[SS] The Ballad of the Oddities

Nothing about this felt right. First they were splitting up, but on top of that she was going with someone and would have to listen to music that drives people mad the more that they listen to it in the HOPES of finding some answer. Above everything, she had Tsuru by her side, who, despite his sudden and seemingly genuine burst of confidence, she did not trust quite yet as someone that she could lean on. But, she didn't see any other choice as people were exchanging phone numbers and preparations were being made to head to their locations. So, she turned to Oda and Minako, before looking back at Tsuru and sighing. "Well, if this is the plan, then I guess I don't really have much else to say besides the fact that we should get going. Before we do though..."

Focusing back on Oda, specifically on the list, she holds out her hand. "If we're going to be checking on machines, then we should probably have that list so we can just go from machine to machine without having to check up constantly. Give me the list, and I'll give you my number so we can communicate." Kita was stressed beyond belief, but she wasn't stupid. Oda probably wanted to hold onto that list for something, but if they were going to do this, she preferred not to be tied to a leash, having to call him every time they checked on a machine. 

Tsuru gulped. Was he really ready for this...? No, he was. he had to be. It didn't matter how bad the symptoms got, it wasn't like it would make him any stronger. Kita-senpai could just subdue him until he calmed down. He nodded to the Judgement member firmly, reaffirming his decision.

"Underground shopping mall... Okay. I'll... call if anything comes up..."

Tsuru took the proffered pager, then stood awkwardly to the side as his partner in this endeavor began her negotiations for the list of locations. He... Didn't really want to be in between them, for obvious reasons.

Oda thought about Kita's request, it was reasonable and no reason why he should say no, except for one. "Hmm I have a better idea, I would probably worry without an update so maybe you could call me everytime you check something out? You can get my number from that pager." Oda said thinking it was best they stay in contact at every step and so placed the list back into his pocket.

"Again, your first target is a machine within the underground mart. It's one of those photo booths which couples take pictures in. So just check it out and let me know what happens." Oda said who seem ready to go on with it. "Now then, it would seem I'll be escorting this lady on a hunt. To be clear it would be a manhunt since this guy is a typical rule breaker. But you know nothing abnormal so let's get on with it? Shall we?" Oda said casually suggesting things may get rough on their little manhunt. But before that, he said his regards and hope Tsuru and Kita stay safe.

"So let's go Minako and find this annoying little skill-out whom seem to be the start of everything. Maybe you can tell me how its best to approach this person without causing a scene. Since it really seems I'm not on the best of terms with him." Oda said as he leads the way.

Minako watched the silent battle of wills between Kita and Oda. Silently she agreed with Tsuru, just stick to the original plan and call if anything came up. Mina shifted nervously as she looked back to Oda. They were finally splitting up; which even though they all hardly knew each other, it still felt wrong in a way. As if she was losing her friends, but they would see one another again... right? Wait... did Oda just call her a Lady?! With a small blush Minako gave Kita and Tsuru an encouraging smile. "Be... safe. And... call... if you need us..." Mina turned around and hastened off to Oda's side.

"S-skill-Out..." the Tokiwadai girl said softly to herself. She had to admit facing skill out made her nervous. Perhaps she should have brought a change of clothes. Skill out hated Espers, all Espers. But particularly they disliked Anti-Skill, Judgement, and Tokiwadai the most. They signified the strongest of the Espers. And with Oda being Judgement, and Mina being Tokiwadai they might as well have a bulls-eye painted upon their backs! A small shudder ran through Mina's frame as seemed to fall behind Oda's pace. She had heard the rumors that Skill Out had weaponry that was even able to take down the strongest of Espers. Although Mina wasn't super strong, it still worried her that her ability may be taken down quite efficiently. Minako realized that Oda had asked her for her advice, but hadn't replied yet.

"Oh.. er... sorry." The raven haired girl said as she stepped into place beside Oda. "I... have two... ideas..." Minako always wanted to join Judgement, perhaps this was her chance. To show a member of the organization what she could do! "The first one... is to... go in with a white flag of peace, so to speak. Reach out to the first skill out member we find... and say we just want to talk. Peacefully." Mina ran a hand through her hair, how logical that would work out, she really didn't know. "The other... is to... get a disguise... and infiltrate their ranks... perhaps sneak by the entire organization, and corner the one you seek." That one seemed more dangerous, but probably more likely to work. Unless Oda's face was recognizable. Mina was unknown to them, and she had control over her ability, so she wouldn't unveil their identities. "What are... your ideas?" She really hoped it didn't involve some risque outfit or demeanor upon her part. Slowly she wrapped her arms around her waist, as if to protect her from any embarrassing situation.

"Hmm I have a better idea, I would probably worry without an update so maybe you could call me everytime you check something out? You can get my number from that pager." Kita listened as her request was denied and as he finished talking, they turned and walked away before she could get in a word. Frustrated, but willing to work with the cards dealt, she just sighed annoyedly, turned around and turned to Tsuru. "So, I guess you and I are stuck together." She walked past Tsuru while patting his shoulder twice. "Come on, let's get going before we waste anymore time..." She knew that she was going to not like any of what was to come, but if she was going to get to the bottom of any of this, she had to play along with whatever sick game was going on.

"Eh? Ah... Yes!"

Despite having visibly jumped a little, likely due to nerves, Tsuru probably span about and followed the older girl. "Eto... Kita-san?" Tsuru began trepidly, "Isn't... The mall, the other way?"

Tsuru & Kita

The unlikely duo had made their way to the underground mall, after almost walking the entirely wrong way. It was like a long corridor filled with many students, chatting and hanging out like it was normal. There were numerous different shops and even gaming centres. What they were looking for was a photo booth machine which seemed broken, and they're normally found in the arcades. There was more than one in the underground mall.

So they had to work out which one to tackle, there were three total booths in this mall they could check and one was occupied by a group of students who seem rather bothersome. And one looked to be in use as seen by the curtain being drawn and the third seemed to be empty. In this large crowd of students many things can happen, who knows what laid in wait in the underground mall.

---

Oda & Minako

Oda smiled at what Minako had suggested and thought it was an amusing idea. The very least she had the right frame of mind and started to take his Judgement sash off. While he was recognisable people were more likely to notice his sash first from a distance. So if they even going to get a chance to have a chat peacefully he needed to remove it.

"Well my only idea was to find him and chase him down until he talked. I can rather persistent. But as you suggested that isn't entirely peaceful so maybe we should go with your ideas?" Oda had said who stopped at the end of the park, they were just now outside and on the street. Across the road, there was an alleyway which leads to some of the hangouts of skill-out. But to the left was a clothing shop which they could use to find disguises for them to wear.

"I'm not going to force you into anything, so I'll let you decide. Should we go straight to them or maybe disguise ourselves?" Oda asked.

Minako was never really the decisive type, let alone the one put into leadership situations. However, if she wanted to prove herself to Judgement-Sama, she would have to show him that she could do it! With a brief hesitation, she squared her shoulders more confidently than she felt.

"The shop." Mina said firmly, as she looked at Oda. "If our disguises fail, then we can always revert to Plan B, the white flag. If that fails, then we can proceed with Plan C, your plan." Mina gave a soft smile and walked through the shop door.

The clothing shop seemed like a second hand store, Minako had never been inside one of these before. Usually her family bought designer, not only just because it was designer but to show off their money and status. It brought a brief shudder to Mina's slender frame as she looked through the racks. Okay. Focus. What did Skill-Out members usually wear? The raven haired girl flicked through a couple racks, picking up some items and tossing them over her arm. She gave a brief smile to Oda, before ducking into a changing room.

Outfit one was way too tight, and would be difficult to move in. The second outfit made her look too obvious that she was trying to hide something. Too baggy, and a hood that covered most of her face. No, that wouldn't do at all. Finally Mina put on the final option she had chosen. It was perfect.

She had chosen a dress. The straps and bust part of the dress was black leather, which flowed into a red and black plaid corset styled dress that hugged her slender stomach and flared out at the hips. Where the plaid ended a black type of petticoat extended a few more inches, ending about six inches above her knees. She had chosen to wear a pair of three inch high heeled combat style boots, also in black, which laced up to her mid-calf. She also decided on a matching pair of red fishnet stockings, and elbow length finger-less gloves. She tossed on a black leather vest, which she left open. She completed the look with a spiky choker, and some skull earrings.

She looked pretty good, she had to admit. But the clothes were only half the part. She dug into her bag, and pulled out her make up, quickly putting on a bit too much black eye shadow and eyeliner, and covered her lips in dark red lipstick. Gently, she removed her headband and the paper flower that Tsuru made for her. Minako placed all of her belongings back into her bag. She put a few braids in her hair, then hastily ran her fingers through the rest of it, causing it to poof up in an unkempt manner. Before she walked out of the dressing room, she recalled the discussion she had with Oda moments ago. She wasn't to speak, unless necessary. She was a new recruit, and if her belongings were searched, she was to say that her first assignment was to steal a Tokiwadai uniform. Any more information was classified. Minako barely recognized herself in the mirror, she nodded to herself, forcing herself to wear a look of nonchalance before exiting the room.

She didn't see Oda right away, so she walked up and paid for the outfit she had chosen. Hopefully she was ready to face whatever fate had in store for them.

The two arrived at the mall, Kita still feeling a little dumb for getting caught up enough to go almost the completely wrong way. She made sure that Tsuru was still with her as they went, but as soon as they descended the stairs into the mall, she got tunnel-vision when trying to find the machine that Oda was talking about before: a photo booth. She stopped halfway down the stairs and looked around, but when she did she didn't see one photo booth...she saw three, two of which seemed to have people in or around them. At first, she thought that the people would make things more difficult, especially if the radio station was involved, but after some thought, she came up with what she could've called "a plan".

"Hey Tsuru," she said, turning and trying to get his attention. "I can kind of count three booths. Two of them have people using them, but one doesn't. I'm thinking that I want to talk to those people and see what's going on with those, but could you go to the empty one and see if it's what we're looking for?" Turning towards the large crowd of students, she pointed towards what looked like the empty photo booth. "I can barely see it, but it's somewhere over there. When you're done, meet me back here and we can figure things out." As she said the last sentence, she started jogging down the stairs and when she finished, she turned around, upped the pace, and made her way towards the booth with the open curtain, but with students who seemed to just be hanging around it.

"Oh, uh... Sure. Okay." Tsuru meekly responded. It wasn't as if he had a choice, with Kita taking off before he even responded. Left with no choice, he could only plod towards the photobooth which loomed overhead. He could almost feel the shame of one who had to enter the booth alone. But sighing wouldn't get anything done. Bracing himself, the boy pulled open the curtain and entered the empty booth.

Having made his choice did not prevent the hesitation. After putting in the earphones, Tsuru sat and stared at the radio app on his phone. His finger hovered over the button that would change the channel to the rumoured one. Once he pressed it, there was no going back. But he'd agreed to do this, so... Taking a deep breath, he pressed it.

Anger. Anger like he'd never felt before... But, it was manageable anger. Anger that let him keep his rationality. As KY-sempai had said, it got worse the more he did it, so perhaps that was why it started off light? Still, an unbelievable urge to throw his phone on the ground and tear down the curtains coursed through him. But it was controllable. Which was why he put his phone down on the bench before grasping towards the curtains.

Fortunately, all the weight and strength in his body was not enough to take down the cloth, and no one was paying attention to the booth to see the tussle.

But while he was not strong enough to pull down the curtain, he was more than capable of pulling down something else- The phone he had set down behind him, attached to the earbuds still in his ear. As he pulled on the curtain, the ever-so-slightly too short headphone cable dragged the phone right off the bench- And pulled the buds out of his ear as it fell. Near instantly, the rage faded, and Tsuru fell through the curtain from the surprise.

Catching his breath, the child waited for Kita to finish her investigation.

Oda & Minako

"My plan is C huh." Oda mumbled to himself somewhat amused as he followed Minako inside. I mean he had to witness a moment of history right? A Tokiwadai student had entered a second-hand store, and he could only amuse the fact she entered one. But this wasn't a secret desire to embarrass a student. This was just an unknowingly observation; you see he could tell without first thinking about it that she was motivated.

She wanted to go through with this, and she seemed that committed for something that's not her problem. He came to them; Oda asked for their assistance so he would never blame them to walk away.

Anyway, he also had to get a disguise, and that was very simple for Oda. All he needed was a new jacket which he picked a black leather one and took his glasses off briefly. With his white undershirt, it had looked like he was just a typical thug. Obviously, he had to hide just judgement band away and did so in his original jacket.

It didn't take long for him to pay and wait at the front. Only to be forced to put his glasses back on as Minako finally emerged in a rather different attire. This was the same Tokiwadai student right and that choker...  Oda shook his head as he called out to her from the front.

"Let's go outside and discuss what we should do next. It's your plan." Oda said confirming he was allowing her to take charge and to see how far she had thought about this entire thing.

Tsuru & Kita

For Kita, she approached the group at one of the many photo booths and the group of students some seemingly from a high school carried on chatting. They didn't seem to acknowledge her at first as she hadn't yet made her presence known. Until one who seemed like a girl from a certain high spoke up after seeing Kita staring towards them.

"What are you looking at?" she said among a group of another girl and three boys at a similar age. There seemed to be no obvious indication that the photo booth was currently broken. What would she do?

For Tsuru it was a different story, his little experiment to see he was at the right booth didn't pan out. There seemed to be something missing in the equation; the photo booth didn't seem to have any power in it.

Minako blushed slightly as she saw Oda shake his head. Her hand flew towards the choker upon her throat, as his eyes seemed to glance at it. Perhaps she had went a bit too over the top in her disguise. She shifted nervously before she realized if she really wanted to sell this Skill-Out persona, she had to carry herself completely different than what she really was! Mina cleared her throat as she followed Oda outside.

It's my plan... The words seemed to echo within Minako's head. This was a one in a million chance to prove herself to Judgement. She had to remember, this was a potentially dangerous situation she was dealing with. She needed to think logically, and only do what she must and no more. She tugged at the band of her left glove, making sure it was secured properly before she made eye contact with Oda.

"Well..." her soft voice was colored with a bit of her usual self doubt, and a bit of excitement as well. "Let's stick to the plan that you should take the lead, and I'll support you wherever necessary." Mina mused softly. "I... don't have much... experience in these... things." The raven haired girl then started to re-adjust the band of her right glove. "And... Perhaps... we should... have fake names... I bet they would identify a member of judgement by their name..." Mina looked at the ground, as she leaned against the brick of the store, beside the alley. "And most Tokiwadai have influential parents, so our names are recognizable as well..."

Yes, that was logical... right?

"Also, let's try to... avoid conflict. If we have the option to watch and move from the shadows, the better off we are." Mina finally looked down the dark alley, towards where their fates awaited. "If we can complete our objective without calling too much attention to ourselves, the better off we will be. Not only now, but when this is over... should they decide to seek us out later." She knew that they would have to find the one Skill-Out member, and get the information from him. But if they could obtain it, and still keep their identities in tact, they might have a fighting chance once this was over.

Stay the course. Oda could sell their story better than Mina could, one wrong word or look could result in a blush that would blow their cover! Stay in the shadows, and if discovered they could say they were returning from a classified mission. That they needed to report to the Skill-Out member they were seeking. That would explain any paraphernalia they would be carrying upon themselves, and take care of actually creating any elaborate story which details could get complex and forgotten. Yes, this was the most logical course of action. Let's just hope things went according to plan. Or... at least as close to plan as possible. Mina bit the bottom of her lip nervously before pushing herself off of the wall. Again, she tried to channel that look of boredom, as she looked back at Oda. "Anything else, or shall we go?"

Kita made her way over to the booth, but it seemed like the people sitting by the machine saw her walk over and didn't seem like they wanted to deal with anything she had to say. This was only further enforced when one of the students, a girl, looked in her direction and asked the fateful question: "What are you looking at?"

Still keeping a bit of distance, Kita cleared her throat, put on the best smile she could, and started. "Hey, sorry I know that you're just hanging out and I don't want to take up much of your time, but I was looking for a photo booth I could use. Before you say the one next to this one, though, I'm looking for one that is supposedly broken. I know it's strange, but I wanted to check something with it. Would you happen to know if any of these booths would fit that description?" She kept her hands crossed in front of her, trying to keep as friendly a posture as she could, given that she was interrupting a conversation. However, with a silent prayer, she hoped she wasn't completely wasting her time.

Oda & Minako

Oda seemed to sigh when Minako suggested that they avoid conflict. It was the most simple solution to handling this matter and that was to strong arm the target. But that was Oda’s more aggressive side talking and not his sense; in fact that decision is much wise and fitting for a judgement member which stil remains a difficult task for him. It was so easy for his mind to fall back to old habits but he avoided this so far since joining judgement.

Minako had the right frame of mind from his observation and believed it was best she lead since his rational has been compromised by the music.

” Yes lets get going, though on the way maybe we should think of a back story?” Oda suggesteda as he lead the way to a known place the target resides.


Tsuru & Kita

There was no power to the booth that was certain until suddenly it came to life without warning. And following it was a soft voice belonging to a girl. Her words seem foreign and strange, musical tone barely heard in Academy City let alone Japan. His eyes widen and his cheeks grew rosey without further indication he left the booth. His small size it would be impossible to seem him over the crowds and as he blended in just after dropping the pager given to him by Oda.

And due to the immense crowds in wouldn’t be long before it gets crushed under the stampeding feet of the numerous students going about their day.

For Kita her confrontation with a bunch of ill mannered students was nerve racking and they openly mocked what she asked before the student sitting inside the booth kicked the screen.

“It’s not this one at least, so get lost” the student said which was followed by a flash. It seems she just wasted her money as she accidentally took a picture. This was confirmed as photos was starting to print as the others laughed at her blunder. The very least it was certain this wasn’t what Kita had been seeking.

Maybe it was time she checked the others or perhaps find a way to get the students removed to be sure. There was options as she saw staff members roaming about who wouldn’t take kindly to students damaging property or maybe they know something.

A back story, that would be tricky indeed.  "Well, we don't want to go into too many details. That is where most people get tripped up, and end up exposing themselves in their own lies." She said softly, mostly to herself. "Vague, yet enough detail to make it plausible."

They shouldn't really give full names, otherwise it would be traceable. Rumor had it that most skill-out members had nicknames. Perhaps they could create something like that. Mina nodded to herself before voicing that idea to Oda. "Nicknames. We need nicknames. I'll go by..." Mina wracked her brain. What could a strong nickname for someone as delicate as herself be? "Amizo. It's one of the seventeen names of Lilith. I doubt anyone would register that."

She shifted the bag nervously upon her shoulder. "Perhaps we should ditch our stuff too..." She said softly, as she looked around to where they could put it. Eventually she reluctantly decided to stuff her bag under a nearby dumpster, hoping that: A) No one would take it and B) no rats would find their way into a new warm home. With a shiver, she wiped her hands upon the skirt of her dress and turned towards Oda, as she put her cell phone into a vest pocket.

"How about Ari or Ario for your nickname. Short for Arioch, a demon of vengence." Mina nodded to herself. She did quite like that nickname. Now that the easy stuff was taken care of, they had to focus on the true matter at hand. "A backstory..." Minako's eyes gazed at the ground as she bit her bottom lip, lost in thought.

"In your... profession... you have to know someone in Skill Out. Perhaps you can name drop, and say that he said if we were ever interested, we should find him" Mina glanced back up at Oda. It was vague enough, yet had credibility. However, it all balanced upon Oda. Mina's lip fell from her teeth, as she awaited Oda's answer. Then after that, they would proceed on their path down the dark and dirty alley.

Despite what she thought was a friendly approach, the people by the machine were...less than helpful. They had some quite tasteless things to say before one of them kicked the screen, told her that it wasn't this one, and told her ever so politely to piss off. Her smile slightly diminished, she looked around and saw some staff members who seemed to just be roaming about. Turning back to the students, she had a bit of a risky idea. The machine had flashed and some pictures were printed, but, to her, that didn't prove that it was indeed the wrong machine. Maybe this was the machine and something else about it was "broken". Yet, in order to prove this, she had to get the students to move, which they were most likely not going to do with another polite request. So, she decided to return the favor.

"That's quite nice of you to do a test for me, but I'm looking for something specific about these machines. Now, in order to do so I have to get in there myself. However, with you in the way, that doesn't exactly work. So, either I could go tell those staff members over there a pleasant story about how a bunch of rambunctious smart-asses were kicking their property, or you could kindly do me the honor of giving me about 10 seconds with the machine. That choice, I leave up to you."

This kind of response only had two replies: either they would move out of the way with a grumble, or they would get a little more aggressive. Hopefully, she was lucky enough to not have to deal with the students along with everything else that's happened that day.

Oda & Minako

"Demon of vengeance?" Oda said in response who then had a worrying thought. "What type of person does she think I am?"  Oda thought as he turned towards the direction they had to go.  He knew that the back alleyways could be unwelcoming even in daytime. Especially for Judgement members, if they can't avoid them they would probably pick a fight. So Oda knew he had to take this discreetly even if he could handle it.

" So... Ario and.." Oda said looking towards Minako. "Amizo? Let's dump our stuff and get on with this little adventure." Oda said casually dumping his clothes behind the dumpsters, not showing much worry about where he was leaving it. He even hid his judgement sash among his usual clothes.

"There is an infamous Skill-out member goes by the name of Junko. Pretty tough, that name may carry some weight. And maybe with them." Oda said looking towards three lads who fit the usual profile down an alleyway, he had to put his glasses back on temporarily to see them, but it was the best place to start.

Kita Tsukiko

"Let the baby have what she wants! I'm getting hungry anyway, so let's go." The female member of the group of hooligans had said. "There is this restaurant nearby we can try."  They seemed to have no desire to get into any trouble, and seem to have completely forgotten about her presence bar one of them who childishly shoved passed Kita as they went by but it wasn't so bad. Kita's luck had gotten her what she wanted, but if it was what she was seeking remains to be seen.

The only difference from just looking was the amount of litter on the floor of the machine.

Minako's heart suddenly started to pound rapidly, at Oda's last comment. Fate had been on their side so suddenly. They found a group of guys a bit further down the alley. Had they seen them stashing their belongings? The fishnet against her legs and arms were itchy, and suddenly the choker around her throat felt a bit too tight. Mina's breathing quickened. No, calm down. She told herself, as they began to approach the figures down the alley. She wanted to ask for any last minute advice. But alas, it may already be too late.

This was real, this wasn't some game they were playing. One wrong move, and it could spell disaster for them both. No, don't think like that. She needed to remain calm, and keep her faux aura of confidence and bravado in tact. Her heels clicked lightly against the stone floor of the alley, as a soft wind whipped past them. She felt her hair brush the side of her face, gently she moved it back into place with her hand. Should she say something first? Was Oda taking the lead or did he expect her to? So many questions fueled her mind. Although it had probably been just mere moments, it seemed like an eternity since they started to walk the path before them.

"Hey." Mina called out to the boys, she could feel Oda beside her as their footsteps died down. That was, oddly, reassuring to know someone had her back in case things went south. She looked at all three of the guys, taking in any details that she could. Did she want to tell them that they were looking for Junko? Could one of them be Junko? Perhaps Oda should speak because if she couldn't 'recognize' the one that 'recruited' them, she could unintentionally blow their cover! However her mouth was working faster than her mind right now. Was it adrenaline, fear, or excitement? Perhaps a mixture of both.

"We're looking for Junko."

It seemed to be the most logical response. If one claimed to be Junko, this could end swiftly. If they weren't and became suspicious they would stick to their story. Hopefully their delivery would convince the three men, and point them in the right direction.

As the students passed by, only one really shoved passed her, which made her turn to them to make sure they were actually gone. "Well, that could've been worse, I suppose," she mumbled as she turned her attention back to the machine. Besides the amount of crap they left on the floor of the machine, things seemed to have worked out how she wanted it to. Pulling out her phone and starting the app, she stepped into the machine, minding the junk that was left behind. She took a deep breath, tuned into the right channel, and pressed play, hoping for the best.

Kita Tsukiko

Nothing happened.

It would seem those kids were right all this time. No matter how much Kita played, nothing happened in this instance and it seemed to be a normal functioning machine as the standby music continued to play waiting for one to spend some YEN. There were other machines to check out and she still hadn't heard anything from her younger partner in crime. Whatever she decides to attempt again or to move on to the other photo booths there was a staff member approaching after noticing the mess on the floor.

"Kids these days!"

Ario & Amizo

Oda stood back and allowed Minako the lead. He was certain somehow that she was fully capable of dealing with any situation. Though he was worried he would be recognised that would overshadow any attempts Amizo here could achieve to gain information. So he turned his head away and attempted to not directly look at anyone.

"Huh? Whos asking?" one of the lads spoke being the tallest of the group, and someone who seemed almost half their size went afterwards. "Junko hey? We can show you while we have fun along the way." the smallest lad of the group said with clear bad intentions. What these guys saw was a young lady approaching them without hesitation and to anyone with a dirty mind would see this as their chance. So the last of the lads spoke was perfectly tall enough to be called the 'middle man'  "Yeah, Junko is at Joseph's cafe. If you follow us we will show you without this idiot." he said boldly while shoving Oda away. The young Judgement member was annoyed, you could see his hand was shaking as he almost formed a fist.

"Hey now, it's not right to hit on another guy's girl." Oda had said casually not thinking of the consequences and stood in front of Minako. From the looks of it a fight was about to break out already as the three lads square up to Oda. But there was still a chance for them to walk away from this peacefully so Minako...

Minako's throat suddenly went dry. The kind of fun they alluded to was totally not what she had in mind. How was it everything seemed to be happening so fast, but at the same time so slowly? Oda's temper was definitely flaring up, and they needed to keep a cool head if this plan was going to work.
Another guy's girl?! She wasn't confident often, but she had to try something. Why did everything seem to be hormone contests with boys? With slightly trembling hands, she side stepped Oda and put herself between the guys. She had to make a story, and stick with it

"Boys..." Her voice was soft and sweet. "I'm Amizo, this is my boyfriend Ario." Gently, she placed a hand upon Oda's chest. If she was going to sell it, she had to lay it on slightly thick right? Now was the time to switch gears. "Unfortunately we're here on business, not pleasure." At that last word, she knew she couldn't stop a blush from creeping to her cheeks if she kept looking at them. Her hand fell back to her side gently, as she lowered her gaze to the alley.

"But, I'd love it if you showed us the way." Unconsciously she shifted, in any other circumstance it would seem like a strange stance. She hand one arm wrapped around her slender stomach, holding the elbow of her other arm. Mina's eyes cast down, one foot planted firmly, the other gently rolling a rock under foot, back and forth. It looked innocent, yet flirtatious. Perhaps she had laid it on a bit too thick? Would they go with it? Only the next few moments would tell.

Kita listened carefully, but nothing came of it. No rage, no madness, no whispers. Nothing. She leaned back and sighed, both grateful that nothing special happened, but also more anxious about when it finally does wash over her. Will she actually be able to handle it?

Her train of thought hit the emergency brake when a staff member walked over to her, exclaiming "Kids these days!" Thinking that they were blaming her for the mess, she quickly took her headphones off and turned to the staff member. "Sorry, but you're a little late if you wanted to catch the actual culprits. There were a few students here before me and when I attempted to ask them to move, they moved but left behind their refuse. I just wanted to test something with this machine, not litter the floor with trash." 

Then, a thought came up as she realized that her luck may have not run out quite yet. "On that note, I was wondering: Would you happen to know if there was a photo booth here that was broken? I-" She quickly realized that she may get in a bit of trouble if she brought up the rumor that's been going around, so she caught herself and decided to...embellish a few things. "I was hoping to meet a friend here, but he said that I had to meet him by a supposedly broken photobooth. I haven't been able to find it yet, though, cause I don't quite remember where it is." It wasn't ENTIRELY false. She really did want to meet up with Tsuru and saying that she just wanted to meet up with a friend might sound a tiny bit better than saying she's trying to listen to a radio station that reveals something obscure while driving the listener mad, but only if they're standing next to a specific piece of broken equipment.

Kita Tsukiko

The member of staff having heard what Kita had said had this unsure look. It was that same look where someone wasn't sure if the kid was telling the truth or not. Kita had the demeanour of someone who probably would be messy, and that was unsettlingly, but it was the confidence that came with telling the truth which threw the staff worker off. Somewhat accepting she was telling the truth the worker decided to answer her question.

"Ah, well this machine was broken not so long ago, it was strange but now had been fixed. But other machines? Hmm, you could always check the place across the way" The staff member said pointing to the arcade on the other side of the moving crowds. "They always seem to not care so much about the state of their machines."

Ario & Amizo

Oda knew what he was doing, it was probably the easiest part he had to play. Since he was once just like them. But even the poker face Oda Taichi almost crumbled when Minako playing the part of Amizo went along with his rash play. But she did it so well it seemed to have defused the tension right now, in fact, the guys they just confronted were almost mesmerised by Minako's act that they went along with showing them the way.

One of them coughed before responding. "Alright, but I can't promise he will still be there." the larger one said who urged Oda and the others to follow. But as they did the dynamic of their positions changed to the point two of them had pushed Oda up front while Minako was behind with the largest of the three. This change of movement was subtle, and it wasn't sure if Oda or Minako noticed this themselves. And behind Oda's back, a bold act would occur as the largest of the three would make a move on Minako.

He moves his arm around her and places his hand on her shoulder before speaking quietly. "You don't mind, right? I'll show you a good time." They were still in a narrow alleyway, and yet some distance from the main road was now moving between the many buildings of the district. Even if she screamed, the only one who would hear would be Oda, and he was outnumbered. What would Minako do know? As her previous act had only made them want her more.

Minako could hardly believe her ears. It had really worked! She was stunned for a moment as her shy composure slowly melted away. Something was nagging at the back of her mind, but she dismissed it. They were leading them to their intended goal right? Yeah he may not be there, but he possibly could be. And that was better than nothing that they had a few moments before!
That was until the slimeball put his hand upon her. Everything inside her wanted to scream, lash out, do something. No one had the right to touch her, without her consent! But she had to remember this was a dangerous mission. And he technically hadn't made any true advancement yet. His posture was friendly, but his voice and words conveyed ulterior motives. This was not good. She braced herself for a fight, but decided upon another course of action.
"Good huh..." her voice wavered, almost breaking. Her eyes were locked upon the slimeballs hand. She needed to focus, because the next words out of his mouth would decide her course of action. "Depends on what you have in mind. Are you gonna buy me a coffee at the cafe?" Minako played innocently. Yes, now the games truly were about to begin. She just hoped that Oda would be ready in case things didn't go as planned.

Despite the staff member giving Kita a strange look, they still answered her question, even pointing her to the arcade on the other side of a bustling crowd. Sighing at the fact that she'll have to do a little more leg work, she gave the staff worker a smile, a quick "thank you", and a slight wave before leaving. Sliding past people as she walked, she made her way to the arcade across the way. Hopefully, she would actually find something this time, instead of going on what she felt like was going to essentially become a loop of her chasing her own tail.