Oh hey, you're a musician too? Sorry, I'm mostly in the girl band scene, so I don't know a lot of guys who are into it. What do you play?

[ She also... doesn't know a lot of guys, period. The curse of being from a cute-girls-doing-cute-things canon. ]

Okay, well, you asked for it. I guess... I should start with why I have this mascot costume in the first place.

[ Deep breath. ]

Honestly, it all started because I needed a little extra cash, so I figured I'd sign up for a job downtown. A nice, normal job, handing out flyers and stuff, advertising some store, I don't even remember what it was. Anyway, I get there, and the owner walks me through the basics, and I'm thinking this is going to be a pretty easy gig... before he whips out, well. This.

[ She gestures to the two halves of the costume with her free hand. ]

See, I guess he conveniently forgot to mention in the ad that this job also involved dressing up as [ she puts on a voice of ironic cheer ] everyone's favorite bear, Michelle! So there I am in this hot, sweaty pink bear suit, trying not to get knocked over by all the little kids mobbing my ankles, when there she is, suddenly, in front of me. Kokoro Tsurumaki.

[ A long-suffering sigh. ]

She shoves a bunch of flyers into my hand - uh, paw - for some band she's trying to start up. Then she goes, "You can be our band bear!" Band bear. To this day I still don't know what that is.

[ And a brief pause as she turns to Ibara in hopes of commiseration. That's weird, right? It's weird?? ]