Episode 1.2
RexHeller
Title Incoming. Please Hold.
- Location
- Somewhere else.
Winning Vote
——
Your mind is overcome, both with revelations and possibilities. Of all the things you might have expected to find today, a general of whatever army of darkness and evil that's running around in your town wasn't one of them. And then, to compound things, they completely subverted your expectations as well. Now you have their offer to think about…
All the options were tempting. Joining up with the army was a big deal but having someone in your corner with that kind of sway and power? Could be worth it. And Auteure sure made it sound like they would be in your corner. But turning into a 'monster of the week' could also be useful and it came, supposedly, no strings attached. A back up plan was always useful, especially when that back up plan was an emergency 'fuck you, I'm a dragon' button. Plus, again, taking either of those options would probably, almost definitely, let you see that girl again. Miracle Maker Kindness, huh…
You shake your head, reasserting your cynicism and resisting the urge to giggle like a schoolgirl with a crush. Because you aren't one. At all. No way.
You glance to the side, wanting to see what Fukumoto thinks, but given the intense look in her eyes, the way she's muttering herself and the occasional quiet giggle… Okay, what? The giggles actually are creeping you out, you didn't think she was like that. In any case, she looks preoccupied and you don't want to interrupt that after seeing it.
So. What do you actually want? You want to find out what really happened to your sister and, depending on what you find, deal with whatever/whoever killed her. Turning into a monster and making deals with the devil… They could help with the second part of your goal but you need to take care of the first part first. And that means you need answers.
So, a question it is. You can't completely cross out the possibility that your sister was an unfortunate victim of this evil monster army organization, she did like sticking her nose places it didn't belong, but you can't just straight up ask, hey, did you kill my sister? Well, you can, but then Auteure will probably realize you're looking for revenge. If they did do it, there's an advantage gone. Better to investigate on your own, using what you have already, so maybe ask a question that will help you with this new mystery you've stumbled into? But you can't ask about the Black Miraculite or something like 'how do I Magical Girl', directly, that'll just plain admit you have at least one to Fukumoto and Auteure, if Auteure doesn't know that already.
Damn this cloak and dagger shit, this is tough…
You think a bit longer and you think you've come up with something that'll get you answers without bringing suspicion down on your head. "Auteure."
"One moment." The tired-looking general of evil doesn't look up from the book they're reading. At some point while you were thinking, they'd sat down in their bean-bag chain and curled up on themselves. You're briefly jealous of how comfy they look. After a moment, they flip a page, insert a bookmark and put what they were reading aside. "Have you made a decision?"
"I have. Not sure about her." You jerk your head at Fukumoto, who's no longer muttering and is instead just scowling at Auteure. "I'm asking a question."
Auteure nods. "Ask away then."
"This one," you jerk a thumb at Fukumoto, "is convinced that Magical Girls are real. So we come out here, following rumors of a fight or battle or something, looking for clues. Instead, we find you, and you certainly look like someone who belongs on the quirky mini-boss crew of a Magical Girl show. And then she accuses you of being behind a robbery at Mira-Tech, which you admit to. Now, I'm a little in the dark, but it sounds like those three things are related, Magical Girls, the robbery and you. So, my question is: how does that robbery aid your battle against the Magical Girls or whatever forces you're up against? And remember, you did say you'd be as comprehensive as possible."
Auteure looks at you for a long second and, to no one's surprise, sighs. "Boss lady did warn us that you would be the clever one of the bunch… Alright. You're correct in all of your deductions there. Magical Girls are real and they fight against the forces of Correction. In fact, they've only grown more and more numerous, popping up in many cities across Japan. While most aren't a match for us generals, there are only four of us and we can't be everywhere at once. Instead, we leave most of our work to lesser forms of Correctors and any humans we can sway to our side, both of which Magical Girls can handle with some effort on their part. The robbery was meant to stem the tide, so to speak. Put more powerful agents on our side while preventing Magical Girls from popping up in this city too."
Auteure takes a brief moment to readjust and again, you suppress a spike of jealousy at just how goddamned comfy she looks. "As for how… As you can probably guess, it starts with the source of magic used by you humans: Miraculite. I don't have to tell you this but, the more you have, the more powerful it is. Once it reaches a certain size, and if the proper methods are used during its crafting, Miraculite takes on… well, almost a life of its own. It's still a reflection, or rather, a concentration of human… No, this is off topic, sorry. The point is, there are special, powerful pieces of Miraculite that, if bonded to a human, can turn that human into a Magical Girl. Or a Magical Boy but that's more rare for whatever reason."
"You wanted some for yourselves." It's not hard to guess. Auteure basically laid it out for you already and if they already have some humans working for them, then all they need is the Miraculites for their own Magical Girls.
"Exactly so, Little Miss Clever." Auteure gives you a tired smile, more of a smirk really, but quickly drops it. "Mira-Tech had six such Magical Girl class Miraculites. They were being used for testing, science stuff I don't really understand. The point is, they weren't bonded to any humans yet and likely wouldn't be at any point in the future, so we had time to plan out our heist. The idea was to send in several small, specially made infiltration Correctors in through gaps in Mira-Tech's security while the lead scientist was distracted, have them locate the six Miraculites and gather them in a designated drop off location. The Correctors would then disperse and sink into the Miraculites, corrupting them and turning them into Catastrophites. They would then get picked up by more combat capable Correctors just in case and returned to me here, with no one the wiser."
"But that didn't happen." Fukumoto accuses. "You got caught. That's why people heard combat here yesterday."
"Indeed. You're both rather clever in fact." Auteure nods and Fukumoto growls. "I don't have a direct connection to other Correctors, only the Boss does and only when she wants one, so I can't say for certain what went wrong but only three Miraculites were collected and corrupted. One of the other three is in the possession of a new Magical Girl, Miracle Maker Kindness according to the reports. She appeared at Mira-Tech, interrupted the heist and chased the Correctors under my command all the way to my doorstep. As for the other two, I'm not sure. Either Mira-Tech still has them or Kindness stole them along with her own."
"Wait, Kindness stole hers?" You repeat, confused. But actually, looking back on yesterday, you don't remember Kindness working together with the Pacums. In fact, Kindness didn't seem to care if she blew them up alongside the Correctors.
Auteure nods again. "That's right. Apparently the robots were just as eager to get her Miraculite as they were about retrieving the Catastrophites. Not that they succeeded. You see, once they all reached the area above us, another new Magical Girl showed up. This one didn't give a name but given that she killed one of the Correctors to take a Catastrophite, she ran away from Kindness rather than work with her and the one spell she used was 'murder', I'm guessing she bonded with another Catastrophite during the chaos and has become the very first Dark Magical Girl. She probably picked up the third Catastrophite too."
"You don't know?" You confirm, hiding worry under skepticism.
"I… I've been busy and haven't had time to organize a search patrol yet." Auteure winces. Yeah, too busy reading. Busted. She turns to Fukumoto and changes to the subject. "That's all I've got to say about the robbery. What about you? What's your decision?"
Fukumoto grinds her teeth for a moment more before sticking out her hand. "Gimme the bookmark."
"Here you are." Auteure pulls one out of her pocket and Fukumoto snatches it out of her hand. "Now that that's over, you two can see yourselves out. I'm a little sad you didn't take me up on the offer to join me but you know where I live in case you change your minds. Of course if any cops, robots or Magical Girls show up knocking on my door, I'll have to move and you'll never find me again. Please close the door on your way out."
And with that, Auteure goes back to her book and you're left with nothing to do but leave. It's not long after that you find yourself on another bus, headed back into town. Fukumoto is sitting beside you but she's being uncharacteristically quiet. You groan in frustration in the privacy of your mind. This so isn't your area of expertise but… "Hey, you okay?"
"Hm?" Fukumoto perks up, slipping out of whatever funk she's in.
"I'm just saying, if this sort of thing becomes a regular occurrence, I don't want you losing your temper in front of whatever supernatural thing we run into next. We're humans. We're squishy."
"Oh! Sorry!" Fukumoto giggles sheepishly and scratches the back of her neck as her smile comes back. It's a little shaky, not quite as excited as it was before, but you find it reassuring. Ick. You're sure you'll be back to finding it annoying next time you see her. "Sorry, it's just… I dunno, something about that… lady? Guy? Whatever, something about them just pi- ticked me off something fierce. Like, not even the admission of guilt about the robbery or anything, just being around them at all was… Like I said, I dunno. I'll keep a lid on it next time."
"Mm." You grunt, satisfied. "I'm surprised. Given how much you seemed to hate everything about them, I didn't think you'd take their little 'gift'. I thought you'd just interrogate them.
"Ehehehe…" Fukumoto awkwardly giggles again, her smile dropping for just a moment. "Well, you know, words are just words. People can say whatever they want, it doesn't mean it's true. But this?" She whips out the bookmark and shakes it in your face. "This is hard evidence. If I can get it analyzed then-! Well, I'm not sure actually, but it'll tell us something. Something that can't be faked. Because this is real and it's here and it's not a lie."
Again, you're surprised by how cynical the girl next to you can be. "So you're not going to use it."
"Of course not! Like I said, words are words. They can promise it's not dangerous until the end of the world, I'm not trusting them one bit. Not until I check it out myself." Fukumoto shoves the bookmark away again before looking up at you and smiling. "Anyway! Enough about me, let's gush about you! You were really cool back there, Ms. Vice President!"
"Um… what?" You blink at the sudden change of topic.
"Yeah!" She nods excitedly. "I mean, we just ran into a genuine supernatural evil and you didn't panic in the slightest. You stared her down and just… logic'd at her like you were Sherlock Holmes! You know, for someone who looks so shy and adorable, you can get weirdly intense. It's really cute, total gap moe."
You? Cute? What? That's… What? This is not how things are supposed to go. You're plain. Boring. Lame. Depressing. That's what people always say. Even if you take care of your appearance, no one's ever really called you cute before. Well, your mom has but she doesn't count, obviously. And that stuff about you being cool? Really? You were freaking out back there.
"But seriously, thanks." Fukumoto's smile turns bashful. Less excited, less annoying. You think it's better this way. "No one's really ever done anything like this with me before. Well, I mean, duh, of course no one's ever wandered into an evil lair and confronted a general of darkness with me before, I've never done that before at all! But I meant… When I start talking about Magical Girls or mysteries or whatever, people just leave. Maybe they're polite about it but they don't stick around. Even my best friend thinks I'm crazy. But you came out here with me, you helped me look around… I wouldn't ever have found that hatch without you! And then when we did find it, well, you were with me every step of the way. That means a lot to me. So, um… I guess you can call me Hikari. You know, if you want…"
You stare at the smaller girl, barely able to comprehend what she's implying. You take it back, seeing her act shy is just plain weird. You're pretty sure she's got the wrong idea anyway. You have your own reasons for being here after all, it's not like you're acting out of the goodness of your heart here. But she was surprisingly competent and you got some good leads and she occasionally shows some realism when it comes to how the world works. So maybe this was a pretty good day. Maybe this wasn't a mistake. "...You can call me Kaworu."
The grin that breaks out on Fukumoto, no, on Hikari's face is blinding. It literally hurts your eyes. "Yay! I'll be sure to do that… Ms. Vice President."
Nevermind. You regret everything.
Hikari Fukumoto Relationship Level 0 → Level 1
Pacum scrap, Miraculite Shard (Shock), Stun Baton (Broken), Catastrophite added to inventory.
Soul Sensitivity Trait can now be trained.
??? Gained
Discovered Evidence: 1PP
Felt… Something: 3PP
Completed Catastrophite set: 5PP
Made non-violent contact with Auteure: 5 PP
-TUESDAY EVENING-
When you get home, you quickly down a couple of cup ramens and head to your room. Despite your mom wanting you to check in after school, she won't be home herself until much later. Just another night in the Ai household.
You're honestly exhausted, mentally at least, if not physically. You're overwhelmed by a second day in a row where you've encountered the supernatural and had your world flipped on its head. Not only that but it's the second day in a row where you've nearly died. Sure, you didn't get the shit beat out of you like yesterday but seriously: you broke into the home of a Dark General of Evil. If Auteure wasn't as chill as they turned out to be, you definitely wouldn't have survived. They were kinda hard to read too. For all that they acted tired and friendly, who knows what the limits of their patience was. Maybe they were seconds away from murdering you the whole time and you barely escaped with your life. It didn't feel that way but this wasn't an anime, you couldn't just sense killing intent. Could you? You certainly felt something in the courtyard earlier…
You're getting distracted. As much as you just want to collapse into your big pink bean bag chair and hopefully not think again forever, or at least until tomorrow, you instead collapse into your chair and snap your fingers. Your tablet emerges from hi-space and falls neatly into the slot waiting for it on your smart desk. A holographic screen pops up and a panel slides away to reveal a mechanical keyboard. Sure, you could use a holographic one but you like the clickity-clack of actual keys.
|DOING YOUR HOMEWORK? MY APPRENTICE IS DEDICATED.|
You let out a soft groan. Right, homework. You'll get to that. Later. Probably. It's just the first day of school, there shouldn't even be homework. You can put it off. . "Not quite. Auteure said something odd and now I want to check if I can figure out what they meant."
|OH?|
"Yeah, remember? They said something about Miraculite being a concentration of human something or other. And I don't think she was talking about anything physical. It sounds rather ridiculous to me…" But then again, a lot of the last two days sounds ridiculous when you lay it out like that. You shrug and start your search.
Intellect: Investigate Miraculite Online
DC 40
1d100+6=90
4th Degree of Success
You start with the obvious place to start: Mira-Tech's corporate website. While they're not the only ones producing Miraculite, the government has their own sources and there are a few other smaller companies that know the trick to it, Mira-Tech is by far the biggest manufacturer of Miraculite and Miraculite-powered items. They were the first to figure it out and the best.
Unfortunately, you get about what you expected out of it. A bunch of advertising, corporate babble and the stuff you're taught in school. Blah blah blah, stable, near unlimited energy source, blah blah blah the future of energy production, blah blah blah reacts to human brain waves to produce useful and minor exotic effects. You really don't care but you go over the entire site anyway just to be thorough and it's a good thing you do, because you find something odd. A small warning, fine print really, that unidentified and unshielded Miraculite may be dangerous and you should report it to the authorities rather than deal with it yourself. It's weird because a very, very big deal is made about how stable and safe Miraculite is as an energy source. No radiation, no side effects, no chance of exploding, nothing. And yet, here's this warning.
Curious.
Some connection is made in the back of your brain and you hit the back button a couple times. You scan through the FAQ earlier and let out a happy little bark of a laugh when you find what you're looking for. One of the questions and answers very, very firmly denies that the rumors that Miraculite is a naturally occurring phenomenon and can develop outside of a lab are completely and totally false. The sheer thoroughness of the denial strikes you as maybe protesting a bit too much.
Curiouser.
You leave the Mira-tech site behind and start trawling through forums and social media. It doesn't take you long before you find what you're looking for: the rumors that Mira-Tech tried too hard to debunk. It's not exactly common but you can find accounts of people finding random crystals of Miraculite in odd places or even witnessing it just grow out of thin air. Normally you wouldn't put too much stock in random stories on the internet but you do notice a pattern start to emerge. This 'wild' Miraculite, it always forms around someone feeling intense emotion. Fear, rage, grief seem more common, perhaps because a lot of these people wound up using the new Miraculites to escape whatever trouble they were in, but more positive emotions generate Miraculite too it seems. You've found three instances of people claiming to have found large amounts of Miraculite at weddings and you're sure you'd find more if you went looking.
With a groan, you slump back in your chair, not sure what to make of what you've discovered. It's not what you'd call air tight but all the clues seem to be pointing at the same thing. "Hey, DEATH? Is Miraculite solidified human emotion or something? Ugh, I feel unscientific just saying that…"
|I DO NOT KNOW.|
That gets you to sit up straight. "What do you mean, you don't know?"
|SUCH THINGS ARE IRRELEVANT IN THE END.|
"Ugh. I guess you don't care much about what humans get up to while they're alive, huh." You slump back again and think. It sounds like Mira-Tech discovered a rare natural phenomenon and patented the shit out of it. Either they have some device or technology that makes generating Miraculite easier, or they're harvesting people's extreme emotions on an industrial scale, possibly both. Emotion harvesting sweatshops does sound like something a corporation would try to get away with. Not that you care, it doesn't affect you none, but if you ever need to take down Mira-Tech, exposing that sort of thing could be useful. But that doesn't matter now.
No, the only real thought in your mind is, if Miraculite comes from humans…
Does that mean you can make your own?
Miraculite Maker Trait still requires something else...
Lead Investigated: 1 PP
-WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON-
Today, you head straight home after school. Nothing new for you, it's not like you had a social life before all this. And with your prerequisite socialization for your mom's peace of mind out of the way yesterday, you have no reason to subject yourself to anymore of that 'interacting with people' nonsense. Although, if your mom really knew what went down at your club meeting yesterday, she'd probably decide that it didn't count. Good thing you're not telling her anytime soon. All she's gonna get is that you went to a club meeting and it went well.
Anyway, rather than go to your room, you head for the roof of your apartment block. No one's supposed to be up there except occasional maintenance guys but the door's never locked, so there's nothing stopping you from using the space. Before, you used it as a place to relax and get away from your mom when you couldn't go all the way to the abandoned mall. Now though? You're here with a different purpose in mind.
You quickly double-check to make sure you're alone before pulling your Catastrophite out of hi-space, the one with DEATH in it. Sure, the others belong to you since you stole them, but this one is yours. "So, how do we do this?"
|FEEL THE MAGIC. SAY THE WORDS.|
"So just like casting a spell, huh?" The difference being that you don't have that same energy, that power waiting right at your fingertips. You still remember how it felt though, so before you can worry about looking silly, you hold out the Catastrophite, close your eyes and focus. You breathe, you feel and then… you know."
"Unleash Catastrophe: Death."
Once again, everything fades away. For one brief second that lasts an eternity, there is nothing. Nothing but you and the cold void. And the void wraps around you, armors you, protects you. For a movement, you are…
And then the moment ends and you're back on the rooftop, expect now you're a Magical Girl. And that's still a ridiculous thing to say but here you are. "Alright, that's step one done. Next, what exactly can I do?"
|POWER COMES FROM THE STONE BUT IS SHAPED AND SHOULDERED BY YOUR SOUL. THE STRONGER THE SOUL, THE MORE POWER YOU CAN COMMAND. AS YOU ARE NOW, YOUR SOUL IS YOUR ARMOR AND YOUR WEAPON, YOUR GRACE AND YOUR STRENGTH.|
As usual, it takes you a moment to translate DEATH's cryptic advice into normal words. "So, not only do I cast spells but being a Magical Girl makes me stronger, faster and tougher. And… the soul is a real thing? Kind of like… I don't know machines actually but my soul is what focuses the power from the Catastrophite but at the same time, my soul can only handle so much at a time. Plus, there's the spell casting… Anything else I should know?"
|OTHERS WILL NOT REMEMBER YOUR FACE. ONLY YOUR SOUL.|
"My identity is protected?" That was both incredibly convenient and really annoying at the same time. Convenient in that, well, you had a secret identity and didn't have to worry about a mask if you wanted to do something less than legal. But if other magical girls were protected in the same way, well, you could walk by Kindness on the street and you'd never know it's her. And you can totally forget about figuring out who that Magical Girl from your dreams is supposed to be, if she was ever real in the first place.
In any case, it's time to really find out what you can do.
Soul: Getting Used to Real Magic
DC 40
1d100+12=54
Second Degree of Success
You test out everything you can think of. Just running back and forth, you can cross the rooftop in seconds and when you jump as high as you can, you barely suppress a scream as you fall back down. Chasing cars on foot and jumping between skyscrapers are both definitely possible now. The weird, floaty effect kicks in when you want it, you figured out how to turn it off. (You totally fell on your face the first time it clicked.) You did back flips, ran up the wall around access stairs and mantled the air conditioning units littering the roof (and you only got tangled on your own feet during half those attempts). And your durability was enough to cover most minor scrapes and cuts without damage, not that you hurt yourself at all.
Once you had a feel for the physical side of things, you tried out your magic. It turned out you could shape the sort of damage you caused with Murder, which could be useful. You didn't test Become Elsewhere, not that you didn't want to but because DEATH warned you that the results would be random each time. Good to know. Plus, you learned you had two more spells. One that DEATH taught you called for whom the bell tolls, which apparently worked by pulling death, the event, not the voice in your head, 'closer' to the target, making it easier for them to die. A bit esoteric, but you can see how useful it could be. But for the last spell, Tempting Beauty, you don't really know what it does and neither does DEATH because apparently it doesn't come from them. You were just trying to focus on a spell and your mind wandered. You're not really sure what you were thinking (you were daydreaming about Miracle Maker Kindness and how cute she was) but suddenly you felt something different that you can't really describe (hot, shy, needy, happy) and the words came to you. Casting the spell, you felt something settle around you for a short while but that was it.
There was something else too, something that felt different from the sort of magic that your other spells pulled on. Unformed but familiar, not that you could figure it out exactly.
That oddity aside, you now feel much more confident with your Magical Girl abilities.
Kaworu now fully understands her capabilities. Proper combat plans can now be made rather than vague votes.
Explored Magical Girl abilities: 2 PP
-WEDNESDAY EVENING-
After heading back into your apartment and making a quick cup of ramen, you head to your room and pull out your Catastrophite once more. This time, you don't transform. You just take the first step, recognizing and grasping the power locked away in the black gem. Once you have a feel for it, you do what you can with it. Push it, pull it, shape it. It's tough, so much tougher than casting a cantrip or transforming. That much magic, it has a weight to it. You can barely make it budge outside of the prescribed paths but that's the point.
You'd asked DEATH over dinner if there was anything you could do to strengthen your soul, so you could handle more of the Catastrophite's power. They didn't have an answer, they didn't have a soul themself after all, but between the two of you, you theorized that the soul was maybe like your body and it could get stronger if you trained it. So here you were, attempting to 'work out' with your soul.
You have no idea if it's working or not but it sure does tire you out. You don't keep track of the time but it seems sooner rather than later, you can't keep your eyes open. You flip back onto your bed and pass out.
6 PP spent. Soul: 12 —> 14
-THURSDAY AFTERNOON-
|DANCE?|
"Uh, yeah…" Your face burns with embarrassment. "Look, if you have any better ideas, I'm all ears! But you were there yesterday, you saw what happened. I've always been kind of a clutz and even that supernatural gracefulness stuff didn't help. So if I want to avoid doing fucking pratfalls as a MG and completely tanking my reputation before I even start, I need to improve my hand-eye coordination. And this is the best way I can think of to do that."
|YOUR LOGIC IS SOUND.|
You have no idea why you find the cold, emotionless not-sound of DEATH's voice calming, it really does feel like something you should automatically reject on every level as a living human, but you do. Maybe it's just that his calm acceptance and complete lack of judgment makes you feel less like a fuck up or like something's wrong with you. Whatever the case, you're not quite as embarrassed as you search up dance tutorials online.
Naturally, the first few you find are complete crap. Even the ones labeled 'beginner friendly' fucking aren't. But eventually you find a really good series of videos that walks you through step by step, easing you into things and doesn't mess around or throw out jargon you don't understand.
The only reason you don't consider them perfect is because they're made by that idol your new music club seems obsessed with, Yuki Yuri Yumi. The fact that she's competent and professional in these videos only makes you resent her more. How dare this manufactured, mass produced, lowest common denominator sell-out of a pop idol actually know what she's doing! You can never let the rest of the casual music club hear about this. Ever. They might think you're a fellow fan.
Unfortunately, you're practical enough that you won't discard a useful resource simply out of spite. So you follow the instructions and slowly, surely, learn to dance. The afternoon slips away and you wind up tired, sweaty and gross but unlike training your soul yesterday, you can tell that you made progress. You're no longer tripping over your own feet at least and that's definitely something.
You're taking a break and chugging some water when you hear a sound you don't expect: the front door unlocking.
"Kaworu? I'm home!"
8 PP spent. Skill 1 —> 7
-THURSDAY EVENING-
"Mom?" You emerge from your room, surprised and confused.
You find your mom in the kitchen, setting a bag on the table and taking off her coat. She looks over and gives you a tired smile. "Hey Sweetie. I managed to get out of work early today, so I figured we could have dinner together. I got sushi, with all your favorites."
You suppress a grimace as you sit down at the table. Your favorites? What a joke. Sure, you like sushi, more than other take out at least, but you know what you really want? You know what you really want to eat? Your Mom's home cooking. It was the one thing Yume was bad at. Even if Yume was the one to mostly take care of you while your mom was out chasing stories, your mom always made sure to take the time to cook for the two of you, even if most of it was leftovers. Back then, take out was a rare treat or an emergency measure when your Mom was totally swamped with work. Those homemade meals were so good, especially when all three of you could sit down and spend the evening together…
Of course, that all changed, just like everything else. You're pretty sure your mom hasn't cooked a single goddamn thing since Yume died. You're not sure she even remembers how.
Head down, mulishly silent, you take your 'favorites' and start eating. And then the absolute worst thing happens.
"So how was your week so far, Sweetie?"
Empathy: Convince Your Mom You Are a Fine, Sociable and Non-Traumatized Individual
DC 60
1d100+22=57
Partial Failure
"It was fine."
"Are you enjoying your classes?"
"They're okay.
"What about your club, that was fun, right?"
"It was… interesting."
You know that you're supposed to be convincing her you're fine. You know that, okay! But between being so completely bushed from the dancing and your mind still trying to compile the insanity that happened and the fact that you really have nothing good you can share with her at all and-
It's just easier to fall into old habits and grunt your way through the conversation until your mom gives up. She invites you to watch a movie with her and you agree because you can manage that much at least. She's honestly surprised and happy as she puts on some fantasy thing you probably would have liked as a kid. Unfortunately, you refuse to share the kotatsu with her and you go to bed as soon as it's done. It would have been easy. It should have been easy to pretend. But you just couldn't pretend. Maybe next time.
No Change. Kaworu is still grounded for two more turns.
-FRIDAY MORNING-
Another day, another mind-numbing, soul-crushing session of high school. At least it's nearly the weekend, then you can finally be free. You're really lucky that Akarui Seishin is one of the few schools in Japan that has a two day weekend, like they do in America. That thought buoys you somewhat as you make your way through the halls. Also, school might be boring but at least it's normal. Nothing surprising will happen here-
"KAAAAAA-CHAAAAAAAAAN!"
You scream in fear as someone shouts in your ear. Suddenly, you've been picked up and are being swung around in circles fast enough that the rest of the school is just a blur. You desperately try to escape your attacker but the arms pinning you are just too strong. You struggle, you wiggle, you scream but nothing works. Finally, you kick one of your legs back and happen to catch something soft. There's a pained 'oof' from your would-be kidnapper and you're finally released.
You spin around, casting glove extended incase you need to burn a bitch, only to find that your attacker isn't a demon here to kill you or a secret government agent trying to take you away because your secret identity was discovered. It's just a boy. A boy clutching between his legs as he's hunched over in pain, yet nevertheless he's looking up and giving you a (strained) smile. "Hah! Still touchy about getting touched, huh Ka-chan! But wow, you really pack a kick these days!"
What the fuck? Who the hell is this guy? You don't know him. Why is he acting like he knows you? You're tempted to light him on fire anyway for being too fresh with you but that's the kind of thing that promotes therapy from 'optional but recommended' to 'required by law'. Better not escalate that much, that quick. "Um, I'm sorry but I-I think you have the wrong person? I really don't know who you are…"
There's a flash of pain across his face that's actually worse than when you kicked him in the nads. It's only for a second, before a self-deprecating smile takes it's place. "Ah, damn. That makes sense. Sorry, I just got so excited seeing you again. I guess it makes sense you don't remember lame ol' Yoshimichi…"
"Yoshimichi… Wait, Mi-chan?" Mi-chan was your best friend back when you were just a brat. You were in the same class, you spent all your time together, you hung out at your house all the time. Mi-chan was a huge cry baby back then and you were more than happy to help. Giving hugs, acting confident, spouting nonsense about hope and friendship and determination. Just like you had Yume, Mi-chan had you. It's incredible that Mi-chan is back, right in front of you. But there's just one thing… "You're a guy?!?"
"Hahahaha! Yep! Ah, I knew you remembered me!" The boy (who is Mi-chan?! Somehow?!?!?) straightens up, laughing, and okay, wow. There's no mistaking him for a girl now. You're above average height for your age, not huge or anything but you're certainly not small. This guy stands a head and a half taller than you and his uniform shirt does nothing to hide his muscles, it's straining to keep them covered honestly. Which is insane. The Mi-chan you knew was, again, the biggest cry baby ever, the runt of all your classmates and had the biggest obsession with pink you ever saw. You're well within your rights for thinking they were a girl, especially when you were the one chasing bullies away from them. The only reasons you at all accept that the buff jock in front of you might be your childhood friend and not an imposter who's really off the mark are the strip of pink dyed into his hair and the bright pink hoodie he has tied around his waist, which is proudly branded with the logo for Happy Happy Fluff Friends, Mi-chan's favorite show.
You stand there, headless of the stares and whispers from the other students watching. You stand there, watching a giant jock laugh himself stupid, trying to comprehend how he could possibly be the tiny, adorable, whiny baby that followed you around everywhere as a kid. But then the confusion snaps and anger takes its place.
Might: Unleash Your Frustration
DC 70
1d100+5=20
Failure
"Ow!" You shake your hand after trying to punch him in the chest. Damnit, it was like punching a brick wall.
"Ka-chan?" Mi-chan… No. No, you're not calling this stupid boy that. Yoshimichi tilts his head to the side, like a big confused puppy dog.
"Screw you." You scowl at him, voice low and angry. "Seriously, screw you. Ten years. Ten years without a call, a letter, not even a goodbye. You just fucking disappeared one day and that was it. I didn't know where you went, I didn't know if you were… And you just show up out of nowhere like this and act like nothing happened? Screw. You."
Yoshimichi's face drops, looking like you really hurt him. Good. He hurt you too. Especially when you punched him. Owwww. "Ka-chan, I… I really am sorry. I can't explain, I don't have an excuse. I never wanted to go but you can't fight fate. But, but none of that matters now! I came back because I wanted to find you! I could finally see you again. I know that when I left, it hurt you, really I do! It hurt me too! But that's in the past! I'm back now. I'm here for you. Please, let me make it up to you!"
He stops talking and you answer him with silence. Because seriously, how do you answer that? What do you say to that kind of melodramatic bullshit? And right in the middle of the hall too. You might not have paid attention to the onlookers before but their whispers, giggles and knowing looks are certainly making your face burn now.
Luckily, you're saved from having to give an answer when the school bell rings. "I have to get to class." You turn and start hurrying to homeroom. You don't look back.
You don't want to see what kind of face Yoshimichi is making.
The next Episode has time for 4 Major Actions and 4 Minor Actions.
Some actions are marked with LIE. These actions mean lying to your mom about where you are and what you're doing. Lying to your mom is always a very high DC. Your mom plans on restraining your freedom of movement for the next 2 turns but your actions and dice rolls may or may not wind up increasing or decreasing this time period.
You have 17 PP.
Major Actions
[ ][Major] Bug the police for details on Yume's death. LIE - You remember constantly asking the police officer that told you and your mom about Yume's death over and over what happened? They didn't tell you then and you assumed that they just were incompetent and didn't know, but maybe they were trying to spare you the gruesome details since your were a child. Maybe you can get more out of them now that you've grown. (Empathy, Skill: Hard)
[ ][Major] Attack the police as a magical girl and steal info about Yume's death. LIE - The cops aren't going to tell you jackshit. They never have and they never will. But their records and evidence, those will talk to you just fine. You just need to procure them. It shouldn't be hard, human cops have been near totally replaced by the Pacum security bots and each police station only has a couple of those on site at a time. The only issue is that you'll definitely be branded a villain if you do this. (Combat: Easy)
[ ][Major] Maybe you should get Mira-Tech's side of things instead of just Auteure's? LIE - Robberies, Wild Miraculite, Catastrophite. You have a lot of questions and not a lot of answers. Sometimes the best thing you can do is ask. You just need to pretend to be working for the school newspaper or something and someone will talk to you, right? (Empathy, Intellect: Hard)
[ ][Major] Attack Mira-Tech as a Magical Girl for data on Miraculites and the Robery. LIE - As if anyone actually important at Mira-tech would waste time talking to a random teenager. You're better off just busting in and taking what you want. Of course, that'll mean fighting off Mira-Tech's veritable army of robots, some of which are almost guaranteed to be stronger than the Pacums you see on the street. And then you'll have to actually use a computer and download any relevant data... But hey, you can probably steal extra shinies while you're there, right? (Combat: Extremely Hard)
[ ][Major] Approach Mira-Tech and offer your services. LIE - So apparently Kindness stole her Miraculite and Mira-Tech wants it back, the others too if she took them. And you've already proven that you're good at collecting the damn things. Maybe you can hash out a deal with whoever's in charge. You get the Miraculites back, they help you get answers and back you up with what you need. You might have to give up the Catastrophites though… (Empathy: Hard)
[ ][Major] Go back and meet Auteure but this time as a Magical Girl. LIE - They want you, they get you. With not only your own Catastrophite but the other two as well, you have a lot more bargaining power as a Magical Girl than as a random civilian trying to keep her head down. You might be able to broker an alliance on more equal terms. Of course, if you show up so soon after you visited as Kaworu, that could raise some suspicions. (Empathy: Hard)
[ ][Major] Visit Auteure again as Kaworu. LIE - You can't just let it rest, not like this. Yes, it's dangerous, but Auteure is the biggest mystery and source of information both that you have right now. You may have to make deals to get what you want and it might make the General mad if you show up again after you've been deliberately warned away, but if things go wrong, you can always transform and warp away, right? (Empathy: Hard)
[ ][Major] Patrol as a magical girl? LIE - That's something that magical girls do, right? Not that your a real one but you might as well give it a shot. Running around the city transformed is a good way to get someone's attention at least. (Random Encounter)
[ ][Major] Scout Some Outsourcing. LIE - You have some materials and you have some things you need made from them. Unfortunately, you don't really have the skills necessary to make those things yourself. You could try anyway... Or you could convince someone else to do the work for you. The only issue is that some some of the stuff you want made isn't exactly legal...
-[ ] Amateur Magicians Club - You don't know much about the school's magic club but they'd probably be interested in making custom runestones, right? And you don't have to say where you're getting the Miraculite... (Empathy: Medium)
-[ ] Gadgeteering Club - Again, you don't know anyone in this club but a bunch of nerds would probably jump at the chance to mess with broken junk if it's rare. Maybe not if it's obviously illegal though. (Empathy: Hard)
-[ ] Your Science Teacher, Misao Hoshii - Ms. Hoshii has an actual background in engineering and high energy physics, so she probably knows what she's doing more than some random teenagers. But are you really going to ask your teacher for help doing something obviously illegal? (Empathy: Very Hard)
[ ][Major] Go to Urban Legends Club - You should probably check back in with Hikari. You have the encounter with Auteure to go over, plus there's all that evidence you collected that you haven't shared with her yet. (Intellect, Empathy: Medium)
[ ][Major] Go to Casual Music Club - You need some time to relax and unwind. And you're not allowed to go relax at the mall, damnit, so this is the only other option you have. Hopefully all the idol fangirls will leave you alone if you pop your earbuds in and close your eyes. (Empathy: Easy)
[ ][Major] Spend time with Yoshimichi. Ugh. - You're not gonna lie, you're pissed off at the boy. But… Well, you won't admit that you've missed your friend but you supposed you could give him a chance to explain at least. You can't help but be curious about what happened to him. But only because you can't stand not knowing something, not because you're worried or anything. Idiot. And you suppose your mom will think reconnecting with an old friend is healthy for you or something. (Empathy, Might: Medium)
[ ][Major] Go to counseling. Ugh. - This is basically the last thing you want to do. Ever. But your mom won't stop bugging you about it, you can just tell, so you might as well get it out of the way. You just need to lie your ass off and convince this councilor lady that you're perfectly fine, really. (Empathy: Hard)
[ ][Major] Spend Time with Mom. Ugh. - Usually your mom is too busy with work to give a shit about you beyond lip service, but every so often, she gets really, really up in your business. This is one of those times. It's a pain but giving in and spending time with her is the fastest way to get her off your back. Hopefully this won't be too irritating. (Empathy: Medium)
Minor Actions
[ ][Minor] Train a stat - You can spend your Progression Points to increase your stats. Raising a stat up to five costs 1 PP per stat point, raising a stat up to 10 costs 2 PP per stat point and so on. Training each individual stat takes up a minor action slot. Please include what you are raising a stat to in the vote.
-[ ] Might
-[ ] Skill
-[ ] Intellect
-[ ] Empathy
-[ ] Soul
[ ][Minor] Learn a New Spell - Each Spell costs 10 PP to learn and takes up 1 minor action slot. You chose which spell tree to learn a spell from, with each spell tree progressing linearly.
-[ ] DEATH - You know how to pull death closer, so now you're wondering if you can push it away.
-[ ] VOID - This type of spell has to do with emptiness, nothingness. You wonder what will happen if you can hold onto that feeling.
-[ ] L*** - You're still not sure exactly what your first spell with this energy does. Maybe if you apply it to others instead of yourself, you'll be able to figure it out?
-[ ] ??? - And then there's this. The mystery energy you feel. You have no idea what it does, so maybe you'll just mess around with it until it does something.
[ ][Minor] Gain a Trait - Each new trait costs 10 PP to develop. New traits are unlocked by succeeding at certain major actions and some require other traits to be developed first.
-[ ] Sensitive Soul - You picked up something back at the mall, like some sort of magical after-effect or remnant. It's weird and really wishy-washy sounding but maybe you can train yourself to sense that stuff properly? You shouldn't just leave a potential source of evidence unexplored after all.
[ ][Minor] Contemplate your orbs - Three Catastrophites, one bonded to you, two not. Corrupted by the Correctors, whatever that means. You can feel their power thoguh. Maybe if you poke and prod at them, you'll figure something out. (Soul: Medium)
[ ][Minor] Investigate a lead online - The internet is for everything, including research. You can always try to research a topic using Intellect online, depending on what you're interested in an the moment, but the DC will be determined by how obscure the subject in general is
-[ ] Yume AI (Hard)
-[ ] Norika Uegimu (Hard)
-[ ] Akira Uegimu (Easy)
-[ ] Yoshimichi Yanyama (Hard)
-[ ] Magical Girls (Hard)
-[ ] Pacum Security Bots (Easy)
-[ ] The Correctors (Medium)
[ ][Minor] Look for a part time job - You currently are dependent on your mother's generosity for money and you get the feeling that won't be enough for long. You can try to look for employment at places you know or just do what normal teens do and look online. You need to pass a check to be hired and the skills used will be the main skills relevant to working there later.
-[ ] Mom's workplace (Empathy: Easy)
-[ ] Dr. Uegimu's office (Intellect, Skill: Hard)
-[ ] Check Job Sites (Random)
[ ][Minor] Recall the past - So much of your current life is rooted in the past and yet, you struggle to remember the details clearly. Focus and Meditation may help. Uses Soul, with DC determined by the subject in question.
-[ ] Yume Ai (Easy)
-[ ] Norika Uegimu (Easy)
-[ ] Yoshimichi Yanyama (Easy)
-[ ] The Abandoned Mall (Hard)
-[ ] The Magical Girl of the Past (Hard)
[ ][Minor] Try Some Tinkering - If you have the resources, you can try to build or repair items for your personal use. Failure will destroy the materials needed. Uses Intellect, DC determined by item.
-[ ] Shock Runestone - Miraculite Shard (Shock). Medium.
-[ ] Stun Baton - Stun Baton (Broken). Hard
DEATH's Advice: |DO NOT LET YOUR PAIN KEEP YOURSELF FROM LIVING.|
AN: So, I've been sitting on this one for a bit and I don't really know why? Anyway, update. Nice to see you can actually fail at a roll once in awhile. Big thanks to my lovely boyfriend @Lazurman and my friends @BlindingPhoenix and @hellgodsrus for beta reading. Happy voting!
[X] Ask a question
-[X] Ask for details about the robbery at Mira-Tech
-[X] "We came here looking for information about magical girls. What insights are you willing to share?"
[X] Progression Plan A Sound Soul Dwells Within A Skilled Body
-[X] Use PP to Raise SKILL to 7.
-[X] Use PP to Raise SOUL to 14.
-[X] Ask for details about the robbery at Mira-Tech
-[X] "We came here looking for information about magical girls. What insights are you willing to share?"
[X] Progression Plan A Sound Soul Dwells Within A Skilled Body
-[X] Use PP to Raise SKILL to 7.
-[X] Use PP to Raise SOUL to 14.
[X] Plan Nothing to See Except My Mad Skills
-[X][Major] Spend Time with Mom. Ugh.
-[X][Major] Go to Urban Legends Club
-[X][Minor] Train a stat
--[X] Skill
--[X] Soul (Medium)
-[X][Minor] Practice magic with DEATH
-[X][Minor] Investigate a lead online
--[X] Miraculite in general (Easy)
-[X][Major] Spend Time with Mom. Ugh.
-[X][Minor] Train a stat
--[X] Skill
--[X] Soul (Medium)
-[X][Minor] Practice magic with DEATH
-[X][Minor] Investigate a lead online
--[X] Miraculite in general (Easy)
——
Your mind is overcome, both with revelations and possibilities. Of all the things you might have expected to find today, a general of whatever army of darkness and evil that's running around in your town wasn't one of them. And then, to compound things, they completely subverted your expectations as well. Now you have their offer to think about…
All the options were tempting. Joining up with the army was a big deal but having someone in your corner with that kind of sway and power? Could be worth it. And Auteure sure made it sound like they would be in your corner. But turning into a 'monster of the week' could also be useful and it came, supposedly, no strings attached. A back up plan was always useful, especially when that back up plan was an emergency 'fuck you, I'm a dragon' button. Plus, again, taking either of those options would probably, almost definitely, let you see that girl again. Miracle Maker Kindness, huh…
You shake your head, reasserting your cynicism and resisting the urge to giggle like a schoolgirl with a crush. Because you aren't one. At all. No way.
You glance to the side, wanting to see what Fukumoto thinks, but given the intense look in her eyes, the way she's muttering herself and the occasional quiet giggle… Okay, what? The giggles actually are creeping you out, you didn't think she was like that. In any case, she looks preoccupied and you don't want to interrupt that after seeing it.
So. What do you actually want? You want to find out what really happened to your sister and, depending on what you find, deal with whatever/whoever killed her. Turning into a monster and making deals with the devil… They could help with the second part of your goal but you need to take care of the first part first. And that means you need answers.
So, a question it is. You can't completely cross out the possibility that your sister was an unfortunate victim of this evil monster army organization, she did like sticking her nose places it didn't belong, but you can't just straight up ask, hey, did you kill my sister? Well, you can, but then Auteure will probably realize you're looking for revenge. If they did do it, there's an advantage gone. Better to investigate on your own, using what you have already, so maybe ask a question that will help you with this new mystery you've stumbled into? But you can't ask about the Black Miraculite or something like 'how do I Magical Girl', directly, that'll just plain admit you have at least one to Fukumoto and Auteure, if Auteure doesn't know that already.
Damn this cloak and dagger shit, this is tough…
You think a bit longer and you think you've come up with something that'll get you answers without bringing suspicion down on your head. "Auteure."
"One moment." The tired-looking general of evil doesn't look up from the book they're reading. At some point while you were thinking, they'd sat down in their bean-bag chain and curled up on themselves. You're briefly jealous of how comfy they look. After a moment, they flip a page, insert a bookmark and put what they were reading aside. "Have you made a decision?"
"I have. Not sure about her." You jerk your head at Fukumoto, who's no longer muttering and is instead just scowling at Auteure. "I'm asking a question."
Auteure nods. "Ask away then."
"This one," you jerk a thumb at Fukumoto, "is convinced that Magical Girls are real. So we come out here, following rumors of a fight or battle or something, looking for clues. Instead, we find you, and you certainly look like someone who belongs on the quirky mini-boss crew of a Magical Girl show. And then she accuses you of being behind a robbery at Mira-Tech, which you admit to. Now, I'm a little in the dark, but it sounds like those three things are related, Magical Girls, the robbery and you. So, my question is: how does that robbery aid your battle against the Magical Girls or whatever forces you're up against? And remember, you did say you'd be as comprehensive as possible."
Auteure looks at you for a long second and, to no one's surprise, sighs. "Boss lady did warn us that you would be the clever one of the bunch… Alright. You're correct in all of your deductions there. Magical Girls are real and they fight against the forces of Correction. In fact, they've only grown more and more numerous, popping up in many cities across Japan. While most aren't a match for us generals, there are only four of us and we can't be everywhere at once. Instead, we leave most of our work to lesser forms of Correctors and any humans we can sway to our side, both of which Magical Girls can handle with some effort on their part. The robbery was meant to stem the tide, so to speak. Put more powerful agents on our side while preventing Magical Girls from popping up in this city too."
Auteure takes a brief moment to readjust and again, you suppress a spike of jealousy at just how goddamned comfy she looks. "As for how… As you can probably guess, it starts with the source of magic used by you humans: Miraculite. I don't have to tell you this but, the more you have, the more powerful it is. Once it reaches a certain size, and if the proper methods are used during its crafting, Miraculite takes on… well, almost a life of its own. It's still a reflection, or rather, a concentration of human… No, this is off topic, sorry. The point is, there are special, powerful pieces of Miraculite that, if bonded to a human, can turn that human into a Magical Girl. Or a Magical Boy but that's more rare for whatever reason."
"You wanted some for yourselves." It's not hard to guess. Auteure basically laid it out for you already and if they already have some humans working for them, then all they need is the Miraculites for their own Magical Girls.
"Exactly so, Little Miss Clever." Auteure gives you a tired smile, more of a smirk really, but quickly drops it. "Mira-Tech had six such Magical Girl class Miraculites. They were being used for testing, science stuff I don't really understand. The point is, they weren't bonded to any humans yet and likely wouldn't be at any point in the future, so we had time to plan out our heist. The idea was to send in several small, specially made infiltration Correctors in through gaps in Mira-Tech's security while the lead scientist was distracted, have them locate the six Miraculites and gather them in a designated drop off location. The Correctors would then disperse and sink into the Miraculites, corrupting them and turning them into Catastrophites. They would then get picked up by more combat capable Correctors just in case and returned to me here, with no one the wiser."
"But that didn't happen." Fukumoto accuses. "You got caught. That's why people heard combat here yesterday."
"Indeed. You're both rather clever in fact." Auteure nods and Fukumoto growls. "I don't have a direct connection to other Correctors, only the Boss does and only when she wants one, so I can't say for certain what went wrong but only three Miraculites were collected and corrupted. One of the other three is in the possession of a new Magical Girl, Miracle Maker Kindness according to the reports. She appeared at Mira-Tech, interrupted the heist and chased the Correctors under my command all the way to my doorstep. As for the other two, I'm not sure. Either Mira-Tech still has them or Kindness stole them along with her own."
"Wait, Kindness stole hers?" You repeat, confused. But actually, looking back on yesterday, you don't remember Kindness working together with the Pacums. In fact, Kindness didn't seem to care if she blew them up alongside the Correctors.
Auteure nods again. "That's right. Apparently the robots were just as eager to get her Miraculite as they were about retrieving the Catastrophites. Not that they succeeded. You see, once they all reached the area above us, another new Magical Girl showed up. This one didn't give a name but given that she killed one of the Correctors to take a Catastrophite, she ran away from Kindness rather than work with her and the one spell she used was 'murder', I'm guessing she bonded with another Catastrophite during the chaos and has become the very first Dark Magical Girl. She probably picked up the third Catastrophite too."
"You don't know?" You confirm, hiding worry under skepticism.
"I… I've been busy and haven't had time to organize a search patrol yet." Auteure winces. Yeah, too busy reading. Busted. She turns to Fukumoto and changes to the subject. "That's all I've got to say about the robbery. What about you? What's your decision?"
Fukumoto grinds her teeth for a moment more before sticking out her hand. "Gimme the bookmark."
"Here you are." Auteure pulls one out of her pocket and Fukumoto snatches it out of her hand. "Now that that's over, you two can see yourselves out. I'm a little sad you didn't take me up on the offer to join me but you know where I live in case you change your minds. Of course if any cops, robots or Magical Girls show up knocking on my door, I'll have to move and you'll never find me again. Please close the door on your way out."
And with that, Auteure goes back to her book and you're left with nothing to do but leave. It's not long after that you find yourself on another bus, headed back into town. Fukumoto is sitting beside you but she's being uncharacteristically quiet. You groan in frustration in the privacy of your mind. This so isn't your area of expertise but… "Hey, you okay?"
"Hm?" Fukumoto perks up, slipping out of whatever funk she's in.
"I'm just saying, if this sort of thing becomes a regular occurrence, I don't want you losing your temper in front of whatever supernatural thing we run into next. We're humans. We're squishy."
"Oh! Sorry!" Fukumoto giggles sheepishly and scratches the back of her neck as her smile comes back. It's a little shaky, not quite as excited as it was before, but you find it reassuring. Ick. You're sure you'll be back to finding it annoying next time you see her. "Sorry, it's just… I dunno, something about that… lady? Guy? Whatever, something about them just pi- ticked me off something fierce. Like, not even the admission of guilt about the robbery or anything, just being around them at all was… Like I said, I dunno. I'll keep a lid on it next time."
"Mm." You grunt, satisfied. "I'm surprised. Given how much you seemed to hate everything about them, I didn't think you'd take their little 'gift'. I thought you'd just interrogate them.
"Ehehehe…" Fukumoto awkwardly giggles again, her smile dropping for just a moment. "Well, you know, words are just words. People can say whatever they want, it doesn't mean it's true. But this?" She whips out the bookmark and shakes it in your face. "This is hard evidence. If I can get it analyzed then-! Well, I'm not sure actually, but it'll tell us something. Something that can't be faked. Because this is real and it's here and it's not a lie."
Again, you're surprised by how cynical the girl next to you can be. "So you're not going to use it."
"Of course not! Like I said, words are words. They can promise it's not dangerous until the end of the world, I'm not trusting them one bit. Not until I check it out myself." Fukumoto shoves the bookmark away again before looking up at you and smiling. "Anyway! Enough about me, let's gush about you! You were really cool back there, Ms. Vice President!"
"Um… what?" You blink at the sudden change of topic.
"Yeah!" She nods excitedly. "I mean, we just ran into a genuine supernatural evil and you didn't panic in the slightest. You stared her down and just… logic'd at her like you were Sherlock Holmes! You know, for someone who looks so shy and adorable, you can get weirdly intense. It's really cute, total gap moe."
You? Cute? What? That's… What? This is not how things are supposed to go. You're plain. Boring. Lame. Depressing. That's what people always say. Even if you take care of your appearance, no one's ever really called you cute before. Well, your mom has but she doesn't count, obviously. And that stuff about you being cool? Really? You were freaking out back there.
"But seriously, thanks." Fukumoto's smile turns bashful. Less excited, less annoying. You think it's better this way. "No one's really ever done anything like this with me before. Well, I mean, duh, of course no one's ever wandered into an evil lair and confronted a general of darkness with me before, I've never done that before at all! But I meant… When I start talking about Magical Girls or mysteries or whatever, people just leave. Maybe they're polite about it but they don't stick around. Even my best friend thinks I'm crazy. But you came out here with me, you helped me look around… I wouldn't ever have found that hatch without you! And then when we did find it, well, you were with me every step of the way. That means a lot to me. So, um… I guess you can call me Hikari. You know, if you want…"
You stare at the smaller girl, barely able to comprehend what she's implying. You take it back, seeing her act shy is just plain weird. You're pretty sure she's got the wrong idea anyway. You have your own reasons for being here after all, it's not like you're acting out of the goodness of your heart here. But she was surprisingly competent and you got some good leads and she occasionally shows some realism when it comes to how the world works. So maybe this was a pretty good day. Maybe this wasn't a mistake. "...You can call me Kaworu."
The grin that breaks out on Fukumoto, no, on Hikari's face is blinding. It literally hurts your eyes. "Yay! I'll be sure to do that… Ms. Vice President."
Nevermind. You regret everything.
Hikari Fukumoto Relationship Level 0 → Level 1
Pacum scrap, Miraculite Shard (Shock), Stun Baton (Broken), Catastrophite added to inventory.
Soul Sensitivity Trait can now be trained.
??? Gained
Discovered Evidence: 1PP
Felt… Something: 3PP
Completed Catastrophite set: 5PP
Made non-violent contact with Auteure: 5 PP
-TUESDAY EVENING-
When you get home, you quickly down a couple of cup ramens and head to your room. Despite your mom wanting you to check in after school, she won't be home herself until much later. Just another night in the Ai household.
You're honestly exhausted, mentally at least, if not physically. You're overwhelmed by a second day in a row where you've encountered the supernatural and had your world flipped on its head. Not only that but it's the second day in a row where you've nearly died. Sure, you didn't get the shit beat out of you like yesterday but seriously: you broke into the home of a Dark General of Evil. If Auteure wasn't as chill as they turned out to be, you definitely wouldn't have survived. They were kinda hard to read too. For all that they acted tired and friendly, who knows what the limits of their patience was. Maybe they were seconds away from murdering you the whole time and you barely escaped with your life. It didn't feel that way but this wasn't an anime, you couldn't just sense killing intent. Could you? You certainly felt something in the courtyard earlier…
You're getting distracted. As much as you just want to collapse into your big pink bean bag chair and hopefully not think again forever, or at least until tomorrow, you instead collapse into your chair and snap your fingers. Your tablet emerges from hi-space and falls neatly into the slot waiting for it on your smart desk. A holographic screen pops up and a panel slides away to reveal a mechanical keyboard. Sure, you could use a holographic one but you like the clickity-clack of actual keys.
|DOING YOUR HOMEWORK? MY APPRENTICE IS DEDICATED.|
You let out a soft groan. Right, homework. You'll get to that. Later. Probably. It's just the first day of school, there shouldn't even be homework. You can put it off. . "Not quite. Auteure said something odd and now I want to check if I can figure out what they meant."
|OH?|
"Yeah, remember? They said something about Miraculite being a concentration of human something or other. And I don't think she was talking about anything physical. It sounds rather ridiculous to me…" But then again, a lot of the last two days sounds ridiculous when you lay it out like that. You shrug and start your search.
Intellect: Investigate Miraculite Online
DC 40
1d100+6=90
4th Degree of Success
You start with the obvious place to start: Mira-Tech's corporate website. While they're not the only ones producing Miraculite, the government has their own sources and there are a few other smaller companies that know the trick to it, Mira-Tech is by far the biggest manufacturer of Miraculite and Miraculite-powered items. They were the first to figure it out and the best.
Unfortunately, you get about what you expected out of it. A bunch of advertising, corporate babble and the stuff you're taught in school. Blah blah blah, stable, near unlimited energy source, blah blah blah the future of energy production, blah blah blah reacts to human brain waves to produce useful and minor exotic effects. You really don't care but you go over the entire site anyway just to be thorough and it's a good thing you do, because you find something odd. A small warning, fine print really, that unidentified and unshielded Miraculite may be dangerous and you should report it to the authorities rather than deal with it yourself. It's weird because a very, very big deal is made about how stable and safe Miraculite is as an energy source. No radiation, no side effects, no chance of exploding, nothing. And yet, here's this warning.
Curious.
Some connection is made in the back of your brain and you hit the back button a couple times. You scan through the FAQ earlier and let out a happy little bark of a laugh when you find what you're looking for. One of the questions and answers very, very firmly denies that the rumors that Miraculite is a naturally occurring phenomenon and can develop outside of a lab are completely and totally false. The sheer thoroughness of the denial strikes you as maybe protesting a bit too much.
Curiouser.
You leave the Mira-tech site behind and start trawling through forums and social media. It doesn't take you long before you find what you're looking for: the rumors that Mira-Tech tried too hard to debunk. It's not exactly common but you can find accounts of people finding random crystals of Miraculite in odd places or even witnessing it just grow out of thin air. Normally you wouldn't put too much stock in random stories on the internet but you do notice a pattern start to emerge. This 'wild' Miraculite, it always forms around someone feeling intense emotion. Fear, rage, grief seem more common, perhaps because a lot of these people wound up using the new Miraculites to escape whatever trouble they were in, but more positive emotions generate Miraculite too it seems. You've found three instances of people claiming to have found large amounts of Miraculite at weddings and you're sure you'd find more if you went looking.
With a groan, you slump back in your chair, not sure what to make of what you've discovered. It's not what you'd call air tight but all the clues seem to be pointing at the same thing. "Hey, DEATH? Is Miraculite solidified human emotion or something? Ugh, I feel unscientific just saying that…"
|I DO NOT KNOW.|
That gets you to sit up straight. "What do you mean, you don't know?"
|SUCH THINGS ARE IRRELEVANT IN THE END.|
"Ugh. I guess you don't care much about what humans get up to while they're alive, huh." You slump back again and think. It sounds like Mira-Tech discovered a rare natural phenomenon and patented the shit out of it. Either they have some device or technology that makes generating Miraculite easier, or they're harvesting people's extreme emotions on an industrial scale, possibly both. Emotion harvesting sweatshops does sound like something a corporation would try to get away with. Not that you care, it doesn't affect you none, but if you ever need to take down Mira-Tech, exposing that sort of thing could be useful. But that doesn't matter now.
No, the only real thought in your mind is, if Miraculite comes from humans…
Does that mean you can make your own?
Miraculite Maker Trait still requires something else...
Lead Investigated: 1 PP
-WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON-
Today, you head straight home after school. Nothing new for you, it's not like you had a social life before all this. And with your prerequisite socialization for your mom's peace of mind out of the way yesterday, you have no reason to subject yourself to anymore of that 'interacting with people' nonsense. Although, if your mom really knew what went down at your club meeting yesterday, she'd probably decide that it didn't count. Good thing you're not telling her anytime soon. All she's gonna get is that you went to a club meeting and it went well.
Anyway, rather than go to your room, you head for the roof of your apartment block. No one's supposed to be up there except occasional maintenance guys but the door's never locked, so there's nothing stopping you from using the space. Before, you used it as a place to relax and get away from your mom when you couldn't go all the way to the abandoned mall. Now though? You're here with a different purpose in mind.
You quickly double-check to make sure you're alone before pulling your Catastrophite out of hi-space, the one with DEATH in it. Sure, the others belong to you since you stole them, but this one is yours. "So, how do we do this?"
|FEEL THE MAGIC. SAY THE WORDS.|
"So just like casting a spell, huh?" The difference being that you don't have that same energy, that power waiting right at your fingertips. You still remember how it felt though, so before you can worry about looking silly, you hold out the Catastrophite, close your eyes and focus. You breathe, you feel and then… you know."
"Unleash Catastrophe: Death."
Once again, everything fades away. For one brief second that lasts an eternity, there is nothing. Nothing but you and the cold void. And the void wraps around you, armors you, protects you. For a movement, you are…
And then the moment ends and you're back on the rooftop, expect now you're a Magical Girl. And that's still a ridiculous thing to say but here you are. "Alright, that's step one done. Next, what exactly can I do?"
|POWER COMES FROM THE STONE BUT IS SHAPED AND SHOULDERED BY YOUR SOUL. THE STRONGER THE SOUL, THE MORE POWER YOU CAN COMMAND. AS YOU ARE NOW, YOUR SOUL IS YOUR ARMOR AND YOUR WEAPON, YOUR GRACE AND YOUR STRENGTH.|
As usual, it takes you a moment to translate DEATH's cryptic advice into normal words. "So, not only do I cast spells but being a Magical Girl makes me stronger, faster and tougher. And… the soul is a real thing? Kind of like… I don't know machines actually but my soul is what focuses the power from the Catastrophite but at the same time, my soul can only handle so much at a time. Plus, there's the spell casting… Anything else I should know?"
|OTHERS WILL NOT REMEMBER YOUR FACE. ONLY YOUR SOUL.|
"My identity is protected?" That was both incredibly convenient and really annoying at the same time. Convenient in that, well, you had a secret identity and didn't have to worry about a mask if you wanted to do something less than legal. But if other magical girls were protected in the same way, well, you could walk by Kindness on the street and you'd never know it's her. And you can totally forget about figuring out who that Magical Girl from your dreams is supposed to be, if she was ever real in the first place.
In any case, it's time to really find out what you can do.
Soul: Getting Used to Real Magic
DC 40
1d100+12=54
Second Degree of Success
You test out everything you can think of. Just running back and forth, you can cross the rooftop in seconds and when you jump as high as you can, you barely suppress a scream as you fall back down. Chasing cars on foot and jumping between skyscrapers are both definitely possible now. The weird, floaty effect kicks in when you want it, you figured out how to turn it off. (You totally fell on your face the first time it clicked.) You did back flips, ran up the wall around access stairs and mantled the air conditioning units littering the roof (and you only got tangled on your own feet during half those attempts). And your durability was enough to cover most minor scrapes and cuts without damage, not that you hurt yourself at all.
Once you had a feel for the physical side of things, you tried out your magic. It turned out you could shape the sort of damage you caused with Murder, which could be useful. You didn't test Become Elsewhere, not that you didn't want to but because DEATH warned you that the results would be random each time. Good to know. Plus, you learned you had two more spells. One that DEATH taught you called for whom the bell tolls, which apparently worked by pulling death, the event, not the voice in your head, 'closer' to the target, making it easier for them to die. A bit esoteric, but you can see how useful it could be. But for the last spell, Tempting Beauty, you don't really know what it does and neither does DEATH because apparently it doesn't come from them. You were just trying to focus on a spell and your mind wandered. You're not really sure what you were thinking (you were daydreaming about Miracle Maker Kindness and how cute she was) but suddenly you felt something different that you can't really describe (hot, shy, needy, happy) and the words came to you. Casting the spell, you felt something settle around you for a short while but that was it.
There was something else too, something that felt different from the sort of magic that your other spells pulled on. Unformed but familiar, not that you could figure it out exactly.
That oddity aside, you now feel much more confident with your Magical Girl abilities.
Kaworu now fully understands her capabilities. Proper combat plans can now be made rather than vague votes.
Explored Magical Girl abilities: 2 PP
-WEDNESDAY EVENING-
After heading back into your apartment and making a quick cup of ramen, you head to your room and pull out your Catastrophite once more. This time, you don't transform. You just take the first step, recognizing and grasping the power locked away in the black gem. Once you have a feel for it, you do what you can with it. Push it, pull it, shape it. It's tough, so much tougher than casting a cantrip or transforming. That much magic, it has a weight to it. You can barely make it budge outside of the prescribed paths but that's the point.
You'd asked DEATH over dinner if there was anything you could do to strengthen your soul, so you could handle more of the Catastrophite's power. They didn't have an answer, they didn't have a soul themself after all, but between the two of you, you theorized that the soul was maybe like your body and it could get stronger if you trained it. So here you were, attempting to 'work out' with your soul.
You have no idea if it's working or not but it sure does tire you out. You don't keep track of the time but it seems sooner rather than later, you can't keep your eyes open. You flip back onto your bed and pass out.
6 PP spent. Soul: 12 —> 14
-THURSDAY AFTERNOON-
|DANCE?|
"Uh, yeah…" Your face burns with embarrassment. "Look, if you have any better ideas, I'm all ears! But you were there yesterday, you saw what happened. I've always been kind of a clutz and even that supernatural gracefulness stuff didn't help. So if I want to avoid doing fucking pratfalls as a MG and completely tanking my reputation before I even start, I need to improve my hand-eye coordination. And this is the best way I can think of to do that."
|YOUR LOGIC IS SOUND.|
You have no idea why you find the cold, emotionless not-sound of DEATH's voice calming, it really does feel like something you should automatically reject on every level as a living human, but you do. Maybe it's just that his calm acceptance and complete lack of judgment makes you feel less like a fuck up or like something's wrong with you. Whatever the case, you're not quite as embarrassed as you search up dance tutorials online.
Naturally, the first few you find are complete crap. Even the ones labeled 'beginner friendly' fucking aren't. But eventually you find a really good series of videos that walks you through step by step, easing you into things and doesn't mess around or throw out jargon you don't understand.
The only reason you don't consider them perfect is because they're made by that idol your new music club seems obsessed with, Yuki Yuri Yumi. The fact that she's competent and professional in these videos only makes you resent her more. How dare this manufactured, mass produced, lowest common denominator sell-out of a pop idol actually know what she's doing! You can never let the rest of the casual music club hear about this. Ever. They might think you're a fellow fan.
Unfortunately, you're practical enough that you won't discard a useful resource simply out of spite. So you follow the instructions and slowly, surely, learn to dance. The afternoon slips away and you wind up tired, sweaty and gross but unlike training your soul yesterday, you can tell that you made progress. You're no longer tripping over your own feet at least and that's definitely something.
You're taking a break and chugging some water when you hear a sound you don't expect: the front door unlocking.
"Kaworu? I'm home!"
8 PP spent. Skill 1 —> 7
-THURSDAY EVENING-
"Mom?" You emerge from your room, surprised and confused.
You find your mom in the kitchen, setting a bag on the table and taking off her coat. She looks over and gives you a tired smile. "Hey Sweetie. I managed to get out of work early today, so I figured we could have dinner together. I got sushi, with all your favorites."
You suppress a grimace as you sit down at the table. Your favorites? What a joke. Sure, you like sushi, more than other take out at least, but you know what you really want? You know what you really want to eat? Your Mom's home cooking. It was the one thing Yume was bad at. Even if Yume was the one to mostly take care of you while your mom was out chasing stories, your mom always made sure to take the time to cook for the two of you, even if most of it was leftovers. Back then, take out was a rare treat or an emergency measure when your Mom was totally swamped with work. Those homemade meals were so good, especially when all three of you could sit down and spend the evening together…
Of course, that all changed, just like everything else. You're pretty sure your mom hasn't cooked a single goddamn thing since Yume died. You're not sure she even remembers how.
Head down, mulishly silent, you take your 'favorites' and start eating. And then the absolute worst thing happens.
"So how was your week so far, Sweetie?"
Empathy: Convince Your Mom You Are a Fine, Sociable and Non-Traumatized Individual
DC 60
1d100+22=57
Partial Failure
"It was fine."
"Are you enjoying your classes?"
"They're okay.
"What about your club, that was fun, right?"
"It was… interesting."
You know that you're supposed to be convincing her you're fine. You know that, okay! But between being so completely bushed from the dancing and your mind still trying to compile the insanity that happened and the fact that you really have nothing good you can share with her at all and-
It's just easier to fall into old habits and grunt your way through the conversation until your mom gives up. She invites you to watch a movie with her and you agree because you can manage that much at least. She's honestly surprised and happy as she puts on some fantasy thing you probably would have liked as a kid. Unfortunately, you refuse to share the kotatsu with her and you go to bed as soon as it's done. It would have been easy. It should have been easy to pretend. But you just couldn't pretend. Maybe next time.
No Change. Kaworu is still grounded for two more turns.
-FRIDAY MORNING-
Another day, another mind-numbing, soul-crushing session of high school. At least it's nearly the weekend, then you can finally be free. You're really lucky that Akarui Seishin is one of the few schools in Japan that has a two day weekend, like they do in America. That thought buoys you somewhat as you make your way through the halls. Also, school might be boring but at least it's normal. Nothing surprising will happen here-
"KAAAAAA-CHAAAAAAAAAN!"
You scream in fear as someone shouts in your ear. Suddenly, you've been picked up and are being swung around in circles fast enough that the rest of the school is just a blur. You desperately try to escape your attacker but the arms pinning you are just too strong. You struggle, you wiggle, you scream but nothing works. Finally, you kick one of your legs back and happen to catch something soft. There's a pained 'oof' from your would-be kidnapper and you're finally released.
You spin around, casting glove extended incase you need to burn a bitch, only to find that your attacker isn't a demon here to kill you or a secret government agent trying to take you away because your secret identity was discovered. It's just a boy. A boy clutching between his legs as he's hunched over in pain, yet nevertheless he's looking up and giving you a (strained) smile. "Hah! Still touchy about getting touched, huh Ka-chan! But wow, you really pack a kick these days!"
What the fuck? Who the hell is this guy? You don't know him. Why is he acting like he knows you? You're tempted to light him on fire anyway for being too fresh with you but that's the kind of thing that promotes therapy from 'optional but recommended' to 'required by law'. Better not escalate that much, that quick. "Um, I'm sorry but I-I think you have the wrong person? I really don't know who you are…"
There's a flash of pain across his face that's actually worse than when you kicked him in the nads. It's only for a second, before a self-deprecating smile takes it's place. "Ah, damn. That makes sense. Sorry, I just got so excited seeing you again. I guess it makes sense you don't remember lame ol' Yoshimichi…"
"Yoshimichi… Wait, Mi-chan?" Mi-chan was your best friend back when you were just a brat. You were in the same class, you spent all your time together, you hung out at your house all the time. Mi-chan was a huge cry baby back then and you were more than happy to help. Giving hugs, acting confident, spouting nonsense about hope and friendship and determination. Just like you had Yume, Mi-chan had you. It's incredible that Mi-chan is back, right in front of you. But there's just one thing… "You're a guy?!?"
"Hahahaha! Yep! Ah, I knew you remembered me!" The boy (who is Mi-chan?! Somehow?!?!?) straightens up, laughing, and okay, wow. There's no mistaking him for a girl now. You're above average height for your age, not huge or anything but you're certainly not small. This guy stands a head and a half taller than you and his uniform shirt does nothing to hide his muscles, it's straining to keep them covered honestly. Which is insane. The Mi-chan you knew was, again, the biggest cry baby ever, the runt of all your classmates and had the biggest obsession with pink you ever saw. You're well within your rights for thinking they were a girl, especially when you were the one chasing bullies away from them. The only reasons you at all accept that the buff jock in front of you might be your childhood friend and not an imposter who's really off the mark are the strip of pink dyed into his hair and the bright pink hoodie he has tied around his waist, which is proudly branded with the logo for Happy Happy Fluff Friends, Mi-chan's favorite show.
You stand there, headless of the stares and whispers from the other students watching. You stand there, watching a giant jock laugh himself stupid, trying to comprehend how he could possibly be the tiny, adorable, whiny baby that followed you around everywhere as a kid. But then the confusion snaps and anger takes its place.
Might: Unleash Your Frustration
DC 70
1d100+5=20
Failure
"Ow!" You shake your hand after trying to punch him in the chest. Damnit, it was like punching a brick wall.
"Ka-chan?" Mi-chan… No. No, you're not calling this stupid boy that. Yoshimichi tilts his head to the side, like a big confused puppy dog.
"Screw you." You scowl at him, voice low and angry. "Seriously, screw you. Ten years. Ten years without a call, a letter, not even a goodbye. You just fucking disappeared one day and that was it. I didn't know where you went, I didn't know if you were… And you just show up out of nowhere like this and act like nothing happened? Screw. You."
Yoshimichi's face drops, looking like you really hurt him. Good. He hurt you too. Especially when you punched him. Owwww. "Ka-chan, I… I really am sorry. I can't explain, I don't have an excuse. I never wanted to go but you can't fight fate. But, but none of that matters now! I came back because I wanted to find you! I could finally see you again. I know that when I left, it hurt you, really I do! It hurt me too! But that's in the past! I'm back now. I'm here for you. Please, let me make it up to you!"
He stops talking and you answer him with silence. Because seriously, how do you answer that? What do you say to that kind of melodramatic bullshit? And right in the middle of the hall too. You might not have paid attention to the onlookers before but their whispers, giggles and knowing looks are certainly making your face burn now.
Luckily, you're saved from having to give an answer when the school bell rings. "I have to get to class." You turn and start hurrying to homeroom. You don't look back.
You don't want to see what kind of face Yoshimichi is making.
Episode 1
End!
End!
The next Episode has time for 4 Major Actions and 4 Minor Actions.
Some actions are marked with LIE. These actions mean lying to your mom about where you are and what you're doing. Lying to your mom is always a very high DC. Your mom plans on restraining your freedom of movement for the next 2 turns but your actions and dice rolls may or may not wind up increasing or decreasing this time period.
You have 17 PP.
Major Actions
[ ][Major] Bug the police for details on Yume's death. LIE - You remember constantly asking the police officer that told you and your mom about Yume's death over and over what happened? They didn't tell you then and you assumed that they just were incompetent and didn't know, but maybe they were trying to spare you the gruesome details since your were a child. Maybe you can get more out of them now that you've grown. (Empathy, Skill: Hard)
[ ][Major] Attack the police as a magical girl and steal info about Yume's death. LIE - The cops aren't going to tell you jackshit. They never have and they never will. But their records and evidence, those will talk to you just fine. You just need to procure them. It shouldn't be hard, human cops have been near totally replaced by the Pacum security bots and each police station only has a couple of those on site at a time. The only issue is that you'll definitely be branded a villain if you do this. (Combat: Easy)
[ ][Major] Maybe you should get Mira-Tech's side of things instead of just Auteure's? LIE - Robberies, Wild Miraculite, Catastrophite. You have a lot of questions and not a lot of answers. Sometimes the best thing you can do is ask. You just need to pretend to be working for the school newspaper or something and someone will talk to you, right? (Empathy, Intellect: Hard)
[ ][Major] Attack Mira-Tech as a Magical Girl for data on Miraculites and the Robery. LIE - As if anyone actually important at Mira-tech would waste time talking to a random teenager. You're better off just busting in and taking what you want. Of course, that'll mean fighting off Mira-Tech's veritable army of robots, some of which are almost guaranteed to be stronger than the Pacums you see on the street. And then you'll have to actually use a computer and download any relevant data... But hey, you can probably steal extra shinies while you're there, right? (Combat: Extremely Hard)
[ ][Major] Approach Mira-Tech and offer your services. LIE - So apparently Kindness stole her Miraculite and Mira-Tech wants it back, the others too if she took them. And you've already proven that you're good at collecting the damn things. Maybe you can hash out a deal with whoever's in charge. You get the Miraculites back, they help you get answers and back you up with what you need. You might have to give up the Catastrophites though… (Empathy: Hard)
[ ][Major] Go back and meet Auteure but this time as a Magical Girl. LIE - They want you, they get you. With not only your own Catastrophite but the other two as well, you have a lot more bargaining power as a Magical Girl than as a random civilian trying to keep her head down. You might be able to broker an alliance on more equal terms. Of course, if you show up so soon after you visited as Kaworu, that could raise some suspicions. (Empathy: Hard)
[ ][Major] Visit Auteure again as Kaworu. LIE - You can't just let it rest, not like this. Yes, it's dangerous, but Auteure is the biggest mystery and source of information both that you have right now. You may have to make deals to get what you want and it might make the General mad if you show up again after you've been deliberately warned away, but if things go wrong, you can always transform and warp away, right? (Empathy: Hard)
[ ][Major] Patrol as a magical girl? LIE - That's something that magical girls do, right? Not that your a real one but you might as well give it a shot. Running around the city transformed is a good way to get someone's attention at least. (Random Encounter)
[ ][Major] Scout Some Outsourcing. LIE - You have some materials and you have some things you need made from them. Unfortunately, you don't really have the skills necessary to make those things yourself. You could try anyway... Or you could convince someone else to do the work for you. The only issue is that some some of the stuff you want made isn't exactly legal...
-[ ] Amateur Magicians Club - You don't know much about the school's magic club but they'd probably be interested in making custom runestones, right? And you don't have to say where you're getting the Miraculite... (Empathy: Medium)
-[ ] Gadgeteering Club - Again, you don't know anyone in this club but a bunch of nerds would probably jump at the chance to mess with broken junk if it's rare. Maybe not if it's obviously illegal though. (Empathy: Hard)
-[ ] Your Science Teacher, Misao Hoshii - Ms. Hoshii has an actual background in engineering and high energy physics, so she probably knows what she's doing more than some random teenagers. But are you really going to ask your teacher for help doing something obviously illegal? (Empathy: Very Hard)
[ ][Major] Go to Urban Legends Club - You should probably check back in with Hikari. You have the encounter with Auteure to go over, plus there's all that evidence you collected that you haven't shared with her yet. (Intellect, Empathy: Medium)
[ ][Major] Go to Casual Music Club - You need some time to relax and unwind. And you're not allowed to go relax at the mall, damnit, so this is the only other option you have. Hopefully all the idol fangirls will leave you alone if you pop your earbuds in and close your eyes. (Empathy: Easy)
[ ][Major] Spend time with Yoshimichi. Ugh. - You're not gonna lie, you're pissed off at the boy. But… Well, you won't admit that you've missed your friend but you supposed you could give him a chance to explain at least. You can't help but be curious about what happened to him. But only because you can't stand not knowing something, not because you're worried or anything. Idiot. And you suppose your mom will think reconnecting with an old friend is healthy for you or something. (Empathy, Might: Medium)
[ ][Major] Go to counseling. Ugh. - This is basically the last thing you want to do. Ever. But your mom won't stop bugging you about it, you can just tell, so you might as well get it out of the way. You just need to lie your ass off and convince this councilor lady that you're perfectly fine, really. (Empathy: Hard)
[ ][Major] Spend Time with Mom. Ugh. - Usually your mom is too busy with work to give a shit about you beyond lip service, but every so often, she gets really, really up in your business. This is one of those times. It's a pain but giving in and spending time with her is the fastest way to get her off your back. Hopefully this won't be too irritating. (Empathy: Medium)
Minor Actions
[ ][Minor] Train a stat - You can spend your Progression Points to increase your stats. Raising a stat up to five costs 1 PP per stat point, raising a stat up to 10 costs 2 PP per stat point and so on. Training each individual stat takes up a minor action slot. Please include what you are raising a stat to in the vote.
-[ ] Might
-[ ] Skill
-[ ] Intellect
-[ ] Empathy
-[ ] Soul
[ ][Minor] Learn a New Spell - Each Spell costs 10 PP to learn and takes up 1 minor action slot. You chose which spell tree to learn a spell from, with each spell tree progressing linearly.
-[ ] DEATH - You know how to pull death closer, so now you're wondering if you can push it away.
-[ ] VOID - This type of spell has to do with emptiness, nothingness. You wonder what will happen if you can hold onto that feeling.
-[ ] L*** - You're still not sure exactly what your first spell with this energy does. Maybe if you apply it to others instead of yourself, you'll be able to figure it out?
-[ ] ??? - And then there's this. The mystery energy you feel. You have no idea what it does, so maybe you'll just mess around with it until it does something.
[ ][Minor] Gain a Trait - Each new trait costs 10 PP to develop. New traits are unlocked by succeeding at certain major actions and some require other traits to be developed first.
-[ ] Sensitive Soul - You picked up something back at the mall, like some sort of magical after-effect or remnant. It's weird and really wishy-washy sounding but maybe you can train yourself to sense that stuff properly? You shouldn't just leave a potential source of evidence unexplored after all.
[ ][Minor] Contemplate your orbs - Three Catastrophites, one bonded to you, two not. Corrupted by the Correctors, whatever that means. You can feel their power thoguh. Maybe if you poke and prod at them, you'll figure something out. (Soul: Medium)
[ ][Minor] Investigate a lead online - The internet is for everything, including research. You can always try to research a topic using Intellect online, depending on what you're interested in an the moment, but the DC will be determined by how obscure the subject in general is
-[ ] Yume AI (Hard)
-[ ] Norika Uegimu (Hard)
-[ ] Akira Uegimu (Easy)
-[ ] Yoshimichi Yanyama (Hard)
-[ ] Magical Girls (Hard)
-[ ] Pacum Security Bots (Easy)
-[ ] The Correctors (Medium)
[ ][Minor] Look for a part time job - You currently are dependent on your mother's generosity for money and you get the feeling that won't be enough for long. You can try to look for employment at places you know or just do what normal teens do and look online. You need to pass a check to be hired and the skills used will be the main skills relevant to working there later.
-[ ] Mom's workplace (Empathy: Easy)
-[ ] Dr. Uegimu's office (Intellect, Skill: Hard)
-[ ] Check Job Sites (Random)
[ ][Minor] Recall the past - So much of your current life is rooted in the past and yet, you struggle to remember the details clearly. Focus and Meditation may help. Uses Soul, with DC determined by the subject in question.
-[ ] Yume Ai (Easy)
-[ ] Norika Uegimu (Easy)
-[ ] Yoshimichi Yanyama (Easy)
-[ ] The Abandoned Mall (Hard)
-[ ] The Magical Girl of the Past (Hard)
[ ][Minor] Try Some Tinkering - If you have the resources, you can try to build or repair items for your personal use. Failure will destroy the materials needed. Uses Intellect, DC determined by item.
-[ ] Shock Runestone - Miraculite Shard (Shock). Medium.
-[ ] Stun Baton - Stun Baton (Broken). Hard
DEATH's Advice: |DO NOT LET YOUR PAIN KEEP YOURSELF FROM LIVING.|
AN: So, I've been sitting on this one for a bit and I don't really know why? Anyway, update. Nice to see you can actually fail at a roll once in awhile. Big thanks to my lovely boyfriend @Lazurman and my friends @BlindingPhoenix and @hellgodsrus for beta reading. Happy voting!
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