We're in the Central Square in Crossbell. I'm kinda glad I brought Machias along now just for that interaction with Patiry at Times. In the cafe, we run into the Hayworths, and we discover that he's been conscripted for service. Not gonna lie, I suspected that he might secretly be a bad guy in Trails From Zero. Now unless it's still a secret, it looks like I might be wrong on that one! At Genten, Wendy tells us that no one knows what Lloyd is up to right now. In the square itself, we run into Coppe, the SSS roof cat, and Mimi, the little girl who never got what SSS stood for right. Now it seems like she can't remember what the SSS is at all, and Alisa wonders if it might be a side effect of the Great Twilight since they're a symbol of hope in Crossbell. That's an interesting theory, and it might kind of jive with what we saw at the beginning when New Class VII forgot all about Rean.
Nothing really interesting on Station Street, so our last stop is West Street. Juna is reluctant to visit her family because she doesn't want to get them in trouble, so we decide to ask around about them instead. First, we drop by the bakery. Oscar's back from Heimdallr, but it turns out he's been drafted, so tough break for Bennet. They ask him if anything's been different about the neighborhood lately, but the only thing that comes to mind is that the Crossbell News Service moved in. The CNS is now where Grimwood's Law Office used to be. I feel like nothing was there in CS3, so this isn't a new development. Now it makes me wonder what happened to the dude! Grace and Reins are inside, and it seems like they've been expecting us to show up.
Grace says she might be able to offer us some useful info about Rean. She talks about her connection to the SSS and says she was even caught up in Operation Birdcage. They need to make a DLC mission about Operation Birdcage where you play as Lloyd and the SSS, or maybe they'll go into detail about it in Hajimari, who knows! Musse muses that the CNS has more access to info than your run-of-the-mill news service should have, which causes Reins to perk up, but Grace downplays it. She confirms that Rufus is indeed away, but it strikes her as a bit too convenient. A trap, perhaps? Huh, Pete's still around, but no sign of Grimwood. Now I'm really curious!
Now that we've visited all the major spots, Juna finally feels safe enough to visit her family. We get a heartwarming reunion with her mom and siblings. Turns out Louise is here, too, for some reason! She says that Valerie, Freddy, and Stark are all operating out of Crossbell, too, although they're all working independently at the moment. The profile picture of Freddy is truly the stuff of nightmares. Louise mentions that there's a hacker at work who's been leaking confidential military info and publicly criticizing the government's decisions. I feel like the game wants you to assume it's Jonas, but my gut tells me it's Tio. Then Louise gets an anonymous orbmail directed at Class VII, asking to meet them at the X Sector in the Geofront. Yeah, this definitely sounds like Tio's doing. The way to the X Sector is through the casino, so that's where we're off to next.
I decided to play some Poker at the casino, and it frustrates me that higher pair doesn't win in the event of a tie. Drake gives us the key to the Geofront with no questions asked, so that's nice. When we get down there, we get a call from Jonas, so yeah, it's him. Darn, I was hoping for some misdirection! The song that plays down here is great, by the way.
