>>42028252
You've never had to worry about policing your thoughts your whole life. Things never popped out of thin air just because you wanted to have them. You felt angry about people sometimes, but you didn't murder them just because you fancied that in your throwaway thoughts or vengeful fantasies. You wanted an allowance, but your parents never gave you one, and yet they're still alive, and you still don't have any money of your own. You've sometimes argued with strangers, with your friends, with your family, even with Aiko. But none of them had died.

And yet... what Ren is saying is still without a doubt the truth, even if it doesn't align with the rest of your life up until that one regretful moment.

It simply means that something must have happened to flick some sort of 'switch' to make it possible, and you think you have an idea of what it is.

The Hogyoku can't grant wishes out of nothing - it said so itself. Because the Hogyoku is of spiritual origin, it most likely uses spiritual energy to grant the wishes of its user. Both you and your brother have spiritual potential and can see spirits; so what if, over the years, you've simply unlocked enough of that power and reached a point where it has enough to work with to make your wishes come true?

Whenever your brother goes on a rampage, he can only last for so long before he faints; that must be when he runs out of spiritual power. The wish granting device does everything it can to make the user's desires come true, up until it runs out of fuel and ceases to function. Just like physically exerting oneself, using that hidden reservoir is tiring, so the user faints out of exhaustion along with it.

Crumbling it all down to basic ghost-science like that, the answer to everything seems... very shallow.

(1/2)

>>42028284
Ren sits down, quietly staring at the cold concrete underneath her. You can't tell if she's expecting you to say something.

That's all there is to what happened on that day. A fleeting thought passed through your head and the desire was made true. This truth doesn't change anything, knowing this won't bring back Aiko, and you're... not sure if it makes you feel better or worse.

...

>"Ren... knowing all that, what do you think of me now? Are you worried that I'll snap one day and kill someone again?"
>"The Hogyoku said it had nothing to do with it. But it lied. It killed her..."
>"...That doesn't change anything, Ren. I wished for her death, and that's why she died. I'm still just as guilty, with or without the Hogyoku."
>Other. (Write-in).

>>42028308
>>"Ren... knowing all that, what do you think of me now? Are you worried that I'll snap one day and kill someone again?"

>>42028308
>>"...That doesn't change anything, Ren. I wished for her death, and that's why she died. I'm still just as guilty, with or without the Hogyoku."

Hogyoku is a bro, there's no need to shift the blame on him.

>>42028308
>"Ren... knowing all that, what do you think of me now? Are you worried that I'll snap one day and kill someone again?"
Well this is very useful knowledge indeed.
What happens if we go somewhere desolate, turn on Clarissa's powers and wish reeeeeally hard to be in SS I wonder?

>>42028308
>"That...helps. I'm glad I know why it happened now. HOW it happened. But I can't just absolve myself of blame, just like that. The Hogyoku obviously had a lot to do with it, but I am also at fault."

So, while I hope it'll put Clarissa on the path to healing and gives us some things to ask Gil about, let's talk about the more practical uses of our new info. Dealing with our problems seems much more manageable now. Although I'm still not sure what approach we should take to Paul - so he REALLY doesn't want to believe in the supernatural or something? I guess Clarissa could maybe just desire him to know and pit power against power.

Main worry is whether using the Hogyoku's power takes MORE than just our spiritual power reserves. As long as it doesn't we're fine but it's somewhat worrying.

>>42028526
Yeah that. Though I'm still a bit confused why it would activate then of all times. Also, why we didn't try fighting Urahara after we killed that gigantic hollow, even though we're pretty sure a small part of us wanted to try. So we can kind of feel bad that THAT was the first wish we made, because even awakening our mind control out of the wish that Aiko stopped yelling at us would be better.

>>42028693
Yeah its workings are a bit opaque. Like Paul, obviously he can't consciously use it since he doesn't know about any of this, but does that mean just desiring something will activate it? Why does he desire the supernatural not be real so much? Is there a threshold for how much supernatural stuff must be going on for it to trigger? Can Clarissa use the Hogyoku's wish-granding powers just by wishing really hard, without tapping into her spiritual powers directly like she has so far?

Think we need to get somewhere isolated and experiment soon. If we have time anyway.

>>42028308
Voting over, writing!

>>42028835
I'm glad you didn't leave us hanging with that cliffhanger, Mushroom!

>>42028308
I wonder if becoming a shinigami might have altered the Hougyoku's programming? Like for all we know, it might not have been 'alive' until Kimiko stabbed us.

>>42028876
I'd say that's very likely. Before we got stabbed it worked like Paul's, so Clarissa actually remembers shit-all about killing Aiko (side-not, it must have been pretty terrifying for her probably assuming Clarissa acted like Paul does when it happened). Then presumably getting control of and access to her spiritual power, also gave her some measure of control of the Hogyoku. In which case the important things to take from that is that Clarissa probably shouldn't freak out in that way randomly any more, and also that Clarissa DOES probably have the capacity for normal Shinigami powers too if she's got normal spiritual power going on separately from the Hogyoku.

>>42028369
>>42028445
>>42028526
"Well... I'm... glad to know how it happened, I suppose. But... it doesn't really make me any less guilty. Even if the Hogyoku's at fault, too, it wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for me."

"Thinking isn't a crime, Clarissa. You're not at fault for anything. Only that thing is, and it turned thinking into something dangerous. If humans had to owe up to everything they thought about... well, there'd be nobody left who isn't a criminal," Ren shrugs and places a hand over her chest. "I'm not saying that I'm, like, a good person or anything, but even I think some... questionable things sometimes, Clarissa. Nobody should be forced to owe up to it. It's just not fair."

"If you're blaming yourself for what happened, we should blame Paul for what he's done so far, too." Naoko speaks up with uncharacteristic sharpness, glaring at you with surprising intensity. You're a little shocked by that. You certainly didn't expect her, of all people, to say that. She really doesn't seem to like it that you're still blaming yourself.

You smirk a bit. You suppose that's an appropriate comparison, in a sense. If Paul were to kill someone when he's in that state, you wouldn't blame him for doing it, either, even now that you know how and why it happens. You'd blame the powers that were controlling him, too. But, even so... it's just hard to accept it. The consequences will remain as they are, and her absence will constantly remind you of what you did for the rest of your life.

You hug your knees and sigh. The building becomes completely quiet. After a minute or two, you break the silence.

(1/2)

>>42029772
"What do you guys... think about me now? Now that you know all of this, aren't you worried that I'll snap one day and kill someone again?"

You warily look up at them. They seem puzzled at first, but Ren smiles and crawls closer, placing her hand on your cheek. It's a little sudden, but it gives you a sense of comfort.

"Clarissa, you're either a saint that hasn't wished anything bad on anyone for eighteen years, or it was all a freak accident that will never happen again. That's what I believe. Three weeks have passed since then, and nothing went wrong during that time, did it?" She whispers, still with that gentle smile. "Everyone still loves you. We all do. I do. I always will. There's nothing that can change that, okay?"

They forgave you even when all of this wasn't known. You can't argue. You want to feel bad about everything that happened, and you really do and you're sorry, but her words are making you turn into a mushy mess. And it... feels good.

...

>"...I love you too."
>"You guys are really great friends. I just... don't know what to say."
>"Okay, okay, I... get it. I'll try not to feel bad. Stop coddling me so much, you two. It's making me feel weird..."
>Other. (Write-in).

>>42029808
>"Okay, okay, I... get it. I'll try not to feel bad. Stop coddling me so much, you two. It's making me feel weird..."
>"...I love you too."
D'awww

>>42029808
>"Okay, okay, I... get it. I'll try not to feel bad. Stop coddling me so much, you two. It's making me feel weird..."

>>42029808
>"You guys are really great friends. I just... don't know what to say."
>"...I love you too."

>>42029808
Embrace the mushiness Clarissa! Happiness is good!

>>42029808
Voting over, writing!

>>42029808
>"You guys are really great friends. I just... don't know what to say."

>>42029974
Clarissa can certainly do with some good news and positivity at this point, at least.

>>42029855
>>42029875
>>42029910
>>42030093
You just... don't know what to say. You feel like you could cry, but not because you feel bad, it's the very opposite. Ah, damn it, it's happening and you can't seem to stop it.

"Don't cry, Clarissa. Everything's going to be okay..." Ren whispers, wiping away your tears with her hand. That hand then goes higher, brushing through your hair and gently rubbing the top of your head. You wanted to say something, but enveloped in this strange bliss, you completely forgot what it was. You may not be a cat, but you soon catch yourself on unintentionally making a strange noise that resembles purring mixed with sobs, only it sounds less appropriate than both. Your face gets warmer and you force yourself to stop.

"D-don't be making this weird now..." Ren mutters, turning a little red herself.

"You're the one who started petting me. You're the weirdo here, not me! This is what you get for coddling me so damn much..." You draw closer and hug her. "I love you..." The girl lets out a squeak.

"Y-you mean everyone, right?" She asks. You don't really understand her question.

"You guys are the best friends ever... just... damn it." The remaining semblance of shame finally evaporates, leaving you to bawl your eyes out on Ren's shoulder. She doesn't mind, patting your back as you let yourself cut a bit loose.

...

>>42030715
It takes a while, but you calm down. You really hope stuff like that won't develop into a habit. It's embarrassing, even if it may be good for you.

"So how's your training coming along?" Ren asks, and you proudly give her the rundown of today's progress. It's pretty good, or, well, so you think, as you have nothing to really compare to. Maybe a Shinigami like Kimiko could measure your progress more accurately, though you have a feeling that Kimiko would make fun of you and tell you that you suck at it either way or something. ...Actually, you wonder if she can even do this technique at all.

"Well, that's good. It's kinda boring at school without you two, but I guess it's not all for nothing. Akemi's really worried, though!" She laughs. "Maybe I should bring you your phone. She's probably going to ring until you answer and tell her that you're okay. Oh, wait, you're a ghost, so that's actually not going to work right now..."

You think that all of your friends worry about you when you're absent, but Akemi's always the loudest one about it. Well, it's no big deal, either way.

...

>"I'll be meeting with Urahara soon. I want you guys to be there with me."
>"Well, we should get back to training."
>Talk to them about something. (Write-in).
>Other. (Write-in).

>>42030756
>"I'll be meeting with Urahara soon. I want you guys to be there with me."

>>42030715
Awkward. But good!

>>42030756
>"I'll be meeting with Urahara soon. I want you guys to be there with me."

>>42030756
>I'll be meeting with Urahara soon. I want you guys to be there with me

>>42030756
Maybe we should ask Ren if she thinks Clarissa can use her power more like how Paul does when he's in a trance. He's dangerous sure, but only because of his mindlessness - no chance he blows up the city for example. It would be very useful to practice it if so.

>>42030884
We'd be better off talking to Gil about that.

>>42030756
Voting over, writing!

>>42030968
He's not been too forthcoming about things so far in light of this thread's discoveries though.

>>42030848
>>42030855
>>42030863
"I'll be meeting with Urahara soon. Like, this Sunday, at noon. I want you guys to come with me."

Naoko nods, reluctantly. Ren asks the question that's probably bothering the other girl, too. "Why are you meeting with that guy again?"

"Well, same thing as always. To see if I can get to Kimiko through him."

They don't seem enthused by the idea. Ren continues. "You're... not planning to ditch us or anything, right?"

"Of course not! I just want to meet her. I need to make sure that she's fine and... and everything."

After a moment, Ren nods as well. "We'll go with you, sure. Sunday noon, right? We should go somewhere after that!" She cheerfully exclaims. You agree. For the first time in a while, the weekend might not be so... gloomy. Ah, damn it, you're looking forward to it.

"What time is it?" You ask. Naoko checks her phone and declares that it's eight in the evening. You've spent a whole bunch of time just relaxing with your friends and not training, which is what you're here for, originally. But at the same time, it's not like you haven't made any progress today, so maybe this is a good time to call it a day. Naoko's probably tired, too, but you have a feeling that she won't speak up about it until she faints or something.

So you adjourn the meet-up and the three of you head on home. You fall into your bed, taking your rightful place in your body, and you feel exhausted enough to fall into a slumber right away. Who would have ever thought that sitting around and just vaguely concentrating could be so tiring? Or was that even the most tiring part of the day? Thinking back on it, you feel pretty embarrassed about what happened. But you also feel... happy.

...

>>42032275
Your empty, dreamless sleep reminds you of the girl and spurs you on in your training. The next step in your training with Naoko is making your basic spirit-sensing abilities up to a higher level, namely by improving the distance from which you can accurately sense spiritual power. You use the same method, only with Naoko being standing much farther away, and concentrate on improving your range as much as you can.

By the end of the regular school hours, when Ren comes around to visit you and Naoko and drops off some food, you can pretty confidently declare that your sensory abilities are covering the whole city block as you speak. Ren praises you for that, though you think she's actually making fun of you for bragging too much, but you feel proud, anyway.

As you finish eating, it's time to get back into it. Naoko suggests continuing with what you've been doing, but... you're way better at this now than ever before. Maybe it's worth trying the technique itself again?

...

>Try to make the ribbons appear.
>Keep concentrating on the basics.
>Other. (Write-in).

>>42032307
>Try to make the ribbons appear.
Might as well!

>>42032307
Focus on the basics, also surprised there wasn't a chance to interrogate the plotrock even if probably nothing would have come of it.

>>42032275
Happiness? How strange! Maybe this isn't Clarissa after all!

>>42032307
>Keep concentrating on the basics.

>>42032307
>Try to make the ribbons appear.

>>42032307
Voting over, let's just compromise! Writing!

>>42032745
Compromise is a nice word! Dunno where the other anons went off to but I guess it's better than being stuck waiting ages.

>>42032331
>>42032556
"I want to make the ribbons again." You tell Naoko, like you're a bored student trying to get a teacher to tell you about something cool rather than continue droning on about the current subject. The girl doesn't seem to mind.

"It might take a while for you to pull it off." She warns, and you feel just a little discouraged.

"Well... let's say that if I can't pull it off in two hours, we'll go back to basics." You propose. Naoko shrugs a bit and nods, as if to say, 'suit yourself'. "Wanna bet if I can do it? Naoko? Ren?"

"I don't want to bet against you. Just go for it."

Either she's really confident in you, or she's certain that you'll fail and doesn't want to rub it in when you do.

Well, either way, there's only one thing left for you to do.

...

"Time's almost up, Clarissa." Ren reminds you. You've asked her to keep track of time for you, but it's irritating and replaces some of your concentration with nervousness every time she mentions it.

You just need to calm down and focus. What did Naoko say again? Concentrate, visualize, materialize. The ribbons are just a physical image of what you sense; they help 'specify' the things you're already sensing, but they don't actually help you sense anything better. So... damn it, just...

Concentrate, visualize, materialize...

(1/2)

>>42033506
"Woah!" You hear Ren exclaim and open your eyes. What? What's wrong?

It takes you a moment to spot them, but... they're there. Two thin white threads of spiritual fabric, seemingly attached to both of your friends. Naoko smiles at the sight of it, while Ren pulls at the things with a belittling look on her face. "Are they supposed to be this thin? And why are there only two? Didn't you talk a whole lot about how you're covering the whole city, Clarissa?"

"I-I said a block! And... well, that's all I can do for now! Hey, you can't do even that much!" You tell the giggling redhead, who pulls at the thread a little too hard and tears it in two. "Hey!"

"O-oh, sorry." She seems pretty shocked that something like that actually happened. "I didn't break anything, did I?"

Naoko shakes her head. "It's alright. My ribbons looked like that, too. They'll get better, you just need to practice. But the range is very small, it's only picking up the two of us. We need to work on that, Clarissa." Naoko-sensei's determined comment really makes you want to work even harder.

But... could this actually be enough for what you need to do? Sure, you've only managed to locate the people a few feet away from you here, but in your inner world... it might be different there.

After today's training concludes, you return home.

...

>Try looking for her tonight in your inner world.
>Don't try it yet.
>Talk to goldie about something, regardless. (Write-in).
>Other. (Write-in).

>>42033611
D-don't tear our treads!
>Try looking for her tonight in your inner world.

>>42033611
>Talk to goldie about something, regardless. (Write-in).
Let's ask about what Ren found out, for sure. Did he know?

>>42033611
>Talk to goldie about something, regardless. (Write-in).
Try not to be accusatory when talking about what Ren said. Like ask if he's able to disobey us, or if he at least now understands the difference between a passing whim and an actual wish? Pretty much try and get an idea of how sapient he was before we became a shinigami. Don't bother trying to make him apologize or show remorse, I don't think he's capable of those emotions.

>>42033611
Voting over, writing!

>>42033838
Ultimately, ask if he remembers how Kimiko turned us into a shinigami, and if he can replicate the process with Paul, and ask if he thinks that could help Paul's Hougyoku "awaken" and maybe understand how to filter whatever thoughts move through his head before Paul kills someone who isn't already dead.

The biggest downside that I can see is even if we pull it off, Hiyori would notice another shinigami being around.

>>42033611
>Try looking for her tonight in your inner world.

>>42033987
Yeah, that could be an issue for sure. Definitely something we'd need to think about.

>>42033671
>>42033736
>>42033838
Once again you enter the lavish bastion built over the desert landscape of your inner world, and once again you meet the blond man sitting on his luxurious throne, surrounded by beautiful carpets, pale marble and gold.

As always, there is no need for a greeting. He's always with you, so saying hello to him is like greeting the reflection in your mirror. Before you begin the search, you bring up your concerns with what Ren has told you recently.

"...It's true. Both the assumptions that girl made and the conclusions you yourself came to - they're both true."

In other words, it was ultimately 'him' who killed Aiko. And yet... you can't say that you don't share the guilt.

"But it shouldn't happen again. We've spoken about this to some extent already, haven't we? I've adopted the form of that girl's Zanpakuto as my own, and obtained shape where there was previously none. I hold no control over you anymore; and the truth is, I never had in the first place. You've cast aside inexperience and lack of awareness, so now you have full control over your abilities, and can grant your own desires whenever you will. Perhaps my lesser copy resides in your brother in that dissolved form I once had and torments him unknowingly. But there's no need to turn him into a Shinigami as well; just making him aware is more than enough. You can do that with this power, as it both opposes and supplements his own in a way that cannot be replicated."

Kimiko said something about the Shinigami ability transferring process having a chance of failure. It might not be worth the risk, even if you somehow learned how to do it.

You remember that the Hogyoku has already mentioned before that he can't disobey you and take over, or something along those lines. The bigger question is whether you can trust him on that or not.

...

>Begin the search.
>Ask him something else. (Write-in).

>>42034828
My trip fell off again!

>>42034828
>Begin the search.
Side-eyeing Gil quite hard though.

>>42034828
>Begin the search.

Hmmm...

>>42034828
>Begin the search.

>>42034828
>Ask him something else.
Ask if he thinks we can use our power to get to Soul Society safely.

>>42034828
"Wait you mean Kimiko's zanpakuto looked like the form you had now? Were you... able to see him somehow?"

File: the end draws near.png (319 KB, 817x817)

319 KB PNG

>>42034860
I'd like to end the thread for tonight, it's getting really late! Next thread will start off with the questions and then we'll begin the search!

Next thread is probably up for friday and then another one on saturday, but watch out for updates on twitter:
https://twitter.com/Mushroomgami

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

Sorry for my slow update speed lately, I'll try to pick up the pace!

Thanks for reading!

>>42035178
Thanks for running! It was certainly an interesting thread this time, even if there wasn't too much discussion.

>>42035244
I'm just showing all my cards at this point! It can't really be helped, and I don't mind it!

>>42035178
Thanks for writing Mushroom.

>>42035280
I'm sorry you feel like you have to spill all the beans now, but I still had fun.

>>42035280
I'm certainly looking forward to seeing what will happen the next few threads now, at least!

>>42035368
Oh, no, it's not like something's forced my hand or anything. Everything's following the plan!

>>42035368
Like I don't know, I feel liks the confrontation with the Hougyoku could have been drawn out a little more, but by that point there really wasn't much more to say.

>>42034828
>You can do that with this power, as it both opposes and supplements his own in a way that cannot be replicated."
Could you elaborate what he means by this? Being exposed to Clarissa's full power could shock Paul into waking up? Because so far it seems like Paul is a lot better at countering us than we are him.

>>42035458
He means to try and mind control him, basically. Paul can't fully deny the effect of Clarissa's abilities because they're the same thing as his powers. Fully rejecting them would be contradictory.

You'd just need to overpower him, use more juice than him.

>>42034996
I'd kind of imagine that for him to be able to do that, he'd need to at least see what that looks like first? I mean he gained a limited understanding of zanpakuto from us being stabbed by one, but we have no idea how such a thing as going to Soul Society would be possible based on our current knowledge. Maybe we can trick Urahara into giving us a lot of exposition? I don't know, first ask Goldie if 'understanding' is necessary for more complex wishes?

>>42035581
Could definitely be, though Paul's been doing some stuff while in trance that he definitely hasn't seen before. Might be ours works differently, or it's a matter of scale.

>>42035540
Ah so my theory was right, since that's what I wanted to do to Paul after Ren re-transferred his power back to him, but then he was still unconscious so we had to go home. I was even thinking what direct command to blast at him full force, was torn between "KNOW ME" for both forcing Paul to acknowledge his sister, possibly on multiple levels, and being kind of the unsettling god complex command full power Clarissa would give, either that or the much broader "AWAKEN."

I feel a bit sad that you had the Hougyoku just give us the answer after we fumbled for so long, but at least I was close!

>>42035714
How about a simple ol' believe?

>>42035749
Yeah that works. I feel like the difficult part would be that we're gonna need a lot more than our typical amount of power to overwhelm Paul, without, you know, destroying the city.

>>42035714
>>42035749
>>42035795
Watch out or you'll turn him into a pleasant person or something!

>>42035830
That's a terrifying thought.

>>42035830
Calm down now, I don't think we can work miracles here.

>>42035830
So you're happy with how this thread went right? I'm kind of glad Clarissa made some solid progress, but I'm still kind of worried you might be compromising by making things easier on us, and that's not really fair to you, since you seem like a pretty pleasant person.

>>42036077
Might be asleep now since I believe he's in EU timezone?

>>42036204
Yeah probably.