So You've Become a Villainess: an (Otome) Isekai Raising Project

[FourthWall]

Reach gender equality through violence?

***​

You walk to the middle of the podium, all eyes on you. You feel small, smaller than your current body. If you were any more Emo, you might have had a panic attack. The panopticon of fantasy nobility is unlike any away team crowd you've ever faced.

<Sporty>: "An away match is an away match, even if we're way, way away."

Your Sporty side gives you a mental slap on the back, firing you up. With a mental whoop and a tiny fistpump, you face the audience with all the swagger you can muster.

"Though I may not be a grown-up, my athletic abilities are an equal to any man! I propose that the Prince and I compete in an athletic exhibition!"

You notice both Bridgette and Prince Alteisen shrug and shake their heads in a "yeah I figured" sort of way. Justine gives you an amused look. Chiaki watches you intently.

"What say you, Prince Alteisen?" You say with a cheeky monkey grin. "Do you accept, or would sir Prince prefer a more refined sort of competition?"

Prince Alteisen slicks back his hair and gives you a Mona Lisa smile back. "It would bring shame on both our houses if I did not meet you on your terms, Fist Princess."

<Flashy> "A little backhanded, but honeyed words all the same, dahling."

You stand your ground against him, arms akimbo. Outside of the whole "killing you when you're teenagers" thing, there's a dangerous aura to him. You can tell that behind those rosy cheeks and bright eyes is a mind analysing your every weakness.

Even more than Lucciano, this boy is a potential landmine.

He steps forward, getting within an eyelash of punching distance, and stands at artfully flippant attention. It looks like he's modeling his pristine military uniform for you.

<Sensible> "I can't tell if he's baiting us or naturally this..."

<Artsy> "Performative?"

<Sensible> "I was thinking douchey, but that works too."

Justine motions to the both of you. "What are the terms of your competition?"

Prince Alteisen turns to gracefully bow before Justine. "Our garden has an excellent hedge maze. If I may, I would propose a race between myself and your charming daughter."

Justine hmmphs, the edge of her mouth curling into a smile. "...Let us see if your muscles are as well-trained as your manners, boy." She looks to you. "And what say you, Grace?"

***
Making your case, Formidable Flashy check (DC 13)
5,6 +4 = 15
Check success! Flashy +1, Stress -1!
***​

You see Justine wait for your answer with the gentlest face she's made. Even someone like you can tell she appreciates you taking the initiative without making a scene. A seed of Claudius pride takes root in your heart, making you feel like a lion.

You clear your throat and match Prince Alteisen's aloof gaze with one full of determination. He flinches imperceptibly, his rosy cheeks getting rosier.

"While I would love to take a tour through your garden, sir Prince, wouldn't it be hard for these fair people to see our potential with their own eyes if we were to race through it?" The crowd murmurs with something like assent.

"We have viewing mirrors and seats for guests around the maze," Prince Alteisen says with a sweeping gesture around the room. "They will not lack for sight."

You blink and think of what to say next.

<Flashy> "Just push through, dahling. Don't give them time to process your faux pas."

You giggle. "Fair, but with this sumptuous spread, who would want to leave the chamber?" You wipe a little drool from the side of your mouth. "And this is a perfect place to compete in my kind of exhibition."

"Which would be?"

You thrust a fist into the sky. "Wrestling! Arm wrestling or regular wrestling, your choice!"

Justine nods, then addresses Lord Alteisen. "A suitable contest for our martially inclined houses, no?"

Lord Alteisen strokes his beard and hrms.

The same kind of boyish shock you saw on Camille pushes past Prince Alteisen's blasé mask. "Wrestling a...person of your stature would be rather uncouth, would it not?"

"What's uncouth about it?" you ask.

You look around the cavernous room as the murmurs reach a crescendo. Chiaki is hiding laughter, Bridgette is blushing deeply. You see Lily, hiding behind a column, wide-eyed and scribbling something on a notepad you didn't know she had.

You don't get why they're acting so weird. Wrestling to get what you wanted was pretty standard behavior between you and your cousins at this age. They used to call you the Excellence of Energy, among other, less kind things. But hey, it's not your fault you racked up a Goldbergian win streak.

At least the murmurs are mostly positive, you think.

Prince Alteisen takes a deep breath. "Despite your house's...unfettered ideas of what it entails, it would behoove you to act more like a proper girl. Which means you should save yourself from unnecessary bodily contact with boys."

You snerk.

Lord Alteisen nods.

Justine's face goes hard.

Bridgette bangs her fist against the table, but says nothing. Her father gives her a stern look, a heavy frown etching furrows in his face.

Prince Alteisen gives her a sad look of succor.

You give Bridgette a knowing look, clench your fists, and call Prince Alteisen out. "Hey! I'm free to show my mettle in any way I want! There's nothing improper about professional wrestling, or girls not wanting to be all girly!" You point at him like a Phoenix Wright OBJECTION. "If you have another idea, that's fine, but I won't let you step on my or your sister's pride as girls on this stage!"

There's a throaty roar from a section of nobles behind Justine, all wearing outfits molded in her image. A smaller contingent of nobles around Lord Alteisen show open disdain behind lordly politeness.

Lily is still behind her column, smiling with fanged glee. She's bouncing on her toes as the physicker makes for the exit behind her.

"I did not mean to offend," Prince Alteisen says, eyes wet with embarrassment. His stance turns inward, hurt. "If you do not fear contact, I propose we show our skills cooperatively, not competitively." He steels himself and offers you a tremblimg, gloved hand. "Shall we dance, Young Lady Claudius?"

***​

[What do you do?]
[ ] Accept
[ ] Say you would prefer to wrestle
[ ] Say you would prefer to arm-wrestle
[ ] Say you'll take him up on the maze race instead
[ ] Punch him in the face

***​

Spoiler: TenCo Avatar Cheatsheet

NAME
Kid A Grace Claudius, Age 12

AVATAR GRADES
Brainy: Average (+3)
Artsy: Average (+3)
Flashy: Good (+4)
Sporty: Good (+4)
Sensible: Good (+4)

ACTUALIZATION SCORES
BRN 46 ART 42 FLA 57 SPO 93 SEN 53
STRESS 38

DESTRUDO LEVEL
Normal

PRE-CAPTURE ROUTES
Camille Asuka
Bridgette Alteisen
NEW! Lily Valentine

 

[FourthWall]

Okay more like 36 hours

***​

You ball your tiny fists and firmly plant your feet. A part of you, a very loud part, wants to punch this guy in the face. He killed you, or at least the character you currently are. If you strike first, chances are you strike last.

...But you can see a sad earnestness in his foxlike eyes.

You hate to admit it, you don't want to admit it, but it reminds you ever so slightly of Chiaki when you met her. Anyone who reminds you of Chiaki can't be all bad.

So you unclench your fist and take Prince Alteisen's hand.

His eyes and mouth widen with an innocent glee befitting his age, before falling back into that practiced blasé half-lidded half smile. He pulls you close, taking the lead position for a waltz.

"Thank you for not caving my nose in, Fist Princess" he whispers in your ear. "I could feel your killing intent."

Your hair roils in its bun at the closeness of a stranger.

"Don't be a creep and I won't have to turn this to a ballroom blitz," you whisper back.

A stately waltz you recognize as the CG Gallery theme from Our Bloody Valentine begins to play. Prince Alteisen gently leads you through its slow-quick-quick pace. You're more used to leading the dance, but you follow just as well. The ballroom glides past you, the panopticon's gaze is gentle now. You can feel this is appeasing the crowd, both pro- and anti-Justine.

"Don't misunderstand me," Prince Alteisen says, his face serious. "I truly wanted to dance with you."

"Afraid to express yourself with your fists?" you half-tease.

"Any result but a draw would have been a stain on our respective houses," he says.

<Sensible> "...So a stain on his house."

<Sporty> "Glad you've come around to believing in us, Sense."

<Sensible> "I always believed in us! I just also believe in us getting into trouble is all."

You snort. "Worried I was gonna kick your butt?"

"Yes, actually," he says.

"Whoa." You didn't think he'd be that honest with you.

"To lose in front of my father and his supporters would be catastrophic. I would no longer be seen as a man."

You sweep him around, snatching the lead from him. "You'd probably make a cute girl."

He blushes, pouts, and forces himself upright. With surprisingly strong arms, he dips you down. "Why bother becoming one when I could simply enjoy the presence of one?"

A stray lock of his blond hair kisses your forehead. You wrestle the urge to Glasgow Kiss him back.

He leans in as if to kiss you, your body tenses up. You're a split-second from kneeing him in the balls before he whispers in your ear. "I wish to learn to mix beauty and strength as you do. If a woman can have both, why not a man?"

<Sporty> "If we jigokuguruma throw him here, he'll probably be okay."

<Brainy> "The only beauty is in knowledge, fool."

<Flashy> "If the boy wants to be strong and fabulous, we should show him that battle manga with the fashion poses and musical references, dahlings."

<Artsy> "Nothing worse than self-expression curtailed, no? I think we should help him bare his soul to the world!"

<Sensible> *cracks open a beer* "Talk among yourselves."

***​

[Dialogue Point! How do you respond to the Prince?]
[ ] That's weird. You're weird.
[ ] Who said guys can't be strong and beautiful? Strong IS beautiful!
[ ] I'd be happy to help, but you coulda just asked normally y'know?
[ ] Write-in

***​

Prince Alteisen lifts you up in a figure-skater spin, causing your dress train to puff out like a parasol. The swell of the music and the rush of the wind is awakening something in you. This dance is scratching a pretty princess itch you didn't know you had. Usually you played the prince to other girls (and some guys), but getting spun about by a no-spit prince hits different.

You're still not really sold on the Prince, but you're enjoying this a whole lot. You're feeling more amiable to him despite yourself.

The music dies down and the dance comes to an end. The Prince is blushing lightly and his half-smirk has turned into a genuine smile. He kneels before you and softly kisses the back of your hand. You blush back and ruffle his hair with your free hand.

You notice Bridgette isn't sitting by Lord Alteisen anymore.

Prince Alteisen's eyes go wide with shock once he processes what you've done. "My hair!" He desperately goes to fix it, but you place your hand atop his.

You give him a cheeky smile. "You look better like this, I think."

Undoing your bun, you let your own wild hair fall loose and free. It's long enough now to lightly kiss the floor. Your hair gently envelops the Prince for your next words, whispered into his ear as payback for earlier. "Besides, you wanted to be more like me, right?"

He looks back at you with awe and confusion. You giggle and flick his nose, drawing a properly childish pout from him.

After he finishes sulking, he gives you a very Bridgette-like grin. "...You cheeky monkey." He pokes your nose back. "I can see why my little sister is so enamored with you."

You rub your nose and smile as you scan the crowd for Bridgette. "I dunno why, it just kinda happens." Your smile turns cheeky again. "Hey, isn't dancing all close doing a lot of touching with a girl?"

"...Ah." Realization dawns on Prince Alteisen like a morning hangover. He scrambles out of your hair and readjusts his regal bearing.

You pull your massive hair back into a high ponytail, cinching it tight with a strand of itself. You meet Lord Alteisen's dour gaze with a small, fierce smile. "Was that a sufficient show of our mettle?"

Lord Alteisen strokes his gunmetal beard, the crags of his weathered face thrown into relief with thought. He nods once. "Acceptable, if unfeminine from you. You did as well as expected of the Crimson She-wolf's pup."

Your eye twitches at this insult to Justine and your femininity, but you curtsy how Chiaki taught you. "Thank you for your appraisal, Lord Alteisen." You take your petticoats and spin, sneakily flipping Lord Alteisen the bird from behind as you turn to Justine.

She gives you a small, fierce smile and hugs you. The warmth of a job well done suffuses you.

<Sensible> "Well that went better than expected."

You hear a little jingle in your head.

***
Prince Alteisen Relationship Up! Pre-capture route unlocked.
***​

<Sensible> "...I shouldn't have said that."

***​

[What Do You Do?]
[ ] Go look for Bridgette
[ ] Reconvene with Chiaki
[ ] Hang around Justine some more
[ ] Go figure out what Lily was writing about

Spoiler: TenCo Avatar Cheatsheet

NAME
Kid A Grace Claudius, Age 12

AVATAR GRADES
Brainy: Average (+3)
Artsy: Average (+3)
Flashy: Good (+4)
Sporty: Good (+4)
Sensible: Good (+4)

ACTUALIZATION SCORES
BRN 46 ART 42 FLA 57 SPO 93 SEN 53
STRESS 38

DESTRUDO LEVEL
Normal

PRE-CAPTURE ROUTES
Camille Asuka
Bridgette Alteisen
Lily Valentine
NEW! Prince Bryn Alteisen

 

[megrisvernin]

As you hug Justine, you let yourself enjoy the happy, warm feeling radiating through you. The whole dance with Prince Alteisen was worth it for the fierce pride she now showed.

For the first time, you feel like her daughter.

Eventually someone calls out for the Duchess's attention and you reluctantly pull away as she turns to respond to them. While part of you is annoyed by the interruption, you knw how important it was for the Claudius family to maintain good relations with their vassals.

Glancing around the crowd of nobles and hangers-on, you could see a fair amount of attention and interest directed your way. You stood up with home-grown confidence and all the poise your decorum classes taught you as you reflected on how your encounter with your not-yet fiance had gone.

With a gentle curtsey and more blushing than you expected, you greet some of the well-wishers remarking what an excellent couple you and Prince Alteisen made. You don't see it yourself, but now you can see yourself seeing it later. You know it's funny to say while living in a dating sim, but all that mushy romance stuff wasn't your aim. You just wanted to live the princess ball life.

Back home, you always enjoyed dressing up in fancy gowns and uniform for cosplay; not just because flashy outfits rule, but for the roleplaying, too. It allowed you to act out the larger-than-life noble personas so far removed from your modern life as a blue-collar sporty schoolgirl. Alas, since it was mostly girls in the scene (and you were the most princely looking in it), you never actually got to be across from someone playing your prince charming.

But enough about the past. By not giving into your first impressions about Prince Alteisen, you discovered some interesting things about him. That he was willing to be honest with you and that he desired to channel some of the beauty and strength you had.

The dance with him not only let you learn that, but reminded you just how fun playing the pretty princess could be. And with your uber-fancy gown you certainly looked the part! You'd dressed to impress, by evoking the frilly gowns and poofy skirts with train Duchess Justine usually wore but turning it up to 11 as was your style.

<Fancy> "See what you can obtain with your fashion instead of your fists, dahling?"

Several ladies gush over your dress, asking where you got it. You tell them it was done in-house by your family's tailor, their excited faces fall through the floor appear as they realize they won't be able to order some themselves. You preen a bit, feeling justified in your personal style. The combo of overwhelming floof and boyish charm was unorthodox, but from the oohs and aahs of the crowd, it'd gone down great. Besides, it also produced fun moments. From your fiancee lifting you up and giving you a twirl to spinning your petticoats and flipping off Lord Alteisen while concealing the gesture.

Really his remark about you being unfeminine was the only downside, and after you'd spent so much effort to up your femininity too!

<Sensible> "In my humble opinion, he can sit and spin! *burp*"

It made you want to spite him a bit by doubling down to prove just how feminine a noblewoman you were. You'd be so feminine he couldn't deny it even when you were kicking butt! For starters, you preferred wearing your hair long rather than up in a bun! Styling your hair to form your own braid was a spot of genius on the spot, but wearing it long from the get-go would let you work in pretty bows too. With you able to control your hair, letting it grow out even more would give it even longer reach.

And since really lacy gowns with full skirts were your thing, maybe you'd turn it up a notch to work in another petticoat and a bit more underwiring. Yeah! That'd show him! You'll make him choke on your femininity!

Fuming a bit, you decided it would be better to seek out a distraction so you don't kill your vibe further. Should you go find Chiaki or Bridgette? Justine almost seemed done talking to her noble ally, you could go tail her some more. You also saw Lily writing something down and you kinda wanna know what it is.

 

[megrisvernin]

While Big Sis Grace stuffed herself with cake, I, Bridgette Alteisen, watched Duchess Justine seize the Gala in the palm of her hand.

It was said the Duchess had a touch of the dramatic, which made sense given House Claudius' sponsorship of the arts, but I admired the confidence and sheer presence the woman had. No one but Father had the stones to say no to her, not for long, anyway. Her aura was a regal, savage thing; her house's heraldic lion made manifest. Wordlessly, effortlessly, she commanded the whole attention of the room upon her.

When she brought up the idea to delay Elder Brother and Grace Claudius's marriage until they had both 'refined' themselves, Father's furious response was typical. He hated theatricality and saw ostentatiousness as an unwanted cost of nobility. As the Claudius matriarch and her fascinating daughter reveled in these things, it put them naturally at odds with Father, and thus, House Alteisen. This arranged marriage was meant as a bridge between troubled houses, or at least to provide a ceasefire.

Furthermore, Elder Brother was always Father's pride and joy. Even alluding to the idea he wasn't the perfect heir would get his blood boiling. The only time he ever shows that much emotion towards me is when I get into fights.

Still, the Duchess's silver tongue soothed even his shitty temper, and he eventually agreed to delay the marriage till they were both adults. I should have welcomed this: given the extra time, Elder Brother would clearly see Big Sis Grace wasn't on his level and go find some other decorative noble lady to win Father's approval with. I could've made a diplomatic alliance with the Claudius house myself, allowing Father to see me do things "properly", so he'd get off my back while I had more time to learn under Big Sis Grace.

No doubt once she was married, the stifling expectations of 'proper' Royal behavior would chain Big Sis Grace's spirit as it had mine, so she would be in ill humor to teach, let alone have any opportunity to do so. So I had to maximize my time with the fun, pugilistic Big Sis Grace.

So it was with some interest when Father pressed for a demonstration of the so-called couple's abilities. It surprised me that Elder Brother chose to meet Big Sis on her terms; he's good with a blade, but I thought he was going to make it some display of magical prowess. Elder Brother likes picking fights he can win, and was confident his aptitude in the Iron Blood and his magical knowledge.

I knew Big Sis Grace was going to pick something physical, though. Despite her frilly dresses, the girl had the heart of a fighter…But the young woman's suggestion for wrestling was beyond what even she expected. Even for her rebellious heart, the idea was scandalous! It conjured too many images of the far more common reasons for a male and female's sweaty bodies to be pressed together.

...Seriously, she could be such a dirty monkey sometimes!

Father attempted to chastise Big Sis Grace for unladylike behavior with the same imposing demeanor he'd directed my way for wanting to learn bladework with Elder Brother...but the Claudius were disdainful of Royal opinion at the best of times, and Big Sis made that point more willfully than most. I snuck in as many chortles as I could at Father being ignored, until he turned his stern visage my way.

...Then Elder Brother invited Big Sis Grace to a dance. I was silently begging her to say no, maybe even to throw that knockout punch to his jaw. To my, and everyone else's, surprise she accepted.

It wasn't even an excuse to just stomp on his feet like a few petty nobles I knew might, instead Big Sis Grace seemed perfectly willing to go along with it. Her moves were graceful and flawless. She was enthralling like Dutchess Justine, but warm and inviting. That, coupled with her very frilly gown, made her seem, for the moment, the picture of femininity.

An illusion no doubt, one not broken by Big Sis Grace, but by Elder Brother! I couldn't *hear* him say the words, but I picked up lipreading from our gossipy ex-maids and caught enough of the exchange. His asking for training in the secrets of her beauty and strength, the same desires that my own heart yearned for. How could he want what I want? How could he not tell me, his only sister, the secret depths of his heart?

Elder Brother had always been there for me, my secret supporter in the household. With Father and Mother pushing me away from fencing towards more feminine arts, Elder Brother'd been the only one willing to actually train with me, even if his busy schedule didn't allow him to do so much. I trusted him, used his strength as my foundation, and he betrayed me like this?

My heart sank into the floor, because I knew the only betrayal here was from my own cowardice. The walls in my own heart I was afraid to destroy. I should have asked first. I should have been honest with myself. I should have had the courage to take that dumb, wonderful monkey girl's hand in mine.

...I'm such a stupid child.

So I ran away like a child. I ran until I found my old hiding place, a little used nook behind one of the walkways. For once my reputation as the black sheep of the family helped, none pursued me. Not even Elder Brother.

All I could do was impotently grind my teeth, this self-annoyance needed an outlet. I desperately wished to thrash someone in a proper fencing match, and all the more that I could beat own lack of self-control into submission. Since I couldn't, I ran myself through with self-recriminations instead.

When put on the spot, hadn't Big Sis Grace been flexible enough to adapt when put on the spot? Hadn't she turned Father's indictments into a greater indictment towards him? Hadn't she metamorphosised into a ideal woman? If Big Sis can do it, why can't I?

I stewed so deeply in my self-loathing I only sensed a figure behind me when they were but a few strides away. Usually, I can pick up a presence from at least fifty paces.

I was about to give them a royal verbal smackdown, but the words died in my throat as I saw who it was. It was the last person I expected, but the one I had hoped for the most.

"Big Sis…"

((()))​

 

[FourthWall]

Sorry for the late update, whole lotta things going on.

***

[CONTINUE?]
>YES
NO

***​

You're in a daze for a good long while as you run off to find Bridgette. You can't just let a friend and/or member of your entourage run off like that and not do something about it. Something about the whole situation feels like a bomb about to go off.

<Sensible>: "We're in a dating sim, right?"

<Flashy>: "That we are, dahling."

<Sensible>: "Are they usually this full of a sense of impending doom?"

<Artsy>: "The bombs of the heart are as perilous as they are metaphorical~"

<Brainy>: "Give me a lab and more time with the science of this world, I'll bring metaphor to grim reality."

<Sporty>: "Oi oi oi, the only thing we should be exploding is off the starting line!"

Sure enough, as you run a little blue HUD appears in the corner of your eye.

***
BOMBS AND YOU
The route to a capture target's heart can be a treacherous one! Doing things a target dislikes, or generally being a dickhead, can spawn a Bomb! If not defused with kindness and things the target likes, it will explode! Their relationship with you will tank, and they'll spread all sorts of nasty rumors! Am I using enough exclamation points yet, senpai!?

-Resplendent Crane of the Ricefields
TenCo Guide Writer, Fall From Grace: A-spec

***​

"There's a guide?" You say to yourself.

<All>: "There's a guide?!"

<Emo>: "A lifeline for the dead, ufu..."

Sensible whips another beer can at the semi-corporeal Emo side of you as you dash through the halls. You'd kick yourself over not knowing the guide but it's current year; who reads guides?

Wait, Chiaki reads guides! Even for games she doesn't play! You'll have to tell her about what you saw when you meet her again.

You'll also have to wing this one, since you don't really know how to access the guide again. No matter how much you strain your (formerly) beer-addled brain, you can't bring the thing back up. You start to panic, the panic moves you faster and deeper into the bowels of the castle.

Even your prodigious stamina starts to flag by the time you reach a walkway connecting the main hall to somewhere you don't even know. Sweat pours from your forehead, your ponytail has worked itself free. Strands of hair wipe your brow and form a sweatband to keep the stinging liquid from your eyes.

It feels like you ran through the whole castle.

You honestly might have run through the whole castle.

You gasp for breath and hear a gasp back.

"Big Sis..."

It's Bridgette, eyes puffy and face runny with tears. She glowers at you, but it's a sulky sort of thing.

You catch your breath and smile at her. "Warn me next time when you wanna play hide and seek, 'kay?"

Bridgette gives you a pouty, needy underlook. "Tch. It's just a game to you, huh?"

"Course not," you say, stretching. "This stuff's life and death for me." With a hup, you leap up and clamber into Bridgette's hiding spot.

Shocked, she presses herself against the side of the alcove. "Too close, too close!" Her face is red for a different reason now.

You brush out your hair with a hand and scoot into a more comfortable position. "Hey, don't you want me to be close? Even a monkey girl like me can tell when someone's crushing on them."

Bridgette turns away from you. "...S'not a crush."

<Flashy>: "Dahling, it's a crush."

"...Then we're cool being friends?" You ask.

Bridgette grits her teeth and curls inwards. "What about Elder Brother? How can we be friends if you're his now, even if the two of you aren't betrothed."

You flinch and flail your arms, nearly scraping your fingertips on the stone arches. "Wha? No! Heck no! We just danced and I told him strength is beautiful! I'm not his at all!"

"When high society decides a man and a woman are paired, they won't abide them not being joined at the hip," Bridgette grumbles.

"Shippers gonna ship," you say. "Doesn't change the fact I'm not his woman. I'm not even a woman yet!"

"You should've socked him," Bridgette says, after a long pause. "Showed him how strong you really were."

"I wanted to, but controlling your impulses is a kind of strength." You look at your fist, unfurl it, and offer your hand to Bridgette. "You two have the same sad eyes, y'know?"

Bridgette sniffles and stares at your hand. "So you're a sucker for sad people, then?"

You flick her nose. "Hey!"

She gets up in your face, no longer minding the distance. "What was that for? Just because you beat my ass in the carriage doesn't mean I won't throw down right here!"

"It was to snap you out of your funk," you say. "Look, the Prince isn't gonna steal me away. We're kids, for Sophia's sake! It's too early to start worrying about love and propriety and other adult stuff. I wanted to dance, so I did. I wanted to find you, so I did. I wanna see you smile, so I'm gonna."

She chuckles, her lips curling up into the ghost of a smile.

You give her your cheeky monkey smile and giggle back. "See? Grace Claudius always gets what she wants~"

She looks directly into your eyes and steels herself "...You're weird, you know that? You hit your head and suddenly you're this cheeky little angel. It's like you're a different person."

<Brainy>: "She figured it out?"

<Sensible>: "She figured it out. Crap."

<Artsy>: "What is there to figure out? We are Grace and Grace is we~"

Your face is frozen in an awkward smile. "Well, uh, I can explain-"

Bridgette hugs you tightly. The pointy bits of her dress poke you, but you endure. "I like this new you. Like, I like like this new you. I don't wanna lose you. Not to Elder Brother, not to this shitty noble society, not to anyone. Knowing that a even a girl like you can change into something like this makes me feel all warm inside."

Your hair instinctively cocoons her. Trusting your actions to speak for you, you stay silent and hug her.

She luxuriates in your hug before firmly grasping your shoulders. "I want to be by your side forever," she says with a deadly serious look. "Let me be your blood sister. I'll be honor-bound to have your back."

You remember this! Not with Grace and Bridgette, but from all those Yakuza movies you watch! You're already going to be sisters-in-law, but this is serious.

Take a bullet for you serious.

***​

[What Do You Do?]
[ ] Accept
[ ] Decline
[ ] Write-In

***​

Spoiler: TenCo Avatar Cheatsheet

NAME
Kid A Grace Claudius, Age 12

AVATAR GRADES
Brainy: Average (+3)
Artsy: Average (+3)
Flashy: Good (+4)
Sporty: Good (+4)
Sensible: Good (+4)

ACTUALIZATION SCORES
BRN 46 ART 42 FLA 57 SPO 93 SEN 53
STRESS 38

DESTRUDO LEVEL
Normal

PRE-CAPTURE ROUTES
Camille Asuka
Bridgette Alteisen {Bomb Warning!}
Lily Valentine
Prince Bryn Alteisen

 

[FourthWall]

Taking a bullet for us is good.

[x] Accept

Wait, sisterhood is kinda a two-way deal? Are we expected to take a bullte for her? Not good, not good at all! Tanya, we are in urgent need of designing a bulletproof vest!

Click to shrink...

Sisterhood is a two-way street, but Bridgette is thinking much more about taking a bullet for Grace than vice-versa. Tanya could hook you up with a bulletproof vest, though.

In unrelated news, can we get a Dramatis Personae? There are several chearacters who are not a part of pre-capture routes, and I started to forget them. Tanya's or Lucciano's family names appeared in the story exactly once, when they introduced themselves.

Click to shrink...

Sure thing.

***
DRAMATIS PERSONAE

Grace Julia Augusta Claudius: The main antagonist of Our Bloody Valentine and player character of Fall From Grace. Your average otome isekai Villainess with an SNK final boss's sense of style and fighting prowess. Currently the vessel of Kid A.

Kid A/Kid Grace (Akko Asagiri): The player character of So You've Become a Villainess. Your average otome isekai monkey-girl, with Olympic-tier athletic ability, a penchant for cosplay, and a drinking problem. Currently inhabiting Grace Claudius after slam-dancing with Truck-kun.

Autumn Lovelace: Grace Claudius' ever-busy, ever-loving combat maid. Tends to die horribly protecting Grace in the games. Currently inhabited by Chiaki Aihara.

Chiaki Aihara: Kid A's ever-learning, ever-loving best friend. Separated from Kid A due to a full ride Metaphysical Biology scholarship at Stanford, but inseparable before that. Otomege junkie. Currently inhabiting Autumn Lovelace after her heart exploded writing a dissertation on digitizing the soul.

Justine Valeria Nero Claudius: The Crimson (She-)Wolf. Baddest woman on the planet and Grace's mother. An innovator and trendsetter for all things fashion and violence. Women want to be her, men want to follow her, and the Royalist faction wants to stop her before she goes Caesar on their asses. A woman of silk-clad steel, the proverbial iron fist in velvet glove. Gave Grace an unbelievable inferiority complex she took out on others. Gives Kid Grace a role model and blueprint for womanhood.

Prince Bryn Alteisen: The prime capture target for Our Bloody Valentine, and the secondary antagonist of Fall From Grace. One of the many people who try to kill Grace and succeed, most notably at the end of Fall From Grace. A fox-eyed, handsome youth with a lust for power, a scheming side and a hidden desire to be beautiful. Inheritor of the Iron Blood: the Alteisen line's magic crest and proof of pedigree. Is normally betrothed to Grace at twelve, but Kid Grace managed to put it off until graduation. More DIO than Geordo.

Princess Bridgette Alteisen: Pugilistic princess chafing at being "just a girl". More martially inclined and aggressive than her brother, the Prince, but pushed by her parents into being docile and ladylike. Has a hair-trigger temper and a burning desire to show her father, Lord Alteisen, her strength. Has latched on hard to Kid Grace after going 0-1-1 with her in fights. Is part of Kid Grace's entourage (and a fellow fist sister), but clearly wants more. Would make a good delinquent girl in the real world.

Lord Alteisen: Current lord of the land Fall From Grace and Our Bloody Valentine takes place in. Father of Bryn and Bridgette Alteisen. A man as hard and implacable as a mountain, valuing tradition and strength over all. Not the biggest fan of Justine.

Camille Asuka: Straightforward fencing femboy. Capture target in Fall From Grace. One of the many people who try to kill Grace and succeed. An aloof, tsundere type during the game, but is almost painfully honest towards Kid Grace. Has a complex about their looks. Future heir to the Asuka Family Fencing School, a style made to counteract the use of combat dresses popularized by Justine. Has been teaching Kid Grace the style in secret from both their families. Is not a magical girl, but would look good as one.

Tanya Schwartzwald: Morally suspect alchemist and potential school shooter. One of the many people who try to kill Grace and succeed. A prodigy whose alchemic talents earned them the title of a minor noble and the ire of former Grace. Currently tsundere for Kid Grace, who has entered an anti-bully protection pact with her. Not an HR corpo in a little girl suit, but is voiced by Yuki Aoi.

Lucciano Morningstar: Cold-hearted handsome devil art pervert. The bastard child of High Priestess Maria Morningstar and an incubus, raised by nouveaux rich adventurers and endless Grace abuse into a cruel Casanova. One of the many people who try to kill Grace and succeed. Currently a wibbly softboi who gets scary intense when painting, hinting at the demon inside. Considers Kid Grace a work of art, Kid Grace considers him a fellow talent.

Lily Valentine: The protagonist and player character of Our Bloody Valentine, and the antagonist/hardest capture target of Fall From Grace. A fledgling half-vampire Darkling who hasn't tasted the heart's blood, keeping her from blossoming into true vampire nobility. Kinda mousy and nerdy, but cute enough to be an acceptable audience cipher for otomege enthusiasts. Plucky, but in a moé sort of way. Kid Grace's procession ran her over, making her act a little...differently. Now part of Kid Grace's entourage. The cause of, and solution to, all of Grace's problems.

Nameless Physicker: Really wishes she didn't come into work today.​

 

[FourthWall]

Nice and neat result for bloody work.

***​

It wasn't even a question. You were going to be blood sisters with Bridgette.

Not only were you one who always listened to cries of a gallant heart, having someone who would take a bullet for you when all your roads led to doom was indispensable. You weren't going to take advantage of Bridgette or anything, but you gotta do what you gotta do to keep living.

Living is nice.

You'd like to do as much of it in this world, or in general, as possible.

<Flashy>: "Don't ignore the power wrapping a princess around your finger would bring, dahling."

<Sensible>: "Don't make us sound like a creep, Flashy."

<Artsy>: "It's not creepy at all, Sensy. Just think of it as the little princess appreciating the female form~"

<Sensible>: "...I don't know if that's better."

With tbe determination of Caeser crossing the Rubicon, you take hold of Bridgette's trapezius muscles. "I'll do it."

Bridgette blushes, then beams. "Hells yeah! We'll be unstoppable, Big Sis!"

You rub your nose and exhale with pride. "We're already pretty hard to stop."

"Yeah, but I mean blood bonds grant power based on how much you care about someone," Bridgette says, eyes cast down. "And I care about you a whole lot."

"Just caring?" you tease.

"S'blood, girl," Bridgette roars. "Are you trying to get me to say I wish you were gonna be my princess instead of Elder Brother's?"

<Flashy>: "Hook, line, and sinker."

<Sensible>: "...I know we've picked up girlcrushes since grade school, but to do it in another world? In another body?"

<Sporty>: "I hope she turns into one of those competitive rival crushes, those are the most fun!"

You give her the cheeky monkey smile. "Yep! Nothing wrong with girls liking girls."

Bridgette panics, almost falling out of the alcove with her flailing. "But that's forbidden love! Magic would make it so we could produce an heir but we're both still young and it'd break Elder Brother's heart and Father would disown me and I'd have to raise a rebel army and it'd be an insurrection and and and-"

You shake her back to reality. "Buri. Breathe. We don't have to go that far. Blood Sisters first, then the other stuff."

"Oh. Right," she says. "The ritual's pretty simple, actually." She pulls an ornate switchblade out from her dress and flicks it open with practiced ease. "Just gotta prick your pinky and mix that blood with the person you're swearing the oath to."

"So It's a more hardcore pinky promise," you ask. "Neat!"

"Yeah, actually." Bridgette pokes her pinky with the blade and winces. A tiny jewel of blood wells up. She tosses you the switchblade. "Your turn."

<Brainy>: "This girl better not have any blood borne pathogens..."

You nick your pinky with the blade and watch your own blood flow. It reminds you of playgrounds and skinned knees, only this time you don't cry.

Bridgette presses your hand to hers. "In the name of Sophia Madim, may this blood form an unbreakable crimson bond between us. Until my last breath, my heart shall beat as hers. O Heiliger, schreibe unseren Vertrag mit Blut und Eisen!"

Your pulse quickens as chains of cherry-red light lash you and Bridgette together. They melt into your skin with a hearth's warmth, pulsating with a second heartbeat. Your AR display fizzles behind your eyes from the overwhelming power of Heavenly magic.

<Sensible>: "Welp. No wonder our magic teacher didn't want us messing with this."

<Brainy>: "Yes...hahaha...YES! POWER! MORE POWER!"

With the clank of steel and metallic sparks, the ritual completes. Bridgette has moved to full-on fingers interlaced hand holding with you.

"...Hey Big Sis?"

"Yeah, Bridgette?"

She rests against you, the ritual having exhausted her. "Can I just stay like this for awhile?"

Your hair wraps around her in silent assent.

***
You and Bridgette Alteisen are <Blood Sisters>!
Your knowledge of Heavenly Magic has increased! You have gained <Heavenly Magic Lore L1>!
You have gained <Bloodpact Lore L1>! You can now cast <Minor Bloodpact>!
Bridgette Alteisen Capture Route unlocked! Flashy +5, Sporty +3, Artsy +3, Stress +1
***​

<Sporty>: "Woo! We won! What did we win?"

<Emo>: "A maelstrom of trouble, ufufu..."

<Brainy>: "We won a portion of the source code of reality! There is no maelstrom but the one we can call down!"

<Sensible>: "I have a can of beer and I know how to use it, Brainy."

You bask in the afterglow of magical power and being confessed to until a mascot-looking bat smashes into your face. You, it, and Bridgette spill out of the alcove; your petticoats cushion the fall.

"Grace X Bridgette?" the bat chirps in Lily's voice. "Now that's a novel ship!"

Bridgette leaps to her feet. "S'blood, that bat can talk!" She took her switchblade back and is threatening the bat with it.

"Talk nothing," you say, leaping up to your feet perfectly despite the criminal levels of floof you're on. "That bat can ship! Lily, how do you know what shipping is?"

"Probs the same way you do, milady," the Lily bat says, before transforming back to her human form.

"How'd you find us?" You ask.

Lily pulls at the corner of her mouth to show her fangs. "I can smell blood. Spooky Darkling powers."

You tilt your head in confusion. "How do you know what my blood smells like?"

She giggles, winks, and sticks out her tongue. "I don't, actually. But you seem like a sweet girl, so I sniffed out the sweetest blood." She sniffs the air. "Ooh, blood magic! Fresh, too."

Bridgette blushes and scoots away from you, her switchblade still trained on Lily. You smile sheepishly.

Lily nods, not at all fazed by the knife in her direction. "I won't pry." Her stomach growls. "But that sweetness I still smell has me craving some cake."

"I'm always ready for cake!" You say with renewed vigor.

"Cake would be good," Bridgette mumbles as she sneaks glances at you.

***​

[Would You Like to Fast Forward?]
[ ] Yes, to Grace's birthday
[ ] Yes, to Grace's first day of school at Heart-under-Blade
[ ] Yes, to Grace's inaugural Frilly Fight Club meeting
[ ] No

***​

Spoiler: TenCo Avatar Cheatsheet

NAME
Kid A Grace Claudius, Age 12

AVATAR GRADES
Brainy: Average (+3)
Artsy: Average (+3)
Flashy: Good (+4)
Sporty: Good (+4)
Sensible: Good (+4)

ACTUALIZATION SCORES
BRN 46 ART 45 FLA 62 SPO 96 SEN 53
STRESS 39

DESTRUDO LEVEL
Normal

LORES
<Heavenly Magic Lore L1>: Can learn and cast Heavenly Magic, spells that call upon the power of Sophia, the Sevenfold Goddess of this world.
<Bloodpact Lore L1>: Can learn and cast Bloodpacts, Heavenly Magic in its most primal form.

SKILLS
<Minor Bloodpact>: Can make minor oaths and pacts, backed up by blood and the power of Sophia Madim, the Forgemother.
<Blood Sisters> (Bridgette Alteisen): Gain minor stat boosts when you or Bridgette act to protect or assist each other.

PRE-CAPTURE ROUTES
Camille Asuka
Lily Valentine
Prince Bryn Alteisen

CAPTURE ROUTES
Bridgette Alteisen {Blood Sister}

 

[FourthWall]

Kid A it's your birthday~ Happy birthday Kid A~

***​

Today is the greatest day you've ever known (in this body). It is the twenty-first day of the sixth month of Anno Sophia 92.

Translated from isekai, it's your birthday! And not just any birthday, but your first birthday as Grace Claudius!

After a good four-ish months as Grace, you're finally starting to feel comfortable as her. More accurately, you've made Grace fit you. You can actually do your full workout reps now! Heck, you can do more than you used to do back home. There was no way you could do handstand pushups before IRL, but now you can!

You leap out of bed and stretch, feel your muscles sing. You bounce on your toes and hum the main menu theme from Fall From Grace, then do jumping jacks until your last motes of sleepiness are obliterated. With a twirl and a whirl of your fancy pajamas, you end up in front of your fairy tale villain sized mirror.

It still takes a while to register this is you now. Functional muscle tone and a light tan from your outdoorsy nature are all that physically connect you from who you were.

<Sensible>: "And still are, mind you."

But instead of the scruffy college girl you were, the inquisitive reflection staring back at you is a picture-perfect princess. Sparkling eyes, glimmering golden hair, and a cherubic face made cooler with a sporty scar across the bridge of your nose from roughhousing greet you. You pull goofy faces in front of yourself and still manage to look cute.

<Flashy>: "You can thank me later, dahling."

<Sensible>: "And Chiaki for figuring our how to procure all the high-end DLC beauty products."

You scratch your cheek, slightly embarrassed. Chiaki had wrangled up the best of the best, DLC-wise. It felt kinda like cheating having all the stuff she gave you, but you were going to put it to good use. The whole dance thing had made you an icon, so you had to look your best and do your best. Even when it came to being cute, you were gonna give it full effort at full throttle!

<Sporty>: "Heck yeah! Full effort, full throttle, 24/7!"

The ghost of Cheerleader Emo waves jet black pom-poms in an unloved corner of your mind.

You ignore her, as is your current wont, to look over the rest of yourself in the mirror. Even with the muscle tone, you're moe as heck.

You flex and kiss both your little biceps before throwing a snap roundhouse kick at the mirror, holding position to boop your reflection's nose with your big toe, and chambering your leg so you could make silly Bruce Lee noises.

"I see someone's enjoying themselves on their birthday, Young Mistress," Chiaki says, ninja appearing by your side with a latte right out of Starb@x.

You fall on your butt, breakfall, and roll back onto your feet. Your unstyled hair covers your roll, making you look like Super Sonic, before resting in waves over your standing form.

"Well duh," you say. "It's my birthday! Gotta enjoy it to the fullest."

Your maid giggles and kneels down to your level. "Is that so? Then the Young Mistress wouldn't want to dally any further to prepare for her party?"

"Oh crap, is that now?"

"You have an hour, factoring in being fashionably late," Chiaki says, handing you the drink. "It's a chai-like drink that stimulates healthy growth. Please enjoy it while I make you look like less of a hair-monster."

Your hair writhes in hurt indignation.

"Are you going to unleash your hidden power, Young Mistress? You have turned the proper age for chuunibyou."

You're old enough now to give Chiaki a little ribbing back; if she wants chuuni, you'll give her chuuni.

You double over and cover your eye with a hand. "Guah! This power...I can't control it...!"

Chiaki places her free hand on your back. "Young Mistress?"

You throw in some fake convulsions to really sell it. "Run...Chi-chan! I'm...returning...to monke! UWAAAAH!" You arch your back to see Chiaki's bewildered face the moment before she catches your joke, wink, and stick your tongue out at her.

She blinks twice, gently places the tray with your drink down, then puts you in a gentle headlock and pinches your squishy cheek. "You little gremlin!" she says, laughing.

You laugh with her. "Gotcha, didn't I?"

"Indeed you did, Young Mistress," Chiaki replies. "But you know I pay back pranks tenfold, right?"

You gulp.

***​

After she put the fear of God into you, Chiaki styled your hair and did your makeup. Nothing too fancy makeup-wise just enough to make your eyelashes extra fluffy and bring out the rosiness of your cheeks.

The real work came in washing, brushing, and shaping your enchanted hair into high twintails, big and fluffy like angel wings cascading down to your hips. Center-parted bangs and long, wavy sidelocks complete the look. With your best blue dress and ruby heels on, you look like nothing else but Alice in Fashionland.

Chiaki massages some hair treatment into your scalp. A stray cowlick springs forth from atop your head.

Chiaki chef's kisses. "And there's the piece de resistance. The hint of humanity with your angelic idol vibe, Young Mistress."

You kick your feet and slurp on your sweet and mello chai(?) latte. "I thought idols abandoned their humanity for cuteness?"

"Some do, but you shouldn't," Chiaki says. "You've become an idol to many nobles, but approachability is your secret weapon. Make your allies see you as relatable and your enemies see you as ridiculous; play this right and you could have an equal or greater level of soft power than the game's Grace." She whispers, "Or even Justine. The last person to cause this much of a change in fashion this quickly was her, after all."

Your eyes go wide. You've done what Justine did without even thinking about it. The thought fills you with equal parts fear, glee, and pride.

Before you or the yous in your head could get proper Machiavellian, you hear the fanfare of a carnival.

"Ah, looks like the party is just about started, let's-"

You're out of your chair before Chiaki can finish. With a leap and a holler, you fly out the window of your bedroom and dive into the party. Your freshly done twin tails billow in the wind, letting you glide into the festivities.

***​

[Who Catches Your Fall Controlled Glide?]
[ ] Tanya Swartzwald
[ ] Camille Asuka
[ ] Lucciano Morningstar
[ ] Justine Claudius
[ ] A very large cake

Spoiler: TenCo Avatar Cheatsheet

NAME
Kid A Grace Claudius, Age 13

AVATAR GRADES
Brainy: Average (+3)
Artsy: Average (+3)
Flashy: Good (+4)
Sporty: Good (+4)
Sensible: Good (+4)

ACTUALIZATION SCORES
BRN 46 ART 45 FLA 62 SPO 96 SEN 53
STRESS 39

DESTRUDO LEVEL
Normal

LORES
<Heavenly Magic Lore L1>: Can learn and cast Heavenly Magic, spells that call upon the power of Sophia, the Sevenfold Goddess of this world.
<Bloodpact Lore L1>: Can learn and cast Bloodpacts, Heavenly Magic in its most primal form.

SKILLS
<Minor Bloodpact>: Can make minor oaths and pacts, backed up by blood and the power of Sophia Madim, the Forgemother.
<Blood Sisters> (Bridgette Alteisen): Gain minor stat boosts when you or Bridgette act to protect or assist each other.

PRE-CAPTURE ROUTES
Camille Asuka
Lily Valentine
Prince Bryn Alteisen

CAPTURE ROUTES
Bridgette Alteisen {Blood Sister}

 

[FourthWall]

Continued to be sick over the week, post coming now.

***​

You fly like a monkey or a twin-tailed fox, and lock on to your target. It's Tanya, looking uncomfortably comfortable in a rust-and-gold dress clearly inspired by you. It's not quite as poofy as yours, but in the arms race to be the world's cutest land jellyfish, nobody can really match you.

<Flashy>: "Just one more thing we're the best at, dahling~"

<Sensible>: "We can't let ourselves get too big a head, here."

<Sporty>: "Iunno, Sense; a bigger head would mean more space for your beer."

<Sensible>: "..."

Ignoring the urge for beer (man it's been awhile since you drank), you lock on to your target. You notice her tiny top hat and much more voluminous hair, tied up in a drill-tastic Asuka Langley two-up. You cut the spin on your twin tails and dive-bomb Tanya with a diving body attack.

"TANYAAAAAAAA!"

Tanya stops happily fiddling with a forelock and turns to watch you fall with a look of bemused horror. She braces herself and you tackle-hug her to the ground.

She looks up at you, her medical eyepatch now rust-colored and frilled with gold. "Just as the weatherman predicted; sunny with a chance of monkey."

You grin. "I like that I've graduated from 'idiot' to 'force of nature' with you."

She chuckles. "The two aren't mutually exclusive. Now get off of me, this dress cost most of my stipend."

You do so and offer a hand. "You're on our retainer; we could've just made you one."

Tanya takes the hand and dusts herself off. "Anything worthwhile is worth getting by your own hands." She gives you a wry smile. "Not like you nobles would understand the plight of the proletariat or anything."

"You're a noble too, miss prole~" You say, playfully nudging her. "You're even wearing the Claudius house colors, in your own way. How's it feel?"

She frets at you noticing her choice of color scheme, before calming herself. "Like a betrayal of everything I was and the culmination of everything I worked for," she says. "I have so much money and quality material to work with, it's almost sickening. Look at this dress! The money put into this dress could feed my family for a month! It feels like I'm being caressed by angels!"

"Your family's being taken care of, right?"

"We want for nothing," Tanya says. "And with the money I make selling my wares, my village wants for nothing, either. In a few short months, the Schwartzwald name has become synonymous with success."

"...So I did good?"

"I would name my first born after you if the thought of child-rearing didn't make me ill," she says, taking your hands in hers.

You blush at that; doing good always gave you the warm fuzzies. As close as she is, you notice she looks much healthier than last time you saw her; her cheeks are rosy and her hair glistens like yours. The deep bag under her eye is still there, but you can't win them all.

You space out for a minute before asking, "Did you do something with your hair?"

"I was wondering when you'd notice," she says, puffing up her curls. "I managed to manufacture a reasonable facsimile of the brew you used. It isn't animate, thank Sophia, but the luster, thickness, and tensile strength are similar."

Your hair roils at a new challenger, you calm it down with gentle patting.

"Whoa," you cry, "That's amazing!"

She chuckles. "That's nothing. Show me how you decadent nobles throw a birthday party and I'll tell you the work I'm really proud of."

You oblige, leading her by the hand to the carnival gates. The trumpeters from your procession play you in, women dressed in your style gawk and clamor around you as much as their station allows.

The peasant girls, dressed in colorful sackcloth and hand-me-downs, reach out to touch your trim. You twirl for them and dance with them, gently redirecting the ones who try to snatch a piece off your dress.

"Hoh?" A ribald nobleman who looks like the Monopoly guy says. "You dance with them like you dance with the Prince, Miss Claudius?"

"Of course, dear sir," you say with a bow and a cheeky smile. "It's my birthday, and as such I reserve to right to do what I want, how I want, and with who I want." You take his hand and spin him around with your awesome monkey strength, before leading your new entourage (and Tanya) into the carnival proper.

It's a visual high greater than any arcade or movie theater you've ever been to.

A phantasmal parade of animals, real and fantastic, strides across a rainbow in the sky. Noble children float happily in man-sized balloons, eating cake and drinking from fluted crystal glasses. Adults and children flit from stand to bustling stand, all of which are familiar from a past life. A cake taller than you are by half is the centerpiece of a smorgasbord under a gossamer tent. Crystal horses canter around a prismatic maypole in a merry-go-round across the way.

There's a rollercoaster! An honest-to-God rollercoaster, made out of what looks like a grove of chalk-white trees. And a Ferris Wheel spun by a giant wearing an old-fashioned carny outfit! Your higher thought processes shut down as the other yous pick up the slack.

<Brainy>: "...What am I looking at here?"

<Artsy>: "The intersection of art, magic, and engineering! We have got to learn how they do this stuff!"

<Sporty>: "Shouldn't nerding out be Brainy's thing?"

<Brainy>: "None of this is practical, so why should I care?"

Tanya gently tugs on your dress, as if she's handling hazardous materials. "Do you normally vibrate when you're excited, or are you having a seizure?"

You let out a high-pitched squeal. Your hair restrains you before you start flailing. The entourage of peasants and petty nobles you picked up are looking at you like you're possessed. Some of the nobles use peasants as meatshields.

"I'm so excited I can't feel my face," you tell Tanya. "You're gonna have to do the thinky stuff until I calm down."

"Wha-" she gasps, the nobles gasping with her. "You trust me to be your aide?" You hear the nobles gossip about status and Tanya's meteoric rise; there's some envy and some spite you rely on the Sensible you to keep track of for later.

<Sensible>: "Right, right."

Chiaki ninja-teleports beside you, startling Tanya and your entourage. "Did someone call for an aide, Young Mistress?"

Tanya recoils. "Where in the Nine Hells did you come from?"

"The Young Mistress's shadow, of course," Chiaki says with a curtsy. She nudges Camille forward, "And I brought a friend."

Camille comes bearing cake and in military dress. "Your maid had a feeling your brain would overheat with all the stuff going on, so I brought some cake to focus on."

You hyperfixate, drooling, on the cake.

"Please remember to chew, Young Mistress," Chiaki says before you start inhaling the strawberry topped slice of decadence offered to you.

You look to the crowd about to watch you commit a vulgar display of hunger, and wiggle your hand free from your restraining hair. "Go ahead and indulge yourselves," you say, pointing to the big cake from earlier. "Your birthday princess implores you."

The other girls disperse for cake, the peasants moving faster than the petty nobles. Maybe Marie Antoinette had a point.

With them gone, you eat the cake with no hands, making sure to chew properly for Chiaki. She sighs with relief.

"Ah, there's a dollop of cream on my nose," you say, wiggling your nose. "I can't get it..." You try and lick your own nose, drawing an incredulous look from Tanya and a heavy blush from Camille.

Chiaki swipes the cream off your nose and tastes it. "Minotaur cream. They really went all-out for this one." She nods and hums.

"Minotaurs are a thing?" You ask.

"We have to fight one as a rank test," Camille says, shyly looking away from you. "The girls are way more aggressive towards me than the guys."

Tanya clears her throat. "The Young Mistress here was going to show me how nobles do things, and I was going to assist her with that since her brain shut down from overstimulation."

"This is my first time at a party like this..." Camille mumbles, before jutting out his chest and pounding it with a fist. "I mean, the Asuka Family is too disciplined to spend time with such frivolous activity," he says loudly. "You'll have to make the decision for me, too."

You wave your free hand. "My brain's working again, so I can pick the thing for all of us now."

***​

[Where do you go first?]
[ ] The smorgasbord
[ ] The stalls
[ ] The merry-go-round
[ ] The rollercoaster
[ ] The Ferris Wheel

***​

Spoiler: TenCo Avatar Cheatsheet

NAME
Kid A Grace Claudius, Age 13

AVATAR GRADES
Brainy: Average (+3)
Artsy: Average (+3)
Flashy: Good (+4)
Sporty: Good (+4)
Sensible: Good (+4)

ACTUALIZATION SCORES
BRN 46 ART 45 FLA 62 SPO 96 SEN 53
STRESS 39

DESTRUDO LEVEL
Normal

LORES
<Heavenly Magic Lore L1>: Can learn and cast Heavenly Magic, spells that call upon the power of Sophia, the Sevenfold Goddess of this world.
<Bloodpact Lore L1>: Can learn and cast Bloodpacts, Heavenly Magic in its most primal form.

SKILLS
<Minor Bloodpact>: Can make minor oaths and pacts, backed up by blood and the power of Sophia Madim, the Forgemother.
<Blood Sisters> (Bridgette Alteisen): Gain minor stat boosts when you or Bridgette act to protect or assist each other.

PRE-CAPTURE ROUTES
Camille Asuka
Lily Valentine
Prince Bryn Alteisen

CAPTURE ROUTES
Bridgette Alteisen {Blood Sister}

 

[FourthWall]

Rollercoaster, ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh!

***​

It was close, but you just have to figure out how an isekai rollercoaster works. And besides, a Ferris Wheel felt a little too Tokimeki Memoral for your tastes. Yeah, Camille liked you a lot and Tanya seems to like you more by the second, but the vibes might not be right. Especially not after Bridgette's blood pact.

"Rollercoaster," you say decisively.

Camille's eyes light up. Tanya watches Camille's eyes light up and hooks elbows with him. It looks like she slapped cuffs on him.

"If It's a rollercoaster, I'll accompany this one," Tanya says. She gives you a wry look. "Can't have a potential suitor see you being unsightly, your eminence."

<Sensible> "Playful barbs hiding her own adoration while unearthing another's? This isn't just tsundere; this is advanced tsundere."

<Sporty> "Is that like an advanced playmaker?"

<Flashy> "More like a wing-girl, dahling~"

<Sporty> "Oh, gotcha! Wait, that could be a wingback, wing-mid, or wing-forward though?"

You zone out for a bit while your yous argue the finer points of wingwomen in soccer, during which Camille stammers and blushes. He manages to bark out something like a laugh as his machismo soft reboots.

"Who would have a crush on their student?" Camille finally blurts out.

"Who would get this nervous and flustered over a mere student?" Tanya replies.

Camille tenses up like he took a chop to the chest. His eyes dart everywhere but towards you, before he slouches and mumbles something.

Tanya, satisfied by his subvocalizations, drags him over to the rollercoaster.

"She's got a lot of strength for how petite her frame is," your maid says, offering you a hand. "Shall we go, Young Mistress?"

You take her hand. "Sure, unless you have more cake or think we'll get jumped by assassins on the way."

"The security for the Claudius estate is impeccable, Young Mistress," your maid says, leading you to the rollercoaster. "And double tight for this event." She nods over to innocuous looking service workers in black sunglasses, who nod back with military terseness.

"Neat," you say. "I've always wanted my own security detail. Ooh, can we do the 'Miss President, get down' thing? I've always wanted to do that!"

"The point of a security detail is so you don't have to, Young Mistress," she says.

You pout. "Well yeah, but it's still a cool thing I wanna try."

She pulls you into a close hug. "We'll do the bit later, okay?"

Your hair hugs her back. "Heck yeah. I wanna do the bit for you too. Think of it as prepping for the worst, or something."

Your maid looks up in thought. "Honestly, that wouldn't be a bad idea. Things have already deviated so far from OBV we may be entering into uncharted waters."

You look up at her. "If It's uncharted," you say, punching the air, "we just gotta chart it with full effort at full throttle!"

Your maid laughs and pats you on the head. "Ye gods I missed your enthusiasm, Acchan. I'll do my best to keep up."

***​

You meet back up with the others at the rollercoaster, the screams of its riders heralding your arrival. The rollercoaster is much taller than you expected; your toes tingle with excitement as you gawk at its height. When you touch the enchanted wood comprising the track, your fingers tingle, too. Cherry-red sparks crackle like static from where you touched.

"Be careful with that," Tanya says. "A Sophia Shadim enchantment of this level is loaded with potentially volatile energy."

"It's not like I'm licking it," you tell her.

Camille rubs his chin. "How come licking was the first place you went?"

"It's a long story," you tell him. "Too long for the wait to cover."

"Well tell me about it sometime," he says. "I told you about the thing with your practice dresses, so it's only fair."

Tanya and your maid say "Come again?" in unison.

"Hey, we're next in line!" Camille says, deploying the Subject-changing Prana. He hops in the closest cart, a repurposed sleigh in Claudius crimson and gold filigree, and straps himself in with rope.

Tanya casually, yet thoroughly inspects the cart, the track, and the safety equipment, before taking a seat next to Camille.

"You know I can just make you talk while we're here, right?" She says, bringing down the iron safety bar.

Camille gulps. "The Asuka Family never divulges secrets to the enemy!"

Tanya gives him a wicked little smile. "And the Schwartzwald Family never ceases until the job is done."

You remember that line, and the mad smile CG accompanying it, and shudder. Casual recollection of Fall From Grace or Our Bloody Valentine doesn't trigger full blown panic attacks anymore, but you still feel Death's bony finger run along your spine when it happens.

"Young Mistress, the ride is about to start!" Your maid pats the red velvet seat next to her. "It's not like you to dilly-dally."

You shake the cobwebs out and hop-slide into the seat next to her. She makes sure you're fastened in tightly, as an off-brand Moogle explains the safety precautions. It's nothing you haven't heard before.

Once he's done, the sleigh carts lurch to life with a spray of red and green sparks. You and everyone else go up ever so slowly, long enough for the tingle in your toes to start climbing too. Your maid cluches your skirt, her ever-calm face stretched with a little fear.

By the time you reach the coaster's zenith, the tingling's reached your head. You have to keep from screaming with exuberance before the drop even happens. Your feet are tapping, your hair is shimmying, you're vibrating in your seat.

The cart hovers on the edge for a breathless moment.

You explode in delighted squeals a half-second before the drop. You don't stop screaming through cutbacks and corkscrews, loops and inversions. Your maid screams with you, her fear turning to jubilation.

After scores of seconds speed sweetly by, the ride is over.

Your face is locked in a smile so big your cheeks hurt. Your hair exploded out of its twintails somewhere during the ride; it falls around you like a gold-spun cape, just kissing the ground.

Your maid's got her hand to her chest, she's trying to gather her composure. Camille and Tanya catch up with you. Camille's got the shakes of someone who wants to ride again, Tanya is calm like a bomb.

"That was like walking into a tiger's den," Camille says, voice cracking with excitement.

You clasp the shoulder of a fellow coaster enjoyer. "I know, right?"

He puts his hand over yours, with no fear of girlpox. "We gotta go again!"

Tanya shakes her head and snickers. "You two look like fools, smiling so hard. I've clearly failed at hiding her eminence's more uncouth looks." She's got a crooked, but genuine smile on, herself. "So I can't really stop you, now can I?"

Your maid makes a slow down gesture. "Give me a moment to catch my breath, Young Mistress. I'll catch up later."

You nod happily. "Kay!"

You run over to get back in line with Camille, only to come across a set of teen mean girls bullying a younger looking child on the way. A closer look reveals it's Lucciano, clutching a massive toy rabbit.

The girls are pointedly not dressed in your overwhelming floof, instead wearing shiny, slim dresses that wouldn't be out of place back home on some new money brats. There's three of them: one short and brash with explosive pom-pom hair, one plump with glasses, braids, and a pained expression, and one built like a Street Fighter supermodel, with cold red eyes and platinum hair almost as long as yours. You've seen enough teen movies to know that last one's the leader.

They've all crowded around Lucciano with ill intent.

***​

[What do you do?]
[ ] Punch the leader in the face. [Sporty++]
[ ] Assert social dominance like a proper noble. [Sensible+, Brainy+]
[ ] Smooth things over with your charming personality. [Flashy++]
[ ] Hijack the situation by doing something silly [Artsy++]
[ ] Join in on the bullying <Sporty> "Not cool, dude."

***​

Spoiler: TenCo Avatar Cheatsheet

NAME
Kid A Grace Claudius, Age 13

AVATAR GRADES
Brainy: Average (+3)
Artsy: Average (+3)
Flashy: Good (+4)
Sporty: Good (+4)
Sensible: Good (+4)

ACTUALIZATION SCORES
BRN 46 ART 45 FLA 62 SPO 96 SEN 53
STRESS 39

DESTRUDO LEVEL
Normal

LORES
<Heavenly Magic Lore L1>: Can learn and cast Heavenly Magic, spells that call upon the power of Sophia, the Sevenfold Goddess of this world.
<Bloodpact Lore L1>: Can learn and cast Bloodpacts, Heavenly Magic in its most primal form.

SKILLS
<Minor Bloodpact>: Can make minor oaths and pacts, backed up by blood and the power of Sophia Madim, the Forgemother.
<Blood Sisters> (Bridgette Alteisen): Gain minor stat boosts when you or Bridgette act to protect or assist each other.

PRE-CAPTURE ROUTES
Camille Asuka
Lily Valentine
Prince Bryn Alteisen

CAPTURE ROUTES
Bridgette Alteisen {Blood Sister}