Spirit Pulse : Mugen No Sekai [IC]

[Airen]

Rossweisse
SLEIPNIR - Resource Level
11/16/2026
Monday - Early Morning

"...At least they're being semi-responsible I suppose, but why does no one update me on these sorts of things?"

Ultimately, it seems you are able to somewhat shelter your fellow crewmates from the worst of Anna's assumptions about their behavior; seeing as how the pilot was already easily the most overworked member of the crew (by her own choice of course, but even still) it was plausible that she might have gone charging after the three of them simply to lecture them for adding onto her pile of work and troubling the Commander, or perhaps even gone off to activate the increased gravity on them alone, or even -god forbid- cut power to all the simulators in order to force everyone out into the open, but...

As it is...

She just sighs.

“I figured there should at least be someone here to greet the faction representatives before our reputation becomes worse… Um… Is there anything I can help out with? I was thinking about giving out these bars I had and maybe buying some coffee from Brewed Awakening for them to drink, but I’m not sure that’ll be enough."

"Oh no, there's no need to give them your personal snacks."

The red-haired woman shakes her head decisively, as if to dissuade you from this particular course of action...

"I've had the Cafeteria Staff working on the meals since last night," raising one of her arms again as if to prove this, the mass of holograms that she has gathered around the limb -holograms that seem to be dozens upon dozens of checklists and work orders- are so densely packed together that your eyes are having a hard time picking through them, but it sounds about right for her, "I was coming here to recruit the agents for setting the tables before they get here, but it seems like they had other plans..."

She sighs again...

"If you're willing, I suppose you could help me with that?"

Smiling tiredly, but kindly, the woman's grin becomes slightly more... mischievous... After a moment...

"But don't worry... Anyone that doesn't show... I'll definitely hunt them down..."

A cheery smile.

"They were warned after all, it would be a shame if my hands were to slip over the individual gravity controls."

One that does little to mask the malice.

[Zurvan]

Ludwig Karlfeldt
Rothschild - Halls
11/16/2026
Monday - Early Morning

"...I just wanted to help out if you were feeling stressed..."

The Karlfeldt Tamer is quick to let go.

Once again, even though the offer is made with good intentions, that sentiment sure doesn't land on the recipient.

"I thought you and Logan were ordered to stay at the SDCD, so seeing you here ahead of schedule when you could have simply waited along with Logan is just surprising... Never seen you be so, well, in reverie before either."

The fact that Ludwig could 'invade' unprotected minds without their consent was perhaps best not said in this exchange... Astra seems annoyed enough as is after all.

Adding on that nugget of information would surely set her off even more.

"Seems my bad habits keep getting the better of me these days... My reputation certainly doesn't help either. The Commander and Chiyoko are further ahead, although Anna said they're discussing classified matters. I was just waiting until they were done, ask the Commander of some extra training and go meet the other Tamers."

His hand scratches the back of his head, as if unsure what to do or say to dissipate the annoyance clearly visible in Astra's eyes.

"And you're right, Logan will manage himself just fine. I've seen that first hand in the Server. It's not like he really could get into something at the SDCD base..."

So as he quickly handles the topic of Logan Starbright, the Tamer once again relies on his Big Sister COMP.

Lydia, can you...

Working on it already... Big sisters have to clean up after their little brothers after all.

...Don't think I didn't notice your absence this time.

Oh no! Anyway~, at least try and patch things up with Astra alright.

The reliable Big Sister COMP returning to full capacity quickly goes to work to ensure Ludwig's curiosity is snuffed out properly

Although it's certainly not unlikely that this will only end up angering Astra even more...

But that's just the kind of person Ludwig Karlfeldt is, well meaning and kind yet prone to missteps while coming across as cold.

His reputation as a Karlfeldt isn't helping him either in this case...

"So, if you don't mind waiting until the Commander's finished... want to put that anger to use real quick? Get out your frustrations and feel refreshed when the others arrive?"

Beep Beep.
Hi Hi Rhea! Sorry about this but Ludwig's a very paranoid boy at times so I have to ask this in his stead. Is it really just fatigue that's affecting Astra? If you need us gone we'll happily oblige, but if there's anything at all you're unsure of... let's just say it'll be our little secret~.

[Bloble]

Daisuke
Aoyama, LOVELESS, Moon Under Water
11/16/2026
Monday - Morning

Daisuke has been serving as Chris' representative for all matters that require in-person communication for all his life. He should be used to talking to new people by now, and in a way he is. He welcomes any chance to add a new face and name to his log book. Even when nervous, he pushes past his hesitation without complaint.

So why does he feel uneasy?

What doesn't fit here? Where is the defect that explains why these pieces of reality don't seem to fit together properly?

He can't calculate it. There is a factor here that his senses haven't grasped, that is twisting everything slowly, strangely.

Even so, that just means he'll have to rely on what he sees in front of him.

"That's good to hear, I'll have the kitchen start on another round for you and your table."

"Ah, thank you, miss. But it's not just one table. I'm leaving on a trip soon, so I called over some friends to say goodbye. They should be arriving in a bit. Could I get some coffee for them too?"

Everything seems fine. Everything isn't fine, but it seems fine, but it doesn't.

"Oh, but could you make it decaffeinated? Even if there's no nervous system to stimulate, they might be a little young to be consuming methylxanthine alkaloids."

Are fairies young? Or are they old? Daisuke settles on evergreen. Yes, a fairy must always be too young for coffee. Especially that one.

"...well, I'm a bit young too, but it has no effect so it's fine."

Is he babbling? Daisuke isn't a babbler, except when meeting new people, so he must be babbling. The book lady must think he looks terribly silly.

"...Leave me a big tip for the service, I suppose?"

"O-oh, right, a tip! Of course I'll leave a big one!" He'd completely forgotten about that. Do they have enough money?

Daisuke checks Chris' bank accounts. Oh, it'll be fine, even if he orders for nearly a dozen. She doesn't eat as much as a normal person anyway. He can just take from the secret gacha account and convince his Tamer that she rolled it away herself.

But still...

"Sorry, you just seemed worried about something by the way you were hugging that book close, so..."

He shrugs.

"In that case, miss, could I stay here a bit longer?"

Daisuke points to the table he left behind.

"I finally got them to talk to each other, you see, so..."

It'd be best to let the situation advance without him to interfere. If those two can be friendly, that'd be great.

"I'm Daisuke," he finally offers, remember that he'd never introduced himself. "What's your name, miss?"

[Airen]

Daisuke
Aoyama, LOVELESS, Moon Under Water
11/16/2026
Monday - Morning

"Ah, thank you, miss. But it's not just one table. I'm leaving on a trip soon, so I called over some friends to say goodbye. They should be arriving in a bit. Could I get some coffee for them too?"

She smiles.

"Of course, that's quite the thoughtful gesture on your part, that's rare in someone your age."

Her fingertips drum lightly against the surface of her tome. It's not an inpatient twitch, rather an unconscious one, the expending of energy for the sole purpose of expending energy, like someone tapping their foot under their desk at school, or throwing a ball back and forth between their hands.

It's not something worthy paying attention too, nevertheless, you find yourself paying attention to it.

Perhaps because the rest of her is so consciously still?

Indeed, she simply listens to you prattle on without judging you for it, eyes unblinking, listening quietly -simply tapping her fingers- as she waits for you to find your point, your meaning, laughing at your reaction to the idea of a tip, and seeming appreciative of it all the same.

Yes.

She's a normal person, the area around here is normal, and yet...

...You feel like you need to watch your step.

The best description... It's like she makes you nervous, constantly nervous... But...

"Sorry, you just seemed worried about something by the way you were hugging that book close, so..."

"Oh? Was I?"

She laughs again.

It's a pleasant enough sound, the practiced voice of someone who has been trained to talk to customers, to make them feel good about themselves, to make them want to come back, to make the experience an enjoyable one, yes...

She's good at the job.

Certainly catches your attention...

"Well, it's sort of my good luck charm, you see? So it's pretty important to me."

She leans slightly closer, in a conspiratory sort of way...

"It's not actually the original one though... I had one just like it a long time ago, but it was taken from me. I was lucky enough to find an identical one later on, so I guess I'm just a little overprotective? I know it's a bit childish, but we all have our childish sides, right?"

Perfectly friendly.

"And sure, stay here as long as you like, those two do seem to have some sort of history."

She winks.

"Must be a bit awkward to sit through, but I kinda thought the little family vibe you guys had going on was cute~"

"I'm Daisuke," he finally offers, remember that he'd never introduced himself. "What's your name, miss?"

"Oh, I didn't introduce myself? Hahaha, sorry, I'm still a bit new here," running one hand through her hair (hair that you feel is a bit too short for some reason, a bit too light in color too) the woman ultimately lets out a nervous sort of chuckle, "It's Aislyn. Aislyn Wevere. Nice to meet you."

She extends her hand to you, as if offering to shake it.

"I know it's a bit of a foreign name, but I've always felt pretty comfortable in Japan~ You can call me Ai, if you'd like?"

[Airen]

Raz Stone
Avalon ~ Camelot, Tintagel Gardens
11/16/2026
Monday - Early Morning

"..."

Silence strikes the castle grounds.

It's a silence so pure that even the wildlife seems to freeze in place, a silence so complete that even those demons in the distant woods, the magical forest that surrounded this magical isle, feel a sudden sense of foreboding, glancing towards the eternal golden castle, and perhaps deciding that today is simply not the day to visit Camelot, indeed...

This situation has just escalated, and the one doing the escalation has no idea about it.

Or at least, doesn't seem to understand that he has just resorted to what is essentially terrorism, but...

"..."

One of the distant squires breaks into a sprint towards the dining hall for reasons that basically everyone but you know, the others return to their circle, A.I's emerging from their vessels to hover over their shoulders now, because all hands must now be on deck, the situation has escalated, this is no longer a drill, Raz Stone cannot be allowed to enter any dining room area at any cost.

Cut him down if you have to, the infirmary can take care of any wounds.

Yes.

That's the sort of feeling that exists here, one that flies right over your head, but...

"...Take the fifty."

With a grim determination, Ryan focuses his gaze back on the holographic form of your sister, aware that this specific duty is more important than even his legendary laziness, and...

"I'll let you have the date too."

...Strong as ever, while Ada recognizes the danger present here, she doesn't let it show on her face.

Indeed, she is already out of bed in the video-feed, striding towards the door in jeans and a black t-shirt, not stopping to change because there is a problem that needs fixing right now, but...

"Tell you what, how about I come down there for free and you just don't make the pudding, ok?"

In the feed, the girl starts rummaging through Merlin's things, the demon is present on the screen as well, but...

Doesn't really seem to care that much...

The Merlin usual...

"...Also take that costume off, you look ridiculous."

Ah.

There it is.

The tough love.

Meanwhile...

"..."

"..."

The Zerah-Dejah staring contest is just...

Sorta...

Still going... Until...

"...Hmm."

His eyes refocus again, and...

"I see."

He reestablishes his sense of calm immediately.

"Since when could you walk around on your own...?"

That conversation seems to be heading in an interesting direction-!

[Bloble]

Daisuke
Aoyama, LOVELESS, Moon Under Water
11/16/2026
Monday - Morning

Stop.

Stop.

Stop.

Across the edges of his senses, within Daisuke's mind, something that can't quite be called a sense pleads for him to back away.

Something's wrong.

Something's wrong.

Something's wrong.

Over and over, without any basis for it, that conclusion is repeated.

The young COMP can usually rely on his senses, but here, for whatever reason, they aren't behaving properly. The data being created doesn't fit together with reality.

It's almost like... like when he talked to Burroughs, and his mind was flooded with strange images.

Isn't a detective-type COMP supposed to trust his instincts? Isn't he supposed to trust the facts?

He's about to leave on a mission, right? In that case, he should be conservative. Make an excuse to withdraw. It'll be easy. Back away and investigate later. Apologize if it turns out to be a misunderstanding.

Don't take that hand. It's wrong. She's wrong. Her hair is too short (compared to what?) and too light (for what reason?) and that's wrong. This is wrong. Stop before you do something wrong.

It's not too late.

...

Daisuke offers a sheepish smile and takes the offered hand.

"N-nice to meetcha, Ai-chan."

As if that much is enough to stop him.

"It's fine, I'm new too. So uh... sorry if I say anything weird."

As if a Tamer would ever run from something that felt like trouble!

"You're new here but you're comfortable in Japan, right, Ai-chan? Does that mean you just moved here? You speak really well for someone from overseas!"

The young COMP adjusts his glasses and does a quick refresh on his eyes to get rid of the strange artifacts. Mentally he digs in, activating his harmonizer momentarily to reset his senses.

"Oh, if you're new, you might not know: the fairies hanging around LOVELESS are pretty mischievous. They're not malicious, but... you might wanna keep that book somewhere safe instead of carrying it around, especially if it's important to you. Otherwise they might snatch it because it's shiny. You wouldn't believe how many complaints they generate."

Still, the book is a replacement, huh...?

"If you lost the original, you could always report it to the SDCD. There's a whole list of missing items that we'll return to their owners if we run into them. Bit of a longshot, but hey, you never know what might happen."

[Airen]

Daisuke
Aoyama, LOVELESS, Moon Under Water
11/16/2026
Monday - Morning

---The world doesn't end when you touch her.

While a part of you is screaming that there's something wrong with the situation, like this person does not quite fit into this scenery in the same way as everyone else, nothing particularly bad happens to you when you take her hand, indeed...

Her grip is strong sure, but that's normal for girls nowadays, Lexie's grip is strong enough you're pretty sure she can snap trees in half.

Her grip is warm obviously, but she's also obviously alive, alive people are warm, that's what happens when you have a bloodflow...

And...

It's normal.

It's all normal, everything is okay.

Indeed, she shakes your hand once, twice, and then lets go...

Nothing changes.

Nothing explodes.

The world doesn't change colors, there are no vibrant shocks or flashes of pain, it's all just...

Normal.

"You're new here but you're comfortable in Japan, right, Ai-chan? Does that mean you just moved here? You speak really well for someone from overseas!"

"I've lived on a few islands before coming to the mainland, but I used to travel around the world a lot! Still do actually, the pulse-network prices really beat airplane tickets, if you can get over the nausea..."

Indeed.

The Spirit Pulse Network (a form of transportation that utilized the natural leylines of the planet) was well known for inducing mild illness in those who utilized it, a sort of side-effect from getting a bit too close to the theoretical location of the 'afterlife,' as it were...

She's talking normal... But...

No matter what you do, the strange feeling won't go away completely, of course...

Much like an adrenaline rush, it's getting less powerful over time, and...

"Oh, if you're new, you might not know: the fairies hanging around LOVELESS are pretty mischievous. They're not malicious, but... you might wanna keep that book somewhere safe instead of carrying it around, especially if it's important to you. Otherwise they might snatch it because it's shiny. You wouldn't believe how many complaints they generate."

"Oh, the fairies? Yes. I know. There's a really energetic one named Ruu," she stays as she is, leaned forward over the counter, one hand safely pressing her tome against it's surface, "She really likes nesting in hair, and round objects, I suppose adding shiny things to that list makes sense."

She doesn't do anything to harm you.

Or even seeming to do anything suspicious really, it's more just...

That her existence itself comes across as strange...

But the more frantic impulses are dying down now, now it's just...

A little buzz in the back of your head...

"If you lost the original, you could always report it to the SDCD. There's a whole list of missing items that we'll return to their owners if we run into them. Bit of a longshot, but hey, you never know what might happen."

She chuckles nervously again, the one free hand she always has running through her hair.

"It's long gone I'm afraid, no chance of reclaiming it now. I lost it in a faraway place."

She shrugs, as if to say 'it can't be helped.'

"I do appreciate the offer though."

She blinks, as if remembering something, then:

"Ah yes, the order..."

Turning around to call out orders into the kitchen (and getting a silky sounding female voice coming back in response) the woman turns back to you and readopts her ever present smile.

"Now what were we talking about...? Oh yes, you mentioned going on a trip right? Is that Tamer business? Are you going somewhere far away?"

...Must not seem to mind killing time with small talk.

[Bloble]

Daisuke
Aoyama, LOVELESS, Moon Under Water
11/16/2026
Monday - Morning

Finally, it dies down.

The panic, the voiceless urge at the edge of his cognition, the drive without purpose.... as Daisuke and Aislyn shake hands and share nervous smiles, that feeling of panic recedes into something bearable.

And, once it has been reduced to a buzz...

"I'm sorry, Mr. LOVELESS, Saya-san."

Below, in his processor, the young COMP is more than a bit regretful. And embarrassed. His digital avatar wears a pink blush as its face blurs like a mirage.

"This was my mistake. You had to see something unprofessional."

It goes without saying, but arranging something like this against a clearly normal person is not how an SDCD Tamer should behave. The same goes for an SDCD COMP. Being panicked, having suspicions based on other strange things that happened, or one's senses going into overdrive are not valid excuses without concrete evidence. Even if he decided against it in the end, there's no doubt that he'll be disciplined afterwards. Chris as well will surely have harsh words for him. What follows will likely be special simulations, punishments, restrictions, and maybe even worse... but Daisuke has already accepted that result.

There is, of course, another result that must also be accepted.

"Now what were we talking about...? Oh yes, you mentioned going on a trip right? Is that Tamer business? Are you going somewhere far away?"

"Ah, sorry, Ai-chan. That's a secret."

And another apology as well, to the normal girl he very nearly subjected to something unreasonable. Daisuke blushes and raises a hand to the back of his head.

"Last time I talked work I got yelled at..."

Well, it's basically confirmation that he's going somewhere outside the country on Tamer business. But that much should be fine to say.

"I'm looking forward to it though. You said you've been all over, right? That sounds amazing, visiting and living in so many places. You must have seen a lot."

After pushing aside the regret, and the buzz, and glancing back at Shuichi and Sofia to make sure they're still having fun together, Daisuke sheepishly admits something else embarrassing as he kills time together with... could it be possible? Might Aislyn want to be his friend? That would be unprecedented! Two in one morning!

"I've actually never been outside of Japan," he continues. "Since I'm stationed here, and there's always work to be done, the furthest I've gone is Tokyo. You could say the world I live in is really small, like a snow globe. Of course there's the Server as well, and the Net, and they're all wonderful, but... I can't help but think your world must be much bigger and more exciting than mine. You must have so many experiences! Enough to fill up that book!"

It must be a journal of some kind. A strange one to be sure, but magical journals exist. If it's a source of comfort, then it explains why she'd always be touching it at all times.

Slowly, as he forces himself to relax, pushing aside those cursed instincts (he'll have to ask Chris for an examination when he gets back; having his sensors going crazy like that randomly is no good), Daisuke allows himself to behave more like the child he actually is.

"So I'm kinda looking forward to this trip... my world's gonna get a bit bigger, and I'll have a cool story to tell when it's over."

He smiles and laughs a little.

"Could I come back here and order another coffee then? Maybe we could swap stories, Ai-chan."

[Airen]

Cosmos Fairchild
LOVELESS, Vatican City
12/22/2026
Evening, Thunder Storm

"Cosmos... Fairchild...?"

A brief moment of quiet contemplation...

Indeed, repeating your name back to you as if that was the most important part of everything you had just said to her; indeed, the sleep-deprived girl clearly focuses on that above all else for quite some time, like gears slowly spinning into place, or perhaps...

"That's right!"

She slams her foot down on the floor, then dashes back over to a nearby table...

"There were two! Two who came back! How could I have forgotten?! Alyx Kingsleigh and Cosmos Fairchild..."

Her fingers dance across a blank sheet of paper, smooth graceful and precise strokes, the movements of a hand that is seemingly used to making small alterations to images, a maker of schematic perhaps?

Either way, the image that she produces in a little under a minute...

Is you.

It's merely a drawing of you of course, but it's a detailed one, one that she pins to a different section of the wall, where a photograph of Alyx had been sitting alone, all by itself, spaced just oddly enough though...

That you're sure there had used to be another photo there, nevertheless...

It's then and only then, when she has seemingly 'restored' this forgotten clue to her collection, that the young woman turns to regard you again...

"There are all manner of fountains here, they were an aesthetic choice, a way of celebrating the original architects of the business. I have no reason to believe that any of those fountains are magical in nature, they were all constructed long before my time. I believe alternate universe theory is a matter that the Xanadu Labs are still working on themselves -to no current success- it seems rather unlikely that such a thing would manifest here, why is this relevant?"

In spite of the almost manic bursts of energy, it's clear that the girl is running on fumes... She's a bit twitchy (although her attempt at hiding it is almost perfect) but strides towards you again, not coming close enough to touch you, but more...

Study you...

"But you are the Fairchild girl... Yes, a number of strange phenomena are circling around you... Are you like Kingsleigh? Do you claim amnesia? What happened on that ship? Why are you two the only ones to return? How did you come back?"

...Seems like she's already talked to Alyx somehow...

And also...

Seems like Alyx wasn't that helpful...

[palad1n]

Cosmos Fairchild
LOVELESS, Vatican City
12/22/2026
Evening, Thunder Storm

While Sofia was busy drawing her portrait, Cosmos found her eyes wandering to a certain section of the wall, where a photo of Alyx was pinned alone; from the spacing it's clear that her own photo was once pinned there, once upon a time, and it's the first concrete evidence that she truly is disappearing from this world at an alarming pace if her photo could disappear just like that...

Still, she entertained a certain thought for a second.

What if Cosmos Fairchild never existed?

Would it have made a difference?

Would it have made the world a better place?

The answer is clear and obvious, so she didn't dwell on it for long. For now, she has a responsibility she needs to fulfill, a last chance that God had given her to prove that she isn't a complete failure.

Thus, Cosmos shifted her attention and thoughts to the matter at hand after Sofia had finished her drawing and starting to ramble at her, listening intently to what the princess has to say.

Interestingly, Sofia had already talked to Alyx, and it seems her sister claimed amnesia when she was asked.

'Must be because explaining that she went to another world is too much of a hassle...'

When the blonde finally stopped talking, waiting for what she has to say in all this, Cosmos once again looked at the princess with an even gaze before she started to talk.

"The reason why the fountain is relevant is because that thing is one of the main catalyst to this mystery." She began. "A week before the joint mission, Alyx and I went to another world through a fountain here. Long story short, we only spent roughly a day in another world, but the moment we returned home we found that a month had already passed. Mister Daniel has the proof of our adventure should you find the story unbelievable." She glanced at the NWAB agent for a moment, seeing as he still held Aesop's parting gift before returning her attention to Sofia.

It also reminds her to ask him to give the card back after this.

"In other words, Alyx and I didn't go on the joint mission at all. She must have claimed amnesia because explaining all of this is too much of a hassle, not to mention unbelievable, but it is the truth." Cosmos said with absolute conviction; no trace of doubt or hesitation could be found in her tone or eyes if one were to look, for she knew it to be true.

"Of course, the fact that two people could seemingly pass as both Alyx and myself - complete with matching spiritual signature, COMP, appearance and personality - would make anyone doubtful that they were impostors." She conceded with a frown. "If they were actually us, then there was someone who erased our memories of going to another world, before once again erasing our memories of the joint mission and making us remember of the journey to another world. If they weren't us, then there were people who could impersonate another person so well that they managed to fool absolutely everyone; not only the people, but also the machines and systems of the Tamer Organizations."

In other words, either scenario is absolutely ridiculous.

"Seeing as both Mister Daniel and myself are stuck, we went to LOVELESS in hope of discovering a new clue. The fountain would hopefully be one of them." She concludes. "And in case you're wondering which fountain it was, it was the one which is huge enough to fill an entire room, with its water having some sort of spell or charm that normally allow anyone to stand on the water."

[Zurvan]

Lydia
Background Processing Unit
11/16/2026
Monday - Early Morning


Unit 16B Background Process #12689017
Log Start.

-Yamuna Project kids?

--Yamuna: Guardian Goddess of Humanity, Idol active in Japan.

---Yamuna Project?

----Uncertain, no relevant data can be found. Added 'Kids', no relevant data can be found. Activating Logic Probability.
----﹂Probabilities: [Recreation of primordial Goddess, 7.97%][Creation of Yamuna, 36.7%][Demon/Divinity Fusions, 23.4%][Idol Future Projects: 0.01%][Soul Sea Soul Bindings: 2.72%]

---Y6/Y7 Children?

----Yamuna Child 6, no data available. Yamuna Child 7, was on the SLEIPNIR recently yet no relevant records available. Highest probability of gaining access to records: Anna Ashford.

---Family?

---Adala Lagerkvist, Hints of Divine Charisma when serious. Noted to have increased levels of Divinity in the Dream World, likely to be simply be suppressed in the current time.
----Probability of Genetic Family: Low. Discarded.
-----Probability of Genetic Family with Y6: Low. Discarded.
------Probability of Genetic Family with Y7: Low. Discarded.
-------Probability of Soul Bound Family: Within accepted parameters. Continuing.
-------﹂Connection to Yamuna: Possible. History with SDCD and Yamuna noted in Kyuubi Incident 2. Further analysis yields no extra results: Solution, have Ludwig meet Yamuna.

--------Probability of Soul Sea Connection: Within accepted parameters. Transferring to Unit 16C.

--Chronos?

---Demon. God of Time. Link to Chiyoko Fujimoto: Probability High.

-Analysis of Query:
Ludwig Karlfeldt should ask Anna Ashford for Ship's Logs. Denied by Main Unit.
Ludwig Karlfeldt should meet with Yamuna. Approved by Main Unit.
Ludwig Karlfeldt should gauge Chiyoko's reaction upon the mention of 'Chronos'. Approved by Main Unit.

[Kuroyuki]

Rossweisse
SLEIPNIR - Resource Level
11/16/2026
Monday - Early Morning

"...At least they're being semi-responsible I suppose, but why does no one update me on these sorts of things?"

"To be honest, it was surprising for all of us… that it just slipped our minds? At the very least, the situation seemed to warrant enough urgency to ensure our COMPs were fine."

I was still trying to cover for all of three of them especially since they came here without any coercion. At the very least, I don't think they deserve the scolding that Anna would have given them if I didn't explain their absence a little bit.

"Oh no, there's no need to give them your personal snacks. I've had the Cafeteria Staff working on the meals since last night. I was coming here to recruit the agents for setting the tables before they get here, but it seems like they had other plans..."

I gave a quick sigh of relief and started to place the bars away. I didn’t really want to give them away because they weren’t exactly the best welcoming gift. So an actual welcoming feast from our ship’s cooks would be a godsend. Whatever they cooked up would pass up anything, I would’ve been able to cook. Actually even our previous cooks would’ve been more than suffice. If it wasn’t for the sudden nature of this mission, I would’ve thought that we got the new chefs just to impress our guests.

"If you're willing, I suppose you could help me with that? But don't worry... Anyone that doesn't show... I'll definitely hunt them down… They were warned after all, it would be a shame if my hands were to slip over the individual gravity controls."

“Yes I’m willing to help. As for anyone not helping… It might be best to not hit anyone checked into a simulator. At the very least, they’re training to show the other factions how “serious” we are in ensuring that the mission passes successfully or if all of them are full... Empty a quarter of them. Everyone else… might need a reminder.”

Sometimes… you might need to sacrifice a few to ensure the majority. Also I’m sure that most of Rothschild would appreciate a little physical training opportunity instead of greeting guests. With that said, I started setting tables. Hopefully… someone else shows up before Anna ‘slips up’ on the gravity controls.

[Tobias]

Raz Stone
Avalon ~ Camelot, Tintagel Gardens
11/16/2026
Monday - Early Morning

Ada Stone was a shy creature. It was hard for her to display the kindness and knightly selflessness that Raz knew lay underneath a thin veneer of cockiness and teen disassociation. He knew other people didn’t see it, but he did, and he loved her for it.

Oh sure there might be times he might have wished for someone whose emotions weren’t so...labile...but he knew well he had no right to dictate how someone acted, to change who they were and who they decided to be.

To live life, one made choices. Simple ones of course, what to wear, where to go, what to eat and what to do. Then more long term choices, what to practice, what to give up. Who to include into your personal world and allow into your heart. Finally, the greatest choices of all. The ones that were so important people rarely remembered making them, the choices of who to be.

I am a singer. A knight, a source of inspiration, a lover of women and men both. I may not be the strongest, the swiftest, the most skilled, but I can help people go beyond their limits, and that to me is what it means to be a knight.

I am a swordswoman. My blade will guard the innocent, I will yield my life before my code and I will show the world my justice.

I am a soldier. I believe in my family. I am overly nosey and bother those around me, but that’s because I never stop caring and I am always there for my loved ones. I never want to regret not acting when I could have.

I march to the beat of my own drum. I may not fit the image of the valiant defender but each day I grow a little bit more. Becoming strong is easy. Lift weights, swing your sword, repeat the same action over and over and eventually you will be strong, but being clever is different. You can’t learn the same thing twice. It’s harder, but it’s a path I walk. Sometimes I’m lonely, but luckily I am never alone.

I don’t have everything I want. I don’t want to be hungry. I don’t want to go without. I don’t want to be cold. But I would rather be poor then be wrong. There are so many fights I want to have, many are suffering, and the world can be cruel. I have the power to ease my burden, or that of others, but not both. That power is all I could ever ask for.

I don’t know what’s right or wrong. I don’t know what I am supposed to do. It feels like no path in front of me is one I can follow without being untrue to myself. I know what people think I should do. But I don’t know if I have the strength. I don’t know if I want to have the strength. For once, it feels like Fate is truly in my hands. I didn’t know I could feel so powerful.

The world is vast and full of adventure. Growing up with power means you never can’t rely on your own strength, but people expect me to follow an oath I never took. I like making people smile. But that doesn’t make me a dog on destiny’s leash. I will forge my own path.

Pile bunkers are pretty cool.

Maybe pain was an exclamation mark at the end of a good book. It hurt because it was fun. If you enjoyed the presence of such then you felt its absence. Life was filled with joy and sorrows. And I had been raised to truly believe that the greatest joy was preceded by the depths of despair. I hold these words in my heart. “We will meet again.” These are tenets of my faith, but I don’t mean them like my brethren. I steer my ship away from the guiding star into the storm. I’ll throw my compass overboard, my heart will be my guide.

A person created themselves with belief in who they are. To put that another way, to be alive was to live by the fundamental truth that nobody could observe your existence till you did so first.

Raz could no more wish Ada stone acted differently then he could deny the very soul of his little sister.

Thats why when she let her honest and true feelings out, often times in moments exactly like this, his bard’s heart danced.

I mean, of course Ada knew his time was limited, as a knight, he had a thousand things to do. So when she tried so bravely and nobly to deny herself her brother’s love filled pudding, Raz understood at once of course. It was the same thing as telling him to stop worrying about others and focus on his own self for once. Even now the magical damage inflicted by the starlight hadn’t fully healed. It wasn’t unreasonable to think he should rest instead of making her the sweet delicious chocolatey pudding she undoubtedly was craving even right now.

It happened all the time of course. Raz would get a quarter night off, finish a song early or get the write up for a patrol done extra quick and he would contact Ada for requests. She always said no, because she loved him. Raz always sent something anyway because he loved her. That’s what it meant to be siblings!

Oh, the squires jumping around also happened a lot. Bless them all, they were such good kids. Never got to eat anything good. Just whatever could be scrounged from the barracks. They never let him cook during missions either, instead just having him brew coffee. Raz knew why. It’s because they didn’t want him running ragged and collapsing so gave him an easy activity he enjoyed, stoically taking cooking duties onto themselves instead. Such nobility gave Raz heart that the future would be well guarded by the new generation of knights.

One of the squires ran off to the kitchen. Probably to get tableware or something, what a courteous person.

”Don’t worry my boys and girls, I know you are thinking of me...but that’s why I am also thinking of you!

And with that, Raz let out a sharp whistle.

And a new data point was introduced to the group. The magical vehicles Tamers made use of had very different powers and complexities. Some were little more then land vehicles. Durable, powerful, but still relatively mundane. Others went up a notch, incorporating power and versatility, or extreme adaptability. The third, and already rare kind went a step further, incorporating magic into its design so that it could face head on against even powerful spells, less a vehicle of transport and more a mount of war.

But the most powerful, the most rare...was the type that was itself a floating base. Capable of fighting independently with its onboard computer’s harmonic matrix, and able to withstand even A rank power, were the most incredible mobile bastions of Tamers. And these roving fortresses held one further advantage that other, lesser vehicles could not match.

...The ability to deliver on site supplies. Like the barebones but clearly functional kitchen set which dropped in front of Raz. Immediately at hand were chocolates for melting in a convenient pot, what appeared to be some kind of dried milk next to an electric stove with a single ring shaped source of flame, and some basic mixing tools haphazardly balanced on top of a box full of powdered sugar. The final touch was around his neck. Raz let the illusion of the golden haired boy fade as he needed to concentrate, and also wanted to show off what now adorned his chest.

A shiny apron, with a series of golden symbols lit up oddly reminiscent of the sheathe of Lied Ortus at its side, with the words “sing for your supper” proudly written in pale gold across the front.

”Well! Time to get worken~” Raz said gaily.



”...Nope. Nope nope nope nope, I ain’t gett’n involved at all. I know when the ruscoe is ready to belch. Further away, suddenly projected through the Hermès system, a fedora clad detective walked quickly away.

”Ain’t rightly got a tongue to taste with and I am still beating heels. Sorry about the rookie, gumshoe,” the detective COMP said idly to the swordsman. “Ain’t no stopping him when he gets like this. Anyway, heard you asking how long the tyke has been batting her peepers ‘round these parts. Wouldn’t mind being out wise to that my self, seeing as how she kinda reminds me o’ someone.”

”Ma’am.” The blond man added looking straight at Dejah. “Don’t reckon we ever got proper introduced. I’m just your average dick, but at your service anyhow.”

[Spinach]

O the cunning wiles that creep
In thy little heart asleep
When thy little heart doth wake,
Then the dreadful night shall break.

Hyakka Onjouji
Aoyama, Brighter Days Orphanage
11/16/2026
Monday - Early Morning

Behind ruby eyes lay an endless expanse. A galaxy of bright crimson fell upon the pages, an eternity weighing down upon the print. A page that was once blank spoke into the void, and the void listened. There is no sound of pen against parchment. The ink glides across the page with a ghostly silence, as though one lost to the past is writing from beyond the grave.

The girl holding the journal falls silent as she, and all of her, read what is written.

To those Living in the Future

We pray that you find the Freedom you Deserve

Words on paper resonated in a toneless, blank voice. They reverberated and bounced through her inner self, searching for meaning. What freedom did she deserve? She had already so much freedom. The freedom to smile, to laugh, to learn, to be happy and to be sad, to cry and to fight, to be victorious and be defeated. So many doors were closed to her now, but she had within her the will to shatter those locks.

If such a thing is not freedom, then what is? Was this truly for her?

Yet as she sought an answer, the invisible hand did not stop to wait.

The Truth you Seek

A Successful Journey

And A Self You Can Love

Crimson eyes widened, and the girl’s grip on the book tightened. The doubt that the writing was meant for her washed away.

The man in the crystal garden?

The Man of Light, whose voice and presence eased her anxiety, pushed away her fears with just a few light words of encouragement. Who she felt compelled to open her heart to, that she who knew only trust could trust above all else.

It was a dream far detached from the others. There was no terror, no end of all things. No premonition of despair.

As she clutched at the edges of the pages, fingers turning white at the tips…

Best Wishes

Zerah, Yamuna, Preciel, Dawn, Hyperion, Aurora, Honoka, Genbu, Kayda, Matsuda

The writing continued. The world felt like it crawled to a standstill as the names of the ones who presumably sent this message were spelled out before Hyakka. The blank galaxy that was her mind searched and searched, but those names… they didn’t return anything.

Their letter had blown her soul with a gust of frozen wind, rattled her being. Yet their names… they were just writing before her.

May Ten and Ten Never Meet Ten

The last words were written, and her eyes fell. She didn’t understand. What was the meaning of this message? Who is the Man of Light, and who is Zerah? How are they related… and how is she related to them?

The frustration of not knowing herself bubbled up. Little droplets of tears began to appear at the edges of her eyes, and when she looked up and adjusted to wipe them away…

Hello!

One final word appeared.

“H-huh?”

The girl looked around, shaking away the tears in the process. Little droplets of frustration disappeared into her already wet hair, lost in the bathroom forever. Hopefully unseen by Alice.

"Huh... Self writing book... Haven't seen one of those in awhile, sort of a gimmick item... Or is it just possessed...? I don't think he'd give me something possessed..."

“Umm! S-self writing? It said hello to me… I… I…”

Lost and confused, Hyakka bounced her eyes from Alice to the book, to the wall where the other Alice was, then back to the book, then to Alice, and the book again.

“H-hello?” With hesitation, she spoke back to it. Uncertainty that such an object could be spoken to was written clear as day on her, yet she persevered. “I am Hyakka. What’s your name?”

[Airen]

Intermission
???
Relentless Assault - Forgotten Inquiry/Devil Trigger
12/23/2026

---The castle had been under assault for days.

If one were to describe to the notion that the Ruler of the Demons was a malevolent entity, the visage of the Morning Star's castle would not dissuade one from those thoughts; it was a gargantuan mass of steel and granite, a massive floating city above the gaping maw of a wound in the planet, a lake of fire and magma that seemed to pulse with life, the life of a number of demons that called the lake itself their home.

Indeed, it is a palace on the northernmost bank of the Demonic Server, a place that could perhaps be associated in cognition with "Hell," and thus a castle that sits in a land inhospitable to humans, where being heavily aligned with the supernatural was a requirement to even exist without burning away to nothing, let alone advance into the depths of the ruler's territory, where breathing itself became a labor for the weak, where gravity crushed bodies that were unprepared, where the 'rule' of the 'strong defeating the weak' became etched into the planet itself, no...

Where the planet itself began to uphold those laws.

---It is a torturous place for normal humans, but that does not mean humans do not go there; those who have proven their strength once before are often free to enter unopposed, there are a number of heroes from the 'incident' twenty years ago that can converse the Morning Star or the other lords of the abyss just like anyone else, after all...

This world was built on the foundation that none were inherently evil because of their origin, human, angel, demon...

It was choice.

Choice that decided one's fate.

How one was looked at by others; of course those who are born in the realm of demons do not quite see the world in the same way as that of the humans, where order protects the weak on the human side, it is strength that protects one over here, be it your own strength, or the strength of someone who has decided to protect you, often at the cost of something of oneself, an oath of loyalty.

The weak obeying the strong, and perhaps being protected by the strong?

---Certainly, the battle between Chaos and Order was quite a similar one.

No matter what one stated, in the end, were you not simply supporting the strongest being? Where it be blatantly under the rules of nature, or indirectly via the orders and commands of a higher power such as God, in the end, the strong make the rules.

Even humans, who tend to follow a path in between the two extremes... Follow that decree to a certain extent, even if they don't realize it.

Still...

There were many things the Morning Star had expected upon hearing news of the death of Mary Fairchild, suspicion for one, although she had no real reason to see Mary, the most reasonable incarnation of 'him' she had seen throughout her existence, dead...

But there was no charge from the Church, at least not the Church itself, no...

But there was the charge of a single girl from the Church, a young woman with silver hair and familiar eyes; one who had arrived here every day for the past week or so, and made an attempt at the castle interior.

On day one, she was defeated by Jezebel at the lake of fire, and thrown ceremoniously from the Server, as their pact with humanity dictated would be their response. On the second day she was defeated again, but got a bit further, a bit closer, and...

Every day was like that, yelling and screaming, a push for the heart of this World, to speak with the Morning Star itself, in whatever form it was taking upon it's throne, and...

Why?

Perhaps that is a question that could be asked, she could certainly think of a few reasons beyond the obvious, but even if the one at the gates desperately wanted to speak with her, well...

There were no exceptions to the rules.

If that girl wished to make her way here, she'd have to do it under her own power.

And thus, time flows on.

She comes and goes, as if there is something she has to check on occasionally; the fighting gets more drastic and violent, the demons enjoy themselves at the approach of a holy woman that is far closer in nature to them than those above, Belial offers to return and decisively crush the girl himself but there is no need for that, the lord of the castle should certainly be here when a challenger comes through, and today...

Today...

The castle shakes with the impacts.

---There's something different about today.

About the sound of the screaming, the roars of battle, yes...

---There's the sound of a new demon mixed in, a whirling thing of lightning and fury, of wings flapping in the halls, of walls being torn down and scattered, and...

"..."

Eventually, the holy woman appears, but she no longer quite looks the part.

No.

---Four wings, scattered black and white.

---Eyes a burning white, looking at nothing and seeing only enemies.

---Labored breathing, an existence that takes in oxygen and pours out reiki like a furnace, an inhuman thing that seems to have lost it's mind recently, perhaps given into a sense of frustration, and broken through a human side to a different 'power.'

"...Do you even remember why you came here?"

From her throne, the golden-haired Lord of the Fallen asks only this; there is not a single ounce of fear or worry in her voice, at the sight of the thing that has come crashing through her halls, tearing apart demons as it went, no...

When the thing screams at her, she simply stands up.

---Twelve wings flare out.

Half black, half white.

Like a refined, graceful image of the twisted humanoid that had completely lost it's mind in it's attempts to reach here.

"I suppose not... Well then."

It launches itself at her.

She responds by raising a single finger.

"I guess I'll have you calm down now, Alyx. You're making quite the mess."

Intermission Out

[Airen]

Hyakka Onjouji
Aoyama, Brighter Days Orphanage
11/16/2026
Monday - Early Morning

“Umm! S-self writing? It said hello to me… I… I…”

"Yes. Self-writing."

Alice frowns, more lost in thought -or rather suspicion- of the book than anything else...

"Back when they were working on more simplistic A.I they made these sort of... Conversation journals. You'd write in them, and the A.I would write back to you based on what it understood of your tone and word choice... This was before the Big Three went public with their knowledge on plumes of dusk and artificial souls, so they were attempting to gather data on a more mass scale with them, it was essentially a global experiment, more old-fashioned tech than magitech... The resulting A.I weren't particularly eloquent speakers, and are far more simple than plume-based ones, but they've still been making some strides forward nowadays."

Of course, while she does make some comments on the history behind her initial assumption, well...

The book was writing back to you, so...

That might simply be the more pressing matter in this instance:

???

Hello Hyakka.

My name is Honoka, it's nice to finally be able speak with you!

How are you doing?

Are you sleeping well?

It seems friendly enough, for a book...

Although the strangeness of it's existence...

Seems to even have Demon Alice peeking back through the wall at it, only half of her body visible as she joins the quiet circle of...

Contemplation, as it were...

[Rafflesiac]

Logan Starbright
Strange City, Simulator
11/16/2026
Monday - Morning

"Hurting yourself... Never the answer... Administrator Sakura... Bad Habit... Scary."

Blood drips on the cobblestones as the android approaches Chris and firmly takes her hand. Logan wonders briefly if Mokujima will reject that hand as well. But after an exasperated sigh, she pats the other woman affectionately.

"I won't. Promise."

That’s good. For someone like her, who’s all too quick to resort to her own suffering and accept her own pain, someone else needs to take her hand and show her that the world isn’t so cruel a place. And that’s obviously not something he can do. The android secures Mokujima and turns to him.

"Your name is Logan?"

He meets her gaze and lowers an instinctively rising hand upon noting her inability to reciprocate. “Yes, and you are?”

"Watch words… from outside, can observe."

The brunette’s interjection cuts through the nascent conversation. Logan blinks. I can call her Jane for the sake of it, I suppose. If nothing else, it’d make conversation less awkward.

Amelia snips once more, irritation clear in her voice.

: “Lovely excuse for ignoring me, I see how it is. Yeah, everyone’s sure hung up… on every… word… of yours... Tch.”

: There could be an observer, like that morning on the flight deck. Especially with a likely unregistered Suppression Weapon using nonstandard magic code.

: Yeah yeah, caution caution, all sorts of watchful eyes around, I know I know. I’m still opening a channel; it’ll take more than seeing your heartbeat to get through me.

With that settled, Amelia returns to the matter at hand.

: “Anyways Logan, what’s the plan here? Not like we have all the time in the world.”

Logan looks past the NPCs milling through the murky fog to the inexorably darkening sky. There’s much he doesn’t know about the situation, but he gets the feeling that he shouldn’t let night fall.

"The World is fake, correct? Sensation is real however, but there is a door?"

“Yes, to the best of my knowledge, we’re within a simulated environment.”

"This area not Ruina, should be safe to explore."

The android speaks again, haltingly. Ruina? I’ve never heard of a place like that. She hasn’t heard of Tamers either; perhaps she’s a foreigner? But Ruina isn’t a registered country or city of any kind. Is it some sort of once-lost civilization like Atlantis? He furrows his brow at the appearance of yet another mystery. Search that term later Amelia. For now, let’s focus on this.

“As for there being a door, probably.” Logan addresses the android and her cargo and unconsciously removes Amelia from his pocket to twirl her in his fingers. “There’s the chance that it’s a fully sealed space, but I doubt that. Like a Virtual Shift, a sealed space is fragile because it has no connection to reality. Because of that, the slightest shock would cause it to pop like a bubble. To mitigate that even a little, let alone manifesting and maintaining one, you’d need a significant power source. If that source is internal, then we can destroy it. If it’s external, it’ll undoubtedly attract attention from other SDCD Tamers and they’ll destroy it.” He pauses briefly, then continues. “The next possibility is a space with a mobile exit. On the downside, reaching and using the exit becomes more difficult than using a stationary gate. On the upside, constantly shifting the coordinates of the space’s connection to reality consumes resources that would normally be used to expand and maintain the space, which makes it easier to search.” Amelia reverses directions in his hand. “Then there’s the chance that this is a space with a stationary exit, which inverts the qualities of a space with a mobile gate. And finally, this could be a space with a conditional exit. That’s the most time-consuming possibility, as it could mean doing anything from speaking with 12 NPCs in a certain order to clicking the right cobblestones at the correct time of day. If it’s that, then we’re better off just trying to bypass the requirements entirely.”

"...if this is prank... terrible one."

It's certainly an inconvenient one. The SDCD might be casual but this is a bit much, assuming that this situation isn't malevolent.

: “We’re not actually going to bother figuring out which type this place is, right?”

: “No, it’d be fastest to interface with the system directly. We just need…”

He looks past the two women, his eyes scrolling up to behold the nearby visage of a fog-shrouded clock tower.

: “...an access point.”

Amelia grows to full size with a twirl of Logan’s hand as his spirit power ignites. He dashes away in a burst of spirit power, Phantasm Step carrying him to the tower and then up its surface, and balances on the lip of the clock face before plunging Amelia into its center. There’s an indication of time passing in the sky and on the clock here. This should be a system clock, which means Amelia can interface with it and the simulator proper to shut it down. And if that fails, then…

Logan’s eyes flash as his grip tightens on Amelia.

Then I’ll run Eye of the Fates while Amelia’s synced with the simulator. Continuously calculating every instance present in a city for the next five seconds in advance ought to crash it entirely.

Amelia
Strange City, Simulator
11/16/2026
Monday - Morning

While Logan deliberates his course of action, Amelia tries opening a secure channel to the android. She’s probably just that hermit crab’s unsanctioned science project meant to steal tests from the teacher’s desk or something, but if there’s a connection to the Messiah, then…

“Yo. You seem pretty confused about all of this. Damaged memory files? Anyways, I’m gonna ask you a few questions. If you have some for me, ask away. I’ll start off with a freebie for you: Spirit Tamers are the law enforcement around here. They keep the peace when people and Demons get a bit too antsy.”

“Now here are my questions. Who are you? And what’s this Ruina place, where you’ve never heard of a Spirit Tamer?”

---

Auto-Skill: Revitalize
Spells Set: ???, ???, ???, Eye of the Fates, ???, Phantasm Step
Spells Used: Phantasm Step (x2), Eye of the Fates (Planned)
Heat: 4/10
Stamina: 16

[Satehi]

Eva Ellet
Vatican City ~ Obelisk Square
11/16/2026
Morning, Sunny

"I'm sorry! Super sorry! Turbo sorry! Are you okay?!"

“…I’m fine. Should be, anyways.”

Mostly true. While she certainly would rather have not been sent tumbling to the ground just now, it wasn’t anything serious. Physically, she was fairly sure she was tough enough that it wouldn’t be a problem. Mentally… she tried her best to not notice the sudden silence from her colleagues, and focused on the individual in front of her.

Myra Davis.

Name aside, Eva didn’t know much about her. Judging by her words about the frequency at which this type of event occurred, it seemed like it was safe to bet that she was somewhat clumsy. As someone who had to occasionally have their motor movements calibrated, she could easily imagine that it was an unfortunate trait for a normal person to have.

At any rate, she thought as she tried her best to get up, there was no reason to hold this particular incident against her. She seemed like a nice enough person.

“How about you? I’m, well, fairly sturdy despite how I look, so that can’t have been a soft landing just now…”

[hero]

Amamiya Sho
Aoyama, Sho's Residence
11/16/2026
Monday - Early Morning, Just After Midnight


"Oh man, you are really someone's fair science project, aren't you?"

After being basically told that I would die in the nearby future, the best reaction I can muster is a sigh of disbelief and slight annoyance. Perhaps the only factor that is preventing me from kicking this girl out of my house is, possibly, the sheer confidence she has in her prediction, which has to be, at the same time, the source of my displeasure. You know, I always knew my bad fortune would one day catch up to me, but I never expected it to be this early in my career, and during Christmas, no less. It's kind of ironic though, one would have assumed that Santa would be the one on the receiving end that day, considering the number of things he owes me. Yeah, ever since my parents left, it's almost as if the guy convinced himself that this household no longer holds any authority over him. I mean, I know I might not have been the best boy in the neighborhood, but c'mon.

In any case, dying sure ruins my plans for the future. The idea was to stock up on collectibles for like twenty years and then sell them at a ridiculous price. It might sound like a stupid idea on paper, but you'd be surprised how much someone with money is willing to spend on articles that are no longer available at the store. I would have to say goodbye to my Red Ranger collection, but at least that would be able to pay my debts and expenses, guaranteeing a life without worries.

Except now, apparently, I am going to die next Christmas.

"Sorry, I honestly don't feel like playing Show and Tell with you at 1 AM in the morning. Not like I'd have ever guessed what you are trying to tell me."

I am sure that she's trying to tell me something important, something relevant to the cause. Something like 'Look out, that bed is going to be the end of you' or 'Someone you know will use those pillows to suffocate you in your sleep'. But, honestly, I just can decipher the message she's trying to convey, especially without a warm cup of coffee to get my thoughts straight.

"Well, if I am going to die, there is little that I can do about it. Buuut, assuming you didn't make this whole story to ensure a refuge for yourself during a stormy night, you did come to warn me, so I suppose I am grateful. Although, I guess I would be more grateful if you would have told me tomorrow's winning lotto numbers instead. That would have been a blessing."

The weather is getting worse and worse.

I am afraid I can no longer tell her to beat it with a straight face and not feel a little bit guilty afterwards.

"What I am trying to say is that you win. You can stay here until tomorrow if you promise to behave."

[Airen]

Amamiya Sho
Aoyama, Sho's Residence
11/16/2026
Monday - Early Morning, Just After Midnight

"What I am trying to say is that you win. You can stay here until tomorrow if you promise to behave."

---Accepting the apparent news of your up and coming demise with a rather admirable sort of mental strength, the ultimate reaction of the crimson-haired girl to your words is not one that is difficult to place, no...

Rather than the weird, static like effect that seemed to take over the sounds she made when trying to speak, the expressions on her face are quite a bit clearer in nature, and right now...

There's a certain sense of frustration?

However, it is frustration aimed at the self, rather than frustration aimed at you... Indeed, the biting of her own lip and the unconscious clenching of a hand are enough to show that the girl is feeling some sort of negative emotion, a flash of frustration at being unable to convey the entirety of the things she had come here to convey due to the bizarre properties of her voice (and her lack of talent at charades) but...

"..."

...Ultimately, she also seems to accept your gesture for what it is; indeed, turning around to face the door, the girl moves to sit on the ground with crossed legs and a heavy stare at the door frame, her entire body language screaming that she was going to watch it...

You're not quite sure why, but she seems to think it may be a pertinent task... Perhaps out of some sense of paranoia?

She had come all this way to warn you about these things after all, so it wasn't impossible that she would voluntarily take up the role of a guardian entirely by herself...

Of course, that might not sit well with you.

Indeed, there are probably a few things you could say about that, but...

"As always, you're quite the fool, hee-ho!"

A familiar voice (and one that absolutely does not belong here in this instance) appears just behind your back-!

"Even I can tell what the girl is saying hee, she's saying you are asleep, ho! Or something like that, hee-ho! Curses can be a pain sometimes!"

It's Jack!

It's Jack again!

This time apparently guilty of breaking into people's houses!

Yes.

More than the questionable nature of his apparent translation of the crimson haired girl's statements...

How the hell had he gotten in here?!