'Celebrities' confused Kanji. He didn't understand all the fuss over this Kujikawa Rise girl. So she could dance and sing really well. So what? Weren't most girls supposed to be good at that sort of thing? He was sure Mistress Yukiko was skilled in dancing.

Still, he had nothing better to do that day, and the girls were doing a calligraphy session at the inn, so he tagged along with Yu and Yosuke to see this girl in person.

There was a crowd in front of the tofu shop, yelling and clamoring to see in, while a police detective stood outside as well, trying to usher people away. A delivery man pedaled by on a bike, the back a giant covered basket filled with goods.

"Did something happen?" Yosuke asked in concern.

"Nah, it's just really chaotic here so the police are keeping an eye on things here." The detective moved along a few people. "Come on, keep going!"

"Why'd they ask a detective like you to do it though? That's weird." Kanji spoke up, thinking it was the truth. Didn't detectives have more important jobs to do?

"Uh, well the force is pretty small, and thus they don't have a lot of people…!" He smiled nervously.

"Ah man, what's this?! The Blooming Rose isn't even here!" A teenage boy shouted, storming off.

"Yeah, what a waste of our time," A teenage girl scoffed, also walking off.

"So it was a rumor after all?!" Yosuke gasped, making Kanji laugh.

"You got your hopes up for no reason!"

"Oh, shut up! Well, I don't want my time to be wasted. I'll still buy something."

"You like tofu?" Kanji asked in surprise. The few times Yosuke ate around him, it was meat or Western dishes.

"No, actually I'm allergic to the stuff. But surely they'd have like, sushi or something, right?"

"Sushi? At a tofu store?" Yu teased.

"Hey, Ma sells different types of fabric at her store, it's possible!" Kanji said.

"What about ganmodoki? That has other stuff in it."

"Sure. Now let's go!"

The tofu store just had a simple row of cloth placed in front of the door with the kanji for their name on it in a refreshing blue. Yosuke pulled the curtain aside and looked in, revealing a cozy store with a table set out showing model dishes they sold, and a counter with a register, chopping block, and box, likely holding the food in. A girl was carrying a giant tray around, obscuring her face. Yosuke sighed.

"There's really nobody here but an old lady. Guess I'll just get something and go."

"Did you need something?" An elderly woman poked her head in from the back, smiling at them. "Dear, take their orders!"

"Yes, Grandma." The girl set the tray down and glanced over at them, revealing she was wearing a plain green kimono with an apron over it and her hair tied completely out of view, hidden under a white kerchief. "What would you like?"

"Even the waitress is pretty!" Yosuke gasped.

"That's not just any waitress…I think that's really her!" Yu said.

"Seriously?!"

"Can you guys just order already? We're probably holdin' up a line." Kanji scolded them. "We just want three orders of ganmodoki."

"Really? Okay. That's simple enough. Most of my orders today have been for cooking tofu and I'm the worst at packing that. We're running out of bamboo ties." Rise opened up the box behind the counter and started sifting through it.

"She seems so different…are you sure you're Risette!?" Yosuke called out to her.

"I'm Kujikawa-san, yes."

"Well, things have been really dangerous in town lately, so we just wanted to see if you were okay!"

Rise started cutting up some vegetables. Her sleeves were longer than most work kimono, fully covering up her right hand. "Are you guys fans or something?"

"This guy is a huge fan. He even brought things of yours to sign!" Kanji pointed to Yosuke, making Yu stifle a laugh. "He kept going on and on about how you were a fairy and an ethereal being and so perfect and beautiful!"

"Sh-Shut up! This isn't the time!" Yosuke scolded, his face red. "We came here on an important mission!"

"It looks more like you're bothering people in their home!"

"Uh, have you heard any strange rumors?" Yu chimed in, leaving them to argue. "Like about what happens if you view a photograph at Midnight?"

Rise paused in her cutting. "Yes. I was bored last night and wanted to try. I don't know what it is…I just know I've never worn that before. And my bust isn't that big."

"You just came right out and admitted it?!" Yosuke gasped. "You're not like other girls."

Rise smiled a bit and giggled. "I know I'm a bit weird."

"Look, we'll get outta here in a second. We were just worried because….anyone who appears like that is kidnapped and we wanted to warn ya. I swear we ain't tryin' to scare ya." Kanji said, sensing the conversation was otherwise going nowhere. "We don't want ya to be in trouble."

"You care about me? Thank you." She finished making the food and handed it to them in a wrapped box, bowing. "I put extra tofu in there as a thanks for being so concerned with me."

"Thanks!" Yosuke grabbed his.

"You can't eat tofu!" Yu nudged him.

"I'm also not one to turn down food given to me!" His face lit up. "Oh, right!" He pulled out the posters and handed them to Rise. "Will you sign, if you don't mind? I even have a pencil for you!"

Rise frowned at the posters, and then at the pencil. "Only for you." She wrote quickly with a flourish. "I'm grateful I still remember how to spell my name! Good day!" She bowed again as they left, but Kanji lingered, curious.

"Wait a minute, you sayin' you can't read or write?"

"I can just a tiny bit." Rise started cutting up some tofu behind the counter. "I haven't been at school in years and barely spoke Japanese overseas. Only European languages. I'm hoping here I can start over and just be a regular girl and learn things."

"So you're going to school?"

She nodded.

Damn, even she managed to go. Not like he cared particularly about school itself, but it would've been nice to have an easy way to meet up with everyone once their classes ended.

"Why so curious?"

"Uh, no reason. Just that…Master Yosuke was right, you are weird." He turned around and walked away after that, ignoring her staring and trying not to giggle again.

Dinner was of course the extra tofu and ganmodoki they got from the shop, Tomiko instantly recognizing it.

"You went to that shop for dinner? Or to get a sneak peek at that Western girl?" She laughed.

"She ain't European, she's Japanese." Kanji ate slowly. She had the eyes of a Japanese girl, and the facial structure.

"I've heard she's been overseas for years and speaks English better than her own language!"

"She seemed to speak fine. And why do you even care?! This is stuff that doesn't concern you!"

"Don't snap at me!"

Ma cleared her throat. "Thank you for bringing home dinner tonight. I usually try to get it delivered, as you know, but sometimes it's nice to give them a break and get something from town." She smiled.

He just nodded and ate, hearing the rain drum on the roof. So he needed to check the pictures too, right? But they never had any of those tabloid things laying around, only paintings and woodblock art. Would that stuff even work? He had no way to know. Still, he had to try.

After dinner, his mothers went to bed and Kanji stayed up, looking for a suitable thing to check. The biggest thing in their house was a folding screen meant to divide the large sitting room into two, painted with an elaborate scene from the novel The Tale of Genji. Kanji scanned through the entire image, eventually coming across an image that shouldn't have been there, shimmering and shadowed, with thick outlines that painted her as an outcast among the fine, thin strokes of the others. She wore an unfamiliar dress and hairstyle, but he recognized that face. It was Rise for sure.

What then? Were they just expected to watch the place until whoever did this showed their face?

Well, Kanji supposed there were worse ways to spend an afternoon.

Wow, for once there's no historical or cultural notes for me to mention here! I don't believe it either!