>>42009454
You get back up to your feet and dust yourself off. "...Alright. We need to drag Paul back home, too. If he wakes up in this place, he'll trip over the traps and die or something."

At that, your body of flesh enters the ruined building, curiously looking around and making rabbit noises. You make your way to Chappy - making sure not to trip over any traps yourself - and take over your body. "We're gonna look really fucking weird hauling two unconscious people around town, aren't we?"

You try to joke a bit, but that doesn't help your concern for Ren's well-being. Naoko doesn't smile at your joke, either, and instead simply nods.

...

After making sure that the two of them are safe and sound at their respective homes, the Paul Rescue Operation is officially over. The results are... questionable. Whatever it was that Ren experienced might serve as a clue towards a better solution, but... you can't learn anything from her while she's still out.

You step out of your house after you pass your brother off to your parents and meet up with Naoko. You haven't really talked about anything ever since the mission concluded. She's not a talkative person, so you'll need to start first.

...

>"We need to get back to training, Naoko. Still a few hours left in the day."
>"Do you think I could have done something better?"
>"Did you drop the buckets on his head by accident, or was that intentional? Why?"
>Other. (Write-in).

>>42009499
>"Do you think I could have done something better?"
Poor Ren

>>42009499
>"Did you drop the buckets on his head by accident, or was that intentional? Why?"
We should try to lighten the mood!

>>42009499
Damn we went right back home. The was hoping Paul would snap right back to murder mode and just cut loose with full power in an attempt to just finish this already because I'm sick of this.

>>42009499
Ask what we could have done differently than yeah.

>>42009740
You don't have to complain all the time, anon.

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>>42009740

>>42009499
Voting over, writing!

>>42009772
Probably not, but I'd rather not just do nothing and wait in an almost dead thread.

And you know, it's not like this situation is like Kimiko or the dream girl. Every time we try and fail to deal with Paul, he becomes more dangerous. It's gotten to the point where I'm wondering if the Hougyoku's power is broad enough that we could invade Paul's mind/inner world, even though that would probably be even more dsnfe dangerous. Or even trying to see how much like a shinigami Clarissa is by having her stab Paul through the heart and try to make a shinigami out of him. Or even mind control our parents into thinking it'd be a good idea to let Clarissa and Paul go way outside the city, out of hopes that any hollows drawn to Clarissa's location would eventually go away without any food. Those are all ridiculously terrible ideas, but it seems like we're limited to either awful plans and no plans.

>>42009987
I hope we can lighten up a bit too, I'm sure they could both use it!

>>42010162
I'm confident we'll find some solution soon, and I will at least see what the fallout of this situation is before going full pessimist.

>>42010166
Have we ever seen Naoko lighten up? I mean we both spent the whole night crying into each other's arms that one time, but I wouldn't call that light, even if it was healthy.

>>42010186
The keywords here is -WE- have to -FIND- one. It's not just going to be handed to us by a burst of in-character insight or by an NPC, its why we all knew Ren's plan would never work. If we want to do literally anything, we need to do a lot more than just wait.

>>42010282
Well pursuing a solution is certainly smart but at the moment our two reasonable options seem to be asking Ren when she wakes up and asking Urahara. I'd rather do the first before the latter.

>>42010232
She cracked a joke recently! Yeah she's perpetually serious but that doesn't mean we can't lighten the mood at all.

>>42009655
>>42009707
>>42009755
"Do you think I could have done something better, Naoko?" You ask the quiet girl as the two of you walk around town, thinking of a decent side-activity to get your mind off of things.

"If you mean everything besides the very end, probably not. I think we all did a great job. Your brother... well, he never really stood a chance, even when he was in that state. Even if he managed to get away from me, you could probably lure him into a pitfall and end it anyway."

You smile a bit. That poor guy really had no idea what you all had in store for him. The encounter was completely one sided. Thinking back on it, it's almost funny.

"As for the ending... I don't really know, Clarissa," Her answer is vague at first. "Paul's situation is dangerous, but I don't think it's worth getting one of us hurt over. I think I'd do the same thing in your place."

Even though you put your friends and yourself at risk, it brought you ultimately nothing. But would it have been worth it to up the stakes just a little bit more? Probably not. Not when it involves the people you care about so much.

"...Yeah, you're right. I did say that if things get dangerous, we pull out," You shrug. "But I don't think we're completely done for yet. With my brother, I mean. When Ren wakes up, we might figure something out."

"I just hope it won't come down to us asking help from the Shinigami." Naoko mutters. You nod. Things could get even more dangerous, and you'd rather not take risks whenever you can help it.

(1/2)

>>42010776
The mood's a little crappy. You remember something that you found weird but didn't have a proper chance to bring up until now. "So why'd you shove him into the bucket shower? Did you do that on accident?"

"Well... I thought that if he couldn't see or hear anything, he wouldn't be able to use his powers to deny anything, either." She seems a little embarrassed about it, as if, in hindsight, she considers the idea to have been stupid. You can't really tell if it worked, either. Maybe Paul just didn't have enough time to get away.

...

>"He didn't get away from you so it probably worked just like you wanted it to. Good thinking."
>"Did you hurt your hands? Let me see them."
>"Anyway... we're still skipping school tomorrow, right? To train, I mean. You still up for it? If you don't like the idea, just tell me, okay? I'll manage on my own just fine, too, if I have to."
>Other. (Write-in).

>>42010776
>>42010812
I dropped my trip and didn't even notice!

>>42010812
>"He didn't get away from you so it probably worked just like you wanted it to. Good thinking."
>"Did you hurt your hands? Let me see them."

>>42010812
>"Did you hurt your hands? Let me see them."

>>42010812
>"He didn't get away from you so it probably worked just like you wanted it to. Good thinking.

I don't really feel like it's worth skipping school to practice more, since last time didn't seem to net us any benefits.

>>42010979
Yeah, agreed. We should have some time after school for training anyway.

>>42010812
Voting over, writing!

>>42011152
Naoko has the best plans!
I find it funny this embarrassed her but the Nemu stuff didn't.

>>42011194
There's nothing embarrassing about helping someone in need!

>>42010850
>>42010979
>>42010933
"He didn't get away from you so it probably worked just like you wanted it to. Good thinking." You praise her a bit. It's probably true, too. If he was completely blind and deaf, he'd be using his powers to get rid of the bucket over his face first, and only then focus on the girl on top of him. Well, not that you'll start carrying buckets around just in case your brother decides to freak out again, but it's probably something to keep in mind.

"Are you... joking?" Naoko asks, at which you shake your head. "Well... thanks." She reluctantly accepts the praise and sheepishly looks away. Her reaction is kind of amusing. Maybe you can do a bit more.

"Did you hurt your hands? Lemme see them." You stop and reach out. Naoko seems a little befuddled at that and, after thinking for a few seconds, glances at her hands and hides them into her pockets.

"They're alright... there's nothing serious." She mutters.

"I just want to make sure." At your insistence, the girl just as reluctantly lets you take her hands. They look like they're in bad shape, scratched and bruised into blue and red at the knuckles, her fingers twitching uncomfortably when you squeeze her hands even just a little bit. Unlike Ren's or Aiko's small and gentle hands, Naoko's feel rough and calloused because of her constant training, but at the same time, they feel strong and reliable. Holding them like this puts you at a certain sense of ease and security, provides you with comfort and inner warmth even though they're actually cold. These hands got hurt so much for your sake, and this girl will probably do it again whenever you ask her to. Knowing that makes you feel safe.

(1/2)

>>42012004
"Um..." She mumbles, and you realize that you may have gotten a little carried away. You smile and let go, scratching the back of your head.

"You hurt them pretty bad. I, uh, hope that heals quickly," You say, and Naoko looks over them one more time. Is it just you, or does she look kind of disappointed? Maybe she assumed that you just called her hands ugly? "It's... not that there's anything wrong with them, though..."

"Huh?" Naoko seems confused. You immediately realize that it was not what she assumed at all.

You wanted to fluster Naoko more just to liven up the mood, but the tables have turned. She doesn't seem to get it at all, and in the meantime, you feel like your face is getting red. Darn it, you need to get away from this subject somehow, and fast, before she realizes that something is weird.

"Clarissa, are we going to school tomorrow?" Naoko brings something up herself, to your surprise.

...

>"No, we'll be training. If we do it for a few days straight, we'll make way more progress than by half-assing it."
>"Well... I think we should go, after all."
>"We can go if you want to. I'll stick with whatever you decide."
>Other. (Write-in).

>>42012025
>"We can go if you want to. I'll stick with whatever you decide."

>>42012025
>"Well... I think we should go, after all."
I think we should. Let's train afterwards.

>>42012025
>"Well... I think we should go, after all."

>>42012025
>"We can go if you want to. I'll stick with whatever you decide."
I don't really have the best perspective on whether or not Clarissa is making progress, but Naoko seems to have a good work ethic, so she might be a better judge of if it's helping? Though we should ask her when she found time to fit in training before we were friends with her?

I don't know, I hate to be indecisive about this, but I'm not sure what school is gonna get us.

>>42012025
>"No, we'll be training. If we do it for a few days straight, we'll make way more progress than by half-assing it."

>>42012025
>"We can go if you want to. I'll stick with whatever you decide."
Not like our own decisionmaking process ever gets us anywhere.

>>42012192
Well it gets us back into the rhythm of things, and avoids the dangers of sending Chappy there (Paul freaking out, or worse, our body being used for stupid again).

>>42012025
Voting over, writing!

>>42012338
True, and I don't really want to get Naoko in trouble for truancy either. But that's why I really want her honest opinion on what we should do, and not just her doing what she thinks Clarissa wants because she feels like she owes Clarissa something.

>>42012363
I'll hope she feels comfortable enough with Clarissa to speak her mind by now!

>>42012072
>>42012192
>>42012310
"What do you think we should do? We can go if we want to. I'll stick with whatever you decide." You propose, but Naoko... really doesn't seem thrilled by that idea.

"Clarissa, don't worry about me. I'll be fine with whatever you choose." She tries to pile the responsibility back on you.

"Well, I can't really make up my mind." You shrug.

"Just take your time if you need to. I'll do whatever you want." She says, somehow looking more constrained and meeker than usual.

"I want you to choose for me, then." You say and smirk, but Naoko looks even more uncomfortable.

"...I can't do that. Just pick something, please." Her voice grows weaker, turning her words into a plea.

You want to continue joking around, but something really doesn't seem right about this, so you get that idea out of your head.

"...Well. What would you rather do, then? Hang out with me or... go to school?" You try to approach the issue a little differently. This is a bit of a... biased question, you can easily see that, especially after saying it out loud.

Naoko, looking down on the ground, mumbles. "With you..."

You were going to try a different question, but... that's her answer, kind of, and you want to respect that. "Well... I guess we'll go train, then. I just want to say that if you think it'll be troublesome to skip school with me, you can tell me that. It's not a big deal, really. I'm not trying to pressure you into keeping me company or tutoring me or anything, you know?" You chuckle a bit, trying to make the atmosphere less tense than it currently is.

"It's really fine, Clarissa. Please don't worry about that."

Well, if it's fine, then it's... probably fine. Right?

...

(1/2)

>>42012988
Damnit it's not fine at all.
Why would we phrase the question so poorly?

>>42012988
You spend a couple of hours hanging out and then split up to head back to your respective homes. When you come back home, dinner's almost ready and Paul's up and about on his feet. When he notices your return, he stops you in the hallway as you try make way inside.

"So... I went to the address you gave me. What was that all about? Did you knock me out and carry me back home? What's the big idea, Clarissa?" He takes the small note with the address to that abandoned building in which the battle took place earlier today. You take a look at the piece of paper, pretending to have a hard time recalling what it is.

...

>Spook him a bit. "I never gave you that. Hey, isn't that building haunted? Maybe a ghost gave you that address."
>"I guess I got the wrong address. Oops. I'm not going to be looking for the right one, though. But I know that this building's a decrepit pile of crap, so maybe a rock fell on you and you died."
>"Well, I was going to prank you, but then a rock fell on you and you died or something. I brought you home."
>Other. (Write-in).

>>42013030
>Spook him a bit. "I never gave you that. Hey, isn't that building haunted? Maybe a ghost gave you that address."

>>42012988
Ouch.
>>42013018
I don't really think that's the issue here, Naoko just refusing to speak her mind is worrying.

>>42013030
>Spook him a bit. "I never gave you that. Hey, isn't that building haunted? Maybe a ghost gave you that address."
Take a chance!

>>42013030
>"Well, I was going to prank you, but then a rock fell on you and you died or something. I brought you home."

>>42013030
>"I guess I got the wrong address. Oops. I'm not going to be looking for the right one, though. But I know that this building's a decrepit pile of crap, so maybe a rock fell on you and you died."
Definitely died.

>>42013052
I don't know, what I wanted was whether or not Naoko genuinely thought that was a good use of Clarissa's time, because so far, it really fucking seems like it's just another pointless waste. What I got was Clarissa almost bullying Naoko into doing what Clarissa already wanted to do. It's kind of shitty.

Which is also why I don't see any of these prompts going well.

>>42013131
Bullying? Quite the exaggeration anon. Not much she could do when Naoko insisted on just doing what Clarissa wanted to.

>>42013030
>Spook him a bit. "I never gave you that. Hey, isn't that building haunted? Maybe a ghost gave you that address."

>>42013030
>"I guess I got the wrong address. Oops. I'm not going to be looking for the right one, though. But I know that this building's a decrepit pile of crap, so maybe a rock fell on you and you died."

>>42013030
I feel like a write-in is the only way we'll have even the smallest chance of this ending well, but I don't have the energy to bother.

>>42013030
Voting over, writing!

>>42013301
I don't really foresee this exchange being a big deal. Can always hope it nudges him towards believing the supernatural though.

>>42013052
>>42013048
>>42013262
"Mmm..." You pretend to be thinking over it really hard. "I gave you this? I don't remember that."

"Riiight. You gave me this and told me that it's a museum." Your brother folds his arms and looks at you with unabashed skepticism through his new set pair of glasses.

"This isn't a museum. I know this building... it's some old decrepit piece of crap. Heard that it's haunted, too." You fake contemplation for a few seconds. "Who gave you this note?"

His eyes squint even more. "You."

You shake your head. "I didn't do it. Seriously. Did anyone see me give this to you?"

"...No. We were alone in the student council room. I think it was during lunch."

"You can ask my friends, then. I was with them at lunch. ...Hey, you're starting to freak me out. Someone dressed up as me and gave it to you? That's ridiculous. And what happened after you got there?"

"I don't... remember. I heard a noise and I woke up here," Paul puts a hand to his chin and scratches it, thinking. He suddenly raises his voice. "Oh, cut the crap, Clarissa! Try as hard as you like, but I won't believe in ghosts!"

"Dude, seriously, I don't care if you believe or not. I didn't give you this note. Seriously, ask anyone. I was eating with my friends during lunch. Hey, look, if you can confirm with someone that they saw me talking to you, I'll give up and admit that you were right. Deal?" You continue to feed him unsettling lies. He keeps up his stubborn face until your parents call you for dinner, but after that, you spend the evening feeding him some fake ghost story about some begrudged murdered girl. You have a feeling that, for the first time in about ten years, you managed to actually unsettle him, even if just a little bit.

...

(1/2)

>>42013947
Later in the evening, you call Ren. She feels better now, and says that there's something she wants to talk about tomorrow. You offer to go to school if she wants you to, but she doesn't want to talk about it there or over the phone. You'll be training at the ruins, so she'll meet you there in the evening. You spend some time talking about nothing particularly important, just to distract each other from the tiring day you've been through. At the end of that fun chat, as you set your phone aside, you spot an extra black butterfly sitting on top of your desk. You walk up to it and tap it with a finger.

The message pours straight into your mind, seemingly bypassing the ears. In a cheery tone of voice, that same old mophead talks as though he's satirizing the way in which most pompous official letters are written.

"Greetings, young lady! This is Urahara Kisuke speaking. I hope you didn't forget about me! I've received both your message and spoke with my subordinate, so I'll get straight to business.

Although my schedule is indeed a little complicated, I can make a window for that personal meeting you've been requesting. In fact, I'll be available in about 3 days, and I'd like to hold that meeting at noon. If that date doesn't suit you, message me back and I'm sure we'll be able to work something out." Three days from now? That's Sunday. And noon? That's pretty much perfect.

"I won't be able to maintain a presence in the Human World for long or be able to do so with any amount of reliable frequency, however, so please prepare your questions in advance, if you have any." His cheery tone of voice fades and turns abruptly serious, just like it did last time. This kind of change is no doubt a way to put an emphasis and a sense of urgency on his words, as if to say that this is the part that's really important, and everything else was just polite and empty words.

(1/2)

>>42014015
A time- and question-limit? Oh boy.

>>42014015
"Coming into this meeting, I'd like you to be prepared for something - contacting Kimiko under the current circumstances may be impossible for you. Please understand - the family that girl is part of is highly influential and troublesome to deal with even for Shinigami of high rank and stature, and as a result, my options are highly limited. While I'll continue trying to work out a compromise for you, I wish you to keep your expectations low.

That is all, I believe. Feel free to contact me whenever you wish, young lady. Urahara Kisuke, out."

...

>Send Urahara a new message. (Write-in).
>Go to sleep, get ready for tomorrow.
>Other. (Write-in).

>>42013947
>>42014015
>>42014040
It keeps happening!

>>42014040
I don't believe we need to message him again before the meeting. Probably need an alternate plan, though. Then again, without a renegade Shinigami to help like Ichigo had I guess dying might be our only way there? Well, we'll see.

>>42014040
>Go to sleep, get ready for tomorrow.
>>42014087
How about we not lose everything for one person, Especially one we didn't know for long.

>>42014040
>Go to sleep, get ready for tomorrow.

>>42014040
>Go to sleep, get ready for tomorrow.

>>42014117
We're gonna have to eventually. Also it's nice that he said Kimiko's name finally.

>>42014342
Oh, I missed that. Good point.
Also it sounds like he's working on some way to get us in contact and is warning it might not work, which means there's still a chance it WILL work. Which would be great.

>>42014040
Voting over, writing!

>>42014417
Running late today, huh!

>>42014438
I started late, so I better do that!

>>42014468
Well, as long as you get your sleep.

>>42014117
>>42014160
>>42014324
You poke the butterfly as it stops feeding words into your head, and the little thing flies around for a bit before landing a little further away. Those news are... both good and bad. He said it might not work out, but he didn't say that it's guaranteed to fail, either. You hope you'll get to see Kimiko soon. The real Kimiko.

It might be a little mean to her to think this way, but you hope she's pretty. Wouldn't that be just perfect? You fall on your bed, arms crossed behind your head, and you fantasize a little bit. Your meeting would probably be something right out of a cheesy fairytale. Running towards each other on some beautiful field, leaping into one another's open arms... that would be great. You'd probably laugh each other to death right after that, realizing just how cliché that was.

With a stupid smile on your face, you head to bed, imagining those childishly sweet things until you fall into a deep, pleasant sleep.

...

Paul wakes you up this morning, with your mom apparently feeling too tired to get off her bed today. It seems that the burst of energy caused by her homesickness is gone now, or something. Either way, you go with the plan you've agreed on with Naoko and pretend to be sick. Your brother can't really do anything but shrug in suspicion and call mom, who then coddles you a bunch, says that she shouldn't have let you walk around after your last episode, covers you under a few heavy blankets and goes off to prepare you some cold medicine.

That's when, after feeling a little bad about lying to her, you swap with Chappy. You tell it to pretend to be sleepy as much as it can get away with, and then you leave.

Shortly after, you meet up with Naoko at the remains of the Sukari building, and the two of you begin the training session.

(1/2)

>>42015147
It's a little hard to describe this training. You sit around for hours on end with your eyes closed and eyebrows scrunched up in focus, like a monk or wizard or something. Rather than focusing on the creation of ribbons, about two hours into the session, ones with no progress whatsoever, Naoko proposes to get the barest of basics down - that is, the ability to sense spiritual energy in the first place. You've already developed a method for this kind of training a few days back: while your eyes remain closed, Naoko will use her powers at random intervals of time, and your job is to guess when she does it.

There's no value in guessing correctly just once in a series of repetitions, so lone answers, even if correct, don't count for anything. The most important part is consistency and reliability. It takes you about four hours to manage something resembling such a thing - in the sixth hour of the session, you manage to guess correctly twelve times in a row.

Naoko smiles warmly at your progress, which catches you off-guard and makes you fidget awkwardly in your seat for a bit. It's at that point, when your efforts are briefly cast aside into the background, that you've realized just how hungry you both are. Thankfully, Naoko brought the lunch that was meant to be her school one... but only one set of chopsticks to go with it.

Holding the lunchbox in her bandages hands, she offers it to you. "Eat first, Clarissa. I'll eat whatever's left."

...

>"Alright. I'll try to make it an even half so that we can both survive until Ren gets here and gets us more food."
>"I wouldn't get this far without you. Besides that, you cooked this. You eat as much as you like, and I'll have what's left, alright?"
>"Your hands are messed up, so I'll feed you."
>Other. (Write-in).

>>42015147
Woooo nice night of sleep!
Boooo no sign of nightmare-girl!

>>42015180
>"Look, let's just eat together alright? We can swap the chopsticks while chewing."

>>42015180
>"Your hands are messed up, so I'll feed you."
Gotta help out Naoko!

>>42015180
>"I wouldn't get this far without you. Besides that, you cooked this. You eat as much as you like, and I'll have what's left, alright?"

>>42015237
Sounds alright.

>>42015180
Voting over, writing!

>>42015542
Hopefully Naoko can eat until she's full at least!

>>42015237
>>42015416
"Let's just eat together, Naoko. I'll bite some stuff, and while I'm chewing it, you also get yourself a bite." You suggest and the girl nods. The meal isn't the kind of stuff that you chew for long, but it works out and the chopsticks never drop without you catching them on their way down, so that's okay. It's actually not at all awkward. You're almost disappointed. You were hoping she'd feel weird about sharing chopsticks with you like this. Wait, no, you weren't 'hoping' for that! You were 'expecting' her to be weirded out by it. That's all.

...Either way, after the meal, you continue training. It's all about smoothing things out now, which isn't really hard, as you got it down fairly firmly, so you're just chatting for the most part, or at least putting up an effort to do so, as Naoko is still a little more awkward than the people you're used to hanging out with, but it's still fun.

The door lets out a loud creak. Ren enters while hauling around a large bag of groceries, fighting against the stubborn door with her shoulder. You help her out and then bug her with questions related to her mood and wellbeing, even though she's already answered you those last night. The contents of the bag are mostly packaged foods and sweets, which you and Naoko quickly dive into with her permission. After eating enough to substitute yourselves a proper meal, Ren stands up, looking like she has an announcement to make. For whatever reason, she seems hesitant.

"You wanted to say something, right, Ren?" You try to help the girl get over her nervousness, whatever that's caused by. She nods. You have very little doubt that it's related to the mission from yesterday, but... what's with the anxiety? What did she see?

(1/2)

>>42015862
"You wanted to say something, right, Ren?" You try to help the girl get over her nervousness, whatever that's caused by. She nods. You have very little doubt that it's related to the mission from yesterday, but... what's with the anxiety?

After a short while, she speaks up. "Your abilities are similar, right, Clarissa? You and Paul. You said something like that."

"They're probably the same, yeah. I mean, that's what I'm assuming, based on a few things."

"I just... want you to know something, Clarissa," The red haired girl pauses to swallow. Her eyes briefly close in contemplation, as if she's thinking of a good way to put her thoughts into words. "It wasn't your fault." She says, lowering her gaze towards the ground.

"You mean the thing with Paul? Well, it kind of is my fault for starting it in the first place, but-..."

"No, that's not what I meant. I'm talking about what happened to Aiko..."

...

>>42015886
Oho?

File: the mushroom that grows o(...).png (319 KB, 817x817)

319 KB PNG

>>42015886
Ending thread for tonight, it's getting very late for me!

Next thread is up for tomorrow, but watch out for the unexpected on twitter:
https://twitter.com/Mushroomgami

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

Thanks for reading!

>>42015936
Oh, that's just mean!
Thanks for running Mushroom.

>>42015936
Thanks for writing! Make sure you run tomorrow alright, this is too mean a cliffhanger!

>>42016037
>>42015983
Thanks for reading!

And I'm sorry!

>>42016053
It's okay, probably.

>>42015886
I suspected as much, though I feel like even if we accept that our powers were an influence, our own desires were a factor.

>>42016570
Indeed. But I feel like Clarissa needs this not so she has something to blame, but something to explain. As long as she knows WHY it happened, she can probably start to heal and get over it, even if she still thinks it's all her fault. Right now she just knows she did something terrible but has no real idea why. Can't get much closure that way.