[center][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/684ddb45-4fc1-4da4-89c5-42f0263bd666.png[/img][/center][right][sub]April 10th—Afternoon[/sub][/right][hr]
Emi didn’t hear a word in class that day. 

She was far, far too antsy to listen; if she had any use for pens and paper, her margins would probably be filled with William’s words from last night. [color=steelblue][i]“The previous denizen of the stage has made it to your world.”[/i][/color] Everything else he’d said paled in comparison: that “denizen” was Mineri, Emi was sure of it! Could it really be that Mineri had returned to the real world? Did that mean her other friends were somehow trapped inside the mirror—the [i]Reflected World[/i], as William had finally called it—too? 

The thought was at once thrilling and relieving. Though she’d felt so certain that her friends couldn’t possibly be dead, she supposed there’d always been some little voice in the back of her head telling her that she was just delusional, a grief-stricken girl in denial. But oh, to have something [i]confirm[/i] what she so desperately wanted to be true! It felt like she’d spent the last five months clamped in a vise, and only today was she set free. 

Of course, that made it all the more difficult to sit idly in a classroom all day when all she wanted was to be out searching for Mineri. But what was she going to do, run around Kyoto shouting a dead girl’s name? Getting scooped up by the police for some kind of psych evaluation wouldn’t help anybody. No, she needed a plan. And she had the makings of one, at least, and although she wasn’t too fond of simply waiting for another sign from the Reflected World to show itself, it seemed like her best course of action. After all, two nights in a row she’d gotten signs from William, who she assumed hailed from there; in fact, it seemed that Mineri herself used to be his “client”, if her understanding was correct. Additionally, the mirror still wouldn’t let her cross, so her only choice seemed to be to wait for… whatever decided to come out and find her. 

But at least some threads were popping up, assuring her she wasn’t just entertaining some broad and complex fever dream. People around Hinotori were testier today than yesterday, there was no question about it. It was the same familiar, tense sort of agitation she recalled from a few other locales across town that she and the Torch Bearers had dealt with over the summer; the kind of tension that made you walk on eggshells, fearful that it could snap at any moment. Even the weather seemed angry, judging by the thunder in the distance and the static in the air. The Reflected World was stirring, there was no doubt about it. 

In a weird, twisted way, it was almost fun to get back to sleuthing out the Shadows again. 

Consumed by thought, Emi missed the toll of the day-end bell, and it wasn’t until a familiar voice sounded right in front of her that she deigned to pay any attention to the world around her. 

[color=7733ff]“Ueno-san, I’m glad I could catch you. I just wanted to...apologize for yesterday. I didn’t mean to come off as insensitive. I was just throwing out potential options. I am grateful that you have taken up the mantle to try and work with the club members. If there’s anything I can do to assist, please let me know.” [/color]

Blinking, Emi straightened in her seat, chasing the fog from her head as she tried to absorb what Naomi was saying. [color=E5C4CD]“Oh, right,”[/color] she finally replied, moving to gather what few things she had on her desk. She took a deep breath, stalling a moment as she brought yesterday’s meeting back to mind. How insignificant it felt now, after learning that such much more important matters were at hand. 

[color=E5C4CD]“I’m sorry, too, if I came off a little testy. I’m sure you can see that the clubs are a topic pretty close to my heart,”[/color] she said, standing. A knot threatened to form in her throat again, but it was less pushy than yesterday; maybe a newfound confirmation of hope was helping her to stay strong. [color=E5C4CD]“At the same time, though, I hope that jumping to cuts won’t become a trend on the Council this year. I know the new budget will be a challenge, but like I said yesterday, there’s almost always a way to make it work, as long as we don’t throw things away before trying to fix them. I think we can figure it out.”[/color] 

Unfolding her cane, Emi hoisted her bag onto her shoulder, gesturing in the direction of the door. [color=E5C4CD]“We can discuss more on the way to the meeting, if you’d like,”[/color] she suggested, silently hoping that her suspicions would hold true and that the weather would deter the other members from attending. She’d go to save face, but she sincerely hoped she’d find an empty room and with it, an excuse to go looking for her friends without rousing suspicion. 

A well-timed, distant [i]boom[/i] of thunder punctuated her statement, and she chuckled for good measure. [color=E5C4CD]“That is, if anyone bothers going.”[/color] 

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