irisnetwork | UN: MEKAKUSHISAN

[It's still pushed up onto his forehead, but honestly the length of the beak means it's still pretty obscuring from above.]

I might have to take you up on that. I never really got to go exploring mountainous areas back home, despite living so close to Mount Fuji. It's one of the things I was excited about when I learned where this school is.

[ From Kano's disappointingly limited knowledge of Mount Fuji that he can only picture as one single mountain on the back of a postcard, it's too famous a mountain to ensure any privacy, and too seemingly simple to play around in. These mountains are different, with the three years Kano's had them as his backyard; hiding in the valleys, laying in ambush on little paths up towards the peaks, it's where he played hide and seek with his guards, and he got very good at not being sought. ]

Hehe... Most people get all excited about the buildings or the food, but the mountains and forest are where it's at, isn't it? Places like these are ruled by nature, not any one person or entity~ In that way, it's a bit easier to breathe out here.

It's very different from back home. Inokashira Park is a nice place to get away from the city, but it's still fairly tame. It's not really the sort of place you go to make new discoveries...maybe it's my inquisitiveness as a detective speaking, but I've always loved finding new places that you're not going to find in any sort of travel guide.

[That...and those places are less likely to be packed. The more obscure a place is, the more likely he is to have the privacy to just relax and breathe, without having to worry about appearances or people demanding his time and attention.]

[ That's exactly why Kano likes the mountains, even when he has his own bedroom at the dorms. Inside, everybody knows where to find him, but out here... out in the mountains, when it's dark at night and it's a particularly windy day, he can stand in the middle of nowhere and scream and his voice will be lost in the wind, unseen and unheard, and sometimes that's relieving. ]

Hm~ I dunno that park, but those sorts of places are still pretty crowded. Does Mister Detective have a good sense of direction and can lead us home if I show you someplace cool?

[ He directs Akechi a little bit further past one of his hideouts, though the path they're taking is still easy to walk on, Kano having mapped out the best way to go where. Maverick has Kano's map to the mountains with these sorts of paths somewhere in his and Akechi's bedroom, presumably, unless he's throw it away. ]

I've made a hobby of exploring Tokyo, so I'd be in trouble if I didn't have a good sense of direction.

[Not to mention Mementos, but the specifics of the cognitive world are best kept to people he or Ren know well. For the time being, it's best to just pretend his experience in navigating is purely limited to mundane geography.]

Hm~ You're from the big city, huh? I'll be counting on you, then!

[ The place he leads Akechi... is to a river, the flow constricted to a trickle no more than ten feet or so across before widening again on its descent down the mountain. He and Yuya almost drowned in this river once; it wasn't a fun experience. ]

[He looks it over, smiling faintly at the sound of the stream. It...really is different from anything he's seen in Tokyo. Peaceful, without the underlying tension of knowing there's a bustling city surrounding the small patch of quiet.]

It's beautiful.

Isn't it? Here, let me get off real quick--

[ He says this while leaning backwards... just let him topple off your shoulders or something, Akechi ]

[Okay then...he lets go of Kano's knees, holding still while he...does what he's doing.]

Be careful you don't land on any rocks.

[ He'll be careful! landing on both feet with as much grace as the cat he likes to borrow the form of, the first thing Kano does is dig into his jacket pockets and pull out an empty glass bottle— that shouldn't fit in his pockets but it does anyways. They're infinite pockets, thanks to some magic bag of holding Tyzias weaved for him.

He hums under his breath, tuneless with no melody, as he crouches beside the river and fills the bottle up as full as he can before twisting the metal bottle cap back on. ]

Alright, specimen acquired~ [ He says quietly to himself, before straightening up and turning to Akechi. ]

Here's where the real trial begins!! We're going to see you move mountains today, Akechi!

I hope you don't mean the mountain we're standing on. Robin Hood and Grimehkala are fairly strong, but they're not that strong.

[ He was going to say something about mountains, but first-- ]

...I know Robin Hood the fox [ aka Disney Animated Robin Hood, the only real and relevant Robin Hood as far as Kano is concerned ] but who's Grim?

My version of Robin Hood doesn't reference the Disney movie, but it's still a good example of the overall story. Grimehkala is a figure from Buddhist lore, the mount of the demon of temptation, Mara. My familiars aren't the actual beings, but representations of parts of the human subconscious that manifest as prominent figures in human culture.

So...

[ Lots of big words, lots of foreign words, and since Kano can't follow most of that, he quickly loses interest, turning back to stare at the stream and just sort of writing Akechi off as a history/theology nerd. ]

Which one's your strongest one, the fastest one, and it'd be su~per helpful if one of them could make you fly, too!

[It's not an inaccurate assessment, so.]

Grimehkala is both the strongest and fastest one. None of them let me fly, but Lilim can fly herself when I summon her.

Hm~ But they're not actual beings, so they can't lift... say... a 136 kilo something?

Oh, they can interact with physical objects perfectly well. I just prefer to channel their power through my own body when I'm not using their spells, since some of them are on the large side. Robin or Grimehkala could easily lift that much, though I'm not sue about Lilim...she's fairly magic-oriented, so she doesn't have much in the way of raw physical strength.

[ Hm, hm~ Can he use these familiar based off the little he knows about them? Robin Hood and Grimehkala, either of those would be useful in certain situations, but not all familiars can fly— Yuya's Odd-Eyes would incomparably be Kano's favorite if he could fly— so if he could figure out Lilim...

He takes a step back, and gestures to himself. ]

What about 50 kilos? Want to try?

It's worth a shot. She's by no means frail.

[ arms in the air!!!!! ]

Alright~!! Let's go, let's go!! I want to stand on the mountain peak~!!!!

Alright...

[His mask flashes with blue embers, and there's a definite increase in the effort Akechi has to exert to carry Kano. Then it dissolves into wisps of flame, and a demon woman appears, hovering in the air over the stream.]

[ The fire makes Kano yelp in surprise, and Akechi is relieved of the effort to carry Kano because he struggles to get Akechi to let go and let him down. ]

Yikes!!! Is that Lilim?? Hi, Lilim!!! -—Is your face okay, Akechi???!?

Ack-

[Okay, okay, he's putting Kano down! Before they both go for an unexpected swim.]

It's fine, the fire is just a visual effect.

[Lilim gives a playful laugh, then a wave and a wink.]

Hi there.

[ He could do without the horrifying visual effect, he thinks, but the fear and panic just kicks into overdrive when Lilim opens her mouth and speaks, honestly not expecting a reply.

...He awkwardly waves back. And also gives Lilim a wink, just in case that's the customary greeting here. ]

Hi, hi, my name's Kano!! Nice to meet you, Lilim!! I was hoping you could do something for me? I was just thinking, both you and Akechi are su~per strong, so I was wondering!! If you were strong enough to carry me off into the mountain tops? Do you think we can try?

She knows everything I do. She's technically a part of me, just...a part I gained in the Outlands, rather than something based on my own nature.

[That last part, he feels, is important to clarify. Lilim leans forward to examine Kano, casually letting gravity pull her shirt away from her chest.]

Oooh, you want to go for a ride, do you?

UN: MEKAKUSHISAN

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