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Welcome back to Crescent Adventures, a quest based on the 90s Sailor Moon universe. Things can go as that universe went or you can derail it with your actions or ignore it completely to just focus on the problems and issues that affect your character!

Previously last week’s thread, our Ruka entered the Penguin Domain and met Azul's siblings. Three strange supernatural blue penguins and one very interesting Apple to take a bite into. They say that the Apple was the fruit of knowledge and it seems to have brought you illuminating details of your Memory, while Azul seems to have a gained an upgrade to his invisibility powers that is extremely useful.

Sunday was a visit to Juuban Hospital where Dr. Mizuno confirms your recovery and mentions that her daughter is attending your school. It is also at Juuban Hospital where your father's unfortunate coworker, Tatemichi Erina, is staying.

It seems that spooky things are afoot here because Azul was particularly focused on the patients in that hospital wardroom. It's unfortunate he can't talk because his attempts to explain what's wrong is in vain. The mystery will only be resolved if you sneak back into the hospital and... well... you aren't sure what you need to do but it's up to you to come up with a plan! Azul has emphasized that it's urgent to get back into that room, so you aren't going to let your partner down.

You don't have a lot time, you might have to wing it and see what works.

But it's Monday, so that means school first. During your morning commute you ran into the genius girl Mizuno Ami... She could see Azul.

She's probably a spook too...

Pastebin: https://pastebin.com/u/CrescentADV
Archive: https://lws.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Crescent%20Adventures
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CrescentDreamA1
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>>5108374
>Get out of the classroom and walk around a bit, you have time...
>Start a mental conversation with Azul on the plan and on Mizuno...

You lean back into the hard school chair to send a telepathic message to Azul who is climbing the stairs to the third floor. The clubroom is locked as usual, so he's off on his merry exploration around the school. The strange sixth sense you have of the blue avian's presence gives you a rough idea where he is waddling off to. It might pay off one day to get a spare key for Azul to use, the clubroom is always securely locked when not in use and he can't get in.

'So what do you think of Mizuno? What a crazy coincidence that we run into yet another person who can see you. Bad luck or could it be something else?' You telepathically shoot your message to the penguin wandering the hallways above your head somewhere.

'Squawk! Krup? Kuuu.' The answer back from Azul is chirps laden with confusion and frustration at the unexpected turn of events. The penguin never expected to be exercising his tiring 'Vanishing Act' powers so often and so soon after receiving them.

So far from experience, you've run into two other people who can see your normally invisible supernatural penguin buddy.

The first being the crybaby Tsukino Usagi, a fellow classmate who became the first and only unfortunate victim of your ill thought out experiment of getting Azul to touch someone to see what happens. You upended the blissful and secure normality of the poor girl, now she can see Azul. It was because of that that you decide never to let Azul poke or touch people. You've grown very fond of the shorter girl, she just has that way of worming into your good graces and heart. You regret dragging her into a weird unnatural situation, the girl could not possibly endure being thrust into supernatural happenings. It was best to protect her from it at all costs.

The other was Chiba Mamoru, that high schooler from Moto-Azabu. It surprises you and incites suspicion that he didn't make a big deal about seeing Azul on the bus. Then again perhaps he decided acting like a crazy teen and trying to draw attention to a mostly invisible giant blue penguin was ill advised. Aya seems smitten with him, you do admit when he smiles he looks quite handsome... Also he looks good in glasses. He is up to his neck in something though; teens don't go around cryptically implying things like he did. You really hope that Aya isn't serious about going after him.

Animals and monsters can see Azul too. You've long since mentally rearranged the internal spooky scale that weigh things and people on as you learn more.

So where on the spooky scale does Mizuno Ami fall on?

'Maybe we should try to investigate the girl genius and get more info? What's your thoughts on that?' You send off your message but you don't hear Azul's response because you realize your childhood friend is waving his hands right before your eyes.
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>>5108376
"Whoa Ruka, what are you thinking so hard about?" Tomio asks, completely interrupting your mental conversation with your partner. He stops waving his hand in front of you and stares curiously. You clearly had spaced out as you were concentrating on your conversation with Azul.

"Nothing much, it just seems weird that Haruna-sensei isn't in." You say as you immediately stand up from your desk. It was better to have your conversation with Azul elsewhere, even if you have to wander the halls for a little. You start walking out of the class, a few of your classmates stare at you as you leave. It's not proper for a student leave the classrooom just before roll call.

"Don't wander away for too long, who knows when she'll arrive," Tomio waves as you exit the classroom. You give a sarcastic wave back acknowledging the danger you're putting yourself in.

It is an odd thing to wander about the empty school hallways when students are all diligently sitting in their classrooms waiting for roll call. You're not overly worried about being caught by the truant officer, he's at the front entrance of school laying in wait to punish late students. Poor Usagi is going to get an earful when she does arrive.

Azul sends a positive chirp through your link at the idea of investigating Mizuno Ami. You have the odd feeling through his answer that he wants to spy on her personally. Given that he has his new powers, it might be feasible.

But do you have time to mess about with investigating Mizuno? You have an infiltration mission to plan at Juuban Hospital... Wait, you're an idiot. The mother of the genius is a doctor at the hospital you want to get into. It's likely that your potentially spooky classmate has inside knowledge on the place that might help you in the infiltration mission that you are planning.

You stand in the hallway, where do you want to wander?

>Stick around the 2nd floor, can't wander away too far...
>Go downstairs to the ground floor...
>Go hide out in the washroom...
>Go to the teacher's lounge, since no one should be in there...
>Go up to the 3rd floor, Azul is up there...
>write in
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>>5108380
>Stick around the 2nd floor, can't wander away too far...
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>>5108380
>>Stick around the 2nd floor, can't wander away too far...
Ruka's not an actual delinquent, so I can't see her actually cutting just b/c the teacher is late
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>>5108484
>>5108560
Okay, we'll just stick around the 2nd floor.
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>>5108484
>>5108560
Late thirding vote!

>>5108560
Though if we really wanted to, Ruka could lean pretty hard toward the delinquent/gang member look she has and intimidate someone if she was so inclined. Maybe even play into it to trick someone into underestimating her or to hide her motives.
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The idea of snooping around the school while the teachers and students are all dutifully in class is a mere flicker in your mind. The cold wind of rationality and boredom snuffs it out before it can catch flame to your fancy. The first and third floor are exactly like the second floor, there's nothing interesting in the teacher's lounge and you don't have a reason to hid out in the bathroom of all places. The 2nd floor, the locale of 2nd year students shall be your prowling grounds.

Besides, you don't know when Haruna-sensei will appear, you can't miss out on roll call because you're too far away.

Walking and thinking does wonder with your plotting. You debate options with Azul through your telepathic link on interrogating Mizuno for details on Juuban Hospital. Given that the girl is a genius, you'll have to be subtle and try to hide the main objective of your questioning. You don't want to make things too complicated, your cover story will be mentioning her mother's request on returning your pain medication to the hospital and asking if it can be done after regular hours. After that, it's grilling the blue haired girl on the patients you visited on Sunday, you can give an excuse that your father's coworker is hospitalized.

Heck, if you need another reason, you'll add a sob story about the poor grocery store worker Ms. Tomino Kayako.

"Kuuu." A disapproving chirp is loud and clear from your link with Azul on that tactic. Thus far, your avian friend has displayed a bias to keeping things simple and relatively close to the truth when it comes to deception. The chirps of approval and disapproval come as you ruminate over how you'll approach the other girl. Hm, didn't Uncle call the process of going over the technicalities of a crime with others "going up and down"?... Well, not that you're going to commit a crime. You're just being cautious about extracting some info from a very intimidating girl with a gigantic intellect that can probably suss out your intentions.

Also... she's a spooky girl. Like you.

You take a pause from your stroll and open one of the hallway windows to let in some fresh air. A refreshing breeze rustles your hair as you lean on the window ledge. The information that you can get from Mizuno will probably cement what time you'll enter the hospital and sneak into the wardroom.

Your musing is interrupted with a sonic attack on your tender ears.

"I'M LAAAATE!!!" An ear-splitting shout of despair emanates from outside the school entrance. The familiar sounds of thudding footsteps running up to the second floor is all that you need to know that Tsukino Usagi has finally arrived. She is so absurdly late that the truant officer must have left his station and gone back to his office. You can't help but chuckle as you witness the mad dash of Usagi getting into the classroom. Usagi's powers of observation is atrocious, despite standing in full view in the hallway, the other girl is unaware of you and just enters the classroom.
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>>5109617
It's probably time for you to get to class too. You close the hallway window and start walking towards your homeroom. But you stop after a few steps, you hear something shuffling slowly up the main stairs. Your curiosity is piqued; whoever was coming up was taking their sweet time. You walk over to see what sort of lazy unenergetic student would come to class even later than Tsukino Usagi.

A familiar woman is climbing the stairs in very slow and careful steps. It is your very tardy homeroom teacher, Haruna-sensei. She looks exhausted, there are dark circles around her eyes as though she hadn't had a wink of sleep since last year. Make up cannot disguise it and at every step up, she drops something she is carrying in her arms. It is startling to see her so exhausted. You can't help but notice that she is wearing a new accessory on her, a beautiful dark purple flower brooch.

"Houseki-san, why aren't you in class? Were you looking for me?" Even your teacher's voice sounds exhausted. Was she sick? You come down the stairs to assist your teacher by grabbing all the items she dropped.

"You could say that," you fib lightly. It's astonishing to see a trail of dropped items stretching back to the teacher's lounge of all places. You make a quick dash to pick up the things and work yourself back to the stairs where your teacher is still struggling to walk up.

"Oh thank you Houseki-san, now to get to class," the red haired teacher says as she yawns and stubbornly advances towards your classroom. She drops yet another file; you dutifully stoop down and pick it up for her. Your teacher's slouching and staggering walk is highly alarming. You gently take a hold of her arm to steady her and open the classroom door for her. To be honest, you're more tempted to tell your teacher to take the day off and go home but adults aren't going to listen to the advice of some kid.

The chattering classroom comes to a respectful silence and attention when the door opens. The whispers start when they see that you are almost physically carrying your teacher to her desk. By now, you are in possession virtually all of Haruna-sensei's files and papers because of her inability to hold onto anything. You carefully lay the items on the desk and make sure she doesn't trip on the riser.

"You can take your seat Houseki-san now, I'll be taking attendance..." At this, she lets out a huge unprofessional yawn and drops the attendance roll that she just picked up.

"Oh second thought, free period today. Just study whatever... I'm just so sleepy..." With yet another large yawn, the exhausted teacher stretches herself over her desk and falls asleep.

... What the fuck? What is wrong with your teacher? Your classmates are in shock and in disbelief, not one of them can react.
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>>5109618
What will you do?

>Try to wake your teacher up violently, this isn't funny at all...
>Take your seat, you've done what you can and you can't do anything else...
>Start ordering your classmates around, someone needs to get the nurse....
>Try to wake your teacher up gently, this is crazy...
>write in
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>>5109377
Ruka is definitely on the intimidating end of things. Her height, solemn stern face and musculature makes her unattractive to most Japanese folks in the 90s. Tomboy muscle girl waifus are decidedly not something desirable back then from what I've read and seen.
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>>5109619
>Start ordering your classmates around, someone needs to get the nurse....
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>>5109619
>write in
Welp, just go and do whatever. She clearly needs the sleep and won't appreciate us waking her. That's probably what Usagi's doing right now.
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>>5109702
Get the nurse for someone taking a nap? Bit of an overreaction considering she's in no immediate danger.
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>>5109702
>>5109865
hm, a tie!
I'll leave it alone for a little longer, but if there's no other vote, I'll bring out the dice.
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>>5109619
>>5109619
> Start ordering your classmates around, someone needs to get the nurse....
>write-in
Escalate the wake up measures until then. Perhaps just have the students bring in the nurse so she can see if the teacher actually needs medical attention or not. If she does, we can have our penguin buddy investigate the teacher while she’s in the nurse’s office infirmary or whatever. That jewelry she’s wearing is making me suspicious.
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Seems we decided to take active measures to wake up the teacher and ordering your classmates around.
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The silence in the classroom stretches onwards, it hasn't quite reached the breaking point where everyone erupts in conversation. It was that strange awkward in-between period before it. Your classmates' eyes are darting back and forth between you and Haruna-sensei while you are doing the same but to them. This was an utterly ridiculous situation, you start taking action by gently poking at your teacher to awaken her.

To be frank, the sight of your teacher sprawled exhausted over her desk reminds you way too much of how your dad used to fall asleep at the kitchen table back home. You're half tempted to just let the woman sleep since it's obvious she needs it but sleeping that way is actually very uncomfortable and gives serious neck cramps. It is better to get your tired teacher moved to the school infirmary where she could sleep on a bed or something. The pokes are not working, you experiment with a gentle shake that rocks the sleeping woman.

"Hey teach, maybe you should go and sleep in the school infirmary..." You talk at the unconscious woman in the hopes that hearing your voice will get a reaction. Nothing happens, the happy snores continue without interruption. Your gentle shakes become rougher.

"Come on Ruka-chan! Why not leave Haruna-sensei be? Sleeping is great, if I had a choice I'd sleep wherever and whenever I could. In fact, I might take a little nap right now!" Usagi declares and proceeds to let out a huge yawn. Her comment is the starting gun for all your other classmates to begin talking at once in a rush. By now, you've resorted to the childish and annoying forehead flicking in your attempts to wake the teacher. In normal situations, this is hilariously disrespectful to do to an authority figure but this wasn't normal.

"Whoa, what's wrong with her?"
"Why did I come to school on time today, I could have totally come in late."
"I don't get it, why won't the teacher wake up?"
"Do you think our teacher stayed up too late listening to Midnight Zero?"
"Free study period? I don't believe it."

The conversations are nervous and raucous; the neighbouring classrooms can definitely hear it. Yet despite the volume, your teacher still doesn't wake up. You physically move her so that she can sit on a chair and not slip off the desk. Her head is thrown back, leaning over the headrest awkwardly with her mouth wide open. It was probably better to arrange her limbs and head for dignity's sake and safety. You lean over your teacher to make sure she doesn't fall off her chair.

It triggers something, you aren't sure what. As you lean over the other woman, a sudden attack of exhaustion hits you so powerfully that you can't keep on your feet at all. For a second, you valiantly try to keep conscious and on your feet, but darkness swarms around the edges of your vision. Then it blackens completely. You feel so tired...
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>>5110551
You don't know what's wrong, one second you are standing. The next, you find yourself on the floor. It all happened so suddenly. Your classmates let out a collective gasp of shock and go completely silent again while you remain on the ground. The sudden sense of weakness leaves slowly and you scramble to get back onto your feet. It is like the floor is pitching and turning, your sense of balance is completely off. You grab the edge of the teacher's desk and drag yourself up. You lock eyes with Tomio who is standing up at his desk shocked at your fall.

"Tomio, get the school nurse right away!" You ask your childhood friend as you stagger to regain your sense of balance.

"Got it!" The tall boy immediately dashes out of the classroom.

The classroom erupts into chaos and chatter but you make yourself heard over it all. You give orders to your classmates to inform the teacher in class 2 and the principal of the situation while leaning over the desk heavily trying to regain your strength. Fortunately, everyone accepts your commands without any pushback at all.

"Ruka-chan!" You don't know when Usagi arrived at your side, but she takes your hand and supports you to an empty chair to sit on. You tried to refuse her assistance out of stubbornness but discover that Usagi is far more stubborn. The shorter girl simply won't allow you to refuse her help.

The nurse and school staff arrives in class 1 and take care of the situation. You only get a once over but as you had largely recovered from the strange attack of exhaustion, the school staff deem you capable of continuing your all important education. These are the moments where you really hate the Japanese work ethic, if you aren't unconscious like your teacher then you have to stay and keep working. The entire school gets the dubious privilege of watching your teacher be taken to the hospital by ambulance.

"I wonder what's going on?"
"She won't wake up, no matter what. I didn't realize that being a teacher is so exhausting!"
"I hear there's something going around where you fall asleep like our teacher and never wake up again."

The conversations of your classmates buzz in your ears as you sit at your desk. You feel a poke from behind; it is Tomio trying to get your attention.

"Hey Ruka? You okay!? I freaked out when you just fell over like that." Your childhood friend still looks a bit freaked out to be honest.

"Yeah, I'm fine now. I have no idea why I felt so tired. One second I was trying to make sure teach was comfy in her chair, and then the next I hit the ground." You answer to reassure your friend but you're distracted by the curious lack of communication from your partner. Where was he? You'd think he would be frantically chirping through your telepathic link and see if you're okay... Actually, something is off. You don't feel the penguin's presence in the school at all. You reach out to find Azul and discover that shockingly he is getting further and further away from you.
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>>5110552
The blue penguin has gotten the sudden and brilliant idea of getting into the hospital via the ambulance taking Haruna-sensei. He is trundling happily along, under the stretcher right now where no one can see him. You know because he sends a brief flash of an image of his intention of getting into the hospital to assist you from the inside.

Was that really a good idea? Your plans initially assumed he'd be with you as you go into the hospital, he could carry your tools on him and hide them. If he goes on ahead, you'll have to carry the incriminating items on you as you infiltrate the hospital.

What will you do?

>Allow Azul to proceed with his idea
>Ask Azul to abandon it
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>>5110555
>Allow Azul to proceed with his idea
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>>5110555
>Allow Azul to proceed with his idea
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>>5110555
>>Allow Azul to proceed with his idea
ruka got too close to the flower? stood in the path of the energy-draining beam? something like that...
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>>5110576
>>5110674
>>5110927
Well, let's let the blue penguin try and wing it.
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A bit of delay, will post tomorrow
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It was an interesting idea, it could pay off to have an inside bird to assist you. You'll be in school for hours, Azul can go ahead and scout out the place! Maybe even spy on what was going on. And you're curious as to what is wrong with your teacher, once Azul gets on that ambulance he could give you some information. You send your approval for your partner's idea and wish him good luck.

His response is to give you a quick flash of an image. It is your teacher turned onto her back by the EMTs' in the ambulance. She looks like she's having a grand old nap rather than being transferred to the hospital.

"Hey, Ruka, what are you thinking about? You look pretty serious there," Tomio has been paying close attention to you. To another person's point of view, when you communicate with your partner, you must look distracted or concentrating on something. Seems you'll have to train yourself to have a poker face when telepathically talking with Azul in the future.

"Just thinking how our day is practically a wash today. No way we'll be able to focus on school of all things," you smoothly answer.

Azul sends you another image through your link. It's your teacher again, and the penguin sends an annoyed chirp at you. You can only send back a brief '?' to the bird in response, you are too busy reassuring your old friend.

Azul sends another image immediately, this time focused on your teacher's chest. Looming in the image is the flower brooch accessory that your teacher decided to wear today. The color of it clashes badly with the red jacket Haruna-sensei owns. You pause and wonder what exactly Azul is trying to say by sending you this image. Was there something special about the brooch?

Tomio grows a little alarmed by your distracted countenance. You send a quick message to Azul that you need to stop communication right now because it's causing issues.

"Hey Ruka, maybe you should go and rest up at the nurse's place or something. It's not as if we're going to be doing anything important this morning, it's all self-study." Your childhood friend presses gently because he's concerned. From the outsider's point of view, your brief collapse earlier and the continuing distracted nature is a cause for concern. They had no idea what was really going on. It was probably a good idea to go to the nurse's office to throw off suspicions and to reassure your Tomio.

The ambulance is starting to leave school grounds; the wail of sirens fills the air. Azul starts sending a variety of images to you, he focuses mainly on the flower brooch but intermixes it with the strange images from Sunday. The strange black fog, tendrils of plant-like veins, a swirling orb of energy, the faces of the women in the hospital wardroom you need to get into growing greyer and greyer... until their bodies collapse into dust. You recoil from that particularly explicit image.
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>>5112636
Additionally, you feel a dull ache pounding in your brain and your skin is tingling. You recognize them as the same symptoms you felt before the explosion of pain that wrecked you and Azul last time. The warning sign that the supernatural penguin was sending far too many images, too quickly, and that both of you are going to pay very dearly for it. The realization makes you panic at what you know is going to happen next.

'Stop!' Your desperate telepathic cry races through the psychic link as a fast as thought.

Unfortunately, it's exactly the same speed as Azul's ability to send images.

End result is pain. Terrible pain stabs your brain and explodes outwards through your nerves like lightning burning everything in its wake. You futilely grab your head with both your hands hoping it could ease the ricocheting pain bouncing within your skull. Your body pitches forward and out from the chair to the ground. You think your classmates are shouting and screaming, a few gather around you to see what is wrong. It's hard to really know precisely because your head is in so much pain from the psychic backlash, and your partner is suffering from his recklessness as well.

Tomio is standing over you and shouting, but you cannot hear a word of what he's saying through the haze of pain and the ringing in your ears. You guess that he is shouting your name. His face is white with shock and panic, you can't imagine what sort of agony you just put your old friend through.

He reaches down to scoop you up into his arms and starts carrying you out of the classroom. One arm is under your legs, and the other is supporting your back. You can barely eke out a protest, the pain is slowly fading away. He is remarkably fast, running full tilt to the nurse's infirmary and shouting at the same time.

"NUUUUUUUUURSE!!!!" It is a raw cry of absolute panic from him. The entire school probably heard him scream that, heads poke out from other classrooms to see what's going on. The school rumor mill is going to go nuts after this.

The nurse barely manages to order him back to class, Tomio only departs after a storm of protests and promises to come right away at lunch time for you. You are so embarrassed, you lay on the cot with your hands over your eyes as you answer questions from the nurse about your physical conditions and any problems you have. The true problem was that Azul didn't realize he was doing too much during the psychic exchange you had with him earlier. Next time, the two of you will have to come up with a compromise on how many images he should send.

Flaw: The Limit! Too many images sent over your psychic link by Azul will cause a painful backlash.
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>>5112640
During your stay in the infirmary, you are visited by...

>Aya, she came during a break after 1st period...
>Mr. Yamada, the Literature teacher and your club advisor, of all people...
>The Principal, she wanted to talk after what happened...
>Usagi, she snuck out of class somehow...
>Tomio, he decided to check up on you before lunch time ...
>Naru, she wanted to see how you're doing...
>Gurio, the nerd wants to investigate what happened to you...
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>>5112642
>The Principal, she wanted to talk after what happened...
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>>5112642
>Aya, she came during a break after 1st period...
>The Principal, she wanted to talk after what happened...
>Tomio, he decided to check up on you before lunch time ...
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>>5112642
>>Tomio, he decided to check up on you before lunch time ...

there's no way he doesn't visit after panicking so badly

>Naru, she wanted to see how you're doing...
>Gurio, the nerd wants to investigate what happened to you...
our fellow side characters! we must stick together
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>>5112816
>>5113055
>>5113486
Hm, we're sort of all over the place.
The most we have is Tomio and the Principal though. We'll go with that.
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You are so bored in the infirmary. You aren't in pain anymore and you aren't sick, but the nurse has decided to keep you in and under her observation just in case. While you're glad to miss out on class, staying in the infirmary is boring as hell. The nurse expects you to rest on the uncomfortable bed as she writes a report based on the answers she extracted out of you about your collapse in class.

You heave a heavy sigh and watch the clock tick time away slowly. First period just ended. It's not too surprising that most people don't try to visit you in the infirmary. Break between classes is a mere 10 minutes, there is barely enough time to run from the classroom and back again after a conversation. Aya is on the third floor, she's not able to run down stairs and up again to her classroom in a timely manner due to her lack of physical fitness. But you're so bored, you'd kill to have someone come in and have a talk with you.

No wait, you hear someone running full tilt down the hallway towards the infirmary. Whoever it is, they're in a hurry and they slam open the door with excessive force.

"Hey! No slamming open doors! Are you trying to break it?" The nurse scolds Tomio who is red in the face from his run.

"Whoa, oops, sorry." The tall boy doesn't sound sorry in the least as he enters and closes the door behind him.

"Hey, how's everyone back in class?" You feel heartened to see a familiar face.

"No one can really focus on school. We had two dramatic collapses after all. Everyone in class is waiting for me to come back and tell them how you're doing. I've been deputized so to speak."

"I'm doing fine. In fact, I could go back to class right now but a certain health professional won't hear of it." You glance significantly at the nurse who rolls her eyes and tries to ignore your conversation with Tomio.

"Seriously? You want to back to class?" Tomio teases you upon hearing your desire to go back into the educational fray.

"All I'm doing is lying in bed and getting lazy, there's only so much napping and annoying the nurse that can be done before I get bored."

"It's too bad Usagi couldn't get out to visit you earlier. She would have kept you entertained then."

You puzzle over Tomio's response. Did he mean that Usagi wanted to visit you while class was in session? The look on your face causes the tall boy to chuckle.

"Can you believe it? The silly girl tried to sneak out of class to try and see you," Tomio tries not to burst out laughing, he was probably remembering how Usagi failed so utterly.

"What is she thinking? She's the most unsneakiest person in the world. Like, 100% failure rate." You shake your head upon hearing it.

There is a polite knock at the infirmary door and the nurse calls out for the visitor to enter. When the door opens, you and Tomio fall silent. It is sobering to see that Principal standing at the door.
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>>5114040
"Ah, Mr. Harada, I see that you've come to visit Ms. Houseki but you had better head back to class quickly. I'll pretend not to see you running in the halls." The older woman smiles benignly at your best friend, she's willing to bend rules to a certain extent for a good cause.

Tomio gives the Principal a thankful nod and turns to face you one last time.

"I'll be back later to get you; we'll have lunch with the others. See you then." With that he rushes out the door back to class with a wave. You wave back and watch him go before focusing your attention on the Principal.

"If you are feeling better, perhaps you would like to come up to my office. I thought perhaps you would like to join in the call I will make to your father about your collapse. He'd probably rather hear from you rather than just have some fussy school official talk at him," the principal waves off the nurse's protest for keeping you in the infirmary and awaits your answer.

"Yeah, I'm feeling okay. I'll go up with you and talk to my dad." You agree and leap off the infirmary bed easily, you want to prove to the nurse you're fine. The only reaction from the nurse is a roll of her eyes and an irritated throw of her hands up in the air.

"Fine, fine, but come immediately back here. You are going to rest, even if it kills me." The exasperated woman says as she turns her attention to some paperwork on her desk.

You're grateful that the Principal is a pretty chill and reasonable lady because the phone call to your dad was, as expected, not that great. He freaks out a little upon hearing what happened in your classroom. The news of your teacher collapsing into some sort of unawakeable sleep, followed by you falling over too was definitely not good for your dad's blood pressure. It's unfortunate that your father no longer has any leave left until May, he can't just come to school and take you home. In fact, he'll be working late again tonight.

Actually perhaps it was fortunate, it gives you time to infiltrate the hospital without your dad questioning where you went.

"If I have to dad, I'll go to Juuban Hospital. If I'm not home, that's where I'll be. Heck, I could even go see how my teacher is doing." It lines up nicely, you can just created a plausible excuse for yourself.

"Make sure to grab your health card then. I'll try to get back home as soon as possible! I'm just glad you didn't end up like your teacher. The newspaper is talking about a weird sleeping disease." The man has calmed down greatly, hearing from you did wonders to his nerves.

At the end of the conversation, you leave to go back to the infirmary with a few words of encouragement from your Principal.

"Remember Ms. Houseki, my office is open if you ever need to talk."

You don't know what to say to the old woman. The Principal is doing her best but you aren't inclined to tell her anything really. The most you do in response is nod and return to the infirmary.
>>
>>5114042
This proves to be a mistake. The nurse is stubborn, and is reluctant to sign off to release you. You napped, you read crappy left over manga, attempted to finish a half done puzzle, even studied a little on your own. You're so bored!

"It's no bed of roses for me too kid, but gotta dot our i's and cross our t's because rules. Okay." The nurse sounds exasperated, you're practically at the door and just waiting for her to say go.

"Give me a break! I don't want to be stuck in here any longer!" You whine.

You decide to beg the nurse to let you out early.

>roll 3d6+1
>>
Rolled 2, 6, 4 + 1 = 13 (3d6 + 1)

>>5114043
>>
Rolled 4, 6, 4 + 1 = 15 (3d6 + 1)

>>5114043
>>
Rolled 3, 6, 6 + 1 = 16 (3d6 + 1)

>>5114234
good going anon!
>>5114043
>>
>>5114072
>>5114234
>>5114489
seems Ruka uses her impeccable logic to the nurse
>>
"Look, I don't want to be here and you don't want me here either. Letting me leave now is win-win for both of us," you argue with the nurse. You know that she knows that you're absolutely fine.

"I'm going to be held responsible if I let you out early and you fall sick again. It's not worth the paperwork or trouble," the nurse responds to your reassurances.

Okay, the nurse has a fair point and needs something to cover her ass if things go south; you just need to give her an out that will let her do exactly that.

"Just lie! If I fuck up and get sick, all you have to say is that I directly disobeyed your orders and you couldn't stop me. If I don't get sick, then the paperwork can say I did the time under your care. In both cases, you're going to be able to get away scot free without any blowback! The bureaucrats of our school are going to follow the paperwork you submit." You point out a solution that makes everyone's lives easier and covers both situations. Your club advisor Mr. Yamada is an expert in coming up with acceptable solutions to avoid blame or responsibility, you've seen and learned enough from him. The nurse stares at you at the simple and effective deception suggested by you, she almost seems appalled by your ability to suggest something so plausible.

"... Fair enough, but if you feel at all sick, you are to immediately return to the infirmary." The nurse thinks on it for so long that you fear that she was actually going to say.

SUCCESS!

You pump your fist into the air. Never underestimate the laziness and irresponsibility of other people. Give them an out that won't cause blowback, and most will take it!

"Thanks, I hope you appreciate your student-free time!" With that you slip out the door and head directly back to class. It's just in time for the start of 3rd period. When you open the door, your classmates are surprised to see you.

"What the hell? Shouldn't you still be in the infirmary?" Tomio hisses a whisper as you take your seat.

"Nurse cleared me to come back, I was so bored in there..." You shiver remembering the mind numbing boredom of the infirmary. You prefer to be in here with other people than endure another hour alone. Gurio passes you along his notes to copy for the earlier classes you missed. While Usagi clumsily passes a note to you.

I'm so glad you're okay.

Her handwriting is atrocious, it takes you a good minute or two to read what was written on it.

Lunch time is... busy.

"RUKA! I heard you fell, are you okay!?" Aya comes running into your classroom before even the lunchtime bell has finished ringing. The brief run has taken a lot out of her. There was a time last year you offered to work out with her to up her physical fitness, but the horrified look on her face at the idea of getting so sweaty killed any further idea of pursuing it. Your club president gives you a gigantic hug before you can respond.
>>
>>5115498
"Let's go eat outside together." Usagi says as she brings out her well prepared lunch box and comes close to your desk.

"Yeah, that's a good idea. We can take over the benches," Naru agrees.

"There should be enough room for everyone," Gurio is willing to join in, which is unusual. Then again, he probably wants to find out more information about what happened earlier.

"I'll join in too, I mean, it's not going to be all girls with Gurio around." Tomio notes. The concern he has still lingers, he isn't inclined to let you out of his sight as of this moment.

Your original plan to seek Mizuno Ami alone at lunch is in the trash now. Everyone wants to hang around you. While you're moved by their concern and show of friendship, it throws an interesting wrench into your plans.

You exit the school with the group to sit down for lunch outside. Usagi is singing a rather silly song about delicious food all the while. To amuse yourself, you dryly suggest various delicious food items that she can add into her lyrics. Soon enough the group joins in, but the sheer variety of silly or delicious foodstuffs is enough to kill the song.

You scan the school grounds surreptitiously, you need to see where Mizuno Ami is but it seems that she nowhere in sight. Was she eating inside the school somewhere? Or is she in a different section of the school grounds.

"You gave us a scare today, I mean, it was shocking enough to see Haruna-sensei like that but you keeled over too." Naru says as she takes her first bite of lunch.

"I heard that you had to go to the infirmary, just what happened?" Aya pushily demands answers.

"I'm slightly more concerned about what happened to our teacher," Gurio notes.

The conversation goes over all over the place but the main subject is...

>Usagi asking you how it felt...
>Aya and Tomio both focusing on your present health...
>Gurio trying to weasel out information...
>Naru voicing her suspicion...
>You noting you bumped into Mizuno...
>>
>>5115499
>>Naru voicing her suspicion...
>>You noting you bumped into Mizuno...
>>
>>5115499

>Usagi asking you how it felt...
>Gurio trying to weasel out information...
>Naru voicing her suspicion...

Attack of the side characters!
>>
>>5115772
>>5116122
hm... sort of all over the place...
Well, Naru is a commonality. I'll leave the voting open for a bit longer.
>>
Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>5115772
>>5116122
Hm, I guess we'll have to roll
1 for Naru/Ami
2 Side characters

post will be tomorrow since I left it too long
>>
Lunchtime is blessed with delicious food, great company and interesting conversation. Naru particularly is eager to share her suspicions about your teacher.

"I was listening to Midnight Zero, a certain Miss. Haruna the Dreamer from Juuban won the prize for best romantic letter. It has to be our teacher! Talk about terrible luck, to win the romantic prize from the show only to end up in the hospital." Naru takes bites of her salad musing about it.

"I want to see you again, even if it's the very last time, so that I can tell you how I really feel deep inside my heart. I have to say, our teacher is pretty good," Usagi giggles from reciting what you assume is from the letter read on the show.

You pause in your meal to think it over. Azul had been focused on that flower brooch, you can only assume that it caused your teacher to keel over somehow. It can't be a coincidence, there is spooky weirdness going on and you don't like it.

"What radio station? Is it close by?" You direct your question to no one in particular.

"It's FM No. 10 radio. It isn't that far, it's about 10 minutes away from my house. My father does announcements at that radio station for work sometimes. It's a pretty big operation." Aya answers as she eats her bento. It seems that she didn't make an extra large one to feed Tomio with. A fact that disappoints the boy who has to endure his mother's poorly made fried rice.

"Wow, that is amazingly fast delivery. I mean, if she won on midnight, our teacher got her prize this morning. Same day delivery." Tomio says as he picks at his lunch without much enthusiasm.

"Here Harada, I have some extra fried shrimp. I'll trade you for some fried rice." Gurio offers two shrimp to the other boy.

"Bad trade my nerdy friend. Even though this fried rice is loaded with stuff and should be tasty... it's not." Tomio grabs the two offered shrimp and eats them before Gurio can react.

"Really?" At this Gurio uses his chopsticks to grab a bite of the fried rice. The moment he puts it in his mouth, a baffled look spreads across his face.

"Huh?" Is Gurio's only reaction and he stares in wonder at what he just ate. He then takes out a notebook from his breast pocket and a pen, then begins writing in it. Was he critiquing the fried rice of all things.

"Let me have a taste!" Aya takes a bite of Tomio's fried rice before anyone can stop her. The older girl makes the oddest face as she tastes the results of Mrs. Harada's cooking.

"... It... It doesn't taste like anything at all?" Aya's voice is full of wonder as she looks at the fried rice.

"It takes talent to put so many ingredients in something and make it tasteless, and my mother has a lot of talent in that department." Tomio's despair excites enough pity that everyone in the group starts offering tidbits from their lunch to make up his deficient lunch. It's not much but you give Tomio a few meatballs your father made.
>>
>>5117970
"Hm, interesting factoid..." Gurio mutters as he finishes his note taking and puts it back in his breast pocket. So that must be the infamous Umino Gurio factoid collection. You've heard quite a bit about it, but you never seen it before until now. The little black book was where the nerd listed interesting information about other students. You can only imagine what he's written in it about you.

"Do you have some sort of system on what goes into that book?" Naru asks as she watches Gurio finish writing up his latest note.

"Hm, sort of? It's whatever I think is neat. Like Usagi loves her cute rabbit pyjamas. Tomio's mother is an atrocious cook. Naru favorite tv show right now Tokyo Love Story. Ruka likes coffee with sugar and-"

You don't allow Gurio to finish his recitation, his factoid was wrong and you're offended.

"That's wrong. I drink my coffee black, black as hell and strong as death."

With a flick of his pen, Gurio writes it down and turns to face you, his glasses shining in a way that you can't see his eyes.

"Any more interesting factoids you like to share about yourself?" Gurio asks with an off putting chuckle.

"No comment."

"But-"

You cut the other boy off again before he can finish his sentence.

"No comment."

The conversation moves on to your collapse in class. Aya is particularly attentive to the details and gives you another hug for comfort after she gets all the facts. Lunch is over with your friends, you had a good time. But at the last moment, Usagi decides to twist the conversation to a new and unwelcome direction.

"That reminds me Ruka-chan... how did it feel?" Usagi asks, full of excitement and curiosity. Her smile is mischievous and she waits for your response.

You're pretty sure you know what she's asking about. Maybe if you go for a different subject, they will get distracted and the conversation will go on to something else.

"Painful. It was like some punk with a nail bat decided to smash my brain a whole bunch of times." You deflect to the best of your ability but they weren't having any of that.

"No, no, she's talking about that!" Naru and Usagi give a purposeful stare at Tomio and you before breaking out in giggles.

"You're going to have be a little more specific," Tomio speaks knowing he is only delaying the inevitable.

"Bridal carry!" Naru and Usagi shout. Aya drops her chopsticks in shock and stares at you and then Tomio. It was too much to hope that your club president wouldn't learn of it.

"I must say Harada, you're definitely the top student in our class when it comes to physical fitness. According to my data, Houseki is 5 foot 5.5 inches and weighs at least 63 kilograms. Lifting her up and running to the infirmary is not an easy task." Gurio has opened his factoid book and reads from it. It confirms your fears; Gurio has an entry on you.

"Boo, that's such an unromantic description for the legendary bridal carry." Usagi sticks out her tongue.
>>
>>5117972
Aya is fuming; she can't hide her jealousy at all. You can imagine flames of ire shooting off the top of her head. You feel immensely annoyed, it wasn't romantic at all. You don't bother trying to explain to your friend, she just has to deal with it.

"How nice Tomio, but you should do that for someone special one day. Like your girlfriend! Doing it for anyone will cause people to talk," Aya says sweetly as she packs up her lunch with more energy than necessary. Your childhood friend rolls his eyes at the thought and that causes Aya to look even more furious. She gives you a complicated but piercing glare. It annoys you and it clearly shows up on your face.

"What?" You ask.

"Oh nothing, how nice that you got the heroic princess carry. I wish I had such luck." The way Aya says it is what triggers your next actions.

"... That's it Aya, you're asking for it!" You are so irritated at your club president. It was an emergency, it's not as you could demand Tomio to fireman carry you to the nurse or drag you there like a sack of potatoes. You were in serious pain!

You swing her into your arms and start carrying her into the school. It's necessary to show her that being carried by someone bridal style isn't all that big of a deal. Everyone in the lunch group bursts out in laughter.

"WAIT! WHAT!?" Aya is too stunned to resist. You don't pay her any attention at all, she eventually starts protesting and demands you put her down. You ignore it to make your point.

"No can do. Look! You're being lucky, someone is heroically carrying you! Be happy! Oh wait, you don't want it? Well, it's not as if I could protest when I was in serious pain." You give a strained smile at your club president.

"Okay, okay! I'm sorry, I was being bratty." Aya apologizes.

You made your point, it was time to get back to class.

The rest of the school day is uneventful. The real excitement is what happens after school, but you need to make a decision. Stay in school and go to your club meeting or skip it and try to find Mizuno Ami to question her.

What will you do?

>Try to look for Mizuno Ami and ask her questions on the hospital...
>Go to your club meeting and go to the hospital afterwards...
>>
>>5117973
>Try to look for Mizuno Ami and ask her questions on the hospital...
>>
>>5117973
> Try to look for Mizuno Ami and ask her questions on the hospital...
>>
Short post tonight, I won't be able to post tomorrow due to work.
>>
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"Man, I'm so glad that school is over. You want me to walk home with you today? I mean, you did keel over this morning," Tomio asks as he packs up to leave.

"Nah, I'll be fine. And besides, shouldn't you be talking with your Band Club execs? You mentioned they want to reinstate you soon, right? You better go and talk with them and get it done as soon as possible." You have plans today, and having Tomio around might cause some unexpected complications.

"Are you sure?" Tomio looks at you with concern. You wave it off casually.

"Yeah, I'll just head back home." With that, Tomio reluctantly leaves your side to go seek out his club members for reinstatement. Ever since that strange incident with the fortune teller, he hasn't been able to attend a single Band Club meeting to practice. The sooner he gets back in, the happier he'll be.

As for yourself, you could attend your club meeting today and go to the hospital afterwards but there's nothing stopping you from skipping it instead. Heck, even Aya would forgive you if you decided not to attend today's meeting and just go home. She heard all the details of your collapse and being taken to the infirmary.

There's also the fact you really want to pump Mizuno for some information on the hospital. As the daughter of a doctor who works there, she must know something that might be useful to you. If not, then at the very least you could get to know who she is and figure out how she saw Azul. The penguin is invisible to most humans, yet the genius girl pierced the strange ability of your partner.

It warrants extra attention and caution. It was best to ask a few details from Gurio, he probably has something on the girl you are about to meet.

"Hey Gurio, what do you know about Mizuno Ami? I heard she's in year 2, class 5." You ask your odd classmate for details, the magpie-like nature of his student factoid collection should be pretty varied.

"Oh Mizuno? Let me bring out my little black book!" At this, the black little book you saw at lunchtime comes out from his pocket.

"Let's see, top student of the school. Seems she stopped going to TK Juku a few days ago. She is still trying to find a new one attend, but no matter what cram school she chooses, she'll probably be attending for free on a scholarship. She's number one in the country for the high school mock entrance exam after all!" Gurio says as he reads off the relevant entry on Mizuno Ami.
>>
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>>5119400
Juku, cram school, was something you don't have the luxury of attending. Your dad had looked at a few with you but the cost of attending even a middling cram school was too expensive. Scholarships to attend these cram schools were available but you aren't smart enough or studious enough to snag one. Attending one will give you a leg up in your studies and a better chance of getting into a good high school. The competition amongst students is intense. You're lucky that dad doesn't fret too much about it, he's satisfied with your academic performance thus far. You're pretty sure that you'll be able to pass most high school entrance exams without attending a juku as long as you keep up your studies.

"They also say she has an IQ is over 300 too!" Gurio continues reading his little black book of student factoids.

"Really?" Your voice is the very epitome of disbelief. That was just silly, and you don't believe that at all.

"In any case, why are you asking about Mizuno?" Gurio puts away his little black book and begins packing his bag. It sounds like he is fishing for info, but you aren't interested in giving any. You give your classmate a smile and leave him at his desk.

"See you tomorrow Umino!" You wave good-bye and exit your classroom. You have to find and talk to Mizuno before she leaves school grounds. You double check class 5 but she's not in. It seems she has gone down to the school shoe lockers. You hurry down the stairs and see that Mizuno Ami is about to exit the school.

"Whoa, Mizuno! Hey! Wait up!" You hate to bring attention on yourself but you need to get the other girl to stop.

The genius of the school, Mizuno Ami turns to face you. She looks as solemn as she was this morning but there is a look of recognition.

"Er, hi there. We, uh, met earlier this morning. Well more like, we bumped into each other. So, I was wondering if I could talk for a bit while we walk..." You mentally rehearsed what you were going to say to the other girl all day, but all that effort to practice was absolutely useless because you've forgot it entirely the moment you had to actually talk with Mizuno. The best laid plans of penguins and girls do often go awry as they say. If you had the easygoing nature of Usagi, this would be so much easier but you are who you are.

"Oh yes, I remember. I don't believe I learned your name." Mizuno waits for you to change out of your shoes.

"It's Houseki Ruka. I'm in class 1."

The start of your conversation wasn't all that great but at least you managed to catch up with Mizuno. The other girl is curious as to why you want to talk to her, and it seems that she knows you by reputation as the 'ninja' of the school. It causes a small stir that the two of you walk out of school together.

You better start testing the waters and see what she knows.

Huh? Wait? What was that...

>roll 3d6+2, dc 12
>>
Rolled 4, 3, 1 + 2 = 10 (3d6 + 2)

>>5119403
>>
Rolled 5, 5, 1 + 2 = 13 (3d6 + 2)

>>5119403
>>
Rolled 5, 1, 2 + 2 = 10 (3d6 + 2)

>>5119403
>>
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You see a black shape dash behind a tree from the corner of your eyes. It is enough to make you turn and look more closely to see what it is. Your vision is greeted with the sight of a familiar black feline that sets your ailurophile heart racing with pure joy. It is Luna, the cat is tense and freezes upon realizing you saw her.

"Oh Luna! I-" You begin babbling and reaching out towards the black cat, but the moment you start moving the cat panics and retreats in a hurry. Perhaps you put too much love in your petting and hugging of the kitty, but it was so hard to contain yourself. The black cat jumps on to the school wall and dashes away like black lightning.

"Oh that's too bad, that was a very cute cat." Ami comments, there's a wistfulness in her voice as she watches the retreating feline form of Luna. You know that tone of voice, it is the desire to pet and luxuriate in the adorableness of the great felis catus.

A cat lover, in your books, makes Mizuno Ami a good person.

Irrational? Nonsense!

Catching sight of Luna is a great icebreaker and gets the conversation flowing nicely. You need to be subtle about your questions and getting Mizuno to open up, it won't do to pour an avalanche of questions about the hospital right at the get go and raise her suspicions. You salt the conversation at appropriate times about how you met Doctor Mizuno at Juuban Hospital, and your curiosity about entering the hospital after hours.

"Well, your mom recommended I give back my pain medication so that the hospital can dispose of it, seems the pills are pretty powerful but I probably won't be able to get to the hospital until after the usual hours." You need to know how badly they would react if you enter the hospital outside of the usual hours. Mizuno smiles pleased that you mentioned her mother and your seeming sense of responsibility.

"Oh, I sometimes go to the hospital even after them to go see my mother. Of course, the hospital is a busy place and you shouldn't linger too long. Then again, if you're only there to drop the medication off for disposal, I don't think anyone would mind overly much." It was the answer you wanted to hear, the hospital is a hive of activity, it makes sense that people go in and out even after the usual hours of operation. More conversation reveals some of the operation of the hospital regarding patients like your teacher and how the staff triages them. You 'jokingly' ask if you could go and see your unconscious teacher despite visiting hours being over.
>>
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>>5121739
"I heard the news about your teacher, I don't think you can visit her even if you're her student. If you're family, you would need to go during visiting hours... Are you seriously planning on sneaking in to see her? There are cameras everywhere." Mizuno sounds very curious and dismayed by your 'joke' a little. She has no idea that you aren't joking at all and really do intend to go in. But security cameras were a problem that were unavoidable, you just have to hope that the security guards watching the feed are inattentive or assume you belong at the hospital. As long as you don't do anything overly suspicious, then those cameras shouldn't be too much of a problem and security won't come down on you.

"Hm, it'd be a challenge worthy of my sneaky sneak skills. But in all seriousness I'm only going to be in there to do my business and get out. Spooky hospitals are a trope in horror films for a reason, my club watches way too many of them." You pretend to shudder for effect. But then you suddenly remember all the horror movies that Vice President Tadano liked to show your Club member during certain meetings and start shivering for real. The long hallways, the buzzing and humming of flickering fluorescent lights during scary scenes, and unearthly noises of machines, and so many other terrible horror tropes. Remembering those movies were a terrible idea, now you rather feel paranoid about going to the hospital.

"Oh that's right, you're a member of Supernatural Research Club. The hospital has a few supernatural stories associated with it. In fact, there's one really scary one." The other girl sounds very cheerful as she begins to recount a particularly unnerving story about Ward A and an unwritten rule about... something. If you see 'it' when walking through the hallways in there, then you must never acknowledge 'it', you must never speak to 'it' and you must never ever hug 'it'. Mizuno Ami sounds so bright and cheerful to share an interesting supernatural horror tale and is oblivious at the way you turn white from hearing the story.

Ward A? Wait, that's where you're heading to deal with whatever is bothering Azul.

"That's, uh, that's not a real serious story right? It's just some sort of tale that bored and nasty nurses tell to scare newbies... right?" Your skin prickles at how vague 'it' is the lack of descriptors fires up the imagination. The instructions in the story are... are specific too.

"I heard it from my mother, it was a scary story she told me during the summer vacation. It seems that hospitals have those sorts of stories because of people don't like being in hospitals in the first place." The genius girl smiles fondly, remembering the tradition of ghost stories to shiver and cool down during the summer heat. You never liked that particular Japanese summer tradition, your paternal grandparents were a storehouse of stories like that.
>>
>>5121741
It is time to part, it seems Mizuno lives in a more wealthier part of Juuban and is going in a different direction after passing the Red Shoes statue. You've learned more about the hospital and how lenient they are when it comes to visitors after hours. It was a relief to hear about it.

"I really do suggest you don't sneak in to visit your teacher, I know you're worried about her but it's best to let the hospital take care of her." It's clear you weren't subtle enough, the other girl has caught on that you're going to go in to the hospital. She smiles at you benignly as though to chide you for your plans.

It's a good thing she came to the wrong solution.

"Hm, you got the wrong idea." It's technically true, you aren't sneaking in to see your teacher. You're sneaking in to see a whole bunch of people. You wave Mizuno Ami good bye as she turns to leave. She takes a few steps before stopping, and turns to face you again.

"Um, it was nice talking to you. I'd like to do it again someday." The voice of the other girl is strained, as though nervous and embarrassed to even ask you for the simple desire to walk with you or hang out.

"Same, I'll see you at school again!" You actually did like spending time with the other girl. She wasn't stuck up at all and didn't lord her intelligence over you. It sort of stings she sensed your attempts to get info on the hospital but no matter.

You head straight home and begin prepping your equipment. Lockpicks, knife, lapis lazuli shard, small mirror and a small pouch to contain them was the basic items that you wrap carefully around your body to hide. You change out of your clothing to wear something mundane and look at the mirror carefully to make sure that no strange bulges can be seen. You decide you can hold the pill bottle in your hand as a prop in case security questions you. You can always pretend you got lost and show them the half filled bottle as proof.

There is still time before heading to the hospital. You can go now and hide out in the hospital until visiting hours are over or stay home for a little while to do things and go later...

>Go to the hospital right now, you can hide out in the hospital until visiting hours are over...
>Visit the Penguin Domain...
>Watch the news....
>Call up Kakutani to talk to her about Sailor V in Shinjuku...
>Get out the map and search for highway #139 ...
>Study a little...
>>
>>5121742
>Get out the map and search for highway #139 ...
>>
>>5121742
>Get out the map and search for highway #139 ...
>Study a little...
>>
>>5121880
>>5121915
Seems we're going to solve the mystery of the map.
>>
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You still have a bit of time before heading to the hospital. In that sliver of time available to you, you want to solve a small mystery that is bugging you. You head over to your study desk and extract a worn piece of paper hidden away between two books.

It's the poorly hand drawn map you took out from the cursed tansu chest. There's no clue as to what town the map is actually depicting and you're sure there is no town in all of Japan called 'Kamikakushi'. In fact the Japanese kanji characters in the right hand corner correspond with the 'spirited away' by the supernatural or a mysterious disappearance. The only clue that you could try and search out for is the highway number on it.

Highway #139.

The blue color of the sign means that it's a Japan National Route of some sort. There's a road map laying somewhere in your house to try and find the numbered highway. As you search your apartment for it, you can't help but be curious about the tansu chest. Had the shelves in it refilled itself to contain more strange items?

The top shelf had so far shown you pictures of yourself. The second shelf was weird, a stupid pamphlet for the Sun of Heavenly truth and this weird map thing. The third shelf was horrifying, those damn white teeth and your mother's voice from the endless depths of darkness contained within it. You aren't thrilled at the idea of fiddling around with the damn thing too much, shoving it into the Penguin Domain was a relief.

When you lay out the road and begin searching for Highway #139, you discover that it goes through Yamanashi prefecture and wraps itself around the wide base of Mount Fuji and it's five beautiful lakes. Yet as you trace the path of the highway, you see nothing that suggests a town named literally 'spirited away'. You look closer and note it would take you over 2 hours to get to Yamanashi Prefecture by train. A trip that far away would not be a casual trip at all.

Perhaps if you fiddle around with the drawers of the chest, more clues will come out of it.

It was time to get to the hospital.

Your arrival is timed well, it is the last ten minutes before visiting hours end in Ward A. As you walk towards the entrance, you send out a telepathic message to Azul to signal your arrival. A very relieved chirp comes back to you and selection of images flash in your mind. The blue penguin is being very slow and patient in sending them to you, which is good. The last thing you both need is a repeat of the pain backlash.

His first image is two doors, both are located in Ward A. You send careful messages asking if these the places you need to get to. An affirmative chirp is your answer. Despite the inability of your partner to formulate verbal messages, it not an extreme detriment to the sharing of information.
>>
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>>5123034
The next image he shows is baffling. It's an empty hallway in the hospital, you don't see anything particularly interesting in it. But Azul's distressed chirp makes it clear to you, this particular stretch of hallway was dangerous. Why? The blue bird cannot answer in words, only a strong impression that you need to avoid this hallway in Ward A.

The last one he sends is a tough one. It is a private room within the hospital somewhere with an abundance of wires, monitors and machines hooked up to a woman. It seemed to be an intensive care room of some sort, it's located elsewhere in the hospital and has large windows to look into it. It appears to be some distance away from Ward A. You send a brief message to Azul asking if he wants you to go see this lady too. The answer back is positive from Azul.

So another location to tackle? You'll have to consider if you want to go for it later, right now Ward A is your most accessible target.

'Hey Azul, what about security? Is there a place where cameras are being watched?' You send the message and a mental image of a bank of tv screens monitored by people. You've never actually seen a real security monitoring office before, but you've seen them from TV shows. It's enough to give Azul an idea of what CCTV is. The answer back is a positive, Azul sends you an image of small office filled with screens and VHS tape recorders. In it is a single security guards who is lazily scanning the screens with only a minimum amount of attention. So far you feel no strange headache that warns you of impending pain. You're safe, and Azul is taking it slow rather than flooding your link with images.

You are in the hospital at last, people aren't paying attention to you at all. You look like another visitor trying to get in some last minute appointment from the outsider's point of view. You head up the stairs to start looking for a place to hide out for a bit. You can't go directly to the rooms just yet, they might still have someone in them. Your best bet is to hide out in the washroom for a bit before starting your task.

A task which Azul hasn't really described all too well. Speaking of your partner, you should give him some instructions.

>Let Azul decide what he wants to do...
>Ask Azul to join you, you want him by your side...
>Ask Azul to go to the security room and remove the VHS tapes recording...
>Ask Azul to cause a distraction in another section of the hospital...
>Ask Azul what is up with the 'hallway'...
>>
>>5123037
>>Ask Azul to go to the security room and remove the VHS tapes recording...
This seems the most pertinent and useful task for him!
>>
>>5123037
> Ask Azul to go to the security room and remove the VHS tapes recording...
>>
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Though you're pretty sure that security won't hassle you as long as you're discreet and quick about your business, the fact you're recorded on video bothers you. It is evidence of your presence in the hospital after normal visiting hours, and if those videos get reviewed... well, you don't think you'll get into trouble since you have no intention of coming back to this hospital if you can help it. But if Azul could go in and make sure the VHS cassettes are removed from the security camera recorder, then the evidence would not exist. Can't record if they don't have any tapes in the recorder.

The other thing that can help is Azul being there to monitor the video feeds and the security guard as you make your way to the rooms. Given how inattentive the security guard is though, he probably won't notice you wandering around. Still better not leave it up to chance. The penguin can give you a warning signal if the security guard monitoring the videos notices you and decides to call for back up.

'Hey Azul, could you go back to that security room? I need you to do something for me.' You send your request through your link and an image on how to eject a VHS cassette tape. Your partner returns an affirmative chirp and you can sense him moving in the hospital. You have time, there's no rush, so you stay in the washroom stall and start reviewing your plan.

The first part was to get to Ward A and into the 2 rooms Azul had pointed out. Once in there, you're going to have to communicate with Azul and figure out what you're supposed to do. It involves cutting something but you aren't sure exactly what.

You take out the pouch tied around stomach from beneath your clothing and start placing it in an easier to reach spot. There was a quick release so that if you need to get it off you and abandon it somewhere, it can be done discretely and quickly. You're reluctant to do so but there's not much choice. It wasn't illegal to carry lock picks in Japan but having them on you causes a whole bunch of problems that you don't want to deal with. Usually it involves the police questioning you and detainment at the police station before being released with a stern warning and further questioning in the future with your dad. Master Leblanc had warned you about carelessly going around cracking locks and the consequences of having lock picks on you because even if it wasn't illegal, it was taken as a sign of potential criminality. The law might say it was completely fine to own such tools, but the police and school think otherwise.
>>
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>>5124186
You had to learn the hard way when you thoughtlessly opened a lock at your school in front of your Vice Principal. He had been complaining about how he lost his key and didn't know where it was. So you volunteered to open it as a good deed and help him out. He almost called the police on you simply for having lock picks; luckily, the Principal was far more lenient. She simply confiscated your tool set and made you promise not to bring any more to school. Your Vice Principal is a prick, you hope he stubs his toes and gets locked out of his house.

You move your knife up to your sleeve for fast access and hiding. It hugs close to your right forearm and a quick flick gets it out and in from your sleeve. You've got everything in order when Azul gives a chirp through your link.

The blue penguin has arrived at the security office and is removing the VHS cassettes from the recorders. It was time for you to get moving. You exit the bathroom and start walking to the elevators while tossing your half-full pill bottle up and down in the air casually as a distraction. No one around you bats an eye when you go up in the elevator. They must think you're heading elsewhere.

This was the easiest part of the job. Next was getting to the rooms, the hallway of Ward A is completely empty when the elevator doors open. The visitors have all left by now, leaving only nurses and security guards on the floor. You walk quickly to the closest room that you need to enter, it is where Ms. Tatemichi is resting in. You stop and listen at the door. Not a sound can be heard within, you turn the door knob and let yourself into the room.

It's dark inside, but you don't hesitate and enter while closing the door softly behind you. There should be a light switch on the wall, you carefully feel your way to it and turn it on. The sight that greets you is depressingly the same as it was when you visited on Sunday. Six beds, six unconscious women all alone and deep in a sleep that no one could awaken them from.

You do some prep by pulling out all the thick privacy curtains for six beds. It won't do to have someone enter the room while you're working, the curtains will give you a place to hide behind at least.

Now it was time to get to work... wait, what are you supposed to do? You send a quick message to Azul who responds with an image of a flower brooch. It's the brooch that your teacher was wearing this morning but it doesn't help at all. None of these women is wearing anything like that on them.

'I need a better clue, partner.' You send your response telepathically. Azul chirps back and sends you a single image.

A lapis lazuli stone.
>>
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>>5124189
You reach into your pouch to take out the one that had been gifted to you by Naru's mother. The perfect blueness of the stone is as mesmerizing as you remember. It shines with an unnatural glow like it did at the House of Fortune. You bring the stone close to one of the women resting in the bed. The light reveals what had been hidden from your mundane view.

Lapis Lazuli of Insight: Breaks through the Veil and grants Second Sight!

Thick black vines embrace the breast of the victim in a tight coil, it pulses and feeds a single dark purple flower that rests over their hearts. It is in full bloom and dark miasmic puffs of fog rises into the air and journeys towards the hospital window. It was going somewhere, you aren't sure where.

You close your fist over the stone as an experiment. Without the strange light shining from the stone, you no longer see the strange flower on the unconscious victim's breast or the dark fog. You uncurl your fingers and let the light shine once more. The strange flower comes back into view and the strange trail of fog wafting towards the window.

'Well, I guess this is what I'm supposed to cut off then.'

You flick out your knife and poise the blade over the flower...

>Cut it off very carefully, it'll take time and there's a risk of a nurse coming into the room... (auto success to cut out flower)
>Be quick about cutting the flower, you don't want to stay in the room for too long... ROLL 3d6-1, dc 11
>Don't cut yet, look out the window and try to see where the dark fog flies off to first...
>Use 'Distant Hands' and try to rip the flower off the victim's chest... roll 3d6, dc ???
>>
>>5124191
>Don't cut yet, look out the window and try to see where the dark fog flies off to first...
>>
>>5124191
>>Don't cut yet, look out the window and try to see where the dark fog flies off to first...
>>
Rolled 5, 1, 4 - 1 = 9 (3d6 - 1)

>>5124191
> Be quick about cutting the flower, you don't want to stay in the room for too long... ROLL 3d6-1, dc 11
>>
>>5124442
>>5124743
>>5125571
Seems we're going for look out the window to follow the weird energy trail. They're like contrails but evil.
>>
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You hold your knife in the air without moving. It bothers you, the strange black fog emanating and rising from the invisible flower. You swish your knife through the dark fog but it is like smoke, as soon as it's cut, it unites once more into a black stream. It floats towards the window, somehow penetrates the glass and continues onwards on a mysterious journey.

Where was it heading to?

It was worth a risk to see, you open the window and take a look outside. The fine late April sky is only beginning to darken as the sun is only touching the rim of the horizon in the west. You try to focus your eyes on the flimsy gauzy black stream snaking it's way upwards but the range of your lapis lazuli stone is too short. The trail vanishes at a few feet away from the window, you stretch your hand out of the window a bit but that only purchases another foot of range.

Wait, why are you desperately leaning out of the window with the stone in your hand? You could use Distant Hands to form a pair of detached watery hands to carry the lapis lazuli and follow the trail without physically moving at all. You dash to the shared washroom within the room and turn the faucet on for a source of water to make your ability easier to use.

Water, water: Using Water Wall and Distant Hands is easier when there is a source of water nearby.


The transparent liquid hands form easily and take the lapis lazuli from your flesh and blood hands before flying out the window. You mentally guide them to follow the black stream and see where it is heading. As it travels, you realize that there are multiple small streams of strange black fog that all eventually combine into one single river. You count nine separate streams, six of which are coming from the room you are in. Two of the streams come from next door. And the last is coming from a room in another section of the hospital.

Well, that just confirms how many flowers you'll need to reap today.

The watery hands continue to follow the single river of black fog until flows into a bizarre swirling hole. The thing distorts the air around it, as though it is a drain that spun and deformed light into itself. It is hard to look at directly, the misshapen ragged edges of reality terminate into an unnatural nothingness.

'Azul... what the hell am I looking at?' You send a message to your partner and a mental image of what you're looking at.

The response back was less than enlightening. Azul sends you the image of water going down a drain, which is remarkably similar to your weird black smoke swirl thing visually.

'I'm going to send in one of my hands then.'

It was time to poke at the strange thing.
>>
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>>5125645
It's a good thing you have this ability, you can't imagine using your actual hands to touch it. You send in the watery hand that wasn't holding the stone to poke the swirling darkness. What happens next is enlightening; the black swirling pit reacts badly and lashes out with a sharp whip of something that completely shreds the offending hand and causes the water to spray outwards. The water falls to the ground with a loud smack, the height of the strange black drain is the equivalent of the 10th floor and so the force of the falling water must be absurd. You're lucky it didn't hit anyone.

'Okay then, don't touch the weird black swirly thing. Got it.'

You look down at the ground where the water fell. A number of extremely baffled people are looking up trying to see where the water had fallen from.

'Oh shit!' You can't help but mentally curse, you recall your surviving water hand to pass you back your stone. You hope that no one saw the remaining hand of water floating in the air.

But troubles accumulate as you speedily reel back your magical hand. Outside the room, you hear someone has stopped right in front of the door.

'Azul?! Why didn't you tell me there was someone heading my way?!' You send a panicked message to your partner. The response back is an image of the security camera videos, and a distressed chirp. There's no camera in the hallway that is watching your particular section of Ward A. There was no way that Azul could see and warn you if a nurse or someone was about to come into your room.

You hear the chatter of two women speaking just outside your room. They have yet to open the door. You need to hide.

As soon as you get your stone back, you break concentration on the ability and allow gravity to speedily dispose of the water forming it. You think you heard a cry of shock as the water splashes someone down below but you don't have time to see who it hit. You shut the window as quickly as possible, just as you hear the door to the room start creaking open.

Roll 3d6+2, DC 14
>>
Rolled 5, 4, 4 = 13 (3d6)

hm, okay, gotta roll for it
>>
Rolled 1, 3, 6 + 2 = 12 (3d6 + 2)

>>5125647
>>
Rolled 2, 6, 2 + 2 = 12 (3d6 + 2)

>>5125647
>>
Rolled 3, 5, 5 + 2 = 15 (3d6 + 2)

>>5125647
>>
>>5125739
>>5125782
>>5126313
You made it!
>>
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The thought occurs to you, as you desperately dive beneath the curtains to crawl under a hospital bed, any other kid would freeze up in fear or screw up in the mad scramble to hide and get caught. Being able to do this without two other people realizing you're in the same room is a testament that you're not a very normal girl.

How did it come to this?! Why couldn't these nurses do their check later?

The hiding spot beneath the bed is uncomfortable and dirty, dust motes rise as you settle on your stomach and watch through a small gap between the floor and curtain intently. You see two pairs of legs, one pair thicker than the other, walking about the room. The door to the hallway is open, out in the hallway there is a cart of some sort with supplies.

"I was hoping we could get in here before it got dark, let's do the check up as quickly as possible and leave." It is a voice that belongs to a young woman whose nervousness and fear is clear from each word.

"We'll leave after we do the job, same as always. You're such a nervous nelly, you do know that tonight you'll be back to turn the patients over, right?" A gruffer older woman speaks, it was clear that she was a no nonsense veteran and the way she moves about the room is business-like.

"But I'll be with a whole bunch of other people for that. There's safety in numbers. If you didn't come with me, I'd be all alone in this part of the ward!" The younger nurse sounds sort of like Usagi when she wants whine but not whine too much. It's an odd sensation to realize there are Usagi-like people out there in the world.

The curtain is drawn back to check on a patient. You can only hope that the two women don't accidentally drop something after they open up the curtains of the bed you're hiding under. The moment you think that, you hear the hollow sound of plastic being dropped on the floor. Through the small gap, you see that it's some sort of plastic jug and it bounces around merrily before settling.

"Oh Saya, you're always so clumsy." The older nurse scolds her coworker as the other snatches the jug off the floor.

Oh fuck... Nurse Saya is more like Tsukino Usagi than you're comfortable with. You know there are people who think clumsiness is cute in a girl but right this moment, you truly believe those sorts of people are crazy. You are so screwed!

The nurses check on each patient one by one far too slowly for your liking. The stress is starting to kill you, your stomach clenches every time the younger nurse drops something and has to bend down to pick it up. Your brain is playing a game of 'will she or won't she' when it comes to Saya dropping something. There is no 'if' for someone this uncoordinated.

Your bed is the very last one they come to inspect. The curtains open with a swish and the two nurses begin their review of the condition of the patient sleeping in the bed. You lay stock still and pray that the clumsy woman won't drop her pen, or the clipboard, or whatever is in her hand.
>>
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>>5127345
The fluorescent lights out in the hallway begins to flicker and buzz unexpectedly. The nurses both freeze and go quiet. There is a tension in the air, you can feel it from your hiding place. The nurses are scared, particularly the younger one. You saw her jump almost a foot in the air the moment the lights began buzzing and flickering through the open door.

"Easy girl, easy. We're inside a room." The older nurse says soothingly as her legs stiffen, as though girding herself against something. Mrs. Takara has not the slightest quaver of fear in her voice; and it is obviously an act of supreme will, for she clearly is forcing herself to be extremely calm.

Then the lights suddenly go out and comes back on in the hallway. You're overly familiar with the soft 'fumph' sound and click of fluorescent lights because of horror movies. And this was something straight out of one.

"Hm, well, maybe we should come back later. Come along Saya, let's head back to the elevator. We're done in here," Mrs. Takara says with forced calm but it does nothing to calm the other nurse who can only whimper in agreement. You watch the two pair of legs walk very quickly out and close the door behind them. You wait a few minutes under the bed and listen very carefully. You can hear the cart's squeaky wheels getting further and further away. Then the soft ding of the elevator and the rattling of the cart getting in it.

You remember Mizuno's story. There is perhaps some truth to it.

If you see 'it' when walking through the hallways, you must never acknowledge 'it', you must never speak to 'it' and you must never ever hug 'it'.

You shudder to shake off the thought as you roll out of your hiding and get up. It was time to get down to business and start cutting away the dark flowers on the victims. You place the lapis lazuli stone between your teeth to free up both your hands and allow the stone's light to shine unimpeded.

Your black blade cuts easily the vines wrapped around the torso of each woman. You consider just ripping off the flower to be quicker but the memory of that strange black pit in the sky eviscerating your magical water hands ended that particular idea. The first flower is freed from its tether, the long vines shrivel rapidly and the flower petals loses colour, you poke it with your knife gently. A poke is all it takes to make the flower crumble. What had once been a vibrant, thriving flower of darkness becomes nothing more than dust beneath your feet.

The victim of the flower gasps and moves, as though a great load is lifted from her before settling down in a restful sleep once more. The sudden movement startled you, and you almost dove under the bed to hide before determining that the patient wasn't about to wake yet.

You got to be speedier, the ladies might wake up and see you if you take too long to go about your business. The process of cutting repeats five more times, each time the flower is cut off the victim gasps and moves.
>>
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>>5127347
This room is finished. It was time to move on to the next one, but you're reluctant to leave the room just yet. The way the nurses reacted earlier has you freaked out.

'Hey Azul, just what is in the hallway? You sent me an image of an empty one earlier.' You send a message to your partner who responds with a scolding chirp. It is as though he is saying, 'you don't want to know'.

Eventually you summon the courage to step out of the room. There are two more victims next door with flowers to cut off. You open the door into a well lit hallway, the lights are in working order. You peak around each corner with your tactical mirror and see nothing at either end of the hallway. Perhaps whatever 'it' was, has gone elsewhere.

>Enter the room next door, got to cut off those flowers...
>Try to find 'it' by going down the hallway...
>>
>>5127350
>Enter the room next door, got to cut off those flowers...
>>
>>5127350
>>Enter the room next door, got to cut off those flowers...
I don wan no truoble
>>
>>5127350
> Enter the room next door, got to cut off those flowers...
We have a mission here. We can’t indulge our curiosity until we free these people from a slow death. I have an odd feeling that “it” might be somehow linked to more spooky stuff or to nightmares that we can somehow benefit from, but we have to save lives before we seek it out.
>>
>>5127454
>>5127969
>>5128553
Ooof, stayed away from the thread too late.
Will post tomorrow so that we can have Ruka run around doing things.
>>
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Damnable curiosity whispers how you have some time to go and investigate what 'it' is. Fortunately, you easily resist the urge to go wandering about the empty hallways of Ward A. The task at hand is higher on the scale of importance than chasing down creepy and vague implications of 'something' haunting Juuban Hospital. And besides, it sounds scary. If you don't have to put yourself in danger or a scary situation, then you won't.

You open the door to the room and enter. The room is exactly the same as next door but there's only two patients. And unlike the other ladies, the two patients in this particular room seem far more... lively. The color of their skin and the peacefulness of their sleeping faces indicate a level of healthiness missing from the previous six. In one of the bed is your teacher, Sakurada Haruna, dressed in hospital simple garments. You grab the charts hanging at the foot of each bed to read that your teacher arrived today, the other chart reports that her neighbour arrived on Sunday.

Being so recent must mean that the strange flower hasn't had enough time to really do any damage. Good to know! Your teacher isn't that bad of an adult, she's just an old lady that enjoys crushing your hopes and dreams with horrible tests and exams. You draw the privacy curtains around all the beds as you did in the other room for extra hiding places and cover.

Getting the flower off the lady who came in on Sunday is more of a priority over your teacher. After placing the stone in your mouth to free up your hands, you begin cutting away at the vines to remove the flower. Perhaps it's because the flower is so fresh and vibrant compared to the other victims, you see that the strange miasmic black fog is much more active and clingy. The knife cuts away the tendrils, which lash out and try to wrap around your hand in retaliation.

Despite your determination and speed, you can't approach the flower. The freed tendril is like a dextrous snake searching for a victim to bite. Too bad that you aren't about to let that happen.

You turn on the faucet in the washroom for a supply of water and form your Distant Hands to continue the cutting while standing by close enough with your stone to illuminate the operation. The tendril uselessly lashes out at inert water. With the last cut, the flower crumbles into dust and it's victim gasps with relief before settling down again.

All that was left now was your teacher. The magical hands shift over to begin cutting her flower. The response from the flower is even more vigorous and violent, it forces you to take a step back further to make sure it can't lash out at you. You are not keen to find out what happens if you let it touch you.
>>
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>>5130044
In the end, you triumph and cut the flower off. Your teacher gasps at the release and rises from her bed like the other victims and settles-... No, she's actually waking up. Oh crap, Haruna-sensei is waking! You dash behind the curtain and towards the exit while tossing the water you had been using into the sink. As the water gurgles down the drain, you still have presence of mind to use your mirror to check and see if the hallway is empty but the seconds it uses wracks your nerve.

Hallway is empty, excellent!

"Ooooh... what a good nap!" You hear your teacher say as you slip out of the room and close the door behind you. You walk swiftly the stairwell to hide and review your next step. It is only when you sit down on the steps that you release a deep sigh of relief.

That leaves the one person in the intensive care unit with a flower to cut off. That was going to be a challenge; she was located in a far busier and better-monitored part of the hospital. You won't be able to casually walk into that particular section of the hospital without being questioned.

'Hey, where is that last lady at exactly and is there any cameras?' You send your message to Azul through your link. The response back is a map of the hospital's Clinical Service Building 1, section D, which does not provide guidance of where precisely your target is located. You know that she's hooked up to a lot of machines and that there's a window that allows you to look in from the hallway without entering. Another image comes through your link, it's the bank of tv screens in the security room showing an entire section of cameras focused on Section D.

Well, this was a challenge. No way to avoid being seen by cameras, plenty of nurses and doctors milling about and not many outsiders allowed in. If you try to walk in and act all casual, eventually someone in there will stop you and kick you out. You could try to sneak around but if the security guard sees that on camera, he'll raise the alarm. Same if a doctor or nurse catches sight of you sneaking around.

You mentally review the still image Azul sent you of the security videos to try and figure out different methods of infiltration. High risk, low reward is your assessment for your favored sneak in and get out.
The only alternative is... disguise. You recall in the image sent by Azul of seeing a sole cleaner going about their business with sweeping the floor and wiping down windows though a security camera video. All the security guards, doctors, and nurses walking around act as though the hardworking employee is invisible. Best yet, they are wearing a blue surgical mask which covers the lower part of their face. Never have you been so grateful for being taller than the average, in fact you are taller than some adult women at 5'5".

'Hey Azul, do you know where I can grab some blue scrubs and a cleaning cart?'
>>
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>>5130046
Azul responds with an image of a locker room occupied by a tall and muscular woman changing out of her street wear clothing and into her nursing uniform. In the image, the nurse is midway in striping off her shirt and shows the barest hint of her naked breasts. You feel your face heat up with embarrassment as your mind focuses on the very well defined abs for a few glorious seconds... No, no that's not right. With an act of will, you mentally tear your focus on the cleaning cart and spare blue scrubs that are located just past the lady that you can use for disguise purposes.

'AZUL!!' You mentally shout at your partner who only responds with a mental image of a map showing you the location of the locker room. A familiar headache builds in your brain at the arrival of the last image. The tell tale sign that too many images between yourself and your partner have been exchanged.

'No more images. I think we've reached our limits.... Also.... WHAT WERE YOU DOING IN THE LOCKER ROOM!?' You mentally shout at your partner in embarrassment.

The chirp back is business like. As though to say, the blue penguin didn't mean to walk in on the nurse changing... but he did appreciate it.

This bird was going to be the death of you...

It was time to begin the second part of the operation but do you really want to? You aren't going to be able to talk your way past security if you get caught...

>Abort the mission, the consequences of getting caught is too high...
>Continue with the plan to get a disguise and get in. Roll 3d6+2, dc 12...
>Actually, maybe you can try to break in without a disguise, you just need to hide really well. Roll 3d6+2, dc 16...
>Write in...
>>
Rolled 2, 6, 5 + 2 = 15 (3d6 + 2)

>>5130049
>Continue with the plan to get a disguise and get in. Roll 3d6+2, dc 12...
>>
Rolled 2, 3, 6 + 2 = 13 (3d6 + 2)

>>5130049
>>Continue with the plan to get a disguise and get in. Roll 3d6+2, dc 12...
Abs, on an adult in Japanese 90s? I wonder what the hell this lady's hobbies are
>>
>>5130145
Perhaps she’s another somewhat supernaturally gifted person, just like Ruka is. Only that she was focused on “it” and is now wracking her head on how to deal with these obviously supernaturally afflicted people while also juggling 12 hour shifts.
>>
Rolled 4, 1, 2 + 2 = 9 (3d6 + 2)

>>5130049
>Continue with the plan to get a disguise and get in. Roll 3d6+2, dc 12...
>>
>>5130075
>>5130145
>>5130263
I wanted to post tonight but my mother turned off the heat in my room for some reason. I spent several hours trying to figure out why I was so cold rather than write the next post.
Brrr, I will post tomorrow.
>>
>>5131574
Due unforseen circumstances, I will have to pause in the quest.
Join us next time in finishing off the hospital run!
>>
>>5134065
To be more specific, I'm visiting my parents, so I won't be able to post this weekend at all.
>>
oh no! well, see you soon qm
>>
A new thread will be created next week!



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