[X] "No" and hang up (Iris-Iven-Ibis write-in)
Were this a corded phone Koyomi would've slammed it down hard. But as doing so with a modern phone would risk shattering it to pieces, instead she just scowled as she hung up.
Whatever. YamahiPro might take some more digging up, but it shouldn't be that hard to find info on just Narcissus without the slightest help from RUNE, she thought.
Before doing so, she checked up on Maimi first, that imitation Frost Fair icicle luckily having melted away by now. The hole it had left in her wing however wouldn't be so simply dealt with. Living at the edge of the woods, Koyomi had picked up some basic First Aid know-how, but nothing on this level. She took it Hinodeharu had at least one vet, not having had any opportunity to find one till now, as Maimi, who normally went the 'tough it out' route, would kick up a ruckus at any further reminder that she was stuck as an animal. For the moment Koyomi feebly made do with applying disinfectant around the wound. If only Maimi hadn't tried to charge Hibiki, she could've come in real useful right now as an eye in the sky to track the fleeing Idols.
What was visible through the wound were the maidenstears roots and stems that snaked their way beneath Maimi's feathers and through her nervous system. One of the less pretty and more 'open secret' parts of being a Hanazakari was how their bodies were fused with their respective flower upon anointing, with a Hanazakari's Regalia not simply being a magic costume but their half-floral physiology rising to the surface.
I guess Miyako knows this already, huh? Koyomi couldn't help but think back to her, even if knowing it and actually seeing it were two different things. Koyomi and most Hanazakari she knew had had the luck to be warned by their Dandelionhearts of this physiology shift before accepting their anointing... but was every Hanazakari so lucky?
Point was, at least this was indisputable proof that Maimi was still a Hanazakari, human or not.
After that, she approached Vasilisa slumped down in her wheelchair on her porch. As was typical with transformations, she looked a lot less glamourous out of Hanazakari form, her space jumpsuit less Raygun Gothic and more crumpled work clothes, her hair less stylishly retro-coiffed and more a greasy mess. Since the cosmonaut had gotten this whole stupid tournament ball rolling, Koyomi was hardly in the mood for gentility when she approached her. And yet Vasilisa's drooping eyes and saggy face reflected barely any hostility back, with her instead saying in what Japanese she'd picked up, "I'm sorry."
Sorry won't cut it, was Koyomi's first inclination to say, her fist even clenching. But she then breathed out and let go, as she figured even with how many reasons she had to be furious at Vasilisa right now, what good would lashing out actually accomplish? Koyomi not able to say anything back in Russian without going through the effort of transforming again, other than what she could maybe fudge from what she knew of Polish, so she settled for nodding in return, putting her hand on her shoulder, and saying "I know" in her own tongue.
There was little she could do for the doll-ified Emi right now apart from put her someplace where she was unlikely to be knocked down. Hibiki's victims sorted, Koyomi then headed out into town, still not for a second planning to let YamahiPro just waltz away with Sfira, no matter how humiliating that defeat.
The instant she reached downtown and found somewhere with a faster Wi-Fi signal, Koyomi began scouring the web for any info on Chigusa Kagamino... and found nothing much she hadn't already worked out. She was an Idol mostly linked with YamahiPro being a singer first then actress, was meant to be in her forties but looked much younger (Koyomi twitching at the reminder her own fortieth birthday was just around the corner) which helped her maintain relevance unlike Hibiki, and could make clones of herself.
Most of the coverage on her was either positive or professionally neutral, anything more critical being either tabloid gossip or raving anti-fans prying into whether or not she had a boyfriend. At over forty. A few posters said it'd be cool if she had a girlfriend though, but likely less due to gay rights and more because lesbians 'weren't a threat' somehow.
One upside to being a 'serious' literary author, it occurred to Koyomi, was that nobody gave a damn about the existence of her love life.
No, instead I get slagged for being too gloomy or too incomprehensible, while the boys in my circle get off scot-free, or genre authors trash me on social media to score points, her thoughts went way off on a tangent.
Anyway, Koyomi at least dug up two useful facts on Chigusa. First was her main residence being public knowledge, an old manor in the west in the Kiso to Takayama area, naturally with sturdy iron gates in front. A little out of the way given Chigusa's line of work, but travel was likely no object for one of her fame. Much closer than the nearest YamahiPro base down in Osaka too, so Koyomi now knew where to set her sights. The other was those clones of her earlier looked identical to her photographs, even clearly filtered ones, and posters, to some of her
drawn posters no less. A few of both were from decades back now to boot.
Still, would help to get some dirt on Chigusa from someone in person. Koyomi immediately thought of Miyako, but then sighed.
I know, I was way too quick to dismiss her, but I can't go back to her so soon... she thought in the clutches of shame. Calling Palmira also came to mind, but unless they'd had reason to investigate Chigusa before, they'd likely take a while she didn't have. But then she thought of a third someone, right here in town.
"Welcome, dear watchers, to a world of wonder and imaginat- Oh, it's you. What do you want?" Reiji said as he realised Koyomi of all people had come to visit mid-sentence. He was presently half-dressed in what had to be the most pint-sized kaiju costume ever, holding a script in one hand and a stage light in the other. "Please let it not be another cult, I'll just stage Lovecraft if I have to have one of those."
"I need you to tell me everything about one Kagamino Chigusa you can. Figured you'd have knowledge of her," Koyomi said without hesitation, standing in the theatre doorway.
"Really,
her?" Reiji had to ask; he would've folded his arms if he could. "Another singer who mistakenly thinks she can automatically act, and aggravatingly famous enough to keep getting roles despite all the evidence against her. But what wouldst you expect from a Hanazakari?" he said, as if Hibiki Izumi was somehow an exception. "Absolutely cannot believe she's in her forties," he said, having the dignity to not make any cracks about plastic surgery.
He also had the dignity to not say a word about any potential boyfriend of hers, suggesting his judgment wasn't completely clouded. Still, Koyomi needed more info, and knew just which vein to tap. "Any word on how she feels about Izumi Hibiki and vice-versa? My research turned up that they've been in some of the same projects together," she asked.
"Ah, Hibiki-chan, er, Izumi-sama has been nothing but polite about Kagamino in interviews, as is befitting one of her calibre. Any complaints, which I imagine must be quite a few, or age-related jealousy, if such even exists, she's kept to herself. No surprise that someone like Kagamino has had far less decorum in return, 'playfully' insulting Hibiki-sama's looks any chance she gets," Reiji said starting to fume, before he had to ask, "Er, why the interest? What, don't tell me Kagamino's been cast in one of your books' adaptations or something?"
"Oh no, nothing like that," Koyomi said, her face lighting up for once, before she grew stern again. "Kagamino's no less than kidnapped Sfira on YamahiPro's orders, and I thought Izumi could help me deal with her." She stayed quiet on Hibiki being Chigusa's accomplice, not needing to deal with Reiji's possible reaction to that. But Hibiki helping her, however intentionally, take down Chigusa was no lie, at least it wouldn't be if Koyomi could pull off her new plan.
"Wait, kidnapped Sfira?!" Reiji gasped.
"It's nothing I can't handle," Koyomi said a little too pre-emptively. "And
technically Sfira went willingly, even though they absolutely shouldn't have, due to... reasons. Look, it's nothing you need to be concerned about." Not like being told that made Reiji relax any more.
"Hey look," Reiji then asked, "Between whatever happened at the RUNE base, Sekigahara, that cult, and now this... does there always have to be
something up with you?"
At first, Koyomi didn't know what to even say to that, but then it came to her. "Ashamed as I am to admit it, I think part of me prefers it that way. If evil is afoot, at least I know for certain I'm right that something's gone wrong. It's the quiet moments, where in Schrodinger fashion I don't know if there's danger lurking or not, that really get to me. I'll take certainty whenever I can get it," she managed to say.
"...I see," said Reiji, who had mostly only heard such talk when people were analysis the horror genre. "Hey, at least do me a favour and don't rope in Kazuya again this time round."
Koyomi nodded, said "Thanks", and that was that.
Her next stop was Hinodeharu's dusty old train station where she'd commence her pursuit the two Idols... only to find Emi, Vasilisa, and Maimi all tailing her.
"Arisugawa-sama, wait!" Emi called; Freesia's imitated Cultivar seemingly less long-lasting than the real thing. "I knew you'd never just let Sfira be taken, but please! I-I really don't want to use my Cultivar, but I just can't let you go alone!"
Vasilisa promptly nodded as she came up the awkwardly placed ramp. "What happened, my responsibility," she had the lexicon to say.
And Maimi defiantly flapped and strutted proudly, even if the wound in her wing was still clearly there.
"Really, you don't..." Koyomi began, faced with the choice of who if any to take.
Team set-up:
[ ] All three.
[ ] Emi and Vasilisa.
[ ] Emi and Maimi.
[ ] Vasilisa and Maimi.
[ ] Just Emi.
[ ] Just Vasilisa.
[ ] Just Maimi.
[ ] None of them, Koyomi would do this alone.
As for how they'd break into Chigusa's mansion:
[ ] Climbing over the gates.
[ ] Impersonating YamahiPro at the door.
[ ] Impersonating RUNE at the door.
[ ] Ambushing Chigusa and/or Hibiki when they came out.
[ ] Improvising something when they got there.
[ ] Write-in
