Spirit Pulse : Mugen No Sekai [IC]

[Airen]

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

“So then, what is your name, are you a villain, and are you lost as well?”

---The priest smiles.

While a number of your words have been accusatory in nature, the tall man doesn't seem to take a single bit of offense to any of it; he simply listens quietly, eyeing your floating form without a single hint of malice or suspicion, again showing a bizarrely casual air to everything around him, before...

"My name is... Well, I am called Father Abel by most of the people I know."

He chuckles.

---Indeed, this one is seemingly empty of malice, he is empty of many things, a void-like existence that is nevertheless calming to be around precisely because he doesn't give off very many powerful emotions. Still, his smile is warm and nonthreatening, and he seems to take all of yours words as inoffensively as possible, likely because you yourself don't actually come off that threatening...

"I would not call myself a villain, but I suppose most people would answer that way."

His spread out arms lower slightly, the palms of hands showing that no weapons can be found; if you weren't floating above him it is likely he would have raised his hands to achieve a similar effect, although seeing as how you're purposefully staying high above him, he seems to think it may come across as aggressive if he does...

"As for your last question, well... In my own philosophy, it is impossible for me to become lost."

The man's voice becomes slightly more serious, as if this particular branch of the conversation held some special meaning to him...

"Whenever I am somewhere, I am there because the Lord intended for me to be there, so in that sense I am never lost. I am always where I need to be, when I need to be there, it's a simple enough matter."

He nods.

"But different for you, perhaps? I am aware that such points of view are often... Difficult to accept for many. It is like asking if one believes in fate, that there is a divine reason for everything that happens... For instance, like this meeting between you and I... Is there a meaning to it? I certainly think there must be... What about you?"

His philosophical musings end with him returning a question of sorts to you, again with the casual air of someone who faces everything as if absolutely nothing can surprise him, and going on from that, well...

He sits down on the steps near the gate, and...

"Perhaps we met so we could learn something from each other? I know a bit about this... Crystallization of the Moon, and I would be more than happy to speak with you about it, if you think you have the time."

Smiles up at you in that ambiguously friendly way.

[Spinach]

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

“Oh, so you are lost too!”

At the priest’s answer, Hyakka responds in turn with her own interpretation of his words. That being that he was equally, totally as lost as she was. The tall man’s gestures, his display of non-hostility and open palms to show a lack of weapons, as well as a lack of intent to fight… go completely ignored. Yet she smiles all the same, and her place in the lunar sky begins to falter, Hyakka commanding her wings to lower herself to the ground beneath her.

“And if you say that you are not a villain, then a villain you are not!”

She loudly declares, touching down before the man. A shimmer, like a heat haze passing through, dissipates her obsidian wings. Yet all the while her blue brooch never loses its luster, the watchful gaze of the AI within prepared for anything, distrusting of everything, yet still silent.

“Fate is a complicated topic… It is often on the side of heroes, right? A special, invisible force that always pushes us all toward the best ending, the ideal outcome, that which is right… Of course, that is something that I believe in. After all, I pursue happiness for all as a hero, so naturally I wish for… want for, and believe in such an ally guiding my hand. Because having it on my side would make me stronger, and more heroic!”

Without a hint of hesitation, no sign of embarrassment or insincerity, she answers his loaded question about fate. Going above and beyond what was asked of her, Hyakka’s wholehearted beliefs lay bare before the priest for judgement.

“Mister Abel! Please, share with me what you know about the moon, what happened here!” Having landed before the man, the tiny girl boldly requested his knowledge, whatever it may be. “There is little I have to offer in return, but if as you said, fate brought us together, then please!”

She turned to one of the crystal statues, resolute.

“Now that my eyes have fallen upon them, they too are part of the ‘all’ that I should protect.”

Again, the cold AI stayed silent. But from its blue sheen, in its silence was a heavy trepidation. A fear for the white-haired girl who had none, a share of distrust for the ruby-eyed girl who knew only honest. The words that left Hyakka’s mouth caused a ripple to pass over the brooch, disturbing the tranquility of its smooth surface.

[Satehi]

Eva Ellet
Rose Cross Headquarters - Inner Gardens
11/16/2026
Monday - Morning

"You okay? Is Evita just being an overly paranoid sister again?"

…

When Evita had first said that they were going to meet the Old Lady- presumably, Leah- Eva had felt a little ashamed.

Naturally, she loved her mother. Back when she had first been created, she was certain that the feeling was mutual- Leah had showered her in affection in her own particular way, and Eva had tried to do her best to make Leah proud. She was vaguely aware that the circumstances under which she had been made were… unusual, on Leah’s part, but she believed that she could still make her mother happy.

And it had definitely been a long time (in her opinion, anyways) since she had last seen her mother awake. To her last knowledge, Leah was still… asleep, and not likely to wake up anytime soon.

She should have been happy then, that they could meet. That was what a good, filial daughter would feel.

Which is why she had felt ashamed.

Because the prospect of meeting her mother after such a long time didn’t really fill her with happiness. She wasn’t wholeheartedly excited, or particularly eager to see Leah, as she thought she might be. As she should have been. Instead, when faced with the prospect, she felt… a little afraid.

After all, Eva still remembered. How Leah’s affections had slowly dwindled over time. How she seemed as she pointed out differences between her and the original. How her attention, once undivided, slowly went to other affairs.

How disappointed she was…

She was ashamed to admit it- after all, her mother was very important to her, and she had wanted her to wake up many times before, and Eva had never thought her mother had done anything wrong- but she was afraid of meeting Leah Ellet. Afraid of what she might say, or how she might act.

Perhaps if Evita hadn’t been dragging her by the hand, she might not have left the garden at all.

But she was glad that Evita did drag her, did bring her to meet Leah.

After all, at the sight of her mother awake, healthy, and as far as she could tell, happy, and as affectionate as she remembers from her past, asking her if she was alright… It made the fears she had about meeting her feel almost silly. Like a bad dream that disappears quickly upon waking up, and as her fears go away, a tiny bit of wetness around her eyes takes its place.

"...Wait, did she do the forehead flick thing to you again? Is that what this is about...?"

There are more words being said, and she knows she has to respond to them- if it was up to her, there were plenty of other things she’d rather say, but as she didn’t want to repeat what happened earlier with Evita, she just tries to go along with the current conversation as best as she can, as terrible as her acting skills are at the moment.

“No, I’m fine, she’s just being overly worried…”

Realizing how unconvincing that phrase would be if anyone saw fluid leaking out of her optics for no apparent reason- a clear sign of a malfunction- she closes her eyes, makes an exaggerated rubbing motion as if to remove some dirt when the purpose is just to wipe away any moisture, and when she thinks that’s been done enough to hide any traces, nods in affirmative to Leah’s question.

“I-I’m fine, really, I think something got caught in my eye…”

[Airen]

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

"...Interesting."

---Does the man notice the distrust of the brooch?

While the movement that had crossed the surface of it does seem to draw his attention for a moment, it is but a brief moment, a flicker of the eyes that wouldn't exactly be out of place on a Tamer; as one that stands resolute against supernatural threats, it's only natural to have a sense for the things that go on around them, as wandering around in a state of naivety was simply asking for trouble, but...

Even if he does notice, he doesn't comment on it.

---Again showing that bizarre nature of someone who seems to just accept everything that happens to him, perhaps because of his personal philosophy on fate?

It's difficult to say, nevertheless...

"You don't see that sort of view in young people much nowadays."

He chuckles.

"It's always about fighting the higher powers, rebellions for the sake of rebellions... It's refreshing to see someone so young looking at it in a different way."

Eyes bright, but voice still calm, low but powerful, the holy man makes a gesture to the spot next to him, as if inviting you to sit there, although he doesn't seem like he'd be particularly offended if you didn't...

Although looking at his gaze, from where he's sitting...

He seems to be overlooking Earth, a decent view from atop the stone steps of a bizarre temple on the Moon.

---The Modern Age was certainly a bizarre one, wasn't it?

"But very well, if you wish to take on the task of a hero, then I have no intentions of stopping you. Wanting to protect and save others is a noble goal, that of a lightworker. I can't help but approve of it."

From the Earth then back to you, only to return to the Celestial Sphere...

"All of this is a curse."

...The man speaks, after a moment.

"This place is stuck in an eternal recurrence, a thriving city that continually meets it's end at the hands of a bizarre entity, all in one fell swoop. The crystals are both parasite and prison, designed to hold it's victims in sleep, feed off of their desperation and despair at their situation... It's quite the morbid contraption, worse still when they finally become apathetic to their plight, because this... Strange entity then starts things over again, make the experience new for them again, so it can feed off of those raw feelings again... Yes. It's quite the twisted setup."

He says it flatly.

"Of course, looking around here, there were signs of some other battle going on as well before the sudden finale... Some of these crystals animate on their own, a hive mind of sorts, some taking over the bodies they've imprisoned, others moving entirely on their own... Or at least, that seems to be what's happening, I haven't had too much time to really study them directly, prolonged contact with them by living beings seems to make them hostile."

---For a moment, his gaze grows distant, as if recalling some far off memory, then:

"I've been considering how to break some of these... People, free without alerting the Legion to my presence, but it feels like an impossible task now that it's reached this point."

He closes his eyes.

"...But to think, an entire offshoot of humanity living in the Shadow of the Moon all this time? A fascinating discovery, if a bit of a tragic one."

[Airen]

Rossweisse & Hiyori
Aoyama, Tokyo ~ ??? Residence
11/16/2026
Monday ~ Early Morning
[BGM]

---Suddenly.

With the sound of a strange song coming to life over what sounds like some sort of old radio, you come back to life.

It's a different feeling from what you had expected from your previous conversation, a jarring sensation, like a bright white light had suddenly enveloped your senses and thrust you into a screaming abyss of myriad colors; in that sense, it's a sensation that activates the fight or flight response for a moment, reminding you of the incident on the SLEIPNIR that had started all of this insanity in the first place. Still, while the sensation of intense vertigo follows you into the waking world, it is the not the place you had intended to see, not at all, even if there's a strange pang of familiarity from it nonetheless...

You're in a room, some sort of upstairs bedroom, considering the fact that there's a window right next to your bed showing a bit of a drop to the ground below... Maybe the second story or so? It's a bit cloudy outside, so the world outside the window is a bit grey, but you can see a garden on the ground below around the base of the house, one that isn't particularly large but seems well cared for, White Poppy flowers swaying gently in the breeze around the entrance-way, which seems to be using a Japanese-Style door...

So... You're in Japan?

Looking around, it does feel like you're somewhere in Tokyo... No, Aoyama specifically, of that you were sure...

Why?

Well, that's a difficult question for even you to answer; you had always sort of felt like you knew this city in some way that your fellow Roths simply did not... For instance, you had never once gotten lost here, which had raised more than one question in the past, considering the city liked to prank non-residents from time-to-time, but this...

This was new.

How did you get here?

This hadn't been where you were supposed to wake up, right?

Had the Doctor messed up?

It's these sorts of questions that plague your mind as you turn away from the window and look around your room... Yes, your room, or at least it seems to be your room, judging from the fact that all of your stuff had been purposefully placed on shelves and the desk like they had been back in your room on the SLEIPNIR, a purposeful order, like you yourself had done it, but...

That was crazy right?

Why were you here...?

There's a calendar on the wall (Phoenix Rangers, naturally) that was marked up to the 15th of November, so judging by the position of the sun in the sky...

It was the... 16th... Of 2026?

But that wasn't the right date, right...?

"..."

Not a single thing is happening like you had thought it would happen, and just as those thoughts come to life, well...

You can hear a sizzling sound from downstairs, like someone had just walked into the kitchen and started cooking, while outside...

"..."

A woman with fire-like hair (and a strangely familiar face) exits the house through the sliding door, wanders over to a nearby shed, grabs some tools, and...

Starts combing through the garden for weeds...?

[Airen]

Ayra Lilygrove
Saint Vivienne ~ Outer Limits
11/16/2026
Monday - Afternoon

"Oh?"

Sounding a bit relieved at this, Asuka allows a bit of a relieved smile to break through her otherwise serious visage, the distinct sound of an automatic lock coming undone as you seat yourself in the car. It's a natural departure point, one that has Evita waving you off with a smile, before the sudden sound of the campus bell ringing out to announce the recommencement of classes has her shoot up to her feet in shock, that ever-playful face twisting into one muttering what were probably curses as she sprints past the car and into the distance under her own initiative...

For reasons that are probably somewhat obvious to you, although Asuka just raises an eyebrow at the sight, before continuing with...

"Happy to serve then, I try my best to be one of the reliable ones, make myself worthy of the leeway."

Simple honesty.

"But own it, huh...?"

The concept has her tilting her head a bit, although her professional nature already has her turning the key in the ignition again, gently swinging the car around with all the grace of a trained chauffeur... A rather notable skill, considering the various other ways people tended to move around the world in modern society...

"I'll keep that in mind," she smiles, "The Pulse Network was down, so I had to fly here directly, really put a damper on the plan I made for the trip over here..."

She frowns, the obvious displeasure of something not going according to her calculations crossing her face; it's the displeasure of someone who loves running the numbers, who takes a certain sort of joy in figuring out the most efficient way to do things, and thus is arguably the optimal form for an assistant, but...

"Ah well, I got to test the jets on my car, so it wasn't all bad~"

...By that same token, she does say some things that hint at a wilder personality from time to time, like patting her car with an obvious sort of affection, almost singing to it for a second there like she was talking to some sort of pet of hers...

"But still, I'm here now, so I'd like to go over the requests the Academy made of us."

Of course, she jumps right back to professional almost instantly, so it's hard to really see her weirder sides for any significant amount of time...

"Simply put, they want us to check in when we arrive, although their choice of language implies we should do it on our own time, I believe it to be proper to greet them right away. Of course, if you would rather not go personally, I'm sure I can check in for the both of us, apparently we're being assigned a guest room in the Dormitories. Although I'm here as your assistant, so whatever you want me to do, I'll do, if it's within my power to do so."

She speaks calmly, with the usual professional air, and as she does...

...The spotless form of the Academy comes back into clear view.

As for a certain hushed conversation between COMPs...

It takes some time for Primrose to respond, again giving you the feeling that something is going on over there that's making it a bit difficult for her to talk to you, but...

Eventually...

Primrose

Anything for you, dear~

Tsukiko came here entirely on her own after you and Ayra vanished this morning, said something about a lead on the Joker case being around here somewhere, but so far, she's just been talking to the staff about their after-hours procedures, and asking students if they've seen anything strange at night, and telling them they shouldn't be sneaking out after curfew.

I'm not sure why she's being so adamant about, she'd been kinda closed off even to me today, but getting to come back here is sort of exciting, and she's probably just trying to be a good role model~

We're at the Dorms now actually, seems we might even be spending the night.

___________________________________

Saint Vivienne - Free Event Phase (Evening)

Saint Vivienne Academy Main Building & Clocktower


-Principal
-Evita Ellet


Dormitories

-Tsukiko & Primrose


Greenhouse & Flower Gardens

-Serena (?)


Sports Field

-???


Pool

-???


Brewed Awakenings

-???

[Airen]

Eva Ellet
Rose Cross Headquarters - Inner Gardens
11/16/2026
Monday - Morning

"..."

---The two older women exchange a silent glance when you close your eyes.

While your attempts to hide this particular emotional episode are admirable, it seems that it's not actually enough to fool either of them, mother and daughter (?) exchanging a look that could only really ever be a single thing, worry about a girl that the two of them are naturally inclined to protect, but...

"Well, I guess it is allergy season."

Leah smiles at you gently.

"And the gardeners get careless sometimes, they're expanding the place, so it doesn't surprise me if something got in your eyes, especially after that nap of yours in the gardens. Pollen and dirt and dust everywhere, honestly..."

She eyes Evita, who chuckles nervously.

"Look... Look at that face... Look at that face and tell me you would be able to wake her up right away."

Before pointing at you.

Was this an accusation of cuteness?

Was that her defense?

A bizarre defense, if so!

"It's like moving a sleeping cat off of you, sometimes ya gotta do it, but ya feel bad every time!"

Leah just sighs and shakes her head, rolling her eyes at her daughter's bizarre chain of logic.

"Yeah yeah, fair enough..."

The hand that had been resting on your forehead comes to rest on your head instead, and with a slight grin, the woman ruffles your hair a bit in an affectionate way.

"Well, if everything's fine, how about we go out for breakfast before running off to Saint Vivienne's?"

Your mother poses a question to the group (apparently you were coming to the school too?) and:

"Eh?"

Evita raises an eyebrow.

"What happened to you cooking?"

Leah's skin tone goes slightly more pale, or perhaps it doesn't, in your current state it's hard to say, but...

"...Not important. Nothing happened! I just think this is a good time to go out, make the whole day a family trip, you know? Hahahaha..."

Somewhat fake laughter, and...

And...

...Was that the sound of a fire alarm in the distance?

[Airen]

Blaise Pendragon
Obake-Baasan's Bathhouse
11/16/2026
Night, Clear Skies

---Athletic.

Having chosen your course of action, the path of punishment for idiots that refused to behave in the house of a harmless old woman (even if said woman had started cackling about this situation moments after realizing what was actually going on) you raise your power to it's limits, and lock on to the four targets that have presented themselves to you.

---Athletic.

Yes... Sporty...

It's only natural for a fighter to analyze their target, and all the years of brawls in Aoyama's darker places have your mind making this bizarre comment of it's own accord, that the buttocks of both of the girls were firm and sporty, which made sense, considering the both of them were in pretty good shape despite their gluttonous natures. Of course, this mental comment paints a strange, nonsensical light over the proceedings, the confusing light of the teenage years that has sent more than one youth into a spiral of confused madness, so...

Best to ignore it.

There was nothing lewd about this-! One could acknowledge the work that had gone into a body without painting it in a suspect light, it was simply punishment, a bathhouse classical way to get these two to maybe not destroy the walls of the building around them if their rough housing got out of hand, but-!

"Ah-?!"

Tsuki letting out a very teenage gasping sound makes the mental separation pretty difficult, thankfully-!

"Hahahahaha!"

Anima continues to be as overblown as always-!

"Thank god! A healthy teenage interest in the female form! I was getting worried about you, kid!"

While the strike was direct, the one-eyed woman doesn't seem embarrassed about it at all, unlike a certain vampire, who seems momentarily stunned-!

"Still, picking this fight was a mistake kiddo, it's two on one, and I'll smack a butt back, no doubt about it! Reap what you sow and all that!"

---So saying-!

One hand reaches out to grasp a towel, and her form flickers from sight-!

Flash Truth?!

And a towel, like a whip crack-!

Right on your own buttocks-! Faster than you can dodge-!

You turn to follow the movement, and-!

Again-!

This time, from the smugly grinning form of an embarrassed vampire-!

One on each side, each after your backside, towels wound up and held like weapons, while...

An old woman cackles, and Isamu...

Out of the corner of your eyes, you can see the young man...

...Sticking his head out of the locker rooms, watching the proceedings (although gaze fixed mostly on Tsuki) with a...

Somewhat conflicted expression on his face for some reason.

[Airen]

Cosmos Fairchild
LOVELESS, Rooftop
12/22/2026
Evening

---It doesn't move.

While your usage of magic does feel like it draws the entity's attention to you somewhat, the giant mechanical machine just continues to pump out that strange, fog-like miasma, a magical energy so thick that the deep smell of ozone becomes impossible to escape, and the city itself becomes slowly but steadily enveloped in it's force.

It doesn't feel like it's poisonous...

But you find yourself wanting to hold your breath anyway.

Still, you are allowed to make your preparations in peace, of course, when you finally do go up into the sky, away from LOVELESS, where mobility wouldn't be quite as hampered and any shots at you would make collateral damage less likely...

You can feel it.

It's gaze watching you.

No... Not just you.

Everyone?

---You can't say for sure, it has no facial expressions to read and while it's energy feels malicious and destructive, that's all you can glean from it right now. It's a malicious entity, the gaze that lands on your body is one that wants to swat the fly from the sky, and yet it continues to not act...

Chokmah...

In many ways, a representation of wisdom, so perhaps...?

Was it... Scanning you...?

No...

Everyone in the city?

Preciel had said it can't attack while it's defending and it can't defend while it's attacking, so what was it doing?

Hiding behind some sort of barrier... While analyzing the defenses of everyone in the city...?

That... Felt right...

Horrible, but right, yet-

"...Hmm, okay. Hand-held unit activated, can you hear me, Fairchild Girl?"

Next to you, a hologram of sorts appears.

It's Sofia, looking for all the world like she was a Queen sitting on an invisible throne, a hologram made manifest through the strange Bounded Field that seemed to surround LOVELESS, and...

"I've sent Daniel after my... Bigger guns. They do not exactly fall under legal civilian possession, but I get the feeling that now is a special time. My camera feeds are still down, some sort of data interference from outside, but I'm making my way up to the roof as we speak, how does it look?"

[palad1n]

Cosmos Fairchild
LOVELESS, Rooftop
12/22/2026
Evening

Cosmos frowned as she took off to the skies, suppressing a shiver as she felt Chokmah watching her and yet did nothing, and silently debated on her next course of action. Preciel said that it cannot attack and defend at the same time, and it's definitely not attacking right now; It's scanning her, and perhaps everyone in the city, while hiding behind a barrier of sorts... That's what her senses and instinct told her.

She rung her staff while Sariel casted Makarakarn on herself. Her bell charges are full now, and all things considered they are ready for battle...

But is that what she should do?

The buzzing sound of a hologram coming to life next to her interrupted her thoughts, and Cosmos turned her attention to the holographic image of Sofia while making sure Chokmah is still in her field of vision - not that Sariel and Illia will be taking their eyes off the entity, but it never hurts to be careful.

"I've sent Daniel after my... Bigger guns. They do not exactly fall under legal civilian possession, but I get the feeling that now is a special time. My camera feeds are still down, some sort of data interference from outside, but I'm making my way up to the roof as we speak, how does it look?"

"... It is massive. It has yet to reach the city, but it dwarfs everything else in its vicinity." Cosmos said as she glanced at the Sefirot, years of experience of giving a sitrep taking over. "It has yet to take any action thus far, but I could feel its gaze on me; I think it is scanning the city for any defenses." A pause. "I have also received information that it cannot attack while it is defending itself, and it cannot defend while it is attacking."

A course of action is formulated in her mind as she told Sofia all this.

While she trusts what Preciel had told her, there's still the need to test what kind of defenses Chokmah actually has; her

memory

instinct

told her that it is some form of barrier, but in the world of magic that actually doesn't tell that much. Does it repel attacks? Nullify them? Absorb them? Does it have any weakness? And what will it do when it is attacked?

As such, what she should do is--

"I shall try attacking it to test its defenses and response." Cosmos announced as she aimed her staff towards Chokmah. She could consume a bell charge freely now that her stock is maxed out, and Illia understood what she's about to do without even the need for telepathic communication. "Sariel, just in case it retaliates, prepare to dodge!"

"U-understood!"

Cosmos offered a silent prayer as both Illia and herself simultaneously started casting their spells. D-rank spells might not be powerful, but it should at least offer some kind of insight on what kind of barrier it has without consuming too much HEAT-!

"Aster!"

"Kouga!"

A barrage of spirit beams and a lance of light flew true towards the looming Sefirot simultaneously, barely a speck in the face of the threat.

Turn Action

HEAT: 4/10
Bell Charge Used: 1
Bell Charge: 2

Spell Used: Aster (D-rank), Kouga
Spell Used (Sariel): Makarakarn (At herself)

[Verg Avesta]

Blaise Pendragon
Obake-Baasan's Bathhouse
11/16/2026
Night, Clear Skies

"............."

Well.

At the very least, the fight between the two girls had been brought to a halt - for the moment. So, in that sense, the mission had been a roaring success!

... But that didn't mean that the situation wasn't somewhat troublesome.

First of all, there were the confusing thoughts running through his head, ones that he blamed first and foremost his hormones. Sure enough, Blaise might have been level-headed and on top of things, but it's not like his body and brains always did what he wanted them to do. That was just part of being a teenager, after all. In other words, while he might have momentarily been thinking of something bizarre, the blonde youth simply pushed those thoughts out of his mind. No, more than that, he stomped into the deepest pits of his mindscape.

This was Tsukki and Animal, for God's sake.

The last people on earth to bring about such feelings!

So, without daring to think any further about this than he already had (and thus absolving himself of any blame - it was his hormones, after all!) Blaise let out a sigh. His buttocks had already taken a hit, and if it got down to it, there was no avoiding further retaliation. But the least he could do was not to escalate the situation.

"... Satisfied? Just so you know, I'm not gonna give you the satisfaction of fighting back - I already got you two to cut it out, after all," Blaise answered, frowning at the two girls. "That's all. So get your minds outta the gutter. Especially..."

His eyes glanced towards Anima.

"--- Since one of you barely has a female form."

Unnecessary cruel? Perhaps.

Satisfying revenge? Definitely.

"Anyways, hit the baths already and stop horsing around. We're wasting time," Blaise continued, unfurling his towel and throwing it over his shoulder - before starting towards the men's side. "And I swear if I hear any kind of ruckus from the your side..."

He left that threat hanging in the air, hoping it would do its job.

However, as the boy walked, he stealthily tensed his buttocks. After all, knowing these two chuckleheads, they might go for further strikes...

... And Blaise wasn't gonna give them the satisfaction of seeing him react!

"Sorry Isamu - that took a moment," Blaise said as he approached the other boy. "As an apology, I'll wash your back - so let's get to relaxing already. God knows I need it..."

Yes, that seemed like a good way to calm down from this nonsense.

[Katie]

Ayra Lilygrove
Saint Vivienne ~ Outer Limits
11/16/2026
Monday - Afternoon

Aster: Before you go with Asuka, mind hanging back for a bit? So I can take a look.

Isn’t it a bit early to be snooping around like that?

Aster: It’s better if we have two opportunities to do it. I can take a look around today and you can do the hardcore sleuthing tomorrow, how about it?

Fair enough.

“Asuka, do you mind going on ahead? I’ll catch up, but I have a call I need to deal with first.” Ayra gives Asuka an apologetic smile, genuine for a different reason. It wasn’t that she wanted to lie to her, but this is what she signed up for as a member of Joker. If she didn’t move to take advantage of Asuka’s trust now, there would be no opportunity for Aster to look into the threats that she, as a Knight, could not deal with formally. Still, justifying it didn’t make it feel any better…

“It’s my dad,” Ayra adds after a pause, just awkward enough for it to seem like she was reluctant to divulge the reasoning. It’s a fairly common rumor that she isn’t on good terms with her parents—the truth is more nuanced than that, but Asuka is definitely one of the people who knows the relationship is somewhat messy. In her consideration, she’d give Ayra the space she needed.

She manages to shoo Asuka off with reassurances everything will be fine, but that it just had to be addressed quickly, and beelines for one of the academy’s many hidden corners. If only her fifteen-year-old self knew how finding these out would be pivotal to saving the world.

Aster: Do you want a fake script so it sounds like you’re on call?

Like?

Aster: “Ayra, it still isn’t too late to change careers. If you went to law school, you’d be defending the very justice you’re prattling on about in those shams called interviews…”

God, you’re going to make me gag. Get out and investigate already.

Her duplicate forms in front of her, and the Aster-as-Ayra stretches and yawns for exaggerated effect. Ayra briefly checks if the coast is clear, before sighing in relief. If she got caught with a double now, everything would be horrendously unmanageable.

“I’ll leave before you, and you can go to the principal’s office in about, five minutes or so?”

“Good luck,” is all Ayra can say as she watches Aster take a cautious look around, before bolting. Annoyed, she bothers to dredge out one of the scripts Aster has prepared for her—better safe than sorry—and upon skimming the contents…

Gross, it’s like an actual lecture from him.

-----

Ayra -> Principal’s Office
Aster -> Dormitory

Spells cast: Mirror Image

[Airen]

Blaise Pendragon
Obake-Baasan's Bathhouse
11/16/2026
Night, Clear Skies

"Hey, hey, hey, that's a low blow!"

Where a vampire gives in relatively easily to the demand (it seems she thought you were more or less even after she had gotten you once in retaliation) it's only Anima that really puts up a verbal resistance to your words, mostly because the actual digs in them had more or less been aimed entirely at her-!

"I'll have you know this form is perfectly stable, the soul makes the body, the soul makes the body!"

Energetic as always, perhaps a bit too much so?

Of course you pay her little mind, other than the vague tensing of your backside, as she is absolutely the sort to just throw in a sneak attack at the end for the hell of it, but...

"But alright, alright, I give in, we are wasting valuable egg boiling time."

...She does stop in the end, rather easily actually, far more easily than normal; of course, she seems to have some weird ideas of the purpose of a bathhouse running around in that head of hers too, but you could probably let Tsukiko deal with that particular facet of the night, still...

"This place has a good atmosphere, very warm, filled with pleasant things."

...She keeps talking for a bit longer than usual too, and there's something more... Serious... In her words now...

"Easy to fall asleep in these sorts of places, relax a bit too much, you know? In that case, if you don't want to wait around for people to wake up, it's best to just go straight home, no distractions, even if you think you see something strange or out of place. Night life stays trouble free that way."

---She nods.

It sounds a bit cryptic, but it's cryptic in a different way than the usual, like...

Actual advice?

She says it with her usual smile though, so it's also sort of hard to take it too seriously, especially when it's followed with-!

"Now onwards! To these onsen things the people of this country are always going on about! I'll bring the eggs, my vampiric companion!"

"...How are you going to do that?"

"Magic!"

"...Of course."

And off they go, although the light grin on Tsukiko's face makes it clear she either doesn't hate the idea of hanging out with the girl entirely, or is just being baited by the idea of onsen tamago...

Probably both, to be honest...

As for Isamu, well...

"Oh... Uh yeah, washing the back, sure... I'll make sure to return the favor."

The boy doesn't snap out of his strange stupor until the girls disappear, but when he does, he seems to more or less go entirely back to normal; the two of you enter the locker room together, from which you could either depart to the indoor baths or the men's side of the outdoor springs, then...

"They always gotta leave after saying something cryptic, huh?"

He brings the girls up again for some reason, not quite as able to banish them from his thoughts as you could from yours, and...

"Gotta say, you live a pretty exciting life."

He comments.

There's some silence, then...

"...So how was it?"

He asks a strange question, one that he seemed to struggle with for a bit before actually saying it, as if it violated some sort of inner code to ask, but he had to ask anyways...

[Airen]

Ayra Lilygrove
Saint Vivienne ~ Headmaster's Office
11/16/2026
Monday - Evening

"Enter."

The way in you instinctively knocked on the door made you feel like you had fallen back into your student years. Pushing open the familiar, oak frame of a room you hadn't seen in quite some time now, you're a bit surprised to find it somewhat more disorderly than the last Headmaster of the Academy had liked to keep it. While the room is organized overall, with books on the shelves placed in a proper alphabetical order, there are also tomes scattered on the desk and tables of the office, ranging from what seemed to be simple history texts and poem compilations, to more obviously occult items, like a lone tome in a glass box labeled "The King in Yellow," which also has a few notes attached to it, mostly designating it for immediate destruction as soon as the proper facilities and rituals have been made available to the staff...

So it was something of a recent find perhaps? Something confiscated from one of the students?

Regardless, the rest are harmless enough, and none are entirely out of place in the office of a mage. It's a room with a very old-fashioned feel to it, to the point where you can spy not only a record player and an old fashioned metal nameplate (Ms. Blackquill) on the desk, but a number of vintage bell clocks along atop some small wooden shelves, their old metallic parts still clicking away all these years later...

Yes.

In comparison to the old, flashy headmaster, this one seems more subdued at a glance, or at least you'd think so...

"Still, I'm surprised you possess such a vehicle Ms. Tachibana, you have excellent taste."

"Thanks. I don't hear that very often actually..."

...If not for the fact that she and your squire had been laughing and talking amongst themselves before you had knocked on the door to be let in...

Seems they have some shared interest in old technology?

Either way...

"Come in Ms. Lilygrove! Come in! You're our lady of the day!"

She sounds friendly enough, turning her attention from Asuka to you, the woman that stands up from behind her desk and strides over to you with an outstretched hand (to shake) is one whose age is impossible to quantify; her hair seems naturally grey and there's a certain air of an elder about her, but...

Her body is otherwise youthful...

Bit of a bombshell, really.

"I must apologize for not meeting you at the gate, I've been rather busy with paperwork as of late. But meeting the students of my predecessor is quite the joy for me."

She smiles at you, rose-colored eyes regarding you with a clear curiosity.

"My name's Emmeranne, Emmeranne Blackquill. The students call me Ms. Blackquill, although Emma should be fine when it comes to you two."

She beams at you.

"So, are you excited to be back on campus?"

---An outwardly cheery woman, in spite of her naturally meaner looks.

Encountered: Emmeranne Blackquill

[Airen]

Aster
Saint Vivienne ~ Dormitories
11/16/2026
Monday - Evening

---Thankfully, evening classes are in session, so there shouldn't be too many people around in the dormitories.

It's a simple enough thought that proves to be true even all these years later, slipping in through the back entrance (since it seems someone left it purposefully ajar) the familiar dark-green floors and brown walls of the four-story dormitory haven't changed all that much from your and Ayra's time here at the academy. In comparison to the vibrant, brighter colors that adorned the rest of the school buildings and the gardens, the darker earthy tones of the dormitories were apparently chosen by the school's first class, with the logic being that such colors were naturally soothing, but...

It was sorta... Too earthy, perhaps?

Made the building feel older than what it really was, then again...

It did still sorta feel like home in spite of that...

The nostalgia of the school days, perhaps?

Still...

There's no one in the lounge, the lavish couches are empty, the television has been turned off, and the first floor kitchen is spotless... In that sense, this class is a bit cleaner than Ayra's class, the tension over who would be stuck with dish duty was legendary, and-

"..."

-the sound of footsteps from the upper floors cut those warm thoughts short.

Because no one should really be in here (at least as far as students go) it makes it easy to believe that the owner of these footsteps is Tsukiko, and so, quieting your breathing and footsteps without consciously meaning too you run upstairs (barely remembering to jump over the squeaky one at the top of the second floor) and...

You see her.

Face set in a sort of determined line, the Knight seems to be looking at a scrap of paper in her hand as she moves slowly down the third floor hallway, looking back and forth between her paper and the doors as if looking for something specific, and...

"...!"

She seems to find whatever it is at the end, at the very last room next to the window.

She knocks on the door, apparently oblivious to your presence, and then...

After awhile of tapping her foot with no response coming from inside...

She looks side to side for a moment, then-

"..."

-touches the lock with a finger.

Sparks fly.

A soft click can be heard, and...

She casually walks inside...

...Breaking and entering?

Not unheard of in her school days of course, but...

[Kuroyuki]

Rossweisse & Hiyori
Aoyama, Tokyo ~ ??? Residence
11/16/2026
Monday ~ Early Morning


I woke up to a familiar (?) roof. However, I wasn’t on the SLEPNIR. There wasn’t the reassuring weight of gravity in my room or the cold grey armor plate walls. Instead my (?) room was normal. Everything was placed back in the same location, but there were occasionally additional items. Like there was a physical video game console connected to a TV in one corner compared to the virtual one I had in the SLEPNIR. Also weirdly enough with a single look, I could confidently say that I was in Aoyama, Japan. Despite everyone’s complaints about getting lost, I never seemed to or if someone asked me for directions. I could always seemingly give weird but accurate directions. Despite the bizarre nature of everything, it felt just as right as my (?) room in the SLEPNIR. Just to hammer in the familiarity of this place, I had Hiyori hugging and slightly drooling on my right arm as she slept peacefully… I was tempted to let her sleep in a little bit but…


A smell ended up wafting into the room and slowly but surely filling it. Once it hit Hiyori, her ears perked up before she started waking up gradually. Thankfully, she stopped herself from drooling more as she started floating around groggily before landing on my head.


‘Mmm? Ross… What’s for breakfast?’


“I actually don’t know...”


Once she realized that the smell wasn’t coming from the room or from me. She looked around the room with seemingly the same confused thoughts, but she seemed to resolve it faster than I did…


‘OHAYO!’


As she decided to zoom off towards the kitchen area where someone was presumably cooking breakfast. Seeing her fly off with familiarness made the sight both bizarre and happy? Like things were right, this way? My confused musing came to an end once I saw someone head out into the garden presumably to weed. Just like with my room, they were both familiar but not. Despite that oddness, I felt comfortable enough to open the window and slowly falling from the second floor. I would normally feel hesitant to pull this stunt off in front of unknown people. But I had a gut feeling, they were both tamers.


“Ummm… Good morning, can I help?”


Despite everything, I couldn’t help but feel nervous seeing this person even as I wanted to help them.

[Katie]

Ayra Lilygrove
Saint Vivienne ~ Headmaster's Office
11/16/2026
Monday - Evening

The snippets of conversation she can hear as the door opens makes Ayra realize a crucial fact. The old headmaster would never talk about cars, ever. It’s fair that schools naturally change faculty, but other than the layout, didn’t it seem like what she thought she knew was steadily becoming more and more unfamiliar?

As she walks in, Ayra briefly pauses—no more than half a second, but it is a pause. Said pause contains the thoughts of her primordial lizard brain, base ideas that should never be vocalized because she enjoys being employed as a public figure. Ideas such as:

• Wow, she’s hot.
  
• Her boobs are enormous.
  
• Isn’t her back killing her? Wouldn’t finding bras her size be terribly expensive?

Thankfully, this all passes in a brief moment and Ayra looks as nonplussed as she did entering the room. She makes eye contact, gives a magazine-front-cover smile, shakes the headmaster’s hand, and notes her name (Emma.)

"So, are you excited to be back on campus?"

“While the layout hasn’t changed much, the faculty certainly has…” Despite looking like she’s evading the question, the truth of the matter is that Ayra was simply parsing her thoughts as she went. “I think it’s wonderful to return here after so long, but I’ll admit I haven’t seen much of the school yet.”

“I’d like to see more of your style of education before I say anything else. I’d like to know more for tomorrow. After all, if my experiences here are unrelatable to what your current students are experiencing, there’s not much of a reason to have me be a guest speaker, right?” More or less, this is the polite way of wording her curiosity. How did Evita become a teacher? What criteria made this work out? She just had to satisfy that itch in her brain.

And, of course, it’s much easier to get on people’s good side when you get them to talk about what they do.

-----

Aster
Saint Vivienne ~ Dormitories
11/16/2026
Monday - Evening

A useful trait of being virtual is perfect recall—and though she’s had to free her memory with other, more important information, navigating the school is a breeze. The cleanliness of the lounge is unfamiliar, though, making it feel somewhat off. Once expectations are set, it’s hard to look at things in any other way.

But really, all of that information is irrelevant. What matters is Tsukiko Yonagi, in front of her, trying to break in. Aster isn’t quite sure how she’s managed to evade notice (maybe Ayra really has gotten better at the whole stealth thing?) but she, unfortunately, is the kind of girl to look a gift horse in the mouth. And what she’s about to do is something she reasonably thinks Ayra would do herself.

“Tsukiko,” Aster says, trying her best to copy Ayra’s firm, diligent tone, yet add in that dash of hesitance, the unwillingness to push too far. Her owner is someone who cherishes this warped relationship so much she couldn’t bear to let it break. “What kind of secret makes you resort to this, instead of just getting it with your clearance as a Knight?”

She, nor Ayra, would be judgmental. Tsukiko could commit all sorts of crimes under heaven and they’d devote all the processing capacity, all the brain power, in the world to justify it. There is no promise not to tell.

Because it was simply unneeded, that’s all.

[Airen]

Aster
Saint Vivienne ~ Dormitories
11/16/2026
Monday - Evening

“Tsukiko,” Aster says, trying her best to copy Ayra’s firm, diligent tone, yet add in that dash of hesitance, the unwillingness to push too far. Her owner is someone who cherishes this warped relationship so much she couldn’t bear to let it break. “What kind of secret makes you resort to this, instead of just getting it with your clearance as a Knight?”

---She hadn't done it in quite some time, but the casual way in which Tsukiko deals with authority always had this flicker of shamelessness to it; she doesn't jump or twitch upon you suddenly making yourself known to her, no, the dark-haired woman simply turns her gaze to you, not a single aspect of her existence actually admitting that she's doing anything wrong... In a sense, it was her favored tactic, a sort of refuge in audacity that often had her accuser wondering if they themselves were actually in the wrong, but...

"..."

...After looking at you for a moment, her expression changes just a bit. Perfect confidence becomes hints of an amused line, a smile tugging at the corners of her face, and-

"Well, this room is supposed to be empty, so it's not quite as bad as it looks."

-she responds with her usual cool voice, although the strange light in her eyes makes it so clear she finds something amusing about this particular situation...

"I'm simply looking into some student reports of an unauthorized person living in the Dorms, nothing more, nothing less. Opening the door in this way is just a bit faster than getting the key, important, if I was going to catch them."

She starts towards you.

"But, the real question here is..."

One hand goes up against the wall next to your head, blocking your escape in a classical sort of way, and-

"...What are you doing, Aster?"

-it seems that she knows.

Figured it out right away!

"Impersonating people isn't exactly smiled upon, you know?"

[Airen]

Ayra Lilygrove
Saint Vivienne ~ Headmaster's Office
11/16/2026
Monday - Evening

"A fair enough point."

---She's got a bit of a naturally sultry voice.

It's the sort that probably isn't being done on purpose, but that is absolutely activating the more primal parts of Asuka's brain too, judging by the flickered glance you catch the young woman making at the Headmaster's back (instinctual, as she seems to tear her gaze away the moment she realizes she's doing it) as Emma returns to her chair with a smile, rose eyes locking onto your forms as she steeples her hands together.

---Yes.

This is very different from the Old Headmaster, far less of a relentless Queen feel and more of a...

Attractive Mother type?

In other words, dangerous in an entirely different way than the usual-!

"I wanted our staff to form a more... Personal connection with the students when I was put in charge of this Academy."

Her eyes light up.

"Certainly our standards remain as high as always, but I think it's important that we come across as a bit more approachable to the student body. Still, I believe the majority of the faculty is the same as from your time here as a student, but..."

She starts going through her desk.

"I did hire a few old classmates of yours. Evita Ellet. Her history was that of a troublemaker, but she's remarkably good at catching drifting students, likely because she's still something of a teenager at heart herself. The more troubled kids will talk to her, because they don't see her as quite as... Unapproachable as some of the others. Less of a judgemental feel? Does that make sense?"

She smiles, hands going back together again...

"If you'd like, we could go on a sort of tour around the school together? Might be fun to walk around with an alumni for a bit~"

[Katie]

Ayra Lilygrove
Saint Vivienne ~ Headmaster's Office
11/16/2026
Monday - Evening

I pity the the poor, sapphic students who end up here.

Ayra doesn’t know how to feel about Asuka clearly slipping up in front of her and decides if she dwells on it she will lose brain cells she needs to fight crime. All she needs to do is focus on the conversation at hand, by the words, and everything will be fine and dandy. She can do that. After all, at some point, a woman has to pass the threshold where beauty hardly fazes her.

She is fairly certain she has passed that point, barring minor relapses.

Emma’s explanation about Evita is practically the same thing Evita told her. She’s not sure what she expected. More nuance and elaboration, maybe? But if the reason is as simple as being approachable, then it’s just that. No need to overcomplicate things.

“I’m sure Asuka and I would love to take such a tour,” Ayra says with the voice of someone who expects no dissidence from her squire. A tour seems like a good way to buy Aster much needed time and keeping Asuka nearby meant less of a chance she’d stumble into Aster pretending to be her. That, and…

“If you don’t mind me asking, can we see the clock tower at the end? I’m curious about that rumor the students are going on about.”

-----

Aster
Saint Vivienne ~ Dormitories
11/16/2026
Monday - Evening

It’s obvious when you think about it, but Aster is face to face with someone as shameless as she is. Or maybe the correct way to put it is that she’s just as shameless as the original? Either way, it pisses her off. Only she’s allowed to pull these kinds of shenanigans, thank you very much.

It doesn’t bother her that she’s been caught. That was well within expectations. Maybe it was the lack of reaction to the wall slam? Ayra was the type to get flustered over that. Not that Aster would ever put this theory to words. Knowing Tsukiko…

It was probably something so insignificant that even Mirelle or Asuka couldn’t tell.

“What tipped you off? The sparkle in my eyes? The flush in my cheeks? The beating of my heart?” Well, maybe Tsukiko will spill the beans if Aster treats it like a joke. Honestly, if someone caught them, it’d look like terrible flirting. Fine with her, she supposed—Ayra could sort this out.

“Wouldn’t you rather do this to the real deal?” Aster says, physically pretending to be bashful. Her eyes glance at Tsukiko’s outstretched arm, unfortunately enough of a deterrent to cut off her escape. “I’ll have you know this is quite accurate…”

She accentuates the statement by pulling down on her collar, and just before things get too risque she stops with a laugh. Maybe she’d get a rise out of Tsukiko out of this one.

But as much as she’d love to make light of the situation…

"Impersonating people isn't exactly smiled upon, you know?"

“Honestly… that last question’s a low blow.” Tsukiko probably did not mean it in the way that makes Aster regret she has emulated emotions born of zeroes and ones, but that’s just how reality is.

“Even if I did drop this guise,” Aster can hear her voice about to crack, and she detests how this issue crawls under her skin so easily, strips away the devil-may-care attitude she spends all her time propping up so Ayra doesn’t need to feel guilty and so she can pretend everything is alright. “I’d still be a fake until the very end.”

She takes a deep breath—useless for an AI like her, but being based on a person ultimately means that calming herself down must be done through directed thought and not the shutdown of various protocols. The slip-up is cathartic in its own way, a little leak to prevent the deluge. Aster just has to maintain control.

“Ayra is doing her own investigation, so I’m supposed to be looking into things while she keeps everyone else occupied with Asuka.” Her voice sounds defeated. Better than nothing, she guesses. “But personally, I wanted to have a chat with you.”

“I—” Aster says, stifling the reflex to make a joke so she can get her long buried feelings across, “want to know the things you can’t tell Ayra to her face.”