[X] See Hose at the School Dojo. The Martial Arts Club is still closed, but he says that something is going on.
[X] Help Yamato keep his promise. You've got two more people to meet. Let's go.
Shall both be written in a separate post.
[X] Bilingual: You can speak and read not one, but TWO Languages! That'll go great on your Resume! (+10 to all English Checks: Will always get above 50 on your English Exams; Can speak and read English]
It's amazing how much can change in a week. Before now you hardly knew a single thing about English. The foreign language was on par with a bunch of intelligible scribbles to you. You could hardly tell what the different letters were supposed to sound like.
But now?
Now, not only can you read the language, you can speak it!
Well....kind of.
You're nowhere near an expert. Even your bro's not good enough to pull that off for you. All he really does is help you pronounce sentences out loud, and then use them in conversations. He's actually pretty good at it. To the point where you start to question if he really can't speak English. Which he confirms he can't, he's just reading off sentences from various assignments he's completed.
Still, least you won't be caught off guard in class now! Can't wait to see the looks on your teacher's faces when they see how much you've learned over the break.
Bilingual Perk Obtained!
[X] Spend Time with Yato
"So, Yato," you shift on your bed until you're lying on your back to better see the manga you're reading.
"Yes, Lord Hayato?"
"What exactly will your 'mind link' idea do?"
"It will link our minds together and allow you to see into my memories."
"Yeah, I figured that. But can you give me some specifics?"
Your Partner is silent for a few moments. Then he answers in an unsure tone, "I...I am afraid I can't. As I said, I am unsure of exactly what the melding will entail other than linking our minds and souls together."
"And nothing else comes to mind as far as it's concerned?"
"I am afraid not, my Lord."
"...Alright then," you shrug and turn over onto your side, "No big deal. I'll figure it all out when the time comes."
"...Your confidence in me is extremely appreciated. I promise to repay it someday."
"Pretty sure you did that back when you helped me get through that riot, but if you say so."
Silence permeates your room for a bit. Then you ask Yato with a smile, "Soooo....what do you think of Ritsuko?"
"Based on her mannerisms, she is extremely atypical in terms of the expected attitude of females of my time," he says with no tact whatsoever.
You roll your eyes, "Yeah, I know. But what-"
"And thus the reason why I believe she is a good match for you."
Your words die in your throat as you jump to your feet, "What?!"
"My Lord, any who would choose to become your romantic partner must be able to defend themselves should the need arise. This is a requirement considering our current situation, combined with your personality, will lead to us having multiple violent confrontations."
You go silent again, staring at your arms in complete shock. You...didn't expect that to be Yato's reasoning behind his words. You mean, you kind of knew it had to do with Ritsuko's fighting ability, but not like that.
"Huh. That's a surprising answer, Yato."
"Contrary to what the fox may believe, I am far from a simple brute."
"I guess so."
[Yato's Relationship Points increased by 5]
"Hayato, before we go to meet with Noki, I have something I wish to show you."
You stop at the door that leads out of your dorm room.. You shrug in response, "Sure thing, Yamato." You start to turn to give him your attention, "What do yo-"
You stop in place.
Your blood runs cold.
As the first thing you see is him holding Yameko's limp, lifeless body in his bloodied arms.
"I seem to have made a mistake," Yamato says as he lifts up the pale body of his Partner, "I appear to have...broken Yameko, for lack of a better term. What do you suppose we do with her now?"
You feel the world stop. You take long, slow steps towards Yamato. As you try to figure out the right thing to say, you place trembling hands on his shoulders and look into his emotionless eyes. You think that's what gets you the most. He had spent a month with this girl, helped her reunite with her friend and cousin, Bonded with her, and overall seemed to be getting along with her.
Now, here he is, standing with her dead in his arms. Him seemingly the killer.
And there's is no reaction on his face.
No grief, no guilt, not even a manic smile nor eyes filled with madness.
Just a blank emotionless stare.
You take a deep breath in a failed attempt to calm yourself down, "Ok...Yam. Tell me what happened. And we'll figure this out. Ok?"
Your brother is silent for way longer than is comfortable. Then, he looks down at Yameko's body and says, "It worked. You can stop acting now."
Oh no, it's worse than you thought.
"Yamato....I know it's hard but...you know she's-"
"She is fine, Hayato," Yamato tells you with the same emotionless expression, "We were merely testing out my new skills."
"And it went perfectly."
You look down at Yameko and do a double take. The kitsune, originally still and pale as a corpse, was now back to normal with her tails and arms wrapping themselves around Yamato's neck. One mischievous eye looks up at you as she speaks, "Apologies, Hayato-sama. But you know the saying. 'If you can fool your friends-'"
"You can fool your enemies," Yamato finishes for her as you back up and release his shoulders, "I, too, apologize, brother. Judging by your reaction, I affected you with severe anxiety and worry. I will submit myself to whatever punishment you deem fitting."
You feel your heartbeat slow as you step back. An involuntary sigh of relief leaves your lips. Then you respond, "Well, not gonna do that. But next time, warn me when you're gonna have Yameko use illusion magic or something on me."
"That was no illusion."
You pause to digest that answer. Then you ask, "What?"
"That was no illusion, brother," Yamato repeats, "Merely acting and misdirection."
"But...the blood on your arms-"
"Ketchup," Yameko runs her finger through the dripping liquid and then puts the appendage in her mouth.
"We obtained it from the kitchen. There are plenty of packets from your last visit to a fast food restaurant," Yamato says as he does the same.
"But Yameko was pale and limp-"
"A trifling thing to accomplish for a kitsune," Yameko, once again, proves this through shifting her skin color from pink to gray, and making her tails go limp at will.
"Uh....I....Yato?"
"They....speak the truth, my Lord," he answers with clear shock and surprise in his voice, "I sensed nothing. And if it was truly supernatural in nature, I would've informed you long before now."
"...Holy shit, bro," that's really all you can say. Damn.
"Thank you, Hayato. I promise to use these new abilities sparingly and wisely. Now, let us be on our way," he mimes for Yameko to leave his arms. She, reluctantly, does so but not before pulling wipes out of her pockets to clean his arms off.
...You make a mental note to never play poker with your brother.
[Yamato's Trickery has reached 102!]
So, those 3 AP Yamato used? He decided to take a page outta your book and fast track a Skill. He chose Trickery and worked with Yameko to pull this off.
I then proceeded to do the math and...well:
Yamato got 4 points from training.
Yameko gives him +10 from her Relationship, and +4 from her helping him.
So that's: 14 + 4 = 18.
18 x 2.5 = 45.
57 + 45 = 102.
6. Visiting towns and interacting with others will generally be done during weekends, though weekends can also be used for training with a multiplier of 2.5.
The above quote is from the first Character Creation Threadmark if you want to be sure. And I know it's right, cause I straight Copy/Pasted that from AGG: Eastern Rhapsody.
18 X 2.5 = 45.
He already has 57 Trickery.
....Yeah, this surprised me too. Then again, he is the protagonist.
Note: If I did any of this wrong please let me know. Math is not my strong suit and I want to be sure I'm being fair.
Other than that, I hope the above scene did a good job of showing off that level of Trickery.
Edit: Redid the math. Think I got it right this time.