Rumors

Many urban legends exist within Academy City, and as with all such legends, some of them are utter nonsense…

…and others are terribly true.


The Yoshikawa Triplets

Given that the Pâtisserie Joyeux, the Kadokado Café, and the Hongakuteki Nihon Ryouri are all owned by women in their mid-twenties who all look very much alike and share the last name of Yoshikawa, it is not surprising that many people have come to the conclusion that they are triplets. Of course, all of them firmly deny this, but the similarities in their appearances is uncanny. Sanmin Yoshikawa was once badly mistaken for being Hitomi Yoshiakawa, for example, until she began bludgeoning the poor fellow with a sake shotglass.1 And, of course, there is the interesting coincidence of all of them sharing the same last name.

Commentary:

"Ara ara, people believe Ms. Futae, Ms. Sanmin and I are triplets? I must admit that we do look rather alike, and our family names being the same is rather coincidental, but still…"
- Yoshikawa Hitomi

"Everyone thinks me and Hi-cchan and San-chan are all sisters! It's crazy! A ha ha ha! 'Course, I think we're sisters. I remember when mommy took us all to Fairy Land and told us she wished we weren't her kids! Hee hee!
- Yoshikawa Futae

"'Ey, wha? Whaddya mean I look just like 'em? Lissen here, we're not triplets, okay? My mommýs from China, I know, got it? You don't believe me? Fine! How 'bout I talk to ya in Chinese then, ya little brat? Ii, Er, uh, uh, San, uh…eh, forget it."
- Yoshikawa "Mitsune" Sanmin


The Poltergeist Pervert

A relatively recent urban legend, it is said that pedestrians in District 7, particularly those in School Garden, will sometimes have their clothes (usually underwear) disappear right off their bodies in broad daylight. So far, all of the victims have been high school or middle school females known for being relatively attractive according to their peers. Witnesses claim that a figure wearing a girl's school uniform appears for a split second then disappears before the victim discovers that her undergarments are missing, but so far no one has been able to clearly identify the suspect.

Judgment and Anti-Skill have initiated investigations into these rumors, but due to the nature of the pervert's abilities, it has been impossible to identify any prime suspects. Any inquiries into Tokiwadai have been firmly rebuffed by dormitory supervisors, who claim that such "witch hunts" are "violating the harmony of the campus and the young ladies here".

Civilians are advised to travel in groups and to never go into an isolated area alone. Anti-Skill officials also suggest carrying multiple pieces of underwear at all times.

Commentary:
"It's terrible! Absolutely terrible. The streets aren't even safe any more! What if I'm next? What's a fair young maiden like me going to do if- -oh hey, Mika-chan! Let's see what color panties you're wearing today!"2
—Katagawa Sakurako


Cybernetic Rampancy

Another recent urban legend that has appeared on message boards frequented by Academy City students, this one claims that, of late, a certain night-shift janitor was attacked by a malfunctioning security robot in District 10. What made this incident an urban legend and not simply a case of a software error was that, according to the terrified janitor, the security robot was capable of using psychic powers. It is likely that the janitor was merely hallucinating; investigations have uncovered that the man had brought along a decent sized container of alcohol, presumably to help pass the long hours of the night shift. Nonetheless, the elderly civil servant insists that the robot assaulted him with a burst of flame, though crime scene investigators failed to find any burn marks in the vicinity of the area.

Commentary
"You've got to believe me! It, it was one of those security robots, right? Those round, white ones that look like trash cans? It shot fire at me, I swear! I mean, I like a little drink now and then, but you think I'd make up something crazy like this, a psychic robot?"
-Mr. Yamada Tarou


Missing ESPers

A rather disturbing rumor of late has been about the recent string of Missing reports, most of whom have been low level ESPers. Some suspect the involvement of Anti-Skill gangs; others suspect something more sinister, such as Academy City's own Board of Directors, though such people have a reputation for being conspiracy theorists. City officials have not commented on the possible connections between these cases, and have ruled out the possibility of kidnapping for many of them.

Commentary
"What, you think we're behind all the kidnappings? Listen punk, we don't do kidnapping, okay? It's not our style. We rough up people who deserve it sometimes, but that's it. We don't kidnap, we don't deal with drugs, and we don't kill unless we're defending ourselves; that's our code and that's what we're sticking with."
- Takeshiro Minoru, Psyche Hunters member