THE FLUIDITY OF HER movements were natural, just as she feels comfort in this close proximity with friends. Or people she’d much like to get closer to, which was just her way of communicating that, too. Her head’s still turned toward the detective, and in the silence that falls between them seconds pass with her inner thoughts running. Often unhindered and voiced, for the most part, save for when instinct is activated by social cues to follow. She knows when to keep quiet about things, too. Being open was just a little better, wasn’t it? A matter of getting used to and a fact she’d learned to accept as an idol at one point… But she finds it works for others to open up about themselves a little more, too. The Detective Prince was still a mystery in so many ways, or at least she had been. Rise thinks she’s got a number of things figured out (even after seeing her Shadow) but still not quite everything she liked to learn.
She knows she will, though. Of that much she’s certain. And she’s patient; not like Naoto’s gonna be running away from them anytime soon (not that she’d ever let her, for that matter - they were friends now, right?)
She’s only paused by the doorway, a curious expression to rival Naoto’s contemplation. She could tell by the split second of surprise that Naoto wasn’t at all used to people doing this, but it’s just a thing girls like to do, she muses, which she’ll grow accustomed to sooner or later. “Yeah, that’s perfect!” Excitement rises in her voice then, and she smiles. “We’re totally ready for this. So, where is your…” Umbrella, umbrella… “Here, I’ll hold it for us.” Gently taking the umbrella from Naoto’s hand, she opens and holds it right up over their heads. Now they can step out. “Hm? Oh yeah, I guess I am, huh?” Her smile shifts. A little thoughtful, somewhat reminiscent. “Maybe not always, but I think it’s been a little better since I got Himiko. Like she’s there to help me get a better read on people too, you know?” A pause to think on it. “But maybe that’s just the comfort of knowing she’s up there, in my head.” She chuckles, a little. “I guess it’s kinda silly, maybe I’m just imagining it, too. But she really does give me that sense of comfort, in a way.”
“So let’s see… There’s this girl, prime suspect. Karin Hamasaki. She acts so mean when she talks to me, but some days I catch her staring at me and… I dunno, I can tell she wants something.” Her expression grows a little more annoyed now, given that thought. “One of my classmates said she constantly asks people about me and the stuff I do. So maybe she’s secretly a fan who pretends to hate me, so she stole my umbrella because it’s something of Risette’s personal belongings?” Looking to Naoto for her opinion. “This other girl is just rumoured to steal random things from people’s classrooms, but she’s never been caught. And I know she’s also a Risette fan. Namiko Kimura.”
She will have to get used to Rise’s forward way of being. She does not object as the umbrella is taken from her hand. After all, though she will not admit it out loud, it does make sense for the taller person to hold it.
She looks over to her friend. This smile in particular seemed different from the usual, blindingly bright ones, yet she could not say what sets it aside. For all her enthusiastic and forward honesty, there was much to Rise that remained unknown, hidden behind all the different facets she could see, both the quiet ones and the louder, seemingly happier ones. Sometimes, she wondered.
Sadly, she was never the best at understanding people.
The idol’s words pique her interest. This was a feeling she’d known herself, but had not thought to ask the others about. She was always highly confident in her deductive skills, but having Sukuna-Hikona in mind always seemed to provide her with some form of comfort she could not quite define. So she did not believe the idol was imagining it. Or perhaps they all were. There was no way to say how far the personas’ influences on their psyches reached, as there was no available research on previous cases similar to theirs.
She listens quietly to the potential subject’s descriptions. They were both well justified. Of course, they lacked any proof yet, and she could already see how the investigation’s setting would pose difficulty. She will not be able to gather evidence or question anyone openly. She was on equal footing as a student, and would have to act accordingly.
“Those are both reasonable claims,” she nods. “One has a motive and one has an established precedent. Surely you understand we will have to be careful about this. Hm...We could question them, albeit more subtly. I’m not sure you would want me to be directly involved in this, as they would realise they are being interrogated. Unless, you want them to. They would likely be offended, but it should intimidate them into not wronging you again. As for which one to pursue, I’d say both are valid suspects at the moment. Oh, we should turn right here.”
