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“Last stop, Dokutsu village! Everybody off!”

The bus driver's shouting awakens you from your nap, as you stretch out in you uncomfortable chair. “Okay Alice...” you yawn. “This is where we get-Alice? Oh dammit, not again.”

You let out a sigh as you notice Alice is missing from the chair next to you. You wise up as you check the one place she could be... taking a nap in the overhead storage. “Did you really crawl up there while I was asleep?”

Alice stretches out like a cat with a wide smile on her face, letting out a high-pitched yawn. “Uh-huh! Lots of people were staring... I think they were impressed!”

You shake you head as you lift her from the compartment like she was a simple piece of luggage, carrying her off the bus with you, along with your own backpack draped firmly over one shoulder. You set Alice back on her feet as she continues to yawn and stretch, as you check your phone from the most recent message from Saki after you feel asleep on the journey. She felt bad that she didn't get enough chance to say goodbye because you had to take off on this mission so quickly, so she's decreed to message you as often as she can.

>From: Saki
>Good luck today, Ryoji! Today's going to be pretty stressful at the school because of the blood tests, but just know that I'm still with you every step of the way! Have fun in Dokutsu! You know, this is actually the village my grandfather grew up in. Wei always promised to take me on a trip here when I was younger to see my Grandmother's grave, but... he never did. Maybe he just never got the chance? Anyway, I'm sure there's lots to do, and whatever your mission is, I know you'll succeed!

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“Poor girl...” Nina sighs. “I'm beginning to realise why you hate Principal Wei so much. I mean, I never remembered him as a particularly kind man, but it looks like he was very uncaring to his own granddaughter.”

“You ain't kidding,” you reply. “But I gotta say, Saki's shown some real bravery in standing up to her family. She's not going to let Wei being an ass hold her down.”

“Yeah, that's great, but are we going to talk about this stupid mission?” Stranger mutters. “Because it all seems so weird. Something tells me this is Wei's attempt to finally lure you into some kind of death trap.”

He's not wrong, this mission does seem very strange. You can't really call it a mission at all, more of a... treasure hunt. Wei stayed vague on the details as always, handed you a simple map of the village, and marked on of the various caverns present throughout the fairly barren landscape the village lies within, asking you to seek out an important item in the centre of the cavern. This might finally be his way of getting rid of you once and for all, trapping you in some kind of wild goose chase.

“Well, whatever it is, it's something the four of us will handle together,” you say aloud.

“Five!” Alice exclaims. “Don't forget Dreamer!”

“Huh, I didn't realise you knew about Nina,” you raise an eyebrow.

“Dreamer allows me smell her!” Alice laughs. “She smells very pretty! Like strawberries!”

“W-well, that's very flattering...” Nina mutters, in a tone that tells you she's like blushing and playing with her hair, unsure of how to take the compliment.

“Don't get too embarrassed,” Stranger mutters. “What do I smell like?”

“Pain,” Nina answers on her behalf.

“Are we going to the place now?” Alice asks expectantly. “Also, where are we going?”

>Let's head straight to the cavern, let's not waste any time.
>Let's ask around the village about the cavern, see if we can gather information on it.
>Let's check this place out, enjoy the scenery. We're not in any rush.

>>962079
>Let's ask around the village about the cavern, see if we can gather information on it.

>>962079
>Let's ask around the village about the cavern, see if we can gather information on it.

>Mission for Wei
>Treasure hunt with vague explanations of what we need to find
It's his porn stash isn't it?

>>962079
>Let's ask around the village about the cavern, see if we can gather information on it.

Poor Saki

>>962079
>Let's ask around the village about the cavern, see if we can gather information on it.
Seems the best course of action.

Alice is adorable already.

>>962079
>Let's ask around the village about the cavern, see if we can gather information on it.

>"What do I smell like?"
>"Pain."
Kek

>>962079
>>Let's check this place out, enjoy the scenery. We're not in any rush

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>Let's ask around the village about the cavern, see if we can gather information on it.

You and Alice set off into the village and begin to look around. "So this is where Wei grew up, huh?" you ask. "Weird... this place actually seems pretty quaint. Pretty clean, nice fresh air, friendly looking people... it's a wonder he turned out to be such a jackass."

"Huh?" Alice perks her head up. "Wei's not mean... he's one of the nicest boys in my class!"

You raise an eyebrow. "Oh... that's right. You and Wei were in the original class together... you knew him way back when he was just a teenager."

You think back to the words Wei had to say to you about Alice... it's clear that while her time in the school before being trapped in the Darkworld was fairly brief, she had left a hell of an impression on the guy, and there was a genuine hint of affection in his voice when he spoke of her. "What was he like?" you decide to ask.

"Wei?" Alice ponders, trying hard to scramble the memories. "He liked to read... we didn't talk that much before I disappeared, but I didn't talk to a lot of people. I spent most of my lunchtimes chasing after squirrels and sleeping in trees, but when we did talk, he was very nice! He could be grumpy a lot... said us girls were always annoying him, but we both know he still always had fun!"

"Both?" you raise an eyebrow. "Who's the other girl?"

"Other girl?" Alice pauses, loosing track of her thoughts. "It was... uhh... hang on... chasing squirrels... tree sleeping... nope! I lost it!"

You sigh... Alice's older memories seem to come and go, infuriatingly in the middle of her relaying them. It might pop back into her head later. For now, you've got to ask around town.

You approach as many of the villagefolk as possible and try to ask about the cavern, but many are reluctant to talk about it. They say there's nothing in there that could interest a normal person and to stay clear. Another message that a lot of the townsfolk give you is one you should have expected... it's dangerous in there, and it's no place for kids like the two of you. Of course, you and Alice are far from regular teenagers, but you can't help but be worried regardless.

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"Hey you!"

A voice calls out in the distance, forcing you to turn around, as you see a group of young men in leather jackets approaching you. The first unfriendly face you've seen in this town so far, some apparent gang of ruffians, looking to cause trouble.

"Why are you going around asking about the cavern up there?" the leader of the pack smirks. "You've got the look of a delinquent about you. Are you and your sister here trying to set up turf for your gang?"

"Sister?" you mutter. "We don't even look alike, you moron."

"You hear that boss?" one of the goons gasps. "He called you a-"

"I heard him!" the leader snaps. "You think you can just wander into our town and insult us?"

"Yeah."

"What?! You have any clue who I am?!"

You look to Alice, then back to the leader, before shrugging. "Nope. I think I'm going to start ignoring you."

"Well, now you're just asking for a fight!" The leader cracks his knuckles. "You picked the wrong gang to challenger today, kid! We're going to give you one hell of a beating!"

... They're joking, right? Wow, they really have no clue. Being the master delinquent, you were already tough before you came to the academy. And while you may be much, much weaker than all of your friends, your god-like durability and some of the residual energy left over from last summoning the Stranger not too long ago places you well above the normal human. You've got an ample opportunity to make a fool out of this guy... then again, it could also be much funnier to unleash the five-foot Demon God standing by your side on them...

>Sure, you're on!
>Are you kidding? Your whole gang couldn't even take this little girl in a fight!
>Come on Alice. Let's ignore these losers.

Rolled 5 (1d100)

>>962113
>Sure, you're on!
Can't wait for us to get the shit kicked out of us so hard we forget half the cast.

Warming up the Nat 1's.

>>962113
>Come on Alice. Let's ignore these losers

>>962113
>Come on Alice. Let's ignore these losers.
Come on anons we're better than this. Also, inb4 the boss becomes a transfer student.

>>962113
>Come on Alice. Let's ignore these losers.
>>962119
Not a 1, but close enough

>>962113

>Are you kidding? Your whole gang couldn't even take this little girl in a fight

But will alice hold back?

>>962113
>Come on Alice. Let's ignore these losers
I bet they're going to try and fight us anyways. But hey, the moment they throw a dirt clod at us or Alice, then they get humiliated.

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>Come on Alice. Let's ignore these losers

"Okey doke!" Alice smiles as you turns and she skips off with you.

"L-losers?!" the gang leader yells. "Why... you can't talk to us like that! Don't you know who we are? We're the mighty mongeese, the roughest and toughest gang in the entire-hey! Don't walk away from us!"

The gang leader's voice trails off as you casually walk away, shrugging off his comments. As fun as it would be to see Alice take down the entire gang in a matter of seconds, you don't really want to draw that much attention to yourselves. As you walk on, you hear the sound of footsteps behind you, rapidly increasing in pace and getting closer, until you hear a mighty thump of a fist connects with the back of your head... but you sure as hell don't feel it. You've tanked hits from some of the most powerful beings to exist, so this punch from some random ruffian doesn't even cause you to flinch. You slowly turn you head back to look at the leader, who quickly retracts his fist as he gives a nervous, terrified smile, chuckling in fear as sweat drips down his forehead. "S-sorry..." he mutters. "P-please don't hurt me..."

"That was very rude!" Alice pouts, wagging her finger in front of her face, before giving him a playful flick on the nose... which sends him careening several feet back with the force of it... guess she didn't account for her own strength.

You shake your head as the panicked gang help pick their dazed and confused leader up off the ground, as you and Alice press on, stepping into a local store to ask more about the cavern.

"Doreiko's cavern?" the shopkeep mutters. "Yeah... it's a dangerous place all right. Rumour's always been that it's filled with some kind of treasure, that some old pirate captain placed his riches at the end of the cavern, but nobody's ever dared to make it that deep. The place is filled with serpents and traps, no sane person would go in there."

"And supposing me and my... sister here weren't sane at all," you begin. "What would our first course of action be?"

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"Well, you first better grab yourself a team of volunteers," the man explains. "I don't care if you're the Red Mask, you'll need a team to navigate through that maze."

"I don't like the sound of that..."

"What's not to like? A few volunteers signing up to be a pile of expendable bodies!"

"That's the part I don't like... I don't want to put anyone in danger."

"Do you understand the meaning of the word 'volunteer'? They put themselves in danger. Besides, we're just here for one artefact, right? If we can find some idiots to help out and there is treasure at the end, we'll let them keep it! Sounds fair to me!"

"Lots of things can sound fair when your morals are so eschew."

"Bless you."

"I didn't sneeze! And shouldn't it hurt you to say that?"

"That's stupid. What's next, Ryoji can't touch holy water?"

You shake your head, annoyed by the two's constant bickering and arguing.

>Huh, any idea where we can find some volunteers?
>I think we can handle this ourselves.

>>962180
>Huh, any idea where we can find some volunteers?
Might as well get some meatshields volunteers to help out.

>>962180
>>I think we can handle this ourselves.

Lets not get the locals killed shall we

>>962180
>Huh, any idea where we can find some volunteers?
Lets go back, those delinquents will change their tune once they realise that they're working for the one and only Ryoji Shida.

>>962180

I think we can handle this ourselves

More gold for us

Though it would suck if we need more people for puzzles

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>962184
>>962193
>Huh, any idea where we can find some volunteers?

>>962186
>>962194
>I think we can handle this ourselves

Rolling to break the tie

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>I think we can handle this ourselves

"If you say so," the shopkeep mutters, flicking through the pages of a newspaper. "But I've seen too many dumb kids say the exact same thing."

"Something's been bothering me," Nina mutters. "I've been thinking about this mission, and I don't see how something that amounts to a treasure hunt could possibly prove your worth in the eyes of the government..."

"I'm telling you, it's because it's a trap," Stranger presses. "You should never trust Wei. You defiled his granddaughter, and he's not a forgiving man. He wants your head on a silver platter, and you're walking right into the kitchen like an idiot."

"I don't think that's it... I think this really is Wei giving you something to do to hide away... I honestly wouldn't be surprised if this cave was a non-issue to you and Alice. It's hardly the Darkworld, nothing on Earth can really pose a threat to either of you."

You pause for a moment, pondering over it. "You might have a point. But why here? Why Wei's home village? And why specifically this cave?"

"Maybe there's something he wants you to fetch for him," Stranger suggests. "Maybe he lost his slippers last time he was hanging out in the cavern and expects you to grab them like a faithful dog?"

"Whatever it is, we're going through the cave," you explain. "Whether it's an actual threat or not, it's still what we came here to do, and it might be important."

You step out of the shop with Alice and catch a whiff of the nice fresh air. This village really is quite nice, despite the goofball gang you encountered earlier. It's a shame Wei never took Saki here... she would have really liked it.

"Mizuki!" Alice snaps her fingers, like she just got the most tremendous idea ever.

"Excuse me?" you ask.

"I just remembered!" Alice laughs. "The other girl... Mizuki! She was Wei's bestest friend! She was really funny! Had a lot of energy, always dragging Wei places!"

"Mizuki..." you mutter. "Huh... I remember Saki mentioning once that Mizuki was her grandma's name. What do you know, Alice? Wei and Mizuki ended up getting married."

"Wow!" Alice gasps. "That's so good for them! Uhh... married is good, right?"

"Depends on who you ask," you reply.

Alice scratches her head. "Okay... does that mean Mizuki lives in Wei's office? They're married, so they live together, right?"

"Well first off, Wei doesn't live in his office," you explain. "But I can see why you have that impression. Secondly, Mizuki doesn't live with Wei... she doesn't live anywhere."

"She went to space?" Alice asks, with bright, cheerful eyes.

"No..." you reply, letting out a sigh. "She... died. A long time ago actually."

"Oh..." Alice's eyes dart down. "I guess... they're all dead, aren't they."

"Almost, yeah..."

"Dead and old..." Alice pouts. "All except Alice..."

>Were you close with Mizuki?
>What about your current class? Do you want to talk about them?

>>962232
>>What about your current class? Do you want to talk about them?
Think about Happy things, wait this is class 1 fuck.

>>962232
>Were you close with Mizuki?
>What about your current class? Do you want to talk about them?
NO. WE MUST PROTECT ALICE'S SMILE.

>>962232
>Were you close with Mizuki?

>Wanting to drag Ryoji into the shitstorm that is Class 1
That's way above Ryoji's paygrade.

>>962232
>Were you close with Mizuki?
>What about your current class? Do you want to talk about them?
Hoo boy...

>>962232
>Were you close with Mizuki?

Calling for
>Were you close with Mizuki?
>What about your current class? Do you want to talk about them?
Writing now

>>962232
>>Were you close with Mizuki?
we're doing it

We're gonna unlock Wei's social link by talking about his dead wife and making him cry change his opinion about Saki.

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>Were you close with Mizuki?
>What about your current class? Do you want to talk about them?

"Mizuki?" Alice pauses, wracking her brain trying to recover memories. "Yes... and no. Closer than anyone else, and yet still so faraway... I liked her, she liked me, and Wei liked us both... I think. People called the two of us kooks and made fun of Wei for putting up with her. More people tried to talk to me, and they were very nice, but people didn't talk to her that much. She... was kinda lonely, except for Wei. He was super, super nice to her and spent every day with her! I told my sister about it, and she said it must be because they were in love! Were they, Ryoji?"

"I can't imagine Wei ever loving anything..." you mutter. "But maybe. Uhh... how about we focus on Class 1?"

"Yay!" Alice exclaims. "I love them a lot! My new roommate is so nice! Her name's Io! She sells things and knows all these neat card tricks. She doesn't get mad when I sleep in her bed, either! Kazuma... he doesn't let me sleep in his room, but he's still very nice."

"If you say so..."

"I haven't met this Kazuma yet, why do you dislike him? He seems like a nice boy."

"He's a little turd."

"Kiriko's a ninja!" Alice exclaims, doing some karate chops in the air. "And Mayu's a samurai! They're so cool! Mayu doesn't smile a lot. I want to make her smile more. Oh, and make her laugh! She doesn't do that... people are suppose to laugh, right? Does that mean she's broken? Hmm... I'll fix it!"

"I guess you've made a whole bunch of new friends," you smile. "I gotta admit... I'm kinda proud of you. I remember when I first found you in the Darkworld... it feels so long ago now. That was a long journey, and you're finally growing up."

"Nope!" Alice laughs. "I've been measuring! Not an inch in years!"

"I meant maturing," you explains. "Progressing. You've got your own little gang to hang out with these days. I'm starting to feel a little jealous of them."

Alice playfully grabs you by the arm. "It's okay, Ryoji! I'll still spend time with you! You, and my niece, and the nice boy, and the pirate! I'm never going to forget you!"

You place your hand atop Alice's head and ruffle her hair a little. "You better not, kiddo! Chihiro would be worried sick if you don't visit her enough!"

Alice ponders for a moment, before looking up at you, hesitantly. "Ryoji..."

"Yes, Alice."

"My... I don't think my dad is around anymore," she ponders. "But... you're like that to me? Can... can you be my new dad?"

You pause. What an odd question, but you can tell it means a lot within Alice's eccentric mind.

>Sure thing, Kiddo.
>That's kinda... weird.
>I'm not your dad, Alice. I'm your friend.

>>962276
>>Sure thing, Kiddo.
Pondering between this and the third option but it is Alice we are talking about, we need to go with her flow.

>>962276
>Sure thing, Kiddo.

This was a hard one

>>962276
>>Sure thing, Kiddo.

>>962276
>Sure thing, Kiddo.
We're the NewDad, the EvilDemonDad and the DeadMomDad.

>>962276
>>Sure thing, Kiddo.
Last time a choice like this came up, it went swimmingly.

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>Sure thing, Kiddo.

Alice's eyes brighten as she begins to hop around in celebration. "Oh, thank you! Thank you! Does this mean Saki's my mom?"

"Well, I'll have to ask her," you explain, "But I'm sure she won't mind."

Alice leaps onto you back and hugs you tight in excitement. "Yes! You're the best, dad!"

"Ryoji, I don't feel like I have to describe your biological functions to you, but I'm pretty sure your heart just skipped a beat."

"Whoa, hang on!" Stranger protests. "I didn't agree to this! You can't just go around adopting your fellow demon friends without thinking of the consequences! I'm not ready to be a father!"

Nina sighs. "You wouldn't be. Ryoji is."

"Yes, which makes me and you the little sprouts aunt and uncle."

"I do not like the implications of that sentence. Not one bit."

As you carry Alice on your back, you notice that she quickly falls asleep... you swear, she's like a Koala. But you suppose you're stuck with that now... she's many decades older than you in reality... and you just took her in as a spiritual daughter. Your life is a strange one.

"Do you feel that?" Stranger asks, his tone turning serious.

"I do... what is it?"

"A very familiar feeling..." Stranger mutters. "Looks like our demon hunter pals are in town... at least one of them. Hey, there she is!"

You look ahead, to see none other than the clumsy Nishi sitting at a bench, very obviously spying on you through holes she's cut in a newspaper she's doing a poor job of pretending to read. She catches you staring, and moves to make a break for it, first clumsily falling onto her face, before scrambling to her feet and running off down the street. What a clown...

>Chase after her.
>Throw a stone at her head.

>>962306
>>Throw a stone at her head.

Slapstick demands slapstick

>>962306
>>Throw a stone at her head.

>>962306
>Throw a stone at her head.
inb4 we roll a 100 and blow her head off.

>>962306
>>Throw a stone at her head.
Wimpy Ryoji so we'd never actually hurt her.

>>962306
>>Throw a stone at her head.
Anyone else and I wouldn't choose this, but this is going to be fun.

Rolled 92 (1d100)

>>962306
>Throw a stone at her head.
Warming up for some champion sissy throwing

Calling for
>Throw a stone at her head.

Roll 1D100 Please, Best of 3.

Rolled 67 (1d100)

>>962329
DICE GODS GUIDE MY ROLL

Rolled 41 (1d100)

>>962329
Lets see if Ryoji has a future as a baseball player.

Rolled 63 (1d100)

>>962330

Rolled 57 (1d100)

>>962329

Rolled 86 (1d100)

>>962329

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>Rolled 67

In your haste to slow Nishi down, knowing you wouldn't be able to catch her with Alice on your back slowing you down, you hunker down and grab a small rock off of the ground, tossing it at Nishi from a fair distance away. It hurtles through the air, before finally conking her cleanly in the back of the head, causing the former demon to turn around, clutching her head.

"Ooooow!" she cries, placing her hand upon the spot that you struck with the stone. "That really hurt! Why... why would you do that you... you... you meanie!"

Nishi huffs as her eyes water up, and you finally catch up to her. "You were running away, I had to do something."

"Still..." Nishi mumbles, rubbing her head. "That was very rude of you..."

"Aw, she might need a hug-"

"No."

"How about you explain to me what you're doing here?" you ask. "Can't be a coincidence. You following me?"

"No..." Nishi mutters, "But when I saw you here, I thought it was a good idea to keep an eye on you. I think we're here for the same thing..."

"The supposed treasure in the cavern, right?" you ask. "I have no idea what it's supposed to be."

"We don't either," Nishi explains. "But Miyoko heard word that there might be some sort of Darkworld related artefact in that cave somewhere, so she sent me to retrieve it."

"Well, you best step out of the way," you reply. "I'm the one who's here to retrieve it."

"I mean, we can help each-other out!" Nishi smiles. "We aren't enemies!"

"We're not exactly allies, either," you explain.

"Hmm..." Nishi ponders. "You know, I've seen that cavern. It's really not very dangerous. Outside of getting a little lost, we could be at that treasure in a few minutes. When we get there, we could rock-paper-scissors for it?"

>No way. Whatever it is, I'm taking it back to the academy with me.
>How about we decide based on who needs it the most?
>Sounds good to me. But be warned, I'm undefeated.

>>962360
>>Sounds good to me. But be warned, I'm undefeated.
>Use your psychic ability, completely unrelated to the darkworld and from a different adventure entirely, to win

>>962360
>>Sounds good to me. But be warned, I'm undefeated.

>>962360
>How about we decide based on who needs it the most?

May be the best thing to comprimise.

>>962360
>No way. Whatever it is, I'm taking it back to the academy with me.
>I asked for your help with that book and you guys just shot me down.

>>962360
>>Sounds good to me. But be warned, I'm undefeated.

>>962360
>>Sounds good to me. But be warned, I'm undefeated.
Hype.

>>962360
>Sounds good to me. But be warned, I'm undefeated.
No way whatsoever this can ever go wrong for us later. But too much time near Alice is going to make Ryoji just as whimsical as she is.

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>Sounds good to me. But be warned, I'm undefeated.

"Hey, so am I!" Nishi exclaims, before pausing for a moment. "Wait... oh no! That means no matter what we do, one of our undefeated streaks will end! That's kinda sad..."

"Whatever," you shrug. "Let's just get going through this cavern."

Nishi joins you and Alice as you make your way up a rocky hill towards Doreiko's Cavern as the villagers called it, entering the dark cave with next to know light to guide you... until Nishi summons her scythe and has it glow brightly, illuminating the path.

"So, why do you always seem to be around for the small-fry errands?" you ask Nishi.

Nishi pauses. "Well, out of all the Demon Hunters, I'm the least powerful... wait, that's not quite true. In terms of raw power, I actually rival Omitsu, but I'm the least skilled in the landslide. As Miyoko has said, I have a lot of power, with no idea how to handle it."

"I see..." you mutter. "And what was up with you showing up at our school to talk to Ken a few days ago?"

"Hmm?" Nishi asks. "Oh, Ken's the boy with the cap, right? And the rod? He was just asking me a little about Archangels. He seems very interested in the topic."

"Well, it had his girlfriend worried to hell," you chuckle. "She was scared the two of you were having some sort of love affair."

"Oh, this girlfriend would be... Nanali?" Nishi tries to remember. "No, that's not right... Nanomi? Nazumi? Na... Nanami!"

"Ding, you finally got it."

"She shouldn't be scared?" Nishi laughs. "The whole time we were talking, Ken couldn't stop mentioning her. How much he loves her, how much he wants to protect her. He even told me to keep it a secret, but he's gonna to something very special for her come Christmas!"

"Oh, and that is?"

"A secret!" Nishi places a finger to her lips.

"Ooh, a pathway!" Alice yawns, awakening from her nap on your back. "Which way are we going, dad?"

You inspect both of you options. You can continue to travel down the dark hallway with no clear end in sight, or you could take the left turn, which brings you down a pathway leading into what appears to be a wider more expanded area, but you can't tell if it leads anywhere.

>Keep going forward.
>Take the left turn.

>>962412
>>Take the left turn.
Left hand rule bois

>>962412
>next to know light
That sounds like enough light.

>>962412
>>Take the left turn.
What could possibly go wrong.

>>962412
>Keep going forward.
Big treasure chest is always at the end of the raid, no point wasting time with sub-minions in side rooms.

>>962412
>>Take the left turn.

>>962412
>Take the left turn.

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>Take the left turn.

You decide to take a turn into the passageway that at the very least appears to have some kind of ending to it. With Alice hopping off you back and walking by your side, the three of you enter and open area of the cave, with no clear exit. However, in the middle of the room lie three very simple statues resting atop pedestals in the corner of the room. One depicting a shield, one depicting a sword and another depicting a staff.

"Interesting..." Nina notes. "I feel the presence of magic in here."

"Magic?" you ask. "Why?"

"No idea... but it's here."

"Hey, you know who's from this village? You know who has knowledge of magic? You know who hates us but also sent us here?"

"Are you truly so convinced this is a malicious trap?"

"Yes, it's Wei. He's a piece of Garbage, as Ryoji would attest. Have you ever had a person like Wei? A person you know in your heart of hearts, no matter what, that you can't trust?"

"Yes, I'm looking at it right now."

"I'm flattered."

"Ehh..." Nishi ponders. "I don't like the looks of this. I don't want to move any of them in case something bad happens... gah, it's making me so nervous!"

"What do you think, Alice?"

"Are they made of chocolate?" Alice asks. "I'm so hungry... can I take a bite of one? Just to check?"

"Okay, so the decision is left to me."

"Us."

"Shut up, Stranger."

>Move the shield
>Move the sword
>Move the staff
>Go back the other way

>>962446
>>Move the shield
Protection

>>962446
>Move the shield
Maybe it has something to do with the Kobashi shield Saki has?

>>962446
>Move the shield
Seems like it might be the least dangerous, but still give us an idea what we're dealing with.

>>962446
>>Move the sword
What could possibly go wrong, part 2.

>>962446
>Move the shield

File: Shield_Spirit.jpg (125 KB, 663x1359)

125 KB JPG

>Move the shield

You step up to the first of the three columns and place hands on the shield statue. As soon as your fingertips make contact with the stone, it begins to glow and shake, before long crumbling away along with the other two statues, giving way for blue ball of energy to appear above you, the heat radiating intensely off of it, before forming into a spirit of some sort of Knight. A heavily armoured one at that, not a single piece of flesh that isn't buried deep under several layers of plate, and carrying a massive shield the size of their body in their hand.

"You have summoned me for a duel!" the shield spirit declares in a booming man's voice from underneath the helmet. "Which one of you dares to face me!"

"One of us?" You cross your hands.

"Well... he did say duel..."

"Come on Ryoji, we can take them!"

"No you can't! That power gem of yours isn't fully charged, and there's no way I'll allow you to give up your memories for something like this!"

"You don't have to give up the memories, Ryoji! You can take this big guy down on your own!"

"Is it hard to pee in all that armour?" Alice asks the spirit.

The spirit replies, "I am not of this mortal realm. I have no need for it."

"That's sad!" Alice replies, casually playing with her hair. "It's a real relief after you hold it in for a while and finally let it... oh no, now I have to pee..."

>I'll take it on myself. Doesn't look too tough.
>Alice, you mind forgetting you have to pee for a second and beating this thing?
>Nishi, prove you're on our side. Take it down.

>>962489
>>I'll take it on myself. Doesn't look too tough.
Stranger believes in us, that's totally a good sign!

>>962489
>>Nishi, prove you're on our side. Take it down
Just trip and plow right through that thing for us would ya

>>962489
>>I'll take it on myself. Doesn't look too tough.
>>But what kind of duel, to the death? Pinfall? Rock Paper Scissors?

>>962489
>I'll take it on myself. Doesn't look too tough.
He might be able to stand up to nature but can he withstand our POCKET SAND?

>>962489
>Nishi, prove you're on our side. Take it down.

Gonna go with this out of sheer curiosity.

>>962489
>I'll take it on myself. Doesn't look too tough.

Calling for;
>I'll take it on myself. Doesn't look too tough.

Roll 1D100, Best of 3

Rolled 42 (1d100)

>>962510
Please don't cave our shit in.

Rolled 12 (1d100)

>>962510
Time to get whooped.

Rolled 86 (1d100)

>>962510

Rolled (1d00)

>>962510

Rolled 39 (1d100)

>>962510
Girls are watching.

>>962516
nice
>>962519
great

>>962519
Did you manage to lose virtual dice, or is it just for me it's showing
>Rolled (1d00)

>>962525
Nope. You aren't the only one.

Quite odd.

>>962541
>>Good news... also, we kinda have a daughter now. I'll explain later.

>>962541
>Good news... also, we kinda have a daughter now. I'll explain later.
Oh god my eyes.

File: Ryo10.png (689 KB, 987x618)

689 KB PNG

>Rolled 86

"Ryoji, why? You're too weak!" Nina protests. "Alice or Nishi could handle this thing with ease! Let them take care of it! You're only going to hurt yourself!"

"Have a little more faith in the guy!" Stranger protests.

"Sorry Nina," you reply. "I'm not going to rest this on Nishi since I can't fully trust her, and I can't put Alice into harm's way. That's my daughter."

Nina sighs, as you summon and ready your fireworks gauntlet.

"Fireworks won't do anything against that thing's armour..." Nina worries.

"They won't have to," you explain. "Just trust me, okay?"

"Okay."

The spirit comes rushing at you with it's shield, hoping to bulldoze you with it. You fire a few pitiful fireworks at the knight that simply bounce off of the massive shield with ease, before jumping out of the way of the spirit's charge. It turns quickly to face you again, charging once more at you, as you once more leap out of the way by the skin of your teeth.

"What are you trying to do, tire it out? Spirits aren't going to get tired!"

"Just wait..." you mutter.

Now for your opportunity. The Spirit has built up some serious momentum while charging you, meaning that it's only set itself up for a greater fall in the very near future. You ready your gauntlet, but instead this time aim it towards the earth between you and the spirit. The fireworks blow a small hole into the ground, creating a crater just small enough for the spirit to catch it's feet in and trip, falling face first like it was Nishi. Its shield goes flying up into the air, and thanks to your immaculate timing and precision picked up from both having to study last semester and having to deal with Rei's training when she's speeding up her hits, the shield comes landing with its vertical side smashing through the neck part of the helmet, effectively decapitating the spirit... if it ever had a head to begin with, you're not sure.

The spirit fades away... all but the shield.

"Huh... I guess we need this!" Nishi smiles, as she picks up the massive shield, holding it in her hand as it's far too big to fit on her back. "Back the way we came now, I guess... seeing as the other statues crumbled...

"Yeah..." you mutter, before pulling out your phone to reveal a new message.

>From: Saki
>Hi Ryoji! Hope it's all going okay! All of Class 2 have received their tests, and I'm happy to say we're all safe! I can't wait until this is all over and done with so we can snuggle under the blankets and drink hot cocoa... it is winter after all!

Better reply back now while you've got a moment of silence. You'll likely be busier later on.

>That's great to hear, Sak. I absolutely can't wait for it. Love you.
>Good news... also, we kinda have a daughter now. I'll explain later.
>Ha, I knew it was one of those Class 1 kids!

>>962551
>>Good news... also, we kinda have a daughter now. I'll explain later.
Let her fret over this for a while. Sak bullying is the best.

>>962551
>>962549
Time to samefag.

>>962551
>>Ha, I knew it was one of those Class 1 kids!

>>962551
>Good news... also, we kinda have a daughter now. I'll explain later.

>>962551
>>Good news... also, we kinda have a daughter now. I'll explain later.

>>962551
>>Good news... also, we kinda have a daughter now. I'll explain later.

File: Ryo.jpg (79 KB, 700x990)

79 KB JPG

>Good news... also, we kinda have a daughter now. I'll explain later.

As you text back the message with a smirk on your face, it doesn't take long for you to receive a reply.

>From: Saki
>What?! HOW?! WHO!? WHEN?! BUT... WE USED PROTECTION!

You chuckle to yourself as you reply with another "I'll explain later" while you enjoy her being freaked out for a while.

"I have to admit, Ryoji... Saki is kind of adorable when you tease her."

"Yeah, her panicking is ridiculous. Not like you'd need to use protection anyway."

"Yeah..." you mutter. "Wait, what?"

"You have Archdemon physiology," Stranger explains. "We can't have kids with children... ergo, you can't have kids with Saki as long as I'm around."

"I..." you begin, before taking a deep breath. "That's kind of a bomb to drop."

"Why? It's not like it matters!"

"Yes it does!" you snap. "I want kids!"

"Oh... well, too bad."

"You're a monster..."

"It's not like I did it on purpose!"

You shake your head... that's a tough one to take in. It never occurred to you that you Darkworld biology would affect you in such a way... crap...

You push it out of your mind for the time being as you press on down the pathway you didn't take. It continues for a good long while, before taking you to the end of the hallway, completed by a large stone door, with parts hollowed out in the centre. Looking at the hollowed out portion, it appears to be in the shape of a sword resting over a shield.

"A key!" Alice exclaims, clapping her hands. "A key!"

"Yeah, looks that way..." you reply. You nod at Nishi, who raises the shield and slots it in the hole, fitting nicely.

"That's one part," you mutter. "But where are we going to get a sword when the last statue crumbled away?"

"Hmm..." Nishi ponders. "Oh, there's a hallway down here! We should follow it!"

You make your way down the hallway, where you find yourself in another room, with a sword resting on display at the very end of the room... separated from you by a pit of about 80ft across. The fall below doesn't look deadly, at least not to any of you three with your heightened durability, but it could cause a rather nasty injury if the jump isn't made properly, and it's a jump that could never be made by a regular human, and you think even your strongest friends could struggle without a running start, which this room does not provide you with. You certainly couldn't make the leap at least, without some other kind of plan to propel you across...

>I'll try the leap, I won't be hurt if I fall.
>Nishi you take the leap, should be a cakewalk for someone like you.
>Alice, bounce right over there and grab that sword.

>>962606
FUCKING STRANGER FOR FUCKS SAKE GO AWAY AND LET US FUCK

>Nishi you take the leap, should be a cakewalk for someone like you.

>>962606
>>Alice, bounce right over there and grab that sword.
A dexterous task for Nishi? No way in hell.

>>962606
>>Alice, bounce right over there and grab that sword.
Alice can probably fly maybe.

>>962606
>>Nishi you take the leap, should be a cakewalk for someone like you.

Thr Stranger broke Ryoji's balls
And now Ryoji finally knows
How is Ryoji going to brake the news Saki?

>>962606
>I'll try the leap, I won't be hurt if I fall.
WE'RE SWEEPING THIS DUNGEON SOLO.

>That bomb
I'd rather be sterile than knock someone up with literal soul eating demons.

>>962606
>>Nishi you take the leap, should be a cakewalk for someone like you.

>>Alice, bounce right over there and grab that sword.

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>962609
>>962614
>>962619
>Nishi you take the leap, should be a cakewalk for someone like you.

>>962610
>>962612
>>962622
>Alice, bounce right over there and grab that sword.

Rolling to break the tie. Regardless of result, roll 1d100, best of 3.

>>962637

Rolled 4 (1d100)

>>962637
AA

Rolled 60 (1d100)

>>962637
Bounce like a bunny?

Rolled 24 (1d100)

>>962637

Rolled 75 (1d100)

>>962637

Rolled 56 (1d100)

>>962637

Rolled 81 (1d100)

>>962637

>>962643
>>962644
Well shit.

>>962642
Probably just made the DC.

File: 1334729568499.gif (18 KB, 100x90)

18 KB GIF

>>962649
Roll Faster Bitch

File: Nishi04.jpg (43 KB, 467x622)

43 KB JPG

>Rolled 60

"Okay, dad!" Alice smiles, before looking around her. "Hmm... not a lot of room... oh well! I'll just do it from a stand then!"

"Well, you could try to at least get a little bit of a running sta-"

"Here I go!"

"Alice, no!"

It's too late, as Alice already leaps forward from her current position. Still, Alice does have god-like powers, so even a standing start seems to allow her to clear a truly amazing distance. As she floats through the air... it's almost like she's flying, gliding.

It seems like somehow, someway, Alice is going to make the tremendous leap... until she begins to falter, and lower, as gravity begins to take more of a toll as she descends just before making the edge of the platform. She clings on to the edge, with a long pit below her, as she attempts to pull herself up, struggling as she does. "Mmmm... AHHHH!"

"Alice, are you okay?" You call out, certain she can only hear you through the incredible echoes in the room.

"Dad, there's skeleton's in this pit!" Alice yells. "Lot's of them!"

"Don't look down, Alice!" you call out. "Just pull yourself up!"

Alice nods and takes a deep breath, before straining with all of her might to pull herself up over the edge, and safely onto the platform. She catches her breath, before handily grabbing the sword. "What now?"

Crap... she'll have to jump over again, won't she? Well then you suppose that-

"I can fly, you know."

Your head snaps with the force you turn it back towards Nishi. "What?"

"I can fly?" Nishi points out. "I... I did it when we fought before? Did you forget?"

You glare at her. "Why didn't you speak up?"

"I-I was going to!" Nishi explains. "But you and her were talking so fast, and then I couldn't get a word in, and then she was all 'here I go' and I couldn't do anything about it!"

You sigh. "Whatever... just... go grab her from over there now."

"Okay!" Nishi smiles, as she flies to the end of the room in order to carry Alice back. You open up your phone once more to see the last message from Saki.

>From: Saki
>This is one of your jokes, isn't it? Well, I'm not falling for it this time! Besides, I would know if I was pregnant much more than you would! Still... I hope you're doing okay out there. Can you do me a favour before you leave? Can you visit my Grandmother's grave? Leave a flower there or something?

File: Nina25.jpg (56 KB, 836x1396)

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You and the girls return back to the door and place the sword in the missing slot. It clicks, and with a loud rumble, the door slides open to reveal a very large, but very empty room... with nothing but a chest inside.

"Huh, this must be our treasure. Open it up!"

"Are you kidding? Don't touch that! You really think this isn't a trap? Look how ridiculously shady this room is! Wei is just about to reel you in and then he's going to gut you and serve you to all his rich friend served with butter!"

"What?"

"You're a fish, walking into bait. Couldn't have made that more clear, Ryoji."

"You're seriously paranoid."

"And you seem to be forgetting who the hell we're dealing with! Are you seriously going to trust Principal Wei? He wants you gone!"

You let out a sigh. Stranger does make a pretty good point. It's hard to trust Wei on account of him being... well, Wei.

>Open the treasure
>Leave it to Nishi

>>962671
>Open the treasure
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69AyYUJUBTg
WE MUST

>>962671
>>Open the treasure
Suddenly Mimic Boss battle

>>962671
>Open the treasure
Time for Stranger to learn a lesson about trust.

>>962671
Can we open it from a distance?

>>962671
>Open the treasure
>no one has gitten the treasure because it's just a lone mimic

>>962671
>Open the treasure
I want some precious booty

>>962671
>Leave it to Nishi
she can take a beating too.
Shouldnt we play rockpaperscissor?

File: Consumed.gif (1.37 MB, 720x480)

1.37 MB GIF

>>962671
>Open the treasure
>Inb4 its a portal to darkworld with no exit
Stranger says "ha! told you so!"

File: Wei&Mizuki07.jpg (151 KB, 846x668)

151 KB JPG

>Open the treasure

You hunker down by the chest an throw off the latches.

"Ryoji, think about this. You don't know what you're doing. This is clearly a trap, and Wei is trying to get revenge on you for disgracing his family or whatever. The sword and shield? The fact that Wei knew about this place? The Magic? It all ties together, this is a Kobashi family dungeon, and he's lead you here just so he can-"

"It's open," you reply, cutting Stranger off. "Nothing bad happened. It's fine."

"Oh... well, I wouldn't be the god of paranoia if I didn't have a healthy dose of-"

"Stupidity?"

At the top of the pile in the chest is what appears to be some kind of golden sphere. By the looks of it, it's the artefact you've been looking for. But... what's this? Filling the rest of the chest... not treasure, but rather photographs and letters. All of them of some young man with black hair and... whoa, hang on...

"The girl in those photos... different eyes, but she looks so much like Saki, doesn't she?"

Alice joins you and takes one look at the photo before gasping. "That's Wei and Mizuki! I... think? Wait, no... it can't be them. The people in this picture look about eighteen, and I don't remember either of them ever being... oh wait! Silly me! I forgot! Haha... yeah, that's them!"

Amazing... picture of Saki's grandmother... and wow, do they have a lot in common, looks wise. Hell, scouring through the photos, you see Mizuki wearing clothes straight out of Saki's own old-fashioned wardrobe. Saki's family is far too rich for hand-me-downs... so did Saki model herself after her grandmother?

"I guess she really idolised the grandparent she never got a chance to meet."

"Even more than she idolised Wei," you mutter. "Makes sense, she probably only knows her grandma through stories and old photos like these. If she can worship Wei as a hero even when he was awful to her, she must have thought Mizuki was damn near perfect. I doubt it... any woman who marries Wei can't be a good person."

File: Wei&Mizuki.jpg (118 KB, 600x800)

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You say that... yet there's something about the younger Wei in these photos that speaks out to you. He looks pretty grumpy in most of them, but there's something else behind them, some warmth and affection that doesn't exist behind his current scowls and grimaces. And... these letters... you grab one at random and peer inside.

>Dearest Mizuki,
> I hope you are enjoying your trip to your parents house. It's such a shame I couldn't join you, but the school does need me on staff at the moment. The life of a teacher is a rough one, as you know! It'll all be worth it when I'm principal... I'm writing to remark on something I realised today. As I lay alone in bed once more, reminded those long cold nights I would spend before you were by my side... I have come to a realisation. You remember that thing you do when you're bored? When you would scratch the back of my neck and make those annoying sounds? Of course you do, I would complain about it all the time. It well and truly got on my nerves every single time you did it... and yet, a week removed from your company, I find myself missing that perhaps most of all. It's odd, even the things you do that I hate, only serve to make me love you more. They may drive me crazy, but I love your hair-brained schemes, your eccentric gestures, your lack of an indoor voice, and I especially love that slight crack in your voice every time you cry out my name... I'm simply writing to say that I love all of this about you, because I often don't say it enough.
>Yours truly, your Jellybean, Wei.

You close the letter over with your eyes widened. You never believed Wei when he would say he loved his late wife. How could you? It's Wei. He's cold, he's harsh, and he completely brutal and uncaring to even in his own family. How could you believe this man, who has never felt love in his heart, felt care for another human being, let himself stand vulnerable in front of someone he trusted... Wei Kobashi never loved anyone but himself. Dear god, were you stupid.

File: Wei&Mizuki05.jpg (294 KB, 700x918)

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There are so many letters in the chest, some sent to Mizuki while the two were separated, some written as cute gifts between the two, and seemingly a lot written but never sent... particularly the most recent one in the pack.

>My Dear Mizuki
>I have stopped counting the years since you've passed. I came to realise a long time ago that the length of time is meaningless. I will always feel as empty as the day you left this world, and counting will do nothing to bring you back. It has been a long time since I've written to you last... but I must share something. Last I wrote was on the occasion of our Granddaughter's birth, but a year and a half has flown by, and I must share with you what an exceptional child Saki is. Yes, she was named Saki, after your mother. I know you always wanted a girl, and I won't bore you once again with the disgrace that Mitsuo has grown to become. Saki... she's so much like you. She has her father's eyes, though... or rather, she has her father's eye colour. But the wonder and spirit behind her eyes... I would recognise them anywhere. This little girl... she's truly something special. I only hope that she can make you and this old dragon proud.

That's the end of the letters. Dammit, Wei... you're supposed to hate him. To think that at some point that man had a heart... and to think it might still be there.

"Umm..." Nishi begins. "I don't know what these pictures are about... I hope I'm not interrupting anything emotional-"

"This pictures make me happy!" Alice exclaims. "That's an emotion!"

"Yay!" Nishi smiles. "But I think it's time we decided who took this sphere, so... rock-paper-scissors?"

Nishi holds out her hand, and you do the same, hoping to take whatever this gold sphere is back with you.

>Rock
>Paper
>Scissors
>Push her and run

>>962772
>Gun
Bang bang, bitch.

>>962772
>POCKET SAND
>Or Rock

>Scissors

>>962772
>Rock

>>962772
>>Rock

>>962772
>Paper

>>962772
>>Scissors
Three way tie please.

>>962772
>Scissors

>>962778
I'll back this. Pocket Sand hasn't steered me wrong yet

File: Nina22.jpg (283 KB, 600x1000)

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>Rock

"Scissors!" Nishi exclaims as she throws down the gesture for scissors, before her eyes widen in horror as she sees your balled up fist, the image of it pulsating to the back of her skull, even more painful than the rock that hit her head earlier.

"N-noooooo!" Nishi screams in humiliation. "My undefeated streak, ruined! Oh, this is the worst day of my life... and the others are going to be so mad at me!"

You shrug, and ruffle Nishi's hair as she collapses to her knees in defeat. "Well, a deal's a deal. You win some, you lose some."

"I'll honour the ancient traditions of rock-paper-scissors!" Nishi clenches her fist in determination. "But I swear, I will defeat you in the re-match!"

You take Alice by the hand, while she's concerned with stuffing as many of the photographs into her pockets as she can, and begin to lead her out of the cavern. "C'mon kiddo, we're finished here."

"We're going home, dad?"

"Not quite. We have to pay a visit to someone important."

"Who's that?" Alice asks.

"Well, if I'm supposed to be your dad, and Saki's your mom now, then I guess she'd be your great grandmother? Whatever, you'll just remember her as an old friend."

You lead Alice back into village, being sure to get some flowers before making your way to the village cemetery. It takes some searching around, but you're soon able to find to correct headstone... "Here lies Mizuki Kobashi, The Young Dragon."

"A strange nickname. You should ask Wei about it when you return."

"I'm still confused as to why Wei would lock all of that stuff away in there.

"I suppose he was... ashamed. Perhaps the memories made him too sad, so he chose to hide them away?"

"Pretty drastic way to do it."

"Oh... hi Mizuki!" Alice waves at the headstone. "I haven't seen you in years! Oh, you're looking a lot older! I'm not. I get pretty sad about that sometimes... I get pretty sad when I can remember you, and I'm even sadder when I can't. I miss you... you were really nice! They said you were weird... but they said I was weird too. We could have been weird together... but now I'm just weird alone."

Alice frowns, as you throw your arm over her and hug her close to comfort the little scamp. "Hey," you say to the gravestone, in an attempt to eulogise. "You don't know me... we've never met before, and I guess we never will... but I'm Ryoji. I'm Saki's boyfriend. Just so you know, you'd be proud of everything your granddaughter's accomplished. Believe me, she's a truly incredible girl... and she amazes me every day. Also, she calls me jellybean, so I guess your great minds think alike, huh? Sucks you couldn't met her... something tells me she could have used to around. Don't worry though, granny. I'll good care of her, you'll see. I'll make you proud."

And with that, you say goodbye to the small village of Dokutsu, by laying two roses atop the grave. The first on behalf of Saki... and the other on behalf of Wei.

END OF EPISODE 27

>>962843
That was sweet, glad we visited the grave. Thanks for running Booker.

File: Wei&Mizuki08.jpg (175 KB, 450x810)

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>Ending Theme
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=if5Ehx9hJis

>Archive
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Dark%20Gate%20Academy

>Twitter
https://twitter.com/bookerman32

Thanks for playing! Next thread will be up Friday! Follow the Twitter for any updates!

>Discord
https://discord.gg/yz7sDra

>Player Question
On Friday, we'll be returning to Class 1 with the chase for Taiyo and Tsuki! Any predictions for that thread?

>>962856
Thanks for running Booker.

>PQ
Twists, turns and finding out how you don't realise a class has 2 extra people in it when there's only like 25ish students at school.

>>962856
>>Player Question
Great episode Booker thanks for running

>Player Question
Tsuki being the good guy all along and Taiyo being a crazy justice knight templar type guy.