004 [video, canon update]

[rewritereality]

[The feed opens showing nothing but a cardboard cut-out of an animanga character which someone, off-screen, can be heard apologising to. That apology soon sees two heads peer around the cut-out - one being Erika, the other being a blond male. Neither appears particularly impressed, but that soon changes as Erika speaks]

Oh, it's Kida-kun.

[The image pulls back enough to show two younger boys - one blond, one with black hair. The blond, Kida-kun, is the one who responds]

Hey, Karisawa-san and Yumasaki-san. How's it going?

Hey, long time no see.

[Yumasaki responds, just as a new voice joins in]

Yo.

[The scene becomes wider still, showing two men waiting by a van - one with brown hair who is sat inside the van and one dressed in a navy jacket and with a hat. It becomes apparent that it was the latter who spoke up]

How ya doin', Masaomi?

Hi!

[And here, Erika begins to take an interest in the black-haired boy with Kida]

Who's he? Friend of yours?

Yeah, this is an old friend of mine. He just moved to Ikebukuro today.

Wow, that's cool!

[And Kida moves to make the introductions. The black-haired boy bows as he is introduced to each in turn]

This is Karisawa-san. And this is Yumasaki-san.

[Kida indicates first Erika, then the man next to her, before pointing over to the men at the van]

Over there are Kadota-san and Togusa-san.

[The black-haired boy hesitates a moment before turning back to face Erika and Yumasaki]

U-um, my name's Ryuugamine Mikado...

[At that, Erika and Yumasaki give him curious looks, not immediately responding. Then:]

Is that a pen name?

Why would a high-school student be using a pen name? Oh, maybe he's on the radio or writes for some magazine?

[Mikado cuts in]

N-No, it's actually my real name.

[Erika and Yumasaki both seem incredulous.]

Seriously?!

Wow, that's awesome! Sounds like the name of a protagonist from a manga!

[Yumasaki claps excitedly. Kida steps in to respond, holding a hand up in fake modesty]

Aw, you're embarrassing me!

[He, Erika and Yumasaki laugh; Mikado just looks bemused. Kida then picks up the conversation]

Did you go shopping?

Yup.

Dengeki Bunko just released their latest publishing run, I picked up 30 copies or so.

[Mikado seems stunned by that]

Dengeki Bunko publishes that many each month?!

[Erika giggles before responding]

No way! One each for him and me, and then, oh...Well, we bought ten more for various purposes.

Yeah. Various purposes.

[Delivered with a smile and a laugh from both, though they offer no further explanation. Erika then moves the cut-out so it's on its side, ready to move]

Well, we're gonna get going now.

See you guys soon.

[Yumasaki adds, as he picks up the other end. The feed cuts just as they begin to move off, with some further quiet conversation that isn't quite picked up]

[ooc: First canon update for Erika. Bold is Erika, normal is Walker or Kadota, italics is Kida or Mikado. Video of the scene here, starts at 6:44, ends at 8:32 or so]

Comments

[ video ]

[baaaaseball]

So these are your friends, huh, Erika? [ Heh, they seemed like a lot of fun. ]

[video]

[rewritereality]

Oh, you saw that? Yeah, those are the guys...Ryuugamine-kun we only met today, of course.

[video]

[baaaaseball]

I see! You both were right, he does sound like a manga hero!

Speaking of which..."various purposes?"

[video]

[rewritereality]

Doesn't he! I still can't believe that's his real name.

[And oh hey, there's that same laugh again only this time without Walker accompanying]

That's what we said.

[video]

[baaaaseball]

I must say, I'm kind of interested. Even I don't buy that many copies of things, and I'm crazy for a lot of series!

[nudistking]

Am I getting an insight, perhaps?

[rewritereality]

That depends. What do you think you're getting an insight about?

[nudistking]

Maybe I need to do more exciting things.

[rewritereality]

Well I'm not sure today counts as anything that would really be exciting to an explorer but it was pretty fun.

[nudistking]

I wish I could figure this "worldhopping" business. You would have fun in my country.

[Video]

[material_guy]

What's the cut-out girl for?

[Video]

[rewritereality]

What are cut-out girls normally for?

[Video]

[material_guy]

Good question.

[Video]

[rewritereality]

The answer: advertising. Or just to look pretty. And none of us is in advertising.

[Video]

[material_guy]

Heeeh... So, you like girls as eye candy, too?

permavid

[starblaze]

You have interesting company.

[rewritereality]

I like to think so.

[starblaze]

Why were you carrying a cardboard cutout, anyways?

[rewritereality]

Well how else were we going to get it home?

[starblaze]

... I mean, what's it for?

permatext

[callmeimouto]

Huh... that is a pretty fancy name.

[rewritereality]

I know! His parents must be pretty cool to give him a name like that.

[callmeimouto]

Reminds me of when I talked to my publisher, her name was Fate.

[rewritereality]

You have a publisher?

[callmeimouto]

Well yeah, didn't I tell you how I wrote a story and it got turned into a book- and then an anime?