Yosuke and Koharu squint as they try to look through the window of a small visitor center at the mountain’s summit. There is little else there, the parking lot and the picnicking area entirely abandoned, and one of the building’s walls covered in graffiti, indicating it hasn’t been serving its purpose for weeks now. From the picnicking area, a viewing platform with a handful of rusted, coin-operated telescopes, the city should be visible in the distance, but with most of its lights out, it is little more than a few scattershot blips in the darkness. The same darkness makes it impossible for Yosuke to see what is going inside the center, which all but confirms his suspicions.

Yosuke: Yeah, I don’t think there’s anybody in there… Door’s locked, obviously.

Koharu: (she turns to leave) Outta the way.

Yosuke: Huh, what—

Koharu: (she picks up a large rock the size of a football, and after a wobbly running start, hurls it at the window, shattering the glass)

Yosuke: A-Are you out of your mind?

Koharu: Any better idea? Help me get up.

Yosuke: I don’t want you to get hurt—

Koharu: It’s just glass. I’ll manage. C’mon. (she raises her leg for Yosuke to give her a boost, grabbing onto the windowsill and, with considerable effort, clambering on, before carefully squeezing through the hole in the window and jumping back down) … Ngh.

Yosuke: (he raises his voice, to make sure Koharu can hear him from inside) You… You okay?

Koharu: (she gets up, groaning, and digs through the backpack Yasu gave her to pull out a flashlight) I’m fine. Open up the front door from inside.

Yosuke: Ah, err… sure.

Using the dim beam emitting from the flashlight, Koharu is able to make out her surroundings. She is in a small office space, one that clearly hasn’t been used in weeks, though the paperwork still lying on the sole desk indicates it was abandoned in a hurry, as if someone went home one day without knowing they wouldn’t return. Without hesitation, she heads towards the light switch next to the room’s entrance, but flicking it doesn’t seem to do anything.

Koharu: Shit.

Returning to the desk, she pulls open its various drawers, tossing out notebooks, writing utensils and boxes of paper clips before finding what she is looking for: an old key ring with various keys, labeled “ᴠɪꜱɪᴛᴏʀ ᴄᴇɴᴛᴇʀ (ꜱᴘᴀʀᴇ)”. Nearly stumbling over a cardboard box containing what seem to be various items left behind by hiking families at the picnicking area — a stuffed animal, a hiking trail guide from the year 1986 and a thick, wool scarf, which Koharu promptly claims for herself — she walks back towards the door and unlocks it, opening it to find herself into a small hallway. 

To the left, the hallway leads towards two doors, one labeled “WC” — no need to check there for now — and one marked with the symbol of a lightning bolt. To the right, however, it gives way to a larger waiting area — little more than a few-square-foot space with some benches, tables and chairs, deactivated vending machines and a several racks with maps and flyers advertising all sorts of sightseeing spots in the vicinity of the trail, but enough to safely spend the night. 

With a sigh of relief, she unlocks the door with the lightning bolt and, after some looking around, manages to locate and reactivate the building’s fuse box, which immediately turns on the lights in the waiting area. Afterwards, she heads towards the front door and unlocks it as well, opening it up to see Yosuke waiting outside, his back turned to the door as he’s browsing through the pictures on his camera.

Koharu: What is that?

Yosuke: (startled, he quickly shuts off the camera, turning around to hide the screen from Koharu’s view) Huh… W-What?

Koharu: That. That picture you were looking at.

Yosuke: Oh, I just took a picture of the moon. It looked real nice.

Koharu: … That was a picture of Rinju and Hikarizaka.

Yosuke: Huh? What? … Who?

Koharu: How do you know these two?

Yosuke: I, err, I… I don’t. I have no idea who you’re talking about. Are you s—

Koharu: I saw what I saw. (she holds out her hand) Gimme.

Yosuke: … You wanna hold hands?

Koharu: The camera!

Yosuke: Camera? Which camera?

Koharu: Your camera!

Yosuke: Do you wanna see a picture I took? Cause I can show you, I mean, I’d rather not other people handle it, it’s pretty expensive, so—

Koharu: Why do you have a picture of them? You’ve never even met them!

Yosuke: … from the Internet?

Koharu: (she glares)

Yosuke: Dude, it’s just some random picture I took of some random girls I saw in the streets! C-Chill out! I didn’t know they were your friends, it’s a coincidence, I swear!

Koharu: Taking pictures of random girls in the streets?

Yosuke: (he turns red) I-I just thought they were pretty, okay? (he mutters) Guess I’m into these kinds of… alt girls. S-So sue me!

Koharu: (for a split second, her eyes do a quick check-up of what she’s wearing herself) … They sure could… for you taking their picture without their consent.

Yosuke: I-Is that what all this is about? Cut me some slack, senpai—

Koharu: Show me that picture.

Yosuke: N-No…! It’s private!

Koharu: What are you talking about?

Yosuke: Photographer’s pride! I need to do some editing work on it before I can show it to anyone!

Koharu: You offered to show it just five seconds ago!

Yosuke: Can’t a guy change his mind?

Koharu: Gimme the camera.

Yosuke: W-What is this even about?

Koharu: (she tries to grab the camera, but Yosuke evades her, trying to hold up the device so it’s out of Koharu’s reach)

Yasu: Hey! (her voice is booming enough to get both of their attention) What’s going on here? (standing not far behind her is Hanako and Shinju, all three staring at the scene before them)

Yosuke: Nothing! We’re just playing around.

Koharu: He’s been taking candid pictures of our friends.

Yosuke: W-Why’d you have to say it like that? That makes me sound like some kind of pervert!

Yasu: (folding her arms across her chest, Yasu approaches, staring directly at Yosuke) Explain.

Yosuke: (he holds out his arms) Look, I was going through my pictures. Senpai caught a glimpse and thought she recognized some people she knew, but I can assure you I have no idea who these people are. I… You can look through my camera, I swear to God — it’s just a coincidence; I don’t even know which picture she’s talking about.

Koharu: The one with Rinju and Hikarizaka in it.

Yosuke: I don’t know who these people are, okay? Look, just have a look, okay? I can guarantee you she’s just imagining things, and if you recognize any of your friends in my pictures, I can assure you it’s just a coincidence. I take a bunch of pictures when I’m out and about.

Koharu: Took a picture of them because you thought they were attractive. Said so yourself.

Yosuke: I didn’t say that.

Koharu: You… You did.

Yosuke: Senpai… You’re imagining things. I mean… Maybe you imagined it, or, or… that does seem like the kind of thing I’d say, but I didn’t… A-Are you okay? I know it’s late.

Koharu: (she doesn’t immediately talk back to him, instead looking to the side with a worried frown considering his words) You… You said that…

Yosuke: I said I took pictures of all kinds of people, and then… you chewed me out for photographing people without their consent, remember?

Koharu: Y-Yeah… Yeah.

Hanako: (stepping between Yasu and Yosuke, Hanako gives him a concerned, yet disapproving look) Yosuke… even if you are our photographer, it’s not right to take pictures of people outside of school without their consent. You know that, right? (turning to glance back at Yasu, her eyes flash briefly with a subtle knowing between the two before she looks back at Yosuke) Besides, it’s not like you two to bicker like this.

Yosuke: I… I guess. I mean, I’m not a creep, it’s… it’s just, I like taking pictures of the city, and the city has people in it, y’know? I mean, I… s-sorry. I shouldn’t. I know.

Koharu: …

Hanako: Just… keep it in mind, Yosuke. For the future. Okay? (for the briefest of moments, while Yosuke isn’t looking, Hanako’s eye catches Koharu’s, the same knowing, trusting look that she gave to Yasu clear as day) 

Yosuke: Yeah. yeah, yeah, yeah, wouldn’t wanna let you down.

Shinju: Did you say you got a picture of Hikarizaka? Aoi? How’d you manage that? She never goes outside…

Yosuke: I don’t know who that is, though. I mean, you can look through my pics and see if you recognize her… (he holds out his camera) Do be careful, please? 

Shinju: I don’t think you could miss them… (She carefully takes the camera in both hands, idly flipping through the images) 

(As Shinju browses through the pictures, she sees all sorts of images, from shots of the club members on their road trip to scenes of nature, as well as several artistic shots of abandoned streets or the various mutual aid efforts in town, but nothing that resembles Alice or Aoi)

Yosuke: … Find anything?

Shinju: No, no… which is good. If you had creepshots of our friends we’d have a serious problem! 

Yosuke: You said it yourself, right? How would that even be possible? (he takes back his camera, carefully putting it back in its bag) Still, senpai has a point… I-I should ask people for permission before I include them in my pictures.

Koharu: … It’s just pictures. (she shrugs, before heading into the visitor center, ready to go to bed) … Is she… dead?

Yasu: She was thrown off the mountainside, and Hanako followed up with a heavy barrage. There’s a good chance we got her this time. …But nothing is certain. For now, we continue with caution, and the possibility that she’s still on our tail.

Koharu: I… see. (she pauses) I’m… glad you all made it.

Hanako: I’m just glad she didn’t get her hands on you, Koharu…