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>>5394689
The sudden transformation of Mizuno Ami came out of nowhere. It is hard to reconcile the sudden zeal and determination lighting up her eyes, it promises to achieve victory no matter what the cost.

A cost that she will mostly inflict on others to pay.

You, Houseki Ruka of Juuban Middle School, confess that your meek classmate is very intimidating when she wants to be.

"It's a very interesting competition. I usually spend my holidays studying and swimming but I think I will make an exception for this event."

Her glasses flash as she fixes a meaningful eye on you. It takes a few seconds before a realization hits you, she clearly is expecting you to offer to partner with her for the competition. The force of her stare is heavy, she will clearly not like the answer you'll be giving.

"I'm going with Masato, already partnered up with him. If you're going, I'll see you tomorrow then!" You answer jauntily, and Mizuno's eyes turn glacial as a result. If Mizuno somehow had the ability to do so, she'd be shooting sharp chips of ice at you from her eyes.

"Hm, how unfortunate... Yes, very unfortunate," a sinister chuckle issues forth from the girl as she tears down the Heiwa no Mori competition poster from the board with more force than strictly necessary and tears it up into little pieces. The shredded paper lazily flutters to the floor like snow from her hands. Satisfied by her work, Mizuno walks away from you while muttering something under her breath. You strain your ears to hear it. You've been blessed by keen senses, it makes being observant a rather easy task.

"Just eliminated the source of information, now to eliminate rivals, find a partner..."

It sounds like Mizuno is on the warpath to better her odds for tomorrow's competition. What are you going to do?!

>Leave Mizuno alone, you can't do much...
>Change your mind, tell Mizuno you'll partner up for the competition (this will upset Masato)...
>Lie to Mizuno, tell her you'll partner up (this can't possibly go wrong!)
>Slap an ofuda on Mizuno to exorcise her, surely that'll work!... roll 3d6-2, dc 13
>Contact Club Exec Kotani Miya, magic spell expert, she might know a method to maximize excorcism...
>Make yourself the exclusive target of Mizuno's wrath, taunt her!... roll 3d6, dc 12
>write in

>>5394707
> Contact Club Exec Kotani Miya, magic spell expert, she might know a method to maximize excorcism...

>>5394707
>Contact Club Exec Kotani Miya, magic spell expert, she might know a method to maximize excorcism...

>>5394726
>>5394891
Seems we want to refer to an expert! Maybe she can help.

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Your hand automatically goes into your leather schoolbag to grip the paper ofuda within. It is all so tempting to take it out and slap it on Mizuno to see if it brings her back to her senses. But... you recall that Hino had done a series of seals with her hands before using it. The level of knowledge you have regarding hand seals like those is pretty basic, there's only so much crazy occult stuff your brain can absorb by simply observing your mother.

Mizuno determinedly walks down the hallway before turning the corner, disappearing from your sight.

You lost your opportunity to act but that's okay... Maybe. Mizuno is a smart girl, she'll probably think of something nasty to sideline some competitors, but she doesn't have a lot of time. What sort of trouble could she possibly achieve in 24 hours?

Anyways, it is time to refer to Juuban's self-proclaimed expert in magic and spells! Kotani Miya, the treasurer of Supernatural Research Club.

It's a short walk to her classroom too. You open the classroom door silently and enter, you're not very surprised to see her at her desk and holding something odd. It is some sort of strange straw horse doll. Miya carefully scrutinized the straw doll before playing with it.

"Neigh~." Miya softly mimics a horsey neigh and then makes the doll rear up. She smiles pleased with her childish play as she drums her fingers on the desk to mimic the clopping of hooves as she makes the horse trot. It is kind of cute to see the Treasurer playing around with the doll. She hasn't noticed you're in, and with your sneaky skill, it is easy to silently approach her desk. The magic obsessed girl is too focused on her straw horse to realize your presence.

"Having fun?" You whisper to the Treasurer. Miya starts at the sound of your voice and reddens as she realizes your presence.

"Oh jeez, Club Officer Houseki, don't surprise me like that... wait, how much did you see?!" The straw horse doll is shoved away into her desk.

"Enough to see the horse neigh and trot. Is it something supernatural related?" You grin and sit down by her desk.

"It's a warakoma, I asked my dad to send me a straw doll. I thought he would get me a human-shaped one, but instead he got me a straw horse. Apparently it's a charm of some sort." The Treasurer pouts with some disappointment about the missed opportunity.

"... Are you planning to curse someone?" You can't help but ask. Straw dolls, or wara ningyo, are infamous for being items that people use to curse their hated enemies. Usually by driving an iron nail through them in a rather involving curse ritual.

"No, I just thought it would be neat to have something like that at the Club. Anyways, what can I do for you?"

You don't say anything at first, instead, you take out a single ofuda and place it on her desk. The black characters boldly state 'Akuryou Taisan' on the white paper. Miya's eyes are wide open as she picks up the ofuda to look at it.

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>>5396001
"Oh wow, I haven't seen these in a while. And it's good quality washi!" Her fingers lightly touch the white paper.

"How would you use this in an exorcism?" With any other person, asking this question to them would be incredibly embarrassing. But Kotani Miya absolutely loved such things... and went into far too many details.

The 9 hand seals were not easy to memorize! Rin Pyo Tou Sha Kai Jin Retsu Zai Zen!? The hand movements are too complicated, you don't have time to familiarize yourself with them and do them quickly. Miya makes it look incredibly easy, going through the hand motions smoothly and without hesitation. The other possible mantras and chants that can activate the exorcism powers of the ofuda are too damn long.

"Look, Treasurer Miya, just tell me the real simple method! I can just slap these things on a person's forehead and get it over with, right?" You desperately ask Miya to stop her endless stream of possible ways to activate the ofuda.

"What? That's not how it works. If you aren't interested in doing it properly with the right mantras and hand gestures, you at least need to be in the right frame of mind. Concentrate and focus on your inner will to exorcise possessing beings at least before putting the ofuda on something or someone. Otherwise, you'll just end up wasting a perfectly good paper talisman."

"Okay, what about a lot of people?"

"One paper talisman for one person. You can't just force the talisman to do whatever the heck you want when it has a shape, a truth and a reason to exist. The talisman banishes evil. Not 'banishes evils' as in multiple ones. Really sempai."

This sucks, you only have three of these damn talismans. There are hordes of students in your school affected by the weird Heiwa no Mori poster. Wait, Miya came to school early today. She must have seen the poster, right?

"Hey Miya, you read the competition poster on the bulletin board? You don't feel particularly interested in joining it?"

"Not at all, I'd rather spend my time with my older sister and go shopping."

Huh? It's inconceivable! No one seems to have any resistance against the damn thing, they all form a compulsion to join the competition. You only resisted because of the yakuyoke charm.

The straw horse charm! Of course, it must have protected Miya from the effects. You look at the straw horse hidden away in her desk, it'll be stashed in the Club room as part of the collection upstairs.

First year students have steadily entered the classroom, it's time to get going. A few of them are staring and wondering why a second year student is here. You thank the Treasurer and take your leave.

You go to your class upstairs on the second floor.

It's in chaos, but what really catches your attention is...

>Usagi seems very worried...
>Yuuji and Tomio look incredibly intense....
>Ms. Haruna doesn't seem interested in teaching at all...
>Masato is sitting at your desk, he's been waiting...
>Ryu Torako is talking with Naru...

Rolled 2 (1d5)

>>5396004
I will let the dice decide our path.

>>5396004
>Yuuji and Tomio look incredibly intense....

>>5396004
>>Masato is sitting at your desk, he's been waiting...

>>5396004
>>Yuuji and Tomio look incredibly intense....

>>5396034
>>5396098
>>5396562
>>5396785
Seems our friends caught our attention most...

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The two boys are vibrating with suppressed emotions, their conspirical faces keen and impatient. You can't help but think that being wound up that tightly for an entire day before a competition as bad. It must be, at the very least, very exhausting.

"Good morning guys?" You give a tentative greeting to them. Their eyes fall upon you and narrow at the same time. It's unnatural how in sync it is. When you think about it, it's also astonishing how bad their luck is, since this is the second time they've been hit with spooky stuff. The last time had been the House of Fortune nonsense.

"Ah, our rival has finally arrived. Yuuji, time for Operation War Face!" Tomio proclaims as he got up from his desk.

"This is our war face!" Yuuji announces, jumping to throw a silly pose straight out of Ultraman. If you remember correctly, it's the Specium Beam pose. Despite how ridiculous it is, his face is utterly serious.

"RAAAAH!" Tomio shouts to demonstrate his warcry, which promptly catches the attention of everyone in class. Everyone is staring at the two boys and the whispering begins.

"They're acting weird again."
"Another pair is going to compete, I guess."
"The prize in the competition isn't even that valuable."
"Why is everyone so obsessed?"

Was this to intimidate you or something? Did they have more ridiculous plans in the making? The sheer amount of energy they're bleeding off from this ridiculous posing is excessive.

"We will be victorious, Ruka!" Tomio announces as he shifts into an exaggerated pose to demonstrate his resolve.

You try not to burst out laughing at the two boys. Shoulders shake from the effort to hold it in. You almost look forward to seeing what other stupid things they'll do next, but all humor drains from you when you notice something odd. It's hard to say what it is. You try to focus your full attention on the boys to determine exactly what is catching your attention.

Something is off. It raises the hair on the back of your neck but there's nothing you can see. Your two childhood friends look at you baffled at your intense stare. The class has gone silent again, wondering why exactly you're staring at.

"Is there something on our faces?" Yuuji asks and he presses his hand on his face to search for it. That breaks your concentration and makes you aware of how strange it looks to be standing and staring at the boys so intently.

>>5397152
"Nah, you're both acting weird. Better knock it off." You take your seat before they can question you further. You could have sworn that around the outlines of their bodies, an odd flickering. If you had to describe it, it is like a straight line bending oddly before straightening itself out again. Except that a straight line should never do that in the first place.

Class today is once again dedicated to reviewing midterm exam subjects. It's hard to pay all that much attention, but Ms. Haruna works hard at the blackboard. She has fully recovered from the strange Flower Broach weirdness, it's hard to imagine she had collapsed in school.

It's almost time for break, there something you want to try on Tomio or Yuuji.

Choose your victim!

>Yuuji
>Tomio

And you want to...

>You want to use your lapis lazuli stone to 'see' whatever you noticed...
>You want to slap an ofuda talisman on him to exorcise him...
>You want him to hold on to your yakuyoke anti-evil charm for a bit...
>You want to try one of those spells Miya suggested for exorcism...
>You want to ask them how he feels right now...

or

>You don't feel like doing anything to the boys... (time skip to end of the half school

>>5397153
>Yuuji
You want to use your lapis lazuli stone to 'see' whatever you noticed...

>>5397199
Seconding this

>>5397153
>>Yuuji
>>You want to use your lapis lazuli stone to 'see' whatever you noticed...

>>5397199
>>5397241
>>5397255
Seems that Yuuji is going to be our test subject...

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You saw something. What that something is is a mystery. Luckily, you do have something will let you see spooky invisible things!

The real issue is deciding how you're going to go about using it on your friends to investigate. Tomio is right behind you, and even though you are aware that he's possessed by something supernatural... it is hard to take his constant trashtalk.

"You're going down."
"Best give up, me and Yuuji are a solid team."
"You haven't been training, I can tell."
"We'll be nice and let you and Masato have second place."

By the time a break comes along, it's a relief to get away from your childhood friend. You can't even bring yourself to hang around his annoying ass during break. From the corner of your eye, you see Yuuji walking out of class for a quick stroll to stretch his leg.

This is your opportunity to get Yuuji into somewhere private and use your stone! Grabbing the stone, you exit the classroom after him and leave Tomio behind.

Just where is Yuuji heading off to? Is he going to Masato's class? The determined march of the boy indicates that his destination must be of the utmost importance.

"Yuuji, wait up man!" You call out to the boy but he doesn't stop. The moment he hears your voice, he hurries to get away from you. At first, he simply walked a bit faster but realized you were keeping pace with him. That's when things started to really speed up.

It turns into a full blown sprint!

"DAMN IT! Leave me alone Ruka, I ain't talking to the enemy until we win!" Yuuji shouts as you doggedly pursue through the school hallways. It's a good thing no teacher has seen this impromptu race to scold you yet! Eventually, the futile escape attempt comes to an end because you manage to overtake him.

"Do your worst! Tomio will avenge me!" Yuuji dramatically announces as he concludes he can't escape.

"Oh shut up, I just want you to come with me for a second." With a quick shove, you push Yuuji to the library. During this short break period, there's no one in it to bother with your investigation.

You reach into your pocket and take it out. The beautiful blue stone reacts the moment you bring it close to Yuuji. Like the sun coming out from behind a cloud to shine upon the land, the dark inert stone bursts into light. Yuuji doesn't react at all, he simply scoffs at the sight of your lapis lazuli. The light is clearly emitting from the stone, the soothing radiance bathing your friend should invite immediate comment. Yet Yuuji stands completely bored and unaware to the strange supernatural phenomena emitting from the precious stone.

It seems mundane people can't see the light at all. Which leaves only the question of those who can see spooky supernatural things. If you take out the stone to use it, would they perceive the light in action? Unless you fancy pulling the rock out in front of Mizuno or Usagi to test that out, it'll have to remain a mystery for now.

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>>5398253
Lapis Lazuli of Insight: Breaks through the Veil and grants Second Sight! It's light cannot be perceived by mundane people. But what about the supernaturally sensitive?

You search for the strange thing you saw earlier. Your eyes knew there is something, but it just couldn't comprehend it. It was as though your brain refused to process the strange thing on your friend's body. With the assistance of the stone, it doesn't take very long to see exactly what it is.

A black hand is crawling over Yuuji's body, like a cockroach trying to hide in darkness once more. It skitters away from the light of your stone. A feeling of disgust overcomes you.

"Hey Ruka, what's with you?" Yuuji sounds concerned, he sees the stone shaking in your hand. The black hand crawls over to his face and takes advantage of his open mouth by shoving itself inside. It is fast and Yuuji is utterly unbothered by the forceful entry of a large black hand down his throat. Yuuji swallows and the black hand is now within his body.

The bell chimes to announce that break time is over.

"Holy shit! Yuuji, didn't you feel that!?" You babble but Yuuji just turns away.

"Feh, what a waste of time. You trying to psyche me out? Is that it? Well, it won't work!" Yuuji announces and heads back to class.

You can barely pay attention to the final lessons on Saturday. There are dozens of students in your school who are affected by the poster. Each of them has a black hand crawling all over them like a parasitic insect. What was that creepy supernatural black hand doing to them? Thinking about it just makes you shudder.

"Come on Ruka, let's head to Crown Games! I wanna destroy you in Street Fighter before I win the competition tomorrow." The cockiness in Tomio's voice and constant stream of trashtalk has long ceased to be annoying.

"Hey, uh, Tomio. Are you feeling all right? Like, you don't feel weird do you?!" You can't keep the worry out of your voice. There's a creepy black hand on your childhood friend, sticking to him like a leech and doing something.

"I feel like I can take on the world!" Tomio crows energetically as he packs up.

You're slow to pack, as your mind races to deal with the situation you're in. You only have 3 ofudas to purge the strange thing possessing people. There must be hundreds of victims!

"Ruka, there's someone at the door asking for you!" Usagi comes by your desk to get your attention.

You look and see...
>It's Ms. Haruna, your homeroom teacher...
>It's Mr. Yamada, your Club Supervisor...
>It's Mr. Oshio, the gym teacher/disciplinary officer...
>It's Ms. Asahina, the teacher of class 5...

>>5398254
>It's Ms. Asahina, the teacher of class 5...

>>5398254
>>It's Ms. Haruna, your homeroom teacher...

>>5398254
> It's Ms. Haruna, your homeroom teacher...

>>5398278
>>5398301
>>5398445
Seems it's Haruna calling out to us.

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You glance over at the door and see a very worried Ms. Haruna. How strange. Typically she'd be in the teacher's lounge at this time.

"Don't take too long, Ruka. I'll be downstairs by the shoe lockers." Tomio thinks nothing of it, his mind fully preoccupied with winning against you in Street Fighter and tomorrow's competition.

"Ms. Haruna looks really serious. It must be something bad." Usagi voices her concern, and you're surprised by her sharp observation of the homeroom teacher. Ms. Haruna really does look serious about something.

The only way to find out is to go with her. It can't be very serious. What could possibly result in this? It's odd. Why would Ms. Haruna take you to the nurse's office? If it was a normal teacher thing, you'd head straight to the teacher's lounge. If she wants to take you to the relative privacy of the nurse's office, it must be something serious.

You're on your guard. The door to the nurse's office closes behind you. The school nurse is sitting ready in the middle of the room. It's clear she's been waiting for the two of you.

"Good afternoon, Houseki. If you could please sit down here. Make yourself comfortable. It won't take long. I'd like to review your health situation. You have been injured recently." The nurse begins what is clearly an interrogation. What is going on? Why are they asking questions about your injuries from the weird monster attack at Osaka Jewelry? You've recovered completely.

The questions seem very basic. Things like how long ago the injury stopped hurting or if there's any lingering pain or instructions from the hospital they should know. It's quite puzzling, and you're starting to get impatient with the dancing around the subject they're trying to get at. In fact, they focus on your answers about pain and the medication you received for it. The moment you mentioned that you were given a few pills that contained opioids and hadn't used them all, you sensed a shift in mood within the office.

"Okay ladies, I'm starting to lose my patience here. Out with it!" You decided to get to the heart of this situation.

Haruna looks very conflicted. But you've helped her out when she collapsed from the strange Flower broach, draining her energy. She knows you're the one who organised the class to call an ambulance and helped her up the stairs to class. She decides to tell you the full truth about the situation.

"Two letters were submitted stating concern about the usage of your medication. Luckily, it went to me and Mr. Yamada, so no one else saw it. If it ended up in the hands of Mr. Oshio or even the Principal, things would have gotten very serious." Ms. Haruna admits.

"What?" It's impossible to keep anger from creeping into your voice. What was in that letter? Sure, you have some pretty powerful painkillers, but the hospital prescribed them to you. Since your recovery, you haven't touched them at all.

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>>5399342
"Your Club Supervisor, Mr. Yamada, dismissed it. He didn't want to talk to you at all, stating it was 'absolute bullshit, and I ain't got time for it' before ripping the letter up. What an irresponsible teacher! I just couldn't let it go at that."

Oh wow, that bastard Mr. Yamada had more sense or his laziness won out when he read that letter. Unfortunately, Ms. Haruna clearly didn't share the same level of good sense.

"Wait, so you're talking to me about this because of an anonymous letter? I'm a little pissed." You are exasperated by your teacher.

The nurse can't help but smile at your answer.

"Let's face it Houseki, an accusation of abusing pain medication is pretty serious. Your prescription in particular is unusual because it's an opioid. I've never heard of a noncancer patient getting those for their pain. Even if the letter is a complete lie, someone has to talk to you about them just in case. The fact of the matter is that you have those pills at your home and apparently haven't disposed of them yet. You must have pissed someone off and they wanted to get back at you. They chose a good way to get you into trouble. Good thing they chose the wrong teachers to inform." With that said, the nurse spins away on her chair towards her desk. On the desk is a letter, which she promptly starts shredding into little tiny pieces. Part of you wishes she would stop so you could read what was written in it, but it's too late. The pieces are so tiny that it'd be a pain to put them together and read them.

"But the doctor prescribed them to me!" You protest with indignation. How in the hell can you abuse such a small amount of painkillers? After this, they let you go. Your teacher apologizes but she had to discuss the situation with you since you're a student.

Tomio and Usagi had been patiently waiting for you and is surprised to see your incredibly foul mood as you viciously slam shut your locker.

"Oh wow, what the heck did Ms. Haruna say to piss you off?" Tomio asks with curiosity.

"Are you okay?" Usagi gives you a hug.

"I'll explain on the way to Crown Games," you mutter. The school entrance is completely empty of students. It's the last day of school before the holidays, so it's not that big of a surprise, but you're a little surprised by Usagi waiting for you. You figure she'd be excitedly heading home to laze about and eat snacks.

The tale about your accostment by Ms. Haruna and the school nurse leaves the two in shock. You are fuming. You have a good idea of who wrote that letter. It had to be Mizuno! Isn't she supposed to be a genius? Why would she do something so stupid and obvious? Did her brain leak out of her head? No... It is probably the weird thing possessing her. Tomio and Yuuji have been acting pretty dumb too. The damn thing must be frying their intellect and making them act out. The grandiose pronouncements, the hyper and pointless energetic posturing, and other acts of silliness imply that.

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>>5399343
Your visit to Crown Games is a welcome distraction, even if you are broke. The place is busy; you see a lot of your classmates enjoying their time and hanging out. The holidays have begun, and everyone seems very happy.

Wait a second...

>Is Chiba Mamoru talking with Aya?! What for?...
>Motoki is talking to some guy slumped over the counter. The guy looks familiar...
>Masato is facing off Yuuji on Street Fighter! You need to beg some money off Tomio to face them...
>Usagi is not so subtly trying to get your attention. Does she want to talk?...
>Slap an ofuda on one of your friends to exorcise them, you can play it off as a joke... (Who will it be?)
>write in

>>5399345
> Usagi is not so subtly trying to get your attention. Does she want to talk?...

>>5399345
>Usagi is not so subtly trying to get your attention. Does she want to talk?...

We had also better check our bag and locker in case a bottle of pills found its way in there

>>5399345
>Motoki is talking to some guy slumped over the counter. The guy looks familiar...

>>5399345
>>Usagi is not so subtly trying to get your attention. Does she want to talk?...
Also supporting doing what >>5399442 said when we have the chance

>>5399439
>>5399442
>>5399490
>>5399564
We'll talk to Usagi and check our bag.

Locker is a bit too late, you can check your bag. But given Ami only had 4 hours to pull her 'anonymous letter of accusation' ploy, it's a bit paranoid to expect that Ami would have a bottle of opioids to plant on Ruka.

Opioids in japan are extremely controlled substances and rare because of their bad reputation of being addictive. In fact, it's noted that 50% of patients prescribed these painkillers will often discontinue to use them if they think they can handle the pain they're going through. I had to check the numbers because I thought it was crazy talk but Japan is severely under medicated when it comes to pills.

It turns the 90s were even worse!

>>5400139
Also I'm very sorry folks... I just spent all my time getting updated on the Ukraine counter offensive and getting super shocked by the rout!

I'll have to post tomorrow as I'm right now binging on the news and distracted myself.

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A stab of paranoia hits you. If Mizuno is willing to get outright vicious to eliminate you from the competition, what other stuff is she willing to pull? Reflexively, you check your school bag to double check its content.

Nothing out of the ordinary.

"Ruka." Usagi meekly calls out to you, but you're too caught up in thinking over if your shoe locker had anything in it. You are observant though, there was nothing in there other than your outdoor shoes.

"Ruka." Usagi tries once more.

It's hard to know what other dastardly ploys Mizuno will unleash. Tomorrow the competition, she won't have enough time to eliminate you or who knows how many other schoolmates from joining it. But it won't do to let your guard down, maybe you sh-...

"RUKA!" At this last call of your name, Usagi resorts to violence to get your attention. She slaps your shoulder, and it's very effective in stopping your paranoid train of thought about Mizuno. You were on the verge of countermeasures but the sharp slap knocks you back to your senses. You must be a little more pissed off at Mizuno than you initially thought. It's not her fault, but damn it, you're still mad!

"Okay, you got my attention!"

The shorter girl looks even more timid now. She fidgets nervously now that she has your attention. But as though marshaling all the strength within her, Usagi talks.

"What's wrong with Ami? She's acting so weird!" She wails, on the verge of tears. A crying Usagi is not very cute or graceful, in fact, it's downright messy. And this is a question that you don't know you can answer. There's no way you can tell the truth to an innocent girl, but neither are you comfortable lying to her. You need to buy time, you'll ask a question and play it out naturally.

"What did she do?" You try to ward off Usagi's meltdown and ask with a gentle voice.

"She said that I had to partner up with her for some competition. But it's not an idol competition, it's an exercise competition thingy. I only wanted to get some help with studying! WAAAAH!" Usagi goes into a full blown crying fit. You don't react at all to the crying, because you are absolutely stunned. Mizuno has lost her brain. She asked Tsukino Usagi to partner up with her in a physical competition. Usagi is the most uncoordinated, unmotivated and physically inept girl in the school. The girl who tries to 'help' teammates in sports, only to drag them down... And the genius Mizuno forced this girl to partner with her in exchange for a studying session.

The idea of putting Usagi in potential danger is distasteful. That black hand... You remember with nausea the way Yuuji's neck muscles bulged as he swallowed the eerie thing unaware. Subject a sweet emotionally sensitive girl to potential possession by that thing?

>>5401361
"Just tell Mizuno the truth, you're the worst possible partner for a competition! That way she'll leave you alone." You try not to smile but the mental images flashing in your imagination is too funny. A klutzy Usagi and the genius Mizuno running through the obstacle course is a hilarious situation! The number of times Mizuno will be shoved accidentally into the mud would be impossible to count.

With a sniffle, Usagi nods but is unconvinced. In an uncanny moment, it dawns on Usagi that you didn't answer her question about what is wrong with Mizuno. There's not time for her to ask because Aya has wandered over. By her side is a very baffled Chiba Mamoru, as though he can't quite believe that he got talked into doing something.

"Ruka! Sorry for not waiting for you at school. I'll definitely be seeing you and Tomio this Sunday!" Aya is very happy and wraps her arms around Mamoru's possessively. Her eyes are shining with triumph.
"Uh, wait a second, I only said the competition sounds interesting!" The older boy protests. It's at this moment that Tomio's supernaturally heightened competitiveness kicks in and he begins strutting in front of Mamoru.

"Hmph, bring it on! I'll beat you anyone who comes. I don't care if they're older!" Tomio declares and does another Ultraman pose.

??? There's that weird shimmering effect, it must be the black hand skittering about and doing something.

There's a sharp look on Mamoru's face as he regards Tomio. Oh yes, that's right! The older boy is able to see spooky things, so he must notice there's something weird is going on with your childhood friend too.

ya has both her hands on her cheek, she practically squeals with joy at seeing two handsome boys glaring at each other. This scene is almost like something out of a shoujo manga. The two are too handsome for their own good. Even Usagi oogles the two boys.

"Actually, you know what Ms. Kagawa, I will partner with you for the competition." Mamoru states calmly.

This is crazy. Just how many people are going to be at this competition? It is hard to enjoy your time at Crown Games. Tomio spends an inordinate amount of time trashtalking Mamoru, while Aya and Usagi fall into easy conversation with each other. You can't even talk to Masato and Yuuji as they're refusing to cede a turn on Streetfighter. You can't play any games because you're broke! It's almost a relief to leave for your appointment with Kakutani.

As you bid your friends good bye, you walk towards the exit while passing by Motoki talking gently to a man slumped over the counter.

>Roll 3d6, dc 13...

Rolled 4, 3, 2 = 9 (3d6)

>>5401364

Rolled 6, 6, 1 = 13 (3d6)

>>5401364
rollin'

Rolled 2, 1, 5 = 8 (3d6)

>>5401364

>>5401378
>>5401383
>>5401409
We noticed... now writing

File: shop.jpg (68 KB, 576x437)

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As you're exiting Crown Games, another man enters the game center. At first, it doesn't occur to you how odd it is to see such an old man enter a place where teenagers hang out. He must be over 40 years old, and his body language is firm and resolute. It is not the bearing of a salaryman, there's something more authoritative about him. As he passes you, it takes only a few seconds to note his features.

Steel-colored eyeglasses, salt and pepper hair, a dark suit with black tie, a tanned craggy face, middle-aged...

It's May, typically time for office workers to change their suits to lighter colors. You remember your father had changed his suit color to light grey yesterday. Yet this man had retained a darker colored suit, completely ignoring the usual custom. Also, there's neat and proper and then there's anally neat and proper. The suit of the strange man is immaculate and militaristically ordered.

This catches your curiosity so much that you pause at the automatic door to look at where the man is heading towards. He has a destination, and makes straight for the man slumped over the counter. Motoki continues to speak to the depressed man gently but stops as soon as the older man approaches. There's a quick subtle hand motion, to flip something open to show Motoki and the man slumped over the counter. It's a badge.

A police detective here? Why?

You've stayed too long at the exit, the detective senses your keen observation and turns to look at you. His sharp eyes also take in your features. You keep calm and don't let a twitch show up on your face and immediately exit Crown Games. You regret not being able to see who the guy the detective is targeting. Maybe you can ask Motoki about it another day. Right now, you need to head to Kabukicho and you don't have time to go back to your apartment to get changed if you want to keep your appointment.

It's a crowded trip to Shinjuku by subway. It's a good thing you have a Tokyo Transit Pass from your Club. You are broke and wouldn't be able to ride anywhere without it. The warren of the red light district's back alleys is still a confusing mess, but you know the way to the Daily Report. And this time there aren't creepy 'puppets' stalking you for whatever reason.

Sailor V took care of that!

The Daily Report office building is buzzing with activity. There are streams of people entering and leaving, a stark contrast to the last visit. Kakutani is standing at the entrance reviewing a newspaper; it appears that she has been waiting for you.

File: yakitori.jpg (39 KB, 562x323)

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>>5402596
"Well, well. Welcome back to the land of the eternal news grind. Let's head out and grab some yakitori, I know a cheap place!" The reporter ushers you through a confusing maze of small restaurants and food stalls. The smell of cigarettes, spilled beer and sizzling chicken is off-putting, but Kakutani is in her home ground. The place you enter is a grubby looking yakitori joint, the wooden tables are scarred with years of ill use and stained with dark spots. It's like post-war Japan, the place is ancient looking. It's been awhile since you had yakitori. The skewers are a welcome treat, but you're really here for business. You bring out some paper and a pen while Kakutani sets up her tape recorder and notebook.

"Hm, guess you're serious about the exchange of info. Let's get started, so I have some questions about..." Kakutani begins, but you aren't letting her take the lead.

"You fleeced me for info last time without giving anything back because my club president was with me. I think it's only fair I get to ask you questions!"
At this the reporter quirks her eyebrow and leans back in her chair.

"True that, I suppose it's only fair that we get that out of the way first." Taking a generous swig of her beer, she then gestures with the mug to encourage questions.

You first take a bite of yakitori and chew over what you want to ask first. Your Supernatural Research Club is eagerly awaiting info!

>What are Sailor V's powers?
>Who is she fighting against?
>What's your history with Sailor V?
>What other info has she heard about Sailor Moon?
>Why is Daily Report so busy today?
>What does she know about the FM 10 Radio Station attack?
>What are the most recent Sailor V sightings?
>Write in

>>5402597
>What are Sailor V's powers?
>Who is she fighting against?
>What other info has she heard about Sailor Moon?
My IP changed due to moving but I'm >>5401409

>>5402618
Seconding

Rolled 2, 3 = 5 (2d3)

>>5402618
>>5402782
Okay, we selected our questions, hm, too many. I'll roll to see which ones

File: black ace.png (91 KB, 500x289)

91 KB PNG

>Who is she fighting against?
>What other info has she heard about Sailor Moon?


You swallow the chicken and consider what you want to ask Kakutani. This reporter has encountered Sailor V numerous times during the course of her career and must have gleaned some important pieces of information. The key was to ask the right sort of question.

"Well, to start with. Who the heck is Sailor V fighting against? You mentioned a 'Dark Agency' group before." It's a good as any other question that floats to mind. Heck, maybe knowing who Sailor V's enemy is will help figure out who you're fighting against.

"Hm, she used to fight against the 'Dark Agency'. I'm pretty sure those guys have been completely wiped out by her. Haven't heard of them since last year." At this point, Kakutani brings out an old photograph of a teenage boy idol. You don't know where the photo was taken, but it looks like he's at a concert of some sort. It's the way he is posing with his chest exposed and the fog misting the image.

He is also irritatingly pretty. If you rated him on a scale of 1 to 10, this guy is a 10 on the attractiveness scale. Heck, he's more handsome than Chiba Mamoru or Tomio! You frown as you pick up the photo and look at it closely. Wait a second, this guy...

"That's Ace. He is, or rather, was the lead idol of the Dark Agency. I spent weeks trying to track down information on him based on my foggy memory and... You know kid, most girls start swooning over him and talking about how handsome he is. You're looking at this guy as though he owes you money. What gives?" Kakutani is looking at you closely. She saw the look of recognition in your eyes.

You aren't sure how to answer Kakutani's query. You try to cover up your reaction by writing down the reporter's answer. There's an air of expectation from Kakutani, she wants an answer but you aren't giving it to her.

After all, this guy is Adonis. The man from your Memory who spouted poetry! Telling her that you saw Ace before in a memory is incredibly awkward.

"Ace is so handsome, my sempai would demand copies of this photograph. I'm glad she isn't here or I'd never hear the end of it." Your voice is stiff and utterly unconvincing. A burning feeling of jealousy unfolds within, it takes a few seconds to quiet.

"Okay, so the 'Dark Agency' is dead. So what is Sailor V fighting against now then? There are reports of her stopping jewelry robberies and stuff? She fighting against remnants of the outfit? A completely new enemy?" You force the question out, it won't do any good to pause.

"Haven't the foggiest clue. Also, who says that the 'Dark Agency' is truly gone? Maybe the people behind it decided to discard the agency in favor of something else. Sort of like how some people have shell companies to hide the true ownership of a business. Sailor V messed them up pretty badly. I should know, I was there to see it." Kakutani also notes down your reaction to looking at the photo.

>>5403884
"Is it necessary to write stuff like that down? You have a voice recorder." You toss the picture back to her.

"A voice recorder doesn't tell me how people react. Body language, facial expressions, the way you hold that picture... In this business, it pays to observe the reaction of people. You don't like Ace. That's not an odd reaction. When I run into old fans of his, they react badly when they see his picture, but they can never understand why they feel that way."

Your notes at the end of Kakutani's speculation about the enemy Sailor V might be fighting are extensive. But the biggest surprise is her concession that the enemy is supernatural. She rules out any mundane groups, causing all the trouble Sailor V is fighting.

As for your question on Sailor Moon, Kakutani's answer startles you.

"Nothing much about this new Sailor. So far, you're the only person who has witnessed Sailor Moon fight, that Osaka Jewelry incident. A fact that makes the police very interested in you. They pretty much think the Osaka family is full of liars and staged the incident. They want to get a statement from you to contradict them and maybe throw the book at them for wasting police resources." Kakutani takes a deep draught of her beer.

"But they're telling the truth!" You grind your teeth, but it's not surprising. The police aren't going to accept that a young girl with supernatural powers swooped in and defeated a monster.

Though Kakutani has no information about Sailor Moon, you do learn about the police investigation about the Osaka Jewelry. The case has been 'unofficially' closed and pegged as a case of mass hysteria but the cops were keeping an eye on the Osaka family.

"Truth doesn't mean much to cops who are convinced it's all bullshit. Trying to convince them that weird supernatural monsters are behind the destructive and bizarre incidents happening in Juuban is impossible. It's why I'm pegged as a hack reporter. I'm just writing and screaming into the void as I attempt to warn people of the dangers. Which leads me to question to you about what you know about Sailor Moon."

Supernatural Research Club: Sailor Report has been written! You can pass it on to your Club members.

There's a sharp smile on the reporter's face. She places a fresh new tape into her recorder to start her questions to you. You are prepared though, you've considered how much information to give Kakutani and formulated a sanitized version of your knowledge.

You give a brief rundown of the victimization of your classmates and their rescue by Sailor Moon at the House of Fortune. You can't exactly tell the reporter about your eyewitness account of Sailor V in the Golden Gai unfortunately. But Kakutani is over the moon to have such a richness of information. In particular, she's excited by the description of the strange Flower broach and it's connection with FM 10 Radio Station.

>>5403885
"So you're saying that the prize offered by Midnight Zero was knocking women unconscious by draining their energy? Hm, that's a 'Dark Agency' schtick. I think it's safe to say that the puppet masters behind last year's craziness is still kicking." Kakutani lights up another cigarette to take a deep drag as she contemplates the information regarding FM 10 Radio Station.

"Given the explosions at the building, it must have been Sailor Moon." You aren't lying, you're just framing the story as though you're speculating. You can't exactly reveal your involvement.

"Could be Sailor V instead. The girl's destructive, nearly killed me once when she tried to rescue me from the Dark Agency. She didn't mean it but let's just say I'm not eager to let her do it again."

The exchange of information is fruitful. You can't help but feel that Kakutani has extracted more info out you than the other way around. The hour is later than you thought. You've eaten a 2 full plates with yakitori while Kakutani almost finished an entire pack of cigarettes. The nightlife of Kabukicho is beginning to stir to life. Already bar hoppers are flocking to the bars, pleasure seekers begin to filter into the clubs.

"I'd better get you back to the station. This place, at this hour, is not good for a girl as young as you." Kakutani announces as she pays up the bill.

Hm, is there anything you want to do before leaving?

>Ask Kakutani about locating the author of THE SILVER KINGDOM OF THE MOON...
>Refuse. Try to find 'The Coalsack, A Hole in the Sky' bar again...
>Refuse. You want to explore the red light district! It'll be fun...
>Accept the offer, get back to the station...
>Ask Kakutani about getting paid for information too, it's worth a shot...
>Tell Kakutani about the Heiwa no Mori competition mania overtaking your classmates...
>write in

>>5403886
>Refuse. Try to find 'The Coalsack, A Hole in the Sky' bar again...

>>5403886
> Ask Kakutani about locating the author of THE SILVER KINGDOM OF THE MOON...

>>5403886
>>Tell Kakutani about the Heiwa no Mori competition mania overtaking your classmates...
>Ask Kakutani about locating the author of THE SILVER KINGDOM OF THE MOON...

>>5403961
>>5404051
>>5404333
Hmm.... we agree that we want to locate the Author at least!

File: newsroom.jpg (2.05 MB, 2570x1692)

2.05 MB JPG

You are eager to get your grubby hands on the rest of THE SILVER KINGDOM OF THE MOON and read it. Preferably a version without mind numbing and badly shoveled in sex scenes. Yet for the longest time, you've been very curious as to who wrote the story in the first place.

The author listed in the magazine was 'Anonymous Reincarnation'. Which is odd. Given the sheer pride rolling off the pages of the story, you would expect the author to proudly stamp her real name on the story to reveal her 'genius' to the world.

Kakutani had offered to take you to the magazine's office if necessary to inquire about the story.

"Actually, there's something I'd like to know first. The author of a story found in 'Bound and Torture' magazine." You try not to cringe at saying the magazine's name out loud.

"Oh yeah, you wanted to get your fix of smut. Wow, kids these days grow up fast." Kakutani lightly mocks you but stops upon seeing your glare.

With a light cough, Kakutani changes tack.

"Well, the first place to look is the magazine's office. I can give them a ring and see if anyone is in. It's a monthly magazine if I remember correctly, so there might not be anyone in right now." She walks you over to the Daily Report and into her office. It takes a few moments of browsing her hefty address book to find the right phone number. You take a peek at her address book and see that it's full of contact information for numerous newspapers and magazines, each entry is neat and has small notes detailing every one of them. You note that the 'Bound and Torture' entry has unique details.

'Sex magazine. Serialization of stories. Essays. Yakuza affiliated?'

"Hey, stop snooping kid! That's my job!" The reporter shoos you away and closes the address book. She starts a brief conversation over the phone with someone at the magazine.

Hmph, if that's how she's going to be... then you'll keep the information about the weird Heiwa no Mori competition craziness under your hat for now.

"Well, yeah, there's a kid interested in one of your story features. What story? Dunno..." Kakutani pauses and listens with irritation at the voice at the end. She writes something on a pad of paper.

'Do you feel comfortable talking with them?' is written. Kakutani points at the phone by her ear.

Oh, so you can talk to the magazine directly! You nod yes and Kakutani reluctantly hands over the phone. You put the phone to your ear, a rough, gravelly voice blasts into it.

"Hurry up, I ain't got all day!" A man's voice growls at the other end.

"I'll be quick. I'm looking for the author of 'THE SILVER KINGDOM OF THE MOON'. The pseudonym is 'Anonymous Reincarnation'."

File: alleynarrow.jpg (43 KB, 628x404)

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>>5404830
"Let me check our list of authors... Eh, ya can't meet her kid for a little while. She's being 'canned' right now because she's been slow writing another story. The most I can do is direct ya to buy her story here at the office. Usually I suggest horny adults go buy it from one of them adult stores, but you sound a wee bit too young to be going into places like that." The gravelly voice cackles. There's something very gross about the way he speaks to you. You can imagine him leering at you. But does he mean by 'canned'? It doesn't sound like they fired her if she's writing another story for the magazine.

"Anonymous Reincarnation is Marina Karen Miliyah." The gravelly voice sounds irritated as the words don't easily roll off his tongue.

"What?" You write down the name but when you look at it, it looks so stupid your brain hurts. Even Kakutani looks down at the name with puzzlement.

"I told ya, Marina Karen Miliyah. Yeah, I know. I get it. It's a stupid pseudonym. And if ya demand another name, I have to give ya another pseudonym of hers. Just roll with it kiddo, she's one of our main writers. It's odd you're calling about dis Silver Kingdom crap story of hers. It's one of her first stories she wrote and we didn't even serialize the entire thing. So far, only fags and women like da story. Any other questions?" The man barks at the end of his line.

"What's 'canning'? And when is that over?"

"Eh? Ya don't know the lingo? It means ya shove a writer into a hotel room or some place and force them to write because of a deadline. As for Marina, well, who knows when she'll get out. Try calling again next week. You might be able to talk to her over the phone. Hell, ya can visit the office and try to see her in person. I can arrange that for a small favor." The voice of the man turns lewd at the end.

You crinkle your nose in disgust.

"Whatever man!" You don't bother thanking him, instead you slam the phone down on the receiver in anger.

"Whoa, hey, in this business Ruka, you can't just burn contacts like that." Kakutani immediately redails to contact the office of 'Bound and Torture' while you are fuming. The interminable apologies, thanks, and bowing to the phone as the reporter works to salve the ego of the man on the phone. By the end of it, Kakutani looks exhausted but retains enough energy to give you a quick light slap on the head.

"I should have known better than to hand the phone over to a kid. Lesson learned for me but you just made things more difficult for yourself. The man is an ass, I get it, but you only got yourself a name. You haven't reached your true end goal, which is meeting the author or getting your hands on that story you want." Kakutani lights up a cigarette and takes a deep drag as she rereads the name on the paper. You've already written down your notes.

File: pullups.jpg (13 KB, 307x282)

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>>5404831
It's a quick trip to the station, Kakutani helpfully guides you back. The streets are filled with people and some of them look very sketchy. You're glad the reporter came with you.

"Thanks for the help, I'll be back again when I get more info on Sailor Moon." You mumble as the station comes into view.

"No problem kid. Just be careful about this Sailor business, it tends to get dangerous and weird." The reporter waves goodbye as you head down the stairs to take the subway home.

You arrive back at the apartment tired. The penguin siblings are waiting for you in the hallway and squawk a welcome home. Your father is still out. You don't know when he'll be home, but you have some time right now to do a few things.

CHOOSE 2 options!

>Prepare tomorrow's lunch, you promised to make sandwiches for everyone...
>Invade the Penguin Domain and retake it!...
>Study for midterms...
>Rest, you had a long day...
>Feed the penguins and yourself dinner...
>Call a friend! Who will it be?...
>Watch TV, maybe there's something interesting going on?...
>Exercise a bit...
>Do some housework...
>Double check the portal in your bedroom...
>Update Azul on everything that's happened while he was away...
> write in

>>5404833
>Prepare tomorrow's lunch, you promised to make sandwiches for everyone...
>Feed the penguins and yourself dinner...

>>5404833
> Prepare tomorrow's lunch, you promised to make sandwiches for everyone...
> Study for midterms...

Rolled 1 (1d2)

>>5404855
>>5404934
we'll make lunch...
1 for penguins
2 study for midterms

>>5405509
Have to post tomorrow. Too tired to really write.

Dinner beckons with its siren call. You should cook.

Also, you promised to make sandwiches for lunch at tomorrow’s competition. Yuuji said he’d provide other stuff to round things out. He’s pretty decent at making sweet egg omelets and dashi eggs. You hope he’s making those.

As you putter about the kitchen, this attracts the curious gaze of the Penguin siblings. They line up to stare as you bustle around the small apartment kitchen with keen curiosity.

Hm, you have enough to make some extra portions for them. Since you cook better than the average teen, the sandwiches and dinner you make is delicious.

You sit at the table with the three flightless avians to eat.

Adamant is far more gluttonous than his siblings. He polishes off his share before your eyes in a flash and then hungrily eyes Azul’s plate before springing into action. Clearly, Azul is on guard because he slaps away Adamant’s grasping flippers and eats before it’s stolen.

Unfortunately, that just causes Adamant to cast his covetous penguin eyes on his sister’s share. Nausicaa is disinterested in the food, which surprises you, since her siblings clearly enjoyed theirs. Realizing you’re watching, she takes a small peck at the food before pushing the remainder to her brother Adamant, who greedily scarfs it down.

Well, it goes to show that the Penguin Siblings all have their little quirks and preferences. You realize Adamant is casting his hungry gaze upon your dinner. It’s best to prevent temptation by eating it quickly. It’s delicious.

The penguins squawk their thanks and begin immediately to clean up the kitchen for you. You aren’t sure how the penguins are able to hold the plates in their flippers, but they are remarkably efficient. You don’t have to do a thing, as the siblings take care of the cleanup.

The Penguins can do basic household chores for you!

You take an opportunity to recount your visit to Shinjuku and school as they bustle about. The two penguins seemed thrilled to hear about Tokyo and the places they haven’t visited yet while Azul sagely nods along with the story. Given their invisibility to mundane sight, a trip to explore the city would be too dangerous. Normal people trudged, kicked and tripped over the penguins on their journey to return to your apartment last time.

They don’t have the power to prevent the downside of their invisibility.

Which makes you wonder... Azul has powers and actually gained a new one after eating the Apple from the Coalsack bar.

You don’t have long to muse about it as the door to the apartment opens.

“Ruka, I’m home!” Your dad announced from the hallway entrance. The penguins are done cleaning, so they scamper off to your bedroom to get out of the way. They still can’t return to the Penguin Domain. It looks like they’ll spend another night in your bedroom.

>>5405847
Your father has brought something with him. A box of rice crackers, the wrapping shows that it’s meant as a gift and not for household consumption.

“What’s with the box?” It’s been awhile since your dad bought something like that. The straitened family finances mean that partaking in the mundane Japanese social custom of gift giving is incredibly straining.

“For your grandparents in Asakusa. I’ll be coming with you to visit them… I figure I’d better bring something. They like these particular rice crackers if I remember correctly.” Your dad shows you the type of rice crackers in the box to confirm.

“Yeah, they like plain old-fashioned onions sauce rice crackers. I hope you enjoy pickles, dad, because last time I went, I ate a smorgasbord of them. I think granny is trying to get rid of her winter stores since it’s spring.” You smile at the memory of the truly absurd amounts of pickles brought out for lunch last time you visited them.

Your dad recounts his day off. It seems he went off to visit a few university friends at a local park. And he also talks shop about work again too. This part is pretty boring, it goes in one ear and out the other for you as you serve up dinner.

“It’s amazing what technology can do. We caught a guy using a printer at his home to make fake receipts! Then he’d take them and get reimbursed for them. Pretty crazy stuff. In the future we’ll see all sorts of gadgets that used to be office only get into our homes.” Your father’s concerned voice is that of a forensic accountant of Public Safety observing new avenues of crime.

It’s the evening hours…

>Hang out with your dad…
>Check the Penguin Domain portal…
>Watch TV…
>Study for midterms…
>Go for a late night walk…
>The phone is ringing? Answer it…
>write in

I will be going to my parents house, so I will post tomorrow!

>>5405850
> Hang out with your dad…

>>5405850
>Check the Penguin Domain portal…

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>5406246
>>5406308
well, it seems we have the two. Will roll!

File: paper.jpg (13 KB, 364x314)

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You only have enough time to really do one thing. And that's to double check the portal's anti-spook defenses. Salt, ofudas, magic spells, guardian penguins... It doesn't feel enough!

It's a quick good night to your father who is going to stay up late watching movies on TV. He did invite you to watch with him but the weird invader isn't something that can wait!

Inside the bedroom, the penguin siblings have made their beds and are presently playing around with strips of paper. They have the closet door wide open for a full view. You scramble to double check the salt and ofudas. Everything is in place, but there's a noticeable difference.

The writing on the fudas is fading! What used to be pure black ink is graying before your eyes. The writing is still clear and should stay visible for a few more days yet. But if they fade away, you will need to slap on another set of paper talismans to contain the strange chattering teeth.

It's a good thing you checked, now you know that the defenses you put up can't last forever.

One of the penguins gives a tired squawk. You turn to see that Nausicaa has drawn a fully white strip of paper, while the rest of her brothers have colored one. It becomes obvious that they have selected someone to stay up tonight to watch. Adamant and Azul begin bedding down to sleep.

"Good ideas guys. But who is next to stand guard after a few hours?" You question the penguins. At this, Azul raises a flipper to indicate that it'll be his turn.

It seems the penguins have worked everything out between themselves. They're siblings, so it's to be expected they would work together well. But this arrangement is not really optimal. Azul and Nausicaa will be exhausted from keeping watch though. You were hoping to take Azul with you tomorrow to the competition because you're able to communicate best with your partner. The ability to share thoughts and images while being separated is an incredible advantage.

You consider the situation, as you get ready for bed.

>Ask Adamant to take the watch instead?
>Ask Adamant if he wants to come with you to the competition?

With that out of the way, it's time for bed! Maybe you'll see another Memory? Or will you Dream? Or will it be a Nightmare? Dread and anticipation mix as sleep begins to overtake you and the transition begins once more. That sudden plunge from mundane sleep to something new!

You are walking down a hall...

>Ahead is the Shadow Players' Theatre...
>Ahead is an ornate door, you've never seen it before...
>Ahead is Jupiter, she's talking to a few children...
>Ahead is the door to your childhood home...
>Ahead is crowd of people in a ballroom...
>Ahead is a ruined palace...
>Ahead is your father and mother? Wait a second...

>>5407305
>Ahead is an ornate door, you've never seen it before...

>>5407305
>Ahead is a ruined palace...

>>5407305
> Ask Adamant to take the watch instead?
> Ahead is a ruined palace...

>>5408151
>>5408061
>>5407987
Okay, a ruined palace...
Also I'm going to assume that we're going to tell Adamant to take watch instead so we can bring Azul with us to the competition.

File: palace ruin.jpg (49 KB, 779x368)

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The end of the hallway is nothing that you've witnessed in the Dream. Typically, a door needs to be opened to show what lies behind. There's no door, instead the hallway simply ends in an open space where anyone could walk out under an open sky. Jagged edges of wood imply that something has ripped away the door and surrounding wall.

A realization hits you. You don't want to keep going, but your feet refuse to let you stop. A blast of heat hits, there's a raging fire! Fine particles of grime and dust sting your eyes, you can hear the popping and crackling of flames and a sickly smell of death mixed with smoke...

You've left the hallway, now you're standing amidst a ruined palace! A powerful sense of recollection smites the nerves and mind, for this was once a place of beauty. The balance and clean lines of marble, the frescoes and mosaics, and all the fineness and richness adorning every part of this palace is but dust and rubble.

This is a tragedy crafted by many willing hands...

And you know without a shadow of a doubt that yours is one of the many.

It is chilling to realize that somehow, in your own small way, you had a part in the destruction. A sickness forms in the pit of your stomach; it is lodged there as though it will never leave. Bile forms at the back of your throat as you desperately try not to vomit from the overwhelming physical sensation of standing in a dying Kingdom and its people being slaughtered...

Wails, the smell of blood and iron, smoke, screams, crumbling walls, bursts of fire, angry shouts, begging voices.

But you know this isn't how you felt back then. A chilling Memory takes root. You know it's your past self, you dubbed her 'Joyuu' and she feels nothing like the present you.

Exhilaration! Victory! Satisfaction! Love! Hope! Envy! Spite! Jealousy! Hatred!

The Great Sage has promised victory and freedom from the arrogant and jealous foreigners of the skies above! Nothing bars the way to the rightful authority of the Golden Kingdom. The stars above and the universe is open for exploration and conquest. With the tyranny of inferior silver overthrown, she'll no longer have to devote her every being to a decadent royalty!

Who is she? Why would she be happy? She would never be happy about this... she would simply hate Joyuu and fight to her very dying breath.

Tears prick the corners of Joyuu's eye as something powerful cuts through the haze obscuring the past self's mind.

Knowledge that she's dead. She died doing her duty. She died protecting the Princess and this Kingdom as she had sworn.

A powerful sob bursts out as unbearable sorrow crushes down upon Joyuu and infects you. Your past self had her pride and duty to her Kingdom too. As commanded by the Great Sage, she did everything in her power to fulfill her orders. She needs to rejoin her master and find the Prince! He must not die even if he's fighting against his loyal servants and warriors.

File: yakuyoke.jpg (15 KB, 218x367)

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>>5408550
The intermixing of the Memory of your past self and the horror of your present self is overwhelming. You want to crawl into some dark corner where no one can find you and cry, but Joyuu is desperately trying to push through her sorrow and despair to keep going.

The Memory ends abruptly as pain penetrates your sleep. Your eyes fly open! Azul is sitting on your chest and slapping your face with his flippers. The force of each slap causes your head to shift side to side. You can feel the heat in your cheeks from the constant blows and tears shed in your sleep.

You get up and throw Azul off balance to stop the slaps.

It is morning and you can't stop sobbing. The penguins are all awake and stand around your bed with concern, unsure what to do.

"Ruka? Is something wrong?" Your dad is just outside the bedroom door, he sounds incredibly worried but is waiting for permission to come in.

"I... I'm just so sad..." Your ability to craft some sort of lie fails. Frankly, you don't feel like putting in the effort. Sobs wrack your shivering body as your father comes into your bedroom and hugs you.

"It's okay, I'm here for you. Do you want to talk about it?" He strokes your back gently, as you bury your face into his shoulder.

"A Dream. A Memory. A Nightmare." You are aware that you are babbling and just focus on getting your tears under control.

"Is it the same dream from last time? The one carrying glasses in the hallway?" Well, if you thought your dad had forgotten about your repetitive Memory, this puts it to rest. Your dad remembers how it made you hysterical as a kid. Going to bed and seeing what you thought was the same dream for six months straight drove you nearly mad as a kid.

You've gotten a handle on your sobbing at last.

Breakfast is somber, you don't really want to talk. Even dad's coffee, made extra strong, doesn't make a dent in your mood. Azul sticks by your side, he slept well, as Nausicaa and Adamant took turns during the night to keep guard over the portal. It seems the creepy teeth are well contained.

"Do you want to tell your friends to cancel today's outing? I'm sure they'll understand if you're not in the mood..." Dad trails off as he clears the dishes off the kitchen table.


"No... I think going would help improve my mood." You are tempted to take his advice and just blow off your friends, but the luxury is denied to you. There's spooky weirdness going on. Never have you resented the loss of a mundane life keenly until this morning. If things were what they used to be, you'd stay home and eat pudding while watching trashy TV shows.

"Do you want me to come with you? I can hang around for a few hours in the park while you play."

"No dad, it's okay! You'd be pretty bored." You give a weak smile at the thought of your father supervising you like a little kid. He still looks very worried.

>>5408552
It's time to get going, the sandwiches are prepared and your father provides a thermos of coffee to take with you. But there's a problem with taking certain pieces of equipment. Azul's satchel is gone because Basalt has stolen it; he can't carry things for you and there's nothing like a backpack that can outfit him. Azul is simply too small.

You can strap your knife on your body to hide it but things like the lapis lazuli stone and talismans are more difficult. You end up having to place all of it in your backpack with the sandwiches. If a cop stops you, you're going to have one hell of a time explaining away your lockpicks.

You arrive at the train station a little earlier than you expected. But it doesn't take long for Masato comes into view. He's running full tilt towards you. Behind him is Tomio and Yuuji also running. The boys look very tired, like they haven't gotten any sleep at all. If they're tired, why are they running full tilt?

And there are other people you recognize too!

There's Mizuno dragging a very reluctant looking Usagi with her. The steely determination in the eyes of the genius is a sight to behold while Usagi looks like she wants to cry. You are disappointed that Luna isn't around.

Then there's Aya and Mamoru. Your club president is very clingy, she doesn't let go of Mamoru's arm at all. Her face beams with pleasure while the older teen boy looks disinterested. The moment he catches sight of Tomio though, he frowns as though reminding himself why he's putting himself through this. Maybe spooky Mamoru has powers like you that can help. The competition is clearly some sort of dastardly plot by the same nuts behind the Dark Agency and strange events affecting Juuban.

Then there's a crowd of schoolmates, you recognize quite a few. They must be affected by the poster, they too look very tired. Each has that determined gleam in their eyes.

While on the train, you manage to...

>Stick with Masato, Yuuji and Tomio... roll 3d6, dc 12 to select this option
>Sit very close to Usagi and Mizuno... roll 3d6, dc 12 to select this option
>Stand next to Aya and Mamoru... roll 3d6, dc 12 to select this option
>Stand close to some of schoolmates from other classes... roll 3d6, dc 12 to select this option
>IS THAT LUNA!!!! (KITTY CAAAAAAT flaw is in effect)

>>5408555
>IS THAT LUNA!!!! (KITTY CAAAAAAT flaw is in effect)

>>5408637
Arrived back from my parents. It's late, I'll see if I can post something tonight.

Rolled 2, 4, 6 = 12 (3d6)

>>5408555
> Stand next to Aya and Mamoru... roll 3d6, dc 12 to select this option

Rolled 1 (1d2)

>>5409356
>>5408637
I arrived home too late to really write... hm... I see someone passed their choice though.

1 Luna
2 Aya and Mamoru

>>5409427
Personally I think that since the roll was made you should go with >>5409356's option

>>5409486
Oh, okay, if you don't mind! I'll get writing to it and post later on today.

File: terminal.jpg (96 KB, 786x571)

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You feel your mood crash lower, last night’s Memory of the ruined palace was horrid, and hanging around your friends makes it worse. The effect of the strange poster holds strong as each boy jostles and jousts verbally about victory in the competition.

“I can’t believe you never reached out to strategize with me!” Masato casts an angry accusation and glares at you. He has the same unnatural gleam in his eyes as the others, an overpowering burning desire to win.

Tomio and Yuuji’s reaction to this outburst is to make fun of Masato more about his poor selection of partner in the competition. An outsider observing would think that the boys were enemies and not childhood friends. You sigh, it’s hard to keep in mind that something supernatural is influencing them and many others.

You almost resign yourself to the torpor of despair as the boys continue to ignore you in favor of trashing each other. They’re so intent, you slowly shift away from them and start wandering over to Aya. While she might be incredibly distracted and hanging off Mamoru’s arm, you know that the two of them are not affected by the strange supernatural possession infecting everyone else.

Something catches your eyes. At first you puzzle over the strange small thing scurrying through the train doors. It barely makes it in time before they close with a snap and the train announces it’s departure.

Endorphins flood your brain as your eyes recognize a familiar black feline sneaking a board.

LUNA!!!!

A spike of joy shivers through you and immediately displeases your buddy, Azul, who senses your exuberant joy. He had learned that the odd rush of joy through the telepathic link every time is when you see a cat. The penguin doesn’t hesitate, he jams himself into a hiding place between two train cars rather than risk being seen by Luna. He took care not to be seen by Mamoru, Usagi and Mizuno by hiding behind the legs of the arguing boys, but the addition of a cat possibly seeing him is too much to bear.

You can’t help but think Azul’s dislike of cats is over the top. Making your way through the crowd, you reach down and pick Luna up. The cat’s focus is entirely on not getting trampled by people, she had no chance of realizing your approach..

A giggle of joy comes out as you pick her up from under her arms and lift her up.

“Oh Luna!” You smile happily and hug the cat gently. It takes effort, you know the cat hates being overly coddled and you don’t want her to escape from your arms and get hurt. The crowded train is no place for a loose animal!

“I did not think you’d be able to make a sound like that.” A masculine voice commented with amusement close by.

“Oh, Ruka just loves cats. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her pass up a chance to pet one. I remember last year a cat bit her hand and she still kept on petting as it chewed on her fingers.” Aya comments.

File: luna.jpg (14 KB, 363x371)

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>>5410084
You start and turn to look behind. Standing close is Mamoru and Aya. They had seen your slow approach to them before you suddenly veered off to pick up Luna.

“Cats are the finest animals in the world.” You declare with perfect sincerity and hold forth Luna to the pair as incontrovertible truth. Luna meows pathetically in reaction, as though she is a person oppressed by the unfairness of the world.

Mamoru and Aya burst out laughing at the woebegone face of Luna, contrasting to your enthusiastic beaming smile. The incongruity is too much for them.

“I managed to snag a great partner for the competition! How is your partner?” Aya asks with a sly smile on her face. You frown and just point to the bickering boys you just left.

“My partner for the competition is intense and argumentative.” You point out Masato, who has not moved on doing some sort of strange squatting competition against Yuuji. Tomio cheers them on as a spectator and counts off each squat.

“I can’t help but see that can be pretty much applied to almost everyone heading to the competition.” Mamoru casts his eyes at the crowd of teens with concern. It is almost comical how obvious the difference between normal holidaymakers and competition-obsessed are. The level of rowdiness makes it clear who is going to the competition.

You know that each of those teens has a black hand crawling over them… if they don’t get swallowed whole through the mouth of their victims. Your mind flashes back to how the Black Hand skittered into Yuuji’s mouth and forced itself down his throat. You wonder if that hand is still within your old friend's stomach, dwelling like a spider in a cave and waiting to burst out again.

“Hm, a black hand is behind it.” Aya dreamily comments.

This throwaway reply stuns you and Mamoru. Both of you fasten your eyes on Aya’s face, her eyes are distant and her brow is smooth and unmarred by concern that she had spoken something very odd a moment ago.

“Um, Aya…” For a moment, Luna is forgotten in your arms, and you concentrate on your best friend. Aya doesn't seem to have heard you.

"Hm, did you hear what you just said Ms. Kagawa?" Mamoru asks gently, his voice brings your best friend out of her dreamy daze.

"Oh, don't be like that Mamoru! You can just call me Aya," the teasing flirtatious Aya is back again and she smiles at the older boy. It's like a rubber band snapping back to it's accustom slackness. She links her arms around Mamoru before he can move away. Instead, she starts dragging Mamoru towards Tomio who is laughing at Yuuji for losing against Masato who is preening at his victory.

A part of you is annoyed at the ease in which Mamoru's voice snaps your friend back to her old self and how she just drags the older teen to show him off to Tomio. As usual, Tomio pay zero attention to Aya but rather immediately focuses on Mamoru.

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>>5410089
"Oh hey, it's you again! Ready to lose?!" Tomio starts thrusting his chest out and even makes himself slightly taller by lifting the back of his heels a little. The two boys are practically the same height, it's ridiculous.

"Luna... today is going to be a long day, so stick with me!" You say to the cat who only meows in response. You have to admit, it almost sounded as though Luna just meowed 'oh god no'.

You arrive at Heiwa no Mori obstacle course in short order. You need to register with Masato to join the competition. It's wild, there must be hundreds of competitors! Crowds of people surround the entrance and registration desk.

But the most unexpected thing happens...

>Yuuji and Tomio didn't bring money to pay for your entrance fee!...
>Masato proclaims he can't work with you, and ditches you for another partner!...
>Mizuno and Usagi approach you, seems they want to trade some drinks for sandwiches...
>Azul refuses to get near you as long as you have Luna!...
>Aya and Mamoru get approached by a strange blonde man!...
>You notice a familiar white cat!...

>>5410090
>You notice a familiar white cat!...

>>5410084
Ruka would get along great with Sakaki
>>5410090
>You notice a familiar white cat!...

>>5410175
>>5410522
CAAAAAATS!

File: shouldercat.jpg (30 KB, 401x380)

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A white cat slinks about the competition grounds. Today is a surfeit of cats and you absolutely love it.

Better yet, you know this particular cat. It's Artemis! The cat belongs to Minako, she must be here somewhere then. Casting your eyes into the crowd, you try to locate the vivacious girl, but the number of people milling about is overwhelming. Not even your vaunted powers of observation help locate Minako.

But you know she has to be around here somewhere!

No actually, that's not true. She mentioned the cat liked to wander around without her, even go on trains to weird locations by himself. Yet...

"Come on Ruka! I'll leave you behind. Also, drop the cat, you can't have it on you during the competition." Masato grumbles as he registers his name on the list of competitors and waits for you to sign in.

You drape Luna across your shoulders. It's a nifty trick you've seen Usagi do. Luna rests upon your shoulders, leaving your hands free.

"She can stay with me without getting in the way until the competition, Masato! Come on! She's cute!" You argue with your supernaturally possessed friend but his fanatical eyes shine with fervor.

"Absolutely not!" To your shock, Masato plucks Luna off your shoulders roughly and tosses her away before you can react. Luckily, the cat is very nimble and lands on her feet with a thud, she yowls and then darts away from you. Relief blossoms as you see the black cat isn't harmed at all.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU DID THAT!" You shout at your friend. People around you jeer and mock while Masato frowns and crosses his arms across his chest stubbornly.

"You can't compete with a cat hanging on to you!" There's nothing apologetic sounding in his voice but he shrinks when he sees the vein in your neck bulge with anger. Masato, intimidated by your anger and glare, unconsciously backs off.

"To hell with you! Find someone else to partner with!" Your teeth are bared in a snarl as you storm away. Your temper has gotten the better of you. It's hard to remember that Masato is infected by some sort of supernatural possession and would never dream of roughly handling a cat like that... But he tossed Luna away like she was mere trash! You stalk away from the protesting boy as he tries to argue back.

Azul registers on your telepathic link relief that the cat is gone. He had been keeping his distance away since you refused to relinquish Luna.

'SQUAWK!'

'Oh, don't you start too, partner! Luna didn't deserve to be tossed away!' You mentally message your buddy back with irritation. He emerges from some bushes with some leaves littering his feathers.

You don't regret dropping Masato as a partner in the competition, but you just made things harder for yourself. The Heiwa no Mori obstacle course won't allow anyone who isn't registered for the competition. You need a human partner as soon as possible to get in!

Or sneak in.

File: lock.jpg (41 KB, 515x486)

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>>5411438
You cast your eyes on the various alternative entrances. A black fence had been erected around the entirety of Heiwa no Mori park. This strikes you as bizarre. The last time you came here, this fence did not exist. In fact, the park is open to all and has no barriers. It must be the competition organizers trying to control the flow of people. The cost of setting up this barrier must be insane! The fence is unusually tall but it should be easy enough to climb over it, but too many people will see you, so it's not a good option. There's also a back entrance. You can see it and it is conveniently quiet and hidden in a copse of trees. It could be locked but you have lock picks.

Azul doesn't bother to walk to the back entrance with you. The space between the fence is wide enough that he can squeeze between the black bars easily. He can scout ahead on your behalf and head directly in. He waves a jaunty flipper from the other side of the fence.

'Scout ahead for me buddy, I'll sneak in through the back. Case the joint. Send me an image if you see something weird.' You mentally message the supernatural penguin and provide a rough outline of the obstacle course park locales through your link. You're incredibly familiar with the park, even now you remember the locations of all the obstacles. Azul nods before wandering deeper into the park. He seems overjoyed to be working with you again.

You walk to the back entrance; it is astonishing how deserted and well camouflaged it is. The front entrance is a chaotic mass of people infected by competitive mania. You even saw Masato desperately asking around to find someone to partner with him in the competition while Yuuji and Tomio laugh at him.

After a quick look over to confirm no one is around, you reach into your bag to take out your lockpick set. The lock looks unusually complicated, and extraordinarily ornate. Where the heck did the organizers get it from? It's not a standard lock, it's a trick lock of some sort? You can only marvel at the very sight of it and then you touch the lock.

It's ice cold.

Your hand leaps away from it. Then you experiment with touching parts of the fence. The metal of the fence... isn't metal, it's some sort of pitch black stone. And it is also very cold to touch. The sun should have warmed the black material but it remains frigid as ice.

Behind you, a twig snaps under a foot.

You turn immediately with alarm. Your eyes are greeted with the sight of a radiant and amused Minako carrying the white cat, Artemis, in her arms.

"Why hello there. Fancy meeting you here." Minako cheerfully proclaims.

"Minako!" You stand up and freeze in horror, your lockpicks are fully visible and in your hands. The other girl's sudden arrival left you with no time to hide the tools.

"Oh wow. That's so cool! You have lock picks... But you know you can just go through the front entrance with your competition partner, right? What are you doing back here?" She teases.

>>5411441
Another more cool headed part within you observes that Minako just snuck up on you through a wooded section of the park without making a sound somehow... until that snap of a twig she deliberately stepped on. Your eyes focus on it and note how utterly visible and easy it is to avoid compared to the debris-filled section right behind you.

Something is off; why would she sneak up behind you? And how the heck can she be so quiet? If you had to quietly sneak through the wooded section, it would be incredibly challenging even with your vaunted sneaking skills.

"Hm, you have a complicated look on your face Ruka. A dollar for your thoughts?" Minako asks with a broad smug smile as she ends her question in English.

How do you answer?

>"You're wrong, it's 'a penny for your thoughts'..."
>Don't bother saying a thing and just start picking the lock!... roll 3d6+2, dc ???
>"How did you sneak up behind me!?..."
>"I've decided to embark in a career of crime..."
>"My partner is an ass who threw a cat away..."
>"Something weird is going on and I'm going to figure it out..."
>"You'll never make me talk..."
>"Do you want to partner up with me?..."
>Write in

>>5411442
>How did you sneak up behind me!?..."
>"My partner is an ass who threw a cat away..."

>>5411442
>"You're wrong, it's 'a penny for your thoughts'..."
Let's reference our first meeting with another correction, Minako always seems to make us act before thinking then-
>"Wait, How did you sneak up behind me!?..."

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>5411535
>>5411738
well, we want to question minako but

1 my partner
2 you're wrong

In a flash, your mouth moves before your brain can think.

"You're wrong, it's a penny for your thoughts," you automatically correct her with the proper English idiom. Minako is like a deer frozen in headlights as her merry smile stiffens. It's unnatural, she might be smiling but her eyes no longer are. The white cat in her arms snickers.

"Leaving that aside, you didn't answer my question." Minako rallied back to her original question.

"I should be asking that myself. What are you doing back here? I've got a reason." You lift your lock picks up to show them clearly to Minako. "But your reasons are a mystery to me. Also, how did you sneak up behind me!?"

"Hey, I'm the one asking the questions here. Hmph, secretive are you? Well, as they say, 'we can't control the tongues of ours'." Minako pouts at your non-answer and questions.

Artemis takes the opportunity to leap out of the other girl's arms and make his way over to you. You bend down and pet the white cat while sighing.

"... Others. You mean, others. 'We can't control the tongues of others'. Also, you use that proverb when it's about destructive rumors and gossip, typically."

"GAAAAH!!! Stop dodging my questions and correcting me!" Minako whines and pouts, she even stamps her foot. It's so ridiculous you and Artemis start laughing at her. A fierce glare directed towards you shuts up the merriment.

"Look, I've got my own thing and you've got your own thing to do. Why not join forces to do whatever we're secretly aiming to do? My friends are affected by this craziness." You set back down in front of the ornate lock with your tools to fidget it. It's indeed a puzzle lock of some sort. There are three visible keyholes and two hidden ones. Artemis sits quietly by your side with intense interest as you discover each hidden feature of the lock. You give him a pet every time you discover something new and he purrs each time.

"If that's the case, why not just go through the front entrance with me? I don't see why you're making things so complicated by taking the back entrance. Can you even open that lock?" Minako is now standing beside you and looking down. It's hard to concentrate on your experimental probing of the various keyholes and newly discovered side buttons.

"Being sneaky is a habit of mine, and it feels wrong to do what the enemy wants you to do by going through the front. I mean, we can climb over the gates too." This lock won't be easy to open, but it's possible. Yet, if you fail to open the lock in front of Minako, you will die of embarrassment. Of all things that you don't want to happen, you don't want Minako to look down on you. You want to impress the girl... but she has a point about making things unnecessarily complicated. Azul always votes for practical plans and options whenever you plot with him by 'becoming a ring' and going over details.

>>5412363
Actually, a simple option is to force the lock open. Why even bother to pick the lock? It would take some force, but using a rock to jostle the pins is an easy option. You typically don't 'bump' locks open.

Azul interrupts your thoughts by sending an image of something through your mental link. At first, you aren't sure what you're seeing. The obstacle course inside Heiwa no Mori looks nothing like you remember. There are new and larger obstacle courses everywhere inside. So many that they cannot possibly fit in the area this fence supposedly surrounds. The dimensions are all wrong.

A flash of another image. There are many people milling about within, you distinctly see not only your friends but also Usagi and Mizuno talking with Aya and Mamoru. It must almost be time for the competition.

What will you do now?...

>Try to pick the lock? roll 3d6+2, dc 15...
>Force open the lock? What's the worst that can happen?...
>Change your mind, go register at the front entrance with Minako...
>Climb over the gate, it should be fine? roll 3d6-1, dc ??...
>write in


I shall soon have to stop posting. Last post will be on Saturday, 2 days, I have training at work to do for at least a few weeks.

>>5412366
> Change your mind, go register at the front entrance with Minako...

This is no longer a park, this is now occupied territory. This isn’t our first rodeo, but we’re running out of time and I don’t like those odds on picking that lock. Perhaps we just need to concede the point and go through the most obvious route.

>>5412377
Hm, I forgot to add in the paragraph about the back entrance...

Why would they even bother having a back entrance in the first place? It's a weird feature if they intend to corral everyone and let no one escape. You would only allow one entrance and nothing else to trap everyone within the park.

>>5412366
>Change your mind, go register at the front entrance with Minako...
also pet Artemis more.

>>5412366
>Change your mind, go register at the front entrance with Minako...

File: dramadrama.gif (1.48 MB, 498x380)

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Warring within you are two realizations. The realization that there isn’t much time until the competition starts, so partnering up with Minako makes things very convenient and simple. The other is the realization that there is only one entrance, therefore only one exit, which is under the control of the enemy.

If you could manage to pick the lock and open the gate, then there’d be an alternative escape route if things went south.

But this puzzle lock is absolute bullshit! Who the hell would put something like this on the back gates to stymie people? Only someone with a clear love for overly complicated schemes would strap this on to the back gate. It mocks you. A potential exit and entrance is right in front of you because of this lock.

You’re starting to get a feel for the personality behind these schemes.

Whoever it is always targets large amounts of people and they’re arrogant as fuck. No intelligent and ruthless person would allow a potential escape route like this. The locked gate is to taunt whoever is within.

“You have a point, but I just hate walking into an obvious trap like this…” You grouse to Minako, who nods with sympathy.

“If we had time, I’d say go ahead, but we don’t have the luxury.” Minako notes with an air of experience and command.

You approach the main entrance of the park with Minako and Artemis. The white cat sticks close to you, unlike Luna who always tries her best to get away, it makes you incredibly happy. You can even pet him whenever you want!

The crowd of people is gone, you’re amongst the last to enter. It’s mindboggling, just how many people are inside? The real space of the park is far too small to accommodate the people who enter. There are sheets of paper full of names!

It irritates you to act according to the enemy’s plan. The only petty act of resistance you can summon up at this moment is to write a false name.

Apollonia Suzail

You throw the pen on to the table with irritation while Minako laughs at your reaction. She reads over your fake name with curiosity before following suite with her own fake name ‘Cytherea Cypris’ on the sheet of paper. Despite the outrageous falsity inherent in the names, the clerk takes the sheet of paper blandly accepts it as a matter of course and gives you a paper wristband. You put the band in your pocket, you’d be damned if you wrap it around your wrist as expected.

Even odder, you didn’t pay for the entrance fee but you can enter anyways? The enemy wasn’t even bothering to keep up his veneer now that he had so many victims.

“Well, that was easy enough. A good job idea on faking names. But what prompted you to choose that particular name?” Minako asks lightly as you join the crowd of competitors. She followed your lead and isn’t wearing the paper wristband either.

>>5413103
It’s a light question but you’re too observant. There’s a note of suspicion behind that question. It hurts to hear it from her, but the question makes you realize that you have no idea why you wrote down ‘Apollonia Suzail’. You have a pretty good grounding of Japanese history and mythology, so why not write a name just as ridiculous as ‘Yamato Takeru’ instead?

You can’t really answer the other girl.

“Why’d you choose ‘Cytherea Cypris’?” You throw back the question to Minako, who huffs at your dodge.

You’re at the very back of a large crowd of people listening to an announcer. As the last to join in, you didn’t catch the beginning of the speech but the crowd is riled up.

“… in addition, there’s another fabulous prize for the winner of the competition! Yes, that’s right! Not just money, but also another prize for the lucky pair!” A blonde man with a bad burn on the side of his face proclaims through the microphone.

Yeowch, that’s a big burn. In your modest estimation, the man is handsome. His blonde hair and youthful face would appeal to a lot of girls, so having a burn that big must put a real big damper on his dating life until it’s fully healed.

“Oh hey! Ruka, you managed to snag a partner I see. Masato found another guy to enter the competition too. He’s still really angry. Well, it doesn’t matter because you are going to lose!” Tomio crows as Yuuji sticks out his tongue at you childishly. The boys are in high spirits, you can also see Masato off in a different part of the crowd.

“Sure, whatever Tomio,” you answer back with negative motivation. The competition is a distraction from the real work you want to do.

“Good luck Ruka!” Aya calls out from within the crowd, she’s so short that you can’t see her at all. Mamoru towers over a lot of the competitors, he must have informed your best friend of your arrival. The black-haired boy gives a wave of acknowledgement to your presence.

Where is Usagi and Mizuno? They have to be around here somewhere but the density of the crowd makes it impossible to see where they are.

You need to make a decision about what you intend to do now.

You want to…

>Find the real culprit behind this, take down the boss to end things…
>Make sure no one gets hurt, you can rescue failing competitors from harm…
>Find that weird glowing orb, there should be another one to destroy somewhere…
>Stick by Minako and try to see what she plans on doing…
>Sneak away to find Azul, then create an alternative escape route…
>Try to find Usagi and Mizuno. You’re worried about the clumsy girl and evil genius…
>write in…

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>>5413104
With your decision made, you relax and wait for an opportunity to put it in action. Azul sends another message through your link that he’s hiding somewhere behind the first obstacle. It seems that the entire park is different now, your old knowledge of the locations of everything is obsolete. The mental image Azul sends shows how much larger the area has become.

“Wow Ruka, why didn’t you tell me about Tomio?!” Minako squeals with hearts in her eyes. She devours the sight of Tomio like a ravenous starving girl and gives dramatic sighs.

You blush with anger. The way Minako gushes over Tomio brings a surge of jealousy unlike anything you’ve ever felt. It’s true your best friend is handsome, but it never bothered you until now. It’s just something that you’ve benignly teased him over since the other boy never asked for constant female attention.

Now, it really bothers you!

“Minako, please stop. He’s not interested in girls,” you vainly plead. Mentally, you scramble to find some way to tell her about how you value a closer friendship with her. She shouldn’t pay any attention to a boy who won’t give her the time of day.

“In twenty minutes, we’ll be starting the competition! Please proceed towards the starting point!” The announcer finishes with a dramatic flourish to point towards the first obstacle. A tall structure with many hanging ropes and strange moving platforms over a lake of water.

The possessed competitors roar with impatience. It just occurs to you, as the competitors begin rushing forward towards the first obstacle.

You wrote down ‘Suzail’… That’s an acronym for ‘Azulis’.


END THREAD
I have to end early because of a truly bad storm incoming. I hope to pick up the adventure again on Oct 14.

>>5413106
See ya in a few weeks boss!
Stay safe!

>>5413104
>Make sure no one gets hurt, you can rescue failing competitors from harm…

>>5413104
>>Find that weird glowing orb, there should be another one to destroy somewhere…
Feel like we shouldn’t draw too much attention to ourselves so we should sneak off and look for the orb while others are distracted
>>5413106
Thanks for the run, take care Crescent

>>5413104
> Stick by Minako and try to see what she plans on doing…
We’re partnered up, might as well take advantage of this. Maybe she’ll have a good idea of how to go about doing things?

>>5413104
Assuming Minako is going to be with us unless the choice says otherwise-
>Find that weird glowing orb, there should be another one to destroy somewhere…
Hopefully, It'll be easier and quicker to find with two people looking for it; while i am worried about Usagi, Mizuno and the rest of the competitors, hopefully the sooner we deal with the orb the sooner they'll be safe, or at least, safer

>>5413184
>>5413732
>>5413785
>>5413879
>>5413990
I hath survived! See you again soon.

We are starting a new thread!
>>5434284

Let's go and compete in NOT!Sasuke level obstacles