File: to the roof.jpg (31 KB, 695x480)

31 KB JPG

>>5300988
It would be a shame not use this bomb. Especially since Basalt put so much effort into making it, the careful and diligent work is evident by how carefully it's been taped together and the placement of the fuse.

The silent penguin really really wanted to make sure it hurt something. It's your duty to make sure it does.

You take the sparkler bomb and lighter, and consider the best way to deliver the payload directly to the enemy. Your hands shake with nervous energy at the realization, you're going to have go up and see the monsters fully to ensure maximum damage. Already you feel fear creep into your veins, as though icy water is chilling your limbs and dampening the fervent courage from earlier.

Sneaking into a building at the risk of arrest and being thrown into a juvenile detention facility? Cool as a cucumber and not a hint of fear.

Facing probably two creepy supernatural monsters armed with a sparkler bomb, some interesting water based powers and a knife? An insidious loss of courage to keep going.

Above you, you can Sailor Moon scream and cry amidst explosions, it sounds she's having a hell of a time. The building shakes a little from a particularly powerful one. It is time to go, yet your feet feel like lead. It takes immense energy to get moving but reaching the fourth floor takes mere seconds.

But mere seconds appear to have been enough for the combatants to move upwards through the gaping hole in the ceiling to the roof. The hallway is in a state of wreckage impossible by mere human force. Shattered glass, crumbling walls, obliterated wires and pipes give testament to the astounding destructive power bandied about.

"My god, these spooks are making me work too hard to hurt them." You mutter to Basalt who stares silently at the destruction before you.

It is another frantic run to the stairs and up to the roof. You throw open the door and enter into the cool night breeze. It's takes only a few seconds to locate Sailor Moon and the monster she's fighting. They've leapt an incredible distance to the roof of another building, one that's taller than FM 10 Radio Station. You don't know where Sailor Moon is but the enemy is flying about in the air, unleashing strange energy blasts aimed on the roof of that other building. You can only surmise that Sailor Moon is scrambling about trying to dodge the attacks.

"Damn..."

You can't exactly make the leap to the other roof, it's impossible. There's also another interesting complication, you can hear sirens blaring in the distance that's getting closer. The police siren is distinct from the fire truck's siren... and there's a lot of them heading your way.

Also... You only see one enemy, where is the other one?

You close your eyes, within your range is an abundance of water. The pipes in FM 10 Radio station have burst, each floor is a sodden mess and conveniently, you can draw on the water through the gaping holes punched clean through by some sort of attack.

File: another roof.jpg (50 KB, 692x511)

50 KB JPG

>>5300989
Water, water: Using Water Wall and Distant Hands is easier when there is a source of water nearby...

If you use Distant Hands, you can summon those watery appendages to deliver the sparkler bomb. A good thing too, physically tossing it would have been incredibly difficult given the speed the monster is flying about in the air.

>Light up the sparkler bomb, time to hit the flying monster...
>Hold off, try to look for the other spook. You heard two voices and Sailor Moon damn it!...

>>5300990
>Light up the sparkler bomb, time to hit the flying monster...

>>5300990
>>Hold off, try to look for the other spook. You heard two voices and Sailor Moon damn it!...
Welcome back Crescent, forgot this was coming back yesterday, you should probably link this thread on the last one

>>5300990
>>Hold off, try to look for the other spook. You heard two voices and Sailor Moon damn it!...

Caution keeps us alive and unharmed.

>>5301019
>>5301720
>>5301823
seems we'll nab the other monster. Sailor Moon is just going to have to defeat the other monster on her own.

File: destruction.jpg (29 KB, 684x532)

29 KB JPG

You heard two voices, that is a fact. Where is the other spook? Your eyes scan the sky, it's difficult to see if there's anyone else flying there. Also... can the other stupid bugger turn invisible? There's not much information on what sort of abilities these creepy bastards have.

The only one visible is the strange purple skinned, red haired monster flitting about like a hornet. It is clearly trying to fight Sailor Moon, you can hear the mysterious warrior's squeals but nothing else. The distance and the sounds of sirens erase any words that might be exchanged.

You summon Distant Hands to prep for payload delivery. One hand holds the sparkler bomb, the other hand the lighter. It doesn't matter if the explosive destroys your summoned water hands. It floats and easily grabs the items from your real hands and rises up in the air, ready to fly off at a moment's notice after being lit. The speed which these hands travel is extremely fast and it only needs to obey your thoughts to fly off to a target.

You've created a supernatural kamikaze sparkler bomb.

... Creativity has always been a strong point of yours. It's hard to know how to feel about this particular creation though.

I've done this before, just reusing good old ideas...

????

A wave of familiarity overtakes the reservation. This isn't a new idea? I've done this before?

There's very little time to examine this unusual feeling. High above you, the monster dodges a golden disk of energy and laughs mockingly at Sailor Moon. It wholly ignores the attack after it passes, a fatal mistake.

The disk boomerangs back and strikes the monster from behind, bisecting the body before a flash of light shatters the body into fine dust.

A feeling of elation floods your entire being! Way to go Sailor Moon!

You haven't been idle, you've been scanning for the second enemy everywhere while your Distant Hands hovers above ready for action. Your location is on the rooftop of FM 10 Radio station, while Sailor Moon and the enemy relocated their battle to a neighbouring taller rooftop. Your vantage point is limited but you catch the odd glimpse of Sailor Moon fighting whenever she gets closer the edge of the other rooftop.

You see him! The enemy is a man, or looks like a man. You ready the Hands to light the sparkler bomb and wait for Sailor Moon distance herself before launching but the opportunity to attack is gone. The combatants once more can't be seen.

"Damn it!" You swear and move about to try see what's going on the other rooftop but it's in vain.

This wasn't going well. And it's getting worse, the sirens are louder than ever and the door to the rooftop is thrown open by a security guard. It's the guard from the first floor, the one that had been paralyzed earlier.

File: gotcha.jpg (14 KB, 663x528)

14 KB JPG

>>5302244
"You there! Stay where you are!" The guard shouts at you. You don't even bat an eye to the intrusion because the enemy is now floating high above you, far away from the rooftop he had been battling on. You don't know how he appeared, it was instantaneous but it isn't time to hesitate. He's away from Sailor Moon, the explosion won't hurt her.

The lighter flicks on and the fuse is lit. Then the Hands shoot forward with breathtaking speed as the enemy opens a strange black portal. You've seen it before, at the hospital where strange invisible strands connected the victims to a black hole. A portal of some sort is your assumption.

Whatever it is, it seems to be sucking the man into its depths.... and it also sucks in the sparkler bomb too. The flying man is startled by the intrusion of the sizzling explosive that has joined him in his escape.

And then he screams with rage when it explodes.

It is cut short as both man and explosion enter into the black portal as though they had never existed.

The guard startled by the sounds of the explosion and its abrupt termination looks upward to try and locate where it came from while cowering behind the door. Just in time to see the astounding leap of Tuxedo Mask, his cape billowing in the night sky as he makes his dramatic exit. With ease, he roof jumps and makes his escape.

No word of a lie, you are so very jealous of that masked weirdo. You would kill for the ability to just jump away and escape right now. Sailor Moon is nowhere to be seen, is she escaping in a different direction?

Well, not that it matters, the escape of other people is hardly something you need to worry about right now. You are so screwed. How are you going to get away from here? The sirens indicate that the fire department has arrived and possibly some ambulances. You rush to the rooftop rails and look down. Parked right below, in front of the building are various vehicles and some employees exiting. The police are probably coming soon since you don't see a cop car.

Basalt is bobbing her head up and down, making an odd coughing noise as though she wants to retrieve something from her stomach again.

>Use Water Wall and make a walkway to the other roof! It's possible! Water, water is in effect! roll 3d6+2, roll dc 13
>What is Basalt doing? Why is she trying regurgitate something right this moment? Let Basalt finish coughing it up...
>Jump down the hole in the rooftop to the 3rd floor, you'll run to the exit!... roll 3d6, dc 14
>Blast the guard with Water Wall and rush past him!... roll 3d6, dc 12
>Give yourself up to the guard...
>write in

Rolled 2, 2, 5 + 2 = 11 (3d6 + 2)

>>5302245
>>Use Water Wall and make a walkway to the other roof! It's possible! Water, water is in effect! roll 3d6+2, roll dc 13

CHEESE IT

Rolled 4, 3, 4 + 2 = 13 (3d6 + 2)

>>5302245
>Use Water Wall and make a walkway to the other roof! It's possible! Water, water is in effect! roll 3d6+2, roll dc 13

Rolled 1, 3, 3 + 2 = 9 (3d6 + 2)

>>5302245
>>Use Water Wall and make a walkway to the other roof! It's possible! Water, water is in effect! roll 3d6+2, roll dc 13

>>5302245
>Jump down the hole in the rooftop to the 3rd floor, you'll run to the exit!... roll 3d6, dc 14

>>5302245
>>What is Basalt doing? Why is she trying regurgitate something right this moment? Let Basalt finish coughing it up...
I am rather curious, and the water walkway would be quite obvious where ruka is headed

>>5302674
>>5302542
>>5302329
>>5302277
>>5302251
We're making a water bridge to escape! Flashy

File: wall of water.jpg (199 KB, 896x1280)

199 KB JPG

Your desperation to escape is greater than your curiosity of what Basalt is attempting. You simply can't see why or what Basalt intends to do but you know what you'll be doing.

Creating a bridge of water to cross the chasm from this rooftop to another. It's a dangerous choice even if it's technically possible. Something within is reassuring you that it's doable. Water Wall is enough to stop physical attacks, it should be enough to support your weigh as you dash across. The only thing causing some concern is the stark reality facing this option, you are over 40 feet high and the rooftop you're aiming to cross to is a good 12 ft away. Screw up and... well, you probably won't die. You'd just shatter a bunch of bones and be in a lot of pain.

Normally this is would be an escape route that you'd dismiss out of hand, if it wasn't for the fact that practically every emergency worker and cop is blasting their sirens and heading towards the radio station. There's also that guard freaking out by the stairs. Once he gets his nerve back, he'll make trouble for you.

Speed over safety is the order of the night.

You dredge and coax the water freely pouring from broken pipes within the radio station to snake up and out from the gaping breach leading downwards to the fourth and third floor. It's likely the flying monster had created them with its powerful blast attack and it's very convenient. A tornado of water gushes out and obeys your commands to span the divide.

Water arcs into a crude bridge.

"WHAT THE HELL!" The guard shouts and goggles at the sight of the water bridge.

You ignore it, and instead test your weight on the watery bridge you've created.

It's not solid enough, at first you are able to stand on the surface but as a few seconds go by, your feet sink into the cold liquid. Then it drops you back onto the rooftop once more. It's a good thing you didn't just run across without trying it out at first! The bridge shivers and shudders as you panic and almost stop concentrating. It takes a supreme effort of will to maintain the arc. If this bridge drops, all that water is going to end up on the ground and wet a bunch of people.

"Stop! Are you nuts!" The guard calls out as he realizes what you intend to do.

"Come on Basalt! We're going!" You shout and dash forward. It is time to cross for real. You discover that the bridge is still not quite solid enough. The first few footfalls are supported on the surface of the water but the subsequent steps start sinking deeper into the water. You clench your teeth to concentrate maintaining the solidity of the water bridge and pray that it holds long enough to get to the other rooftop.

It's a success... barely.

File: direct hit.jpg (12 KB, 744x297)

12 KB JPG

>>5303096
The last few steps had your feet about to poke through the water bridge, it took immense energy to wade through the water. In a few more seconds, you probably would have just fell right through and crashed to the ground which is 40 feet below. It is a near thing. The relief on reaching your destination is physical, you unclench your jaws and try to calm your racing heart. You turn to see where Basalt is on the bridge and discover she hasn't bothered to attempt the crossing at all. Instead she has coughed out something, it is a strange red ball which rolls about, pushed by the wind. She pecks at the ground trying to catch it, completely ignoring the escape route that you're maintaining for her.

Wait, Basalt is invisible to mundane humans. She could just saunter out of the radio station without anyone seeing her unless they had the unfortunate ability to see spooky things. In short, you don't need her to cross over on this highly unstable bridge. With a shift in your thoughts, you draw the water away from the radio station rooftop and gather it by your side.

"I'll see you at my home, Basalt!" You shout out to silent penguin

"Who are you talking too!?" The guard shouts as he rushes towards the edge of the rooftop and glares at you from the divide.

Basalt finally grabs the red ball, it is well crammed in her beak. She then leaps up high into the air with astounding power. You stare as she divebombs at the angry guard shaking his fist at you on the rooftop of FM 10 Radio Station. It's the exact same fantastic physical feat she pulled back at your school, flying at Naru to devour the supernatural Flower she was about to pin to her chest.

Except this time there's a sort of explosion. A smoke bomb to be more precise in comparison. An odd fog envelopes the guard who stops his shouting and instead simply stands still as a statue.

Then teeters and tooters.

The collapses backwards into an undignified heap.

What did that crazy penguin do?! The guard was also way too close to the edge, he could have fell off!

"Are you nuts!?" You shout at the crazy bird.

Basalt jauntily waves to you, oddly very satisfied that you've left her behind. It's hard to guess at what that wave is trying to convey to you. But you can sense smug satisfaction rolling off those feathers and flippers even from where you're standing. Then the monochrome avian saunters off towards the rooftop's exit.

You think it's a wave of goodbye for now, thanks for all the loot.

Really?

It's time to make your escape, there's no point in worrying about the bird. She'll be safe, and will turn up at your apartment if she has to. Below there are police cars arriving at the radio station.

File: weirder penguin.jpg (9 KB, 232x230)

9 KB JPG

>>5303097
You stare at the block of water you've withdrawn, and start forming another bridge to access another rooftop away from where you stand. The entire exercise is tiring but eventually you use your power Water Wall to reach lower heights and then eventually to the ground. It was nerve wracking, never have you felt so grateful to be back on the ground.

The escape from FM 10 Radio Station is complete and your journey back is uneventful. Also, Basalt never shows up, had she really left you? It's very late. By the time you arrive back at home, the clock on the wall states it's 3 a.m. and sleep weighs heavily upon your exhausted body. But there's no rest for you yet, you've got to hide your tools and clothing from sight.

Then it's into bed.

Sleep comes swiftly...

>You Dream of the Shadow Players' Theatre...
>You Dream of the Odeon from last night...
>You Dream of your school...
>You Dream of crawling under the engawa of your old home...
>You don't Dream at all...
>You have a repeat of the Memory again...

>>5303098
>>You Dream of the Shadow Players' Theatre...
Wonder if we’ll get the homie Azul back now

>>5303098
>You Dream of the Shadow Players' Theatre...

>>5303098
> You Dream of your school...

>>5303098
>>You Dream of your school...

>>5303098
>You don't Dream at all...

Rolled 1 (1d2)

>>5303119
>>5303122
>>5303205
>>5303232
>>5303594
Hmm, guess I'll have to roll it
1 theatre and 2 school

File: door.jpg (25 KB, 426x549)

25 KB JPG

The odd sensation of transitioning from a dream to a Dream remains distinct as usual. It leaves no room for doubt that you have left the mundane for something more fantastical. Yet you cannot figure out when the transition began. Is it when you close your eyes, an hour into your sleep, or when you're dreaming of something else and then it just changes?

It's the familiar hallway again, the same path that is always prepared for you when the Theatre is open for business. The weird pointy finger signs are now a reassuring sight rather than an aggravation to guide you to the entrance. There are many doors in this hallway; you can only assume they all lead to other places that aren't safe.

You shiver as you remember that one time you decided to wander off down the hallway, chasing after the sound of a tolling bell. It became a Nightmare and something... something had seen you.

So rather than risk anything like that happening again, it's best to walk straight to the Theatre. Yet while you walk onwards, something catches your attention.

The hallway has many doors. And one door is out of place amongst the others. Firstly, it wasn't a wooden door like all the rest and the color is wrong. A wave of familiarity hits you, then you realize where you've seen it before. You pause in front of it to look closely.

It's the door to your classroom at Juuban Middle School. Specifically, it's the part that faces inwards to the class of year 2, group 1. The familiar scuff marks on the door, the odd scratches and dents of the wood and the shade of color is all a perfect copy of the actual one. Does that mean, if you open this door... you'll enter a Dream version of the school hallway?

Your hand hovers over the latch to slide the door open but lower it immediately. The Theatre is awaiting and hopefully some clues about your buddy's location. It might be interesting to explore within the Dream one night.

Of course you'd prefer if it was a different location than your school. You spend the majority of your teen life in that building, and the idea of spending more time there in your Dream is not appealing.

Also, you don't have Azul to come and guide you out if something goes wrong.

You pass by it and reach the entrance of the Theatre.

You feel that the place has gotten bigger, there are many more seats and it now has a really fancy private box with two large throne like chairs in the center. The Shadow Players', S-ko and P-ko, very own place in the house when they feel like being spectators instead of performers. The seats are empty, not a penguin or shadow to be seen. Typically, the play only starts when you sit down to watch but you aren't interested in that right now.

You are on the hunt of your partner.

"S-ko, P-ko! Are you there? I'm not here to watch a play. I need to find Azul, you know where he went?" You call out into the empty theatre and wait for an answer.

The silence hangs in the air, the shadows are still.

File: play.gif (498 KB, 500x333)

498 KB GIF

>>5303988
Then it is shattered.

"Extra, extra, extra! Hear all about it!" S-ko announces as she runs on stage with pigtails bobbing. The black blankness of a shadow belonging to no earthly girl.

"Another night, another caper, another grand performance from our honorary third Player!" P-ko walks from the opposite wing that her shadowy partner walked out from.

"But oh ho, tonight's heist was done by with a foreign penguin."

"Alas, alas, her regular partner is gone! Vanished! Departed to parts unknown!"

The Shadow Players stop their manic motions and pause as though they are mere shadows once more. You haven't quite gotten used to the stark difference of motion and stillness, but you know that they're only waiting for your reaction or questions.

"... I assume you don't know where he went then? These Dreams are short, I haven't gotten that much time to search for him." You talk back to the two shadows.

They titter.

"What makes you think he's in a Dream?" P-ko dramatically points at you.

"Who says that he's not in a Nightmare?" S-ko rests her hand on her chin thinking.

Then both speak at the same.

"Or that he has ever departed from the Waking World at all.

"He's out somewhere in Tokyo? Did he wander off somewhere with his siblings?!" You can't believe it. Why the heck would your buddy leave you behind when he's so eager to finish up on destroying the Flowers?

"Taken and sent. Shaken and lent. Unwilling for him, deliberate for her."

"By who was once a Dreamer, now Awakened."

"Physical afar, but spiritually close. Once she returns, he'll arrive. A homecoming for both."

You need to ask the Shadow Players your final question very quickly. You can feel that the Dream is coming to an end soon.

Choose one question to ask.

>When will Azul get back?
>... Is my mom a spook?
>Earlier tonight, I ran into more monsters! Who are they!?
>I need more powers, how do I acquire more!?
>write in

>>5303989
>... Is my mom a spook?

>>5303989
>>I need more powers, how do I acquire more!?
That punk ass penguin really is the worst

>>5303989
>I need more powers, how do I acquire more!?

I get the feeling that Ruka’s mother is connected to the penguins, as well as being involved in supernatural stuff herself.

>>5304005
>>5304067
>>5304186
We seek power to crush our enemies

>>5304693
If Ruka can crush her enemies faster, that will leave much more free time to worry about school and family. It makes perfect sense!

File: fancy daisuke.jpg (249 KB, 1000x2000)

249 KB JPG

There's no reason to believe the Shadow Players are lying or misleading you. So far, they've been stand up girls to you. Albeit they're too weird, eldritch and invested in their theatre acts. The most you can assume is that they might not know certain details or all the facts.
Azul is coming back, you don't know when but he's on his way from somewhere.

What really upsets you is... your mother being a spook. She has a penguin! This is definitive proof she is one. What sort of powers does she have? Is she commanding weird monsters to attack Tokyo for whatever reason? It's tempting to ask S-ko and P-ko what they know.

Yet, there are more pressing items to address. If you want to fight back, then you're going to need more powers. Preferably some that can keep you from getting hurt or killed. Being sneaky only works until the enemy discovers you. Sure, you have some watery powers but they're not powerful unless a large body of water is available to use.

"I'm glad to hear my buddy is coming back. I appreciate being reassured of that." At this sincere gratitude, the two Shadows bow magnanimously.

"So I guess that just leaves me to ask one last burning question... I don't have what it takes to fight, I need more powers. How do I acquire more?"

At this question, the Shadows hem and haw. Exaggerated thinking postures and pacing thrown in to sell how thorny the question is.

"Hm, I'd be more worried about the enemy finding out your identity than being able to fight back." P-ko states in a concerned voice.

"Fizz, bang, and AAAAAAH! Tossing fireworks at the guy really ticked him off. Then they pointed at him and laughed, he didn't like that either." S-ko cackles.

It seems that the enemy you blew up is alive. You feel relieved at the discovery. A cold feeling envelopes you at the idea of killing someone, and the realization of what you did hits. It was so natural back at FM 10 Radio station to fight back and possibly kill the enemy. You never questioned it at all, a sense of shame pricks.

"You can buy it! Trade it! Find it!" S-ko jumps.

"You can steal it! Build it! Perfect it!" P-ko twirls.

"Power to fight back? That's easy. But we suggest a mask to hide behind!" They chorus together.

"... I... I think I'll go back now." You start heading to the exit, stomach lurching with horror and guilt. The corners of the Theatre is crumbling into darkness, a sure sign that the Dream is about to end.

You reach the exit, going past the door ends the Dream.

You awaken to the sound of your father in the kitchen. It doesn't sound like he's cooking breakfast. Bleary eyed, you look at your alarm clock and discover it's almost time for lunch. Last night's mission has drained you.

Azul isn't in your bedroom, he must still be puttering away at his journey back. You're more happy to discover that Basalt is nowhere to be seen. Good riddance, if that weird penguin is your mom's then you don't want anything to do with her.

File: rose-sailor-moon.gif (1.19 MB, 498x371)

1.19 MB GIF

>>5305377
With some effort you roll out of bed and stagger to the dresser to get a change of clothing. As you do so, you come very close to the Rose plucked from the Dream and feel something within you break its hold.

No Witnesses: Tuxedo Mask's ability to cause witnesses to forget seeing him. Ability must reapply on target to take effect once more.

The rose instantly withers and blackens, then turns into dust. A sad pile of what was once a Rose lays there as mute testament to the service it provided.

A Rose to Remember: A Rose from the Dream... is gone!

Tuxedo Mask's ability can be used again even though you're aware of his ability of fading out of memory? And just by seeing him in action? What an amazing bullshit ability. This is intolerable, one day you'll find a way to negate it.

You exit your bedroom and discover your father scrubbing away in the kitchen. That's right, you had forgotten about your father previously stating that today is going to be dedicated to cleaning the apartment.

"Good morning dad." You call out as you stagger to the kitchen in the hopes of gaining sustenance.

"Good morning Ruka, I'm afraid I don't have anything hot ready for you. It's almost lunch though, I'll start cooking." Houseki Daisuke turns to you as he finishes wiping the kitchen countertop.

Hm, what do in the meantime then...

>Offer to cook lunch instead...
>Start cleaning the living room...
>Do the laundry...
>Start cleaning the bathroom...
>Toss out the garbage and check the mailbox...
>Start cleaning up your bedroom...
>Do nothing, relax a little since you're still tired...
>write in

>>5305378
>Toss out the garbage and check the mailbox...

>>5305378
>>Toss out the garbage and check the mailbox...
Looks like a proper disguise is in order then. Temp wise we could wear a couple bandannas, a cap or a beanie, and sunglasses, don’t know what outfit though, could go for the L.A gangbanger look since most of that clothes shouldn’t be hard to find but I don’t know if we should stick to anything permanent. Maybe we could change around the disguises each time we need to use one. Maybe we could layer disguises, like putting on wigs and colored contacts with whatever we put on in case something comes off, pad our bra if need be

>>5305378
> Start cleaning up your bedroom...

>>5305443
>>5305495
>>5305604
taking out the trash and checking for mail/bills...

File: garbage.jpg (62 KB, 706x456)

62 KB JPG

It's best to make yourself useful while he's cooking.

"I'll take out the trash then!" You begin yourself imposed task to gather up the garbage bags.

The Japanese system of garbage sorting between burnable, unburnable, recyclable, large sized waste and electronic waste is a complicated and tedious task. It's numerous rules forces practically every person into becoming a maestro of separating garbage. The rules of your apartment is absurdly detailed, so you get down to the business of making sure that you only have burnable garbage in the right colored bag.

You have to be careful because of the jichikai, neighbourhood association, of your area is extremely nosy. Or more specifically that one old lady who is president of the association likes to hassle people who mess up their garbage sorting. She lives in your apartment building, so if you screw up in this task, then that lady will come directly to the door to scold you.

"Once I throw this out, I'll grab the mail too." You pick up a hefty bag of burnable garbage to take to the garbage collection area.

"Okay. Oh yeah, we should launder your school uniform too. I'll set it by the laundry machine to do later." Your father calls out as you go out the door.

It's a quick trip down the stairs. Unusually the hallway is alive with people, perhaps because it is a rare holiday. Kids are running back home for lunch while others are heading out. The mood is buoyant with happiness. You toss the bag into the designated garbage collection point.

Then it's off to check the mail. Not much of interest, it's a bunch of junk mail, bills and flyers. Oh hey, it's a concert flyer for Shiratori Mikan! The most famous former student of your middle school, she seems to be doing quite well for herself. However, you aren't much of an idol fan. All you know about the girl is that she's a very popular idol and starring in all sorts of tv dramas and talk shows.

The beaming smile of the idol is polished and professional. Hm, she's pretty cute too though you aren't found of the orange color the girl likes to wear. You take the everything up back to your apartment.

It is time for lunch! Small baby potatoes simmered with beef, the tasty and simple nikujaga! The savory smell causes your stomach to growl. When the dish is set on the table with some fresh rice, you are transported into a realm of deliciousness. You sit down and thank your dad for the meal before digging in.

What seems off is your dad being very quiet, in fact, rather embarrassed. You don't how people wearing glasses can do it, but your his glasses are shining in such a way you can't see his eyes. He sits down at the kitchen table but doesn't start eating. Instead, he clasps his hands together in such a way to hide face a little. In all honesty, it's weird to see him so serious.

"Ruka, I think we need to have a TALK."

File: mikan.jpg (22 KB, 465x463)

22 KB JPG

>>5306421
Your chopsticks freeze midair with a delicious potato as you stare at Houseki Daisuke acting incredibly stern. He's unreadable, just what does he want to TALK about?

Your father chooses this moment to lay out a 'Bound and Tortured' magazine on the dining table. It is an issue you've never read, probably one of the magazines Azul had stored in the Penguin Domain.

The potato drops from the chopsticks.

"OH MY GOD!" You can't help but blurt out in horror. A horrid heat flushes your cheeks; you know you've turned bright red. How did he find it? Wait! That stupid penguin Basalt had been rifling through your things yesterday evening and had gone into the Penguin Domain, she must have failed to hide it away. The only time your father ever goes into your room is when he has to clean the apartment or needs to grab something from your room. He must have gone in to grab your school uniform to clean. You never minded because you never had anything serious to hide and he can't see the entrance of the Penguin Domain at all.

Thus begins the most embarrassing father daughter TALK that has ever blighted your innocent youth.

"You are getting to that age, I just thought... it'd be later...."
"If ever you're with someone and don't feel safe, call me! I'll come right away..."
"When a boy really likes a girl, they might..."
"It has to be consensual! Oh god, why did my baby girl grow up so quickly!"
"I'm going to assume that... uh... the subject in this magazine is an interest to you..."

A chant goes through your head as your dad attempts to get through his TALK with you.

'Someone kill me please! Oh god, kill me! Please kill me, I can't stand to hear this anymore!'

It often switches to rage too.

'Damn it Basalt! I swear I'll get you back for this! Oh yes I will!'

You can't take it any more.

"Dad, please, I only read it for the articles!" You plead and then realize how stupid it must sound. The face of Houseki Daisuke morphs to a brief flash of disbelief before smoothing away back to his concerned father mien.

"So, uh, you wanted..." He takes the magazine to check the subtitle headings and finds them, "you wanted to read about 'on corruption, a primer' or 'on pain and pleasure'?"

Did you just make things worse for yourself? You probably did. After a few more minutes, the TALK finishes with your father giving back the damn magazine to you and coughing politely about he'll expect it to be thrown out soon.

This issue of Bound and Tortured has another chapter of THE SILVER KINGDOM OF THE MOON! by Anonymous Reincarnation but you note it doesn't say anything of what part. The other one had PART 5 OF THE DREAM! blazoned proudly on it.

You spend the next few hours cleaning up the apartment in a very awkward silence with your dad.

It's still early in the afternoon, and it's a rare day off. You can go and do stuff...

File: shiny.jpg (11 KB, 304x337)

11 KB JPG

>>5306422
>Study, midterms starts on May 13...
>Stash stuff that you want to keep secret into the Penguin Domain...
>Go out and have fun outside...
>Go hang out with a friend! Who will it be?... (Suggest someone)
>Call Kakutani up and arrange a time to exchange info on Sailor V and Sailor Moon...
>Watch TV and relax...
>Explore Juuban for a bit...
>Go to Crown Games and play Street Fighter...
>Read THE SILVER KINGDOM OF THE MOON! by Anonymous Reincarnation but this will cost a WILL point....
>Go shopping!...
>write in

>>5306423
>Stash stuff that you want to keep secret into the Penguin Domain...

>>5306423
>>Stash stuff that you want to keep secret into the Penguin Domain...
Fucking kek, guess we’ll have to read the chapter another time, gotta make sure everything’s hidden now

>>5306423
> >Study, midterms starts on May 13...

>>5306423
>>Study, midterms starts on May 13...

>>5306423
>>Study, midterms starts on May 13...

Rolled 2, 2, 3 = 7 (3d6)

>>5306462
>>5306479
>>5306573
>>5306638
>>5306996
We'll study!

>>5307120
sorry got distracted, will post on friday

Today is April 29. The dreaded midterm exams start on May 13.

You do the math and confirm that there is 2 weeks to prepare for them. In addition, tomorrow will be your last club meeting until those exams are over. It's not such a big deal for second year students but it was a big deal for your senior club members. Aya and Akira will begin cutting back on their work in the club to prepare for their high school exams in the second semester.

What's going to happen to you? 'Club officer' is a pretty ambiguous position, it only got created because Aya wanted you to have a position and you weren't going to commit to being an executive. There's a good chance that once Aya steps down, you'll be demoted to being a normal club member.

You sigh and get out your school textbooks and notes to begin studying. It's slow going, there must be more efficient ways to cram all this educational stuff into your brain.

Midterms are for three days, May 13 to May 15 (Wednesday to Friday), test results are posted on Monday.

Ruka has gained +1 to her roll for midterm results. You can use the bonus on one day of the midterm exams. For additional bonuses for the midterms, you can select 'study for midterms' on different days.

Actually... now that you think about it, Mizuno Ami would be a good choice to ask for advice on studying in a more efficient manner. After 3 hours of this, you're exhausted. The lack of rest from yesterday's events has exacted a heavy toll on your body.

You tried doing basic exercises during study breaks, it felt like you were trying to move through molasses. Tonight, you'll go to bed early.

There's a knock on your door.

"Ruka... it's almost time for dinner. Could you help out?" Your dad asks from behind your bedroom door.

"Sure thing dad!"

It's nothing fancy, some reheated leftovers from making too much last time, some miso soup with vegetables and a small salad.

The evening is quite young when you finish eating. There's still some time before going to bed, but you won't be able to do anything strenuous.

Choose 2 things...

>Go for a walk with your dad outside...
>Call a friend, who will you call?...
>Update your journal...
>Go to bed early, you're tired...
>Call Kakutani up and arrange a time to exchange info on Sailor V and Sailor Moon...
>Watch TV and relax...
>Sharpen your knife...
>Write in, as long as it's not strenuous...

It's Father's Day this sunday, so I won't be posting on Saturday or Sunday evening.

>>5308142
>>Update your journal...
>>Call Kakutani up and arrange a time to exchange info on Sailor V and Sailor Moon...

>>5308142
>>Sharpen your knife...
>>Update your journal..

>>5308142
>Update your journal...
>Go to bed early, you're tired...

Rolled 1 (1d3)

>>5308178
>>5308182
>>5308291

We're back!
The only thing that's in common is update our journal.... hmmm

1 kakutani
2 sharpen knife
3 go to bed early

File: true update.png (160 KB, 851x531)

160 KB PNG

The longing for sleep is strong but there's still some things you want to get done before snuggling into bed.

One of those things is getting a proper talk with Kakutani about Sailor V, you need to arrange a time to meet with the reporter. Your club members are all very interested in learning more details from a woman who had direct experience with the mysterious Sailor V.

Of course, how much she actually knows and wants to share is a whole different subject.

You dig out the phone number of Daily Report and begin dialing through your near antique rotary phone. Each rattling spin of the wheel brings you closer and closer to phoning the reporter.

"Kakutani from the Daily Report, if this is Gahara, the answer is no." The voice on the other end is the gravelly low voice of the reporter, she sounds unusually tired. You can sympathize, you had a busy night yesterday too.

"I'm not sure how to react to that. I see that you're keeping busy Ms. Kakutani." You respond drily.

"Well, hey! Didn't expect you to call me, I've been running off my feet chasing down another supernaturally influenced story. Maybe you got something juicy about it to share with me?" The voice at the end of the line brightens up, you like to imagine she's sharpening her pencil in anticipation of your information.

"... Is it about FM 10 Radio Station?" You feel it's safe to throw out a mention of the radio station to the reporter, just to see her reaction.

Sound pops oddly during your conversation on the phone. You double check the line and see that everything is plugged in properly to the phone jack. Yet, the noise persists, and Kakutani pauses for a second longer than necessary to respond back to you.

"Hm, got that at one go." Kakutani's voice is deliberately neutral, there's something about her voice that warns you to be very wary about what you say over the phone.

"Well, that's why I'm calling. Let's just say I learned a few interesting things. It's the Golden Week holidays though, so I'm not sure if your office is even open during it."

"That's true, the office isn't open during the holidays but I'm sticking around on my day off because of the recent shenanigans. It's the only reason why you caught me at my desk, kiddo."

There's an odd popping noise again. It's regular, machine-like. Could it be a bad connection on the Daily Report's end?

"Then I can visit the office? Same day like last time but a few hours later sound good to you?" It's odd, gut feeling tells you that you can't give any concrete details out over the phone.

"Sure thing, I'll buy you some yakitori too. My treat." With that, Kakutani ends the call without much ado.

Weird, you just naturally fell into a conversation that didn't specify details but relied on the reporter remembering what day you visited Daily Report. It'll be Saturday, and there'll be more than enough time to hang out with Tomio before getting on the subway to Shinjuku.

File: penguins.jpg (19 KB, 548x208)

19 KB JPG

>>5311427
A wide yawn splits your face, as you drag your tired body to your bedroom. Your dad bids you good night, which you lazily return.

The last thing to do before bed is updating your journal. You open up to your last entry and see that your Dream is already detailed within, your animated penguin drawings of Adamant and Nausicaa trundle about on the white pages of the journal.

Any new Dream, Nightmare or Memory you have in your sleep will be updated in the journal automatically and the entries can be moved to accommodate your writing and chronological order of events.

They've done a good job. But first, you need to arrange things in order and space it out to put in your details. Your thoughts guide the black and white drawings of the penguins to move and shift their handiwork to make the necessary space for your notes and personal entry.

Wait a second, where is the drawing of Basalt? You remember last time that you had drawn a caricature of the monochrome penguin within the journal and it animated itself. Searching the journal proves that the thieving penguin drawing is nowhere to be seen. Like the living breathing counterpart, the ink drawn penguin of the journal has disappeared off somewhere too.

Well, you don't care. You'll make sure to note down in writing the oddity instead. Also, update your spookiness scale.

Tuxedo Mask gets top billing for his bullshit powers of fading from your memory. Hell, previous entries only had a bare minimum of information on him. It can only be result of No Witness affecting you. You take special care in detailing everything about him that you can remember.

Then the enemy.... Jadeite. You blew him up but he survived and is angry about it. You draw a picture of him but because he was so high up and away, you can't really draw much detail. His strange uniform and short blonde hair is easy to see before he got away. It's as Sailor Moon said, he is the big bad.

Is he working with your mom? What is the extent of her involvement in all this.

You updated your journal.

You found out a few things but it only just causes more questions. This journal has become quite the treasure trove of information, it might be time to put it away in the Penguin Domain where your father can't accidentally find it or read it.

After all, he found 'Bound and Torture' because it was left out carelessly. It doesn't matter if it was the fault of Basalt, you had to suffer the consequences.

Wait, had you drawn a picture of Azul in this journal? You're curious to see if it animates as well. It had for every other strange supernatural penguin you've encountered. With care you sketch out a black and white drawing of Azul and find that it does not animate. He is static and responds to nothing. His siblings admire the replication of their brother though.

How disappointing. You hoped the drawing of Azul would start walking about like the others. You close the journal and put it away.

>>5311429
It was time to turn in. You can't wait until Azul comes back, you'll cook him something nice as a welcome home celebration.

With that, you turn to bed.

Sleep comes easily and peacefully. There's no Nightmare, Dream or Memory that night. It does a great deal of good, you're no longer exhausted. Even better, you wake up early enough that your father is still asleep. A quick look around your room shows that Azul has not return, he isn't waiting in his usual place.

You stretch lightly and feel the sun warm the air.

Hmm.... you could do something quick before your dad wakes up.

>Go outside, get the newspaper...
>Start making breakfast...
>Go into the Penguin Domain...
>Watch TV a bit before dad wakes up...
> Read THE SILVER KINGDOM OF THE MOON! by Anonymous Reincarnation but this will cost a WILL point....
>Experiment with your water powers...
>Exercise a bit...
>write in


Sorry for the delay, it wouldn't let me post the update last night

>>5311430
>>Exercise a bit...
been a while since ruka's exercised

>>5311430
>>Exercise a bit...
Yeah it’s been awhile
>>5311427
Kakutani totally started recording us didn’t she, gotta be careful with her especially since I imagine that what happened at the radio station must be a big topic right now

>>5311430
Actually changing vote to
>>Go into the Penguin Domain...
We still got a bunch of stuff to stash

>>5311430
>>Go into the Penguin Domain...
Time to stash our stuff.

>>5311576
>>5311679
>>5311689
>>5311985
Sorry for the lateness, Time to stash our porn in the Penguin Domain.

Well some porn

File: azuls passage.png (6 KB, 728x446)

6 KB PNG

If dad is asleep, then right now is a good time to secretly stash away embarrassing items.

What is the word for what you went through? Mortifying? Yes, mortifying.

You never want to subject yourself to dad finding something super sketchy in your bedroom ever again. He's not the prying sort at all, and always respects your privacy but he does need to get into your room on occasions.

Lucky for you, there's a handy dandy supernatural hiding place to stash everything that you want hidden.

The Penguin Domain, a mysterious pocket dimension of some sort. The size of the place is still a mystery to you. There were rivers, fields, forests, abandoned buildings and probably a whole lot more but you haven't fully explored it yet.

You gather up the 'Bound and Tortured' magazine and your journal to take with you through the strange blue swirling portal located in your closet. It's the right height for Azul to walk through without bending his head down but as a full sized human girl, you have to get on your hands and knees to crawl through the passage. The strange sensation of passing from the mundane world to the Penguin Domain causes pressure within your ear that pops as you break through.

You've arrive in the strange stone cabin where Azul had already been storing some things. Like the rest of the 'Bound and Tortured' magazines he nabbed from your Club.

Wait a sec, why does your Club have magazines of this questionable nature? Even if you assume it's because of the strange story about the Kingdom of the Moon, you recall that magazine with part 5 in it had an entire section cut away from it. The article on how to do interesting shibari ties... That's not a subject known for being related to the supernatural.

And there are more varieties of strange magazines in your Supernatural Research club room too.

The gears in your head churn as you come to the embarrassing realization that someone has to be purchasing these magazines. The people with access to funds to make purchases of this nature are all sitting in the executive council. Either Vice President Tadano Akira or President Kagawa Aya since they are the most senior members. Heck Treasurer Kotani Miya could technically approve and purchase these magazines from somewhere even if she's just a first year.

The possibility that it's your best friend Aya buying magazines like these is... uh... an awkward realization. Though it's more likely that Akira is buying them, he's a guy after all.

You pile everything on a stone shelf, including your journal.

Hm, you should think about stuffing a chair and table in here one day. You could make this a proper hideout for yourself.

As you begin to depart back to your bedroom, you notice Azul's suitcase. It's open and empty...

Basalt has stolen all the money that Azul had stashed in there.

File: cabin.jpg (811 KB, 2000x1333)

811 KB JPG

>>5312509
"Oh for fuck sakes!" You throw your hands up in exasperation at the discovery. Your penguin buddy is going to be so pissed off, he looted that cash from the House of Fortune fair and square. There's nothing you can do now though. Basalt is beyond your vengeful reach and apparently heading back to your mom.

You return to your bedroom through the portal, there's some movement in the kitchen. It's dad preparing coffee and breakfast. Best get ready for school.

"Good morning Ruka." Houseki Daisuke looks refreshed from his day off yesterday, he smiles as he pours a perfect cup of coffee for you.

"Good morning dad, thanks for the coffee." You take a sip and savour the dark bitter liquid with pleasure.

"It seems like rain today, you might want to grab an umbrella." Your dad mentions as he serves up breakfast.

Then he reads the newspaper.

"Attack on FM 10 Radio Station!"
"Exclusive interview of Station Chief."
"Missing security tapes and unreliable witnesses."
"Police investigation ongoing."
"Sailor Moon? Monsters? Explosions?"
"Mysterious sleeping disease affecting 10 cured."

Oh jeez, the newspaper basically is just about the incident at FM 10 Radio Station. The Shadow Players mentioned getting a disguise to avoid the attention of the enemy but it's just as important to have a disguise to avoid scrutiny from cops.

You feel your stomach drop as you realize that the security guard must be spilling the details to the cops since he saw you and the use of your powers. Hell, Basalt dropped him with something. That means the guard must have extra motivation to give out as much detail as possible.

The idea of being incarcerated in the Japanese juvenile prison system is unappealing to put it mildly.

It's time to go to school. You grab an umbrella...

>Walk..
>Run...
>Take the bus...
>Short cut! 3d6+2, dc 14...

Rolled 2, 4, 2 + 2 = 10 (3d6 + 2)

>>5312511
>Short cut! 3d6+2, dc 14...

File: C0BB5866-37D6-4A54-8E48-5(...).jpg (145 KB, 704x960)

145 KB JPG

>>5312511
>>Short cut! 3d6+2, dc 14...
>>5312509
> Basalt has stolen all the money that Azul had stashed in there.
Can’t believe I didn’t see that coming, next time she pops up I’m gonna vote to ghetto stomp that cunt bird and probably mom too if we get the chance

Rolled 6, 4, 5 + 2 = 17 (3d6 + 2)

>>5312511
>>5312537
Forgot to roll

>>5312540
Damn good thing I did, dice gods decided to smile upon Ruka

>>5312519
>>5312537
>>5312540
Well, it seems we're taking the shortcut!

File: float.jpg (15 KB, 471x267)

15 KB JPG

You've been slacking in exercise lately. Sure you've been doing basic maintenance with simple calisthenics and practically walk everywhere, but it's not really enough. Strength and endurance is going to be an edge if you're going to keep up with this career of... of...

Hm, how would you describe this new self-imposed task of yours? Spook hunting? Secret sidekick duties? Sneaky Breaky? Cambrioleuse for Sailors?

In any case, you need exercise. That's a fact, so you head to the shortcut. The one that lets you shave off a lot of time to get to school but takes a lot of effort. The rain begins to fall as you walk down the well-worn beaten path to the shortcut.

Excellent, this will be a good opportunity to use your powers too!

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

You can't wait until tsuyu, the rainy season of Japan. The sheer amount of rainfall will make you extremely powerful. Bad guys beware!

The start of the short cut begins with a crumbling concrete wall. It does absolutely nothing to keep daring kids out since there's a large cement cinderblock to help gain the first foothold to go up and over the wall.

But rather than use the cinderblock, you use the rain water to make a small platform of water using Water Wall to bear you weight. Summoning these two small flat disks of floating water to hover in midair opens up a lot of new possibilities.

If it can bear your weight, you could use them as steps to climb up to places that would typically be beyond your reach.

You take the first experimental step on one of them and find that it's solid enough to bear your weight. But not for very long, only for about 10 seconds. The water disk beneath your feet loses solidity and shatters into a spray of water, dropping you back to the ground. You continue your experiment with the other disk of water, you stand on it on one foot and mentally command it to go and down. You discover it's too much work, the water disk shatters in less time than just standing on it.

Well, so much for that. Climbing up multiple disks like a staircase is possible but just having it carry you around like an elevator or flying carpet to elsewhere isn't possible. At least, it's not possible now. Maybe in the future, you can fly about in the air by riding on water.

Water Disks: A variant of Water wall. Climbing assistance, summon small disks of water to help climb up walls!

It was time to get moving, you decide to use the cinderblock to get up and over the wall. The easy part is over, now the real challenge. The narrow path of the short cut looms. Few people are likely to leave their window open when it's raining, which leaves the many obstacles strewed about as the main challenge.

File: shoelocker.jpg (1.12 MB, 3648x2736)

1.12 MB JPG

>>5313792
You strategize the most promising path to sneak and run. The challenge before you is great and you are more than up to it. Keeping the umbrella above your head to avoid getting wet is going to be interesting throughout the run.

The first obstacle is getting up on the partition wall and running on top of it. You have to remain on top of the wall all the way through the run, it's a question if you can maintain your balance, keep the umbrella over you and get past or over the jutting pipes and air-conditioning units.

You advance in a dead run, balancing on top of the thing concrete wall running the length of the shortcut. Here and there, you jump over pipes, plants and other obstacles.

Other times, you summon Water Disks just before a particularly difficult obstacle to simply step up and over it instead of dropping down off the wall. Typically that is your go to method when a particular obstacle is blocking your path, but with this new ability it's no longer necessary. You climb onto the Water Disks platform like stairs in a rapid run and drop back on to the wall without slowing down.

'I'll have to do this again without using my abilities.' You can't help but feel amazed, you got through the short cut in record time and arrive at school well before most of the students.

When you're about exchange your outdoor shoes for school issued indoor shoes, you notice that...

>Mizuno is at school early too...
>There's a letter in your shoebox...
>Ms. Haruna is back and talking with other teachers...
>Your indoor shoes are ruined...
>A new and large poster pasted on the wall...
>Sports Club members of all sorts milling about...

Rolled 6 (1d6)

>>5313793
I’ll roll for my choice

>>5313793
> Mizuno is at school early too...
>There's a letter in your shoebox...

>>5313793
>>5313803
>>Sports Club members of all sorts milling about...

>>5313793
>There's a letter in your shoebox...

>>5313793
>>Mizuno is at school early too...

>>5313793
>>There's a letter in your shoebox...

>>5313804
>>5313805
>>5313861
>>5313862
>>5313971
We have letter and then Ami in second...

File: letter of challenge.jpg (14 KB, 285x308)

14 KB JPG

You notice that there's something very curious inside. It lies on top of your shoes, white and vertically shaped with some sort of writing on it. It's a letter!

That means only one thing.

A letter of challenge has once again graced your shoebox. The shape of the envelope and the single bold title leaves no room for doubt. You take the envelope out and see that it has the standard 'letter of challenge' emblazoned over it.

Well, at least it isn't a love letter. You have no idea how to handle it if you ever got one. Probably die of embarrassment and panic if a love letter really was stuffed into your shoe locker.

"Good morning, Houseki." The soft polite voice of Mizuno Ami startles you. You turn your head to see Mizuno busy putting on the school's indoor shoes.

"Oh hey there Mizuno." At this the other girl smiles and looks up. The transformation that flashes across the demure girl's face is drastic. Her eyes are wide as she stares at the white envelope in your hand. Then her face starts to turn pink.

"Is that a...?" The other can't even finish her sentence. She trails off into an awkward silence and starts fidgeting.

??? The girl genius can't take seeing a letter of challenge? Is she allergic to the idea of violence?

"Here, you can have a look." You try to pass it to Mizuno to let her see the letter but the reaction of the shy girl is truly astonishing. Her skin turns red and she starts babbling.

"I couldn't Houseki, it's so personal and private! You shouldn't go around showing other people it. Think of how the other person would feel! It's something special..." The words pouring out from the blue haired girl is a mile a minute.

"Special? I tend to get one every semester, it's pretty annoying to be honest." You can't help but think, what an odd girl she is. Perhaps Mizuno is weirder than you thought.

You scrutinize the envelope more closely it. The sloppy writing on the very face of the envelope offends you. The writer clearly attempted to write it traditionally with a brush as is traditional but was so inept and frustrated by the effort it entailed, they switched over to writing the rest of the word in pen.

Hatashijou

Despite writing with a pen, the last characters written also have a careless sloppiness that incenses you. The spacing, strokes, and balance is completely off.

Mizuno stops her babble and the color of her skin reverts to a normal hue when she sees title on the envelope.

"Oh, so it's not a love letter." The other girl sounds incredibly relieved.

Your face freezes at the realization that she thought you got a love letter of all things.

File: reaction.jpg (17 KB, 266x299)

17 KB JPG

>>5314920
"Uh ... I'll pretend I didn't hear that." You sigh, flip the envelope to the other side, and immediately see more mistakes. Typically, a letter of challenge would also have the name of the challenger written on the envelope somewhere, but that is missing. Meaning whoever is challenging you is didn't know they were supposed to write their name down. Unless the letter within bears their name. This slapdash and lazy effort pisses you off.

Worse, the folding of the paper is wrong too! What the hell?

"It's right side over left side, not left over the right side in these sorts of letter." You explain and hold up the envelope to show Mizuno who gives you a questioning look at your irritation.

"So will accept the challenge?" Mizuno asks with a great deal of interest.

"Absolutely not! This letter is an insult to the fine traditions of Japanese letters of challenge and penmanship. Look at this writing! If they're going to write me a letter of challenge, they better do it the right and proper way with a brush. I demand that the conventions be followed correctly." You declare to the genius girl with a bit too much vehemence. Mizuno Ami's eyebrow raises a fraction at the reaction.

You ignore it to open the envelope up to read the letter within. The name of the writer had to be in it. What greets you is possibly the most crooked and badly spelled atrocity of Japanese prose; even Usagi could write better than whoever this person is. It's also written in pen and not brush. There also no name! Traditionally the challenged is supposed to write back to the challenger. You don't bother to read the contents of the letter, they're always the standard call out to a fight, the location and time and other crap.

"Did... Did they cross out their typos and write in corrections?" Mizuno looks shocked by the near illegible nature of the letter.

"That's it, I'm heading up to the Calligraphy Club." You declare and put on your indoor shoes.

"Calligraphy club?" Mizuno asks confused.

"Come on up with me. I'll teach you the conventions behind responding to a traditional letter of challenge. It'll be educational." You beckon the other girl to follow with an airy curling of your forefinger. With some hesitation, Mizuno follows you. It's a short trip up the stairs to the club rooms on the second floor. The Calligraphy Club never locked their doors and usually had a few members hanging about before classes start.

Today is no different. When you open the door, there's a few of them practicing.

File: letter.jpg (22 KB, 441x212)

22 KB JPG

>>5314921
"Oh hello Houseki and... Mizuno?" The president of the club Abaragi Shinta rises from his seat to greet you. He's more than aware of your need to occasionally borrow the club's calligraphic tools.

"Good morning my man, I have an example of terrible brush work and penmanship that should interest you." With that, you present to the boy the atrocious penmanship of the letter and the strange partial brush and pen title on the envelope. He looks almost ready to cry upon seeing how terrible it is.

"Why must you inflict such horrors on my sensitive artistic soul like that!" Shinta protests as he reviews the terrible massacre of Japanese characters inflicted upon him. Club members attending gather around to look at it with Mizuno while you sit down and smooth out the paper to write your response. Everything is prepared for you. The white paper, the inkstone with sumi ink, the brush, the paperweight and the pad beneath it all.

It's time to write!

>roll 3d6+1 for being crafty

Rolled 3, 1, 2 + 1 = 7 (3d6 + 1)

>>5314922

Rolled 3, 6, 2 + 1 = 12 (3d6 + 1)

>>5314922

Rolled 3, 2, 5 + 1 = 11 (3d6 + 1)

>>5314922

>>5314962
>>5315002
>>5315129
Slightly above average skill in brush calligraphy

File: REJECTED.png (10 KB, 569x346)

10 KB PNG

Your steady hand guides the brush with ease across the white hanshi paper to write a response to the haphazard letter of challenge.

CHALLENGE REJECTED

You don't know who tried to challenge you but you don't care. The sheer laziness and lack of effort makes it only worthy of utter contempt. So it is with a bold hand you make the necessary strokes to express your feelings. Your attempt with the pen brush is pretty good, though the quality of your writing doesn't compare to some members of the Calligraphy Club.

"Not bad Houseki. The hata part needs to be more evenly spaced to look cooler, and the strokes for koto need to be shorter by lifting the brush earlier. But it's good, much better than whoever you're responding to." Shinta gives his constructive criticism on your brushwork.

Hm, but it feels insufficient though. You decide show your withering scorn by writing out an actual point-by-point response to the deficiencies and slothfulness inherent of your unknown opponent's letter.

Using an ink brush.

'I have no idea who you are but let's go over some basic courtesies and standards when you want to challenge someone.
1. People don't have time to guess who you are. Write your name down.
2. Don't give up midway when writing with a brush! Show some effort!
3. I can't read your writing, I'm not going to waste my energy trying to figure it out.
4. You folded the envelope wrong. Right flap goes over the left.

Houseki Ruka, class 2-1'

With a final flourish, the last stroke of your name is marked upon the white paper. That's enough.

You lay down the brush and wait for the ink dry. The other members of the Calligraphy Club are busy over their own little project. A quick glance reveals one of the members is writing out a corrected and properly written version of the near illegible challenge letter with a pen brush. It's actually pretty neat to see it, Shinta even wrote out a much better version of 'hatashijou' on a mock envelope in his own hand.

Wait, what was Mizuno doing? The shy girl is using a red pen to circle errors on the original letter like a teacher marking a test. It now has at least a dozen such circles and she even goes so far as to write corrections on the margin too. Oh wow, this is starting to feel like overkill.

"Here, you should post this on the bulletin board downstairs to show a better example to your challenger." Shinta says as he lays down the Calligraphy Club's version.

"Oh wow, what a difference." You comment at the neatness and clarity of this new version.

"I think it might help whoever wrote this to try a bit harder. Grammar is not a problem with the writer, its spelling and legibility. Whoever wrote this has a pretty strong grasp on how to write a proper sentence but doesn't seem to know how to spell certain words." Mizuno meekly slides the original letter with her corrections besides the Calligraphy Club's version to contrast them.

And what a contrast.

>>5315996
"Say Shinta, are you sure you want to put up the Calligraphy Club's version? I mean, there's a student who thinks they're in a shounen manga series out there challenging people to fights." You're starting to have some reservation about this. Telling your opponent you aren't fighting them is one thing. Humiliating them as an uncultured and slothful rube is another. Worse, you're letting other people who aren't involved humiliate the mysterious challenger.

"Yes." The president of the Calligraphy Club has a gleam in his eyes, and the other Calligraphy Club members are on board with his decision.

Only Mizuno has some reservation about the entire thing.

"Perhaps, we should just post Ruka's rejection letter." She timidly suggests but members of the club protest.

"We put so much effort into writing a better version!"
"Serves them right for half-assing it."
"Whoever it was didnt even have the guts to write down their name!"
"We have standards!"

There's no stopping them. They take everything and sweep out to immediately march down the stairs to the bulletin board, you and Mizuno get dragged along with them. Students just arriving at the school are startled to see the usually quiet and meek Calligraphy Club clamor past to pin up their work.

Protests are pointless. Even if you tear down the letter, enough of the students have seen the letter of challenge with its corrected twin and your response that rumors will fly.

"There! Done and done!" Shinta declares with boyish joy. He positively beams with pride as students gather to gaze upon the bulletin board's newest addition.

The school bell tolls a warning chime that it is time to get to class.

"... I hope this doesn't cause anything unintended." Mizuno meekly voices her worries to you.

"I am not a particularly wise girl but this definitely will cause a problem." You immediately take down the original crappy letter and envelope despite the protests, there is no need to show it to everyone in the school. Even if your rejection letter no longer makes any sense because of the removal of the original letter, it will make sense to whoever wrote it.

The school day begins and it's pretty boring. No one is in the mood to work that hard because of the holidays coming up.

But the highlight of the day is...

>Lunch time chatter about the events at FM 10 Radio Station...
>A first year girl bursts into your classroom during break time, she is very angry with you...
>Usagi is writing a love letter in class...
>An intense midterm prep class with Ms. Haruna, she goes over the subjects...
>Tomio and you partner up in the home economics class, things catch on fire....
>It occurs to you, that Basalt might have stolen the cursed tansu chest...

>>5315998
>>A first year girl bursts into your classroom during break time, she is very angry with you...

Please let this be the continuation of the challenge letter plot.

>>5315998
> A first year girl bursts into your classroom during break time, she is very angry with you...
>It occurs to you, that Basalt might have stolen the cursed tansu chest...

>>5315998
>A first year girl bursts into your classroom during break time, she is very angry with you...

>>5315998
>>A first year girl bursts into your classroom during break time, she is very angry with you...

sorry for the delay, I just got back right now. I'm too tired to post, shall post tomorrow.

There is something bothering you. It's on the very edge of your mind but frustratingly, whatever it was is beyond your reach. From morning, to lunchtime, to the final hours of the afternoon, this feeling never leaves.

Is it about the laundry? Dad did that yesterday.

Is it about Azul? He's coming home soon though, you don't know when.

Is it about Basalt? Fuck no, you're glad she's gone.

No... It is about Basalt. There is something about her that bothers you.

You're pretty sure, if given enough time, whatever it is would reveal itself. Class is having a break and so it's an optimum time to put your brain to work tackling the issue. Unfortunately, the time can't be dedicated to the thorny task. That's because from the hallway, loud and determined stomping can be heard.

Everyone in class pauses in their conversation to listen as the sound of furious footsteps head directly to your classroom. Then the classroom door slides open with incredibly force, wood smacks the frame like an explosion.

"HOUSEKI!!!!"

A first year girl who don't recognize at all screams your name as she burst into your classroom. Her face is ugly with anger, her pupils dilated into pinpricks that add an astonishingly scary effect to the unknown girl.

You don't recognize her at all. She's not a 3rd year or a 2nd year. There hasn't been any news of a transfer student other than Mizuno Ami. By the process of elimination, you assume that the angry girl is a 1st year student. You barely pay attention to them, so you have absolutely no idea who she is.

You should say something.

"Uh.... Who?"

Fantastic! So eloquent! Your brain had something it wanted to say but your mouth got in the way.

"So you want my name! I'm Ryuu Torako! You damn snob! I reject your rejection to fight!" Fists balled tight, Torako glares at you. She's clearly ready to fight right this instant, the danger is clear and present. But her name bothers you to the point you completely ignore her threat to visit violence upon you.

"... Wait, your parents decided your personal name should be 'tiger child' despite having 'dragon' as a family name?!" You blurt out at the sheer incongruity. There's no stopping your mouth from running away from you. It really violates your sensibilities. The Dragon is King of all Heavens, the Tiger is King of all Earth... the two don't get along and are rivals according to traditional cosmology.

Wait. Maybe her parents were on to something. This girl is way too hot-blooded and passionate to be very 'dragon'-like.

But it's still an absurd name! This thought translates to a look of incredulity that you can't keep off your face, it angers Torako.

"I'm calling you out to fight, and you're hung up on my name?" Your challenger is shorter than you and her hair is messy but short. The most eye-catching thing about her is the length of her skirt, it's too long. She is wearing the winter uniform skirt instead of the standard spring uniform skirt.

>>5318864
Everyone in class is staring back and forth with each exchange in dead silence.

"I'm not fighting you. Also, why me?" This is so aggravating. In your first year of Juuban Middle School, you received a letter of challenge from a 3rd year girl who was convinced you were actually 'Ruka of the Hyozan Rengo' or something. All your attempts to convince that senior student that you weren't that 'Ruka' failed.

Eventually that 3rd year girl decided to ambush you after school one fine sunny afternoon. You beat the shit out of her and ran away. That proved to be a mistake. Even though eventually delinquents figured out that you are not 'Ruka of the Hyozan Rengo', each semester brings at least one letter of challenge left in your shoe locker.

And that 3rd year girl.... she moved on to high school but still bears a grudge against you.

Past Victories, Present Conflicts! Ruka has an annoying enemy from her past. The enemy could cause you trouble... if you ever run into her.

"Because you're a badass who fights and wins against monsters! If I can beat you, then I can move up in the Seigen-kai." Torako declares with a gleam in her eyes. Her gaze has a mix of admiration and anticipation, as though you're a trophy to be killed, bagged and nailed onto a wall of her accomplishments.

What the hell is this girl talking about?

"I did not fight and win against a monster. I distracted it long enough for Sailor Moon to save the day. Ask Naru!" You sigh and point at your classmate with exasperation.

"Actually, I didn't see the supposed Sailor Moon who you claim saved everyone. All I remember was seeing you stab the monster before I passed out." Naru admits with embarrassment.

You quickly turn to Tomio and stare at him. He had seen Sailor Moon! It's a testament of your long years of friendship that Tomio picks up the hint from your glaring eyes.

"Well, it's true me and the boys saw Sailor Moon for all of 10 seconds before she flounced out but... uh... we didn't see her fight. And the moment we left the room, we ran into you. You were on the stairs as you were coming down. I think a few guys assumed you fought together with Sailor Moon or something?" Tomio knows you are not crazy enough to fight literal monsters and spooks personally. Other people though? It seems they might think otherwise.

Current Rumors: Houseki Ruka of class 2-1 is a badass who fights monsters! She isn't just a ninja.

"See! You're clearly the most badass girl in the school! Once I crush you with my fists, I'll be the greatest girlboss of the school!" Torako roars at you. So focused is she on you, that she doesn't realize that your teacher, Haruna, is right behind her.

"I have no idea what is going on... but I want to start my class." With a surprising amount of strength, Haruna picks up Torako like a kitten, tosses the girl into the hallway, and slams the door shut.

>>5318865
'CRISIS AVERTED! HALLELUJAH!' You mentally crow. But you know it's only temporary. That Torako might try to ambush you in the future, better keep your guard up.

This event is the highlight of the school day. And as soon as school is over, you're off to attend your Club.

But first...

>You have to deal with Torako stalking you...
>Talk with Usagi who is begging you for something...
>You need to endure Tomio and Yuuji making fun of you...
>Try to correct rumors by talking with Gurio and Naru...
>Your teacher Haruna wants to speak with you...
>You run into Mizuno Ami looking very excited...

>>5318866
>Try to correct rumors by talking with Gurio and Naru...

>>5318866
>>Try to correct rumors by talking with Gurio and Naru...

>>5318866
> You run into Mizuno Ami looking very excited...

>>5318866
>>Try to correct rumors by talking with Gurio and Naru...

>>5318938
>>5318968
>>5319089
>>5319111
Seems we're going to go in and correct all those rumors.... people are getting the wrong idea.

>>5319759
Due to me being a complete utter idiot, my arms are badly sunburned and I'm in a bit of pain.

Remember to wear sun screen and long sleeves on very sunny days folks. Ouch my arms. I need to put myself on break to recover from this.

>>5319944
Arms are still in pain, vaseline and aloe vera applied but still recovering.
I hope that by tomorrow the pain will fade enough that I feel like typing up an update.

>>5321024
Get well soon Crescent

>>5321024
Hope you recover well, QM.

>>5321093
>>5321100
I shall try to make one post tonight. After that a bit of a break since it's the holidays and such. I've been informed to watch my burns for the next few days.

The rumors surrounding you are completely ridiculous.

Tomio and Yuuji are smiling at you. Like sharks smelling blood, they sense an excellent opportunity to make merry at your expense. Too bad you're one step ahead of them! Before they can block all avenues of escape, you flee to the vicinity of two major information brokers slash gossipmongers, Umino Gurio and Osaka Naru. These two particular classmates of yours have a finger on the pulse of information circulating through the school. They are also the sort to inject information into the gossip mill too.

You need to do some information sanitation and kill wrongful rumors spreading around.

"Naru, Gurio, we need to talk." You drag a chair over to sit down as close as possible to the two. Your tone is serious, and it commands their attention.

"What is it Ruka?" Naru asks while she stuffs notes and textbooks into a backpack. She clearly wants to go home as fast as possible, so you had better make this short.

"Why am I known for fighting monsters? It makes no sense."

Naru pauses in her packing to stare at you. Confusion reigns in her eyes.

"But I told you earlier. All I remember was seeing you stab the monster before I passed out. As far as I'm concerned, you literally fought a monster to save me."

"And not to mention you went after the rest of us boys to the House of Fortune. It was a shock to see you there on the stairs. You looked like you've been through a lot too." Gurio adds his contribution to the conversation.

???

You try to consider things from their point of view, depressingly enough it's easy to see where they'd get the impression you would throw hands with monsters. They don't realize you're ready to run away screaming in fear or whining about how everything is unfair, all they see is a crazy classmate bravely standing up to fight or charging into danger. In the future, you'll do better about not being seen by your classmates. The little they've witnessed is enough to cause problems at school.

"Also... I might have exaggerated about how much I saw you fight..." Naru gives a nervous guilty laugh.

"Naru!" The annoyance in your voice causes the girl to clasp her hands apologetically.

"I'm sorry, I got carried away!" Despite the words coming out of Naru, she barely sounds sorry at all. Her love of sharing gossip got in the way of telling the plain truth.

"Look, I really need you to stop baseless rumors like that about me. Like, correct the record! I'm out to investigate Sailor Moon, not fight monsters." Will even asking the two arch misinformation peddlers to fix the mess they created work? It is worth a try.

They stare at you with puzzlement, then increased suspicion until a light goes off. A realization, a lightning bolt of enlightenment, a completely mysterious and probably utterly wrong conclusion that you are not privy to. It makes you very uncomfortable.

>>5324033
"Don't worry Ruka! We understand! We will make sure to emphasize that you don't fight monsters at all." Naru pats you on the shoulder energetically.

"That's right! We'll make sure to keep a lid on unwanted rumors about you. So you just keep on doing your thing!" Gurio's eyes are just dripping with passionate tears.

... You're sure whatever revelation they just had is very flawed. They're acting as though they've stumbled on some sort of secret. You can't figure out what they supposedly 'figured out'.

At least they'll try to stop the spread of rumors about you...

Usagi looks like she wants to talk but unfortunately, you don't have time to hang about to talk with her right this moment. You've got attend the last club meeting until midterms are over!

Today's meeting is focused on...

>Mostly boring Club management and book keeping with the Executive Council...
>Exciting talk about the recent bombing of FM 10 Radio Station...
>A strange recent sighting of the mysterious Sailor V...
>Horror movie group watch... roll 3d6, dc 11 to sneak out while the movie is playing or 3d6-2, dc 12 watch the movie through
>Drafting a Sailor Moon article for the School Newspaper...
>Nothing at all, it's mostly goofing off as the last meeting until midterms are over...

I shall be monitoring my condition. I'm hoping recovery will be done by Sunday.

>>5324034
> A strange recent sighting of the mysterious Sailor V...

>>5324034
>>Exciting talk about the recent bombing of FM 10 Radio Station...
Honestly it’d be great if no one brought up the incident at all in general but damn if that wouldn’t make any sense, especially in the club

>>5324034
>A strange recent sighting of the mysterious Sailor V...

>>5324051
>>5324068
>>5324119
I will attempt to post tonight as Ruka's interest in Sailor V is triggered by faint mentions of the mysterious warrior

File: arika.jpg (28 KB, 384x446)

28 KB JPG

Supernatural Research Club was once a quiet sedate group with few members milling about. Getting an actual full quorum to pass budgets and start meetings used to be difficult. The solution was to forge the names of members and pretending they attended meetings. Those days are over. When genuine supernatural shenanigans happen, students affected join your Club. You suppose it is a natural reaction to want to investigate if affected by the recent supernatural events. Today, on the last meeting before midterms, the Club is swarming people. It's a good thing access to a much bigger room was previously granted, the old club office could never hold this many people.

Discussion, as feared, is dominated by the recent attack at FM 10 Radio Station. The news is spilling gallons of ink and taking up valuable airtime to discuss the event. Some members huddle in groups to pour over newspapers, others listen to a portable radio and yet still others discuss the subject with Aye. It's a well known fact that Aye has personal connections to the station through her parents, so many members are gathered around her to hear what she might know. It's impossible to get even close to your best friend as a result.

"Terrorist attack? Seriously?"
"That's where Midnight Zero broadcasted from..."
"Didn't you go there yesterday, President?"
"I did, but everything seemed so normal."
"They claim there's no security camera recording!"

Your stomach churns as you overhear members talk about FM 10 Radio station. You keep your ears open to overhear any interesting tidbits as you survey the room.

Off in a corner, Treasurer Maya is busy slaving over an article. It's probably for the school newspaper about whatever scraps of information the Club managed to dredge up about Sailor Moon and Sailor V. It is a short article, there's only so much Maya can write without acquiring more information. That or she has writer's block again. Luckily, you've arranged to meet Kakutani this Saturday to exchange info. It's not as if you could tell Miya what happened at the radio station.

Vice President Akira is busy cutting out articles from magazines and newspapers with other members. There's a stack of VHS tapes by his side, likely pirated horror movies he hoped to watch with everyone. Thankfully, that plan is sidetracked because of the focus on the incident at the radio station. You hate scary movies, and some of the ones that the Vice President picks are truly horrific. Like that 'Tetsuo, the Iron Man' movie.

You sit down on an empty chair and let the bustle of the Club wash over you. It's hard to pay attention with so many conversations going on.

"Are you sure it was Sailor V."

Those words cut through the chatter. You swivel your head to see the newly appointed Secretary, Denda Arika, speaking with someone you don't recognize. A young boy, probably a first year student, who looks extremely embarrassed by the intense scrutiny from Arika.

File: twist.jpg (14 KB, 309x329)

14 KB JPG

>>5327684
"I can't really say but what other girl can leap over walls in a single bound? I mean, other than Sailor Moon... Or Club Officer Houseki."

Ah, that's your cue to butt into this super interesting conversation. It's odd how the concerns about the consequences pales the moment you overhear talk about Sailor V. It commands the entirety of your attention.

"What's this about me leaping over walls?"

Both first year students jump with comical surprise.

"Let me explain. I went out to Heiwa Park and was about to ride the train home late at night when... well... I thought I saw this girl leaping over stuff. At first, I didn't think it was important and turned away. Then I realized that I literally watched someone jump 10 feet into the air and wasn't bothered by how freakish that was. Next thing was I couldn't remember anything about her. Nothing at all, like her height, hair color or even age. It reminded me, how you described looking at Sailor Moon. How, even though you were staring at her, you couldn't determine anything. But by the time I figured that something weird was going on and turned around, she was gone." Your fellow club member squirms, as though he couldn't trust his own eyes what he had witnessed.

"What do you think, Houseki-sempai?" Secretary Arika asks earnestly. You haven't had the opportunity to really talk to the newest Executive until now. She's a very slim girl and exudes an aura of frailty. To think that she came away from the Osaka Jewelry attack virtually unscathed. It was all thanks Sailor Moon. As to the question on what you think about this strange eyewitness account about Sailor V.

"It's hard to say. What would Sailor V be doing in Heiwa Park of all places? That's 50 minutes away from Juuban by train." You are baffled. Though, there's absolutely no reason strange supernatural attacks can only happen in Juuban. Heck, you ran into Sailor V in Shinjuku. Yet, why would she be hanging about at a park in Ota. Was she having fun with the obstacle course there? You'll be heading there with Tomio and the others this Sunday; maybe you could investigate while having fun with friends.

"It could have been Sailor Moon, I mean, given the same weird forgetful effect described." Arika muses as she writes down in neat handwriting the strange eyewitness account.

This would be a good opportunity to talk with Arika. The first year girl is a bit of a mystery to you. You remember seeing her at the hospital after a mind controlled Aya bruised your ribs with her punches.

"So how are you finding Supernatural Research Club so far? Not quite what you expected?" You ask and wait for her answer.

"It's been pretty fun and informative. I thought the regular members of this Club were a bunch of cringey occult maniacs," at this Arika looks incredibly contrite after her overly blunt answer before continuing to recover from her gaffe, "but everyone is so nice and normal."

A low chuckle issues from your throat at her answer.

File: moondust.jpg (16 KB, 423x313)

16 KB JPG

>>5327686
This chuckle is misinterpreted by Arika as she begins babbling with more passion. She's now thrown in arm movements like punches and sound effects to her recollection too.

"I mean, magic? Monsters? Mysterious warriors? I'm a grown up girl in middle school. It's time for me to leave that all behind; I am not a little kid any more. Just when I thought, nothing weird will actually ever happen in my life. BAM! POW! AAAH! A real monster appears, puppets me into fighting Sailor Moon and then is destroyed. I don't know if the others told you but I remember what happened...."

At that, you sit up straight in your chair and stare at Arika. This only makes the girl even more animated in her story.

"I mean, not everything. Just some stuff, like that monster going 'I'm not your mother! Your mother is locked up the basement. After I kill you...' and then BAM! Stab in the back. So cool. But man, the creepy 180 degree head twist the monster did. Reminds of that movie, what was it? The Exorcist? Yeah, it was that movie. You were super brave and cool sempai. You had the most calm and bored look on your face, like a heroine who has done it before. If I could take picture of that moment, you'd be super popular with the girls for looking so gallant. Have you ever considered dressing up like a prince? I'd totally swoon over you. Anyways, you dodged that monster all elegant and calm! Like just a slight sidestep and..."

The room has gotten very quiet, all the members stopped their conversation to listen to Arika prattle away with her energetic recounting of your insanely dangerous decision to confront the monster at Osaka Jewelry.

Miya has an eyebrow quirked as she intently listens to Arika. Then there is a light of joy in her eyes, and starts writing at a very rapid pace. Her writer's block has been obliterated by the spirited story telling of the newly appointed Secretary. It is clearly about you and your role in the first encounter with Sailor Moon.

"Stop right there Ms. Treasurer! The article you're writing is supposed to focus on Sailor Moon and Sailor V." You scold the younger dark haired girl before she gets very far in the article. With a frustrated huff, Miya tears up the page she had been writing on and tosses it into the garbage.

Arika doesn't skip a beat as she continues her story until the very last detail. Now you know who started the rumor that you're a badass who fights monsters. The true originator is sitting right in front of you, face flushed and eyes shining with admiration.

Club is over after this spirited recollection of your bravery.

It's time to go home...

>Slink away, you're too embarrassed...
>Walk home with Aya, you need to vent...
>Walk home with Secretary Arika, convince her to stop telling the story at Osaka Jewelry...
>Walk home with Vice President Akira, you're curious about the Club budget and purchases...
>Walk home with Treasurer Miya, try to give some ideas on writing the Sailor article...

>>5327701
>>Walk home with Secretary Arika, convince her to stop telling the story at Osaka Jewelry...
Arika a cute

>>5327732
Seconding

>>5327701
>>Walk home with Secretary Arika, convince her to stop telling the story at Osaka Jewelry...

>>5327732
>>5327778
>>5327925
Seems our kouhai is super cute and needs to stop talking about us...

>>5328455
Let us hope that Ruka’s words don’t dampen her spirits too much. Or even worse, to affect her much like how Ruka’s bid for modesty made Gurio and Naru admire her even more.

>>5327701
>Walk home with Secretary Arika, convince her to stop telling the story at Osaka Jewelry...

File: arika2.jpg (36 KB, 608x420)

36 KB JPG

You remain in the Club room to clean up with Aya. You're putting a little more force and speed into the cleaning and putting away than is strictly necessary as you consider how to convince Arika to stop reciting the tale of your heroics. You still can't stop blushing, even as you massage your forehead in a vain attempt to calm down.

The Secretary is absolutely unrepentant and cheerfully admits that Torako is in her class. So you know why Dragon-Tiger girl is all worked up about defeating you.

With the last folder put away in the cabinet, the Club room is now completely tidied up.

"Shall we go home, oh brave and meddlesome prince." Aya asks you in a singsong voice.

"Cut it out Aya. I'm not in the mood." You don't mean to be short with your best friend and Club President, you have so much on your mind right now. Also you're extremely curious as to how Arika was able to remember the details of the Osaka Jewelry store attack. As far as you are aware, no other witness has recounted the entirety of the incident in quite such detail. It's as though a dark curtain fell upon everyone's memory, selectively obliterating certain facets of the incident. For example, Aya doesn't remember harming you when she was under that strange mind control but recalled collapsing on to the ground.

"Hm, I suppose it would be annoying to have someone practically hero worship you. I also heard from the school grapevine, you had to deal with another letter of challenge. Because, I quote, 'you're the toughest, most badass girl of this school', end quote." Aya states in a teasing voice.

You stare at your best friend with dead eyes of exhaustion before walking to the door. If you hurry, you'll be able to catch Arika.

"Sorry Aya, gotta go!"

"Wait Ruka, we should walk home together! I want to..." Aya attempts to stop you but you're already too far ahead. As much as you're interested in learning what Aya wants, you're more intent on catching your gossipy junior.

This situation is minor and within your power to resolve straight away. It's not as if you can do anything about that security guard from FM 10 Radio Station who has probably given your description to the police by now. Oddly, from the chatter you overheard from your club members, it seems the police are 'still investigating', there was no mention of suspects.

Secretary Arika is still within the school. She's just got her outdoor shoes on to go home.

"Hey Arika! Wait up! I want to talk with you, can we walk home together?"

The other girl beams with joy upon hearing your request.

"Of course sempai!"

The words 'sunny personality' definitely applies well to Arika. She latches on to your arm with glee during the walk and talks away about how well she gets along with Treasurer Miya. It's hard to get a word edgewise but eventually and with difficulty, you maneuver the conversation to the tales Arika is telling everyone.

File: nicegirl.jpg (16 KB, 392x399)

16 KB JPG

>>5328645
"Look, I'm sort of concerned about the negative attention this is bringing on me because you've telling everyone about what I did. I've already got some blowback from it, so I'd appreciate if you tamper down talking about it." It's a promising start, there's a look of concern in Arika's eyes as she takes in your request.

"What did the 'deka' bother you about the Osaka Jewelry stuff? It wasn't me. I'd never tell the pigs anything. Fuck the police. So don't you worry about me talking to those rat bastards." The cheerfulness of her voice in contrast to the words coming out of her mouth is jarring as Arika gives an enthusiastic thumbs up to you.

It's odd to hear a normal Japanese teen girl be so vehemently against the police. Also.... 'deka' is a very specific slang term for detectives or cop that you're pretty sure very few girls would use. Her statement causes you to stare at her in wonder and cause a bit of dead air in the conversation that gets noticeably awkward the longer you fail to respond.

"Uh... I wasn't talking about the police but yeah, I'd also appreciate if you don't ever give a statement to them. What I'm really trying to get at is talking about it with everyone at school. I mean, I got challenged to a fight!" You give Arika a tight smile as you remember Ryuu Torako bursting into your classroom, enraged that you refused her challenge.

"Oh Tora! I told her that she'd be better off not bothering you. Don't worry, she's not going to ambush you to rumble. Seigen-kai has rules, break them and she'll get lynched by the older sisters. Try to forgive little Tora's terrible handwriting; she really did try to write a proper letter of challenge." Despite the reassuring tone of voice of the newest Executive of your Club, you don't feel very reassured at all. Why did Arika know so much about 'rules' for what you can only assume is a girl gang?

"So, uh, please not talk too much about me fighting monsters at school?" You try again.

"Okay but only because you asked me to sempai. It's a shame to not tell everyone. Ooooh, I'm heading this way for home. See you later!" With a twirl, Arika dances away from you and waves good-bye as she takes backward steps until she rounds the corner out of sight.

Active suppression of rumors about you by Gurio, Naru and Arika!

You meekly wave the other girl good-bye in response but remain standing in the street.

Denda Arika, Secretary of the Supernatural Research Club clearly has more to her than you first suspected. You're kind of alarmed to be honest. Her casual mentioning of Tora getting lynched if she breaks rules is... uh... well...

She's a sweet kid. You're glad she's a part of the Supernatural Research Club and volunteered to become Secretary.

Therefore, you are definitely not going to think about the things she said too much!

>>5328647
You return home, your father isn't back yet.

What will you do?

>Try to sense if Azul is close by?... roll 3d6, dc ???
>Cook dinner while watching the news, got to find out what they're saying about FM 10 Radio Station...
>Wait a second, there's something about Basalt, the Penguin Domain and the cursed tansu chest you should be worrying about...
>Go out and have fun around Juuban, maybe grab a burger for dinner...
>Sharpen your knife, it's probably getting blunt after so much use...
>Call a friend to hang out! There should be someone free, who do you call?...
>Read the THE SILVER KINGDOM OF THE MOON! This action will use up a Will Point because of atrocious writing...
>Study and gain +1 bonus to Midterms...
>You still have left over pain medication, maybe return to the hospital to get them disposed of?...
>write in

>>5328649
>Wait a second, there's something about Basalt, the Penguin Domain and the cursed tansu chest you should be worrying about...
> Study and gain +1 bonus to Midterms...

File: C7803FCE-4900-4D38-B3E5-6(...).jpg (510 KB, 1500x3600)

510 KB JPG

>>5328649
>>Sharpen your knife, it's probably getting blunt after so much use...
>>Read the THE SILVER KINGDOM OF THE MOON! This action will use up a Will Point because of atrocious writing...
>all that ghetto talk from Arika
Can’t get anymore cuter

>>5328649
>> Study and gain +1 bonus to Midterms...

Rolled 2 (1d2)

>>5328788
>>5329109
>>5329249
Hm, we got two for study... but as for the other options....

1 for DAMN IT BASALT!
2 for reading articles in a porn mag

I'll end the thread on this. We started back on June 11. I'll take a break and start up again on July 18. See you then.

If other players vote during the interim, it might change the results. But if no other votes come in, then the dice will decide.

>>5329472
Oh yes, if you have any questions that you want to ask, please go ahead. I'll try to answer as much as possible if it doesn't spoil the future of the quest.

lol it's very funny that Ruka's friends suspect she's a sailor now

>>5329472
See you then Crescent, thanks for the run
>>5329523
Got some questions of the top my head. How do you think Ruka’s been progressing so far? Anything you’ve been surprised with? How you think the quests been going?

>>5331125
>Got some questions of the top my head. How do you think Ruka’s been progressing so far? Anything you’ve been surprised with? How you think the quests been going?

Ruka's progressing quite quickly and I've written up more stuff the players can try to access. For the quest, I understood that players wanted to get powers quickly as possible, so I actually upped the speed of gaining them in response. The point of the quest is to have fun, so if players find having neat powers to play around as fun, then I'll oblige. Originally, Ruka was only going to have her one basic power over water and be forced to use it creatively. It was sort of based on how most of the Sailor Scouts had to wait until second season to get their power up. But a quest isn't a tv show, it's a pretty fast moving choose your own adventure, so it is a bad and not very entertaining idea.

As for being surprised. I was surprised by the desire of players wanting to take risky and/or dangerous options. I actually put in Ruka getting injured in the first thread to demonstrate how vulnerable she was and her recovery (which is unnaturally fast for a human being, but not supernatural insta recovery fast). She didn't fall behind in school or miss out much because it happened practically in the first few weeks of the first semester of the school year.

My hope was players would weight the risks and consequences of taking certain options. Players made a good call to use a 'water bridge' to escape the radio station given the risk of getting arrested by the police and failing to maintain the solidity of the water bridge long enough to escape.

So far, the quest has been pretty fun for me to write. I don't know about the players though, we have about 3 dedicated voters it seems. There appears to be many more people reading this quest than participating which I expected. 90s Sailor Moon is a fairly old series to base a quest on, and trying to make sure the quest is period accurate is a challenge.

A world without smartphones, extremely basic and limited internet, teeming with fax machines and personal handwritten address books, a thriving paper based media still existing newspapers and magazines, the extraordinary aftermath of the economic Bubble bursting, and outdated laws governing Japan.

I had to look up the rules on holidays pre-Reiwa to see why 1992 holidays were not a proper Golden 'week'. Or when the Japanese government made possessing lock picks an actual crime without a locksmith license. I read a lot on the Aum which is what the Cult is based on too... except they're ironically accurate about the 'end of the world' drivel they're spouting but for the wrong reason.

90s cults, especially in Japan, were very interesting. 20th century boys, although it fumbled the latter parts, explored that part of Japanese society a bit

>>5332664
Yeah, 90s cults are interesting in japan. Sokka Gakkai, Unification Church, etc are still hanging about in Japan too. There's a surprising number of crusading lawyers back then who were helping regular Japanese folks sue the fuck out of them for abusive practices.

Even the new religion stuff in Japan is pretty interest.

>>5333431
Without being too spoilery, do any of the current sailor scouts know something vaguely about Ruka’s own fight against the spooks? I’m pretty sure Luna is pretty suspicious of her, given her supernatural ability to hone in on her to give her pats and such. Plus the fact that she was playing really well at that arcade game that Artemis used to scout out Sailor V.

>>5333755
The cats are definitely suspicious of her!

Luna is both suspicious and exasperated by Ruka, since our main character's highly developed powers of observation and love of cats keep on allowing her to catch Luna in the act of spying. It's almost supernatural to Luna's point of view. But Luna also knows that Ruka can't be from the Dark Kingdom because Usagi has known our main character since elementary school and told the cat all about it... unless of course, Ruka is actually a sleeper agent who spent years on Earth!

Artemis is just as baffled, he designed the game for sailor scouts but Ruka doesn't fit any of the criteria of being a warrior. Yet she scored high enough to trigger a message that she wasn't supposed to see. His memory is also swiss cheese so he is doubting himself as to who Ruka really is.

There are only two sailors active at this moment; Sailor V and Sailor Moon.

Neither of they or the cats have caught on that Ruka's been helping out when she can with her abilities.

For example, Sailor V was surprised in Shinjuku to see a gigantic wave of water flush through an alleyway with the force of a truck, revealing the puppet master monster hidden there and that she had only been fighting only a disposable pawn. She didn't see Ruka summoning it, and neither did Artemis. They know someone had done it but have no clue it was Ruka.

Same with the FM 10 Radio Station, Sailor Moon and Luna didn't witness Ruka at the building. And didn't see Jadeite get blown up as he was teleporting away, though they did hear the explosion partially.

So far, Ruka has kept out of sight.

>>5333952
Thought of another question, what’s everyone’s social link with Ruka like so far? Their general thoughts, attitude and romantic thoughts? If that’s not too much of a spoiler

>>5334005
I did consider putting Persona-like social links with Ruka but thematically I felt it wasn't appropriate. Sailor Moon is an old style mahou shoujo about love, justice and friendship, so to reduce that to a mechanic with ranks for players to chase after and level up felt wrong. By the time I decided not to do it, you had already leveled up with Azul. I decided to keep it for your penguin partner only since it's a little too late.

The effort you put into your friendships will be reflected in your interactions with them. So if you keep on ignoring or neglecting them, they'll eventually drift away as you won't put in the time. Sort of how friends drifted away from Minako as she became consumed with her duties as Sailor Venus and she couldn't be bothered to maintain them.

As for how it is generally so far? Well, your old friendships are keeping up with your new ones.

Tomio is still good with your friendship. Spending time with your old gang is something he's looking forward to. Since junior high has gotten so much busier, it's hard to see old friends. One of your old friends, Masato, is in a completely different class and is hard to get together with as a result. So hanging out during the holidays gave a nice reinforcing boost. He thinks it weird you've shown interest in hanging out with girls like Usagi and tolerates Aya to the best of his ability.

Aya is getting more jealous with the ease you can interact with Tomio, even though you've already told her the best way to interact with the guy if she wants to get closer. Also, she's utterly convinced you are allergic to romance because you failed at it previously. As a nosy and concerned sempai, she might try to hook you up with someone in an attempt to get you back on track romantically and away from Tomio.

Usagi thinks Ruka is great because she sometimes gets to eat tasty food. Basically considers Ruka as generous, brave and kind, though a little too stern looking sometimes. Usagi thinks that Tomio is cute and hopes she can get his attention. But then again Tuxedo Mask and Motoki are on her radar too. Heck, any cute and handsome looking guy will do it for her. Luna's constant paranoia about Ruka is silly.

Naru is very grateful for your bravery back at Osaka Jewelry. She's glad to help Ruka out if needed. Gurio is much the same too. He appreciates your bravery going after the boys at House of Fortune and the homework notes you lent him in the aftermath.

Your most recent connection is with Mizuno Ami, who despite not yet awakened as a Senshi, senses a commonality with you. Mostly through the disinterest in romance and shared element of water powers, though she is completely unaware of that particular part. She knows you've met her mother at the hospital. A bit bewildered by the sudden expansion of her social group with Usagi and you.

As for Ruka. Romance-wise, she only felt the decidedly uncomfortable pangs of something when she met Aino Minako when heading home from the hospital.

>>5334103
Let me say Japanese attitudes to homosexuality in the 90s and the reams of 90s manga I've been reading have been interesting.

I was particularly struck with an almost homophobic trope that shoujo manga back then liked to pull if reincarnation was a thing.

If a gay character was in unrequited love with someone of the same sex, died and got reincarnated....

Oftentimes, the gay would reincarnate into the 'appropriate' gender to pursue their love interest. So a gay man would be reborn as a woman to have a shot at being in a heterosexual relationship. The reverse is true too, a lesbian woman would be reborn as a man to pursue the correct heterosexual relationship.

I'm having a laugh at the nutty 'prince uranus' theory back in the day when fans learned that Neptune and Uranus were lesbians in a relationship. You see, the relationship used to be actually straight because Haruka was once man in her past life. It's like the reverse of the shoujo trope I described above.

>>5334122
Sorry I should go into more details when I saw 'almost homophobic' since I realized I didn't fully describe the trope.

The idea back then was that gays were simply men and women born the wrong gender to be able to pursue the correct form of love and relationships. Thus gay men were actually women who had the misfortune of being born as a man and therefore unable to pursue the correct heterosexual romance they were meant to have. It's unfortunate they can't be happy but at least they can try to be normal by conforming to heterosexual marriage and maybe they'll be reborn to the right gender in the next cycle of reincarnation.

People genuinely thought that.

For lesbians, it was either because a man had harmed them in a relationship and they needed to meet the right man to correct their wrong impression... or because they secretly desired to be a man.

>>5334133
I'm an idiot... I wrote 'almost homophobic', I really wanted to emphasize it is homophobic.