XBLAZE - Concurrent:Butterfly [IC]

[Bird of Hermes]

Tsugumi Uro
Location: Unnamed Cafe, Tomobiki
Evening, April 12th, 2056
Event Stock: 1
Union Phase: 1

No escape.

Through a slip of the tongue, he had managed to entrap himself in more forced socialisation. Truly his greatest adversary in his life thus far, worst of all as he'd be in a mentoring position, all the focus would be on his performance. Tsugumi had his reasons but he hated being the centre of attention and he'd trapped himself in that position by accident. There was no way he could even back out of it. Everyone else was equally shocked with Naoko being as pleased as expected and Mizuki even going as far as to raise an eyebrow.

But Chiasa was excited. Far too excited.

Either her food she ate was utterly devoid of flavour or he was some sort of culinary deity. Even though his skills in cooking was one of the few things he prided himself on, going by Mizuki's critique, he was not the latter.

He had taken the initiative twice this evening, the first was a cold thoughtlessness that got him into this mess but this... If he played his cards right he could at least be in everyone's good books for a while.

"So what day works best for you? Monday morning? Thursday? Friday? The forbidden down time of Sunday afternoons?"

"Hmm"

Tsugumi pondered to himself, absent mindedly stroking his chin. He thought about his schedule for the rest of the week. There was that doctors appointment coming up and he wanted to be in the right mindset for that and there were a few things he might want to check out during the week. The weekend seemed to be the best bet, Sunday afternoons were a treasured downtime, a sort of end-of-arc resting point before the grind began anew.

Then it struck him.

He remembered something his aunt had once told him about dates, he couldn't quite pinpoint when she said it or whichever ratbag she was with at the time but the words themselves were rather sage.

'Always let the other person make the final decision. Guys like to feel in control and girls like to know you listen to them.'

She just hoped the advice wasn't from when Naoko dated that nurse, Naoko wasn't herself and the absolute trainwreck that was the end of that relationship left Naoko heartbroken. Tsugumi had realised his aunt's cursed luck on that day. He also learned a lesson he lived by to this day.

"I should be able to do either the weekend or next monday quite comfortably." He spoke "What works best for you?"

An open reply would appease Chiasa best and not mess up anything for them. However his earlier train of thought had come back to the station, passing the flaming wreckage from earlier. Drama was bad, it was very bad indeed.

...

But that was just a few cooking lessons, nothing to get paranoid about. Forcing the toxic thoughts from out of his head, he focused on the positives, the people who were here now and actually making sure that whatever actually happened actually went well for Chiasa. That's what this was about, her, not whatever his issues he apparently insisted on lugging about.

"Once we have a date, you'll have to let me know what you want to try your hand at so I can make sure I shop and have the ingredients for it. That and we can do that fortune reading around the same time too."

And with that, a final positive to end the deal on.

[Airen]

Watanabe Yuuki
Northern Cross Academy, Hidden Examination Room
April 15th, 2056
Event Stock: 1
Heavy Rain

"Hmmm."

The light tapping of a pen on paper fills the silence that comes with your question; in a sense that was all she had wanted you for today, while her nature as a 'somewhat-mad-scientist' has her wanting to do a couple more experiments just for the sake of pursuing knowledge, she's well aware that such things are unnecessarily risky, and thus has no intention of actually asking you to go through with it.

But still, it feels a little anti-climactic to let it end just like that, but even so-

"Well yes, I suppose that's all I needed you for today. You are free to leave if you'd like, I'm sure you have some things you'd like to do with the rest of your day, but I'm curious..."

A pause.

"I've been getting some strange reports of the Occult Club's 'cursed doll' running around town on it's own... I think it's mostly a prank from one of the mage students, but have you seen anything like that lately?"

[Airen]

Lucas Guerrin
Shopping District, Tomobiki
Morning
April 13th, 2056
Event Stock: 0

"If I paid attention to all the trouble that girl got herself in I'd have stress induced heart-attacks, and then where would we be?"

A blunt, but clearly joking answer.

Still walking together amidst the morning sunlight, the crimson-haired nurse pauses outside of a produce store, suddenly showing interest in some of the green apples on sale; one monetary exchange later and the two of you are walking back towards the school, body now burdened with two or three more bags of apples of all sizes and colors and tastes.

...She really was just using you like a carrying mule-!

Still, she was also being a pretty good informant at the moment, so perhaps it was worth it?

"But the Occult Club huh?"

Biting thoughtfully into the fruit that had never actually been able to drive her away as a doctor, the nurse pauses in place, and then laughs to herself:

"First getting stuck with me and then going out of your way to hang with the mages...? Your luck here is just bad, huh? Is it karma? It's karma right?"

A wink.

...And then more of an actual explanation of the club.

"There are a few normal students mixed in so they don't do much actual sorcery, but there's a few interesting rumors hanging around the club... Something about the founder's doll wandering around the school at night, and how the club founder themselves had disappeared before graduation, but that's all nonsense. Just the typical seven mysteries of the school type of thing students like to make up."

Another pause.

"...Well the wandering doll might be real."

A slightly unsettling admittance, and:

"But no club president disappeared mysteriously. Aoi-san herself started it, and she's pretty clearly still around..."

[Daiki]

Lucas Guerrin
Shopping District, Tomobiki
Morning
April 13th, 2056
Event Stock: 0

First getting stuck with me and then going out of your way to hang with the mages...? Your luck here is just bad, huh? Is it karma? It's karma right?

Lucas' expression soured. The fact Ariel was mocking him was not particularly aggravating, since it was something he expected. However, the fact that she mentioned one of the seven school mysteries didn't abate his annoyance. On the contrary.

"It's like this whole place feels off ever since I stepped within its boundaries," he started complaining. "Or there's some unknown force pulling the strings of my fate and having fun seeing me miserable! For fuck sake, I nearly died twice, was forced to share a room with someone who could be the next coming of Ripper, went through a curry trauma, pissed off a direct superior, found myself indebted to you of all people... And now I'm supposed to deal with a crowd of hostiles because I'm supposed to meet a goody-two-shoes who runs the gathering for freak extraordinaires and will likely send me fetch a doll that could be possessed by its previous owner!!"

He paused, to look at her with the most incredulous look he ever had.

"And it has not even been a week yet! Fuck karma, even I don't deserve that. It's straight up destiny harassment bullshit."

He bit in one apple as well, munching with much bitterness the floury fru-, wait floury?? He spat what he had nearly swallowed immediately, his mood worsening even further.

Of the fucking course it would have to be a mealy fruit...

He gave Ariel a warning glance, "Don't. Even. Dare." He then threw away the apple into the next trash bin on the street, with more strength that he had meant too.

[palad1n]

Watanabe Yuuki
Northern Cross Academy, Hidden Examination Room
April 15th, 2056
Event Stock: 1
Heavy Rain

"I've been getting some strange reports of the Occult Club's 'cursed doll' running around town on it's own... I think it's mostly a prank from one of the mage students, but have you seen anything like that lately?"

He certainly didn't see this question coming at all.

While the encounter with the doll at the shrine was something he wouldn't forget anytime soon, Yuuki already treated it as something that would only happen once; in other words, he didn't expect to meet it again or for it to be mentioned.

But it seems his assumptions have been wrong; after all, Tomobiki is a rather supernatural place despite being a rather small town.

"I did see a moving doll once on monday alongside Evelyn. It was at the shrine." He recounted after a few seconds of silence. "It was fast, faster than both of us running full-sprint down the stairs before we lost sight of it."

When he think back on it, that was actually a rather thrilling (and scary) experience; one misstep and he or Evelyn would practically flew to the ground at high speed.

He knew as a union they wouldn't die, but the thought is still chilling all the same.

...There is also no need to mention that they entered the shrine.

"I don't know whether the doll we saw is the doll you meant though." Yuuki added, hand on his chin. "It has long black hair and wore a crimson kimono, but aside from a lady that we met on the stairs - Adelina Duskin-san - we didn't see anyone else on the way down who could have controlled the doll."

Then again, he doesn't really know much about sorcery, so...

"Is it possible to remotely control the doll with sorcery?" He asked, eyes curious. "Because in my personal opinion, rather than a prank, it seems more like the doll had a will of its own, with it immediately running after being sighted and all."

[Airen]

Lucas Guerrin
Shopping District, Tomobiki
Morning
April 13th, 2056
Event Stock: 0

She laughs.

It's a genuine sincere laugh, the laugh of a person who had closed her eyes long before seeing your glare, and thus one that cannot be called anything other than completely honest in nature; it's a melodic sound, the cheerful voice of a youthful woman who -for just a moment- seems to glow gold with the light of the rising sun, a sort of burning embodiment of the horizon when combined with her crimson hair, a mark of the sheer unfair physical beauty she possessed but-

"Well, I guess Tomobiki is that sort of town~!"

-The moment fades as quickly as it had first appeared.

"No reason to be afraid of possessed dolls, I mean most of it is definitely nonsense, but every good school needs it's own supernatural mysteries right~?"

One eye closes as a hand comes up to stifle a laugh.

"Try and embrace that sort of life while you're here, it'd be good for you to live like a normal student for once. Embrace the weirdness! High School is that kind of youthful time!"

This, unlike the teasing nature of the rest...

Sounds like genuine advice.

Of course, ignoring her genuine advice was one of the things you did best, and turning your gaze away from her instinctively, you notice, just out of the corner of your eye...

"..."

That someone is watching the both of you from atop a nearby rooftop.

A girl with a long white scarf, dressed almost in what you would consider cosplay.

There's no emotional aura from her, but...

She does...

Just seem to be watching you.

[Airen]

Watanabe Yuuki
Northern Cross Academy, Hidden Examination Room
April 15th, 2056
Event Stock: 1
Heavy Rain

"It's certainly possible for it to be done via sorcery."

Tapping a clipboard absentmindedly with a pencil, the woman chuckles to herself.

"While pets are the most popular choice of familiar, using things like mechanized dolls as familiars isn't exactly unheard of," sounding thoughtful, she starts taking notes of her own accord, "With a little bit of tinkering one could make them run off ambient Seithr. The addition of an artificial intelligence would be a bit harder for your average mage to create, but it's not impossible for a good sorcerer to program them to respond in complicated ways, especially if they mix technology with the arcane... 'Running away' could simply be what it's programmed response to being seen is... We just got a transfer student that specializes in the use of dolls inside of their sorcery actually, and a history of doing this sort of thing back at the Magic Isles so..."

Ah...

It seems she has a suspect.

"...That. Or it really is a ghost. But we got rid of the ghosts ages ago, and Duskin and I have made a few... Automatons... Ourselves, so I'm thinking it's more along the lines of a prank. Still with all these confirmed sightings I need to increase surveillance over the hallways... Isako is a bit too carefree about this sort of thing, seems to think it makes a fun school mystery for the kids to solve."

The thought almost seems to give her a headache.

"Still... It does sound like the Occult Club's doll, so if you're bored, give it a look perhaps?"

But even she doesn't seem to think it's actually anything dangerous.

--}i{--

[Airen]

Yoko Aoyama
Northern Cross Academy
Vier's Classroom
April 12th, 2056
Weather: Sunny
Event Stock: 1

"..."

At first she just seems baffled by the sudden hand atop her head.

Having more or less controlled every conversation she's been a part of up until now, and even controlling the way the audience was watching her here in the classroom as if she was some sort of trained show magician, the -rather short- but older student looks up at you with a gaze that is particularly hard to place, and indeed, just seems to be some form of preemptive shock.

"...n..."

Then she starts making an odd noise; as if struggling to figure out exactly how to respond to your attempt at comforting her, the words that she summons up from deep within her soul fail the moment they reach her vocal cords and become unintelligible expressions without any true meaning, but-

"I-I don't need your pity-!"

Eventually, she does seem to find the strength to speak, but even then it's only to reject your hand atop her head-!

Although she also fails to free herself from said hand, almost as if she kinda enjoyed the head pat but her pride was keeping her from admitting it to anyone else, let alone her own self-!

"I'll become taller than you-! I still have time to grow!"

Yeah...

"All areas! I'll surpass you in all areas! Not just height!"

...Doesn't actually seem likely.

[Airen]

Tsugumi Uro
Location: Unnamed Cafe, Tomobiki
Evening, April 12th, 2056
Event Stock: 1
Union Phase: 1

"Monday."

There's no hesitation in the answer, or rather, the moment you had agreed she had already started flipping through her calendar to find a suitable place to put the sudden on-burst of classes.

"I'm busy myself Saturday, and my new assistant will likely be returning to me come Sunday, so Monday works best."

A cheerful but confident smile.

"As for what I want to learn...?"

The specifics of it seem to escape her, at least at first, but-

"Fish and Chips."

Mizuki just seems to answer it for her, and when everyone regards her because of it, merely raises her eyebrow even higher.

"Should be easy enough right? Nothing too complicated in Fish and Chips. Nice and simple lesson?"

"Sure! Let's go with that!"

Surprisingly...

The girl doesn't fight her on it for once; they had seemed like the type destined to always bicker with one another, and yet in this case, she just seems to accept the reasoning right from the start.

It seems like the warm feeling of companionship that came along with dinnertime won't fade out anytime soon...

--}i{--

[palad1n]

Watanabe Yuuki
Northern Cross Academy, Hidden Examination Room
April 15th, 2056
Event Stock: 1
Heavy Rain

"While pets are the most popular choice of familiar, using things like mechanized dolls as familiars isn't exactly unheard of," sounding thoughtful, she starts taking notes of her own accord, "With a little bit of tinkering one could make them run off ambient Seithr. The addition of an artificial intelligence would be a bit harder for your average mage to create, but it's not impossible for a good sorcerer to program them to respond in complicated ways, especially if they mix technology with the arcane... 'Running away' could simply be what it's programmed response to being seen is... We just got a transfer student that specializes in the use of dolls inside of their sorcery actually, and a history of doing this sort of thing back at the Magic Isles so..."

So there is a suspect, and the doll is actually merely a prank.

He actually felt a tad bit disappointed; Searching and finding out clues about the mysterious doll seems like something fun to be done with Evelyn, which is compounded by their curiosity regarding the matter. To know that the doll is actually nothing special reminds him that there are people who can use sorcery, and weird happenings might actually not be that special here...

"...That. Or it really is a ghost. But we got rid of the ghosts ages ago, and Duskin and I have made a few... Automatons... Ourselves, so I'm thinking it's more along the lines of a prank. Still with all these confirmed sightings I need to increase surveillance over the hallways... Isako is a bit too carefree about this sort of thing, seems to think it makes a fun school mystery for the kids to solve. Still... It does sound like the Occult Club's doll, so if you're bored, give it a look perhaps?"

"Perhaps if I have the time." He replied evenly; there are still more important things to be done after all, such as looking for a part-time job, than chasing after a mere prank case. At least pursuing the doll seems to be safe, so he shouldn't have any concern for safety should he chose to give it a look - or most likely a chase - if he's free.

But as he bids Ariel farewell and walked out of the hidden examination room, he couldn't help but wonder what kind of person would play a prank with a doll on an abandoned shrine...

Must be an interesting person though.

>>>
Sunday, April 17th
Evening
[Chiasa: Fortune Telling Booth]
>>>

[Bird of Hermes]

Tsugumi Uro
Location: Unnamed Cafe, Tomobiki
Evening, April 12th, 2056
Event Stock: 1
Union Phase: 1

Mizuki’s abrupt interjections were unexpected, but by no means unwelcome. It had likely saved all three of them hassle in looking through their schedules and Tsugumi describing all the famous British dishes and comparing them for the fortune teller.

That said, he nodded confidently in response. Fish and chips was a good start actually; simple culinary fusions that could be modified to be a full course or a simple takeaway meal. He decided against explaining the history of the dish as most would find it boring but he could explain the simple things of how to cook fish. He’d have to decide between just buying brand chips to cook or slicing his own wedges for a twist and he’d have to prepare for potentially cooking a batter for the fish with Chiasa.

But that was something for another time.

Tsugumi smiled.

“Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day.” He replied; relieved he’d managed to dispel the awkwardness from earlier, whatever issue between his aunt and Isako was had become a memory “Teach a man to cook a fish, you’ll ended up being the host and cook for them”

He placed some of the bacon atop the lemon cooked fish and took a big bite. He was going to be busy soon, but he could at least enjoy the moment.

“And you’ll love it.”

>>>
Thursday, April 14th
Morning
[Ariel: Healthcare]
>>>

[Daiki]

Lucas Guerrin
Shopping District, Tomobiki
Morning
April 13th, 2056
Event Stock: 0

The temptation to unleash his frustration on Ariel was very hard to refrain while she openly mocked his recent misfortune. The moment she had started releasing that laugh, was when he had stopped to pay attention to what she had to say. It could even have been something meaningful, but all he could hear at this point was white noise.

He couldn't allow her to keep toying with him like he was at her mercy in her lab. And giving her an angry reaction was what she wanted anyway, so she could make his life even more miserable.

Still...

Don't kick her in the face. Don't kick her in the face. Don't kick her in the face. Don't kick her in the face. Don't kick her in the face.

It was a very hard thing to do this very instant.

Lucas himself wasn't sure why she was able to get that much under his skin. Was it a lack of compatibility? As far as he was concerned, he could accept that they had very little in common. Maybe he felt that way with her because of the years of repeated clashes? No, there had been an initial trigger at some point, although he could not remember what it was.

Perhaps, in some sick, twisted kind of way, his frail mind had been able to recognize her as a constant in his life. The thought sent shivers into him. It was a fact that she was someone he could hardly dissociate from. Similar to how Celia had integrated his daily life. Similar to how Hailey had become part of him. Did he, deep down, consider her a rival of sort?

It couldn't be.

Was I acknowledging her all along?

Lucas glanced at the woman, with a strange feeling of apprehension. Could he really think of her as someone of significant importance?

Lucas started to feel self-conscious and a mix of emotions started to swell within. Anger? Why would he allow such an irritable person stand out from the rest of people he interacted with on a daily basis? Denial? He couldn't allow that kind of thing to happen, she was his archenemy. When he had nightmares about failing a job, it was her face that haunted him for the next day. Confusion? How could it be possible? He had made every possible efforts to stay clear from her. Sure, they were forced into tug-of-wars every once in a while, but...

Was it truly possible? Someone who would wear sunglasses during a cloudy morning? Someone who would rather study specimens and data in a sordid room? Someone who had made his life hell ever since they had been sharing the same living space?

He found himself scoffing.

Yeah, as if. Lingering drugs must be clouding my judgment.

There was no reason to think of her as anything but a pain in the ass.

And so he did, turning away from the obnoxious nurse which had almost broke him without even noticing.

The Sleipnir's gaze scanned his surroundings, looking for point of strategical interest. He hadn't abandoned the idea to claim his freedom just yet, and becoming familiar with the setting would become essential in the near future.

This was about when his eyes stopped on someone who was wearing something that actually would have stood out if she were to walk by. Let alone standing atop a building and staring at him. Or Ariel.

He initially thought she could simply be a sentinel on watch, but she lacked any distinctive sign of being associated with the Agency. Usually you would have someone playing lookout to either be very distinguishable, as in wearing Agency issued outfits, or not all. Perhaps, that was the latter. But what kind of discreet watch guard would aim for it with a costume such as this?

Lucas gestured for the girl, in order to see if she would recognize basic sign language. If she had any training, she should be able to answer. Otherwise, that meant that she was either just another student with a boring morning or a native with an interest in one of the top ranked individuals within the Sixth Branch (Ariel's face shouldn't be that easy to identify), and that meant trouble.

"See anything of interest," he asked quickly, offering the same neutral face he would to a fellow Sleipnir.

He wasn't sure what it was all about but, he was not worried. It was not as if Zero would show up during the day with her face uncovered. And Ariel had all her protocols ready to jump at the slight threat, or escaping people who would shirk carrying-around-apples-and-noodles duty.

[Kuroyuki]

Yoko Aoyama
Northern Cross Academy
Vier's Classroom
April 12th, 2056
Weather: Sunny
Event Stock: 1

"..."

After I started patting her head to make her feel better, she got quieter. It's just my opinion but I think she was cuter this way. Maybe it's because it felt like she wasn't acting out a part in a play.

"...n..."

However, I'm kind of worried that she hasn't said a whole word since I started doing this. If she is also a first year as well, then she should have several opportunities over the years to grow taller. However, if that was the case, then why do I feel like there is something off. Almost like I forgot something… What was it?

It couldn’t be too important if I forgot about it right? But then why do I feel slightly worried?

"I-I don't need your pity-!"

When she suddenly shouted, I jumped back in surprise and hid behind Kasumi. P-pity?!? I thought I was assuring her that she was going to get taller one day… I didn’t mean to pity her.

Should I apologize to her but how do I do that? Drop into a seiza? Become her servant? Maybe teach her how to use my own personal sorcery? I don’t know about the last one… It’s not something anyone can learn, but maybe with her ego, she won’t have to worry about it?

"I'll become taller than you-! I still have time to grow! All areas! I'll surpass you in all areas! Not just height!"

Eh? Yes? I didn’t I just start furiously nodding from behind Kasumi if it’ll make Motou Chiasa better. Wait what else have I surpassed Motou Chiasa in? I noticed that I’m a little taller, but I couldn’t tell what else I was ahead in…

She mentioned about not fitting a miko’s outfit too well… Maybe it was being a miko? But if it’s that, wouldn’t it be hard to surpass me there? The Aoyama family is what you could call a purebreed miko family. Ever since Tokugawa Ieyasu ordered my family to watch over Izanami-sama, we’ve always had the head of the family watch over the shrine without fail. So for countless generations, we’ve raised our kids to be competent miko and kannushi.

Maybe I could train her, but… I haven’t even properly fixed up the Shrine. I shouldn’t train someone while it’s in such a horrible state. Maybe sometime after I finish fixing it up with Kasumi, I can offer to train her?

[Airen]

Watanabe Yuuki
Northern Cross Academy, Grounds
April 17th, 2056, Early Evening
Event Stock: 0
Sunny

The tent was getting bigger and bigger every day.

Having become something of a common sight on the school grounds, the small violet tent had subtly begun to grow in size over the course of the past couple of days; it was normally blocked off for 'renovations' which hadn't made much sense at first, seeing as how this was literally just a tent, the sort of tent you would pitch out in the woods when you went camping, and yet...

Now there was an actual door, along with an actual lock... It looked like a glass door, and there were a number of side rooms now, or rather side-tents; this had happened overnight, you had woken up this morning only for people to be muttering about it in the dormitories, still...

The owner hadn't been around then, but since you had planned to hang out with her today at around this time, you figured the culprit for this mysteriously expanding tent would have to show herself sooner and later, and indeed, standing outside of it long after the others had lost interest in it, the sound of someone making a grunt of effort, leads your eyes to land on what you first assume is a pile of solitary moving cardboard boxes.

"...Heavy."

The rather small girl beneath said hell of boxes, was Motou Chiasa; her face can't be seen but that voice and height couldn't really be anyone else, but-

Suddenly...

"Ah, no, no-!"

She stumbles in the direction of both you the tent, tripping in a most inconvenient fashion over what seemed to be a particularly large rock, speeding up in an attempt to counterbalance the sudden shift in weight but in spite of her best efforts...

One escapes, and you find a lone cardboard box suddenly plunging down at your head; the contents inside are rattling gently, and sound like...

Glass?

[Airen]

Yoko Aoyama
Northern Cross Academy
Vier's Classroom
April 12th, 2056
Weather: Sunny
Event Stock: 1

"..."

The knight immediately plays her role.

With the smaller girl proving to be much more intimidating than anyone had expected when she wanted to be, Kasumi raises one arm slightly to better shield you behind her body; it is an automatic reflex, she understands that there is no actual threat here, that it's merely the weaponized denial of a girl bursting free from it's restraints, and yet her body and gaze become that of a protective knight in spite of that...

...It's also intimidating.

An emotionless glare, something that would make most back off, but this one-

"..."

Just stares back at her for a bit, matching a pure intensity with a somewhat unserious anger, before-

"Good work, get those heroine flags~! You're only young once-! Heck, I'll even be the rival that drives you together, it'll be great~"

The last part is hard for you to hear.

She smiles, nods, and flashes a thumbs up at your friend before turning back as if to return to her seat; smile morphing into something actively mischievous as she does her best to suppress the sudden urge to cackle at her own genius and-

"...Eh? W-Wait a second-! What're you saying?!"

A sudden spin, a smile that is surprisingly warm, and-

"I'm saying I want to get to know my classmates better! What do you say Yoko-san? Dinner with me sometime? I'll forgive your teasing if you say yes~ It'll be fun, I could show you around town~"

The class goes silent.

Baffled, truly baffled, by this girl that completely seems to lack any sense of shame or embarrassment, really...

Her sudden confidence in herself is so overwhelming it's almost become a pressure you could physically feel, and Kasumi-

"...huh-?"

Seems to have had her mind go blank again...

[palad1n]

Watanabe Yuuki
Northern Cross Academy, Grounds
April 17th, 2056, Early Evening
Event Stock: 0
Sunny

If he had any doubts that Moto Chiasa is a rather unique person, then the sight of an ever-expanding tent on the school grounds shatters any remaining, lingering doubts about that.

He really didn't get why she'd even expand it, she's doing this business alone as far as he could tell and remember, and side-tents doesn't really accomplish anything if the fortune teller is alone...

But knowing Chiasa, she must have had an interesting reason.

That's why he's waiting in front of the tent, actually looking forward to meet her, though the six-days gap since their introduction at the train means that he's bound to be nervous; he knew he's supposed to help her out today, but this is basically hanging out with a girl, and he doesn't really know or sure what he's supposed to do.

He couldn't even focus on listening to music through his earphone thanks to the nervousness.

"Calm down, Yuuki..." He muttered to himself, taking a few deep breaths as he stopped the music and removed the earphone. "It's alright. Chiasa is the type of person who leads a conversation, so you shouldn't have any trouble thinking on what you should say. You just need to act naturally, remember how you act around Eve, and you should be fine-!"

Talking to himself like this is something he only did when he's alone and nervous...

But at least it always manage to calm down his own nerves to a certain extent.

Thankfully before the nervousness could come back, the sound of rattling cardboard boxes drew his attention; he turned his gaze to the source - what appeared to be solitary moving cardboard boxes - before he remembered from the grunts that Chiasa is a rather petite girl, and the voice is unmistakably hers. She's clearly struggling carrying all those boxes, so he started walking towards her to help-

"Ah, no, no-!"

-Only for her to trip, and despite her commendable efforts in balancing her load...

One still escapes, and in fact, is plunging down his head-!

With the memory of a giant fish being thrown his way still fresh in his mind, Yuuki's first instinct was to once again warps out of harm's way, but the sound of rattling from the box - that of glass - made him pause.

If he dodges out of the way, the contents of the box is definitely done for, and the image of a teary-eyed Chiasa as she despaired over the broken contents - blaming her height and stature before blaming him from escaping despite his height - isn't a pleasant one, if only because it will result in a broken friendship before it even started.

So he should catch it - as a union, he should be able to do it with ease despite its weight now - but is he fast enough? And even if he can catch it, there is still the stumbling Chiasa coming his way...

Could he catch the box and ensure he's balanced enough to stand his ground if the girl crashes into him?

Dismissing those thoughts, his bad habit of overthinking things, Yuuki decided to stand his ground and catch the box, bracing himself for a potential impact from both the box and Chiasa.

He suppose an everyday battle like this is just a part of bonding with others-!

[RacingeR]

Loraine Irwin
Tomobiki, Nagatani Estate
Morning
April 11th, 2056
Weather: Clear Skies, Warm.
Seithr Rating: 100 (Safe)
Event Stock: 3

“You…” Loraine held her head like she was about to have a headache. No, scratch that, she was having a headache. This silly girl.

“Well, I guess we don’t lose anything by asking, but just saying, I won’t accept anything that doesn’t let me room with you, got it?” Lori said, poking Nina in the forehead, ultimately surrendering to her. She was being silly, and she knew it, but doing something like entering the labyrinth just to honor the effort put into it was something so… her that Lori found herself unable to say anything. She was never able to go against her, anyway.

“Fine, anyway, going back at the matter at hand, you want to go through the labyrinth, right?” Lori said with a slight smile. It was obvious that the mere mention of the possibility of treasure had been enough to motivate her. “Alright, leave it up to your older sister to guide you through it!”

She firmly caught a hold of Nina’s hand, just to make sure they didn’t get separated, and stared towards the center’s exit. “Treasure, here I come!”

… One could say that, in a way, Lori was almost as silly as her sister was, provided the right incentives were applied.

She advanced, as she kept in mind all her knowledge and experience about labyrinths, and the magic fields involved, sure that she’d be able to decipher its pattern before the morning ended.

[Kuroyuki]

Yoko Aoyama
Northern Cross Academy
Vier's Classroom
April 12th, 2056
Weather: Sunny
Event Stock: 1

"..."

After I got behind Kasumi, she immediately threw out her arm to hide me better. I don’t know why but there was something relaxing about seeing her back like this. Even without seeing her face, I could tell that she was giving off one impressive glare. However, even I think that she’s going a little far.

"..."

However, it seems that Motou Chiasa isn’t even fazed. If anything she seemed to be returning Kasumi’s glare equally. The silence between the two was… worrying. While I meant to hide behind Kasumi and away from an irritated Motou Chiasa. Should I do something about this?

"Good work, get those heroine flags~! You're only young once-! _{Heck, I'll even be the rival it'll be great~}"

Heroine flag? A rival? I’m a bit confused on why being my rival is great and why she looks so happy about it. From my understanding isn’t a rival bad?

"...Eh? W-Wait a second-! What're you saying?!"

Seems like Kasumi heard Motou Chiasa clearly because she reacted to something Motou Chiasa said.

"I'm saying I want to get to know my classmates better! What do you say Yoko-san? Dinner with me sometime? I'll forgive your teasing if you say yes~ It'll be fun, I could show you around town~"

Eh? What is she saying? Do rivals normally take you out to dinner and show you around?

"...huh-?"

And Kasumi is as confused as me. As far as I am aware, rivals are a bad thing. But I want to make things up but I'm busy this week... I finally peek out of Kasumi's back.

"Next week?"

I hide back behind Kasumi.

"...But with Kasumi."

[Airen]

Loraine Irwin
Tomobiki, Nagatani Estate
Morning
April 11th, 2056
Weather: Clear Skies, Warm.
Seithr Rating: 100 (Safe)
Event Stock: 3

Alright-!"

The search for treasure is one that can excite a childlike wonder even in older children and teenagers, and indeed, reunited with your 'sister,' the search for the center of the labyrinth becomes something less inherently stressful, and rather, a simple game, something no different than the other 'benign' labyrinths on the isles...

Like the library back home, minus the 'fail condition' that was being dropped into the ocean just outside of the beach when you happened to take a wrong turn-!

Still, with the chatterbox next to you, even the rather gentle 'back to the start' nature of this space became little more than a speed-bump on the road, no, perhaps not even that, so long as you were together it didn't really matter what you were doing, but still-!

A maze was a challenge.

And challenges must be conquered-!

Soon enough the key behind the maze becomes apparent; whenever a turn or tunnel appeared, the 'correct path' was the one that had slightly amplified sounds of running water from what seemed to be a fountain at the maze's center, the wrong paths were more subdued, lacking the distant sounds of water and thus hinting that they simply led back to the start of the maze, and indeed, once this answer appears it is rather simple but-

"Oh? Hello!"

Lori calls out to someone while you're deep in thought, and focusing your gaze...

...There's a girl dressed like a ninja coming from the other direction; as if she had been heading through the maze backwards herself, and while she blinks at the sudden encounter, an expression of surprise crossing her face for a moment...

"Hello there~ You two new students?"

She goes right to friendly immediately afterwards.

[Airen]

Lucas Guerrin
Shopping District, Tomobiki
Morning
April 13th, 2056
Event Stock: 0

"No, not really."

She gestures back without an ounce of hesitation, the speed of the response making it clear that such things were not unfamiliar to her in the slightest; of course she smiles while doing it, as if the sight of you together with Ariel was somewhat amusing to her, but after making her initial response to your sudden poker face rather clear...

"Having fun with the doctor?"

...It seems she gets to poking fun at you as well, kneeling down on the rooftop with her arms moving to wrap around her knees, meanwhile...

"Planning on running away, Lucas? Or just distracted by the scenery?"

Ariel, who had started off again with the intention of you following along after her, calls back over her shoulder as she stops, turning her head ever so slightly to regard you once more.

"Won't do you any good to run~ I have you locked down for the day."

A cheerful reminder from a somewhat infuriating woman...