Meguca Micro Empire Quest (PMMM)

[inverted_helix]

Mini-Event 2-2
​

You suppose you better call this in and get some support, whoever did this likely has something more in mind than last time... or they're idiots for repeating the same thing, you wouldn't be surprised by that either really.

It is a bit nice of them to put it on the northern edge of your territory here though where the woods mingle with the city. Less chance of Mami getting huffy about civilian casualties.

Ayako is your current clairvoyant and dispatcher so you call her, she picks up the phone on the first ring and you cut in abruptly: "Get Mariko and Sora off their asses and out the door, I need help dealing with another present from our admirers, but tell them to check around there first to see if anyone's skulking around the apartment. And you can sweep around my location see if you can find anyone suspicious."

"Hello to you too," comes her somewhat sarcastic reply to your orders, but you were never one for pleasantries anyways.

You're mostly ignoring her as you focus on your other self. It abruptly vanishes from the north end; you'll have to make sure to pick up its armor from there later. You're kind of zoned out focusing on rebuilding the spell near you.

"Move!" your body is already in motion before you even think. The ground near where you stood puffs a cloud of dirt and you hear a whistle as leaves and twigs drop to the ground, but you don't see your opponent as you dash behind a convenient tree. You keep moving as a hole appears in the tree in the next moment and splinters of wood blast out of it. You realize you dropped your phone behind the first tree but can't really spare it much thought.

The deceptively small puffs and much more disturbing impacts with objects trace a path behind you as you run, jump, and roll with the trees practically raining pieces.


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Unsure how well I've laid this out, but I'm hopeful it comes off right. I tried to point it out, but summoning takes minutes of effort (and concentration), which is to say, not doing other things. You're a bit lucky Ayako rolled high and warned you in time, otherwise Kyouko would have probably been at least partially disabled right there.

I probably could be more descriptive of scenery to fluff out length. No one really asked though where you are, and her actions as given aren't really compliant with taking in the scenery.

 

[inverted_helix]

Mini Event 2-3
​

You keep dashing about the ground this way and that. The shooter seems to care little at all for anything you might use as cover, though there's nothing here besides trees big enough to use as cover. You don't dare stop or keep going in any one direction for more than a moment. You zig and zag and double back entirely. With a shred of concentration not focused on not dying you begin splitting off duplicates, the Rosa Phantasmia Mami helped you make so long ago coming to you much easier.

The fire continues tracking you for a few more rounds before slackening. There's a hesitance as half a dozen of you fan out.

Then you try and cloak yourself from view after getting behind a tree. The sniper locks back onto the real you. Shrapnel from the closest round yet peppers your skin with tiny cuts. You shut down the sensations. She was fooled by the first trick but apparently invisibility can deal with.

You give up the invisibility spell as useless and just distinguishing which one of you is the real one. You spin off yet more duplicates flecked with blood and flood the area.

You try not to let yourself standout this time, but make your way back to your dropped phone regardless. You still haven't managed to see her location. Certainly not deeper in the woods though. You suspect she's on one of the taller buildings from the way you came from.

A quick rush by your clones covers you as you sweep up your phone with a carefully manipulated spear. That seems to have acted as a signal though, as after another few seconds the shots abruptly halt. There's a teleport flare and you suspect your attacker has left.

You keep moving for a while just in case though. The call to Ayako is still open, but she's not on the other end.


----------------------
Delay after delay. Hopefully have a bit more time now and can work on the main update somewhat.

 

[inverted_helix]

Mini-Event 2-4​

You aren't taking any chances with your own skin at this point and keep up an evasive pattern with your illusions as you get to some harder cover amongst city buildings and put some distance between you and the ambush site. The blood trail is a little inconvenient though.

You find an alley to make a call from, though you can't be sure they aren't watching you even now, your invisibility spell was a total failure after all. This is good enough. You speed dial her, the only entry you really feel you need anyways.

It rings a few times, Mami picks up and you explain the situation in the quickest terms you can. She'll bring those she can as soon as she can, but Seto's out and that adds to the time it will take. She'll do her best to get there, but it's going to take time. You'll have to do your best to make sure her little ducklings are safe.

You take the time to summon your other half before you get moving again. You dash across rooftops with abandon, but still you can feel that she has to slow herself to let you keep up. You can feel the tiny pulses of magical girls fighting with heavy magic use. Not your best skill, but something of a necessary skill to develop when you were trying to hold such a large territory and prevent anyone stealing from you.

They die out as you approach.

You slide to a stop on a rooftop and spin your spear into position as someone lands next to you. Your twin guards your back.

Ayako falls over and crawls backwards getting away from your spear tip. You rest it upon the rooftop and find yourself leaning against it.

"Two girls tried to ambush me at the apartment, but I managed to get out before they could catch me and give them the slip, barely," she reports with more than a trace of fear. "I saw Mariko and Sora tangling with four others as I ran."

You nod, you expected the sniper was to tie you up while they launched another attack. "Where are they now?"

Ayako visibly concentrates a moment, before shuddering, "Their bodies aren't far from here, the attackers are gone."

"Where!" you demand. She points and your other self pulls Ayako to her feet and drags her along with you in that direction.

You don't like what you find nonetheless. Their battle seems to have ended as expected in a secluded alley. The walls heavily scored with the marks of weapons that can cleave through concrete. Their bodies are somewhat mangled, but not what your eyes are searching for. Ayako's crying over Mariko's unmoving body is somewhat unhelpful. You're more than hardened to such a sight and your clone confirms your own assessment. There's not a single fragment of either of their soul gems, and nor have their bodies disappeared like girls taken by the cycle would have.

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This may seem a bit brutal. But you've kind of failed to ask (what I at least thought) an increasingly obvious question over the past several turns. And this event is kind of coming at it obliquely. Though as more details emerge you'll probably have a clearer understanding of just what it was you've been forgetting.

This is an average result. Bad result would have been Kyouko shot early on. Good result would have been Kyouko kicking everyone's ass (and that was entirely possible too, though became really unlikely when you decided to make a phone call and do something that would take you a couple minutes in a place you knew was an ambush site).

(For the 1 or 100 record, this was sort of an unusual result, driven not just by roll but by background forces that you haven't seen. There is more to the world than just you, though admittedly I've only plotted out your region really.)

 

[inverted_helix]

Mini-Event 2-5​

You got the bodies, and Ayako who was doing a credible impression of a coma off the street before anyone took much notice, and a healer could take care of the bodies later, not like caring for empty shells was very urgent.

You kept an eye on Ayako's gem and kept it from clouding over too much, but weren't really sure there was anything you could say that could possibly make things better for her, this kind of thing wasn't what you signed up for.

You'd be surprised if Ayako could see a car running her over at this point, but at least she's the type to shut down instead of panic and cry, cuts down the amount of grief.

Thankfully Mami arrives before you really need to do anything too drastic. You were expecting her teleport but were still on guard. She brought along a rather significant contingent, probably whoever was around: Sayaka, Taya, Taura, and a few others.

"I doubt you'll find them but look for them anyways," you gruffly order Taya before anyone else says anything. Taya fidgets a bit but Mami hugs you.

"It's not your fault," Mami offers vague comforts, why would it be your fault anyways? Not like you could have been faster. Sayaka falls into healing the bodies before you as she probably should.

"I can't find any other meguca in the area besides us, but it's not like that means much," Taya offers after a few moments.

Mami moves on to trying to snap Ayako out of it while Sayaka tends to your wounds. You relax a little bit as the healing washes over you with your clone and other Serenes watching out for you.

Eventually with liberal application of grief cubes Mami managed to bring Ayako around enough to talk to. She didn't recognize any of the girls involved and her drawings are less than stellar. Taura relays it to one of the girls a bit better than stick figures, but it's not like the drawings are that helpful anyways, you don't recognize any of them and you didn't even see your attacker.

Given that their gems were taken rather than destroyed you expected a ransom call on the public line. In the end though after hours of waiting the call you were expecting came in on Mami's personal cell number instead of the public number.

You held your tongue as Mami talked with them as you usually did, you preferred opponents in reach to hit with your spear, and you usually gave Mami the first try anyways since your method could always be used after hers failed but not the reverse.

It seems that it was all some big misunderstanding, sure. They claimed they'd merely been acting to interfere in dangerous overhunting they had previously observed, unaware of the crop rotation technique you were using. They'd be perfectly happy to turn your girls back over to you at your convenience. Or pass them on to you through the girls in area 13 you contacted neutrally earlier this month.


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Well less dialogue than I like, but about doubled the length and refurbished it in Kyouko's perspective rather than Mami's as it originally was. Kyouko has kind of a narrower viewpoint in some ways.

I should note you had a successful/neutral contact with Area 13 this month. Mini-events can kind of be distorting in terms of granularity of timescale.

You can guess some things from what they did here, or assuming you get Sora and Mariko back they'll fill in a lot of blanks. And before paranoia about it starts up again, there was no brainwashing involved.

 

[Elder Haman]

Omake: Kaoru Training: Emotional Resonance

Mami waits impatiently inside the church that Kyouko's family used to own. She needed a new location to train Kaoru in until unwanted attention decreased at the junkyard she usually used. She'd had to promise Kyouko they wouldn't do any training that might be destructive. Mami had actually been hoping Kyouko might agree to come along, but upon learning the intended topic she had of course passed.

Oh well, Taura would probably be more helpful anyway. Mami glances over at the other three girls she had brought along for this training session. Taura is obtrusively nonchalant, acting as if she is ignoring everyone else. Mami knew better, Taura does that when she is trying to get along with people unused to her power. As if to confirm her suspicions, Taura glances over at Mami before glancing away again.

Minako is fidgeting. Probably wanted to be up and doing something, she certainly is an active girl. Ayase is staring around at the remains of the church in a mixture of curiosity and awe. Mami again reflects on how unusual Ayase is, a non-magical girl so involved with magical girls. Mami couldn't remember ever hearing of something like her before. She ought to have a conversation with Kyubey about Ayase. He hadn't been happy with not wiping her memory, but maybe he would think differently now after how much she was helping the Serenes? Mami had invited her along because she thought it would be useful to see if Kaoru's emotional abilities effected magical girls and normal humans differently.

Deciding she needed to be less impatient, Kaoru had said she was going to stop by her mother's on the way here, Mami moves over to join the other three in conversation. "Kaoru should be here soon. How have the two of you been doing lately?" Mami directs her attention at Minako and Ayase. She didn't get to speak with them as often as she should, what with how big the group had grown.

Minako jerks herself upright as if a soldier reporting to a superior officer. "Hunting has been great. I can totally handle being solo!" She looks like she has more to say, but is holding herself back.

Ayase's response is much softer, "Everything has been fine for me Mother Mami. I'm just glad I could help more today than just working." Mami had noticed that Ayase tended to use the mother term more than most of the other girls, maybe it made her feel more part of the group? Well, if it made her feel better.

"That's wonderful. You know, the Serenissima Imperium has been considering opening a restaurant. When we do, I think it would be very helpful if you were to assist us there, if you are willing...?" Mami trails off. She isn't very good at this giving orders thing is she. Fortunately Ayase eagerly agrees, apparently feeling honored to be asked. Mami glances back over at Minako who is fidgeting again. What would be the best way to get her to share what was on her mind?

"She wants to take Elite training too," Mami's thoughts are interrupted by Taura cutting in. She is still looking out away from the group. Minako looks appalled. Mami starts thinking through how to let Minako down easy. Taura cuts her off once again, this time turning to look at the group. "Mami thinks you are too weak, too young. Ask again in a year or two." Taura raises an eyebrow at the glare both Mami and Minako are now giving her. "What? You were both going to spend forever trying to figure out how to say what I just did without offending each other. Despite neither of you being offended anyway, nor would you have been if you had said it instead of me. I just helped you get it said sooner." Minako blushs sheepishly while Mami sighs. Taura turns back to look at the door, "Which is good because Kaoru just got here."

Mami couldn't help but give Kaoru a suspicious glance when she walked in. There had been a very suspicious fire by the river last night and Kaoru had been heading that way last time Mami saw her. Kaoru had denied any involvement, but Mami was not convinced. Despite her best effort not to, Mami glances at Taura, only to get a flat look in return. Mami sighs, she just wanted to make sure Kaoru wasn't doing anything to get them in trouble with Kyubey again. Oh well, she should be happy Kaoru was finally showing some initiative in this training. While Kaoru had been a dutiful student, much more diligent than Kyouko, Mami couldn't help but notice that Kyouko had shown a lot more initiative. It was almost as if Kaoru was timid, or hesitant, or something, about this elite training.

Deciding to focus on the matter at hand, Mami calls for everyone's attention and describes the main goal for tonight: to gain a better understanding of Kaoru's emotional manipulation ability and how to use it more effectively in combat. Of course, everyone already knew this, but Mami found a restating of the goal at the start of a training session helped focus the mind. She then asks Kaoru to describe what she already understood about her ability.

Kaoru doesn't have much in the way of details. She instinctively knows how to play a song on the harp to make demons lethargic, and has learned from experience that she can effect people's emotional state when she sings the appropriate song.

There followed a short brainstorming session about what other kind of effects would be useful. If Karou can make the demons lethargic, can she make the Serene girls more alert? Taura interrupted to point out that while making other girls stronger was a useful tactic, it would be limited to when Karou is in a support role. If Karou is alone, Taura points out that debilitating effects would be more useful. The other girls looked a bit discomforted by that idea, but Mami agrees that it is worth exploring. The obvious starting point was to make the lethargy song effect magical girls.

Deciding the time had come to start practical testing, Mami has Kaoru start off playing her song to make demons lethargic. Paying close attention, Mami once again gets a feeling that Karou's magic settles on everyone like a blanket, however there does not seem to be an effect on anyone. Minako comments that while it sounds relaxing, she doesn't feel any less alert. Ayase gives the same assessment, with the added wistful comment, "It's very pretty though."

Mami gives Taura a glance, but Taura shakes her head. "I can tell she's doing something magical, and it has mental effects, but it's not targeting humans." Taura frowns, "Actually, it took me forever to be able to use my powers on demons. Even now it's not really hearing thoughts, as much as being able to sense an intent to attack." Looking over at Kaoru, Taura suggests that next time they are on a demon hunt together they take some time to experiment, as Taura is very interested in how to improve her own effectiveness against demons.

Of course, no one had really expected Kaoru's song to effect anyone, as plenty of girls had been exposed to it before and never reported any effects. Mami orders Kaoru to try again, but this time try to focus on effecting everyone else in the room, not demons. Again no one seems to really feel anything.

Mami has Kaoru move on to singing some of her songs that have effected people emotionally in the past, while asking Taura to pay close attention. Kaoru's songs have the expected effect, and Taura reports that it seems as though Kaoru is "projecting an emotional focus" out on to everyone, using her music as a medium. Taura suggests that Karou might try sensing the emotions of others.

It's rare enough for Taura to make suggestions like that, that Mami decides to spend a little time trying it out, despite her not being sure how it could help in combat. Under Taura's direction, everyone in the room tries thinking of memories that will generate different emotions. Kaoru doesn't have much success, until Taura has everyone focus on the same emotion, at which point Kaoru seems to have an epiphany. "Oh, it's just like reading a room!" Seeing people's confusion, Kaoru explains that "reading a room" means that performer can sense the mood of an audience, and adjust her performance to best fit.

Taura gets a bit interested at this, and points out that being able to sense emotions could be a significant edge in combat, as emotions tend to spike just before taking aggressive actions. Mami isn't as convinced, but she decides to suggest that Kaoru and Taura get together to practice this skill in their own session, perhaps going out 'people watching.' After all, Mami thinks, Taura could certainly use a friend to socialize with. When Taura glances at her, Mami looks back, unapologetic, and loudly thinks, two birds with one stone. Out loud, Taura just says that she thinks that is a great idea, but that they should also try doing it against demons.

When Mami brings the topic back to playing music that effects other magical girls, Kaoru mentions that she was thinking about how maybe she needed to change the music. If the music was the carrier, then she probably needed different songs to do different things. As everyone waited for Kaoru to make her second attempt at making everyone lethargic, Mami considered how very odd this training session was. As it mostly consisted of everyone sitting around listening to Kaoru play her harp or sing.

Kaoru's new song startles Mami at first. How is she making percussion and wind chimes sounds using a harp? Oh well, Mami thinks, magic harp. Then Mami notices that she feels a slight drain on her soul gem, and glancing over at the others, she sees that while Taura appears unaffected, Minako is yawning and Ayase's eyes are drooping. Paying closer attention Mami can tell that Taura is also pulling on her soul gem reserves. Giving Minako a telepathic flick, Mami points out that she is being effected and asks her to pull on her soul gem to resist. Minako seems to do this without problem once it's pointed out to her. Ayase however starts to nod off, and Mami has Kaoru stop playing entirely.

Assessing it, Mami decides that it's probably worth developing, but it does have a lot of limitations. Mainly that if the target girls realize what is happening, they will be able to easily counter it. Although Mami does consider that even then it might be a decent tactic for wearing down a bunch of girls in their gem reserves. She'll have to give that some more thought. In the meantime, better to move on to more positive effects.

Next Kaoru tries for an energetic song. It takes her several attempts before getting something that Mami notices having a strong effect on her. Glancing over at Minako she sees that Minako has already started swaying in time with the music. Then Ayase hops to her feet and pulls Minako up to join her in an impromptu dance. What really surprises Mami though, was when Ayase decides to drag Taura up too, and that Taura decides to go along with it. When Taura shoots her a challenging glance, Mami decides she might as well give in and have fun dancing too.

When the music fades away, Mami finishes her dancing, and looked around at the other sweaty faces sparkling with energy, Mami decides to play it cool. "Well," Mami says, "I think we should look more into that one and see how effective it is during one of our pack tactics training sessions." Kaoru grins at her as if she knows Mami had a lot more fun than she is admitting.

Since this was so successful, Mami insists Kaoru move on to other emotions next. Taura suggests fear, as getting people to run away from a fight would be helpful. Mami doesn't feel any more comfortable with it than Kaoru, but realizes that it's a good idea. Reluctantly Kaoru begins experimenting with different pieces of music. Even though Mami can tell there is no magic effect she still shifts uneasily at the creepiness of some of the songs.

Finally, Kaoru strikes a note that makes Mami shiver with something more than just creepy musical notes, and she can sense her soul gem start burning reserves again to resist it. Mami can see that Minako is fighting the effects right away now that she is aware of what to expect, but Ayase is starting to tremble. Without thinking about it, Mami reaches over touch Ayase on the shoulder, and with only a little exertion, Mami can feel that she's somehow extended her resistence to Ayase. Ayase clearly is no longer feeling effected by Kaoru's song. Deciding that there has been enough of testing, Mami calls for Kaoru to end the song.

After some discussion, Mami suggests that Kaoru divide this emotional tactic into two categories, one for buffing allies, and the other for debilitating opponents. She recommends prioritizing the buffing abilities for now, but the debilitating songs should be practiced too, as it might be useful in some situations. With Kaoru's training shifting to practicing shields and other abilities, Mami goes ahead and dismisses the rest.

Taura leaves, with a brief comment to Kaoru that she will talk to her later about scheduling times to train together. Minako argues that she could stay and help with shield training as a barrier specialist, and Mami decides to allow it for a bit, despite not expecting much from it. Ayase before leaving does take a moment to shyly tell Kaoru that her songs were "really pretty, even the scary one," and ask if she can continue coming to help out. Since Mami figures Kaoru will need a practice audience, she accepts on Kaoru's behalf.

Before moving on to the shield training again, Kaoru mentions to Mami that she feels like the music effects her too. Kaoru struggles to describe it, but expresses it as it feeling as if something is burning inside her giving her fuel. When she sings sad songs in makes her feel more in control of her sadness, and when she sings upbeat songs she feels energetic. In fact, Kaoru says she feels like this even when just singing the song in her head.

Mami realizes that she ought to have Taura look into this in more detail later, but for now suggests that Kaoru pick some songs that she feel help her in specific ways, like if she feels a song makes her move faster, or more powerful. Then Mami goes on to start running Kaoru through her other exercises again.
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Okay... well... I'm not really satisfied with this one, but it's probably as good as it is going to get.

When searching youtube for songs, I'll admit that I was really tempted to just go with all harp music - like this harp version of Eye of the Tiger (seriously, those Harp Twins are crazy) - but I decided to instead go with my original plan and just have Kaoru's harp magically be able to play any sound.

The whole training story has really gotten away from me, and I find myself enjoying the side stories more than the main story of training. However, going by my outline the training omakes should be over with one more short one. Then maybe I can move onto the Taura background story that has been in my brain for 6 months now.

I've also had a new idea for one about Taya and Seto - as I thought that the way both of them are depressed over their performance in the Demon Class 3 incident might bring them together on a common point of interest, and a teleporter-clairvoyant combo would be deadly. Only thing is I don't feel like I have a good grasp of what Taya is like or how to write her. @FixerUpper what are your thoughts on this idea?

 

[inverted_helix]

Turn 28​

Diplomacy
Diplomacy this month doesn't go as well as you'd like. Area 11 is cagey about meeting with you directly for much of the month and you have some growing suspicions that they might be hiding something. Eventually after a lot of notes passed back and forth from across rooftops, in an exchange as much comical as it is paranoid, you get a face to face. It alleviates some concerns but raises others.

It connects itself with the lack of response to your various communications with the girls in area 1. The lack of communication was because they were stalling while they negotiated amongst themselves. Apparently they've come to some sort of agreement amongst themselves and have formed some sort of coalition together with the girls in the area in between them. You have an urge to sigh as they indicate that it was driven by a need to protect themselves.

They are not particularly interested in picking a fight despite that though. Therefore they'll continue to allow and even give you actual permission to move forces through their territory so long as the numbers are low or you warn them of larger movements.

While the why is a bit off-putting, being the cause of other girls grouping together isn't itself a bad thing you suppose, and there might be some opportunities to be had as well.


The scouting of the girls in the nomadic area doesn't reveal as much as you'd like, but they do seem to be a bit rundown and barely scraping by. There's really only so much you can gain by watching them for a bit. You're pretty sure they're four veterans and you haven't seen any rotation of them or them meeting with other groups for exchanges, so you're reasonably sure they aren't scouts for a larger movement by the time you decide to contact them.

You meet up with them in as non-confrontational a manner as you can, just settling in along their expected route in an area where not many humans normally pass through with your magic on full display so they aren't surprised.

They're wary about meeting you and they take a while after they get close enough to notice you before they decide to approach at all. You greet them warmly nonetheless and that seems to put the ragged girl approaching off her game even as the others wait at a distance.

As you expected they're in dire straits. They know they can gather enough cubes from the nomadic lifestyle very well, and they're well aware of the dangers. They do come from what they colloquially refer to as the Tokyo containment zone, which apparently is not the easiest of tasks. They're more than suspicious of your offer of free grief cubes, but she laughs at you giving them information on Class 3 demons. The apparent leader thinks your pamphlets probably complete propaganda, but given their status they don't really have options, and if you'll have them they'll gladly join.


The meeting with area 13 goes about as well as can be expected, they're willing to talk, but when probed about the events you've been dealing with don't admit to having anything to do with it. Not that you expected them to. They claim it's probably Hino from Nagoya doing it; they're technically a vassal state at this point though it doesn't affect them too much.



Mundane Economy
Your restaurant continues to return upon its investment, even with much of the money it makes going towards paying for its own costs. You fold the greens that Seto had working part time jobs into your courier business without issue. The efforts to expand into Fujinomiya fail pretty terribly though. The possible customer base in the area is pretty tightly locked down by existing services and didn't seem terribly interested in a new company.

On the plus side though Akeno seems to have managed to express her boredom productively and tapped a new market share, managing to convince an existing restaurant of the sort that doesn't usually deliver to allow her to run deliveries for them. Apparently she demonstrated that she can deliver food in the condition it is given to her to a degree they really didn't think possible for someone carrying a box on a bicycle, or really even if they were using a car.

Given that she is totally cheating using her unique abilities to do this, it's really only something she can do, but it pays quite well. (Akeno delivers! She can now do this for $3000/month, but it takes her out of the courier pool, nicely filled by the vet you added in expectation of expansion though if you like.)



Information Gathering
Ask Kyuubey what conditions cause a Class 3 demon to be created. How much overhunting? Does a demon need to kill a magical girl need to die in order for one to form? What can he tell us about the Class 3 demons currently in Tokyo?
Cost: ?? cubes


Kyuubey is finding the increased data on Class 3s over the past two years quite fascinating. There appears to be significant degree of uncertainty to it such that it is difficult for Incubators to model very precisely. At present they have no pressing need for aggressive and expensive research into the field which would clarify it further.

Based on past data, they believe that demon strength as measured in your terms must be at minimum +10 for it to be possible for a Class 3 demon to originate from native population, though meiosis of a migratory one can still produce more in such areas. Chance of one spawning starts off low and increases exponentially. It is projected that by +40 strength the number of Class 3 demons reaches an average one per territory unit per month, though there is a lack of data at the high end to determine accuracy, and at that level differentiation can be difficult.

Origination of Class 3 demons does not require termination of a contracted, but that does seem to be requisite to their reproduction via meiosis.

The currently active Class 3 demons in Tokyo are typically stronger than the one you faced, values previously given were for newborn demons of the indicated classes. The one you faced had undergone meiosis as it broke out of the Tokyo area resulting in its strength being similar to that of a newborn.

53 Class 3 demons originated in Tokyo during the initial upward swing in their spawning, at that time there were 107 Grade 3 Contracted countering them and 1693 total Contracted in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area. Early losses were substantial. Coordination and force concentration improved survival rate after initial losses. Currently there is an estimated 37 Class 3 demons in the region and 45 Grade 3 Contracted with 1200 total Contracted despite unusually aggressive recruitment. Remaining Contracted have switched to mostly guerrilla activity with few fixed concentrations.

The Class 3 demons have mostly remained concentrated as a result of the more plentiful food supply there than the immediate surroundings. When this ceases to be the case intervention to starve them may be required. A Grade 4 Contracted clearing the area would be preferable due to the short term impact on harvests of such an action. However there are many locations requiring their intervention at this time and it is difficult in the best of times to convince them to act.


Morale
Aiko takes up the offer of more closely tracking grief cube use, being as it's as much a psychologist position as a matter of accounting, though she ropes in some hours of the more mathematical members when she needs it. Most of her time though is spent with chatting with all the girls to see how they're doing. She's a bit concerned that there might be a negative impression when she chooses to mark people down for a bit fewer or a bit more though.

You also take the time this month for a normal day in the park to help promote cohesion, especially with the Seto's group. You don't exactly force them to play with the other girls instead of their own group, but you do encourage it.


Research
Tandem Casting, Basic
Interfacing the magic of two separate girls, even those with similar abilities is not so simple as you'd like. You've done combo attacks with Kyouko in the distant past, but that's more setting up an enemy for your partner, not really putting your power directly together.

Keiko did some research into the matter this turn. There's a lot of destructive interference from two people trying to apply the same effect. She has some ideas on how to cut it down though.

Improved Rotating Tactics + Demon Hunting Diary
Your unofficial-official quant team puts together the various route changes and adaptations needed to test all sorts of variations on your current rotating tactics in short order based off the list of various ideas on how it might be improved.

You also set aside more time for your hunters to do paperwork and set them to recording much more details about the demons they face than they have in the past: detailed accounts of abilities, strength of those abilities, time and location where they were encountered and more.

This information is then contributed to the hunting planning to serve as a better basis for adjustments to the rotating tactics. Unfortunately the information doesn't really give much good news. So far you're getting insignificant improvement over your current systems.


Combat
Hunting goes about as well as normal, barring the incident in Iwata at the end of the month.

That was aggravating and more than a bit confusing. You end up getting Sora and Mariko's soul gems back without any resistance, they're on the specified roof when you arrived along with an apology note and a sort of strange reflection of your own recruitment pamphlets.

After you withdrawal and reunite Sora and Mariko's gems with their bodies you take the time to read it. It really doesn't reveal too much about them, being more a manifesto and about the problems of not being in a group and the dangers of uncontrolled hunting than extoling the virtues of the group like yours. It seems focused on the virtue of bringing absolute order to an otherwise dangerous system. Imposing safety for the collective at any cost.

Sora and Mariko are a little jumbled on what happened. Perspective on time very skewed. One moment they were fighting the next they were tied down and asked a bunch of questions about the group: their size, their hunting habits, and their territory. But it was pretty fuzzy and their bodies weren't right. They both claim they didn't answer the questions but that didn't seem to bother the people asking. And then they were here back with their bodies.


General
You manage to purchase additional armor this month in your new realization that you actually have use for it even if you don't need it against normal demons. Inspecting your stockpiles of gear and equipment though you realize you're probably going to need to find some long term acquisition method as they will need steady replacements if you end up relying on them heavily.

Taura points out you might want to consider allotting money towards maintenance of things like the bicycles and shields as well. They've actually taken far more of a beating than the Kevlar. Some of the girls without families have also suggested an additional amount of money be given to them for the food they need that those with homes don't.

Two of your greens make it to a point they can be called veteran this month.

You had five grief spirals this month. Ayako's was the most severe and for obvious reasons and required 4 units of grief cubes to arrest. Though oddly neither Sora nor Mariko spiraled, it doesn't seem to have actually been that traumatic, more of a blur really. Akeno had a bit of a crisis of usefulness before she got her new job and required two units to stabilize but thereafter seemed to work harder than ever. Kaoru had a minor spiral due to her lingering issues of self-doubt, but helped reduce the severity of Katsuko's spiral with her music, which seemed to cheer Kaoru at least. Sayaka also had a minor spiral this month because of other meguca hurting your girls when they should be protecting people, you're oddly happy to have made such a safe place that that she can have such ideals.

Rumors
War is brewing in the human world, saber rattling between the Koreas has reached a peak not seen in many years and it's not clear that any of the world powers will be able to put a stop to it. Internal unrest around the world has been unpredictable and soaring and left many nations focusing on their own problems.

You gather from the girls in Area 13 that the Nagoya Magocracy which you've dealt with this turn are some vast group run by a girl named Hino. They can't really tell you much details on their size, but they control much of the Nagoya area either directly or through vassal groups. They vigorously attack anyone that might cause a Class 3 demon to spawn. None of them have been around long enough, but they've heard that there was an outbreak of them a while ago that the NM put down at great cost.

It's said that Tokyo is ringed by groups which spread out from Tokyo early on and then boxed in their former brethren with barriers tuned to other magical girls. The situation within is said to have devolved into a role reversal with the demons hunting the magical girls.

Resources

• 4 (5) Elite Meguca: Mami (+20% persuasive), Kyouko (can act as if two Elites), Taya (Scouting Bonus), Seto (Elite teleporter)
• 48 Veteran Meguca, 4 Green Meguca, 1 Associate
  • Upkeep: 21.5 Veteran, 4 Green, 1 Associate
    • Support/Training (8.5 Vet)
      • 3 vet demon finding training (+20% grief cubes)
      • 3 vets on dispatch service (+30% grief cubes additive with demon finding, -1% casualties)
      • 1.5 vet on telepathic communication (-2% pair hunting, -1% pack hunting)
      • 1 Veteran, Paperpushing
    • Jobs (12 Vet, 4 Green, 1 Associate)
      • 1 veteran (Hainako) Translation service
      • 6 veteran + 3 green working courier business (Minimum 3 vets)
      • 1 Akeno Delivery
      • 4 Vets (Akane), 1 Green, 1 Associate Restaurant
• Grief Cubes 53.2
• Money: $36,350
  • Upkeep $23,520
    • $1120 upkeep on cellphones (-2% solo hunting, -1% pair hunting)
    • $500 upkeep on cable (increased due to new housing)
    • $2500 upkeep on apartments
    • $8000 upkeep on house
    • $11400 upkeep on stipend
  • Income $29,000
    • Translator: +$3000 per turn
    • Courier Business, Mitakihara: +$9500 per turn
    • Courier Business, Kasamino: +$4500 per turn
    • Restaurant +$9000 per turn
    • Delivery +$3000 per turn (was only $1500 bonus this turn)
• Morale: [3 of 10] Morale held pretty steady this month, so many problems keep appearing from outside and you're not sure how to keep your girls spirits up.
• Assets
  • Tiny household shrine: Somewhat reduces losses to morale from deaths. (Bonus Increased by omake)
  • Shields: -3% Casualties
  • Basic General Combat Training: -2% Casualties (May decay with losses or recruitment).
  • Basic Solo Combat Training: -1% Pack Hunting, -2% pair hunting, -3% Solo Hunting
  • Defending Others Training: -2% Pair Hunting, -1% Pack Hunting
  • Pack Tactics Training: -4% pack hunting, -2% pair hunting
    
  • 57 Bicycles (Mobility Bonus)
  • 18 Bulletproof vest (-2% casualty)
  • 17.8? Sets of Kevlar Clothing (-4% casualty)
  • 3 Sets of Leather (-2% casualty)
  • 9 sets hardened leather (-3% casualty)
  • Housing (56/73)
    • Apartments (20 capacity)
    • House (50 capacity)
    • Mami's Apartment (HQ of sorts) (Can be traded for $1200 per turn)
• Territory
  • Urban
    • North
      • Demon Status: Strong 9.9
      • Sustainable Harvest: 37
    • South
      • Demon Status: Average 0
        
      • Sustainable Harvest: 28
  • Rural
    • Demon Status: Average +0
    • Sustainable Harvest: 7

________________________________________________________________________________________


Bring on the million errors and mistakes you detect. I'm way out of practice.

You can recruit the 4 nomads as a free action if you want to and use them for this coming turn. It's essentially just as if you agreed for them to join.

Also as a freebie for being such a terrible length without updating I mitigated your worst grief spiral this month.

 

[FixerUpper]

Tokyo Nomads - Yamakage Suzuko

Yamakage Suzuko didn't ask for much out of life.

She liked her coffee hot, her demons weak, and her girls happy. The bare necessities, really, but life hadn't seen fit to provide any of those things for a long, long time.

Life was a bitch like that.

Wind stirred through the trees, mussing her curly, shoulder-length hair. Once upon a time, in a life before cold showers, technical homelessness, and demon hunts in moonlit forests, she'd had loud, strident debates with people who thought they knew her hair better than she did and believed it brown when she knew it was just dark blond, but time spent running for her life and hiding from monsters and people had realigned her priorities. It'd felt like years since she'd last looked in a mirror, and she honestly had no idea what color her hair resembled anymore.

Out of habit she touched her headband with both hands, just a light pat, reassuring herself it was still there. She didn't have to take it off to know that it was more a dirty gray than pearly white these days, the decorative ribbon a tattered shadow of itself, but even if it'd never really fit her, she couldn't bring herself to get rid of it, or even stop wearing it. It was all that she had left to remind her of - of someone who deserved flowers, parades, chocolates, and happiness and got a shallow, unmarked grave instead.

Lot of those going around. Everyone had lost someone, or was going to lose someone.

C'est la vie.

To her side, Manami shifted a bit, probably easing a cramp in her leg. The girl, doll-like in her classic, porcelain beauty, was a healer, and could have used her magic to keep herself in perfect condition for as long as their supply of grief cubes held out, but was fortunately smarter than that. Suzuko still wished she could be convinced to cut her hair to a more manageable length though: there was long, and then there was if it gets any longer, you're going to start tripping on it and one was clearly an inferior option.

A battle for another day.

"Status?" Suzuko whispered.

"Blondie's still there," Kaiya reported from somewhere above. A carefully angled barrier prevented the redhead's voice from carrying too far beyond the tree she was perched in, but Suzuko could still imagine the expression hiding behind her binoculars from the bored drawl in her voice.

"Still?" Suzuko said, massaging her temples. She'd hoped their visitor had been en route or lost, or something, anything, but the signs were pretty effing clear at this point. Goldielocks knew their itinerary and was very politely trying to initiate a dialogue, and someone who could afford to just walk around all suited up like that deserved their grudging admiration if nothing else.

Grudging.

Very grudging.

"It's a trap," Urako commented from her bush. Her brown twin tails had little leafy sticks poking out of them, a shut-in's idea of camouflage. "It's such a trap. We go say hi and her friends hit us and steal our stuff and oh no how sad." She punched one fist into her palm. "We should go on the offensive, take her out, show them who they're messing with."

While arguably the most experienced out of all of them, Urako still looked the part of a middle schooler and sulked fiercely if she wasn't given a little babying now and then. Suzuko had given up on asking her not to use magic on trivial things like keeping up her appearance, or healing herself so she didn't have scars, but ever since they'd left Tokyo she'd become increasingly cynical, moody and aggressive.

Today was one of her better days, honestly.

That didn't mean she was wrong though.

"I hoped we could leave all this territory bullshit behind us in Tokyo," Suzuko sighed, drawing a furrow through the dirt with the toe of her boot. "No one was supposed to give a hoot about this place... For once, for once, I'd like us to get through a month without something stupid happening."

"Well, there's your mistake," Urako said, tut-tutting. "Hope. You really should know better by now than to indulge in that bad habit."

Suzuko rolled her eyes. Was Urako starting this now? Really?

"It's never wrong to hope," Manami said.

Oh god, they were going to do it. Hope versus Despair round eighteen. Go.

"It's always wrong to hope," Urako replied in a lecturing tone. "Hope leads to disappointment, which leads to rage, which leads to grief, which leads to the Dark-"

Yeah, no way she was putting up with this.

"Oh, shut up," Suzuko hissed, throwing a pine cone at Urako's head. "This is not the time. There is a fucking puella in our fucking forest, and we are all going to die if we don't figure out what to do with her."

She caught the pine cone as Urako tried to return it to her eye.

"Simple," Urako said, cheerfully bloodthirsty. "Let's kill her."

"No," Suzuko said.
"No," Manami said.
"No," Kaiya said.

"Oh, come on!" Urako complained. "Not even a little killing?"

"With our grief cube reserve as meager as it is," Kaiya pointed out. "We could kill her, and she would still have killed us all because we ain't got any fuel left in the magical tank. Think, dumb-dumb."

Urako had to admit the justice of that point. "Well, what if we beat her up, and then ransom her for more cubes? It'll be win-win."

...it was a surprisingly tempting proposition. Unfortunately: "First, you're assuming someone's willing to ransom her back, second, you're assuming we'll manage to capture her, third, how is this 'win-win'?"

"We get cubes, they get lives, everyone wins!"

"That's a very sad definition of 'win,'" Manami said quietly.

Urako stuck out her tongue.

Suzuko got to her feet. At this point they were just delaying the inevitable. Also, keeping this sound barrier up was getting crazy expensive with how much everyone seemed to want to talk.

"I'm going to go see what our guest wants," she said decisively. "If I die... uh, do the dumb thing and avenge me or something."

Urako booed her halfway to the rendezvous.

The other half was spent walking into an intimidatingly pretty trap. It was stupidly petty, but she was feeling outclassed here in just about every possible metric. Like a grubby little peasant meeting up with royalty. The magical girl looked good, really good, all soft and friendly and kind.

Suzuko knew she looked a little more than half-starved, her hair a rat's nest, her clothes patchy, her skin dry, her eyes red.

Not that it mattered, but it still made her feel self-conscious.

"What," she asked Goldilocks, princess curls edition, "do you want?"

The girl even smiled softly.

"My name is Tomoe Mami, and I would like to talk."

Spoiler: Picture

From left to right
Yasuhiro Sae
Isozaki Kaiya
Motoori Manami
Segawa Urako
Yamakage Suzuko

 

[FixerUpper]

Rooftop Rumble - Sayaka Miki

"Is Kyouko-san here yet?" Yuma asked, flopped on her back.

"Nope," Sayaka replied, equally positioned.

The two of them lay on the 'boarding school's' roof, hands laced behind their heads as they stared up into the early morning sky. One was a scrawny eight going on eleven, the other a sadly short fourteen that had already passed her sweet sixteen. A warm breeze was blowing, ruffling their clothes and luring them towards sleep.

Not that they really dared get that comfortable. This was Kyouko after all.

Still, for all that they had woken up at the crack of dawn for her new training regimen, it was nice being here. Life as a puella gave you so few chances to just slow down and appreciate life, and after the last month – well, they needed this.

Both of them yawned in tandem.

From somewhere below, there was a thud, and a curse. Sayaka tried to remember who was supposed to be on rotation to play dorm mother, and then dismissed it when she heard the person responsible awkwardly clamber up the ladder leading from the inside of the attic to the roof, then toss a bag up, things jostling and clattering within like a parade of pots as it landed.

"This is unnatural," a voice rasped. Sayaka tried to place it, and failed. "What time is it even?"

"Dunno," Sayaka replied.

An irate, white haired head thrust itself into her view. "No. The answer is supposed to be I do know."

Sayaka blinked owlishly. She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen Keiko in full combat paraphernalia. Couldn't remember the last time she'd seen the resident hikkikomori-scientist at all, in fact. She looked, uh, surprisingly good. At some point during the last two years she'd evidently learned how to brush her hair, and even if it had gone prematurely and unnaturally white, it went well with the rest of her look. The enormous ruff of her furry red poncho thing dangled with the spades and clubs of card suits, complementing the black, fingerless gloves she wore.

If not for the fact that Keiko looked ready to wilt, her red, sunken eyes squinting behind the frames of her glasses, Sayaka would have thought her as a normal human being – or as close to normal as any one of them could get, anyway.

"Keiko-san," Yuma greeted, a yawn interrupting her halfway through her greeting. She grinned sleepily. "Good morning."

"Good crack of dawn more like," Keiko said, dropping down to sit. She took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes with her palms. "Where's Kyouko?"

"Late," Sayaka and Yuma informed her simultaneously, almost singsong.

Keiko groaned, spread her arms and fell down with an audible thump. "That is just - that is just typical. I have work to do, important work. She realizes this, yes? I can't just leave we're involved in something really interesting, Mami-"

An apple splattered against the albino girl's head. Literally splattered – Sayaka was looking at her and saw how it exploded, the skin splitting and the contents bursting with freshness like some sort of fruit drink commercial. The scientist meguca spluttered, spitting and wiping bits of runny apple from her glasses.

"Ow, what the sh-"

Another apple took the wind out of her, hitting her stomach and knocking her to the ground. The third was aimed for her head, but found itself sliced in half as Sayaka sheared through it in a single motion, standing protectively over the other two meguca as the halves spun away off her blade.

"What the hell?" Sayaka said, eyes scanning the rooftop. She'd heard from Kaoru that Kyouko was an unbelievably medieval coach, but this was aggressive, even for her.

Another apple - Sayaka batted it away.

"Kyouko, this is not cool."

"Ow!" Yuma cried.

Sayaka whirled, an apple had hit the young meguca too, somehow, thrown from Sayaka's blind spot and a completely different direction than the last one.

"Kyouko?" Sayaka growled. "Stop it."

Heavy boots tromped hit the ladder. "Stop wh... who the hell is wasting apples?"

Sayaka turned – that voice had come from behind her, from the rooftop's attic entrance. In her peripheral vision, she saw another apple appear out of thin air, a hand appearing low, just over the lip of the roof in order to throw it, but she'd been distracted, her stance was off, she wouldn't make it in time.

This time it was caught in a certain redhead's hand, just before it slammed into her cheek. Sayaka had to keep herself from yelping: five meters in an instant and she wasn't even a teleporter.

Kyouko looked at it, rubbed it against her sweater, and then nonchalantly took a bite out of it.

"You waste any more apples," she said, her mouth full of white appley chunks, "or hell, any food at all, and we are done. I will get Mami to boot y'all back to the woods you came from and la-dee-da, you take your chances with the rest of the trigger-happy losers."

"I second that motion," Keiko wheezed from the ground.

A girl appeared from just beyond the rooftop, slowly rising, her dark blond hair wind tousled. Sayaka tried not to notice how surprisingly pretty she was now that she'd had some food and rest and a shower. Wasn't this, uh, Yamakage-san? One of the Tokyo meguca?

Then Sayaka boggled as her brain caught up with her eyes: wait, was she flying?

"I'm sorry, it won't happen again," Yamakage Suzuko said contritely.

Another popped up from the other end of the roof, looking younger than she did, and outraged. Sayaka... honestly could not remember her name. Her brown twin tails waved in the wind. She was scowling like someone had personally offended her. "It took them two seconds to react. Two whole seconds. How the fuck are they still alive? I get the nerdmeister, but the little one didn't even take out her weapon yet. She should have died years ago-"

"Urako," Yamakage admonished. "Shut up. You are not helping."

"Oh fuck that," Urako snapped. "I bet the kid's like the oldest one among us, she can handle a little criticism-"

Yuma looked ready to cry. "I'm – I'm eleven."

Kyouko sighed. Sayaka turned to look at her: the redhead had covered her eyes with the palms of her hands.

"Shit. Sorry kid," Urako said, looking genuinely apologetic. "I, I thought-"

"Lord, lord, lord," Kyouko bit out, half prayer, half curse. She shook her head, put her arms down, and reached out towards Yuma. "Come here kiddo, I know that was scary, but you promised you'd be brave, right?"

Yuma nodded, swallowed, and then rushed to Kyouko's side, somehow ending up behind her, hiding everything except her head. Sayaka frowned: was that normal eleven year old behavior? Were they babying Yuma a little too much? Keiko was finally sitting up, groaning.

"And you two Tokyo idiots - get off those floating barriers. Cool idea; still magic. Someone gets all this on tape and we are screwed six ways to Sunday," Kyouko continued. She waved off the beginning of Urako's angry denial. "No, no, don't get your panties in a bunch, I get it, I did it on my own for a few years too, fought of all comers, had my own territory; and yeah, nobody here looks like they're ready for that, but you are going to have to. slow. the fuck. down. and. adapt. Things are different when you can't just disappear when things get inconvenient."

She paused for a second.

"Things are different when no one wants to fight. Trying to change all that is - it's not going to work real well. We're family, not an army. Think of them as - as your sisters, okay? Be patient. Be understanding. Be kind. And be ready to go nuclear on anyone who messes with your fam."

The two of them quickly hopped onto the roof, looking a little more nervous than before.

"Okay," said Kyouko. "I… I wanted to do something different today. I wanted to just talk, get everyone used to the idea that what Mami has created is pretty freaking special, and that this is not what the world actually looks like, but clearly that isn't going to work out. So here is what we are going to do. We are going to get off this roof. We are going to go to the basement. And me and Yuma here will team up against all y'all and play a little dodgeball. Let's see how well we do. Capische?" Kyouko said, smiling.

She looked relaxed and happy.

Shit, thought Sayaka.

"Understood," she said instead.

"Excellent!" Kyouko said, ushering them towards the ladder leading indoors. "I'm thinking of calling this little rumble Two Minute Terror. I'll be expecting some solid feedback here. What you thought I did well, what you thought I did less well, and how piss-in-the-pants scared you were. Here at Kyouko Training Corps we aim to deliver the best possible product."

Double shit, thought Sayaka. She's pissed.

"Can I go back to the lab?" Keiko said. She tried to unobtrusively hide the bag of tools she had brought up with her. "I'm running-"

"No." Kyouko said, smiling even more widely.

That stapled on smile followed her all the way to the basement.

The following hour was the opposite of fun.

----------------------

CoC: Miki Sayaka, Yuma, Keiko, Yamakage Suzuko, Segawa Urako, and Sakura Kyouko.
Time: Turn 29 (approximate)
Omake Notes: This was one of the original three omakes I had planned way back when (originally titled Two Minute Terror), and the only one I found in a text file. I hadn't finished, so I changed things up halfway, not describing the fight, and letting Kyouko be the voice of reason for once, and help show the influence of the Tokyo arrivals on anti-meguca training. I am pretty sure this is not canon compliant though, seeing as Kyouko is present, but it's always easier to write canon characters, at least for me.

As for the others The Four That Fell is so far missing despite me having written a solid chunk, and I don't entirely remember what I planned for Seto's backstory, boxing, I think? I'll probably just write new ones instead, because I was getting serious writer's block for The Four That Fell.

 

[inverted_helix]

Turn 29

​

You take in the Tokyo girls from the nomadic region, they're really insular to their group and you don't really try to break them up. They seem to have gone through so much that they're really just waiting for the other shoe to drop. You've heard they stand guard when one is using the shower and stagger when they eat a little even though they're obviously hungry.

Research
Tandem Casting, Basic
The results of your research into tandem casting aren't as useful as you had been hoping for. Simply pushing magic together wasn't enough, the magic from each source was always in conflict. Based off what Keiko was able to get from questioning Taya about the time she saw it in use Keiko was able to determine a way to mitigate the interference. She believes that the sort of dance that Taya observed was in fact a part of using their magic together. There's not usually any ritual needed for the magic of a girl's wish, but the ritualistic pattern they performed helped to synchronize their abilities to minimize the interference.

It's not perhaps what you were dreaming of, as it's significantly slower to use than normal magic, but in situations where you have time to prepare, it does offer options.

Improved Rotating Tactics.
Demon Hunting Diary: Bonus to demon research rolls
Despite making almost no progress at all last month there is a breakthrough this month in your research of demons adaptations. It appears that time of tactic change was mostly accurate just by chance before as they didn't discern much room for improvement there last month, but by further narrowing your tactics you can drive demon development towards narrower counters, at a cost of further hampering your own capabilities.

RT to .6 ratio +5% casualty rate; IRT .5 ratio +10% casualty rate.

Training
Your dispatch spends much of its time this month figuring out better ways to scan your territory, figuring out points to scan to cover the most territory for the least amount of time rather than just sweeping over the territory like a scout running around would except faster. With the time they spent on this though they aren't quite as effective at directing your hunters.

It's a good thing Kyouko and the new girls from Tokyo have a clue how to fight other magical girls, because your main crop of girls quite frankly suck at it. Practicing fighting each other rather than fighting together half the girls are too worried about hurting each other to really fight effectively. It's embarrassing when Kyouko can fight half a dozen girls and use one as a weapon to beat the other five. Literally.

She's really not helping her reputation.
+2% PvP effectiveness.


Diplomacy
You create a new position for keeping in touch with all the groups you've come in contact with already, and they don't quite piss anyone off, but you don't really get anything useful out of it yet either.

East
What you hear back from the girl you sent to area 17 is kind of disheartening in a way. There are four green magical girls with no real organization amongst them though they bumped into each other on a regular basis. She heard that there was also someone from another group courting them as well, but the girls she talked to were favoring her.
Areas 15 and 16 are very cagey about meeting at all, incredibly cautious and prone to any meeting being rather scary for the girl on your side.

You don't really learn much about them beyond both of these groups rarely showing up with less than 5 meguca at a time. You have reason to suspect they communicate with each other based off the responses being so similar, but they don't really give you much to go on. There didn't seem to be any girls shared between the groups you saw, but they limited those you saw. They're glad you haven't attacked them yet though.

Central
The introduction to the central group of the coalition goes well enough given the circumstances. They're quite cautious of you having only gotten their information from people who have had bad experiences with you before and were convinced on a mutual defense arrangement specifically with you in mind after all.

The overtures with the girl in area 2 fail; she has apparently joined the girls in area 1 entirely, beyond mere coalition. (Open relation is basically an automatic recruitment action when used on single person territories.)

You aren't too sure on how much internal structure the coalition actually has. You think it's mostly relegated to external matters being decided collectively. You send them a few emails regarding Nagoya, but you get the impression they don't really believe you about it.

West
Contact with the other group you suspect to be a lackey of Nagoya goes well enough. They have in fact entered into an agreement with Nagoya, but more recently and are a little more willing to talk about their own agreement, though they can't say whether it is representative as they think they negotiated fairly well. They think of it more in terms of a mutual defense treaty of sorts that they were a bit disadvantaged in.

Mostly it allows NM to call on them for forces in case of military need (no more than 3 days a month without additional approval) to assist in putting down super demons or other threats to regional safety. If that call isn't needed they are to provide 10% of their typical manpower for availability for other tasks, which is what they've had the time since they joined. Their own group can call for assistance from NM if anyone threatens them though so they consider a pretty good trade. NM's core combat unit is very powerful and offered them a demonstration which made it pretty clear that they could have been obliterated if need be rather than negotiated with.

There are also various services available through NM at pretty reasonable rates some things they could handle on their own, some they couldn't. They have a gym for magical girls offering a few basic classes and an underground firing range for ranged practice. Plus you can hire magic types if you need them. Or buy things through them you'd have trouble acquiring.

Overall they might have felt a bit pressured to join, but even if the NM can be awfully uptight, and swing by to check on them every once in a while, they aren't all that bad. Plus having them on their side means they don't really have to worry as much about fending off other girls. Which your representative guesses might be part of why they were so perfectly willing to meet her without the paranoia that's characterized other meetings.


Negotiations
Despite your misgivings about them; negotiations go well enough with the Nagoya group, for a certain value of well. The person you talk to over video call isn't their leader, but she seems to be quite experienced in the art of the deal. You trade attempts to dig for information rather ineffectually, though you do wonder a bit why she'd be interested given that much of what she's angling at could have been learned from when they interrogated your girls.

Most of what you offer is already known quite well to them. The idea of rotating tactics and the crop rotation technique to stabilize the swings in staffing that result from it is the only thing you have that they didn't know already.

They know they could develop the technique themselves from the idea even if it's not something they would have thought up themselves, but it would be easier and safer to simply get your notes on the subject. They seem in general more willing to trade in commodities than research, but you're unclear on whether that is simply them not wanting to give away knowledge, or because they lack it.

You have a certain amount of leeway in negotiations as to what you want.

50 points availabl:

50 Spell anchoring: You already understand magic lingering in an object and enhancing it, but they've developed the techniques for placing an effect into an object beyond the mere passive effects.
10 Welcome packet: Their more insular version of your recruitment pamphlets. This contains basic details on structure that the girls in the organization are expected to know, as well as some history but may be more propaganda than truth.
10 Information: How'd they interrogate soul gems anyways? (Keep in mind OOC vs IC on this)
2 (Stackable): One GCU
1 (Stackable): $2,000 cash

General
Hunting is just routine for your girls at this point. Seto admits that she has to range awfully far out to ensure that the demon strength level in the nomadic area drops down as much as desired though.

Your business ventures are pretty much stabilized right now, turning out their expected profits with no new developments. The biggest thing of note is Akeno attaching a bell to her bicycle and affecting a terrible Chinese accent for a few days. Sometimes no news is good news though.

Your typical team building day goes off as normal, though you're thinking you may need to come up with some better ideas since you're getting to be quite a large crowd.

Aiko says some of the jitters people had about her slightly marking down some people's grief cube allotments have settled, though there's still some uncertainty about it.

You start paying for maintenance on some of your old equipment this month; some of the bikes especially sorely need it and will be a long time in restoring. You also shuffle around money from the stipend into providing food bought in bulk at each of your residences available to everyone. It means a little less money for some of those that didn't need it, but better food and more money for those that do, and your girls are close enough to be understanding of that.

You also spend a bit more money on getting two more sets of armor this month. Though the PO box is now expiring.

One more green makes it to veteran this month, amazing how these days girls don't ever even see danger until they've had a year of gradual training. It used to be most girls died before they even developed their skills to that point.

Spirals were thankfully low this month, only a single spiral: one of the girls that Seto lead, a healer haunted by nightmares. Seto took care of her though and she came through it using 2 units of cubes.


Rumors
Incredible death rates to an unknown cause in Hong Kong have resulted in a quarantine of the island by Chinese authorities.

NM is building up stockpiles of battle materials again. Another assault on Tokyo region expected. Not that any of the previous have seemed to accomplish much. Hino of course claims that the lack of migrating Class 3s is itself the accomplishment.

It's said that Tokyo's current state arose from a dozen now defunct groups waging crippling wars against each other from which everyone lost and no one would work together. While Nagoya's state is from a similar situation from which the NM managed to pull together an alliance in the face of the sudden demon threat and which solidified thereafter.



Resources

• 4 (5) Elite Meguca: Mami (+20% persuasive), Kyouko (can act as if two Elites), Taya (Can fill role of two clairvoyant vets), Seto (Elite teleporter)
• 53 Veteran Meguca, 3 Green Meguca, 1 Associate
  • Upkeep: 21.5 Veteran, 3 Green, 1 Associate
    • Support/Training (8.5 Vet)
      • 3 vet demon finding training (+20% grief cubes)
      • 3 vets on dispatch service (+30% grief cubes additive with demon finding, -1% casualties)
      • 1.5 vet on telepathic communication (-2% pair hunting, -1% pack hunting)
      • 1 Veteran, Paperpushing
    • Jobs (13 Vet, 3 Green, 1 Associate)
      • 1 veteran (Hainako) Translation service
      • 7 veteran + 2 green working courier business (Minimum 3 vets)
      • 1 Akeno Delivery
      • 4 Vets (Akane), 1 Green, 1 Associate Restaurant
• Grief Cubes 57.7
• Money: $36,240
  • Expenses: $24,950
    • $1120 upkeep on cellphones (-2% solo hunting, -1% pair hunting)
    • $500 upkeep on cable
    • $2500 upkeep on apartments
    • $8000 upkeep on house
    • $6100 upkeep on stipend
    • $6100 upkeep on food
    • $610 upkeep on gear (bikes, shields, misc)
  • Income $29,000
    • Translator: +$3000 per turn
    • Courier Business, Mitakihara: +$9500 per turn
    • Courier Business, Kasamino: +$4500 per turn
    • Restaurant +$9000 per turn
    • Delivery +$3000 per turn
• Morale: [3 of 10] Morale picked up a bit this month with nothing new really hitting your group, there's a feeling that the worst might be past.
• Assets
  • Tiny household shrine: Somewhat reduces losses to morale from deaths. (Bonus Increased by omake)
  • Shields: -3% Casualties
  • Basic General Combat Training: -2% Casualties (May decay with losses or recruitment).
  • Basic Solo Combat Training: -1% Pack Hunting, -2% pair hunting, -3% Solo Hunting
  • Defending Others Training: -2% Pair Hunting, -1% Pack Hunting
  • Pack Tactics Training: -4% pack hunting, -2% pair hunting
  • PvP training: Still terrible, but slightly less so +2% PvP effectiveness
  • 61 Bicycles (Mobility Bonus)
  • 20 Bulletproof vest (-2% casualty)
  • 19.8? Sets of Kevlar Clothing (-4% casualty)
  • 3 Sets of Leather (-2% casualty)
  • 9 sets hardened leather (-3% casualty)
  • Housing (60/73)
    • Apartments (20 capacity)
    • House (50 capacity)
    • Mami's Apartment (HQ of sorts) (Can be traded for $1200 per turn)
• Territory
  • Urban
    • North
      • Demon Status: Average 0
      • Sustainable Harvest: 37
    • South
      • Demon Status: Strong 9.9
      • Sustainable Harvest: 28
  • Rural
    • Demon Status: Average +0
    • Sustainable Harvest: 7

________________________________________________________________________________________

I'll put up rumors later. I have an idea of what I want to convey but not a suitable way yet to distort it. (Because the fun of rumors is giving you information without making it too clear the dividers between fact and fiction.)

A quiet turn this time. Decided for pvp training what I'd do is just giving you a gradually stacking bonus each time you do it up to some yet to be decided cap.

Rushed a little because been playing a lot of Xcom 2 this week but really wanted to get this out on schedule anyways.

 

[FixerUpper]

Tokyo Nomads - Mootori Manami

Manami stared at the screen of her new phone.

Spoiler

It was cheap. Really cheap. The light didn't reflect quite right on the fiberglass screen, the plastic casing was brittle, and turning it on took, well, she'd have sworn she'd been staring at the loading screen for the past minute. 'Slow' was putting it generously. It was the sort of phone you could take off the shelf without even having to unlock the display case.

But they'd just given it to her. For free.

She turned it around, letting the light from the loading screen play out against the darkened laminate wood floors. In the day it'd go back to looking as scratched and used as ever, but past the witching hour it was sublime, thick with shadows and dark corners and theirs.

The four of them had gone from breaking into houses and sleeping in ditches to having a roof over their heads. A basic human right, restored, and the Serene treated it like no big deal, something everyone deserved just for existing instead of a reward to be taken away at the first hint of defiance.

And the strange thing was, Manami honestly couldn't imagine what form that defiance would take.

She could tell. People were happy - maybe not ecstatically so, that would be creepy - but in a very normal, human way, but more than any meguca could reasonably expect. And no wonder, according to Tomoe-san, you didn't have to fight. So long as you contributed somehow, they'd help you. The idea made her head spin, made her almost giddy with a white-knuckled, guilty sort of relief whenever she thought about it.

She didn't have to fight anymore.

Surely it couldn't be that easy, surely there was a catch somewhere, but---!

She let her thoughts settle down as she continued to examine the room.

The room wasn't big, but wasn't that small either - four and a half mats for four girls - but this was just the living room. Long shadows fled her phone's light as she continued to let it wander past the clock, to the television, to the small coffee table, to the window with its improbable pot of yellow daffodils. A housewarming gift from the little girl named Yuma.

She flipped the phone back towards herself, and tried to keep the smile from breaking out across her face. It was all so unlikely, all so much. Despite what Urako had said about her naivety, she really did keep waiting for the other shoe to drop, for the punchline to the joke to rear its nasty head.

But then Tomoe-san had, very gently, but also very insistently, asked them if they wanted to go back to school and that was when Manami knew that if all this were a lie it was the sort of lie that Tomoe-san would die to make the truth.

The girl had a weakness. One so glaring and so unlikely that she doubted anyone had tried to take advantage of it yet.

Tomoe-san wanted them to have a real life. Wanted all of them to have a real life.

Every single one.

Tens of thousands of meguca, maybe all meguca, had that small, simple dream buried somewhere deep inside their hearts, but here and now, one of them was making it true with all her power.

Tokyo might still crush that dream, but in the meantime, in the meantime-!

She tapped the top of her phone to her forehead, trying not to tear up.

The world still had heroes.

It really was right to hope.

She wiped her eyes, then her nose. The screen had finally lit up. A cute mascot character of indeterminable animal origin danced across the screen.

It took a moment to remember the password for the wifi, fumbled it twice. The password to her old LINE account was even harder to remember but in the end she got there.

She couldn't have opened the phone up earlier. Not one of her little broken family had taken theirs out yet. They didn't understand. They thought Tomoe-san was dangerous. Either because she was an evil mastermind, or because she was a saint. All of them had left their phones in the boxes without even bothering to take them out.

She'd left it there too, but this late at night, she doubted anyone would notice.

All her contacts were grayed out, offline or busy. She carefully blocked every single one. A missing girl from Tokyo wasn't allowed to come back from the dead.

One though - one she really did want to talk to.

Even though she knew she'd never get an answer back.

-.-.-.-.-

User [MootoriM] started chatting with User [Yasuhiro-San].

Your contact is offline. They will receive your message when they sign-in.

Yasuhiro-sempai?
You were right.
There's always room for hope.

===============================

CoC: Mootori Manami
Time: between Turns 28 and 29
Author's Notes: Despite how short this was, it took a lot of time! I kept scratching my head and re-writing which is usually a bad sign, but this time it felt constructive, like I was exploring various possible reactions and each option I crossed out was building up to something better, so I hope you like it all the same. :3

Spoiler: picture

From left to right
Yasuhiro Sae
Isozaki Kaiya
Motoori Manami
Segawa Urako
Yamakage Suzuko