[center][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/684ddb45-4fc1-4da4-89c5-42f0263bd666.png[/img][/center][right][sub]April 9th—Afternoon[/sub][/right][hr] Emi took a seat in the chair Nakano pulled out, doing her best to push down the feeling of [i]wrongness[/i] that it was Nakano and not Hanami-chan sitting next to her. That was uncalled for, and she had to learn to focus again. Fortunately, Nakano didn’t give her much time to stew, launching into a brief overview of the meeting agenda in short order. At the mention of “a rise in delinquency”, though, Nakano got Emi’s full attention. It was only an offhand mention, but it struck the same chord inside her as the song from the dream had before. It was a posh way to put it, but a rise in agitation among the students [i]was[/i] a cause for concern—though not in the way the Vice Principal probably thought. No, she and her friends had seen this before; agitation localized in such a specific area used to be how they would track down activity inside the mirror. A spike of excitement struck her: could this be the same phenomenon? Another clue to lead her to her friends? She made a mental note to keep a proverbial eye out for any of the same signs they used to search for; agitation around school, needless confrontation, a buildup of anger— Emi almost gasped, biting down hard on her tongue to stop herself. Was [i]that[/i] the source of Ito’s little stunt? The girl said herself, there wasn’t much reasoning behind that message on the board. Could it have been Shadow activity that tipped her over? She’d have to keep a close eye on Ito going forward; she needed to make sure this really was an out-of-the-ordinary event, and not that she was just an angry girl who lashed out at authority or other such teenage nonsense. But even if it [i]was[/i] Shadow activity riling everyone up, what could be done? The thought deflated Emi, her moment of optimism fading into familiar discouragement. Shadows were nothing to be trifled with, and even as a full team, she and her friends had often had their hands full with them. What could she possibly hope to do alone? Her skills as a Navigator were important, but they were only useful with her friends’ firepower to back her up. Alone, she could only watch and struggle as Shadows closed in around her. Alone, she was useless. [color=7733ff]“This is only a thought as of right now, but if we [i]were[/i] to get rid of a club to help with the budget, which would it be?”[/color] Emi was torn from her thoughts by Naomi’s voice, accompanied by a very much unwelcome suggestion. Blinking, Emi turned in the direction of her voice, doing her best to aim a warning glare in her general direction. [color=E5C4CD]“We will not be cutting any clubs,”[/color] she stated, leaving little room for discussion. Reaching for the as-yet neglected form Nakano apparently slid in front of her, Emi gave it a quick once-over with her fingers, chewing on her lip for a second in thought. [color=E5C4CD]“There are always ways to stretch funds,”[/color] she continued, a little more measured than before. [color=E5C4CD]“Kinoshita-kun, I’ll need a meeting with as many of the club presidents as we can get at once. Preferably all of them. Once I have a more detailed understanding of what they need and when they need it, I can probably figure out a way to get the new budget to fit.”[/color] Going over the braille form more carefully, Emi wasn’t entirely sure if her declaration was correct, but she’d stand by it nonetheless. If they started cutting clubs because of attendance, the Choir Club was as good as dead, and the Cooking Club not far behind, if memory served. Not to mention the Kendo Club, the basketball team… ugh, fine, she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t looking to preserve the former interests of her friends, but she wasn’t going to budge. [hr][right][sub][@Hero] [@Entityx][/sub][/right]