[BitP:R] Mortal World 3

[Dorizzit]

The School
Courtyard

Nakahiro remains silent as Sora goes to the edge of mockery around his question, before sighing lightly.

Okay, direct approach won't work. I was really hoping I wouldn't have to do this.

Nakahiro engages his abilities, becoming covered in a bright white aura. Looking at his watch, he presses a button and a small, circular shield made of energy emerges from the device. Nakahiro then presses a second button, causing multiple protrusions of energy not unlike blades to sprout from the shield's edges. A third causes it to start spinning like a buzz saw. A moment of focus from Nakahiro causes the shield-turned-saw to detach and fly, quite slowly but very obviously, towards Sora's face.

[Kasanip]

Ken smiled back. "You're welcome. I'm glad you like it. Sure." After readily accepting the food he turned to Sayaka.

"B-b-but why? I just wanted to be nice to you," said Ken, his face expressing mock consternation and his voice deliberately faltering.

Sayaka
[Class 1-2]

Sayaka sighed. She made a response quietly.
"I have to shop. I have to cook. I have to be able to sleep peacefully without a worry of you ruining the dinner planning for the week! I was going to make a nice crab dinner after this horrible week. But you ruined it. It's wasteful because I don't need such a childish thing. I can cook. I have cooked for my family since my mother died. So don't ruin that."

She eats her own lunch quietly.
She wasn't very angry at Ken. But she was trying to become a part of the class. If Ken did too much of this kind of thing the other students would thing incorrect things. And it would be harder to approach them too. Already other people avoided her it seemed like this.

Maybe it was just a paranoid thought.

Chiyoko sits back as well, and relaxes, humming a tune.

Kazari
[Fushichou Junior High School]

Kazari closed her eyes to rest peacefully. Chiyoko's music is very relaxing. It's a nostalgic feeling. Kazari thinks of this song like it is a dream. but for a necklace to dream is a strange thought. So Kazari imagines it is what it must be.

"Can you play a musical instrument?" Suddenly she asked.

[KnightDisciple]

"It's...hard. I moved here this year...new town, new experiences." Her smile fades a little, but comes back shortly afterward.

"Have as much as you want! I've had a lot." She motions toward her bag, over by Ken and Sayaka. "Brought my own...I learned how to cook...when I was young."

Kaito nodded in understanding.

"It's a good city, when all is said and done. I hope you feel more at ease as time goes on; I think you'll like it here."

He glances over at her bag, comprehension dawning in his eyes.

"Ah. I see. Well, I might still be hungry, but there's no way I'll finish it all. Maybe Valeria or Izumi want some too?"

He picked a few bits out of the bento, placing them on his own, while he waited for his question towards the other two girls to be answered. They were right there, it shouldn't be hard to hear.

[strawberryman]

Meanwhile, Izumi sits down across from Valeria! "Hey there, Valeria-san."

Val blinks, coming back to earth. "Oh, h-hi Hayashi-san."

Kaito nodded in understanding.

"It's a good city, when all is said and done. I hope you feel more at ease as time goes on; I think you'll like it here."

He glances over at her bag, comprehension dawning in his eyes.

"Ah. I see. Well, I might still be hungry, but there's no way I'll finish it all. Maybe Valeria or Izumi want some too?"

He picked a few bits out of the bento, placing them on his own, while he waited for his question towards the other two girls to be answered. They were right there, it shouldn't be hard to hear.

Then turns to Kaito. "Oh... no thanks, I'm fine. "

[Furousha Shop]

Viatrix smiles a bit more... well, not genuinely, but it's a bit less sinister. Then, she turns and beckons, Fuchs padding slowly after her. "Well, follow me, then; we've got some business to tend to.~"

[nothingclever]

Sayaka

Spoiler

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[Class 1-2]

Sayaka sighed. She made a response quietly.
"I have to shop. I have to cook. I have to be able to sleep peacefully without a worry of you ruining the dinner planning for the week! I was going to make a nice crab dinner after this horrible week. But you ruined it. It's wasteful because I don't need such a childish thing. I can cook. I have cooked for my family since my mother died. So don't ruin that."

She eats her own lunch quietly.
She wasn't very angry at Ken. But she was trying to become a part of the class. If Ken did too much of this kind of thing the other students would thing incorrect things. And it would be harder to approach them too. Already other people avoided her it seemed like this.

Maybe it was just a paranoid thought.



Kazari
[Fushichou Junior High School]

Kazari closed her eyes to rest peacefully. Chiyoko's music is very relaxing. It's a nostalgic feeling. Kazari thinks of this song like it is a dream. but for a necklace to dream is a strange thought. So Kazari imagines it is what it must be.

"Can you play a musical instrument?" Suddenly she asked.

Ken
Ken began another one of his speeches which were becoming increasingly common. "I'll have you know I didn't ruin your plans. I bought the ingredients I used on my own time with my own money. I thought you might have plans, but even if you didn't, I still wouldn't have used the food from a house I am a guest of, in such extravagant ways without permission. It's also not wasteful because I used my own resources and I decide what I think they are worth using on. I don't think using them to try to make you happy is wasteful. As for being childish, is it childish to be kind to the people you care about? So what if I chose a silly way of doing things? We can't always fool around so why don't we take advantage of the times when we can? I figured it'd be nice to give you an unusual and memorable first day in your new class. You might prefer a mundane day, but how memorable would it be? You're missing memories so I'm trying to give you some new good ones."

If Sayaka tried to interrupt he would raise a hand to object and continue. He still wasn't finished. This last part was crucial. "If you're afraid I've alienated you from the rest of the students because of what I've done then I'd like to point out that can you can use the situation to your advantage. You could always say that I'm ridiculous and distance yourself from me while gaining sympathy from others. You could just say, 'That loser Ken? Yeah, he doesn't have many friends. I want nothing to do with him. I just treat spending time with him as doing my civic duty to help the less fortunate. Isn't he a jerk for embarrassing me in front of all of you? Doesn't he realize the situation he's in?" The entire time he spoke his voice remained quiet and reasonable. Clearly he had prepared well for Sayaka's complaints and general displeasure.

[tgva8889]

Kina Yoshimoto - Lunch time

Kina looks around to Izumi and Valeria, offering the box to them as well. "Please...I'll have enough." She smiles lightly and shifts her glasses habitually.

[horngeek]

Izumi smiles. "All right."

She'll take some of the food!

----

Chiyoko turns her head towards Kazari. "It depends on whether you count the voice as a musical instrument. I'm good at singing, but I can't play anything else. I suppose with enough time to memorise the layout I could do so, but otherwise, it's not possible for me to learn."

[Terry576]

The School
Courtyard

Spoiler

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Nakahiro remains silent as Sora goes to the edge of mockery around his question, before sighing lightly.

Okay, direct approach won't work. I was really hoping I wouldn't have to do this.

Nakahiro engages his abilities, becoming covered in a bright white aura. Looking at his watch, he presses a button and a small, circular shield made of energy emerges from the device. Nakahiro then presses a second button, causing multiple protrusions of energy not unlike blades to sprout from the shield's edges. A third causes it to start spinning like a buzz saw. A moment of focus from Nakahiro causes the shield-turned-saw to detach and fly, quite slowly but very obviously, towards Sora's face.

Sora's smile widens.

"Spare me your childish threats. You won't go through with it, Nakahiro-san. Your friends will wonder what I did to force you to such lengths. And, considering you spoke with me, you won't have an excuse."

A cold tone overcomes his voice.

"And it takes more then a damn saw to frighten me."

[Dorizzit]

The School
Courtyard

Nakahiro smiles, not without a bit of triumph, and dismisses both his aura and the saw blade.

"Frighten you? Think nothing of the kind, I don't mean any harm. You must realize, however, that anyone without a significant degree of spiritual awareness would have been totally blind to that 'attack.' Additionally, your cool acceptance of the saw leads me to believe that you have some abilities of your own. Now, are you going to keep trying to play dumb?"

[Terry576]

The School
The Courtyard

Sora inclines his head. Touché sir, touché.

"Very well. What did you want? My incredible popularity requires me to diverge my attention to to others eventually, you know."

In the back of his mind, he's expecting Yui to jump out of nowhere, bean him in the head with a baseball, and yell something about Remembering His Training.

[Dorizzit]

The School
Courtyard

Nakahiro nods slightly in gratitude.

"Simply put, you either possess yourself or have somehow picked up a significant quantity of Hollow Reiatsu. Generally speaking, I'd be inclined to let you handle your own affairs, but given your consistent, close proximity to my friends, I wanted to make sure that they weren't in danger because of you. I don't believe that they are, but I want to be certain. I won't ask you to give me an explanation, if you don't want to, just an assurance."

[Terry576]

Sora shrugged.

"I don't know what you mean by 'close proximity'. I've exchanged all of two words with Valeria-san, me and Kaito-san have a respectable loathing for one another, and Izumi already knows."

Sora grins ferally, amused by Nakahiro's question.

"Of course they're in danger around me Nakahiro-san! Haven't you seen what I do for fun? What I find amusing? I'm a freak, according to you and your friends."

He spits out the word friends as if it's diseased.

"But, they have nothing to worry about me. I'm in control. Now go away, I have things to do."

He waves his hand, like he's dismissing Nakahiro from his presence.

[Kasanip]

Sayaka
[Class 1-2]

Sayaka sighed. Without an argument, how could she answer such a statement? I don't know too. After such a reaction, what is Sayaka to do but to continue eating.
"I'm sorry." She said quietly.

If Kazari's lunch was interrupt with disgust of konnyaku, then Sayaka's lunch was interrupt of disgust of sour disagreement.

Kazari
[Fushichou Junior High School]

Kazari looked very interested of this. Is a musical instrument a voice? Maybe it was. Maybe it wasn't. What was meaning of 'musical instrument'? For a necklace to think of this, it is hard. Maybe meaning of 'instrument' is 'tool'. To be a tsukumogami- understanding 'tool' is easy. To be a necklace is also to be a tool for beauty. So instrument must mean a 'tool' of 'music.'

So, is 'voice' an 'instrument'?

Kazari thought hard with her head.
Cicadas also cried loudly outside. Abominable distractions.
Is a voice an instrument?

Chiyoko's puzzle was unfair. Kazari frowned. You must 'use' a tool. A 'voice' is not 'used.' But maybe it can be? But such a thought is language trouble. It is a human puzzle.

Ah! Kazari made a surprised look and realized the correct answer.
"No, a voice is not a musical instrument." She said. Of course a voice cannot become tsukumogami. So it is not a tool. That is the logic of Kazari.

"But it is still very pretty." She added to comfort Chiyoko. "You are very good at singing I think."
Maybe to impress a necklace is not so hard with such a skill however.

[horngeek]

Chiyoko smiles at the compliment. "Thank you, Kazari.

...you're a good friend."

She feels around in her bag, and pulls out a cardboard sheet, her fingers sliding across it. Not that Kazari will see any writing, just the bumps of braille. "So... seems we've got literature next."

[nothingclever]

Ken

"Aww, I was hoping you'd assure me you could never bring yourself to say such mean things about me and try to console me." Ken began to speak with a solemn tone. "Seriously though, don't worry about what you said. I'm sure I deserved some flak for my behavior and I'm sorry I embarrassed you. I'll try to be less bothersome. I know what it's like not to know many people and to be anxious about getting off to a good start. I've never been a very social or popular person. In fact, I've never really had any friends at all. Only after meeting you and Kina have I started to really open up to others. I'm not saying I think you also have my problems. I just want you to know that you'll always have a friend in me, even if I'm not a very good one."

[Dorizzit]

Spoiler

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Sora shrugged.

"I don't know what you mean by 'close proximity'. I've exchanged all of two words with Valeria-san, me and Kaito-san have a respectable loathing for one another, and Izumi already knows."

Sora grins ferally, amused by Nakahiro's question.

"Of course they're in danger around me Nakahiro-san! Haven't you seen what I do for fun? What I find amusing? I'm a freak, according to you and your friends."

He spits out the word friends as if it's diseased.

"But, they have nothing to worry about me. I'm in control. Now go away, I have things to do."

He waves his hand, like he's dismissing Nakahiro from his presence.

Nakahiro shrugs at Sora's incredulity.

"To me, 'close proximity' is this school. Anyway, I'll take you at your word, and stop bothering you."

He leaves.

[HirokatsuGoto]

Spoiler

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[Furousha Shop]

Viatrix smiles a bit more... well, not genuinely, but it's a bit less sinister. Then, she turns and beckons, Fuchs padding slowly after her. "Well, follow me, then; we've got some business to tend to.~"

[Izanagi Aso, Freelance Photographer, Unknowingly Spiritually Aware Human] (following after Viatrix under Furousha)

Izanagi tried to smile a bit to her as she did to him before she turned, but he was unsure if she saw it or not. "su..sure....no problem" he said he first part of the words being uncertain and by the end of them a hint of confidence crept in to his voice.

Izanagi then put his hat back on quickly and scooped up the broken body of the camera, and through it into his bag quickly as he moved forward to follow her. He couldnt just leave it there, even if it never worked again it deserved a proper burial.

Izanagi followed the young girl, and the weird creature which had seemingly been the one to save him. He looked at Fuchs as he walked with her, a quizzical eye trying to understand what he was looking at. It almost seemed to be like a person, not an animal.

Izanagi felt bad how he acted immediately after he fell, if this creature saved him, Izanagi's actions were definitely inappropriate, even if justified.

Izanagi took a few extra steps to try to come even with Fuchs, and then said to Fuchs, not sure if it understood him or would even care. He tried to catch its "eyes" though it had none... "thank you...for catching me..." he said with a bowed head to it as he followed Viatrix.

[Kasanip]

Chiyoko smiles at the compliment. "Thank you, Kazari.

...you're a good friend."

She feels around in her bag, and pulls out a cardboard sheet, her fingers sliding across it. Not that Kazari will see any writing, just the bumps of braille. "So... seems we've got literature next."

Kazari
[Fushichou Junior High School]

"Oh, it is." Kazari said. She was still proud of solving the human riddle, but she opened her notebook now with distraction. Of course Chiyoko can read, Kazari knows because they are classmates. Actually it is very interesting to watch Chiyoko for Kazari. During class it is Kazari's special game when she is bored to watch Chiyoko closely. She didn't understand the braille characters, but that was ok.

Looking at the notebook, her homework yesterday had marks around the culture area. She liked reading very much, but to answer a question like this:
1.) What did Urashima do when he got up?
He had breakfast.

Wrong? Kazari was annoyed of this. Of course everyone had breakfast after they get up! She looked at Chiyoko.

"How do you do your homework?" Kazari asked.

[horngeek]

Chiyoko chuckles. "With difficulty.

Most of my homework sheets come in braille- I get special assistance because I'm blind. As for how I actually do it... my computer at home actually says the words as I type them, and I can find my way on the keyboard because of the bumps on some of the keys."

{{She means the ones on the F and J keys, if you've got an English keyboard.

Of course, I get the feeling that that isn't what Kazari meant... }}

[Kasanip]

Chiyoko chuckles. "With difficulty.

Most of my homework sheets come in braille- I get special assistance because I'm blind. As for how I actually do it... my computer at home actually says the words as I type them, and I can find my way on the keyboard because of the bumps on some of the keys."

{{She means the ones on the F and J keys, if you've got an English keyboard.

Of course, I get the feeling that that isn't what Kazari meant... }}

Kazari
[Fushichou Junior High School]

Kazari looked surprised and in awe of Chiyoko.
"You trust a computer?" Kazari asked suspiciously.
Didn't Chiyoko know better? Kazari looked worried at her friend. Suddenly Chiyoko seemed like a cute lion to Kazari. Fierce and unpredictable.

Of course. She was a human.

"I-I mean how do you do difficult questions?" Kazari asked again. She couldn't read Chiyoko's homework page, but it has no red pen on it.

[horngeek]

"Of course. My family gives up too much time for me already, I can't ask them to be scribes for me too... not when I can do it just as well using a computer."

Chiyoko tilts her head at Kazari's clarification. "...if I can't figure it out on my own, I ask my parents for help. Not to tell me the answer directly, but how to work it out."

[Callos_DeTerran]

Yuudai

"W-Woah!"

Michiko could hear a thud. When she came to the roof she'd see Yuudai sitting on the ground next to a chair that was tipped over. "H-Hello Ojou-Sama. I didn't know you were there." He said, standing up and pretending that nothing had happened.

"So what's up?" He asks nonchalantly, his hands behind his back.

Michiko

"I've gone to see your teacher and told him that you're feeling a bit ill today and had to go home." Michiko says abruptly, with none of her usual candor or wry teasing at his slightly foppish behavior, "I've set up a meet with the other kids from...the gym after schools done, and you have a job."

She sits down gracefully and sets out her traditionally done bento, setting aside the bits she had no intention of eating even as she filled a cup with tea from her thermos. Her mother loved to give her this kind of 'formal' dishes as a way to celebrate their heritage, but it honestly got on the girl's nerves sometimes.

I don't even like tea...

"I need you to go and round up as many of the others as you can and bring them to the school, but stay out of sight." she explains authoritatively, laying out what she'd been planning the entire day for her second in command, "This is going to be just like when we muscled out those bosshoku thugs last summer. I'll attempt diplomacy with them while you and everyone else wait nearby. If things turn south then use your best judgment about joining in or not, but you're mostly there for insurance. I don't think any of them will give me any trouble. I've already sent out the notes so there's no time to waste. And don't worry..your sisters aren't home today by my schedule, so no worries about the teacher calling your house to check up on you."

And just like that...she's daintily standing and turning a hard, ominous glare on Yuudai (i.e. her trademark death glare). "...And don't be late like last summer this time."

And then she was gone, leaving the majority of her lunch there for Yuudai, like she did every day.

==============================

After School

Michiko is the only one who waits by the edge of the pool when the school day is over, having slipped off her shoes and socks to dangle her feet into the water, waiting to see who had taken the bait to see what was going on with the friendly 'love letter' given to each of them.

[Dorizzit]

After School
Pool

Michiko can probably hear the approach of another person for a while before the footsteps stop a few feet away from her. One of the first to arrive, Nakahiro takes up a position leaning against a nearby wall for a few seconds while he tries to determine how to react to what's going on. He makes no effort to hide his presence, but doesn't speak, either.

Alright...this started weird, and it's not getting any clearer.

[strawberryman]

[Furousha Shop]

After a quiet elevator ride up into the shop's basement (which appears to be a small complex in its own right, but Izanagi is granted barely a glimpse at the full area it seems to cover) and up into the store proper, Viatrix sits Izanagi down in an apparent break room before heading back down for the basement. "Give me a few minutes, I've got to check my storage for something." She disappears, still with that somewhat mischievous smile. Fuchs has a seat near Izanagi, "watching" him silently.

[After School - Pool]

Valeria enters next, blushing heavily. What in the world could this be about? That letter made her almost... well, she wasn't sure what to think of it, really. The first person she spots is Michiko, her eyes boggling.

A girl!?

...The poor, sickly girl doesn't seem to know what to do at this, staring with her mouth agape at Michiko.

[Draken]

[After School - Pool]

Gabi, now inside a gigai of a yellow canary, zips over to land on Valeria's head and nest on her hair.

[KnightDisciple]

[After School - Pool]

Kaito was seemingly distracted as he walked into the gym shortly behind Valeria, nearly running into the girl before quickly side-stepping.

He took a look around the area, noting the presence of Michiko, Valeria, and Nakahiro. He set his school bag against the wall near the door, then walked closer to Michiko, tossing the "love letter" on the ground near her.

"Do you mind explaining what's going on here? This letter's kind of suspicious out of the blue like that, and the fact that some of my friends are here makes it more so."

He's frowning, arms crossed over his chest as he studies the mysterious upperclassman.

[HirokatsuGoto]

Spoiler

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[Furousha Shop]

After a quiet elevator ride up into the shop's basement (which appears to be a small complex in its own right, but Izanagi is granted barely a glimpse at the full area it seems to cover) and up into the store proper, Viatrix sits Izanagi down in an apparent break room before heading back down for the basement. "Give me a few minutes, I've got to check my storage for something." She disappears, still with that somewhat mischievous smile. Fuchs has a seat near Izanagi, "watching" him silently.

[Izanagi Aso, Freelance Photographer, Unknowingly Spiritually Aware Human] (in the Furousha shop waiting area)

Izanagi, not getting a response from the fox-like thing, fell back a bit as he followed Viatrix. He looked around as he followed her, but still had pretty much no idea what he was looking at. He figured they were underground going back up into the shop, but in all honesty for Izanagi, he had no idea about ANYTHING that was going on anymore.

Once getting back into a house, and sitting area, Izanagi started to feel some sense of normalcy return, but it was only momentary as he would catch the "gaze" of Fuchs sitting next to him. It was quite unnerving for Izanagi, as it was impossible to tell what the fox-like thing was doing or wanting. Izanagi uncomfortably smiled to Fuchs as best he could, hoping to not seem like a threat.

Izanagi tried to not let his nerves show, as he nodded poiltely to Viatrix as she left him alone with Fuchs. He took off his hat, stuffed it in his bag and went about combing his hair slightly with his hands.

Izanagi sat quietly, trying not to look at Fuchs, as each time he did he felt less and less like he had any grasp on reality.

[nothingclever]

Ken [After School - Pool]
Ken arrived next. He ignored the others that had already gathered and swiftly walked straight towards Michiko in a nonthreatening manner. Were she to allow him to get close to her he would attempt to grab her hands and clasp them together with his own while raising them to chest level. Regardless of whether or not he succeeded he would bow and afterwards raise his head to gaze into her eyes with a warm smile. Then he would speak in a sincere voice. "I'm sorry, but I'm just not ready to commit to you. I'll gladly be your friend though. Why don't we take it slow? We'll enjoy things more that way."

[KnightDisciple]

"Might want to save your declarations of love there, Ken. We all got that little note. Mighty suspicious, don't you think?"

This question was aired for all present to answer. After a moment, Kaito continued to speak, this time directed at Michiko.

"I don't appreciate someone giving me a fake love letter like that. Propped some of my hopes up a bit, only to kick them back to the ground.

So you've got about a minute to give me a better reason to stay, or I'm leaving."

He glances down at his watch, noting the time. For the next minute, he'd keep watching it unless Michiko spoke. His irritation was clear to everyone.

[strawberryman]

[Pool]

Val snaps out of her temporary reverie. "W-wait, all of you got letters?" A wave of relief washes over her... and something else, but she was too distracted to notice, as she crosses her arms nervously and looks to Michiko.

"Um... y-yeah, what is going on?"