Day 9 Chapter 5
- Location
- Around here
[X] Alibis and Exercise
You and Hitomi stay on the roof for lunch, opting not to rejoin your other friends in the cafeteria. You miss Madoka, but staying up here with Hitomi gives her and Saber a chance to interact organically, to build their relationship the same way your other teammates had the chance to build theirs.
Unfortunately, "Once again, master, I think it would be in your best interest to tell them eventually," the interaction between Hitomi and her servant always seems to loop around to Saber's dislike of Hitomi hiding her status as a mage and master from her parents. "Though I understand why you don't, I still believe it is unfair to keep your parents in the dark about your activities." Often times, to the point where they're even saying the same things - and using the same exacts words, too - that they've already said.
"Believe me, Saber, I hate having to lie to my parents," Hitomi says. "But it's better than the alternative. Tohsaka-san took a big risk sticking her neck out for Mitakihara a year and a half ago, and ever since then the Mage's Association has had their eye on things. If they were to find out that I'd told my parents about what I'm doing... I just can't risk it. They're strict, and we don't always see eye to eye anymore, but I still love them, and I'd hate to see anything happen to them because of me."
Saber sighs, hanging his head until his gaze meets Hitomi's. "But you can't lie to them forever," he says. "Sooner or later, the truth will always come out; and when it does, I believe it would be better for everyone involved if you were the one controlling what your parents learned, instead of something else thrusting the truth upon them."
"If you'd like, I could help you come up with alibis," you offer. "It's not a perfect solution, but I don't mind helping out if you need it." Hitomi's parents are sure to already disapprove of you, given that you're a lesbian. What's one more reason for them to dislike you going to hurt?
Your proposal causes Hitomi to raise an eyebrow in your direction, and she asks "You'll help me lie to my parents?"
"If that's what it takes to keep your parents safe," you respond. You've had plenty of experience lying in previous timelines; to Madoka, to your friends, to your allies; to yourself. "I'm sure I can come up with plenty of study sessions and social gathering to drag you away to. Want to hang out at all hours of the night? Want to go exploring parts of the city you haven't been to? I'm willing to drag you along wherever you don't want to but where your friend's given you no choice in the matter."
You have no idea how convincing of a sales pitch you've just made - you can be a convincing liar, but the jury's still out on how convincing of an actor you think you can be - so when you see Hitomi's lips turn up into a smile, you know you've succeeded. "Why Akemi-san, it sounds like you're proposing to play the villain."
"I don't know if I'd go so far as to call myself the villain," you say. "But I can still be a partner in crime, if you'd like my help."
Hitomi smile doesn't fade as she says "I'll have to give it some consideration. If I lie to my parents it's one thing, but I'll need some time to consider how I feel about one of my friends lying to my parents for me."
"I understand," you say. "I'll give you as much time as you need to think about it. Now, on another note, I think Oriko and I are pretty close to a breakthrough..."
"However, if you'll excuse my teasing, I'd like to hear what you've been up to recently, since I've been too busy to hang out."
Your absence in the lives of your friends continues to eat at you all throughout archery practice; and oh, how you wish today weren't Thursday. You don't dislike archery practice - you wouldn't have stuck with the archery club if you disliked it - but you wish today were a Friday instead. Then, you wouldn't have club practice, which means you could have gone straight from classes to hanging out with your friends. Minus Madoka. Madoka has one of her clubs on Fridays, and you already got out of hanging out with your friends once because you didn't want to make Madoka feel like she had missed out. That was a terrible excuse and you know it. They're your friends too. You're sure Madoka would agree that you have a right to see them without her.
"Hey Homura, what's up?"
For lack of a better hanging-out partner, and because of all your friends you've seen her the least recently, your fingers decided to dial Sayaka's number when you reached for your phone. "I just got out of club practice, and I was wondering if you wanted to hang out for a while, once I got home."
"Sure, that sounds fun. Did you have anything in mind?"
"Not particularly, no. But I'm open to suggestion, if you've got anything in mind."
You shouldn't have said it like that, because you can just imagine the devious grin on Sayaka's face now that she's learned she has free reign to decide what you do this evening. "Hm... You know, I think I've got an idea." Why does that thought fill you with dread? That's right; because Miki Sayaka and ideas usually don't go well together. "Meet me at the train station. Don't bother picking me up."
"Are you sure?" you ask, wondering what Sayaka might have in mind. She wouldn't tell you to meet her at the train station if she were thinking of going to the mall, would she?
"Yeah. Just you wait, Homura. We're gonna have a lot of fun, I promise."
You have your doubts, those nagging fears in the back of your mind that maybe, just maybe, letting Sayaka pick was a bad idea. But upon seeing Sayaka at the train station, with a baseball bat hanging over her shoulder, you have no doubts. You have nothing. "Hey, took you long enough!" Sayaka calls out as she waves you over. "You ready?"
"To... Go mug somebody?"
You're glad Sayaka took your comment for the joke it was meant to be. "No, silly," she says, clapping you on the back once she's finished laughing. "We're going to the batting cages. Come on, it'll be fun!"
This is... Actually kind of fun, you find yourself thinking after a few minutes in the batting cage. You'll have to remember to thank Sayaka when you're done here. You're probably cheating, using your enhanced vision to spot the trajectory of the ball as it's shot towards you. You miss. Maybe it's not cheating after all. You still have yet to hit a single ball on your own, even with all your puella magi advantages.
You hear the crack of ball hitting bat, as Sayaka scores another would-be home run. "You're doing it all wrong, Homura!" she comments upon seeing your technique. The buzzer sounds, and before you know it, Sayaka has hit another would-be home run. "You've got to loosen up. You're not swinging a broadsword."
"Cutlass, actually."
"Come again?"
"The only experience I have with swinging anything, is watching past versions of you swinging a cutlass as a puella magi."
"Oh." Sayaka cracks another would-be home run. "Well, try to mimic an... I dunno, a more gentle version of past me," she says. "You're swinging a baseball bat, not a sword. You're not trying to murder the ball; precision matters a lot more than how hard your swings do. Then again..." You really, and you mean really hate when you see that grin on Sayaka's face. Channeling the you who was channeling Sayaka, she reels her bat back, and with a mighty cry of "Excalibur!" that would leave Archer proud, Sayaka swings at the incoming ball with all her might. "Oh yeah! That's actually a lot of fun!"
"Want to switch techniques for a while?" you suggest. "I'll swing like a normal person, and you can swing your bat like a sword-wielding lunatic until your arms get tired. How's that sound?"
"You're on!"
"Man, that felt good!" An hour or so later, you and Sayaka walk out of the batting cages. You're both sweating, made all the worse for you because, unlike Sayaka, you wore your uniform to the batting cages. It wasn't like you could have predicted that this is what Sayaka would have wanted to do. "Hey, thanks for coming to hang out, Homura. I had a lot of fun, and it's been too long since we did anything together."
"Yeah," you say. You might be a terrible batter, but you won't deny that you had a lot of fun. Maybe you could do this again another time? "Again, I'm sorry I haven't had more time to hang out lately. It's just that-"
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Between those fake witches that have been giving you trouble, and now those girls, you just haven't had that much time to hang out." Sayaka claps you on the back, shooting you a silly grin as she laughs the situation off. With her baseball bat hanging over her other shoulder, she almost looks like the Sayaka you remember from an earlier timeline; the one that entered the sweets witch's lair and saw Tomoe-san's death firsthand. "It's fine, I get it. Really, don't feel like you've always got to apologise for that stuff. Come on; how stupid do I have to be to hold a grudge when you're helping to keep the city safe?"
"I know," you say. "It's hard, not being hard on myself." Especially when you failed to keep the city safe last time. "But I'm glad to know you won't hold it against me if I'm unavailable..." Your words trail off as you catch sight of something pink.
It isn't Madoka.
You recognise that pink hair; straight, with a single braid hanging low over one shoulder. The same applies to the red jacket, while skirt, and black stockings. You freeze, only releasing your breath when it becomes obvious that she didn't see you. "Hey, Homura, you okay?" Sayaka's voice brings you back down. "Geez, don't scare me like that. I thought something bad was gonna happen there for a second."
Do you
[ ] Say nothing; Sayaka doesn't need to know
[ ] Tell Sayaka you just saw the enemy Assassin
-[ ] Sayaka still has a baseball bat with her; what happens if she tries to attack?
--[ ] Let Sayaka take a crack at the enemy Assassin
--[ ] Intervene; don't let Sayaka do anything stupid
[ ] Use your master's vision to get the enemy Assassin's parameters
[ ] Approach the enemy Assassin; what's she doing in Mitakihara?
At tonight's team meeting, do you
[ ] Want a tour of the new base
[ ] Skip the tour, get down to business
-[ ] Tell the others about the enemy Assassin
-[ ] Keep quiet about the enemy Assassin
[ ] What needs to be discussed tonight? (write-in)
[ ] Other (write-in)
You and Hitomi stay on the roof for lunch, opting not to rejoin your other friends in the cafeteria. You miss Madoka, but staying up here with Hitomi gives her and Saber a chance to interact organically, to build their relationship the same way your other teammates had the chance to build theirs.
Unfortunately, "Once again, master, I think it would be in your best interest to tell them eventually," the interaction between Hitomi and her servant always seems to loop around to Saber's dislike of Hitomi hiding her status as a mage and master from her parents. "Though I understand why you don't, I still believe it is unfair to keep your parents in the dark about your activities." Often times, to the point where they're even saying the same things - and using the same exacts words, too - that they've already said.
"Believe me, Saber, I hate having to lie to my parents," Hitomi says. "But it's better than the alternative. Tohsaka-san took a big risk sticking her neck out for Mitakihara a year and a half ago, and ever since then the Mage's Association has had their eye on things. If they were to find out that I'd told my parents about what I'm doing... I just can't risk it. They're strict, and we don't always see eye to eye anymore, but I still love them, and I'd hate to see anything happen to them because of me."
Saber sighs, hanging his head until his gaze meets Hitomi's. "But you can't lie to them forever," he says. "Sooner or later, the truth will always come out; and when it does, I believe it would be better for everyone involved if you were the one controlling what your parents learned, instead of something else thrusting the truth upon them."
"If you'd like, I could help you come up with alibis," you offer. "It's not a perfect solution, but I don't mind helping out if you need it." Hitomi's parents are sure to already disapprove of you, given that you're a lesbian. What's one more reason for them to dislike you going to hurt?
Your proposal causes Hitomi to raise an eyebrow in your direction, and she asks "You'll help me lie to my parents?"
"If that's what it takes to keep your parents safe," you respond. You've had plenty of experience lying in previous timelines; to Madoka, to your friends, to your allies; to yourself. "I'm sure I can come up with plenty of study sessions and social gathering to drag you away to. Want to hang out at all hours of the night? Want to go exploring parts of the city you haven't been to? I'm willing to drag you along wherever you don't want to but where your friend's given you no choice in the matter."
You have no idea how convincing of a sales pitch you've just made - you can be a convincing liar, but the jury's still out on how convincing of an actor you think you can be - so when you see Hitomi's lips turn up into a smile, you know you've succeeded. "Why Akemi-san, it sounds like you're proposing to play the villain."
"I don't know if I'd go so far as to call myself the villain," you say. "But I can still be a partner in crime, if you'd like my help."
Hitomi smile doesn't fade as she says "I'll have to give it some consideration. If I lie to my parents it's one thing, but I'll need some time to consider how I feel about one of my friends lying to my parents for me."
"I understand," you say. "I'll give you as much time as you need to think about it. Now, on another note, I think Oriko and I are pretty close to a breakthrough..."
"However, if you'll excuse my teasing, I'd like to hear what you've been up to recently, since I've been too busy to hang out."
Your absence in the lives of your friends continues to eat at you all throughout archery practice; and oh, how you wish today weren't Thursday. You don't dislike archery practice - you wouldn't have stuck with the archery club if you disliked it - but you wish today were a Friday instead. Then, you wouldn't have club practice, which means you could have gone straight from classes to hanging out with your friends. Minus Madoka. Madoka has one of her clubs on Fridays, and you already got out of hanging out with your friends once because you didn't want to make Madoka feel like she had missed out. That was a terrible excuse and you know it. They're your friends too. You're sure Madoka would agree that you have a right to see them without her.
"Hey Homura, what's up?"
For lack of a better hanging-out partner, and because of all your friends you've seen her the least recently, your fingers decided to dial Sayaka's number when you reached for your phone. "I just got out of club practice, and I was wondering if you wanted to hang out for a while, once I got home."
"Sure, that sounds fun. Did you have anything in mind?"
"Not particularly, no. But I'm open to suggestion, if you've got anything in mind."
You shouldn't have said it like that, because you can just imagine the devious grin on Sayaka's face now that she's learned she has free reign to decide what you do this evening. "Hm... You know, I think I've got an idea." Why does that thought fill you with dread? That's right; because Miki Sayaka and ideas usually don't go well together. "Meet me at the train station. Don't bother picking me up."
"Are you sure?" you ask, wondering what Sayaka might have in mind. She wouldn't tell you to meet her at the train station if she were thinking of going to the mall, would she?
"Yeah. Just you wait, Homura. We're gonna have a lot of fun, I promise."
You have your doubts, those nagging fears in the back of your mind that maybe, just maybe, letting Sayaka pick was a bad idea. But upon seeing Sayaka at the train station, with a baseball bat hanging over her shoulder, you have no doubts. You have nothing. "Hey, took you long enough!" Sayaka calls out as she waves you over. "You ready?"
"To... Go mug somebody?"
You're glad Sayaka took your comment for the joke it was meant to be. "No, silly," she says, clapping you on the back once she's finished laughing. "We're going to the batting cages. Come on, it'll be fun!"
This is... Actually kind of fun, you find yourself thinking after a few minutes in the batting cage. You'll have to remember to thank Sayaka when you're done here. You're probably cheating, using your enhanced vision to spot the trajectory of the ball as it's shot towards you. You miss. Maybe it's not cheating after all. You still have yet to hit a single ball on your own, even with all your puella magi advantages.
You hear the crack of ball hitting bat, as Sayaka scores another would-be home run. "You're doing it all wrong, Homura!" she comments upon seeing your technique. The buzzer sounds, and before you know it, Sayaka has hit another would-be home run. "You've got to loosen up. You're not swinging a broadsword."
"Cutlass, actually."
"Come again?"
"The only experience I have with swinging anything, is watching past versions of you swinging a cutlass as a puella magi."
"Oh." Sayaka cracks another would-be home run. "Well, try to mimic an... I dunno, a more gentle version of past me," she says. "You're swinging a baseball bat, not a sword. You're not trying to murder the ball; precision matters a lot more than how hard your swings do. Then again..." You really, and you mean really hate when you see that grin on Sayaka's face. Channeling the you who was channeling Sayaka, she reels her bat back, and with a mighty cry of "Excalibur!" that would leave Archer proud, Sayaka swings at the incoming ball with all her might. "Oh yeah! That's actually a lot of fun!"
"Want to switch techniques for a while?" you suggest. "I'll swing like a normal person, and you can swing your bat like a sword-wielding lunatic until your arms get tired. How's that sound?"
"You're on!"
"Man, that felt good!" An hour or so later, you and Sayaka walk out of the batting cages. You're both sweating, made all the worse for you because, unlike Sayaka, you wore your uniform to the batting cages. It wasn't like you could have predicted that this is what Sayaka would have wanted to do. "Hey, thanks for coming to hang out, Homura. I had a lot of fun, and it's been too long since we did anything together."
"Yeah," you say. You might be a terrible batter, but you won't deny that you had a lot of fun. Maybe you could do this again another time? "Again, I'm sorry I haven't had more time to hang out lately. It's just that-"
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Between those fake witches that have been giving you trouble, and now those girls, you just haven't had that much time to hang out." Sayaka claps you on the back, shooting you a silly grin as she laughs the situation off. With her baseball bat hanging over her other shoulder, she almost looks like the Sayaka you remember from an earlier timeline; the one that entered the sweets witch's lair and saw Tomoe-san's death firsthand. "It's fine, I get it. Really, don't feel like you've always got to apologise for that stuff. Come on; how stupid do I have to be to hold a grudge when you're helping to keep the city safe?"
"I know," you say. "It's hard, not being hard on myself." Especially when you failed to keep the city safe last time. "But I'm glad to know you won't hold it against me if I'm unavailable..." Your words trail off as you catch sight of something pink.
It isn't Madoka.
You recognise that pink hair; straight, with a single braid hanging low over one shoulder. The same applies to the red jacket, while skirt, and black stockings. You freeze, only releasing your breath when it becomes obvious that she didn't see you. "Hey, Homura, you okay?" Sayaka's voice brings you back down. "Geez, don't scare me like that. I thought something bad was gonna happen there for a second."
Do you
[ ] Say nothing; Sayaka doesn't need to know
[ ] Tell Sayaka you just saw the enemy Assassin
-[ ] Sayaka still has a baseball bat with her; what happens if she tries to attack?
--[ ] Let Sayaka take a crack at the enemy Assassin
--[ ] Intervene; don't let Sayaka do anything stupid
[ ] Use your master's vision to get the enemy Assassin's parameters
[ ] Approach the enemy Assassin; what's she doing in Mitakihara?
At tonight's team meeting, do you
[ ] Want a tour of the new base
[ ] Skip the tour, get down to business
-[ ] Tell the others about the enemy Assassin
-[ ] Keep quiet about the enemy Assassin
[ ] What needs to be discussed tonight? (write-in)
[ ] Other (write-in)
