[ Another year has passed. Funny enough, doing requests for the elf kick-started Oosouji for Joshua, so for once he had it done on time. It's another empty new year in the house he once shared with the man he'd been closer to than anyone else. Another convenient excuse for a birthday. Nothing more.

He's almost convinced himself it doesn't hurt. ]

How has your time here changed you?

[ It's windy, and it's cold, but Joshua has an anniversary to celebrate in his own quiet way and he's not going to let the weather stop him. His first stop is to swing by his old room, room 7 at Community Housing 5. It's still empty, but he's not surprised to find that both Hanekoma's graffiti and his own long-disabled traps have disappeared from the walls.

After that, he'll spend some time trying to spray paint one of the not-yet-painted walls of House 38. Of course, given that spray paint doesn't like cold temperatures and really doesn't like wind, that's going to produce a result that's about as neat and tidy as you'd expect. So after a little while wrestling with that, he'll head inside to make himself a cup of nostalgia coffee (not as good as Hanekoma's...) and sit down with his journal to warm up. ]

What was your first experiment here, and what did you think about it? [ He giggles. ] For me, I suppose an amusement park made for a rather gentle introduction. Does anyone else remember the Great Mysterio?

[ The 16th. July 16th. Six months minus one day after January 17th, one year minus one day after July 17th of the previous year, and one year and six months minus one day after the day he was made to be no longer an Angel. Hanekoma and Neku are both gone. Shiki has been here even longer than he has. Rhyme and Beat are both Players, far too fragile to rely on, far too distant to trust.

Tomorrow, he will probably die.

It's strange, in a way. He's never been afraid to die before. But he's caught up now in so much more than he was any of the previous times he was faced with death. This time, if he dies, there's no telling what will happen to Shibuya back home. And that's what he's afraid of.

This entry is public. This entry isn't anonymous. Maybe it's his way of saying goodbye for now. ]

Why are you afraid of death? Or, why aren't you afraid of death? Home, here, or both.

[ A few moments later, after drawing up a filter, he adds this to the message. ]

[ Filtered to Shiki Misaki: 100% ]

I have a favor to ask.

[ Sometime in the early afternoon, the following question goes out over the journals. The camera is covered, and the handwriting is disguised. ]

Let's have a thought experiment. Say you were dying, and the only possible way to save yourself is to get help from someone very close to you. However, you don't know for sure that this help will indeed save you, and whether or not it does, there's a chance that it will damage the one helping you. Trying to help you might even kill them.

Do you ask for their help anyway? Would you accept their help if they offered it?

[ Later on in the evening, Joshua makes a separate post from the previous, this one voiced and not anonymous. ]

[ Filtered to Neku, 100% ]

Hey Neku, are you busy tomorrow?

[ /Filter ]

You know, I never did like the enforced dynamic of Valentine's Day and White Day. To save you all the trouble of worrying what would be proper, I've decided I will be the one to deliver chocolate on Valentine's Day to my male friends. I expect reciprocation on White Day from all of you, hee hee.

This means you, too, Neku.

[ With another giggle, the feed cuts.

Afterward, Joshua can be found out and about delivering chocolate. This is made a bit more difficult by the fact that he doesn't actually know where all of you live, but he's got chocolate for Hanekoma (dropped off before he left the house, of course), Neku, Hisoka, and Haruhi (yes, he is delivering that one mostly to be jerk). He also has a few more in case he bumps into anyone he's not particularly close to but he'd be amused to give anyway. Yes Hisoka he is trying to find your house, and if you don't show yourself soon enough he will start pinging you. Hard. With mind-beams. Ooooo mind-beams~ ]


(( First journal comment is reserved, but feel free to wait Go ahead and respond, or bump into him in person ))

[ Hey, Luceti. Have you been missing your daily dose of snark and rainbows?

Actually bundled up for the first time since last winter is a Joshua, making his cheerful, if slightly lethargic, way from House 38 to Community Housing 5 and back again. One thing that might also be noticeable is that for the first time since the summer, he looks like a 15-year-old.

So yeah. Surprise.

And after he gets back into warmth (yay being affected by temperature again?) he'll just put out a little public service announcement. ]

It seems I'm finally back to normal.

[ Filtered from Sanae Hanekoma - 82% Unhackable ]

Does anyone know where to get dye? I suppose food coloring would also work.

[ /Filter ]

[ Backdated to Valentine's Day evening, a little while after Kat's Kradle closes for the night ]

[ The journal switches on, and there's a moment of erratic movement before the video settles to show Joshua standing in Kat's Kradle, setting up the journal. After a moment, he pulls back with a soft giggle, and walks towards the middle of the cafe, leaving the journal propped up to broadcast what's happening. He calls offscreen: ]

I'm done fixing the hole.

[ There's a pause, and then the sound of someone tromping on down the stairs. Hanekoma steps forward and edges into view, looking to the newly-patched gap in the ceiling. ]

Huh. Guess you've got more patience than I thought, J.

[ Joshua grins in response. ]

Well, I was just so curious about what my present might be.

( This is an ooc cut. It just got kinda long. )