[GAME ON]
0. Opening
She blinked one eye open. A tiled ceiling filled her vision. An...
0. Opening
She blinked one eye open. A tiled ceiling filled her vision. An...
GAME ON [The Gamer/Negima]
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Statistics (11 threadmarks, 27k words)
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0. Opening
- Location
- Portugal
- Pronouns
- She/They
[GAME ON]
0. Opening
She blinked one eye open. A tiled ceiling filled her vision. An unfamiliar ceiling.
"Ah." That was funny. Except… "Wait…" It really was an unfamiliar ceiling. Where was she? What had happened? Sitting up caused pain in her arm. She had dislodged the IV. The pieces fell into place easily after that. The tiled ceiling, the IV and its stand, the bed with white sheets and the curtains around it… She was in the infirmary.
'Damn, something weird happened to me, didn't it?' She rubbed her head with her good arm. She wasn't in pain, she felt no bumps, even her throat wasn't dry. But she couldn't remember why she was in the infirmary. The last thing she remembered she had innocently been browsing the net. That didn't bode well. A million and one things that could have happened, especially with the craziness that ran rampant in her dorm building, ran through her mind. From plain fainting to being kidnapped by… who knew? Zazie? She was shady enough.
And there didn't seem to be anybody around to help either. "Just my luck." She tsked. Infirmaries weren't supposed to be empty. That just happened in animes as a cheap excuse to get some romance in. And they were always interrupted too.
There was a glass with water at the bedside table, which she didn't need. 'Weird but I'm not complaining about that.' And there were her glasses. Now that, that she needed. Not that she couldn't see without them. No, they served more as a social crutch than a physical one.
She picked them up and… Weird, she thought she had seen something in the reflection… She looked behind her. Just the wall.
"Okaaay…"
She angled the glasses to catch her reflection again and…
"Urk!" 'W-what the hell!?'
In the reflection she saw, floating above her head, blue letters.
<The Gamer>
Lv1 Hasegawa Chisame
Lv1 Hasegawa Chisame
Last edited:
Status
- Location
- Portugal
- Pronouns
- She/They
You are part of the Game.
and kinda cute ... shame you only exist as a virtual existence.
It's your job to [help] the gamer.
and have fun at her expense.
[Trust Value] : OK
and kinda cute ... shame you only exist as a virtual existence.
It's your job to [help] the gamer.
and have fun at her expense.
<The Gamer>
Lv3 Hasegawa Chisame
Lv3 Hasegawa Chisame
[Trust Value] : OK
-
Hasegawa Chisame
Level 3
Class: Gamer
HP: 225/225
EP: 200/200
XP: 7/28
STR: 8 <+0>
VIT: 9 <+0>
DEX: 7 <+0>
INT: 8 <+0>
WIS: 8 <+0>
LUK: 9 <+0>
Points: 2
Money: ¥1180
-
[Gamer's Mind (Passive) Lv MAX]
Allows the user to calmly and logically think things through.
Allows peaceful state of mind.
Immunity to psychological status effect.
[Gamer's Body (Passive) Lv MAX]
Grants a body that allows for the user to live the real world like a game.
[Analyze (Active) Lv6 24%XP]
Skill to observe and understand your surroundings, revealing extra information. The ability that made mankind what it is today.
Reveals statistics and weaknesses.
[Dish Washing (Passive) Lv5 87%XP]
Cleaning skill. Applies to all kinds of tableware, cutlery and cooking tools, permitting the removal of even the most persistent dirt. Fundamental at any sort of hospitality service.
35% increase in washing speed.
[Danger Sense (Passive) Lv3 77%XP]
A survival instinct. Allows the user to know when something dangerous might happen. It is born out of perceptiveness and, unfortunately, experience.
-
11/80
E [Gamer's Glasses - Unique]
The Gamer's eyewear choice. Unscratchable, they reduce glare, improve contrast vision and make it possible to sit in front of a computer for hours without tiring. Also work outdoors.
+2% XP
Full Set +2% XP
E [Mahora Middle School Summer Uniform Top - Normal]
The assigned uniform for middle school students at Mahora Academy. Short-sleeved shirt, vest and tie combination.
-[Mahora Middle School Summer Uniform Shirt - Normal]
Part of the assigned uniform for Mahora Academy's middle school students. A white shirt, short-sleeved for summer.
-[Mahora Middle School Summer Uniform Vest - Normal]
Part of the assigned uniform for Mahora Academy's middle school students. Maroon-coloured sleeveless vest. Usually worn under a jacket. Mahora's crest is sown on the breast pocket.
-[Mahora Middle School Uniform Tie - Normal]
Part of the assigned uniform for Mahora Academy's middle school students. Ribbon red tie. For girls only.
E [Mahora Middle School Uniform Skirt - Normal]
Part of the assigned uniform for Mahora Academy's middle school students. Red plaid skirt.
E [Mahora Middle School Uniform Footwear - Normal]
The assigned uniform for middle school students at Mahora Academy. Socks and shoes combination.
-[Mahora Middle School Summer Uniform Socks - Normal]
Part of the assigned uniform for Mahora Academy's middle school students. Black shin-high summer style socks.
-[Mahora Middle School Uniform Outdoor Shoes - Normal]
Part of the assigned uniform for Mahora Academy's middle school students. Nice brown shoes. Pretty resilient.
[Gamer's Cap - Unique]
The Gamer's awesome hat. Keeps the sun out of one's eyes and their head cool whenever they venture into the savage outside.
+2% XP
Full Set +2% XP
[Gamer's Shirt - Unique]
The Gamer's best shirt. Allows for full freedom of movement, yet it's snug and fit. Doesn't ride up no matter how much one wiggles on a chair.
+2% XP
Full Set +2% XP
[Gamer's Pants - Unique]
The Gamer's favorite pants. Incredibly comfortable pants for either sitting in front of the screen or RUNning out of a troublesome situation.
+2% XP
Full Set +2% XP
4 [Nikuman - Normal]
A simple pork bun, chinese style steamed bun. The chinese call it baozi. Good for eating at any meal and sold just about everywhere.
Heals 15 HP.
[Snorlax Pajama Top - Normal]
Summer pajamas top for warm nights. Adorable.
Features a sleeping Snorlax.
[Snorlax Pajama Bottom - Normal]
Summer pajamas bottom for warm nights. Adorable.
Black coloured.
[White Tennis - Normal] 2
All around sport shoes. Rubber-soled, comfortable, laced. White.
[Fake Glasses - Normal]
Glasses with fake lenses, just for decoration. They hide the eyes and disguise the user's true persona.
Useful for disguising.
[Shopping Bag]
-[Shoebox]
10 [White Textile Ink - Normal]
Special ink to die clothing and other textiles. Matte white.
Contains 10 portions.
[Black Textile Marker - Normal]
Marker specifically used to write and draw on cloth. Matte black.
-
Active
[Pimp My Shoe]
[Skilled Work]
[Know thine classmate] 4/31
[I know your secret...]
[Will Work for RAM] ¥0/¥100,000
Completed
[Health Check]
[Self-Improvement]
[Take care of Ako]
[Tutorial: Options in Life]
[Tutorial: Mapping your way]
[Tutorial: Journal, girl's best friend]
[Tutorial: Making an Inventory]
[Tutorial: Mad Skillz, the How To]
[Tutorial: The Character Window and You]
Last edited:
1. Tutorial 1
- Location
- Portugal
- Pronouns
- She/They
1. Tutorial 1
There were letters floating above her head. That… That was not normal. 'Not fucking normal at all!' In fact, they were probably just her imagination. Yep, just her imagination. It was just the shock of waking up in the infirmary. A trick of the light, whatever. She rubbed her eyes, dipped her fingers in the water to clean them well. Checking again, she didn't…
… see those letters floating above her head.
"No. Just no. This? This is not happening." Chisame denied. She waved a hand over her head, feeling nothing. "See? Nothing." There was a beat. She looked up.
"Fuck." She slumped back in the bed, closing her eyes to avoid seeing them.
Seeing things was not part of Chisame's normal life. Her very normal, perfectly satisfactory life. Sure, she was one of the few that even noticed Chachamaru was a freakin' robot. But she wasn't strictly speaking the only one. So, no history of hallucinations.
Had Hakase and Chao done something to her? 'Why is that even plausible? Why?'
Had they done something to the whole world? 'And that! That should be even less plausible! No! It should be downright impossible!'
Chisame took a deep breath. Everything could be explained. And then, then she'd go back to her room, have a very long Chiu Alone-Time and everything would be just fine. Her rage levels slowly subsided and she unclenched her fists. 'Yeah. I'm calm.'
Ping!
… That noise wasn't part of her normal life either.
She wasn't going to open her eyes and see what had happened. Oh no, Chisame was very happy not knowing or seeing any more freaky things. Even if they might be important. 'Oh, who am I kidding?' She sighed in frustration and opened her eyes after all.
There was a panel, also blue, floating over her. And it had something written on it.
Chisame blinked. 'Don't tell me...' She peaked at the letters still floating above her. 'Gamer. Lv1. … Quest.' And yet… Slowly, she reached a finger towards the panel. Should she? "Well…" She thought out loud. "I need to find what's happening to me." Hearing the reasoning fortified her will. It was sound and logical.
She touched the panel. There was the briefest sensation of touch. 'That's not good.' And then the panel disappeared, just to be replaced by another one.
Objective: Open the Character Window.
Reward: 10 XP
Hint:
Hint:
[Hint System]
Hints are small pieces of information that the Game supplies to Chisame. They come attached to quests or in prompt to some events, and sometimes they even come attached to items and skills. The Hint System serves to guide Chisame and help her make the best choices. They can tell just about anything. Suggestions on stats or skills, approaches to problems, or just plain railroading, ~teasing~ and nudges.
In the Tutorial, Quests come with two Hints attached. It's up to you to figure out what hints to give to Chisame and when. But be careful! A Hint can't be too long and if a Hint is too [Meta], the Game will hit the Cheater Button and wipe it out! Finally Hints should be helpful, otherwise Chisame's Trust Value will lower.
[Trust Value]
Hasegawa Chisame is mostly a calm person that dislikes taking risks. She thinks things through and does not trust easily. She's also not happy at all with being dragged out of her normal life. So she's probably not going to take everything the Game tells her at face value. Sorry~
The Trust Value determines more or less how Chisame is likely to react to the quests and hints she receives. It has 5 levels: A-OK, OK, HM, NO and NOPES. A good level makes Chisame trust the Game and follow the quests. A bad level makes Chisame actively turn away from the prompts and isolate herself.
Unreasonable quests, weird and suspicious hints, embarrassing and dangerous things won't be followed by Chisame and will lower the Trust Value. But at a higher level she will trust the Game and try things she wouldn't otherwise. Keep in mind that failing at those tasks will lower the trust level, but succeeding has all sorts of rewards.
Hints are missing! Quick, choose two! Or even better, write your own!
IMPORTANT! The Hints provided during the Tutorial decide Chisame's initial Trust Value.
[x] Hint: Points were made to be used! If you have any left, might as well use them!
[x] Hint: Keeping points in reserve can be useful for later.
[x] Hint: Putting all your points in DEX makes you really fast! If you're STR, you'll defeat your enemies in no time!
[x] Hint: Equal distribution among stats makes for a slow but much safer play.
[x] Hint: It's better to chose a dump stat early on and focus on what's really important.
[x] Hint: You can never go wrong with a bunch of LUK!
[x] Hint: I wonder how many points there are per level~
[x] Write-in!
There were letters floating above her head. That… That was not normal. 'Not fucking normal at all!' In fact, they were probably just her imagination. Yep, just her imagination. It was just the shock of waking up in the infirmary. A trick of the light, whatever. She rubbed her eyes, dipped her fingers in the water to clean them well. Checking again, she didn't…
… see those letters floating above her head.
"No. Just no. This? This is not happening." Chisame denied. She waved a hand over her head, feeling nothing. "See? Nothing." There was a beat. She looked up.
<The Gamer>
Lv1 Hasegawa Chisame
Lv1 Hasegawa Chisame
"Fuck." She slumped back in the bed, closing her eyes to avoid seeing them.
Seeing things was not part of Chisame's normal life. Her very normal, perfectly satisfactory life. Sure, she was one of the few that even noticed Chachamaru was a freakin' robot. But she wasn't strictly speaking the only one. So, no history of hallucinations.
Had Hakase and Chao done something to her? 'Why is that even plausible? Why?'
Had they done something to the whole world? 'And that! That should be even less plausible! No! It should be downright impossible!'
Chisame took a deep breath. Everything could be explained. And then, then she'd go back to her room, have a very long Chiu Alone-Time and everything would be just fine. Her rage levels slowly subsided and she unclenched her fists. 'Yeah. I'm calm.'
Ping!
… That noise wasn't part of her normal life either.
She wasn't going to open her eyes and see what had happened. Oh no, Chisame was very happy not knowing or seeing any more freaky things. Even if they might be important. 'Oh, who am I kidding?' She sighed in frustration and opened her eyes after all.
There was a panel, also blue, floating over her. And it had something written on it.
Quest Alert!
Chisame blinked. 'Don't tell me...' She peaked at the letters still floating above her. 'Gamer. Lv1. … Quest.' And yet… Slowly, she reached a finger towards the panel. Should she? "Well…" She thought out loud. "I need to find what's happening to me." Hearing the reasoning fortified her will. It was sound and logical.
She touched the panel. There was the briefest sensation of touch. 'That's not good.' And then the panel disappeared, just to be replaced by another one.
Tutorial: The Character Window and You
The first thing you should know about in a game is your character. For that, there's the Character Window, where the statistics and status of your character are recorded and shown. It's also there that you distribute points into your stats. Check out your character in the Character Window!Objective: Open the Character Window.
Reward: 10 XP
Hint:
Hint:
[Hint System]
Hints are small pieces of information that the Game supplies to Chisame. They come attached to quests or in prompt to some events, and sometimes they even come attached to items and skills. The Hint System serves to guide Chisame and help her make the best choices. They can tell just about anything. Suggestions on stats or skills, approaches to problems, or just plain railroading, ~teasing~ and nudges.
In the Tutorial, Quests come with two Hints attached. It's up to you to figure out what hints to give to Chisame and when. But be careful! A Hint can't be too long and if a Hint is too [Meta], the Game will hit the Cheater Button and wipe it out! Finally Hints should be helpful, otherwise Chisame's Trust Value will lower.
[Trust Value]
Hasegawa Chisame is mostly a calm person that dislikes taking risks. She thinks things through and does not trust easily. She's also not happy at all with being dragged out of her normal life. So she's probably not going to take everything the Game tells her at face value. Sorry~
The Trust Value determines more or less how Chisame is likely to react to the quests and hints she receives. It has 5 levels: A-OK, OK, HM, NO and NOPES. A good level makes Chisame trust the Game and follow the quests. A bad level makes Chisame actively turn away from the prompts and isolate herself.
Unreasonable quests, weird and suspicious hints, embarrassing and dangerous things won't be followed by Chisame and will lower the Trust Value. But at a higher level she will trust the Game and try things she wouldn't otherwise. Keep in mind that failing at those tasks will lower the trust level, but succeeding has all sorts of rewards.
Hints are missing! Quick, choose two! Or even better, write your own!
IMPORTANT! The Hints provided during the Tutorial decide Chisame's initial Trust Value.
[x] Hint: Points were made to be used! If you have any left, might as well use them!
[x] Hint: Keeping points in reserve can be useful for later.
[x] Hint: Putting all your points in DEX makes you really fast! If you're STR, you'll defeat your enemies in no time!
[x] Hint: Equal distribution among stats makes for a slow but much safer play.
[x] Hint: It's better to chose a dump stat early on and focus on what's really important.
[x] Hint: You can never go wrong with a bunch of LUK!
[x] Hint: I wonder how many points there are per level~
[x] Write-in!
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2. Tutorial 2
- Location
- Portugal
- Pronouns
- She/They
2. Tutorial 2
It was a quest. A tutorial quest. Combined with the name and level over her head and the rest of the terminology… Chisame was in a game. She smiled. Yes, now things were making sense. She was in a game.
There was a beat.
"The hell!? What kind of dot Hack ripp-off is this!?" She exploded. 'Oh, I bet it's that crazy scientist's fault! Did she kidnap me for her experiments or something?' Come to think of it, it wasn't that far out there. Chisame shuddered. Just her luck, being in a class with Hakase and Lingshen. She wouldn't put it past them, or at least the absent-minded pigtailed girl, to just grab somebody and use them as test subjects. 'Weirdos. Craaazy weirdos. Dangerous, crazy weirdos.'
She didn't remember it but… Right, parts of her memory were missing. Just another thing to add to the list.
"So, this is a simulation?" She wondered. She sat up and examined her hands. Everything looked normal. There was no blurring or pixelization on the edge of her vision. The sheets felt normal under her fingers, her glasses hard. 'Well, there's always the one true tried test.' She pinched herself hard. "Ow!"
No, that had felt very real. The pain quickly faded as she rubbed her arm, but it had definitely been there. Realistic simulation, pain, all five senses… That definitely wasn't a bad sign at all. No, of course not. 'Yeah, right. Because if there's anything I really remember from .Hack//Sign, it's that people got sent into comas and died from the game. No bad vibes at all...'
Chisame glanced at the ceiling. "I don't suppose screaming and calling for whoever put me here is going to help, right? That method never works." She pinched her brow. "So I'm stuck here, just like Tsukasa." 'And I really hope my real body is not in a coma somewhere in the real world.'
Despite the circumstances, she felt calm. She was angry and afraid, yes, but there was nothing she could realistically do. Her emotions had fallen to the background and her mind was clear. Bereft of other opportunities and choices, she might as fell follow the game's directions. Maybe completing the tutorial would give her answers. Maybe she needed to beat the game. Either way, it was better than staying still and not doing anything.
"Right, so, this quest."
Objective: Open the Character Window.
Reward: 10 XP
Hint: Windows can be opened with verbal commands~ Gamer Power, Maaaake Up!
Hint: Stats can be increased through practice, like working out or studying hard. It doesn't spend points, but it's harder the better the stat is. Consider doing so while your stats are still low so you can spend your points as best as possible.
Straightforward, apparently simple, and useful. Well, at least there was that. The system appeared to have a sense of humour tho.
"Verbal commands, verbal commands…" She hoped she wouldn't have to scream the name. "Hum, Open?" She muttered. Nothing happened. Right, too obvious? Or not specific enough? "Character Window?" She tried again.
A panel appeared in front of her again.
Hasegawa Chisame
Level 1
Class: Gamer
-
HP: 99/100
EP: 200/200
XP: 0/10
-
STR: 4 <+0>
VIT: 4 <+0>
DEX: 5 <+0>
INT: 8 <+0>
WIS: 6 <+0>
LUK: 5 <+0>
-
Points: 0
Money: ¥0
Ping! Immediately followed by another, smaller panel.
Hasegawa Chisame
Level 2
Class: Gamer
-
HP: 99/100
EP: 200/200
XP: 0/18
-
STR: 4 <+0>
VIT: 4 <+0>
DEX: 5 <+0>
INT: 8 <+0>
WIS: 6 <+0>
LUK: 5 <+0>
-
Points: 5
Money: ¥0
Gamer Class. 'Of course it had to be a weird custom class. What does it even mean?'
Gamer… It had already appeared in her title, in the quest hints and now in her character profile. Chisame's character profile. It made her uncomfortable. Was she reduced to being a character? An instance in a game? Sure, she prided herself in being a genuine gamer girl, but wasn't this taking it a bit too far?
Moving on.
Her HP was down by one point. Chisame really, really hoped it would regenerate itself soon. She had no intentions of figuring out what happened when it reached zero. Maybe, Chisame FAINTED! Maybe, Game Over. EP instead of MP. Probably the same thing. Strange that she had more than HP tho. The experience numbers were small. And the stats… Obviously: Strength, Vitality, Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom and Luck. Hers were… Low. Really low. Unless the cap was low too, but she wasn't inclined to think so. At least Chisame liked the higher INT and WIS. 'Intelligence is nothing if you don't know how to use it.' A certain scientist came to mind. And finally, no money and five points.
Five points. To spend on stats, for sure. Should she?
"Well, no reason not to, I suppose. The right question is probably more: how?" If she was dependant on stats, which should she invest in more? She had no idea what they did, even if she could guess some of their functions. "Heck, I don't even know what kind of game this is, I have no idea of what comes next, no clues, no nothing. I don't know what kind of build I would even want. And it's not like I can go look for guides on the net." What kind of builds did a Gamer Class even have!?
Five points to spend and she had less ideas than a Baka Ranger. INT 8 her ass. Not spending them sounded like an invitation for trouble. But spending them wrong could be even worse. So…
"Grrr! I'm thinking in circles!" Chisame pulled at her hair. "And why am I even being so serious about this!?" Hasegawa Chisame started ranting about the complete unfairness of life and it's propensity to send her into the weirdest, most unbelievable scenarios.
But she calmed down relatively soon. Venting had felt good.
She had to go back to the basics. She started ticking off her fingers. "So: I can spend five points. I know stats can be raised by working on them. And I don't know what is more important to raise first." But she could work with that. STR could be gained by weight-lifting or something. INT by studying. Maybe DEX by running. That left VIT, WIS and LUK. "And Vitality is always important in the first levels." Honestly Chisame couldn't see how VIT wouldn't benefit her.
Beyond that, she'd go with a generalist build. Jack of all trades, master of none. As long as it kept her HP far, far away from the zero, she was perfectly fine with that. Decisions made, she started fiddling with the arrows on the window.
"There."
Hasegawa Chisame
Level 2
Class: Gamer
-
HP: 150/150
EP: 200/200
XP: 0/18
-
STR: 4 <+0>
VIT: 6 <+0>
DEX: 5 <+0>
INT: 8 <+0>
WIS: 7 <+0>
LUK: 6 <+0>
-
Points: 1
Money: ¥0
And she left a point out, just in case.
… Her HP had gone up. That was good. Probably the VIT points. She dismissed the character window.
And another panel appeared.
"Right. Of course. Here we go again..."
New skills can be created through special acts, like enough repetition or sufficiently badass actions! Observation and discovery are basic things anybody can do. Try to make a skill out of them!
Objective: Open the Skill Window. Obtain the skill [Analyze].
Reward: 6 XP
Hint:
Hint:
This time it's everybody's favorite, the skill window! Hints! We need Hints!
[x] Hint: Grinding skills is all about repetition. Practice makes perfect!
[x] Hint: Ne~ What happens if you touch the skill icon?
[x] Hint: There's no time for everything. Instead of getting all the skills, you should focus on a few and max them out as quickly as possible.
[x] Hint: There's no limit to the skills you can have, so getting a diverse and fun, but strong skillset is perfectly possible.
[x] Hint: Being up to par with all your skills is essential to an informed and fun play.
[x] Hint: Creating skills is all about imagination! Think up of things that could become skills and go for them!
[x] Hint: There are also other ways to obtain skills. A skilled teacher or a clear set of instructions can impart skills in much faster, different ways.
[x] Hint: Skills can generally be broken into Active and Passive categories.
[x] Hint: Write-in!!
It was a quest. A tutorial quest. Combined with the name and level over her head and the rest of the terminology… Chisame was in a game. She smiled. Yes, now things were making sense. She was in a game.
There was a beat.
"The hell!? What kind of dot Hack ripp-off is this!?" She exploded. 'Oh, I bet it's that crazy scientist's fault! Did she kidnap me for her experiments or something?' Come to think of it, it wasn't that far out there. Chisame shuddered. Just her luck, being in a class with Hakase and Lingshen. She wouldn't put it past them, or at least the absent-minded pigtailed girl, to just grab somebody and use them as test subjects. 'Weirdos. Craaazy weirdos. Dangerous, crazy weirdos.'
She didn't remember it but… Right, parts of her memory were missing. Just another thing to add to the list.
"So, this is a simulation?" She wondered. She sat up and examined her hands. Everything looked normal. There was no blurring or pixelization on the edge of her vision. The sheets felt normal under her fingers, her glasses hard. 'Well, there's always the one true tried test.' She pinched herself hard. "Ow!"
No, that had felt very real. The pain quickly faded as she rubbed her arm, but it had definitely been there. Realistic simulation, pain, all five senses… That definitely wasn't a bad sign at all. No, of course not. 'Yeah, right. Because if there's anything I really remember from .Hack//Sign, it's that people got sent into comas and died from the game. No bad vibes at all...'
Chisame glanced at the ceiling. "I don't suppose screaming and calling for whoever put me here is going to help, right? That method never works." She pinched her brow. "So I'm stuck here, just like Tsukasa." 'And I really hope my real body is not in a coma somewhere in the real world.'
Despite the circumstances, she felt calm. She was angry and afraid, yes, but there was nothing she could realistically do. Her emotions had fallen to the background and her mind was clear. Bereft of other opportunities and choices, she might as fell follow the game's directions. Maybe completing the tutorial would give her answers. Maybe she needed to beat the game. Either way, it was better than staying still and not doing anything.
"Right, so, this quest."
Tutorial: The Character Window and You
The first thing you should know about in a game is your character. For that, there's the Character Window, where the statistics and status of your character are recorded and shown. It's also there that you distribute points into your stats. Check out your character in the Character Window!Objective: Open the Character Window.
Reward: 10 XP
Hint: Windows can be opened with verbal commands~ Gamer Power, Maaaake Up!
Hint: Stats can be increased through practice, like working out or studying hard. It doesn't spend points, but it's harder the better the stat is. Consider doing so while your stats are still low so you can spend your points as best as possible.
Straightforward, apparently simple, and useful. Well, at least there was that. The system appeared to have a sense of humour tho.
"Verbal commands, verbal commands…" She hoped she wouldn't have to scream the name. "Hum, Open?" She muttered. Nothing happened. Right, too obvious? Or not specific enough? "Character Window?" She tried again.
A panel appeared in front of her again.
Hasegawa Chisame
Level 1
Class: Gamer
-
HP: 99/100
EP: 200/200
XP: 0/10
-
STR: 4 <+0>
VIT: 4 <+0>
DEX: 5 <+0>
INT: 8 <+0>
WIS: 6 <+0>
LUK: 5 <+0>
-
Points: 0
Money: ¥0
Ping! Immediately followed by another, smaller panel.
Quest Complete!
+ 10 XP
Pi-Ri-Ri-Ping!+ 10 XP
Level Up!
Chisame resisted the immediate urge to fist pump a Hell Yeah. She was still mad at the whole game thing. 'But still, level up.' It was awfully convenient too. But first, she had too many windows in front of her. Dismissing the quest and level alerts by touching them with her index, she turned back to the character window, taking her time to really read it through.
Hasegawa Chisame
Level 2
Class: Gamer
-
HP: 99/100
EP: 200/200
XP: 0/18
-
STR: 4 <+0>
VIT: 4 <+0>
DEX: 5 <+0>
INT: 8 <+0>
WIS: 6 <+0>
LUK: 5 <+0>
-
Points: 5
Money: ¥0
Gamer Class. 'Of course it had to be a weird custom class. What does it even mean?'
Gamer… It had already appeared in her title, in the quest hints and now in her character profile. Chisame's character profile. It made her uncomfortable. Was she reduced to being a character? An instance in a game? Sure, she prided herself in being a genuine gamer girl, but wasn't this taking it a bit too far?
Moving on.
Her HP was down by one point. Chisame really, really hoped it would regenerate itself soon. She had no intentions of figuring out what happened when it reached zero. Maybe, Chisame FAINTED! Maybe, Game Over. EP instead of MP. Probably the same thing. Strange that she had more than HP tho. The experience numbers were small. And the stats… Obviously: Strength, Vitality, Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom and Luck. Hers were… Low. Really low. Unless the cap was low too, but she wasn't inclined to think so. At least Chisame liked the higher INT and WIS. 'Intelligence is nothing if you don't know how to use it.' A certain scientist came to mind. And finally, no money and five points.
Five points. To spend on stats, for sure. Should she?
"Well, no reason not to, I suppose. The right question is probably more: how?" If she was dependant on stats, which should she invest in more? She had no idea what they did, even if she could guess some of their functions. "Heck, I don't even know what kind of game this is, I have no idea of what comes next, no clues, no nothing. I don't know what kind of build I would even want. And it's not like I can go look for guides on the net." What kind of builds did a Gamer Class even have!?
Five points to spend and she had less ideas than a Baka Ranger. INT 8 her ass. Not spending them sounded like an invitation for trouble. But spending them wrong could be even worse. So…
"Grrr! I'm thinking in circles!" Chisame pulled at her hair. "And why am I even being so serious about this!?" Hasegawa Chisame started ranting about the complete unfairness of life and it's propensity to send her into the weirdest, most unbelievable scenarios.
But she calmed down relatively soon. Venting had felt good.
She had to go back to the basics. She started ticking off her fingers. "So: I can spend five points. I know stats can be raised by working on them. And I don't know what is more important to raise first." But she could work with that. STR could be gained by weight-lifting or something. INT by studying. Maybe DEX by running. That left VIT, WIS and LUK. "And Vitality is always important in the first levels." Honestly Chisame couldn't see how VIT wouldn't benefit her.
Beyond that, she'd go with a generalist build. Jack of all trades, master of none. As long as it kept her HP far, far away from the zero, she was perfectly fine with that. Decisions made, she started fiddling with the arrows on the window.
"There."
Hasegawa Chisame
Level 2
Class: Gamer
-
HP: 150/150
EP: 200/200
XP: 0/18
-
STR: 4 <+0>
VIT: 6 <+0>
DEX: 5 <+0>
INT: 8 <+0>
WIS: 7 <+0>
LUK: 6 <+0>
-
Points: 1
Money: ¥0
And she left a point out, just in case.
… Her HP had gone up. That was good. Probably the VIT points. She dismissed the character window.
And another panel appeared.
"Right. Of course. Here we go again..."
Quest Alert!
Tutorial: Mad Skillz, the How To
Skills are actions! Powers! They represent what your character is capable of doing. Open the Skill Window and check out your skills!Tutorial: Mad Skillz, the How To
New skills can be created through special acts, like enough repetition or sufficiently badass actions! Observation and discovery are basic things anybody can do. Try to make a skill out of them!
Objective: Open the Skill Window. Obtain the skill [Analyze].
Reward: 6 XP
Hint:
Hint:
This time it's everybody's favorite, the skill window! Hints! We need Hints!
[x] Hint: Grinding skills is all about repetition. Practice makes perfect!
[x] Hint: Ne~ What happens if you touch the skill icon?
[x] Hint: There's no time for everything. Instead of getting all the skills, you should focus on a few and max them out as quickly as possible.
[x] Hint: There's no limit to the skills you can have, so getting a diverse and fun, but strong skillset is perfectly possible.
[x] Hint: Being up to par with all your skills is essential to an informed and fun play.
[x] Hint: Creating skills is all about imagination! Think up of things that could become skills and go for them!
[x] Hint: There are also other ways to obtain skills. A skilled teacher or a clear set of instructions can impart skills in much faster, different ways.
[x] Hint: Skills can generally be broken into Active and Passive categories.
[x] Hint: Write-in!!
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3. Tutorial 3
- Location
- Portugal
- Pronouns
- She/They
3. Tutorial 3
New skills can be created through special acts, like enough repetition or sufficiently badass actions! Observation and discovery are basic things anybody can do. Try to make a skill out of them!
Objective: Open the Skill Window. Obtain the skill [Analyze].
Reward: 6 XP
Hint: There are lots of ways to learn skills. In addition to repetition, focus and being awesome, you can learn from a teacher with the skill, or with a clear set of instructions. You may even be able to do some things you hadn't thought possible, if you try.
Hint: There's no limit to the number of skills you can have, and more skills are always better. Play around with it. See how many skills you can unlock.
Powers. Actions. It wouldn't be much of a game if those didn't exist, now would it?
But it was seriously starting to look like an RPG. Chisame thought of Ragnarok Online, the one she played the most. Skills were determined by class there. In fact, in pretty much every other RPG too. If not class, then race or character… Sure, some games relied on equipment, others allowed class changes… Well, Final Fantasy had the Sphere Grid, but that was like a skill tree. You had to unlock things in a sort of order. But here… Here she could unlock any skill?
Was this the Gamer's class point? Being able to get any skill? Without limits?
"OP." She said, impressed. In the long run, it was seriously powerful. She wouldn't have to worry about her build, or at least worry less, if she could learn any skill. Sure, focusing on some yielded the best results, unless one was willing to spend hours and hours just grinding, but there wasn't, or didn't seem to be, the pressure of having to choose the right power, unlike the stat points. It sounded more like a catch 'em all kind of deal.
To top it off, it seemed learning skills amounted to just doing. Maybe she could learn how to double jump? If she was taught kung-fu by an old master, would she be able to stand under a waterfall, on top of bamboo, jump-kick over trees and break stone with her bare hands? And being awesome was apparently enough too. How much was awesome enough? Were her hacking skills enough? She'd been 11 when she first broke into the CIA, just to see if she could. And Chiu? Chiu surely won with the cute factor, if not the awesome one!
Chisame giggled at the possibilities then stopped herself, looking around guiltily. 'I'm getting way too much into this shit.' She shook her head. "Focus." 'I need answers first.' She put the exciting prospects on hold, for later experimentation.
Easy part of the quest first. "Skill Window." She called out. Immediately a panel appeared in front of her. It was just a bit disconcerting how used to the whole game thing Chisame was getting.
But unlike the Character Window, which aside from the HP and EP bars, had mostly letters and numbers, the Skill Window had… icons. In fact, it was mostly an empty panel with only two icons in a square grid. Below the icons were captions, no doubt the skills' names.
[Gamer's Mind]
[Gamer's Body]
Gamer's Mind featured a stylized image of the upper half of a person's head, glowing, and with the eyes closed. Gamer's Body had a glowing arm and shoulder.
"Gamer's Mind and Gamer's Body… Kinda lame." Chisame sweatdropped. Were these what her skills amounted to? It seemed the universe was throwing in her face the amount of time she spent playing games. "Let's see." Trusting that icons couldn't very well be the only information she had, she reached out to touch Gamer's Mind. A smaller panel popped up.
Allows peaceful state of mind.
Immunity to psychological status effect.
"Oh." Chisame felt herself go pale as she read the description. That explained... a lot.
Chisame was usually a pretty calm person. Rational. But even she was able to admit that getting her buttons pressed led to her temper flaring. She didn't want to be slotted into the crazy category... which her classmates would probably find completely acceptable! So she restrained herself. However, looking back, weren't her reactions ever since waking up too muted? Too calm? Shouldn't she have had a nervous breakdown or something? Fear, anger, surprise. They were all too fleeting, her mind quickly overcoming them and starting to work on the problems she had in front of her.
She should be pissed that this… this game was messing with her head. Changing the way she thought. But the thing was… She was pissed. She was just still able to think. Just like the player is protected behind the computer's screen, secure and able to make decisions without the pressures the character would be feeling, her mind was protected from the reality around her. And it was an edge. There was no way Chisame could deny that. Being unable to freeze in fear when, say, a car is about to hit her, would allow her to jump out of the way. Being unable to panic if her head was suddenly blank and a test paper was in front of her. Being unable to be scarred for life, suffer PTSD or go really crazy…
Undeniably, Gamer's Mind was useful, vital even. She could understand the logic for messing with the very way she thought. Maybe, she could even accept it. And that scared the remaining emotional part of Chisame, the one that could be turned off as easily as turning a tap closed.
She had to get her mind off this topic. She pressed the icon for Gamer's Body.
She read it. Closed her eyes. And let herself fall down on the bed again.
"Oh, fuck off." She pressed the heels of her hands to her eyes. "That's… don't. You… whatever… you don't get to drop something like this on me. No matter how real it seems, I refuse. I'm not… in the real world." Yet, the suspicions in the back of her head could be shoved away but not eliminated. The discrepancies… The freaky stuff… Only she was affected. The world felt the same as always. She was the one who was seeing things, feeling strangely okay even after waking up in the infirmary.
She couldn't deny it. Not really. She had a Gamer's Mind after all.
After a full minute, Chisame opened her eyes and stared at the unfamiliar ceiling like she wanted to murder it. She kinda did. It just wasn't fair. She was resigned. Not happy.
"Let's just get this quest over with."
Part one was done, unless she had royally screwed up, so all she needed was to get a new skill…
The Analyze skill. Observation, discovery and, obviously, analysis. 'Right, how do I make a skill out of this. I suppose the only method available to me here is the repetition way.'
"Uh." She lifted her glasses up and looked at them. Really looked at them. She had gotten them just a little over a year before, just before entering middle school. There were some scratches on the lenses, but they didn't matter as much as on regular people's glasses. The lenses weren't lenses at all. They were just glass, uncut. Chisame didn't need glasses. She had better than average vision actually. But talking with people, dealing with people, facing the world… The glasses were a barrier. A protection between her and them. Without them people saw Chisame, really saw her, and it sent her into a panic, freezing her on the spot before the urge to run became too much and she did just that. Idly she wondered if Gamer's Mind would stop that. It hadn't happened in years, but only because she had her glasses. Her trusty glasses, frames slightly bent, round glass covering her eyes.
Ping!
Reveals statistics and weaknesses.
Chisame dismissed the various warnings and looked at her glasses again. She subvocalized. "Analyze."
[Fake Glasses - Normal]
Glasses with fake lenses, just for decoration. They hide the eyes and disguise the user's true persona.
Useful for disguising.
Useful for disguising the true persona… Right, she wasn't going to go there. She'd had enough of that before. But it looked like an incredibly useful skill. It wasn't a coincidence that Libra was one of the abilities Chisame abused the most when she was facing bosses without guides. Or to say, the first playthrough, as a proper gamer. Information gathering was vital and she knew that, both as a gamer and a hacker. Now, she only had to wait for…
Ping!
There it was.
Objective: Open the Inventory Window. Equip [Fake Glasses].
Reward: 3XP
Yosh! Halfway through! This Quest needs two Hints too!
[x] Hint: Iaijutsu is a skill, but a gamer is never really unarmed. Just reach into your inventory and draw your weapon of choice!
[x] Hint: Like a snail, a true gamer can take their house with the.! Bags of Holding ahoy!
[x] Hint: Don't forget to grind your skills. Equipment can break and get lost, but skills are forever.
[x] Hint: Write-in!
Tutorial: Mad Skillz, the How To
Skills are actions! Powers! They represent what your character is capable of doing. Open the Skill Window and check out your skills!New skills can be created through special acts, like enough repetition or sufficiently badass actions! Observation and discovery are basic things anybody can do. Try to make a skill out of them!
Objective: Open the Skill Window. Obtain the skill [Analyze].
Reward: 6 XP
Hint: There are lots of ways to learn skills. In addition to repetition, focus and being awesome, you can learn from a teacher with the skill, or with a clear set of instructions. You may even be able to do some things you hadn't thought possible, if you try.
Hint: There's no limit to the number of skills you can have, and more skills are always better. Play around with it. See how many skills you can unlock.
Powers. Actions. It wouldn't be much of a game if those didn't exist, now would it?
But it was seriously starting to look like an RPG. Chisame thought of Ragnarok Online, the one she played the most. Skills were determined by class there. In fact, in pretty much every other RPG too. If not class, then race or character… Sure, some games relied on equipment, others allowed class changes… Well, Final Fantasy had the Sphere Grid, but that was like a skill tree. You had to unlock things in a sort of order. But here… Here she could unlock any skill?
Was this the Gamer's class point? Being able to get any skill? Without limits?
"OP." She said, impressed. In the long run, it was seriously powerful. She wouldn't have to worry about her build, or at least worry less, if she could learn any skill. Sure, focusing on some yielded the best results, unless one was willing to spend hours and hours just grinding, but there wasn't, or didn't seem to be, the pressure of having to choose the right power, unlike the stat points. It sounded more like a catch 'em all kind of deal.
To top it off, it seemed learning skills amounted to just doing. Maybe she could learn how to double jump? If she was taught kung-fu by an old master, would she be able to stand under a waterfall, on top of bamboo, jump-kick over trees and break stone with her bare hands? And being awesome was apparently enough too. How much was awesome enough? Were her hacking skills enough? She'd been 11 when she first broke into the CIA, just to see if she could. And Chiu? Chiu surely won with the cute factor, if not the awesome one!
Chisame giggled at the possibilities then stopped herself, looking around guiltily. 'I'm getting way too much into this shit.' She shook her head. "Focus." 'I need answers first.' She put the exciting prospects on hold, for later experimentation.
Easy part of the quest first. "Skill Window." She called out. Immediately a panel appeared in front of her. It was just a bit disconcerting how used to the whole game thing Chisame was getting.
But unlike the Character Window, which aside from the HP and EP bars, had mostly letters and numbers, the Skill Window had… icons. In fact, it was mostly an empty panel with only two icons in a square grid. Below the icons were captions, no doubt the skills' names.
[Gamer's Mind]
[Gamer's Body]
Gamer's Mind featured a stylized image of the upper half of a person's head, glowing, and with the eyes closed. Gamer's Body had a glowing arm and shoulder.
"Gamer's Mind and Gamer's Body… Kinda lame." Chisame sweatdropped. Were these what her skills amounted to? It seemed the universe was throwing in her face the amount of time she spent playing games. "Let's see." Trusting that icons couldn't very well be the only information she had, she reached out to touch Gamer's Mind. A smaller panel popped up.
[Gamer's Mind (Passive) Lv MAX]
Allows the user to calmly and logically think things through.Allows peaceful state of mind.
Immunity to psychological status effect.
"Oh." Chisame felt herself go pale as she read the description. That explained... a lot.
Chisame was usually a pretty calm person. Rational. But even she was able to admit that getting her buttons pressed led to her temper flaring. She didn't want to be slotted into the crazy category... which her classmates would probably find completely acceptable! So she restrained herself. However, looking back, weren't her reactions ever since waking up too muted? Too calm? Shouldn't she have had a nervous breakdown or something? Fear, anger, surprise. They were all too fleeting, her mind quickly overcoming them and starting to work on the problems she had in front of her.
She should be pissed that this… this game was messing with her head. Changing the way she thought. But the thing was… She was pissed. She was just still able to think. Just like the player is protected behind the computer's screen, secure and able to make decisions without the pressures the character would be feeling, her mind was protected from the reality around her. And it was an edge. There was no way Chisame could deny that. Being unable to freeze in fear when, say, a car is about to hit her, would allow her to jump out of the way. Being unable to panic if her head was suddenly blank and a test paper was in front of her. Being unable to be scarred for life, suffer PTSD or go really crazy…
Undeniably, Gamer's Mind was useful, vital even. She could understand the logic for messing with the very way she thought. Maybe, she could even accept it. And that scared the remaining emotional part of Chisame, the one that could be turned off as easily as turning a tap closed.
She had to get her mind off this topic. She pressed the icon for Gamer's Body.
[Gamer's Body (Passive) Lv MAX]
Grants a body that allows for the user to live the real world like a game.She read it. Closed her eyes. And let herself fall down on the bed again.
"Oh, fuck off." She pressed the heels of her hands to her eyes. "That's… don't. You… whatever… you don't get to drop something like this on me. No matter how real it seems, I refuse. I'm not… in the real world." Yet, the suspicions in the back of her head could be shoved away but not eliminated. The discrepancies… The freaky stuff… Only she was affected. The world felt the same as always. She was the one who was seeing things, feeling strangely okay even after waking up in the infirmary.
She couldn't deny it. Not really. She had a Gamer's Mind after all.
After a full minute, Chisame opened her eyes and stared at the unfamiliar ceiling like she wanted to murder it. She kinda did. It just wasn't fair. She was resigned. Not happy.
"Let's just get this quest over with."
Part one was done, unless she had royally screwed up, so all she needed was to get a new skill…
The Analyze skill. Observation, discovery and, obviously, analysis. 'Right, how do I make a skill out of this. I suppose the only method available to me here is the repetition way.'
"Uh." She lifted her glasses up and looked at them. Really looked at them. She had gotten them just a little over a year before, just before entering middle school. There were some scratches on the lenses, but they didn't matter as much as on regular people's glasses. The lenses weren't lenses at all. They were just glass, uncut. Chisame didn't need glasses. She had better than average vision actually. But talking with people, dealing with people, facing the world… The glasses were a barrier. A protection between her and them. Without them people saw Chisame, really saw her, and it sent her into a panic, freezing her on the spot before the urge to run became too much and she did just that. Idly she wondered if Gamer's Mind would stop that. It hadn't happened in years, but only because she had her glasses. Her trusty glasses, frames slightly bent, round glass covering her eyes.
Ping!
A skill has been created through a special act.
A skill to observe and understand, [Analyze], has been created.
[Analyze (Active) Lv1 0%XP]
Skill to observe and understand your surroundings, revealing extra information. The ability that made mankind what it is today.Reveals statistics and weaknesses.
Quest Complete!
+ 6 XP
+ 6 XP
Chisame dismissed the various warnings and looked at her glasses again. She subvocalized. "Analyze."
[Fake Glasses - Normal]
Glasses with fake lenses, just for decoration. They hide the eyes and disguise the user's true persona.
Useful for disguising.
Useful for disguising the true persona… Right, she wasn't going to go there. She'd had enough of that before. But it looked like an incredibly useful skill. It wasn't a coincidence that Libra was one of the abilities Chisame abused the most when she was facing bosses without guides. Or to say, the first playthrough, as a proper gamer. Information gathering was vital and she knew that, both as a gamer and a hacker. Now, she only had to wait for…
Ping!
There it was.
Quest Alert!
Tutorial: Making an Inventory
Stats and skills only make half a character. The rest is all equipment. The Inventory Window allows you to both store items and equip yourself. Give it a try!Objective: Open the Inventory Window. Equip [Fake Glasses].
Reward: 3XP
Yosh! Halfway through! This Quest needs two Hints too!
[x] Hint: Iaijutsu is a skill, but a gamer is never really unarmed. Just reach into your inventory and draw your weapon of choice!
[x] Hint: Like a snail, a true gamer can take their house with the.! Bags of Holding ahoy!
[x] Hint: Don't forget to grind your skills. Equipment can break and get lost, but skills are forever.
[x] Hint: Write-in!
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4. Tutorial 4
- Location
- Portugal
- Pronouns
- She/They
4. Tutorial 4
Objective: Open the Inventory Window. Equip [Fake Glasses].
Reward: 3XP
Hint: Items can have surprising uses. Analyze everything you see and collect useful stuff. remember, you never know when you might need something... and nobody else can see your inventory.
Hint: Don't forget to check the menus for extra features! The inventory, for example, has a lot of interesting properties. Try dragging a piece of clothing or other equipment onto your diagram in the inventory screen, or stashing away a hot meal for later. Experiment!
Chisame wasn't sure if the panels being invisible was good or bad. On the one hand, nobody would be able to see her doing these ESP-esque freaky things. On the other, she had no way to know if everything was just in her own head or not. Mass hallucinations were always more comforting than things only one person saw.
Regarding the quest… The existence of items mandated the existence of an inventory. In fact, Character Window, Skill Window and Inventory; those were the three basic things. Chisame could imagine a few more windows and functions, but none of them were certain to exist. Maybe the tutorial was coming to a close. She'd have to go back to her other windows and check some stuff too. Later tho.
"So then: Inventory."
Another panel appeared. Unlike the other panels, it was divided into two. On the right, an empty grid not unlike the Skill Window's, surely for item storage. On the left was, instead, a diagram of Chisame. Or rather, a diagram of a female body with Chisame's hair. Grid squares, slots, were overlaid on it. One for the head, one for the chest, legs, arms, hands, feet, etc… The equipment slots.
E [Snorlax Pajama Top]
E [Snorlax Pajama Bottom]
0/40
'Wait.' She had something equipped. Two piece of clothing. Looking down, Chisame saw that she was actually wearing her pajamas, shorts and short-sleeved shirt. She hadn't even noticed with… everything. Her hair was not tied as usual either. Strange. Had she passed the night in the infirmary? More questions.
So forty slots and equipped items didn't count. Good. Now all she had to do was equip her glasses. 'Let's see. Do I?' She put the glasses against the panel and it rippled, taking them from her hand.
E [Snorlax Pajama Top]
E [Snorlax Pajama Bottom]
[Fake Glasses]
1/40
Chisame cringed a bit. Her glasses weren't technically fake. Those frames had actually been expensive! But the test had worked. Her glasses had disappeared. It was the most obvious application of the game powers she had seen until now, something actually tangible. How would it look from the outside? Something just vanishing into thin air… 'At least it's useful. Looks like I can store things here. Clothing at least… I wonder. If I equip an item here and if I put it on outside, does it count too?'
She clicked the glasses icon with her fingertip and dragged them to the slot over her head. When she let go, they materialized in front of her nose, startling her. She took them off, blinking rapidly at the transition. And noticed the icon disappeared from the slot. "So it does… Makes sense… I mean, for a given amount of weirdness!" She shook her head and put on her glasses again. Immediately she felt better. A panel had appeared in the meanwhile.
She dismissed it and returned to the inventory.
E [Snorlax Pajama Top]
E [Snorlax Pajama Bottom]
E [Fake Glasses]
0/40
"Actually," She wondered. 'What about my pajamas? I know what my glasses are but...' There was an easy way to check it. And it had been on that hint too. "Fine. Analyze." She said looking down at her shirt and shorts. "Analyze."
[Snorlax Pajama Top - Normal]
Summer pajamas top for warm nights. Adorable.
Features a sleeping Snorlax.
[Snorlax Pajama Bottom - Normal]
Summer pajamas bottom for warm nights. Adorable.
Black coloured.
It didn't tell her much. Then again, what could there be to a pair of pajama?
[Glass of Water - Normal]
A simple glass with water.
Heals 1 HP.
"Heals one HP? I mean… No, makes sense that food gives life but one point, really? Glass of water or not, isn't that too little?" Her mutterings were disturbed by the sound of a new pop up appearing in front of her.
Chisame startled. Had the skill leveled up so fast? She had used it, what… four or fives times only! 'Not that I'm complaining or anything… Alright Chisame, time to wipe that smile off your face. Don't let this… thing… get a hold of you via Pavlovian conditioning.' Games were evil and used deep understanding of the human psyche to addict people after all. Chisame schooled her expression back into a familiar and safe scowl of displeasure.
Then she waited for the ping to…
Ping!
Objective: Open the Journal.
Reward: 3XP
A new quest, we need… Uh-oh.
Objective: Open the Map.
Reward: 3XP
It looks like there are two quests coming next! There's no time for four whole hints! Oh dear. It doesn't matter! Choose one hint for each quest instead!
Quest J
[x] Hint J: The harder the quest, the better the rewards… Remember, those who dare, win!
[x] Hint J: Not all quests are free to try. Some have time limits. Others have Failure Penalties...
[x] Hint J: Write-in!
Quest M
[x] Hint M: The Map only displays places you have been to. Actual maps can help you correct this, but they're never 100% accurate until you've visited the place yourself.
[x] Hint M: You can make annotations in the Map! Isn't it the most awesome thing ever?
[x] Hint M: Write-in!
Tutorial: Making an Inventory
Stats and skills only make half a character. The rest is all equipment. The Inventory Window allows you to both store items and equip yourself. Give it a try!Objective: Open the Inventory Window. Equip [Fake Glasses].
Reward: 3XP
Hint: Items can have surprising uses. Analyze everything you see and collect useful stuff. remember, you never know when you might need something... and nobody else can see your inventory.
Hint: Don't forget to check the menus for extra features! The inventory, for example, has a lot of interesting properties. Try dragging a piece of clothing or other equipment onto your diagram in the inventory screen, or stashing away a hot meal for later. Experiment!
Chisame wasn't sure if the panels being invisible was good or bad. On the one hand, nobody would be able to see her doing these ESP-esque freaky things. On the other, she had no way to know if everything was just in her own head or not. Mass hallucinations were always more comforting than things only one person saw.
Regarding the quest… The existence of items mandated the existence of an inventory. In fact, Character Window, Skill Window and Inventory; those were the three basic things. Chisame could imagine a few more windows and functions, but none of them were certain to exist. Maybe the tutorial was coming to a close. She'd have to go back to her other windows and check some stuff too. Later tho.
"So then: Inventory."
Another panel appeared. Unlike the other panels, it was divided into two. On the right, an empty grid not unlike the Skill Window's, surely for item storage. On the left was, instead, a diagram of Chisame. Or rather, a diagram of a female body with Chisame's hair. Grid squares, slots, were overlaid on it. One for the head, one for the chest, legs, arms, hands, feet, etc… The equipment slots.
E [Snorlax Pajama Top]
E [Snorlax Pajama Bottom]
0/40
'Wait.' She had something equipped. Two piece of clothing. Looking down, Chisame saw that she was actually wearing her pajamas, shorts and short-sleeved shirt. She hadn't even noticed with… everything. Her hair was not tied as usual either. Strange. Had she passed the night in the infirmary? More questions.
So forty slots and equipped items didn't count. Good. Now all she had to do was equip her glasses. 'Let's see. Do I?' She put the glasses against the panel and it rippled, taking them from her hand.
E [Snorlax Pajama Top]
E [Snorlax Pajama Bottom]
[Fake Glasses]
1/40
Chisame cringed a bit. Her glasses weren't technically fake. Those frames had actually been expensive! But the test had worked. Her glasses had disappeared. It was the most obvious application of the game powers she had seen until now, something actually tangible. How would it look from the outside? Something just vanishing into thin air… 'At least it's useful. Looks like I can store things here. Clothing at least… I wonder. If I equip an item here and if I put it on outside, does it count too?'
She clicked the glasses icon with her fingertip and dragged them to the slot over her head. When she let go, they materialized in front of her nose, startling her. She took them off, blinking rapidly at the transition. And noticed the icon disappeared from the slot. "So it does… Makes sense… I mean, for a given amount of weirdness!" She shook her head and put on her glasses again. Immediately she felt better. A panel had appeared in the meanwhile.
Quest Complete!
+ 3 XP
+ 3 XP
She dismissed it and returned to the inventory.
E [Snorlax Pajama Top]
E [Snorlax Pajama Bottom]
E [Fake Glasses]
0/40
"Actually," She wondered. 'What about my pajamas? I know what my glasses are but...' There was an easy way to check it. And it had been on that hint too. "Fine. Analyze." She said looking down at her shirt and shorts. "Analyze."
[Snorlax Pajama Top - Normal]
Summer pajamas top for warm nights. Adorable.
Features a sleeping Snorlax.
[Snorlax Pajama Bottom - Normal]
Summer pajamas bottom for warm nights. Adorable.
Black coloured.
It didn't tell her much. Then again, what could there be to a pair of pajama?
[Glass of Water - Normal]
A simple glass with water.
Heals 1 HP.
"Heals one HP? I mean… No, makes sense that food gives life but one point, really? Glass of water or not, isn't that too little?" Her mutterings were disturbed by the sound of a new pop up appearing in front of her.
Mastery of the skill [Analyze] has increased.
Chisame startled. Had the skill leveled up so fast? She had used it, what… four or fives times only! 'Not that I'm complaining or anything… Alright Chisame, time to wipe that smile off your face. Don't let this… thing… get a hold of you via Pavlovian conditioning.' Games were evil and used deep understanding of the human psyche to addict people after all. Chisame schooled her expression back into a familiar and safe scowl of displeasure.
Then she waited for the ping to…
Ping!
Quest Alert!
Tutorial: Journal, girl's best friend
So many quests, so many things to do… It can be hard to keep track of everything, so that's why the Journal exists! It's a quest log, and it saves the quests you have in progress as well as records the quests you completed!Tutorial: Journal, girl's best friend
Objective: Open the Journal.
Reward: 3XP
A new quest, we need… Uh-oh.
Tutorial: Mapping your own way
Getting lost is really easy. But with the Map, you can find where you are pretty easily! Objective: Open the Map.
Reward: 3XP
It looks like there are two quests coming next! There's no time for four whole hints! Oh dear. It doesn't matter! Choose one hint for each quest instead!
Quest J
[x] Hint J: The harder the quest, the better the rewards… Remember, those who dare, win!
[x] Hint J: Not all quests are free to try. Some have time limits. Others have Failure Penalties...
[x] Hint J: Write-in!
Quest M
[x] Hint M: The Map only displays places you have been to. Actual maps can help you correct this, but they're never 100% accurate until you've visited the place yourself.
[x] Hint M: You can make annotations in the Map! Isn't it the most awesome thing ever?
[x] Hint M: Write-in!
Last edited:
5. Tutorial 5
- Location
- Portugal
- Pronouns
- She/They
5. Tutorial 5
Objective: Open the Journal.
Reward: 3XP
Hint: Check your Journal regularly to keep track of your quest details. Some quests have time limits or other conditions for failure, as well as penalties for failing. While you should avoid quests you're unable to complete, be sure to keep the potential gains in mind when deciding which quests to accept. You can turn off Quest Auto-Accept in the options menu.
Chisame felt the heat and anger rise up to her cheeks. Auto-accept? Auto-accept!? And since when did she... er... this! Since when did this thing have fucking options!? Oh, she could see it, she could even understand it. Option Windows, why not? She could see how it could have been left for last in the tutorial.
'But you know what? Fuck Gamer's Mind.' She was too pissed to care if it made perfect sense. She wanted to rage and rant against something, even if she was fully aware of both the futility and irrationality of it all. "Fuck you, fuck you a lot. First I start seeing things, think I'm going crazy then I find out that I am going crazy because you've messed with my head and now you've taken my agency away too! So yeah. Fuck you." She took a deep breath, shuddering, and ground out. "Options."
An already familiar blue window appeared. It was divided into three different parts, one called Video, another Sound and the last one Gameplay. Chisame zeroed in on that one. A lot of stuff was on. Most of it was okay, she thought, she didn't need confirmation prompts for everything. But some of them she would like to know about, yes. She toggled Quest Auto-Accept off and also Automatic Dungeon Start. Then she moved onto the video and sound options. She left the sounds as they were, since they weren't actually annoying, but lowered the volume a bit. The biggest changes were related to the video settings. She made the panels translucent , tweaked the colour and activated the HUD option.
'I have now confirmed that yes: real life Heads-Up Displays are cool.' Chisame finally allowed herself a bit of a smile. Her health and energy bars were hovering near the upper left-hand corner of her vision and her experience bar was visible if she looked down, the half-full yellow meter on the lower edge of her vision. It was almost like an FPS.
But what she had wanted was not in the Options Window. She tried something else instead. "Main Menu." Nothing. "Log Out. Quit." Nothing again.
Chisame was barely even disappointed at this point.
"Tch. Journal."
Active
[Tutorial: Journal, girl's best friend]
-
Completed
[Tutorial: Making an Inventory]
[Tutorial: Mad Skillz, the How To]
[Tutorial: The Character Window and You]
She touched one of the quests' names and a window with the details appeared. Useful. Even the hints were there. There were no quest limits either, she mused. Chisame sweatdropped. This meant she was going to be able to take every side-quest, wasn't it? 'Well crap. My completionism tendencies are going to be trouble aren't they? I hope there's no time limits for main quest lines...'
Actually, would there be a main questline? How did real life translate into a game? Would there be small quests which would lead to a final goal of succeeding at school, getting into university, getting a job and so on? Or would they take a more sinister turn? Games were action filled and exciting. Chisame had RPG stats. It did not put her at ease.
"Right. Nothing I can do about it but worry…" Chisame dismissed the prompt and noted how her experience bar filled a bit more in her vision. She was more or less about a third of it from leveling up.
With a ping sound, another quest appeared.
Objective: Open the Map.
Reward: 3XP
Hint: You can make annotations in the Map! Use annotations to mark points of interest on the map, or to label map extensions from real maps that might not be accurate until you go there yourself.
Chisame almost touched the refuse button, but logic prevailed. She re-read the quest prompt.
'A map function?' Of all the things she might have been expecting, this wasn't one of them. 'An interactive map to boot. Seems a little bit redundant. It speaks here of map extensions from real maps...' She sighed. 'Another thing to do later. Let's check it out.'
"Map."
The panel that opened in front of her was bigger than the others, but had much less content. Only a blinking dot in the center and its surroundings, which matched what she knew of the infirmary layout. The rest was all fog of war. It was interesting how it actually showed that much, considering she couldn't see the all of the room with the curtain on the right side of her bed. "Hey…" Chisame squinted, noticing a dual-ended arrow on the panel's corner. "Resizable?"
Yep. Very convenient.
Well, if there was something Chisame couldn't complain about, it was the intuitive interface, she mused as she closed the prompt. Many games floundered because the controls or interface weren't easy enough to get into.
Ping!
Speaking of...
Objective: Open the Options Window.
Reward: 3XP
"Oh, now you mention it! Bastard." Chisame growled. "Options." She closed the window as soon as it had appeared, still miffed about the whole thing. Plus, well, she'd already taken care of it.
Pi-Ri-Ri-Ping!
"Awesome." Chisame paused and thought. 'But awfully convenient.' As if on cue another panel appeared before her.
"Okay. I like you now." Chisame chuckled, slightly giddy. 'Items! I wonder… But first...' "Character." She now had six points to spend. She could do the same as before and leave some points unused. That gave her either four or five points to spend. After a little deliberation, she decided she could spend five. Leveling up had been pretty easy with the quests. 'Two on VIT, one for WIS and LUK… and the last one on DEX. Because round numbers. Luck can have a seven, it's a lucky number.'
Hasegawa Chisame
Level 3
Class: Gamer
-
HP: 200/200
EP: 200/200
XP: 0/28
-
STR: 4 <+0>
VIT: 8 <+0>
DEX: 6 <+0>
INT: 8 <+0>
WIS: 8 <+0>
LUK: 7 <+0>
-
Points: 1
Money: ¥0
"Good." She closed the window. "Inventory."
E [Snorlax Pajama Top]
E [Snorlax Pajama Bottom]
E [Fake Glasses]
[Gamer's Cap]
[Gamer's Glasses]
[Gamer's Shirt]
[Gamer's Pants]
4/40
"Now. This is a set, right? Let's see. Analyze, analyze, analyze, analyze." Four panels appeared in front of her.
[Gamer's Cap - Unique]
The Gamer's awesome hat. Keeps the sun out of one's eyes and their head cool whenever they venture into the savage outside.
+2% XP
Full Set +2% XP
[Gamer's Glasses - Unique]
The Gamer's eyewear choice. Unscratchable, they reduce glare, improve contrast vision and make it possible to sit in front of a computer for hours without tiring. Also work outdoors.
+2% XP
Full Set +2% XP
[Gamer's Shirt - Unique]
The Gamer's best shirt. Allows for full freedom of movement, yet it's snug and fit. Doesn't ride up no matter how much one wiggles on a chair.
+2% XP
Full Set +2% XP
[Gamer's Pants - Unique]
The Gamer's favorite pants. Incredibly comfortable pants for either sitting in front of the screen or RUNning out of a troublesome situation.
+2% XP
Full Set +2% XP
Chisame felt her eyebrow twitch. "Oy. Does this thing have a sense of humour or something? But experience boosts. That's great." The icons looked good enough too. Chisame grabbed the gamer's glasses and took them out of wherever the inventory lead to. They were rectangular glasses with yellow tinted lenses. The frames were black and modern. Chisame flipped them open experimentally. Like everything, they felt real. And yet, five minutes ago they hadn't existed. "This is like… Violating the Law of Conservation of Mass. You can't create something out of nothing." Had they been elsewhere before? Had they been converted from pure energy? Or something… else?
Chisame took off her ordinary glasses and tried them on. They really were comfortable; they sat well over her ears and nose and the room even seemed a bit more sharp. Clear. "Amazing." And she might actually look cool with them on. Maybe Chiu could take a few pics in this, appeal to her fellow gamer followers. 'I'll be a hit. Sexy gamer girl. Oh yeah.' She smiled diabolically. Oh yes. She was so going to milk this for all its worth.
In the background, the school bell rang. That was right. She was in her dorm's infirmary. Why, how and when… She still didn't know the answers to those questions. 'I'll wait a little bit more. The bell just rang, probably the last bell too with how quiet it is around here.' The dorms were never quiet. Chisame sighed and looked up at the letters still floating above her.
Tutorial: Journal, girl's best friend
So many quests, so many things to do… It can be hard to keep track of everything, so that's why the Journal exists! It's a quest log, and it saves the quests you have in progress as well as records the quests you completed!Objective: Open the Journal.
Reward: 3XP
Hint: Check your Journal regularly to keep track of your quest details. Some quests have time limits or other conditions for failure, as well as penalties for failing. While you should avoid quests you're unable to complete, be sure to keep the potential gains in mind when deciding which quests to accept. You can turn off Quest Auto-Accept in the options menu.
Chisame felt the heat and anger rise up to her cheeks. Auto-accept? Auto-accept!? And since when did she... er... this! Since when did this thing have fucking options!? Oh, she could see it, she could even understand it. Option Windows, why not? She could see how it could have been left for last in the tutorial.
'But you know what? Fuck Gamer's Mind.' She was too pissed to care if it made perfect sense. She wanted to rage and rant against something, even if she was fully aware of both the futility and irrationality of it all. "Fuck you, fuck you a lot. First I start seeing things, think I'm going crazy then I find out that I am going crazy because you've messed with my head and now you've taken my agency away too! So yeah. Fuck you." She took a deep breath, shuddering, and ground out. "Options."
An already familiar blue window appeared. It was divided into three different parts, one called Video, another Sound and the last one Gameplay. Chisame zeroed in on that one. A lot of stuff was on. Most of it was okay, she thought, she didn't need confirmation prompts for everything. But some of them she would like to know about, yes. She toggled Quest Auto-Accept off and also Automatic Dungeon Start. Then she moved onto the video and sound options. She left the sounds as they were, since they weren't actually annoying, but lowered the volume a bit. The biggest changes were related to the video settings. She made the panels translucent , tweaked the colour and activated the HUD option.
'I have now confirmed that yes: real life Heads-Up Displays are cool.' Chisame finally allowed herself a bit of a smile. Her health and energy bars were hovering near the upper left-hand corner of her vision and her experience bar was visible if she looked down, the half-full yellow meter on the lower edge of her vision. It was almost like an FPS.
But what she had wanted was not in the Options Window. She tried something else instead. "Main Menu." Nothing. "Log Out. Quit." Nothing again.
Chisame was barely even disappointed at this point.
"Tch. Journal."
Active
[Tutorial: Journal, girl's best friend]
-
Completed
[Tutorial: Making an Inventory]
[Tutorial: Mad Skillz, the How To]
[Tutorial: The Character Window and You]
She touched one of the quests' names and a window with the details appeared. Useful. Even the hints were there. There were no quest limits either, she mused. Chisame sweatdropped. This meant she was going to be able to take every side-quest, wasn't it? 'Well crap. My completionism tendencies are going to be trouble aren't they? I hope there's no time limits for main quest lines...'
Actually, would there be a main questline? How did real life translate into a game? Would there be small quests which would lead to a final goal of succeeding at school, getting into university, getting a job and so on? Or would they take a more sinister turn? Games were action filled and exciting. Chisame had RPG stats. It did not put her at ease.
Quest Complete!
+ 3 XP
+ 3 XP
"Right. Nothing I can do about it but worry…" Chisame dismissed the prompt and noted how her experience bar filled a bit more in her vision. She was more or less about a third of it from leveling up.
With a ping sound, another quest appeared.
Quest Alert!
Tutorial: Mapping your own way
Getting lost is really easy. But with the Map, you can find where you are pretty easily! Objective: Open the Map.
Reward: 3XP
Hint: You can make annotations in the Map! Use annotations to mark points of interest on the map, or to label map extensions from real maps that might not be accurate until you go there yourself.
Accept / Refuse
Chisame almost touched the refuse button, but logic prevailed. She re-read the quest prompt.
'A map function?' Of all the things she might have been expecting, this wasn't one of them. 'An interactive map to boot. Seems a little bit redundant. It speaks here of map extensions from real maps...' She sighed. 'Another thing to do later. Let's check it out.'
"Map."
The panel that opened in front of her was bigger than the others, but had much less content. Only a blinking dot in the center and its surroundings, which matched what she knew of the infirmary layout. The rest was all fog of war. It was interesting how it actually showed that much, considering she couldn't see the all of the room with the curtain on the right side of her bed. "Hey…" Chisame squinted, noticing a dual-ended arrow on the panel's corner. "Resizable?"
Yep. Very convenient.
Quest Complete!
+ 3 XP
+ 3 XP
Well, if there was something Chisame couldn't complain about, it was the intuitive interface, she mused as she closed the prompt. Many games floundered because the controls or interface weren't easy enough to get into.
Ping!
Quest Alert!
Speaking of...
Tutorial: Options in Life
Some settings are just up to the player's preference. Explore and tweak them at your leisure.Objective: Open the Options Window.
Reward: 3XP
Accept / Refuse
"Oh, now you mention it! Bastard." Chisame growled. "Options." She closed the window as soon as it had appeared, still miffed about the whole thing. Plus, well, she'd already taken care of it.
Quest Complete!
+ 3 XP
+ 3 XP
Pi-Ri-Ri-Ping!
Level Up!
"Awesome." Chisame paused and thought. 'But awfully convenient.' As if on cue another panel appeared before her.
Questline completed!
[Tutorial] Questline Completion special reward:
Gamer Set
[Gamer's Cap]
[Gamer's Glasses]
[Gamer's Shirt]
[Gamer's Pants]
[Tutorial] Questline Completion special reward:
Gamer Set
[Gamer's Cap]
[Gamer's Glasses]
[Gamer's Shirt]
[Gamer's Pants]
"Okay. I like you now." Chisame chuckled, slightly giddy. 'Items! I wonder… But first...' "Character." She now had six points to spend. She could do the same as before and leave some points unused. That gave her either four or five points to spend. After a little deliberation, she decided she could spend five. Leveling up had been pretty easy with the quests. 'Two on VIT, one for WIS and LUK… and the last one on DEX. Because round numbers. Luck can have a seven, it's a lucky number.'
Hasegawa Chisame
Level 3
Class: Gamer
-
HP: 200/200
EP: 200/200
XP: 0/28
-
STR: 4 <+0>
VIT: 8 <+0>
DEX: 6 <+0>
INT: 8 <+0>
WIS: 8 <+0>
LUK: 7 <+0>
-
Points: 1
Money: ¥0
"Good." She closed the window. "Inventory."
E [Snorlax Pajama Top]
E [Snorlax Pajama Bottom]
E [Fake Glasses]
[Gamer's Cap]
[Gamer's Glasses]
[Gamer's Shirt]
[Gamer's Pants]
4/40
"Now. This is a set, right? Let's see. Analyze, analyze, analyze, analyze." Four panels appeared in front of her.
[Gamer's Cap - Unique]
The Gamer's awesome hat. Keeps the sun out of one's eyes and their head cool whenever they venture into the savage outside.
+2% XP
Full Set +2% XP
[Gamer's Glasses - Unique]
The Gamer's eyewear choice. Unscratchable, they reduce glare, improve contrast vision and make it possible to sit in front of a computer for hours without tiring. Also work outdoors.
+2% XP
Full Set +2% XP
[Gamer's Shirt - Unique]
The Gamer's best shirt. Allows for full freedom of movement, yet it's snug and fit. Doesn't ride up no matter how much one wiggles on a chair.
+2% XP
Full Set +2% XP
[Gamer's Pants - Unique]
The Gamer's favorite pants. Incredibly comfortable pants for either sitting in front of the screen or RUNning out of a troublesome situation.
+2% XP
Full Set +2% XP
Chisame felt her eyebrow twitch. "Oy. Does this thing have a sense of humour or something? But experience boosts. That's great." The icons looked good enough too. Chisame grabbed the gamer's glasses and took them out of wherever the inventory lead to. They were rectangular glasses with yellow tinted lenses. The frames were black and modern. Chisame flipped them open experimentally. Like everything, they felt real. And yet, five minutes ago they hadn't existed. "This is like… Violating the Law of Conservation of Mass. You can't create something out of nothing." Had they been elsewhere before? Had they been converted from pure energy? Or something… else?
Chisame took off her ordinary glasses and tried them on. They really were comfortable; they sat well over her ears and nose and the room even seemed a bit more sharp. Clear. "Amazing." And she might actually look cool with them on. Maybe Chiu could take a few pics in this, appeal to her fellow gamer followers. 'I'll be a hit. Sexy gamer girl. Oh yeah.' She smiled diabolically. Oh yes. She was so going to milk this for all its worth.
In the background, the school bell rang. That was right. She was in her dorm's infirmary. Why, how and when… She still didn't know the answers to those questions. 'I'll wait a little bit more. The bell just rang, probably the last bell too with how quiet it is around here.' The dorms were never quiet. Chisame sighed and looked up at the letters still floating above her.
<The Gamer>
Lv3 Hasegawa Chisame
"Oh man… This is completely ridiculous, isn't it?"Lv3 Hasegawa Chisame
[Trust Value]: OK
Last edited:
6. Stage 1-1
- Location
- Portugal
- Pronouns
- She/They
6. Stage 1 - 1
Before the bell had finished ringing, Ako was out of her chair and running off towards the dorms. She couldn't help but think that it was usually Hasegawa who left for home in a hurry. Hasegawa, who was... Ako shook her head and barely avoided crashing into an upperclassman. But she couldn't stop herself from remembering that morning.
Hasegawa, Chisame, had been absent. It wasn't like her, who, despite being asocial, did not tend to miss classes like Evangeline did. But it was the first day and nobody had seen her since the festival, not really surprising, so Takahata-sensei had asked Ako to go check on her. She was the Nurse's Assistant after all. She had knocked on her door but nobody had answered. Just when Ako had been ready to give up and report that Hasegawa was probably playing hooky, she'd laid her hand on the doorknob and... it had been unlocked. And Ako had entered.
She'd never been inside Hasegawa's room. She doubted anybody but the girl herself had.
The smell had hit her first. Burnt plastic and metal. She'd thought of an overloaded socket and she'd been right, in a way. But it was so much worse than that. Hasegawa had a computer, big, probably expensive and powerful. It was gutted. The two monitors were cracked, the box with all the electronics had fallen over, half melted and broken. Not even the keyboards were intact. There were smoke marks all over the ceiling, burns marred the floor and walls.
Chisame had been strewn across the floor, next to an overturned chair.
And Ako had frozen. All she had managed, nearly hyperventilating, was to look. And that was when she noticed the blood. Just a trickle, long dried under Chisame's nose. Ako hated blood. She wanted to be a nurse when she grew up, but she was terrified of the sight and scent of blood. She'd nearly fainted. Her classmate's slumped form, the faint smell of smoke and the blood... it brought back too many bad memories, too many fears. But it had also been what had snapped her out of it. The thought 'did I look like Chisame does now?' had reminded her that Hasegawa was injured, that she was the one who needed help and that Ako was the one who was ok. It was up to her.
She'd fallen into training with trembling hands. Checking the airways, breathing, pulse. They had been fine, but what did Ako know? She had barely been able to focus on hearing Chisame breathe while knowing there was blood just inches away. Ever so carefully, she'd tried to rouse her and, for a moment, she'd thought she had done it, that everything would be fine. Chisame's eyes had opened… but they'd been glazed and looking far away. She'd mumbled gibberish, english had thought Ako, fast and slurring. And then unconsciousness had taken her again.
Ako hadn't called the emergency services. Her shaking fingers had dialed the Class Rep's number all by themselves. Yukihiro Ayaka would know what to do. Everything after that frantic conversation was more or less a blur. They'd come, taken Chisame away, and after some questions Ako had been returned to class. The lessons passed so quickly that they barely registered, she responded only half-heartedly to her classmates' questions and worried gossip.. What she remembered clearly was going to see Hasegawa during lunch hours, the Class Rep and Makie with her.
Would she still be the same way, sleeping, too still?
She slowed down to a stop in front of the dorm's entrance. The run caught up to her, making her double over and pant. Ako thought she was in better shape from her admittedly meager soccer practice, but running full out all the way from school was still too much. She started catching her breath as she walked towards the infirmary. It wouldn't do to disturb Hasegawa after all. She opened the door carefully and quietly entered the division. Checking the desk before anything else, she found a note from Shizuna-sensei saying that she was going to be absent for a little bit. Ako nodded; that happened sometimes, since Shizuna-sensei also ran errands for the Headmaster.
She laid down her backpack and moved around the curtain of the only occupied bed. Hasegawa was still laying there. Ako's mind wandered back to her awful morning. She didn't even notice that Chisame's eyes were open or the way she turned her head to look at her. "Are you going to get better, Chisame-san?"
"Hm, Izumi." Greeted Hasegawa Chisame from the bed, raising one hand in greeting. "Actually I was…"
Ako fainted.
"Izumi!?" Chisame cried out, bolting up and barely managing to catch the blue-haired girl by the shoulders before she fell. Just when Chisame had been about to fall asleep from counting ceiling tiles, the girl had entered and then… 'Oy!? What the heck was with that reaction!?'
Well damn, now what did she do?
[Quest System]
Quests are the lifeblood of the game. They give Chisame objectives, tasks and make her move out of her comfortable life and into the action! They also use the carrot and the stick, with rewards and failure penalties to encourage her to do her very best on them. Quests can be just about anything. From self-improvement like getting new skills or items, to social activities like playing errand girl and attend events, and more adventurous things like investigating the suspicious person or defeating enemies.
Quests appear at given times. It's up to you to decide which quest or quests appear to Chisame, or even if they appear at all.Designing a Quest is all about wording the body and objectives of it. The Game will take care of assigning proper rewards to it. The best quests can be integrated into Questlines with better rewards and life-changing event! So do your best and aim for interesting quests!
Of course, Chisame still has the option to refuse any non-essential quests and having too many incomplete quests is really bothersome... so don't make her lose Trust Value by going overboard with things~
Quest? Select and design one quest for Chisame to do! One Hint allowed for Quest!
[x] Take care of Ako (+1XP, +Ako's trust)
-[x] Hint? (status effects? the legendary wake-up kiss method? Analyze?)
[x] Go look for help (+1XP, +Teacher's trust)
-[x] Hint? (leave the infirmary, good or bad idea?)
Before the bell had finished ringing, Ako was out of her chair and running off towards the dorms. She couldn't help but think that it was usually Hasegawa who left for home in a hurry. Hasegawa, who was... Ako shook her head and barely avoided crashing into an upperclassman. But she couldn't stop herself from remembering that morning.
Hasegawa, Chisame, had been absent. It wasn't like her, who, despite being asocial, did not tend to miss classes like Evangeline did. But it was the first day and nobody had seen her since the festival, not really surprising, so Takahata-sensei had asked Ako to go check on her. She was the Nurse's Assistant after all. She had knocked on her door but nobody had answered. Just when Ako had been ready to give up and report that Hasegawa was probably playing hooky, she'd laid her hand on the doorknob and... it had been unlocked. And Ako had entered.
She'd never been inside Hasegawa's room. She doubted anybody but the girl herself had.
The smell had hit her first. Burnt plastic and metal. She'd thought of an overloaded socket and she'd been right, in a way. But it was so much worse than that. Hasegawa had a computer, big, probably expensive and powerful. It was gutted. The two monitors were cracked, the box with all the electronics had fallen over, half melted and broken. Not even the keyboards were intact. There were smoke marks all over the ceiling, burns marred the floor and walls.
Chisame had been strewn across the floor, next to an overturned chair.
And Ako had frozen. All she had managed, nearly hyperventilating, was to look. And that was when she noticed the blood. Just a trickle, long dried under Chisame's nose. Ako hated blood. She wanted to be a nurse when she grew up, but she was terrified of the sight and scent of blood. She'd nearly fainted. Her classmate's slumped form, the faint smell of smoke and the blood... it brought back too many bad memories, too many fears. But it had also been what had snapped her out of it. The thought 'did I look like Chisame does now?' had reminded her that Hasegawa was injured, that she was the one who needed help and that Ako was the one who was ok. It was up to her.
She'd fallen into training with trembling hands. Checking the airways, breathing, pulse. They had been fine, but what did Ako know? She had barely been able to focus on hearing Chisame breathe while knowing there was blood just inches away. Ever so carefully, she'd tried to rouse her and, for a moment, she'd thought she had done it, that everything would be fine. Chisame's eyes had opened… but they'd been glazed and looking far away. She'd mumbled gibberish, english had thought Ako, fast and slurring. And then unconsciousness had taken her again.
Ako hadn't called the emergency services. Her shaking fingers had dialed the Class Rep's number all by themselves. Yukihiro Ayaka would know what to do. Everything after that frantic conversation was more or less a blur. They'd come, taken Chisame away, and after some questions Ako had been returned to class. The lessons passed so quickly that they barely registered, she responded only half-heartedly to her classmates' questions and worried gossip.. What she remembered clearly was going to see Hasegawa during lunch hours, the Class Rep and Makie with her.
Would she still be the same way, sleeping, too still?
She slowed down to a stop in front of the dorm's entrance. The run caught up to her, making her double over and pant. Ako thought she was in better shape from her admittedly meager soccer practice, but running full out all the way from school was still too much. She started catching her breath as she walked towards the infirmary. It wouldn't do to disturb Hasegawa after all. She opened the door carefully and quietly entered the division. Checking the desk before anything else, she found a note from Shizuna-sensei saying that she was going to be absent for a little bit. Ako nodded; that happened sometimes, since Shizuna-sensei also ran errands for the Headmaster.
She laid down her backpack and moved around the curtain of the only occupied bed. Hasegawa was still laying there. Ako's mind wandered back to her awful morning. She didn't even notice that Chisame's eyes were open or the way she turned her head to look at her. "Are you going to get better, Chisame-san?"
"Hm, Izumi." Greeted Hasegawa Chisame from the bed, raising one hand in greeting. "Actually I was…"
Ako fainted.
"Izumi!?" Chisame cried out, bolting up and barely managing to catch the blue-haired girl by the shoulders before she fell. Just when Chisame had been about to fall asleep from counting ceiling tiles, the girl had entered and then… 'Oy!? What the heck was with that reaction!?'
Well damn, now what did she do?
[Quest System]
Quests are the lifeblood of the game. They give Chisame objectives, tasks and make her move out of her comfortable life and into the action! They also use the carrot and the stick, with rewards and failure penalties to encourage her to do her very best on them. Quests can be just about anything. From self-improvement like getting new skills or items, to social activities like playing errand girl and attend events, and more adventurous things like investigating the suspicious person or defeating enemies.
Quests appear at given times. It's up to you to decide which quest or quests appear to Chisame, or even if they appear at all.Designing a Quest is all about wording the body and objectives of it. The Game will take care of assigning proper rewards to it. The best quests can be integrated into Questlines with better rewards and life-changing event! So do your best and aim for interesting quests!
Of course, Chisame still has the option to refuse any non-essential quests and having too many incomplete quests is really bothersome... so don't make her lose Trust Value by going overboard with things~
Quest? Select and design one quest for Chisame to do! One Hint allowed for Quest!
[x] Take care of Ako (+1XP, +Ako's trust)
-[x] Hint? (status effects? the legendary wake-up kiss method? Analyze?)
[x] Go look for help (+1XP, +Teacher's trust)
-[x] Hint? (leave the infirmary, good or bad idea?)
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7. Stage 1-2
- Location
- Portugal
- Pronouns
- She/They
7. Stage 1 - 2
Objective: Take care of Izumi Ako until she has woken up.
Reward: 1XP, Ako's trust
Hint: Isn't there some ability that'll show you more details and stat screens? Maybe you can find something that you can use on your classmate to help her. If you really can't think of anything...you can just make sure she's comfortable and wait. Some conditions go away on their own.
"Oy. What kind of person would refuse?" Asked Chisame. She was asocial, not heartless or dumb. It wasn't like she was just going to leave Izumi alone or anything. 'I get the feeling somebody is trying to tell me something about my social skills. Crap. There better not be any S. Link mechanics or I'm doomed.' She pushed away the feeling of impending doom away. 'Nah. It would have come up in the tutorial, wouldn't it? Ahah... ha. Ha.' "Accept."
With a ping the window disappeared.
Careful not to dislodge the IV in her arm or let Izumi fall, Chisame hopped from the bed and picked up the shorter girl. She was surprisingly heavy for someone six or so inches shorter than Chisame. 'Better to say I'm weak. STR 4.' But she managed to lay her down on the bed without too much effort. The IV did come off with a sharp sting but the pain faded pretty quickly. Chisame eyed the health displayed in her vision. One point down.
"Which reminds me…" She grabbed the glass of water on the bedside table and chugged it down.
Izumi Ako
Level 2 - Class: Nurse In-Training
HP: 120/120 - EP: 25/25
Effects: [Fainted]
'Just like Libra then. Hm, I suppose leveling up the skill would reveal more information. But it doesn't seem like there's anything wrong with Izumi besides this.' Chisame did wonder why she had fainted. 'Damn it! Why did she have to faint? I could finally have gotten some answers! Let's see… here.' On the panel with Izumi's stats, she clicked on the word [Fainted].
Fainted: The target is unconscious for a short period of time. Can be woken up.
Nothing she hadn't expected, but still, a relief. Chisame dismissed the panels. Now to wake Izumi… that was a minor problem. Chisame herself wasn't sure if forcefully waking up somebody who had fainted was a good move. And looking around the infirmary she found no useful posters about what to do if somebody fainted. Posters about diseases and precautions, yes. About first aid, not really. The quest did tell her to either succeed at waking the blue-haired girl up or wait for it to happen naturally.
But ultimately, Chisame needed some answers. She sighed. "Fine. If this doesn't work I'll just wait for her to wake up normally."
There was a small sink in the corner of the infirmary. Chisame retrieved a small bowl, filled it with water, grabbed a cloth and returned to Izumi's side. Be it shock or whatever that had made her faint, she didn't think the traditional method of cooling down a person would do any harm. She was, upon second observation, sweating, and it was awfully hot outside, maybe she'd had a delayed heatstroke or something. Uncharacteristically gently for anybody who didn't truly know her, Chisame brushed away Ako's sweat plastered hair away from her forehead and pressed the wet cloth to it.
'Looks like I'm stuck taking care of the nurse instead of the reverse. Figures. When it comes to being careful or moderate, none of them really manage it. I thought Izumi was more self-conscious tho...' Chisame retrieved a bench from under the bed and sat down to wait. 'She is pretty normal. Besides the whole scar thing but well, that's understandable.' A beat. 'Oy. Don't tell me… No. Just because Izumi has a mysterious backstory, it doesn't mean things will get weird. She's just a normal girl. I mean, level two and a normal class and everything. Even this... ability of mine agrees.'
Ako stirred.
The hacker startled. She wiped away the sweat on the fainted girl's face and neck and called out. "Hey… Izumi. Wake up, Izumi. Ako. Come on, you gave me one hell of a scare, now wake up."
Ako slowly dragged herself away from the dredges of unconsciousness. She was prone to occasional fainting spells if too stressed and knew the feeling well. She was laying down and there was something cool on her forehead and a voice calling her. Glad that she was safe and wasn't alone, she blinked her eyes open. Above her, a bespectacled orange-haired girl watched her anxiously.
"Chisame-san?" Why was the reserved girl watching over her? Then Ako noticed the clothes her classmate was wearing and her brain put all the pieces together. "Chisame-san!" She yelled, bolting upright.
"Hey!" Chisame stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. "You just passed out; take it easy, will you?"
"But, but…" Ako reluctantly allowed herself to be pushed against the bed, feeling dizzy. Chisame was the one who was hurt. "You should be resting, Chisame-san."
"I'm fine." Dismissed Chisame. To herself, she muttered. "I would actually be feeling better than ever if I weren't, you know, seeing things and displaying esper-like powers…" She cleared her throat and waved a hand dismissively. "You're the one who passed out for no good reason, Izumi. Did you forget to eat or drink or something like that?"
The blue-haired girl blinked, then blushed and avoided Chisame's eyes.
Chisame felt her eye twitch. "Oy. You're the health officer, you're supposed to be the careful one."
"It's your fault!" Ako protested, tears gathering in her eyes. "I was so worried I ended up skipping lunch and then I ran all the way over here! And then you were awake and I got startled!"
"Speaking of…" Chisame ignored the panels that had popped up for the moment and did her best to impress the seriousness of the situation through her expression. "What exactly happened, Izumi? Why am I here?"
Ako looked at her in dismay. "You don't know? I… Well, you weren't so…"
"Chisame-kun! You're up!" A voice came from the doorway. Both girls turned their heads to see the nurse and guidance councilor Shizuna enter the room with large strides. "Alright, I think I better take it over from here. Ako-chan! What happened?"
"Just a weak spell, I was too stressed, that's all." Explained Izumi.
Chisame almost missed the nurse turning to her and asking why she wasn't in bed, but recovered from her shock quickly. "I couldn't leave Izumi like that and I'm feeling perfectly fine, really." She still couldn't help but risk another glance up over the adult's head.
'Level thirteen? Shizuna-sensei is a nurse and the guidance councilor and the headmaster's go-to secretary, but is that really enough to get such a level?' The fact was that she didn't have enough of a sample pool to know whether or not the levels she had seen up until then where the norm or not. Chisame thought Izumi and Shizuna-sensei were pretty normal people, but she shouldn't really take them as baselines without comparing them to more people.
"Regardless, you should be back in bed." Shizuna-sensei admonished. She guided the pajama clad girl to sit on another bed and re-inserted the IV in her arm. She shushed Chisame with a single finger and a wink. "Alright, I'm sure you have plenty of questions Chisame-kun, but first I need to ask some doctor questions. Protocol, you understand?"
"Right." Chisame was okay with that. Really. It made sense.
"Ako-chan, you stay in there while I check Chisame-kun." Chisame took the brief intermission to surreptitiously close the prompts that had popped up earlier.
The nurse took her temperature and measured her heart rate and checked her head for bumps, all the while keeping a steady stream of conversation flowing between the two of them. Chisame answered as she could. No, she wasn't feeling pain anywhere, nor dizziness. No, she wasn't hungry or actually tired. In between, she answered the so-called protocol questions, expertly inserted. What were her parent's names again? Shuuji and Chise Hasegawa. She was in room 665, wasn't she and sat next to who again? Room 670 actually, and Ayase Yue. What did she think about, say, Social Studies up until now? The Bakumatsu was one big samurai mess, that's what it was, but it did finally open up the way for the greater social changes of the Meiji Restoration.
"Right, everything seems to be just fine with you. Healthy as a horse!" Smiled Shizuna-sensei. "Now, do you remember how you got here, Chisame-kun?"
"No." And didn't that scare Chisame.
"So what's the last thing you remember then? Try to reconstruct it for me, okay?" She prodded gently.
"Well, I had lunch near the World Tree Plaza, I passed by the M.U.'s Anime Club's showing and then went home. Last thing I remember was being on my computer, browsing the net. And then I woke up."
"This was when?"
"Sunday, the... 23rd? Of June. Of 2002." Chisame gave the full answer, guessing the nurse would want it that way.
"And the transition between being in your room and waking up?"
"I…" Chisame struggled for a moment, but she really couldn't recall. "It's not sudden or anything. I remember booting up the power and logging in and I know I opened the browser but I don't… There isn't really a cut-off point. Like… Like falling asleep. I can't tell the exact moment." Maybe she had fallen asleep, who knew. 'And then I wake up in the infirmary of all places? With some sort of power or whatever this game thing is? No, there's something suspicious going on here.'
Shizuna's expression had shifted just slightly as Chisame answered her questions, tensed. On her own bed, Ako looked on, concerned. There was silence. The atmosphere hung heavy over them. But Chisame was not one to hold back when things, serious things, needed to be said.
"Shizuna-sensei. What happened to me?"
The blonde closed her eyes briefly. "Well, the thing is, Chisame-kun, we're not really certain ourselves. First of all..." She took a deep breath and looked her in the eyes. "Today is June the 26th, Chisame-kun."
Wait. What? Chisame was only stunned for the briefest of instants. Her mind instantly calculated the time between her last memories and the newest memories. "I've been asleep for three days." She probably would have swayed or something and then gotten angry, but she could almost feel the disconnect forming. The Gamer's Mind at work. What had happened had happened. Can't change the past. Her fists clenched on top of her thighs. "Why?"
The nurse shook her head. "That's not necessarily true, Chisame-kun. Ako-chan found you passed out in your room this morning. You've been unconscious the whole day. But! That doesn't mean you were unconscious for three days." She added at her patient's growing alarm.
The hacker nodded to herself. She couldn't have been unconscious for three straight days. For one, she wasn't hungry or anything. If a person went three days without moving, eating or drinking… surely they'd be near death. 'On the other hand… my life right now… hasn't it been reduced to a bunch of numbers and statistics?' It terrified Chisame at some deep level, that she could have become somehow less real in a sense, but that damned logical part of her, now more pronounced than ever before, kept thinking that maybe it was the only reason she was still alive. "Right. I'm not in that bad of a state… So I'm just missing a few days of my memory. Amnesia?"
The nurse put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Retrograde amnesia of some sort most likely. Chisame-kun, most people recover their memories fully with time, especially when it's just a few days time of memories. I'm sure you will recover fully from this." She gave a reassuring squeeze but the girl was still thinking about the implications of missing days worth of memories and the stories she had heard about this kind of thing. "Now, I..."
"Wait, how did I even lose my memories?" Chisame interrupted, desperate for answers. "Don't you know what happened?"
At this, Izumi finally spoke up. She was staring at the her legs, fists twisted into the bedsheets. Her voice shook. "Chisame-san's room and… the computer had exploded or something and you weren't moving from the floor. I thought… I thought…" She sounded like she was about to cry.
Shizuna turned to the distraught girl, suddenly caught between two patients who needed her. As she calmed down Izumi, Chisame thought. And the first thing that came out of her mouth might have sounded disconnected to some, incomprehensible to others. But Hasegawa Chisame dismayed. 'Besides, I'm fine, two hundred on two hundred, one hundred percent full HP.'
"My computer got busted? Wh- How?"
"An overcharge, I believe." Answered the nurse, patting down Ako's back. "Originally we thought you might have been electrocuted or hit your head on the floor, but there were no signs of either thing having occurred… So we think it was just the shock that caused you to faint." A brief hesitation. "You were starting to worry me. I was going to call the hospital and intern you if hadn't woken up."
"Oh."
"Nevertheless." Shizuna-sensei adjusted her glasses and patted Ako on the head one last time. "Your parents have entrusted Mahora with your medical care and given permission for us to act as your legal guardian in these situations, since they are in absentia. I'm scheduling a MRI and a few other exams as well as a general consultation for you, tomorrow, at the hospital. You'll be dispensed from class the whole day, alright?"
"Sure." 'So they're not available, hun?' "What now?"
"Well, I'm told your room is still being investigated, but either way I don't want you sleeping unsupervised tonight... Ako-chan, would you call Ayaka-kun so we can make arrangements? Don't run, I don't want you pushing yourself." She got up and rummaged in the drawers of a desk with its files all organized, emerging with a couple of chocolate bars in hand. "Here. Sugar."
Izumi giggled somewhat nervously, somewhat watery, accepting the sugary treat. "Thank you. I'll be right back then, Shizuna-sensei, Ha-Hasegawa-san." And she was off.
Chisame wordlessly accepted the second bar from Shizuna-sensei. She wondered very briefly if she should vaguely ask about seeing things after fainting but decided it was too suspicious. "There's no medication I have to take or anything?"
The adult shook her head. "I don't want to give you anything without knowing just what happened. The doctors at the hospital will probably prescribe something tho. For now just rest, but don't fall asleep."
Chisame let herself fall backwards on the bed. 'What a mess. And to top it all off… My beautiful computer!! Oh God, what if my hard-drive's fried? I've got everything from Chiu there and… And shit, I had my not-really legal stuff there too.' She felt the tears prickle at the corners of her eyes. 'Oh Desktop-chan, you were faithful to me for a long year and a half, customized to hell and back and together… Together, we pulled stunts no simpleton from middle-school would ever have. But they are certainly investigating you now. So I hope you fried and fried yourself good. I'm sorry, but I won't go to prison for you. Don't worry tho, I have Laptop-kun… I hope… He'll help me get through this.' Chisame took a few seconds to mourn.
Besides, she was a Shintoist. 'Kinda.' Everything had spirits and she had positively revered her computer. If anything was to turn into a tsukumogami, it would be her desktop computer.
"Hasegawa-san! You're awake!" An annoying ojou-sama-like voice interrupted her prayers to her precious electronics.
'Of course I'm bloody awake, woman. Are you all blind?' "Yeah. Good…" Chisame trailed off.
The blonde's level was stupidly high. Almost as high as Shizuna-sensei's, except Yukihiro didn't have the excuse of being an adult. But she was a martial artist and a prize-winner horse rider and a top student and who knew what else… So she had the rich and talented Ojou-sama background fairly explored. Really, a level ten wasn't, when one thought about it, that outrageous. Not in the context of class 2-A's ridiculously skilled and exotic population. In the back of her mind, Chisame was suddenly dreading what level Hakase and, say, Ku Fei, might have.
But that hadn't been what had caught her tongue. No. That would be the person accompanying the radiant Yukihiro and the shy Izumi.
"Chao. What."
Now, Chisame had neatly classified Chao as weird. Nearly instantly too, but that was because she came along with all the weird transfers into Mahora. Into their class in particular. But Chao had soon cemented that she really was part of the weirdoes anyway because she was apparently a one of a kind freak prodigy that had the university clubs on their knees to have her. And she was also a sports genius and a great cook and, well... the list went on. Simply put, Chao was too good at everything. Even among geniuses, she was the one who stood apart in her impossibility.
Strange didn't even begin to cover it.
And now this. 'Interrogation marks. It had to be interrogations marks.' It could only mean… Well, it could mean several things. Following game-logic, either Chao was so high-leveled Chisame couldn't see it or she was somehow important and needed her true stats to stay hidden for meta-game purposes… Both were scary possibilities. 'Or, you know, it could just be fucking magic now that we're at it!'
"Ah, I came with the Class Rep, ne. I'm taking care of your computer for now, so I thought you'd want to know, ne?"
For a brief instant, Chisame felt herself pale and her heart speed up. 'Not good! That suspicious Chao has her hands on my things!' But then, perhaps truly usefully for the first time, the Gamer's Mind kicked in. Chisame couldn't show her panic. She had to remain calm and seemingly unworried. So when she spoke, she sounded far more nonchalant than she was. "Yeah… Did you find out what happened yet?"
Chao wiggled a hand in a so-so gesture. "Well, it's pretty clear it was a massive overcharge, but we're not really sure where the electricity came from in the first place, ne. The robot engineering club is helping, so we'll find out. In the meanwhile, I've been salvaging what I could from your computer, since they were done with it and all, ne?"
Yukihiro cleared her throat loudly, halting the discussion in its tracks before it devolved into techno-babble. For all of her eccentricities, Chisame knew the blonde heiress cared and was surprisingly competent. 'Up to the moment where she starts fighting with Kagurazaka or loses herself in lunacy...'
"Right. I'm sure Hasegawa-san will want to hear all about that later, Chao-san. But first we should listen to what Shizuna-sensei has to say." For once the backdrop of roses and sparkles didn't appear. Yukihiro Ayaka was serious.
The nurse was grateful. "Yes. Anyway, regardless of what happened or not, Chisame-kun should not be left unsupervised, especially not until a proper examination has been done. But I can't keep her here all night long, the infirmary wasn't made for it. I would suggest she stays with a classmate, at least for tonight. Ayaka-kun, do you have any ideas?"
Yukihiro brought a hand to her chin, thinking. "Well, first of all, Hasegawa-san can't stay in her own room since it's still… Well." Beside her, Chao shook her head, grimacing. "There are already some rooms full with three… I'd offer my own but with Natsumi-chan and Chizuru-chan, there's just no space for a fourth person. Maybe with you, Ako-san?" She looked at the blue-haired girl inquisitively. "You're the nurse assistant, and it's just Makie-san with you…"
"Well…" The poor girl seemed honestly lost for words. She didn't have to answer, however, because Shizuna intervened.
"Ako-chan has already fainted once today herself. I would rather not risk something happening to either of you when the other would need help." She shook her head.
"Right…" Mumbled Ayaka, visibly crossing it out from her mental list.
"Chisame-chan can room with me, ne?"
Everybody turned to Chao. Ayaka, Shizuna and Ako in amazement, Chisame in growing dread.
"With you?" Blurted out the hacker. "Don't you live with Hakase already?" Implied was the high-maintenance that Hakase had to be as a roommate.
Chao laughed. "Hakase keeps falling asleep at the lab and forgets to come home more often than not, yo. Really, she lives more at the University campus than with me, ne. Plus," The cheerful girl winked at Shizuna-sensei. "I already know the procedures for cases like this too! Chisame-chan will have to be woken up every couple of hours just to be sure, ne? I can do it, yo."
Shizuna nodded but deferred to the Class Representative. "Ayaka-kun?" The girl was the one who knew her classmates the best after all.
"It's a good solution. I agree with Chao." Then she asked Chisame. "Hasegawa-san, are you okay with this?"
'Fuck no!' Chisame was not okay with it. At all. The time when people actually made the sane choice in this school and it had to be making her room with somebody. She valued her privacy. But she could understand. It was the logical thing, for once. Except for Chao Lingshen. Was it just her or had the chinese girl twigged onto her? So she grit her teeth and accepted with the most light-hearted tone she could manage. "Y-yeah. It's just for one night, right?"
Chao and Hakase's room was in a word, cleaner than she had expected. Probably because Hakase filled the mad scientist role so well, just from the little Chisame saw in class and heard rumours about, that she had been expecting, dreading really, something… more. Robot parts everywhere, detailed schemes and eldritch equations scrawled in piles of papers, the secrets of the universe laying around with discarded underwear, exotic vines climbing up the wall, flasks and vials with warning signs along with dirty coffee mugs piling up on the corners.
Her imagination could conjure some pretty graphic scenes. The sad, and infuriating, thing about the situation is that her imagination could also have been spot on without being unreasonable. Except for the part where the entire scenario not being unreasonable was reasonable.
'Only these loons could make it start expecting the craziness. But I'm not gonna fall into that trap. Oh no! They're all crazy and I will always! Always call it!' If she wasn't going nuts herself because apparently the universe hated Chisame enough to not only give her freaking powers, but to kill her precious desktop too. Chao had confirmed, later, that most of it had been either reduced to slag or damaged being recovery. Chao had only managed to salvage bits of it. The speakers were intact and the graphics card would apparently need only minor soldering here and there. 'Thank God, that thing cost me a fortune.' The rest was composed of stray bits and pieces: chips, resistances and wires. And Chao hadn't mentioned her camera and lighting apparatus, so who knew. 'That's at least...' She felt faint, running the numbers. '... over a hundred thousand yen. Most conservative estimate. Yes, definitively on the five zeroes league.'
And because Chisame had bought second-hand whenever she could, she hadn't had insurance. 'Kill me now.'
The good news was that Chisame kept all her cosplay outfits and other physical evidence of Chiu hidden in boxes inside her closet and other corners. Because it had become obvious that sooner or later somebody from 2-A, then called 1-A, would break into her room. The twins or that damned reporter most likely. And if that had been discovered, she would have heard of it already, oh yes she would.
'Still,' She thought as she leaned back in the lower bunk of Chao's room, trying her best not to think about how her investments had gone down the drain. 'I guess Chao's the one who cleans up here. Why couldn't she be a genius at cleaning and organizing?' The dorm room was even sort of homey. There was a trio of bonsai trees near the window, expertly designed, old and new books on the shelves, against the walls, and the pantry was obviously well-stocked. However, what made Chisame feel at home was the desktop computer on the desk. It looked ordinary until you looked at the machine proper. There it became obvious that heavy modifications had been done, and she was sure they were top-notch, drool-worthy ones. 'If these two weren't so weird, I'd love to talk shop with them. But together they built a damned robot and made it attend classes with them!'
Chao emerged from the kitchenette with a plate of her famous nikuman. "Is it comfortable? Hakase doesn't sleep much on it, so it might be a bit hard, ne? Bed not lived in and all that, ne?" Chao who was definitely more than she appeared.
Chao Lingshen
Level ??? - Class: ???
HP: ??/?? - EP: ??/??
Effects: --
"It's fine. It's just one night." Dismissed Chisame.
"Here, yo." She passed the plate to the hacker. "Be sure to eat well. It's important to get nutrients after scares like that, yo. I'll have to wake you up during the night, so it's better to have a full stomach, ne."
Chisame stared at the plate filled with mouth-watering buns. Just the smell was making her hungry. But the cook made her nervous. As low as she could, she muttered. "Analyze."
[Masterwork Nikuman - Uncommon]
A masterfully crafted pork bun. Sold only by the best restaurants. It's delicious.
Heals 30 HP.
… It would be a waste of perfectly good food. Damn, that Chao made some good nikuman.
Later, with the lights off, she heard the Ping!
Quests, quests, quests. Time to give Chisame some quests! Or at least one...
[x] 1 Quest.
-[x] Write-in: Quest and Hint.
[x] 2 Quest.
-[x] Write-in: Quest and Hint.
-[x] Write-in: Quest and Hint.
[x] 3 Quest.
-[x] Write-in: Quest and Hint.
-[x] Write-in: Quest and Hint.
-[x] Write-in: Quest and Hint.
AVAILABLE QUESTS! … might need better names tho.
- Investigate Chao (+10XP, +???, +???) - hint: methods, approaches, clues, encouragement?
- Analyze all of 2-A (+6XP, +???'s trust, +Binoculars) - hint: particular individuals, history, ways of doing it?
- Funding needed for a new PC! (+4XP, +¥5000) - hint: asking for help, jobs, training?
- Get [Skill] (+?XP depending on chosen skill) - hint: how? why? ideas for skill use?
- [Skill Set] Go! (+?XP, +?object depending on chosen skill) - Skill Sets are at least three skills that go together, like ninja skills or rescue skills or certain attack skills. Must be related!
- Something else, yo!
Quest Alert!
Take care of Ako.
It appears that your fellow classmate Izumi Ako has fainted upon hearing you. You should probably help her recover.Objective: Take care of Izumi Ako until she has woken up.
Reward: 1XP, Ako's trust
Hint: Isn't there some ability that'll show you more details and stat screens? Maybe you can find something that you can use on your classmate to help her. If you really can't think of anything...you can just make sure she's comfortable and wait. Some conditions go away on their own.
Accept / Refuse
"Oy. What kind of person would refuse?" Asked Chisame. She was asocial, not heartless or dumb. It wasn't like she was just going to leave Izumi alone or anything. 'I get the feeling somebody is trying to tell me something about my social skills. Crap. There better not be any S. Link mechanics or I'm doomed.' She pushed away the feeling of impending doom away. 'Nah. It would have come up in the tutorial, wouldn't it? Ahah... ha. Ha.' "Accept."
With a ping the window disappeared.
Careful not to dislodge the IV in her arm or let Izumi fall, Chisame hopped from the bed and picked up the shorter girl. She was surprisingly heavy for someone six or so inches shorter than Chisame. 'Better to say I'm weak. STR 4.' But she managed to lay her down on the bed without too much effort. The IV did come off with a sharp sting but the pain faded pretty quickly. Chisame eyed the health displayed in her vision. One point down.
"Which reminds me…" She grabbed the glass of water on the bedside table and chugged it down.
+ 1 HP
"So it works. I should have known." Slightly happier that she now had a known way to recover HP, Chisame turned her attention back to Izumi. Letters floated above her head just like Chisame's. She had noticed it before but the whole passing out thing had been more important.
<Nurse In-Training>
Lv2 Izumi Ako
"Is everybody going to have these? Geeze." 'And a Lv2… Well, it's not like Izumi's a terribly fit person, even if she does belong to the soccer club. So, like the Hint said...' "Analyze."Lv2 Izumi Ako
Izumi Ako
Level 2 - Class: Nurse In-Training
HP: 120/120 - EP: 25/25
Effects: [Fainted]
'Just like Libra then. Hm, I suppose leveling up the skill would reveal more information. But it doesn't seem like there's anything wrong with Izumi besides this.' Chisame did wonder why she had fainted. 'Damn it! Why did she have to faint? I could finally have gotten some answers! Let's see… here.' On the panel with Izumi's stats, she clicked on the word [Fainted].
Fainted: The target is unconscious for a short period of time. Can be woken up.
Nothing she hadn't expected, but still, a relief. Chisame dismissed the panels. Now to wake Izumi… that was a minor problem. Chisame herself wasn't sure if forcefully waking up somebody who had fainted was a good move. And looking around the infirmary she found no useful posters about what to do if somebody fainted. Posters about diseases and precautions, yes. About first aid, not really. The quest did tell her to either succeed at waking the blue-haired girl up or wait for it to happen naturally.
But ultimately, Chisame needed some answers. She sighed. "Fine. If this doesn't work I'll just wait for her to wake up normally."
There was a small sink in the corner of the infirmary. Chisame retrieved a small bowl, filled it with water, grabbed a cloth and returned to Izumi's side. Be it shock or whatever that had made her faint, she didn't think the traditional method of cooling down a person would do any harm. She was, upon second observation, sweating, and it was awfully hot outside, maybe she'd had a delayed heatstroke or something. Uncharacteristically gently for anybody who didn't truly know her, Chisame brushed away Ako's sweat plastered hair away from her forehead and pressed the wet cloth to it.
'Looks like I'm stuck taking care of the nurse instead of the reverse. Figures. When it comes to being careful or moderate, none of them really manage it. I thought Izumi was more self-conscious tho...' Chisame retrieved a bench from under the bed and sat down to wait. 'She is pretty normal. Besides the whole scar thing but well, that's understandable.' A beat. 'Oy. Don't tell me… No. Just because Izumi has a mysterious backstory, it doesn't mean things will get weird. She's just a normal girl. I mean, level two and a normal class and everything. Even this... ability of mine agrees.'
Ako stirred.
The hacker startled. She wiped away the sweat on the fainted girl's face and neck and called out. "Hey… Izumi. Wake up, Izumi. Ako. Come on, you gave me one hell of a scare, now wake up."
Ako slowly dragged herself away from the dredges of unconsciousness. She was prone to occasional fainting spells if too stressed and knew the feeling well. She was laying down and there was something cool on her forehead and a voice calling her. Glad that she was safe and wasn't alone, she blinked her eyes open. Above her, a bespectacled orange-haired girl watched her anxiously.
"Chisame-san?" Why was the reserved girl watching over her? Then Ako noticed the clothes her classmate was wearing and her brain put all the pieces together. "Chisame-san!" She yelled, bolting upright.
"Hey!" Chisame stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. "You just passed out; take it easy, will you?"
"But, but…" Ako reluctantly allowed herself to be pushed against the bed, feeling dizzy. Chisame was the one who was hurt. "You should be resting, Chisame-san."
"I'm fine." Dismissed Chisame. To herself, she muttered. "I would actually be feeling better than ever if I weren't, you know, seeing things and displaying esper-like powers…" She cleared her throat and waved a hand dismissively. "You're the one who passed out for no good reason, Izumi. Did you forget to eat or drink or something like that?"
The blue-haired girl blinked, then blushed and avoided Chisame's eyes.
Chisame felt her eye twitch. "Oy. You're the health officer, you're supposed to be the careful one."
"It's your fault!" Ako protested, tears gathering in her eyes. "I was so worried I ended up skipping lunch and then I ran all the way over here! And then you were awake and I got startled!"
Quest Complete!
+ 1 XP
+ 1 XP
"Speaking of…" Chisame ignored the panels that had popped up for the moment and did her best to impress the seriousness of the situation through her expression. "What exactly happened, Izumi? Why am I here?"
Ako looked at her in dismay. "You don't know? I… Well, you weren't so…"
"Chisame-kun! You're up!" A voice came from the doorway. Both girls turned their heads to see the nurse and guidance councilor Shizuna enter the room with large strides. "Alright, I think I better take it over from here. Ako-chan! What happened?"
"Just a weak spell, I was too stressed, that's all." Explained Izumi.
Chisame almost missed the nurse turning to her and asking why she wasn't in bed, but recovered from her shock quickly. "I couldn't leave Izumi like that and I'm feeling perfectly fine, really." She still couldn't help but risk another glance up over the adult's head.
<Motherly Advisor>
Lv13 Minamoto Shizuna
Lv13 Minamoto Shizuna
'Level thirteen? Shizuna-sensei is a nurse and the guidance councilor and the headmaster's go-to secretary, but is that really enough to get such a level?' The fact was that she didn't have enough of a sample pool to know whether or not the levels she had seen up until then where the norm or not. Chisame thought Izumi and Shizuna-sensei were pretty normal people, but she shouldn't really take them as baselines without comparing them to more people.
"Regardless, you should be back in bed." Shizuna-sensei admonished. She guided the pajama clad girl to sit on another bed and re-inserted the IV in her arm. She shushed Chisame with a single finger and a wink. "Alright, I'm sure you have plenty of questions Chisame-kun, but first I need to ask some doctor questions. Protocol, you understand?"
"Right." Chisame was okay with that. Really. It made sense.
"Ako-chan, you stay in there while I check Chisame-kun." Chisame took the brief intermission to surreptitiously close the prompts that had popped up earlier.
The nurse took her temperature and measured her heart rate and checked her head for bumps, all the while keeping a steady stream of conversation flowing between the two of them. Chisame answered as she could. No, she wasn't feeling pain anywhere, nor dizziness. No, she wasn't hungry or actually tired. In between, she answered the so-called protocol questions, expertly inserted. What were her parent's names again? Shuuji and Chise Hasegawa. She was in room 665, wasn't she and sat next to who again? Room 670 actually, and Ayase Yue. What did she think about, say, Social Studies up until now? The Bakumatsu was one big samurai mess, that's what it was, but it did finally open up the way for the greater social changes of the Meiji Restoration.
"Right, everything seems to be just fine with you. Healthy as a horse!" Smiled Shizuna-sensei. "Now, do you remember how you got here, Chisame-kun?"
"No." And didn't that scare Chisame.
"So what's the last thing you remember then? Try to reconstruct it for me, okay?" She prodded gently.
"Well, I had lunch near the World Tree Plaza, I passed by the M.U.'s Anime Club's showing and then went home. Last thing I remember was being on my computer, browsing the net. And then I woke up."
"This was when?"
"Sunday, the... 23rd? Of June. Of 2002." Chisame gave the full answer, guessing the nurse would want it that way.
"And the transition between being in your room and waking up?"
"I…" Chisame struggled for a moment, but she really couldn't recall. "It's not sudden or anything. I remember booting up the power and logging in and I know I opened the browser but I don't… There isn't really a cut-off point. Like… Like falling asleep. I can't tell the exact moment." Maybe she had fallen asleep, who knew. 'And then I wake up in the infirmary of all places? With some sort of power or whatever this game thing is? No, there's something suspicious going on here.'
Shizuna's expression had shifted just slightly as Chisame answered her questions, tensed. On her own bed, Ako looked on, concerned. There was silence. The atmosphere hung heavy over them. But Chisame was not one to hold back when things, serious things, needed to be said.
"Shizuna-sensei. What happened to me?"
The blonde closed her eyes briefly. "Well, the thing is, Chisame-kun, we're not really certain ourselves. First of all..." She took a deep breath and looked her in the eyes. "Today is June the 26th, Chisame-kun."
Wait. What? Chisame was only stunned for the briefest of instants. Her mind instantly calculated the time between her last memories and the newest memories. "I've been asleep for three days." She probably would have swayed or something and then gotten angry, but she could almost feel the disconnect forming. The Gamer's Mind at work. What had happened had happened. Can't change the past. Her fists clenched on top of her thighs. "Why?"
The nurse shook her head. "That's not necessarily true, Chisame-kun. Ako-chan found you passed out in your room this morning. You've been unconscious the whole day. But! That doesn't mean you were unconscious for three days." She added at her patient's growing alarm.
The hacker nodded to herself. She couldn't have been unconscious for three straight days. For one, she wasn't hungry or anything. If a person went three days without moving, eating or drinking… surely they'd be near death. 'On the other hand… my life right now… hasn't it been reduced to a bunch of numbers and statistics?' It terrified Chisame at some deep level, that she could have become somehow less real in a sense, but that damned logical part of her, now more pronounced than ever before, kept thinking that maybe it was the only reason she was still alive. "Right. I'm not in that bad of a state… So I'm just missing a few days of my memory. Amnesia?"
The nurse put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Retrograde amnesia of some sort most likely. Chisame-kun, most people recover their memories fully with time, especially when it's just a few days time of memories. I'm sure you will recover fully from this." She gave a reassuring squeeze but the girl was still thinking about the implications of missing days worth of memories and the stories she had heard about this kind of thing. "Now, I..."
"Wait, how did I even lose my memories?" Chisame interrupted, desperate for answers. "Don't you know what happened?"
At this, Izumi finally spoke up. She was staring at the her legs, fists twisted into the bedsheets. Her voice shook. "Chisame-san's room and… the computer had exploded or something and you weren't moving from the floor. I thought… I thought…" She sounded like she was about to cry.
Shizuna turned to the distraught girl, suddenly caught between two patients who needed her. As she calmed down Izumi, Chisame thought. And the first thing that came out of her mouth might have sounded disconnected to some, incomprehensible to others. But Hasegawa Chisame dismayed. 'Besides, I'm fine, two hundred on two hundred, one hundred percent full HP.'
"My computer got busted? Wh- How?"
"An overcharge, I believe." Answered the nurse, patting down Ako's back. "Originally we thought you might have been electrocuted or hit your head on the floor, but there were no signs of either thing having occurred… So we think it was just the shock that caused you to faint." A brief hesitation. "You were starting to worry me. I was going to call the hospital and intern you if hadn't woken up."
"Oh."
"Nevertheless." Shizuna-sensei adjusted her glasses and patted Ako on the head one last time. "Your parents have entrusted Mahora with your medical care and given permission for us to act as your legal guardian in these situations, since they are in absentia. I'm scheduling a MRI and a few other exams as well as a general consultation for you, tomorrow, at the hospital. You'll be dispensed from class the whole day, alright?"
"Sure." 'So they're not available, hun?' "What now?"
"Well, I'm told your room is still being investigated, but either way I don't want you sleeping unsupervised tonight... Ako-chan, would you call Ayaka-kun so we can make arrangements? Don't run, I don't want you pushing yourself." She got up and rummaged in the drawers of a desk with its files all organized, emerging with a couple of chocolate bars in hand. "Here. Sugar."
Izumi giggled somewhat nervously, somewhat watery, accepting the sugary treat. "Thank you. I'll be right back then, Shizuna-sensei, Ha-Hasegawa-san." And she was off.
Chisame wordlessly accepted the second bar from Shizuna-sensei. She wondered very briefly if she should vaguely ask about seeing things after fainting but decided it was too suspicious. "There's no medication I have to take or anything?"
The adult shook her head. "I don't want to give you anything without knowing just what happened. The doctors at the hospital will probably prescribe something tho. For now just rest, but don't fall asleep."
Chisame let herself fall backwards on the bed. 'What a mess. And to top it all off… My beautiful computer!! Oh God, what if my hard-drive's fried? I've got everything from Chiu there and… And shit, I had my not-really legal stuff there too.' She felt the tears prickle at the corners of her eyes. 'Oh Desktop-chan, you were faithful to me for a long year and a half, customized to hell and back and together… Together, we pulled stunts no simpleton from middle-school would ever have. But they are certainly investigating you now. So I hope you fried and fried yourself good. I'm sorry, but I won't go to prison for you. Don't worry tho, I have Laptop-kun… I hope… He'll help me get through this.' Chisame took a few seconds to mourn.
Besides, she was a Shintoist. 'Kinda.' Everything had spirits and she had positively revered her computer. If anything was to turn into a tsukumogami, it would be her desktop computer.
"Hasegawa-san! You're awake!" An annoying ojou-sama-like voice interrupted her prayers to her precious electronics.
'Of course I'm bloody awake, woman. Are you all blind?' "Yeah. Good…" Chisame trailed off.
<Rich Class Representative>
Lv10 Yukihiro Ayaka
Lv10 Yukihiro Ayaka
The blonde's level was stupidly high. Almost as high as Shizuna-sensei's, except Yukihiro didn't have the excuse of being an adult. But she was a martial artist and a prize-winner horse rider and a top student and who knew what else… So she had the rich and talented Ojou-sama background fairly explored. Really, a level ten wasn't, when one thought about it, that outrageous. Not in the context of class 2-A's ridiculously skilled and exotic population. In the back of her mind, Chisame was suddenly dreading what level Hakase and, say, Ku Fei, might have.
But that hadn't been what had caught her tongue. No. That would be the person accompanying the radiant Yukihiro and the shy Izumi.
<???>
Lv?? Chao Lingshen
The perpetually smiling chinese prodigy waved cheerfully at Chisame.Lv?? Chao Lingshen
"Chao. What."
Now, Chisame had neatly classified Chao as weird. Nearly instantly too, but that was because she came along with all the weird transfers into Mahora. Into their class in particular. But Chao had soon cemented that she really was part of the weirdoes anyway because she was apparently a one of a kind freak prodigy that had the university clubs on their knees to have her. And she was also a sports genius and a great cook and, well... the list went on. Simply put, Chao was too good at everything. Even among geniuses, she was the one who stood apart in her impossibility.
Strange didn't even begin to cover it.
And now this. 'Interrogation marks. It had to be interrogations marks.' It could only mean… Well, it could mean several things. Following game-logic, either Chao was so high-leveled Chisame couldn't see it or she was somehow important and needed her true stats to stay hidden for meta-game purposes… Both were scary possibilities. 'Or, you know, it could just be fucking magic now that we're at it!'
"Ah, I came with the Class Rep, ne. I'm taking care of your computer for now, so I thought you'd want to know, ne?"
For a brief instant, Chisame felt herself pale and her heart speed up. 'Not good! That suspicious Chao has her hands on my things!' But then, perhaps truly usefully for the first time, the Gamer's Mind kicked in. Chisame couldn't show her panic. She had to remain calm and seemingly unworried. So when she spoke, she sounded far more nonchalant than she was. "Yeah… Did you find out what happened yet?"
Chao wiggled a hand in a so-so gesture. "Well, it's pretty clear it was a massive overcharge, but we're not really sure where the electricity came from in the first place, ne. The robot engineering club is helping, so we'll find out. In the meanwhile, I've been salvaging what I could from your computer, since they were done with it and all, ne?"
Yukihiro cleared her throat loudly, halting the discussion in its tracks before it devolved into techno-babble. For all of her eccentricities, Chisame knew the blonde heiress cared and was surprisingly competent. 'Up to the moment where she starts fighting with Kagurazaka or loses herself in lunacy...'
"Right. I'm sure Hasegawa-san will want to hear all about that later, Chao-san. But first we should listen to what Shizuna-sensei has to say." For once the backdrop of roses and sparkles didn't appear. Yukihiro Ayaka was serious.
The nurse was grateful. "Yes. Anyway, regardless of what happened or not, Chisame-kun should not be left unsupervised, especially not until a proper examination has been done. But I can't keep her here all night long, the infirmary wasn't made for it. I would suggest she stays with a classmate, at least for tonight. Ayaka-kun, do you have any ideas?"
Yukihiro brought a hand to her chin, thinking. "Well, first of all, Hasegawa-san can't stay in her own room since it's still… Well." Beside her, Chao shook her head, grimacing. "There are already some rooms full with three… I'd offer my own but with Natsumi-chan and Chizuru-chan, there's just no space for a fourth person. Maybe with you, Ako-san?" She looked at the blue-haired girl inquisitively. "You're the nurse assistant, and it's just Makie-san with you…"
"Well…" The poor girl seemed honestly lost for words. She didn't have to answer, however, because Shizuna intervened.
"Ako-chan has already fainted once today herself. I would rather not risk something happening to either of you when the other would need help." She shook her head.
"Right…" Mumbled Ayaka, visibly crossing it out from her mental list.
"Chisame-chan can room with me, ne?"
Everybody turned to Chao. Ayaka, Shizuna and Ako in amazement, Chisame in growing dread.
"With you?" Blurted out the hacker. "Don't you live with Hakase already?" Implied was the high-maintenance that Hakase had to be as a roommate.
Chao laughed. "Hakase keeps falling asleep at the lab and forgets to come home more often than not, yo. Really, she lives more at the University campus than with me, ne. Plus," The cheerful girl winked at Shizuna-sensei. "I already know the procedures for cases like this too! Chisame-chan will have to be woken up every couple of hours just to be sure, ne? I can do it, yo."
Shizuna nodded but deferred to the Class Representative. "Ayaka-kun?" The girl was the one who knew her classmates the best after all.
"It's a good solution. I agree with Chao." Then she asked Chisame. "Hasegawa-san, are you okay with this?"
'Fuck no!' Chisame was not okay with it. At all. The time when people actually made the sane choice in this school and it had to be making her room with somebody. She valued her privacy. But she could understand. It was the logical thing, for once. Except for Chao Lingshen. Was it just her or had the chinese girl twigged onto her? So she grit her teeth and accepted with the most light-hearted tone she could manage. "Y-yeah. It's just for one night, right?"
[]
Chao and Hakase's room was in a word, cleaner than she had expected. Probably because Hakase filled the mad scientist role so well, just from the little Chisame saw in class and heard rumours about, that she had been expecting, dreading really, something… more. Robot parts everywhere, detailed schemes and eldritch equations scrawled in piles of papers, the secrets of the universe laying around with discarded underwear, exotic vines climbing up the wall, flasks and vials with warning signs along with dirty coffee mugs piling up on the corners.
Her imagination could conjure some pretty graphic scenes. The sad, and infuriating, thing about the situation is that her imagination could also have been spot on without being unreasonable. Except for the part where the entire scenario not being unreasonable was reasonable.
'Only these loons could make it start expecting the craziness. But I'm not gonna fall into that trap. Oh no! They're all crazy and I will always! Always call it!' If she wasn't going nuts herself because apparently the universe hated Chisame enough to not only give her freaking powers, but to kill her precious desktop too. Chao had confirmed, later, that most of it had been either reduced to slag or damaged being recovery. Chao had only managed to salvage bits of it. The speakers were intact and the graphics card would apparently need only minor soldering here and there. 'Thank God, that thing cost me a fortune.' The rest was composed of stray bits and pieces: chips, resistances and wires. And Chao hadn't mentioned her camera and lighting apparatus, so who knew. 'That's at least...' She felt faint, running the numbers. '... over a hundred thousand yen. Most conservative estimate. Yes, definitively on the five zeroes league.'
And because Chisame had bought second-hand whenever she could, she hadn't had insurance. 'Kill me now.'
The good news was that Chisame kept all her cosplay outfits and other physical evidence of Chiu hidden in boxes inside her closet and other corners. Because it had become obvious that sooner or later somebody from 2-A, then called 1-A, would break into her room. The twins or that damned reporter most likely. And if that had been discovered, she would have heard of it already, oh yes she would.
'Still,' She thought as she leaned back in the lower bunk of Chao's room, trying her best not to think about how her investments had gone down the drain. 'I guess Chao's the one who cleans up here. Why couldn't she be a genius at cleaning and organizing?' The dorm room was even sort of homey. There was a trio of bonsai trees near the window, expertly designed, old and new books on the shelves, against the walls, and the pantry was obviously well-stocked. However, what made Chisame feel at home was the desktop computer on the desk. It looked ordinary until you looked at the machine proper. There it became obvious that heavy modifications had been done, and she was sure they were top-notch, drool-worthy ones. 'If these two weren't so weird, I'd love to talk shop with them. But together they built a damned robot and made it attend classes with them!'
Chao emerged from the kitchenette with a plate of her famous nikuman. "Is it comfortable? Hakase doesn't sleep much on it, so it might be a bit hard, ne? Bed not lived in and all that, ne?" Chao who was definitely more than she appeared.
Chao Lingshen
Level ??? - Class: ???
HP: ??/?? - EP: ??/??
Effects: --
"It's fine. It's just one night." Dismissed Chisame.
"Here, yo." She passed the plate to the hacker. "Be sure to eat well. It's important to get nutrients after scares like that, yo. I'll have to wake you up during the night, so it's better to have a full stomach, ne."
Chisame stared at the plate filled with mouth-watering buns. Just the smell was making her hungry. But the cook made her nervous. As low as she could, she muttered. "Analyze."
[Masterwork Nikuman - Uncommon]
A masterfully crafted pork bun. Sold only by the best restaurants. It's delicious.
Heals 30 HP.
… It would be a waste of perfectly good food. Damn, that Chao made some good nikuman.
Later, with the lights off, she heard the Ping!
Quests, quests, quests. Time to give Chisame some quests! Or at least one...
[x] 1 Quest.
-[x] Write-in: Quest and Hint.
[x] 2 Quest.
-[x] Write-in: Quest and Hint.
-[x] Write-in: Quest and Hint.
[x] 3 Quest.
-[x] Write-in: Quest and Hint.
-[x] Write-in: Quest and Hint.
-[x] Write-in: Quest and Hint.
AVAILABLE QUESTS! … might need better names tho.
- Investigate Chao (+10XP, +???, +???) - hint: methods, approaches, clues, encouragement?
- Analyze all of 2-A (+6XP, +???'s trust, +Binoculars) - hint: particular individuals, history, ways of doing it?
- Funding needed for a new PC! (+4XP, +¥5000) - hint: asking for help, jobs, training?
- Get [Skill] (+?XP depending on chosen skill) - hint: how? why? ideas for skill use?
- [Skill Set] Go! (+?XP, +?object depending on chosen skill) - Skill Sets are at least three skills that go together, like ninja skills or rescue skills or certain attack skills. Must be related!
- Something else, yo!
Last edited:
8. Stage 1-3
- Location
- Portugal
- Pronouns
- She/They
8. Stage 1-3
'The... hell...' Weren't those two quests too many? Chisame rubbed her forehead angrily. The quest prompts cast no light of their own but yet glowed, having the unearthly effect of being bright while leaving the rest of the room in darkness. It was really weird, but at least it wouldn't be obvious to anybody watching. 'Alright, let's see what this is all about…'
Objective: Investigate Chao Lingshen
Reward: 10XP, ???, ???
Hint: When using Analyze on a person doesn't get the results you want, using Analyze on their belongings. Even the most seemingly mundane items can tell you a lot about a person.
"What about 'curiosity killed the cat', hun?" Chisame remarked sarcastically then slapped a hand over her mouth. She didn't want to attract Chao's attention so she couldn't afford to be careless.
She glanced at the quest again. 'That Chao, hm...' It was true that she was mysterious. Downright suspicious actually. 'But to have a quest solely about that? It reeks. The hint's even about spying and going through her belongings! Sure it's okay and all that in games but… but should I really? I mean...' She thought about what she had seen of Chao so far. Too good at everything and a little weird but not overly so. It didn't seem worth spying for. On the other hand, the quest offered a bunch of experience and didn't have penalties for failing. It wouldn't do harm to accept it in the end.
And she couldn't forget the interrogation marks. They were tempting. 'But I'm not going to succumb, you bastards!'
Chisame decided to skip choosing for the moment. The next quest was...
Objective: Analyze all of Class 2-A
Reward: 6XP, ???'s trust, [Binoculars]
Hint: Be sure to check the class register; it's a good way to check off which of your classmates you've analyzed and which ones you haven't. After all, every class has at least one student who doesn't stand out in anyone's mind. If you can't find someone, your other classmates can.
More spying. Great.
Well, it was just a matter of using the Analyze skill on all of her classmates. It hadn't looked like the skill would reveal anything too much either from what she'd seen of it. 'Not that I'm one to speak...' In the end, it would really just be a matter of knowing better just how weird things could get in 2-A. Plus, she would get an item and someone's trust. Seemed like an alright deal.
She hit the accept button and watched as that quest blinked away.
Objective: Save up ¥100,000 for a new computer
Reward: 10XP, ¥5,000
Hint: Connections are a great way to get ahead in life. Can you think of someone you know who might help you with a job? Or perhaps even someone with deep pockets and a soft spot for charity? You don't need to get it all in cash, you built it once, you can build it again!
'Whoever or whatever did this to me… Everything is forgiven. Computers hell yeah!'
Chisame had had her prayers answered to. A quest about getting money for her precious, which rewarded her with even more cash and a bunch of exp to boot. And the hints had good ideas too. This was great. No way she was going to refuse.
She hit accept and before her eyes only one last quest was left. 'Well...' She supposed accepting the Chao quest wouldn't hurt either. If Chao really did know or suspect something about this whole gamer thing, she'd know. If she didn't, awesome.And if by some reason it got dangerous, Chisame could just back off. She hit the right button and then snuggled into the pillow to see if she still caught some sleep that night.
"Time to wake up, yo!"
"Fucking Hell. I'm awake already, okay?" Chisame resisted the urge to throw her borrowed pillow at Chao's head. Three in the morning was an ungodly time to be woken up, but that wasn't why she felt like plummeting the genius with feathery death. Most likely because of the Gamer's Body, Chisame was actually pretty awake. "And I'm not in pain or dizzy or anything."
"If you're sure, ne. Good night again, ne."
No. What was driving her up the wall this time was that bloody quest. Chisame was in Chao's room. This was a prime opportunity to find out… whatever she needed to find out about the chinese girl. 'Couldn't the objectives be a little bit more clear on that part?' She didn't think so, otherwise it wouldn't have made sense to actually have the quest in the first place. It still annoyed her.
So Chisame was keeping herself awake for no good reason.
Finally, she sighed and decided she might as well check. "Hey Chao, are you awake?" She whispered.
There was the sound of rustling sheets from above. "Yeah, yo. Is something the matter, Chisame-chan?"
'Tell me all your secrets, tell me now!' Probably not a good idea. So Chisame went with another thing she had in mind. "You own that restaurant, Chao Bao Zi, don't you?"
"That's right, ne! We offer discounts for Nikuman ordered the day before and there's a special menu that's doing its debut next month, ne! That's only a week away and we'll have an eating competition so please come by too, ne!"
"Right, okay, whatever." The hacker dismissed. "What I… Well… Since my PC is busted and all that…"
"Busted is probably an understatement, ne…" Dead and being picked on by carrion was a better description.
"Yeah. So… I… Hm…" She hesitated, wondering out to word it. And hesitated. And stumbled over words again... "Gah! The hell! Why can't I get this out like a normal person!!" Finally Chisame had enough of herself. "What I mean is, frankly, I'm broke. Are you hiring?"
"Eh? W-well…" Chao seemed to pause there. "Not really, ne…"
"I don't want a full-time job or anything. Just, like, a part-time. Washing dishes, serving tables, I can do that. I just need to start getting some funds myself. You don't even need to pay me that much." She really didn't want to go ask her parents for the money.
"Well, I already have all the employees I need, ne. Satsuki, Ku and Chachamaru do everything that needs to be doing, ne."
'Figures.'
"But…" Chao continued. "The business just keeps growing, ne. We've had a lot of publicity with the Festival, so it's not unreasonable to think our client base will grow beyond our ability to serve, ne. It's already a little hectic, yo!" Chisame had been only once to Chao Bao Zi. It had been full but not crowded. If this hadn't been Mahora, she wouldn't believe a student-run restaurant could get more clients than that. But since it was Mahora… "Well, maybe there is something you can do, ne. How about we see how it goes tomorrow?"
"Sounds good to me." Chisame paused. "And… Thanks. Chao."
"It's nothing, yo!"
The next morning came far too fast for Chisame. She barely got to have three hours of sleep before Chao woke her up just before six. The genius practically dragged her out of bed. She was displaying that same manic energy that seemed to permeate 2-A. Chisame was starting to regret asking for a job with her as the boss.
'It's for Desktop-chan, Chisame! Get your head on the game!' She reminded herself.
Chao was having her turn on the cramped shower-bathroom combo that every dorm room had, leaving Chisame alone for the first time ever since Ako had fainted in her arms. She hadn't even gotten to shower alone the night before. You didn't leave the person that had spent hours unconscious bath alone lest she slip or faint and drown. Sensible, but annoying. Only now did she feel like she could finally breathe. She cast her eyes around the room, the clear light from the rising sun just enough to illuminate it. She really, really wanted to get down on her knees and examine that beast of a computer. Instead, surreptitiously, she approached the bookshelf closest to it and started idly running her eyes over the books.
'Of course, I don't recognize a single title... Ah, Sun Tzu, a classic. I know that one, it's on the list of books I have to read during my lifetime. There's a lot of books about science... And some science-fiction.' Chao only had a single novel series on her bookshelf that she could see among all the piles of books, stacked until there wasn't a single empty space that wasn't used to keep writing materials in. There were some scientific journals, but the rest was essentially taken up by books on what Chisame guessed correctly were physics and biology. A bit more worrying were the books on warfare. And strategy, psychology of the masses, history of revolution and so on...
Chisame only quickly passed her eyes over the last row, which apparently had esoteric books and scrolls, before stepping away from the books and closer to the bonsai trio. Two were resting on a raised stand near the ground, another on the windowsill. 'So... What had that quest said? You can learn about a person through their belongings? Yeah... I don't think I'm going to like what's behind those interrogation marks.' She eyed the bonsai trees, suddenly even more suspicious. She checked over shoulder. The genius was still nowhere in sight.
The lowest she could, she subvocalized. "Analyze."
[Small Monterey Cypress Bonsai - Uncommon]
A 10 cm tall, formal upright style bonsai. One can tell it's still a young sapling, growing.
Pleasant to the view.
Nothing out of the ordinary. Maybe Chisame was just being paranoid. She still did it for the other two.
"Analyze. Analyze."
[Medium Chinese Elm Bonsai - Common]
A 24 cm tall, slanting style bonsai. The roots grow over rocks with tenacity.
Contemplates the struggles of life.
[Medium Boxwood Bonsai - Common]
A 22 cm tall, informal upright style bonsai. The trunk curves with the help of wires.
A world in miniature.
Chisame clucked her tongue and checked over her shoulder again. Chao was nowhere in sight. She inched closer to the desk and the computer. She leaned in. That had… the aura of an awesome computer.
"Yo, Chisame-chan!" Chao interrupted.
Chisame nearly jumped out of her own skin. "Y-yeah?"
"Bathroom is free now, ne. I'll prepare breakfast and we'll eat on the way, ne?"
"Sure…"
That Chao. She was not helping with Chisame's nerves, dammit!
Chao parked her bicycle near an upgraded tram car, the words Chao Bao Zi emblazoned on top of it. Chisame dismounted a bit shakily. That had been… fast. A little too fast. She hadn't panicked, the Gamer's Mind instead keeping her mind on the fact that she had a pair of masterwork nikuman with her that could heal a third of her total HP. It was only slightly comforting. Did she still feel pain like normal anyways?
"So… Do you want help… opening up or something?" She asked Chao before starting to bite into her breakfast. "Setting up tables, cleaning counters, anything?"
The chinese genius had the keys to Chao Bao Zi in hand and was opening all a door near the end of the car. "We don't put tables for breakfast outside special days like the Festival and so, ne. But the counters do have to be cleaned and… here we are." With an audible click, the door opened. "And good morning Chachamaru!"
"Good morning, Chao-san, Hasegawa-san." Came a voice from behind Chisame.
She jumped in place, just a little bit. 'It's just the robot, it's just the robot! Fuck, how did she sneak up on me like that?' She threw a half-assed wave over her shoulder. "'Morning… Chachamaru." 'Oh, like that.'
It was, frankly, a ridiculous level. But Chisame was, perhaps not unsurprisingly, not finding it that ridiculous at all. Chachamaru was a robot, it was natural she would be better. How did robots even advance in levels? 'Which brings me to my original question. If I can see Chachamaru's level fifty… Just how great exactly is Chao's?'
"Are you feeling fully recovered, Hasegawa-san?" Inquired Chachamaru.
"I'm fine, really. I probably just fainted from the scare, that's all." Even Chachamaru asked about her. She supposed she should be getting used to it, because 2-A was not a class that would let go of a bone that easily. Chisame had the feeling that for the next couple of days she was going to be hounded repeatedly by concerned classmates. What a pain in the ass. '
"Chisame-chan will be working with us at Chao Bao Zi for a while. Make sure to make her feel welcome, ne." Chao yelled from inside the restaurant.
'Oy! I only said I was going to try it!' Curse that Chao!
"Ah." Chachamaru blinked, apparently perplexed, then bowed deeply. "I look forward to work with you, Chisame-san."
The glasses-wearing girl returned the bow awkwardly. "Ah, please take care of me, Chachamaru-san."
With a rattle, Chao opened the hatch that closed the front of Chao Bao Zi. She beckoned them over. "Satsuki should be arriving any minute now, ne. Come here so that I can show you the place, ne. Chachamaru, open the rest for me, please?" She continued speaking as the two of them approached. "So, there's not much work I can give you right now… You're unqualified work, Chisame-chan, ne. Cooking, manning the register, serving… Those are all things that should be learned first, ne. But cleaning is a work that we leave for everybody to do by themselves, ne. You could fit into that niche!"
Chisame nodded. "That's perfect." She didn't feel confident at all in her chances if they had her serving or, heavens forbid it, cooking. "Who does what by the way?"
"Satsuki cooks, ne. I do too sometimes, but mostly I'm on the register, yo! Sometimes Hakase takes over, when she passes by, ne. Ku serves and Chachamaru does whatever is most needed. Serving and cleaning mostly, yo." She pointed at Chisame. "That'll be your task from now on, ne."
Chao proceeded to show her where everything was inside the restaurant. There were things she should be careful not to touch, like the extruding chair controls… A funny story of how Ku had managed to drop five teachers on their asses, something for another day… Or the kitchen area, over which Yotsuba had control over. The sink was just right next to it, which meant she would be working right in the middle of the tram, her back to the customers. She suddenly realized that working at the Chao Bao Zi would involve a great deal of exposure and dealing with people. 'Remember why you're doing this, Chisame!' The back had supplies and disposable containers for take-away orders, and the dishware was stored under the sink, near the mini-refrigerators.
And they had ten minutes to stock the kitchen, put the dishware in an available place and have the first nikuman out for when the earliest risers would be passing through. Mostly only teachers stopped through to eat properly at Chao Bao Zi, explained Chachamaru, who had put on a maid attire in the thirty seconds Chao had spent pointing out things to Chisame. She passed an apron to Chisame. The restaurant was almost always fully occupied during breakfast time, and those who didn't manage a seat just ordered to take away, which meant the number of sales effectively wasn't reduced at all.
As Chisame was counting chopsticks, Yotsuba Satsuki and Ku Fei arrived. They came together, which made sense, seeing as they were roommates and all. Chisame allowed herself a moment to stare at their levels too.
And for shit and giggles too, because Chisame had definitely not deserved this situation.
Satsuki on the other hand was refreshingly normal. The cook was, probably, the most level-headed person in 2-A. She had normal dreams, normal looks and a relatively normal life. 'Actually, she's one of the few people in our class that doesn't look like she could be an idol with a tiny bit of make-up. There's something wrong with the distribution of appearance points in our class. Where is my Gauss curve, hum?'
A level eight was totally fine. It wasn't like Satsuki's culinary skills didn't deserve it.
The plump girl noticed her and sent a radiant smile her way. "Good morning. It's good to see you in good health again, Chisame-san." And she was, bar none, the kindest, sweetest girl in Mahora.
Chisame allowed herself a smile too. "It's good to be in good health. Thank you, Satsuki-san."
Ku Fei immediately perked up. "Woo! What is Chisame-san doing here, aru! Should be resting, no?" She somersaulted on to one of the tram's chairs and in a stunning example of flexibility leaned all the way into the car and pressed her forehead against the glasses wearing girl. "I heard it was serious, aru! No fever? Sweat? Shakes, aru?"
Chisame's eye twitched. "Am I really going to have to repeat this thirty times? I'm fine. Seriously."
"Ah, really?" Ku Fei settled back down on the chair, cross-legged. "That's good, aru." Then she seemed to notice something. "But, hey! What are you doing here, aru!? Working? Isn't that too much effort!?"
Eye twitch. Mumble. "I'm not made of freaking glass." In a normal tone she explained. "My PC got fried, apparently, and can't pay for a new one just like that. Chao was…" Suspicious."... kind enough to let me try working here for a while." She bowed her head. "Please take good care of me."
Satsuki had taken the opportunity to step into the tram and start changing into the chef's attire. "Of course." But then her kind smile dropped just a bit and she laid a hand on Chisame's arm, coming closer so that only she could hear her words. "Are you really alright?"
Chisame opened her mouth to say yes but stopped. Satsuki's eyes were concerned, about her. Somehow, the words wouldn't come. It would be a lie, wouldn't it? How much of her current behavior was the Gamer's Mind, keeping her calm? Chisame was really alright, and Satsuki could see it. She let her eyes close for a second. "I'll be fine." And for once. "Thanks."
Working at a restaurant was, Chisame quickly discovered, much more stressing than she had imagined. Everything just moved so fast. She barely had any time to think. Beside her, Satsuki cooked, always with a smile and a kind word to the clients. Chao took orders like a pro, always smiling, and Ku Fei packed the take-aways. Chachamaru helped Chisame. There were a lot of tableware and cooking utensils to clean, specially when the booth was always full. From the opening time, at six fifteen, to the closing time one hour and a half later, the booth was always fully occupied. Orders came and went non-stop, a small crowd at the sides of the tram. Chachamaru theorized the unusually high customer base was due to the success of the stall at the Festival. Plus, Satsuki had to switch tools with some speed. The only reason things didn't start cluttering the relatively small tram car was Chachamaru. If there was one thing that robot was good at, it was quick and efficient cleaning. She took care of the chopsticks and bigger, heavier things like the pans and pots.
And, on top of that, her ability had sparked up again, popping blue semi-transparent panels everywhere. Chisame didn't even have time to read them properly.
She had had time to notice some things though. For one, the student population was actually majorly composed of people under level five. The normal-looking ones actually were around level three most of the times. However, adults, who usually were the ones that actually managed a seat to eat, were usually over level ten. Class titles cropped up here and there, and usually said things like Class Representative or So-or So Club Member.
Generally, at least. Nitta-sensei had an amazing level twenty and a class title aptly named Legendary Teacher. She had seen, briefly, a couple of teachers passing by with noth levels and titles shrouded in the same way of Chao's. Interrogation marks. And Takamichi-sensei…
Chisame would never see the seemingly normal cigarette-smoking teacher like before. 'Plus he just had to remind me of my hospital appointment in front of everybody. With the way gossip travels in this school, soon even university students will be stopping by to ask me if I'm alright. Damn it.'
She leaned back against the sink, rinsing her hands on a fluffy towel, and sighed. Keeping her hands constantly immersed in both cold and hot running water, and with soap, was a pain. The one time she had scalded herself on a hot pan, she had even lost some HP. They were wet, soggy and wet. She felt like the wrinkles in her skin were going to be permanent, even with the nasty suspicion in the back of her head that said they would disappear in a couple of minutes.
"So," Asked Chao from the register, closing things up. "Lunch hours start at twelve and finish at one thirty, ne. Will you be here?"
Chisame sighed again. It was a tiring, stressful and inglorious job, but, truth be told, it was the only one she had. And really, it hadn't been that bad. She just needed some acclimatization. "I'm game, but it depends on how much you pay, really."
Chao humed. "A business mind, ne? My rates are 650 yen per hour. That's almost twenty thousand weekly, ne."
Chisame's eyebrows climbed up her forehead. She didn't know how much a dishwasher would usually make, but twenty thousand a week wasn't something to scoff at. A little over a month working at the Chao Bao Zi and she'd have enough. And that was supposing she didn't make more money on the side either. She quickly made the calculations. "That's… Two hundred and fifty, five hundred…"
"Five hours every day, six days a week." Completed Chao. "We're closed on Sunday. An hour and a half at breakfast and lunch and two hours at dinner time."
"I thought you were open the whole afternoon."
"There's no need for everybody during those hours. Satsuki stays while one of us rotates. But rush hour is really busy and a dishwasher would be really helpful to close down for the evening fast."
Chisame nodded. "And I can quit whenever I want?"
The black-haired girl sweatdropped. "I suppose so, ne… That would be mean tho..."
"I'm sure you can find someone to replace me." Snarked Chisame. "In the meanwhile..." Chisame took a deep breath and glanced at the hidden information over Chao's head. Chao was suspicious and potentially dangerous, but it looked like Chisame would be able to make a clean break if she needed to. Neither her curiosity nor the nagging of the quest she'd accepted would allow her to leave the mystery like it was anyway. "I'd like to work with you, yes."
"Great!" Chao beamed. "Welcome to Chao Bao Zi, Chisame-chan!"
Ku Fei jumped out of nowhere to hug the orange-haired girl. "Awesome! Chisame is part of the team, ru!" She bounced up and down while Chisame struggled.
She was saved by Chachamaru, who took note of the hacker's discomfort and pried off the chinese girl. "Indeed, but please don't bother Chisame-san like that." It had taken Chisame's annoyed permission for the robot to stop calling her Hasegawa.
Satsuki just gave her a proud smile.
"Now we really should go or we'll be late, yo."
'And there is the punchline that breaks the heartwarming moment. I was wondering when that would come up.' Chisame hung the apron, her apron now, as everybody else scrambled to close the stall. She stepped off the Chao Bao Zi, ruefully regarding the tongues of students running to school. The common sight was ruined by the fact that everybody had something above their heads. It gnawed at her, this change. She couldn't even ignore it.
Satsuki appeared by her elbow again, the shorter girl looking up at her. "Will you be fine, alone?"
"Yeah."
Chisame expected her to say she could come with them, or an admonishing, or anything, but Satsuki just nodded. "Okay then."
"I just need some time alone." She explained to the cook nevertheless. To think and to understand.
"Okay." Accepted Satsuki without hesitation.
As the three girls and a robot waved their goodbyes to her, the trio crammed into a bicycle and Chachamaru propelling herself on feet mounted rockets, Chisame found her almost normal morning start being destroyed by the weirdness of her classmates again. 'Rocket-books. Seriously Hakase, Chao? Wait!' She suddenly remembered another quest she had on-going.
"Analyze. Analyze. Analyze. Analyze! Damn, out of range." Chachamaru was too far away already. It looked like the Analyze skill was limited by her line of sight. Chisame looked down at the three panels that had sprung amidst all the others that she still hadn't had time to check out.
Chao Lingshen
Level ??? - Class: ???
Sex: Female
HP: ??/?? - EP: ??/??
Effects: --
'The sex is new. Oh wait, I leveled up analyze to level three yesterday. So new levels do reveal more information...' She was going to have to check out her skill window later. 'Nothing new tho.'
Ku Fei
Level 26 - Class: Martial Practitioner
Sex: Female
HP: 5000/5000 - EP: 1500/1500
Effects: --
'That HP and EP… Are ridiculous. No, seriously. The HP is way too big for a human and the EP? Mine goes up with my INT and if the Baka Yellow has that many points in INT I swear I'll eat my hat!' She even had a hat, now. Chisame calmed herself down. Most likely Ku Fei had gotten her EP up through another way. Whatever EP represented. There were more than enough stories and legends about martial artists and the use of inner power like ki or chakra. 'This is starting to look more and more like an anime. Fuck. Me.' Chisame rubbed her temples.
But Satsuki, to her relief, remained normal.
Yotsuba Satsuki
Level 8 - Class: Fabulous Chef
Sex: Female
HP: 300/300 - EP: 500/500
Effects: --
She dismissed those three and turned her attention to those that had sprung up during dishwashing. 'And what the fuck. Really. Dishwashing is a skill?' Upon second-thought, it wasn't really that outrageous. She could now attest first-hand that it required quite a bit more of coordination and planning than she'd ever thought. If Chachamaru hadn't been buffering the worst of it, she might have actually broken some plates or something like that. 'The other thing is that I actually got experience from the whole thing. I know I can increase stats by working out. So working hard can also give SP? That's useful.'
"Alright then," She dismissed the panels. "Skill Window."
[Gamer's Mind]
[Gamer's Body]
[Analyze]
[Dish Washing]
Reveals statistics and weaknesses.
13% increase in washing speed.
"Well, looks like I'll level these up in no time." And Dish Washing was actually rather useful. Passive skills were always active, always giving bonuses and reaping experience without having to being activated. She closed the window and looked up at the blue sky. Now Chisame only had her appointment at the hospital after lunch. The rest of her morning was free to do whatever she wanted. She could go to the infirmary, yes, but she didn't feel like being under worried eyes again. Not after spending the whole afternoon of the day before under constant watch.
Chisame has time! Quests, hints! We can do this! … Though, overwhelming the gamer might be a bad idea, aru.
[x] No Hint!
[x] 1 Freeform hint!: Write-in. Anything. At all. … Not too meta.
[x] No quests!
[x] 1 Quest.
-[x] Write-in: Quest and Hint.
[x] 2 Quest.
-[x] Write-in: Quest and Hint.
-[x] Write-in: Quest and Hint.
[x] 3 Quest.
-[x] Write-in: Quest and Hint.
-[x] Write-in: Quest and Hint.
-[x] Write-in: Quest and Hint.
AVAILABLE QUESTS! … might need better names tho. Also, subject to change. A lot.
- Investigate Chachamaru (+3XP, +Chachamaru's trust, +[Cat Chow], +2[Go Pieces], +[Matcha] | -Chachamaru's trust if failure)
- Investigate the Chinese Martial Arts Society (+2XP, +[Practice 'Gun' Staff])
- Win Chao Bao Zi's Eating Competition! (+15XP, +¥1000, + | -¥100, [Belly Ache] Status if failure)
- Get [Item]? (+?XP depending on items and difficulty | -[Nikuman] if not achieved during morning) - hint: ways and places to get items? uses for item?
- Get [Skill] (+?XP depending on chosen skill) - hint: how? why? ideas for skill use?
- [Skill Set] Go! (+?XP, +?object depending on chosen skill) - Skill Sets are at least three skills that go together, like ninja skills or rescue skills or certain attack skills. Must be related!
- Something else, aru!
Proposed skills?
[Dash] [Disguise] [Stealth] [Craft] [Dungeon Create] [Dungeon Escape] [Programming] [Parkour] [Sprint] [Wall Running] [Calligraphy] [Repair] [Alchemy] [Impersonate] [Illusion] [Energy Bolt] [Energy Shield] [Instant Cosplay] [Outdoor Survival] [Clone] [Replacement] [Surprise Attack] [Acrobatics] [Water Walking] [Tracking] [Pickpocket] [Sprint]
'The... hell...' Weren't those two quests too many? Chisame rubbed her forehead angrily. The quest prompts cast no light of their own but yet glowed, having the unearthly effect of being bright while leaving the rest of the room in darkness. It was really weird, but at least it wouldn't be obvious to anybody watching. 'Alright, let's see what this is all about…'
Know thine classmate
Your (temporary) roommate is a huge ball of mysteries and amazing at everything she puts her hand to. Don't you want to find out what makes her so special? Better make sure you know more about her when she can poke through all your stuff.Objective: Investigate Chao Lingshen
Reward: 10XP, ???, ???
Hint: When using Analyze on a person doesn't get the results you want, using Analyze on their belongings. Even the most seemingly mundane items can tell you a lot about a person.
Accept / Refuse
"What about 'curiosity killed the cat', hun?" Chisame remarked sarcastically then slapped a hand over her mouth. She didn't want to attract Chao's attention so she couldn't afford to be careless.
She glanced at the quest again. 'That Chao, hm...' It was true that she was mysterious. Downright suspicious actually. 'But to have a quest solely about that? It reeks. The hint's even about spying and going through her belongings! Sure it's okay and all that in games but… but should I really? I mean...' She thought about what she had seen of Chao so far. Too good at everything and a little weird but not overly so. It didn't seem worth spying for. On the other hand, the quest offered a bunch of experience and didn't have penalties for failing. It wouldn't do harm to accept it in the end.
And she couldn't forget the interrogation marks. They were tempting. 'But I'm not going to succumb, you bastards!'
Chisame decided to skip choosing for the moment. The next quest was...
I know your secret...
2-A is full of weird people, isn't it? Now you can find out exactly how weird they are. The robot may be just the tip of the iceberg.Objective: Analyze all of Class 2-A
Reward: 6XP, ???'s trust, [Binoculars]
Hint: Be sure to check the class register; it's a good way to check off which of your classmates you've analyzed and which ones you haven't. After all, every class has at least one student who doesn't stand out in anyone's mind. If you can't find someone, your other classmates can.
Accept / Refuse
More spying. Great.
Well, it was just a matter of using the Analyze skill on all of her classmates. It hadn't looked like the skill would reveal anything too much either from what she'd seen of it. 'Not that I'm one to speak...' In the end, it would really just be a matter of knowing better just how weird things could get in 2-A. Plus, she would get an item and someone's trust. Seemed like an alright deal.
She hit the accept button and watched as that quest blinked away.
Will Work for RAM
Desktop-chan is gone but you can rebuild her. You have the technology. You can make her better than she was. Better, stronger, faster. Well as long as you remembered to store backups and can get the cash... you did make backups, didn't you?Objective: Save up ¥100,000 for a new computer
Reward: 10XP, ¥5,000
Hint: Connections are a great way to get ahead in life. Can you think of someone you know who might help you with a job? Or perhaps even someone with deep pockets and a soft spot for charity? You don't need to get it all in cash, you built it once, you can build it again!
Accept / Refuse
'Whoever or whatever did this to me… Everything is forgiven. Computers hell yeah!'
Chisame had had her prayers answered to. A quest about getting money for her precious, which rewarded her with even more cash and a bunch of exp to boot. And the hints had good ideas too. This was great. No way she was going to refuse.
She hit accept and before her eyes only one last quest was left. 'Well...' She supposed accepting the Chao quest wouldn't hurt either. If Chao really did know or suspect something about this whole gamer thing, she'd know. If she didn't, awesome.And if by some reason it got dangerous, Chisame could just back off. She hit the right button and then snuggled into the pillow to see if she still caught some sleep that night.
[]
"Time to wake up, yo!"
"Fucking Hell. I'm awake already, okay?" Chisame resisted the urge to throw her borrowed pillow at Chao's head. Three in the morning was an ungodly time to be woken up, but that wasn't why she felt like plummeting the genius with feathery death. Most likely because of the Gamer's Body, Chisame was actually pretty awake. "And I'm not in pain or dizzy or anything."
"If you're sure, ne. Good night again, ne."
No. What was driving her up the wall this time was that bloody quest. Chisame was in Chao's room. This was a prime opportunity to find out… whatever she needed to find out about the chinese girl. 'Couldn't the objectives be a little bit more clear on that part?' She didn't think so, otherwise it wouldn't have made sense to actually have the quest in the first place. It still annoyed her.
So Chisame was keeping herself awake for no good reason.
Finally, she sighed and decided she might as well check. "Hey Chao, are you awake?" She whispered.
There was the sound of rustling sheets from above. "Yeah, yo. Is something the matter, Chisame-chan?"
'Tell me all your secrets, tell me now!' Probably not a good idea. So Chisame went with another thing she had in mind. "You own that restaurant, Chao Bao Zi, don't you?"
"That's right, ne! We offer discounts for Nikuman ordered the day before and there's a special menu that's doing its debut next month, ne! That's only a week away and we'll have an eating competition so please come by too, ne!"
"Right, okay, whatever." The hacker dismissed. "What I… Well… Since my PC is busted and all that…"
"Busted is probably an understatement, ne…" Dead and being picked on by carrion was a better description.
"Yeah. So… I… Hm…" She hesitated, wondering out to word it. And hesitated. And stumbled over words again... "Gah! The hell! Why can't I get this out like a normal person!!" Finally Chisame had enough of herself. "What I mean is, frankly, I'm broke. Are you hiring?"
"Eh? W-well…" Chao seemed to pause there. "Not really, ne…"
"I don't want a full-time job or anything. Just, like, a part-time. Washing dishes, serving tables, I can do that. I just need to start getting some funds myself. You don't even need to pay me that much." She really didn't want to go ask her parents for the money.
"Well, I already have all the employees I need, ne. Satsuki, Ku and Chachamaru do everything that needs to be doing, ne."
'Figures.'
"But…" Chao continued. "The business just keeps growing, ne. We've had a lot of publicity with the Festival, so it's not unreasonable to think our client base will grow beyond our ability to serve, ne. It's already a little hectic, yo!" Chisame had been only once to Chao Bao Zi. It had been full but not crowded. If this hadn't been Mahora, she wouldn't believe a student-run restaurant could get more clients than that. But since it was Mahora… "Well, maybe there is something you can do, ne. How about we see how it goes tomorrow?"
"Sounds good to me." Chisame paused. "And… Thanks. Chao."
"It's nothing, yo!"
[]
The next morning came far too fast for Chisame. She barely got to have three hours of sleep before Chao woke her up just before six. The genius practically dragged her out of bed. She was displaying that same manic energy that seemed to permeate 2-A. Chisame was starting to regret asking for a job with her as the boss.
'It's for Desktop-chan, Chisame! Get your head on the game!' She reminded herself.
Chao was having her turn on the cramped shower-bathroom combo that every dorm room had, leaving Chisame alone for the first time ever since Ako had fainted in her arms. She hadn't even gotten to shower alone the night before. You didn't leave the person that had spent hours unconscious bath alone lest she slip or faint and drown. Sensible, but annoying. Only now did she feel like she could finally breathe. She cast her eyes around the room, the clear light from the rising sun just enough to illuminate it. She really, really wanted to get down on her knees and examine that beast of a computer. Instead, surreptitiously, she approached the bookshelf closest to it and started idly running her eyes over the books.
'Of course, I don't recognize a single title... Ah, Sun Tzu, a classic. I know that one, it's on the list of books I have to read during my lifetime. There's a lot of books about science... And some science-fiction.' Chao only had a single novel series on her bookshelf that she could see among all the piles of books, stacked until there wasn't a single empty space that wasn't used to keep writing materials in. There were some scientific journals, but the rest was essentially taken up by books on what Chisame guessed correctly were physics and biology. A bit more worrying were the books on warfare. And strategy, psychology of the masses, history of revolution and so on...
Chisame only quickly passed her eyes over the last row, which apparently had esoteric books and scrolls, before stepping away from the books and closer to the bonsai trio. Two were resting on a raised stand near the ground, another on the windowsill. 'So... What had that quest said? You can learn about a person through their belongings? Yeah... I don't think I'm going to like what's behind those interrogation marks.' She eyed the bonsai trees, suddenly even more suspicious. She checked over shoulder. The genius was still nowhere in sight.
The lowest she could, she subvocalized. "Analyze."
[Small Monterey Cypress Bonsai - Uncommon]
A 10 cm tall, formal upright style bonsai. One can tell it's still a young sapling, growing.
Pleasant to the view.
Nothing out of the ordinary. Maybe Chisame was just being paranoid. She still did it for the other two.
"Analyze. Analyze."
[Medium Chinese Elm Bonsai - Common]
A 24 cm tall, slanting style bonsai. The roots grow over rocks with tenacity.
Contemplates the struggles of life.
[Medium Boxwood Bonsai - Common]
A 22 cm tall, informal upright style bonsai. The trunk curves with the help of wires.
A world in miniature.
Chisame clucked her tongue and checked over her shoulder again. Chao was nowhere in sight. She inched closer to the desk and the computer. She leaned in. That had… the aura of an awesome computer.
"Yo, Chisame-chan!" Chao interrupted.
Chisame nearly jumped out of her own skin. "Y-yeah?"
"Bathroom is free now, ne. I'll prepare breakfast and we'll eat on the way, ne?"
"Sure…"
That Chao. She was not helping with Chisame's nerves, dammit!
[]
Chao parked her bicycle near an upgraded tram car, the words Chao Bao Zi emblazoned on top of it. Chisame dismounted a bit shakily. That had been… fast. A little too fast. She hadn't panicked, the Gamer's Mind instead keeping her mind on the fact that she had a pair of masterwork nikuman with her that could heal a third of her total HP. It was only slightly comforting. Did she still feel pain like normal anyways?
"So… Do you want help… opening up or something?" She asked Chao before starting to bite into her breakfast. "Setting up tables, cleaning counters, anything?"
The chinese genius had the keys to Chao Bao Zi in hand and was opening all a door near the end of the car. "We don't put tables for breakfast outside special days like the Festival and so, ne. But the counters do have to be cleaned and… here we are." With an audible click, the door opened. "And good morning Chachamaru!"
"Good morning, Chao-san, Hasegawa-san." Came a voice from behind Chisame.
She jumped in place, just a little bit. 'It's just the robot, it's just the robot! Fuck, how did she sneak up on me like that?' She threw a half-assed wave over her shoulder. "'Morning… Chachamaru." 'Oh, like that.'
<Dreaming Doll>
Lv50 Karakuri Chachamaru
Lv50 Karakuri Chachamaru
It was, frankly, a ridiculous level. But Chisame was, perhaps not unsurprisingly, not finding it that ridiculous at all. Chachamaru was a robot, it was natural she would be better. How did robots even advance in levels? 'Which brings me to my original question. If I can see Chachamaru's level fifty… Just how great exactly is Chao's?'
"Are you feeling fully recovered, Hasegawa-san?" Inquired Chachamaru.
"I'm fine, really. I probably just fainted from the scare, that's all." Even Chachamaru asked about her. She supposed she should be getting used to it, because 2-A was not a class that would let go of a bone that easily. Chisame had the feeling that for the next couple of days she was going to be hounded repeatedly by concerned classmates. What a pain in the ass. '
"Chisame-chan will be working with us at Chao Bao Zi for a while. Make sure to make her feel welcome, ne." Chao yelled from inside the restaurant.
'Oy! I only said I was going to try it!' Curse that Chao!
"Ah." Chachamaru blinked, apparently perplexed, then bowed deeply. "I look forward to work with you, Chisame-san."
The glasses-wearing girl returned the bow awkwardly. "Ah, please take care of me, Chachamaru-san."
With a rattle, Chao opened the hatch that closed the front of Chao Bao Zi. She beckoned them over. "Satsuki should be arriving any minute now, ne. Come here so that I can show you the place, ne. Chachamaru, open the rest for me, please?" She continued speaking as the two of them approached. "So, there's not much work I can give you right now… You're unqualified work, Chisame-chan, ne. Cooking, manning the register, serving… Those are all things that should be learned first, ne. But cleaning is a work that we leave for everybody to do by themselves, ne. You could fit into that niche!"
Chisame nodded. "That's perfect." She didn't feel confident at all in her chances if they had her serving or, heavens forbid it, cooking. "Who does what by the way?"
"Satsuki cooks, ne. I do too sometimes, but mostly I'm on the register, yo! Sometimes Hakase takes over, when she passes by, ne. Ku serves and Chachamaru does whatever is most needed. Serving and cleaning mostly, yo." She pointed at Chisame. "That'll be your task from now on, ne."
Chao proceeded to show her where everything was inside the restaurant. There were things she should be careful not to touch, like the extruding chair controls… A funny story of how Ku had managed to drop five teachers on their asses, something for another day… Or the kitchen area, over which Yotsuba had control over. The sink was just right next to it, which meant she would be working right in the middle of the tram, her back to the customers. She suddenly realized that working at the Chao Bao Zi would involve a great deal of exposure and dealing with people. 'Remember why you're doing this, Chisame!' The back had supplies and disposable containers for take-away orders, and the dishware was stored under the sink, near the mini-refrigerators.
And they had ten minutes to stock the kitchen, put the dishware in an available place and have the first nikuman out for when the earliest risers would be passing through. Mostly only teachers stopped through to eat properly at Chao Bao Zi, explained Chachamaru, who had put on a maid attire in the thirty seconds Chao had spent pointing out things to Chisame. She passed an apron to Chisame. The restaurant was almost always fully occupied during breakfast time, and those who didn't manage a seat just ordered to take away, which meant the number of sales effectively wasn't reduced at all.
As Chisame was counting chopsticks, Yotsuba Satsuki and Ku Fei arrived. They came together, which made sense, seeing as they were roommates and all. Chisame allowed herself a moment to stare at their levels too.
<Martial Practitioner>
Lv26 Ku Fei
'That's one heck of a title. Am I secretly in a martial arts manga or something?' Chiasme had already been dreading what kind of level the chinese girl would have. She was part of the Chinese Martial Arts Society after all. Chisame wasn't quite sure, not really being a follower of gossip, but maybe she was even their president or vice-president. However, Chachamaru's outrageous level fifty had shaken those silly fears right out of her head. Who cared about the next Bruce Lee when a potential Terminator walked among mere mortals? And a James Bond too, by the way. 'I wonder… Do the levels mean Chachamaru is roughly twice as strong as Ku Fei?' She doubted it, because life wasn't that linear and simple, but who knew? It wasn't like life hadn't decided to give Chisame a health bar, a level and a bunch of blue-coloured, floating, two-dimensional panels that only she could see.Lv26 Ku Fei
And for shit and giggles too, because Chisame had definitely not deserved this situation.
<Fabulous Chef>
Lv8 Yotsuba Satsuki
Lv8 Yotsuba Satsuki
Satsuki on the other hand was refreshingly normal. The cook was, probably, the most level-headed person in 2-A. She had normal dreams, normal looks and a relatively normal life. 'Actually, she's one of the few people in our class that doesn't look like she could be an idol with a tiny bit of make-up. There's something wrong with the distribution of appearance points in our class. Where is my Gauss curve, hum?'
A level eight was totally fine. It wasn't like Satsuki's culinary skills didn't deserve it.
The plump girl noticed her and sent a radiant smile her way. "Good morning. It's good to see you in good health again, Chisame-san." And she was, bar none, the kindest, sweetest girl in Mahora.
Chisame allowed herself a smile too. "It's good to be in good health. Thank you, Satsuki-san."
Ku Fei immediately perked up. "Woo! What is Chisame-san doing here, aru! Should be resting, no?" She somersaulted on to one of the tram's chairs and in a stunning example of flexibility leaned all the way into the car and pressed her forehead against the glasses wearing girl. "I heard it was serious, aru! No fever? Sweat? Shakes, aru?"
Chisame's eye twitched. "Am I really going to have to repeat this thirty times? I'm fine. Seriously."
"Ah, really?" Ku Fei settled back down on the chair, cross-legged. "That's good, aru." Then she seemed to notice something. "But, hey! What are you doing here, aru!? Working? Isn't that too much effort!?"
Eye twitch. Mumble. "I'm not made of freaking glass." In a normal tone she explained. "My PC got fried, apparently, and can't pay for a new one just like that. Chao was…" Suspicious."... kind enough to let me try working here for a while." She bowed her head. "Please take good care of me."
Satsuki had taken the opportunity to step into the tram and start changing into the chef's attire. "Of course." But then her kind smile dropped just a bit and she laid a hand on Chisame's arm, coming closer so that only she could hear her words. "Are you really alright?"
Chisame opened her mouth to say yes but stopped. Satsuki's eyes were concerned, about her. Somehow, the words wouldn't come. It would be a lie, wouldn't it? How much of her current behavior was the Gamer's Mind, keeping her calm? Chisame was really alright, and Satsuki could see it. She let her eyes close for a second. "I'll be fine." And for once. "Thanks."
[]
Working at a restaurant was, Chisame quickly discovered, much more stressing than she had imagined. Everything just moved so fast. She barely had any time to think. Beside her, Satsuki cooked, always with a smile and a kind word to the clients. Chao took orders like a pro, always smiling, and Ku Fei packed the take-aways. Chachamaru helped Chisame. There were a lot of tableware and cooking utensils to clean, specially when the booth was always full. From the opening time, at six fifteen, to the closing time one hour and a half later, the booth was always fully occupied. Orders came and went non-stop, a small crowd at the sides of the tram. Chachamaru theorized the unusually high customer base was due to the success of the stall at the Festival. Plus, Satsuki had to switch tools with some speed. The only reason things didn't start cluttering the relatively small tram car was Chachamaru. If there was one thing that robot was good at, it was quick and efficient cleaning. She took care of the chopsticks and bigger, heavier things like the pans and pots.
And, on top of that, her ability had sparked up again, popping blue semi-transparent panels everywhere. Chisame didn't even have time to read them properly.
A skill has been created through a special act.
A skill to wash tableware and cutlery, [Dish Washing], has been created.
[Dish Washing (Passive) Lv1 2%XP]
A skill to wash tableware and cutlery, [Dish Washing], has been created.
[Dish Washing (Passive) Lv1 2%XP]
Cleaning skill. Applies to all kinds of tableware, cutlery and cooking tools, permitting the removal of even the most persistent dirt. Fundamental at any sort of hospitality service.
5% increase in washing speed.
5% increase in washing speed.
+ 1 XP
Mastery of the skill [Dish Washing] has increased.
+ 1 XP
All that she could think of was: 'Why the hell is this even a skill!?' She couldn't even start dismissing them without having read them properly.Mastery of the skill [Dish Washing] has increased.
+ 1 XP
She had had time to notice some things though. For one, the student population was actually majorly composed of people under level five. The normal-looking ones actually were around level three most of the times. However, adults, who usually were the ones that actually managed a seat to eat, were usually over level ten. Class titles cropped up here and there, and usually said things like Class Representative or So-or So Club Member.
Generally, at least. Nitta-sensei had an amazing level twenty and a class title aptly named Legendary Teacher. She had seen, briefly, a couple of teachers passing by with noth levels and titles shrouded in the same way of Chao's. Interrogation marks. And Takamichi-sensei…
<Death Glasses>
Lv?? Takamichi Takahata
Lv?? Takamichi Takahata
Chisame would never see the seemingly normal cigarette-smoking teacher like before. 'Plus he just had to remind me of my hospital appointment in front of everybody. With the way gossip travels in this school, soon even university students will be stopping by to ask me if I'm alright. Damn it.'
She leaned back against the sink, rinsing her hands on a fluffy towel, and sighed. Keeping her hands constantly immersed in both cold and hot running water, and with soap, was a pain. The one time she had scalded herself on a hot pan, she had even lost some HP. They were wet, soggy and wet. She felt like the wrinkles in her skin were going to be permanent, even with the nasty suspicion in the back of her head that said they would disappear in a couple of minutes.
"So," Asked Chao from the register, closing things up. "Lunch hours start at twelve and finish at one thirty, ne. Will you be here?"
Chisame sighed again. It was a tiring, stressful and inglorious job, but, truth be told, it was the only one she had. And really, it hadn't been that bad. She just needed some acclimatization. "I'm game, but it depends on how much you pay, really."
Chao humed. "A business mind, ne? My rates are 650 yen per hour. That's almost twenty thousand weekly, ne."
Chisame's eyebrows climbed up her forehead. She didn't know how much a dishwasher would usually make, but twenty thousand a week wasn't something to scoff at. A little over a month working at the Chao Bao Zi and she'd have enough. And that was supposing she didn't make more money on the side either. She quickly made the calculations. "That's… Two hundred and fifty, five hundred…"
"Five hours every day, six days a week." Completed Chao. "We're closed on Sunday. An hour and a half at breakfast and lunch and two hours at dinner time."
"I thought you were open the whole afternoon."
"There's no need for everybody during those hours. Satsuki stays while one of us rotates. But rush hour is really busy and a dishwasher would be really helpful to close down for the evening fast."
Chisame nodded. "And I can quit whenever I want?"
The black-haired girl sweatdropped. "I suppose so, ne… That would be mean tho..."
"I'm sure you can find someone to replace me." Snarked Chisame. "In the meanwhile..." Chisame took a deep breath and glanced at the hidden information over Chao's head. Chao was suspicious and potentially dangerous, but it looked like Chisame would be able to make a clean break if she needed to. Neither her curiosity nor the nagging of the quest she'd accepted would allow her to leave the mystery like it was anyway. "I'd like to work with you, yes."
"Great!" Chao beamed. "Welcome to Chao Bao Zi, Chisame-chan!"
Ku Fei jumped out of nowhere to hug the orange-haired girl. "Awesome! Chisame is part of the team, ru!" She bounced up and down while Chisame struggled.
She was saved by Chachamaru, who took note of the hacker's discomfort and pried off the chinese girl. "Indeed, but please don't bother Chisame-san like that." It had taken Chisame's annoyed permission for the robot to stop calling her Hasegawa.
Satsuki just gave her a proud smile.
"Now we really should go or we'll be late, yo."
'And there is the punchline that breaks the heartwarming moment. I was wondering when that would come up.' Chisame hung the apron, her apron now, as everybody else scrambled to close the stall. She stepped off the Chao Bao Zi, ruefully regarding the tongues of students running to school. The common sight was ruined by the fact that everybody had something above their heads. It gnawed at her, this change. She couldn't even ignore it.
Satsuki appeared by her elbow again, the shorter girl looking up at her. "Will you be fine, alone?"
"Yeah."
Chisame expected her to say she could come with them, or an admonishing, or anything, but Satsuki just nodded. "Okay then."
"I just need some time alone." She explained to the cook nevertheless. To think and to understand.
"Okay." Accepted Satsuki without hesitation.
As the three girls and a robot waved their goodbyes to her, the trio crammed into a bicycle and Chachamaru propelling herself on feet mounted rockets, Chisame found her almost normal morning start being destroyed by the weirdness of her classmates again. 'Rocket-books. Seriously Hakase, Chao? Wait!' She suddenly remembered another quest she had on-going.
"Analyze. Analyze. Analyze. Analyze! Damn, out of range." Chachamaru was too far away already. It looked like the Analyze skill was limited by her line of sight. Chisame looked down at the three panels that had sprung amidst all the others that she still hadn't had time to check out.
Chao Lingshen
Level ??? - Class: ???
Sex: Female
HP: ??/?? - EP: ??/??
Effects: --
'The sex is new. Oh wait, I leveled up analyze to level three yesterday. So new levels do reveal more information...' She was going to have to check out her skill window later. 'Nothing new tho.'
Ku Fei
Level 26 - Class: Martial Practitioner
Sex: Female
HP: 5000/5000 - EP: 1500/1500
Effects: --
'That HP and EP… Are ridiculous. No, seriously. The HP is way too big for a human and the EP? Mine goes up with my INT and if the Baka Yellow has that many points in INT I swear I'll eat my hat!' She even had a hat, now. Chisame calmed herself down. Most likely Ku Fei had gotten her EP up through another way. Whatever EP represented. There were more than enough stories and legends about martial artists and the use of inner power like ki or chakra. 'This is starting to look more and more like an anime. Fuck. Me.' Chisame rubbed her temples.
But Satsuki, to her relief, remained normal.
Yotsuba Satsuki
Level 8 - Class: Fabulous Chef
Sex: Female
HP: 300/300 - EP: 500/500
Effects: --
She dismissed those three and turned her attention to those that had sprung up during dishwashing. 'And what the fuck. Really. Dishwashing is a skill?' Upon second-thought, it wasn't really that outrageous. She could now attest first-hand that it required quite a bit more of coordination and planning than she'd ever thought. If Chachamaru hadn't been buffering the worst of it, she might have actually broken some plates or something like that. 'The other thing is that I actually got experience from the whole thing. I know I can increase stats by working out. So working hard can also give SP? That's useful.'
"Alright then," She dismissed the panels. "Skill Window."
[Gamer's Mind]
[Gamer's Body]
[Analyze]
[Dish Washing]
[Analyze (Active) Lv3 56%XP]
Skill to observe and understand your surroundings, revealing extra information. The ability that made mankind what it is today.Reveals statistics and weaknesses.
[Dish Washing (Passive) Lv2 44%XP]
Cleaning skill. Applies to all kinds of tableware, cutlery and cooking tools, permitting the removal of even the most persistent dirt. Fundamental at any sort of hospitality service.13% increase in washing speed.
"Well, looks like I'll level these up in no time." And Dish Washing was actually rather useful. Passive skills were always active, always giving bonuses and reaping experience without having to being activated. She closed the window and looked up at the blue sky. Now Chisame only had her appointment at the hospital after lunch. The rest of her morning was free to do whatever she wanted. She could go to the infirmary, yes, but she didn't feel like being under worried eyes again. Not after spending the whole afternoon of the day before under constant watch.
Chisame has time! Quests, hints! We can do this! … Though, overwhelming the gamer might be a bad idea, aru.
[x] No Hint!
[x] 1 Freeform hint!: Write-in. Anything. At all. … Not too meta.
[x] No quests!
[x] 1 Quest.
-[x] Write-in: Quest and Hint.
[x] 2 Quest.
-[x] Write-in: Quest and Hint.
-[x] Write-in: Quest and Hint.
[x] 3 Quest.
-[x] Write-in: Quest and Hint.
-[x] Write-in: Quest and Hint.
-[x] Write-in: Quest and Hint.
AVAILABLE QUESTS! … might need better names tho. Also, subject to change. A lot.
- Investigate Chachamaru (+3XP, +Chachamaru's trust, +[Cat Chow], +2[Go Pieces], +[Matcha] | -Chachamaru's trust if failure)
- Investigate the Chinese Martial Arts Society (+2XP, +[Practice 'Gun' Staff])
- Win Chao Bao Zi's Eating Competition! (+15XP, +¥1000, + | -¥100, [Belly Ache] Status if failure)
- Get [Item]? (+?XP depending on items and difficulty | -[Nikuman] if not achieved during morning) - hint: ways and places to get items? uses for item?
- Get [Skill] (+?XP depending on chosen skill) - hint: how? why? ideas for skill use?
- [Skill Set] Go! (+?XP, +?object depending on chosen skill) - Skill Sets are at least three skills that go together, like ninja skills or rescue skills or certain attack skills. Must be related!
- Something else, aru!
Proposed skills?
[Dash] [Disguise] [Stealth] [Craft] [Dungeon Create] [Dungeon Escape] [Programming] [Parkour] [Sprint] [Wall Running] [Calligraphy] [Repair] [Alchemy] [Impersonate] [Illusion] [Energy Bolt] [Energy Shield] [Instant Cosplay] [Outdoor Survival] [Clone] [Replacement] [Surprise Attack] [Acrobatics] [Water Walking] [Tracking] [Pickpocket] [Sprint]
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