>>40425991
As you contemplate getting up and raiding the fridge for something to eat, though you're currently neither hungry nor wish to even taste food, you hear someone hastily stomping down the hall. The door into your room is swung wide open, a panicking young man barging in.

"CLARISSA, WAKE UP! WE'RE GOING TO BE LATE FOR SCHOOL!" Paul yells at you as he keeps trying to pull his school uniform onto himself mid-run.

You glance at the time. It's still seven. Even if schools weren't closed for today, you have at least an hour more before you'd need to seriously sprint for it.

"Don't give me that look!" The sourness of your face must be more apparent than you thought. "I still need to make us breakfast and lunch! If I do it really quickly, then maybe we'll-..."

He stutters and goes quiet when it finally comes over him that you being on the floor isn't the normal state of affairs, and that there's a sleeping stranger in your bed.

The girl - Nemu's her name - had her injuries cleaned up, bandaged and taken care of. Naoko did it all mostly by herself. She even freaking sutured the wound. You've cut up Hollows quite a bit during your duties, but that was still freaky and unnerving to look at. Ren didn't look at all. She tried to, at first, and nearly fainted as a result.

Nemu woke up once, at about three in the morning, and only long enough to drink some water.

Your brother's been knocked out ever since yesterday, too. You just put him in his bed and let him be. Looks like he slept through his alarm. First time that's ever happened.

"Who is this?" He sternly asks after a disbelieving pause.

...

>"She's, uh... I found her injured on the street. Had to help."
>"She's... a friend of mine. You know, just sleeping over?"
>"Forget her. Do you remember what happened yesterday?"
>Other. (Write-in).

>>40426019
>"She's... a friend of mine. You know, just sleeping over?"
Maybe tell him she recently lost her house in an... accident as well,

>>40426019
>"Forget her for now. Do you remember what happened yesterday?"
Buriichi!
Paul pls

>>40426019
Naoko is pretty badass huh. Hopefully we managed to save Nemumu.

>>40426019
>forget her, do you remember what happened yesterday?

>>40426019
Voting over, writing!

>>40426318
Alrighty!

If we're lucky, maybe we can get some SS info from Nemu. Not likely but still.

>>40426095
>>40426207
"Forget about her, Paul. Do you remember what happened yesterday?"

He frowns, unhappy with the answer. "What does that have to do with anything? There's a stranger sleeping in our house, and you haven't even asked if I'm fine with it this time. Clarissa, we really need to talk about you and just letting random girls in like this."

You stand up from your futon and roll your eyes, staying quiet as he continues to bitch about something that's pretty much inconsequential. So what if there's a girl in the house, in YOUR room? What's he afraid of, cooties? He should just stay the hell away, then. The door's usually closed. He's the one who opened it in the first place.

"...Have you been thinking at all? Just what do you think our parents are going to say about this?"

...Wait, he's actually right. Oh god, your parents should be coming back today. You've completely forgotten about that. But you can't just throw Nemu out on the goddamn streets, what are you-...

Your phone rings. Paul sighs and reluctantly pauses his rant to let you answer it. You take the chance. A cheery, all too familiar voice erupts from the other side.

"Clarissa! It's mom!" She laughs happily and obnoxiously loudly; you feel nervous. What, did she call to tell you about how she's five minutes away from coming home? You mumble out a return greeting and she continues. "I'm just calling to tell you that we won't be back today, and probably until tomorrow! Something weird's been happening in Karakura, so the roads are blocked off. Dad told Paul about it just now, but I'd never pass up such a good excuse to call you! How're you doing, Clarissa?"

You sigh in relief. That's actually pretty convenient. ...This might take a while, though. "...I'm fine. Look, mom, I'll call you back, alright? A little busy right now. Gotta... get ready for school and all."

(1/2)

>>40426875
"Well, if it's something that important, I guess it can't be helped!" Yeah, right, as if something like that would ever be able to deter her. "...Your dad's right next to me and can hear us both right now, and he'd lecture me if I got in the way of your studies! Bye bye!"

Right. Knew it. She'd probably spend an hour or two chatting if dad wasn't around.

You hang up and direct your attention back to Paul. He looks like he's about to open his mouth and continue complaining, but you manage to speak up first.

"What makes you think that I didn't ask you for permission?" You set your phone aside, on your desk, and fold your arms over your chest. Paul's mouth quivers and he tries to protest, but... can't.

He finally gets it. From his perspective, there must be a huge gap in his memories. It's impressive that he didn't realize it until now.

"You... you did?" Your brother asks, humbly. He scratches his head and seems to be trying to act naturally. He's really strange. If his... ability, or whatever, is causing this kind of stuff to happen, and if this is the only 'suspicious' thing to have happened in his entire life, then maybe he won't believe you if you just lay the whole 'ghosts are real' thing on him.

...

>"Yeah. You allowed it. Did you forget?"
>"Look, there's something I need to tell you. Ghosts are real."
>Other. (Write-in).

>>40426904
>"Look, there's something I need to tell you. Ghosts are real."
Fuck it. Not like we can keep him out of it when he goes all trance-y and attacks everything anyway.

>>40426904
>"Look, there's something I need to tell you. Ghosts are real."

Pretty slow start today huh...anons pls

>>40426904
>"Look, there's something I need to tell you. Ghosts are real."
Now don't ever attack weird clown scientists for no reason again. You made my day worse then it already was yesterday.

>>40427106
Haha, we should definitely add that

>>40426904
Voting over, writing!

>>40426904
>"Look, there's something I need to tell you. Ghosts are real."
Poor dude must feel very scared by all the memory loss.

What do we do with Nemu once she's healed antway? Try to get Naoko or Ren to host her? Send her away? Find a shinigami to deal with it? Tell our parents we got her pregnant and she's our responsibility?

>>40427395
We can say she's our friend and homeless, they'll probably understand.

>>40426983
>>40427056
"Look... there's something we need to talk about." You motion at the chair by your desk and have him sit down. Meanwhile, you take a seat on the bed, careful not to disturb the sleeping Nemu. She's still sleeping despite all the shouting that's been going on. You sigh once again, mustering courage to bring up the subject. Your brother looks highly skeptic.

"Ghosts are real, Paul. When you die, you don't go to heaven or- Hey! Sit down!"

He's done. As soon as you mentioned the 'g-word', he cupped his face into his palms. As you continued, he stood up and tried to walk away. The only reason he stopped was to look at Nemu, and to shake his head. "Is she alright? I can't believe she slept through all of this."

"Don't friggin' ignore me! I'm trying to explain your amnesia!"

He's having none of it. "I don't see how 'ghosts' are related to that. I must have fainted just like those other people in Karakura," His tone is like he's lecturing a dumb child. "So many years have passed since your last attempt to convince me of the existence of ghosts. I still don't have the slightest reason to believe you, though. Isn't it about time to grow up? Good grief."

Ahaha, you really want to kick his shit in. You've forgotten the points you were going to make to prove your claims; they've all but evaporated in the heat of your rage.

"Did this girl also faint yesterday? You should have taken her to the hospital, Clarissa. Well, I guess it's fine for her to stays for a day if she's sick, but no longer than that!" Paul's eyes dart towards the clock and he briskly walks off, overcome with a panic again. "Crap, your antics are making us even more late!"

(1/2)

>>40427696
School's been cancelled for today. People are still recovering from the insane spiritual pressure that beset the town yesterday. Of course, that isn't the official reason that they declared; there really isn't a single one as of yet. Magnetic waves, radiation, satellite attacks - it's all on the table. None of your business, really. They'll come up with something to explain it, eventually.

You were going to tell Paul that school's been cancelled, but he ran off before you managed to.

...

>Pretend that school is still up for today, but don't go yourself. Have a nice jog, jackass.
>Don't mess around; tell him the truth.
>Other. (Write-in).

>>40427719
>>Don't mess around; tell him the truth.

>>40427719
>Don't mess around; tell him the truth.
Even if he is being annoying

>>40427719
>Pretend that school is still up for today, but don't go yourself. Have a nice jog, jackass.
Let's tell him when he gets back, and is too out of breath to do anything other than sit down and listen.

>>40427696
Don't Mess with him, tell him the truth

AND DON'T LET UP ABOUT THE SPOOPY STUFF.

>>40427719
>>40427796
You know what, why not.

>>40427719
Voting over, writing!

>>40427939
Spooking Paul Quest has only just begun!

>>40427752
>>40427758
You sigh again - been doing that a lot since you woke up today - and head downstairs, after him. You tell him about what's been happening in town, and that school is closed for today due to it. He doesn't believe you at first, but a quick dive into the TV's morning news proved your point. Paul's pretty glad for it, looking like a huge burden just dropped off his shoulders.

"I hope no problems will arise in the council schedule because of this," He mutters. "...I'll just have to call the president and make use of this chance to get some extra work done."

"...But what I was trying to tell you wasn't a lie. Ghosts really do exist, Paul! Listen to me, damn it! I can prove it!"

He lifts a hand and hushes you with a gesture. In his other hand is a phone, placed against his ear and beeping. Your brother is literally ignoring you now.

This is making you absolutely livid. You stomp your way back upstairs, take up the candy dispenser that was on your desk, and get ready to swap places with Chappy. You... hesitate a little, though. Mayuri told you to keep your brother away from spiritual things as his word of warning. What if Paul will end up attacking you and fainting for the rest of the day again? And he's apparently strong enough to dismember Clay Bone with a... a kitchen knife, was it? Those injuries that don't heal... seem kind of scary, too.

...

>Try it. Turn into a Shinigami and show yourself to him.
>Forget it. You'll get a safer opportunity eventually.
>Other. (Write-in).

>>40428480
>Try it. Turn into a Shinigami and show yourself to him.
Give it a shot!

>>40428480
>Forget it. You'll get a safer opportunity eventually.

God dammit Paul.

>>40428480
>Forget it. You'll get a safer opportunity eventually.

>>40428480
>Forget it. You'll get a safer opportunity eventually.

>>40428480
>Forget it. You'll get a safer opportunity eventually.

>>40428480
>>Forget it. You'll get a safer opportunity eventually.

>>40428480
Voting over, writing!

>>40428480
>Forget it, you'll get a safer opportunity eventually

If we're leaving Paul alone, I guess we should see to Nemu when she's awake.

>>40428480
Why would we bother? We've seen that he's pretty much an unlikeable piece of shit anyway, who cares whether he believes us or not?

>>40428781
That's an exaggeration anon, he's probably being dismissive and annoying due to Clarissa's behavior while she was younger and such.

I'm not the only one thinking Paul's symptoms might be telling us a lot about what happened with Aiko am I?
Clarissa's views on it would match decently with a scenario where she came about with a dead Aiko on the floor and blood all over herself and the murder weapon.

>>40428865
That something messed with our memories? I think we listed that as a strong possibility when we confessed to Naoko.

Speaking of Naoko, maybe her manifesting her bow could be a safer way of cluing in Philip?

>>40428935
Yeah, we should probably ask her to.
It's all well and good for Mayuri to tell us to keep Paul away from spirit stuff, but that's easier said than done.

>>40428557
>>40428573
You set the toy back on your desk. He's not worth the effort. He's just a dick. Who cares about what he thinks, anyway? Really not worth the risk, especially if it's as dangerous as you suspect it to be. Whatever his ability is, well, you'll figure it out eventually. If he needs to learn about the spiritual world, well, he'll learn it. It doesn't appear like Paul's in any danger from Hollows or any other Shinigami - it's probably the other way around, actually - so maybe there's no real reason to go out of your way to explain anything to him yet.

With another sigh - this is really turning out to be one of those days - you sit on your bed, as always making sure not to disturb the sleeping girl. You're feeling a bit tired right now. You're sure that trying to sleep would be a fruitless endeavor, though.

You head downstairs after you cool down a bit. Paul's cooking breakfast, and even though you don't want any, you know that it's important to eat some. Says he'll be going to the president's house after the meal. Well, it's a good thing he's fucking off. From what you've seen of Michiko, she's not the kind of person to be doing schoolwork in her free time, though. It's pretty surprising that she even agreed to see him this early in the morning... man, your brother seriously seems to believe that he's been called over for the sake of work. ...Not that you're jealous at all.

...Why the heck's he so popular with girls, anyway? Is there a trend for obliviousness that you don't know about? The more you think about how unfair that is, the more of a headache you get, so you try to stop and think about something else.

After Paul leaves, you start to feel lonely. Not that you had any fun around that guy, though. You just... wish Kimiko was here. Being left alone like this is just highlighting her absence.

(1/2)

>>40429411
You don't want to spend the whole day sitting around playing video games or frying your eyes with the TV. You just can't do that sort of thing. Can't even leave the house because you're worried that she'll come back while you're out somewhere.

The girl in your bed, Nemu, is still asleep. Well, her injury is severe enough to warrant this long of a rest. But it's been a while since she ate or drank anything. Don't they use those weird drip things for stuff like this? You don't have that, obviously, but you need to do... well, something, right? Or maybe she's fine like this. You don't really know.

...

>Try to gently wake Nemu up. She... she could probably use some water, right?
>Call Ren and Naoko and ask them to hang out with you.
>Mess around and try to use your own ability.
>Other. (Write-in).

>>40429437
>Try to gently wake Nemu up. She... she could probably use some water, right?

>>40429437
>Mess around and try to use your own ability.
Might as well wait for Nemu to wake, she needs the rest.

>>40429437
>Try to gently wake Nemu up. She... she could probably use some water, right?
Have some nice cold water ready

>>40429437
>Try to gently wake Nemu up. She... she could probably use some water, right?

File: Spoiler Image (1.96 MB, 500x375)

1.96 MB GIF

>>40429437
>>Try to gently wake Nemu up. She... she could probably use some water, right?

>>40429437
>Try to gently wake Nemu up. She... she could probably use some water, right?

>>40429641
Pls

>>40429437
Voting over, writing!

>>40429742
Nemutime!

We're keeping Nemumu right?

>>40429835
I guess we'll have to see what she wants to do.

>>40429467
>>40429508
...You're no doctor, but she should probably have some water. You quickly go downstairs and pour her some, then come back up. ...You're a bit hesitant to actually do it. She looks pretty peaceful. Not tense or hurting. You really hope that you're not about to make a mistake of some kind here.

You nudge her, gently and carefully. It... doesn't seem to work at first. You try again. Her lips quiver, and her eyes slowly open a bit. Thankfully, the light in the room is dim, so it's not too hard on her eyes. As she gets used to it, she warily starts to look around.

The girl's eyes soon stop on you. Now that she's awake like this, you feel kind of... well, you're not sure what to say to her. She's been the one to ask for water last time, and now you offering it to her feels a bit... out of place?

"Water?" You mutter, and she looks at the filled glass in your hand. Well, she's not refusing it. You lift her head up a bit with your free hand and put the water to her lips. Making sure to take it slow and to be really careful, you help her drink it. It looks like she's actually pretty thirsty. It's a good thing you went along with this idea, then. When she's done, you gently set her head back onto the pillow.

"W-wh... where?.." She murmurs. Nemu attempts to stand up, but pain quickly forces her down. You lean a bit closer and try to get her to relax.

"You're in my house. I'm Clarissa. You probably don't remember me, but I... I was at that shop a few days ago. With Kimiko." You're pretty sure that she gets it and understands who you are, so you stop. She's still repeating her question in a strained whisper.

(1/2)

>>40430467
"M-Mayuri... sama..." She tries to get up again, but you keep her still. Against your strength, her pained lack of any simply can't compete.

...This is what you were afraid of. You really didn't want to get involved in her messed up daddy issues, or whatever it is that's going on between them.

Sweat flows down her forehead in thick rivulets. Even though she can't put up a resistance that you can actually feel, it seems that she's still trying. Or maybe it's a fever? That's probably an even worse sign, in the case that it is.

She probably won't calm down until you give her an answer. You could just wait for her to tire herself out and drift off into sleep again, but that seems cruel.

...

>"Mayuri left you for dead. But you're safe now, Nemu. He left, and he's not coming back."
>"He's dead."
>"I don't know where he is."
>Don't answer.
>Other. (Write-in).

>>40430488
>"Mayuri left you for dead. But you're safe now, Nemu. He left, and he's not coming back."
>"I'm sorry"

>>40430488
>"Mayuri left you for dead. But you're safe now, Nemu. He left, and he's not coming back."
Sounds about right.
>"I'm sorry"

>>40430488
>"Mayuri left you for dead. Quite the disgusting attitude towards another person really. Now, how are you feeling? Are you warm?"

>>40430488
>>"Mayuri left you for dead. But you're safe now, Nemu. He left, and he's not coming back."

I am curious what she would do if we said in Soul Society but, we wouldn't do that to her. Right?

>>40430488
>>40430541
Supporting.
Just gotta hope she doesn't either lose her will to live or simply not believe us.

>>40430541
>>40430488
Support'in

>>40430488
Voting over, writing!

>>40430851
Here goes nothing...

>>40430541
>>40430608
"Mayuri left you for dead. But you're safe now, Nemu. He left, and he's not coming back."

Her eyes freeze on you, something akin to shock briefly crawling over her pale face. It quickly fades, fatigue taking hold. Her gaze aimlessly wanders off towards the ceiling. The girl ceases her meek struggling.

Why does she look even more pitiful than she was before? Why does she look as if she's lost something important? It's making you want to say that you're sorry, but the truth is, that's not the case at all. Mayuri's a dangerous and heartless man from what you've seen, so she should be happy that he's not there to threaten her anymore.

"...I'm sorry." You end up muttering it anyway. There... might be something you don't know about. Maybe he tricked her into thinking that he's a nice guy, or maybe he... he made her this way. You probably shouldn't put something like that past him. You really hope the latter isn't the case. That would be... just awful.

The silence is mixed. Yours is a confused, angry one, and Nemu's is a sorrowful one. You're not voicing your confusion about the way she feels about this. Calling her feelings wrong would accomplish precisely nothing, you understand that. It was... probably a bad idea to even make it sound like what happened was for the best, like how you did. You hope she didn't notice that. For now, it's probably best to just be there and help her deal with the grief.

She closes her eyes, seemingly drifting off to sleep. You sit by her side for a little longer. When you're about to leave her alone, her eyes open again. You sit back down, expecting her to say something. She doesn't, so you just keep her company. It looks like she doesn't want to sleep anymore.

"Are you comfortable?" You ask her. "Everything alright?"

"...Yes. Thank you for your help." Her composed tone and curt politeness really remind you of Naoko. ...Honestly, this whole scene is kind of familiar.

(1/3)

>>40432548
You spend about an hour together, chatting about nothing in particular; she's at least a bit easier to talk to than Naoko. You try not to bring up that man, but she eventually does it herself. She seemed to really enjoy the time she spent with Mayuri, though even her stories paint him as mean. You still don't understand why she likes him even after trying to see things from her perspective.

After a break in the conversation, Nemu eventually starts muttering something.

"I... need to find him." The girl makes an attempt to lift herself off the bed, but the pain knocks her down again. You urge her not to push herself. She's still too injured, and these pointless struggles are only going to make it worse.

"...T-there is a way for me to recover faster..."

Well, of course that guy would, install a... a feature like that. It's a good thing that he did, then. At least something beneficial out of that madman.

"Yeah? What is it? I'll help." You volunteer, hoping to make it less painful for her.

She seems to gesture for you to come a bit closer. Why is she looking so shy all of a sudden? What, is this some kind of a secret? Maybe she's just too weak to talk, or something. You lean in a bit, and she whispers into your ear.

(2/3)

>>40432621
I sense shenanigans.
Also dammit Nemu, don't go back!

>>40432621
... Did you hear that right? She started with some terms you don't really know, and then her elaboration consisted of something obscene. No, you certainly heard it right. Flustered and caught completely off-guard, you back away. Your face is getting warmer.

"...W-what? Hey, h-hold up. Look, uh, I'm... I'm taken." You stutter out, probably making everything even worse.

The girl looks away, embarrassed. "It's... not about that..."

Is she serious? If she is, then you praised that crazy guy way too early. What kind of a healing method is this? Does he... does he do that every time she gets injured? That's just disgusting. No, don't imagine that. And she's telling YOU to do that? Like, in a way, you kind of appreciate the trust, but...

Both of them are... kind of messed up, honestly. Maybe it's better to just let nature run its course and... and let her heal as she should.

...

>"W-well, if it'll help your recovery, I guess I should help you."
>"Look, I seriously can't do something like that. I'm... taken. You should just rest and it'll all work out, alright?"
>Other. (Write-in).

>>40432701
>"Look, I seriously can't do something like that. I'm... taken. You should just rest and it'll all work out, alright?
Nope, Not risking it, If we pick the other option Kimiko will see somehow

>>40432701
>>"W-well, if it'll help your recovery, I guess I should help you."

>>40432701
How are we meant to decide with this kinda vagueness Mushroom!?
Fuckin' Mayuri...

>>40432701
>"W-well, if it'll help your recovery, I guess I should help you."

>>40432701
First be sure to lock the doors and close the blinds because this seems like the epitome of getting the wrong idea.

Then do it.

>>40432701
>"Uhm, I'd really rather not...I mean, you're cute and all! But I'm kinda taken and, uh...how fast will you recover on your own, anyway?"

>>40432701
>"Look, I seriously can't do something like that. I'm... taken. You should just rest and it'll all work out, alright?"

>>40432701
L-lewd! Leeewd!
I kinda want to but it feels like Kimiko will reappear right in the middle of it.

>>40432785
Kimiko could come in through a wall you dunce, She's a shinigami

>>40432701
I have a home run of an idea. How about we have Ren transfer Nemu's wounds to us and then either Nemu heals us with ghost magic, or we take the wounds as a shinigami and then heal in our body.

>>40432868
We have no rational reason to think she'd do that though. And having actual negative consequences instead of comedic would be kinda dumb.

>>40432906
I thought you were going lewd places with that. Alas!
Anyway it's a decent idea, but I kinda don't want her healthy too fast if she's just gonna charge after Dr.creeper.

>>40432974
>And having actual negative consequences instead of comedic would be kinda dumb.
Welcome to fucking bleach

Sorry for leaving it tied but in a choice between smart and responsible vs fun and lewd I choose pass.

>>40433121
Is this the vote for against? Just need to make sure!

>>40433196
I...don't understand the question entirely, but no it's not a vote.

>>40433241
Then we're still tied!

>>40433271
Anons pls, have some guts/brains [insert as appropriate].

>>40432701
>"Look, I seriously can't do something like that. I'm... taken. You should just rest and it'll all work out, alright?"

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319 KB PNG

>>40432701
Ending thread for tonight, it's really late! Next thread will begin with the most voted option!

Next thread will be announced on twitter:
https://twitter.com/Mushroomgami
But I'm expecting that to be thursday/friday/saturday, all of them!

If you have any feedback or questions, shoot them my way!

Thanks for reading!

>>40433301
I'm only mildly miffed!
Man I wish we were still in a position where going along with it wouldn't be a bad idea.

>>40433428
Thanks for running!

>>40433428
It's a tricky issue, since the reason people are voting against isn't actually because they agree with the prompt, but because they fear a clichéd misunderstanding.

>>40433495
I think it's a sensible thing to be worried about in character!

>>40433428
Thanks for writing, I'm looking forward to three days!
Thst aside, a pity we seem to be having even slower starts than usual this week. Hopefully more anons are available next week!

>>40433547
The slow starts aren't a problem for me personally! I'm more worried about the players who want to participate but end up skipping one or two votes before they can join.

I'm not sure how to remedy that, as later starts with my speed would mean less stuff done per thread as a whole.

>>40433638
You can't accommodate everyone no matter what, just run when you have time. While there are some jokes about bad decisions, I haven't really seen anyone seriously complaining about it.