[Giovanni had snuck off at some point under the guise of getting more groceries, when his real target wasn't that, but rather a gift for Katya and Raikov each: a ribbon for Katya, and something to make asking a certain question of Raikov a bit easier...

So it was that he came back to the apartment, and, placing the gift bag behind the plastic ones, called out:]

Ivan, I'm back!

The seasons pass quickly. Though it is still summer, the feel has changed...

Winter in this place is mild, compared to the harsh winter of Sinnoh. Will this year bring justice? Or simply a fall of snow as time marches on?

...no, I cannot be taken from it. That most important, most beautiful thing...

The world as it is now...things never should have gone this far.

S-So, uh, I guess I haven't been saying anything here lately... Or even leaving my room, for that matter... [He trails off. Did anyone even notice that he was gone? The only times he left his room was for short walks or small errands. After so many encounters at this school, leaving his room seemed kind of dangerous!] Was there some sort of vacation that I missed? For a while, the whole school was empty! It was kind of creepy... I was lonely...

But a-anyway! Does anyone know what the loud music was about...? People keep saying something about a party, but that much was obvious... I got stuck right in the middle of some sort of dance party in the hallway! I think I lost the books I was carrying...

U-Um, by the way, if anyone finds some cookbooks in the hallway, those are probably mine!

[Hey, who's this guy on the network? He's got the look and feel of some kind of big-shot celebrity. Maybe he is, somewhere, in some time period. He's known well enough to the Capcom kids, anyway.

Probably.

Behold! He speaks!]

Hey, Smash Academy. Name's Frank West. I'm the new photography teacher. You might recognize me as one of the reporters who hung around after that alien invasion back in '09. Just because I transfered over from Capcom doesn't mean I want any trouble, got it?