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Please let August be better than July I'm begging

✽ Due to 10+ classes raising their ranks last month, ALL characters have access to the courtyard via the door in the locker area and the windows facing the courtyard.
✽ Characters with 1-10 tallies are not able to get any further past the end of the courtyard before they fall unconscious; characters with 10-20 can get halfway to the pool building before the same happens to them; characters with 20+ tallies can reach the pool building but unfortunately, the door is on the other side. There are no windows on the walls, but from the clocktower, characters can see that it has a glass ceiling, though they are unable to see inside.
✽ Outside, there is no breeze, and it occasionally rains ash.
✽ Characters going up to the 4th floor will feel that the door is warm to the touch, and will occasionally open (see: missions)
✽ The student store opens, with the door propped open with a doorstopper. The npc running the store ~~is currently not interested in conversation, but may be available for threading in the future~~ and is available for threading in the toplevel below. Please see the updated bonus activity page for more information.
✽ Posted on the bulletin board and also handed to each club president before break is the notice that proof of club activity is due at the end of break. Please submit these proofs in the toplevel below.
✽ There is another ad on the bulletin board advertising an exchange student program for the month of October. Applications will be taken until the end of August, and there is a 300 merit point fee. Sister cities include Death City, Devildom, Ishigami Village, Lanling, LazyTown, and Maiami City.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ That pause tells npc-kun that Amami has no friends, it's okay, they get it. He apparently has enemies, though, with the consideration he gives the rock... they get that too. ]

Got a whole store of things to sell you, but first!

[ holds both hands cupped in front of them ]

10,000 yen, please.

[ They can't just consider it sold, they need it to be actual sold, no takebacks. ]

( oh insane — but it's fine, who needs friends when you have yen? which, thankfully, amami does. )

No problem.

( reaching into his pocket for a moment with his free hand, he pulls out a wad of the cash that komaeda gave him for his help earlier. with that, one crisp 10,000 yen bill is in npc-kun's hands. )

I'm not sure about the whole store, but I'm good for anything practical — or if you think something would make a good gift.

( monomono-npckun distribute the presents for him. )

[ Again, there's that break in the smile, obvious incredulity that somebody is paying 10,000 yen for a rock, but they quickly fix that and take the bill and fold it carefully and lovingly before sliding it into their pocket. ]

Thank you for your patronage!

[ Would it be pushing their luck to insist that rocks are practical and make good gifts? Maybe. There are plenty of other things here, though, so npc-kun takes the cuff of Amami's sleeve in hand and leads him around the store. ]

We've got all sorts of clothing over here, with the option of special commissions for an extra cost! Our keychains are a hot commodity, and nothing says friendship like matching keychains! And if you have nothing to hang them from, over here we have backpacks, both in the standard two-strap as well as the one-cross! We also have scented candles and stress balls and friendship bracelets and, uh, [ what else do you give friends ] If your friends like rocks, we've got tons and tons and tons of rocks! I'll give you a special price if you buy them in bulk, or want them made into a necklace or other sort of jewelry!

[ a breath ]

And if there's something you'll looking for that isn't here, all you have to do is let me know and I'll see if I can get it for you!

( npc-kun lucking into encounters with rich boys who have little to no concept of the value of money, good for them! the clothing's one thing, but amami's eyes light up at the mention of special commissions — wait, but actually, all of this sounds good to him. okay well maybe a bit less on the scented candles, but everybody here seems a little stressed, and who couldn't use a little friendship in a place like this? also, he's not about to turn down a sale... )

Custom orders, huh? You should advertise that — I'll bet it'd be in high-demand in a place like this.

( where they can't exactly go out buying their own facewash and things. anyway, it takes him a minute to decide, but his eyes get drawn back to the bracelets a few times, so guess it'll lean to the most amami-like thing here. )

Some accessories don't sound too bad though. ( totally practical, listen. ) How about something cute — or maybe blue.

( think elizabeth said something about liking blue, didn't she? absently, he'll pull out his pda to check while he says it. )

I'm trying to stay on the down-low.

[ This is... the down-low. It's summer break, they can act out as much as they want, but once school starts again, it'll have to be on the down-low. ]

Blue and cute, though... let's see...

[ There's things like hair pins and brooches and lapel chains that npc-kun picks out and holds up to Amami to see what would look nicest on him, but also a variety of friendship bracelets that aren't all nice and neat and even and npc-kun may or may not have made them themselves on those slow days when nobody stops by their shop.

...

... ]

I don't know if blue's your color.

( damn... just says it right to his face when he's wearing a blue shirt, huh? savage. amami takes it in stride though. )

Don't worry, they're not for me. Someone's birthday is coming up and I kind of owe her.

( he owes a lot of people at this point, doesn't he... anyway, it's elizabeth he has to thank for saihara ending up okay, so it'd be pretty awful of him to skip out on her (newly granted?) birthday. amami will even offer to show npc-kun the screen, where he's brought up her post. )

I'm not sure if you could get ahold of some of the things in here, but something blue could work for now. Oh — the cute is separate though.

( for someone else, he means. anyway, sorry npc-kun but that stuff looks cheap as hell; the bracelets, at least, have some charm, so he's more drawn to those for now. they're endearing? and she seemed the type of eccentric who'd appreciate them even if they aren't perfectly made. )

[ Look... Amami deserves other colored shirts. That he can buy right here. From shopkeep-kun.

Think about it while npc-kun takes the pda in their hands to read the post. ]

Who's the cute for? [ they ask, only half listening, because they reading and listening at the same time is hard. ]

I guess... the stuff on my secret menu could count as interesting. Or I could get you a thesaurus— one of those nice old ones with outdated text but it's okay because the paper smells like vanilla.

( it will be thought about — if all else fails, maybe he can come back for a custom order. for now, it's gift shop time. )

If there's something you have in mind, I'm interested. ( but he's not sure if one purchase is enough for the frequent flyers bonus here, so. )

Otherwise, if you can get me a thesaurus too before then, I'll take it.

( backtracking a bit: )

And the cute one's for a friend of mine — Rika-chan. She's had it pretty hard lately, so I want to get something for her too.

Sure, I can get you a thesaurus. Have 100,000 yen on hand in two days.

[ Makes a mental note to—- no, they're going to forget, so they return to the counter to find a pen and writes "thesaurus" on the back of their hand. There. Shopping list before work tomorrow. ]

What does she like, though? Cute's subjective, and blue is so broad... You need to tell me what would make your friends happy. Then I can find one that suits their tastes.

No problem.

( like yeah, that's easy — is pretty much what runs through amami's mind. kinda like he's forgetting that his funds are finite here. and listen, full disclosure, but he'll just agree to everything for the fact; whether he's actually got enough to cover everything? that can be your call whenever it's time to pay up. )

Elizabeth, her taste seems a little strange, but she seems like the type who appreciates the simple things just as much as things that are strange or unusual. As long as it's interesting or new to her. As for Rika-chan, I know she likes pink, and I'm pretty sure she's a fan of stickers too.

[ Can't believe npc-kun's going to have to go after Amami with a smashing rock if he doesn't have enough money.

They seem to think about it, though, something strange but simple... something new... It's tough, when they don't know these people at all, what they already own, what they've already seen.

... ]

What... are their favorite animals? Everybody likes animals. That'll be easier for me to work off of.

( and you know what, they're valid for that. if the bracket text from other threads is anything to go by, they won't be the only one! )

Mm, maybe turtles for Rika-chan? And Elizabeth would be...

( this one takes him a moment, but once he realizes? )

...

( sleepover king's game flashbacks. )

She seems like a dog person.

[ Life is hard when you have a side job as a debt collector. ]

Pink turtles and blue dogs... Okay. You're going to pay me commission prices for these, and if they don't like it, that's your problem, not mine. Do I have a deadline?

( pink turtles and blue dogs... kinda wondering what npc-kun is planning, but going with it anyway. )

That works. If you can get Elizabeth's to me before the 21st, and for Rika-chan's, would early September be okay?

( he's not sure what the plan is, so it's hard to say how much time he needs to give them for it.

actually HOLD ON A MINUTE... )

Wait, actually — could it be a rat? Instead of a turtle.

( so busy war flashbacking to the petplay incident, that the entire baby rat incident almost entirely slipped his (my) mind. )

[ has that baby rat gotten eaten yet, where is it ]

Sure! That's plenty of time, and even better for me: I'm much better at drawing rats than I am at turtles!

[ They're a kid with kid resources, it's not going to be a very grand plan, please ]

( pestilence... was it pestilence? pestilence is taking good care of it somewhere out there. surely rika will summon them and prove it. )

I'll be counting on you then.

( draw......... god he hopes he can trust this kid with this. do your best npc-kun! )

You also mentioned some backpacks and keychains — can I get one of each?

( backpacks actually sound useful... and he agreed to buy a keychain on the recommendation of the person who gave them such a glowing review. )

[ When she does, the white cat will be right there.

Anyways, it'll be fine, it's fine, how good npc-kun is depends on what I can find off google images. ]

Yeah! Here's— oh.

[ scribbles "pink rat" and "blue dog" on their hand, and then goes back to gesturing grandly at their little collection of backpacks. ]

What style backpack would you like? We've got ones with lots of pockets, ones that are extra wide to fit laptops in, ones with squishy straps, ones with— oh! this one has TWO water bottle holders! and this one here has lots and lots of zippers so you can buy and hang a dozen keychains!

[ Which they're going to grab a handful of and hold out to Amami because he needs a keychain for every zipper. ]

( hmm, they got anything like this? amami will zero in on something along that style first, checking the quality of the material and how much the pockets can fit if npc-kun will let him, and offering a smile in their direction at the abundance of keychains. )

Not sure if I need a dozen. How does two sound?

( the energy is cute... makes him almost want to buy them all, but he'll cut a compromise with himself on this one.

when they learn the magic words to his heart ("onii-chan") he'll buy out every keychain and more though, and that's a promise. )

[ when will they hear somebody call him onii-chan and learn the magic words and abuse it to hell and back...

There is absolutely a backpack in that style and whatever color he likes, and while npc-kun keeps a close eye at Amami looking over the backpack, all caution is dropped when he agrees to buy TWO keychains. ]

Really really? Yes!!!!

[ Another sale!!!!!! yes yes yes

a little happy dance where they stand, and then they go ahead and clip two of the keychains to the backpack so Amami has no choice but to buy this too. The rest of the keychains get carefully deposited back into the box and npc-kun goes to stand in front of Amami again with their hands cupped in front of them. ]

Total is 300,000 yen, please!

( komaeda would surely rat him out. otherwise, good luck, npc-kun — i believe in you. )

Got it. Just a minute.

( not the happy dance... stop them. the energy's infectious, and amami can't help but feel a bit excited for them too. but wherever the counter is in here, he'll sling the bag over his shoulder and wander back over there to count the cash onto that surface instead. )

[ Komaeda... counting on you

The counter's towards the back away from the door, and npc-kun goes to stand on the other side of it and lean their elbows against the surface like :3c while Amami counts the cash, trying to estimate how much he has in total and how many more sales they can possibly squeeze out of him before he has to go to the bank.

... ]

Did you... come from a super rich family? Must be nice.

Yeah, something like that.

( it takes a moment for him to answer, processing the words while he tries not to lose count of where he's at. give him a bit longer though, and he seems to catch himself. )

Oh, I can't get in contact with them right now though, so it's been kind of limited.

( he says that as if he's not counting out thousands of yen as they speak. either way, his eyes flicker up to meet theirs momentarily, and while it doesn't sound like it would be in good taste to return a question like that directly, it does make him kind of curious... )

Are you saving up for something?

[ Must be nice!!!!! Sighs... Maybe they can get Amami to agree to a will too... Komaeda looks like he's at the end of his life, so it shouldn't be long before he kicks the bucket and then npc-kun can remarry.

... ]

Yeah.

[ There is no elaboration on what they're saving up for, but... yeah. ]

I hope they come home soon. Your family.

( not npc-kun playing the field. solid strategy; maybe amami can write them in for half. )

I'm the one who's away from home right now.

( he'll correct it, and though he says it simply, it's easy to tell from the grimace pulled across his lips that he's none too happy about the fact. his counting begins to slow, drawing to a stop with the bills lying out for npc-kun to take whenever they like. amami, for his part, just leans against the counter, resting his chin against the palm of his hand. )

But I guess it's not like I actually go back all that often in the first place.

( a few days here, a week there — but never for long. )

[ half the will when Amami has an entire actual family to leave things to, please,

Despite the money on the table, it's that thought that passes through npc-kun's mind as well, eyes downcast and brows furrowed without seeming to see the money on the table until the lack of movement becomes apparent and they reach over and scoops it all up without counting. ]

You go home for the money and then leave? Or are you doing something more important than being with family?

Please let August be better than July I'm begging

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