>>39749388
"Well, just... hurry it up, Kimiko, alright? I'll talk to Paul about the cash. He'll probably complain, but he said that it's our money, not just his. Or somethin' like that, whatever. I'll figure it out."

Kimiko smirks. "You're mumbling. What's with the hurry, Clarissa?"

"You know what it is! I wanna see you."

"Oh, really? How bad?" Again with that mischievous, teasing grin. You groan and lift yourself off the bed.

"Really bad!" You exclaim as you move away from her giggling in order to get dressed. You glance at the clock - it's almost three. You've probably overslept, though you don't remember what time it was when you fell asleep. "Hurry up! We've wasted half a day and you're still not ready!"

The two of you get ready for the day. You help her pack up. Aiko's things are apparently some kind of a novelty to Kimiko, as she keeps scrutinizing them with a strange amount of interest before carefully placing them in the bag. They're just normal, casual clothes, for the most part. It'd be funny, but you have a bad feeling about it.

"What was she like? Could you tell me about her?"

"I don't want to." It's an immediate, curt response, one you haven't even given thought to before blurting it out, to the bothersome question you've been expecting. It's a question that's both giving you a headache to think about and making you unwillingly keep your eyes away from the girl.

Kimiko keeps looking at you, though, apparently undeterred. You... don't know how she's expecting you to talk about that subject while she still looks like her.

...

>Try it. "There's... nothing to talk about. She was just a girl."
>"Why do you want to know about her now, of all times?"
>"...Maybe after you're... different."
>Other. (Write-in).

>>39749410
>>Try it. "There's... nothing to talk about. She was just a girl."

>>39749410
>"Why do you want to know about her now, of all times?"
Alright, time to substitute one dead girlfriend for another much livelier dead girlfriend!

>>39749410
>"...Maybe after you're... different."
Clarissa sure is enthusiastic about this. Whether it's to see Kimiko or not have to see Aiko, though, well...

Alright, time for Buriichi indeed!

>>39749410
>Try it. "There's... nothing to talk about. She was just a girl."

>>39749410
>maybe after you're different

>>39749410
>"...Maybe after you're... different."

>>39749410
Voting over, writing!

>>39749692
Alright! Time to see if things will start tumbling down sooner or later.
Really young romance is blinding but she should remember that there are a few loose ends from last night to address, at least with regards to Paul.

What's poor Yuuko going to do now?
Well, I guess fidelity didn't seem to be a priority for her anyway.

>>39749808
Yuuko will probably be plot-relevant either way. What about Naoko who keeps ending up bedridden?
Justice4Naoko!

>>39749808
>>39749975
Don't hold yourself back.

>>39750079
Anon pls.
For something more relevant then, we are gonna bring up Paul's whole sudden power thing right? Or just pretend it never happened?

>>39750102

Different anon, but I expect nothing to come from it.

Her brother was an after thought for her until she came back from the hospital.

>>39750155
Yeah that was a bit weird even given their not-so-close relationship. But even independent of how much Clarissa cares about Paul, wouldn't his sudden display of spiritual powers
be something Kimiko should be interested in?

I guess she IS a bit distracted.

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>>39749537
>>39749646
"Maybe when you're... different." You really can't help but feel the need to be wary with your words. You have the feeling that if you were to blurt out something bad, you'd ruin the day for everyone. At the very least, Kimiko isn't stubborn about it, and goes back to inspecting the clothes.

"...It's fine, Clarissa. I just wanted to... nevermind. Forget I asked." Kimiko isn't mad, she sounds more apologetic than anything.

But there really is nothing special to be said about Aiko, or, well, nothing special to someone who isn't you; you could probably go on and on about her seemingly mundane qualities which are present in many other girls. Aiko was... a shy, awkward girl when you first met her. Of course those were the first things to stand out, as she quite stubbornly hid underneath them until you really befriended her. You're not sure why you took an interest in her in particular, especially when she was so eager to hide from everyone. Maybe you thought that shy people were more interesting to get to know than the people who were open and loud about themselves. You just liked her.

Beneath the humbleness, you found nothing that you didn't expect, to your surprise - she was kind, good-natured and gentle. It felt like she was just keeping up appearances at first, but her meek, cute demeanor actually said all there was to say. She was an ideal girl of a sort, like those caring wives you hear about in fairy tales, the ones who were both highly loyal and loving to their husbands, and also wise and skilled enough in their own way to support them on their adventures. The perfect wife.

(1/3)

>>39750528
Or, well, at least that's what you thought when you first got to know her. It was about three years ago. Her awkwardness was cute, but it was actually a detriment - if she could get over it and show herself off a little more, she'd probably be loved by everyone, and there wouldn't be a guy or girl who wouldn't yearn for the right to protect that frail girl. Honestly, even when you were only friends, while still getting to know each other, you really wanted to hold her in your arms and just keep her there, safe from the threatening, dangerous world.

It was you who begun to take on the role of the 'shy and awkward girl' then, because you seriously wanted to hug her and couldn't help yourself. It was like those regular teenage desires obtained around that age, except very specific and bizarrely innocent. You obviously knew you just couldn't walk up to her and hug her, because you knew it'd be way more sensual than the casual hugs meant for pals and friends, and you had a reputation to uphold, and trouble to stay out of. You actually started to feel pretty depressed and hopeless at the time, because, well, the things you were feeling towards another girl weren't really normal, and you just didn't know how to handle something like that, and yet you really wanted to, somehow.

"Ah, fuck..." You mutter, interrupting the packing session by abruptly standing up and walking off.

"Hm? Something wrong?" Kimiko asks, though you wave her off.

"Nah, just... gotta pee." You cover your eyes with your arm and enter the bathroom.

You're glad you didn't agree to talk about this. She'd probably make you continue talking, continue thinking and remembering. It's nothing against Kimiko, really. Those pleasant memories are just... they just hurt to recall.

...And she'd probably ask you about that day again. There really isn't anything to talk about. Your retelling won't change from the last time.

(2/3)

>>39750550
After calming down a little, you head out to finish loading Aiko's stuff. It's about time for a breakfast. A really late, might-as-well-be-dinner breakfast.

...

Your brother's solving some newspaper Sudoku or something. He quite clearly hears your approach, but doesn't really react until you call him.

"Cook us somethin', Paul."

"Yes, please, Poru."

"It's not 'Poru'," It kind of looks like he's about to be stubborn about it at first, but, realizing an important detail, stands up and heads to the kitchen. "Don't touch anything, Clarissa. You'll set something on fire. I'll cook you two something."

You squint at him suspiciously.

"Are you alright, Paul?"

He returns your suspicious glare at the question. "What are you asking?"

He hates those kinds of questions, the ones which obviously have something more to them, some underlying meaning that's just pointlessly being delayed. But, well, if there was something he wanted to talk about, he would have brought it up by now...

...Does he seriously not remember anything that happened at all? A sudden fit of amnesia?

...

>Nudge him a bit more. "Are you suuure everything's fine, Paul? Maybe seen a bad dream or something?"
>Lay all the cards down. "Our house has been attacked by a giant ghost monster last night."
>If he doesn't know, he doesn't know. "I guess it's... nothing?"
>Other. (Write-in).

>>39750570
>Nudge him a bit more. "Are you suuure everything's fine, Paul? Maybe seen a bad dream or something?"
Aiko-blocked again!

>>39750570
>>If he doesn't know, he doesn't know. "I guess it's... nothing?"

>>39750570
>Leave it for now; ask Kimiko if she thinks he remembers and if you should press the issue.

>>39750570
>I guess its nothing

>>39750570
>>Nudge him a bit more. "Are you suuure everything's fine, Paul? Maybe seen a bad dream or something?"

>>39750570
>Nudge him a bit more. "Are you suuure everything's fine, Paul? Maybe seen a bad dream or something?"

>>39750570
>Nudge him a bit more. "Are you suuure everything's fine, Paul? Maybe seen a bad dream or something?"

>>39750570
Voting over, writing!

Hopefully we don't just piss him off here.

>>39750822

That would be completely in character for Clarissa.

>>39750953
That IS true. Oh well, what can ya do? Siblings gonna sibling.

I'm surprised Clarissa is so eager to get started on de-Aikoing Kimiko. Doesn't it involve seeing Mayuri? I'd put that shit off forever.

>>39750661
>>39750666
"Are you suuure everything's fine, Paul? Not even a bad dream or anything like that?"

"I am quite positive, Clarissa." He cuts up some tomatoes... using that same knife he cut off Clay Bone's arm with. It's kind of fascinating. He's either completely oblivious, or playing a weird, complicated joke on you.

"Well, you feel thirsty? Maybe went for a cup of water?"

"No, I did not. I think I felt thirsty tonight, but I've done nothing about it. Why are you asking me this, again?"

"Well, heard any suspicious noises tonight?"

"I heard the same things I hear every night from you two." He's growing visibly irritated. You're quite certain that he is clueless at this point, but it's fun to annoy him.

"...Noises like what, Paul?"

He finally snaps, interrupting his vegetable slicing.

"Get to the point, Clarissa! Your tone reeks of shenanigans and mischief!" He yells, quickly losing patience for your prodding. "Have you played a prank on me again? What was it this time?"

You snort. "Don't get mad, Paul. I'm just wondering how you're doing. You're my brother and all."

You can't keep a straight face at this and at how visibly upset Paul is getting. He turns away from your grin, and tries to focus on cooking. You turn to Kimiko, whose expression is clearly showing off her own cluelessness. She's all tense and stuff, wracking her brain in contemplation. She's like a kid trying to make sense of a complicated subject of an adult conversation. You warily pat her on the head. She's just too cute not to. Kimiko immediately calms down and turns away in embarrassment, and makesher way towards the table. You sit next to her.

"You think your brother was responsible for restoring everything, Clarissa?" She asks. You didn't really tell her much about what you saw, now that you think about it. Wasn't really on your mind back then.

(1/3)

>>39751507
You tell her about the stuff he pulled off. About how he injured (and apparently permanently, as Clay Bone's arm didn't grow back) a Hollow without even properly looking at it, and with a kitchen knife to boot. The Shinigami has some difficulty believing your story, and she sort of shrugs in defeat after she fails to properly explain it.

"Maybe your spiritual power runs in the family, or maybe there's something about twins that makes them special. It's strange, though, because he should be able to see spirits."

You tell her that you're the only one in your family with that kind of perception. Everyone else just gets worried or laughs at you when you bring it up; you learned not to do it. It's probably a good thing that you got scolded when you did, because you at least haven't embarrassed yourself in front of classmates and friends. Well, Naoko must have kept quiet about her special powers for the same reason.

Kimiko still doesn't know what 'slashing Hollows' has in common with 'restoring buildings'. Another mystery she has no knowledge of. It's getting kind of tiresome, really.

...

After the lunch, Kimiko takes the large bag with Aiko's stuff in it, and gets ready to head out. Somehow, you've managed to convince Paul to give you the remaining emergency funds, on the condition that you'll be washing the dishes for the next month. It was well worth it, and you didn't want to delay the moment you're so eagerly waiting for any longer.

"Ah, wait, Clarissa!" She stops you when she sees you getting dressed for the outside. "I'd like to go alone."

(2/3)

>>39751532
"Huh? What's up with that?" You raise a brow, not really happy with this sudden proposition.

Kimiko smiles sheepishly and sighs. "I want it to be a surprise. I want to come back home and see how long it'll take you to figure out that it's me, and the look on your face when you do realize it."

You smirk at her strange plan. She seems to be quite serious about it, though, staring up at you from her short stature with pleading eyes.

...

>"...Sure, if you really want to."
>"Where are you even going?"
>"Nah, I'm going with you. I really don't like the idea of us splitting up."
>Other. (Write-in).

>>39751563
>>"...Sure, if you really want to."

>>39751563
>"...Sure, if you really want to."
What could go wrong?

>>39751563
>"...Sure, if you really want to."

>>39751563
>"Where are you even going?"

>>39751563
>>"...Sure, if you really want to."

Better buckle up.

>>39751532
>Another mystery she has no knowledge of. It's getting kind of tiresome, really.

She is no Rukia. She makes bleaches main cast seem smart sometimes.

>>39751507
>He's growing visibly irritated. You're quite certain that he is clueless at this point, but it's fun to annoy him.

Siblings being siblings. He does know something.

He knows something, likely more then the others. Just smarter at hiding it.

>>39751563
>"...Sure, if you really want to."

>>39751665
Yeah, but how much?
He's as much of an enigma as Yuuko. Still not sure what to make of her.

>>39751563
Voting over, writing!

I fully expect her not to return.

>>39751588
>>39751592
"...Sure, alright. I'll figure you out right away, though."

Kimiko beams with a happy smile. It's rubbing off on you again, and your expression helplessly melts in tandem.

She leaves, hauling away her things. Just like that, with a cheery smile meant only for you, Aiko leaves.

...You feel like a burden has dropped off your shoulders. You're not sure what else you should be feeling right now.

There's not much point in standing at your own doorstep. You walk away from it and drop on your couch. After briefly losing track of time in a half-daze, you hear rummaging at your door again. Paul is getting ready to leave somewhere as well.

"Where are you going?" You call out to him; not that you really care, but you need to take up this waiting-time with something. Besides, he doesn't go outside that often. Well, actually quite often on Sundays, but... not the point.

"Off to meet a friend."

"You got a new friend, or are you just lying and trying to hide a date?" Your attempts at teasing sound pretty uninspired and not at all enthusiastic; like you don't really want to be doing them.

"A new friend." He grumps out as a response, clearly just as lacking in eagerness to be on the receiving end of your half-cocked hits.

"...Well, have fun, then." You decide to lay off. You thought you'd have some fun with this, but it's just not working out. You kick back on the couch, trying to relax. Paul's apparently still there, at the door, because you haven't heard it opening and closing as of yet. You sluggishly lean your head and look towards him, one brow expectedly lifted.

"Are you alright?" Is what he asks, a frown which is clearly trying to hide its concern. "You seemed way livelier in the morning. I'm surprised you're not helping Aiko carry all of her stuff, either. It looked like some heavy baggage."

...

>"I'm fine. Just go meet your friend."
>"Aiko's not coming back."
>"Are you sure you didn't see a single thing last night?"
>Other. (Write-in).

>>39752519
>"I'm fine. Just go meet your friend."

>>39752519
>>"I'm fine. Just go meet your friend."
I kind of want to add "and thanks for everything" just to freak him out.

>>39752519
>"Aiko's not coming back."
Maybe saying it out loud will get to Clarissa a bit.

>>39752519
>>"I'm fine. Just go meet your friend."

>>39752560
That's mean, anon!
No bully!

>>39752519
>Other. (Write-in).

Thanks for cleaning up last night.

>>39752519
>"Are you sure you didn't see a single thing last night?"

>>39752605
>>39752649
I like this, I'll back it as well.

>>39752519
Voting over, writing!

Hopefully our swinging mood isn't symptomatic of anything bad.

>>39753285

I blame it on girl in puberty dealing with stress and too much death.

>>39753342
Yeah, hoping for that. I mean it's not surprising and we kinda have had it throughout the quest, but just the ending of last thread's sudden upswing followed by the downswing

>>39753285
Well for starters we're gonna have to get broken up over Aiko again because she's going to "die" soon. So maybe having a chance to just let it all out with her would be appropriate.

>>39752560
>>39752616
"I'm fine. Just go and meet up with your friend."

He looks you over suspiciously, but then shrugs and opens the door to go off on his way.

"Thanks for cleaning up last night." You decide to mutter at him, just as a final means of getting on his nerves. He turns to you again, squinting a disdainful glare through the slit left in the half-closed door for just a moment before really closing it.

"Feels like you're in eighth grade again." You hear a muffled mumble through the door, leading to your smirk. Then your brother leaves.

You're left alone for now. Waiting as patiently as you can for Kimiko to return.

Well, you're pulling it off surprisingly well. Maybe you're so excited that you made some kind of a full lap, because your head's pretty much blank right now. You're not thinking about anything, and you're not feeling like doing anything. Just sitting on the couch is fine.

Outside, you hear the birds. The sky is clear of clouds and tinted the fairest blue.

It really feels like summer never ended. Like autumn never came. Like things should be going as they always have been. Like today's just a regular day off. Like nothing has ended; like nothing has started.

It feels like tomorrow you'll go to school again, listen to lectures, talk to friends, have lunch with them, hang out with them after school, go home, maybe spend the evening chatting with her on the phone, maybe collaborate together on homework and ultimately get nothing done because you were having too much fun, or maybe if there's nothing to prepare for the next day go and visit her and only leave when her or your own parents lose their patience and tell you to get going because it's ridiculously late, and then go to sleep, chuckling at today's amusing parts before you really end the day.

(1/3)

>>39754054
And then it'll happen all over again. Those days will keep repeating until the weekend, when you have to do nothing but the enjoyable things. And there is nothing wrong with those repetitions, and you never found those days similar or stale. New things happen on a daily basis, life is always interesting and entertaining, even while the outlines of your days look like they're completely the same. Saying something like 'I wish those days would go on forever' would mean they'd get boring eventually for sure, so you've never really thought about it in that way before, and neither did you wish for your life to keep going in a self-contained, peaceful cycle.

That's something old people would probably wish for, you thought. Or maybe someone like Paul. But not you. You've always wanted excitement in your life. You're one of those people who fantasized and wished to be a hero when you were a kid, waiting for that special moment when a cute little talking animal fell on your head and gave you magical powers to fend off monsters with. When you grew out of that age, you were fine with the idea of just being famous, like a rock star or some other kind of idol or popular person. And when out of that phase, you were content with just seeing new places, experiencing new things, meeting new people.

It might seem like a bit of a downgrade in enthusiasm, but it's pretty normal. The ambitions just took a more realistic shape, that's all.

You... don't know why you're trying so hard to prove your own normalcy to yourself. Even if you used to be normal, you really aren't anymore.

You don't know why you're feeling so uneasy. Being alone is making you uncomfortable.

You wish someone was here. Anyone would do.

It's scary to be alone.

(2/3)

>>39754083
Ruh roh Scooby!

>>39754083
...Over such a flimsy, petty reason, you've ruined your own life and took another.

Maybe while she was still here, you didn't get to wrap your head around the extent of your crime. Maybe you didn't have to, and you most likely didn't want to in the first place. It was easy to just pretend that you've never done it. The situation was so nonsensical that it was easy to pass it off as a strange dream or the deranged hallucination of an unhealthy mind.

But Aiko is really gone. You thought you knew that. You thought that, to some extent, you got used to that. You thought that a week was enough; that you were ready to let her go when the time came. But this entire week was spent on little more than a game of make-believe. You weren't prepared for a single thing.

You'd much rather relieve the week over and over again, after all. The alternative is much worse. The alternative lacks hope. Hope that things will go back to normal; the faint belief that a miracle might occur, and you'll wake up from this feverish nightmare. It's all ruthlessly clear-cut. You thought that things might turn out for the better, but there is no more time remaining for them to do that. This is that dreadful alternative. Hope only lies in the distant future.

And facing that alternative left you as nothing more than a crying, quivering wreck. You won't last until that hopeful future comes.

You thought that Kimiko could make you happy enough to forget about her, even if only for a little while. But she's not here. You shouldn't have let her go. Why did you let her leave you alone?

This loneliness is suffocating and unbearable. It's torture; your screams reflect that. You can't take much more of this. You're sick of it all.

...

>Keep waiting for Kimiko.
>Call someone.
>"What should I do?"

>>39754141
>Call someone.
Fuck if I know. Naoko?

>>39754141
Theeere it is.
>Call someone.
Our resident healer.

>>39754141
>"What should I do?"

>>39754141
>"What should I do?"

>>39754141
>Call someone.
Yuuko, Naoko, Ren.

>>39754276
>Yuuko
For what purpose? I like Yuuko but I'm not sure what good it'd do right now.

>>39754141
>Call someone.
Naoko and Ren, the people who know of spiritual stuff. Might as well call both to distract ourself.

>>39754141
>>Call someone.

Substitute Shinigami, the quest for mental help.

You don't need to be crazy to see ghosts.

It just helps as Clarissa knows.

>>39754352
Hey, it's been coming anon. The signs, the lack of dealing with anything, the fucking mental torture hollow. We're lucky Clarissa's a relatively calm nutcase really. When not murdering anyway.

>>39754141
Voting over, writing!

I feel a little bad making our friends play suicide hotline, but it seems like the best idea.

>>39754141
Would the spoilered option have given our inner whatever-the-fuck free reign, or just a chance to chat I wonder.

>>39754175
>>39754211
Your phone is nearby. You grab it, turn it on, and flip through the contacts. You force yourself to calm down at least a bit, so that when you do call someone, they wouldn't be listening to just a bunch of miserable gibberish. It's hard to do, but you really want to talk to someone. Who knows how long Kimiko might take? You need someone right now.

You can only think of two people you can rely on right now: Naoko and Ren. But even just between those two, you're having an unbelievable struggle picking one. It feels like both might end up hating you for relying on them like this, but you really need it. Maybe they'll understand.

Naoko, who's currently both injured and most likely dealing with her own issues piled up from her own mistakes, but who also knows that something was wrong with Aiko, and who knows that you've done something wrong, something involving Aiko.

Ren, who's been your friend for much longer and who will certainly (she must!) forgive you for what you've done, but who's also the most clueless to your circumstances and situation. Piling your story on her will probably be a shock.

Just fucking pick one, Clarissa. This is agonizing. You want to ask your friends, but you're too scared of what they might think about you. It doesn't even matter anymore - even if they end up despising you for what you've done, you just need to talk to someone. To absolutely anyone.

...

>Naoko.
>Ren.

>>39754817
>Naoko.

>>39754817
>>Naoko.

>>39754817
>Ren.
Sounds like a pretty big decision to be honest.

>>39754817
>Ren.

>>39754817
>Naoko

>>39754817
>Naoko.

>>39754817
>Naoko.
If only Naoko wasn't unavailable in person, we could invite them both over and talk it out.

>>39754817
We probably should have tried talking to our sword even if it would have just told us to hesitate less.

On one hand Naoko would probablu be least shocked and judgmental. On the other she's already got lots of shit to work through, and Ren would be better equipped to handle the situation I think given their personalities.

>>39754817
>>Ren.

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>>39754817
Voting over and ending thread for tonight! It's getting really late on a weekday! Next thread will begin with the most voted option.

Next thread will be announced on twitter:
https://twitter.com/Mushroomgami

If you have any feedback or questions, please shoot them my way!

Thanks for reading!

>>39755063
Thanks for running!
Why you gotta make us choose, huh?

>>39755063
Thanks for running.

>>39755070
>Implying it was a choice

>>39755063
Thanks for writing dude.
Would talking to our sword or whoever spoilerperson is have been a real terrible idea or just an averagely terrible idea?

>>39755086
I like Ren more than Naoko so far.

>>39755070
I'm a 'choose one' kind of guy!

>>39755092
He has your best interests at heart! We'll get to that in more detail really soon.

>>39755116
>He has your best interests at heart!
Doubt.jpg
His own idea of our best interests maybe. MAAAAYBE.

>>39755109
Well no offence intended but you appear to be in the minority.

I'm a fan of Naoko. Serious and has experience in this sort of thing. She can empathize.

>>39755137
Experience in feeling miserable, not so much in comforting or helping someone work through their trauma.

>>39755180
I disagree. We spoke with her when she was miserable. We were there for her.

Ren may be more empathetic at a base level. But she's got no experience with this whole slew of shit.

Naoko has killed souls. Permanently. She might be going to hell or what have you.

She's there or been there or however you want to put it.

>>39755063
Thanks for running, I wonder what Kimiko is planning on doing to Aiko's body.

>>39755223
Reprocessing it! Why waste good meat? She can probably get a discount if they use it for a base to make the new body!

>>39755213
>Naoko has killed souls. Permanently. She might be going to hell or what have you.
It's POSSIBLE that she "merely" fed those souls to the king of all Quincy.

>>39755253
Eh, having Aiko mysteriously disappear would bring more problems in the long run. I'm hoping she'll stage a car accident or something.

>>39755253
Hot. Aiko-burger when?

>>39755255
We don't know that in character or.. out really..

>>39755255
Clarissa walking to school Akio's body falls into street and run over by bus.

Trauma when?

>>39755280
Soon.tm?

>>39755276

Japanese delivery truck.

Bane of all Japanese high schoolers.