Rindo: Mmm.... See that... That's why I like her.. Always the perceptive type. I guess I could give you every moment, however with the way you are now.... We can't risk too much. So for now..
Ichiya: Its almost like.... He's a walking manifestation... Someone who's helping me put the pieces together bit by bit.
Renka: It's strange.. But, it's not an unbelievable circumstance. [Though if I had to guess.. That part of him mentally, he's waiting for something to truly bring him back..]
Ichiya: *His stomach growled* Mm..... I guess I could go for something to eat though...

"But, now the question is... what could he be waiting for..?" Michi thought, like she was continuing off of Renka's. "I'm sure we'll figure it out.."
Michi immediately stood up as Ichiya mentioned he's hungry. "Oh right! I still have to get you some water too! Not quite sure what the hospital has, but I'm sure there has to be some food places around.... What are you in the mood for?"

Ichiya: Hmmm....... Macronall...
Renka: A burger huh? Well, you follow the right criteria to have outside food.
Ichiya: It's not like I'm changing my diet.. Hm.... The taste of a burger..... Ah! Our first date.... At least that's what I remember.
Renka: [Bit by bit... It seems he remembered that one himself.]

"You.. You're remembering.." Hearing that brightened Michi even more, knowing that he's making some progres on his own too. She smiled, "I'll make a little trip to Macronall then, just for you!" She looked to Renka, "Would you want anything too, Miss Mistunami?"

Renka: *She shook her head* No thanks.. *She then looked at Ichiya* Though, I'm glad to see you able to remember... Remembering the taste, which reminded you of your first date.
Ichiya: Yeah.... I remember we headed there.... The taste of the burgers as we conversed...
Renka: *She then looked back at Michi again* Actually..... If you could just get me some small fries.. I'll be fine with that...

"It was the first day we formally met, but.. it was also when I started falling for you..." Michi just shook her head, putting her focus back on the food. "I'll get a classic burger combo for Ichi and some fries for you.. I'll try not to take too long!" Michi said. She left the hospital entirely, starting to walk along the sidewalk to get to the nearest Macronall.
Michi took out her phone, going through her contacts. "While I'm getting their food... maybe I should take this chance to call Mei..." She looked for Mei's contact and then gave her a call.
Mei was still back home, sitting on the couch with Shiki. As she got the call, she was incredibly quick to pick up the phone. "Michi!!" Mei yelled her name through the phone. "You know how many hours it's been since!? You worried me!!"
"Ah!" Jumping from Mei's yelling, Michi moved the phone away from her ear. She then brought it back, "Yeah, yeah.. I'm sorry! Just.... A few things happened while we were there, ok?"
Mei was a little confused, "What do you mean a few things? You seem alright, so I'd assume everything went well.... Did you take care of Taka?"
"Well...... Is Shiki with you?" Michi asked. "Maybe you should put me on speaker.."
"Yeah, of course." Mei put the call on speaker and set her phone on the table so both Mei and Shiki can hear hear her. Mei was initially relieved from hearing Michi's voice again, but now Mei was getting a little concerned.
Michi on the other hand, she hesitated to even mention Rindo. She was feeling better in the hospital, but now that she has to tell them, it was like she felt her heart breaking again. "Um... Well, on the bright side! Taka is all taken care of..... He.. He should be locked up now.... But, it definitely wasn't the easiest......"

Shiki: Not the easiest? Well, I mean if the old bastard got locked up then I call it a win... Now, where's that other half of yours? I'm sure you two should be celebrating with a fancy lunch or something. Or maybe, Miss. Renka's cooking something up for the lovely couple..

"I mean, if you want to consider Macronall a fancy lunch.." Michi said with nervous laughter.
Mei could notice something off with Michi's tone, "Michi.... You said a few things happened.. If he's locked up now, what else could've happened?"
Michi tried to explain but she already felt the tears coming. "Well....... Rindo... He.... Taka used a capacity down against us... I was ok, but Rin completely passed out.. And now......" Her sentence trailed off, struggling to continue on with it.
"Now what, Michi??" Mei asked with more urgency now. "You have to speak to us, Michi! We're both here for you guys.."
"R- Right..." Michi took a deep breath, "Rindo passed out and now he.. he can't remember a single thing..... Not what happened this morning..... Nothing about his current life... Not even Project Frostbite...... He remembers himself as Ichiya..."
"Hold on.... His memory goes that far back!? Should a capacity down even be capable of doing that much??" Mei stood up from the couch, "Where are you guys? We can't just leave you two on your own with this!"
Michi quickly shook her head and cried out, "Don't! At least..... not for today.. I don't want to overwhelm him.. Renka and I have just been supporting him since..."
Michi sat down on bench for a moment, trying to bring herself back together. She wiped her tears from her eyes, "I can't keep crying like this... It hurts, but he reassured me.... I have to keep my head up for him.." She thought to herself.

Shiki: ..... Us visiting him would likely set him off in some way... Then there's something about him... If he's passed out and developed amnesia... There's something more to that power of his.. *He put his hand on his head as he was in thought* He's a Level 5 yeah, but Level 5s shouldn't be that susceptible to Capacity Down.. Maybe. Honestly, I think there's only one way we'd have a chance in finding out... We're gonna have to revisit the Project Frostbite angle.. I know he was used as a weapon of war, but this even further from normal than I thought.

"Revisit Project Frostbite.... How would we even do that in this position?" Michi asked him.
Mei looked to Shiki, "I mean there's also that data we collected about Project Frostbite."
Michi replied to her, "We don't really have our hands on that anymore though... Renka and Kozuki know more about the project than we do.." Michi then realized something, "Actually.. Didn't Kozuki say he'd be the new head of the division now? Maybe he could help us search through more of the data! ......... We.... We wouldn't have to bring up Project Frostbite to Rindo just yet, right..?"
Mei frowned, "Michi.."
Michi fidgeted with her necklace as she talked, "He's been through so much now, I'm worried for the moment he does have to remember it, ya know...? It's like having to relive it all over again.."

Shiki: I know what you mean.... Just him remembering it before.. You could tell how rough it really was for him.. We wouldn't have to take it straight to him directly. However, we need answers. The way I see it, Renka's about our nearest closeby link to Frostbite that we can physically talk to.

Michi nodded, "Alright.. Since we're staying with him right now, I'll try to talk to her about it after we leave the hospital.. Or maybe I'll try to subtly bring it up to her prior."
"Subtly?" Mei questioned. "How would you subtly tell her?"
Michi shrugged, "I don't know... Something like.. 'Shiki needs some help on a school project, thought you could give some good pointers..' I'm sure she'll catch on, right?"

Shiki: Help on a school project huh? Well, I guess that could be a subtle way to reintroduce my name to Rin. Plus, knowing his state right now.. Well, it'll help keep him oblivious to Frostbite. At least, it will for as long as we can. She should be able to catch on, that intuition of hers can be quite scary at times.

"Alright, that's what'll I do then.. And hopefully we'll get somewhere with it." Michi said.
Mei moved her head closer to the phone so she sounded louder to Michi, "Update us as soon as you can! I don't want to start worrying about you two all over again."
Michi rubbed on the back of her neck, "Yeah, yeah.. I said sorry for earlier! Who's the one sounding like an older sibling now..."
Mei picked up the phone from the table now, "Oh shush! I'll talk to you later, Michi."
"Mhmm." Michi then ended the call and laid her back against the bench. "Damn it... He really didn't deserve any of this.... But, if it's to protect me, he would definitely do it all over again.." She then quickly shook her head, "I can't keep dwelling on that, we'll get through all of this!! I gotta stay strong for him! And maybe I should actually start getting the food for them now too.."
She stood up from the bench and finally walked to the Macronall's, buying food for Ichiya, Renka, and even some for herself. She carried it all the way back to hospital, opening up Ichiya's door with her foot. She held up the bags of food in the air with a big smile on her face, "Did someone order some Macronall's??"

Renka: There she is! Looks like our delivery has arrived.
Ichiya: Awesome! I'm definitely starving.. *He said with a grin on his face, matching Michi's energy*
Renka: Even in the circumstance, it's definitely good to see you both matching energies like this.
Ichiya: Not to mention, I'm really glad to see you're so much better.. That smile is what I like to strive for.

"Well, with how much of a mess my emotions have been.. I'm trying my best!" Michi placed the bags of food on a chair and tried to get everything organized. There was an overbed table that she could pull out from the side of the hosiptal bed. She did just that for Ichiya, and placed his food on top of the table, being the classic burger combo along with curly fries. "On my way there, I thought it'd be a good idea to call Mei and Shiki and update them a little bit... They both seem to be doing pretty alright." Michi then went to grab Renka's small fries, handing it over to her. "Actually, Mrs. Mitsunami... Shiki mentioned something about needing a help on a school project and thought you might be pretty helpful for it.. Think you'd have the time to help him out a little later?" She asked Renka.

Renka: Shiki needs with a project huh? *Her intuition kicked in, knowing that it wasn't really a school project* Sure, I can provide assistance.
Ichiya: Shiki and Mei? Who are they? *He said as he began to eat his food* So good...
Renka: Shiki you could say is a really good friend of yours... And Mei, is Michi's sister..
Ichiya: Michi's sis huh.. So we had our own little circle huh....
Renka: [Knowing Shiki, he may have an inking that this situation isn't ordinary as well. Yet I can't have any word of Frostbite coming to Ichiya..] *She thought to herself as she began to eat her fries*

"Alright, that's settled now.. Don't worry Ichi, we'll figure it all out for you...." Michi thought.
Michi sat close to the bed, then getting her own food out of the bag. "Mhm! Mei and Shiki are even dating too. Soo, if you really think about it, it's like we were always on double dates together!" She took a bite of her burger, "At least, I think that's a cute way to think of it. I'm sure you'll be able to see them again at some point."

Ichiya: You know, that's a great way to think of it.. Every time we're gathered, it's a double date.. You know, for a girl that falls asleep in class.. You're quite resourceful and quick on your feet huh?
Renka: Oh? And how did you know about her sleeping habit?
Ichiya: Hm? Wait, was it a secret? I'm sorry!
Renka: No, silly... It's just, no one ever mentioned it.. You're steadily remembering..

Michi's eyes lit up as he said that, "Everything really is slowly coming back to you..." She giggled, "Maybe it was better for you to suddenly remember that too. If you were just to cluelessly witness me just drop dead asleep, I could only imagine your reaction..."
(If you'd wanna, we could have it time skip to around when they decide to leave?)

(Yeah, I'll set up the time skip.)
Renka: Who knows how he would've reacted? He maybe would've even overreacted..
Ichiya: Overreacted? No, I don't think that.. *He said with a blush on his face*
*After they finished their food, they talked for a bit before Renka stood from her seat*
Renka: Ichiya, I've got to go now... This project that Shiki needs help on seems pretty big..
Ichiya: Alright.... Then I'm wishing him the best of luck... Hope he gets the highest marks..
Renka: I guess that's why he needs my touch on it... To assure that..

Michi also stood up from her seat, cleaning up any mess from their food earlier. "I guess I should probably tag along too, huh? If I could stay here all night with you, I probably would..." She said. "You still have your phone right? You can always call me if you need anything!"

Ichiya: Of course.... Not to mention, I understand... It'd be selfish of me to ask you to stay when a friend is in need...
Renka: Like Michi said, if there's anything you need.. Just give us a call... We'll be here in a flash..
Ichiya: Seriously, thank you....
Renka: It's nothing Ichiya.... Now.... *She looked at Michi* Shall we get going?

Michi nodded, "Mhm." She left a quick kiss on Ichiya's cheek before going to the door, "We'll see you later, Ichi!" She said before heading out of the hospital with Renka.
As they left, she was starting to lead the way to the Kato residence. "I'm sure they're both still home, probably with my mom now." She looked to Renka, "But, I've been wanting to ask... How have you been holding up..?"

Renka: *She sighed* Honestly I've been trying to just keep myself together for you and Rin... All things considered I guess I'm alright. But I'm mostly just scared of what happens when he finds out about Frostbite... If he's like this... His mind is in a volatile state.... Like a powder keg just waiting to blow.

Michi agreed, "That's what I told Shiki... I wanted to avoid telling Rin in the meantime because I'm so scared for the moment he does find out... But, I don't even know what choice would be better; to be the ones to tell him or to let him remember it on his own..?"

Renka: Honestly, who knows if any of those options have good outcomes.. When Rin was sent into that war... His mind was conditioned to kill.. A nice boy like him with a conditioned mind to kill. Then you think about the blood on his hands at that point..

"It already hurts to just think about... So to imagine him having to basically experience it all over again...." Michi then shook her head, "I want to stop myself from dwelling on it so much... It's inevitable, we just need to be prepared to handle it and be there for him.."

Renka: Right... All we can do at this current stage is support him.. Though, I can't say I blame you for dwelling on it.. All things considered, I think Rin made it out of this alright... Yeah, he's got amnesia, but at least it's something that we can help him with.

Michi nodded, "Yeah, you're right... And he's even taking the whole thing a lot better than I imagined.. At least there's somewhat to a bright side to all of this." Soon enough, they made it to the home of the Kato family. Michi knocked on the door, considering she didn't really keep the key to this house anymore.
In a heartbeat, Kali was already there opening the door for them. "Oh, you guys are here! And I was just talking about picking you up from the hospital..."
Michi scratched the back of her head, "Oh, oops.. Maybe I should've told Mei we were on our way."
"It's alright! As long as you two got here safe and sound." Kali moved beside the door, giving them space to walk in. "But, come inside! Renka you're free to make yourself comfortable. Today has already been a lot for the both of you..."

Renka: Thank you..... *She walked inside with Michi, she then sat on the couch, then taking a look around* You've got a pretty nice place here.. I'm guessing the star crossed lovers are upstairs.. *She said referring to Shiki and Mei*

Kali nodded, "You for sure got that right. Michi, you want to go bring them down here?"
"Sure, I'll get them! It has been awhile since I've been here anyways." Michi then rushed upstairs to go get Mei and Shiki. She knocked on Mei's door, "Hey, lovebirds! Your two guests are here!"
Although it took a second Mei opened her door, just peeking through. "A text could've worked too, you know? Also, you seem pretty high-spirited compared to earlier."
Michi slightly shrugged, "I'm... fluctuating. But, I'm trying my best for him. Also, what's with the peeking huh?" She tried the push her head through the door, but Mei wouldn't let her. "Oooh, I hope I'm not interrupting anythinggg..~"
"Michi!!" Mei yelled, sort of pushing Michi back and successfully shutting the door.
Michi stumbled back, laughing. "What?? You're not letting me in! There has to be a reasonn."
A moment later, Mei completely opened the door in her pajamas. She blushed, "Or maybe one of us could've just been changing in there!"
Michi giggled, "I don't know how much I want to believe that." She joked.

Shiki: Oh please Mei.... If that one day after school was to show for anything, I don't doubt she's seen it all before... *He joked, then looking at her* Seriously though.... It's good to see you like this.. I'll take this Michi everyday of the week. Not to mention, I think it's pretty great that you two may live together again..

Michi smiled, "It's definitely a possibility now."
Mei crossed her arms and looked away, "If you're going to be this annoying, maybe I'll have to think twice about wanting you back..."
Michi grinned and nudged Mei's shoulder, "Oh please, as if you aren't as annoying!"
A small smile grew on Mei's face and she then quickly hugged Michi, "I'm just glad you guys are at least somewhat doing well..."
Michi returned the hug, "Yeah, yeah.. Anyways, we shouldn't just keep Renka down there waiting, alright?"

Shiki: *He nodded* Time to get down to business.. *He said as he made his way downstairs* Miss. Renka...
Renka: Shiki, I hope this wasn't a bad time.
Shiki: Not at all... Besides, ever since Michi brought this whole thing to our attention...I haven't exactly had my mind on too many other things...

Mei and Michi followed along with Shiki, going downstairs. "It'd be hard to not have this lingering on our minds." Michi said, sitting down on the couch.
Mei sat down besides her, "I mean we all do want the best for him... Although I think this is the first time we ever met."
"Hm?" Michi tilted her head looking at Renka, "Oh yeah.. Is this the first time you've met my sister, Miss Mistunami?" Michi asked, genuinely not remembering.

Renka: Actually, I do believe this is our first meeting.. You've met Kasumi and Kozuki, however I don't believe I've had the privilege.. Mei Kato, Michi's sister and Shiki's girlfriend.. I'm Renka Mitsunami, Rindo and Kasumi's mother. Thinking about it, I guess it's good to see Shiki find someone that's willing to put up with his shenanigans. *She joked*
Shiki: Wha- Shenanigans? *He grinned, knowing she was joking* Still, I'm a hell of a lucky guy.. *He then went back to his serious demeanor* Still, we can discuss that at another time.. For now....
Renka: Right....... You mentioned a Frostbite angle....
Shiki: Level 5s are susceptible to Capacity Down, but I've never seen a case like Rin's... Amnesia? That's why I believe it has something to do with Frostbite... From what I know, that project was unnatural... Conditioning an Esper to be a weapon.. It really messed with his mind.

Michi nodded, "Yeah... I mean, it's already messed with him hard enough where he had to deal with his two separate versions of himself... That alone probably made him more susceptible to the damage.."
Mei added, "That's why we thought it would be best to ask you about it... Out of all of us here, you were the only one actually with him during that Project.. You know more about it than any of us do."

Renka: Understandable... Well, you're not wrong in looking at the Ichiya vs Rindo side of it... During his time on the project.. While he was still Ichiya... I guess saying his mind was conditioned isn't the right way to say it...
Shiki: Then what are we talking here?
Renka: That project... It was more of a brainwashing scheme...
Shiki: Brainwash..... Makes sense..
Renka: Ichiya.... A while back... He didn't have control of his powers.. He'd encased his parents in a house of ice... I was friends with his mother.... "I want to be there for Ichiya as much as I can.. If something happens to me, I want you to do what you can for him." Even she knew about the possibility of her death when he first got his powers.. After the house was encased in ice, that would be the catalyst to set things in motion..
Shiki: Setting Project Frostbite into motion.. But, couldn't you get him out?
Renka: Not while Shohei was running things.. While Shohei was running the show, the most I could do was interact with him... Be there with him.... I HAD to keep him in good spirits.... As time went on, I talked to Kozuki and we made a deal... Ichiya would finish his term of the project, fake his death and obtain a new identity to restart in society..
Shiki: So that's where it all came into play.

"When you say... he encased a house in ice...." Michi took a deep breath to keep herself from getting emotional again, "That was the first thing he told us he remembered wasn't it..? So, it was all the way to the beginning of Frostbite... And to imagine that it was parents who were in there too..."
Mei held onto Michi's hand and then looked at Renka, "So, what happened after you guys made the deal then? How did you even bring it up to Ichiya?"

Renka: Well... I did it the only way I knew how... I had to think as a mother.. Shohei, being the power hungry man he was... He didn't care for Ichiya like a human... He saw him as nothing more than a chess piece protecting its king.. A pawn...
Shiki: I guess that's unsurprising... Considering he went with Project Inferno to basically do it all over again..
Renka: Mm.... I saw him as a human... I saw him like he was my own child... I couldn't imagine if that happened to Kasumi.... *She said clenching her fists on her lap, then releasing them* I assured him, even though it'd be rigorous, everything was going to be okay.. So, we talked and talked... Then I told him, once the project was over... I promised him that I'd take him in as my son.
Shiki: You're a good woman Renka...
Renka: I should've thought of somewhere else to take him..... I should never have taken him to Shohei...
Shiki: *He sat down next to her* Don't put guilt on yourself.. You got him out of there...
Renka: But if I had only thought... Then maybe-
Shiki: Their blood isn't on your hands.... Did you start that war?
Renka: Well... No, I-
Shiki: Then you're not at fault... You didn't set that into motion... You had the intention of helping Ichiya control his power... You could NOT have known he'd be dragged into war.

Mei chipped in to comfort Renka as well, "Even at the moment where Ichiya remembers everything, I'm sure he would never see you as the one to blame for all of it... If anything, he'd probably be thankful that you were the one by his side the whole time. YOU were the one who got him out of the entire mess, and that's what matters the most."
"Mhm, and I'm sure you made him even happier after the fact!" Michi said, then rubbing the back of her neck. "And maybe this is dumb coming from me since I keep blaming myself for his amnesia, but... None of it is on you, Renka. We just need to pull him out of this situation now like you were able to pull him out of the Project.."

Renka: [I know I was proud of Rin for having this group of friends... More and more I see why they're his friends.]
Shiki: Not to mention, that protection clause... You and Kozuki were damn good geniuses... You did something a woman with quite the motherly instinct would have in that moment..
Renka: *She sighed, getting that slight feeling off of her chest* Thank you.... Seriously..
Shiki: We've got Rin... Which means we've got you too.. We're all family here..

Michi grinned, "We'll always have your back, Miss. Mitsunami... Everyone should have someone there to lean on."
Mei nodded with a soft smile. "Although, about the whole thing... Are we saying then that because of all the brainwashing.. that's what caused so much damaged to Rin, even just from a capacity down?"

Renka: That's the theory.... That Brainwash method isn't perfect.. That method only accounts for the human mind... It never took account an Esper as well as the damage from Capacity Down...
Shiki: So the brainwashing from the project is the reason why he's in this situation... He really can't get away from Frostbite.. Moreover, it seems like he cam never really get away from the government..

"Man, it's all so stupid!" Michi exclaimed. "Thinking they could just use him for their own damn benefit.... All of his ties with the government might be gone now, but it's just something that's always going to stick with him internally..."
Mei flicked the side of Michi's head, "Yeah, you might be right but you don't think like that.... You're always one about moving forward." Mei said, trying to help her think more positively now. "Sure it'll always be connected to him, but the best we could do for him is help him look away from it.. even if that means there's a bunch of obstacles in the way. I mean, from here on out we know how to take better precautions for him, don't we?"

Shiki: It doesn't really seem like there's a lot of precaution to it... He got hit with a capacity down, and there's not really much to prepare yourself for that ... Which means you'd need to have an always working EMP... Or keep him on lockdown, which I already know isn't happening... The only other thing, we'd have to do is keep him away from Skill-Out and anyone associated...
Renka: I think the latter would be a bit more reasonable.. Not to mention... That was Yomikawa that took Taka...
Shiki: She made the arrest huh? Way to go... *He then showed his blackening arm* But, if you ever need another approach... I wouldn't mind busting a few faces..
Renka: There's nothing wrong with that approach, but I'd advise you not be reckless Shiki...

Michi leaned back on the couch, crossing her arms, "If it's anyone from Kuja's group, I would go ahead and give him the green light to that... Hell, maybe I'll even join you on that.."
Mei sweatdropped, "How about we keep that as our last resort? But.. even it means just avoiding Skill-Out, at least it's better than what we knew before. We know what to look out for and what to expect now for Rin..."
"Hm..." Michi brought her legs up on the couch, sitting cross legged. "My thing is... That wasn't the first time Rin and I got hit by a capacity down. The first time was with Kuja and Kasumi was the one to get us out of that one.. So, did Taka's capacity down just happen to hit Rin's limit? What would actually happen if Rin did get hit with a capacity down again..?"

Renka: It's hard to say for sure what would happen.. But, believe me when I say the risk would be too high to find out.
Shiki: I believe you.... Though.... I guess thinking about it..... Wait, why didn't we think of this before...
Renka: Shiki?
Shiki: It's hard to believe that those devices came completely out of nowhere... They have to be coming from somewhere... Anti-Skill doesn't use that kind of tech.... Only Skill-Out has that kind of tech...
Renka: So someone's distributing it... And if they're being distributed, it has to have a central nervous and control system...
Shiki: Would you look at that... *He grinned, as it was all beginning to come together* Seems like our problems are close to being solved...
Renka: I won't lie to you Shiki, this is smart even for you.
Shiki: Hey, what's that supposed to mean?
Renka: I'm just saying, as much as Rin painted you as a slacker... What made you come up with that?
Shiki: I guess you can think about it in street logic... Think of it like this... If someone's paying or perhaps relying on Skill-Out.. They're gonna give em whatever means necessary for a job... Hence in this case, Capacity Down..

Michi thought about it, "So, if Skill-Out keeps getting their dirty hands on those capacity downs from someone, why not go straight to the source and take the whole damn thing down?"
Mei sighed, "Are we going to have to get our hands dirty again..?"
Michi grinned, "I'm down for the idea if you guys are. Plus, we already have some connections of getting that information easily... I'm sure I can somehow pull it out of Kuja..."