It took the form of a Japanese girl Hachiman's own age staggering through the trees. Her skin was deathly pale, like a normal person who had the fright of their life. A pair of curved ram-like horns sprouted from her brow, holding up a white hat. Blood was smeared across her throat. Instead of feet, the Oni had foregone shoes to walk on cloven hooves at the bottom of legs covered with gray fur. A red-scaled tail stuck out of her dirty dress, carrying a gasoline container behind her.
The gasoline container could have been in her hands normally, but the Oni had both her arms occupied with what she was carrying in them. Her right hand held a wicked-looking meat cleaver covered in dried blood. Dangerous, and fearsome, even if the tool's improper care would quickly wear it down. But the shocker to finish the image the Oni had was what she was carrying under her left arm.
The Local Miko Wants Out of the Death Trap, As Should Be Expected
"Sensei," Rika quickly interjected. "Can I take my cousins for a quick tour of the school, desu ka?"
"I don't see why not, Rika," the teacher replied. "Make sure you're back in time for class."
"Thank you, nippa!" the little girl replied, beaming. "Care to help me out, Sakoto?"
"All right!" the blonde-haired girl cheerily replied. "Let's go!"
"You are not going to let us get a say in this, are you?" Hachiman inquired as Rika grabbed his hand and pulled him out the classroom door.
"Over there are the bathrooms," Rika explained, as Komachi and the girl she had identified as Sakoto followed the two of them out the classroom door.
"Anyone not blind could have seen that from the signs on the wall," the teenager countered.
"Teacher's lounge is over there," Rika continued, leading the way down the hallway. "Next door is the principal's office, desu."
She opened a door, revealing a classroom with a half-dozen desks and chairs. "The spare classroom, desu."
"Stairway to the attic and roof, desu."
"Supply closet."
"Music room."
"Playfield, desu, for PE and recess, desu," Rika continued to explain, stepping outside the school building through the backdoor.
"Rika?" the blonde girl asked in confusion. It was easy to deduce the cause of distress. After all, their guide was hurriedly leading her little group out of the building.
And, Hachiman noticed, away from the building. It didn't take a genius smarter than he was to realize that the little girl wanted to get away from the place.
"Elementary playground is over there, desu," Rika explained, pointing to a small plastic structure that belonged more with preschoolers than grade-school students.
"And the woods, desu," the local guide explained, her childlike expression fading away to one of grim determination, her tone deepening as she gave an order. "Come. Quietly, before anyone realizes."
"Rika?!" Sakoto quietly exclaimed.
"I'll explain later, once we're far enough away, desu," Rika promised. "Hurry."
There weren't any fences or walls impeding the flight of the four of them. Really, it was like the builders of the school were begging for an attack. But then again, the school only had a handful of students, only one teacher Hachiman could see, was positioned in a small village, and, if what Rika confirmed was true, security wasn't as tight as it was in his own time.
And as Rika led the group away from the school, the stench became less and less. It didn't take a genius to realize that the smell had been coming from the school.
Hachiman's Will: 10 + 2 = 12 VS ??? +1 Influence
For some reason, as the group hurried into the forest, Hachiman saw something for a moment. Another girl was with their group, wearing a shrine maiden outfit and having long purple hair. She was following Rika closely, humming a faint, ominous tune, before she suddenly vanished.
And suddenly, he had an urge to try to stay quiet until he was out of the village. Away from the inhabitants, and back home in his own house with his sister.
Several minutes passed in silence, the group walking deeper in the woods, when Rika dropped her bombshell:
"Rena's going to blow up the school."
"What?" "What?" the other two girls asked in unison, as all of the group came to a sudden stop.
"It has to do with the smell, doesn't it?" Hachiman asked. "If it's a daily thing, someone would try to get rid of it, but if its new, no one would have any time to."
"Gasoline, desu," Rika explained.
"But that's not Rena, Rika," Sakoto stated. "She… she would never blow up the school."
"I've seen it happen, desu," Rika countered. "Rena would never blow up the school in her right mind. She isn't, anymore. There's nothing I saw that can stop her, and none of us here are her target, desu, so I got us out."
"You saw the future again, Rika?" Sakoto asked. "Why didn't you say anything?"
"No one with any power would believe me, desu," the little girl admitted. "And it would just make me Rena's first target before moving on to Mion, desu."
"So, you must have a place for us to go to wait everything out," Hachiman pointed out.
"My home, desu," Rika explained. "We're taking the long way around to prevent witnesses, so Rena doesn't find out."
"What about your parents?" Komachi asked.
"Dead," came Rika's blunt answer, turning away and leading the group deeper into the woods. Lacking other ideas, the rest followed in gloomy silence. It was over fifteen minutes later, past tree after alike tree, that there was something different.
It took the form of a Japanese girl Hachiman's own age staggering through the trees. Her skin was deathly pale, like a normal person who had the fright of their life. A pair of curved ram-like horns sprouted from her brow, holding up a white hat. Blood was smeared across her throat. Instead of feet, the Oni had foregone shoes to walk on cloven hooves at the bottom of legs covered with gray fur. A red-scaled tail stuck out of her dirty dress, carrying a gasoline container behind her.
The gasoline container could have been in her hands normally, but the Oni had both her arms occupied with what she was carrying in them. Her right hand held a wicked-looking meat cleaver covered in dried blood. Dangerous, and fearsome, even if the tool's improper care would quickly wear it down. But the shocker to finish the image the Oni had was what she was carrying under her left arm.
It was a book.
It was a tome.
It was a very familiar tome.
"Over there," Hachiman quietly whispered, tapping Rika and pointing at the Oni.
Their guide turned, and then had her gaze follow his finger before gagging at the sight of the Oni. "Hide," she ordered, before ducking down behind a nearby bush. What- what happened to her?!
The other two girls followed her lead, leaving Hachiman to use one of his 108 skills of lonerdom to make like a tree, and hide behind one. He was bigger than the others, so a simple bush may not have cut it for hiding for him.
He stumbled, making a little bit of noise as he hid behind the tree. It was quieter than Rika's last order, but still, the Oni paused, the clip-clop of their hooves stopping.
Hold. Company.
Time passed in silence. Hachiman had no way of telling just how long the wait was, but it was long enough that he could notice the change of position of the sun in the sky.
The skills Hachiman possessed were of patience. But still, with dead silence, he couldn't help but look out from behind the tree.
And met the Oni's gaze with his own, from where it had stopped possibly hours before.
Hachiman's Sense Motive: 6 + 5 = 11
"Outsiders," the Oni observed aloud. "Two outsiders alone. Hinamizawa doesn't like outsiders coming to the village."
Hachiman gulped. While their guide and her friend had managed to escape the Oni's notice, Komachi hadn't hidden well enough, and he had gone and blown his cover by looking out of his hiding spot.
Just how patient was the Oni to wait for what could have been hours in one spot?
Those eyes… that girl… never mind…
"Relates to Rena's friend," the Oni explained. "We will explain truth today." Hyuu, friend…? She- she's like you this time, Rika!
Hachiman remained silent, the gazes of the two remaining unbroken. Just let her keep talking, make classic villain mistakes, and give them more time to live.
...There's no time for this. Get to that phone booth and start the next part of your plan.
"Stay out of Rena's way," the Oni warned, pointing the meat cleaver directly at him.
With those ominous words, the girl started walking away, clip-clopping and stumbling as she went, but more sure-footed than before she had stopped.
Hachiman wasn't sure how much time passed after the Oni's hoof-steps faded from hearing. But eventually, with the Oni disappearing from sight, and the forest descending back into silence, a voice came from the bushes where the girls had hidden.
"Rena…" Rika quietly stated. "What happened to you this time, desu ka?"
"That's Rena?" Hachiman asked, stepping out from behind his tree. "That's not how she looks normally, is it? I mean, humans are not supposed to have horns or a tail!"
"Yes, that's Rena, desu," Rika admitted. "Or something wearing her body, desu. It… it makes leaving everyone else to die worse…"
[X] There's nothing the group can do. Just keep going to Rika's home.
[X] No. Chase after Rena. Stop her from carrying out her plan.
[X] Another idea? (Write-In)
This took too long for me to write up. I was going to make this longer, with everyone arriving at Rika's house, but I decided to cut it here to see if you want Hachiman to do something.
At any rate, you can choose one of the options above, and expand on it if you choose. Just… you see… this is not the Hinamizawa you know.
Predictably, Things Are Quiet at the Furude Residence
A small part of Hachiman wanted to chase after the girl-turned-Oni, and stop her in her tracks to save people.
But it was a small part.
His endurance was acceptable, but his strength was weak, and Oni were well known for excess in both strength and endurance. Simply put, unless he came up with a plan, a really good plan, there was only one way that the fight would end.
Let the real hero wannabes go and get themselves killed.
Thinking further, it was not a large surprise that the Oni was sticking in the woods while traveling; like the little group Hachiman himself was in, she didn't want to be seen by the public in general, at least not yet. Really, staying off the main paths was common sense for those trying to avoid being seen.
"Let's keep going, desu," Rika stated, resignation in her eyes, leading the rest of the group further in a direction.
Minutes passed in silence, Hachiman and the three younger girls continued their march. In a way, Hachiman was glad there wasn't anyone else around; they'd likely get the wrong idea about himself having a certain kind of harem. He had no idea why people would think of romancing a little sister; he loved her, but only in a familial way. And the two younger girls… they were too young for him. He had standards, and they didn't involve girls that looked like they hadn't even hit puberty!
All of them out of school, when it was in session, would just make the bad impression even worse.
"Onii-san," Komachi stated, breaking the silence, "did you see the book?"
"I saw it," Hachiman admitted.
And hadn't that been a surprise? Sure, books were common enough, and perhaps even more common in nineteen-eighty-three than two-thousand and fifteen, but even then, Hachiman had gotten the impression that that particular book was rather rare.
Did the Oni possess the book in her own time, and it had eventually wound up in Angel's Landing where he bought it in his own? Or were there many copies of the book, where she kept a hold of it and Hachiman found another copy?
Regardless, if the Oni was previously human, the Ritual of Altered Blood from the Apocalypse Tome would have allowed her to bridge the gap.
"We should be safe here, desu," Rika relented, letting the group into her house.
It was… well, nothing extravagant. A kitchen area shared space with a European dining area, which cleanly led into a living space of more a Japanese bent. There wasn't a television present; instead, what looked like an older radio set sat on a small table. A set of stairs led upwards, towards what could only be Rika's bedroom, and a partly ajar door near the staircase gave a glimpse towards a bathroom.
"Make yourselves at home, desu," Rika suggested, taking off her outdoor shoes and slipping into her indoor pair. "Phone is upstairs, if you want to try to make a call. There's nothing to do except wait for Rena-san to destroy the school, desu."
With that, the girl headed up the staircase with an air of resignation, and Sakoto walked into the kitchen to open the fridge. Komachi made her way to the table, taking a seat and just staring at the empty vase in the table's center.
Is there something that Hachiman should do to pass the time?
[X] Talk with Sakoto about (write-in subject here, default Rika)
[X] Talk with Komachi about (write-in subject here, default experiences so far)
[X] Talk with Rika about (write-in subject here, default Hinamizawa)
[X] Make a call with Rika's phone and contact list
- [X] The Village School
- [X] The Irene Clinic
- [X] The Okinomiya Police
- [X] The Sonozaki Residence
- [X] A Sonozaki Shion…? Why is this separate from the Sonozakis?
- [X] The Houjou Residence
- [X] The Maebara Residence
- [X] The Ryugu Residence
[X] Just listen to the radio (Do nothing, and wait for the next event)
[X] (Write-In)
This took far too long for its lack of substance. You can try to change fate, gather information, or just wait. Unless you have Hachiman short-circuit events, something will happen shortly. Of course, depending on how you do so, it might end up a larger mess.
