I'm post-Secret Lab and wasn't following a guide in the early game, are these events just lost?

[RogueBio]

I'm loving this game so much and two of my biggest priorities in this first playthrough are maxing out the Investigation Team social links and maxing out the Fox. I am at rank 10 with Yosuke, Chie, Yukiko and Marie with a number of side characters getting there but haven't even started Kanji's social link yet. I didn't have a reason to believe that it wouldn't start automatically like everyone else's, so I missed the obscure prompt all the way back in June to talk to a certain NPC on the second floor of the practice building. I swear to Izanagi I've been looking for the NPC every day since they got back to school (and yes, I've triggered Kanji suggesting you look for them again). Are they unable to spawn in the second semester? Contextually that would make sense, I would doubt rumors would follow that long. I'm really disappointed.

As far as the Fox, I'm on the quest where you need fish for the cat. I never got the fishing pole. The guides I've found have been unhelpful in step by step explaining how to get one. I need a ladybug, and its at the shrine at night, but it sounds like I need a bug net and there is zero explanation anywhere of how to get that. The kid that used to give them to you for soda, something I never did, just talks about how he lost his net. There's allegedly a "lady in white" at the shrine that sounds related to this but I'm having the same difficulty finding her.

I'm sorry gamers, I understand these questions could easily resolve on their own as I play more, but I'm at my wits end and want to be told to keep chugging at it.

Edit: I found the Kanji social link NPC...the guide with the most specific location was just wrong, great. And I have the bug net now thanks to Scorpix!

[Nito]

the bug you are looking for is inaba jewel bug to get the guardian to get the sea fishing pole then geji beetle to get sea guardian

and it is better to get both on rainy/storm days

The lady on white appears on certain days at night in the shrine where she would give the bug net that you have to talk to the boy again

[Scorpix]

To get bug net talk to boy near shrine and he will tell you that he has lost his net. During night go there and you will meet lady in the white near fortune shrine (I'm not sure if it is everyday, but it has to be not raining night). She will give you a net. Next day go to the boy and he will tell you how to catch bugs. Catching bugs doesnt take time, but you can do it once per day.

To start Kanji's SL you need to talk to girl next to the stairs at School (Classroom 1F I think) then speak to Kanji. She isnt there everyday. It doesnt matter when you start it.