It's LIke XCOM, But With More Sparkles -- Henshin Heroes & Heroines HQ Quest!

VOTING IS NOW CLOSED.

Final Tallies

Gunleon
Attack (Villain) 5
Guard (Fenrir) 2
Special 1

Kekkai-Chan
Attack (Villain) 1
Guard (Strike Team) 4
Special 3

Strike Team
Engage 3
Rescue 4
Support 1

Shineon
Guard (Obakemaru) 2
Move 2
Remove Devices 4

Obakemaru
Move 2
Remove Devices 6

Pleiades
Move 8

Post will be up later.
 
Chapter 1: Turn 9 - Combat 3 (End 1)
Kekkai-Chan – Guard Strike Team – 2, 1 = 3 (FAIL)

Kekkai-Chan tries to interpose her body between Grandeur's forces and the Strike Team. Which is hilarious, considering she's a tiny teenager trying to shield a large group. I guess it's the thought that counts?

(Nothing Happens)
(+1 EXP to Kekkai-Chan)




Strike Team – Rescue Fenrir

Noticing Fenrir's current status, the Strike Team quickly move to evac Fenrir from the battlefield. The werewolf growls at them, but they quickly move him out.

(Fenrir has left the Incident)



Gunleon – Attack Villain – 5, 6, 5, +1 = 11 (PURE SUCCESS)

Grandeur seems to ready himself to attack Fenrir and finish him off when a loud shout interrupts him.

"Hey! Fancy-pants!"

There's the click of a hammer as Grandeur turns to see Gunleon aiming both pistols at him.

"Dodge this!"

There's a series of hollow booms as Gunleon opens fire. The first shot misses Grandeur's position, but the second one hits home, knocking Grandeur out of his displacement and sending him spinning right into the third and fourth shots. Sparks spray in all directions as Grandeur falls to the ground, writhing in pain.

(3 Damage to Grandeur.)
(SUB OBJECTIVE CLEAR!)


LOCATION 2


Shineon – Remove Devices – 4, 5 = 9 (FLAWED SUCCESS)


With the Gentles out of the way, Shineon quickly moves to assist Obakemaru, pulling people off of him and yanking the control devices free from their moorings.

(1 "Damage" to Minions)


Obakemaru – Remove Devices – 5, 3 = 8 (FLAWED SUCCESS)

With Shineon's assistance, Obakemaru helps clean up the last few controlled civilians.

(1 "Damage" to Minions.)
(Civilians Subdued)
(OBJECTIVE 2 CLEAR!)
(SUB OBJECTIVE CLEAR!)




* * *​

Gunleon approaches Grandeur slowly, a pistol kept aimed at the psychic as the Strike Team finishes off the straggling psychic minions, who are neutralized easily with their master defeated.

"Well…" Grandeur croaks, "well played, petit soldat. I have been thoroughly beaten, don't you agree?"

"How about you shut the hell up?" Gunleon set a foot on top of Grandeur's chest, holding him in place where he lay.

Grandeur winced and tilted his head to the side. "Ugh. So gauche. Do you think I fear death? Tu ne peux pas me tuer de quelque manière que ce soit qui compte, petit soldat."

"Fuck, just stop talking already."

"As you wish." He turned his head further. Gunleon turned to follow his gaze, then froze as he saw Kekkai-Chan limping over towards Pleiades.

"She is fragile, non? Another push would-"

"Don't you fucking dare, you son of-"

"Oh?" Grandeur grinned as a yellow glow began to leak from his mask, "and how do you plan to stop me, he-"

* * *

Negative Trait: Aggressive

* * *​

BOOM.

Grandeur's body shook as the blast hit. A crimson flower bloomed and spread across Grandeur's white jacket, filling around Gunleon's boot. Grandeur's voice came in a whispered "Hahhh… ça n'a pas…" before he let out a soft, gurgled sigh and went limp.

Gunleon stood there. His pistol rattled slightly in his grip. The Strike Team members glanced at each other as Gunleon stepped backwards, his armor dissolving into glowing hexagons of light. His face was pale and his chest was heaving. A couple of the Strike Team members move in to try to comfort him, but he pushes them aside and walks off.


* * *

MISSION COMPLETE!
RESULTS

OBJECTIVE: Save Maya Tanaka
All Heroes Gain +2 EXP
(* Touma Level Up! Gain Ability: Burning Mode *)

OBJECTIVE: Rescue All Civilians
All Heroes Gain +2 EXP
(* Hikaru Level Up! Remove Anxious Trait! *)
(* Naoko Level Up! Gain Ability: Multi-Barrier! *)
(* Jin Level Up! Gain Trait: Infiltrator! *)
Unlocked Investigation Topic: The Glorious Path
Unlocked Sector VI Research: Psychic Control Devices


SUB OBJECTIVES:

1) Save the Civilians WITHOUT HARMING THEM – COMPLETE
+1 Favor

2) Defeat Grandeur – COMPLETE
All Heroes Gain +1 EXP
(* Subaru Level Up! Trait Upgrade: Knows (Security+)! *)
(* Yukimura Level Up! Gain Ability: Unnatural Recovery! *)
Unlocked Sector III Research: Flash Cane

* * *

Debrief will be up later.
 
*Phew*
On the one hand, we managed to clear all the objectives and got some new leads, not to mention all the Level-ups!
On the other hand... there's gonna be some backlash from Gunleon's actions, and I hope we can handle it.
 
Wow, those are a LOT of level ups! Here's the details for anyone who's curious but doesn't want to check the Codex.

Touma gains the ability "Burning Mode (Action): Switches to Gunleon Burning. Exchanges the GUNSLINGER and TOUGH Traits for BLAST (FIRE) and AURA. "
"-(FIRE) - Attack may ignite the target. Pure Success inflicts 1 Damage each subsequent turn."
"AURA - Hero generates a damaging aura. Deals 1 Damage to the first enemy that attacks them that round. "

Hikaru loses the trait Anxious-"Continuously nervous and anxiety-prone. -1 to all rolls when stressed."
Naoko gets the ability "Multi Barrier (Passive): Kekkai-Chan can create Defensive Barriers around (Level/3, Round Down) additional targets. Each additional Barrier costs 1 Stress. "
Jin gets the trait Infiltrator - "Character is well-versed at intrusion and scouting."
Yukimura gains the ability "Unnatural Recovery (Passive): Yukimura recovers 1 HP each Base Turn. "

Touma's Burning Mode matches Yukimura's Savage Fury for usefulness on the offense. We really need to train Naoko and hopefully get rid of Untrained to benefit from her abilities, though all of the Stress incurred means that we can't use them too often anyway. With how much the therapist has on her plate, Yukimura's ability is much appreciated.

Of the research and investigation topics, the only one that seems somewhat urgent to me is The Glorious Path. I'm guessing that's the one which tells us who these enemies were because I'm still a bit confused on that point. I'm not sure what the Flash Cane does exactly (maybe illusions?), but I'd prioritize the stasis pods over it. I only want to research the Psychic Control Devices if that leads to a way to stop or jam them, but HEALing, THERAPY, and Therianthropy come first so that might take a while.
 
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...Grandeur you may think you're classy but you're probably just going to be 'that jerk' in the grand scheme of things.
Anyhoo, Kekkai's gonna need some vacation time, especially if she figures out that Gunleon shot the villian to protect her.
 
...Dang. On the one hand, we accomplished every objective without loosing anyone, but on the other hand we took some heavy damage. And that negative trait trigger really, really sucks.
 
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...Dang. On the one hand, we accomplished every objective without loosing anyone, but on the other hand we took some heavy damage. And that negative trait trigger really, really sucks.
Personally part of me is thinking that we should start considering not just throwing ALL our heroes whenever we can. I mean, it seems like we don't TRULY have the power to leave people behind if for no other reason then the dice just are not kind enough...
But I'm wondering if it's a matter of doing research actions until we actually start to get some serious gear based power-ups.
 
Here's a table to show the status of anyone currently INJURED and/or STRESSED at the end of each future turn, up to the maximum of 6 turns for the next Incident. The status is what we would be dealing with if an Incident occurred at the end of the turn, which means that no STRESS or INJURY was removed during the turn without costing an action. Also, this is only based on the current information. It wouldn't surprise me Touma and/or Naoko gain STRESS, depending on our votes during the debrief.

Ok, it turns out I can't add words after the table. I probably should have had an extra line below. Well, I REALLY hope that we go at least 2 full turns without another Incident to let everyone recover a bit. Fenrir is the most in need of help with Naoko coming second. I'd suggest giving Fenrir THERAPY the first turn and Naoko THERAPY the second turn. Naoko's abilities cause her STRESS so if they're equally STRESSed, then Naoko comes first. At least we'll get to work towards the therapist's locked ability that requires removing 9 STRESS.

Hero NameFirst TurnSecond TurnThird TurnFourth TurnFifth TurnSixth Turn
Subaru (Pleaides)1 INJURY1 INJURYHEALEDNORMALNORMALNORMAL
Yukimura (Fenrir)1 INJURY, 5 STRESSHEALED, 4 STRESS3 STRESS2 STRESS1 STRESSRECOVERED
Naoko (Kekkai-Ch.)3 STRESS2 STRESS1 STRESSRECOVEREDNORMALNORMAL
Jin (Obakemaru)1 iNJURY1 INJURYHEALEDNORMALNORMALNORMAL
 
Chapter 1: Turn 9 - Combat 3 (End 2)
You get in contact with Yamagishi after the incident is resolved. While he's irritated by the fact you didn't get him in the loop sooner, he does understand that securing Maya was important enough to forgo contacting him. The fact that your team managed to save all of the captured civilians without harm goes even further towards mollifying him. He gruffly congratulates you on a job well done.

The mood going into the Debrief is a bit somber, mostly due to the sheer stress that the battle put on everyone. You actually have to talk to a few of your Heroes in the medical center this time around.



SUBARU SHIRAI

Subaru looks a bit grim. "I heard about what happened with Touma. I knew it was only really a matter of time before something like that happened. Still, it's a bit unsettling." She bites her lip and sighs. "I just hope he's alright."

How do you respond?

[ ] HE COULD USE SOME SUPPORT – Just because Touma plays tough doesn't mean he is tough. Even killing a Villain can mess with someone. Maybe she should give him a hand?

[ ] HE'LL BE FINE – Touma's made of pretty stern stuff. He'll probably be fine after the initial shock wears off. You're not sure how Touma's ego would react to coddling.




HIKARU ASAHI

Hikaru looks irritated when you sit down with him. "Um… permission to speak clearly, Administrator?

You give him permission. He takes a deep breath, then another, then looks at you directly. "I… I don't think you did the right thing sending me away from the others. If I had been there, things might not have gone so badly…"

(You remember a similar conversation with Hikaru. And likely, so does he.)

How do you respond?

[ ] I MADE THE CALL – You made the best decision with the limited intel you had. Like you said before, a gut decision isn't always the right or best decision. It's on your shoulders, not his.

[ ] YOU'RE OUT OF LINE – Hikaru may have a point, but it was your decision to make, not his. He needs to trust you.



TOUMA ITAGAKI

Touma isn't looking super good when you sit down with him. You can see his hands shaking a bit even as he cradles a cup of hot tea. You both sit in silence for a while before he speaks.

"I… killed a guy," he says quietly. "It was just… I saw he was going to attack Kekkai-Chan… it was just a snap decisions. I…"

(He seems pretty rattled.)

How do you respond?

[ ] TAKE YOUR TIME – This sort of thing can mess with even the toughest people. You won't blame him if he needs some time to recover.

[ ] YOU DID THE RIGHT THING – Yes, he killed Grandeur, but he did it to protect his friends. Be straight with him about that and help him come to terms.



YUKIMURA OKAMI

You do the debrief in the med-bay with Yukimura. He's extremely worn out and keeps his eyes closed, but seems lucid enough to talk to you.

"Hurts," he grumbles when you ask him how he feels. "See patterns… colors… swirling… painful… dizzy… barely walk."

How do you respond?

[ ] GET SOME REST – He needs to concentrate on his recovery right now. Best to leave him be.

[ ] LET THE DOC KNOW – It might be best to have Dr. Sessyoin talk with him right now.



NAOKO KIRIGAYA

Like Yukimura, Naoko is in the med-bay when you talk with her, though she's not in as bad a shape as Yukimura. She's practicing creating a barrier around her phone when you debrief her. (Her face is red; it looks like she's been crying a bit.)

"I heard about what happened with Itagaki-kun," she says, setting her phone in her lap. "I… I think I should talk to him… but I don't know if he'd listen to me…"

How do you respond?

[ ] BE NICE – You get the feeling Naoko doesn't like Touma all that much. Maybe this is a chance for them to get to know each other better.

[ ] BE THANKFUL – A honest thank you and maybe an apology would probably go a long way towards helping Touma.



JIN HANSOU

Jin is waiting for you expectantly when you step into the debriefing with him. He certainly seems all business. "I'm guessing this is the first time Itagaki-san has killed someone," he says. "I'd offer my condolences, but I'm… unsure how they would be received. Should I talk to him?"

How do you respond?

[ ] MAYBE – As weird as it sounds, maybe having the two of them talk together might help Touma out a bit. Of course, it could also backfire.

[ ] NO – You're not sure how Touma would react to Jin's matter-of-fact attitude towards murder. Leave the option open, but for now, keep them separate.



STRIKE TEAM

Another mission without losing a squad! Definitely a banner day for UNSEAT this time around. The fact that it went off so well and without the JSDF's assistance has certainly boosted morale a bit. You leave Odessa and the Strike Team members to their celebrations.

(Morale +1)



Voting ends in 24 Hours.
 
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[x] HE COULD USE SOME SUPPORT – Just because Touma plays tough doesn't mean he is tough. Even killing a Villain can mess with someone. Maybe she should give him a hand?
[x] I MADE THE CALL – You made the best decision with the limited intel you had. Like you said before, a gut decision isn't always the right or best decision. It's on your shoulders, not his.
[x] YOU DID THE RIGHT THING – Yes, he killed Grandeur, but he did it to protect his friends. Be straight with him about that and help him come to terms.
[x] LET THE DOC KNOW – It might be best to have Dr. Sessyoin talk with him right now.
[x] BE THANKFUL – A honest thank you and maybe an apology would probably go a long way towards helping Touma.
[x] NO – You're not sure how Touma would react to Jin's matter-of-fact attitude towards murder. Leave the option open, but for now, keep them separate.
 
So first question, what should the overall response to Touma's actions be? Hands on or hands off? Be direct or be indirect? Lance the pain or let it heal?

And if Naoko were to apologise to Touma, exactly what is she supposed to apologise for? Not respecting him? Those things come in time.

I'm open to a mixed response where the Director and Jin help him come to terms with his actions, and then let Subaru and Naoko support him afterwards, but I'm open to discussion.
 
[x] HE COULD USE SOME SUPPORT – Just because Touma plays tough doesn't mean he is tough. Even killing a Villain can mess with someone. Maybe she should give him a hand?
[x] I MADE THE CALL – You made the best decision with the limited intel you had. Like you said before, a gut decision isn't always the right or best decision. It's on your shoulders, not his.
[x] YOU DID THE RIGHT THING – Yes, he killed Grandeur, but he did it to protect his friends. Be straight with him about that and help him come to terms.
[x] LET THE DOC KNOW – It might be best to have Dr. Sessyoin talk with him right now.
[x] BE THANKFUL – A honest thank you and maybe an apology would probably go a long way towards helping Touma.
[x] NO – You're not sure how Touma would react to Jin's matter-of-fact attitude towards murder. Leave the option open, but for now, keep them separate.
 
@Mount. Elements I have to give you credits, I was wrong. Happy that everything turns for the best.
Except Touma executing Grandeur, but I still hope this is some PSI bullshit he's doing to mess with our heroes and negating us informations
 
Well, that worked out a lot better than expected!

[X] HE COULD USE SOME SUPPORT – Just because Touma plays tough doesn't mean he is tough. Even killing a Villain can mess with someone. Maybe she should give him a hand?
Are we still doing the shipping thing? I think we're still doing the shipping thing.

[X] I MADE THE CALL – You made the best decision with the limited intel you had. Like you said before, a gut decision isn't always the right or best decision. It's on your shoulders, not his.
Although the other option is absolutely correct, he's probably rattled - now is not the time to demand respecc for our authoritah. (Last time was!)

[X] YOU DID THE RIGHT THING – Yes, he killed Grandeur, but he did it to protect his friends. Be straight with him about that and help him come to terms.
This was a very different situation from Sakuina - the bad guy was straightforwardly going for another shot on the weakest remaining member of his team. It's not pretty, but Touma made him stay down.

[X] LET THE DOC KNOW – It might be best to have Dr. Sessyoin talk with him right now.
Yeah, ordinarily I'd let him work it out on his own, but this is psionic bullshit and it behooves us to look to the expert on psionic bullshit. Also, our base turn is almost definitely going to involve having him look to the expert on psionic bullshit anyway, so.

[X] BE THANKFUL – A honest thank you and maybe an apology would probably go a long way towards helping Touma.
I guess we aren't done traumatizing her! Maybe we can create our own Big Bad?

[X] MAYBE – As weird as it sounds, maybe having the two of them talk together might help Touma out a bit. Of course, it could also backfire.
On the one hand this is a terrible idea. On the other hand this is a terrible idea. On the other other hand I really want to see this scene.
 
[X] HE COULD USE SOME SUPPORT – Just because Touma plays tough doesn't mean he is tough. Even killing a Villain can mess with someone. Maybe she should give him a hand?
[X] I MADE THE CALL – You made the best decision with the limited intel you had. Like you said before, a gut decision isn't always the right or best decision. It's on your shoulders, not his.
[X] TAKE YOUR TIME – This sort of thing can mess with even the toughest people. You won't blame him if he needs some time to recover.
[X] LET THE DOC KNOW – It might be best to have Dr. Sessyoin talk with him right now.
[X] BE THANKFUL – A honest thank you and maybe an apology would probably go a long way towards helping Touma.
[X] NO – You're not sure how Touma would react to Jin's matter-of-fact attitude towards murder. Leave the option open, but for now, keep them separate.
Someone can check the traits and see if we are doing something wrong? I don't want to blow up everything.
 
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[X] HE COULD USE SOME SUPPORT – Just because Touma plays tough doesn't mean he is tough. Even killing a Villain can mess with someone. Maybe she should give him a hand?
[X] I MADE THE CALL – You made the best decision with the limited intel you had. Like you said before, a gut decision isn't always the right or best decision. It's on your shoulders, not his.
[X] TAKE YOUR TIME – This sort of thing can mess with even the toughest people. You won't blame him if he needs some time to recover.
[X] LET THE DOC KNOW – It might be best to have Dr. Sessyoin talk with him right now.
[X] BE NICE – You get the feeling Naoko doesn't like Touma all that much. Maybe this is a chance for them to get to know each other better.
[X] NO – You're not sure how Touma would react to Jin's matter-of-fact attitude towards murder. Leave the option open, but for now, keep them separate.
Someone can check the traits and see if we are doing something wrong? I don't want to blow up everything.
 
Sorry for double posting, but the only negative trait that I think can give us problem with the Interactions is "Skeptical" from Subaru. We are sending her to consolate a man that has killed for the first time.
I don't know, maybe this is a way to remove the trait ...
 
[X] HE COULD USE SOME SUPPORT – Just because Touma plays tough doesn't mean he is tough. Even killing a Villain can mess with someone. Maybe she should give him a hand?
Help is help. If Touma recently made the decision to support Subaru in her injured state, maybe getting her to reciprocate will be a good thing.

[X] I MADE THE CALL – You made the best decision with the limited intel you had. Like you said before, a gut decision isn't always the right or best decision. It's on your shoulders, not his.
Best to build on what we said before. We all should accept responsibility for our own decisions, be they right, best or gut.

[X] YOU DID THE RIGHT THING – Yes, he killed Grandeur, but he did it to protect his friends. Be straight with him about that and help him come to terms.
We're a hardass woman, and Touma knows we're a hardass. He trusts us to be straight with him, and Going soft on him now might weaken his opinion of us. Let's go with that approach, and maybe he'll also be more receptive to Subaru/Naoko's help afterwards.

[X] LET THE DOC KNOW – It might be best to have Dr. Sessyoin talk with him right now.
If we can start the therapy now in his state, best we do so.

[X] BE THANKFUL – A honest thank you and maybe an apology would probably go a long way towards helping Touma.
Honestly speaking, I don't see the difference between the options; is one actively being supportive and the other being thankful? @PurpleProse, can I get some clarity?

[X] NO – You're not sure how Touma would react to Jin's matter-of-fact attitude towards murder. Leave the option open, but for now, keep them separate.
Jin also has the Skeptical trait, just like Touma has his Aggressive trait, and unlike Subaru, they haven't been through 2 harrowing incidents to bond over yet. Moreover, unlike us, who can be just as professional as Jin, he doesn't have Touma's trust yet. Maybe this will come in time, but for now, I think any interactions between them may be rubbed the wrong way.
Hopefully, Jin is professional enough to not take this too badly, and not give us any maluses.

And also, @PurpleProse, does the regular healing of Health and Stress for heroes stack with any extra healing? Like would Naoko recover 2 stress on a turn, both from the regular healing of stress every two turns and from the enhanced barracks?
 
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@Mount. Elements I have to give you credits, I was wrong. Happy that everything turns for the best.
Except Touma executing Grandeur, but I still hope this is some PSI bullshit he's doing to mess with our heroes and negating us informations
I'm just glad everything turned out so well. :) I was actually expecting it to take another turn.

Grandeur said that he didn't fear death so I wouldn't be surprised if he could survive without a body. Hopefully, he hasn't possess anyone in the base.

[X] HE COULD USE SOME SUPPORT – Just because Touma plays tough doesn't mean he is tough. Even killing a Villain can mess with someone. Maybe she should give him a hand?
[X] I MADE THE CALL – You made the best decision with the limited intel you had. Like you said before, a gut decision isn't always the right or best decision. It's on your shoulders, not his.
[X] YOU DID THE RIGHT THING – Yes, he killed Grandeur, but he did it to protect his friends. Be straight with him about that and help him come to terms.
[X] LET THE DOC KNOW – It might be best to have Dr. Sessyoin talk with him right now.
[X] BE THANKFUL – A honest thank you and maybe an apology would probably go a long way towards helping Touma.
[X] NO – You're not sure how Touma would react to Jin's matter-of-fact attitude towards murder. Leave the option open, but for now, keep them separate.


I'm hoping that none of these will backfire on us, but I don't see any reason they would. Having Jin talk to Touma is probably more risky than having him avoid Touma, and at least the option stays open.

I think it would be better for Naoko to be nice than to be thankful. It just feels weird for us to advise her to tell Touma "Thank you for killing that villain when he threatened me." And now I'm feeling bad that we have a teenage girl fighting for us. Though I'm a bit conflicted because Touma likes directness, and the thankful option is more direct than the nice option.

Edit: On second thought, I am opposed to the thankful option because it feels like it puts the blame for the death on Naoko. It's saying, "You should thank Touma and maybe apologize to him because he had to kill the villain for you."

Edit 2: Now that the GM has clarified Naoko's option, I'm switching to Thankful, though I'm still worried about what it implies to Naoko.
 
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[x] HE COULD USE SOME SUPPORT – Just because Touma plays tough doesn't mean he is tough. Even killing a Villain can mess with someone. Maybe she should give him a hand?
[x] I MADE THE CALL – You made the best decision with the limited intel you had. Like you said before, a gut decision isn't always the right or best decision. It's on your shoulders, not his.
[x] YOU DID THE RIGHT THING – Yes, he killed Grandeur, but he did it to protect his friends. Be straight with him about that and help him come to terms.
[x] LET THE DOC KNOW – It might be best to have Dr. Sessyoin talk with him right now.
[x] BE THANKFUL – A honest thank you and maybe an apology would probably go a long way towards helping Touma.
[x] NO – You're not sure how Touma would react to Jin's matter-of-fact attitude towards murder. Leave the option open, but for now, keep them separate.


Well, I think I'll start voting now. I was waiting for the end of the battle (i caught up around the start of it).

Nice quest. Fenrir/Yukimura REALLY need some therapy right now (ESPECIALLY FENRIR! he came SO close to...whatever happens when you reach max stress!). Hopefully we'll have the time to help them recover. If we got a 1 right now we'd probably have to leave Fenrir and Kekkai-chan at the base, especially if the enemy were esper.
 
@storysmith112358 The 'Be Nice' option is asking Naoko to do literally that; be nice. The implication being that Naoko doesn't like Touma means it'd be her continuing with her defense mechanism of cutesy behavior. 'Be Thankful' is asking her to show Touma actual genuine thanks instead of just being polite.

Also, yes, active healing stacks with passive healing.
 
...one of the advantages of our main character being a psychic is that a clarification from the QM like that isn't even slightly weird!
 
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