Spirit Pulse : Mugen No Sekai [IC]

[Airen]

Lydia
Main Processing Unit Online
Partner Condition: 403
Location: Astrolabe, Fields
Date: ERROR, Unknown
Time: ERROR, Unknown

"...Now you have to actually be honest with me, why in the world are you two planning on confronting something as insane as an Administrator?"

---She chuckles.

"Well, there are a few reasons, humans are complicated beings after all, right?"

When it comes to your declaration of a happy ending for this scenario the blonde woman ultimately doesn't say much, at least not at first, just letting out a brief nod at the end as if she more or less agreed with what you were saying, but...

At the same time, it doesn't quite feel like that's what she meant, like she did agree with the happy ending part, but...

But...

---No, impossible to say in this instance.

"But if you're looking for main motivations... Well, for Lara it's personal I guess, she's got some grievances to air out with it."

Hands on her hips now, the girl shakes her head once from side to side and shrugs, as if to say 'what are you gonna do?'

"As for me... Well, she has no hope if I'm not here so I sort of have to be here... But to be honest, it's more like... This is our last grasp at buying some time?"

She turns away, looking back towards Lara, who seems to have sat down in a circle of flowers in the distance, black hair whirling around in the winds...

"There are these... Entities running around the World right now, messing things up, attacking people, trying to destabilize whatever they can find... They're a bit of a pain, making some people's missions a lot harder than they have to be..."

She turns back to you.

"Guess you could call em Alcheringa? Well, I use Alchera, but it's the same general thing... Point being, they all draw their power from this Administrator thing, there were only supposed to be three, but this one is the fourth... Real goal here is to smack it once as hard as we can, see if we can't destabilize it a bit, hit their power source and force all it's little soldiers to retreat."

She laughs again, in an ambiguous way that could be either depressed or generally amused...

"There are a ton of problems with this approach of course, but we don't have many options left at this point..."

Grabbing you once again, the woman starts off into the distance herself.

"I figure as long as it doesn't instantly snap us out of existence we should do alright, but well... That's the problem really, there's a chance it could do exactly that considering what she and I are... But eh, don't really have any other options, just gonna have to roll the dice and hope we can take it."

---Well, that's a bit ominous.

"Maybe having someone watching us will affirm our existences a bit, so make sure to watch close, okay?"

[Zurvan]

Lydia
Main Processing Unit Online
Partner Condition: 403
Location: Astrolabe, Fields
Date: ERROR, Unknown
Time: ERROR, Unknown

"Mhmmmmmmm~ A desperate, even personal mission to buy time for the World huh. Okay, that's all I need to know!"

Where one certain Tamer can't help himself to try and figure out everything that's going on, Lydia quickly enough catches on that the more she knows the worse it's going to be.

These two had a mission, something they needed to get done no matter what. So what if this talk of Administrators, affirming existences and even saving the World didn't make too much sense, it doesn't need to make sense for the girl to know what must be done.

Reading between the line she can tell that even if she were to get all the answers, it would only serve to make her a target as well.

Even so she can't fall here, not when there's two idiots to watch over, a happy ending to forge.

It certainly sounds like they are hopelessly outmatched... and yet, that is exactly the time that miracles can be manifested.

Through sheer tenacity and unbendable wills of steel.

But that's not the only thing Lydia catches onto...

"Now my sensors may still be slightly off, but I can't help but see past your facade Sarah... Hear my words and don't you forget them."
Once more the sisterly COMP speaks words straight from the heart, intent on piercing the soul of any that listen.

"All three of us are going to carve out that happy ending. Get it, all t h r e e. I'm not going to allow either of you to be the self sacrificing hero alright!?"

Yes... this girl is a creation of unyielding hope and memories of better times. A turning point to light for a boy that lived in darkness. A unsung heroine that continues to give and care for any soul she deems right.

"It's gotta be all three of us, it's not a happy ending otherwise."

Will it be enough to turn the tide, or will the dice crush any meddlers with fate?

No, the odds don't matter, not to this girl.

Because she's chosen to carry this weight along with these two.

She can't fail... if she deep down wishes to ever face him again.

It has to be a happy end.

[hero]

Amamiya Sho
Aoyama, Streets
11/16/2026
Monday - Dark Hour


"I'll be honest: I care little for what's going on here, and the more you talk, the more you begin to sound like the weekly villain you probably are. Perhaps that why nobody comes: You're simply not worth the trouble."

Amamiya Sho is not the best when it comes to first impressions.

He's hard-working, reliable and arguably kind. But, during first meetings, he ultimately says the wrong thing to say or does the wrong thing to do, which usually forces the situation to take a turn for the worst. It's like a curse, like an instinct that can rarely be held back. It might not be the first time this person meets Amamiya Sho. After all, she already knows his name. Hell, it might even be someone Amamiya Sho has met at some point in the past and just simply forgot about her, a common occurrence in life.

But to Amamiya Sho, this feels like a first meeting, and so, he voices his thoughts openly, even against a foe that vastly outclasses him in supernatural might. He could very well receive a grave injury in retaliation, but he never paused for an instant to even consider that.

During that moment, he simply followed his gut. Gut that urged him to pull the stranger's attention away from the small red haired girl and back to himself.

"But then again, who am I to judge? I might just be at the bottom of the food-chain myself. You have at least heard my name, so you must be aware of what you are working with. Knowing that, Do you really want to fight? I am not sure your image is going to survive that sort of damage. People might shame you for venting on Aoyama's weakest tamer when you could have picked someone of your own size."

If words could kill, then I'd probably be a serial killer.

Unfortunately, though, I am just an average student who does Tamer things as a part-time job.

That means I need a back-up plan to deal with this situation before it blows up in my face.

"But to hell with these speeches, right? Tell you what. You give us a reasonable handicap, and I'll make sure, personally, that you get one hell of an entertaining fight. You know, something challenging, yet not particularly crippling. Have you ever tried fighting with your eyes closed? You seem like a skilled physical fighter, you could probably pull it off. Here, I'll even put up a good show... "

Sorry, Jack. Little Girl. I'm afraid you'll have to take responsibility.

I did not drag you into this pit. You dragged me into it.

If you came here on your own volition, then I'll take it you can at least handle yourselves.

Because I am far from being a god-like protagonist or a secret member of the Phoenix Rangers.

I won't be able to look after you. All I have is my own road to follow.

Let's just hope it works out.

"Miss Troublemaker: I am taking you into custody for severe misbehavior, property damage and resistance to authority."

Heh... Might have always wanted to say that.

[Airen]

Rossweisse
SLEIPNIR - Artificial Park
11/16/2026
Monday - Morning

"Dreamweave?"

Myra blinks.

Obediently looking into the depths of the application when it is presented to her, the young Rose Cross Tamer doesn't quite seem to understand what it is she's being shown at first...

Indeed, it's much like a natural obedience.

Like a younger sibling instinctively looking at something someone older tells them to look at, but...

"That's uh... Yeah, I guess it is a list of names..."

When she does say something again, it's merely to state the obvious, that being...

That is exactly what you say it is...

"Ours are colored sure, but what does that mean? Is this like... A sensor thing?"

She tilts her head.

"Something that tells you when others are nearby? Could be something like that right? That would explain the different color- No... No it wouldn't actually, hmmm..."

She narrows her eyes in thought.

---Despite the gesture being naturally more inclined towards negativity, she has the sort of face that looks naturally cute regardless of what she's actually doing, so...

It's more adorable than anything else-!

"Ah... Tech isn't my thing..."

In the end, she just sighs...

Behind her, two of your silver-haired coworkers (Logan and Ludwig) walk into the lunchroom together, chatting about something you can't quite catch, and...

Then...

"But umm... You said remember your past, right? So you like... Have amnesia or something?"

Her gaze reorients on you.

"I'm uh... A bit surprised you told me about that... But uhm... If you want to talk about it I'll listen to you...?"

Before she says this, although considering the twitchy way she says it...

She's a bit of an awkward person socially...

[Kuroyuki]

Hiyori
SLEIPNIR - Bottom Level, Endless Hall
11/16/2026
Monday - Morning

"Well, you are certainly talkative for a Little Doll, but not annoying enough to chase you off... So watch me as you'd like."

“Well I would rather be annoyingly enthusiastic than smug! There’s plenty of people with their overconfident mid boss one liners here.”

‘No one has ever seen through this technique’ ‘You’ll be a good warmup.’ It’s almost like everyone in this crazy faction couldn’t help themselves from projecting that antihero vibe that our faction seems to cultivate! You could say that Miss Smug would fit in nicely if she just introduced herself to everyone. Maybe that’s why she’s here… Birds of the feather flocking together because I can’t imagine her mingling to someone equally smug or carefree like me.

"Although trapped... Well, that loop was a thing of that being's creation, considering I banished it from this area for a time, we should be able to escape it's grasp now."

“So wait... I was right in my theory then! I did need to hit something to get out! Granted, I didn’t think I would have to beat someone up… But something did need to get hit to get out… If that’s the case… Was that why you were looking at me so smugly as I flew around originally?!”

I bet she’s going to say it was amusing to watch some annoying idiot wasting energy trying to find the way out. How was I supposed to know that someone would ACTUALLY center the endless space around themselves?! Typically people use it for like sneak attacks because you can almost dynamically change the looping point if you moved the object that was the center. Well I guess it’s hard for people to run away if you’re the center… But typically most people weren’t strong enough to pull that off or smart enough to make it… So I feel justified in my thoughts!

On the other hand… Miss Smug was right! SLEPNIR went back to normal! So it went from empty, foreboding, empty hallways to just empty, normal (?) hallways since we were at the bottom level of the SLEPNIR! Actually I take it back, the hallway is empty but not the normal empty that I’m used to. While I’m sure most of them would be at the simulators to train as much as they can, but there would still be a few people training in their rooms here and there.

"And when it comes to your coworkers... Well, evading them should be relatively simple. Ordinarily, invading a Tamer base is impossible, but under these circumstances, it is possible to get in through a separate layer, one with no one on it..."

“Separate layer?”

I look down at Miss Smug’s head as if to question her on what she meant by a separate, empty layer. Did she mean something similar to the endless hallways we were in originally or?

"It is like... I suppose you could say we are in the 'dream' version of the ship, only those that are 'sleeping' can enter here, so there's less defenses than normal... Well, not that the definitions of being 'asleep' and 'awake' are all that clear nowadays considering how fragile our 'reality' is at the moment... But that's the simplest way to put it for now."

“Ah! So you can enter it from the dream side to get past everyone, and then reappear in the real world once you’re past them. It sounds like the time level in Titandropl 2’s campaign! Flip between the two time axes to solve puzzles and get past everyone.”

I really loved that level! It was really innovative especially since you needed to do the time switching midjump or solving puzzles that way. However...

“But how do you enter the dream side without falling asleep? A personal spell of yours or is it another OOPart?”

I looked down curiously at Miss Smug’s head. What she said sounds easy… But… It sounds really difficult and dangerous. If we’re in the dream world, then that implies that we could enter a nightmare world right? Well I guess we just came out of the nightmare world… Barely. But what happens if we lost in one of those? Would we never wake up ever again? While I was pondering that line of thought… Miss Smug turned a corner and spotted something.

"Ah, seems they dragged more than just you in, they're really quite barbaric."

“Oh?”

I looked up from her head to find… What was her name again… I liked to pride myself on being friendly and open, but even I couldn’t remember everyone on the SLEPNIR like Ross did… What was her name again? Something with an A? Not Anna… Not Adala… Ah that’s right it’s.

“Oh hey it’s Astra!”

I flew up from Miss Smug’s head and towards Astra.

“OIIIII! OIIIIIII! Astraaaaaaa! Wake up!”

If she doesn’t wake up from that! I’ll have to up my waking up game! I may be cute and cuddly in my power saving form but I’m sure I can pull off a sufficient little sister jump onto her with my flight capabilities!





Rossweisse
SLEIPNIR - Artificial Park
11/16/2026
Monday - Morning

"Dreamweave?"

“Yeah at least that’s what it says it is. Not sure if it means anything at this time my COMP went off to visit one of the Rothschild’s chief smiths to investigate it and… ”

I’m not entirely sure about how I feel about it. While I find the message itself suspicious… The SLEPNIR should be safe… It’s a literal battleship and has the hardest security to breach even if you were on the inside so… Hiyori should be fine… But if that’s the case then why do I feel so uneasy about that message? Sure it’s not like her… Maybe I’m just overthinking things…

“Ours are colored sure, but what does that mean? Is this like... A sensor thing? Something that tells you when others are nearby? Could be something like that right? That would explain the different color- No... No it wouldn't actually, hmmm…”

Myra on the other hand started scrolling through the names on the Dreamweave app and making her own hypothesis on the Dreamweave app itself. Despite the fact that she looked like she was starting going deep into thought again. This time a bit differently from when I first saw her. Almost like she was staring at a puzzle that was a little too hard for her but she was trying to do it anyways.

"Ah... Tech isn't my thing..."

“It’s fine.”

This time, I consciously headpat Myra to let her know that I didn’t mind. I think it should help her mood a little bit… I think.

“You at least came up with a hypothesis for it unlike the three of us. I kind of stared at mine confusedly and then eventually I just decided to let someone else look into it for me... So I think you did much better.”

I notice two people arrive (finally) from our faction to greet our guests… Oh it’s Ludwig and Logan. I haven’t seen them in some time but I’m happy that they’re here to help.

"But umm... You said remember your past, right? So you like... Have amnesia or something? I'm uh... A bit surprised you told me about that... But uhm... If you want to talk about it I'll listen to you...?"

“...Well it won’t be a long story. So typically Rothschild members come from other factions right? They take some form of a test to measure the applicant’s strength and talent to see if they’re worthy of joining approximately every year or so. Typically the applicants are well known from their previous factions and known to have significant power too… But not for me.”

I started remembering my first couple of memories.

“My first memory was waking up in a room by myself about… One and a half years ago? At the time… I just woke up super disoriented and staggered around the SLEPNIR until I eventually collapsed… Some time after that I woke up in the ship’s infirmary and got asked a bunch of questions like did I know where I was, what I could remember, and who I was...”

That was actually the first time I met Dr. Xavier and definitely not the last since I kept spending time at the infirmary…

“I couldn’t really remember anything except for my name, Rossweisse, and my ability to fight.”

Back then, I didn’t have Hiyori so all I did really was hit things with my fists…

“Even when they suggested that I get a COMP to see if I could jog some memories… I didn’t get anything. No flashbacks. Nothing. Somehow I ended up getting Hiyori despite not knowing anything Japanese at the time…”

Yet… Something about it felt right. Not entirely right like it was a little off somehow… But it still felt right for some reason. Like there was something comforting about Hiyori being in that form for reasons that I can’t explain. A comforting kind of aura despite the person herself not having any of that feel?

“And well I never got any more hints at my past until this Dreamweave thing… and well I guess this one flashback I just got… Something about America...”

I laugh nervously…

“Sorry I’m practically unloading this onto you… Especially since it’s our first time meeting… So just let me know if I’m a bother… I’m supposed to be welcoming you not bothering you off already after all...”

[Spinach]

Hyakka Onjouji
Dark Side of the Moon
11/16/2026
Monday - Early Morning (?)

“Hana is a member of the Occult Club… so long as it continues to engage in genuine club activities. Productive, genuine activities.”

It was the cool voice of the AI, Tsubaki, which answered the inquiries of the blonde amazoness. The small girl partnered to the cold AI was preoccupied with her awe at the untamed darkness of the universe. Her naïve mind felt at ease staring into the expanse that promised to never end, a great curtain of black, yet in her eyes a soft and warm bed.

Yet the girl felt that it was abnormal. Some instincts she had been disconnected from, perhaps as a result of amnesia, tugged at her mind, informing her that something was amiss. She did not ignore the realization, the hunch, the subconscious awareness. The girl simply accepted it as truth, but stared into the void regardless.

Despite it all, real or not, there was comfort in the star-littered cosmos.

Far from dreams or reality, somewhere outside of heaven and earth, a place where nightmares were warded off by a dark so great that no sinister force could ever manifest.

“One of her senpai mentioned it to us in passing… A strange video service with the tagline ‘Through the Looking Glass.’ Revolution, Lunar, Ruin. We haven’t watched any of them personally, but Lunar depicts a politically active society on the moon that battles a crystal monster.”

Though the AI had no form, its presence currently no more than a voice occupying the air around her pint-sized partner, it could be felt that it turned its attention to the surface of the moon.

In particular, the gradient glass that appeared in spotty patches atop the surface of the moon.

“… If this moon-city is full of rabbit-eared people, this will stop being merely an uncomfortable sequence of coincidences.”

[Airen]

Ayra Lilygrove
Nameless Forest ~ Kuzunoha Village
11/16/2026
Monday - Early Morning

“If that’s the case, can’t you relay that information to him, instead?” As a squire, he’d naturally be in a better position to do his own investigations on the matter. Using Mika as an intermediary here seemed less attention grabbing than if she told Ryan herself. “And is it fine if I know these things? Or is there not really a rule about it?”

"Well, I would ask him to do it, but he's gone dark on me today..."

The woman sighs in an exasperated way, one hand going up to massage her head again in that way that implied she was trying to fight off a migraine...

"Apparently had some sort of date today? It's understandable I guess, don't want work hounding you all the time... And he is that age where your hormones are running crazy... But it's a bit of inconvenient timing now that all of this imposter nonsense has come to light..."

She chuckles.

"Well, I'll send some stuff his way later and see if he can look into it. As for their being rules, well... I try to keep it on a need-to-know basis just in case anyone gets caught, but in this instance... It's probably better that you know about him."

A shrug, as she brushes her hair from her eyes.

"Call it a gut feeling, I don't think telling you will backfire."

The amused smile returns, as if remembering what she had said earlier about you being a certain type of person...

“Oh, since we’re on the whole team-building aspect, we could do a joint exercise with the SDCD? They’re absolutely sticklers for this stuff, and they could front some of the costs… And your daughter goes to a Tamer school, right? It’d be a nice change of pace.”

"...Hmm."

A thinking noise.

Brief but audible, a sign that this person is taking your suggestion relatively seriously, and...

"Simple, but simple might be best."

...In the end, she nods at you.

"I do have some more official sway with the SDCD staff, so I might be able to make something like that happen... Make some phone calls with old friends and run it by Cross while she's here today... Bunch of their students went on that Cross-Faction Assignment earlier, so maybe I can phrase it as a sort of field trip for the others that didn't get to go...? Yeah, they might go for that, would be a fun change of pace..."

She stands.

"Although if I'm gonna make this happen with any real speed I'll have to get started on it pretty soon, anything else you wanted to talk about it? Decided where you're gonna head from here?"

[Airen]

Hiyori
SLEIPNIR - Second Floor, Hallways
11/16/2026
Monday - Morning

---It's with a faint look of amusement that Charlotte watches you dive-bomb your silver-haired coworker.

It's the ultimate outcome of the situation... When you call out to Astra, the silver-haired girl doesn't respond to you in any way, shape, or form, simply laying there silently, breathing in and out in a gentle sleep-like manner, thus-!

A little sister jump-!

Or rather, flight-!

Flying tackle, straight to the stomach-!

"..."

It's a bit of a rough impact.

It's not entirely unexpected of course, Rothschild members were always training, so of course their muscles would be top-notch, but... Really, it's impressive how steel-like her abs are... You wouldn't be able to tell it just by looking at her, she's rather skinny all things considered, but the sheer strength of those muscles was...

Yeah.

That's shockingly tough-!

It's almost like slamming into a wall-!

But the impact is certainly nothing to ignore either, surely she'd wake up from this right? Even with those abs of steel, there's only so much ignoring one can do after being dive tackled by someone, but-!

"..."

That's exactly what she does!

Continue to sleep!

It's quite bizarre... You don't sense any curses, nor can you see any real signs of physical damage, so...

Had she finally just collapsed from overwork? Was she just this heavy of a sleeper?

---It's hard to tell, still...

When it comes to your earlier questions, Charlotte, or rather Miss Smug...

"How did I get in? Well... There are a few ways..."

Ultimately just says this, as if unsure if she should share the exact methods behind her apparent dream-walking ability...

"To some extent it's simply a matter of perspective, I know this side of the world exists, and thus I am able to see the cracks in reality and follow them to these sorts of places... Of course, knowing about it also means it is possible for the beings of that realm to drag you in too, so it's a sort of double-edged sword."

She shrugs.

"If you're bold enough, simply walking around alone can get you pulled into this place, the Alchera prefer targets that are by themselves, that's when the World's grasp on them is at it's weakest, when no one else is around to observe them... It gives them plausible deniability, in a sense."

Then steps forward, towards you and Astra, the click of her heels on the ground slow and unworried, a sign of absolute confidence even in a situation where it seems like that confidence may just be the tiniest bit misplaced...

"Especially right now, when the World is but a step away from being a dream, where only everyone's belief that it is real is what gives it the properties of being so... Yes, the World is quite fragile... I'm here to see the extent of that fragility myself, but I digress..."

She kneels down next to you both, and...

"...I think the X-Cross had some program for navigating this World, DreamwWeave or some such? Not sure how it worked, I was never invited to the... Situation."

A vague smile, then...

"Hey, Miss Smug look! It's Astra-"

...Then, you hear a voice.

"And... You...? Me...?"

A voice that is shockingly familiar, a voice that is impossible, yes...

It's your own.

Coming from the opposite side of the hall, from atop the head of a person that also shouldn't be standing over there, twenty meters away, when she is right next to you, yes...

"Ah."

Charlotte lets out a sound.

No.

Both Charlotte's let out a sound, then, simultaneously...

"This isn't good. Things are more broken than I thought. You two shouldn't be able to be here."

...Words.

---And with them, a bizarre feeling from deep inside of your body.

A resonance, as you look over and find yourself existing in another place, yes...

---A resonance.

That's the only way to describe it.

Like some invisible force suddenly wanted to smash you together...?

[Airen]

Rossweisse
SLEIPNIR - Artificial Park
11/16/2026
Monday - Morning

“Sorry I’m practically unloading this onto you… Especially since it’s our first time meeting… So just let me know if I’m a bother… I’m supposed to be welcoming you not bothering you off already after all...”

"Oh no, it's fine, really!"

She waves her arms in a frantic sort of way.

"It's okay! This is what this assignment is about right? Connection with other Tamers? So it might be a bit fast, but um... I'm honored you felt comfortable enough to tell me about those sorts of things!"

Yep.

Good-hearted, but a bit awkward...

"I can sort of sympathize too, I understand, amnesia can be very rough!"

She nods.

Energetically?

Frantically?

Hard to say, but she certainly does it with some repeated oomph-!

"When I was a kid, I was told I disappeared for awhile while on a trip to Japan... I can't remember it though, one day I was walking home from school and the next thing I knew I was wandering around in the backyard of this bakery in Aoyama where some nice people found me... It was really quite strange...!"

Honesty is rewarded with honest perhaps?

Or maybe she feels she should open up in a similar way because you did so first?

Either way, she...

"The authorities thought it was some sort of kidnapping... I'm not sure myself but it sort of sounds right... I get flashes of memory from time to time, of some girl telling me to do something I think...? Go home, maybe...? I can't quite remember... Think it was a Tamer..."

Doesn't seem too shaken up by it, probably because, just as she says...

She can't really remember the events.

Images might remain, but any emotion she had felt of that time seems to have completely fallen away...

"Whoever it was, I kind of got the feeling they had really helped me out, so... I decided to try to be like them! That's why I'm here today-!"

She laughs in a nervous way here, as if finally reaching a point that she actually felt weird talking about...

"Does that sound cliche? It's totally cliche right? Ugh... I'm a stereotype..."

Her head falls into her hands.

[Airen]

Cosmos Fairchild
LOVELESS, Moon Under Water
12/22/2026
Evening, Thunder Storm

---Things get darker as you descend lower, into the depths of this restaurant, the bizarre digital recreation of a day that no longer is...

It's a purposeful dark, the dark of a theater or a stage, a dark to contrast the lights that come into view all around you as you descend, lights that point down below, to the heart of a Sakura Tree, where the obvious awaits you, yes...

It's a stage.

A karaoke stage perhaps?

At first things seem silent as you descend, while you can make out the figures of all sorts of people down below and even see someone vaguely familiar looking dancing on the stage with microphone in hand, you can't hear her voice, at least, not at first...

---It happens around five steps down, when your intention of reaching the bottom becomes clear, a surge of noise erupts all around you... In reality, it is probably simply that you have crossed some sort of threshold, a noise barrier designed to be courteous to the guests on the upper floors who may not appreciate the constant scream of guitars and voices down below, but you can hear it, yes...

A song, echoing from down below as you yourself descend:

Playing with the coins in my pocket
making it sound clink walking along
I know if I do this, luck will change
and everything is going to be just fine
Humming a tune la la la la la
as I walk along through the streets again
I know if I do this, problems I have right now
will be out of my mind
Had enough following my dreams

Easy way out, easy way out,
Easy way out in everything
Easy way out, easy way out,
Easy way out let it go

This isn't me, this isn't me,
This isn't me what's wrong today
This isn't me, this isn't me,
This isn't me forget it

Ignoring the grown-ups laughing
like he he he he
walking through the streets
Know it'll be a disaster
if wickedness they have gets to me
Humming a tune la la la la la
as I walk along through the streets again
Know that this life is hard to live
but let's at least be rich in heart
Countless dreams deserting me
All of those that never came true

Easy way out, easy way out,
Easy way out in everything
Easy way out, easy way out,
Easy way out let it go

This isn't me, this isn't me,
This isn't me what's wrong today
This isn't me, this isn't me,
This isn't me forget it
Ray of light in the darkness
Light that gives me the chance to win the next

Easy way out, easy way out,
Easy way out in everything
Easy way out, easy way out,
Easy way out let it go

This isn't me, this isn't me,
This isn't me what's wrong today
This isn't me, this isn't me,
This isn't me forget it

Wake up now, wake up now,
Wake up now, now's the time
Wake up now, wake up now,
Wake up now, enough already
Wake up now, wake up now,
Wake up now, myself
Wake up now, wake up now,
Wake up now, get up now



---The singer is familiar.

Yes. The clothes may be different and she might be on a stage in front of what must be a hundred or so people, but it's certainly the figure of a certain Hand of Mary, a certain Aunt of yours, who finishes singing with one hand pointing straight up into the air to an eruption of cheers from everyone around her, and not just the unrecognizable masses either, no...

"Go Alisa! Go! Show em why you're the best!"

Another familiar voice is calling out with surprising strength...

That of Mary Fairchild, on a table closest to the stage alongside what seems like Namasaki Kenji, cheering for her friend with everything she has in her-! She looks quite different from her usual too, a simple pair of jeans and a t-shirt making it almost impossible to pick her out from amongst everyone else if you weren't actually looking for her, heck...

"Encore! Encore!"

She's even the one that starts this, the chanting for another performance, and on stage...

"Again?"

Alisa laughs, but...

"Fine, fine, just one more then-!"

The crowds cheer.

...For a moment, you think you see her look at you from on stage, at you specifically, at the person standing at the base of the stairs even though no digital entity is standing here, even though the woman herself is blind, but...

She looks away after ten seconds or so, so...

That's crazy... Right...?

She's just a memory file.

Either way, standing here now as the motions of the next song pick up, seeing something you had never thought actually possible in a number of different ways, you...

[Airen]

Raz Stone
Aoyama, Tokyo ~ Brewed Awakenings
11/16/2026
Monday - Noon

At the end of it all, you brandish your harmonica and play.

---The tart screams.

The Matador, meeting your challenging gaze with natural reciprocation, moves across the floor with all of the grace a trained dancer, countless years of unparalleled swordsmanship well preparing the demon for this day-!

---The tart screams.

Of course, when it comes to coffee, his had ultimately proven to be somewhat lacking in comparison, or rather, the simple Blue Mountain brew the skeleton had presented to the Demonic Nobility had been the weaker of his two presentations... The skeleton had made it obvious right away, that his specialty was more along the lines of food preparation than anything else...

"As the Lady Mokujima taught me, I will brandish my best coffee cake. Have at you-!"

Yes.

That had been the declaration, or at least, it had been something along those lines...

Sour Cream, Brown Sugar, Ground Cinnamon, Butter, many other things you cannot spy in your own preparatory phase...

All had led to the creation of a powerful cake, a butter/sour cream cake, with just the faintest hints of icing across the top...

---And still, the tart screams.

You don't hear it of course, not over the sound of your own playing, or perhaps simply because the curse that allows you to make this sort of thing simply does not allow you to do so, however...

---It does keep screaming.

Which leads us back to Ibaraki, where the woman had seemingly enjoyed the coffee just fine, her response to the tart had initially been to simply stare at it in what was certainly wonder and not abject horror at the abomination in front of her. Indeed, her composed face must hide a tearful smile of joy, as she cannot bear to look at it for much longer, instead placing the metallic cloche over it with a firm, firm grasp, all the strength of an Oni going to make sure she can no longer see it's

so the thing inside can't get out

splender...

Soon after, there's the briefest surge of reiki (probably from her joy at the situation) and then the feeling of heat, azure flames, flames that do not leak out from beneath the silver dome, flames you cannot feel or see, but flames that are certainly burning to death what can only be a biological weapon in the making, yes...

---So in the end, it seems she liked your coffee more, the matador's coffee cake more, and the entertainment...

About equally?

---Again, a stalemate.

Where Zerah has retreated into the back, there is not but a harmonica playing knight and a dancing skeleton crowding around an Oni eating breakfast... Quite the sight in the old ages, a normal one in the modern day...

---Maybe this World was a bit fantastical?

Nevertheless...

While one of her hands has remained ever present on the silver dome, the other regards the both of you with what can only be a practiced smile...

"...I appreciate both of your efforts."

There's a banging sound from inside the dome, as if something had just rammed it in an attempt to escape.

Another surge of reiki puts a stop to it.

"But let's see... I uh... I came here to ask for some testimonies from you actually..."

Truly, the situation must have rocked her world, considering she almost seems stunned by what had been presented to her...

"Erika Winters... Where would you say she was this morning? Before Noon? Was she with you?"

She had been, so...

Quite the bizarre question, still-!

"And someone named Dejah... A young girl, blonde, see anyone like that?"

---She seems to take the questions themselves rather seriously.

[palad1n]

Cosmos Fairchild
LOVELESS, Moon Under Water
12/22/2026
Evening, Thunder Storm

She doesn't understand.

She doesn't understand.

She doesn't understand.

Cosmos Fairchild doesn't understand what she's seeing or hearing.

She has never liked music that much, especially rock music. It's loud, too noisy, and she just doesn't see the appeal.

She never knew Aunt Alisa was a singer.

She thought she knew her mother. She'd never seen her mother in jeans, or t-shirt, or her cheering in a rock concert.

"..."

Silently, Cosmos wondered whether what she's seeing is real.

Perhaps it is a fabrication? A fake?

Why...?

How could this even be real?

'Cosmos...'

Attending rock concert... Wearing jeans and t-shirt... cheering at the top of her lungs...

"Haha..."

A weak chuckle escaped her lips as the music went on.

What would people say if they saw this?

What would the zealots do if they caught this?

Why...?

Why would her mother...

"... Did you know, Illia?"

Even though her aunt is singing and the music still blares on in the background, the world was deathly silent to Cosmos Fairchild.

She could hear naught but her own thoughts, her own heartbeat, and Illia's voice.

After a few seconds, that silence is broken.

'...No.' The AI confessed quietly. 'Even I didn't expect her to be like this.'

"Hahaha..." She chuckled. So even Illia didn't know, even though she has always disliked her mother.

She covered her mouth with her hands, and noticed them trembling.

"I never wore t-shirts or jeans."

She shook.

"I never hung out with friends at night."

Her vision swam.

"I've always... Always watched myself everyday, for nearly a decade, so nothing bad would be traced back to mother..."

She shivered, and hugged her own body to keep herself stable.

"Alyx breaks the rules and openly admits to not being religious, Aunt Alisa sings rock concert, and mother wears such clothing in public space, and nothing bad happened." She whispered, as if struck by a revelation. "They enjoyed themselves, yet everything went well."

Her voice broke.

"But when I just want to be more reliable, when I just want to know more about my past, everything went to hell... Even though I've tried my best... Even though I've tried my best to be a good and devout girl for ten years..."

She laughed.

Cosmos Fairchild laughed as tears streamed down her face.

Even though she should be happy to see her Aunt again.

Even though she should be happy to see and hear her mother's voice again.

There was only a single feeling Cosmos felt in her chest as she laughed and laughed.

Betrayal.

"Hey Illia... The world isn't fair, huh?"

Illia didn't answer.

The AI couldn't answer.

Ignoring the memory file seemingly looking her way, Cosmos Fairchild turned her back on the stage, away from the memory file of her aunt and mother, and with a silent, mirthless laughter, walked away from the crowds, away from the noise and the light.

She hated this place.

She hated this place.

She hated this place.

She just want some peace and quiet.

She just want to be alone.

[Airen]

Cosmos Fairchild
LOVELESS, Moon Under Water
12/22/2026
Evening, Thunder Storm

---Perhaps it's only natural, to reject the vision in front of you.

After all, the people that you see in front of you are not the ones that you built up inside of your head, held up to standards they could never know about, and naturally failing them when the light of reality falls upon it all...

They were just people.

The revelation is crushing, it's not fair to them or you to think so, but it's crushing...

Because it feels like betrayal, because people are flawed and the image you had of them was flawless, and...

You run away.

Walk away.

Up the stairs, away from the light, the noise, the memory of a day that you cannot accept and-

"..."

-you run into someone.

"...World isn't fair, huh?"

Dark red hair, a familiar blue sweater, eyes that shouldn't be able to see anything at all...

---A person that should not exist.

"Well, I guess it's true to a degree... This story was warped by them to hurt you the most after all..."

A low voice, a bit husky, yes...

"But well, I suppose that's why I gave the Lord my eyes."

Alisa Kingsleigh, somehow...

"Sorry kiddo, not in my policy to just let you run off crying."

Stands in front of you.

"I sang really hard for you that day, you know? Rock not your style?"

[palad1n]

Cosmos Fairchild
LOVELESS, Moon Under Water
12/22/2026
Evening, Thunder Storm

"..."

Was she surprised? Shocked?

Cosmos doesn't know.

She doesn't know.

Her feelings is a mess.

What is she feeling? What is she thinking? What is she doing?

"You did?"

She doesn't know.

She's crying.

"I didn't know. I didn't hear. Can't even catch a single word."

She's sobbing.

"Just leave me alone." She whispered, looking at someone who's supposed to be dead.

Why is she here?

How is she here?

"This is too much... This is too much..."

She's supposed to be just a memory. A file. So how...?

"Liar."

She muttered.

"Liar."

She whispered.

"Liar."

She hits the woman in front of her.

"Liar!"

She cried.

"Liar! Liar liar liar liar liar!"

She wailed.

"Leave me alone! Just leave me the hell alone! This is just too much..."

She fell to her knees, sobbing.

"This is just too much..."

[Airen]

Cosmos Fairchild
LOVELESS, Moon Under Water
12/22/2026
Evening, Thunder Storm

"..."

---Is it surprising to find something solid in front of you?

To realize that it's not quite a fluke, that that which should just be data has a physical form in this world? It's an occurrence that raises a number of questions, a sort of phenomena that many would classify as a miracle, the apparent revival of the dead, however...

"..."

Those sorts of thoughts aren't really going through your head...

---One punch.

---Or was it two?

---Three?

Whatever the reality, the older woman doesn't defend herself.

It would be a trivial matter for her to do so, considering who and what she is, and yet...

"..."

She doesn't move until you collapse.

Nor does she speak.

Is it uncertainty?

Perhaps.

When it comes down to it... There is no rulebook for parenting, but...

"Leave me alone! Just leave me the hell alone! This is just too much..."

A single step closer. then...

Arms wrap around your shoulders and try to gently pull you closer.

---Naturally, it's a hug.

A hug from a woman who knows she is not your mother and who has been able to appear here only because of a certain deal she made in her youth, but...

"..."

Who does her best as a family member anyway.

[palad1n]

Cosmos Fairchild
LOVELESS, Moon Under Water
12/22/2026
Evening, Thunder Storm

"--!!"

There was no words said, no words exchanged.

No empty platitudes, nor words of comfort.

After all, despite being family, the event that took place in this moment has revealed a certain fact.

--Cosmos Fairchild doesn't really know or understand her family.

Even though she loves them.

Even though she trusts them.

--And perhaps, the opposite is also true.

They, too, didn't really understand Cosmos Fairchild.

And when the masquerade is broken, when the truth was laid bare and they see each other for who they truly are for the first time...

What could they say?

What could Alisa Kingsleigh could have said for Cosmos that would placate her? Comfort her? Help her?

The answer is nothing.

Even for Mary Fairchild, for the person Cosmos Fairchild loves the most, doing such a thing would be no easy task.

But sometimes--

Sometimes there's no need for words.

Alisa Kingsleigh pulled her into a hug, and Cosmos Fairchild, for the first time since the day she returned from another world...

Felt warmth.

Not a metaphorical one, but a physical, tangible one.

Her memories is a mess, and she couldn't remember whether Alisa has ever hugged her before, but--

The warmth is familiar.

After all, it reminded her of her mother's warm embrace.

And without speaking a single word, the red-haired woman's intentions was conveyed as clear as day.

After all, Alisa didn't abandon her.

Alisa didn't left her.

Alisa didn't try to correct her.

She's just here, offering her warmth, a reminder to days long gone that felt like a faraway dream.

The warmth of a family.

Cosmos Fairchild hugged her aunt back, and sobbed, wailed, cried as she desperately cling on to that remnant of a memory.

Memory of a happier time.

Memory of a simpler time.

--No words were said.

Nobody could say whether this simple act fixed all of her problems or removed the feeling of betrayal.

But after what seemed like an eternity, bearing the burden of her broken world on her back, the girl who barely keep herself afloat in the midst of an ocean of despair, was finally allowed to let out her feelings.

To cry.

To wail.

To sob.

Cosmos Fairchild simply cried to the warmth of a family.

[Airen]

Blaise Pendragon
Aoyama, Soba Shop -Gen-
11/16/2026
Night, Clear Skies

"The real trouble is with... uh, school. Not only is Aunt Yuka on my ass now, even though that fiasco wasn't my fault, there's also that silver-haired nurse. She's been a bit weird after the last time we saw. And it's not like I have time for homework. I have my hands full with actual, real stuff. Couldn't you say something to Yuka? I bet she'd listen to you..."

"Ah yes, the incident with the bizarre cat-like creature."

A chuckle, as the man sets aside his coffee (for the best, considering the snack that had been brought to him) and pours himself a cup of ginger tea, voice remaining as gently amused as always as he seems to peer into that part of your past too...

"That was quite the scene. It is rather unfair that she hold that one against you I suppose, that thing being where it was was merely a bad stroke of luck on your part. Almost like the World was playing a practical joke on you... Yes, you shouldn't be blamed for that at all... I'm not sure she'll listen to me, but I'll try to have a talk with her before I have to leave again."

Another chuckle, before the man pops a bit of the endless tuna into his mouth with the practiced grace of many years-!

"Oh, quite the catch, quite the catch my boy. Well worth the fight it put up!"

His every motion carries an absolute sort of purpose to it.

Even casual ones like eating and drinking, it's simply an existence that stands out no matter what he's actually doing...

"But still, putting aside the cat... I can understand her worry about your attendance. University certainly isn't for everyone, but I think you should at least finish high school... The world can be a rough place to gain employment in nowadays, so in that regard, she's just worried about your future."

He takes a proper swig of his tea.

"And that is what Yuka is excellent at doing, worrying, she's so good at it that she really can't stop..."

He frowns.

"Perhaps I should talk to her about going on a vacation... She seems like she might need it..."

And, for a moment...

Gets distracted with those sorts of thoughts.

"... Anyways, what about you? You haven't been home in a while either. Trouble?"

...Until the existence of this second inquiry, one from you to him, finally works it's way back around to the forefront of his mind, yes...

"I have had some trouble making my way home as of late."

Folding his hands together after setting everything down, the man answers with practiced ease...

"It happens from time to time, a sort of... Passing phenomena over the town that makes it difficult for me to manifest. I'm not sure of the origin right now, but I'm sure it's nothing too severe."

These words, while naturally bizarre, are said with the sort of casual acceptance of this man's 'daily life.' He was clearly not a normal entity, neither obviously demon or obviously human... In some ways it was almost like he was some sort of concept made manifest, at least partially, but...

Since this was his reality, he doesn't treat it as too big of a deal...

"Other than that, no trouble I can truly think of... I have been dreaming of a prism I suppose, a prism through which flows the light of the false stars, as well as an image of the silent moon... But at my age, my unconscious has plenty of material for strange things to show me, to dream in manners most nonsensical, you see?"

He shakes his head, again brushing off his bizarre nature without real discomfort, indeed, he laughs.

To him, it's just another part of life.

There's no extra importance placed upon the supernatural... Not unless it forces his hand at least...

And it doesn't seem to be doing that, but...

"But a nurse you say?"

He closes his eyes, then...

Frowns again...

"Hmmm... A strange one that, difficult to get a grasp at her face."

And then reopens his eyes with amused focus.

"What was the name? It seems I'm having a bit of trouble grasping her nature."

---Well that was rare.

[Verg Avesta]

Blaise Pendragon
Aoyama, Soba Shop -Gen-
11/16/2026
Night, Clear Skies

... Huh?

Someone Gramps had a hard time pinpointing? That was... vaguely troubling. Especially considering the nurse was already troubling enough on her own. So this sort of question was... well, perhaps just a bit of a fluke? It's not like the old man before him, despite his strange nature, was some omniscient being connected to a force that spans all of universe and beyond it. He might have been powerful but he was just...

... He was just Blaise's grandpa.

And that's who Blaise would see him as, now and forever.

"Eh, the nurse? She's..." Blaise frowned for a moment. "Irmina. Irmina Einzbern. Works at Aoyama and in all honesty... she's a huge pain in the ass. Chased me through the whole city some time ago, just because I didn't want to get caught up in her crazy schemes. She's..."

For a moment, something flashed in the young boy's mind.

--- Soft, pale-white thighs.

He frowned harder.

... What even was that?

"... As said, she's a pain in the ass. But I suppose alright, for school faculty," Blaise continued. "Much better than the other jackasses in there, students or teachers. Or maybe she's not just caught up on the rumours, hah..."

A momentary shadow passed by the blonde youth's face. The memories of the cold, suspicious eyes of his classmates, whispers spoken behind his back, the subtle ways everyone tended to avoid him and the overall way everyone just fell silent as he arrived to the classrom... those sorts of flashbacks struck him as he cast his mind back to his school days. Sure enough, he had been thinking about school surprisingly lot today, but he didn't exactly want to remember this. Even if he had promised himself that he wouldn't let the attitude others there had get to him, because his duty as the guardian of Aoyama's streets was too important, it still...

... It still bothered him.

Just a little bit.

"Anyways, prisms? False stars? Silent moons? Gramps..." Blaise took a sip of his ginger tea, set it back, and folded his arms across his chest and leveled a stern stare at the older man. "... Have you been listening to Pink Floyd again? That's just the cover of The Dark Side of the Moon."

Blaise swore that sometimes his family seemed to think that every nonsensical dream was an omen or a portent, when in most cases it was just something like this.

"Were you testing that theory about how Paul Blart the Mall Cop 2 synchs perfectly with the album?" Blaise asked with a raised eyebrow. "And here I thought you had been out doing something important..."

[Kuroyuki]

Hiyori
SLEIPNIR - Second Floor, Hallways
11/16/2026
Monday - Morning

When Astra didn’t respond to me trying to wake her up normally… My hand was forced! I couldn’t just leave her sleeping in the middle of this weird dream hallway by herself! Granted that didn’t mean I had to start flying away rapidly and then begin to accelerate rapidly back towards her… But it was more fun that way also waking up a tamer couldn’t be solved with just mere normal methods! I would do this to Ross, but she seems to always wake up before I can attempt to do that,

But I forgot one thing about Spirit Tamers, even if they look cute and squishy on the outside. The second, there’s a threat (even a playful one), their body seems to automatically harden up in response! So instead of hitting a nice soft stomach… I felt like I hit a bri- no a steel wall!

“Abababababa...”

So for a little bit, I flew around unsteadily because even if I’m a weapon COMP… I’m still in my soft and cute power-saving mode! So even though Miss Smug was giving off her nice smug explanation. I think I got maybe half of it. Maybe… It’s kind of hard to tell when everything is spinning due to you hitting a steel wall at full force! In fact, I should be happy that I managed to get half of it! But thankfully, I did hear something about Dreamweave so once I recovered…

“Dreamweave was installed by X-Cross? Who are they? They aren’t some kind of secret organization that plans to revive people in their members’ bodies are they?! Is it already too late for me and Ross because I somehow have it installed?!”

Before I could panic further… Something even more bizarre occurred.

"Hey, Miss Smug look! It's Astra And... You...? Me...?"

"Ah. This isn't good. Things are more broken than I thought. You two shouldn't be able to be here."

Miss Smug and I?! B-but Miss Smug is over there and I’m over here! That means there can only be one thing! I pointed at the other ‘me’ dramatically!

“YOU MUST BE A DOPPELGANGER!”

Yes, that’s the only reason why I can see another ‘me’ over there. But they forgot one thing, doppelgangers are only useful if you can sneak into the party! I bet they were going to wake up Astra and then say they were me and Miss Smug. But I’m onto you evil doers! You can’t fool me! I bet you can’t even name all of the plot twists of the Rigid Rabbit series in an attempt to fool Ross!




Rossweisse
SLEIPNIR - Artificial Park
11/16/2026
Monday - Morning

"Oh no, it's fine, really! It's okay! This is what this assignment is about right? Connection with other Tamers? So it might be a bit fast, but um... I'm honored you felt comfortable enough to tell me about those sorts of things! I can sort of sympathize too, I understand, amnesia can be very rough!"

I was kind of surprised by Myra’s admission. I was expecting to awkwardly laugh it off, but not deny that I was bothering her. Let alone her saying she could sympathize a little bit.

"When I was a kid, I was told I disappeared for awhile while on a trip to Japan... I can't remember it though, one day I was walking home from school and the next thing I knew I was wandering around in the backyard of this bakery in Aoyama where some nice people found me... It was really quite strange...! "

“Yeah it does sound a bit bizarre when you’re told certain details that even you don’t remember…”

I remember how Dr. Xavier explained my circumstances a little after he realized that I didn’t remember anything at all… It felt weird, bizarre, and frustrating… All at the same time… I started to get a little depressed thinking about that time.

“The authorities thought it was some sort of kidnapping... I'm not sure myself but it sort of sounds right... I get flashes of memory from time to time, of some girl telling me to do something I think...? Go home, maybe...? I can't quite remember... Think it was a Tamer… Whoever it was, I kind of got the feeling they had really helped me out, so... I decided to try to be like them! That's why I'm here today-! Does that sound cliche? It's totally cliche right? Ugh... I'm a stereotype...”

However, the more I heard more about Myra’s incident and her current motivation to become a Tamer. I felt my depressed thoughts fade away more and more until they were back to the edges again. Not every amnesia incident had to be like mine after all. Something positive can and did come out of her case.

“I don’t know about that… Everyone has their reasons to join right? I hear some people become Tamers because the pay is good, self improvement, or even to become famous. They’re all valid reasons to become a Tamer. So I don’t think you should be embarrassed about your reasons for becoming a Tamer.”

I give her a slightly content smile.

“And I’m sure you would’ve made them happy if they could see you now. Maybe even a bit embarrassed to hear that someone wants to become like them.” I paused briefly “...Well I guess unless you’re like Hiyori. She would probably get super excited about it and only show off her cool points in front of them.”

[Airen]

Hiyori
SLEIPNIR - Second Floor, Hallways
11/16/2026
Monday - Morning

(OST - Nothing Out of the Ordinary)

“YOU MUST BE A DOPPELGANGER!”

"JUST BECAUSE YOU SAID IT FASTER DOESN'T MEAN IT'S TRUE, YOU'RE THE DOPPLEGANGER, DOPPLEGANGER!"

---Words fired back as energetically as your own-!

---A stance taken that is exactly the same as your own-!

Where both variations of Miss Smug have fallen into what you are now assuming is their usual, deep thinking posture, heads tilted down slightly and each eyeing the other 'group' with the calculating eyes of a scientist that is seeing a phenomena that is both fascinating and unfortunate, and thus, an expression that is both amused at this turn of events, while also having the slightest traces of discomfort at it too-!

Still, after a moment-!

"Probabilistic Event?"

Both their eyes light up simultaneously, and that smug smile appears from both sides.

"We've got a good old fashioned complete collapse on our hands then, don't we? Destruction of Sequential Phenomena, fascinating, possibilities are falling in on each other... Guess more pillars were destroyed than I thought-!"

---In comparison to you and you(?) these two seem slightly more in sync with each other, however-!

"Don't babble nonsense to her! What's going on Miss Smug?! Use words that actually make sense!"

The other you is quicker on the draw in this regard, but-!

"It's simple, we've run into some... Hmm, well this is a first so I would get to name it as a scientist right? A Refraction of Prismatic Essence! They're dispersions, the light of a soul being cast through a prism-!"

-your Charlotte jumps to answer the other you's question faster-!

Really, this is beginning to get quite absurd-!

The other one rolls her eyes.

"You're saying that like you think that makes you the original, me, you're just as much a dispersion as us, a random possibility, nothing more-!"

---It's quite a sight, seeing the same smug person bounce off of herself... It's hard to tell if it's insufferable or amusing...

Both perhaps?

Either way.

"Maybe we share a soul, but I'm certainly better at using it than you."

Your Charlotte can't help but fire back at the other one it seems...

Meanwhile, the other 'you,' well...

She looks at you, and...

"Are you getting any of this? These two are just crazy right? I mean, I bet you can't even name all the Rigid Rabbit plot twists, so the two of you are obviously the fakes-!"

...How dare she say what you were thinking?!