Puella Magi Megami Tensei

[TremendousMilk3]

Shoji

Click to shrink...

Kohaku isn't interested in you.

You know this, it's not an earth shattering revelation. You've known for a while, even if Kohaku herself didn't. Still, it hurts to not even have a chance. But that's what she chose, and you respect her decision.

...Mostly. Honestly, Kohaku being into women was kinda a "non-secret" to you, but why did she have to be into Yumi, too? And now, hey, Yumi's a great person, and pretty, and cool, and she's saved your ass just as many times as you've covered her's...

...But it's not fair.

Kohaku has an actual shot at steal-- courting Yumi. Even though you're the one who was actually around--

What the hell are you thinking?! Kohaku was being persecuted by a Goddamn cult! She didn't have a choice but to run! Hell, she's probably never had a choice before that!

Kohaku has gone through a lot, so she deserves Yumi more than you. That's how that works, right? You suffer, then good stuff happens! So, if you suffer through your two best friends leaving you behind to start a happy new life, you'll get something good too, right?

Right...?

You should be elated that they're gonna be together. But you're not.

Mom was right.

"You can't be happy unless you drag everyone else down with you."

You don't understand. You got perfect grades, you tried to make friends, you loved her and Dad...

...But they hated each other so much that you fell to the wayside.

"You're just like her," Dad would say, "I'm busy, and you keep bugging me about shit that doesn't matter."

"You're just like him," Mom would say, "Always asking for handouts when you don't even lift a finger."

So, here you sit, in the bathroom, desperately trying to regather your rampant emotions.

Men don't cry.

Men don't cry.

Men don't...

...God, you're just the worst parts of both of them, aren't you?

You're the worst kind of friend to Yumi and Kohaku. Like Dad was with Mom.

You're the worst kind of manipulative. Just like Mom was with Dad.

You're the worst.

 

[TremendousMilk3]

"Traitor!!" The buffoon with your Knowledge screams as she thrashes against your magic, "You said you would give me power!"

"That was before I knew what kind of horrid creature you were." You growl fiercely, "Yumi Konishi has bested you every single time you have initiated combat with her, and yet you still insist on antagonizing her!"

"She just got lucky--!!"

"No, you got lucky!" You shout, your fury quickly bubbling to the surface, "The first battle, she spared your life on a whim! The second, I had to pull you out of the crater she left you in! What in the Abyss's name were you thinking?!" Before she can reply, you tighten your magical grip, "Ah, yes! You weren't thinking! You're a rabid animal, constantly snarling at everything that moves!"

"That's not fair! She always ambushed me!" She yelps in defiance, "In a fair fight, I would--!"

"You would be dead! If you fought Konishi head on, she would kill you!" Why did this mentally deficient mongrel have to be your other half? "You are not stronger than her! You are not stronger than me! Your only worth is in my Knowledge that should be mine by birthright!"

"You--!!!" A shadow wraps around her neck.

"You are too volatile to work with." Your spell finally completes, "So, I'm placing you in a safe place where you can't hurt anyone."

Scheduled vote count started by TremendousMilk3 on Oct 28, 2024 at 10:08 PM, finished with 14 posts and 10 votes.

• ---

  5 people have voted

  [X] Definitely!
  -[X] Also, did you know (random bee facts)?

  • DragonOfAtlantis
  • Schitz
  • Isiri Pudireach
  • Solarstream
  • XeroCeroZero

  4 people have voted

  [X] Definitely!

  • madness
  • Catgc
  • DoSomething
  • JAGwin

  1 people have voted

  [X] Definitely!
  -[X] Also, did you know (random bee facts)?
  —[X] Keep spouting Bee facts on the way.

  • guisniperman

 

[TremendousMilk3]

You glance over at your empty cup, already out of coffee. At least it didn't get cold.

Just keep on the sunny side. You can make it through today, right? After that, you have a day off, and everything that happens with Konishi's bullshit will be some other poor bastard's problem.

Konishi's romp through that cult wasn't all horrible, though. You got some officers transferred over to assist with the guys you arrested, and that's made everything go a lot smoother.

Still, you don't have the facilities to house 70-ish suspects in your jail, so you've been swamped with paperwork since yesterday about transferring some of them to a local correctional facility.

Thankfully, one of the guys from Tokyo decided to handle all the paperwork himself, since "He's used to crazy shit like this". So now, you're out on patrol.

...You wonder if that hole-in-the-wall coffee shop is open this early. It's a little tacky, you'll admit, but their coffee is--

"Oh, you've gotta be shitting me." You grumble as some teenager appears from around the corner, covered in blood. Honestly, it looks like he crawled out of his grave.

You flip your lights on and get out of your car, "If this bastard is with the cult, I'm gonna kill him myself..." You mumble to yourself, then raise your voice, "Hey, kid! You alright?"

The young man slowly turns to you as you approach, his annoyance extremely evident, "What?" He asks through gritted teeth.

"You look pretty banged up, there." You state the obvious, "Not to mention that you're covered in blood. I've got questions, but they can wait until you've gotten medical attention."

He glares at you for a moment, "I'm kinda busy."

You glance at his left arm, which is covered by the same kind of machine Konishi has. He quickly hides it behind his back.

"Let's get you looked at, bud. You look like shit."

"I noticed. Trust me." He snarls, "I don't have time to--"

"You're looking for Konishi, right?" You offer. This seems to get his attention, so you press more, "I can get you in contact with her, but you need to cooperate. Capiche?"

"...Fine." He sighs, stepping a little closer.

Scheduled vote count started by TremendousMilk3 on Nov 19, 2024 at 8:48 PM, finished with 12 posts and 5 votes.

• ---

  5 people have voted

  [X] "Yumi here. This wouldn't be about about a blue haired guy name Yuki would it?"

  • Isiri Pudireach
  • Herofox
  • Catgc
  • JAGwin
  • Solarstream

 

[TremendousMilk3]

*RECORDING BEGINS*

"My name is Officer Minato Omaya. I am 28 years old, and--?"

"You don't need to give the damn thing your life story. Just say what the recording is for."

"...Yes, Chief. Um, this recording is being made for the purposes of our investigation of the mass death on the 29th of March, 2011. We believe we have--?"

"Oh, fuck me, give it here!"

*SOUNDS OF MOVEMENT*

"The Mitakihara/Kazamino Police Force have detained a possible "Ring Of Unity" survivor. At this point, it is unknown how he escaped the fate of his comrades. I am joined by Minato Omaya, and will be attempting to guide him through the interrogation."

"Thank you again, Chief."

"Just do what I tell you to do."

"Y-Yes, Chief."

*DOOR OPENS, ECHOING FOOTSTEPS, AND SCRAPING METAL AGAINST CONCRETE*

*10 SEC OF SILENCE*

"Hello, sir. My name is--?"

"Who are you?"

*SHAKY BREATHING*

"I asked you a question."

"Satoshi. Satoshi Haga."
NOTE: SUSPECT DIALOGUE IS ITALICIZED FOR READABILITY

*SUSPECT SEEMS OUT OF BREATH*

"Mr. Haga."

*CHAIR SETTLING*

"Age?"

"24."

"Height?"

"Uh, 5' 10"."

"Mhmm."

*SCRIBBLING ON A NOTEPAD*

"What was your relationship with The Ring?"

"I was a member up until recently."

"Why'd you jump ship?"

"I almost killed a kid."

"What?! What did you--?!"

"Omaya! Quiet."

*SILENCE FOR 5 SEC*

"Care to elaborate on that?"

"...I was in the Ring for... A few months, at the time. They said that the world was gonna end because some guys named the Disciples were gonna kill everyone. She told me I could stop them."

"She?"

"Oh. Uh, the Oracle. I-I don't know her name, everyone just... Called her the Oracle."

"I see. Go on?"

"Right. Now, where was I...? Oh! I had just joined up, got all the initiate stuff done--?"

"What "initiate stuff" are you talking about?"

"It's just general aptitude tests. Like, I put my hand over a crystal ball, and when it glowed a little, they told me I'm not a mage."

*SILENCE FOR 4 SEC*

"I got set up as an errand boy."

"So how does this lead to the attempted murder of a child?"

"I fucked up some of my jobs, I guess. Like, they just told me to get items and supplies from pawn shops and grocery stores, but when I'd bring back what I thought they'd want, I'd get reprimanded."

*SUSPECT COUGHS INTO HAND*

"She'd, um, usually stab me. Then heal the wound."

"Jesus."

"Yeah."

"So, you got put on the fuck-up squad?"

*SUSPECT NODS*

"It was just me and some other guys. I knew one of them since highschool. His name is... Was Iwao Yoshioka."

*SUSPECT SIGHS HEAVILY*

"I went to some cushy apartment complex with him to stop the End Maiden from... Shit, what did the Oracle--! Yeah! She said "The End Maiden cannot be allowed to give birth"!"

"This Oracle lady sounds... Pardon my French, but batshit insane."

"I thought so, too, but a few horrible disaster predictions coming true makes you think."

*SUSPECT LAUGHS AWKWARDLY*

"...Uh, she had sent us after the End Maiden. I thought we were just gonna, like, fight some woman or something. She'd throw magic, we'd fight back, bang bang bang, we win. But... Fuck. She was just some kid."

"And then?"

"Oh, we got our asses beat. BAD. Some completely different kid thrashed us with demons, and another, like, 5 year old starts summoning demons. So, I'm thinking I'm about to die. She's gonna rip me the fuck in half, and that's that."

*SILENCE FOR 6 SEC*

"...Obviously, I'm still alive, so..."

"Right. Keep going."

"She lets us go after healing us. Like, we tried to break in and kidnap your friend! We should be dead! But she... She didn't. She just patched us up, and sent us on our merry way."

*SUSPECT SHIVERS*

"When we got back to our FOB, the Oracle was... Furious. She vaporized the driver with black flames. Threatened to ruin our lives by leaking our loyalty to the Ring to everyone who would listen. She sent me back, alone, to go kill. I couldn't do it."

*SILENCE FOR 7 SEC*

"I trusted Iwao. I trusted him, and he shot me."

"...Oh."

*RECORDING ENDS ABRUPTLY*

 

[TremendousMilk3]

Five years.​

"A demon? Really?" You scoff to the recruit, "You think a demon is behind those botched jobs? What are you, five?"

"I'm serious, man!" He shouts back, "You know the legend, too!"

"Oh, that?" You laugh in his face, "It's a load of bullshit! You honestly think that some girl's ghost hunts every Yakuza clan in Akami Springs because some "big shot" clan killed her parents?" You smack him on the back of the head, "Be for fucking real! That's just some story made up by the police or something!"

"Then how do you explain the incident at the docks?" Another guy, older than you, chimes in.

"Simple. You guys fucked the job up, got too loud, and most of you got arrested for it!" You sneer at him, "Ghosts and legends ain't got a damn thing to do with it!"

Five God-damned years.​

"Wait, did you hear that?" Your older companion asks, whipping his head around wildly.

"Hear what? The sound of me chewing you out for not getting to work?" Your boss asks, "Get the product inside, jack offs. We ain't got all night." His command is met by grumbling, but you and oldie silently start working.

"A'ight, boss!" The recruit turns to the pallet, "So, uh, about that legend from the--?"

"White Canyon made that shit up because they got humiliated by some other clan." Boss says, lighting a cigarette, "There ain't no fucking Demon of Akami Springs, capiche?"

Silence fills the air.

"I said capiche!" Boss turns around to the rookie, "You're supposed to say--!"

The cigarette drops from Boss's mouth.

"Where'd he go?" Boss asks, glancing at his surroundings.

The oldie draws his gun, some 9mm piece of plastic trash, "Fuck! It's the demon!"

"Enough about this demon!" Boss pulls a knife, "One more word outta you about this God-damned demon and I'll cut your tongue out!"

You catch something in the darkness of the docks. A flash of red.

Five years of hate.​

You reach for your gun, a .45 from across the pond, "Hey, I think I saw--!!"

"I swear to God, Oishi," Boss grabs you by the collar, "If you start raving about some fucking fake demon, I'll--!!"

Oldie drops, landing face first on the pallet you were just unloading.

Boss lets you go, motioning you to follow him, "What the fuck...?" He mumbles as he steps towards Oldie, "Oi! You narcoleptic or something?"

No response.

"Did someone get in?" You ask, scanning the area, "How'd they get past your guys?"

"Shut up! Let me think!" Boss shouts, "Who else knew about this shipment?! Did you fucking rat me out?!" He points his knife at you.

"No! I didn't squeal!" You put your hands up defensively, "I swear! Kuma Pack to the grave!"

"To the grave...?"

Five years of agony.
​

"Boss...?" You back up, nervous, "You, uh, alright?"

"Kill yourself." Boss says.

"What the fuck are you--?"

"Get your gun and blow your brains out."

"Boss, I--!"

"You said to the grave!" Boss shouts over you, "You mean it?"

"Get a fucking grip, Shinji!" You shout, actively reaching for your gun, "Now's not the--?"

It's not there.

"Well?" Shinji-- Boss walks closer, "I'm waiting."

"Where's my gun?"

"What?" He snaps.

"I-I can't find my fucking gun!" You look around for it, "I just had it, I--!"

A brick hits the light over the warehouse door, plunging you both into darkness.

"What the f-- hurk!!" Boss takes an unseen hit, "Where are you, you little--"

There's a loud thunk, then nothing.

It's only you, now.

Five years you'll never get back.​

"Where are you?" You huff into the darkness, "Where are you?!" You turn your head--

...There she is. A kid, couldn't be older than 15, standing over the rookie with two bloodstained fists, her eyes roaring with the fires of hell itself.

You don't even know what to say to that. "You--?!"

She rushes you.