So how concerned should we be of... well troublesome behaviors with the new girls. We are intaking a lot, and our previous Tokyo refugees were in a smaller group and ridiculously outnumbered with many many pairs of eyes if any of them tried to start skimming anything. With this many newcomers, that is diluted. And by all I am hearing from the numbers, we cannot afford that. In either cubes due to us not having the territory for them and possible deaths/grief spirals, research, charm production, or money due to the need for buying the village and rebuilding so that we have a place to keep Serena and crew away from people, more housing in general, replacement armor, food costs...
First, about half of them are the idealistic hero types, which largely rules them out of engaging in such activity. And since they'll all be housed together, there's a significant degree of the rest of them being watched by those who would never do that.
Second, since all of them are being taken in, there's no particular actionable thing for them to use as motive for resentment that might lead to that issue.
Third, there's actually the possibility of most of them having spare cubes. A solo hunting green in an urban area can harvest 2 cubes per month. Due to the low DS and encouragement towards dispersal in Tokyo, pretty much all of them had to have been hunting solo. Even if they limited that activity for other reasons, there's every reason to expect that they're carrying spares.
This then leads to the question of: Do we ask for those extra cubes? We haven't done so with any of the other groups we've absorbed, though recently they did finally turn in the spares they were holding onto. Their hidden cubes are their safety blanket. By not asking for them to turn the extra cubes in, we're allowing them time to get to know and trust us before fully committing, while also implicitly letting them know that we're not demanding something they're not comfortable with. As such, they will already have their personal buffer, and will thus be far less inclined to try to nab extras.
Fourth, we keep stringent records on all hunting activities. There's nothing getting "lost in the shuffle". With the training and hunting, they will be well aware of that, which further discourages theft.
Fifth, their time hunting will be done in packs, with a vet supervisor for each pack. They can't "make a mistake" in what they report from the hunt.
Sixth, the general social atmosphere is very much tilted away from such activities. Even if diluted with this many new people, you just can't get away from how everyone interacts with each other as friends and family.
Seventh, even if Taura won't do so explicitly, she still can't turn off her telepathy, so if anything truly problematic crops up, she'll let Mami know.
Overall, there are enough checks in place that I very much doubt it will happen, and if it does happen, I very much doubt they can get away with it. As such, I would not consider it an active concern.
Stalled. I am unhappy with my writing right now. Was reading a book and realized how far I'd drifted from proper form, and how mediocre my writing was getting.
Spent a couple hours reading last night, as well as doing some programming today. Let's see how things look now.
Stalled. I am unhappy with my writing right now. Was reading a book and realized how far I'd drifted from proper form, and how mediocre my writing was getting.
Spent a couple hours reading last night, as well as doing some programming today. Let's see how things look now.
That's because I didn't actually submit that plan as a vote. For now, I don't have anything I'd significantly change from Haman's plan, aside from maybe adding some fluff items. (And the bit about Serena's positioning, which Haman indicated he'd add; he just wasn't sure on how to write that.)
Chisato Katsukawa was a big girl. Not in the "all grown up" sort of way, but in the "Do you want to supersize that?" kind of way. Dad was also pretty big ("Fluffy", mom said), and Mom loved to cook (as did Chisato), often favoring western foods over Japanese, with all the extra calories that entailed. Between genetics and diet, she never really stood a chance.
Her mom always told her, "You're not fat!", but getting clothes that fit her often took a few extra requests of the saleslady, who tried very hard to remain professional and not be too dismissive. Such subtle insults were a way of life, though, and she had largely learned to ignore them.
Still, she was generally happy, as every tub of ice cream, or treat at the cake shop, let her forget her worries and just enjoy herself, rather than fight the lifelong battle with her body image.
Well, she told herself she was happy, and laughed off the insults of her classmates with others who were similarly shunned — the geeks, the otaku, the girl always playing video games. And if one of them lost their indoor shoes, or came back from the bathroom looking a bit wetter than expected, at least others were there to sympathize with them. Life was too short to be dragged down by the chic snobs that hounded them, the girls who were already using make-up to look older, more mature.
Nobody said "hooker" or "slut" within earshot.
She entered middle school, classes changed, lost track of her little circle as they moved into different classes, or moved away entirely, while the social pressure of identity and conformity continued to mount. She hardly realized how much stress she was under until she found herself sitting on a park swing one afternoon, crying uncontrollably, after one of her favorite books had been thrown in the river.
And that was when she was asked if she wanted to make a wish.
A strange creature, furry and white, told her that she had the makings of a magical girl, a strangeness outside of her imaginings. It was such an unlikely event that she could barely give a coherent response.
"What?" A master of eloquence, she was not.
"Chisato Katsukawa, you have significant karmic potential," it said, in a strangely childlike voice that spoke with clinical precision. "Will you make a contract with me, and become a magical girl?"
Of course, the first thing she had to do was check whether this was a prank. She searched the nearby playground equipment, looked behind trees, kicked some bushes, and wandered around looking for hidden cameras, all while the white creature casually followed her, querying her about what she was doing.
"It really is not a prank. I do not know why you would think that I would do such a thing. The offer is genuine; make a wish, and become a magical girl."
"A wish?" Chisato asked, somewhat distractedly. "What's that mean? What kind of wish?"
"I cannot provide suggestions for wishes; that is something only the contractee may decide on. However, you may wish for anything you desire."
"And I become a magical girl?"
"Correct."
Unbidden, images of magical girls swirled through Chisato's mind. Fancy dresses; magical jewelry; and, most importantly, lithe and breathtakingly beautiful bodies.
Even beyond the unbelievability of a talking cat.. rabbit... thing, this idea worried her the most. It was the almost perfect temptation that she was sure one of her tormentors would use on her. By the time she could see the streets around the park, though, she had to admit that there didn't appear to be anyone around watching and waiting for her to fall for their scheme, and by then the surrealness of the event had faded somewhat. So, she actually considered it seriously.
She could make a wish, become a magical girl, and look like an idol. The looks on her classmates faces when she showed up tomorrow? Priceless.
And if this was still, somehow, a trick? Well, she'd deal with that when the time came. It wouldn't be the first time, and no matter what the disaster in the kitchen, there was always something you could do with what remained.
So she was absolutely ready to make that wish, to gain an entirely new life. She firmed her resolve, stood up straight, and—
Her stomach grumbled loudly as, across the street, the "Freshly Baked" sign on her favorite bakery shop lit up, reminding her that half of her lunch had been lost in a scuffle at school. Why now, of all times?
"Ugh, I really wish I could have one of those crepes right now. In fact, the cake would be good to. And a bowl of ramen," she added, as she glanced over at a ramen shop further down the street, awning flapping in the breeze. A large beef bowl with an egg cracked over it....
Sparkling lights. A strange tug in her chest. "Your wish has reduced entropy."
"My wha—? Wait, wait!"
A blinding flash. Her soul gem.
It was not one of her finer moments.
~~~
As the disorientation faded, she took stock of herself and her surroundings. Nothing seemed to have changed. The afternoon sun filtered through the leaves, and there was a small rumble as a delivery truck drove past.
Still, she was a magical girl! Bright, colorful, beautiful! Possibly... Actually, she didn't look any different, still standing there in her school uniform. But she could feel the tug of magic, the power of her soul gem. She was practically bouncing in giddiness as she held up the gem and let the magic wash over her, transforming in a flurry of lights and sparkles.
"I really would prefer if you don't do that," said Kyuubey, as the white creature had identified itself during some of her questions. "Erasing the memories of those who witness active magic is troublesome."
Chisato blinked, then eep'd as she ran back deeper into the park, away from the rather open view of the neighborhood businesses and pedestrians.
Moments later, within a small grove of trees, she finally stopped to take a look at her new form.
And realized that she looked just the same as before, but wrapped up in a frilly dress. Well, frilly apron over top a plainer, striped dress, and holding a whisk. "Why a whisk?" she wondered to herself as she held it up for inspection. "I mean, you'd think at least a knife or something..." And suddenly the kitchen utensil shifted and twisted, transforming into a chef's knife. How interesting...
Wait! Stop! That's not the issue.
"What happened?" she wailed. "Magical girls are supposed to be all thin, and, and..."
Kyuubey tilted its head to the side. "Is there a problem? Your body appears to be perfectly serviceable."
"But I'm still—!" She couldn't quite utter the word, going against what her mother said. Chisato wouldn't shame her like that. "My body is supposed to be different!" she clarified.
"When you make your wish, your body is preserved in the perfect form of your current state. No matter what damage you take, you will always be restored to this form. It is quite convenient, and removes the weakness of your original body. Why would you want it to be different?"
"But I don't *want* this form! I want the pretty, leggy version of me!"
"Changing the underlying body is impossible. That's not the way magical transfomration works. Is there a problem with how you look?"
"Well, I'm not.. I wanted to look..."
"If you wanted to change your looks, then why did you not wish for it? Your wish should be an expression of your true desires."
Chisato stared for a very long time at the white, furry rodent, trying to decide if the image of summoning a deep fat fryer and dropping it on him was appropriate or not.
~~**~~
Soon after, she was introduced to a local group of magical girls, and inducted into their ranks. It was a necessity, in Tokyo. You didn't fight on your own, not back then. If you didn't hunt in packs, you were a fool. If the demons didn't get you, then the roaming poachers likely would, just waiting to pick off weaker members of their rivals.
Still... The leader of the group was, shall we say, not entirely pleased to accept her.
"Cooking?! Fucking cooking? That's your power? Dammit! What a waste. We need a fucking clairvoyant to spot those damn snipers that the Ueno Tigers keep sending around, or at least a barrier type. And Kyuubey sends us a god damn cook." A ragged sigh, hand sweeping through her hair. "At least try to bring in more cubes than we have to waste keeping you alive," she growled out
That was most of her introduction to the world of magical girls. Simply walking to school became a harrowing experience, as different groups vied for control over territory. She spent more time at home now than shopping, and tended to always have something on hand to eat, to calm her nervousness. "You'll get fat", she was told by the classmates that she had still failed to impress. Except she wouldn't. Well, at least if she couldn't lose weight, she wouldn't gain any, either.
~~~
Beyond that, there were rumors about "greater demons", monsters that put even the normal terrors to shame. The top members of her group scoffed at that, saying it was propaganda from rival gangs to scare people. Besides, the rumors couldn't agree on what this supposed monstrosity even looked like, so it had to be a hoax.
~~~
Less than two months after contracting, an explosion in the small set of rooms that their group had acquired for their gatherings — a rival group raiding their headquarters. Chisato huddled in a back room with another girl, also recently contracted — new, pretty, blonde, and just as scared as she was. A girl in black clothing and carrying a rifle ran past their door, only barely glancing inside, dismissing them as not even worth spending time on. The real threats between rival groups were the vets, and the leaders. Newbies were just a distraction.
While they were glad for that, they also knew that it was just a delay, at best. If another group was confident enough to attack another's stronghold, you could expect that the target group was going to get wrecked, and any remaining members weren't going to have a good time in the aftermath.
They needed to run, but that was just as dangerous. They were the weakest of the weak, and had nothing to offer. Without a group to help them with hunting, they'd soon die from lack of grief cubes.
Another explosion caused them to flinch, looking around for something new, as if some miracle might show up that hadn't been there before.
And then the blonde girl, Kumi, raised a nervous arm and pointed. The wall had cracked from the impact, and the wall plaster was hanging a bit lose, showing a gap into a partially lit closet. And Chisato suddenly realized whose closet that had to be. Ashiyama, the most belligerent of those in charge of their group, had a personal room that just happened to be next door to the one they hid within. And she was always insistent on getting her own stock of grief cubes to hold onto...
A quick scramble, and the two of them tried to feel out what they could reach through the crack. Chisato couldn't reach far, but she could hold the edge of the wall fragment up while the smaller Kumi wiggled inside. She finally worked her way back out, holding onto a handful of grief cubes, staring up at Chisato. Chisato gulped, but both could see that they each knew what was needed, even if words failed.
Chisato held out a hand, and Kumi placed a few cubes in her palm, even has she palmed the rest for herself. However, just as she turned back for another run at the closet, a massive blast of energy ripped through the walls just barely over their heads, causing them to stumble and collapse on the floor. Even as they scrambled to recover the cubes, they could see a figure moving on the other side of the new opening, and knew that there was no time left. Both scrambled to their feet and fled the room, praying that whoever that person was, they had someone else to keep them too occupied to worry about a couple fleeing newbies.
Outside, they ran, stuffing the cubes they'd recovered into pockets. Suddenly Kumi glanced over her shoulder, then picked up the pace even more. "We're being followed!"
Chisato didn't question it, and just worked to keep pace. Where were they going to go? Where could they go? She couldn't go home; too many people knew where that was, and there were too many people that might come looking for her, for too many reasons that she probably wouldn't survive.
Kumi grabbed her arm and dragged her down a stairwell, suddenly — into the subway system. They zipped through, paying no attention to the people around them, only running away. Finally Kumi stopped as they rounded a corner, to say, "We have to split up."
Chisato stopped at that, uncertain. A choice like that was one she couldn't make. Kumi seemed to see that, and her expression softened just a bit. She grabbed the bigger girl in a hug and whispered in her ear, "Thanks. And good luck." And with that, she pushed away and was heading to one of the other platforms.
Chisato stumbled the other direction, finding herself on another subway train, packed with passengers, and only dimly remembering how she'd gotten there. She had nothing to her name but what she was carrying on her — her clothes, a bit of cash, and a couple grief cubes — and had to survive on her own in a city full of magical girls at war.
~~***~~
Chisato picked at the rice in the bowl in front of her. She was holed up in an abandoned apartment on the west side of Tokyo, trying to make do in a world far different than she had imagined a year ago. She had been in and out of groups, and was even considered a group leader by some of the nearby greens — the ones that she'd felt obligated to feed, lest they starve themselves to death — but could never have imagined the world as it was now.
So many fights; so many dead. The conflict that many had called a war had collapsed in on itself when the true nightmares arrived — the greater demons thought to be rumor showing themselves to be far too real. And through it all, she had shuffled from group to group, treated as anything from a liability to cannon fodder. When the world was nothing but fighting, the only thing of value were those who could provide power to those fights. She had never really gained the favor of those above, so instead had turned to taking care of those below — the newbies, or 'greens' who looked far too thin, barely getting a good meal between hunting runs. It got to the point where she considered herself more one of them than the experienced veteran she now was.
Any degree of order had gradually broken down under the pressure of the Tokyo encirclement, with the greater demons becoming the new top of the food chain. Chisato had forced herself to retain at least a small bit of cheer, to keep spirits up among the younger girls as she passed out sandwiches or soup bowls. She barely gave any thought to her weight anymore, as it seemed to be such a trivial concern. She could only do what she was capable of, and keep struggling along.
And now there were rumors. A rail thin girl with brilliant blue hair in a long ponytail — in stark contrast with her mud-stained shirt and frayed skirt — had run in to tell her the latest gossip: the demons were dying. The talk all over town was of a new organization that was trying to kill all the greater demons. However the fantastical farce actually seemed to be bearing fruit. Demons were disappearing, and cracks forming in their formerly impregnable wall.
She'd heard from a couple acquaintances — vets from her old groups that still felt obligated to send her news — that they were breaking out, heading north, or northwest. They were avoiding the Serenissima, though. They had no desire to be thrown back into the fight against the demons, not when they finally had a chance to break free.
This girl in front of her, though — eyes bright with excitement, with her determination to be a hero — wanted to go meet this new group, find out if their offer of safety was true.
There was a bit of a grapevine for gossip among the greens, separate from those of the more formal groups, or experienced veterans. It was like the gossip in a classroom that the teachers were only vaguely aware of, and didn't really care about. But Chisato was still one of them, still part of the green culture, despite her experience and growing power. And so they wanted her to go with them.
Chisato considered it carefully. Despite the impression of those around her, she still had knowledge that gave her a rather different perspective on what they were rushing into. Any power that could fight the greater demons was a power to be reckoned with. And any group with that much power didn't need a bunch of weakling newbies and carnival-attraction powers.
Memories of her past played through her mind, but when she looked up again, she knew she couldn't refuse. The young girl, Emi, reminded her of Kumi. And even if Chisato was still considered the reject of the bunch, she could still be a shield against the harshness that the younger girls would likely face in more serious organizations. After living your entire magical life in constant fear of death, it was all to easy to forget how bad regular humans could be as well.
Chisato didn't really want to turn around and face these demons again, but at the very least she'd do so for the sake of the girls who struggled not to give into despair in the world they had been awoken into, so unexpectedly. After all, what's the worst that could happen?
She took another couple bites to wash away the litany of answers her mind had conjured.
"Come on," Chisato said, as she got to her feet. "Need to get some food for you guys before we go anywhere, or you're all going to collapse by the time you get there. Seriously," she said, poking the other girl familiarly, "have you eaten at all since the last time you were here?" Emi just grinned.
~~***~~
Chisato stood clustered together with a large group of girls — far more than she had expected — as other magical girls wandered amongst them, holding clipboards and asking questions, or otherwise just supervising. It had taken a bit to get them all moved away from the front lines after slipping through the border zone, but now the Serenes were wandering through the crowd, trying to get a feel for the girls who were seeking refuge. They asked questions about the reasons they came, the reasons they decided to seek out the Serenes, what sort of experience they had... and what sort of powers.
It was natural that they'd want to know, and to want the best. She saw eyes light up at a couple different girls — a clairvoyant, and an illusionist. Still, it didn't look like they were tossing out the others, so Chisato steadied her heart as they finally reached her.
"And what sort of magic is your specialty?" came the inevitable question.
"I, um... cooking, mostly," she replied, embarrassed.
It was quiet. She glanced up. They were looking at her very strangely. Would they, even here and now, consider her to not even be worth—
"Kyouko! This girl's a cook!"
"What? Seriously!? Fuckin' A!"
"Sweet!" came another voice.
What?
"Should I call Akane and tell her?"
"Eh, let it be a surprise! Who'da guessed we'd get a cook out of Tokyo?"
She stared around, wide-eyes, not quite able to grasp the reactions.
An arm was suddenly around her shoulders. A tall red-head with a fanged grin — "Come on! Lemme show you the kitchen." — dragging her along without a hint of reluctance. "We gotta be conservative with ingredients, but I'm sure you can find something to play with. A girl who wishes for food is all right in my books!"
Did this group actually... want someone who wished to be a cook?
...
A small warmth spread in her chest, as she dared to hope.
Name: Chisato Katsukawa
Hair: Black, shoulder length, tied back in a ponytail.
Body size: Cook
Power: Cooking
OK, yes, she did effectively wish for cake. Madoka doesn't have to feel so bad, now.
Tone changes quite a bit over the course of the omake, as it's covering about a year of time. Feels a bit clumsy and abridged, despite hitting about 3500 words. More bits that I couldn't really get to, and I'm not sure I did a proper capture of her as a person, but I guess it's at least workable as a base.
Desperately needs an omake titled "Cake or Death" for her, now.
For one thing... I'm pretty sure the demons can't tell the difference between Serena and another magical girl until they get within the 1 kilometer aura range. @inverted_helix Can you confirm?
So... I'm not really sure how Serena's positioning is really expected to change the youma behavior...
I mean... I open to this, but I guess after thinking about it more, I don't think it will really work as you are expecting. Maybe leaving it a bit vague, with just a note to watch how the youma respond to Serena's position?
"Ugh, I really wish I could have one of those crepes right now. In fact, the cake would be good to. And a bowl of ramen," she added, as she glanced over at a ramen shop further down the street, awning flapping in the breeze. A large beef bowl with an egg cracked over it....
OK, yes, she did effectively wish for cake. Madoka doesn't have to feel so bad, now.
Tone changes quite a bit over the course of the omake, as it's covering about a year of time. Feels a bit clumsy and abridged, despite hitting about 3500 words. More bits that I couldn't really get to, and I'm not sure I did a proper capture of her as a person, but I guess it's at least workable as a base.
Desperately needs an omake titled "Cake or Death" for her, now.
For one thing... I'm pretty sure the demons can't tell the difference between Serena and another magical girl until they get within the 1 kilometer aura range. @inverted_helix Can you confirm?
Heaven's Chosen: (1 Mami) Further discussions with Hiko about what we can offer that we think could be of use to them, and our own needs with respect to our goals of stabilizing the Tokyo region. Attempt to negotiate a trade for the teleportation interdiction tech.
Make our Hunting Manual the initial gift. Explain how crop rotation has allowed our area to support many more girls than is normal. Mention how the demon strength tracking once allowed us to swiftly identify poaching in our area.
Mention how on one occasion we accepted visitors from another organization to receive training for a month in our hunting techniques. Since our organization is focused heavily on Tokyo right now, our area is currently being under hunted. We could possibly host as many as six to twenty-four veterans right now (up to six if they agree to pair hunting with a Serene hunter, up to twenty-four if they want to do pack hunting), if they were sufficiently experienced with safety measures. If Hiko seems interested, make a note of this to be discussed later when we begin discussing trade deals.
Explain that being right next door to Tokyo the problems there effect us rather severely even now, what with both youma wandering into our area and with refugees coming and asking for help. (Share some specific examples). Mention that we have had 44 girls, mostly greens, come to us for refuge, and while we can manage to support them right now, you worry about more. If Hiko knows any groups that would accept refugees, including greens, if only temporarily, that would be useful. We have been training them in our hunting techniques, and would provide a copy of our Hunting Manual to anyone willing to take some in.
We're concerned that the Tokyo problem will only grow worse. Almost 1/4 of Japan's population lives in Tokyo, and if they die the way Hong Kong did, it will have a devastating effect on the rest of Japan. In many ways the problem isn't directly the high level demons, it's that they prevent magical girls from hunting normal demons effectively. Making it impossible to fulfill the magical girl duty of protecting humans. Those normal demons are what then kill the city. Our thought is that first we need to kill the youma in the city, and then rally the local meguca to hunting the normal demons back up to safe levels. After that, there is a need to put some system in place to prevent the conflicts that created the super demons in the first place.
We've managed to kill ten of the demons plaguing Tokyo last month. However, we have struggled with the teleporting demons. Many managed to escape because of this. Worse, we lost one girl last month, because a large number of youma teleported in on top of us in mass. We were there, but unable to save her. If we were only able to interdict teleportation clearing Tokyo would both become faster, and more importantly, much safer. We know it ought to be possible, since the floating eyeball demon is able to do it. We've made some initial progress on researching this ability, but it is still weak and not as effective as we need.
See what Hiko is willing to offer. Both in response to our gift, and to put on the table for trade. We have in addition our Tandem Research, Spell Anchoring, Duration, etc available for trade, as well as cubes and money.
Also on the table is to accept hunters in our territory for training on hunting techniques in exchange for training in their teleport interdiction techniques. We could accept up to 6 vets if they agree to pair hunt with a Serene hunter, or up to 4 sets of 6 vets if they want to hunt as a pack. We could also accept 2 clairvoyants to train with our dispatch team. Recommend girls skilled in math. Discuss the safe level for them to hunt (ask for at least -9% risk when pair hunting before agreeing to pairs, explain that less than that means we cannot guarantee safety, packs we can guarantee safety no matter what, but still try to learn their risk reduction level).
If this offer to trade training is rejected, consider offering to pay the vets training in hunting in our territory as a sweetener (stay below 3 cubes per a vet if they agree to pair hunting each with a Serene girl, below 1.5 if they agree only to pack hunting, 3 cubes per a clairvoyant).
At the close, give our History of the Serenes as a gift. While only a short history, it may still hold some interest to her. Mention that we would be interested in learning the history of magical Japan as Hiko remembers it, if she someday has the time to record it.
There is a lot of verbage here, and I'm not sure it really gives a concrete set of priorities for @inverted_helix to follow. Maybe something a little more succinct would be in order, especially since the fluff above makes it look like our preferred option is to pay for Hiko's vets to sharecrop our land, and I'd say that's a distant second compared to the more straightforward (and cheaper for both of us!) exchange of apprentices.
There is a lot of verbage here, and I'm not sure it really gives a concrete set of priorities for @inverted_helix to follow. Maybe something a little more succinct would be in order, especially since the fluff above makes it look like our preferred option is to pay for Hiko's vets to sharecrop our land, and I'd say that's a distant second compared to the more straightforward (and cheaper for both of us!) exchange of apprentices.
especially since the fluff above makes it look like our preferred option is to pay for Hiko's vets to sharecrop our land, and I'd say that's a distant second compared to the more straightforward (and cheaper for both of us!) exchange of apprentices.
I mean, it's pretty clear that I make the apprentice option first, and then have sharecropping as a backup in case that doesn't work. I even explicitly say so.
Yeah. Honestly, it needs to be at least twice as long to even start really holding together, but I'd be at it for a week building all the pieces, and developing another dozen or so characters, and even that's just scratching the surface. Or perhaps it should have been done in parts, where I didn't try to put together the entire timeline into one batch, because I ended up having to skimp on so much just to get her to the point where she met up with the Serenes.
While I kind of skipped through it in the omake, I think the part that I really wanted to dig into was the development of the Tokyo situation in the period where the class 3 demons were just starting to appear, and no one really believed they existed, at the peak of the inter-group warring period. There's just so much space in there that there's entire worlds to build and explore. At the same time: that's just way too much to get into without being ready to commit to a small novel of content.
And Chisato just provided the unique key to start looking at that. Being a vet means that she was likely contracted during that period, but being connected to all these greens means that she wasn't really connected to the power structures that went with those conflicts. A wanderer set loose among all that, without a power desired enough for groups to try to put her into the upper hierarchy, so she ends up seeing the whole thing play out at 'ground level', so to speak. She ends up being a background character to all the heavy-hitters that were trying to change the landscape of Tokyo, and floats through and sees the rise and fall of numerous groups throughout the city.
Or perhaps it should have been done in parts, where I didn't try to put together the entire timeline into one batch, because I ended up having to skimp on so much just to get her to the point where she met up with the Serenes.
By the way, you never responded to my question if identifying when youma are about to teleport might be more valuable than a long distance telepathic communication.
Basically we'd use clairvoyant + teleport hopefully in identifying the signs that a youma is about to teleport, and then trigger a teleport barrier charm.
She wished for cake.