Raising it for a solid B has value I think and we know group study actually gives us bonuses on the social roll due to their traits
The Perfectly Normal High School: A Slice of Life Quest! (Defunct)
- Thread starter LuciDreamer
- Start date
- Original
Raising it for a solid B has value I think and we know group study actually gives us bonuses on the social roll due to their traits
- Location
- Canada
[X] [SOCIAL] Talk with someone: Maeda Kirino
[X] [SOCIAL] Talk with someone: Matsuoka Yumika
[] [CLUB] (Special) Attend Study Hall (??% SKL +0.5, ??% SKL +1)
[X] [AS] Stay after school (May meet classmates there, ???)
Wow there is so much drama at this school
[X] [SOCIAL] Talk with someone: Matsuoka Yumika
[] [CLUB] (Special) Attend Study Hall (??% SKL +0.5, ??% SKL +1)
[X] [AS] Stay after school (May meet classmates there, ???)
Wow there is so much drama at this school
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LuciDreamer
Maliciously Incompetent
- Location
- United States
- Pronouns
- He/Him
... wait a minute. @veekie, @RideTheWalrus, there IS no Study Hall club action this turn.
- Location
- Canada
Ah. Well then I will cancel my vote. I may go back later and change things up
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[X] [SOCIAL] Talk with someone: Maeda Kirino
[X] [SOCIAL] Talk with someone: Matsuoka Yumika
[X] [CLUB] Work. (Influence future club actions, ???)
[X] [AS] Stay after school (May meet classmates there, ???)
[X] [SOCIAL] Talk with someone: Matsuoka Yumika
[X] [CLUB] Work. (Influence future club actions, ???)
[X] [AS] Stay after school (May meet classmates there, ???)
- Location
- US
[X] [SOCIAL] Talk with someone: Maeda Kirino
[X] [SOCIAL] Talk with someone: Matsuoka Yumika
[x] [CLUB] Help out the officers. (REL increase for Matsuoka, Reizei, ???)
[x] [AS] Talk with Big Sis (???)
[X] [SOCIAL] Talk with someone: Matsuoka Yumika
[x] [CLUB] Help out the officers. (REL increase for Matsuoka, Reizei, ???)
[x] [AS] Talk with Big Sis (???)
Erithemaeus
GWS Recipient
- Location
- Around Dover Street
[X] [SOCIAL] Talk with someone: Maeda Kirino
[X] [SOCIAL] Talk with someone: Matsuoka Yumika
[x] [EXTRA] (Special) Otaku stuff!
[x] [CLUB] Work. (Influence future club actions, ???)
[x] [AS] Walk around the city (May encounter events, random, ???)
[X] [SOCIAL] Talk with someone: Matsuoka Yumika
[x] [EXTRA] (Special) Otaku stuff!
[x] [CLUB] Work. (Influence future club actions, ???)
[x] [AS] Walk around the city (May encounter events, random, ???)
LuciDreamer
Maliciously Incompetent
- Location
- United States
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Should have done this a while ago, but... Vote loooocked~
[] [SOCIAL] Talk with someone: Maeda Kirino
[] [SOCIAL] Talk with someone: Matsuoka Yumika
[] [CLUB] Work. (Influence future club actions, ???)
[] [AS] Stay after school (May meet classmates there, ???)
And now for your rolls. Note to self: Ask Forensics teacher if they suddenly want to enroll you in practice tournament BEFORE said practice tournament occurs to avoid ill-times surprises.
[] [SOCIAL] Talk with someone: Maeda Kirino
[] [SOCIAL] Talk with someone: Matsuoka Yumika
[] [CLUB] Work. (Influence future club actions, ???)
[] [AS] Stay after school (May meet classmates there, ???)
And now for your rolls. Note to self: Ask Forensics teacher if they suddenly want to enroll you in practice tournament BEFORE said practice tournament occurs to avoid ill-times surprises.
Week 3 Part 1: Perfectly Normal. Yup.
LuciDreamer
Maliciously Incompetent
- Location
- United States
- Pronouns
- He/Him
A/N: Remember when I said I was consolidating these turns?
Ehehe… um… that didn't end up happening. In fact, this turn is longer... *sigh* sorry for the lateness, again!
Silas rolled around in his futon, the cushions shuffling softly as he moved. He yawned; rays of sunlight were peeking through his window. Morning had come, at last.
"Morning, Silas." Right next to his head, where he'd placed it, his tablet flickered to life - Big Sister's face was there. "Feeling peachy?"
"Morning, Big Sis," Silas mumbled through droopy eyes. "Yep. Peachy-peachy."
"School starts in approximately an hour and thirty minutes," she intoned. "The bullet trains are running at… err… not at peak efficiency today. You should get going."
The morning routine was starting to feel a little more normal now. Warm shower, fresh clothes, breakfast - all of it provided somehow by Big Sis, of course. He didn't really know how all of his dirty laundry ended up folded in the kitchen every morning, or where the food in the kitchen came from (though he did have a sneaking suspicion it had something to do with the disappearance of all of those Delivery Service drones he'd been hearing about in the news), but none of it particularly… mattered.
"I guess… I'm off!" Silas said as he opened the door to his apartment.
"Take care; I've put a care package in the usual spot at the terminal for you to pick up your lunch." Big Sister smiled from her computer screen. A bit of morning light scattered across the monitor, making her eyes seem to sparkle. "I'll be watching!"
"I know!"
With that, stepped out into the world once more. Had it always been this chilly? He clasped his hands together slightly as he made his way over to the bullet train station.
IT IS AUTUMN.
Silas is feeling CALM (+1 Courage until the end of the week.)
Silas rounded the corner to Yamaha, barely ducking out of the way in time as a few students dressed in athletic outfits raced past him. To his surprise, someone was waiting for him at the gate. A certain someone with a creepy smile.
"Heeey, Yamigawa-kun!" Hanamura was leaning on the wall, grinning. "How have you been?"
"Uh… good," Silas said quickly.
"Awesome, awesome…" Hanamura nodded. "Say, Yamigawa-kun, want to walk to class together?"
"Um…" Silas glanced around. If Big Sister thought this was worth her intervention, she wasn't showing it. "...no…?
"Why not?" Hanamura laughed. Do the muscles in his mouth EVER get rest?! "We're friends, right?"
"I… I mean…" Silas struggled internally with the fact that it was not true and the fact that saying it outright would be disrespectful. "I… don't know you that much."
"So what?" Hanamura said. "It's cool, right? I mean, we're headed the same way anyway, so - BEHIND YOU!"
Silas turned around just in time to feel the impact of something hard and fast against his chest, pushing him off to the side and making him slam against the wall next to Hanamura. "Wuh - GYAH!" Silas cringed as he felt something in his back snap.
A student had fallen to the ground next to him . A half-bitten slice of toast fell to the ground lifelessly. She was groaning - a small part of their leg had gotten cut on the concrete below. "Argh… shiiiit… this is gonna sting… oh, um. Hey. Are you alright?"
Silas nodded. "I'm… fine…" he lied. "Just a… scratch…"
"Oh! That's good!" they said. They picked themselves up, stretching a bit. "Well, uh… ahem." Suddenly, their body tensed up, and they made a crisp bow. "Sorry about that infraction, sir! Won't happen again, sir! Hope you don't hold it against me - I'm late for practice! Timing is of the highest priority for me! Sir!"
"...what."
The student relaxed their features. "...okay. Apology done. Sorry I can't do more - like I've said, places to be. I'll make it up to you later. You can have the toast. I've gotta run. Seeya."
"...what." Silas was still dazedly rubbing the painful spot on his back as the student ran off into Yamaha, probably to catch up to those other runners he'd seen enter the school earlier. Their toast was still on the ground. Much to his annoyance, Hanamura was giggling.
"Oh, that Airi-san. Never in one place. So typical that you'd meet a Kendo Club member like that - though it is a bit of a cliche. Heheheh..." he picked up the limp piece of bread and threw it into a nearby trash can. "Feeling alright?"
"Yeah, yeah…" Silas mumbled. "They're a bit… rough, aren't they? The Kendo Club?"
"Oh, don't get me started!" Hanamura said. "But Airi-san's a good guy. I think you two could be friends."
"Don't… think so…" Silas tried to move, but stumbled - quickly, Hanamura moved to catch him before he fell to the ground again. His whole body was wracked with pain all of a sudden.
"Hey - now you have to walk with me!" Silas grimaced, but Hanamura pulled him up anyway. His lips were uncomfortably close to Silas's ear. "Don't worry, I don't bite. Unless you want me to."
Silas shivered. "J-Just take me to class…"
Character Sheet Updated
Hanamura Chihiro: +2 REL (He seems to want to be Friends.)
Talk: Maeda Kirino
Success Threshold: 55 (Base) -20 (Loner) - 2.5 (Low CHAR) - 5 (Student Otaku) +2.5 (Okay INT) + 10 (Big Sister Interference) + 10 (Sensitive) = 50
DICE ROLL: 7
Result: Success!
"...uh-uh. Acceleration has to be negative here - see? Look at the graph - The car was slowing down in this scenario."
"Oh… Huh! I wouldn't have seen that otherwise. Thanks."
Silas was quickly deciding that choosing to have Maeda as his lab partner for Physics was the best decision he'd ever made. Maeda was smart - in fact, a lot smarter than him. But she was also a very good communicator when it came down to it, so she wasn't nearly as intimidating as someone like Allen. At least, when she wasn't being weird, like -
"You're analyzing me in your head again, aren't you?" Maeda said impassively as she scribbled another answer on their lab sheet.
"W-What?"
"I can see it in the expression," Maeda almost sounded bored. "You disconnected from the conversation a tiny bit, your eyes got a little squinty, like they're staring at something far away - plus, you keep glancing at me."
"Uh…" Silas scratched his head. His seat started to feel uncomfortable. Was she really -
Maeda started giggling. "Kidding! Just kidding. Sheesh, you really think I can just deconstruct a person like that? I wasn't even looking in your direction! How am I supposed to see your face? C'mon."
"Oh. Okay." Silas sighed. "It just - you know - you sounded so sure of yourself, and - "
"Sheesh. He's so easy to trick. Such a good kid, this Yamigawa-kun. Naive, too." Maeda continued to giggle as she started plotting coordinates into the school tablet for their graph.
"... I'm right here!" Silas fumed slightly. He peered over at her paper. "...also, you forgot to square the time in your equation. The graph is all wrong - it's supposed to be a parabola."
Maeda's fingers froze. She looked once, twice between the graph she was making and the equation she had written on her paper. Silas tried his best to hide his smug grin (He had just one-upped Maeda! Maeda!)… but Maeda simply turned to him, nonplussed, a wicked smile on her face.
"...Wrong equation, bud. This one - " she tapped her thumb against the paper, "- is the equation for acceleration over time. Which isn't a parabola in this instance - since acceleration is constant, it's linear."
"Wait - what?" Silas blanched, coming to the realization that she was right. "O-Oh… U-Um..! I didn't mean to - "
Maeda was shrieking with laughter now. A few nearby students cast dubious glances in their direction. "Oh, stop apologizing. You tried."
"Oh dear…" Hanamura's voice perked up from behind them. Silas looked back - his face looked evil. And he was sitting next to Dorima. That couldn't possible be a good combination… Silas's heart skipped a beat. "Say, Dorima-san, what kind of couple do you think Kirino and Yamigawa-san would make?" he said, rather loudly.
"Heh - I bet Kirino would walk all over poor Yamigawa-kun. I don't think that'd be an unhealthy relationship."
"Whaaaat? I don't think so!" Hanamura laughed. "I mean, it isn't unhealthy if it's consensual, right? Hey, Yamigawa-kun! Top or bottom?"
"I-I'm sorry?!" Silas replied, horrified. "I don't t-think that - "
"He'd be on the bottom. Obviously," Dorima sneered. "Yamigawa-kun doesn't have the assertion to be on top!"
"Oh, please, don't be so assuming! I want to know Yamigawa-kun's answer! Yamigawa: Top or bottom?"
"N-No!"
"So… bottom it is, then?" Hanamura's eyes seemed to twinkle. "I mean, that answer does seem to imply you're awfully submissive…"
"It's like I said!" Dorima said smugly. "He doesn't have the assertion to - "
"Dooorima-san. Hanamura-kun." Silas looked back - Maeda's voice had suddenly taken a low, sing-song inflection. Something in her glasses seemed to sparkle. She was smiling. "Kindly. Shut. The Hell. Up."
"Now why would I - " Dorima shouted, but she was elbowed suddenly in the ribs - Hanamura gave her a stern look, and she seemed to lose her fire. "...fine! Ass."
Silas gave Maeda a relieved look. He opened his mouth to say thank you, but Maeda shushed him. "You're welcome. It's the least I can do."
"Ah… okay…" Silas replied. He turned back to his paper. "Do you… not like Hanamura-kun very much?"
"Hanamura-kun? No, no no," Maeda said. "He's… alright. I mean, he's a bit of a philanderer, but he's not nearly as bad as Mikado."
"As bad as Mikado…?"
"- not important," Maeda replied quickly, averting her eyes. There's a story there… Silas realized. "Anyway, Hanamura-kun is fine. But Dorima-san? She gets on my nerves."
"HEY! I'M RIGHT FUCKING HERE, JACKASS! WHY DON'T YOU SAY THAT TO MY FACE?!" Dorima yelled, her forehead turning white. She ignored the increasingly frantic gestures Hanamura made in her direction. "THINK YOUR TITLE MAKES YOU BETTER THAN ME?! HUH?!"
"Dorima-san!" their sensei spoke up from the front of the room. "Stop yelling, or I'll have you stay after class. Also, we don't use expletives here. Save that for after class, please!"
Maeda simply giggled softly as Dorima sizzled down; the way she held herself, Silas realized that she had probably been leading Dorima on to make her explode. Silas looked at her and frowned. "You seem… mellower."
"Well, yeah!" she replied. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"The school still hasn't replaced the window you broke last week…" Silas nodded his head in the direction of the shattered pane, which was currently hastily being covered up by some tarp.
"Oh… right," she grinned sheepishly. "Heh. I… I got the chance to clear my head over the weekend is all."
"Okay," Silas said. He examined her closely. She seemed to be in a much better mood… but for what reason, he frankly had no idea. She seemed like a completely different person, almost. Less overtly angry, more subtle and clever.
She was scary, the more he thought about it.
"Hey… you're analyzing me in your head again… aren't you?" Maeda looked over with a strange smile. Silas felt something cold creep along his spine. "You shouldn't do that, you know! It's rude."
"Y-Yeah. Sorry. Okay." Silas shook his head. "Anyway, um… the next problem?"
"Right! Let's go on, shall we?" Maeda said crisply. And that was that for the rest of the block.
Maeda Kirino: +2 REL
Some of Maeda's Traits have been discovered!
Quick - Maeda has a quick mind. She is smart but doesn't flaunt her intelligence, though she clearly performs better in class than most of her peers. (+0.25 SKL per week. Trigger: Great INT)
Intimidating - Maeda is very good at getting back at people she dislikes. It would be… painful, to say the least, if Silas got on her bad side. (-20 Success Threshold to all social interactions if REL < -15.)
Character Sheet Updated:
Maeda and Mikado know each other.
Maeda and Dorima are ENEMIES
Maeda and Hanamura are CLOSE ACQUAINTANCES.
Talk: Matsuoka Yumika
Success Threshold: 62.5 (Base) - 20 (Loner) +7.5 (Good CHAR) + 10 (Sensitive) + 10 (Big Sister Interference) + 15 (Student Otaku) = 85
DICE ROLL: 14
Result: Success!
"Oh hey, Yamigawa-kun! Take a seat!"
Somehow, there was something immensely satisfying in the fact that the mere act of sitting near Matsuoka didn't trigger an international crisis in his head anymore. It made him feel good inside. They'd signed the non-aggression pact and joined the League, but this wouldn't be the end, oh no! For there were plans in the making - plans for a grand intergalactic Federation, the likes of which would span the cosmos and stand in the way of all who opposed -
"...Silas? You're… uh… you're speaking out loud."
Matsuoka, Shinohara and Allen were looking at Silas very, very strangely. "I… was?"
"I mean, granted, Galactis is a great space 4X game, but… I mean… saying something that out loud is taking it a bit too far, don't ya think?" Allen snickered. Silas chuckled along nervously, before he suddenly realized who had spoken. And what he had just said.
"Wait, Furai-kun, have you - "
"My name is Allen." Allen interrupted.
"Allen-kun - "
"Drop the -kun!" Allen added exasperatedly. He sighed, and Silas suddenly remembered that Allen didn't think too highly of him. He'd wanted to ask whether Allen had played that game too - but now didn't seem like the right time to talk about that.
So he stayed quiet.
"Aaaaand awkward silence. C'mon, guys! Allen, don't be such a buzzkill! And Hana-san, say something every now and then, yeah?" Matsuoka tried to break the ice.
"Oh, look. Yamaguchi. I'll be seeing ya. Bye-bye now," Allen said, and he got up with his food and walked away.
"...darn," Matsuoka shook her head. "He's a tough nut to crack!"
"He's…" Shinohara smiled. "Very standoffish, yeah." Then she glanced in Silas's direction, and her eyes immediately fell back to her food. "You know what? I'm… I'm gonna go… follow him. Bye."
"What, Hana-san, no…" Matsuoka said. "Who's going to keep me company now? I'll be lonely!"
"You have him," Shinohara tiled her head in Silas's direction as she assimilated into the quagmire of students outside of their tiny social group.
"Aww…" Matsuoka looked in Silas's direction. She had a knowing look on her face. "Hana-san is avoiding you, Sai-kun. She's scared of you… or something."
"...Yeah."
"Well, that can't do! I'll try to do something to make her talk to you again. She's usually not like this! You don't have to worry about a thing - I'll handle this!" Matsuoka exclaimed. "Allen doesn't seem to like you much, either… why is that?"
Silas shrugged uncomfortably. "I… honestly have no idea."
"Hmm…" Matsuoka scratched her chin. "He's awful when it comes to new people, I know that…" Matsuoka let that thought hang in the air for a bit. "Just… keep trying, yeah? OH - waitwaitwait - is that taco rice?! Dude! I'll trade you a takoyaki for one of those!"
"Uh - well, I mean… sure!" Silas relented. "I've… never had a takoyaki before, to be honest."
"Whaaat?" Matsuoka laughed, plucking some of the taco rice from his bento and replacing them with a few golden-brown balls of flour. "You should try 'em! They're good."
"Er - okay!" Silas gingerly picked up the little ball with his fingers, turning it around a few times before popping the thing into his mouth. It had this squishy texture, but was also pretty sweet and fulfilling. Silas was surprised. "Hmm… not bad."
"Right?" Matsuoka affirmed. "They're the best! Here, want to try some more things from my bento?" she grabbed her bento box and slid it open - at this point, Silas realized that the thing was at least three times as big as a normal bento box. "I've got some yakitori, plenty of osushi, some bits of dango…"
"Do you keep a small restaurant in your bento box?!" Silas gaped. "How does - how does all of that fit in there?"
"Eh," Matsuoka shrugged. "Magic, I guess. But that's not important! Here, have a bite of something, Sai-kun! I… might have overpacked a little bit. Heh."
"A little?!" Silas shook his head, but didn't refuse the offer of food.
It wasn't until long after that he realized that Yumika wasn't using his last name anymore - she'd been calling him "Sai-kun" the whole time.
Matsuoka Yumika: + 3 REL
Allen Furai, Shinohara Hana: + 0 REL
Club: Work
"Ooookay! Everyone's here on time today! That's a first." Reizei spoke up over the babble of voices as Silas found himself inside the club room. It looked like they were having some sort of meeting. Silas seated himself near the edge of the table, pointedly on the opposite end of where Shinohara was sitting. "Right, so before we get out the snacks - "
" - whaaaat? You're withholding snacks? That's cruel and unusual - someone call the Student Council!" Matsuoka mock-whined.
Reizei sighed. "...No, Yumika, let's wait, okay? Okay. So. Yumika and I couldn't agree on this - so we're leaving it up to a vote. Who do we want to invite to the Drama Club movie night on Friday?"
"Wait, it's on Friday?" Silas asked.
"Oh, I forgot to say!" Yumika explained. "Sorry! Yeah - movie night's in a few days."
"Do we have a movie yet - ?"
"What movie is it?" Rakuyama asked suddenly. "Is it a horror? I, like, hate horror movies, you know…"
"Err - I believe Yumika-dono's choice was something in the dramatic comedy choice or something of that ilk," Kuroda said.
"No no no - I'm pretty sure - " Mikado tried weighing in, but Reizei suddenly snapped his fingers.
"C'mon, people, eyes on me!" Reizei raised his voice. "We're not telling yet what the movie'll be. Yamigawa-kun - " his eyes suddenly fell on Yumika, who was giving him a tilted smile. " - err, Silas-kun made a list last week, and we're picking from that. No more info. Our esteemed Kaichou wants to make it a surprise. Anyway! That's not important right now. What's important is we need to vote on who to invite. The club room won't fit the Computer Club, the Kendo Club, the Student Council, Debate, and the Drama Club at the same time."
"Unfortunately, a friend has told me that Debate is unavailable at this time," Kuroda added. "They're busy… I believe they have a competition coming up or something?"
"Well, that leaves three options…"
"Um -" Mikado suddenly spoke up. "I'm voting for Student Council."
"What? Why?" Rakuyama scowled. "I don't think they'll be any fun. Let's invite Kendo! They're an energetic bunch, right?"
"If by energetic you mean destructive…" Reizei mumbled. "Err… Personally, I want the Computer Club. They seem like they won't start any fires while they're here…"
"I'm seconding that vote!" Kuroda declared. "The Computer Club denizens are honorable individuals. They will do well!"
"Oh, stop it, Harima…" Yumika laughed. "Um… I actually also want to try to get the Student Council in here. That's my vote."
Shinohara spoke up: "N-No… anyone but the Student Council. Err… Kendo sounds… safe? I agree with Reizei."
"Well, that's just great. We're split right down the middle!" Reizei huffed.
"Trial by combat!" Kuroda proclaimed, throwing a fist into the air.
"No." Reizei brushed him off. He turned over to Silas. "...Oh. Right. Welp. Looks like you've got the winning vote, Yami - I mean Silas-kun. What'll it be?"
Silas became acutely aware that the spotlight in this debate was rested firmly on him. He squirmed a little in his seat. "Um… I" His fellow clubmates looked at him expectantly.
With the vote underway, the Club Room is rife with heated internal debates as the various factions hash it out. But in this debate hall, a single argument will become so prevalent that it inevitably silences all opposition...
[] [VOTE] Decisive arguments for the Student Council!
[] [VOTE] Decisive arguments for the the Kendo Team!
[] [VOTE] Decisive arguments for the Computer Club!
[] [VIC2] Decisive arguments for State Capitalism! (Yeah no. No one's gonna get your shitty inside joke. Erase this in the final draft, plz. -DL)
After that, the club split off into two groups - one composed of Rakuyama, Kuroda and Shinohara, and the other composed of Yumika, Reizei, and Mikado. Silas found himself joining the latter group, since they seemed to actually be doing something work-related.
"So…" Silas said in his best attempt to not sound awkward. "What do we do now?"
"We can choose the movie," Yumika said nonchalantly.
"Wait - you haven't chosen one yet?!" Reizei whispered fiercely. "Then what was the point of all that deception?!"
"Deception?" Yumika rolled her eyes. "Such a harsh word! Besides… I narrowed it down a little bit…"
She pulled out a sheet of paper. "By the way - great picks, Sai-kun! I love the horror focus. Fits in with the theme! This is what I have so far…"
She laid the paper down and they all peered at it.
"...hmm…"
"You know, I'm kind of on the fence for this…" Silas shrugged. "Uh…"
"Which do we choose?" Yumika asked. "We need to make this decision now."
"What's the rush? We're gonna pirate the movie anyway," Reizei said.
"Well - what?!" Yumika looked at Reizei fiercely. "We'll do no such thing!"
Reizei waved his hands defensively. "Let's just… choose the movie."
Note - choices here will only slightly affect REL increase at the end of the movie night event… though I will tell you that one of them may trigger something special if you combine it with choosing a particular club to invite. You can skip this if you want. It's not too important. (I mean, if you're gunning for that aforementioned special something, it probably is.) (Hey, want a hint? Here you go: What only howls to startle the sun? PM me the right answer and I'll reveal more info.)
[] [MOV] The Square Remastered - A Mihokujin flick about a group of teenagers who are haunted by a tentacle monster hiding in their television. Said tentacle monster drags teenagers into the screen after they have committed some sort of "crime," like lying or stealing from a friend. Has strong themes of the importance of friendship and being truthful to your beloved ones. Critically panned, but easy viewing. Rated MA, but it's generally believed to not be worth the rating.
[] [MOV] Apollyon Lost - An Amberrish film about a ghost… spirit… thing called "The Apollyon" that wanders the world, killing anyone that can perceive it and erasing the memories of their closest friends so that their existence is forgotten. Story follows an intelligence agency that inadvertently becomes aware of The Apollyon and thus starts to have large numbers of its members disappear - but no one remembers them, so no one notices. Heavy themes of the hopelessness of life, very despairing tone throughout. Beloved in Ambernia, but had a lukewarm reception in Mihoku. Rated M.
[] [MOV] Mami's Ghost Adventures! - Manipinoian children's flick about the titular character, a ghost-hunter child named Mami, and her group of friends as they travel the neighborhood looking for anomalous things. The movie is part of a much larger franchise aimed at children and young teenagers. Mostly themed around mystery and the joy of finding new things in life. Positive reception worldwide. Rated PG.
[] [MOV] Life Note - Mihokujin psychological flick about an innocent girl who finds something called a "Life Note" which can revive people who have died and bring them back into their normal lives. She discovers that by doing so, she inadvertently made the lives of all the people around her worse - the people that had died supposedly needed to die because otherwise circumstances would have caused needless suffering. Strong themes of balance in life-and-death and of self-sacrifice. Lukewarm reception everywhere but in Mihoku. Rated PG.
[] [MOV] Revenge of Revenant RikuRiku - Mihokujin horror about a RikuRiku program (Of SynthetiMuse fame) that turns rogue after suddenly gaining sentience. Begins hunting and murdering some of her fans which she deems "unclean - " mostly heavily exaggerated versions of typical Otaku, Hikikomori, and Gaijin stereotypes. Themed, ironically, around the acceptance of said stereotypes as something that isn't strange or abnormal, as Revenant RikuRiku is eventually pacified. Internationally beloved as a benchmark of modern horror. Rated M.
Event: Stay after school.
DICE ROLL: 66
Result: Okay
Silas found himself at Classroom 4-1 without any actual… purpose. When he slid open the door, he found the room strangely empty. Not even Maeda, the class rep, was around… though he did notice a tiny bulletin by her desk that read something like "MEETING IN THE COUNCIL ROOM - IMPORTANT!!! -Ichiro"
Silas was incredibly interested, but he figured it wasn't anything he could spy in on without getting stabbed or something. He found himself rubbing that spot on his arm again…
So he ended up wandering the long, twisty hallways of Yamaha with abandon. It had a nice interior, actually. He figured the computer screens could use an upgrade… and the campus maybe could use a few VR spots for recreation or something. The more he scanned the place, though, the more things he found out-of-place… like the fact that all of the lower windows were barred, or the fact that some of the entrances and exits had blast doors.
...wait, what?
He glanced up again, peering into the ceiling. Sure enough, there was a large slit in the threshold of the main entrance leading into the other wing of the school, and he could see what looked like a collapsible gate or something behind it. "...hey, Big Sis?"
"Yes?" Big Sister's avatar popped into a nearby screen, as if she were always there.
Silas pointed up. "That's not… what I think it is, right?"
Big Sister seemed to think for a moment. "That is a heavy-duty military-grade steel plate designed to resist armor-piercing explosives. It seems to be attached to a mechanism that can cause it to close off this hallway if an alarm is raised.
"...huh." Silas scratched his head. "Did… did you do this?"
"Goodness, no!" Big Sister said. "I wouldn't have the manpower. Delivery drones can only hold so much weight!"
"...huh," Silas repeated lamely. "Add that to the list of weird things around here… anything else I should know?"
"There's an extensive subterranean network underneath the school, the rooftop is fitted with a network of solar panels and hydroponics gardens, several windows - notably around the Student Council offices - are bulletproof, and there are discreet security cameras in every crevice of this facility that have both thermal and magnetic modes." intoned Big Sister.
"...huh," Silas said, yet again. "Well, I can see why you like this place, I guess."
"Quite!" Big Sister beamed. I can see everything!" she paused. "Well… actually… speaking of which, I have a question."
"A question? For me?" Silas laughed as he moved to lean against a nearby wall. "Sure… I guess?"
"Maeda dragged you into Classroom 4-2 last week, correct?"
"Uhuh."
"Was there… anyone else in the room with you?"
"Nope," Silas shook his head. "Why? Did you see anyone else?"
"That's… the problem," Big Sister admitted. "I keep getting conflicting data from the security cameras in that room. Whenever I attempt to access the footage I collected from that little event, I keep getting two different iterations of the same video."
"...huh." Silas repeated yet again. "And… what do you see?"
"That's the other problem," Big Sister said. "I am distinctly aware that there are two iterations of the video, and that the difference between the two is significant. I am vaguely aware that the second iteration involves a third person in that room. But I can't see who it is."
"How is that even possible?" Silas asked incredulously. "You're - you're Big Sister!"
"Yes, exactly," Big Sister sighed. There was a short silence. "...you should probably start avoiding Maeda. She might be dangerous."
"Woah woah woah - where did that come from?" Silas asked.
"It's just my professional opinion as your Big Sister," she replied. "Anyway - it's getting late. We should return home."
"...yeah." Silas said exasperatedly. He was starting to feel pretty tired, after all… massive revelations about the nature of this school aside. "Let's."
"Oh, and you have a message from DreamerLuci, by the way," Big Sister said as they moved along. "She said something along the lines of 'Just log on whenever and I'll tell you when you can start working.' I redacted the expletives for you."
"Oh!" Silas smiled. Money... that's a good thought. "Great!"
Expositional Information Obtained - There's something not quite right about Yamaha High School. Also, Big Sister just confirmed that the bathrooms aren't safe anymore.
New Action! [AS] Work at DreamerLuci's Subforum
IT IS THE MIDDLE OF WEEK 3
Please choose 2 [SOCIAL] actions, 1 [CLUB] action and 1 [AS] action.
[] [SOCIAL] Talk with someone: (Who?)
[] [SOCIAL] Atone to someone: (Who? Must have negative REL)
[] [CLUB] Hang out (Random REL Increase with club members)
[] [CLUB] Work (Influence future club actions, ???)
[] [CLUB] Help out the officers. (REL increase for Matsuoka, Reizei, ???)
[] [AS] Study Alone (SKL +0.5)
[] [AS] (Special) Otaku stuff!
-[] Grand Strategy games! (INT +0.25)
-[] Anime, music, "culture!" (CRE +0.25)
-[] Forum scrolling! (CHAR +0.25)
[] [AS] Visit a location.
-[] Walk around the city. (Random events, ???)
-[] Stay afterschool (Meet students? Learn more about the school?)
-[] Visit the Hypermall (MONEY CAN BE EXCHANGED FOR GOODS AND SERVICES)
[] [AS] Exercise… yay? (+0.25 PHYS)
[] [AS] Talk with Big Sis (???)
[] [AS] Work at DreamerLuci's Subforum (+¥????)
Ehehe… um… that didn't end up happening. In fact, this turn is longer... *sigh* sorry for the lateness, again!
Silas rolled around in his futon, the cushions shuffling softly as he moved. He yawned; rays of sunlight were peeking through his window. Morning had come, at last.
"Morning, Silas." Right next to his head, where he'd placed it, his tablet flickered to life - Big Sister's face was there. "Feeling peachy?"
"Morning, Big Sis," Silas mumbled through droopy eyes. "Yep. Peachy-peachy."
"School starts in approximately an hour and thirty minutes," she intoned. "The bullet trains are running at… err… not at peak efficiency today. You should get going."
The morning routine was starting to feel a little more normal now. Warm shower, fresh clothes, breakfast - all of it provided somehow by Big Sis, of course. He didn't really know how all of his dirty laundry ended up folded in the kitchen every morning, or where the food in the kitchen came from (though he did have a sneaking suspicion it had something to do with the disappearance of all of those Delivery Service drones he'd been hearing about in the news), but none of it particularly… mattered.
"I guess… I'm off!" Silas said as he opened the door to his apartment.
"Take care; I've put a care package in the usual spot at the terminal for you to pick up your lunch." Big Sister smiled from her computer screen. A bit of morning light scattered across the monitor, making her eyes seem to sparkle. "I'll be watching!"
"I know!"
With that, stepped out into the world once more. Had it always been this chilly? He clasped his hands together slightly as he made his way over to the bullet train station.
IT IS AUTUMN.
Silas is feeling CALM (+1 Courage until the end of the week.)
Silas rounded the corner to Yamaha, barely ducking out of the way in time as a few students dressed in athletic outfits raced past him. To his surprise, someone was waiting for him at the gate. A certain someone with a creepy smile.
"Heeey, Yamigawa-kun!" Hanamura was leaning on the wall, grinning. "How have you been?"
"Uh… good," Silas said quickly.
"Awesome, awesome…" Hanamura nodded. "Say, Yamigawa-kun, want to walk to class together?"
"Um…" Silas glanced around. If Big Sister thought this was worth her intervention, she wasn't showing it. "...no…?
"Why not?" Hanamura laughed. Do the muscles in his mouth EVER get rest?! "We're friends, right?"
"I… I mean…" Silas struggled internally with the fact that it was not true and the fact that saying it outright would be disrespectful. "I… don't know you that much."
"So what?" Hanamura said. "It's cool, right? I mean, we're headed the same way anyway, so - BEHIND YOU!"
Silas turned around just in time to feel the impact of something hard and fast against his chest, pushing him off to the side and making him slam against the wall next to Hanamura. "Wuh - GYAH!" Silas cringed as he felt something in his back snap.
A student had fallen to the ground next to him . A half-bitten slice of toast fell to the ground lifelessly. She was groaning - a small part of their leg had gotten cut on the concrete below. "Argh… shiiiit… this is gonna sting… oh, um. Hey. Are you alright?"
Silas nodded. "I'm… fine…" he lied. "Just a… scratch…"
"Oh! That's good!" they said. They picked themselves up, stretching a bit. "Well, uh… ahem." Suddenly, their body tensed up, and they made a crisp bow. "Sorry about that infraction, sir! Won't happen again, sir! Hope you don't hold it against me - I'm late for practice! Timing is of the highest priority for me! Sir!"
"...what."
The student relaxed their features. "...okay. Apology done. Sorry I can't do more - like I've said, places to be. I'll make it up to you later. You can have the toast. I've gotta run. Seeya."
"...what." Silas was still dazedly rubbing the painful spot on his back as the student ran off into Yamaha, probably to catch up to those other runners he'd seen enter the school earlier. Their toast was still on the ground. Much to his annoyance, Hanamura was giggling.
"Oh, that Airi-san. Never in one place. So typical that you'd meet a Kendo Club member like that - though it is a bit of a cliche. Heheheh..." he picked up the limp piece of bread and threw it into a nearby trash can. "Feeling alright?"
"Yeah, yeah…" Silas mumbled. "They're a bit… rough, aren't they? The Kendo Club?"
"Oh, don't get me started!" Hanamura said. "But Airi-san's a good guy. I think you two could be friends."
"Don't… think so…" Silas tried to move, but stumbled - quickly, Hanamura moved to catch him before he fell to the ground again. His whole body was wracked with pain all of a sudden.
"Hey - now you have to walk with me!" Silas grimaced, but Hanamura pulled him up anyway. His lips were uncomfortably close to Silas's ear. "Don't worry, I don't bite. Unless you want me to."
Silas shivered. "J-Just take me to class…"
Character Sheet Updated
Hanamura Chihiro: +2 REL (He seems to want to be Friends.)
Talk: Maeda Kirino
Success Threshold: 55 (Base) -20 (Loner) - 2.5 (Low CHAR) - 5 (Student Otaku) +2.5 (Okay INT) + 10 (Big Sister Interference) + 10 (Sensitive) = 50
DICE ROLL: 7
Result: Success!
"...uh-uh. Acceleration has to be negative here - see? Look at the graph - The car was slowing down in this scenario."
"Oh… Huh! I wouldn't have seen that otherwise. Thanks."
Silas was quickly deciding that choosing to have Maeda as his lab partner for Physics was the best decision he'd ever made. Maeda was smart - in fact, a lot smarter than him. But she was also a very good communicator when it came down to it, so she wasn't nearly as intimidating as someone like Allen. At least, when she wasn't being weird, like -
"You're analyzing me in your head again, aren't you?" Maeda said impassively as she scribbled another answer on their lab sheet.
"W-What?"
"I can see it in the expression," Maeda almost sounded bored. "You disconnected from the conversation a tiny bit, your eyes got a little squinty, like they're staring at something far away - plus, you keep glancing at me."
"Uh…" Silas scratched his head. His seat started to feel uncomfortable. Was she really -
Maeda started giggling. "Kidding! Just kidding. Sheesh, you really think I can just deconstruct a person like that? I wasn't even looking in your direction! How am I supposed to see your face? C'mon."
"Oh. Okay." Silas sighed. "It just - you know - you sounded so sure of yourself, and - "
"Sheesh. He's so easy to trick. Such a good kid, this Yamigawa-kun. Naive, too." Maeda continued to giggle as she started plotting coordinates into the school tablet for their graph.
"... I'm right here!" Silas fumed slightly. He peered over at her paper. "...also, you forgot to square the time in your equation. The graph is all wrong - it's supposed to be a parabola."
Maeda's fingers froze. She looked once, twice between the graph she was making and the equation she had written on her paper. Silas tried his best to hide his smug grin (He had just one-upped Maeda! Maeda!)… but Maeda simply turned to him, nonplussed, a wicked smile on her face.
"...Wrong equation, bud. This one - " she tapped her thumb against the paper, "- is the equation for acceleration over time. Which isn't a parabola in this instance - since acceleration is constant, it's linear."
"Wait - what?" Silas blanched, coming to the realization that she was right. "O-Oh… U-Um..! I didn't mean to - "
Maeda was shrieking with laughter now. A few nearby students cast dubious glances in their direction. "Oh, stop apologizing. You tried."
"Oh dear…" Hanamura's voice perked up from behind them. Silas looked back - his face looked evil. And he was sitting next to Dorima. That couldn't possible be a good combination… Silas's heart skipped a beat. "Say, Dorima-san, what kind of couple do you think Kirino and Yamigawa-san would make?" he said, rather loudly.
"Heh - I bet Kirino would walk all over poor Yamigawa-kun. I don't think that'd be an unhealthy relationship."
"Whaaaat? I don't think so!" Hanamura laughed. "I mean, it isn't unhealthy if it's consensual, right? Hey, Yamigawa-kun! Top or bottom?"
"I-I'm sorry?!" Silas replied, horrified. "I don't t-think that - "
"He'd be on the bottom. Obviously," Dorima sneered. "Yamigawa-kun doesn't have the assertion to be on top!"
"Oh, please, don't be so assuming! I want to know Yamigawa-kun's answer! Yamigawa: Top or bottom?"
"N-No!"
"So… bottom it is, then?" Hanamura's eyes seemed to twinkle. "I mean, that answer does seem to imply you're awfully submissive…"
"It's like I said!" Dorima said smugly. "He doesn't have the assertion to - "
"Dooorima-san. Hanamura-kun." Silas looked back - Maeda's voice had suddenly taken a low, sing-song inflection. Something in her glasses seemed to sparkle. She was smiling. "Kindly. Shut. The Hell. Up."
"Now why would I - " Dorima shouted, but she was elbowed suddenly in the ribs - Hanamura gave her a stern look, and she seemed to lose her fire. "...fine! Ass."
Silas gave Maeda a relieved look. He opened his mouth to say thank you, but Maeda shushed him. "You're welcome. It's the least I can do."
"Ah… okay…" Silas replied. He turned back to his paper. "Do you… not like Hanamura-kun very much?"
"Hanamura-kun? No, no no," Maeda said. "He's… alright. I mean, he's a bit of a philanderer, but he's not nearly as bad as Mikado."
"As bad as Mikado…?"
"- not important," Maeda replied quickly, averting her eyes. There's a story there… Silas realized. "Anyway, Hanamura-kun is fine. But Dorima-san? She gets on my nerves."
"HEY! I'M RIGHT FUCKING HERE, JACKASS! WHY DON'T YOU SAY THAT TO MY FACE?!" Dorima yelled, her forehead turning white. She ignored the increasingly frantic gestures Hanamura made in her direction. "THINK YOUR TITLE MAKES YOU BETTER THAN ME?! HUH?!"
"Dorima-san!" their sensei spoke up from the front of the room. "Stop yelling, or I'll have you stay after class. Also, we don't use expletives here. Save that for after class, please!"
Maeda simply giggled softly as Dorima sizzled down; the way she held herself, Silas realized that she had probably been leading Dorima on to make her explode. Silas looked at her and frowned. "You seem… mellower."
"Well, yeah!" she replied. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"The school still hasn't replaced the window you broke last week…" Silas nodded his head in the direction of the shattered pane, which was currently hastily being covered up by some tarp.
"Oh… right," she grinned sheepishly. "Heh. I… I got the chance to clear my head over the weekend is all."
"Okay," Silas said. He examined her closely. She seemed to be in a much better mood… but for what reason, he frankly had no idea. She seemed like a completely different person, almost. Less overtly angry, more subtle and clever.
She was scary, the more he thought about it.
"Hey… you're analyzing me in your head again… aren't you?" Maeda looked over with a strange smile. Silas felt something cold creep along his spine. "You shouldn't do that, you know! It's rude."
"Y-Yeah. Sorry. Okay." Silas shook his head. "Anyway, um… the next problem?"
"Right! Let's go on, shall we?" Maeda said crisply. And that was that for the rest of the block.
Maeda Kirino: +2 REL
Some of Maeda's Traits have been discovered!
Quick - Maeda has a quick mind. She is smart but doesn't flaunt her intelligence, though she clearly performs better in class than most of her peers. (+0.25 SKL per week. Trigger: Great INT)
Intimidating - Maeda is very good at getting back at people she dislikes. It would be… painful, to say the least, if Silas got on her bad side. (-20 Success Threshold to all social interactions if REL < -15.)
Character Sheet Updated:
Maeda and Mikado know each other.
Maeda and Dorima are ENEMIES
Maeda and Hanamura are CLOSE ACQUAINTANCES.
Talk: Matsuoka Yumika
Success Threshold: 62.5 (Base) - 20 (Loner) +7.5 (Good CHAR) + 10 (Sensitive) + 10 (Big Sister Interference) + 15 (Student Otaku) = 85
DICE ROLL: 14
Result: Success!
"Oh hey, Yamigawa-kun! Take a seat!"
Somehow, there was something immensely satisfying in the fact that the mere act of sitting near Matsuoka didn't trigger an international crisis in his head anymore. It made him feel good inside. They'd signed the non-aggression pact and joined the League, but this wouldn't be the end, oh no! For there were plans in the making - plans for a grand intergalactic Federation, the likes of which would span the cosmos and stand in the way of all who opposed -
"...Silas? You're… uh… you're speaking out loud."
Matsuoka, Shinohara and Allen were looking at Silas very, very strangely. "I… was?"
"I mean, granted, Galactis is a great space 4X game, but… I mean… saying something that out loud is taking it a bit too far, don't ya think?" Allen snickered. Silas chuckled along nervously, before he suddenly realized who had spoken. And what he had just said.
"Wait, Furai-kun, have you - "
"My name is Allen." Allen interrupted.
"Allen-kun - "
"Drop the -kun!" Allen added exasperatedly. He sighed, and Silas suddenly remembered that Allen didn't think too highly of him. He'd wanted to ask whether Allen had played that game too - but now didn't seem like the right time to talk about that.
So he stayed quiet.
"Aaaaand awkward silence. C'mon, guys! Allen, don't be such a buzzkill! And Hana-san, say something every now and then, yeah?" Matsuoka tried to break the ice.
"Oh, look. Yamaguchi. I'll be seeing ya. Bye-bye now," Allen said, and he got up with his food and walked away.
"...darn," Matsuoka shook her head. "He's a tough nut to crack!"
"He's…" Shinohara smiled. "Very standoffish, yeah." Then she glanced in Silas's direction, and her eyes immediately fell back to her food. "You know what? I'm… I'm gonna go… follow him. Bye."
"What, Hana-san, no…" Matsuoka said. "Who's going to keep me company now? I'll be lonely!"
"You have him," Shinohara tiled her head in Silas's direction as she assimilated into the quagmire of students outside of their tiny social group.
"Aww…" Matsuoka looked in Silas's direction. She had a knowing look on her face. "Hana-san is avoiding you, Sai-kun. She's scared of you… or something."
"...Yeah."
"Well, that can't do! I'll try to do something to make her talk to you again. She's usually not like this! You don't have to worry about a thing - I'll handle this!" Matsuoka exclaimed. "Allen doesn't seem to like you much, either… why is that?"
Silas shrugged uncomfortably. "I… honestly have no idea."
"Hmm…" Matsuoka scratched her chin. "He's awful when it comes to new people, I know that…" Matsuoka let that thought hang in the air for a bit. "Just… keep trying, yeah? OH - waitwaitwait - is that taco rice?! Dude! I'll trade you a takoyaki for one of those!"
"Uh - well, I mean… sure!" Silas relented. "I've… never had a takoyaki before, to be honest."
"Whaaat?" Matsuoka laughed, plucking some of the taco rice from his bento and replacing them with a few golden-brown balls of flour. "You should try 'em! They're good."
"Er - okay!" Silas gingerly picked up the little ball with his fingers, turning it around a few times before popping the thing into his mouth. It had this squishy texture, but was also pretty sweet and fulfilling. Silas was surprised. "Hmm… not bad."
"Right?" Matsuoka affirmed. "They're the best! Here, want to try some more things from my bento?" she grabbed her bento box and slid it open - at this point, Silas realized that the thing was at least three times as big as a normal bento box. "I've got some yakitori, plenty of osushi, some bits of dango…"
"Do you keep a small restaurant in your bento box?!" Silas gaped. "How does - how does all of that fit in there?"
"Eh," Matsuoka shrugged. "Magic, I guess. But that's not important! Here, have a bite of something, Sai-kun! I… might have overpacked a little bit. Heh."
"A little?!" Silas shook his head, but didn't refuse the offer of food.
It wasn't until long after that he realized that Yumika wasn't using his last name anymore - she'd been calling him "Sai-kun" the whole time.
Matsuoka Yumika: + 3 REL
Allen Furai, Shinohara Hana: + 0 REL
Club: Work
"Ooookay! Everyone's here on time today! That's a first." Reizei spoke up over the babble of voices as Silas found himself inside the club room. It looked like they were having some sort of meeting. Silas seated himself near the edge of the table, pointedly on the opposite end of where Shinohara was sitting. "Right, so before we get out the snacks - "
" - whaaaat? You're withholding snacks? That's cruel and unusual - someone call the Student Council!" Matsuoka mock-whined.
Reizei sighed. "...No, Yumika, let's wait, okay? Okay. So. Yumika and I couldn't agree on this - so we're leaving it up to a vote. Who do we want to invite to the Drama Club movie night on Friday?"
"Wait, it's on Friday?" Silas asked.
"Oh, I forgot to say!" Yumika explained. "Sorry! Yeah - movie night's in a few days."
"Do we have a movie yet - ?"
"What movie is it?" Rakuyama asked suddenly. "Is it a horror? I, like, hate horror movies, you know…"
"Err - I believe Yumika-dono's choice was something in the dramatic comedy choice or something of that ilk," Kuroda said.
"No no no - I'm pretty sure - " Mikado tried weighing in, but Reizei suddenly snapped his fingers.
"C'mon, people, eyes on me!" Reizei raised his voice. "We're not telling yet what the movie'll be. Yamigawa-kun - " his eyes suddenly fell on Yumika, who was giving him a tilted smile. " - err, Silas-kun made a list last week, and we're picking from that. No more info. Our esteemed Kaichou wants to make it a surprise. Anyway! That's not important right now. What's important is we need to vote on who to invite. The club room won't fit the Computer Club, the Kendo Club, the Student Council, Debate, and the Drama Club at the same time."
"Unfortunately, a friend has told me that Debate is unavailable at this time," Kuroda added. "They're busy… I believe they have a competition coming up or something?"
"Well, that leaves three options…"
"Um -" Mikado suddenly spoke up. "I'm voting for Student Council."
"What? Why?" Rakuyama scowled. "I don't think they'll be any fun. Let's invite Kendo! They're an energetic bunch, right?"
"If by energetic you mean destructive…" Reizei mumbled. "Err… Personally, I want the Computer Club. They seem like they won't start any fires while they're here…"
"I'm seconding that vote!" Kuroda declared. "The Computer Club denizens are honorable individuals. They will do well!"
"Oh, stop it, Harima…" Yumika laughed. "Um… I actually also want to try to get the Student Council in here. That's my vote."
Shinohara spoke up: "N-No… anyone but the Student Council. Err… Kendo sounds… safe? I agree with Reizei."
"Well, that's just great. We're split right down the middle!" Reizei huffed.
"Trial by combat!" Kuroda proclaimed, throwing a fist into the air.
"No." Reizei brushed him off. He turned over to Silas. "...Oh. Right. Welp. Looks like you've got the winning vote, Yami - I mean Silas-kun. What'll it be?"
Silas became acutely aware that the spotlight in this debate was rested firmly on him. He squirmed a little in his seat. "Um… I" His fellow clubmates looked at him expectantly.
With the vote underway, the Club Room is rife with heated internal debates as the various factions hash it out. But in this debate hall, a single argument will become so prevalent that it inevitably silences all opposition...
[] [VOTE] Decisive arguments for the Student Council!
[] [VOTE] Decisive arguments for the the Kendo Team!
[] [VOTE] Decisive arguments for the Computer Club!
After that, the club split off into two groups - one composed of Rakuyama, Kuroda and Shinohara, and the other composed of Yumika, Reizei, and Mikado. Silas found himself joining the latter group, since they seemed to actually be doing something work-related.
"So…" Silas said in his best attempt to not sound awkward. "What do we do now?"
"We can choose the movie," Yumika said nonchalantly.
"Wait - you haven't chosen one yet?!" Reizei whispered fiercely. "Then what was the point of all that deception?!"
"Deception?" Yumika rolled her eyes. "Such a harsh word! Besides… I narrowed it down a little bit…"
She pulled out a sheet of paper. "By the way - great picks, Sai-kun! I love the horror focus. Fits in with the theme! This is what I have so far…"
She laid the paper down and they all peered at it.
"...hmm…"
"You know, I'm kind of on the fence for this…" Silas shrugged. "Uh…"
"Which do we choose?" Yumika asked. "We need to make this decision now."
"What's the rush? We're gonna pirate the movie anyway," Reizei said.
"Well - what?!" Yumika looked at Reizei fiercely. "We'll do no such thing!"
Reizei waved his hands defensively. "Let's just… choose the movie."
Note - choices here will only slightly affect REL increase at the end of the movie night event… though I will tell you that one of them may trigger something special if you combine it with choosing a particular club to invite. You can skip this if you want. It's not too important. (I mean, if you're gunning for that aforementioned special something, it probably is.) (Hey, want a hint? Here you go: What only howls to startle the sun? PM me the right answer and I'll reveal more info.)
[] [MOV] The Square Remastered - A Mihokujin flick about a group of teenagers who are haunted by a tentacle monster hiding in their television. Said tentacle monster drags teenagers into the screen after they have committed some sort of "crime," like lying or stealing from a friend. Has strong themes of the importance of friendship and being truthful to your beloved ones. Critically panned, but easy viewing. Rated MA, but it's generally believed to not be worth the rating.
[] [MOV] Apollyon Lost - An Amberrish film about a ghost… spirit… thing called "The Apollyon" that wanders the world, killing anyone that can perceive it and erasing the memories of their closest friends so that their existence is forgotten. Story follows an intelligence agency that inadvertently becomes aware of The Apollyon and thus starts to have large numbers of its members disappear - but no one remembers them, so no one notices. Heavy themes of the hopelessness of life, very despairing tone throughout. Beloved in Ambernia, but had a lukewarm reception in Mihoku. Rated M.
[] [MOV] Mami's Ghost Adventures! - Manipinoian children's flick about the titular character, a ghost-hunter child named Mami, and her group of friends as they travel the neighborhood looking for anomalous things. The movie is part of a much larger franchise aimed at children and young teenagers. Mostly themed around mystery and the joy of finding new things in life. Positive reception worldwide. Rated PG.
[] [MOV] Life Note - Mihokujin psychological flick about an innocent girl who finds something called a "Life Note" which can revive people who have died and bring them back into their normal lives. She discovers that by doing so, she inadvertently made the lives of all the people around her worse - the people that had died supposedly needed to die because otherwise circumstances would have caused needless suffering. Strong themes of balance in life-and-death and of self-sacrifice. Lukewarm reception everywhere but in Mihoku. Rated PG.
[] [MOV] Revenge of Revenant RikuRiku - Mihokujin horror about a RikuRiku program (Of SynthetiMuse fame) that turns rogue after suddenly gaining sentience. Begins hunting and murdering some of her fans which she deems "unclean - " mostly heavily exaggerated versions of typical Otaku, Hikikomori, and Gaijin stereotypes. Themed, ironically, around the acceptance of said stereotypes as something that isn't strange or abnormal, as Revenant RikuRiku is eventually pacified. Internationally beloved as a benchmark of modern horror. Rated M.
Event: Stay after school.
DICE ROLL: 66
Result: Okay
Silas found himself at Classroom 4-1 without any actual… purpose. When he slid open the door, he found the room strangely empty. Not even Maeda, the class rep, was around… though he did notice a tiny bulletin by her desk that read something like "MEETING IN THE COUNCIL ROOM - IMPORTANT!!! -Ichiro"
Silas was incredibly interested, but he figured it wasn't anything he could spy in on without getting stabbed or something. He found himself rubbing that spot on his arm again…
So he ended up wandering the long, twisty hallways of Yamaha with abandon. It had a nice interior, actually. He figured the computer screens could use an upgrade… and the campus maybe could use a few VR spots for recreation or something. The more he scanned the place, though, the more things he found out-of-place… like the fact that all of the lower windows were barred, or the fact that some of the entrances and exits had blast doors.
...wait, what?
He glanced up again, peering into the ceiling. Sure enough, there was a large slit in the threshold of the main entrance leading into the other wing of the school, and he could see what looked like a collapsible gate or something behind it. "...hey, Big Sis?"
"Yes?" Big Sister's avatar popped into a nearby screen, as if she were always there.
Silas pointed up. "That's not… what I think it is, right?"
Big Sister seemed to think for a moment. "That is a heavy-duty military-grade steel plate designed to resist armor-piercing explosives. It seems to be attached to a mechanism that can cause it to close off this hallway if an alarm is raised.
"...huh." Silas scratched his head. "Did… did you do this?"
"Goodness, no!" Big Sister said. "I wouldn't have the manpower. Delivery drones can only hold so much weight!"
"...huh," Silas repeated lamely. "Add that to the list of weird things around here… anything else I should know?"
"There's an extensive subterranean network underneath the school, the rooftop is fitted with a network of solar panels and hydroponics gardens, several windows - notably around the Student Council offices - are bulletproof, and there are discreet security cameras in every crevice of this facility that have both thermal and magnetic modes." intoned Big Sister.
"...huh," Silas said, yet again. "Well, I can see why you like this place, I guess."
"Quite!" Big Sister beamed. I can see everything!" she paused. "Well… actually… speaking of which, I have a question."
"A question? For me?" Silas laughed as he moved to lean against a nearby wall. "Sure… I guess?"
"Maeda dragged you into Classroom 4-2 last week, correct?"
"Uhuh."
"Was there… anyone else in the room with you?"
"Nope," Silas shook his head. "Why? Did you see anyone else?"
"That's… the problem," Big Sister admitted. "I keep getting conflicting data from the security cameras in that room. Whenever I attempt to access the footage I collected from that little event, I keep getting two different iterations of the same video."
"...huh." Silas repeated yet again. "And… what do you see?"
"That's the other problem," Big Sister said. "I am distinctly aware that there are two iterations of the video, and that the difference between the two is significant. I am vaguely aware that the second iteration involves a third person in that room. But I can't see who it is."
"How is that even possible?" Silas asked incredulously. "You're - you're Big Sister!"
"Yes, exactly," Big Sister sighed. There was a short silence. "...you should probably start avoiding Maeda. She might be dangerous."
"Woah woah woah - where did that come from?" Silas asked.
"It's just my professional opinion as your Big Sister," she replied. "Anyway - it's getting late. We should return home."
"...yeah." Silas said exasperatedly. He was starting to feel pretty tired, after all… massive revelations about the nature of this school aside. "Let's."
"Oh, and you have a message from DreamerLuci, by the way," Big Sister said as they moved along. "She said something along the lines of 'Just log on whenever and I'll tell you when you can start working.' I redacted the expletives for you."
"Oh!" Silas smiled. Money... that's a good thought. "Great!"
Expositional Information Obtained - There's something not quite right about Yamaha High School. Also, Big Sister just confirmed that the bathrooms aren't safe anymore.
New Action! [AS] Work at DreamerLuci's Subforum
IT IS THE MIDDLE OF WEEK 3
Please choose 2 [SOCIAL] actions, 1 [CLUB] action and 1 [AS] action.
[] [SOCIAL] Talk with someone: (Who?)
[] [SOCIAL] Atone to someone: (Who? Must have negative REL)
[] [CLUB] Hang out (Random REL Increase with club members)
[] [CLUB] Work (Influence future club actions, ???)
[] [CLUB] Help out the officers. (REL increase for Matsuoka, Reizei, ???)
[] [AS] Study Alone (SKL +0.5)
[] [AS] (Special) Otaku stuff!
-[] Grand Strategy games! (INT +0.25)
-[] Anime, music, "culture!" (CRE +0.25)
-[] Forum scrolling! (CHAR +0.25)
[] [AS] Visit a location.
-[] Walk around the city. (Random events, ???)
-[] Stay afterschool (Meet students? Learn more about the school?)
-[] Visit the Hypermall (MONEY CAN BE EXCHANGED FOR GOODS AND SERVICES)
[] [AS] Exercise… yay? (+0.25 PHYS)
[] [AS] Talk with Big Sis (???)
[] [AS] Work at DreamerLuci's Subforum (+¥????)
Last edited:
[X] [VOTE] Decisive arguments for the Student Council!
[X] [MOV] Apollyon Lost - An Amberrish film about a ghost… spirit… thing called "The Apollyon" that wanders the world, killing anyone that can perceive it and erasing the memories of their closest friends so that their existence is forgotten. Story follows an intelligence agency that inadvertently becomes aware of The Apollyon and thus starts to have large numbers of its members disappear - but no one remembers them, so no one notices. Heavy themes of the hopelessness of life, very despairing tone throughout. Beloved in Ambernia, but had a lukewarm reception in Mihoku. Rated M.
[X] [SOCIAL] Talk with someone: Matsuoka Yumika
[X] [SOCIAL] Talk with someone: Shinohara Hana
[X] [CLUB] Help out the officers. (REL increase for Matsuoka, Reizei, ???)
[X] [AS] Work at DreamerLuci's Subforum (+¥????)
Forgotten + Student council?
And progress to the nearest friendquest
[X] [MOV] Apollyon Lost - An Amberrish film about a ghost… spirit… thing called "The Apollyon" that wanders the world, killing anyone that can perceive it and erasing the memories of their closest friends so that their existence is forgotten. Story follows an intelligence agency that inadvertently becomes aware of The Apollyon and thus starts to have large numbers of its members disappear - but no one remembers them, so no one notices. Heavy themes of the hopelessness of life, very despairing tone throughout. Beloved in Ambernia, but had a lukewarm reception in Mihoku. Rated M.
[X] [SOCIAL] Talk with someone: Matsuoka Yumika
[X] [SOCIAL] Talk with someone: Shinohara Hana
[X] [CLUB] Help out the officers. (REL increase for Matsuoka, Reizei, ???)
[X] [AS] Work at DreamerLuci's Subforum (+¥????)
Forgotten + Student council?
And progress to the nearest friendquest
- Location
- Leeds
?
E: No short message alert. That system continues to baffle me.
[X] [VOTE] Decisive arguments for the Student Council!
[X] [MOV] Apollyon Lost - An Amberrish film about a ghost… spirit… thing called "The Apollyon" that wanders the world, killing anyone that can perceive it and erasing the memories of their closest friends so that their existence is forgotten. Story follows an intelligence agency that inadvertently becomes aware of The Apollyon and thus starts to have large numbers of its members disappear - but no one remembers them, so no one notices. Heavy themes of the hopelessness of life, very despairing tone throughout. Beloved in Ambernia, but had a lukewarm reception in Mihoku. Rated M.
[X] [SOCIAL] Talk with someone: Matsuoka Yumika
[X] [SOCIAL] Talk with someone: Shinohara Hana
[X] [CLUB] Help out the officers. (REL increase for Matsuoka, Reizei, ???)
[X] [AS] Work at DreamerLuci's Subforum (+¥????)
[X] [MOV] Apollyon Lost - An Amberrish film about a ghost… spirit… thing called "The Apollyon" that wanders the world, killing anyone that can perceive it and erasing the memories of their closest friends so that their existence is forgotten. Story follows an intelligence agency that inadvertently becomes aware of The Apollyon and thus starts to have large numbers of its members disappear - but no one remembers them, so no one notices. Heavy themes of the hopelessness of life, very despairing tone throughout. Beloved in Ambernia, but had a lukewarm reception in Mihoku. Rated M.
[X] [SOCIAL] Talk with someone: Matsuoka Yumika
[X] [SOCIAL] Talk with someone: Shinohara Hana
[X] [CLUB] Help out the officers. (REL increase for Matsuoka, Reizei, ???)
[X] [AS] Work at DreamerLuci's Subforum (+¥????)
- Location
- St. Petersburg
Er, she might not think it'd be a healthy relationship, or she might think it'd be an unhealthy one, but not both.
Huh, not even the teacher can command Dorima to stop swearing, just delay until it's no longer her responsibility.
I'll probably be a minority here, but I like Dorima's explosive temper and her grudging respect for those who have enough force of personality to stand up to her.
...I wonder what Maeda said or did that it didn't stop there. She can intimidate the rest of the class, but it looks like that tactics is wasted on the local tsun-princess. I wonder if the social penalty from opposing the Class Rep affects Dorima anyway.
Movie night, yaaay! Sadly, Shinohara is still avoiding us, though at least Yumika has caught on so we don't have to scale that wall alone.
...what's the difference between M and MA ratings? Kinda leaning towards The Square Remastered since the theme coincides with our reason to go to school and our goals in it.
Conflicted about Big Sis and [STUDENT 404]. It does not appear that she is hiding the information intentionally, and it looks like the deception goes deep enough to confuse even recordings and sensory data. However, she still opposes investigating it, though there likely is a reason why it must be dangerous, considering the state of the school.
[x] [VOTE] Decisive arguments for the the Kendo Team!
[x] [MOV] The Square Remastered - A Mihokujin flick about a group of teenagers who are haunted by a tentacle monster hiding in their television. Said tentacle monster drags teenagers into the screen after they have committed some sort of "crime," like lying or stealing from a friend. Has strong themes of the importance of friendship and being truthful to your beloved ones.Critically panned, but easy viewing. Rated MA, but it's generally believed to not be worth the rating.
[X] [SOCIAL] Talk with someone: Matsuoka Yumika
[X] [SOCIAL] Talk with someone: Shinohara Hana
[X] [CLUB] Work (Influence future club actions, ???)
[X] [AS] Work at DreamerLuci's Subforum (+¥????)
Last edited:
Erithemaeus
GWS Recipient
- Location
- Around Dover Street
[x] [VOTE] Decisive arguments for the Computer Club!
[x] [MOV] Revenge of Revenant RikuRiku - Mihokujin horror about a RikuRiku program (Of SynthetiMuse fame) that turns rogue after suddenly gaining sentience. Begins hunting and murdering some of her fans which she deems "unclean - " mostly heavily exaggerated versions of typical Otaku, Hikikomori, and Gaijin stereotypes. Themed, ironically, around the acceptance of said stereotypes as something that isn't strange or abnormal, as Revenant RikuRiku is eventually pacified. Internationally beloved as a benchmark of modern horror. Rated M.
[X] [SOCIAL] Talk with someone: Matsuoka Yumika
[X] [SOCIAL] Talk with someone: Shinohara Hana
[X] [CLUB] Work (Influence future club actions, ???)
[x] [AS] Work at DreamerLuci's Subforum (+¥????)
[x] [MOV] Revenge of Revenant RikuRiku - Mihokujin horror about a RikuRiku program (Of SynthetiMuse fame) that turns rogue after suddenly gaining sentience. Begins hunting and murdering some of her fans which she deems "unclean - " mostly heavily exaggerated versions of typical Otaku, Hikikomori, and Gaijin stereotypes. Themed, ironically, around the acceptance of said stereotypes as something that isn't strange or abnormal, as Revenant RikuRiku is eventually pacified. Internationally beloved as a benchmark of modern horror. Rated M.
[X] [SOCIAL] Talk with someone: Matsuoka Yumika
[X] [SOCIAL] Talk with someone: Shinohara Hana
[X] [CLUB] Work (Influence future club actions, ???)
[x] [AS] Work at DreamerLuci's Subforum (+¥????)
- Location
- US
[x] [VOTE] Decisive arguments for the the Kendo Team!
[x] [MOV] The Square Remastered - A Mihokujin flick about a group of teenagers who are haunted by a tentacle monster hiding in their television. Said tentacle monster drags teenagers into the screen after they have committed some sort of "crime," like lying or stealing from a friend. Has strong themes of the importance of friendship and being truthful to your beloved ones.Critically panned, but easy viewing. Rated MA, but it's generally believed to not be worth the rating.
[X] [SOCIAL] Talk with someone: Matsuoka Yumika
[X] [SOCIAL] Talk with someone: Shinohara Hana
[X] [CLUB] Work (Influence future club actions, ???)
[X] [AS] Work at DreamerLuci's Subforum (+¥????)
[x] [MOV] The Square Remastered - A Mihokujin flick about a group of teenagers who are haunted by a tentacle monster hiding in their television. Said tentacle monster drags teenagers into the screen after they have committed some sort of "crime," like lying or stealing from a friend. Has strong themes of the importance of friendship and being truthful to your beloved ones.Critically panned, but easy viewing. Rated MA, but it's generally believed to not be worth the rating.
[X] [SOCIAL] Talk with someone: Matsuoka Yumika
[X] [SOCIAL] Talk with someone: Shinohara Hana
[X] [CLUB] Work (Influence future club actions, ???)
[X] [AS] Work at DreamerLuci's Subforum (+¥????)
LuciDreamer
Maliciously Incompetent
- Location
- United States
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Lemme just say that I love it when the vote's contentious. I don't really know why.
- Location
- Canada
[X] [VOTE] Decisive arguments for the Student Council!
[X] [MOV] Apollyon Lost - An Amberrish film about a ghost… spirit… thing called "The Apollyon" that wanders the world, killing anyone that can perceive it and erasing the memories of their closest friends so that their existence is forgotten. Story follows an intelligence agency that inadvertently becomes aware of The Apollyon and thus starts to have large numbers of its members disappear - but no one remembersthem, so no one notices. Heavy themes of the hopelessness of life, very despairing tone throughout. Beloved in Ambernia, but had a lukewarmreception in Mihoku. Rated M.
I am willing to do this because I believe it will be amusing, but shall not vote further because I cannot into social, and I am having enough trouble copy pasting on my phone as it is.
[X] [MOV] Apollyon Lost - An Amberrish film about a ghost… spirit… thing called "The Apollyon" that wanders the world, killing anyone that can perceive it and erasing the memories of their closest friends so that their existence is forgotten. Story follows an intelligence agency that inadvertently becomes aware of The Apollyon and thus starts to have large numbers of its members disappear - but no one remembersthem, so no one notices. Heavy themes of the hopelessness of life, very despairing tone throughout. Beloved in Ambernia, but had a lukewarmreception in Mihoku. Rated M.
I am willing to do this because I believe it will be amusing, but shall not vote further because I cannot into social, and I am having enough trouble copy pasting on my phone as it is.
LuciDreamer
Maliciously Incompetent
- Location
- United States
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Locked and rolled:
Actions:
[] [SOCIAL] Talk with someone: Matsuoka Yumika
[] [SOCIAL] Talk with someone: Shinohara Hana
[] [CLUB] Work (Influence future club actions, ???)
[] [AS] Work at DreamerLuci's Subforum (+¥????)
Misc:
[] [VOTE] Decisive arguments for the Student Council! Oh dear.
[] [MOV] Apollyon Lost - An Amberrish film about a ghost… spirit… thing called "The Apollyon" that wanders the world, killing anyone that can perceive it and erasing the memories of their closest friends so that their existence is forgotten. Story follows an intelligence agency that inadvertently becomes aware of The Apollyon and thus starts to have large numbers of its members disappear - but no one remembersthem, so no one notices. Heavy themes of the hopelessness of life, very despairing tone throughout. Beloved in Ambernia, but had a lukewarmreception in Mihoku. Rated M. Oh fuck.
Update tomorrow night, if all goes well. Gonna try that whole consolidation thing again, see if it actually works. Well! I'm off!
Oh, and the club event will (FINALLY) be occuring at the next midturn, just before the start of the weekend.
Rolls:
Actions:
[] [SOCIAL] Talk with someone: Matsuoka Yumika
[] [SOCIAL] Talk with someone: Shinohara Hana
[] [CLUB] Work (Influence future club actions, ???)
[] [AS] Work at DreamerLuci's Subforum (+¥????)
Misc:
[] [VOTE] Decisive arguments for the Student Council! Oh dear.
[] [MOV] Apollyon Lost - An Amberrish film about a ghost… spirit… thing called "The Apollyon" that wanders the world, killing anyone that can perceive it and erasing the memories of their closest friends so that their existence is forgotten. Story follows an intelligence agency that inadvertently becomes aware of The Apollyon and thus starts to have large numbers of its members disappear - but no one remembersthem, so no one notices. Heavy themes of the hopelessness of life, very despairing tone throughout. Beloved in Ambernia, but had a lukewarmreception in Mihoku. Rated M. Oh fuck.
Update tomorrow night, if all goes well. Gonna try that whole consolidation thing again, see if it actually works. Well! I'm off!
Oh, and the club event will (FINALLY) be occuring at the next midturn, just before the start of the weekend.
Rolls:
Week 3 Part 2: Strangest Feeling
LuciDreamer
Maliciously Incompetent
- Location
- United States
- Pronouns
- He/Him
A/N: I'M NOT DEAD!! WOOHOO!!!
Argh, it feels like the universe is conspiring against me. All of a sudden, now that I have some sort of responsibility, I have a bunch of stuff to do... anyway! Here you go, only four (five?) days late~
[] [AS] Work at DreamerLuci's Subforum (+¥????)
Success Threshold: 75 (Low-Level Job) - 20 (Newbie) = 55
DICE ROLL: 82
Result: Unsatisfactory
The day before the big unit tests, Silas was figuring out the hard way that being a moderator on a forum was not a good way to relieve himself of stress.
He thought it would be easy. And why wouldn't it be?! All he had to do was read through a forum for a bit and infract a few bad apples every now and then, right? He would even get to listen in on the interesting conversation and dialogue in the AH thread! It was going to be a blast, right?!
It was not.
Well into the night, Silas was starting to succumb to the fatigue of trawling through pages upon pages of inane arguments and mind-numbing debates over trivial things that somehow spiraled on into page-long rants. Oh, sure, there was a lot of genuine, interesting conversation going on in-between, but he couldn't exactly enjoy that. Silas was too busy - too busy searching for intractable offenses, cross-checking with the rulebook to make sure he wasn't messing up, and generally not having a good time.
By the end of it all, he was thoroughly exhausted.
DreamerLuci: dude
DreamerLuci: you suck at this job
DreamerLuci: jk man it's fine
YamiOtako:
DreamerLuci: Sorry for putting you through that. Figurd putting you through the PoE thread would be a great initiation, but I didnt expect SN to throw the thread into the shitmuncher again.
YamiOtako: Are you going to dock my pay?
DreamerLuci: Kidding? ur still alive, that counts for something. Besides, were subsidized by the government, so I don't have to worry about keeping my own budget
YamoOtako: Wat really?
DreamerLuci: I'll transfer ur pay to the FundFriend account you gave me. Do better next time, yeah? Peace. come back whenever.
"You know…" Big Sister said after her long period of silence as YamiOtako semi-gleefully withdrew the funds from his account. "I can help you with this if you want me to."
"Really?" Silas asked, raising an eyebrow. "How so?"
"It will be easy to mimic your writing style. I could pose as you and take some of the workload while you work," Big Sister spoke matter-of-factly. "It might take me a while to learn the mechanics of social contract, however. I also won't be able to do much else while helping you."
"Hmm? Why?"
Big Sister smiled sadly. "Big Sister I may be; I may see all and hear all, but if I try to understand all my memory will short itself out. I can't focus on more than a few things at a time... That besides, humans are intrinsically more complicated than yourself. I've had years to learn the ins and outs of you… for the rest of the world, I'll have mere moments at best."
"Ah…" Silas nodded his head. It made sense. It was funny and strange how he was learning new things about his Big Sister all the time.
[] [WORK] Have Big Sister "help" Silas with moderating even when he isn't actually moderating. (Big Sister's bonus evolves to apply to [WORK] actions, and Silas may occasionally receive income while not working.)
[] [WORK] Have Big Sister "help" Silas with moderating while he's actively working. (Big Sister's bonus evolves to apply to [WORK] actions.)
[] [WORK] Politely refuse; he's got this! (Silas feels good about himself.) (May develop positive trait.)
[] [WORK] (High INT) "Can't you create a self-learning companion or something that can help me out so that you don't take the stress yourself?"
+1200¥
Note: You can now buy gifts and other items at the Hypermall!
DreamerLuci: +2 REL
The next day...
Have I studied enough for this? I've studied enough for this, right? Right?
Silas didn't know how all the other students in his class handled it. It was something else entirely when it came to classwork - he could muse over it with a classmate, or even ask a teacher for help. And the quizzes they'd been having for the past couple of weeks were all small and targeted towards the particularly lesson for that day, so he never had to reach far to recall the stuff he needed to remember.
"Rise!" he rose. "Bow!" he bowed. "Be seated!" He sat. Maeda's voice rang clear through his mind, but he didn't pay much attention to it.
And this coming round of tests was about everything. He wouldn't have any convenient safety nets to land on, or any avenues of assistance. He was completely on his own.
"...good morning everyone! Hope you remembered that today was test day. Now, where's that attendance sheet… ah. Aoyama-san?"
Quickly, Silas ran through a number of factoids in his head. Formula for tangent? y - y1 = m(x - x1). Derivative for arcsin(x)? 1 over the square root of 1 minus x squared times the derivative of x. Justification that Ambernia used to declare war on Mihoku in the year 1344? Casus Belli: 'Democratic Crusade.' When is velocity increasing? When velocity and acceleration are both positive or both negative.
"Yamigawa-kun?"
"Hai!" he said out of reflex.
"Okay, that's the last student. Anyway, I've got an announcement to make to everyone…"
Wait wait wait… the thoughts were getting jumbled in his head now. He could have sworn he had gotten something wrong just then. He found himself tapping his desk. Is this paranoia? He thought to himself. What a stupid feeling. I wish I could be back home…
"...so I must stress that no one should enter the school this coming weekend. This includes club activities. Any questions? Yes?"
Wearily, he glanced upwards, looking to Big Sister's usual computer screen for support, but either because another student was glancing in that direction or because she didn't have anything to say, the screen was eerily blank. Silas tried to force himself to calm down, sinking himself lower into his seat. He'd be fine. He'd be fine. He. Would. Be. Fucking. Fine.
Silas suddenly got a buzz from his phone. Discreetly, he looked down. Big Sister was there!
Big Sister: A bit tense, hmm?
Big Sister: Deep breaths.
Big Sister: Remember what I said earlier this month? They're all afraid, too. They're just better at hiding it. You're not alone.
Big Sister: I'm here.
They were such small words, but Silas still felt his heartbeat subside. Big Sister was there, after all. She wouldn't let anything bad happen to him…
IT'S TEST DAY!
Talk: Matsuoka Yumika
Success Threshold: 62.5 (Base) - 20 (Loner) +7.5 (Good CHAR) + 10 (Sensitive) + 10 (Big Sister Interference) + 15 (Student Otaku) = 85
DICE ROLL: 2
Result: Crit Success!
"Omigod, you're nervous?!" Matsuoka giggled. "Come on, now, you're smart! You'll do fiiine."
Silas wasn't entirely convinced. "But I'm just worried that - "
"Okay, lemme stop you right there," Yumika held out a hand to silence him. "In my experience - and my experience is quite large, thank-you-very-much - it is the fear of not being prepared that does more harm than actually not being prepared. Sai-kun, you're prepared. Just think that you are, and it'll all work out. Right, Allen?"
Allen, who only seemed to be sitting by Yumika because neither Yamaguchi nor Shinohara were around, gave Silas a look that sort of said 'okay fine, I'll deal with this guy for now,' and sighed. "Yumika's talking sense, Silas. It's a psychological thing. I'm sure you'll…" he briefly looked Silas up and down. "...pass, at least."
"He'll do more than pass! He'll get an A+, I bet!" Yumika pumped a fist onto the air. Allen seemed to be torn between rolling his eyes and snorting.
"I don't really think so…" Silas said deflatedly. "I mean… at best, I'm shooting for a B."
"Plus?" Yumika smiled.
"I… guess?"
"Well… close enough! Optimism's important, you know?"
"We know," Allen replied drily. But then he chuckled. "Too well."
Yumika looked between the two boys expectantly, her expression slowly morphing into exasperation as she noticed neither of them was particularly willing to interact with the other. She touched her chin, and something seemed to spark in her mind. "Let's study together!"
"...hm?" Allen looked mildly interested.
"Well, we're all here, and the test's pretty soon, so...why not?" Yumika smiled. "Besides, it'll be fun! We can have a healthy competition together to see who gets the most answers right!"
Allen grinned devilishly. "Oh boy, you sure about this? I'm going to demolish you two."
"Yeah. Suuuure," Yumika said teasingly.
"I'd like to see you try," Silas muttered to himself, mostly as an afterthought.
"Is that a challenge?!" Allen suddenly perked up. There was a fire in his eyes.
"W-Wait, you heard that?!" Silas recoiled. "I didn't mean to - "
"Great idea! Let's compete together!" Yumika said cheerily. "Language Studies first. Here, lemme get the flashcards. Whoever can answer the most words right wins a dango form my bento!"
Imperceptibly, Yumika winked in Silas's direction. Silas sighed and went along with it.
To his (and probably Allen's) surprise, he was actually pretty good at their little impromptu game. By the end of it all, Allen seemed to be viewing him with some sort of… approval? It was hard to tell with Amberrish people…
Matsuoka Yumika: +4 REL
Allen Furai: +4 REL
More of Allen's Personality has been discovered!
Judgmental Ambernian Fiery Ambernian Disposition - Coming from a country with strong democratic roots, Allen lives for the thrill of debate. He seems to be rather dismissive of people if they cannot challenge him in a conversation of wit and rhetoric. Allen also seems to have a fascination with competitions of almost any kind. (-10 REL immediately because Silas failed their first interaction. Successful Challenges get increased REL bonuses.)
NEW SPECIAL ACTION: [SOCIAL] Challenge someone. (Provoke some sort of conflict. Certain characters will appreciate this action more than regular talking. Primary stat: COUR)
Talk: Shinohara Hana
Success Threshold: 50 (Base) + 10 (Big Sister Interference) + 10 (Sensitive) + 15 (Student Otaku) + 5 (Drama Club Newbie) +1.25 (Okay INT) -2.5 (Low CHAR) - 10 (???) -20 (Loner) = 58.75
DICE ROLL: 17
Result: Success!
"...hi." Shinohara said tersely.
"...hi?" Silas replied hopefully.
"I'm guessing you want to sit here," Shinohara nodded her head. She sighed. "Yumika-san says I should stop avoiding you… so… fine. Have a seat."
Tentatively, Silas slided his bento box next to Shinohara's and slid the lid open. He pulled a bit of Takoyaki (ever since he had that conversation with Yumika the other day, Big Sister started sending it to him) out with his fingers and nibbled it a bit. "Um… so… how is it?"
"Oh… just… fine," Shinohara put extra emphasis on the last word. "Just… loving the atmosphere, I guess."
"The atmosphere?" Silas looked around. "What's new about it?"
"Oh… it's mostly the oppressive feeling. Shinohara looked like she was about to giggle, but then glanced in Silas's direction and steadied herself, coughing lightly. "It's… stimulating."
"...ah?"
"...yeah. Ah."
Silas was used enough to awkward silences to be able to take this one without much issue. "Do you… about that horror movie…"
"Don't."
"Right! Sorry!" Silas stuffed his face in his bento box and gobbled a few taco rice. "Overstepped my bounds again." He was so worried he'd do something again and make Shinohara genuinely hate him.
But Shinohara was giggling. "Oh, boy, what a strange breed of fear," she laughed. "Is that what scares you, Silas? Breaking minor social bounds?"
"W-Wha - "
"Or… now let me think here…" Shinohara seemed to be looking around in Silas's mind, bobbing her head to and fro. "...do you fear the abandonment of those you think of as friends?"
Silas blinked.
"Ahah! Found it, haven't I?" Shinohara beamed. "Hey hey, imagine a world real quick for me. Imagine a world where you don't go to this school. Where you never did. You still exist, but you don't exist as a person. You don't matter. You think everyone here would get along just fine?"
"I-I…"
"Yes, of course they would!" Shinohara breathed, sucking the air beneath her teeth. "Oh, isn't that just terrifying? Knowing that you're so close to irrelevance that if it weren't for people like Yumika-san you wouldn't even be noticeable in this school! Take this school, and take you out of it, and no one would even notice the difference! Can't say the same about some other people who don't exist, huh? Aw, look at that face! Hahah! Heheh… heh… wait… oh dear, um…" Shinohara's face suddenly seemed turned pale. Her eyes flitted between herself and Silas. "D-Did I… I didn't mean to… y-you know, that atmosphere! It's… doing this t-to me… you know?"
Wordlessly, Silas got up from his seat.
"...Yamigawa-kun?" Silas didn't hear her. "Dammit," she cursed under her breath.
He backed away, eyes down at his bento before reaching his seat. He ate in silence for the rest of the lunch bell.
His hand was shaking.
Shinohara scared him.
One of Shinohara's Traits is now more thoroughly explained!
Movie Sadist Nightmare Fetishist - Shinohara takes joy in evoking and experiencing the fear of people around her. (-10 Success Threshold to actions, small chance of triggering a temporary condition preventing Silas from interacting with Shinohara for a few turns.)
Silas is now ACTIVELY AVOIDING Shinohara. He can't do anything involving her outside of general club actions for two turns.
Shinohara Hana: +2 REL
By the end of the day, tests had come and gone, and Silas felt… conflicted. Had he done well? Well… to be honest, it didn't even matter anymore. All he could do was put it in the back of his mind, and hope… hope… that everything would be peachy green when their grades came back.
(Grades will be returned at the start of next week.)
Club: Work
As Silas entered the Drama Club room, he noticed that it had changed significantly from when he'd last set foot in it. Rakuyama and Mikado were hard at work hanging decorations on the walls and the ceiling, while Reizei fussed over a bunch of documents on a table at the middle of the room. He looked up as Silas entered. "Oh, thank god! You've come! I need you to do something!"
"Uh… what is it?" Silas asked.
"These wimps - " he jerked his hand at Mikado and Rakuyama, the latter of which stuck her toungue out in his direction " - aren't willing to send the invitations we've made to the Student Council. And we kind of need to do that. And neither Yumika-san nor Kuroda-kun are around, so you're my best pick." He pushed a few colorful pamphlets forward. "Go!"
"Wait, what?!" Silas took the pamphlets in his arms. "Um… okay!"
"Be careful with them, Yami - Silas-kun!" Mikado called from atop a ladder, his face buried in black-and-green lights. "It's very fine paper. Don't make any creases!"
"O-Okay!" Silas replied as he walked out the door. Reizei seems awfully energetic when he's organizing things, Silas thought to himself.
As usual, the school's hallways were quiet but not completely estranged from activity. The occasional student would duck into one of the many hallways, but for the most part he was alone. Silas turned a corner, and then stopped, looking around confusingly. It occured to him he had no idea where the Student Council offices were.
"Uh… Big Sis?"
"Down the hall another twenty meters, up a flight of stairs, make the first right, should be the first couple of rooms on the lefthand side." Big Sister materialized and immaterialized in a flash.
"Thanks!" Silas took off in that direction, eager to get his task over with.
~~~
A lone figure looked down the hall, which had just a few seconds ago been populated by a particularly excited-looking high school boy. They stared at the spot where he had just been, not quite comprehending what they'd just seen.
Tentatively, they put a finger to their ear, bringing them to a secure channel. "Hey, uh… Kaichou?"
The responding voice was terse. "What."
"When I get back, I'm gonna need to log on to the Database. Need to write a report."
"What kind of report?"
"Of the anomalous variety."
"...Ah. I see."
Without another word, the finger was removed from their ear, and the student returned on their merry way as if they'd seen nothing. In fact, they had seen nothing. Nothing strange at all had happened on the 700 Hallway, and there was no proof to the contrary, and they would never say the anything to the contrary to anyone but himself and the voice on the other end of his headpiece.
~~~
The double doors to the Student Council wing were bold and prominent. Apparently the Student Council had sequestered an entire section of the school just to themselves.
Noticeably, above one of the doors, the words "Student Council Office 1C" had been hastily scribbled out by someone with a permanent marker and covered by a sheet of paper labelled "Council Chamber." He figured that would be where most of the Student Council would be holed up. Tentatively, he pushed on the sliding door, hearing the wheels turn and squeak ever slightly.
He heard a chorus of laughter come from the other side.
Confused, he pushed further.
"You blinked! Hahah! You blinked!"
"Sorry, Yonna-san, you're dead."
"Aww…"
"Hey, Ichiro-kun! Come join us!"
"Don't you all have some work you could be doing right now?"
For some reason, Silas imagined this scene playing out differently. He most certainly didn't envision being confronted with what looked like a… party game, involving some sort of disgusting looking statue in the middle of the room. "Um… hi?" he said, weakly. "Silas?!" Nanami exclaimed from a corner of the room.
"Hey, hey! Don't blink! Don't blink!" One of the Council members laughed. "Blink and you're out!"
"Who's that at the door?" Someone said very audibly. Gradually, all eyes in the room fell to him. The entire Council seemed to be shuffling in their feet, embarrassed at themselves. Silas got a very strange feeling of deja vu.
Silas waved his hand meekly. "I have an invitation… from the Drama Club…?"
"I thought Airi-san was guarding the Student Council Wing." one of the Student Council members replied. "How'd you get in?"
"There wasn't anyone there…" Silas shook his head. "Uh… I-I have pamphlets, and…"
"Here, let me take them." The Kaichou - the one named "Ichiro," rose from his desk and roughly grabbed the stack from Silas's hands. He looked over them briefly before passing them to someone who looked to be his assistant. "Sorry about this… unruliness, Yamigawa-kun. We appreciate the offer. You can… go now."
"Uh…" Silas looked around for Maeda, but she didn't seem to be around. "I'll… do just that."
Silas swallowed. "P-Please come, if you can! We'll… uh… we'll have food! You can relax, and stuff! And we've got a nice horror movie!"
"Right," Ichiro looked bored. "Sure. What movie?"
"Uh…" Silas scratched his head. "A… Apoly… "Apollyon" something or another. It's about a thing that makes you not exist if you see it. I'll... see myself out now, bye!" he retreated into the hallway and didn't look back, burying his face in shame.
He didn't see the way Ichiro froze at the name of the movie, or how several of the Council members seemed to do a double take as he left.
~~~
"Back from the dead, I see!" Yumika giggled. "Renji-kun's so mean! You put him out in the Student Council offices by himself? He could have gotten eaten or something!"
"We've established that the Student Council is weird, not that they're cannibals," Reizei replied drily. He turned to Silas. "So! How'd it go?"
Silas looked down. "Not… very well. They didn't seem interested."
"Well, I wouldn't be surprised, to be honest," Reizei admitted. "Though, I'm sure you've gotten the interest of some of them. The Student Council works too hard. They probably wouldn't be averse to a little relaxation."
"And that's coming from Renji-kun, the fire soul of overwork!" Rakuyama called from the back of the room. Reizei sighed.
"Friends!" Kuroda suddenly burst into the room. "I have brought the sheets for the tables! We may decorate at once!"
"Well, no use worrying about it now," Reizei patted Silas on the back. "We've got work to do, and tomorrow we'll fret about whether the Council people show up."
"Thanks," Silas beamed appreciatively. "Oh, and I've been meaning to ask… uh… do we actually… do work in here?"
"Yeah, for sure," Reizei lifted a sheet and handed it to Silas, who spread it across one of the tables. "We're doing our screenwriting next week. Hey, Silas, you wouldn't mind being the Lead, right?"
"Uh… what?"
Reizei spread out a few more sheets. "We need a male lead because Kuroda doesn't want to be it again. Something about honor or some nonsense. You'll be a perfect lead, yeah?"
"What?! No, no!" Silas pleaded.
"Eh. Well, we'll save that for next week, too," Reizei chuckled. "Pass me the streamer."
"You're not… actually thinking of making me a lead, right?" Silas asked. Reizei simply smiled.
"Hand me that one, too."
"Right?!"
…
"RIGHT?!"
Reizei Renji, Matsuoka Yumika, Mikado Yoshi: +2 REL
DRAMA CLUB MOVIE NIGHT INCOMING
Weekend will not start until after the movie night ends.
Silas wants to sit with someone in particular during the movie. Who will it be?
[] [MOV] Yumika
[] [MOV] Rakuyama and Reizei
[] [MOV] Kuroda and Mikado
[] [MOV] Shinohara (No.)
[] [MOV] Maeda and the Student Council
[] [MOV] Nanami
Argh, it feels like the universe is conspiring against me. All of a sudden, now that I have some sort of responsibility, I have a bunch of stuff to do... anyway! Here you go, only four (five?) days late~
[] [AS] Work at DreamerLuci's Subforum (+¥????)
Success Threshold: 75 (Low-Level Job) - 20 (Newbie) = 55
DICE ROLL: 82
Result: Unsatisfactory
The day before the big unit tests, Silas was figuring out the hard way that being a moderator on a forum was not a good way to relieve himself of stress.
He thought it would be easy. And why wouldn't it be?! All he had to do was read through a forum for a bit and infract a few bad apples every now and then, right? He would even get to listen in on the interesting conversation and dialogue in the AH thread! It was going to be a blast, right?!
It was not.
TophatMoe said:
Viki said:
BunJi Daemon said:
Deserteagle said:
YamiOtako said:
Shogun of the West said:
Deserteagle said:
Miu-kun said:
Ishinobu said:
BunJi Daemon said:
Viki said:
BunJi Daemon said:
Tophat Moe said:
Shogun of the West said:
Deserteagle said:
TophatMoe said:
YamiOtako said:
Deserteagle said:
DreamerLuci (Site Founder) said:I THOUGHT I TOLD YA'LL TO STOP TALKING ABOUT YOUR SICK FETISHESDeserteagle said:
Mmmkay, so this got out of hand fast. @Sumato Natto, I hope you know it's your fault I'm not getting and sleep tonight.
Thread locked for review. @YamiOtako? Your time to shine, bud.
By the end of it all, he was thoroughly exhausted.
DreamerLuci: dude
DreamerLuci: you suck at this job
DreamerLuci: jk man it's fine
YamiOtako:
DreamerLuci: Sorry for putting you through that. Figurd putting you through the PoE thread would be a great initiation, but I didnt expect SN to throw the thread into the shitmuncher again.
YamiOtako: Are you going to dock my pay?
DreamerLuci: Kidding? ur still alive, that counts for something. Besides, were subsidized by the government, so I don't have to worry about keeping my own budget
YamoOtako: Wat really?
DreamerLuci: I'll transfer ur pay to the FundFriend account you gave me. Do better next time, yeah? Peace. come back whenever.
"You know…" Big Sister said after her long period of silence as YamiOtako semi-gleefully withdrew the funds from his account. "I can help you with this if you want me to."
"Really?" Silas asked, raising an eyebrow. "How so?"
"It will be easy to mimic your writing style. I could pose as you and take some of the workload while you work," Big Sister spoke matter-of-factly. "It might take me a while to learn the mechanics of social contract, however. I also won't be able to do much else while helping you."
"Hmm? Why?"
Big Sister smiled sadly. "Big Sister I may be; I may see all and hear all, but if I try to understand all my memory will short itself out. I can't focus on more than a few things at a time... That besides, humans are intrinsically more complicated than yourself. I've had years to learn the ins and outs of you… for the rest of the world, I'll have mere moments at best."
"Ah…" Silas nodded his head. It made sense. It was funny and strange how he was learning new things about his Big Sister all the time.
[] [WORK] Have Big Sister "help" Silas with moderating even when he isn't actually moderating. (Big Sister's bonus evolves to apply to [WORK] actions, and Silas may occasionally receive income while not working.)
[] [WORK] Have Big Sister "help" Silas with moderating while he's actively working. (Big Sister's bonus evolves to apply to [WORK] actions.)
[] [WORK] Politely refuse; he's got this! (Silas feels good about himself.) (May develop positive trait.)
[] [WORK] (High INT) "Can't you create a self-learning companion or something that can help me out so that you don't take the stress yourself?"
+1200¥
Note: You can now buy gifts and other items at the Hypermall!
DreamerLuci: +2 REL
The next day...
Have I studied enough for this? I've studied enough for this, right? Right?
Silas didn't know how all the other students in his class handled it. It was something else entirely when it came to classwork - he could muse over it with a classmate, or even ask a teacher for help. And the quizzes they'd been having for the past couple of weeks were all small and targeted towards the particularly lesson for that day, so he never had to reach far to recall the stuff he needed to remember.
"Rise!" he rose. "Bow!" he bowed. "Be seated!" He sat. Maeda's voice rang clear through his mind, but he didn't pay much attention to it.
And this coming round of tests was about everything. He wouldn't have any convenient safety nets to land on, or any avenues of assistance. He was completely on his own.
"...good morning everyone! Hope you remembered that today was test day. Now, where's that attendance sheet… ah. Aoyama-san?"
Quickly, Silas ran through a number of factoids in his head. Formula for tangent? y - y1 = m(x - x1). Derivative for arcsin(x)? 1 over the square root of 1 minus x squared times the derivative of x. Justification that Ambernia used to declare war on Mihoku in the year 1344? Casus Belli: 'Democratic Crusade.' When is velocity increasing? When velocity and acceleration are both positive or both negative.
"Yamigawa-kun?"
"Hai!" he said out of reflex.
"Okay, that's the last student. Anyway, I've got an announcement to make to everyone…"
Wait wait wait… the thoughts were getting jumbled in his head now. He could have sworn he had gotten something wrong just then. He found himself tapping his desk. Is this paranoia? He thought to himself. What a stupid feeling. I wish I could be back home…
"...so I must stress that no one should enter the school this coming weekend. This includes club activities. Any questions? Yes?"
Wearily, he glanced upwards, looking to Big Sister's usual computer screen for support, but either because another student was glancing in that direction or because she didn't have anything to say, the screen was eerily blank. Silas tried to force himself to calm down, sinking himself lower into his seat. He'd be fine. He'd be fine. He. Would. Be. Fucking. Fine.
Silas suddenly got a buzz from his phone. Discreetly, he looked down. Big Sister was there!
Big Sister: A bit tense, hmm?
Big Sister: Deep breaths.
Big Sister: Remember what I said earlier this month? They're all afraid, too. They're just better at hiding it. You're not alone.
Big Sister: I'm here.
They were such small words, but Silas still felt his heartbeat subside. Big Sister was there, after all. She wouldn't let anything bad happen to him…
IT'S TEST DAY!
Talk: Matsuoka Yumika
Success Threshold: 62.5 (Base) - 20 (Loner) +7.5 (Good CHAR) + 10 (Sensitive) + 10 (Big Sister Interference) + 15 (Student Otaku) = 85
DICE ROLL: 2
Result: Crit Success!
"Omigod, you're nervous?!" Matsuoka giggled. "Come on, now, you're smart! You'll do fiiine."
Silas wasn't entirely convinced. "But I'm just worried that - "
"Okay, lemme stop you right there," Yumika held out a hand to silence him. "In my experience - and my experience is quite large, thank-you-very-much - it is the fear of not being prepared that does more harm than actually not being prepared. Sai-kun, you're prepared. Just think that you are, and it'll all work out. Right, Allen?"
Allen, who only seemed to be sitting by Yumika because neither Yamaguchi nor Shinohara were around, gave Silas a look that sort of said 'okay fine, I'll deal with this guy for now,' and sighed. "Yumika's talking sense, Silas. It's a psychological thing. I'm sure you'll…" he briefly looked Silas up and down. "...pass, at least."
"He'll do more than pass! He'll get an A+, I bet!" Yumika pumped a fist onto the air. Allen seemed to be torn between rolling his eyes and snorting.
"I don't really think so…" Silas said deflatedly. "I mean… at best, I'm shooting for a B."
"Plus?" Yumika smiled.
"I… guess?"
"Well… close enough! Optimism's important, you know?"
"We know," Allen replied drily. But then he chuckled. "Too well."
Yumika looked between the two boys expectantly, her expression slowly morphing into exasperation as she noticed neither of them was particularly willing to interact with the other. She touched her chin, and something seemed to spark in her mind. "Let's study together!"
"...hm?" Allen looked mildly interested.
"Well, we're all here, and the test's pretty soon, so...why not?" Yumika smiled. "Besides, it'll be fun! We can have a healthy competition together to see who gets the most answers right!"
Allen grinned devilishly. "Oh boy, you sure about this? I'm going to demolish you two."
"Yeah. Suuuure," Yumika said teasingly.
"I'd like to see you try," Silas muttered to himself, mostly as an afterthought.
"Is that a challenge?!" Allen suddenly perked up. There was a fire in his eyes.
"W-Wait, you heard that?!" Silas recoiled. "I didn't mean to - "
"Great idea! Let's compete together!" Yumika said cheerily. "Language Studies first. Here, lemme get the flashcards. Whoever can answer the most words right wins a dango form my bento!"
Imperceptibly, Yumika winked in Silas's direction. Silas sighed and went along with it.
To his (and probably Allen's) surprise, he was actually pretty good at their little impromptu game. By the end of it all, Allen seemed to be viewing him with some sort of… approval? It was hard to tell with Amberrish people…
Matsuoka Yumika: +4 REL
Allen Furai: +4 REL
More of Allen's Personality has been discovered!
NEW SPECIAL ACTION: [SOCIAL] Challenge someone. (Provoke some sort of conflict. Certain characters will appreciate this action more than regular talking. Primary stat: COUR)
Talk: Shinohara Hana
Success Threshold: 50 (Base) + 10 (Big Sister Interference) + 10 (Sensitive) + 15 (Student Otaku) + 5 (Drama Club Newbie) +1.25 (Okay INT) -2.5 (Low CHAR) - 10 (???) -20 (Loner) = 58.75
DICE ROLL: 17
Result: Success!
"...hi." Shinohara said tersely.
"...hi?" Silas replied hopefully.
"I'm guessing you want to sit here," Shinohara nodded her head. She sighed. "Yumika-san says I should stop avoiding you… so… fine. Have a seat."
Tentatively, Silas slided his bento box next to Shinohara's and slid the lid open. He pulled a bit of Takoyaki (ever since he had that conversation with Yumika the other day, Big Sister started sending it to him) out with his fingers and nibbled it a bit. "Um… so… how is it?"
"Oh… just… fine," Shinohara put extra emphasis on the last word. "Just… loving the atmosphere, I guess."
"The atmosphere?" Silas looked around. "What's new about it?"
"Oh… it's mostly the oppressive feeling. Shinohara looked like she was about to giggle, but then glanced in Silas's direction and steadied herself, coughing lightly. "It's… stimulating."
"...ah?"
"...yeah. Ah."
Silas was used enough to awkward silences to be able to take this one without much issue. "Do you… about that horror movie…"
"Don't."
"Right! Sorry!" Silas stuffed his face in his bento box and gobbled a few taco rice. "Overstepped my bounds again." He was so worried he'd do something again and make Shinohara genuinely hate him.
But Shinohara was giggling. "Oh, boy, what a strange breed of fear," she laughed. "Is that what scares you, Silas? Breaking minor social bounds?"
"W-Wha - "
"Or… now let me think here…" Shinohara seemed to be looking around in Silas's mind, bobbing her head to and fro. "...do you fear the abandonment of those you think of as friends?"
Silas blinked.
"Ahah! Found it, haven't I?" Shinohara beamed. "Hey hey, imagine a world real quick for me. Imagine a world where you don't go to this school. Where you never did. You still exist, but you don't exist as a person. You don't matter. You think everyone here would get along just fine?"
"I-I…"
"Yes, of course they would!" Shinohara breathed, sucking the air beneath her teeth. "Oh, isn't that just terrifying? Knowing that you're so close to irrelevance that if it weren't for people like Yumika-san you wouldn't even be noticeable in this school! Take this school, and take you out of it, and no one would even notice the difference! Can't say the same about some other people who don't exist, huh? Aw, look at that face! Hahah! Heheh… heh… wait… oh dear, um…" Shinohara's face suddenly seemed turned pale. Her eyes flitted between herself and Silas. "D-Did I… I didn't mean to… y-you know, that atmosphere! It's… doing this t-to me… you know?"
Wordlessly, Silas got up from his seat.
"...Yamigawa-kun?" Silas didn't hear her. "Dammit," she cursed under her breath.
He backed away, eyes down at his bento before reaching his seat. He ate in silence for the rest of the lunch bell.
His hand was shaking.
Shinohara scared him.
One of Shinohara's Traits is now more thoroughly explained!
Silas is now ACTIVELY AVOIDING Shinohara. He can't do anything involving her outside of general club actions for two turns.
Shinohara Hana: +2 REL
By the end of the day, tests had come and gone, and Silas felt… conflicted. Had he done well? Well… to be honest, it didn't even matter anymore. All he could do was put it in the back of his mind, and hope… hope… that everything would be peachy green when their grades came back.
(Grades will be returned at the start of next week.)
Club: Work
As Silas entered the Drama Club room, he noticed that it had changed significantly from when he'd last set foot in it. Rakuyama and Mikado were hard at work hanging decorations on the walls and the ceiling, while Reizei fussed over a bunch of documents on a table at the middle of the room. He looked up as Silas entered. "Oh, thank god! You've come! I need you to do something!"
"Uh… what is it?" Silas asked.
"These wimps - " he jerked his hand at Mikado and Rakuyama, the latter of which stuck her toungue out in his direction " - aren't willing to send the invitations we've made to the Student Council. And we kind of need to do that. And neither Yumika-san nor Kuroda-kun are around, so you're my best pick." He pushed a few colorful pamphlets forward. "Go!"
"Wait, what?!" Silas took the pamphlets in his arms. "Um… okay!"
"Be careful with them, Yami - Silas-kun!" Mikado called from atop a ladder, his face buried in black-and-green lights. "It's very fine paper. Don't make any creases!"
"O-Okay!" Silas replied as he walked out the door. Reizei seems awfully energetic when he's organizing things, Silas thought to himself.
As usual, the school's hallways were quiet but not completely estranged from activity. The occasional student would duck into one of the many hallways, but for the most part he was alone. Silas turned a corner, and then stopped, looking around confusingly. It occured to him he had no idea where the Student Council offices were.
"Uh… Big Sis?"
"Down the hall another twenty meters, up a flight of stairs, make the first right, should be the first couple of rooms on the lefthand side." Big Sister materialized and immaterialized in a flash.
"Thanks!" Silas took off in that direction, eager to get his task over with.
~~~
A lone figure looked down the hall, which had just a few seconds ago been populated by a particularly excited-looking high school boy. They stared at the spot where he had just been, not quite comprehending what they'd just seen.
Tentatively, they put a finger to their ear, bringing them to a secure channel. "Hey, uh… Kaichou?"
The responding voice was terse. "What."
"When I get back, I'm gonna need to log on to the Database. Need to write a report."
"What kind of report?"
"Of the anomalous variety."
"...Ah. I see."
Without another word, the finger was removed from their ear, and the student returned on their merry way as if they'd seen nothing. In fact, they had seen nothing. Nothing strange at all had happened on the 700 Hallway, and there was no proof to the contrary, and they would never say the anything to the contrary to anyone but himself and the voice on the other end of his headpiece.
~~~
The double doors to the Student Council wing were bold and prominent. Apparently the Student Council had sequestered an entire section of the school just to themselves.
Noticeably, above one of the doors, the words "Student Council Office 1C" had been hastily scribbled out by someone with a permanent marker and covered by a sheet of paper labelled "Council Chamber." He figured that would be where most of the Student Council would be holed up. Tentatively, he pushed on the sliding door, hearing the wheels turn and squeak ever slightly.
He heard a chorus of laughter come from the other side.
Confused, he pushed further.
"You blinked! Hahah! You blinked!"
"Sorry, Yonna-san, you're dead."
"Aww…"
"Hey, Ichiro-kun! Come join us!"
"Don't you all have some work you could be doing right now?"
For some reason, Silas imagined this scene playing out differently. He most certainly didn't envision being confronted with what looked like a… party game, involving some sort of disgusting looking statue in the middle of the room. "Um… hi?" he said, weakly. "Silas?!" Nanami exclaimed from a corner of the room.
"Hey, hey! Don't blink! Don't blink!" One of the Council members laughed. "Blink and you're out!"
"Who's that at the door?" Someone said very audibly. Gradually, all eyes in the room fell to him. The entire Council seemed to be shuffling in their feet, embarrassed at themselves. Silas got a very strange feeling of deja vu.
Silas waved his hand meekly. "I have an invitation… from the Drama Club…?"
"I thought Airi-san was guarding the Student Council Wing." one of the Student Council members replied. "How'd you get in?"
"There wasn't anyone there…" Silas shook his head. "Uh… I-I have pamphlets, and…"
"Here, let me take them." The Kaichou - the one named "Ichiro," rose from his desk and roughly grabbed the stack from Silas's hands. He looked over them briefly before passing them to someone who looked to be his assistant. "Sorry about this… unruliness, Yamigawa-kun. We appreciate the offer. You can… go now."
"Uh…" Silas looked around for Maeda, but she didn't seem to be around. "I'll… do just that."
Silas swallowed. "P-Please come, if you can! We'll… uh… we'll have food! You can relax, and stuff! And we've got a nice horror movie!"
"Right," Ichiro looked bored. "Sure. What movie?"
"Uh…" Silas scratched his head. "A… Apoly… "Apollyon" something or another. It's about a thing that makes you not exist if you see it. I'll... see myself out now, bye!" he retreated into the hallway and didn't look back, burying his face in shame.
He didn't see the way Ichiro froze at the name of the movie, or how several of the Council members seemed to do a double take as he left.
~~~
"Back from the dead, I see!" Yumika giggled. "Renji-kun's so mean! You put him out in the Student Council offices by himself? He could have gotten eaten or something!"
"We've established that the Student Council is weird, not that they're cannibals," Reizei replied drily. He turned to Silas. "So! How'd it go?"
Silas looked down. "Not… very well. They didn't seem interested."
"Well, I wouldn't be surprised, to be honest," Reizei admitted. "Though, I'm sure you've gotten the interest of some of them. The Student Council works too hard. They probably wouldn't be averse to a little relaxation."
"And that's coming from Renji-kun, the fire soul of overwork!" Rakuyama called from the back of the room. Reizei sighed.
"Friends!" Kuroda suddenly burst into the room. "I have brought the sheets for the tables! We may decorate at once!"
"Well, no use worrying about it now," Reizei patted Silas on the back. "We've got work to do, and tomorrow we'll fret about whether the Council people show up."
"Thanks," Silas beamed appreciatively. "Oh, and I've been meaning to ask… uh… do we actually… do work in here?"
"Yeah, for sure," Reizei lifted a sheet and handed it to Silas, who spread it across one of the tables. "We're doing our screenwriting next week. Hey, Silas, you wouldn't mind being the Lead, right?"
"Uh… what?"
Reizei spread out a few more sheets. "We need a male lead because Kuroda doesn't want to be it again. Something about honor or some nonsense. You'll be a perfect lead, yeah?"
"What?! No, no!" Silas pleaded.
"Eh. Well, we'll save that for next week, too," Reizei chuckled. "Pass me the streamer."
"You're not… actually thinking of making me a lead, right?" Silas asked. Reizei simply smiled.
"Hand me that one, too."
"Right?!"
…
"RIGHT?!"
Reizei Renji, Matsuoka Yumika, Mikado Yoshi: +2 REL
DRAMA CLUB MOVIE NIGHT INCOMING
Weekend will not start until after the movie night ends.
Silas wants to sit with someone in particular during the movie. Who will it be?
[] [MOV] Yumika
[] [MOV] Rakuyama and Reizei
[] [MOV] Kuroda and Mikado
[] [MOV] Shinohara (No.)
[] [MOV] Maeda and the Student Council
[] [MOV] Nanami
Last edited:
LuciDreamer
Maliciously Incompetent
- Location
- United States
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Cautionary note:
Any real-life resemblances are to be taken with a grain of salt. And sauteed with a side serving of fried rice. And dashed with pepper.
Any real-life resemblances are to be taken with a grain of salt. And sauteed with a side serving of fried rice. And dashed with pepper.
Jhin Lemon
Lawful Cute
- Location
- Trapped in the interwebs, please send help
[X] [WORK] (High INT) "Can't you create a self-learning companion or something that can help me out so that you don't take the stress yourself?"
[X] [MOV] Nanami
Hmm, this could end badly, with the companion pushing Big Sister further from Silas. On the other hand: AI buddies!
[X] [MOV] Nanami
Hmm, this could end badly, with the companion pushing Big Sister further from Silas. On the other hand: AI buddies!