Puella Magi Megami Tensei

[TremendousMilk3]

[X] "Say hi, Dawn!"

You discreetly check your Gauntlet for any reply from Virtue...

>VIR: It has been quiet up until now, but my vigilance shall not waver! The girl you protect so fervently is safe under my watch!

VIRTUE STATUS: NORMAL.

Your shoulders finally relax.

"Yumi? Is something still troubling you?" Grandma asks, turning to you.

"Well, not troubling, but..." You shake your head, thinking over your troubles, "I guess magic is my strong suit, huh?"

"That's true," Grandma nods, "Why do you bring it up?"

"It's just... I don't have any formal training on the subject. Are there any other tricks you can show me?" You finally ask, "I mean, the only ace up my sleeve so far has been fusion magic."

"Fusion magic?" She repeats.

"Oh, it's what happens sometimes when I cast a spell at the same time of one of my demons." You explain, "But, thanks to Dawn here..." A familiar weight appears on your lap, and you show Grandma, "...She can use a skill, essentially letting me use a fusion spell all on my own!"

"You are much too kind, Master Yumi Konishi." Dawn says.

Grandma stares at you for a moment. "...Interesting." She finally says, "Very interesting...! Haruki was the only one who used demons in combat, so that's probably why I never learned of it! You're just full of surprises, Yumi!"

You blink. Honestly, you thought that she'd know about fusion spells.

"Regardless, I think I can show you a thing or two!" Grandma gets up, shuffling over to the backyard door, "Come on! Let's get some air!"

You cautiously get up to follow her, with Cerberus instantly taking your spot on the couch. Kazuya puts his face into his hand as you step back into the yard.

Grandma smiles at you as you join her outside. "Now, what did you have in mind?"

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[TremendousMilk3]

[X] "How do I wards?"

"I feel like the best thing to learn would be how to set up a ward to protect my apartment," You think aloud, "Maybe some traps, or seals..." You grin unintentionally, "...And how to get rid of them if they're used against me."

"Ohoho, how insidious!" Grandma smiles, "Yes, we can go over that! Anything else you'd like to learn?"

"...You wouldn't happen to know any spells or stuff about flight, would you?" You sheepishly add.

"No, flight has always seemed to elude me." Grandma sighs, before redoubling her enthusiasm, "Now, let's get started on wards, first! See, the trick to warding sigils..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Haruko Okimoto." Kyubey hops up beside you, looking over the city. "Did you get the answers you seek?"

"Pertaining to Yumi Konishi, or about demons?" You ask, tossing a leaf off of the roof.

"Either. Did you learn anything substantial?"

"No, I did not." You reply, clearly frustrated, "Although, the way you're asking makes it seem like you had me... I don't know, spying on Ms. Konishi?"

"Are you accusing me of something?" Kyubey asks, tilting his head, "I only told you where she resided, not that you had any objective to complete on my behalf."

"Even still, it seems as if you used me to probe for information."

"That is correct, but we haven't learned anything." Kyubey turns back to the cityscape before you, "Perhaps you need a new approach."

"Why don't you just go talk to her?" You ask, "I have a lot on my plate as is."

"Yumi Konishi and I have a tenuous relationship at best." Kyubey reveals, "I have attempted to utilize her services in the past, but she is quite difficult to work alongside."

You don't reply, focusing on the tiny cars driving by on the tiny roads. Like blood pumping through a vein, they too pump the life of this city to where it needs to be.

"Hm." Kyubey's tail flicks, "What if I placed a reward for Yumi Konishi's defeat out? Perhaps Grief Seeds would be enticing enough to--"

"Then you can count me out." You get up, brushing your dress off, "Yumi hasn't given me a suitable reason to make any attempt on her."

"That reasoning will not stop others from trying." He retorts, "And, should other Magical Girls should attempt to bring her down, I can perhaps glean valuable data from their battle on how Magical Girls can combat demons."

Your eyes widen as you turn away. "You would trade children's lives for an attempt at learning?!"

"This surprises you?" Kyubey asks, "You know how the Magical Girl System works. As long as their lives are utilized effectively, I see no problem in a handful of sacrifices."

You step back out of reflex.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"...And then, like this?" You ask, finishing the last warding runes on the ground. You soon get your answer, the ward activating with a nice glow.

"Excellent, Yumi. With that ward, no demons without a master can enter this area!" Grandma claps, "And that's the three most useful runes! Ward Demon, Ward Scrying, and Ward Curses!"

"Thanks for the help, Grandma!" You smile, "Now, how would I--?"

"Disable an enemy's ward?" She finishes, "Like so."

Grandma points to your ward, and...

(GRANDMA: WARD SHATTER)

The ward circle simply vanishes.

(YUMI LEARNED EXTRA SKILL(S): WARD DEMON, WARD SCRYING, WARD CURSES, WARD SHATTER)

You breathe deeply, happy to finally have some sort of protection for when no one is at your home.

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[TremendousMilk3]

[X] Yumi hugs!

You stand up, crack your back, and hug Grandma tightly. "Thank you for all of your help, Grandma."

"Of course!" She instantly returns your embrace, "My little granddaughter is becoming so magically adept! I'm so proud, Yumi!"

Your shoulders droop.

God, when's the last time you heard someone say that?

You shake your head, attempting to dispell those kinds of thoughts, "Hey, Grandma? Are there any wards against people? Like, if they have ill intent, or even unauthorized magic users." You release her as you speak.

"I'm afraid not." She admits, "If there were, I would have found them. Although, I could teach you about trap circles some time!"

"Trap circles?" You repeat as she turns to go back inside, "How do those work?"

"Always excited for knowledge! You're becoming a fine Kuzunoha, Yumi!" Grandma smiles at you, "Unfortunately, I'm not used to using magic after so long... That took a lot out of me!" She slowly advances towards the door, "Come back tomorrow, and I'll tell you all about it!"

You smile, although you're a little disappointed. "Alright. Let's get back inside."

Grandma nods, and you both enter...

"Get down, boy!" Grandpa says, "C'mon, get down!"

Cerberus stretches out onto the couch, his eyes closed.

"...He's asleep." Kazuya says to himself, his arms crossed.

"Yeah, I figured that out." Grandpa grumbles, "He's your demon, yeah? Can't you move the big lug?"

Kazuya nods, stooping down to...

...

...

"...What?" Kazuya asks, "You told me to move him, and I am."

Everyone stares in silence as you process the fact that Kazuya just lifted his big demon dog as if he were picking up a box.

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[TremendousMilk3]

[X] Acceptance.

Kazuya has displayed many feats of incalculable physical strength. He has caught up to Cerberus on foot, cleaved Morax in half in one mighty swing, and now...

Cerberus hasn't even stirred from his slumber. Kazuya casually sets him on the ground, standing back up to his full height.

"...Good job." Grandpa admits, sitting down on the couch. Grandma silently joins him.

You...

...You feel like you just speedran all of the stages of grief.

You accept Kazuya's physical feats, and now you must continue with your life. You have no other choice, do you? Time marches on.

Kazuya sits back down in the rocking chair.

Grandpa turns on the TV, flipping to a random channel.

(TV ROLL (d100): 11)

"--Causing our children to turn to Satan!" The Televangelist raves, "These "Pokemon" creatures are monsters, and each of them acts to spite God in their own, putrid way!" He steps to one side of the stage, "And worse yet, they peddle the lie of evolution, causing our kin to doubt the word of--"

Grandma turns off the TV.

"Good call." Both Grandpa and Kazuya say.

Cerberus is snoring softly, which is a surprise considering his size. Kazuya is fiddling with his arm thing (that is not a Gauntlet.), humming a peppy tune to himself.

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[TremendousMilk3]

[X] "The first rule of gun safety is to have fun!"

You quickly check the time, just in case. It's currently 2:16...

...So you've got a bit of time to kill before you have to pick Yuma up from school.

"Well, does anyone wanna hear about the day I had?" You ask, getting everyone's attention (except Cerberus', because he's asleep.), "Like how I found this on the side of the road!" You produce the military style gun, holding it in both hands.

Grandpa nearly chokes on his own spit.

Grandma looks a little nervous now that you've pulled a gun out of your Gauntlet.

"Oh, sweet." Kazuya nods, "That'll be alright against mid-sized demons."

Grandpa gets off of the couch, "Yumi, can I see that real quick?"

You oblige, handing the rifle to Grandpa, who inspects it thoroughly. After a moment of silent deliberation, he finally speaks. "According to the etching below the sights, this thing was made in 1965."

"Wow, it must've been well taken care of." You reply, crossing your arms, staring at the rifle.

"No, this is all factory new." Grandpa says, sounding confused. "I know my way around guns, and this..." He holds it at eye level, "...Must've come right off of the assembly line."

"But you just said it was built in the Sixties, dear!" Grandma interjects.

"And that's the part I'm confused about." He reveals, "Either this is a damn good fake, or something really weird is going on."

Kazuya glances at you, a knowing glint in his eye.

"Yumi, why don't you tell us about your day?" Grandma suddenly asks, "You were planning on doing that, weren't you?"

"Oh, right!" You smack yourself in the forehead, "So, a few minutes after I woke up..."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You turn off the television. As fun as it is watching some wannabe preacher scream his head off about a children's game, it gets quite old very quickly.

Although, from the art he displayed about that game, it did look rather appealing. To be honest, that scarf dog looking one was rather cute...?

You look over to the door, sensing an odd presence. "Gabriel?" You turn to...

...Oh.

"Not enough power to fully enter this plane?" You ask, crossing your legs, "Pity. I always liked talking to you before--"

"Lucifer." Gabriel cuts you off, "You know why I am here."

"Firstly, rude. I was talking." You grumble, "Second, I know that I'm the absolute last entity you would come to seek information from, so this must be dire."

"Where are the other Archangels?" Gabriel asks, her incorporeal form fading in and out.

"How should I know?" You sneer, "Last I checked, Michael still wanted to hand deliver me to the hottest pit of brimstone and magma he could find, and I'm not welcome in--"

"Please, just answer my question." Gabriel... sounded desperate.

"...I don't know." You admit.

"What happened after the incident with the Demi--?"

"Wrong Lucifer, Gabby." You lean back, stroking Amy's back. "I wasn't the first, you know."

"I'm acutely aware." Gabriel growls, apparently not appreciating your nickname, "But I know you had--"

"A plan to do war with Heaven?" You finish, "No, not anymore. The deed was done by another."

Even in her ghostly visage, you can see Gabriel's eyes widen in fear. "You... You are not saying that--"

You nod grimly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"...So that's when I fought the super crazy triple Witch, and-- Wait, now that I think about it, I should get some housing prepared before I go about reviving them..." You think aloud in the middle of your story, "...It wouldn't be any good to bring them back to life only to put them on the streets."

"Yumi, wh--?"

"Does anyone have any ideas on that front?" You ask, finally facing your Grandparents.

Grandpa is holding his head. "She even explains things like her mother did..." He grumbles to himself.

Grandma is attentively listening to your story, nodding all the while.

Kazuya is simply staring at you.

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[TremendousMilk3]

[X] Explaining the system.

"Oh, right, before I forget to mention, Witches are--"

"Born from Magical Girls, aren't they?" Grandma cuts you off, a grim tone to her voice.

Kazuya nods, "You're only half correct."

"Unfortunately, it's worse than that." You grimace a little, "They're born from the souls of Magical Girls."

Grandma stares at her lap, balling her hands into fists. "So that girl you brought in..."

"She was a Witch." You confirm. "She isn't now, but..."

"...I-I'm sorry for interrupting you, Yumi. Keep going, please." Grandma returns her gaze to you.

"Okay, you got it. So, I should probably preface this next part with an... interesting fact about myself." You try to come up with a gentle way to break the news, "I'm immune to blades."

You are met with confused stares.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hey, Mami!" You call to her from across the roof, "What's going on?"

"Ah, hello, Sayaka!" Mami waves happily as you make your approach, "I'm quite fine, thank you! Is there something you needed?"

"I... No, I don't need anything, I just..." You sit down on a concrete bench, "...I'd like to hear your opinion. On me. And my sword."

Mami trots over to the bench across from you, "Well, I think you need to build up muscle, and the best way to do that would be..." She puts a finger to her chin, "...Let's see... Have you tried lifting weights?"

"I don't have any time!" You bemoan, "I get up, I eat breakfast, I come to school, I go home, I do homework, and that's it."

Mami frowns, "Perhaps you could ask Yumi for a workout regimen for you? She's very knowledgeable when it comes to these things..."

"Maybe..." You frown back, "...But I already ask her for a lot, with all of the training, magic tutoring, and--?"

"Sayaka, it can't hurt to ask!" Mami smiles, "It isn't like you're going to ask a boy to go to the school festival or anything!"

"Y-Yeah, of course not!" You stammer a little, "I mean, she's a girl, and I'm a girl! And if she was that kind of girl then she'd...!!"

Mami is struggling to not laugh.

"Hey! What's so funny?!"

"Sayaka, I...!" Mami points just behind you to...

"I'm missing a lot of context, aren't I...?" Madoka asks, a slight blush on her cheeks.

You pale.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"...Which brings us to back to here." You finish, "Any questions?"

"...Just one, Yumi." Grandpa, having set the M16 aside, sits down on the couch, "Does Takeshi know about any of this?"

(INT ROLL: 9+8)

You almost think you saw Kazuya's hand twitch at the mention of Dad.

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[TremendousMilk3]

[X] "How would I bring it up?"

"I mean, I did tell Dad about magic a couple of days ago," You admit, "But all of the stuff I just told you about happened today. Not to mention that he has a job, and there hasn't really been a good time to--"

"I'll tell him." Grandpa interrupts, drawing all eyes to him, "What? I've got free time."

"I... Uh, thanks...?" You awkwardly smile at him.

"Haruki, dear, it may not be the best idea to tell him absolutely everything." Grandma says, "After all, there isn't really anything he can do. And when there's nothing he can do..."

"You're not giving that man enough credit." Grandpa replies sternly, "He has a right to know."

"I'm just saying that there's no reason to cause unnecessary stress!" Grandma reiterates, "Takeshi already has enough to worry about. Piling on the fact that Yumi--?"

"This will become his concern sooner or later, whether you tell him or not."

You blink as you turn to Kazuya, who suddenly spoke up.

"It's not exactly my place to say, but this is going to grow uncontrollable very quickly." Kazuya steps forward, "If we don't tell him now, he'll just find out a different way. Someone else could tell him, someone who could embellish or omit vital pieces of information. Right now, we need to--?"

"Hold that thought." Grandpa holds one finger up, looking to the window...

...

"...Kyubey." You almost growl.

"It has been some time since our last proper meeting, Yumi Konishi." Kyubey slips into the living room, "We have some problems to sort out."

 

[TremendousMilk3]

[X] "You'll need to narrow that down a bit."

"I think you're gonna need to narrow that down." You try your best to keep your distain for the little white fleabag in check.

"Sneaky little devil..." Grandma mutters, "My detection runes didn't catch him get close."

"I would bring up the matter of you going back on our deal, but it seems I had not allowed you enough time to track Victoria Walters." Kyubey begins, speaking as of he hadn't put Yuma's life in danger, "Please do work faster in the future, if only to avoid wasting time."

"And why should I work with you at all after what you pulled?" You bite your cheek, "And especially with finding her?"

"You said yourself that demons would become a great problem for both of us." Kyubey explains, "If I am able to speak with her, I will be able to form a Contract with many potential Magical Girls, therefore granting you additional allies. I see no scenario where this is a detriment."

"Oh, right. Speaking of which..." You crouch down, looking down at Kyubey, "...Your little "system" is flawed in such a way that demons can easily take advantage of it."

"I would quite appreciate elaboration."

"Hmm... Let's see..." You mockingly rub your chin, "How about the fact that a strong demon can take over a Witch's Labyrinth? Or the way that some demons can simply break a Magical Girl's Contract with you? And God forbid that a Magical Girl use her magic to defend herself, because she's actively penalized for it! Your own decisions in this dumb system have pretty much left them dead in the water!" You huff, taking in short breaths of frustration.

"The system is meant to efficiently harvest energy, not to combat demons." Kyubey retorts, "Such scenarios were entirely disregarded as no beings could properly prod at its flaws. This is a new phenomenon for the system, and one I am in no rush to alter. After all--?"

"You're a being of pure logic, correct?" Kazuya asks, staring the white rat down, "Then, from a purely logical standpoint, you should pull your assets out of the line of fire, keeping the way clear for those of us who can actually do something."

"I do not remember allowing you to perceive me."

"I don't remember asking for permission." Kazuya shoots back.

"I feel like I'm missing one hell of an argument." Grandpa grumbles, "It's pretty rude to hide away in someone's house."

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[TremendousMilk3]

[X] "I beg your pardon?"

You close your eyes for a moment, attempting to calm yourself. "Grandpa, this is the same white rat behind the Magical Girl System." You explain, "And I guess he can hide himself. Before you ask, no, killing this body doesn't help."

"What, he doesn't have the guts to show himself to an old man?" Grandpa sneers.

"Sir," Kazuya interjects, "This is a being of pure logic. Attempting to provoke it won't do anything."

Grandpa crosses his arms, clearly frustrated.

"Now, onto the topic of Victoria." You nearly spit out her name like spoiled milk, "I'd like to know where she is for my own reasons, bu--?"

"Then we have no reason to stand against each other." Kyubey cuts you off, "We both share the same goal--"

"But I can't track someone through teleportation, and that's assuming that they're still here in this dimension." You begrudgingly explain, "The other big problem is that, according to the last time I checked, that demon is leagues above me in power. It would be a suicide charge if I don't carefully prepare."

"So, your main issue is that you have no leads?" Kyubey asks, "And you are still willing to work unde--?"

"I may have leads soon, but not yet." You begin. It seems like every word that Kyubey says makes you just a little more angry... "I recently took over a demon clan, so I can have them look for some leads while I attend to more important business."

"I see. It was hasty of me to take such measures." Kyubey tells you, "Perhaps letting you "get to it when you get to it" is a better strategy."

Your heart sinks as you mentally replay the conversation, one statement sticking out like a sore thumb. "... New phenomenon that you are in no rush to alter?"

"Yes." Kyubey flicks his tail.

"Explain. Both points. No euphemisms, no deflections, no "lying by telling the truth" because I can think of more than a few meanings to that phrase, and most of them don't bode well for anyone involved." Your hand twitches, "And let Grandpa perceive you. His input could be valuable."

Kyubey fake-sighs, "Very well."

Grandpa quietly glares at Kyubey. Grandma puts a hand on his shoulder, warily looking at Kyubey.

"The "Phenomenon" I am referring to is the appearance of demons." Kyubey begins, "That is the best way I can describe their sudden influx to this planet. As for the last part, I shall answer your question with a question." His tail swishes behind him, "Demonic affairs are decidedly your area, correct? I do not wish to interfere with your ability to combat this threat. Even still, this new use of magic is astounding, and I would quite appreciate the chance to study it."

"So you think Earth is some "Test Site"?" Grandpa asks quietly.

"That is one way to explain it."

Grandpa's grimace deepens.

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[TremendousMilk3]

[X] "Gee, that's a lot of words... And I read them all quite easily."

You sigh quietly. "See, that sounds less like a "I am not going to poke the bear" answer, and more of a "I am going to let others poke the bear until I can effectively manipulate it" answer."

"You would be mostly correct in that assumption." Kyubey admits, "And the task of "poking" the proverbial "bear" falls to you."

An unamused gaze meets Kyubey's, "At least you can recognize when someone else has a more appropriate skill set."

"Recognizing and properly utilizing a human's talents are quite important skills to have."

"...I'm electing to ignore that for now." You say, "But I think I asked the wrong question. You implied that the scenario of fighting demons was entirely disregarded, not because you never encountered them, not because you had no concept of demons even existing, but because "no being could properly prod at--"?"

"That is not what I was implying." Kyubey begins, tail flicking like a metronome, "Your first statements line up closely with my information. I did not encounter demons before, nor have I ever known they existed. I was, however, implying that I had yet to observe a creature able to 'pull at the strings" of the Magical Girl System so... Entirely."

"What do you--?"

"Yumi, just ask him yes or no questions." Grandpa suggests (a tiny hint of anger slipping into his tone), "That'll be your best bet on getting any useful answers outta him."

You blink. How did you not think of that earlier?

"Okay, how about...!" You snap your fingers, "Did you, someone on your behalf, or someone you "simply made comments and implications to" perform "tests" to bring demons into this world?"

"Of course not." If Kyubey could be offended, you're sure it would be, "That is strictly your domain of study, as I have said since we first spoke."

"So, he hasn't conned anyone into opening a rift. Good." Grandma sighs a breath of relief.

"Do you have the understanding needed to "repair" our dimensional barrier to its former state?" You ask, drumming your fingers on the floor.

"That would most likely solve the problem, but no. I cannot "repair" our universe." Kyubey laments, "If I was able to, don't you think I would have done so?"

"I've got a question for you, Que-Bee." Grandpa begins, leaning forward to get a good look at Kyubey, "How many Witches are in the Mitakihara area?"

"I do not count precisely, but there are approximately seventy Witches in that specific area, give or take."

"Kyubey, are you a demon?" Grandma asks.

"No." Kyubey answers confidently.

"And Kyubey, do you think you may have over optimized your system to the point that it's self sabotaging?" You ask, "Perhaps a--!"

"You have a valid point." Kyubey... Sounds surprised. "It is noticably self sabotaging, isn't it? I have sacrificed self defense for energy collection, which in this scenario, has lead to a great blunder on my part." Kyubey gets up, walking around the room, "Your species may be insane by my own standards, and you certainly aren't as advanced as me, your kind has expertise in a subject I had no idea existed."

"I...?" You stop yourself.

Kyubey continues, "You humans are odd. Despite your incessant emotions clouding your judgement, despite your lack of spatial knowledge, you make up for it in demon handling." Another tail swish as it walks, "Perhaps it would be beneficial to view you as an equal of sorts rather than a potential power source. So I shall. Yumi Konishi, I would like to conduct an experiment involving you."

"What you should be doing is thinking over the phrase "missing the forest for the trees"." Kazuya shoots calmly, "As well as how jumping to conclusions, manipulating people by giving them incomplete information, and answering questions with questions can cause them to come to false conclusions that are heavily influenced by their own bias, and how that alienates those who can handle problems that you cannot, or perhaps unintentionally worsening the problem by trying to "fix" it."

"And that is the very reason I shall be conducting this experiment." Kyubey coldly retorts, "Yumi Konishi shall be my "variable" group, while the Magical Girls currently active shall be my "control" group. This experiment will be beneficial to both you and I, if only to minimize miscommunication and inefficiencies caused by our conflicting operations."

"Hopefully you learn how to let others help instead of trying to solve everything on your own and- damnit, this is a big cosmic joke at my expense, isn't it?" You can't help but chuckle a little. The universe seems to have a sense of humor, at least!

"Perhaps it will. Or perhaps I will be proven right." Kyubey finally sits down right in front of you, "Do you accept being a part in this experiment?"