>>1645844

“I believe you were told not to come here unannounced,” Bradley begins, a look of genuine remorse on his face, “And yet here you are.” Looking left and right, he gives the soldiers a curt gesture of dismissal. Hesitating for a brief second, they begin to draw back and away, leaving you in the care of Maika's...

Well, you're not quite sure what Bradley is any more. Her bodyguard, her manservant, her... jailer, perhaps?

“But you don't seem like fools,” the looming man continues, his tense posture relaxing a little now that the other soldiers are gone, “So I'm inclined to think that you've got a good reason to be here. If the young Miss was available, I'm certain that she'd vouch for you. For her sake, I'm about the bend the rules a little.” Smiling ruefully, he shakes his head. “Follow me, I'll bring you inside,” he tells you, gesturing towards the house with a firm nod, “Oh... and you can put your hands down now.”

-

The room that Bradley escorts you into is hardly a welcoming one. Somewhere between “waiting room” and “prison cell” on the scale of comfort, it has little to offer beyond a few items of plain furniture. The previous times that you've visited, you were greeted as guests – this time, you're being treated like potential enemies.

“It's not what you're used to, I know,” Bradley admits, noticing your expression and letting out a sigh, “But you have to understand my position. Orders are-”

“Is Maika here?” you cut in, throwing out the words before you can lose your nerve, “Is she here? I want to see her!”

“That just isn't possible,” he shakes his head slowly, “Not yet, at least. The young Miss is currently unavailable.”

“Then perhaps you could tell us when she WILL be available,” Kasumi offers smoothly, her voice utterly free from discomfort or unease, “I dare say that we would be willing to wait, if that was permissible.”

Frowning slightly, Bradley makes a show of checking his watch. “The young Miss is currently with her father, attending to a matter of important business. Assuming that there have been no delays or alterations to their schedule, they will be returning soon,” he says slowly, “However, I cannot guarantee that you will be able to speak with her. The young Miss has been in poor health of late. The tests take a lot out of her.”

>Tests? What tests?
>Maika's father... he wouldn't hurt her, would he?
>We're free to walk out of here if we want... right?
>There's something I'd like to ask you about... (Write in)
>Other

>>1645845
>Tests? What tests?
"What is he doing to her Bradley?"

>>1645845
>Tests? What tests?

>>1645845
>Tests? What tests?

That awful word hangs in the air for a long while, with the members of your group trading uneasy glances. None of you wants to be the first one to break the silence, but you force yourself to speak.

“Tests?” you manage, “What tests?”

“I believe that that is a matter best left between the young Miss and her father,” Bradley begins, before relenting slightly, “...But I understand that the tests are medical in nature, although I can't say much more than that. I drove them to the hospital this morning.” Frowning deeply at some private thought, Bradley quickly checks his watch before looking back up at you. “It's almost time for me to leave,” he continues, “I'll need to pick them up, and-”

“You can't just leave us like this!” Emi protests, “C'mon man, we're worried about her. If she's sick...”

“Do you think you could tell us which hospital she's staying at?” Kasumi asks, trying a more tactful approach, “I should imagine that visitors might help lift her spirits.”

“Bradley, what's he doing to her?” you press, hating the frail note of pleading fear that sneaks into your voice, “Please, if you know anything about this, please tell us!”

“All that I have been told is that this is for the best,” the tall man announces slowly, his every word chosen with care and precision, “The best for everyone. I will tell Master Kanzaki that you are here, and that you are concerned. That is ALL that I can do.”

“Bullshit!” Emi rises, knocking her chair back with an ugly clatter, “This is a lot of crap, you gotta-”

“Emi, knock it off!” Ayane snaps, shooting the young girl a surprisingly vicious glare, “That isn't helping anyone. He's right, he's doing all that he can to help us, and you're throwing it back in his face!” Screwing her face up into a tight frown for a moment, Ayane takes a deep breath and looks across to Bradley. “I'm sorry about this,” she apologises, “You're in a pretty lousy position here and all, I get that. You've been very helpful already.”

“No apology needed,” shrugging – it's like watching a mountain range heave and shudder – Bradley checks his watch once again, “I sincerely hope that Master Kanzaki is able to give you the answers you want. As I said before, I will mention your concerns to him. Now then, if you'll excuse me...” Bowing shortly, Bradley turns and lets himself out of the room. The door closes heavily, and then the sound of an electronic lock slamming in place echoes out through the room.

“Did he just...” you begin, staring at the sealed door, “Did he just lock us in?”

Scowling, Emi prowls across to the door and rattles the handle, fruitlessly turning it this way and that as she tries to get the door open. Frustrated, she even bangs her shoulder against it, grunting softly in pain when the door refuses to yield.

“I suppose we're waiting then,” Kasumi sighs, her hands folded demurely in her lap.

[1/2]

>>1645888

“Hey, think of it this way. We're not exactly looking at the worst case scenario here, are we?” Ayane offers at last, “I mean, Bradley seems like he... like, he seems to care for Maika in his own way. If nothing else, I reckon she's got him fighting in her corner.”

“Oh certainly. He cares for her a lot,” Kasumi nods, “In fact, he cares for her far more than he cares for his own children.” Reaching up, she takes off her sunglasses and methodically polishes their lenses. “He's not exactly proud of that,” she continues, “But he thinks that they're better off without him. I wonder why he-”

“How'd you know that-” Emi begins, although she cuts herself short when the answer comes to her, “Ugh, right. It's so creepy how you can just know stuff like that.”

“I suppose it might seem that way,” the elegant girl murmurs to herself.

“Well, I mean, that's good, isn't it?” Ayane, desperate now, points out, “He's definitely not going to sit by and let her get hurt, is he?” Nodding to herself, she rises and circles around to Emi's place at the table, righting the young girl's chair and shifting it back into place. “He was being honest with us, you know, about not knowing much,” she adds, “I guess that's, like, not too surprising. I don't think he's really in on this whole “Sentinel” thing.”

“Lucky him...” Emi mutters, giving the door a light kick. “Man, fuck this door,” she grumbles, slumping back down in her newly righted chair, “I bet I could smash it right down. You too, Miho, you could get it open in one punch.”

“Oh come on!” burying her face in her hands, Ayane lets out a low groan, “What exactly would that achieve? We break out and, what, we make an enemy of every Sentinel in the city? I know long term planning isn't exactly your thing, but...”

“I'm just saying,” the young girl snipes back, “We're letting them push us around. Maybe you're used to just lying back and taking it from them, but I ain't gonna-”

Before a fight can break out, Kasumi delicately clears her throat. “Ladies, please,” she announces, pointing up to a discrete security camera, “Your behaviour is most unbecoming. We're hardly showing them at our best, are we? If we're to negotiate, it's important that we do so from a position of strength, not as a group of bickering children.”

Emi scoffs a little at that, but wisely says nothing. Ayane matches her silence, occasionally shooting the security camera a nervous glance.

>Look, Ayane's right. We've just got to make the best of this situation
>Emi's got a point. I'm sick of these guys messing us around
>Thank you, Kasumi. It's good to see that someone is still being sensible
>Other

>>1645931
>Ayane is right. We just need to make the best of this situation.

>>1645931
>Look, Ayane's right. We've just got to make the best of this situation
"I know how you feel Emi. It's extremely aggravating how powerless we are with these Sentinels and their damn city, but violence in this situation isn't going to help Maika. We need to stay calm for her sake alright?"

>Thank you, Kasumi. It's good to see that someone is still being sensible


Also
>Maybe you're used to just lying back and taking it from them
Hah. I know Emi didn't mean it like that, but it's pretty funny now that she's with Isamu.

>>1645931
>>Emi's got a point. I'm sick of these guys messing us around

“Look, Ayane's right,” you tell everyone with a weary sigh, “We've just got to make the best of this situation. I get it, maybe this whole thing was a bad idea, but kicking up a storm and causing trouble isn't going to help anyone – it won't help US, and it certainly won't make things any easier for Maika.” Giving every member of your group a firm look, locking eyes with them for a moment before moving on to the next, you consider your next words. “Best case scenario is, we get the chance to speak with Eligor,” you state, “Worst case scenario... I'm not sure about that, yet. Maybe he'll just throw us out.”

“Nah, I don't think that's his style,” Ayane corrects you, “He'd pay someone to throw us out for him.”

This causes Emi to snort with laughter, and some of the strained atmosphere dissipates. “He's probably got a special robot to do it,” the young girl jokes, forcing a smirk, “Just a big pair of arms on wheels. A Kanzaki Peasant Ejector, something like that.”

“Hey, I'm no peasant!” Ayane protests, “Although, uh, compared with him...”

Taking advantage of the momentary ceasefire, you press ahead. “But hey, Emi, I know how you feel,” you tell her quietly, “I hate being so powerless with these Sentinels, with this whole damn city, but it's like I said – getting violent isn't going to help us here.”

“Yeah, I know...” grumbling, Emi slumps down across the table and lets out a sigh, “Shit, I never signed up for this kinda crap. I never knew that being a magical girl would be so much like hard work!”

“And thank you, Kasumi, for your input,” you continue, raising your voice a little to speak over Emi's murmured stream of complaints, “It's good to see that someone is still being sensible around here. This is no time for us to be losing our heads.”

“I only hope I can be of further help,” she replies smoothly, favouring you with a warm smile, “Perhaps if we get the chance to meet with Master Kanzaki...” She lets her sentence trail off here, leaving it more as an open suggestion than anything else. The way her eyes flick briefly up to the camera explains why.

Nobody wants to say much else, not while that lone burning eye is fixated upon you.

-

Without conversation, the time seems to crawl by. Whenever you check your phone, you notice that the signal is completely dead – blocked, you presume, by some aspect of this particular room. It really does seem like the Kanzaki compound has its own little dungeon – how quaint. The stillness is eventually broken by a firm knock at the door, followed by the clunk of a lock grinding open. Bradley enters, giving you all a perfectly unreadable expression.

Unreadable it might be, but something about that look suggests trouble.

[1/2]

>>1645979

“Master Kanzaki wishes to speak with you,” the looming man declares simply, “He asks that you gather in his office. He will be along presently.”

“So, uh, what if we don't want to speak with him?” you ask carefully, “I mean, is this an invitation that we can refuse?”

“Not really,” Bradley tells you, faint humour dancing in the back of his voice, “But it would make everything far more... pleasant if you were to do this willingly. This is just a conversation, nothing more than that. Master Kanzaki wanted me to be especially clear on that – he wishes to speak with you, yes, but he has no intention of making further demands or setting further conditions.”

“How generous of him,” you sigh, “And what about Maika, how is she?”

“The young Miss is currently resting,” Bradley pauses, before nodding slightly to the security camera, “But she is aware of your presence here. She may request your presence later, but for now...”

“Yeah, I get it,” nodding to the man, you rise to your feet, “The boss wants to see us, one way or the other. Fine, whatever. Were you here to escort us, make sure that we don't get in any trouble?”

“That's right,” he bows his head slightly, “It would be a shame if you were to get lost along the way.”

-

A sullen air hangs over your group as you follow Bradley into Eligor Kanzaki's familiar chambers. Nothing has changed since the last time you were here with Maika, and it almost seems as though nothing could change – as though this place was frozen in time, a snapshot of itself. Eligor isn't here yet, leaving you with nothing to do but wait awkwardly. With nothing else to do, you peer into one of the glass display cases and examine the sword on display. It looks ancient, although-

“It's a Jian. Chinese, dating back to the Warring States period. It's genuine,” a hard voice states, “Still in excellent condition, as you can see.” Startled, you turn to face the speaker. Eligor Kanzaki is a narrow man, although something about his build suggests hidden strength. His face is not a friendly one, with cold grey eyes and a closely cut beard the colour of steel. His hair is the same colour, equally short, and there isn't a single strand out of place. Dressed in a muted suit, every inch of his flesh below the neck is covered – he even wears a neat pair of cloth gloves.

“My name is Eligor Kanzaki,” he announces, rather unnecessarily, “You are guests in my home. Behave yourselves accordingly.” Having said this, he stalks behind his desk and takes off his suit jacket, draping it across the back of the chair. Sitting, he works off his gloves with a deliberately unhurried pace, spreading his uncovered hands out before him.

At the sight of those hands, Ayane lets out a short gasp.

[2/3]

>>1646017

In sharp contrast to his suited, professional appearance, Eligor Kanzaki's hands are lurid with tattoos, thin black lines twisting back and forth at sharp angles as they connect larger blocks of solid colour. It takes you a moment to realise what the tattoos most resemble – circuitry, electrical components like the guts of a computer.

“You have their power as well,” Kasumi observes, as Eligor rolls up his sleeves to display more of those intricate designs, “Then you are... “initiated”, I believe?”

“Correct,” Eligor answers, “My [refinement] is a [skin of steel]. But that is not-”

“The fuck did you just-” Emi blurts out, wincing at the sound of the not-words that Eligor casually drops into the conversation. Before she can finish her crude question, Kasumi takes over.

“Forgive me, sir, but I'm not familiar with those...” she pauses here, quite unable to bring herself to call them “words”, then bravely presses ahead, “Those terms you just used.”

“I'm surprised. I thought you would be fluent,” nothing about Eligor's face or voice changes as he says this, “We call it “Glossolalia”, to speak in the language of the gods. Of course, there are... differences of opinion about exactly what that means. Some say that is is a language known only to gods, devils and those under the influence of the former. Others have more grounded explanations – I see it as something closer to a programming language, although for reality rather than any computer program. Nevertheless...”

“Is this really what you wanted to talk to us about?” Ayane butts in, “I mean, it's cool and all, but we're not really here for a lecture on, like... whatever this is.”

“No, you're quite right,” Eligor doesn't smile as he says this, but neither does he scowl, “I thought I might give you a little history lesson. Before we begin, however – and in the interests of removing further interruptions – I would like to get your questions out of the way. Ask them now, and then we can get down to business.”

>Go ahead then. Let's hear what you have to say
>But we've already heard your history. What else is there for you to tell us?
>What kind of tests are you performing on Maika?
>Can you show us this... [refinement] of yours?
>Other

>>1646068
>What kind of tests are you performing on Maika?
>So is Oracle JUST an AI? Or did you add something, or should I say someone too it? Because as good as Sae and Eve are they didn't have the same.... humanity that Oracle did.

>>1646068
>What kind of tests are you performing on Maika?
>Can you show us this... [refinement] of yours?

>>1646068
>>Go ahead then. Let's hear what you have to say

>>1646068
>What kind of tests are you performing on Maika?
"Think about how this looks from our perspective. She just learned about your affiliation among other things, which you would know of since privacy is an illusion here, and then she suddenly drops out of contact with no prior warning. What's going on?"
>Can you show us this... [refinement] of yours?
>Other
"Glossolalia. Did you obtain an entire understanding of the 'language' when you joined with your Intruder or do you just know what gets etched into your brain?"

>Go ahead then. Let's hear what you have to say

>>1646068
>What kind of tests are you performing on Maika?

“What kind of tests are you performing on Maika?” you ask, almost as soon as he has finished speaking, “And when can we see her?”

“Yeah!” Emi agrees, “We ain't here for a history lesson, so hurry up and tell us what you're doing to her!”

“With her,” Eligor corrects you quietly, “Maika is fully cooperating with my work, as is only right and proper.” Slowly drumming his fingers on the desk, he leaves you to consider those dire words. “My experiments are entirely focused towards understanding your kind, and your abilities. With some work, I have found that they can be replicated,” he continues, “The “initiated”, as you call them, can master the same powers that you are imbued with. However, to do this, those powers must be studied. Hence, the tests.”

“You say she's fully cooperating,” you reply slowly, trying to put your scattered thoughts in order, “But... really? Think about how this looks from our perspective. Not long after she learned of your true affiliations – and you knew as soon as that happened, since privacy is an illusion here – she drops out of contact with us. That doesn't make it sound as though she's doing it willingly.”

“I will admit, she didn't see the value of my research straight away,” Eligor gives you a meaningless gesture, “We spoke for a long time, about a lot of different things. It gave her a new perspective on the situation.”

“Sounds more like you brainwashed her,” Emi accuses, pointing a finger at the man, “You got inside her head and just... made her think like you!”

“Then you can speak with her yourself later,” this time, Eligor gives you a definite shrug, “But I assure you, I did little more than remind her of her familial obligations.”

“Familial obligations?” the young girl repeats, spitting out the words like a curse. For a moment, you think that she's about to leap across the desk and punch the man out, no matter how foolish it might be. Ayane shoots her a hard look, though, which gives the young girl a moment of hesitation. Before she can find her temper again, you speak up with the first question to cross your mind.

“Hey, uh, can we see that thing of yours?” you ask hastily, before you involuntarily add, “This [refinement] of yours?”

“Miho?” Ayane asks, looking around at you in surprise, “You can speak that stuff too?”

“Well yeah,” you reply, “I mean... wait, you guys couldn't understand him?”

The moment of confusion is cut short as Eligor laughs bluntly. “Normally, I would not wish to waste effort on a vulgar display of power,” he tells you, “But now... I think it might be to your benefit. Pay close attention, please.”

Taking a deep breath, he clenches one fist. As he does so, the tattoos seem to writhe and squirm before blooming out, spreading a thick layer of ink out until his entire lower arm is a dull black colour. As the magic takes effect, his eyes glow faintly gold.

[1/2]

>>1646148

“Here,” Eligor takes a letter opener from his desk drawer, pushing it across towards you with his human hand. Turning the blackened limb over, he presents the palm of his hand to you. Realising what he means, you take the blade – it's as sharp as any weapon, you notice – and swallow nervously. Gritting your teeth, you bring the dagger sharply down onto his open palm. Upon impact, a terrible shudder runs up your arm as the blade is destroyed, bend almost double as it strikes against his impenetrable skin.

“Shit!” Emi blurts out, her eyes growing wide, “That's so cool!”

“Quite,” Eligor says drily as he reverts back to a fully human form, “It's quite fascinating. We believe the [refinements] are derived from within the self. I was quite the martial artist when I was younger, and I believe that this reflects that. Regardless...”

“That language, that Glossolalia thing,” you ask, “Did you learn the full language when you... uh, when you joined with your Intruder? Or do you just know what got etched into you?”

“A difficult question to answer. The language is not precisely one that men can “know”, or consciously speak. The longer I have spent with this... partnership... the more I find it replacing more normal speech,” pausing thoughtfully, Eligor rubs his palm, “I think that she's teaching it to me, more and more as time passes. However, I'm less certain about how YOU learned it. I'd be very interested to hear more about that...”

And you're very much NOT interested in telling him, especially if Zakuro was the one to plant the seeds in your mind. Frowning, you change the subject instead. “So I got a question for you,” you ask, “Is the Oracle really JUST an AI, or did you... do something to it? I don't know, add something to it perhaps. Just, SAE and EVE are good, but they're not as... human as the Oracle was.”

“Would you consider yourself an expert in AI technology, then?” Eligor asks mildly, raising an eyebrow, “You seem quite sure about the limitations involved. Have you considered that Monad itself might have aided in the Oracle's current existence?”

“I've considered a lot of things,” you think aloud.

“I'm sure you have,” the Sentinel actually smiles at this, although it is a cold and humourless smile, “But let me say this – the Oracle is not my pet project. Its abilities and limitations are nothing to do with me.”

You start to think of a reply to that, but then Ayane shoots you a quick glance – a faint warning in her eyes. Something about Eligor's answer must have set alarm bells ringing in her mind. If only you could find a private moment to ask her about it!

Shaking your head, you instead focus on the reason he brought you here - his “history lesson”.

[2/3]

>>1646148
>Our shit is already getting reverse engineered.

Maybe I'm just being negative but maybe we should just focus on killing Tyrants to get farther in the Umbra cause everything about the Sentinel's seems almost unwinnable (if there is even a win condition). It's like we are going up against late game XCOM.

>>1646200
We should ask him who he lost . . . . And if he considers Maika a Daughter or "One of Our Kind".

>>1646245
Or just a clone (or whatever she is) or just a tool or just something to carry on his legacy.

Could be a number of things really.

>>1646252
Replacement wife. Gonna bone her to make a human/intruder/magical girl hybrid rape baby.

>>1646200

“I'm sure that Kiriyama has told you plenty about our “illustrious” history,” Eligor begins, a faint note of bitterness creeping into his voice as he says this, “A secret brotherhood, stretching back to mankind's earliest days. Guiding and protecting mankind, steering it towards its destiny... all of that pretentious rhetoric – a lie. A convenient falsehood.”

“That can't be true!” Ayane protests, stepping forwards with enough desperation to leave you startled, “Jun was telling the truth, I'm sure of it!”

“Well, perhaps I should choose my words with greater care. The Sentinels WERE a secretive organisation devoted to mankind's future, and they DID cloak their affairs in a great deal of occult superstition. They had far reaching influence, and a great deal of power,” pausing here, Eligor tents his fingers, “However, we are not that organisation. No matter how they presented themselves, we have no evidence that the Sentinels were, in any way, supernatural. They were simply a group of scheming minds, set of quietly controlling the world. This... pitiful group, can you guess where they met to discuss their plans in person?”

“Where they met?” you ask, “What does that have to do with...”

“Berlin,” Eligor answers simply, “And when the bombs dropped, the entire organisation was decapitated in a single night.”

-

“Ostermann – Ose – was the first to learn about them,” he continues, studying your reactions, “He was wise enough to avoid any sudden reactions, anything that might hinder the reconstruction, but he discussed the old organisation with a few of his... confidants. We saw potential there, a chance to increase our own power and influence. Using the aftermath of the war as cover, we took over as the new Council of Twelve – assuming their identities until they could be “replaced”. Their secretive nature made this an easy task for us.”

“No way...” Emi mutters, “So you're all just, what, in this for your own benefit?”

“It was that way at first, yes,” Eligor admits, “But then we learned about what you call “Intruders”. The old Sentinels hadn't fought them, but we could. We acquired knowledge from... various sources, and we began to study them. All in all, we've been studying and fighting against the Intruders for about twenty years.”

You've got to admit, it does make a certain degree of sense. It helps to explain why Kurosawa had no knowledge of them, and why they had only a little knowledge of your kind. It's an audacious lie, but... isn't the entire idea of a secret conspiracy audacious in its own way?

“So now you know our true nature,” the old man finishes, “Our true history.”

>If you're finished, then I'd like to see Maika
>Why are you telling us this?
>Who else knows about this? Jun? Karl?
>And what about your true goals? Do you really believe in this “golden path” stuff?
>Other

>>1646265
>Why are you telling us this?
>Who else knows about this? Jun? Karl?
>And what about your true goals? Do you really believe in this “golden path” stuff?

>>1646265
>Other
"Then how does Monad fit in? Did you guys create an AI to process all the information you got from fighting the Intruders? Needed something to run this city? Or is it something else?"

>Who else knows about this? Just the council members? Or just who was in Berlin?
>And what about your true goals? Do you really believe in this “golden path” stuff?
>Why are you telling us this?

>>If you're finished, then I'd like to see Maika
"Who is she to you? The one in the picture there and the one I am friends with aren't the same person are they?"

>>1646265
>>1646284
>I assume Maika is a replacement for the loved one you lost to the Intruders? The one who's now drawing from your life in order to empower you?

>>1646265
>Why are you telling us this?
>If you're finished, then I'd like to see Maika

“I don't understand why you're telling us this,” you reply, “What do you stand to gain from it?”

“I have two answers for that. The first answer – I could not, in good conscience, continue deceiving you in this way,” Eligor holds up a single finger, then a second, “My alternative answer. I believe that you would find out the truth eventually. By volunteering this information, I hoped to convince you of my sincerity.”

“Sincerity about... what?” you ask, fearful of what his answer might be.

“A cooperative future together,” he states, “I have my own plans. However, it may be best if we discussed those at a later time – or, perhaps, if you heard them from someone else. Regardless, a matter for another time. I can see that you're eager for answers.”

“Well yeah, I'm eager!” laughing despite yourself, you shake your head and try to word your next question, “I mean... who else knows about this stuff? Jun and Karl? Or is it just the other council members?”

“The Council of Twelve know, of course, although some of them are... a complicated issue,” a thin smile touches Eligor's lips, “Not entirely human, you might say. However, to answer your question... Jun Kiriyama knows the whole truth. It would have been impossible to keep it from him, considering his family ties. Kaplan, on the hand, knows none of it. He takes so much pride from being an heir to such a lofty legacy. To take that away from him would be cruel.”

“And lying to him must be so much better,” you mutter, rolling your eyes, “And... wait, what do you mean “not entirely human”?”

“The council needs twelve members, but we couldn't find twelve men or women that we considered trustworthy,” Eligor shrugs slightly, “So replacements were made. I believe that Berith, Forneus and... Decarabia, I think it was, are AI constructs. A simulation of the previous member, constructed from the records they left behind. Quite an impressive feat of
design.”

“You mean we've had AI overlords messing around in our lives for the past... what, twenty years?” Ayane groans, “You're kidding right? Please tell me you're kidding...”

“They have no real power. Little more than sycophantic programs to make up the numbers,” dismissing her concerns with a curt wave, Eligor gives Ayane a patronising smile, “You don't need to worry about them.”

“There are bigger AI issues to worry about,” you cut in, “Like Monad. I just can't figure out how it fits into all this. You guys made yourselves an AI to process all the information you got fighting Intruders? To run the city? Or was there some other reason behind it?”

At this, Eligor falls into a brooding silence. One finger taps firmly against his desk, the sound seeming to echo through his entire office.

[1/2]

>>1646334

“You don't know, do you?” Emi says suddenly, laughing in disbelief, “Like, you didn't even make that shit, did you? It just popped up one day and started giving you orders!”

“That is a crude and foolish way of describing it!” Eligor growls, his calm mask slipping for a moment, “We... Explaining it to you would take weeks, if you were even capable of understanding at all. Past a certain point, AI development takes on a life of its own. It was entirely within our theoretical models that an AI on Monnad's level would surface.” Taking a deep breath, he toys with the ruined letter opener for a moment. “Monad is a tool,” he finishes, “A machine, despite what my colleagues might think.”

“A machine that calls itself a god,” you point out, “And plots out a “golden path” for men to follow.”

“Calculating the optimal way for men to live,” Eligor argues, “Something that is well within the remit of an AI construct.”

“Do you believe in it?” you ask, “I mean, what are your real goals?”

“I believe in creating a stable and prosperous future for mankind, one free from the Intruders. I'm prepared to do anything in order to see that becoming a reality,” his voice hardens, and he meets your gaze, “Everything else is a means to that end. My colleagues may dabble in mysticism or self-advancement, but I have little interest in such things. I wish to destroy the Intruders for what they have done to-” Here, he cuts himself short, his hand clenching into a tight fist.

“If we're finished here, then I'd like to see Maika now,” you tell him, your voice filling the silence, “Is that possible?”

“SAE,” Eligor announces, “Inform Maika that her guests wish to see her. Bring me her response immediately.”

[Yes Master Kanzaki,] SAE answers, her voice coming from a small speaker in the desk, [However, I believe Miss Kanzaki is currently resting. Her vital signs indicate a state of sleep.]

“When she wakes up, then,” a rare softness crosses Eligor's features as he says this, “She's earned her rest. I presume you can wait a little longer?”

“I guess we don't have a choice,” you sigh, “But... I wanted to talk to you about Maika. Who is she to you? I've seen that picture, from Kyoto. The girl in that photograph and the girl that I'm friends with... they're not the same person, are they?”

“Another complicated question to answer,” Eligor lowers his voice a little, “In a strictly biological sense, they are they same person. However...”

“She's a clone?” you guess, with a faint nod from Eligor confirming, “A... a replacement, for the daughter you lost to the Intruders, right? The daughter that's currently stealing your life in order to empower you...”

“Very astute,” a cold smile crosses Eligor's face, “I knew that you were sharp.”

[2/3]

>>1646416

[Master Kanzaki,] SAE announces suddenly, [Miss Kanzaki has woken. She is currently considering her answer. Please wait.]

“I will say no more on this matter,” Eligor says, looking away from you, “It is a private matter. If Maika wishes to discuss it with you, I cannot stop her. However, I will say no more. You have your confirmation – that should be enough. SAE, her answer?”

[Please wait,] SAE repeats, a faint note of stubbornness entering her synthesised voice, [Miss Kanzaki says that she is too tired to speak with a group. However, she is willing to speak with a single chosen representative.]

“Chosen representative?” Ayane mutters to herself, “Jeez Maika, this isn't a diplomatic summit...”

“Miho, I believe you should be the one to go,” Kasumi says delicately, “I feel that you're the one she wants to see right now.” Turning to Eligor, she bows slightly. “Thank you for your time, sir,” she tells him, “May we wait somewhere until Miho is ready to leave with us?”

“By all means,” Eligor rises, gesturing to the door, “If you are hungry, Bradley can prepare a meal. Once again, you may consider yourselves welcomed guests here.”

>Okay guys. I'll join you when I'm finished speaking with Maika
>This isn't right, we should do this as a group or not at all
>I think someone else should go instead of me. Ayane, how about you?
>Other

>>1646463
>Okay guys. I'll join you when I'm finished speaking with Maika

>>1646463
>Okay guys. I'll join you when I'm finished speaking with Maika

>>1646463
>Okay guys. I'll join you when I'm finished speaking with Maika
Aww geez

File: Maika Kanzaki.jpg (272 KB, 1080x1080)

272 KB JPG

A vague feeling of foreboding falls over you as you consider the situation. Something about Maika's wording, especially when filtered through SAE – that talk of a “chosen representative” in particular – seemed starkly artificial. True, Maika can be on the more formal side of things, but still...

But still, what choice do you have?

“Okay guys,” you tell the others, with a heavy heart, “I guess I'll join you when I'm finished speaking with Maika. Don't, uh... don't worry about me, okay?”

“We'll save you some leftovers, okay?” Ayane replies, slapping you on the arm and giving you a big, fake smile, “I bet she's being all gloomy up there, so go and talk some sense into her, won't you?”

That might be difficult, you think to yourself, when you're being gloomy down here.

-

There's something eerily familiar about your first sight of Maika, and it takes you a while to grasp exactly what it is. The way she's sitting up in bed, her bare back facing you and her head hidden by the armoured shell of her helmet, is almost identical to when you saw her a few weeks ago. That was before you knew about the Sentinels, before you knew about Hikari, before... before so many things. A lot has changed since then, but this scene has remained the same.

“I wasn't actually asleep,” Maika announces, thankfully without turning around, “I asked SAE to lie for me. I apologise for that. I wanted to see if she would.” Sheets rustle as Maika pulls one up and around herself, glancing around at you and staring with the helmet's blank visage. “I was listening in to your conversation,” she adds, “I didn't expect my father to tell you quite so much.”

“Honesty is the best policy, I guess,” you offer with a shrug, “I certainly wasn't expecting half of what he told me either.”

“No,” tilting her head to the side, Maika raises the visor to reveal dull, lustreless eyes, “I suppose not.” Reaching up, she pulls the helmet off and shakes out her long hair, tutting faintly to herself as she feels a number of knots and tangles. “Could you bring me that comb?” she asks, gesturing to an industrial looking toolbox, “I'm sorry that this place is such a mess, I've barely had a moment to tidy up...”

A “mess”, in Maika's mind, is a stack of neatly folded clothes and a few errant tools left out on the floor. Smiling a little as you compare it to Ayane's brand of chaos, you fetch the comb and sit behind her on the bed. “Hold still,” you warn her, “And don't make this weird.” As you run the comb through her hair, you glance down at her bare arms – she has bruises here and there, along with the bloodied scar from an IV drip.

>Hell Maika, what kind of tests were these?
>Your father said that you... cooperated. Is that true?
>When do you think you'll be able to join us again?
>I need to ask you something... (Write in)
>Other

>>1646552
>Hell Maika, what kind of tests were these?
>Are you feelikng well? You don't look too good.
>Your father said that you... cooperated. Is that true?

>>1646552
>Your father said that you... cooperated. Is that true?
> We're your friends. You don't have to hide stuff from us, we'll help you too if we can.

> Unless the reason you're hiding things is because you're doing something you know is wrong. Then we'll help you find another way.

>>1646552

>Hell Maika, what kind of tests were these?
>Are you feelikng well? You don't look too good.
>Your father said that you... cooperated. Is that true?

>>1646552
>Hell Maika, what kind of tests were these?
>Are you feelikng well? You don't look too good.

>>1646570
I'll also support these write ins.

>>1646552
>Hell Maika, what kind of tests were these?
>Your father said that you... cooperated. Is that true?
"You should have told us Maika. Both because worrying about you for a whole week is not good for my stress and you could have buried that paranoia hanging over us from our mutual friend's warning if you'd been upfront about what you've been doing."

>>1646582
Like. We can forgive our betrayer and help them reconcile (If this is the betrayal).

> Pardon me, did you just say something to me eh? I'll have you know I graduated at the top of my class in the Canadian Politeness Force, and I've been involved in numerous secret runs to Tim Hortons, and I have over 300 confirmed friends. I am trained in welcoming warfare and am the most passive aggressive member of the entire canadian population. You are a person that I have yet to make friends with. I will talk to you with kindness the likes of which have never been seen before on this earth, mark my passiveness. You think you can get away with not saying thank you? Think again, neighbour. As we speak I am contacting my secret network of syrup drinking moose across the northern territories and your IP is being traced so you better prepare for the gift baskets, buddy. The gift baskets that not only contain Gift cards, but donuts from tim hortons too. You're gonna be befriended, guy. I can be nice anywhere, anytime, and can be nice to you in over seven hundred ways, and that's just if I write letters. Not only am i extensively trained in passive aggressive combat, but I have access to the entire moose army of the Canadian Maple Leaf Marine Corps and I will use it to its full extent to welcome your friendly ass right into the neighbourhood. You little neighbourino. If you had only known what friendly retribution your comment was about to bring down, maybe you would have eaten poutine with me. But you couldn't, you didn't, and now you're gonna let me pay the bill because that's how nice I am, guy. I will put you in the hospital and it will cost nothing cause our healthcare is free. I'll say sorry now, friendo.

Clearing your throat, you try and find the right words. “Are you feeling well?” you ask eventually, failing to come up with anything more tactful, “You don't look too good.”

“I'm tired, that's all,” the lie sounds painfully obvious coming out of Maika's mouth, “It's just like I said, I've been very busy lately. I've not had much chance to get a proper night's sleep. The tests...”

“Hell Maika,” you mutter as your eyes fall on a particularly vivid looking bruise, “What kind of tests were these?”

“Oh yes, those. They look far worse than they really are, I assure you,” Maika pulls her sheet a little tighter around herself, covering up some of her injuries, “The tests were mainly medical. They drew blood, asked me to perform various endurance exercises... it was all to test the limits of what we're capable of doing. I thought of them as... training, of a sort.” A soft grunt of pain escapes Maika as you struggle with a particularly nasty knot, and you murmur an apology. “They had other tests as well. I don't think I can really explain them,” the wounded girl continues, “There was a woman there, a doctor. She could... I'm sorry, this doesn't make any sense.”

“Take your time,” you tell her, “And hey, since when did any of this make sense?”

Maika laughs at that, and you see a faint glow blossoming beneath her skin, the worst of her bruises beginning to fade as her Emotional Barrier finally kicks in. “She asked me to lie down, and then she put her hand on me. It felt like she was... inside my mind,” Maika explains, her voice strained with the effort of finding the right words, “It tired me out more than anything else. I think it's how they learn our various abilities. I'm not the first one they've tested.”

“No?” you ask, “Wait... Crow?”

“Exactly. She was the one who taught them how to hide,” Maika shifts uneasily, “Although she wasn't nearly as willing.”

There's that mention of willingness again, surfacing to sour the mood. “Your father said that you... cooperated,” you ask cautiously, “Is that true?” Maika stiffens a little at your question, although she doesn't seem surprised. More that she had been expecting this question, dreading it. “We're your friends, you know,” you remind her gently, “You don't have to hide stuff from us. If we can help in any way, we'll do it.”

“It's not... that I'm hiding anything,” she replies in an unusually hesitant voice, “Not exactly...”

“If you're hiding something because you know what you're doing is wrong,” you continue, “We'll find another way. That's a promise, okay?”

“Father is right. I agreed to his tests, to help him with his work,” turning around, Maika looks you in the eye, “Will you hear me out, at least? It was not a decision that I took lightly.”

Nodding slowly, you gesture for her to speak.

[1/2]

>>1646652
Oh shit.
Emi must not undergo these tests ever, at any cost.
Should we issue her a cyanide pill?

>>1646652
> Mindrape

Fuck these guys.

>>1646682
Nah. We should kill the psychic.

Also let Kurosawa know that we've been compromised.

>>1646652

“First, you have to understand what Father hopes to achieve,” gathering her sheet around her, Maika rises from the bed and shuffles across the the pile of clothes, “He wishes to see a world where people like us are no longer needed. He want to replace us.”

“Replace us with what?” you ask, “More Sentinels?”

“No, the Sentinels are only a stopgap measure,” Maika explains, carelessly dropping her sheet and sifting through the clothes. Just before you look hastily away, you see a long mark down her back – something that might have been a half-healed knife wound. “Father wishes to replace us in the same way that he helped replace conventional soldiers,” she continues, “With machines. Disposable weapons, capable of destroying Intruders without ever risking a human life.”

“Jeez,” you mutter, “Kurosawa would have a fit.”

“It was thinking of Megumi that convinced me. She lost friends to the Intruders, but she forced them back with a concentrated effort. If machines could do that job instead of humans...” halfway through fastening her bra, Maika glances around at you, “Isn't that a noble goal?”

“I don't know,” you admit, “I don't even know if it's possible. Can you really make a machine that's capable of fighting Intruders?”

“The work has a long way to go yet,” Maika admits, “And yes, it may never reach the heights that Father envisions. However, I genuinely believe that his work has great value.”

“You should have told us, Maika,” you sigh after a moment, “I mean, worrying about you for a whole week did nothing good for my stress levels, you know? Besides, if we'd known what you were up to, you could have helped bury that nasty paranoia our mutual friend left us.”

“Paranoia?” frowning, Maika pauses halfway through buttoning up her blouse, “Oh. I... I see.” Closing her eyes for a moment, she lets out a sad laugh. “Yes, I suppose that makes sense,” she offers at last, “I never did see myself as a traitor, although I suppose that I fit the bill quite nicely. Would you at least believe that I had no malice?”

“Hey, just between you and me, I'm just glad it wasn't Emi stabbing us in the back. Considering what her powers are like...” you laugh to yourself, shaking your head, “Maybe this was all just a big misunderstanding, and our buddy got things blown out of proportion. Speaking of Emi, though... I really don't want her getting wrapped up in these tests!”

“Yes, I can understand that all too well,” Maika nods, “Now then, I hope that I've been able to put your mind at ease. Was there anything else?”

>We need to do something fun. Your Barrier is still kinda weak
>Could you tell me a little more about that woman?
>Was there anything else you were able to learn about the Sentinels?
>Other

>>1646720
>>Could you tell me a little more about that woman?
>>Was there anything else you were able to learn about the Sentinels?

>We need to do something fun. Your Barrier is still kinda weak

>>1646720
>What's with that wound on your back?
>Could you tell me a little more about that woman?
>Was there anything else you were able to learn about the Sentinels?
>We need to do something fun. Your Barrier is still kinda weak

>>1646720
>>Other
How are you and your father doing after the recent... revelations?

>>1646720
>"I don't really know how noble it can be if they have to cut your back open like that, and not even try to bandage it or anything. No matter how fast you heal, that's just cruel. How is that just "worse than it looks?" "
>Was there anything else you were able to learn about the Sentinels?
>Could you tell me a little more about that woman?
>We need to do something fun. Your Barrier is still kinda weak

>>1646720
>>1646755
Wait, I fucked up. That's what I get for not re-reading sentences after I rewrite them.

>"I don't really know how noble it can be if they have to cut your back open like that, and not even try to bandage it or anything. No matter how fast you heal, that's just cruel. How does that "look worse than it is?"
>Was there anything else you were able to learn about the Sentinels?
>Could you tell me a little more about that woman?
>We need to do something fun. Your Barrier is still kinda weak

>>1646720
>We need to do something fun. Your Barrier is still kinda weak
>Could you tell me a little more about that woman?
>Was there anything else you were able to learn about the Sentinels?
>Other

> "Just as they are learning about our powers, it only makes sense for us to learn about theirs. After all, the Sentinels are just a stop-gap - and even your Father admits they don't all have the same goals. Until the day comes when they can either be united, or your father's plans come to fruition, we're still the front line for saving people and we need every edge we can get.

> If Kurosawa can be believed, while the Sentinels can drive them off, we have the ability to stop them. Maybe even, depending on what they are, *save* them.

Final note

> Just . . . Make sure this doesn't have us turn into something worse than the Sentinels. I'm trusting you to know where the line is at doing what's necessary, doing what's easier, and when you're doing something wrong. I'm here to help if you need someone to talk to but it'll have to be your decision in the end. What they did to you with your consent try did to Crow without hers. That's not how you treat allies, or even people. It could be considered rape even. Not of the body but the soul.

Double whammy of trust and responsibilities. She's a sucker for those.

>>1646764
>>1646750

>>1646720
I will also support these write ins. Mine is probably too wordy but you get where I'm going.

>>1646720
Shit we should warn the flesh flower too.

“Hey, your back...” you begin, gesturing at her, “I mean, what was that wound?”

“Oh, that. I... I suppose you could say that we've both had our encounters with Crow,” Maika winces, touching her back in involuntary recollection, “It was part of their observations. “Live fire training”, that's what they call it in the military.”

“Live fire...” you repeat incredulously, “They set Crow on you? They made the two of you fight?”

“It's not like that...” shaking her head hastily, Maika frowns a little as she tries to find a way to defend her father. Before she can get her excuses in, you press ahead.

“I really don't see how “noble” this all is, if they're making you fight like this,” you stress, “I mean, they didn't even bandage up your wound! I know that we heal quickly and all, but that's just inhumane.” Sighing, you approach Maika and touch her on the shoulder. “You need to be careful with this,” you urge, “You need to know when to stop this, where to draw the line. If you're not careful, you could be helping to make something far worse than the Sentinels. What they did to you – and Crow – it's almost... it's almost rape.”

“No, you don't...” Maika looks away from you, a faint look of dismay fleeting across her face. “I accept that Father's methods are harsh, but I trust that everything will pay off in the end,” she offers at last, “I believe in him. I... I have to do this.”

“Just remember the line,” you tell her, “If things get really tough here, I'm going to need all the help I can get – and that means having you at my side. I'm trusting you with this, okay?”

“You can trust me, Miho,” a warm smile, albeit a brief one, touches Maika's lips, “But if you don't mind, could we change the subject? I'd rather think about other things...”

-

“I guess so. Uh, ey, that woman you mentioned. The doctor,” you ask her, “Could you tell me a little more about her? Like, did you get a name?”

“Rei Fujiwara,” Maika answers promptly, “We talked quite a lot, between the tests. I liked her, although I couldn't quite put my finger on why. I felt like I knew her from somewhere, but I can't say where. She mentioned that she knew Father, so perhaps I met her when I was younger.” Hesitating, Maika tilts her head to the side. “She's one of them,” she adds, “An Initiated, if that's what we're calling them now. She showed me her tattoo.”

“So what, you had an Intruder rummaging about in your head?” you ask, before wincing at how crude that sounds, “Sorry, I mean... I'm just kinda suspicious of her. After everything else, can you really blame me?”

“No, I suppose not,” shaking her head sadly, Maika lets out a soft sigh, “But I trust her.”

[1/2]

>>1646838
>I liked her, although I couldn't quite put my finger on why.
They ARE brainwashing her.

>>1646855
I say we see if Crow knows who she is. If not, maybe we'll tell her.

> let's feed her to the Rose Heart, the Flesh that Blooms in the Dark.

>>1646864
Let's keep Zakuro as secret as possible

>>1646838

“Well, did you learn anything else about the Sentinels while you were with them?” you ask, “Anything you think we could use?”

“They're rather worried about something,” nodding to herself as she thinks, Maika glances down at her top and hastily finishes buttoning it up, “The Oracle gave them details on an Intruder, and they've been arguing about what to do with the information. They said it was, ah, level eight. Forgive me if I'm wrong, but doesn't that make it a Tyrant?”

“Shit, that's right,” you mutter, “So do they know what it's doing? I mean, is it dangerous?”

“Not yet. From what I was able to gather, it seems content to wait in its lair,” Maika tilts her head to the side, “I don't mean to worry you, but doesn't that sound rather familiar?”

Zakuro. “It's a little too early to say anything for sure,” you reply carefully, “But it's something to keep in mind, yeah.” Sitting back down on the bed, you run a hand through your hair and sigh. “Hey, this is kind of a personal question, so feel free to tell me to butt out if you want,” you add, “But... how are things between you and your father? I mean, after everything you've learned...”

“It's a very strange situation to find myself in,” Maika frowns, “The thought that there was another me, and that she's now... part of Father. It all seems rather incestuous when you think about it, doesn't it?” Shaking her head, she starts to put away the various tools laid out on the floor. “But in another sense, I find it strangely comforting,” she explains, “Father loved me - the original version of me, I mean – enough to make her a part of himself, and to recreate her. It's no small expense to create someone like me.”

“Uh, I bet,” you mumble, faintly uncomfortable with the way this conversation is turning out, “So you don't mind being a... a replacement?”

“I prefer it to the uncertainty. Not knowing why I had been created... it was a question that I often struggled with,” she looks you in the eye, and her face is sincere, “He may not show it easily, but Father cares for me deeply. This, to me, is proof.”

Proof, you think darkly to yourself, of the hold that he has over her. Forcing a smile, you eagerly steer the conversation onto safer waters. “Hey, enough of this gloomy stuff,” you tell her, “We should do something fun, all of us as a group. I mean, your Barrier is still looking kinda weak, so...”

“Something fun?” the heiress repeats to herself, before snapping her fingers, “Movie night!”

“Movie night, huh?” you consider, “Yeah, that might just do it. You reckon you can get tomorrow night off?”

“I think I'm due that much,” Maika decides with a thin smile.

>I'm going to pause things here for today. I'll continue this tomorrow, and If anyone has any questions I'll answer them the best I can
>Thanks to everyone who contributed today!

>>1646941
>He may not show it easily, but Father cares for me deeply.

>Has you fight an unstable maniac
>Doesn't even try to treat your wounds
>Has a friend of his fuck with your head so you like her
>Does who knows what other "medical" experiments to you
Being Maika is suffering.
And being Beligor will be pain when Miho turns him into paste.

Also the obligatory
>I want to tell a story with a lighter tone.

>>1646941
Thanks for running.

I do think Eligor does care a little for Maika but I do think he'll use her as a means to an end to avenge is real daughter and that's dangerous.

Still he might be the Council member we could work with.

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164 KB JPG

>>1646941
Oops, forgot. Thanks for running. Have this to make up for it.

>>1646975

Eligor did literally nothing wrong.
He pays other people to do that sort of stuff for him!

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>>1647002
He doesn't even care about his sort-of daughter do it himself. I can't believe him.

Things to do: Find out how deep his skin hardens, and how little it helps organ ruptures caused by a teenage girl with the strength of 5 and 1/3rd elephants.

>>1647040
Don't forget we have a literal armor break ability.

>>1647040
> What is a shock wave

> What is currant

> What are Sonics

> What is poison gas

> What is fire (note the success specifically of Molotov Cocktails when used against armored vehicles and tanks).

> What is magical mindfuckery

Should never have gone the mind-fuck route and declined to bandage his daughter. Whether or not its his fault is irrelevant, it's his responsibility and he failed his responsibility to protect his daughter. again.

>>1646891
Let's feed her the psychic Sentinel so that she can find out what they know. Intruders have to devour each other remember?

>>1647066
it's his responsibility and he failed his responsibility to protect his daughter. again.
We need to say that to him when the inevitable showdown happens.

>>1647088
Also this time it's definitely his fault.

Bee-tee-dubs if he can't even be trusted to protect his daughter, what makes him think he's capable of protecting the world? Not like his company has done shit fuck all altruistic.

>>1647088
Actually fuck saying it to him later. We have to say it to him now. Also point out that unusual trust of someone who messes with minds is a suspicious trait indeed and that he should have a backup analysis of his personality (like what they did with the other AI) to ensure he's not being messed around with.

>>1647172
Not right now. We are in good graces and we should use that.

>>1646941
Thanks for running! I'm curious about the 'various sources' Eligor said they learned all this stuff from! Probably another god, seeing as they can reverse engineer our abilities.

>>1646941
Thanks for running!
How long until it turns out Monad is a legit god and can make magical girls too?

>>1647383

Oh, I don't think we need to worry about that. Monad can only corrupt existing magical girls!

>>1646941
Fuck I can't tell if Maika's social autism is hereditary and Eligor honestly thinks what he is doing to his daughter is okay or he is just using her as a means to an end for his revenge.

And I don't even know where to begin with Maika. Getting her to realize that what he father is doing is NOT okay and that she owes him jack shit is going to be a slow and delicate process.

Fuck.

I think we should try to call our friendly neighborhood god and see if he can detect if Maika's mind has been screwed with. He might be able to more clearly tell us how strong and damaging that psychic is.

As it happens, you don't find the others in the main room as you had been expecting. In fact, the entire building appears empty. You even check in Eligor's office, peering through the strangely unlocked door to find nobody there.

[I apologise, Miss Tsukada,] SAE announces, [Master Kanzaki had to leave on urgent business.]

“Damn,” you mutter, “I had a thing or two to say to HIM...”

[I could take a message if you wish,] SAE offers.

“Uh...” you pause, “Best not. My friends, are they about?”

[Your associates are still here, yes,] the AI adds, [They are currently in the firing range, enjoying some recreational shooting. Directions will follow...]

SAE guides you through to the firing range, where you don a pair of bulky set of ear protection and venture inside. Even with the protection, you flinch against the harsh sound of Bradley's pistol as he shows off, punching tight groups of bullets through various targets as Emi and Ayane cheer and whoop. No trace of the early animosity remains, to your relief.

If Emi and Ayane are enthralled by the display of marksmanship, Kasumi is simply bored. She leans against the far wall, occasionally glancing at her phone or checking her make-up in a small mirror. When she notices that you've arrived, she springs back into life and gives you a warm smile.

“I'm glad you found us without too much trouble,” she says lightly, pausing a moment as Bradley empties the magazine of his handgun into a particularly unlucky target, “Is Maika okay?”

“She's...” you hesitate, struggling to find the right words to describe Maika's current condition, “She's hanging on in there.”

“Oh dear,” Kasumi's smile doesn't even falter, “We'll have to find some way of lifting her spirits, won't we?”

“We talked about maybe getting everyone together and watching a few movies,” you suggest, before glancing across and calling the others other, “Hey you guys! Tomorrow night, you free for movie night?”

“Hell yeah!” Emi pulls her headphones off and gives you a broad grin, “You guys gotta come round my place. Might be a bit of a tight squeeze, sure, but it'll work. I got all kinds of movies, real vintage horror stuff, it'll be great!”

“I could make that, sure,” Ayane agrees, “You in, Kasumi?”

“I... suppose so, yes,” laughing a little at the display of eagerness, Kasumi taps Ayane on the arm. “I do apologise, Ayane, but did you have a notebook on you? I'd like to get Emi's address ahead of time,” she asks, “I prefer to write these things down on paper. I do hope you don't mind.”

“Uh, sure. I get that. Writing stuff down help me think and all,” shrugging, Ayane takes out her pad of paper and a pen, giving them across to Kasumi, “Help yourself.”

[1/2]

>>1650037

As your group is leaving the Kanzaki compound, Kasumi slips close to you and presses something into the palm of your hand, hurrying away before you can ask her about it. You've grown wise to these sorts of things by now, and you don't check the inevitable note until long after you've left the Kanzaki security behind. Slipping into an alley, you take out the sheet of notepad paper and read the message.

“Eligor Kanzaki has never been able to love “our” Maika like he loved the original. He hates himself over this, but he cannot see her as his “real” daughter. Something to consider.”

“Oh Maika...” you groan, reading and rereading the note with increasing dismay.

-

You return home under a sullen cloud, your mind racing with bleak possibilities. This hold that Maika's father has over her... it's hard to know whether it's just familial loyalty taken to a crushing extreme or if there's something else at work. This woman, Rei Fujiwara Maika called her, she might have some part in it. A Sentinel with the ability to manipulate thoughts and feelings, perhaps?

Thinking of Maika's information, you recall the note that Crow slipped you. Orobas was a doctor, and supposedly a woman – if Jun's idle mention was anything to go by. She was also involved with the Oracle. Eligor had something to do with the Oracle as well, and he apparently has history with Fujiwara...

It's enough to make your head spin. With so many thoughts churning around inside your mind, it's little wonder that you don't get a restful night's sleep. Collapsing down into bed, you almost immediately fall into a grim dream.

You dream of darkness and a terrible stifling heat, with the heavy drumbeat of a vast heart hammering away in the distance. Desperately fumbling forwards, never quite sure if you're even moving at all, you eventually find yourself confronted by a blazing sun. Framed against the burning light, you can see a shape, a silhouette – a person. It looks like...

And then you wake up, but not back in your bed.

-

When you wake up, you're standing in the bathroom, your forehead resting lightly against the mirror and your hands clenched around the sink. The mirror swirls ever so slightly with the beginnings of a portal, of Zakuro's portal, and you realise what happened. At some point in your sleep, you had risen from bed and walked into the bathroom, somehow dreaming up the [Umbral coordinates] required to travel to Dis.

Either you did it in your sleep, or Zakuro made you do it... and you've never had a history of sleepwalking. Even now, you feel the faint pull of the Umbra silently urging you to finish the transition.

>Allow yourself to pass into the Umbra
>Break the link before it's too late
>Other

>>1650038
>>Break the link before it's too late

>>1650038
>Allow yourself to pass into the Umbra

What could possibly go wrong?

>>1650038
>>Allow yourself to pass into the Umbra
But not immediately. Go wake up, eat breakfast, take a shower, all that jazz. Bitch can wait for taking such a rude way to get our attention

File: Zakuro.jpg (713 KB, 1080x1080)

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With a sudden jerk, you pull your eyes away from the mirror and cut off the growing pull before it can reach completion. The effort causes you to gasp slightly, dizziness welling up within you as reality hastens to return to normal. When you glance back to the mirror, all signs of the portal have vanished – it's such a complete change that the entire thing could have been passed off as a dream.

Shaking your head slowly, you lurch out of the bathroom and stumble into the living room, practically collapsing into the first seat you come across. It's late – or early, depending on your perspective – and you've got the apartment to yourself. Running a hand across your brow and feeling a thin film of sweat gathered there, you take a moment to consider your situation. First of all, get something to eat – you can't think on an empty stomach.

Throwing a few slices of synthetic meat – the Renko Biotech logo formed into the pinkish slab – between bread, you eat a light snack without ever really tasting anything. All the while, you half expect Kurosawa to appear and ask all manner of difficult questions, but he never shows his face. Whether that's a relief or not... you couldn't really say for sure. Washing the snack down with a cold glass of water, you glance back to the bathroom.

“You really wanted to get my attention, huh?” you mutter to yourself, “Damn it...”

Frowning at your own curiosity – one of these days, it's going to land you in one hell of a mess – you return to the bathroom mirror and stare deeply into it. After splashing some cold water on your face to fully wake up, you let out a low sigh and allow your eyes to return to the mirror. As always, the process of contacting Zakuro is not something that you can fully understand. It's more intuitive than that. Once you start concentrating on the [Umbral coordinates], all you can do is go with the flow.

As your mind starts to detach from reality, the mirror trembles with mystic life. One thought occurs to you – is that mirror really big enough for you to fit through? - before the world grows distant and fades to white.

-

When you wake you have returned to Dis, although something is different. You're sure that the crumbling buildings have shifted position, almost as though they were shoved aside to clear some space. In the new clearing, you see an elegant table and several equally delicate chairs. The whole scene is strangely genteel, as if afternoon tea should be served at any minute. Indeed, there IS a tea set in place, but that's not what catches your eye.

Zakuro – actual, human looking Zakuro – sits at the table, a mild smile on her pale face.

[1/2]

>>1650080
Getting her humanity back. Reassuring!

>>1650080
So she can imitate her human form now. Disheartening.

>>1650080
So she has a turtleneck now. Cute!

>>1650080

“Kind of rude, summoning me like that,” you scold her, taking a seat opposite her and glancing around. An unnatural gloom hangs over the area, with a circle of light surrounding the table and chairs. Beyond that ring of light, the buildings are reduced to mere silhouettes.

“I did not summon you,” Zakuro replies, the movements of her lips not quite matching her words, “Although I felt you reaching out to me. Perhaps you longed for this place?”

The suggestion draws a hollow laugh from you. At first, you almost ask her how anyone could long for a place like this, but then a thought strikes you. This place offers peace, solitude, isolation from every bit of trouble and strife that the real world has to give out. Considering everything that happened, is it really so surprising that you might wish to come here?

“You seem troubled,” Zakuro says, her head listing to the side as she speaks like a puppet with its strings cut. “The abyss will always welcome you,” she continues, “So long as you desire it.”

“But turning my back on the real world won't really help,” you sigh, “I don't know... well, whatever. You're, uh, you're looking well, Zakuro.”

“Yes,” the girl replies simply, “I assumed a form that you would be more comfortable with.”

You're not exactly sure if you'd say you were “comfortable” with it. Her gestures and mannerisms aren't quite right, and her voice still has a sickeningly liquid undertone to it, but it's certainly better than the last time you saw her. She has skin this time, at least. “You know, that warning of yours wasn't quite right,” you remark, leaning back in the chair, “Calling it “treachery” was exaggerating a little. It was just... a difference of opinion, I guess. Still, it makes me wonder about your other warning...”

“Your gods are not nearly as blind and ignorant as the cat believes,” Zakuro answers you, her hand shuddering a little as she brushes a clammy lock of hair away from her face, “The abyss trembles in fear and anticipation. From the highest Tyrant to the lowest Thrall, no-one can guess what is coming. Even I cannot be sure what this portends.”

“Jeez,” you sigh, “I really don't like the sound of this. If even the Intruders are scared of what's coming...”

“Interesting days lie ahead,” a mild laugh escapes Zakuro, with a wet chuckle gurgling out from somewhere in the distance. Looking around in sudden unease, you see one of the lumpen silhouettes... moving slightly.

Shuddering, you look back to Zakuro – the human image of her, at least.

>Well, it was good to see you... I guess
>I know some of your language, but my friends don't. Is it because of what you did to me?
>The Sentinels have a lead on a Tyrant. It might be you
>Any other vague prophecies to give me?
>Other

>>1650126
>I know some of your language, but my friends don't. Is it because of what you did to me?
>The Sentinels have a lead on a Tyrant. It might be you
"Would you consider yourself Rank 8?"
>Any other vague prophecies to give me?

>>1650126
>>I know some of your language, but my friends don't. Is it because of what you did to me?

>>1650126
>>Other
Tell her about Fujiwara. See if she potentially can give details on Fujiwara's powers and how to counter them.

>>1650126
>I know some of your language, but my friends don't. Is it because of what you did to me?
>The Sentinels have a lead on a Tyrant. It might be you
>Any other vague prophecies to give me?

“You know, I've been thinking about your language. I know some of it, but my friends don't,” you ask her, “Is it because of what you did to me? I mean, did you put it into my head?”

“No. All I gave you were my [Umbral coordinates]. The rest, you have gathered yourself,” Zakuro pauses to think, her head slowly tilting off to one side as her attention wavers. Wincing a little, you reach across and push her head back upright. As you do, you glance behind her and see something red and fleshy trailing out from the base of her spine. Shuddering, you sit back down and gesture for her to continue.

“You have learned our language by walking our lands,” the Intruder continues, “An unavoidable fate. Think of it as filth gathering upon your feet. One cannot walk through mud and remain clean.”

“So just visiting the Umbra is enough to...” you cut your sentence short, frowning hard, “But that doesn't explain anything! I mean, the others visit the Umbra as well. It's not like I'm the only one who comes here. Maybe I come here a little more than then, but it's hardly a huge difference.”

“Is that so?” Zakuro's face forms an approximation of a smile, “Are you so certain about that?”

“I...” you begin, before letting out a heavy sigh, “I'm not certain about much these days.”

“Good. The world exists in a state of flux. Chaos is a fundamental state of being. The abyss churns like a bottomless ocean, changing and warping at a whim. Certainty is the purest foolishness,” again, that double laugh sounds out, “But no matter. You will learn, I think. I will teach you.”

You're really not sure if you want her to teach you anything, especially when she phrases it quite like that. “I guess I owe you a warning. Back in the real world, the Sentinels have a lead on a Tyrant. It might well be you, from what I've heard them say,” you tell her, “Rank eight, they say. I don't know if you understand their system, but...”

“Classifications!” Zakuro scoffs, “They are fools, to place their faith in such a thing. If I were to devour them, would it matter which number they branded me with?” As she laughs again, something definitely moves in the distance. Standing, you walk around the table and lean down to examine Zakuro's back. There's definitely a tendril there, neatly fused with a patch of exposed skin. “Perhaps they have found me,” the Tyrant continues, without her human doll looking around at you, “They think to invade my home?”

“Maybe,” you reply slowly, following the fat tentacle as it leads into the gloom, “What would you do if they did?”

“I cannot say,” Zakuro's voice darkens, growing deeper and rougher, “Would they come in peace, to talk and study the abyss with me?”

“Uh, probably not,” you admit, “They're more likely to try and kill you, even with that human form back there. It's an improvement, sure, but it's not... entirely convincing.”

[1/2]

>>1650195

“A shame,” Zakuro gurgles, lifting herself up to her full height. The gloom retreats to reveal her true form in all its terrible glory, and you find yourself taking an involuntary step backwards. Tentacles wave and sway around her lower half like a skirt, one particularly long appendage snaking out to connect to the puppet body. “I tried so hard,” the Tyrant adds, “I was especially proud of the face.”

“I mean, the face IS good... until it starts to move,” you offer, “But yeah, it needs work. Anyway, we're getting distracted. The point is, if the Sentinels come here, I don't think they're going to coming with peaceful intentions.”

“Then I suppose I would respond in kind,” Zakuro clenches one of her fists, thick blood seeping from it, “I have done nothing to earn their ire. I will not meekly submit to their judgement!”

“Well, uh, maybe it won't come to that?” you gesture vaguely, returning to the table and falling back down into a seat. The puppet body slumps sideways and falls unnoticed to the ground as Zakuro follows you. “I mean, the Sentinels are weird. Some of them, I do think they want to learn stuff. They've got this woman, Rei Fujiwara. She can sorta read minds, I think?” frowning, you correct yourself, “Or not minds, I guess. More like souls. She can study people like me, learn all about them. That make any sense to you?”

“Ah, to freely study the anatomy of the human soul!” a note of rapt fascination slips into Zakuro's voice here, “To understand, as easily as one might open a book and read the letters on the page! This woman has a potent gift. Even I cannot claim to match it.” Pausing here, Zakuro reaches down to pick up her puppet body, the limp thing flopping like a ragdoll in her hand. “Human curiosity is a wonderful thing,” she adds, “To be wielded in such a way...”

You weren't entirely sure what to expect, but admiration certainly wasn't it. “So, if she can read our souls, is there any way we could counter that?” you ask, “I mean, can we fight against something like that?”

“To study an object, one must have focus,” Zakuro ponders, “To study the abyss, I required solitude. This woman... distract her, ruin her focus, do not allow her to concentrate. Deny her the time and effort that she requires.”

“Just be as loud and disruptive as possible?” you ask, “Huh, Emi might be able to help with that...” Nodding to yourself, you rise to leave before remembering – you won't be leaving until you're dismissed. “Well, I gotta go soon,” you tell Zakuro, “Any more vague prophecies to share with me before I leave?”

“I have one thing,” Zakuro holds up a clawed finger, “I have seen a dark place, mired in a terrible heat and gloom. I have heard the beating of a vast heart, and I have felt the wrath of a great sun...”

“That dream...” you whisper to yourself.

[2/3]

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>>1650264

“So you have seen it too?” Zakuro sounds unsurprised, “It is as I have said – there is a light deep in the abyss. One day, I believe that we shall see it together. A great bull will bellow out, and you will face an angel of the Umbra. This is but one of the myriad futures that I have seen.” Lapsing into silence, Zakuro looks down at the imperfect puppet before clenching her fist, crushing the doll and causing the two shorn halves to fall apart. As the wet ruins fall apart, Zakuro looks around at you with a blazing light in her eyes.

“But this is yet to come,” she finishes, slashing her hand down through the air, “For now, return to your world.”

You open your mouth to protest, but then the strength leaves your body. This time, you're the one that collapses like a lifeless puppet.

-

With a jolt, you wake up in the real world to find yourself back in the bathroom, your forehead touching against the mirror. When you close your eyes, you can still see the broken halves of Zakuro's puppet falling, as bloody as a real corpse. Shuddering a little, you wash off the faint feeling of grime that clings to your skin and return to your bedroom. As you're sitting down on the bed, you feel a slight change in the air.

“Kurosawa?” you ask, “Is that you?”

“Heavenly Child,” Kurosawa answers, “I lost you for a moment. Again.”

“Don't worry, I was just using the bathroom,” you lie, “You weren't peeking, were you? You can get put on a list for that, these days. They'd never let you near kids again.”

“Your human lists hold no sway over me,” the cat answers, in such a pompous tone that you laugh aloud. “But no matter. I merely wished to check that you were safe,” he adds, “This has been happening far too often lately. I fear...”

But he never finishes that thought, just shaking his head sullenly.

>You mentioned this before. You're having trouble sensing us, right?
>Go and check on Maika, would you? She needs it far more than I do right now...
>You heard that stuff about the Sentinels, right? What did you make of it?
>Other

>>1650295
>You know what, this shit is getting too hot. You need to investigate what the other gods are doing, and I need to tell you what I've been hiding for you to believe me.
Not a fan of other gods suddenly going solstrike on us.

>>1650295
>You heard that stuff about the Sentinels, right? What did you make of it?
>Other
" 'Your gods are not nearly as blind and ignorant as the cat believes' is what a giant tentacle monster just told me..."

>>1650317
Yeah we should probably come clean before he goes crazy from worry and self doubt.

>>1650295
>You heard that stuff about the Sentinels, right? What did you make of it?
Do not come clean. Kurosawa seems very traditional and conservative. He won't understand.

>>1650295
>>You mentioned this before. You're having trouble sensing us, right?

>>1650355
And being conservative has gotten no results for an entire human history and resulted in a lot of dead magical girls.

He needs to change.

>>1650295
>You mentioned having trouble sensing us before. Could the sentinels ve blanketing the city?

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“Well hey, you heard all that stuff about the Sentinels back then, right?” you ask, “What did you make of it?”

“It explains why I had no prior knowledge of them,” Kurosawa answers slowly, “If they had no previous business with Intruders or your kind, I would have had no reason to know about them. An organisation that dates back a few decades, a mere blink of an eye, is far easier to miss. I will confess to a certain relief – it seems that I am less oblivious than I had thought.”

“Yeah, well...” you pause, a sick guilt starting to form in your stomach. Lying to him about all of this business with Zakuro, causing him to doubt himself and his abilities, is not sitting well with you. “What about that idea of replacing us with machines?” you ask, trying to ignore your growing unease, “I mean, I figured you'd have a lot to say about that, and not much of it would be good.”

“It IS a blasphemy,” the cat admits, “For men to replace servants of the gods with soulless machines is arrogance of the highest order... and yet I cannot discount the logic behind it. If I was to fail in my duties, or if my fellow gods were to withdraw their favour, mankind would have no means of defence against the Intruders. These Sentinels, and their soulless creations, may be the only option.” Sighing to himself, Kurosawa sits down next to you on the bed. “I may not be around forever, Heavenly Child,” he adds, “And if my abilities continue to deteriorate...”

“Yeah, you did mention that before,” you think aloud, “Back at Kaneshiro Park. You said you were having trouble sensing things in our world, right?”

“That is correct,” Kurosawa hesitates, “And I know why. We gods draw our power from within ourselves, each of us possessing an ocean of potential. For each candidate we create, we strip out a morsel of our own power and hand it down to your kind. Should that candidate fall in battle, that power returns to the gods. Yet... I am different. While I am cut off from my fellow gods, I have no means of restoring my own power.”

“So every time you make a new magical girl, you get a little weaker?” you ask, “Is that it?”

“Correct. While the other gods place their spark within your kind, I am required to awaken that potential. Each awakening takes something from me, a fragment of power that cannot be restored. I suspected that one day, my abilities here would start to falter. Now, it seems as though that time has come.”

“No way...” you murmur to yourself, “That can't be it. That can't be right – it isn't... it isn't fair!”

“It is my duty,” he answers solemnly, “I accepted it willingly.”

[1/2]

>>1650389
Kurosawa ;_;

>>1650389

“No, I mean, maybe it's not because of that?” you suggest, “Could the Sentinels be doing it, covering the city with some kind of... shield, something to hide themselves? They studied Crow, they know how to copy her gift, so maybe...”

“A possibility that I cannot entirely discount,” Kurosawa admits, “However, it does not change the fundamental facts. I did not wish to tell you this, but I can no longer keep it from you if it is likely to hinder my ability to guide you.” Staring off into space for a moment, the cat thinks to himself. “Perhaps this explains some of my actions,” he continues, “I sought to achieve my duty at all costs, even it if meant lying to you.”

This time, you're the one to fall silent as you consider the situation. The thought that Kurosawa's life – or existence, if that term is more appropriate here – might be on the line never really occurred to you. It doesn't excuse what he's done, but...

“I must confess, I envy my fellow gods,” Kurosawa says sadly, “To freely exist without fear of losing their power... perhaps you can take a lesson from this, Miho. Even we gods are not beyond petty sins such as envy.”

That mournful note in his voice, as much as anything else, is what causes you to snap out your next words. “Damn it, it's not like that!” you protest, “Your fellow gods, they... they're up to something! They're not as blind or ignorant as you're telling me, and you need to face that. They're doing something, and the whole Umbra is aware of it – are you telling me that you DON'T know?”

“...I am not privy to their ways,” Kurosawa answers slowly, his eyes narrowing slightly, “If they are following their own designs, they have not informed me. But that aside, how can you claim this with such certainty? You presume to know what secrets fill the Umbra?”

“It's...” you falter here, all too aware of how dangerous these next words might be. Danger aside, you need to speak them – you need to be honest. “I spoke with one of them,” you tell Kurosawa, “A Tyrant, I guess. We've been speaking for a while now. She tells me things, she's the one who claims to know about the gods. I... I think I believe her.”

“You have conspired with an Intruder,” the cat murmurs to himself, “The exact same kind of being that you are duty-bound to destroy.”

It's hardly something that you can deny now, and you feel yourself giving him a hesitant nod. “We made a deal,” you explain weakly, “So long as she doesn't harm anyone, we won't go after her. She's lived up to her side of the bargain, fighting her would just... it would be a waste of everyone's time and effort.”

“It is your duty!” Kurosawa stresses, “Duty must be upheld. It must be! If not...”

Then everything he's done would be for nothing.

[2/3]

>>1650435
She's not exactly a tyrant tho. She has the soul of a magical girl in control. Kind of a unique case.

>>1650435
She sort of a reverse Tyrant though. A Magical Girl that ate a Intruder instead of the other way around.

>>1650435

“Kurosawa, just listen for a moment!” you plead, “Think about it! What if I had fought against her and died? Picking a meaningless fight is just stupid, it wouldn't have helped either of us achieve our duties. At least this way, we might... we might work towards a greater goal.” Running a hand through your hair, you rise from your bed and pace the room. “I know that this goes against everything you've worked for,” you tell him, “But how far has that got you, huh? How successful have you really been?”

Kurosawa can't answer this, his reaction nothing more than a contemplative silence. That alone is something of a good sign – he isn't yelling orders or demanding Zakuro's head quite yet. “You believe that this Tyrant truly poses no threat to mankind?” he asks eventually.

“...I do,” you reply, after a faint hesitation, “But I guess I should explain. She's not... really a Tyrant. She's almost like the opposite of it, a magical girl who consumed an Intruder. Not so different from a Sentinel, I guess...”

“And they are a blasphemy,” Kurosawa points out, “A sin against the natural order.”

“Yeah, but they don't go around eating people!” you insist, “What I'm saying is, she has a human heart. Why else would she be helping us?”

“To deceive you, perhaps,” the cat reminds you, “To lure you away from your duty. A task that it seems to have achieved to great success, as it happens.” Falling into a sullen silence, he thinks a little more. “You truly believe what it says?” he asks after a moment, “These warnings about the gods?”

“I don't know,” you admit, “But she's been right before. At the very least, I think it's worth considering. Look, Kurosawa, could you at least try and see it from my perspective? I'm not trying to shirk my duty, I'm still prepared to fight against this... source of yours. We destroy that, we both achieve our duties, right?”

“...Correct,” he concedes, narrowing his eyes to slits. “Very well, Miho,” he decides after a pause, “I will consider this matter. It is unconventional at best, and downright blasphemous, but... the world is changing. Perhaps it is time for me to face that fact.”

“Thank you, Kurosawa,” you breathe, “Just... just think about it.”

He gives you a particularly feline scowl, then vanishes from sight. Groaning aloud, you flop back down onto the bed and pull the sheet up over your head. Maybe Zakuro has a point – hiding away in the abyss and ignoring the rest of the world feels petty tempting right now.

>I'm going to have to take a quick pause here, I want to check my notes over. Next post should be posted in an hour or so. Sorry for the delays.

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You sleep poorly for the remains of that night, and by the time the school day rolls around, you feel positively awful. Whenever you got close to falling asleep, a new doubt or question would surface in your mind. Will Kurosawa come around to seeing things your way, or will he find some way of punishing you for your sins? How exactly could he punish you – sealing away all your powers and reducing you to the level of a normal human?

Yet, you can't quite bring yourself to believe that he would stoop to such a level. Such a punishment would harm him more than it would harm you - although Spite is part of his little family of gods, so...

The school day passes without incident, at least, and you even manage to snatch a nap over lunch. Maika is absent, which leaves a rather bad feeling in the back of your mind, but she answers you immediately when you message her – apparently, she just didn't feel like going to school. Ayane scoffs at that when you show her the message, clearly not amused. For her part, Ayane is in surprisingly good spirits, eagerly awaiting movie night at Emi's.

You wish you could match her enthusiasm.

-

After school, and after you've been home for a bite to eat and another quick nap, you head out to Emi's house. Along the way Kasumi calls you to meet, claiming to be unsure of her directions. The dubious note in her voice hinted at her true reasons, and so you agreed to meet her along the way. You've got her note, and its rather disturbing contents, to discuss.

Looking as elegant as ever, Kasumi gives you a demure wave when you join her, then frowns with vague concern. “You look awfully poorly, Miho,” she tuts, lowering her sunglasses to peer into your eyes, “Your eyes are very red. Have you been getting enough sleep?”

“Not really,” you admit, “But I'll be fine. I mean, I can handle a little bit of fatigue. We've got more important things to discuss, right?”

“Yes, quite,” a more serious look crosses Kasumi's face, “Eligor Kanzaki... I fear that he sees Maika as more of a tool than his true daughter. As I wrote, I don't think that it's a deliberate scheme – if it was, he wouldn't be nearly so ashamed of it. It's a moral failing rather than anything else.” Sighing, she takes out a small mirror and checks her make-up. “He cares more about avenging the dead than cherishing the living,” she murmurs, “I wonder if Maika knows that...”

“I don't think she does,” you admit, “She really believes that he's a good man, with good intentions. This whole thing is such a mess...”

“My, isn't it just?” Kasumi laughs delicately, “It rather makes my life seem drab by comparison!”

>Well, c'mon. Emi's house is this way
>Would you tell Maika the truth, if you were in my position?
>I'd like you to read Maika, see if she's hiding anything relevant – I don't want her personal secrets, mind you
>Speaking of your life, who was that guy I saw you with?
>Other

>>1650564
>Would you tell Maika the truth, if you were in my position?
>Speaking of your life, who was that guy I saw you with?

>>1650564
>Would you tell Maika the truth, if you were in my position?
"I feel like she's trying to be a good replacement for his daughter and it pissed me off. She should care about herself more. Those tests weren't humane."

>>1650564
>>Speaking of your life, who was that guy I saw you with?

>>1650564
>Would you tell Maika the truth, if you were in my position?
>Are you having problems in your life too?
I feel like asking a question with only a couple obvious answers is a bit tactless.

>"You look awfully poorly, Miho"
Is that intentional?

>>1650564
>Would you tell Maika the truth, if you were in my position?
>Are you having problems in your life too?

Those tests weren't humane and from what I heard there's a very real chance he used a associate of his to mentally alter her into compliance.

“Honestly, I don't know what to do here. I mean, would you tell Maika the truth if you were in my position?” you ask Kasumi, shaking your head slowly, “I mean, she's trying real hard to be a good daughter, and the way he's repaying that... it just pisses me off. Those tests were inhumane. I... I guess we'll have to discuss those later, as a group, but if you'd seen her when I saw her, you'd understand what I'm talking about.”

“I suppose we're dealing with something rather more serious than a simple medical exam,” Kasumi replies thoughtfully, “But yes, it certainly seems like a difficult issue.”

“I wish she cared more about herself, and less about her family duties,” you sigh, “Anyway, I'm lost here. Would you tell her about this?”

“I think I would,” Kasumi answers after a moment, nodding as she thinks, “Although I would probably do it, ah... privately? I feel as though she might take the news badly, and having everyone else there watching... well, I can't imagine it would be very pleasant for anyone involved. Get a moment alone with her, and break the news gently. That, at least, is what I would do.”

“Yeah, that makes sense,” you agree after a moment, “I mean, she kinda freaked out when she first learned about her father, and this might well be worse. I'll see about having a word with her at some point. Thanks for the advice.”

“My my, you're quite welcome,” Kasumi giggles softly, “I like to think that I'm good with people, so offering you a little advice is the least I could do.”

“Well, I still appreciate it,” gesturing towards a luridly decorated street, you start to lead Kasumi down the way to Emi's house. “Say, speaking of you and people,” you remark, trying to lighten the mood a little, “Who was that young man I saw you with the other day?”

“Oh, I had hoped that you might have forgotten about that,” a rueful smile touches Kasumi's face, while her voice takes on a more guarded tone, “He was a... a friend, I suppose. He's under a lot of stress, the poor thing, with his college course. He wants to be a politician one day, can you imagine that?”

“Uh, I guess someone's gotta do it,” you venture, “So what, he was freaking out over his exams, so you went for a walk together?”

“Exactly so,” Kasumi nods warmly, “I know that it's not much, but it's really all that I can do for him. It seems like I can't do very much for anyone these days, even with this new power!”

Something about her tone – too bright, too cheery – leaves a bad taste in your mouth. “Are you okay?” you ask carefully, “I mean, are you having problems as well? I've been kinda focused on this Maika stuff, so...”

“It's okay. Really, it is,” Kasumi is quick to dismiss your concerns, patting you on the arm, “We're all doing our best, Miho. I'll tell you if I need your help for any reason, but please don't overdo it. You mustn't push yourself too hard.”

[1/2]

>>1650652
>You mustn't push yourself too hard
we are the chosen of Sacrifice, pushing ourself too hard is practically our job description.

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>>1650652

With your conversation with Kasumi delaying you a little, the pair of you are the last ones to arrive at Emi's house. Kasumi wrinkles her nose slightly at the sight of the house, and its rather dismal location, but she offers no other comment. When you knock, the young girl herself answers it and waves you inside.

“Damn, I thought you two got lost!” Emi laughs as you enter, cautiously stepping around Ayane's legs. She's stretched out near the front door, while Maika sits quietly in the far corner. She looks... better, in that you can't see any bruises or cuts, but her expression is unreadable. The table is littered with snacks and drinks, while a tall stack of DVD boxes tilts dangerously by the TV. “My folks are working, and Kaoru is... doing something,” Emi adds, faltering a little as she mentions her brother, “Anyway, we got the place to ourselves. Take a look at what we got, see if anything takes your fancy.”

“DVDs, huh? Retro...” you think aloud, browsing the stack of disks. Most of them have ridiculously lurid covers, all blood splatters and bulging muscles, while the titles are worryingly formulaic – Night of the X, Return of the Y, Revenge of the Z...

“My my,” Kasumi laughs as she holds up a specific movie, the cover depicting a woman with a bare, heaving bosom, “And what is THIS doing here?”

“Hey, HEY, c'mon!” Emi wails, snatching the box and hiding it, “I just grabbed a bunch of them from Kaoru's room, I guess I missed that one. I mean... I just... Shut up!”

“Actually, that one looks rather interesting,” Maika offers, a slight smile forming on her lips, “Do you think we could-”

“Maika!” burying her face in her hands, Emi groan loudly, “We are NOT watching my brother's porn!”

“Ah c'mon, lighten up,” Ayane adds, laughing as she snatches the movie out of Emi's grasp, “Yeah, this isn't exactly anything hardcore. I mean, uh, not that I'd know anything about any of this.” Tossing the DVD back onto the table, she gives Emi a teasing grin. “So... is that Kaoru's type?” she taunts, “He likes them heavy up top, huh?”

“Back off!” Emi yells back, her face twisting with anger as she involuntarily lifts an arm to cover her own chest. Her sudden flash of anger surprises everyone, including herself. “I mean... Shit,” she whines, “C'mon you guys, can't we just watch something that's, like, family friendly? Here, “Rise of the Torturers” is really good!”

“Family friendly,” you repeat, “Right...”

>Going to have to pause here, I've hit a block. I'll continue this tomorrow, and if anyone has any questions I'll answer them as best I can
>Thanks to everyone who contributed today!

>>1650715
Thanks for running!

Did you at least have the decency to have them be not blood related?

>>1650715
Thanks for running, Moloch!

>>1650715
Thanks for running.
Just how much of a deviant is Ayane? First all the boyfriends, now hardcore porn? What's next, handholding and yuri kisses?

>>1650741

Well, at the very least, Ayane is aggressively straight. Other than that, the depths of her depravity are best left undiscovered

>>1650727

It's complicated. I kinda want to write more with Karou, but tying him into things isn't always easy.
But they're not actually blood related. Emi, however, doesn't know that.

>>1650780
If they grew up together this doesn't let you off the hook.
Westermarck effect, man.

>>1650780
I'm going to put my money on those creepy latex bodysuits being her fetish.

>>1650715
Calm down brocon

Thanks for running Moloch

You really shouldn't be surprised, but “Rise of the Torturers” is quite possibly the least family friendly movie that you've ever watched. It's utterly grotesque, and your time with Zakuro has taught you a thing or two about the grotesque. Whenever something particularly violent happens, Kasumi lets out a quiet squeal and covers her eyes. Emi, meanwhile, chuckles or rocks back and forth with barely suppressed excitement.

When the movie is over Kasumi sighs with relief, delicately dabbing her brow with a handkerchief. “I must confess, I don't normally watch such things,” she admits, “I rather favour romance movies. Do you have any of those?”

“Uh...” Emi scratches her head in confusion before digging out a movie, “This one has kind of a love story in it.”

“Oh yes, that would do nicely,” Kasumi says with a quick smile, “If nobody has any objections, I'd like to watch-”

“I mean, she gets chainsawed in half within the first hour,” the young girl continues with a casual shrug, “But like, she gets to go on a date beforehand. That's sorta like a love story, right?”

“Never mind then,” the elegant girl says, her face growing pale as the box slips through her numb fingers, “Maybe something else...” Before she can finish that thought, a distant crash sounds outside and she leaps to her feet. “What was that?” she asks quickly, her head flicking back and forth, “That sounded like it came from just outside!”

“Must be the torturers, coming to get you!” Emi cackles, waving her hands in a theatrical gesture of menace. “God, chill out Kasumi,” she adds, slapping the taller girl on the arm, “Shit like that happens all the time around here. Probably just some kids kicking the crap out of something, no big deal.”

“No big deal, huh?” Ayane offers, with an admirable attempt at a smile, “So you wanna go take a look at what it was?”

“Uh, nah,” shaking her head hastily, Emi gives you a casual shrug, “No point sticking our noses in someone else's business, yeah? Around here, stuff like that can get a girl in trouble. So yeah, best just to find something else to watch. How about... uh, how about this? It's got giant robots in it, so there's no blood and guts even if shit still gets smashed up. That sounds neat, yeah?” Grinning proudly, she holds up a movie – the cover displaying boxy robot... things – and waves it like a flag.

“Oh, I've seen this movie before,” Maika announces, causing you all to glance around in surprise, “I'll admit, the mechanical design is absolutely absurd – nobody would ever actually build a machine like these ones – but I rather enjoyed it nonetheless.” A brief silence follows her admission, with Maika looking back and forth between you. “What?” she asks, sounding confused, “Did I say something odd?”

“No, just...” Ayane replies, “You didn't seem like the type, that's all.”

[1/2]

>>1653692

“Well, whatever. I don't see why you're so squeamish about blood and guts anyway, Kasumi,” Emi grumbles, cracking open a can and drinking deeply, “Like, we deal with this shit regularly. A few days ago, I skewered a giant centipede monster thing!”

“That's an entirely different matter,” Kasumi protests, “And... oh, what's the point? I feel like we're wasting a rather lovely evening by sitting around here. Why don't we go out and take a walk? We could stop by Hime along the way and have a drink.” At the suggestion, Kasumi's eyes sparkle with a mischievous light. “A friend of mine is covering the bar tonight,” she adds, “And I ask nicely, they might... forget to check if anyone is underage or not.”

“Oh yeah?” suddenly interested, Ayane sits upright, “That sounds like a terrible idea, let's do it!”

“Oh dear...” Maika sighs, “Miho, what do you think?”

“Huh?” you ask, glancing up from your phone before hastily setting it aside, “Uh, let me think for a minute...”

>The bar sounds good, yeah. Let's be daring!
>C'mon, what about movie night? Let's just stay here and watch this robot thing
>I know a pretty good arcade around here. Maika, I bet you'd like it
>I might just call it a night here and head home. I'm pretty tired...
>Other

>>1653694
>The bar sounds good, yeah. Let's be daring!

>>1653694
>>I know a pretty good arcade around here. Maika, I bet you'd like it

>>1653694
>I know a pretty good arcade around here. Maika, I bet you'd like it
time to show everyone that Miho is the least competent gamer!

>>1653692
>“Oh, I've seen this movie before,” Maika announces, causing you all to glance around in surprise, “I'll admit, the mechanical design is absolutely absurd – nobody would ever actually build a machine like these ones – but I rather enjoyed it nonetheless.” A brief silence follows her admission, with Maika looking back and forth between you. “What?” she asks, sounding confused, “Did I say something odd?”
Maika best girl literally engineered to be perfect

“Yeah, I guess it might be nice to get out for a bit. Stretch our legs, y'know?” you decide, gesturing vaguely at the cramped room, “What to do, though...” Tapping a finger against your chin, you consider the options. A thought occurs, then, as you glance Maika's way. “I know a pretty good arcade around here,” you mention, “Maika, I bet you'd like it. I mean, some of the games aren't so different from flying a drone about – and there's shooting games. You like shooting stuff, right?”

“I wouldn't exactly say I like it...” Maika replies, tilting her head slightly to the side, “But I do have a degree of professional-”

“Oh hey, I think I know that place!” Ayane butts in, “I used to, uh, know a guy who could waste hours on some of those games. Gambling ones, y'know? It wasn't just time that he wasted, if you catch my meaning...”

“My my,” Kasumi remarks, her eyes growing wide and innocent, “You know so many men, Ayane!”

“Wow, okay, rude,” a scowl crosses Ayane's face, too fierce to be really genuine, “But yeah, what I mean is, I know the one you're talking about. I didn't know you went there, Miho. You good at anything in particular?”

“Not... really,” you admit, “But I'm getting better!”

“I suppose it might be fun,” a faint note of resignation creeps into Kasumi's voice, “But I'll admit, this isn't something that I have a whole lot of experience with. I'll need someone to teach me about things.”

“At least I won't be the worst person there,” you sigh, “Emi, you coming?”

“Yeah, I guess so. Movie night was kind of a bust, so this might be better,” shrugging, the young girl rises to her feet and brushes down her scruffy clothes, “Next time, I'll find a movie that we all like, yeah?”

“I'm looking forwards to it,” Kasumi says smoothly, giving the younger girl a warm smile.

-

As you're walking the streets of the vice district, you reach to check your phone only to find it missing. Patting down your pockets confirms your fears – at some point, you must have lost it. Dark irritation starts to form in your mind before you remember setting it aside back at Emi's house. You must have forgotten to pick it back up again – an easy mistake to make, considering how tired you are.

“Guys, I gotta go back,” you tell the group, “I think I left my phone back at Emi's. Go ahead, I can catch up. I won't be long!”

“Sure, Ayane knows the way,” Emi nods, rummaging in her pocket before tossing something over to you, “”Here. My key, I locked the door when I left.”

Thanking Emi with a brisk smile, you pocket the key and hurry away. The others amble on as you jog back towards Emi's house. When you arrive, you approach the door and then pause, numb fear gripping you as you study it.

The door is ajar, a dark smear marking one edge of it. The lighting is poor, but you're certain that it's a smear of blood.

[1/2]

>>1653717
Emi is too chill for someone living in vice district.
I don't live in one, but I wouldn't have let people in without supervision.

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>>1653717

Swallowing hard, you reach out and gently nudge the door open, peering inside the small house. It doesn't look ransacked – although it would be hard to tell, considering how cluttered and messy it was when you left – and the lock isn't broken. When you listen, you can hear running water coming from inside. Gritting your teeth, ready to summon your costume and fight at a moment's notice, you step inside the house and take another listen.

The bathroom. There's someone moving inside the bathroom, the floor creaking ever so slightly as they shift from side to side. You feel the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end as you approach the bathroom, opening the door with a sudden burst of motion.

Kaoru Miyakawa – topless, with a bloodied gash on his shoulder – turns and gives you a dark glare.

-

A silence falls across the room as you stare, unable to find the right words. The man's body is tight with whipcord muscle, and one side of his chest – just over the heart – is decorated with a bright tattoo, a fan of playing cards in electric blue and violent red. Your eyes barely linger on the tattoo for a moment, inevitably drawn back to the injury on his shoulder. Kaoru holds a curved needle and thread, clearly intending to stitch up his own wound.

“Miho,” he says after a moment, “It's been a while.”

“Ah? Uh, I mean, not that long?” you stammer, shaking off your paralysis, “You're hurt, you're bleeding!”

“Oh. I hadn't noticed,” Kaoru remarks, gesturing to the opened medical kit sitting on the edge of the sink, “I must have cut myself shaving.” Turning away from you, he holds a cloth under the water and dabs at the gash. In the mirror, you watch him wince a little.

“No, I mean how did you get hurt?” you press, “Is it serious?”

“This? Just a scratch,” he lies, “I got it fighting drug dealers.”

“I... see...” you murmur, entirely unsure of his sincerity, “So what, you're on a one man mission to clean up the streets?”

“Not exactly,” a slight smirk touches Kaoru's face as he answers you. The smirk vanishes as he raises the needle to his shoulder, and you can see that his hand is unsteady. He grunts in irritation, then tosses the needle away. Still shirtless, he brushes past you and moves into the kitchen, taking a bottle of beer out of the refrigerator and drinking deeply. “You're still here,” he notes, giving you an unreadable look, “Was there something you needed?”

>I just left my phone here. I'll be out of your way in a minute
>Sit down, I can stitch that wound shut. I've seen how they do it on TV...
>C'mon man, you need to go to hospital!
>Other

>>1653743
>I just left my phone here.
>C'mon man, you need to go to hospital!

>>1653743
>I'm calling your sister. She should be able to stitch this.....maybe.
>And don't give me that crap about "she doesn't need to know". You weren't exactly subtle about leaving blood all over the house.

>>1653743
>I just left my phone here.
>Sit down, I can stitch that wound shut. I've seen how they do it on TV...
"Does Emi know about your late night 'crime fighting'?"

>>1653743
>>I just left my phone here. I'll be out of your way in a minute

>>1653743
>I just left my phone here.
>C'mon man, you need to go to hospital!

>>1653743
>Uh, I can help you stitch that if you want.

“I just left my phone here, and...” you shake your head in disbelief, “And c'mon man, you gotta take that to a hospital! You're bleeding all over the place, it's... ugh!”

“It's not bleeding that badly,” he retorts, “It really isn't deep. It looks far worse than it really is.”

“I am SO sick of people telling me that!” you protest, throwing your hands up in irritation, “I just... damn it, I'm calling your sister. I'm willing to bet that she can stitch this up for you... maybe.” You're halfway through reaching down to pick up your phone – true enough, it's exactly where you were sitting – when Kaoru says your name aloud.

“Miho,” you tells you, “Don't call her. I don't want her to see this. She doesn't-”

“Don't give me that “she doesn't need to know about this” crap!” you snap, cutting him off, “No matter what you say, you left blood all over the door. You weren't exactly subtle about this, were you?” You raise your phone to call her, but then you pause. “She doesn't exactly know about whatever it is you're doing, does she?” you ask, “This... “crime fighting” of yours, she doesn't know about it.”

“I've tried very hard to keep it that way,” Kaoru mutters, sitting down on a chair. He tries to act casual about it, but you get the feeling that he was close to collapsing. “I don't want her worrying about me,” he adds, “Or asking why I'm doing this. I'm not exactly working for the betterment of society.”

“Then you should have gone to the hospital, shouldn't you?” you point out, letting your phone hang limply at your side, “Instead of dragging this mess back here. Honestly, what if she'd been home?” When Kaoru doesn't answer that, you let out a heavy sigh. “You're not going to go to the hospital no matter what I tell you, right?” you guess, “Because then the police might get involved. It would make things official.”

“That's right,” Kaoru admits, “And that wouldn't help anyone. It wouldn't help me, and it certainly wouldn't help Emi. If you really want to help, just go – don't call her, don't call anyone, just forget that you ever saw this.”

“You're a stubborn idiot, you know that?” you sigh, “Look, just... just wait there. I can see about helping you stitch that up, but just so you don't bleed out on the carpet. That would really piss Emi off.” Scowling at the young man, you fetch the medical kit from the bathroom and strip a new needle out of its sterile packaging. “I've seen them do this on TV,” you murmur to yourself, “It seems simple enough.”

“Funny,” that slight smirk returns to Kaoru's face, “That was how I learned to do it as well.”

“Great. Two rank amateurs...” you groan to yourself, “Well, things can't go THAT wrong, right?”

[1/2]

>>1653762
C'mon, Miho, at least google it!

>>1653762
so how low will Emi's barrier drop after we accidentally Kaoru's entire arm?

>my scarf is moving on its own!

>>1653762
Little hypocritical of us no?

I still say we should tell the people close to us. Forwarned is forarmed

>>1653762

In the end, threading the damn needle turns out to be the hardest part. Once that's done, the actual stitching is easy enough, although it's rather more unpleasant than you imagined. You work quickly, with Kaoru offering curt instructions whenever you hesitate. Other than those clipped commands, he says nothing to you – no casual chatter, and certainly no explanations. When the task is done, and you cut off the loose thread, he stands up without ceremony and reaches for his discarded shirt.

“What?” you remark, “That's it?”

“I can't exactly sit here and rest, can I?” he asks in reply, “I need to clean up. Like you said, I left more than a few traces behind. You should go as well – if you were with the others, they might be wondering where you've been.”

“Yeah okay, I can take a hint,” rolling your eyes, you stick your phone back in your pocket and turn to leave, “I'm out. Make sure that doesn't get infected.”

“I'll be careful,” Kaoru tells you, his voice low, “And thank you. You really helped me out.”

“You...” you reply, floundering for a moment as his dark eyes bore into you, “Whatever, you're welcome.” Shaking your head, you turn and hurry out of the house.

-

As you jog back towards the arcade, you dial Ayane's number. When she picks up there's an undercurrent of electronic noise in the background, so they must have reached the arcade already. “Hey, Miho!” she yells, “I was wonder where you got to!”

“Yeah, uh, it took me a while to find my phone,” you lie, “It got knocked under a chair, and... anyway, I'm on my way now. Where are you guys?”

“We kinda split up. Maika went to find a shooting game - I think she's on the first floor - but we're on the ground level. There's this dumb dancing thing...” Ayane pauses here to whoop and cheer for a moment, “Kasumi's really good at it, I'm kinda jealous! Those things, I always tripped over my own feet, y'know? I don't think Emi likes it much, not enough slaughter for her tastes! Anyway, come meet up with us soon, yeah?”

“Sure!” you shout back, competing with the background noise, “I'll be there!”

Ending the call, you slip your phone back in your pocket and sigh. This was supposed to be a fun night off, but it's turning into anything but relaxing. The knife wound, you could deal with, but dancing games?

There are some lines that you'd rather not cross.

>Join up with Kasumi and Ayane
>Get Emi on her own and tell her about Kaoru
>Find Maika. You need to discuss her father
>Try and get everyone back together. Fun is mandatory
>Other

>>1653777
>Try and get everyone back together. Fun is mandatory
Lets have this one night before we drop more heavy shit on people.

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>>1653777
>Try and get everyone back together. Fun is mandatory
>Not having fun is treason.

>>1653777
>Try and get everyone back together. Fun is mandatory

>>1653777
>Try and get everyone back together. Fun is mandatory

I think we need a one night break from drama.

>>1653777
>>Join up with Kasumi and Ayane

As you reach the arcade, a new resolve has taken hold of your heart. This is your night to have fun, and you're doing to have some fun – even if you need to force everyone to enjoy themselves!

Of course, the first step of that is getting everyone together as a group. It's just not right if everyone is splitting off to do their own things. You've got plenty of weighty matters to discuss – both as a group, and with separate people – but those can wait. You ALL need a chance to relax and unwind. Nodding firmly to yourself, you enter the arcade and look around for the others.

It's not hard to find Ayane and Kasumi – they're over by the large neon Dance Dance Insurrection machine, a wash of chirpy J-pop washing over them. Ayane is laughing and clapping, while Kasumi feverishly dances along to the commands. Ayane was right, she really is good at it... although seeing her play the game does rather contrast with her usual elegance and composure. Emi is nearby, her attention wavering between the others and a game of Nuclear Tank. When she next glances around, you give her a wave. She grins, then goes back to her game.

A faint nagging guilt takes form in the back of your mind as you move upstairs to find Maika. Here you are, keeping secrets again – and you didn't even mean to this time. Helping Kaoru... it just seemed like the right thing to do. You'll give him a chance to tell Emi on his own, you decide, and then you'll bring her the news yourself.

But later. After you're all done having your mandatory dose of fun.

-

When you find Maika, she's lost in a shooting game – not the same one you've repeatedly lost to Pietr at, but the same sort of idea. Aim with a plastic gun, blast simulated enemies, score obscene numbers of points. Simple, a cornerstone of the arcade gaming industry. Studying her from a distance, you watch as she finishes the level. When she completes it, she pumps her fist with an unusually open display of glee, then moves to start the next one. Before she can begin, you hurry over and tap her on the shoulder.

She freezes, her entire body tensing up like a frightened animal, then looks around. When she sees you, a faint smile appears on her face. “Miho,” she greets you, “You found your phone, then.”

“Yeah. Long story though, long and stupid,” you wave away the issue before she can ask any questions, “Hey, why don't we all get back together? Y'know, it's no fun if we're just here on our own, we could do that anytime. The others are still downstairs, what do you say?”

“Hmm, but I'm having fun here,” Maika considers the offer, her eyes narrowing with good humour, “How about a little wager? This game has a two player option. If you can beat me, I'll come down with you and we can get together. What do you say?”

The last time you took a wager like this, you ended up with a knife in the back. This time, at least, the stakes are a little lower. The odds, though...

[1/2]

>>1653796
Maika seems to have become a lot more open/relaxed.

You know, part of me wonders if Mindrape McMental might be trying to help Maika as much as use her.

>>1653798
She just got to shoot people. It relaxes.

>>1653803
She was more relaxed and interactive at the party as well.

>>1653807
She got to watch people being chaisawed in half. It's almost like shooting them.

>>1653796

“And if I win,” Maika continues, “Well, nothing changes. I'll keep going here, on my own. I might be able to set a new high score, you know. That's a significant bit of motivation. So what do you say?”

Having watched her play, you don't exactly fancy your chances. Then again, what do you have to lose? Frowning a little, you prepare yourself for the battle of your life and give Maika a small nod. “Fine, I'll take you on,” you tell her, “Uh... how do I play this one?”

“The rules are printed up at the top,” Maika explains, pointing them out, “You're playing Red, I'm playing Black. So... shoot anything that's black, got it?”

Stepping up next to her, you take up the second controller and read over the rules. One hit kills you, and the game is best of three. The trick, apparently, is to use cover and agility to survive. A game of pure skill and reflexes... none of which bodes well for you. Before you can lament your chances too much, the game begins.

The image of a great red city fills the screen, while the synthesised roar of the crowd bellows out from the machine. With a thunderous announcement – YOU HAVE CONTROL – the game begins.

Almost immediately, your side of the screen lights up with explosions and gunfire, forcing you to jink behind cover. Leaping up, you see a dark silhouette appear right in your crosshairs, and you jam down the trigger.

“Beginner's luck!” Maika laughs as her character explodes, “Don't get cocky, it's still best of three!”

The next round ends in a crushing defeat, lasting less than twenty seconds before Maika's avatar leaps around a corner and fills your screen with blazing explosions. There was nothing you could do – she was just too fast for you. A smug smile touches her lips as the third and final round begins, and you feel your heart sink. Is she really so desperate for that high score?

In stark contrast to the first two rounds, the third one begins slowly, cautiously. You nervously skitter from cover to cover, painfully aware that a single wrong move could mean death. Glancing across, you see that Maika's features are pinched with concentration as well. You return your eyes to your half of the screen just in time to turn the next corner and come face to face with Maika's grim black avatar. It raises its gun and-

And hesitates, just for a second – just long enough for you to light her up. With the blare of a siren, the game comes to an end.

“Oh bother,” Maika sighs, slumping her shoulders before turning to you, “Good game, Miho. I enjoyed that a lot. We should do it again sometime.”

“Yeah, I'd like that,” you tell her, “Now c'mon, a deal is a deal. Let's go!”

>I have to take a short pause here, some familial duties of my own. Sorry about this, I hope it isn't too much of a delay.

Ayane and Kasumi are finished playing around by the time you return. It might not have been a deliberate choice – Kasumi, leaning against a barrier and fanning herself with a folded up pamphlet, looks as though she's about to pass out from exhaustion. Emi stands nearby, watching and laughing as a pair of chubby girls dance with rather less success than Kasumi had displayed. With Maika by your side, you approach them and wave a greeting.

“Hey, you found her!” Ayane remarks, “Good deal. Man, that dancing stuff really tires you out!”

“Please, Ayane. You tried it once and then gave up,” Kasumi tuts, before unfolding the pamphlet and offering it your way, “Oh yes, someone was handing these out. Have you ever seen something so appalling?”

“Hey, c'mon, she don't need to see that shit,” Emi protests weakly as you take pamphlet and skim it over. When you gasp lightly, she winces like someone who has had their worst fears confirmed.

The pamphlet is an ugly thing, with a blurry photograph showing something red and half-formed, something that might be a human being. Above it, a slogan - “Fake Life Is Not Life” - is printed in block capitals, while a longer statement is printed beneath in smaller letters. You get as far as “Boycott Renko Biotech for their manifest crimes against humanity...” before Maika snatches the pamphlet out of your hands.

“How disgusting!” she scoffs, tearing the pamphlet in half with sudden violence, “I can't believe those barbarians are still allowed to spread filth like this!”

“Those protestor guys, right?” you guess, “Return to the Earth, or whatever they call themselves. This seems like an odd place for them to peddle their message – I mean, an arcade isn't exactly a glowing example of the natural world, is it?” Shrugging the issue off with a determined smile, you nudge Maika with your shoulder. “Forget those guys, what do they know?” you tell her, “They're just trying to kick up a fuss, that's all. Don't let it bother you.”

“Mm, you're right,” Maika nods after a moment, “Really, I'm not the one who should be upset about it. I hope your father doesn't see any of those, Miho. I would hate to see someone slandering Father's work in such an obscene way. It would...” At the mention of her father a cloud passes across Maika's face and she trails off into silence.

“Well... well, whatever,” Ayane hastily waves her hand through the air, “We were thinking of going to Hime. You guys in?”
“I'd like that,” forcing a smile, Maika wipes her hands as if she had been handling something filthy, “Miho, will you be joining us?”

“After all the work I put in to get us back together again?” you laugh, “I'd be coming even if I wasn't invited!”

[1/2]

>>1653877
>inb4 this protest organization is headed by the gods.

>>1653877

It's frustrating, really. As soon as the mood starts to lighten, something like that pamphlet comes along to pull the rug out from under you. Despite your best efforts to remain upbeat, a faintly uncomfortable pall descends over the group as you walk to the bar. Attempts at conversation are rare, and tend not to get very far before trailing off. It's all quite confounding.

“Y'know what the worst thing is?” Emi says suddenly as you're walking, “I can't look at stuff these days without thinking “Is this a conspiracy?” or “Did the Sentinels do that?”. That sorta stuff, y'know? Sure, maybe they're not this ancient pile of secrets or whatever, but they ain't exactly powerless. They're deep in this city. I mean, look at all these cameras!” Turning on the spot, she makes an obscene gesture at a random security camera. “Like, did I just flip off that grump Kraut?” she asks, “I kinda hope I did, actually...”

“I don't think they have the manpower to monitor the entire city's security systems, all day long,” Maika corrects her with a sigh, “It's far more likely that you just insulted an AI.”

“Eh, close enough,” the young girl decides, shrugging.

“Don't be like that. They have a hard enough job as it is,” a faint smile touches Maika's face, the absurd exchange banishing some of the ill mood, “You wouldn't just insult some random man or woman in the street, would you?”

“Uh... Maika?” Ayane laughs, “I don't know if you really want to get an answer to that...”

“Maybe so,” she laments.

-

When you arrive at Hime, Kasumi puts on quite the performance. Just by shifting her posture a little and tilting her head slightly, she projects an air of almost aggressive sensuality. It's certainly enough to stun the young man behind the bar, causing him to colour and mumble a response to her murmured query. Nodding to himself, he turns and busies himself with glasses and bottles as Kasumi gestures towards a table in the back of the dimly lit room.

“He's a nice guy, Sho,” she murmurs to you as you sit, “A shame really. This is the most illustrious job he's ever likely to have, and he knows it. Quite sad, when you think about it.”

“He, uh, he tell you that, did he?” Ayane asks, leaning back in her chair.

“Not exactly,” Kasumi replies with a coy smile, “Why don't we just call it women's intuition and leave it at that?” Before any of you can respond to that, the barman returns with a tray of drinks.

“H-here you go, one r-round of rum and coke,” he announces, stumbling over his words, “Enjoy!”

“Thank you Sho,” Kasumi tells him sweetly, giving him a warm smile as he backs away. “So,” she asks when he's gone, “What should we talk about?”

>Let's talk about the future. What do you guys want to do after school?
>Let's all share one secret each. C'mon, it'll be fun!
>Relationships? Ayane, you're the expert here...
>Other

>>1653920
>So, does, like, anyone else think, like, Karl's eyes are, like, SSSSOOOOOOO dreamy?
>Relationships? Ayane, you're the expert here...

>>1653920
>Let's all share one secret each. C'mon, it'll be fun!

>>1653920
>>Let's all share one secret each. C'mon, it'll be fun!
>>1653922
No, bad anon. Moloch's fem MC's are not for relationships. They are only for suffering.

>>1653926
I was thinking would Miho REALLY want to tell them a secret? This is just idle gossip anyway.

>>1653920
>>Let's talk about the future. What do you guys want to do after school?

>>1653920
>Let's all share one secret each. C'mon, it'll be fun!
Something tells me this has the least amount of landmines.

>>1653922
I know you're being sarcastic but I can totally see Ayane and Kasumi jump on the teasing. 'Thou protests a bit too much', etc

>>1653933
My secret is exposed.

>>1653929
It can be a light hearted secret. Everyone gets to choose their own. Though I don't really know of any secrets Miho has other than the recent Kaoru and Eligor ones.

>>1653920

>Let's talk about the future. What do you guys want to do after school?

Kasumi cheats on secrets.

Lifting your drink, you give it a cautious sniff before tasting it. It's not bad, although you do have to fight back the urge to cough a little. Nobody throws up or passes out, so you have to consider the drinks a success. “How about a game? We all share one secret each!” you suggest, “C'mon, it'll be fun!”

“Wait, are we talking about our dark and secret pasts or, like, something smaller than that?” Emi asks, “Because, uh, I've got a few things I'd rather not talk about...”

“Jeez, we're not talking about, like, the worst secrets ever!” Ayane groans, “Just something we don't know about each other. Miho's right, it might be fun. Here, I'll even start. Uh, let me think...” Staring down into her drink, she considers her offering. “Okay, so after my first time, I had kind of a pregnancy scare,” she begins, “I was late – you know, with the monthlies – and I totally freaked out. It was never actually anything serious but, like, I guess it left a mark on me. So yeah, always use protection!”

“That's your idea of a little secret?” Emi chuckles, “Shit man, I don't got anything to follow that. Uh... when I was younger, I punched one of my classmates really hard in the face and broke her nose. Like, I actually fucking deformed it. Seriously, that thing was squint for years afterwards, her folks couldn't afford to get it straightened out.” Wincing a little at the memory, she shakes her head. “Can't even remember why I hit her,” she adds, “I don't even think she deserved it or anything, I was just mad about life.”

“I suppose I should confess my sins as well,” Kasumi sighs, toying with her glass, “I have a rather embarrassing hobby. It's collection of vintage, ah... artistic nudes, I suppose you could say.”

“You collect porn?” Ayane laughs aloud, “Wow, yeah. I seriously didn't think you were the type.”

“They're not porn!” Kasumi protests, “And would you at least hear me out? I'm not collecting them for my own benefit, they're for a... a friend. He collected them, but then he urgently had to go... elsewhere for a while. He asked me to look after his collection, and somehow I ended up finding more. When he comes back, I'm going to show him how it's grown.”

“That's actually rather sweet,” Maika says, tilting her head to the side as she thinks, “Now then, for my part... Please, nobody laugh at this, it is something of a serious admission. I had a short... liaison with one of the students at our school, someone in the year below me. We...”

“Hey, that's cheating!” Ayane protests, “We all knew that already!”

“You did?” the heiress yelps, a flush gathering at the corners of her face, “But... I don't...”

“Ah, c'mon, leave her alone,” you scold Ayane, “It's close enough. I guess it's my turn, then. Let me see...”

[1/2]

>>1653948

“I can't honestly think of anything,” you apologise after a moment's thought, “I just... no, there is one thing. It's not very cheerful though. Uh, back when I got lost in the Umba – you know, that whole tentacle thing – there was a moment, when I almost...” Pausing here, you cover up your frown with a drink. “I almost gave up,” you admit, “I just thought, “forget this, I'm done”. Sure, it wasn't for very long, but... I came pretty close to the brink.”

“Jeez...” Emi mutters, “That kinda kills the mood...”

“God, I knew that was too much!” you groan, “We're changing the subject. Uh... uh... Relationships! Ayane, you're the expert here, why don't you start?”

“What?” Ayane splutters, “What's THAT supposed to mean? And start with what?”

“Perhaps you could start by telling us about your current relationship,” Kasumi offers mildly, although the corners of her mouth twitch in a slight smile, “Are you happy?”

“Yeah, I guess I am,” nodding slowly, Ayane makes a soft, contented sound in the back of her throat, “Isamu isn't pushy or anything, he's pretty laid back. We've not had the chance to meet up much lately, what with Shiori being ill and all, but he's not been bitchy about that. I guess he's more mature than the usual guys I go with? Anyway, enough about me – you guys better have something to add!”

“Don't look at me,” Emi mumbles, looking away from the group “I'm just a kid...”

“I like to keep my options open,” Kasumi says vaguely, “Although I must confess, I hope that one day my knight will come along and sweep me off my feet. It's a childish fantasy, I know, but... allow me this one indulgence. Every woman should hope for her prince, wouldn't you say Maika?”

“Well...” Maika pauses here, her blush deepening, “I wouldn't exactly say that.”

“I'm still looking for Mister Right as well...” you sigh, seeking to distract the others, “I don't exactly have a great selection of men in my life, do I?”

“I dunno, seems to me like you've got them circling you like vultures,” Ayane jokes, “What about our friends in the Sentinels? I mean, Jun is hung up over that “dead wife” thing, but what about Karl?”

“Oh Karl, of course!” you laugh, rolling your eyes, “His eyes are so dreamy, don't you think? And the way he threatens me with vintage firearms is just so... so romantic!”

“See? You want to kill each other, that means you're practically married,” Ayane laughs, “They make a great couple, don't you think Emi?”

“Sure,” Emi grins, leaning forwards and giving you a teasing look, “How was that date of yours? Just the two of you at “scenic” Kaneshiro Park. Did you go for a romantic stroll together?”

“Come on!” you protest, “It was HARDLY romantic!”

“But you DID go for a walk together?” Ayane presses, “That's so cute!”

Groaning loudly, you fight the urge to collapse down across the table.

[2/3]

>>1653985

“Perhaps we should change the subject,” Kasumi suggests delicately. Before you can thank her, she continues. “After all,” she adds, “It's clear that Miho wants to keep the courtship a secret. Discretion is very important for a young lady, after all!”

“You lot wouldn't know discretion if it bit you on the ass...” you mutter as you sit up straight. “Whatever, Kasumi's... partly right. Changing the subject. So, uh, what about the future?” you ask, “What do you guys want to do after school finishes?”

“What is this, a job interview?” Ayane chuckles, pointing her empty glass at you, “Miss Tsukada, where do you see yourself in five years?”

“Knock it off, I'm being serious,” you scold her, “What's the point in all this fighting if we don't have a future to fight for? We gotta think positive, think about what we're gonna do when we're older.”

“I don't have any lofty aspirations, I'm afraid,” Kasumi admits, “But I think I'd like to settle down. Marry well, have a beautiful house, maybe even have children... although I'd rather postpone that for a good few years yet. One mustn't be TOO eager to take on that particular burden.” Sighing wistfully, she gazes off into space for a moment. “Does that make me strange, knowing what I want from the future?” she wonders, “My...”

“When I was younger, I wanted to be a top journalist,” Ayane announces suddenly, “Like, hardcore investigative stuff. Really digging up dirty secrets. I kinda... gave up on that, though.” She laughs bitterly. “Too much like hard work,” she continues, “So nah, I don't really have any concrete ideas. I guess I'll end up in ArkMedia eventually, I'm being steered that way at least.”

“Yeah, I'm on the Renko track,” you agree, “But man, I suck at science. Maybe I'll end up doing the paperwork or something, if they don't have a machine to do it for them. I guess it's the family business for you, Maika?”

“Of course,” a cold smile crosses Maika's face, “Eventually, I'll inherit a leadership position at Kanzaki Automated Industries. I don't really have any choice in the matter, but I don't mind. It will be an honour to follow in Father's footsteps.”

“I gotta hand it to him,” Emi says, a faint slur in her voice, “Your old man made at least one really good robot.” Shaking her head, she gives you all a fierce look. “I ain't gonna lie, I'm probably gonna end up picking through garbage like my folks,” she adds, “But at least I'll be free to choose it for myself. Any time I wanted, I could stroll out of that shit and find something else to do.”

“Oh?” Maika asks mildly, “Like what?”

“Like picking through different garbage!” the young girl cackles, slapping the table as she laughs.

“My my,” Kasumi murmurs, “I think someone has overindulged.”

[3/4]

>>1654041

Considering that you're all feeling a little rough, it seems wise to call it a night there. During the time that you've spent in Hime the air outside has grown cold, slapping you in the face and waking you up as soon as you leave the bar.

“Man, I can't remember the last time I felt so...” Ayane yawns, pausing as she fumbles for the right word. “So carefree, I guess,” she finishes, “Like the world ISN'T about to collapse around us.”

“I guess that's why people go out drinking so often,” you remark, watching as a group of drunken salarymen swagger across the opposite street, “Probably not a good habit to be getting into, mind you.”

“Shit, I don't know about that,” Emi chuckles, waving to the drunken men, “They look like they're having fun. See?” She points and laughs as the group falls over, one man collapsing and dragging the rest of his fellows down with him. “That's like, the essence of teamwork right there. They stand as one, they fall as one,” the young girl continues, “So we gotta stick together, no matter what!”

“Because otherwise we'll be wearing our ties around our heads!” Ayane agrees, before frowning in sudden confusion, “Wait... what?”

“Thank you for tonight, Miho,” Maika murmurs to you, leaving the others to laugh and bicker amongst themselves for a moment, “I really do appreciate everything that you've done for me lately. I can only hope that someday, I'll be able to repay you for this.” Bowing her head solemnly, she gives you a smile – a warm and genuine smile. Just as you're about to reply, though-

“Gaaaaaay!” Emi jeers, her voice causing Maika to wince as much as any punch.

“We'll talk more tomorrow,” the heiress mutters, her cheeks burning red, “And thank you again. I think we all needed an evening like this.”

“Tomorrow, yeah,” you agree, before glancing around at the others, “Hear that? We're back to business tomorrow, so enjoy yourselves while you can!”

Even Kasumi groans a little at that, although you don't hear any objections.

>I think I'll close things here. I'll continue this next week, and if anyone has any questions I'll answer them after our regularly scheduled bonus episode

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Los Angeles, America
Seven years ago

“Meg, we gotta go!” Fleur screamed, her shrill voice piercing the background rumble. The ground heaved and shook as the two girls ran down twisting, unearthly corridors, struggling to keep their balance with every step they took. Megumi had never seen a section of the Umbra quite like this, and she'd be happy if she never saw its like again. Rather than the open skies and wide expanses that she had grown used to, this place was nothing but... shelves.

Vast shelves, so tall that they seemed to stretch up without end, but still just shelves. This entire section of the Umbra was half a library and half a labyrinth, swarming with mindless Thralls but lacking any clear leadership. Certain that there must have been a guiding hand located deeper within the labyrinth, Megumi had led the others further in. That was when the first tremor had ripped through the Umbra, and things had only gotten worse since then.

“This place is gonna collapse!” the young girl wailed, her arms flailing wildly as she stumbled, “Abe, you gotta pull us out!”

“No!” Megumi snarled, “We're not leaving without Noriko – she HAS to be in here somewhere!”

The first tremor had been the only warning sign that the could would get. When the Umbra shook once again, it brought an entire section of the corridor collapsing down. Megumi and Fleur had been forced to flee on ahead, assuming – wrong – that Noriko would be following behind. By the time the immediate danger had passed, the seer was lost behind an insurmountable blockade. Now, Megumi pushed blindly on in the hope that there would be a way around – a way for them to regroup.

“Gravetender, you... withdraw... not long left,” Abraham ordered, his voice faltering and barely reaching Megumi's mind, “I can extract... must be now... lost in the Umbra...”

“Can you sense her?” Megumi demanded, “You can find her, can't you?”

“No... deeper inside... cannot get a fix on...” Abraham replied, his voice strained, “I must warn... may not even be alive...”

A further tremor ended the debate, the approaching sound of feral snarls competing with the rumble. More of the labyrinth's denizens – loping canine things, with stunted and flightless wings draped around them like cloaks – came bounding around the next corner, already baring their fangs in animalistic grins. Megumi slashed out at the first, splitting it clean down the middle, but then something slammed down into her back before she could strike the second.

Shaken loose from their perch by the quake, a number the heavy books had fallen around them. The first had knocked Megumi from her feet, and a second had her leg pinned. Scenting prey, the grinning hounds began to circle. That was when she felt the tug, pulling her back to reality.

“Abraham, no!” she screamed in protest, “Don't you dare-”

Transition.

[1/2]

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>>1654121

Megumi woke to find herself in the dismal, rundown apartment building from which they had entered the Umbra. For a long moment, all she could do was stare up at the ugly ceiling. As long as she did that, she didn't have to think about anything else, didn't have to face the reality of her situation. It was only when Fleur's soft voice whispered through the apartment that she knew there was no point in deluding herself.

“Meg...” the young girl began, “I don't know what to-”

“We have to go back!” Megumi snarled, leaping to her feet and grasping at the full length dressing mirror that had been their portal. “I'm going back in there to look for Noriko,” she continued, futilely pressing her hands against the mirror, “Abraham, send me back there, we've got to-”

“I cannot do that, Gravetender,” Abraham gravely announced, “You know that I cannot. Once the portal has collapsed...”

“Its destination is lost in the ever-changing seas of the Umbra,” the older girl finished, her voice hollow. In the background, Fleur let out a soft groan of dismay. “Give me the truth, Abraham,” Megumi whispered after a moment, pressing her forehead against the cool surface of the mirror, “Could she still be alive? Is there any chance, any chance at all, that I might see her again?”

“Gravetender, I...” the cat began, before correcting himself. “Megumi, you must not seek out false hope,” he cautioned, “But neither must you lose faith. The gods have granted miracles in the past – perhaps they may do so again.”

“We can keep going, you know?” Fleur offered quietly, sounding unconvinced by her own words, “Even if it's just the two of us, we could...”

“No, Fleur, we can't,” turning away from the mirror, Megumi shook her head, “It's all over. WE'RE all over. Ever since we lost Felicia, it's all been falling apart – I was too... blind to notice it. Maybe Noriko saw this coming, but she still went in with us because... because I pushed her to it.” Slumping down on the floor, Megumi fumbled out her cigarettes and stared numbly at them. “So I'm done,” she finished, “I'm done with messing up, and I'm done with losing friends. I'm done with all of this.”

“...I understand,” Abraham answered after a long silence, “But know this – the Intruders may not be so merciful. Do not presume that they will give you the peace you wish for. Even if they withdraw, they will return in time.”

“Maybe they will,” Megumi muttered, “But they'll be someone else's problem. I hope they have better luck than us...”

>This concludes the bonus episode. Tune in next week for a new episode of Heavenly Child Quest!
>Thanks to everyone who contributed today!

>>1654128
Thanks for running, boss.

>>1654128
Thanks for running Moloch

>>1654128
Thanks for running, Moloch!

>>1654128
Thanks for running! Maybe we'll find Noriko someday.