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>>5399928
Information:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/QM91m
Discord: https://discord.gg/AmjbaTR
Archives: http://lws.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?searchall=do+your+best+quest
(Rough Grammar ‘till half of the 9th Thread)
Incomplete Guide: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-nIx_dvaNCPQ7zLg2BK_ucCyGNM741kAANxqXj7hdDs/edit?usp=sharing

Votes:

Votes are counted until 25 minutes have passed. This rule doesn't apply to the last reply of the day.
Votes that require a dice roll are counted until 15 minutes have passed, so we can speed up the process. Rolls are counted until 10 minutes have passed, so be prepared!

(NEW) Dice Mechanic:

We always roll 1d100s!
Since most people weren’t happy with the system of averaging top four rolls, we’re using best of 2/3/4 depending on the attribute a prompt requires. If Johnny is a genius and it’s a Knowledge based roll, he gets more rolls (Max. 7)! If he sucks, he gets less dice (Min. 2)!

When asked for rolls, I will specify how many you’re going to get. Rolling begins after it’s asked.

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Don’t forget that at the end of the day, this is a story-driven quest! What the prompts are describing is more important than the difficulty of the rolls, for results in a fight.

Again, rolls are only counted when they are posted within ten minutes of being asked, so watch out!

>>5399928
>>Ask Naiad and Duckrothy what just happened. They might have the answers.

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>>5399928
Testing!

>>5399928
>Ask Naiad and Duckrothy what just happened. They might have the answers.

>>5399928
>>Ask Naiad and Duckrothy what just happened. They might have the answers.

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You need to ease your mind about what just happened, the only way is to have some answers about what it was.

“Well then, Noon. They’re safe and sound.” Houda shakes off the dirt from his gloves.

“I wonder what happened.” You ask out loud again. “I’ve never seen something like it.”

“I had different types of hurdles during my heists, this is the first of its kind. Earthquakes are awfully rare, but they do happen. What a terrifying spectacle.” Houda half chuckles. He didn’t like what he experienced. Neither did you, but cataclysms of all varieties have happened the last few months in your life and you’re getting used to the chaos.

“You didn’t see the shockwave?” You’re surprised.

“Eyes on the prize, Noon. It speaks badly of myself that I ignored my surroundings, but winners tend to get tunnel vision.” Houda has a pathetic excuse to not notice. Maybe that’s why he wasn’t affected like Kobashi and Fiora? No, that makes no sense. “What was this supposed shockwave like?”

“Like a burst of wind. Maybe I imagined it.” You shrug.

“Quack, quack.” Dorothy assures you the shockwave was real.

“But what was that?” You ask.

“Quack, quack, quack, quack.” Dorothy explains.

Wait a minute, you don’t understand quacking! This is useless to you!

“Is there some kind of brilliant scientist trapped inside this lively duck that you feel obliged to have a conversation with her, my friend from the distant future?” Houda drips with sarcasm.

“Yeah.” You nod. It’s kinda like that, isn’t it?

“…The incoherent reality we live in gets more dreadful by the minute. Reason has parted from this world.” Says the man in a silly costume.

“Quack.” Dorothy agrees.

You better ask Naiad instead.

The little fairy lets you know that the shockwave and the subsequent tremor were caused by the Bubble Gate’s shrinkage. It’s a delicate and difficult process to collapse the size of the spiritual energy flowing, shrinking it too fast makes the energy recoil and expand for a moment before recalibrating – liberating some power in the process. It was unlikely that San Wich would handle it perfectly, so it was bound to happen. The Shockwave was a signal that the Gate is ready for its final shrinkage. Guiding energy is never easy.

You also ask Naiad if these two will be fine, and she believes so.

“Quack…” Dorothy didn’t understand anything Naiad said since the fairy is only dancing, and feels left out.

“Is that piece of furniture giving the answers you need?” Houda wonders as, to him, you look like you’re blankly staring at nothing.

“Kinda.” You nod again.

“…I’m not sure why I ask these questions when the answers leave me perplexed.” Houda is going through a personal crisis.

>>5399995


What do you do now?

>Wait for Kobashi and Fiora to wake up.
>Hand over the photo to Houda so that he can leave.
>Ask Naiad to make contact with Xavi, Lise and… Scarlet. Duckrothy will know the answer to her troubles.
>Turn on the TV to watch how people are reacting to the Earthquake.
>Write In.

>>5399997
>>Wait for Kobashi and Fiora to wake up.
I'm sure Kobashi would love to see Houda

>>5399995
>>Hand over the photo to Houda so that he can leave.

>>5399997
>Hand over the photo to Houda so that he can leave.

>>5399997
>Hand over the photo to Houda so that he can leave.

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“More often than not, it’s better to not know them.” You reflect upon what Houda said more seriously than needed. “Here.” You hand over *that* Vanessa picture to Houda. You thought you got rid of it already, it just keeps showing up...

“Well said, curiosity *must* be satisfied.” Houda grabs the picture from your hands. “And thank you, you’re very kind. Let’s keep this little incident between us, shall we?”

“Yeah, sure.” You’re not the one to divulge secrets.

“Absolutely dandy! I’d be glad to pay you in kind if you ever need me. Perhaps, during another time, I can teach you how to move without alerting a soul. Completely silent. Invisibility is quite the perk, so my help might be overkill – but to pursue beyond our bonds is what separates us from our ancestors.”

“Why not teach me now?” You ask nonchalantly.

“It’s a technique, Noon. And you need to learn the steps. Takes time.” Houda has a point but it feels like an excuse. He’s most likely busy. “It’s time to part ways, Noon, if we don’t happen to meet again – I trust the future in your hands. A pleasure as always.” He tips his hat… then walks through the door. Yeah, no need for eccentricities at this point.

“Take care.” You wave goodbye.

“…Quack.” Dorothy quacks in disgust. She’s not really a friendly animal, not either as a whale or a duck.

“Not now.” You frown.

“Quack.” Dorothy rolls her eyes.

Everything has calmed down, you don’t have anything better to do – you don’t want to leave these two until they wake up, and you know for certain they’re fine.

What do you do?

>Try waking them up.
>Ask Naiad to make contact with Xavi. It’s time to determine Dorothy’s future.
>Write In.

(Last Reply of the Day, we continue tomorrow! Sorry for the short session!)

>>5400048
>>Try waking them up.

>>5400048
>Try waking them up.

>>5400048
>>Try waking them up.

>>5400048
>>Try waking them up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGeWKnr9hZY

>>5400048
>>Try waking them up.

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Knowing how protective Kobashi is, you think it’d be better if you wake him up first instead of the little Fiora. He can take it. Police officers are supposed to be tough like their civilian-murdering cars. You’re going to put your human rights violator past behind and not poke him, instead, you’re going to shake him until his eyes open!

The wobbling begins…

…

…

Eventually, the police officer opens his eyes! But something feels… [i]off[/i].

“Kobashi, you there?” You ask as you notice his eyes opening.

“I’m out…?” Kobashi mutters.

“Bad dream?” You raise an eyebrow.

“You can say that again…” Kobashi shakes his head. “Hold on one damn second, who are you…? Wait, I’m remembering…” Kobashi puts his hand over his forehead. “No… These memories are off. This doesn’t make sense. Why are they like this?”

“Kobashi, what’s going on?” You’re getting worried. You think this might be a side-effect of the shockwave.

“Fiora… My girl…” Kobashi’s eyes get teary as he watches the little girl resting on the bed. “Wait, the ducky, you said her name is Dorothy Villiers, didn’t you?!”

“Yeah.” You respond. This is getting eerie.

“Quack.” Dorothy seems on edge.

“You can wait…” Kobashi acts with disgust. “Tell me your name.” Kobashi turns to you.

“Phil Noon.” You think he might need the refresher?

“No, your real name. Quick, my head is spinning! I don’t know how much time I have…!” Kobashi shouts, full of desperation.

[b]How do you respond?![/b]

>Stick to Phil Noon, something is wrong and you’re not risking it.
>“Johnny Ando.” Admit your true identity to Kobashi and only him.
>“Did you get your memories from the other world?!” This must be the result of the shockwave!
>“No, she can’t wait, say your peace. I must know her true intentions.” You need to know more about this evil ducky.
>Write In.

>>5400945
>“Johnny Ando.” Admit your true identity to Kobashi and only him.

>>5400945
>>“Johnny Ando.” Admit your true identity to Kobashi and only him.

>>5400945
>>“Johnny Ando.” Admit your true identity to Kobashi and only him.

>>5400945
>>“Johnny Ando.” Admit your true identity to Kobashi and only him.

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“Johnny Ando.” You reveal your true name to Kobashi.

“You're Ema's son?!” Kobashi is flabbergasted like a doofus, he thinks he should have noticed earlier.

"Yeah, I am." You retort without counter-questioning him back. He said he has little time, so you better not waste it! You hope the policeman is talking about your mother and not some Ema Blando or some shit...

"Listen to me very clearly and don't forget a word: Lokie is on the loose, he wants Ema's friend. You need to save her." Kobashi puts both hands on your shoulders, as his headache worsens. "The world hinges on it."

"What friend?" You don't recall your mother having any friends... "And who's Lokie?"

“[b]Esperanza.[/b]" Kobashi faints into your arms.

“Wait, [i]Esperanza[/i]?! The one with huge ears?! Kobashi, you there?! Dang it..." You shake him to no avail.

" Quack..." While a bit confused, Dorothy appears to know what he's talking about.

"Partner, everything seems to be connected somehow." Philonune thinks this is a signal for something important and exciting. Naiad agrees.

...

It can't be the same person, can it?

[b]What do you do?[/b]

>Wake Kobashi up again.
>Wake Fiora up.
>Contact Xavi. Decide Dorothy’s fate.
>Try to contact Esperanza…
>Write In.

>>5401051
>>Try to contact Esperanza…

>>5401051
>>Try to contact Esperanza…

>>5401051
>Try to contact Esperanza…

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Many questions rush through your head about what exactly just happened, but one thing is for certain, you can’t stay put after hearing all of this. You must do something. First, you need to find a way to contact your not-so-good friend Esperanza, who is a good friend to your mother for some reason. How does that work? You have no idea.

You stare at Philonune and Naiad for some suggestions, both entities don’t know what to do to help but are willing to lend a hand. You turn to the useless duck standing next to you, and get nothing but honks. Yeah, this won’t be easy, every time you talked to Esperanza was either a coincidence or because she was looking for you.

With no plan in mind, you step outside and… well… wave at the sky. It’s dark. There’s no way she’ll find you like this. You wish there were phones like in present times instead of this instinct bullshit that doesn’t seem to work when you need it the most. Not even wishing for contact with all your might makes a difference, Naiad can’t work with these feelings like she has done on other occasions for reasons beyond your understanding. Though, this feels like you have tried nothing and you’re out of ideas already…

Except for one. There’s one thing you haven’t tried…


“ESPERANZAAAAAAA!!!” You shout from the bottom of your lungs like you’ve never screamed before.

Neither Naiad or Philonune were expecting it.

You wait a moment for results, but get nothing.

“Quackquackquack…” Dorothy is smugly quacking at you.

“Do you have a better idea, birdbrain?” You raise an eyebrow.

“Quack.” Dorothy is on the case now. She climbs to the top of your head.

…

…

“Quack.” Dorothy quacks again.

“You’re useless.” You take the stupid duck off your head.

“Q-Quack!?” Dorothy is offended. “Quack! Quack! Quack!” Dorothy demands to use the Ouija board again to tell you her idea. Then why did she climb up?

You need ideas…

>>What do you do?

>Tell Naiad to fly up and make a signal for Esperanza to pick up.
>Hear Dorothy’s idea and execute it.
>Ask Kobashi and Fiora for ideas.
>Shout again, but with more intent.
>Write In.

>>5401103
>>Tell Naiad to fly up and make a signal for Esperanza to pick up.

>>5401103
>Tell Naiad to fly up and make a signal for Esperanza to pick up.

>>5401103
>Hear Dorothy’s Idea
Let’s see if she’s actually worth anything.

>>5401103
>Hear Dorothy’s idea and execute it.

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Will you trust the most heinous duck you have ever met, or rely on the fairy that has been constantly helping you throughout this entire bubble journey? When you put it that way, the answer becomes clear in a second.

“No. I’m not listening to you yet.” You shake your head towards the duck.

“Quack…” Dorothy isn’t getting angrier, just disappointed. She wanted to show you how useful she can be.

“Naiad, I need your help.” You ask the tiny fairy for her abilities once again.

Naiad poses, ready to tackle any challenge you propose. You think it over and believe the best course of action is for her to fly up in the sky and make a signal for Esperanza to pick up. She needs to be as loud and as colorful as she can while showing the sign you’re drawing on the notepad. You ask the fairy if she’s comfortable with this, you still remember how shy she was when you met her.

Naiad salutes, she has enough courage to try this out without a hitch. You hand her the message you drew and wish her luck. Xavi’s entity enters her spaceship and flies through the sky and makes a show of a lifetime including fireworks! It’s amazing!

“Woah…” You admire the view.

“Quack.” Dorothy isn’t as infatuated by it as you are.

“What a wonderful spectacle.” Philonune likes when people show off artistically. “Partner, look!”

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>>5401217

It’s Esperanza being goofily carried by her entity and it's floating menacingly towards the cute fairy! Naiad was thinking of handling the message above, but she gets frightened by the strange posture of the Judge girl and lands on your shoulder. Esperanza follows and gets disgusted by your face momentarily.

“I was looking for you!” You cross your arms, a little bit annoyed by how difficult she’s to contact.

“There’s another Enigma in this world and you hid it from me?” Esperanza is beyond annoyed.

“Huh…” You didn’t think this through.

“Quack…” Dorothy is flabbergasted by Esperanza’s presence for some reason.

“Oh look! A duck!” Esperanza’s mood changes upon seeing the angry animal.

“Esperanza, focus.” Smithele reminds his host why they’re here.

“Oh yes, *the liar*…” Esperanza furrows her brows.

>>What do you do?

>“It’s a pal’s entity from outside the bubble. But that’s not important, I need to have a serious discussion with you.” Ask Esperanza about Lokie and if she knows your mother.
>“She helped out with the energy flow. Everything is ready to close the gate.” Inform her about what’s happening.
>“I’m no liar, I didn’t try to hide anything, I wanted to show her to you!” Pretend this was part of your master plan.
>“Esperanza… Who are you really?” Be vague about this question.
>Write In.

>>5401219
>>“It’s a pal’s entity from outside the bubble. But that’s not important, I need to have a serious discussion with you.” Ask Esperanza about Lokie and if she knows your mother.

>>5401219
>“It’s a pal’s entity from outside the bubble. But that’s not important, I need to have a serious discussion with you.” Ask Esperanza about Lokie and if she knows your mother.

>>5401219
>“It’s a pal’s entity from outside the bubble. But that’s not important, I need to have a serious discussion with you.” Ask Esperanza about Lokie and if she knows your mother.

>>5401219
>“It’s a pal’s entity from outside the bubble. But that’s not important, I need to have a serious discussion with you.” Ask Esperanza about Lokie and if she knows your mother.

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“It’s a pal’s entity from outside the bubble.” You don’t delve too much into it, there are far more relevant topics to discuss. “But that’s not important, I need to have a serious discussion with you.”

“Whether a topic is important or not, is for me to decide, player.” Esperanza draws the line. She always wants to stay in control.

“Esperanza. I doubt he would’ve put himself into this situation if the matter he wants to speak about wasn’t of the utmost importance. Remember what task he has to accomplish.” Smithele argues in your favor.

“Bah, I hate when you’re right.” Esperanza grumbles. “Speak up, I’m listening.”

You’d tease her a bit for being rude, but there’s no time to waste.

“Do you know someone called ‘Lokie’?” You tilt your head.

“Never heard of him or her.” Esperanza has no clue about what you’re talking about. “Is that important?”

“It appears so.” Smithele is as clueless as Esperanza. “Who is this individual?”

Maybe you got the wrong Esperanza… You still need to clarify one thing.

“Before I explain, Esperanza, do you happen to be acquaintances with my mother?” You clear your throat.

“Your mother?” Esperanza’s tune changes drastically, she’s concerned about something. “I don’t…”

“Pardon Esperanza, her memories are hazy.” Smithele is hiding the fact that she doesn’t remember a beep.

“The name ‘Ema’ doesn’t ring any bells?” You ask directly. Screw it, you think it might awaken something in her.

“Ema…?” Esperanza’s body jitters. Maybe you’re not wrong about this. Maybe they know each other. But… why?

“Ema Oka.” You adjust your glasses.

“Ema Ok27842310929832938423912…...??????” Esperanza’s eyes go blank… The jittering gets faster until she goes limp – and her entity turns back into a flame. You catch her before she hits the ground.

“Quack…” Dorothy is puzzled by what happened. Naiad is hiding very well behind you. Philonune reminds you not to lower your guard.

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>>5401294

“What in the blue hell did you do to *my* Esperanza?” Esperanza opens her eyes, all green now. She’s being controlled by Smithele.

Uh-oh… You don’t think this is good.

>>What do you do?

>“I’m as clueless about this as you are.” You just asked for a name! That’s all!
>“We need to recover Esperanza’s memories. Something bad is going to happen if we don’t do anything.” Kobashi said so! The entire world hinges on this!
>“You know something, don’t you? That wasn’t normal at all, and I’ve seen some weird shit.” Whatever sound she made isn’t something any human can do, and the only inhuman thing is her entity!
>Write In.

>>5401295
>>“You know something, don’t you? That wasn’t normal at all, and I’ve seen some weird shit.” Whatever sound she made isn’t something any human can do, and the only inhuman thing is her entity!

>>5401295
>“You know something, don’t you? That wasn’t normal at all, and I’ve seen some weird shit.” Whatever sound she made isn’t something any human can do, and the only inhuman thing is her entity!

>>5401295
>“I’m as clueless about this as you are.” You just asked for a name! That’s all!

>>5401295
>“You know something, don’t you? That wasn’t normal at all, and I’ve seen some weird shit.” Whatever sound she made isn’t something any human can do, and the only inhuman thing is her entity!

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“You know something, don’t you? That wasn’t normal at all, and I’ve seen some weird shit.” You know whatever sound Esperanza made wasn’t one that a human can do, and the only inhuman thing about her is Smithele!

“…Enough with your drivel, prop. You overstayed your welcome.” Esperanza (?) is trying to reach Philonune! Wait, she wants to take him away?! Before her hands get too close, a flying duck kicks them away.

“Quack.” Dorothy points with her beak away. She wants you to run.

“Partner, he’s in no mood to talk.” Philonune knows this is a battle you can’t stop.

You have no other option but to drop Esperanza to the ground! But she stands stiff sideways like you never stopped holding her! You step back and gain some distance.

“Hurting a Judge has the biggest penalty in our game. [You shall be executed.]” Smithele Esperanza raises upwards, then points at you very rudely.

“Quack! Quack!” Dorothy is telling you to get away!

“…!” Even Naiad is telling you that staying is a bad idea.

“This pain… won’t STOP.” Smithele voice cracks in three different ways that are seemingly impossible together. “The final judgment is upon YOU.”

You need to find a way to calm her down if you don’t want to retreat! And this was such a chill day until now…

>>What now?!

>Turn invisible and aimlessly run for your life!
>Run inside the house and locked it! You need to time to think of a plan!
>“Are you really pretending I hurt you just to take me out?! This is bullshit!” You have never complained to a referee before now!
>“You think saying my own mother’s name is some kind of deadly attack?! Are you listening to yourself?!” Try to reason with the unreasonable.
>Write In.

>>5401355
>>Turn invisible and aimlessly run for your life!

>>5401355
>“Are you really pretending I hurt you just to take me out?! This is bullshit!” You have never complained to a referee before now!
>Turn invisible and aimlessly run for your life!

>>5401355
>>“Are you really pretending I hurt you just to take me out?! This is bullshit!” You have never complained to a referee before now!
>aimlessly run for your life!
Don't turn invisible, they can see our flame

>>5401366
+1, become hard to hit

>>5401355
>“Are you really pretending I hurt you just to take me out?! This is bullshit!” You have never complained to a referee before now!
>Turn invisible and RUN.

>>5401355
>“You think saying my own mother’s name is some kind of deadly attack?! Are you listening to yourself?!” Try to reason with the unreasonable.

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“Are you really pretending I hurt you just to take me out?! This is bullshit!” You raise your fist to show more displeasure!

“You HURT *my* [Esperanza].” Smithele’s voice is sounding erratic. Everyone is right, it’s impossible to talk to it.

It’s better to escape! You start to leg it!

“COME back —and— *meet* YOUR [fate], OKAAA.” Smithele runs like a fast zombie! You don’t like those types in games, and now, in real life either!

“QUACK!” Dorothy is telling you to hurry. She could barely move if she was in your shoes.

Wait, Esperanza is now flying faster than she’s normally supposed to! Why did her entity drag her around like that if she could move this fast this way!? She’s going to catch up to you if you don’t do something…!

…

Abruptly, Esperanza’s body hits the ground face first like a powerful force pulling her down…!

“WHAT.” Smithele can’t move anymore! Like gravity has him stuck.

“Get out of here, Son of Ema! I’ll handle her!” It’s little Fiora! She’s moving her hands like a wizard conjuring spells! “And don’t fret, she can’t do anything to non-demon users!”

“Thanks! But are you sure you’ll be okay?” You won’t lie, you’re worried about her… and the way she phrased things. Mainly because you’ve seen Judges ‘hurting’ non-flame users.

“Trust me, Johnny Ando!” Fiora smiles. “I won’t let her hurt my past self or any of you!”

“Right…” You nod.

“Quack!” Dorothy wants you out of here!

…

…

What’s going on anymore?!

>>What do you do?

>Escape to the OG Tomato Duo Apartment! Hiding is better than just running off!
>Get as far away as you can! Ask for a ride if you have to!
>Fiora has Smithele restrained, so… isn’t it better if you can talk it out now?
>Tell Smithele that you’ll forgive him for acting out when he calms down! Then keep running!
>Write In.

(Last Reply of the Day, we continue tomorrow!)

>>5401417
>Get as far away as you can! Ask for a ride if you have to!

>>5401417
>Escape to the OG Tomato Duo Apartment! Hiding is better than just running off!

>>5401417
>Escape to the OG Tomato Duo’s apartment
It’ll be interesting to see if they still want to be degenerates now that they’ve gotten dosed with future memories.

>>5401417
>>Escape to the OG Tomato Duo Apartment! Hiding is better than just running off!

>>5401417
>Escape to the OG Tomato Duo Apartment! Hiding is better than just running off!
I love this "everybody finds out everything" plot moments, rare as they are. Let's do this

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If Fiora is 100% sure she’ll be fine, you should escape! Right? That totally makes sense in this wild situation.

“…Just to make sure, you’re 100% sure you are going to be fine?” You’re not 100% sure if she’s 100% sure.

“QUACK!” Dorothy kicks you in an attempt to force you to move on.

“Yes! Trust me! If it eases your worries, I only need to restrain her until her host wakes up!” Fiora smiles warmly, she seems happy you’re truly concerned about her.

“Okay then, thank you!” You wave goodbye as you start running like a madman.

“Take care!” Fiora intensifies her spell!

“GUH.” Smithele didn’t like the extra force being put on him.

…

…

After aimlessly running away for a bit, you decide to go to one of the few places where you don’t think Smithele can find you, a place you have never visited before but were encouraged to take a trip to: Grace & Mirjam’s CotF Apartment! Good thing you know where it is. Also, it's better to hide than to run away forever, it’s basic strategy. It might take a while to get there by foot, but there’s nothing else you can do to get there faster.

Huh, except for taking the bus. It’s right in front of you. Not a bad idea to take a shortcut.

>>What do you do?

>Take the haunted bus. Wait a second, nothing about your earlier narration said anything about the bus being haunted…
>Ask for a Bike around. Asking for vehicles has gone reasonably well lately.
>Just walk to the apartment, lazybones.
>Tell Dorothy to fuck off for the day. You’ll find her tomorrow around these parts.
>Write In.

>>5402334
>>Tell Dorothy to fuck off for the day. You’ll find her tomorrow around these parts.

>>5402334
>Take the haunted bus. Wait a second, nothing about your earlier narration said anything about the bus being haunted…
maybe

>>5402334
>Take the haunted bus. Wait a second, nothing about your earlier narration said anything about the bus being haunted…
If everybody is regaining their memories as the bubble falls apart, then...

>>5402334
>>Take the haunted bus. Wait a second, nothing about your earlier narration said anything about the bus being haunted…
Technically, if we bring the ghost with us it will become haunted

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As a disgusting city dweller, you and public transportation are well acquainted. You’re going to take the bus to the girls’ apartment. How do you know the route if you have never took this bus before? You don’t. But you *feel* like you do. And when you have this strong of a hunch, everything tends to go just fine. Not great. But just fine. And if the problem isn’t the route, it might arise from unexpected sources.

The phantom bus appears at the stop. There are no signs telling you this piece of machinery is of a ghostly nature, but you need to find some defects so whatever bad thing happens, *isn’t* related to the bus taking you to the wrong destination to appease your monkey brain. In conclusion, this bus is haunted, because if it isn’t, it’s not going to take you to the tomato apartment. Plain and simple.

You walk over and the doors open…

“Does this bus go to…?” You ask the driver if it’ll take you to the tomato apartment. “I don’t want to take the wrong one.”

“Yes, it does…” The forbidding voice of the bus driver invites you in. You cannot make out his face thanks to the faulty light inside the bus and the darkness of the night. Hell, you can’t even tell its gender!

“Cool.” You have Courage level 5, this shit ain’t scary for a big boy like you.

“Quack.” Dorothy wants to know if pets are allowed.

“Can I take the duck with me?” You point at the stupid animal beside you.

“Kid, this is the countryside, everyone and their dogs have a pet.” The sunless driver chuckles.

“Dogs have pets?” You raise an eyebrow.

“It’s a saying. Are you drunk? I’m not taking drunkards.” The bus driver isn’t fond of the alcoholically impaired.

“I’m not, sir. I’m just dumb at the worst times.” You admit.

“I’m not a ‘sir’. I have a cold.” The Bus driver coughs, but you can’t see her face yet. “Are you coming in or not?”

“Okay.” You step inside with your duck in your arms.

…

>>What do you do?

>Sit alone and whistle until you get to your stop.
>Go to the shadowy back and face the night. You wonder what you can find!
>Stay near the bus driver and keep her company. They love people talking to them.
>Write In.

>>5402429
>Sit alone and whistle until you get to your stop.

>>5402429
>>Stay near the bus driver and keep her company. They love people talking to them.

>>5402430
>>5402429
Changing to
>Stay near the bus driver and keep her company. They love people talking to them.

>>5402429
>Stay near the bus driver and keep her company. They love people talking to them.

>>5402429
>Stay near the bus driver and keep her company. They love people talking to them.

>>5402429
>Stay near the bus driver and keep her company. They love people talking to them
When will it sink in to Dorothy's brain that Johnny is Ema's son? She was in earshot when Johhny and Kobashi spoke.

>>5402429
We can see in the dark why can’t we see her face.

>Stay near the bus driver

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Because bus drivers love talking to people, you decide to sit the closest to her to keep her company!

“You always driving late?” You ask the nice bus driver.

“What…?” The faceless driver seems annoyed by your question.

“Just wondering.” You smile.

“It’s my job, kid. I don’t get to pick the schedule.” She is just answering out of politeness.

“But aren’t you worried something bad could happen?” Now that you think about it, it’s really dangerous.

“Are you trying to intimidate me?” The bus driver gets tense.

“Huh? Why?” You’re concerned, that’s all.

“It sounded like a threat.”

“Whoops, sorry.” You scratch the back of your head.

“Just quit yappin’, kid…”

“You sound worried about something.”

“Like running over someone ‘cause a dumb kid is distractin’ me?! Or maybe hurtin’ my throat tellin’ the same kid off?!” The bus driver shouts as her voice cracks.

“No, that’s not it. It’s *something* else.” You furrow your eyebrows. You can feel it.

“Quack.” Dorothy tells you to fuck off with that. You won’t listen to her honking.

“Stop tryin’ to solve a problem that doesn’t exist. You men are all the same.” The headless driver is losing her patience.

“But I can feel the anguish in your voice.” You point out.

“MAYBE IT’S BECAUSE MY THROAT IS SORE?!” Okay, maybe the bus driver isn’t as nice as you originally thought.

“Stop blaming your throat for everything!” You need her to take responsibility!

“W-What are you talkin’ about?!” The Bus Driver acts confused.

“You can be honest with me.” You get serious.

“ABOUT WHAT?!” She coughs.

“Your problem.” You remark.

“YOU’RE MY PROBLEM.” She takes her eyes off the road, how dangerous.

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>>5402567

“Lady, I barely know you.” You shrug.

“AND YOU’RE GETTIN’ ME THIS MAD ANYWAY.” She can’t see that this isn’t normal.

“No, this isn’t the foundation of your anger. Be honest with me.” You can feel it.

“I HATE YOUR FACE. HOW’S THAT FOR HONESTY?” The bus driver will stab you if you continue.

“Don’t worry, I have a paper bag.” You put it on. “Better?”

“W-Why do you have that?!” She’s thrown for a loop.

“It’s not important. What’s important here is you.” You smile under the bag.

“Y-You’re freakin’ me out.” She doesn’t want to talk to you anymore.

“Why? I’m not scary, unlike your haunted bus.” You point out the obvious.

“My—what?!” She’s flabbergasted.

“Now, be open with me. I have experience as a psychiatrist.” You like helping people.

“MY bus isn’t HAUNTED.”

“The haunted bus isn’t important.” You shake your head.

“You’re mental…” She sounds defeated.

“And you’re the mental patient. Let’s talk, I can help.” You clasp your hands.

“How is ‘you acting absolutely insane’ something you can solve by talkin’?!” She’s blaming you again.

“You’d be surprised how far you can go talking things out.” You don’t even know why you’re pushing her this much, but you feel like it’s the right thing to do.

“YOU. YOU’RE THE PROBLEM. I want –YOU— Out. Of. Here.” The bus driver opens the door while still moving.

“This isn’t my stop.” You point out.

“I DON’T CARE.” She really doesn’t.

“But I care. Like I care about you.” You smirk. Again, under the bag.

“Y-You stupid motherfucker! OKAY, You want to solve problems?! How about this…?!”

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>>5402570

The Bus Driver tells you about her family issues and feelings of inadequateness, how she feels like she failed her family by disappearing when they needed her most – she didn’t want to leave but something stopped her. You helped her find peace explaining that there are things that are out of her control, and as long as she’s willing to patch things out with the people she loves, there’s a chance it isn’t too late for everyone to salvage a good relationship. It was a heartfelt and emotional talk that lasted the entire trip to your stop…

“Thank you, Phil. I’ll never forget what you’ve done for me.”

“It’s no issue. And I’m sorry for being so pushy, I’m a big idiot.”

“Yes, you are. Don’t do that again. But I’m glad you did it this time… And Phil…”

“Yes?”

“I love you.”

You smirk as you walk away and salute with your back towards her. She has a real family to care for, these feelings aren’t romantic… You hear the bus leave the stop…

“Q-Quack…! Quack!” Dorothy is desperately pointing behind you for some reason. You’re too cool to look back, so you ignore her.

“Here we are.” You sigh.

A boring-looking and badly kept apartment building stands in front of you. The Children of the Future logo is plastered over the front door.

>>What do you do?

>Look for a Pay Phone and call the girls’ apartment to announce you’re here.
>Sneak into their apartment and surprise them! If they’re inside that is…
>Tell Dorothy to fend for herself during the night. You’re going to pick her up tomorrow.
>Find the girls’ apartment and knock on their door.
>Write In.


(Last Reply of the Day, we continue tomorrow!)

>>5402571
>Sneak into their apartment and surprise them! If they’re inside that is…

>>5402571
>Tell Dorothy to fend for herself during the night. You’re going to pick her up tomorrow.

>>5402571
>Find the girls’ apartment and knock on their door.

>>5402571
>Find the girls apartment and knock on the door
We’ll find somewhere to put Duckrothy.

>>5402571
>Find the girls’ apartment and knock on their door.

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No session today, everyone. I'm having technical difficulties! We'll return as soon as we can!

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What else to do but to go inside the girls’ apartment? With your support squad in your hands, you step in.

It comes to little surprise to you, but the building is far from the best quality. It’s been repaired without doing any effort to blend the newish parts with the old ones. The older material is seemingly of better quality but long past its better days, and the newish bits remind you of your apartment (if it was recently constructed). It’s serviceable despite being aesthetically unpleasant, the color mismatch of the materials highlights these defects, and that’s without mentioning the lousy unfinished paintjob. What’s unpleasant with no serviceable purpose is the many CotF Propaganda posters on the walls, they’re displayed in erratic order, one over the other with no pattern to follow, angles vary, upside down, sideways, doesn’t matter. The distance between them is arbitrary, one, two or three over the others. It’s like they’re being used to cover up stains underneath them.

Nobody seems to mind or care for your presence here. Not even with your duck in hand. And it’s not like there’s few people loitering, everyone is too busy waiting for their turn to use the public bathroom, or the laundry room. The entire first floor functions just for those with seemingly nothing else. You skip ahead to the next floor, where the actual dorms begin.

Luckily enough, you remember the number of the Tomatoes’ apartment. These important details are kept safe thanks to your high knowledge.

You arrive on the 3rd floor and knock on their door.

…

There are people inside scuttling around, two to be exact.

“Wait a minute…” You exclaim out loud as you come to a realization.

“Quack?” Dorothy wonders what has gotten into you. She feels severely disappointed in your entire character during the last few hours she has gotten to know you.

You have this stupid duck in your hands!

>>What do you do?

>Present the Duck to the girls as an offering.
>Present the girls your new pet duck.
>Ask Dorothy politely to leave you be until morning. You think she’ll be safe inside this apartment building.
>Write In.

>>5404706
>Present the girls your new pet duck.

>>5404706
>>Present the girls your new pet duck.
Tell them that they're free to play with it all they want

>>5404706
>Present the girls your new pet duck.

>>5404706
>Present the girls your new pet duck.

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“Nah, it’ll be fine.” You ease your own worries by doing absolutely nothing but accepting the situation as it is. Duckrothy doesn’t say anything at all. Philonune and Naiad encourage you to move on! It’s not like you can do anything until they open the door.

“Who is iiiit?” That’s Grace! She sounds like she’s having fun.

“A ghost.” You immediately lament saying those words as soon as they come out of your mouth. You should’ve said you’re an alien.

You hear more scuttling inside, it’s like it’s accelerating. Makes you wonder what’s going on in there. It’ll be a moment…

The door opens.

“Welcome, welcome! We were waiting for you!” Grace greets you with open arms! She’s wearing weird a bathrobe or something.

“Hey *therrrre*, Phil!” Mirjam tries to go along with Grace’s pose! She’s wearing a similar outfit. You think it’s something they use to sleep.

“Hey, girls! Look! I have a ducky!” You present your brand-new pet to the tomatoes.

“Quack…” Dorothy honks with suspicion. She isn’t sure what’s going on.

“Aw! It’s *adorrrable*!” Mirjam stiffly pets the duck. She’s nervous.

“Oh! Cool! Looks delicious!” Grace is thinking about food already.

“Q-Q-Quack…?!” Duckrothy is afraid. Of course, you can’t eat her, you’ll never forgive yourself for hurting the duck host.

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>>5404800

“I’m kiddin’, I’m kiddin’, little ducky!” Grace pats her too. Duckrothy reluctantly allows her. “Where did you get it?”

“Outside.” You don’t have a good excuse that isn’t the whole long ass truth. “Can I come in?”

“That's always been the idea!” Grace grabs your arm.

“Please feel at home!” Mirjam grabs your other arm, and you three walk inside. Both softly push the door closed with their feet.

Their apartment is a perfect cube in shape. It’s been neatly tidied up, but there’s almost no space to move around, the two beds together take much of it – and the only furniture around is to put away things like their clothes, except for a radio and a tiny fridge. This place is only designed for people to come over and sleep. Speaking of these beds, they appear to be the pieces of a former bunk bed but cut in half – it wasn’t done recently. At least, there’s a window.

The girls seem nervous about what you’re going to say…

>>How do you respond to the Tomato Duo’s expectations?

>“It’s cozy, I like it.” Give a thumbs up.
>Jump on the bed. Enjoy the comfort.
>“I can tell why you like being outside. Still like it, though.” Joke around.
>Write In.

>>What do you do after?

>Ask them what they’re wearing.
>Ask them if they felt anything unusual. Like memories being brought back.
>Ask them where to hide Dorothy. The Tiny Bathroom maybe?
>Ask them if they want to continue the smooching session…
>Write In.

(Last Reply of the Day, I have no idea when we return lol.)

>>5404801
>Jump on the bed. Enjoy the comfort.
>Ask them where to hide Dorothy. The Tiny Bathroom maybe?
>Ask them if they want to continue the smooching session…

>>5404801
>>“It’s cozy, I like it.” Give a thumbs up.
>Ask them where to hide Dorothy. The Tiny Bathroom maybe?
>Ask them if they want to continue the smooching session…

>>5404811
Supporting.

>>5404801
>“It’s cozy, I like it.” Give a thumbs up.
>Ask them what they’re wearing.

>>5404801
>>Jump on the bed. Enjoy the comfort.
>>Ask them if they want to continue the smooching session…

>>5404811
I’ll go for it

>>5404801
>“It’s cozy, I like it.” Give a thumbs up.
>Ask them what they’re wearing.
Don't go straight to the point, ease into it.

>>5406382
Counterpoint: we have no idea how long we have until Smithele shows up and lays the smack down on us so we should proceed as quickly as possible.

>>5406513
I mean, if we're actually worried about that we probably shouldn't be here to begin with. Seems like Fiora had it handled though

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“It’s cozy, I like it.” You raise your thumb in a signal of approval. Everyone likes frisky fingers. That sounded weird, but you’re relieved nobody can hear your thoughts.

Philonune smiles at you.

Naiad smiles at you.

You don’t smile back due to the implication.

“Uff… I’m glad.” Grace shoulders drop. These girls have no idea you’ve been sleeping on a bag on a random mattress the last couple of days, making everything that resembles an actual bed look good. “Told ya Phil is a sweetheart and wasn’t picky.”

“I-I *neverrr* said that…!” Mirjam doesn’t like being called out. You need to break the tension if you want to spend good times *togetherrrr*.

“Huh, I need to take care of this duck. Where can I hide it?” You stare at the bathroom door.

“Quack...” Dorothy glares at you for some reason.

“The bathroom, I guess.” Grace thinks about it briefly. “We can use the dirty clothes basket for the little fella’s bed. I’ll prepare it.”

“Q-Quack!?” Dorothy doesn’t like the idea. She jumps into the bed, proclaiming it for herself. “Quack.” She looks very smug.

“Aw! He’s hungry. Don’t worry, ducky. We have delicious peas for you!” Mirjam serves a can of peas from the pantry right next to the fright on a plate.

“Quack.” Dorothy’s personality gets overridden by the actual ducky’s, a tiny colorless flame appears on his beak. He has a great interest in the peas and the plate with water that Mirjam has. Naiad informs you that she’s going to monitor it to see how he does, so she’ll stay in the bathroom.

“Ducks eat peas?” You didn’t know that. What’s your high-level knowledge useful for?

“You didn’t know?” Mirjam leads the duck into the bathroom.

“Oh wow! That totally confirms it! Phil is a major city dweeb!” Grace chuckles as the little bed is ready inside the bathroom.

“Hehehe!” Mirjam chuckles. They’re both trying to act normal, but they’re being a little stiff.

“I-I’m not a dweeb.” You wonder why the tamest of insults offend you so much.

The sleeping setup and the food are ready for the duck inside the bathroom.

“You okay staying inside here?” You ask the duck’s opinion like a lunatic while holding the bathroom’s door. It’s a double question for him and the fairy, the latter poses to tell you she’ll be good! She takes a piece of machinery from her ship to study the animal’s evolution.

“Quack.” The duck responds, but his honking sounds meaningless. Despite that, you’ll take it as a signal it’ll be fine for him too. After devouring his meal like T_T Neko, the wild bird promptly finds rest in the tiny clothes basket. You slowly shut the door to not wake him up.

“D’aww, what an adorable little thing!” Grace really likes animals. Well, both girls do.

“Night, Mr. Ducky.” Mirjam waves at the sleeping bird. You mentally wish Naiad a good night's rest.

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>>5407278


With that done, you can move on to more pressing matters!

“Thanks, girls.” Not before you show some gratitude for helping your random ass bird that came out of absolutely nowhere without asking too many questions. Both nod in response and sit on the joined beds, eyes on you. You need to be tactful now. “So… Ehem… Wanna continue the smooching session?” You wave your eyebrows. Super slick.

“Phil, We need to be, like, honest with you. Mirjam and I had a talk before this.” Grace looks away.

“And *therrre’s* something we want to tell you…” Mirjam averts her gaze as well. You don’t like where this is going.

The duo take a moment to gather the strength to say what they want to say by looking at each other, then turn their eyes on you…

“We don’t think a smooching session will be enough!” Both Tomatoes say in unison while flashing red.

“And if we go beyond that, it might be too much for you! We *rrrresearched* it!” Mirjam is heartbroken. Where did they research it? WHERE?

“And if there’s a chance one gets less than the other, for the sake of our friendship, we can’t, like, do this!” Grace is really in pain muttering these words.

“As it much as it *hurrrts*, if you’re going to leave…” Mirjam looks down.

“We don’t want our friendship to suffer…” Grace looks down too.

“SORRRRRRRRRY!” Mirjam and Grace hold hands to deliver the last line together.

…

“We can, like, turn this into a fun sleepover though!” Grace tries to maintain positivity!

“We have cards! *Carrrds*!” Mirjam puts on her best smile too despite everything!

>>What do you do?!

>Know your limits. A threesome might be too much for you… You’re just a mere man powered by a demon with level 4 Athletics…
>You said you won’t disappoint these girls, and you’re not going to! Go far and beyond! Give them love!
>Convince them to continue with the smooching session as planned!
>“You girls researched it? How?” You’re too confused by this to get on with anything else.
>Write In.

>>5407281
>>You said you won’t disappoint these girls, and you’re not going to! Go far and beyond! Give them love!
We ran across the city and fought a kaiju, we can fuck these two

>>5407281
>"Wait, before we continue, do you two have any weird memories that you think you should or shouldn't have?"

>>5407281
>You said you won’t disappoint these girls, and you’re not going to! Go far and beyond! Give them love!

>>5407281
>You said you won’t disappoint these girls, and you’re not going to! Go far and beyond! Give them love!

>>5407281
> You said you won't disappoint these girls, and you're not going to! Go far and beyond! Give them love!

>>5407281
>You said you won’t disappoint these girls, and you’re not going to! Go far and beyond! Give them love!

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The problem here is not that they don’t want it, but that they don’t want to overwhelm you, leaving everyone dissatisfied. But there’s a critical error in their way of thinking, you are capable of doing things you didn’t think you could be able to when other people start depending on you. And it’s not like you lack the motivation. You have 2 beautiful girls in front of you, and their beauty isn’t the thing that’s moving you the most, no, you want to make them happy! You love their smiles! You love their openness! Their insecurities! Their silly love! And you’re going to do your best for them!

“Girls, I said to myself that I won’t disappoint you.” You stand tall, full of determination. “If you give me a chance, I promise you two that I’ll do my best to love you!”

“Y-Y-Y-You mean…?” Mirjam is erupting like a volcano. It’s like she’s listening to the most beautiful symphony in the world, but wasn’t ready for it. She’s filled with hope.

“Y-You think you can do it?!” Grace really wants you to say yes, she’s dying for you to say it. But above all, she doesn’t want to pressure you to do something you can’t. She can’t take you for granted and doesn’t want to. Grace loves you.

“Yes.” You give them a confident nod. You’re tired of playing games, it’s time to get more assertive!

“G-Grace, he said yes…!” Mirjam is feeling overwhelmed, she believes in you so much that she has no doubts you can do it – so she’s already picturing it.

“I heard it, Mirjam!” Grace is getting accustomed to this new reality, and is very excited.

“W-Why weren’t we confident…?” Mirjam doesn’t get it herself.

“B-Because… Because… I think we’re dumb!” Grace admits she’s an airhead.

“No, you aren’t!” You stop these self-belittling words. “It’s my fault for not being proactive. Let me redeem myself. I’m gonna make you two the happiest girls on this face of the planet.”

“I believe you.” Grace changes her tune. When you look at her like that, she feels like she has no other option but to trust you.

“I believe you too.” Mirjam coyly smiles.

“In the bottom of our hearts, we always do….” Grace smirks from ear to ear. “That’s why we got ready…” She kneels on the bed, slowly opening her robe, her eyes locked on you.

“I love you, Phil…” Mirjam mirrors her sister’s movements. They’re in front of each other… slowly revealing more and more of their garments underneath… “What are you waiting for?” Mirjam extends her left hand to you.

“The smooching session is about to begin…” Grace extends her right hand to you… “My darling.”

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>>5407560


You grab them both and get pulled onto the bed, right in the middle… Like mirroring the scene at the beach, both girls throw their bodies on top of you, one by each side. This time instead, they start taking your clothes off. Goodbye hoodie! Goodbye shirt! They slowly start kissing you from the pecs and slowly make their way upwards to your head. The longing looks on their faces tell you that you’re here to get loved too. As soon as they reach near your lips, you take the initiative and make out with both Mirjam and Grace! Doesn't matter with whom of the two you started; you’re going to do everything in your power to please the girls you love!

In the midst of the kissing, you told them how much you loved them. Those words triggered something in them as they start rushing to what’s next… And what’s next doesn’t involve the bottom half of your clothes, as the girls take them out with ease…

[spoilers]Lewds will be posted on Monday with the rest of the post! So we continue then! Thanks for playing![/spoilers]

>>5407575
https://youtu.be/fskG0pBXQT4
Thank you ! Thanks for running!

>>5407560
>>5407575
Nice!

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>>5407575


>>[Intermission]

The classical news set is being shown on the screen. The hardworking anchor, her trusty steed, and an additional face welcome you all:

“Welcome back, dear viewers. This is Saraswati – you will, of course, remember me as the Goddess of Knowledge and Amelia’s partner.” The bear orders the papers in her paws.

“I’m Philohorse, a horse that is also Philonune. What a great evening we have tonight.” The chill horse is proud of the events.

“Don’t we usually show up before the lewd posting begins? They’re getting at it already!” The devil ‘Osbad’ complains. “Forget it, can we admit Johnny is partially evil now? 4 women in one week already!”

“My sponsor is telling you to shut up.” Philohorse neighs aggressively.

“Sorry, your gripes won’t be answered, we’re having important plot developments after this.” Saraswati explains to the unlikeable character. “To more important matters, the next segment you will witness still has its budget reduced, so there won’t be any flavor text to accompany it. More importantly, this is a warning to our audience that the following segment will be rated for adults only, and viewer discretion is advised.” The bear reads aloud.

“What a copout...” Osbad frowns.

“Give them the ‘D’, partner.” Philonune proudly backs his partner.

The bear sighs. “Have sex responsibly and stay safe, everyone.” Saraswati cuts the segment off.

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>>5409449

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IrQF-JCiUoq_TOfJ78EMnq1x9kh0JU8uFKRTek82cZE/edit?usp=sharing

(Another half reply today! The thread continues properly tomorrow!)

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>>5409451

…

[Spoilers: You had your first threesome! Congratulations!]

…

…

Without the comforting touch of your loved ones, you realize you’re back in the augmented dream reality known as the Distant Frontier. Right after you did that, huh? These Judges don’t know what privacy is… All of them are perverts except for Constance, who will always be a good girl, unlike that despicable Giorsal. Wait, you don’t hate Gio, why are you mentally bullying her?

“You realize it on your own this time, impressive.” Philonune is proud of you.

“I’m glad I put some pants on after we changed the sheets...” You sigh. It was chilly too, so it was a no-brainer, but… You don’t want to be here.

“Welcome to the Distant Front once again, Player.” Esperanza greets you with hints of shame on her face. Something is off. Where’s her entity?

“Partner, up there.” Philonune points upwards.

There’s a prison cage suspended in the air, as far as you know, the same kind that still holds Athelone to this day.

“Huh, you noticed. He’s grounded for taking over my body.” Esperanza rolls her eyes.

“And for trying to murder me, right?” You raise your finger.

“…Yeah, that too.” Esperanza doesn’t seem to care.

“I apologize for thaaaat!” Smithele screams from above. “I believe I overreacted quite a bit!”

“That puts it mildly.” You frown.

“It was another judge’s idea for how to punish these green fiends.” Despite all, Esperanza doesn’t hold her entity in good regard. “I’m here to make amends, I guess. It wasn’t my fault, all these stupid enigmas are stupidly overprotective but whatever, but I have to take responsibility anyway.” Esperanza gives you a half-assed apology. More than you expected, but probably not enough. “C’mon, I’ll show you something interesting I’m working on as an apology.”

The Judge girl wants you to follow her…

>>What do you do?

>“I’ll follow you, but don’t think I forgave you yet.” Point that out before moving on with whatever Esperanza is planning.
>“Before we go, do you know ‘Ema Oka’ or not?” Trigger whatever happened to Esperanza again. You need answers.
>“I’m not sure if I want to accept your apology.” Maintain important boundaries with this psycho girl and her stupid entity.
>“You’re in danger, Esperanza. It’s not time to play games.” Kobashi said the whole world hinges on it…
>“What happened to Fiora?” You need to know if anything bad happened to her.
>Write In.

>>5410242
>>“I’ll follow you, but don’t think I forgave you yet.” Point that out before moving on with whatever Esperanza is planning.
>“What happened to Fiora?” You need to know if anything bad happened to her.
Let's check what she wants to show first in case it's important

>>5410242
>>“Before we go, do you know ‘Ema Oka’ or not?” Trigger whatever happened to Esperanza again. You need answers.

>>5410248
Support

>>5410242
>>“Before we go, do you know ‘Ema Oka’ or not?” Trigger whatever happened to Esperanza again. You need answers.
"Do you know my mother."

>>5410242
>>>“Before we go, do you know ‘Ema Oka’ or not?” Trigger whatever happened to Esperanza again. You need answers.

>>5410242
>“Before we go, do you know ‘Ema Oka’ or not?” Trigger whatever happened to Esperanza again. You need answers.

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“Before we go, do you know ‘Ema Oka’ or not?” You ask about your answer again. You may trigger the same response as last time, but you need answers.

“Ema Oka? No.” Esperanza doesn’t recall.

“She’s my mother.” You point out… why do you think there’s something off here?

“Never heard of her, player.” Esperanza replies almost too casually.

“You sure?” You raise an eyebrow. “Mentioning her was the entire reason you collapsed earlier.”

“Doesn’t seem to be a thing now.” Esperanza doesn’t give a flying duck.

“I wonder why…” You raise an eyebrow.

“What do you want me to say? I don’t know what you’re talking about, and I don’t care.” Esperanza frowns too. “Why should I care about her? Shouldn’t she be, like, really old or something?”

“Supposedly, you’re her friend.” You point out…

“You don’t sound reassuring…” Esperanza is taking an interest now.

“I didn’t know it before, that’s why.” You scratch the back of your head.

“She never introduced her son to her supposed friend? Are you sure you aren’t wrong?” Esperanza rolls her eyes.

“I mean, you collapsed for a reason.” You can’t ignore this clue.

“A coincidence, I’m sure.” Esperanza holds onto that belief.

“But…” Kobashi wouldn’t have said a peep if it wasn’t true either. You have 2 clues, damn it!

“But what? Why should I care for her? If she is my friend, she left me abandoned when I needed her the most. And if she isn’t, we’re strangers. So, tell me why? Why should I care for your idiotic mother? Ugh, what a hopeless family you two sound like.” Esperanza rolls her eyes.

“I don’t think she abandoned you.” You know your mother is too loyal to a fault.

“Give me a good reason.” Esperanza is ready for bad excuses.

“She died.” …

“Died…?” Esperanza pauses for a moment. “Why bring her up then? She doesn’t matter anymore.” Esperanza tilts her head, confused by all of this.

“ESPERANZA.” Her entity shouts from above, furious by her lack of empathy.

“U-Ugh, my condolences for your dead mother, I guess.” Esperanza extends her hand to you. “Are you coming over or not? Let this serve as a double apology.”

…

>>…?

>“Yeah, let’s move on…” Put this behind you and see what Esperanza has in store for you.
>“It better be good, or else I’m not forgiving you.” Make her know she raised the expectations with her bad attitude.
>“Your entity probably messed up with your head while he took over.” Throw this out there as wild speculation.
>Write In.

(Last Reply of the Day, we finish the thread tomorrow!)

>>5410377
>>“It better be good, or else I’m not forgiving you.” Make her know she raised the expectations with her bad attitude.

>>5410377
>“It better be good, or else I’m not forgiving you.” Make her know she raised the expectations with her bad attitude.

>>5410377
>“It better be good, or else I’m not forgiving you.” Make her know she raised the expectations with her bad attitude.

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“It better be good, or else I’m not forgiving you.” You let her know that thanks to her awful attitude, she raised the expectations.

“Don’t put expectations on me.” Esperanza dislikes what you’re doing.

“Too late.” You won’t refrain from being petty.

“Serve yourself.” Esperanza drops her hand and opens up a portal. It has some kind of watery texture, twirling from the outside to the inside – colors seemingly random and ever-changing. It’s nauseating to stare at. “It’s in there.” She goes through it.

You share a glance with Philonune, then follow the irritating girl to wherever this strange gate leads you to.

For a long moment, it felt like everything stopped, you were conscious for all of it – but couldn’t do, say or hear anything. Like waiting for a loading screen to finish. You hope that’s not literally what happened.

You find yourself in what could be considered the bastard child of an old-timey colosseum, a courtroom, and a martial arts stadium. The dreamy feeling of the Distant Frontier is absent, it’s difficult to articulate, but your body has its weight back, and all your senses have fully returned as well. You’re by the combination of a juror stand and a balcony, it has a great view of down below, which contains a combat ring. This place seems to be a VIP section.

“Woah.” You try to sound enthusiastic, but it doesn’t come out strongly.

“This is what I’ve been working on.” Your attitude goes over Esperanza’s head and she continues talking. “With what I’ve learned from the anomaly, I’ve been able to create a battlefield for players like you to duke it out unrestricted.” Esperanza puts a hand on her cheek. “It was the only use I could come up with for now.” She wanted to do something better with this. “I have a show ready for us. There’s some vermin that crept inside the anomaly that I decided to use as test subjects.”

“Test subjects for what?” You know where this is going and you don’t like it one bit.

“A showdown.” Esperanza snaps her fingers.

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>>5411321

The lights inside the venue focus on the entranceway towards the ring below, a young woman more or less your age comes out of the curtains. She looks like she doesn’t want to be here. She’s sporting a flame right on her neck.

“Judge, I’m really trying to go along with what you want! But what the heck am I supposed to do?!” The girl shouts from the center of the stage. “I came here alone like you asked, now what?!”

“Just go to the ring.” Esperanza pulls a megaphone to throw instructions. She puts her hand over the speaker. “What an idiot.”

“Seems simple enough.” The girl starts walking down the ramp with the lights following her, and enters the ring, not without struggling with the ropes. “Nggh…” She gets embarrassed by her clumsy movements. The ropes didn’t want to let her boot go.

Esperanza snaps her fingers again, the lights get redirected at the stage once again, now a man comes out of the back…

“Buahehahuhihihi!” It’s Oliver… And he has a theme song? He’s doing all the theatrics on his way to the ring too. There’s no crowd. He’s being stupid.

“Show off…” The girl glares at the eccentric idiot.

You stand away from Esperanza’s view to facepalm. How did he get here? Are these two the vermin she was referring to? This guy always seems to get in trouble! Yeah, this must be how everyone feels when you get into trouble over and over again…

“You get it now? These two are going to have a deathmatch.” Esperanza isn’t even that amused by her own show.

No matter how many times you have thought this, you’re going to think this again… You don’t like this! You don’t like this at all!

Sadly, this is all we have for this week’s thread. Thanks for playing and see you next time!

>>5411327
Thanks for running! Great thread!