[Date: Friday, January 23rd, 2004] [Haruko had previously met up with Tsubame to return the manuscript for the second Council of Mysteries book, apologizing that she hadn't had time to finish it. Tsubame didn't mind and invited her to their next book club meeting, to be held at her apartment.] [Haruko is approaching Tsubame's place, a simple third floor walk-up in a nice building. She hasn't run into any of the others yet.] [Session Start!] [As is befitting the literary efforts of one Bulwer-Lytton, it is a dark and stormy night.] * Haruko walks up carrying a small pale blue umbrella after parking her motorcycle. The umbrella is a cute thing like that, practically a parasol really, probably shouldn't be used in the heavy rain yet somehow she comes out of it just fine. She's dressed up a bit for this, wearing a pale blue chemise, black slacks, and holding a small tea tin in one hand. * Haruko rings for admittance to the apartment once she arrives at the building. "Hi, it's-- I'm here for book club." [Tsubame's voice comes back. "I'm sorry, who is this?"] * Haruko loses her concentration for a moment and starts to go from cinema wet to actual wet. "Aki, Wakabayashi Aki." ["Ah, Aki-san! I'm so sorry, I didn't recognize your voice at first. Please come up!"] * Haruko does so and loses the guilty look by the time she reaches the apartment. Her hair has also gained a cute humidity curl. She knocks once she gets to the door. [Tsubame answers. "Come in, come in! Let me take your umbrella, and you can hang your coat over there, and the guest slippers are right there." She bustles off to put the umbrella into a rack. Meanwhile, Haruko spots Chidori and Suzume at the sizeable kotatsu in the main room, its table portion covered with a variety of snacks.] [Chidori looks up from working on something that requires a thin pair of needles. "Hi there!" she says. Suzume also waves enthusiastically.] * Haruko steps in, ritually apologizes for the inconvenience of being a guest and begins her removing shoe, handing off umbrella, hanging jacket ritual. She lays down her tea tin by the door for the moment. "Thank you for hosting Tsubame-san, good to see you Chidori-san and Suzume-san." She then takes a breathe and steels herself for the next part. [Tsubame returns from stashing the umbrella. "May I get you some tea while we're waiting on our last guest?" "Actually," Chidori calls out, "I got a message and she said she'd be late and to go ahead and start without her." Suzume says nothing for the moment and merely fluffs her hair and adjusts her hairbow.] * Haruko takes up the tea again, walking it over to the kitchen after her slippers are on. She smiles. "I would be grateful. I also brought some of my own to share for the second batch, since we were talking about drinks when we scheduled it." Because Haruko likes beverages, it's not just that she's a massive lush. [Tsubame gratefully accepts. "Oh, you didn't need to, but thank you very much!" She retrieves a teacup for Haruko. "Matcha or genmaicha?"] * Haruko thinks for a moment. "Genmaicha please." She walks over to the kotatsu, hands behind her back and with a slightly sheepish look on her face. "Also, I do have a bit of a confession to make." [All three of the girls look confused. "Oh?" Suzume asks, while Tsubame pours tea and Chidori puts down her craft needles. Just then, there's a knock at the door!] [Tsubame puts down the teacup and walks over to the door. "Who is it?" she asks, because apparently *someone* forgot about the intercom.] * Haruko looks to the door. "It's about my name. I..." She glances back at this door. "I suppose I can tell your guest too, it's a silly story about foolish caution." Haruko curls her hair around a finger. * Izumi calls from the other side, "Izumi! Don't leave me out here; it's wet and I brought mochi ice cream!" [Tsubame quickly opens the door. "Izumi-san! Glad you could make it." "Hey, that wasn't very late at all!" Chidori says teasingly.] [Meanwhile, Suzume eyes Haruko. "Your name?" she asks, as the one not currently distracted by Izumi.] * Haruko 's eyebrow quirks and she's quiet for just a moment. Even for someone who accepts fate fiddling it does get to be a bit shocking sometimes. She gives a quick wave and looks back to Suzume. "So, do you remember when Akatsuki-san refered to me as a girl of the seasons, but more a spring than a fall?" * Izumi smiles on the other side. She's carrying a heavy umbrella and is still dripping wet, but her backback and the plastic bag she's holding looks dry. "I move pretty fast when I want!" She walks in, apologizing, pulling off her shoes, all of that stuff. And hands the plastic bag to Chidori. * Haruko had this speech planned, but she had not planned for Izumi and it's all confusing now. She's speaking a bit nervously rather than with the debonair tone she adopted when she practiced in front of the mirror. [Tsubame busies herself with another round of guest-welcoming preparations and brings Haruko's teacup over to the table. Chidori accepts the bag and starts unpacking the contents while also keeping an eye on Haruko. Suzume looks confused. "I... kind of?"] * Izumi looks around while she pulls off her jacket. She notes Haruko, looks puzzled for a second, and then her eyes light up with recognition. "Hey, I remember you! You went to Sakuragaoka!" [Tsubame puts the teacup down in front of Haruko. There is silence.] * Haruko accepts it gratefully. "It was a lot more memorable to me. You see, I had a kind of complicated relationship with Akatsuki's brother and I was worried it might..." She then looks back at the interruption, feigning a late recognition. "Oh! that... Izumi-san." She stands up for a moment. Squeezes her eyes tight for just a second before reopening. "So, please let me reintroduce myself." ["Go on," Tsubame says.] * Haruko takes a breath and then owns it. "Kinsha Haruko, aka Wakabayashi Aki. I'd gone to Akatsuki-san's reading because I was afraid I would be in his book because I knew his brother. But I wasn't expecting to meet such neat people there. I'm sorry I didn't confess the moment we left the store." [There is a bit more silence. Finally, someone speaks. "Akatsuki-san would never-" Tsubame begins before being interrupted by Suzume. "Oh, man, breakups are *hard*. I am so sorry." Chidori just offers a spoon and some of the ice cream to Izumi, with a bemused expression.] * Izumi takes it, having found a place in the living area. "Thanks," she says to Chidori. * Haruko looks apologetically to Tsubame. "Well, I didn't actually know him." Haruko smiles. "I just saw his face in a ad poster and recognized that Uehara family charm instantly." * Izumi latches onto what's interesting here. "So his name isn't actually Akatsuki?" [Tsubame blinks. "Uehara? Wait, you really *do* know him? Like really really? Like in real life?" She squees a little. "Spill!"] [Suzume rolls her eyes. "Great, here we go..." Chidori nudges her in the arm. "Oh, hush, you'd be doing the same if she said she knew Sorazawa."] * Haruko gets a flicker of a smile at that. "I knew his younger brother. His actual name is Uehara Aka and his brother is named Masaru. He's from a very creative family but he's *way* more directed than his brother." * Haruko clasps her hands together. "But it wasn't right of me to deceive you. I'll understand if you want me to leave." * Haruko tries to remember how Katie does her show of vulnerability thing, now that she's mentioned it in email. ["Uehara Aka-san," Tsubame says slowly. Then she looks at Haruko with a small frown. "Well, *Haruko*-san," she says before the frown turns into a grin. "You did come clean almost right away and you gave us some very interesting news! I think we can forgive a little subterfuge, right, ladies?" Suzume shrugs. "It seems kinda silly, but I guess so?" "Sure, whatever," Chidori says before taking another bite of ice cream.] Yeah, I remember Haruko being pretty cool. * Izumi doesn't add 'for someone from Sakuragaoka' at the end. That's implied with everything. Ooh, ice cream is awesome! * Haruko let's out a breath and sits down picking up her tea. "Thanks Izumi-sam, I remember you being pretty cool too." * Haruko is a little relieved to be saying something that isn't in part a lie. * Izumi smiles! "Funny how we ended up here... hey, are you still in touch with Sorata Kyon? I saw him at one of his games and *almost* caught a ball. He remembered me!" ["So, are we dicussing books or are there more confessions to make?" Chidori asks with a teasing note in her voice. "Oh, before we do, would you like any tea, Izumi-san?" Tsubame asks.] * Haruko grins and nods. "Yup, there's even a funny story there." She glances at Suzume for a moment. "But, yeah, he's really amazing, isn't he. He pitches, works as a young executive at a brewery, and more." She then is chided by Chidori and accepts it with a smile. "But let's save that for another night. To the book!" * Izumi sighs. "Okay," she says, sounding just a little disappointed, "but that night's *going* to happen." [Suzume catches that look but doesn't say anything yet. Surely Haruko doesn't know *everyone*... does she?] * Haruko nods and then adds quietly to Izumi. "Oh, I think I ran into another friend of yours. Yamada Wataru-san?" [Haruko really does know *everyone*.] * Izumi blinks. Wataru? "Yeah?" she sounds a little more guarded now, and then. "OH you were at the yakiniku place! He told me about that!" [Chidori puts away her crafting supplies and pulls her book out of her satchel. Suzume reaches for a bag of mixed nuts. Tsubame comes over with two cups of tea and places one in front of Izumi before taking her seat at the table and getting her book out.] * Haruko nods. "He's a cool guy. And it's a weirdly small world. Well, let's not distract everyone." She gets out the book herself. * Izumi thanks Tsubame as she reaches for her backpack and book. ["Remember," Chidori says as she reaches for her tea, "not everyone's had a chance to read the second one yet. So no spoilers!" "Okay, okay," Tsubame replies, "but you guys are going to love it! It's incredibly *intense*!"] * Haruko nods. "I might ask to borrow it back once everyone's had a chance. I got started but realized I was lost because I hadn't read the first." Intense how? Does Daichi tell Yukiko he loves her? Because he totally loves her. * Haruko laughs. "Dai-Yuki shipper? But what about the *mysterious* past that's hinted at?" [Chidori, of all people, gives Haruko a Look. "Why would you read something out of order." It's not a question. Meanwhile, Tsubame just smiles at Izumi. "Not saying." Suzume idly flips her book open and munches more nuts.] * Haruko looks to Chidori. "Well, I only had it for a short time and yeah... I can do it sometimes but it didn't work for this series." [Chidori does not necessarily look pleased with that reasoning. Meanwhile, Suzume says, "Hm, accidentally committed a terrible crime or secretly evil?" "Daichi is totally *not* secretly evil!" Tsubame retorts.] * Haruko figures she's not going to convince Chidori on this one. "Well, do you think one of them is evil? If it does take after X one of them totally will be." * Haruko tilts her head. "Although that was kind of a mind controlled evil thing. Meh." I bet that Shigure's the evil one, if there's an evil one. Daichi is so not evil. He's *tortured*. Secretly tortured! ["I can see Shigure deceiving them all," Chidori says. "He seems almost *too* knowledgeable and totally not wanting to talk about how he knows things."] * Haruko laughs. "I think, he's probably actually pretty happy most days and just feels guilty when some trigger comes up. But seriously, if you ship Dai-Yuki you've got to love the scene where he keeps ahold of her while she leans to look out of the Tower Reversed. That was too joyful to really be secretly tortured." * Haruko then ponders this other talk. ["That really was a sweet scene," Tsubame says. "But I don't remember it being called Tower Reversed..."] * Haruko blinks and blinks again. "Oh.. right. I always sort of thought of it as a room hidden under was of the observation rooms. But you're right, that's not really reversed." ["Haruko-san," Tsubame says slowly, "You wouldn't happen to have... information... about future books, would you?"] * Haruko plays with her hair again. "Well... there were things I recognize about it. Characterization stuff, obviously." What else could she mean? She sells that lie with a light tone before resuming more seriously. "Masaru was always inspired by the tower. So *maybe* but I don't know what would make it in and what wouldn't." [Suzume rolls her eyes. "You two want to talk spoilers, do it in e-mail."] * Haruko is duly chided. ["Fine, fine... you know, I'm a little surprised at how Mei doesn't show up until pretty much the middle of the book. She's hinted at a lot but we don't actually get to see her until we meet the Council," Tsubame continues.] ["Mei's busy," Chidori counters. "With what, we don't know, but apparently she's busy with something."] * Haruko nods. "She does always seem like she wants to be somewhere else, so the author's got to come up with excuses whenever she's involved. Though at least she's not a jerk about it all the time." Haruko rolls her eyes. Maybe she's got a secret, too. Or! She could be trying to figure out Shigure's secret. * Haruko nods. "That would make sense. So what do we think about Shigure and Kensuke? Neither quite seems to be a whole person in the first book. Like Chidori-san said, Shigure's all goodness and light except there's cards he's not showing. And Kensuke is just being a bishi in his brood chair when he's not wandering around smirking." ["Putting that computer brain of hers to work, yeah," Suzume says. "Seriously, I agree with Chidori. He knows way too much."] [Chidori snorts. "Brood chair. That's *great*."] * Haruko grins. * Izumi giggles. "I wonder if he *has* a brood chair. That's his secret!" ["I have seen the illustrations of Kensuke," Tsubame insists. "Kensuke is *hot*." "Hot doesn't justify a character, though," Chidori counters. "Besides, *all* the guys are cute. Daichi's a little unconventional, but he's definitely cute."] ["There is a chair hidden in another secret room of the Tower," Suzume intones solemnly. "The brood chair."] * Haruko giggles. * Izumi laughs. [Chidori picks up the thread. "It is the greatest secret of the Council of Mysteries." "Oh, stop," Tsubame says, though she's giggling herself.] But yeah, I dunno, I like Kensuke, but I think I'm reading stuff into his character that may not be there. Yeah? Like what? I mean, right now he practically doesn't *have* a character, soooo. * Haruko snorts at the comment and then demurely glances down into her teas. ""Yeah, you're right Izumi. I confess a certain weakness towards the Kensuke as illustrated. But really he does seem to have it together and in a lot of ways he carries the climatic fight if you track whose attacks were really connecting." * Izumi huhs and starts flipping through her copy of the book. ["Good with a sword, yep," Chidori says. "Though where did it come from?" "That's his power," Tsubame answers. "Summon his sword!" "Or possibly just sloppy writing..." Suzume finishes.] * Haruko giggles and glances at Suzume. Also, I've got to wonder if he's a shot at a rival author. [Tsubame looks through her book. "But he's on the fencing team, right? So he'd possibly be carrying it with him..." "I used to fence," Chidori said. "It is a *pain* to carry your gear around."] [Suzume quirks an eyebrow. "Oh?"] * Haruko nods. "I mean, if it turns out Kensuke doesn't have any hidden depths, it may have something to do with the fact that it's a name prominently displayed on a competitor's books. I guess we'll find out soon enough." She then looks to Chidori. "Fencing? Cool, but I can imagine." [Suzume cracks up. "Oh my god, oh my god, you're *right*!"] * Izumi looks confused. "What?" She looks at Chidori. Explain this, Chidori! * Haruko grins. "But y'know, could be a coincidence." And I could be a 50 meter tall robot that threatens Tokyo, she adds mentally. [Chidori nods. "Yeah, you've got your main weapon, sometimes an electric one for judging if you've touched someone for scoring purposes, your mask, your jacket, your leggings, shoes that won't mark up the floor... believe me, it's a *lot* of stuff."] * Haruko listens and her eyes widen a bit. "Wow, motorcycling seems easier. I've got a bunch of tools but at least I can put some in the trunk." What if he just carried the sword? The main weapon, I mean? ["You could, but it's unlikely you'd want to separate it from the rest of your gear. Plus then you'd need another bag just to carry it. I don't remember Kensuke hauling around anything bigger than his normal school bag."] * Haruko nods. And then thinks about that for a while. "Y'know you're right. I'll bet that is a convenient power with sporting equipment." ["Look, if Yukiko can shoot icicles and Keiko can go invisible, I don't see why Kensuke can't summon his sword," Tsubame grumps. "Can she actually go invisible?" Suzume asks. "I thought that was just metaphorical."] I thought she could, but now that you mention it, that may just be a metaphor. Or another sort of power entirely. * Haruko frowns. "She's actually the one I'm watching out for. Something about her..." Right? She's *creepy*. Really, the only girl I like is Yukiko. Yeah, though I think Akatsuki-san likes her. What do you gals think? [Chidori grins at Izumi. "I think Keiko might have designs on Daichi..."] * Haruko glances to Chidori, smiling slight. "Oh, why do you think that?" I mean it does hint that she knows his secret. ["Well, she seems to always be looking at him when the group's meeting and he talks to her more than anyone else does. But yeah, she could know his secret. That's true."] She probably does. But it's okay! Yukiko will pull through. She's *way* nicer and Daichi might talk to Keiko more, but when he's with Yukiko, she's all he really cares about. You can tell! [Tsubame bites her lip. "Oh man, I wish you guys had read the second book."] [22:32] Keiko can have, I don't know, Kensuke I guess. She already knows about the brooding chair- what? What happens?! ["No spoilers!" Suzume and Chidori chorus.] * Izumi pouts. She covers it with ice cream. * Haruko listens eyes flitting from one person to another. "So Izumi, do you see yourself in Yukiko at all? She seems like a bit of an every woman." Haruko's voice chills slightly. "Aside from the fear of fire and the way she loves drawing." * Izumi blinks at Haruko. "Is there something wrong with that stuff?" She seems to have caught on to the chilly tone. [Chidori gasps. "Ohhhhhhhhh my god, you guys, what if Daichi accidentally started that fire when Yukiko was young and that's why he's paying so much attention to her? That's his secret and he feels terrible about it and he's trying to protect her now!"] * Izumi gets distracted. "OH MY GOD THAT'S IT. That is totally it!" * Haruko looks to Chidori and tilts her head. "I could see it." [Tsubame snaps her fingers. "That has to be it!" "Are you just saying that or do you know something, Tsubame?" Suzume asks. "Hey, you said no spoilers." Tsubame grins.] * Haruko grins at Tsubame and grins. "You're good." She then looks around. "But seriously, does everyone see themselves in Yukiko? Like, I do with few romantic books, so I figure that's pretty normal." [Chidori nods. "Yep, that has to be it." Then she looks over at Suzume with a teasing smile. "Look at you, getting all into this."] * Izumi nods at Haruko. "Oh yeah, for sure. I mean, who wouldn't!" Especially when your other options are so great. Mei and Keiko, really? ["Being super-smart would be really helpful for a lot of things, though," Tsubame says. "Would have made exams much easier."] * @Haruko nods and thinks. "Well, there are some books where I just don't see myself in anyone. Well parts of me, sure." She looks over to Tsubame and nods. * @Haruko looks to the other two. Yeah, but that doesn't mean you have to act like *that*. My best friend Wataru's super smart, and he was kind of closed off for a while, but he wasn't half robot. ["There's super-smart, and then there's *Mei*," Chidori says, as if that settles it.] * Izumi hmphs. Obviously, Chidori has not met Izumi's super smart best friend. * Haruko glances over to Izumi but she's totally staying out of that one. ["No no, Izumi, I meant that there's super-smart people who don't act like Mei!" Chidori says, trying to placate her friend. "You should introduce us sometime! He sounds nice!"] * Haruko nods. "I have met him a couple times, and he can be quite friendly." * Izumi smiles. "Sure!" She glances at Haruko, then says, "He is super nice, but he can be kind of shy, so... I'd need to work him up to it, probably." ["Okay!" Chidori smiles. "I promise I don't bite, and I've given up my sword for a pair of needles. ...which I also don't use for fighting."] [Suzume, meanwhile, fixes Haruko with a stare. "You really do know a lot of people. Izumi, her friend, Akatsuki-san and his brother... *do* you really know Sorazawa-san?"] * Haruko looks back to Suzume with a half grin. "Well, in the spirit of the book, I think I should be allowed to still have some secrets by the end of the first session. Don't you?" [Suzume crosses her arms. "Okay, I'll let that go for now. But when we talk about Sorazawa-san's books..." She grins.] * Haruko grins back. "I do really like them, that's not a secret." So Chidori, what do you think Keiko's power might be? ["I'm not sold on it not being invisibility," she says. "Either that or she's got some sort of truth aura."] * Haruko nods. "You base that on any particular scene?" ["People just seem to want to talk around her. I mean, part of it is that they might not really know she's there, but... she's either got a truth aura or she's being used as an exposition device."] [Tsubame squirms a bit. "I swear we don't nitpick Sorazawa's writing nearly this much..."] ["Sorazawa's the better writer," Suzume says.] * Izumi flips through the book. "Yeah, but just having a truth aura isn't going to make people want to talk, just tell the truth. Maybe when she's around, she puts people at ease. Like, early on Yukiko's all suspicious of Shigure, right? But soon after Keiko shows up, the conversation turns around." But if she's doing that, nobody knows it's her doing it. * Haruko looks to Tsubame for a moment. "Well Sorazawa-san does focus more on real world situations and emotions rather than the fantastical." She shrugs. "If you like that sort of thing, I do but not for everyone." [Chidori glances at Izumi. "True, although it could be because Keiko's *more* suspicious. So Shigure looks better by comparison."] Still works! * Haruko nods. "Although she does it a few times, and sometimes when she's the only other one there." She glances at Chidori. "She gets people monologuing. I assume that's what you mean by the exposition device." [Tsubame fidgets a bit more. "Yeah, I like the more fantastic parts. It's nice to have something a bit different."] ["Yes! Monologuing!" Chidori points dramatically. This gets Suzume laughing, and then Tsubame looks at them both, shakes her head, and joins in.] * Izumi laughs, too. * Haruko joins in, genuinely. * Haruko snacks a bit, when the laughing was done, then quietly observes. "Keiko makes me wonder whether anyone like that in my life. People I've just overlooked. Not because they were creepy, just because they were quiet." * Izumi blinks. "Maybe?" She looks at the other girls, then back at Haruko. "But how would you know?" I mean... there's a lot of quiet and lonely people out there, and... * Izumi shrugs. * Haruko shrugs. "Maybe talk a little less and pay a bit more attention." She also mentally adds a note of prayer to that. ~Isao-sama, please help me remember if there's someone I'm overlooking.~ ["Well, there was that one girl in high school with the sword..." Suzume says. Chidori rolls her eyes good-naturedly. "The sword made me hard to overlook."] * Haruko looks to Suzume and then looks to Chidori and grins. "I'll bet." * Haruko is looking up when she looks at Chidori, but she figures she's heard that sort of pun too often. [Chidori looks at Haruko. "You'd probably be surprised if you met me without the others. Izumi's good at befriending the shy ones."] * Izumi blushes a little at the praise, and she quickly covers it with a grin and a V for Victory sign. "Got me here! I can't complain." * Haruko smiles over at Izumi. "I knew I liked you." * Haruko looks back to Chidori. "Well, you do see how I am. All too easy to notice sometimes." [Tsubame smiles at Chidori. "We've known you long enough that it's kind of hard to remember how you were when we first met."] * Haruko smiles. "Thank you all again for inviting me, this is a lot of fun." She finishes her tea. "I can go brew the next batch of tea, if everyone is ready?" [Chidori blushes a bit. "Eh, well. ...oh! I've almost got my first set of keychains done!" She pulls out what she had been working on. It's a tiny amigurumi figure that on closer inspection appears to be Yukiko.] * Izumi peers. "That's so cute!" [Tsubame looks at Haruko, "Oh, I can take care of that, unless there are special procedures for the tea?"] * Haruko stops to look. "Wow! You are crafty." * Haruko shakes her head. "Pretty normal. One of the petitioners at my father's shrine has a family farmer. It's quite fresh but just prepared like standard loose green tea." [Chidori grins. "Thanks! I was hoping to have them all ready for today, but I got distracted. Classes, sometimes they just get in the way."] * Haruko laughs. "I hear work's like that too." That just means we can look forward to seeing them next time! * Haruko looks out the window at the rain for a moment. "At least my lab assistant stuff certainly does." She then nodnods at Izumi's comment. [Tsubame nods and goes to prepare tea. Suzume looks at the figure. "Seriously, Chidori, you could sell these little guys. We should see about getting you into a craft fair or something."] [Chidori looks at Izumi. "I'll see about making you an extra Yukiko. Or would you like a Daichi?"] * Haruko peers at the figure, trying satisfying herself that it doesn't bear some sort of resemblence to herself or Katie. Ooh, hmm. [Yukiko has mid-length black hair and a standard school uniform... but she does have grey eyes with blue highlights.] * Izumi thinks about it a bit, then says, "Daichi! Yukiko's fine. Daichi needs faith to deal with his terrible past secret fire stuff. I wonder if he has fire powers." * Haruko stares, a bit entranced. "The eyes are cute. I didn't even remember them being like that in the book." ["I'm going off the illustrations on his webpage," Chidori admits. "They're more detailed than the ones in the book."] * Haruko shakes off the fascination. "Oh? I'll have to check them out. Is the page recent, I don't recall seeing it the first time I searched." Not that she looked that hard, she left that to Satoshi and Kaede. [Chidori reaches into her bag. "Here." She pulls out Daichi and hands him to Izumi. "I can make another for next time."] [Tsubame brings over the teakettle. "This smells *wonderful*. Thank you so much, Haruko-san."] * Izumi actually squeals upon getting the Daichi. "Thank you! He's adorable!" She holds him out for the other girls to see. * Haruko blushes slightly. "Thank you Tsubame-san. It was the least I could do." ["I cannot believe you crocheted a hockey stick and skates," Suzume says.] ["It was a fun challenge! Once I figured out the pattern it wasn't too bad, and now I have it for future reference."] They're so tiny and cute! * Haruko looks at Daichi. [Daichi has short hair. But, yeah, hockey player.] * Haruko stares for a moment. C'mon Aka, not even subtle there. * Izumi glees again and, after everyone gets to see, fishes out her keys so she can affix mini-Daichi to them. So are you a sports fan, Izumi? You mentioned the baseball game earlier? [Tsubame pours tea. "Oh my gosh, that's so cute."] Huh? Oh, yeah! It was a great game. I was in track, you know, in high school, but I really just like watching team sports. Oh, neat, I did dance but never really did sports or watched them unless I had a friend playing. * Izumi nods. "I had a height disadvantage, but that didn't stop me!" [Chidori laughs. "I can't see much of anything stopping you." Suzume sips tea. "Me neither."] * Haruko smiles. "Good for you." Well... yeah. * Izumi scratches at the back of her head. [Tsubame looks at Haruko. "So, having a good time? You're welcome to come back, as long as you don't tell us your name is really Natsuko." She grins.] * Haruko grins. "Nope, couldn't keep track of more than two. And it only took one extra to let me get into bars and clubs." ["We demand stories next time," Suzume says.] * Haruko nods. "And yeah, I am." She looks to Suzume. "I'll tell more next time." She glances back at Tsubame. "Though I'm guessing not everything comes out even in the second book." She tries to do a thin mysterious smile. ["Not everything, no."] [And so there was more tea, and more snacks, and general friendly chatting.] [Later that night...] [Haruko is dreaming. "It's always the quiet ones, isn't it?" Satoshi is saying.] [Haruko responds. "I... I had no idea." Except she's not Haruko, she's Isao, which means that's not Satoshi...] ["Next time, we'll know better," Hideo answers. "We'll be prepared."] [Session End]