Fool Bloom (A Magical Woman Quest)

[ArlequineLunaire]

[X] She outright said she knew about Hibiki siding with the Frost Fair. Tactless as it was, it was gonna come up sooner or later, certainly from Koyomi if not her.


"Izumi-sama, I really do want to trust you. To help us save Mirova-san, and to help you save Daimon-sama! I mean, you were in like all the anime I watched back when. It's just…" Miyako tried to start positively, but couldn't bear the weight of what she knew anymore, "I can't."

"Why not?" Hibiki simply said.
Reiji and Sfira looked confused, while Koyomi and Palmira tensed up.

"Look, I still don't forgive her for what she did," Koyomi whispered to Miyako, "but like it or not, we can't afford to bring that up, we need anyone we can get right now."

"Because I know you fought for the Frost Fair!" Miyako blurted out at Hibiki anyway, right past Koyomi. She then crouched while biting her lower lip and said, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I know you had no choice; I know your company would've put you up to it! It's just, it's just…"

"Ah, please forgive her, Izumi-sama," Reiji said, smiling yet side-eyeing Miyako. "Nozawa means well, but says the craziest things sometimes. Like she once tried to have me stage her fanfic-"

"What she said is true," Hibiki said, again with the same composure.

Everyone just stared at her, with Sfira shuffling a few steps away.
"How can ya just… say something like that?" Palmira asked.

"Was that take unsatisfactory?" Hibiki said, then looked at Koyomi, "As you are a writer, Kuramazov, perhaps you can write me a more fitting reaction? Something a traitor like me would say on being outed?"

"…Are you trying to mock me?" Koyomi asked and glared.

"That's my line? You write fast," Hibiki said, hardly answering the question.

Clenching her teeth, Koyomi then told her, "Since I now can't trust the sincerity of anything you say to me, I'll have you recite 'I will not abdicate any responsibility for my actions', but not at me. No, I want you to repeat that over and over in your own head. Got that?"

Hibiki nodded and as directed didn't speak.

A blushing Miyako said, "Ah look, I am really sorry I brought that up. I was, I was just worried if I didn't, someone else would say it. So, er," she hesitated to ask, "you're still here to find Daimon-sama of your own volition, right? Not just because someone told you to?"

"I was asked to find her, does that count as being told?" Hibiki asked her back.

Koyomi eyed Hibiki even closer, then turned to say to Palmira, "From the way she's been acting, I believe she may be due for a Heart Leech checkup."

"Wow, you've really been letting your Hanazakari senses go to waste, huh Senora Koyomi?" Palmira asked back and sighed, "Ain't no Leech in the dame, I'd be pinging something fierce if there was. At least, I think I'm sensing right, can't hurt to be sure," they then muttered in a more normal, less noir tone of voice.

"There's no Heart Leech in me, I'd need to be paid extra to method act with one," Hibiki said, leaving Koyomi to hope that was a joke. "I can prove it to you right now. The mask shows who I truly am. Blossom, Hellebore!" she said with a sudden burst of power in her voice.
The transformed Hibiki now sported an emerald green ballerina outfit with a gold leaf trim, her hair having turned silvery white and as expected a mask around her eyes.

"Yep, like I told ya, she's Leech-free," Palmira said, with Miyako not needing to be told that you couldn't transform with a Heart Leech infection.

"Though that just makes her attitude stranger," Koyomi had to say.

"Look, I'm sure she's been very busy with roles, plus you did spring her memories of her being drafted against humanity on her," Reiji then spoke for Hibiki, "She'd just be under a lot of pressure right now, that's all, no need to hoist all this further suspicion on her. Forcing her to transform was a little uncalled for."

"Actually, I haven't been getting that many roles lately," Hibiki said upon detransforming. "Age is at least gentler on us voice actors, though it still means I get cast mostly in villain roles nowadays."

"Heh, you sure that's just due to your age?" Koyomi muttered beneath her breath.

Miyako winced, she'd hoped Koyomi would at least be sympathetic over aging and typecasting, in the latter's case given what her old publisher had demanded she write. So she said instead to Hibiki, "Well hey, now if you help us battle this cult you'll get to play the hero again!"

For a second Hibiki smiled, but then said, "I'm afraid it's… not quite the same in real life. Harder to lose myself. But I suppose this could be my community service given, ahem, my past."

"Okay, with that settled- oh right, Sfira," Koyomi then realised. She reached over to drag the Pathragadan back in and said, "Right, think Palmira is the only one who doesn't know. Sfira here is a visiting Pathragadan of the Bamboo clan, shows they haven't forgotten us, who we found sightseeing at Sekigahara. Then Freesia attacked, took off with Mirova, and here we are."
She then glared at Hibiki, "And please do not tell me your reaction to them was 'Whatever they'd like it to be'." So Hibiki just said nothing.

"A Pathragadan, a real Pathragadan? They still care about us, or at least one of them does?" Palmira said as they gave a big smile and squealed. Only then did they realise how they came off and rushed to resume their gruffer tone, "Ahem, strange world, ain't it? Name's Palmira Sakata, kid. Guess you donning Senora Koyomi's duds is one of your photosynthesis mirages, huh?"

Sfira nodded, then dropped the illusion to show Palmira their true bamboo self. "<Greetings, I'm glad I could finally visit. Even if Earth is, as you say, a strange world. I'm gladder most humans I've met have been quite pleasant, well, mostly,>" they said. All the while they kept avoiding making eye contact with Hibiki.

"Yeah, just stick with me, kid. You've got gangsters, mad scientists, whole ton of people bit too eager to get their paws on an alien. But don't worry, I can spot those creeps a mile away," Palmira said, only to find Koyomi narrowing her eyes at them.

"Like we need someone else trying to claim custody over Sfira," Koyomi said, even if the other claimant was currently a doll.

"Was just trying ta be friendly," Palmira muttered.

"Er, okay. Now everything's fixed up, time to finally face this cult!" Miyako said, only for Koyomi to shoot her down.

"Time for us Hanazakari to face the cult, maybe with Sfira for backup. You two unanointed however, stay here out of this," Koyomi told Miyako and Reiji.

"What? B-but… I know, I know," Miyako sighed, "It's for my own protection. I just, y'know, really wanted to see Hanazakari do battle against evil once without being pushed out of it or taken away."

"Yeah, and the fights against Kazuya's Leech and Blue Lotus should more than remind you why you shouldn't be anywhere near the field of battle," Koyomi said.

"Hey, suits me fine. I'm more than happy to keep any daring rescue missions strictly to the stage," Reiji said but had to sigh, "yeah, like I ever got to play any princely roles. Though like I said, Izumi-sama's been under a lot of pressure, so you better keep an eye on her."

"Look kid, she's nearly twice yer age and a Shin Sekigahara vet. Think she's gonna do fine against some cult bozos," Palmira said, before they sighed at Koyomi, "Mouthy little twerp ain't he?" which got a smirk out of her. And a twitch out of Reiji.

The Hanazakari then headed off, with Hibiki at least waving goodbye to the unanointed and Sfira trying their hardest not to zoom past the three.

Once they'd left, Reiji looked at Miyako and asked, "It really is true then, that Izumi Hibiki fought on the Frost Fair's side? Why else would she say so herself, I guess? And to think just a while ago I would've gone 'Hah, of course a bunch of Hanazakari betrayed humanity'. But actually hearing it, it's… just horrible to even think about."

Miyako had no idea what to say at first, but managed, "Look, it would've been her company that forced to do such a thing, right? I mean, I know people change, but I still can't see Izumi-sama ever willingly siding with the Frost Fair. What-" she gulped "-Hanazakari would?"

They stood in silence for a while, till a familiar someone showed up.
"Oh, I know you, despite or because of your ridiculous get-up. Not mooching off my brother right now, huh? That's a start for you," Ryoichi turned up and scowled at Reiji.

"Huh, Ryoichi? What are you doing here?" Reiji said and stumbled back, before he raised his voice, "And hey, I'm the one who actually bothers looking after Kazuya!"

"Why you-" Ryoichi began, but then took a deep breath. "No, I can't let chance encounters and petty insults distract from my purpose here." Which of course meant he got distracted by Miyako. "You, you're still around? Wait, where's that older woman who were with? And Sakata better not have told you anything about me."

"Why, you have that little faith in the detective you hired?" Miyako found it in herself to stand up to him. "And Arisugawa-sama's just gone off to genuinely get something done about the cult." She then shut her mouth when it occurred to her that'd likely just egg Ryoichi on and risk his life.

Article:

She dealt with Ryoichi by:
[ ] Occupying him with conversation, bringing up Kazuya should keep him talking.
[ ] Stalling by encouraging him to show off his wealth through purchases.
[ ] Telling him what Palmira had told her about the cult, hoping that'd satisfy his investigation.
[ ] Trusting Reiji could keep him occupied.
[ ] Escalating to a fight. A punch-up was a little much but would certainly keep him away from the cult.
[ ] Just letting him investigate the cult, since he should've known the risks.
[ ] Offering to investigate the cult with him. It'd defy Koyomi, but it'd be safer with three of them.
[] Fully conveying the danger to Ryoichi. [Miyako does not have enough Emotional Intelligence for this.]
[ ] Write-in
[ ] Write-in: Play nice. Ask what he wants to do about the cult, and compare notes. Keep an open mind to his concerns. (by Embler)

 

[ArlequineLunaire]

[X] Embler write-in: Play nice. Ask what he wants to do about the cult, and compare notes. Keep an open mind to his concerns.


"Er, ahem," Miyako coughed on realising she may've started on too aggressive a foot with Ryoichi, as aggressive as he'd been himself. "I'm guessing you've got plans for what to do about the cult, since you came all the way down to Nagoya?" she asked, somewhat straining to be more polite.

"Tracking down their donation accounts, of course, to show everyone they've been swindling the Kai family," Ryoichi said, then grumbled, "Naturally most of their earnings are undisclosed, helps them to keep up their ridiculous 'poor and humble' facade. So I thought the only thing for it was to break right into their base and find the real accounts myself."

"Yeah right. I don't exactly see you packing a grappling hook, disguises, lockpicks, decryption USB, y'know, anything that'd actually be useful in infiltration," Reiji said, having not picked up Miyako's polite approach at all.

"Well of course that's how some theatre urchin would think an infiltration would go," Ryoichi chuckled at him, "but here in the real world, I have a sounder plan. The cult won't lay a finger on me, I am no less than the Kai family scion after all, giving me ample time to find the accounts once their backs are turned. And if they do attack me, they'll fall right into my trap, for how will anyone maintain faith in them when they attack the son of one of their own donors? My parents won't give them a single yen more."

At first Miyako nodded, but she had to ask, "And what happens if they, y'know, kill you when they attack?"

Ryoichi tensed up at that question, but insisted, "Again, Kai scion, they'd never dare," tugging his collar as he did.

"Think you're giving a crazed cult a bit too much credit," Reiji said.

"Thing is, Sakata-san told us they had a bunch more big-name donors than just the Kai. So it's possible they'll just hush up your family ever having donated," Miyako said. If there was one positive, at least she was staring to think like a journalist. "If longtime cultists remember, well they're a cult, they could just tell them they didn't over and over again, or declare you Bad Seeds, right?"

"Again with the fantasy thinking. First off, they've only ever deemed Hanazakari to be Bad Seeds in the past, and second-" Ryoichi said, but then stopped on realising he didn't really have a second. Or a third. So he went for the old, "Well, what are you planning to do about them, hmm?"

"Er, well, nothing," Miyako said and drooped down, "Arisugawa-sama said she'll handle it and that non-Hanazakari shouldn't get involved. She was gonna have this talk with their leader, who offered her one apparently, and then find Mirova-san, this cosmonaut a cult Slayer's holding hostage. She brought other Hanazakari with her so she'll have protection, even if the leader's supposed to be pretty strong."

"And that's the other ace up my sleeve," Ryoichi suddenly said. Rather than just tell Miyako and Reiji, he quizzed them, "What do you know about this Kamizono Mariya's Cultivar?"

"That it can trick people into thinking she can pull off the Resurrection?" Miyako stated.

"My my, you're on the right track," Ryoichi actually smiled, "Its true nature is..."

---

Per Freesia's words, they really couldn't miss the Earthly Purified's Nagoya headquarters. A vine-strewn cathedral with twisting spires, it sure stood out against the city's grey blocks.

As Koyomi approached the carved oaken doors, she said to those following her, "Okay, I'll see what Dear Leader wants with me, and Izumi, you can track down Daimon. No idea how you're gonna convince her to leave though. Palmira and Sfira, you stick to the shadows, then jump out if Freesia or anyone else tries anything. We'll especially need you for any fast escapes, Sfira."

"I shall perform to the best of my abilities."

"You got it, Boss Lady."

Sfira however had something else to bring up. "<Sorry, it's just on Pathragada, the Rafflesia Clan is said to be who comes for us when we die. I would think that's different for other castes, but my point is... be careful.>"

"Look Sfira, I don't want to force you along. If you'd feel better back with Miyako and Reiji-" Koyomi began.

"<No no, I'm going in. Her being dangerous means you need all the help you can get. And also,>" Sfira said, "<It's been on my mind whether the fight with the Freesia would've worked out better if I'd stayed with you.>"

Koyomi just nodded, ashamed to admit she had no idea as to an answer.

Spoiler: Cult BGM

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpU484vSDDc

The first thing they noticed inside the church was the heat, feeling like a greenhouse compared to the slight chill of the streets outside. Peering through the darkness, the reason for this slowly became clear when the saw the rows and columns of plants, flowers, and vines lining each wall. Perhaps a memorial to dead Hanazakari, or rather way of channeling their spirits, as Koyomi doubted Kamizono would be content with the former. By these vertical gardens were rivers of candles lined up along the floor, too dim right now to be where all the heat was coming from. Were they some sort of warning?

Further on they entered a corridor where, despite a similar low light, they first saw other people in this place. All wore white robes and carried bouquets, undaunted by the thorns on their flowers. The cultists all passed by the four newcomers like they weren't even there, until Hibiki took notice of one of their hands.

"Daimon-san!" Hibiki said, as she grabbed a cult member with prosthetics for hands. The hood then fell back, showing a woman with a mousy bob.

Taken out of the procession, this woman started to sweat and hyperventilate. "Y-you're Izumi Hibiki, aren't you? W-what are you doing here? Did someone send you?!" Emi Daimon gasped.

"I am here to save you," Hibiki said, giving a true if very rehearsed sounding answer.

"No, no you aren't," Emi Daimon said, "I'm not a person out there, I'm a, well, I'm a machine," she held up her hands. "Kamizono-sama is the only person who's ever wanted me for who I am, not what I can do for them."

"Really? Does making you wear the same face-hiding costume as everyone else and carry the same thorns count as 'wanting you for who you are'?" Koyomi spoke up. "And you're a known name out there, what you 'do' for her is bring publicity."
As Emi struggled to respond beyond a frantic shaking of her head, Koyomi then went around pulling down the hoods of the other cultists. "Well, aren't you going to attack me, go berserk in your leader's name?" she asked all of them, but instead they all shrunk back, gasped, and tried to get back in line. "No, because you're not mad," Koyomi remarked, "You're frightened. All of you."

"Who's frightened? Not me, I'm never scared," an all too familiar voice then said. Freesia then jumped at Koyomi from out of the darkness, a split-second transformation saving the Black Rose from becoming a toy on touch.

"Where are you keeping Vasilisa?!" Koyomi yelled at her.

"Right here, I would never lose one of my toys," Freesia smiled as she pulled the Vasilisa doll out of a pocket, with Koyomi staring at how much Vasilisa's legs had been contorted. "Although, I'm already kinda bored of her. Ooh, maybe if I modified her some more?"

"Don't you dare," Koyomi snarled as she swung her sword, only for Freesia to dart away as another figure stepped between them.

"That shall be enough, dear Minakata. We must not toss stray lambs aside," a woman said, with Freesia instantly backing off at her voice. She towered over everyone else, her hair a dark brown and her face painted bleach white, and as Palmira said she wore blue shawl over her own white robe, and atop her head a crown of twelve stars. "So, two Bad Seeds enter the Garden of the Gods, oh, and they bring along two guests. Let us be glad then, for as I saved Freesia from her sins, so can I save you."

This woman already spotting Palmira and Sfira caused Koyomi to twitch, but she didn't let any apprehension show as she asked, "Kamizono, right? Your hitwoman said you wanted to talk, so make it quick."

"Hitwoman, really? You may argue the term's technically true, but it's such a vulgar, defiled thing to call dear Minakata," Mariya Kamizono said as she then held Freesia close to her, "By my grace, she's now as pure as a Pevensie, sans Susan of course. I felt you'd appreciate the literary reference, Kuramazov."

A scowl from Koyomi said otherwise, though hearing that pen name made Emi go, "...Kuramazov?"

"Why don't I show you to our congregation hall? Ceremonies have ended for the day, so we may talk freely there," Kamizono then said as she walked to another door. "Your fellow Hanazakari are welcome to join, as is dear Daimon if she wishes. Oh, and how could I forget your Pathragadan guest? Dear Minakata told me all about them."

Them knowing about Sfira made Koyomi twitch, remembering how impulsively Vasilisa gave the fact away on the train. Still, she with Hibiki, Palmira, Sfira, and now Emi followed Kamizono into the congregation hall, a dramatic change from the rest of the cathedral in being painted stark white and lacking the slightest touch of greenhouse heat.

There were chairs for some to sit at first, but each row kept sinking into the floor until the floor became all there was to sit on. At the end of the room was a cross positioned upon a lotus, the sun's rays drawn shining from behind. "I know why you suffer," Kamizono said, her arms outstretched, "Arisugawa, you failed to save your Emet, the last Dandelionheart. Izumi, you were ordered to kill Oscar, your own Dandelionheart, then to kill the same Emet."

"What?!" Koyomi burst out at Hibiki, but then killed to Kamizono and said, "No, you're lying. A Frostfarer killed Emet."

"Really? Indirectly yes, but I was there at Shin Sekigahara, I saw with my own two eyes it was Izumi," Kamizono said. Hibiki made no response beyond shrinking back, which let Kamizono continue, "But it was at Shin Sekigahara I had a revelation, that it was I who was entrusted with the Resurrection, that all Hanazakari who joined with me would be saved.
Arisugawa, Izumi, the world shall drag you down into its defilement, your minds forever burdened by your sins, unless you accept the salvation of the Earthly Purified. You can be redeemed, you can be loved, you will be reunited with your fallen friends come the Resurrection." She then looked at Sfira, "And I believe the Resurrection is nigh, if none other than Pathragada wishes to reestablish contact."

"What would you even know of the world's 'defilement'?" Koyomi snarled back.

To that, Kamizono smiled and said, "All too well. The government refuses to use its power to save people, and when it does it knows only force," she looked at Koyomi. "Corporations will commit any crime as long as they can profit of it," she looked at Hibiki, then at Emi, "And don't value the humanity of their own creators, wanting only machines. And you already know this world, think our guest to land on the planet of the Hanazakari only be met with such callousness. Can you honestly disagree, Arisugawa Koyomi?"

"...I can't," Koyomi muttered, her breath slowing. But then she looked right at Kamizono and said, "What I can disagree with is that you'll do anything to actually help. RUNE's never come after you, and you can't say no to corporate donors. And why is Daimon-san such a wreck if you value her humanity? Why did you send a Slayer first thing after me?"

"Oh come on," Freesia piped up, "I was just gonna... compartmentalize and transport you here, that's all. You wouldn't be a very pretty doll though."

"<I'm no envoy,>" Sfira then said, "<I don't know what the higher castes' plans are for the Resurrection. I just wanted to see Earth.>"

"Look ya crazy broad, if you say you can do the Resurrection," Palmira then said, "Where's your proof?"

For a while Kamizono stood still, yet then she smiled again and said, "Alright. The defilement the Bad Seeds spread may keep me from performing the miracle I am meant to, but I can certainly give any doubters a glimpse. All Rise for the Day of Rebirth. Blossom, Rafflesia!"

A forest giant red petals opened out of Kamizono's back, as if she had countless arms, with veins on her face growing into vines. The whole floor started to quake, as from the icy depths below rose a congregation of walking corpses.

"Reanimation yeah, I'll give ya that, but it ain't no Resurrection," said Palmira, trying to stay tough as they stifled a shriek.

"I researched your history, Arisugawa, and recovered someone very special to you," Kamizono said as she ushered forth one specific corpse, the deathmask all too familiar to Koyomi. "Join me, or sacrifice your life, either way dear Hirasaka Namie will live again."

Article:

Koyomi's reaction was:
[ ] To just grab the Vasilisa doll and get everyone out of there.
[ ] To handle Freesia and grab Vasilisa while the others dealt with these corpses.
[ ] To tear right into all these other corpses, even if she couldn't touch Namie.
[ ] To ask Kamizono to prove this was Namie, and she didn't just forge the death mask.
[ ] To attack the cathedral's own foundations, bring everything down around them.
[] To slice Namie's corpse in two, show Kamiizono she had no power over her. [Koyomi lacks the strength of Heart and Mind to do this.]
[ ] Write-in
[ ] Write-in Ask Sfira if these corpses even have emotions. (by Wallflower)

 

[ArlequineLunaire]

[X] WallFlower Write-in: Ask Sfira if these corpses even have emotions.

Spoiler: Rising Dead BGM

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDvq9iKAMGw

Palmira's hard-boiled façade faded quick, muttering as they saw among the dead, "Those really are the suicide victims from the news. Did this Kamizono- oh no, oh please no."

Hibiki's own neutral expression also commenced cracking when she saw another horde of dead, "Those are Hanazakari, they fought that day at Shin Sekigahara."

"Do you dare imply I ordered them to commit suicide?" Kamizono asked, having somehow heard Palmira's muttering loud and clear. "No, these poor strays chose their own fate, yet through my grace they may serve their greatest good, atone for how they cast aside their own lives. And yes, you are also correct that the dead of Shin Sekigahara are gathered here, no less than RUNE entrusted me with them knowing of my Cultivar."

The idea that RUNE had anything to do with Kamizono made Koyomi seethe. She only had Kamizono's word for it, but she wouldn't put it past RUNE. "Sfira," she then asked, "can your roots pick up anything telepathically from Kamizono's dead, or are they just corpses?"

Stretching their roots across the floor, Sfira said in return, "<No, nothing. All I hear is silence.>"

"As I thought," Koyomi said, then while trying to avoid looking at Namie she stared right back at Kamizono. "What proof do you have that this isn't all your Cultivar is? Yeah, Cultivars change with time, but that's from our own emotions, not because of any other Hanazakari! So what makes you think I'll ever join you?"

"What proof do you have that Hanazakari cannot affect others' Cultivar?" Kamizono asked back, "And as for my own emotions, could you find in your own heart to Resurrect knowing just how defiled this world is, how even after the Frost Fair we continue to rot? I thought not, so why demand that I do the same?"

"Because I'm not the one offering salvation here," Koyomi hissed.

"And I'm not the one demanding proof," Kamizono said, then lowered her voice, "All scientific proof has left us with is certain doom, claiming there will be no Resurrection, that no true divinity cares for us, that suffering shall gnaw at us down the road to oblivion. We as humans are done with proof, the only way forward to the future we were promised is through faith, and I offer salvation because I realise that more than anyone else!"

For a second, Koyomi was lost for words in how to respond. "What you say…" she gasped, "sounds one step away from proclaiming yourself God."

That just made Kamizono smile and say, "Well, in the absence of any better candidate, who's to say I'm not?"

"Henshin!" Koyomi yelled back and transformed, that last straw finally breaking her. She called forth the darkness from the corridors around and threw it all forth to blind Kamizono, but that still left waves of corpses in between the two.

"Blossom, Hellebore!" Hibiki proclaimed.
"Pay your crimes' weight in gold! Blossom, Alstroemeria!" Palmira chimed in. A golden Andean robe sparkled bright as it wrapped around their trenchcoat, as gold itself then poured from a bowl now in her hands. Shaping this gold into coins, they flung whole piles of them like discuses upon the corpses.

Meanwhile, Hibiki elegantly if theatrically pirouetted her way backwards through the corpses, going out of her way to avoid any she recognised from Shin Sekigahara, till she reached Emi still standing there in the back row. "Daimon-san, I thought it'd be best to warn you before doing… what I'm about to do. Having studied your character, I'd trust you'd do the exact same."

"W-what? No, you don't mean-" Emi gasped.

"Found you!" Freesia called out as she called upon Vasilisa's gravity Cultivar to fling a bunch of corpses at the two. "The Nice Lady's zombies can't use their own Cultivars, but my toys can! They're still thinking and feeling right here with me."

"Yes. I know you don't want to use your own Cultivar," Hibiki said to Emi before Freesia's corpse cloud knocked her to the floor. Pushing all the dead off her, Hibiki suddenly emerged with her colour scheme changed to orange, her mask taken off and transformed into a clockwork sword whose cogs resembled strapped-open eyes. "Because it reminds you how you lost all your love for what you were once passionate about," she said like she hadn't missed a beat. "So please, through my own Cultivar, let me wield it for you."

"Boo, I'm already bored hearing you talk. 'Sides, the Cultivar you got won't be near as much fun as what my new toy's got!" Freesia said as she sent Emi hurtling up to the ceiling with Vasilisa's gravity. "Or maybe it's lots of fun, so I'll make little misery guts Emi my brand-new toy and try her out too. All my other toys can beat her up," she added as she raised her own sword up at Emi as she then fell.

But Hibiki lunged forth and struck Freesia with her imitated Cultivar first, giving her room to catch Emi instead. "Daimon-san, through understanding your emotions, my Cultivar lets me copy others. I… see why you were so hesitant to ever use it," Hibiki said before she shuddered.

"Grr, you'll pay for trying to take my new toy," Freesia yelled as she ran to transmogrify Emi again. But the instant her sword got close to Emi, Freesia out of nowhere screamed and collapsed on the floor. "Aiiiee, it hurts! Why does it hurt? Stop it, stop it!" she howled in piercing agony.

"My Cultivar," Emi muttered, "it takes what you loved, and replaces with nothing but pain. I…" she then admitted, "would honestly be happier if she just turned me into a toy than watch… this."
All Hibiki could do was nod. Having 'played' Emi, she knew she'd react no other way.

Meanwhile, Koyomi with her quill-sword, Palmira with her coin tossing, and Sfira with their blinding speed mowed through all the corpses between them and the dark-blinded Kamizono. This gave Koyomi ample time to dart behind Kamizono and press her sword to the cult-leader's back. "Let Namie go," she told her.

"Hah, total cinch!" Palmira called out, even if Sfira's sheer speed had meant they'd ended up on the other end of the room.

"I wouldn't celebrate if I were you," Kamizono said, as she took what looked like a grail in her hand but then held it upside down and rang it like a bell. With that, any corpse that had been hacked apart reassembled itself and kept on lurching forward. "They are the dead. What did you expect you to do, kill them? No matter how much you strike them down, at my command they'll keep continuing to serve. Now do you see why the Resurrection is within my grasp?"
The dead grabbed Koyomi's throat from behind in return, as others then seized her arms. "Oh yes, and what is your darkness to the dead?" Kamizono added with a smile.

"Gonna need something nastier than coins, huh?" Palmira responded, before they switched to shoving gold right down the corpses' throats.

Koyomi however was pulled to the floor, and while it normally would've been simple for her to get back up, staring up into the rotting faces of both Hirasaka Namie and those who died at Shin Sekigahara left her powerless to move. Only Sfira speeding in to get her out of there kept the dead from tearing Koyomi to pieces.

"<Our Hellebore has got the Zinnia back,>" Sfira said to Koyomi, though had to keep darting as Kamizono sent a humanoid pile of ashes at them, "<and the Freesia is, er, immobilised. Perhaps it's best we get out of here?>"

"Oh yes, using dear Daimon's Cultivar against dear Minakata. As if I can simply let that go," Kamizono said as she rang her bell again.
At her command, the corpses began lumping and knotting themselves together, till they were Frankensteined together into human towers.

"Her power ain't just controlling corpses, but combining them?" Palmira gasped.

Article:

Not up against mere corpses but hybrid corpse colossi, Koyomi decided to:
[ ] See if Hibiki could 'act' in Kamizono's role to turn her own Cultivar against her.
[ ] Get Palmira to electrocute them. Some had swallowed her gold, a great conductor.
[ ] Order Freesia to deal with her own leader's corpses, saying they'll remove Emi's Cultivar from her.
- [ ] 'Saying' they will.
[ ] Just high-tail it out of there.
[ ] Have Hibiki act, Palmira electrify, and everyone else high-tail it.
[] Turn the darkness physical and crush the colossi from within. [Koyomi does not have the Technique to do this.]
[ ] Write-in

 

[ArlequineLunaire]

[X] Get Palmira to electrocute them. Some had swallowed her gold, a great conductor.


"Hah, we can just electrocute 'em!" Palmira told Koyomi, having the surprising foresight to whisper her plan, "These Frankensteins have a whole bunch of gold inside of them courtesy of yours truly."
They saw Koyomi tense as they said that, so they then asked, "Er, you ain't gonna go off on how Frankenstein was actually the doctor, are ya?"

"No, not that. It's just…" Koyomi muttered and thought, Namie… "I don't exactly see an outlet for that anywhere nearby."

As the corpse colossi stomped their bony path towards them, Palmira said, her nerves letting her whisper anymore, "We've got a speedster, remember? Circle 'em Sfira, we could really use some static friction!"

"<Er, on it!>" Sfira said, though their root-voice still quivered. They sped forth all over, not quite precise enough to ram the colossi despite now being bigger targets. But more than fast enough to create a staticky feel all through even this cold air.
Soon a great crackling was heard. Lightning ran up through the corpse colossi, searing them where they stood.

Koyomi gave everyone the signal to run themselves, before summoning the darkness as cover. Freesia gripped with pain over what should've given her pleasure, and Kamizono unable to touch her own 'creations' without electrocution, what better moment to hightail it?

"And I thought you of all people would understand how defiled this world is, Arisugawa," Kamizono said, any inner rage not showing in her voice, "Run from me all you like, but just try to outrun your own impurity. Or your own Hirasaka."
She then walked over to the wailing Freesia and took her hand, gently telling her, "Dear Minakata, know here of all places you need not feel pain alone."

Away from those two, the Hanazakari and Sfira pushed their way past the corridor of cults to reach the cathedral doors. Though with Emi, this was more because Hibiki forced her to run, if she yanked Emi any harder her prosthetic hand would've come right off.

They made it to the door only to hear someone suddenly shout, "Well I'm going in anyway!" The instant Koyomi made it outside, she crashed straight into the owner of that voice, Kai Ryoichi. "Do you know who you just-" he was about to say, before he saw who it was and muttered, "Oh, it's you."

"The feeling's mutual," Koyomi snarled as she slowly stood back up. "Listen, all of you, we've got Vasilisa and Daimon. So get away from here as fast as you can."

"Arisugawa-sama, are you alright?" Miyako needed no prompt to ask.

"I'm fine. Just get going!" Koyomi said.

"But the Kai finances!" Ryoichi had to bring up.

"The cult won't spare your life, what makes you think they'll spare a yen?" Koyomi rasped at him.
Ryoichi was about to protest, but then sighed and found himself following her orders.

Spoiler: Someone Like Me and Memory BGM

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHck9EVZbMk

After they all got far away enough from the garden-cathedral to stop and talk, having head subconsciously or not back to Palmira's office, it was Emi out of all of them who first spoke. "Izumi-sama, I do appreciate your concern," she said almost as space filler, "but why, why did you save someone like me?"

"Well, you've worked on projects together, why wouldn't she want to save you?" Reiji said.

"Yeah, you're a great mangaka. Like Reiji-kun said, who wouldn't want to save you?" Miyako said at first, but was quick to add, "And even if you weren't, Izumi-sama's a Hanazakari. Saving people is what she's there for, doesn't matter if they're special! Ah, whoops," she then realised her error, "Of course you're a Hanazakari too, but ah you get the idea."

Hibiki had to smile at the answers the two who were still her fans gave. Still, she asked, "Daimon-san, for my own answer, would you like me to say something befitting the role I have played or… not that?"

Emi had to think those words over, but then said, "Not, actually. Izumi-san, just… tell me the truth. It'll just come out anyway."

That smile of Hibiki's faded, as she told Emi simply, "I saved you as that's what my role required, what I was told to do."
A chill was sent down even Reiji's spine.

Giving a smile and a nod, Emi said, "Yes, that's what I thought you'd say, what I knew was the truth." She then turned around, "I should be going now, I didn't attack so… maybe I can make everything better with Kamizono-sama if I apologise this soon."

But Koyomi stepped in front before she could leave. "Daimon Emi, do what you want, but think before you do so? Do you want to go back to someone who'd turn you into a toy and torture you if she still could? To someone who uses her dead fellow veterans as bargaining chips and meatshields? Rafflesia and Freesia are the ones who should be apologising at minimum, you owe them nothing."

Emi however shook her head. "I owe them a home, or somewhere I didn't have to be… me," she said, then held up her metal hands, "My life in manga left me with carpal tunnel, among other things. It got so bad I had to call a Hanazakari with a roboticization Cultivar to replace these hands. All the while, no one cared for the stories I had to tell, no matter how hard I worked. I… can't go back to that life. Please, don't make me go back!" she then cried out and started clinging onto Koyomi's coat.

"I hear you," Koyomi said as she took hold of her, "and I won't let you go back to that life either. If your publisher let that happen to you, they don't deserve you, and I say that from… personal experience. I… can't guarantee you a future, only you can do that, but I won't let you have that past again. Nor make you use your Cultivar."

Needing to take a few deep breaths, Emi ultimately said, "Th-thank you, but why? I'm just…"

"First things first, stop saying that. Miyako here's been nothing but excited to see you," Koyomi said as she pointed to her, "And as for why, like she said, it's what a Hanazakari's there for. Or at least what a Hanazakari is supposed to be there for," she muttered as quite a few figures came to mind.

"And hey, Daimon-sama, if nobody else reads you for your own manga, I still do," Miyako smiled at her.

Looking at Koyomi, Emi's spirits seemed to gradually lift as she said just, "…Thank you."

With that consolation reached, Koyomi then had to look over to Palmira and ask, "By the way, exactly why do you need our money if your Cultivar controls gold? No wait, think I've got it, it's because RUNE won't let you, right?"

"Ooh boy, you can sure call 'em," Palmira sighed, "Si, the government's banned me from purchasing anything with my Cultivar, kept saying I'd cause inflation. Please, like I'm Mansa Musa or whoever." They then sheepishly added, "Guess a more noble answer would be that gold's sacred in Peru, signifying the Sun God, so I can't be so casual. But no, 'government won't let me' really is it.
Ooh, but since Senorito Ryoichi was looking for what EP swindled off his folks, and 'cause I'm only forbidden from using gold in my own purchases, how 'bout I-" they then said but were quickly cut off.

"What do you take me for? As if my family would stoop so low to beg for gold that's illegal in any capacity!" Ryoichi said.

"…Suit yourself, nino," was all Palmira had to say to that.

"Although my family's got a theatre that could really use fixing up," Reiji stepped in to say despite only having just learned of Palmira's powers, "Ah, if you're still offering."
Ryoichi had to glare at him.

After that, it wasn't long until puffs of smoke formed around the doll of Vasilisa, Freesia's emotions having little incentive to keep her a toy after facing the Orange Cultivar. Putting her on the ground, a few seconds later the spell broke, and the cosmonaut turned back to her human form.

"[I-I'm finally free!]" she said, if in Russian being in civilian form. But then she struggled to stand up, forcing her arms to carry her weight as her legs were completely immobile. She sighed upon having to let the others pick her up and place her on a bench.

But after all the 'fun' Freesia had had and the 'modifications' she'd put Vasilisa through, this didn't surprise Koyomi in the slightest.

"[My legs, they I can't, I can't-]" Vasilisa gasped. "[Did she, that monster, did she think it'd be funny if I never walked again? Okay, calm down, I can still float with my Cultivar, heh, who needs legs? And disabled astronauts are becoming a thing these days… aren't they?]"

"<Zinnia, I mean, Vasilisa,>" Sfira then spoke to her, "<I suppose humans wouldn't normally ask this of someone who tried to shoot them, but… are you okay?>"

"[Do I look okay?]" Vasilisa was quick to snap, but then said, "[No, I should be at least grateful I'm not some doll anymore.]" As she felt the eyes of everyone else on her, she told Sfira, "[Hey, got a message for you. Tell Koyomi that fight for you's still on, I'll just… need some more training, that's all.]"

Sfira twitched, but passed her message on anyway, "<She still wishes to challenge you to take me into Russian custody, once she's able to.>"

Koyomi groaned the first thing hearing that. "Seriously? And the space station's international anyway, yet she's still making about the motherland. I should've-" she was about to say in frustration I should've just left you there but couldn't bring herself to, remembering Freesia. Like Miyako said, a Hanazakari was there to help others. "-Nevermind."
Realising she ought to fill Palmira, Hibiki, and Emi in, she then said, "Mirova here was the first to see Sfira as they came down into orbit, but they still landed on Japanese soil. Not that I'm doing this out of nationalism, I just y'know, don't want Sfira locked up for some scientists to do whatever on them."

"But if your claim is that Sfira landed in Japan," Hibiki suddenly asked, "Then could any other Japanese Hanazakari fight for them?"
Probably for the best Vasilisa couldn't understand that, could've complained about being ganged up on, or say she'd invite a bunch of Russian Hanazakari.

"…What are you implying?" Koyomi asked, knowing Hibiki was corporate.

"Nothing, as of now. I'm merely inquiring," Hibiki just said. Tensions naturally weren't eased, and Reiji didn't even step in for her this time.

All this talk over, Palmira dusted their hands and said, "Another case closed." Except it of course wasn't, since they now had to see to a wheelchair for Vasilisa, Ryoichi was still none too pleased, there was still the matter of Sfira, the Earthly Purified may have been hindered but were still very much functional, and Emi had no idea where to go or what to do. And somewhere out there, Blue Lotus was still lying in wait.
Of course, trouncing that cult in any capacity was hardly 'nothing', Koyomi smiled.

One hanging thread Koyomi was quick to tie up, once she'd found somewhere secluded so no one could overhear, was why the hell Hibiki would say she killed Emet. She felt sick to her stomach from who she knew to call but did so anyway.

"Hello, you have contacted the Japan division of RUNE. Please state your business-" an all too familiar voice said on the other end.

"Yumemi, it's me," Koyomi said.

"Oh I knew that, Koyomi, your number was displayed. I just felt like making you confirm that in person," Yumemi said.

Snarling at that, Koyomi then got to business with, "I had a run in Izumi Hibiki just now, Hellebore in Full Bloom. She claimed it was her who killed Emet, not the Frost Fair. I certainly know about her company siding with them, but I more than ought to remember Emet's real killer."
She left out the Earthly Purified as she couldn't see how siccing RUNE on them wouldn't make things worse, if the two weren't already bedfellows.

Sighing, Yumemi said, "I knew this day would come, I'm just glad it didn't come as soon as I feared. Still, no use trying to hide it anymore. I assume you know we have a memory collecting and archiving Hanazakari on staff, Rosemary in Full Bloom? She was there that day at Taito Base."

Koyomi gasped, "You- you mean you had her steal that memory from me?!"

"Steal? Don't be so quick to accuse. You asked us to take that memory of yours away, specifically the very moment of Emet's death," Yumemi told her, "I won't deny it was in our interests to do so, if it kept you from going on a one-woman rampage against Izumi Hibiki, risking our whole agreement with Yamahi. Quite generous of us too, I've long contemplated doing the same with the sight of… Phobetor's death."

"Your interests? You were barely even with RUNE at the time," Koyomi hissed.

"If you wish, you may report back to us to have this memory of you finding out drained back into Rosemary again," Yumemi said, brushing past that comment.

"No, no I won't," Koyomi said, "And I'm not gonna go after Izumi, she was forced into killing Emet anyway, and revenge this long afterwards would accomplish nothing. But you can bet if Yamahi or any other corporation comes after me, I will not hold back."

"I expected you to say just that," Yumemi chuckled.

They hung up soon after. As if RUNE invading people's dreams wasn't enough, the confirmation they took people's memories made Koyomi seethe all over… especially knowing she'd once given into them. Well, according to Yumemi anyway.
Still, if she ever wanted to give up any more of her memories, she wouldn't give any to RUNE this time around.

But Hibiki, Emi, Kazuya, and Miyako of all people, would they have the strength to refuse the same?

---

I Am the Resurrection has reached its end. This gives you 200xp each to distribute among Koyomi's and Miyako's stats (their current stats can be viewed here):

Article:

Koyomi:
[ ] Technique
[ ] Physique
[ ] Heart
[ ] Mind

Miyako:
[ ] Emotional Intelligence
[ ] Emotional Strength

[ ] A mixture (write-in)

 

[ArlequineLunaire]

Spoiler: Winning Votes

[X] 175 XP to Emotional Strength
[X] 25 XP to Emotional Intelligence
[X] Technique 75
[X] Physique 125

[Koyomi's Physique has reached the Rank of Knight]
[Miyako's Emotional Intelligence has reached the Rank of Knight]


At first all Miyako could feel was searing cold. As her vision slowly came to, she saw nothing but icicles the size of trees piercing up out of the ground in every direction. Her trembling breath already clouding her face, she then froze herself as she saw what was on those icicles.

A dead body was impaled on each one, sometimes several on a single spike. Each it pained her to recognise, these bodies were of the same soldiers who'd been killed by Blue Lotus the day he broke out. No, it wasn't just the soldiers impaled here, there were others she could recognise even clearer...

Suddenly Miyako felt her feet grown numb like they'd been buried under a great weight, so she looked to see they'd now been encased in ice. Ice that was slowly reaching up her body. Or rather, as she saw reflected in the ice, the body she'd left behind, when her pre-transition pre-passing self from school stared back at her.

One by one the dead soldiers started turning into toys, some wooden some plastic some ragdoll, each new turning happening closer and closer to Miyako. The whole ground then rumbled, though the ice binding Miyako still didn't crack. She could see there were creatures burrowing beneath, one of which came right for her and leapt up. In her final moments, Miyako found herself staring helpless into the rows of frozen teeth of a Heart Leech...

And then she was back in her room at the shrine, having woken as a sweaty wreck in her bed. From the moonlight streaking in, she could tell it was nowhere near morning. But I can't go back to bed to... that.

The night grew no shorter, but morning as always did slowly arrive. When she first met Asahi for the day out in the courtyard, her boss instantly noticed the heavy bags beneath her eyes. "Did you sleep alright?" Asahi began innocuously enough.

Miyako bit her lower lip but then answered, "Er, of course I did! Okay, I kinda had a bad dream, b-but that was it. Really." And no Hoshizora-san, so that's good.
That made Asahi narrow her eyes at her, at which Miyako gasped and asked, "Oh no, you don't think it was a prophetic dream, do you? Like I've read all about those in ma- books, and they say they-"

"I doubt that. The only two occasions I know where prophetic dreams can occur is either at New Years', we can obviously rule that out, or when a god is making contact with the dreamer," Asahi said. With what a mess Miyako was in that morning, she was careful as she asked, "Nozawa-chan, how much can you say about what happened in your dream?"

"Ah, w-well," Miyako flinched at the thought of remembering a nightmare like that, though since Asahi had directly asked, she now found it impossible not to remember. Maybe putting it into words will take away its power, maybe? "All these soldiers were impaled on icicles, then they were turned into toys like Freesia could do, then the ice got me too, then a big Heart Leech jumped out of the ground at me!" She found herself panting after all that.

Asahi nodded at this with a straight face, then said, "Nozawa-chan, sounds to me like this dream has nothing to do with prophecy, I'd call it a warning at most. From what I know of these affairs Koyomi's been pulling you into, it seems they've started taking a toll on your psyche."

A gasping Miyako then said, "No, you've got it wrong. Arisugawa-sama hasn't been dragging me into anything. Hoshizora-san invited us to the base, and after that it was Freesia who attacked us, while Arisugawa-sama tried to keep me as far away from the cult as possible." Much as I wanted to help.

"Even so," Asahi said, hands on hips, "while I appreciate Koyomi making the effort to look after you, I think the safest idea is for you to stop seeing her. At least for now." As if anticipating what Miyako's protest, Asahi added, "Nozawa-chan, you come back and tell me your experiences having been giving you nightmares, and that Koyomi now has a whole cult after her, of all things. How else do you think I'd react?"

"Yeah but-" Miyako tried to say, but was cut down by Asahi's glare, so just mumbled, "I know, I know." For all Asahi meant well, an authority figure telling her to keep away from someone she was happy seeing was a little too familiar to Miyako.

"Good," Asahi said, "I'll call Koyomi about this, I just hope she'll respond," she grumbled, but went back to normal with, "Now Nozawa-chan, perhaps some kagura practice, which you're well overdue for, ought to get your mind off things? Plus, you'll now have more time to spare for applying to university."

Only then did Miyako realise that getting into college had now been slipping her mind, with her journalistic thoughts all taken up by exposing the truth of RUNE and Blue Lotus.
Her subsequent attempt to dance the kagura could charitably be called 'a step up from last time', though Asahi was still left shaking her head.

Once her break came, Miyako was approached by Hayato who told her, "I've... been told Mother says you should now stay away from Arisugawa-sama. So, I got to thinking that I could act as a go-between, send messages back and forth between both of you. It aligns perfectly with my schedule; I'd been planning to meet up more with Arisugawa-sama anyway."

"Wow, that's nice of you, Higashi-kun. Except..." Miyako began, internally debated if it was a good idea to say what she was about to, then said anyway, "Why don't we both just head over to Arisugawa-sama? She probably won't care, and what your mum doesn't know won't hurt her, right? Besides, we're already twenty."

Hayato had to chuckle. "I do suppose if you're still living with her, Mother will always treat you as her child. Okay, we'll proceed with your plan," he said, but still had to twitch, "though if Mother does find out, well, don't say I didn't warn you."

Miyako let out an immense sigh, then said, "Yeah, I suppose you've got a point, but eh. For now, let's go!" taking off with Hayato by his arm.

On the walk there, Hayato had something else to bring up, "It's good that we're taking the roads and not the woods. Because since you came back from Sekigahara, there's been an... unusual presence lurking there. I'd call no less than some sort of yokai, broad a word as that is. That swan we happened upon has been in an uproar over it."

"The woods?" Miyako asked, then shrugged, "Eh, that's probably just Sfira. They've been hanging out there for now while we get, er, things sorted with them."
When the name 'Sfira' left Hayato with a blank expression, Miyako said, "Oh right. Er, you remember the Dandelionhearts, don't you? Sfira's from their homeworld but they're made of bamboo instead. They wanted to see Earth for themselves, so they touched down at Sekigahara." Kamizono flashing back into her mind, she quickly added, "And no, they don't know anything about the Resurrection either, sorry."

"Are you- are you saying they're an alien?" Hayato gasped; a rock thrown into the lack of his usual calm. He then breathed and said, "Okay, it certainly isn't implausible. Aliens have been proven to exist since before I was born, we were in the midst of a whole war between them. It's just, they're the like I've only heard about till now, it's bizarre to think one's just living in the woods right now. Oh, I of course take it Arisugawa-sama's looking after them?"

"Yeah, she is," Miyako said, for now anyway. "And hey, it was seriously amazing for me to learn more people from Pathragada were still interested in our little old blue dot too."

"Yes, it's most noble of Arisugawa-sama to extend such hospitality," Hayato smiled, even if Miyako's point had been more about Sfira.

Spoiler: House BGM

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dshjpsOBt0

The two eventually reached and entered Koyomi's house on the edge of town, where they found it... surprisingly well-lit and dusted. Heading into the kitchen showed this was due to no change in preference from Koyomi, but that the mangaka Emi Daimon had been busily scrubbing the whole place and was now doing the dishes. She even had an apron on.

Koyomi, sitting at the table with a meal she most definitely didn't cook, looked at Miyako and groaned. "I've kept telling Daimon that she doesn't have to do any of this, but she still won't listen," she said.

"Well, you are so graciously letting me take refuge at your house, it's the most I can do to be of service," Emi said and even curtseyed. at least her hands seemed to be waterproof.

"Last I checked, I never sent out any want ads for a maid," Koyomi muttered, "let alone a friggin' housewife. You don't have to debase yourself like this." Not that Emi had any response to that.

"Though if you ever do need any help around the house, Arisugawa-sama," Hayato then spoke up a little too eagerly, "I'd be glad to offer my assistance. Mother can vouch for my maintenance of the shrine, so I assure you I can do a better job than- er, I don't believe we've been acquainted," he then looked at Emi, with Miyako noticing his eyes narrowing at her.

"You still don't get it, do you?" Koyomi rolled her eyes at him.

"Ah, this is Daimon Emi-san," Miyako introduced, "She's a famous mangaka, you might know her as 'Miss Peel' or 'Jireno'. I've got all her stuff, and she's a Hanazakari too! She's been staying with Arisugawa-sama to, er, detox from life and stuff," she thought it best to simplify.

Emi turned around and said, "Oh me, famous? No, barely that. I do draw and write of course, but right now I'm just paying Arisugawa-sama back her gracious generosity, that's all."

"Yes, the name 'Daimon Emi' rings no bells for me," Hayato said, his eyes taking on a green tint. He did admit, "most of the artists and authors I know are from centuries back, so I'm probably not the right person to ask. Oh, except Arisugawa-sama when it comes to authors, of course," his gaze brightened when he looked back to her.

Already Miyako could sense there was tension brewing between Hayato and Emi, and Koyomi was right in the middle being pampered like the princess regardless of her own feelings.

Article:

So Miyako thought to diffuse the situation by:
[ ] Asking the two to display their respective talents, emphasising their differences.
[ ] Separating the two by taking Hayato to properly meet the nearby Sfira.
[ ] Separating the two by showing Emi around town.
[ ] Asking Emi if there was any housework left for Hayato, keep the two pleased if not Koyomi.
[ ] Dirtying and darkening Koyomi's house, since it seemed to be what Koyomi really wanted.
[ ] Stopping the two and asking them to listen to Koyomi.
[ ] Write-in.

 

[ArlequineLunaire]

[X] Asking the two to display their respective talents, emphasising their differences.


"Hey look, you two," Miyako said in an unusually authoritative tone for her, "You both have completely different talents, so you really shouldn't be comparing yourselves."
Looking at Emi, someone she'd only known from her work but was now right in front of her, she sensed a real opportunity. "Ooh, you could show your talents off to each other, Daimon-sama with writing and drawing and Higashi-kun with, er, a whole bunch of stuff," she went on, those last words not helping Emi's inadequacy. "Like archery and flowers, those sorts of things. That way you'd see that Arisugawa-sama doesn't need to pick between either of you."

"Right now, I don't want to pick either of them," Koyomi said beneath her breath, slouched with her arms folded on the table.

Hayato was unnervingly quick to respond, "Of course. Any talent of mine Arisugawa-sama asks me to display, I shall. Although, er, preferably outside, archery in close quarters like this has a habit of going, ahem, awry."

Miyako had to wonder if he was speaking from experience. Guess everyone's a newbie at one point, she thought.

But while Hayato was ready to go, Emi however had to shrink back. "No, I'm sorry, I can't," she mumbled, "I mean, I could, it's just that I…" then kept struggling to finish that sentence.

"It's okay, you don't have to do much if you don't wanna. Just a yonkoma or something would be fine," Miyako told her, but then had a thought, gulped, and asked, "Er, or is this a contract thing, where Shonen Sublime won't let you do make manga for anyone else?"

"Cause if that's true, sounds like she just went from one cult to another," Koyomi muttered. Miyako winced as she heard her say that, though maybe this was just Koyomi's way of telling Emi not to get attached?

"Oh no, that's not the case at all," Emi blushed as she clarified, but then looked downcast. "But honestly, I kind of wish it was. If they did make me sign such a contract, at least it'd show my publisher cared about me. Even if only as an asset."

"Please Daimon-sama, don't beat yourself up like that," Miyako said not for the first time. She was now starting to worry whether telling her that would make any difference.

"Wait, Shonen?" Koyomi took notice of. She then shrugged, "Well, at least it's not Seinen. I've seen what Hanazakari stories get made for that demographic, sheesh do they obsess over the military," she nearly spat out.

"Er, Daimon-sama hasn't written anything about Hanazakari in a while," Miyako said.

Emi nodded. "I started out in a Shoujo magazine, but once the buzz around us saving the world began to wear off, everyone kept telling me I should move to Shonen. Said I'd make way more money if I did, and I couldn't really say no. My finances were tight, well, they still are actually," she said, then sighed, "But switching demographics meant I had to change my whole art-style and story approach to what editors said boys wanted. I mean, I put pen to paper and everything, but I do worry if it was really my editors who really made all my manga."

Koyomi had been standoffish about Emi's presence so far, but her gaze softened when she hard her say that. "Hey look, Daimon, I've got my own horror stories about mandates. And they've ended with me telling any who think they can treat me that way to shove it," she spoke up. Though she had to admit, "Which I guess is why so many publishers kicked me out till I finally found one I could put up with."
Of course, what Koyomi had feared would happen happened, as that stand for author integrity made Emi gaze at her with even starrier eyes.

Though like she realised she was a bit too caught in the moment, Emi coughed and said, "Well, I suppose it's not been all bad, I've had my lucky breaks. Given how bad my flesh hands had gotten, finding Ironbark in Full Bloom to roboticise them may've saved my career. Even if it means I've been cheating ever since. And Shonen Sublime quite likes that my flower is the Orange, since a poll once showed it was the most popular fruit among children."

"Oh, so that's why you draw yourself as a talking orange! It's not just your title," Miyako said. An orange who may have been self-deprecating as many mangaka would be… but not to this extent.

"Er, that and so I don't get any fans swarming my house," Emi said, but looked downcast again before she had to add, "Not like that matters, who would care enough about me to even do that? Anyway, now you know why I can't show off by just sketching something right here, because… I don't know if any of my work is even me."

Miyako took a while to respond to that, thinking Emi had said all that before even bringing up copyright. But she finally said, "Don't worry, there's no mandates from execs around here for miles! Well okay, Arisugawa-sama can get pretty picky, but that's about it. You're free right now to draw what you'd like."

"Ah, t-thank you, but-" Emi still stammered, then muttered, "I still don't really have a clue what to draw."

"Ooh, I know. I'll tell you something about Arisu-" Miyako began.

"Oh no you won't. I know just what you're about to suggest, I threw those all out long ago," Koyomi stepped in and spoke.

But Miyako kept going anyway, "She actually wanted to be a mangaka in school but didn't know anyone who could draw. Well, now you finally can fulfil her dream!"

"Really, that's true? I'd be honoured to, but it's just-" Emi said as she saw how much Koyomi was glaring, "it doesn't look like now's the best time for that."

"And if Daimon's going to be drawing anything, it should be her own idea. Having to do adaptations, character designs for others' projects, and dealing with publisher mandates, she needs at least something she can call her own," Koyomi then spoke up.

Worried that Emi would go into another round of 'no I couldn't', Miyako tried to think of something to say first. She looked back to Hayato, hoping all this talk about Emi hadn't made him tetchier. The thought even occurred to her, What if he gets mad enough at Daimon-sama that he tells his mum on me? But Hayato seemed to be taking it calmly, well on the surface anyway.
"Hey, what about if used Hayato's archery pose as a reference? Or if he brought you some nice flowers to sketch?" she then asked Emi, giddy at having the two help each other, "I know, Arisugawa-sama said what you draw here should be your own, but you still need some inspiration, right?"

"I suppose it wouldn't inconvenience me," Hayato said which was still thankfully civil enough. His gaze lightened as he turned from Emi to Koyomi, which made Miyako squirm a bit at the thought that his gratitude towards Koyomi could be, er, more than that.
Not that she hadn't come across vast age-gap crushes, if not relationships, in manga more, a some of which Emi had even written. Yeah but, that was in manga. This… isn't that, Miyako queasily thought, before again she tried to tell herself, Eh, I'm probably just imagining things.

Everyone then headed outside, where after painting a target, Hayato shot a few near bullseyes into a tree from quite the distance. Miyako cheered at such a feat and was about to run up before Koyomi put her arm out to stop her.
"Oh no you don't. I'm not having you pull some William Tell stunt or whatever it is you're thinking," Koyomi said.

"…I was just gonna fetch the arrows," Miyako muttered.

Hayato then led them into the forest to gather flowers for ikebana. After he went over each one, he somewhat grudgingly handed a few to Emi per Miyako's suggestion, which the mangaka then sketched but without anywhere near the energy she had when cleaning Koyomi's house.

"I know, what if you wrote some dialogue for the flowers, like imagined them saying stuff?" Miyako said to Emi.

"I can try, I guess," was all Emi said back.

As they walked a little deeper, Hayato suddenly stopped when he saw, "Maidenstears? We must be near that swan then. It's strange though, why would they only grow in its habitat?"

On cue, said lone swan sprang up onto Hayato, beating its wings and pecking his face. As he tumbled down, he tried to reach for his bow when Koyomi yelled, "Wait, stop!"
With a simple chant of "Henshin," Koyomi again took on the mantle of Black Rose. Then she somehow told the swan, "I don't care if Sfira's got you anxious. Let him go."

The swan actually did so, stepping back off Hayato. The whole sight left Emi gasping, as she asked, "Wait, could that be…?"
She gulped and took a deep breath, before she steeled herself to say, "Blossom, Orange!" As if her full transformation phrase was still too much. She now had on a steel girder-framed dress which looked like a machine, but with orange cross-sections instead of gears, while her Starshoot sword look like an orange slice but studded with actual gears, with a sharp syringe at its point. Emi swiftly put down that sword as if she was touching poison, but then approached the swan and asked, "Er, can you hear what I'm saying?"

As the swan replied affirmative, Koyomi groaned, "And here I'd promised to keep this all a secret."

"What secret, Arisugawa-sama?" Miyako and Hayato said in unison, as the former helped the latter up.

"Suppose you have all the info to figure it out anyway," Koyomi sighed, before she introduced the swan to the unanointed as, "This is Tobi Maimi, or rather was. Maidenstears in Full Bloom, her power used to be to turn back and forth into a swan. But then her Dandelionheart died, her power started going haywire, and now she's stuck like this. And she's hardly the only instance of something like this happening since the Frost Decade."

Article:

Miyako was left to say [multiple choices allowed if they fit, plan voting preferred]:
[ ] "Ah, hi there Tobi-san. Hey, it's okay, even if you're stuck as a swan, you're still a Hanazakari!"
[ ] "Ah, hi there Tobi-san. Er, you may be a swan on the outside, but you're still human deep down."
[ ] "Hayato-kun meant you no harm, Tobi-san, it's just not every day you see a swan around here is all."
[ ] "Wait, powers going haywire? Do you think something like that happened to Daimon-sama's Cultivar?"
[ ] "W-what do you think would happen if your powers started going haywire, Arisugawa-sama?"
[ ] "There has to be some way to turn Tobi-san back… isn't there?"
[ ] Write-in
-[ ] Write-in: "Maybe there's a way she could talk to us! Have you all seen that video with the cat and the buttons?"
-[ ] Write-in: "Swans don't normally live this long, do they? Tobi-san, are you a magical swan? Can you still do magic? Can you transform!?"

 

[ArlequineLunaire]

Spoiler: Winning Vote

[X] Plan: Miyako is Goofy
-[X] "Ah, hi there Tobi-san. Hey, it's okay, even if you're stuck as a swan, you're still a Hanazakari!"
-[X] Write-in: "Maybe there's a way she could talk to us! Have you all seen that video with the cat and the buttons?" (by Embler)
-[X] Write-in: "Swans don't normally live this long, do they? Tobi-san, are you a magical swan? Can you still do magic? Can you transform!?" (by Embler)

As only Koyomi and Emi could hear anything Maimi was saying, Miyako awkwardly tried waving to her. "Ah, hi there Tobi-san," she began, which at least got the swan to look her way, if with something of a swannish scowl. Or was that just how swans naturally looked?
"Hey, it's okay," Miyako tried lightening her tone, then smiled, "even if you're stuck as a swan, you're still a Hanazakari!"

Not that Maimi Tobi had any easy means of a direct reply, but her attention now seemed focused on Miyako, which gave Hayato a break. "She says that, yeah, she knows she's a Hanazakari," Koyomi passed along, though Miyako couldn't tell if Koyomi's own mood had coloured her translation.

"Well yeah, 'course she knows she's a Hanazakari," Miyako said, then struggled to clarify. "What I was trying to say is that y'know, Tobi-san's still one of us! One of the team!" She then realised, "I mean, I'm obviously not a Hanazakari, nor is Hayato-kun, but you get what I mean. She's still a hero who fought to save everyone! Er, unless..."
Bringing up if Maimi had fought on the side of the Frost Fair, and right in front of her too, gave Miyako chills. It was a minor miracle that Hibiki Izumi had taken Miyako blurting that fact out as well as she did, and even her response had been... concerning. So how would someone more aggressive like Maimi take it?

Naturally Koyomi saw right through what Miyako had stopped herself from saying. "Look, I didn't know Tobi till I came to Hinodeharu, so I can't say what if anything she was doing at Shin Sekigahara. She tells me she tried being a fake defector back at Sekigahara, and eh, I guess I haven't seen any evidence that contradicts her word," Koyomi said.

"Though even if she did side with the Frost Fair," Emi was unusually forthwith in saying, "t-that alone would be no reason to discount her! Izumi-san did, yet she still came to rescue me. Even if..." she then looked over to her Starshoot and flinched. "Even if she did use my..." her clenched face couldn't finish that sentence.

Wait, was Daimon-sama with a manga company that far back? 'Cause if so, was she also forced to side with the Frost Fair? Miyako thought, having no idea how to ask Emi that, given the state she'd been in.

Maimi then cut through the mumbling with a squawk, like she was saying 'You know I can still hear you, right?'

"Oh right. Tobi, this is Daimon Emi, she's a mangaka. Well, we're not sure what she's doing with her life right now, though I am not having her play housewife. That's Nozawa Miyako, she's a ronin who keeps saying she'll get into journalism, and the boy you just trampled over is Higashi Hayato, the son of a friend of mine," Koyomi said.

Miyako huffed at Koyomi's description of her, though Hayato, despite Koyomi being no less brusque about him, appeared to take it way less personally. Given the... theorising Miyako had done about how Hayato felt towards Koyomi, she started thinking if anything Koyomi said about him could ever make him mad. Not that he was the type to get mad anyway, of course.

"Wait, so if Tobi-san did fake defect, er, since you did fake defect, Tobi-san," Miyako readdressed from Koyomi to Maimi, remembering the swan could in fact hear them, "could that mean the real reason you're stuck as a swan is 'cause they found out and cursed you?" she theorised yet again and asked.

"If they did, they hid it real well," Koyomi said, "because we would've found some Frost Fair mark by now if that were true. No, probably a side-effect of the end of the Dandelionhearts. I was thinking Sfira could shed some light on her circumstances, but of course them just showing up sends her into a squawking frenzy," she sighed.

"Oh no, does Tobi-san have something against Pathragada then?" Miyako asked.

"I always took it..." Hayato said as he got back on his feet, "that if you had the mind of a swan and suddenly saw a bamboo alien wandering around, it'd make sense if you overreacted. Ah, nothing against Sfira-san on my part, as we haven't been properly introduced."

Something in Hayato's words still did cause offence, as Maimi began squawking and flapping at him again. Miyako inferred this may have been due to the 'mind of a swan' remark.

The difficulties with Vasilisa coming back to her mind, Miyako said, "This would kinda be easier if we didn't need someone to interpret all the time. Wait, I've got it!" she beamed, "Maybe there's a way she could talk to us! Have you all seen that video with the cat and the buttons?"

Koyomi and Hayato stared blankly at her, but Emi brightened and said, "Oh, I know what you mean. They had this cat pushing buttons on a board that said words for her, I watched it while, er, while procrastinating with an approaching deadline," she admitted.

"Listen," Koyomi then said to her, "you worked till your hands fell off. You of all people have earned the right to procrastinate. But anyway, you're saying we should get one of these talk-button-board things for Tobi then?"

"Yep, certainly couldn't hurt," Miyako said, under the assumption that comment wasn't tempting fate, or that Maimi would be talking that more with the unanointed.
While she was here though, Miyako still had to ask as she quivered, "Swans don't normally live this long, do they?" But her spirits lifted as her eyes glimmered, "Tobi-san, are you a magical swan? Can you still do magic? Can you transform!?"

And predictably this got Maimi squawking and flapping at Miyako, to the point where Koyomi had to hold the swan off. "She says," Koyomi managed to say, "that if she could still transform, she wouldn't be stuck like this. But you could say if she's got the body of a swan but the mind of a human, then yes, she is a magical swan. And well," she gritted her teeth, "she really doesn't appreciate her lifespan being brought up. Most people don't, obviously, but in her case..."

"Swans aren't the birds I know most about, but I did some research, and well," Hayato said then paused, slowly backing away from Maimi as he did, "at most they only live about twenty-four years, don't they?"

"And-and Shin Sekigahara was just over twenty-three years ago," Emi gasped as it hit her.

"Hold on," Koyomi spoke firmly, before Maimi could get riled up again, "We still don't know if she's retained her human lifespan or not. And Tobi says she's feeling fine as ever. Well, says."

Both Miyako and Hayato could attest that Maimi was still active and restless, unless the sand running out of her hourglass had only made her more stubborn in response.
"Er, so Hayato-kun, Daimon-sama, since you've both seen each other's skills, now you've got no reason to compete, right?" Miyako asked, deciding the best way forward was to swerve back entirely.

"Higashi-kun, I heard you say Arisugawa-sama saved your parents' lives countless times back in the Frost Decade. I... can undeniably see why you hold one as heroic as her in such high regard," Emi said to him, before she just had to add, "I, I don't think I even saved that many people, if any at all, back then. Even Tobi-san as a swan is still more of a Hanazakari than I am."

Emi praising Koyomi, especially her saving his parents, did get Hayato to soften slightly towards her, and what she said next started making him feel like he'd been kicking a puppy.

On the other hand, Koyomi was not so moved. "I already told you, Daimon, stop beating yourself up like that. You're not making anything better," she muttered.

"Ah, most definitely, Arisugawa-sama. I-I won't say such things about myself anymore," Emi said, in a tone of voice that suggested she still would.

It was just after that, in the depths of these woods, when another voice made itself heard. A voice Miyako really, really didn't want to hear right now.
"Hello? I'm hearing talking out here, is everyone alright?" Asahi called out.

Article:

At risk of her boss discovering how quickly she'd disobeyed her about seeing Koyomi, Miyako:
[ ] Gestured at everyone to run, she'd say why later.
[ ] Quickly told everyone about Asahi in what time she had, then get them all to run.
[ ] Took off on her own, asking the others not to tell Asahi she'd been here.
[ ] Told Koyomi not to say she was here, then hid behind her.
[ ] Decided Asahi would be most forgiving if she just came clean.
[ ] Asked Hayato to come clean for her, with her being scared to face how Asahi might react.
[ ] Threw a rock or twig or something to make Asahi look the other way.
[ ] Write-in

 

[ArlequineLunaire]

[X] Decided Asahi would be most forgiving if she just came clean.


Miyako sighed to Hayato and said, "I guess I really should come clean, shouldn't I?"

"What?" Hayato gasped. "I mean, yes, she's Mother and your employer, it's only right to be honest with her. It's just… it's just…" he started muttering.

"You're worried how she'll treat you if she finds out you went behind her back, huh?" Miyako intuited.

"Wait, 'went behind Asahi's back', what are you talking about?" Koyomi asked, her eyes already narrowed.

Butterflies in her stomach, liver, and lungs seized Miyako as she looked at Koyomi and all the way up at Asahi. Still, she breathed deep then said, "You see, I had this nightmare, so Higashi-sama thought-"

But she had to be cut off when Maimi suddenly flapped all the way up to Asahi. Not wanting to go down as the miko who let her head priestess get attacked, Miyako ran after the swan… only to find Asahi firmly glaring down and commanding Maimi to "Sit!"
Then Maimi genuinely did so, much as a swan could.

At first relieved, Miyako tensed back up again the moment Asahi would've been able to glance Koyomi just down the incline. "Okay, um, so you know how you said…" Miyako tried to begin.

"Nozawa-chan, if you ran into Koyomi by accident while going after this wild swan here," Asahi said while kneeling so she could give scritches to Maimi's neck, "that's at least understandable."

"Yes Mother, completely by accident!" Hayato called out to insist.

"Well, the thing is," Miyako gulped, "I... went looking for Arisugawa-sama behind your back. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" She then collapsed onto Asahi, leaving Hayato trembling at what his mother would say next.

"Again, mind telling me just what is going on?" Koyomi said as she strode up to them.

Juggling Maimi, Miyako's crying, her son's attempt at deception, and now her old friend in her face, Asahi took a while before she was able to answer. "Koyomi, do you remember I told you about a nightmare I had years ago? All that ice, all those leeches, all those people dead," she nearly froze up just saying that, no, even thinking it.

"Miyako's been getting similar dreams now, hasn't she?" Koyomi said.

Asahi nodded. "So I told her, well, she should stay away from you, I didn't know what else to say. The Frost Fair are gone, there shouldn't be any more nightmares like these," she said, beginning to get teary, then whispered, "especially not for someone born afterwards."

What her boss had said was at least expected, but Miyako was stung, near shattered, by what Koyomi said next. "I agree."
Before Miyako could speak back, Koyomi looked down and told her, "On top of what Asahi said, if you're having those sorts of nightmares, then you know what Yumemi will do if she gets her hands on them. Make you wish they stayed just nightmares, for starters."

Spoiler: Is This Goodbye? BGM

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hz-DgYzS7Bs

Remembering how Yumemi had flooded Koyomi's house with sand and torn a chasm through Taito Base, Miyako barely needed a reminder of what Koyomi was talking about. But that didn't stop her from shouting, "I don't care!" her broken voice then quieting to, "You're the first Hanazakari I ever really knew. I don't want to have to go away from you…"

Crouching, Koyomi whispered in the girl's ear, "Miyako, you were attacked by a Heart Leech, kidnapped by a Frostfarer, and barely avoided a killer cult. Please, it's better I don't see you again than have to see you die." She flinched as Namie's face flashed in her head.

With that Miyako could no longer say anything, so just fell in a heap on the forest floor.
Asahi gingerly tried patting her on the back and told her, "Nozawa-chan, it's for the best. And you did the right thing in telling me," before she said to Koyomi, "Thank you for understanding. I admit, I didn't expect you to agree so readily."

"Just hearing she's having nightmares like you did made me… rethink a lot," Koyomi said. Not that she let Asahi entirely off the hook though. "Your only concern was that Miyako wouldn't have to live with trauma, is that right? No, ahem, ulterior motives with you?"

"What? Koyomi, I'm your friend, far back as that was. You would honestly accuse me of jealousy?" Asahi spoke up.

"Hmm? I never specified 'jealousy'," Koyomi said, raising an eyebrow.

Put on the spot like that, beads of sweat began forming on Asahi's brow. But she had one clear chance to change the topic. "Well, speaking of the old days, why are you transformed right now?" she asked, before she finally spotted. "And you appear to have a guest over… who is also transformed."

"Oh, she's an intruder," Hayato said and was promptly ignored.

"Her name's Daimon Emi," Koyomi said, then lied to Maimi's relief, "and we were just, er, practicing in case we found another Heart Leech." Not that she hadn't gotten fighting practice elsewhere. "Daimon, this is Higashi Asahi, friend from back in high school."

"Er, hi there," was all Emi said at first, but then it dawned on her. "You-you actually knew Arisugawa-sama all the way back in the Frost Decade, Higashi-sama? Because someone like her must have been brilliant against the Frost Fair!"

Koyomi tensed up. "No, I… really wasn't," she muttered.

"Arisugawa-sama did save Mother and Father numerous times," Hayato was quick to chime in.

Asahi winced hearing her own son bring that up. "Indeed she did. Of course, if either Tsukasa or I had been made Hanazakari, she likely wouldn't have had to," she said.

"But if you had been made a Hanazakari," Emi then said, while quickly looking back at where she'd left her Starshoot and shivering, "You could have been granted a bad Cultivar. Something that only serves to… bring misery into this world."

At first Asahi didn't know how to respond, but then said, "I suppose there would've been the risk, but all the Hanazakari Cultivars I heard of sounded quite special. Darkness, dreams, transformations, how could any young girl not want those at her fingertips?" Even the broken Miyako had to light up hearing those words.

"Because the Dandelionhearts weren't Santa handing out toys," Koyomi hissed, and looking back at Emi had to think, and you'd think a young girl want to make someone feel pain over what they loved?

"So, if Nozawa is forbidden to meet with Arisugawa-sama anymore," Hayato then raised, "Then… am I as well? I'm complicit too, I did promise to lie for her."

"Hayato, you may not have been having similar dreams, and believe me I could tell if you were," Asahi said then asked, "But why is it you want to keep seeing Arisugawa-sama? She's twice your age, and it's not like you two have similar interests."

"Father and you have talked about her all my life; how could I not want to?" Hayato burst out, with Miyako shocked to hear him getting like this. "And besides, I- I-" he began stuttering, Miyako also nervous about just what he was trying to say. Asahi looked uncomfortable too, made to think about everything she'd told Hayato growing up.

"Then stay away," Koyomi told him bluntly. "By all you've said, it sounds like it isn't me you care about, it's your idea of me you've conjured in my absence."

Her words reaching Hayato, he reacted almost like he'd been stabbed. As he crumbled in a heap, Miyako, despite what she may have suspected about him, still had to feel sorry for him. Especially with how she'd been shattered too.

Detransforming, Koyomi then said, "I'd better be getting home. I've done what I came out here to do, keeping an eye on the swan, so I should be seeing to, ahem, 'other matters'. So, goodbye."

That made Miyako ask herself whether Koyomi had even told Asahi about Sfira yet? The woods surrounded the shrine, and Hayato was already aware of them at least, so why not just tell Asahi? Maimi had at least requested Koyomi to not say anything about her, however successfully. Was she worried even more people would try to claim Sfira?

"But I'll stay by your side, Arisugawa-sama," Emi said as she detransformed in turn, "e-even if I can't use my Cultivar." Or rather, won't. "And I've had all sorts of bad dreams on my own, so someone like me can't get any worse."

Koyomi gave no reply to that, though made a mental note to warn her about Yumemi the moment they were back at the house. I can't bear imagining what ammo she'd get out of you, she thought.

The two Hanazakari headed away, Emi emerging victorious against Hayato by default. Miyako may've gotten back on her knees, but she remained defenceless against the thought that this could be the last time she'd ever see Koyomi.

Seeing her employee emotionally wrecked, Asahi tried telling her, "Nozawa-chan, don't feel so bad. Look on the bright side, you'll have much more time to apply for your journalism degree, like I said before."

That did remind Miyako she was supposed to be writing an article on Blue Lotus and RUNE's corruption, something the world should seriously be warned about… but now she didn't know if she could bear to do so. With every word she'd type, how could she not be constantly reminded of all the time she'd spent with Koyomi?

"Nozawa-chan," Hayato then said as he took her hand, even blushing, "Arisugawa-sama said she doesn't want me around her anymore, but I'd, ah, still be happy to be around you. You're the closest one I have to her, after all."
Awkwardly as Hayato had phrased that, especially for a guy into poetry, Miyako still found herself blushing in return. But Hayato then had to ask, "Just one thing. I don't think you ever said why you want to be a journalist? Ah, if the reason's not too personal, of course."

Put on the spot to figure out just why she wanted that career, the first answer that came to Miyako was one she'd be ashamed to say out loud. Because most of the heroines I knew from fiction were journalists, so if I couldn't be a Hanazakari, I could still be that!

Article:

Taking some more time to think whether that really was her reason, or whether her reason could change with time, Miyako told him:
[ ] "Well, Hanazakari are meant to fight for justice, so I figured journalism was the best way I could do that myself!"
[ ] "I really love to hear stories, and being a journalist means I'd get to hear a whole bunch of them."
[ ] "There's a lot of bad people in power, cults, militaries, Kazuya-kun's parents, my parents that I ran away from. But if I was a journalist, I could actually do something about them, right?"
[ ] "Er, to be honest, it's because a bunch of female characters from fiction I know are all journalists, so I always wanted to be one too."
[ ] "Eheh, I'm not sure I could really pin down any one reason. Just feels like my calling, y'know?"
[ ] Write-in
- [ ] "I look up to a lot of journalists, and wanted to be like them." (by GreatWyrmGold)

 

[ArlequineLunaire]

[X] "There's a lot of bad people in power, cults, militaries, Kazuya-kun's parents, my parents that I ran away from. But if I was a journalist, I could actually do something about them, right?"


"That's… quite the answer," Hayato found himself saying at first, then smiled, "I suppose anyone else would be too quick to expect a more frivolous answer from you. Shows them how wrong they'd be."

Miyako had to blush a little at that. She said, "Guess I've seen a lot lately, what with y'know all the nightmares, and I'm scared I won't be able to do anything about them. Just as I thought I could do nothing about my parents till I finally ran away. But I'm told people couldn't believe there'd be an end to the Frost Decade, but then it did end. Like, the battle's only lost when you give up, right?" Or when you're dead, she thought, feeling the freezing embrace of Blue Lotus in her memory.

Only then did she realise that, while Koyomi may have truly wanted to keep her safe, if Blue Lotus did find her… what defence would she have? She then thought back to all the friendly Hanazakari she knew, the only ones who could even scratch Blue Lotus. Hachiro was way too close to Yumemi. Emi refused to use her Cultivar and likely wouldn't associate with her if Koyomi didn't. Hibiki's fame may have fallen but she still wasn't easy to contact, not to mention her YamahiPro ties. Palmira came with a price tag, even if they could possibly be persuaded to lower it, and Maimi was of course stuck as a swan.
There was also Sfira, not a Hanazakari but functionally the same… but right now they were in the middle of being fought over by multiple factions.

Which just makes it more important I finish and publish my article on Project Lazarus, then every Hanazakari will be after Blue Lotus, won't they? Miyako thought. Any soothing of her nerves however was halted when her old worries came back. But which outlet would even take it? What if only some crank site's interested and I look like a laughingstock? Okay, come on, it won't be that bad, I've got evidence… don't I?

She was thankfully distracted from her anxiety spiral when Asahi spoke up. "It's certainly quite noble of you, however…" her boss asked, "don't you think it could be too much on you? With the traumatic dreams you've been giving, is more hard-hitting journalism really the sort of thing you want to dive into?"

…She got me there, Miyako admitted to herself, but then said, "Yeah, but at this point, I'm kinda starting to think I'd get these awful dreams no matter what."

"They can at least be minimalised!" Asahi was quick to say, but then sighed. "I'm starting to think there's no way of stopping you, is there?"

---

Koyomi headed back through the woods to her house with Emi tailing behind. The former's steady pace made the leaves on the ground crunch beneath her feet in time, while the latter's scrambling gait was much less rhythmical.

"I used to write prophetic dreams into my manga a lot," Emi suddenly remarked, "but hearing about those nightmares she had, Nozawa-chan was it, I'm not good with names. I take forever with what to call characters, well, when the characters aren't all named for me. Anyway, hearing about those nightmares she and your old friend had made me feel bad about using dreams as a plot device as much as I did, especially as she said she read so much of my works."

"Really, you're self-conscious about dream sequences now?" Koyomi asked as she raised an eyebrow. "Hey look, I've had a cavalcade of nightmares since the Frost Decade. I imagine you have too, in fact I doubt there's any Hanazakari who hasn't." She shuddered as she thought of Yumemi, then kept saying, "So I wrote plenty of dream sequences as a way of coping, though I never went the 'dreams tell the future' route, too lazy. Ahem, point is, don't beat yourself up over it, some manga being too mystical with dreams was far from the worst thing in Miyako's life."

"Ah, such a good point, as always," Emi lighted up at what Koyomi said, "I wrote in prophetic dreams as that was the trend in manga, but you knew to write dreams as a form of expression and metaphor. Far more thoughtful than I ever was."

"Daimon," Koyomi turned around to look her dead in the face and asked, "Have you actually read any of the dream scenes in my books?" Have you read any of my books period? "Because if you haven't, for all you know I could've done an awful job."

That left Emi on pause for a while, before she managed to mumble out, "W-well, I've flipped through some of your works once I arrived at your house, in between cleaning up. I didn't get to any parts with dreams though. But, uh, I am sure with your poise and integrity, you would never be so thoughtless in your writing."

"Oh really? Lots of authors write what they think is thoughtful in the matter, only for it to be quite thoughtless in hindsight. But you work in a related industry, so do I really need to say that?" Koyomi said.
With Emi again struggling to respond, Koyomi then asked her, "Okay, a different question. Do you…" she paused as she looked back into the forest depths, "Do you think it was right for me to tell Miyako to stay away?"

"Yes, definitely!" Emi was much quicker to answer this time. "You were just projecting her and had her best intentions at heart. It would've been a tough choice, but you handled better than I, or most people, ever could."

"Alright," Koyomi then tilted her head and narrowed her gaze, "So how would you have reacted if I had said she could stay? Clearly you would've felt I'd made the wrong decision, wouldn't you?"

By now Emi was sweating and fidgeting. "W-w-well, you would've only made that other choice had circumstances been different. So, if those qualifiers were in action, then I'm sure you'd still have made the right decision…" she got lost in her rambling.

"…Okay, what would you say I have done wrong then?" Koyomi asked, then was all too tempted to say, because it sounds like it's not who I am or what I want that means anything to you, just having a spare golden calf you can latch onto. And I for one am not here to fill any hole left by a wretch like Kamizono!
Only reason she kept that all in her head was, as she stared at Emi trembling there, she just had too much heart to say something like that to her. She'd already told someone as steadfast as Miyako to leave, could she say the same right after to another?

The idea of Emi looking for another 'leader' though made Koyomi squirm, as she thought of being followed and fawned over by Freesia of all people the same way.

"I-I don't know," Emi finally reached an answer, one that made Koyomi sigh as it didn't surprise her at all. "You've never told me to do anything, never given me a deadline I can't reach, never told me audiences don't want my own writing, never told me to cut off all ties to anyone I know, never told I have to do something else I'll be 'impure'," she kept going, but then said, "Er, but you have told me not to do a few things, like not cook or clean, so I guess by my logic that's something… wrong?"

By your logic, yeah, Koyomi thought, but did soften on hearing Emi try to give more of a real answer.

"Hah, there you are!" a familiar voice then rang out and cut off the whole conversation. The two looked around to see Vasilisa there, already transformed and floating above them. A little further in the distance, Koyomi also spotted Hibiki standing right beside her house, a fidgeting Sfira right next to her.

Koyomi's first instinct was to shout at Sfira to run, but that'd only just escalate things. So she glared up at Vasilisa and growled, "Is this about that 'who saw Sfira first' fight of yours? You're still insisting on it despite what Freesia just did to you?"

"You really need me to remind you how important a Pathragadan landing on Earth is? My civic, no, my global duty cannot let this stand idly by!" Vasilisa insisted.

"Then why's Izumi here?" Koyomi asked as she pointed at Hibiki. "She represents a corporation, not a government. What say should she have in this?"

"At YamahiPro's height, Hanazakari were our business," Hibiki said on cue, Koyomi already suspecting those words were what some exec had told her to say in a situation like this. "As Pathragadans are the source of our powers, we have every reason to be involved."

"'Our', seriously? So what, is YamahiPro's plan to get some mad scientist to try engineering new Hanazakari out of Sfira, without a Dandelionheart? All because forty-year-old Hanazakari don't draw in the crowds anymore?!" Koyomi snapped at her.

"I was-" Emi then said from behind, then continued while keeping her voice low, "I was about to say Hibiki tried to rescue me, she would never stand for such a thing. But no, she went and used my Cultivar, so you're right, maybe she really would…"

"How'd you even catch Sfira anyway?" Koyomi then asked the two, "What, did you just get lucky with one of your stun blasts?"

Vasilisa smirked back. "As if, foolish American- er, Nihon-jin. They agreed to come," she said.

Koyomi flinched, then stressed, "Sfira, you know that is not at all Earth custom, right?"

"And even if they hadn't," Hibiki then said, "I came with backup. Superspeed won't help if all the exits are blocked off, ufufu," like she was channelling the villain roles she'd been saddled with in her age.

At her prompt, a whole gang of girls suddenly sprang out of the bushes. Or rather, a whole gang of girl, as while there were stylistic differences among them like their hair all being dyed different colours, they all otherwise looked like the same exact person. They looked barely older than Miyako, yet they clearly weren't unanointed.

"Wassup? Kagamino Chigusa, Narcissus in Full Bloom," her selves all said in unison, then winked, "But of course, everyone in Japan already knows that, teehee."

"What the- how?" Koyomi asked on edge, then asked Hibiki, "What even are her powers? How the hell can she even be a Hanazakari at her age?"

"Ahem, aren't I the one you should be addressing?" the Narcissi all asked, before the one closest to Koyomi said, "as for how my powers work, well obviously I'm not gonna tell you just before the tournament."

Article:

Oh right, Vasilisa still wants to make this a real tournament, apparently, Koyomi groaned internally. She then told them:
[ ] "Alright, since you wanna show off in front of the whole world, where do you plan to host this tournament?"
[ ] "We are on Japanese ground, can't I at least have some say where the tournament will be held?"
[ ] "Can't we keep this private, like just have it out here? Shouldn't Sfira count as confidential or something?"
[ ] "You said 'they were fine', but I would really like a second opinion from Sfira first."
[ ] "I won't stand for this whole tournament, we're not treating Sfira like an object!" [Koyomi does not have the Physique needed for intimidation.]
[ ] Write-in

And since Hibiki got to invite backup with Chigusa, there was no reason Koyomi couldn't bring her own:
[ ] Palmira. Wasn't her usual business, but they'd been surprisingly helpful against Kamizono.
[ ] Emi. There was no way she'd use her Cultivar, but her opponent fearing she might use her Cultivar could be useful, and she'd still get the standard transformation boost.
[ ] Snapdragon in Full Bloom. Okay, getting a pirate on board could cause plenty of complications, but she sure was strong.
[ ] Nepeta the Cat Cup Hanazakari. She was one of RUNE's more fringe members, so she was less likely to tattletale back to Yumemi.
[ ] Hell, Yumemi even. Sfira being Pathragadan could make her more hesitant to try anything like Project Lazarus on them. Maybe.
[ ] Blue Lotus, somehow. Obviously shooting for the moon, but she liked the idea of him getting killed in the melee, or at least publicly exposed. He'd certainly have thoughts on Pathragadans.
[ ] No, she couldn't drag any more people into this whole mess. If Narcissus was the only backup, she'd be fine.
[ ] Write-in

 

[ArlequineLunaire]

Spoiler: Winning Votes

[X] "You said 'they were fine', but I would really like a second opinion from Sfira first."
[X] Hell, Yumemi even. Sfira being Pathragadan could make her more hesitant to try anything like Project Lazarus on them. Maybe.

"<Black Rose, ah, Arisugawa,>" Sfira started, but then went on to say like they were describing the weather, "<Being treated like this is normal for me. My clan are among the Treasures of Pathragada, we are prized possessions of the greater castes. They were auctions over us, and fights breaking out did happen. So I don't see it as wrong that Earth would treat me the same.>"

This wasn't the first time Koyomi had heard about Sfira's situation on Pathragada, but the reminder still made her clench. She was about to protest, only for Emi to randomly step in and do it for her.
"But that's wrong!" Emi blurted out, even if she'd barely talked to Sfira before. "You're your own person! No one just or loving would have you believe that!"

With Emi sounding a bit too much like she was scripting a manga than trying to reach through to Sfira, Koyomi had to think, Is she only saying this because it's what she thinks I'd most want to hear her say? She's telling Sfira to snap out of their conditioning though, so does her intent matter? Well, her words could be stated more effectively.
"Sfira, how do you know that's what you really believe?" Koyomi asked them. "Do you only think you're some object because that's what these 'greater castes' have been telling you your whole life? Hell, if you really are just some object, why did you come alone to Earth? Doesn't sound like something Pathragada would let you do, so you must've come here through your own choice, and can an object choose?"

Sfira tensed up for a second, then gave something of an answer. "<I... thought maybe coming to Earth could show me things were different elsewhere. And I haven't seen much yet, but so far, I don't think things are,>" they said, their stalks all drooping, "<That Rafflesia said all her followers were saved and sanctified, yet they still had to obey her every word. And Freesia leapt at taking the powers of our dollmakers to turn people into toys. Even having our powers can't stop you fighting with the Frost Fair if your superiors say so.>" They may not have mentioned Hibiki, but even the actress with her 'default' personality still squirmed at that reminder.
"<So, it seems inevitable that I am what my clan is, no matter where I am in the universe,>" they finished.

Those words already stung Koyomi, especially as she thought of how slavery wasn't gone from Earth as people would like to think. She now expected Vasilisa to rub the wound in further, as proof she was right and that Koyomi was 'disrespecting alien culture'. But instead, the cosmonaut looked a little askance.
"Okay, I know you gave the lowdown on how you being a Treasure is just Pathragadan culture, but... this is starting to creep me out," Vasilisa said as she glanced down at Sfira, lower lip bitten. "Maybe it's Soviet ideals deep down inside me, 'cause all this talk of class stratification gets me on edge. Point is, if you're not gonna happily come along to Russia, then I think I'd prefer it if you put up more of fight, y'know?"

"Really? And I thought subservience would be right up your alley," Koyomi hissed up at her, and aren't we a bit too nostalgic for being back in the USSR? Part of her did think of talking Vasilisa into seeing the error of her ways... but most of her was just so fed up with her by this point that instead she tried twisting the knife in further. "Oh by the way, did you also know I've got a line to RUNE's Japan branch, to a Brigadier no less?" Saying that made her squirm, but she kept going, "They won't be happy to hear you've been trying to claim an alien who landed on Japanese soil. Especially with how much grief your country's been giving worldwide."

"W-what?" Vasilisa gasped at first, before she went back to a crooked smile and said, "Stupid Nihon-jin, my country was one of the UN's own founders! You-you really think RUNE's gonna lift a finger against me? And don't try to threaten me with turning this whole thing public, I welcome it! Finally, us Russian Starknights will show our worth on the world stage by defeating you, our country will have pride once again! Doubly so as we keep being told we'll get kicked off our own ISS."

Okay, so maybe twisting the knife in further was entirely the wrong tactic, probably the most Koyomi had accomplished was making Vasilisa look a little silly in front of Hibiki and Chigusa. Well, sillier.

Spoiler: Tournament 'Arc' Theme

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29pgJR3fLkE

"If you really are planning to escalate things by getting RUNE involved, then a change of plans may be needed," Hibiki said as she clasped her hands, before she giggled and said in a radically different, yet all too familiar, tone of voice. "Playtime!"
The transformed Hibiki took on the same pink and yellow colour scheme as Freesia of all people. Vasilisa found herself scrambling in midair hearing so close a voice, at which Hibiki said, "Oh, you can tell who I'm playing dress up as then? Teehee, and you really think you could play a great big game against me, space girl?"

"Yeah beyotch, and 'cause you gotta transform to talk, you'll be outta juice and will totes be owned all the way back to toytown!" the closest Chigusa said up at Vasilisa, showing she might've looked young but sure could no longer talk young. Not like that calmed Vasilisa any, might've made her worse if anything.

But then Emi, still without any self-regard, ran out in front of Hibiki and said, "Izumi-sama, why are you doing this? This isn't you! You were the one who rescued me and- and-" she then froze up when she remembered just how Hibiki had rescued her. And that the woman she'd sentenced to excruciating pain was now the same one she was copying.

"Silly Miss Orange. I was told to play pretend as a good guy that mission. I was having fun... till you started being a real crybaby and hanging out with that mean old witch. Now I don't wanna play with you anymore," Hibiki first smiled then sneered, as she turned her mask into an exact copy of Freesia's toy sword.

"B-Blossom, Or... or..." Emi struggled to transform but couldn't go through with it. So she settled for bluffing, "Don't come near me! I-I can make acting feel like nothing but misery for you!"

"Yeah right, scaredy-cat!" Hibiki as Freesia taunted, then went "Boop!" and turned the mangaka into a toy. "Bo-ring, who wants a doll of the stupid drawer?!" she added per her role.
Koyomi gasped and Vasilisa shrieked as Hibiki picked Emi up then touched her toy arm... only for Hibiki to grit her teeth and put her back down. "You forgot, Daimon," she then said dropping the Freesia impression, "Acting already is nothing but misery for me..."

Hibiki not acting the part of Emi's mutilator was only so much consolation for Koyomi, as she was outmatched two to one, and that wasn't counting all the Narcissi. Vasilisa had just collapsed on the ground as Narcissus had predicted, far away from her wheelchair, though her time as a toy being so blatantly brought up again left her in little fighting mood as it was.

I was only bluffing about calling Yumemi, she thought as she shuddered, to think I might genuinely have to do it. "Henshin!" she then transformed and called out deep into the forest for the only other Hanazakari around, "Maimi, get over here now!"

"For serious, old timer, that's your transformation mantra?" the Narcissi all laughed, "Puh-lease! The 70s called, they want their catchphrase back."

Koyomi was quick to shroud all the Narcissi in darkness, only for the darkness to be sent back right over to her. Her Cultivar pre-equipping her with darkvision, Koyomi almost froze on seeing that it was her colour scheme Hibiki had now adopted.

"Your character was harder to figure out than Freesia's," Hibiki admitted using Koyomi's own voice, replica quill-sword in hand, "but I got the gist. You try to play the witch of darkness, but you can't. You still have to be the goody-two-shoes heroine of love and justice, fearing that was nothing but a fairytale Pathragada had pre-written for us. So, you have nothing but loathing for every Hanazakari who can't meet your standards, every creator who can't afford your 'integrity', everyone who made the sacrifices you were too precious to make. Oh you tried to be professional with me, but don't lie, you could never forgive me for what I had no choice in!"
With those last few lines, Hibiki's impression of her broke, leaving only the actress' own voice. Izumi Hibiki, Hellebore, the same woman Koyomi was told killed Emet, killed the last Dandelionheart, however willingly.

Koyomi was left hyperventilating, her own Cultivar thrown back at her. Then Narcissus, her clones having Sfira surrounded and grabbed all of their limbs, said, "Cool beans, Alien Get! Tournament Arc's all over it looks like, and don't ya love it when it doesn't take up half the anime? Alright old lady Izumi, let's bounce!"

"<It's okay, Arisugawa. This is what I was born to be, I'm used to this,>" Sfira thought-muttered.

Or was the 'tournament' really over? Maimi through some feat of hearing came flying in, her swan self having grown larger and frillier as several bulb-like pink and green feathers now blossomed from her wings. Though she made a beeline straight for Sfira, she was struck down as Hibiki, her colours having changed to white and blue, shot an icicle right up at her. With that Hibiki left, not even saying a parting word.

Koyomi ran to catch the fallen Maimi, seeing that while Hibiki had avoided piercing anywhere vital, there was no way of telling how long, if ever, it would be till Maimi would be able to fly again. As she glared back at a parting Hibiki playing no less than a Frostfarer, Koyomi thought, You better be portraying a Frostfarer from back in the day, because I don't want to even imagine you cavorting with Blue Lotus.
...Though maybe it's the perfect role for the likes of you. The Frost Fair know all about treachery, don't they?

She then carried a quivering Vasilisa back to her wheelchair and took Maimi and Emi inside; the latter still stuck a toy showed that even an imitation Cultivar took time to wear off. At least Emi was in pristine condition, Hibiki still having drawn the line at the 'modifying' part of Freesia's character. That didn't stop Koyomi feeling sick just from looking at what had happened to her.

Gritting her teeth, she made good on what had started as a bluff. "Yumemi, you there? Listen, give me every secret you've got on YamahiPro, and anything on one Kagamino Chigusa, Narcissus in Full Bloom!"

"I'm not your maid, Koyomi. You think I appreciate you phoning out of nowhere to start a conversation like that?" was of course Yumemi's response.

"Thing is..." Koyomi said, almost making herself sick even as she knew Yumemi would need more convincing, "No less than a Pathragadan has touched down on Earth, they're called Sfira, well they are now. Had some trouble with an ISS woman saying they saw them first, but now two YamahiPro Idols, Izumi Hibiki and that Kagamino, have captured them 'cause their bosses want a fresh Hanazakari batch or whatever." She naturally left out the part about Sfira having ultimately gone willingly.

"My, that is indeed serious, if it's true," Yumemi had to phrase it like that. "Our government may have covered for YamahiPro's, ahem, Frost Decade activities. However, if they think they can push their luck by taking someone who by all rights is RUNE's to address first, they'll find us far less generous this time. I'll tell you everything you need to know... provided you do something for me in return. Don't worry, I'll be gentle and not force you to enlist or anything, though I do have on mission in mind."

"What?!" Koyomi snarled, is telling you about Sfira not enough?

Article:

"I have several demands, pick any one you'd like," Yumemi said, then said Koyomi could:
[ ] Tell her where Sfira's spaceship could be found.
[ ] Inform her of any other Hanazakari she'd been in contact with lately.
[ ] Remain under house arrest until further notice.
[ ] Do time for a month in the nearest Malebolge.
[ ] Have a brand placed on her so RUNE would know where she was at all times.
[ ] Act as a Slayer for RUNE just for one mission.
[ ] Subject herself to a RUNE experiment, for the good of humanity of course.
[] Make amends with the Earthly Purified, as there was overlap between their members and RUNE. [Koyomi has too much Mind to do this.]
[ ] Write-in
[ ] Write-in- "No" and hang up
[ ] Go on a date with Yumemi
[ ] Write-in- "I just told someone they weren't some object" and hang up