You're honestly not sure what to do at first, with the only reasonable courses of action that come to mind being talking to Nel or talking to Midori. The former would probably be more productive, but after yesterday you're not feeling keen on any more exposition… So Midori it is; even if you're not sure what you'll talk about, at least she might be able to help you figure it out.
After another quick breakfast downstairs, you attempt to make your exit by passing through the front door, which quickly fails. You may have figured out your magical girl abilities last night, but it seems the ghost end of things still needs work. Thinking back to what Death told you last night, you frown in frustration; how can you do something by not thinking about doing it? Nonsense. Still, instead of walking headlong into a solid object for hours, you once again resort to clumsily clambering out a window.
Yesterday, when you went to the school, the average surroundings of your neighborhood had felt uncomfortable after the strangeness of everything else occurring. This time, though, you revel in the normality, enjoying the bright sunlight, familiar houses, and lack of anything happening. The walk goes quickly like this, perhaps even a little too much so, and soon enough you find yourself approaching the school's front doors again. Think about something without thinking about it, huh? You decide to put that to the test…
Oh wait, no, one of the teachers is coming around the side of the building, rolling his eyes as he tosses a pack full of cigarettes in a nearby trash bin. "One of these days," He mutters irritably as he pushes the door open; taking advantage of the opportunity, you slip in behind him, just narrowly avoiding brushing against him as you do so.
It seems you've arrived in the middle of lunch period this time; a few students are dotting the halls, some armed with brown bags and bentos, others making their way to the cafeteria. It doesn't take you long to make your way up to the roof, (thankfully the door at the top of the stairwell is already propped open) and sure enough Midori is there - albeit with the members of the Botany club also present this time; some also eating, while others already have their hands in the dirt. Midori is seated near the stairwell away from everyone else, but you definitely can't transform to talk like last time.
Instead, you simply take a seat on the bench next to her, and gently tap her shoulder. She glances up sharply with a venomous expression, but after a moment of confusion, she relaxes and slumps back down again. "You here? Write on my back." she whispers out the corner of her mouth. One of the club members shoots her a curious glance, but she just smiles easily. "Nothing, nothing! I was just enjoying my food, please don't mind me." She picks up a bit of noodle to illustrate, and the boy just shrugs and turns back to his weeding.
Suppressing an amused giggle, you do as instructed, tracing out a quick message;
I'm here. Let's talk somewhere else. Nodding in agreement, she quickly packs up her bento again, before standing up with a long stretch, and makes her way toward the staircase. You follow close behind as she makes her way down to the fourth-floor hallway, striding slowly but purposefully as she glances through windows in search of an empty classroom. However, she comes to an abrupt halt, making you bump into her back before you can stop yourself; glancing over, you realize your reflection is showing in the glass. Right. You give a quick, shy wave, and she smiles wistfully. (The boy and girl eating inside give her a confused glance, and she quickly shakes her head and moves on.)
It doesn't take long to find an unused spot, and she holds the door open to let you in before locking it behind her. "Don't transform," she says, "Remember, Nel didn't want you doing that here." Instead, she pulls her class notebook and a pencil from her pack, tossing them on a desk before flipping it open to the back page. "You can write on this. What's up?" Dragging another desk around front of it so they're facing each other, she opens up her bento again, apparently not one to let a ghostly visitation interrupt her meal.
Taking a seat, you pick up the pencil and put it to the page, before hesitating. You didn't have much of a plan in coming here, and now you're not really sure what to say. After a long moment, you finally just scratch something out.
Nothing much. Wanted to ask if anything else has happened.
She shrugs, leaning her head back as she sips another noodle. "I've just been here like normal. Can't really do anything yet with school and all, and nothing else urgent has come up… Though, wait, there was this!" Digging around in her pack again, she produces a small envelope. "Nelchael did visit me this morning, and asked me to give you this if you decide to come to me first." She pushes that over to you, before glancing down shyly. "I mean, I'm assuming you're talking to me first, right?"
I am. Thank you for the letter. You write out, deciding not to comment on her blush; instead turning your attention over to the envelope. Ripping open the top and turning it over, a short note and two photos fall out. With Midori trying not to look like she's looking over curiously, You start with the note, obligingly laying it out flat to read together.
This is NelchaeΓ. I didn't want to disturb you last night, as you were already asleep, so I'm giving this to Kazane-san to pass along. Since there don't seem to be any emergencies for the time being, I wanted to ask for a favor from you, if at all possible. Attached are two photos, taken at the same time, in different parts of the city.
Turning the photographs upright, you examine them curiously. The first appears to have been taken from some bushes by the side of a road, focused in on a man in a clean-cut suit crossing the nearby intersection. It appears to be not too far from downtown; the buildings in the background are clearly on the older side, mostly brick-built, but still several stories each. The other photo is of a construction crew assembled together, smiling proudly by the front entrance of what must be a recently-completed building, with the southeastern lake visible behind them on the other side. A member of the crew has been circled in red; comparing it with the first, it doesn't take long to realize the two men are virtually identical, with only a strand or two of hair out of place. You cast a significant glance over at Midori - only to realize she can't see you, and is still looking at the pictures with a slight frown. You turn back to the letter.
One photo is of Nomura Yuudai, a man who moved up here from a small town all the way down in Okinawa approximately a decade ago, and has been working as a foreman to support a wife and child. The other is of Sakamoto Takuya, a small bookshop owner who lives with his sister; the two moved here from Tokyo about three years ago. Both have complete records and family histories as far as we can tell, and no relation to one-another, but their similarity is suspicious; one in several cases we've noticed of apparent clones arriving here.
If you are willing, I would appreciate if you could spend the day tailing one of them; given your invisibility as a ghost, you are in a unique position to spy on their daily activities and report anything suspicious. If so, I will leave the question of which to follow up to you, but I would recommend Sakamoto as the more recent arrival of the two.
I understand if such a course of action bothers you, however; humans tend to be prickly about privacy, so you certainly may choose to turn down this mission. Either way, I will be gathering you, Kazane-san, Varma-san, and Shimizu-san this evening, to speak to Sakamoto Takuya directly and try to assess him that way. Any additional insight you may be able to offer beforehand would be appreciated, but it is by no means mandatory. If you do accept, simply summon me, and I can send you where you need.
-MichacaxiΞoatl~NelchaeΓ
Leaning back in your seat, you glance over the photos again, then over at Midori. "Well, it's definitely something," she remarks, looking a bit irritable. "So we're all going to talk to this man tonight? Gonna have to explain what I'm doing out late again…"
After a bit of hesitation, you write in the notepad again;
Inconvenient as it may be, at least we aren't fighting another monster.
"That is true," she agrees, glancing down at her side; you find yourself wondering if the bruise has healed any. Looking up at the clock, then over at you, she tilts her head questioningly. "I should finish eating before the period ends, don't want to be late to my next class. What about you? Are you going to go with this?" You look down at the letter contemplatively, recalling Death's task for you from last night, and weighing your obligations.
What Will You Do?
> Accept (You can spy now, meet up with the others later, and then take care of that poltergeist tonight.)
-> And spy on Nomura Yuudai (He's the better-established of the two and the less obvious choice, but you may still glean something from watching him.)
-> And spy on Sakamoto Takuya (He's a much more recent arrival, and Nel clearly finds him more suspicious. If nothing else, it may make the questioning later go more smoothly.)
> Refuse (The idea of spying on someone like this does bother you a bit, and you have other things to do.)
-> And go to the Library (You want to look into the dead student still… even if it means facing the place where you died in the process.)
-> And go to Mittsutakaihashi (May as well get the Poltergeist out of the way as soon as possible, and hope you can get back in time for the questioning…)
-> Write-In
happy for the update!
