The walls he'd carefully built around himself creaked faintly—just faintly—as something warm and human began to seep through.
His thumb flicked back over the keyboard.
A few mins after
If you suddenly start howling in the middle of the jellyfish exhibit, I suppose I'll just have to take it as my cue to run.
no subject
Midnight was closer. Not by much, but it was coming closer.
Ah, there's his reply.
Howl with me!! It's therapeutic.
no subject
I’m not entirely convinced getting escorted out of the aquarium for unsettling the aquatic life would be a great way to end the evening, though.
That said—there is some psychological merit to it. Vocal expression as an emotional release is actually quite common. Yelling into the void, primal screaming therapy... Even crying functions similarly.
So, theoretically, howling could be beneficial.
But I do wonder—would it be more effective in solitude, or do you think it’s the shared experience that makes it therapeutic?
no subject
The way he kind of info dumps about anything he knows is cute.
THE SHARED EXPERIENCE FOR SURE!!!!
Like yes sometimes you have to cry and scream and confront the thing you're running from and that is important for healing
But it IS better with other people. Because then you aren't alone, then you both are singing out your hearts and harmonizing even with different voices.
no subject
People—broken people—cling to pain as much as they seek to escape it. Trauma binds them together, but it doesn’t always heal them. If anything, it deepens the wounds, makes them sharper, more inescapable.
There’s a reason why shared suffering often feels like understanding. People are drawn to those who echo their pain, but that doesn’t mean they’ve found true harmony. More often than not, they’re just feeding into the cycle—mistaking the resonance of their wounds for something restorative.
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