> "He'll probably try to tell you the shop's closed, for what it's worth. But I imagine he won't object to you doing your thing."

> Miko approaches Alice, and you finally properly see what she's doing. It looks almost as if she passes through the ground, or at least a crack in the floor.
> You wonder if her being a hermit has something to do with it, and if you could too given she mistook you for one...
>_

> "I definitely told her he was affected. Maybe she has a plan? If not, it's not like she'll take long getting back here."

> "Well, if Miko's up for it, I could probably get to Kourindou and fix things up like with her and myself." Alice suggests.
> "Sure." Miko agrees.
>_

> "No worries. Just wanted to be sure you both knew you could join me or not as you wanted."
> Get up and head outside with our course-plottin' paraphernalia.

>You head outside, preparing a telescope and some paper to take notes on. Koakuma follows you out.
>"So what'm I doing?" she says.

>_

> Look to Marisa.
> "It's more that this appears to have been a big waste of time. I could have been doing literally anything else and the outcome would have been no different."

> "Now that's just not true. Alice wouldn't have- Oh crap, you said Rinnosuke was affected as well, right?" Marisa asks. "Aya's not gonna have much success in getting him to identify that ribbon alone, then."
> "Let alone see him..." Miko adds.
>_

> Check our now-ribbonless wrist, then sigh.
> "Whatever."

> The ribbon is gone.
> "You sure seem hard to please. Has anything made you happy today?" Marisa questions.
> "I'm fortunate to get my body back, and have a reason to leave the village corralling to the others." Miko comments. "This might've been quite a headache."
>_